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[MEGA]Community Growing advice, tips, tricks, & experiences Part 4

It's all very well experimenting with different media ingredients and I have nothing against it in principle, but I would hate to see someone invest a lot of time, effort, growing space, electricity and money on expensive genetics on something that could very well end up failing. By all means experiment, but don't use your homemade mix until you've compared it to a gold standard of some sorts. Tomatoes are great to use throughout the summer for this purpose, since it doesn't matter so much if they don't make it, but there's no point in wasting a grow on something that may not work.

There are some great commercial potting mixes available that are mass produced on such a scale that they would cost far less than anything you could knock up at home, so why risk it until you know for sure it works? KISS, as always.

I've made organic homemade media before and had some success (after initial failures of course), but these days with what's available commercially, I don't find it's worth the time, effort and money when you consider the end result. I can understand the desire to play around with that sort of thing, but it often is at a cost. That's just my two pence.
 
Artificial Emotion said:
It's all very well experimenting with different media ingredients and I have nothing against it in principle, but I would hate to see someone invest a lot of time, effort, growing space, electricity and money on expensive genetics on something that could very well end up failing. By all means experiment, but don't use your homemade mix until you've compared it to a gold standard of some sorts. Tomatoes are great to use throughout the summer for this purpose, since it doesn't matter so much if they don't make it, but there's no point in wasting a grow on something that may not work.

There are some great commercial potting mixes available that are mass produced on such a scale that they would cost far less than anything you could knock up at home, so why risk it until you know for sure it works? KISS, as always.

I've made organic homemade media before and had some success (after initial failures of course), but these days with what's available commercially, I don't find it's worth the time, effort and money when you consider the end result. I can understand the desire to play around with that sort of thing, but it often is at a cost. That's just my two pence.
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I agree, except for price, (which is next to nothing) but you cannot learn anything new w/o experiencing yourself -
but definitely weigh, consider all options first. I just love this hobby & am always teaching myself great new techniques.
 
^ that's fair enough (the fact it cost you nothing), but considering the cost of a bag of commercial compost over the whole grow in comparison to the cost of electricity and equipment, it just doesn't make sense for someone who doesn't know what they're doing to faff about. I'm not saying it didn't work for you, and if it did as you say then that's great, but for others who are just starting out it doesn't make sense to risk a grow just to experiment with DIY media. If you're growing outdoors with clones then that's a different story, however. There's a big different between risking a pack full of F1 seeds you've spent a fortune on and a bunch of what are pretty much free clones.
 
Artificial Emotion said:
^ that's fair enough (the fact it cost you nothing), but considering the cost of a bag of commercial compost over the whole grow in comparison to the cost of electricity and equipment, it just doesn't make sense for someone who doesn't know what they're doing to faff about. I'm not saying it didn't work for you, and if it did as you say then that's great, but for others who are just starting out it doesn't make sense to risk a grow just to experiment with DIY media. If you're growing outdoors with clones then that's a different story, however. There's a big different between risking a pack full of F1 seeds you've spent a fortune on and a bunch of what are pretty much free clones.
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Fair enough...factoring in the cost of light juice is enough to put alot of (would be) growers off.
 
Electricity prices are getting silly nowadays too. In the last few weeks I think it's costing me almost 20% more for my electricity in fact. It's nuts! That's why next year I'm really going to go for it with the guerilla growing. The plan is to buy about 10 of those cheap Fertile Fibre brand coir bales that expand in water and dig it into the soil after the whole area has been sprayed with glyphosate weedkiller. The problem is trying to find a secluded, open west facing area with good soil. I'm sure I'll be able to find something if I can get someone to drive me around for a day (I'm not allowed to drive myself).

I'm going to be crossing either a Mazar-I-Sharif landrace or a Lebanese landrace female with a Black Widow male. I'll then inbreed the resulting best male and female individials to produce two separate lines, which at the fourth generation will be crossed with each other to produce a new f1 strain. As long as the right selection criteria are used I should be able to make a high potency, high yielding and fast finishing strain suited to the UK outdoor climate.
 
Artificial Emotion said:
Electricity prices are getting silly nowadays too. In the last few weeks I think it's costing me almost 20% more for my electricity in fact. It's nuts! That's why next year I'm really going to go for it with the guerilla growing. The plan is to buy about 10 of those cheap Fertile Fibre brand coir bales that expand in water and dig it into the soil after the whole area has been sprayed with glyphosate weedkiller. The problem is trying to find a secluded, open west facing area with good soil. I'm sure I'll be able to find something if I can get someone to drive me around for a day (I'm not allowed to drive myself).

I'm going to be crossing either a Mazar-I-Sharif landrace or a Lebanese landrace female with a Black Widow male. I'll then inbreed the resulting best male and female individials to produce two separate lines, which at the fourth generation will be crossed with each other to produce a new f1 strain. As long as the right selection criteria are used I should be able to make a high potency, high yielding and fast finishing strain suited to the UK outdoor climate.
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Carry on mate...Best of skill/luck
 
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Artificial Emotion said:
^ Manure in containers is a no no IMO. It is possible to get away with using small amounts of sterilized manure, but it's so risky I wouldn't recommend it. You seem to have realized this though.

Pyritione? I wouldn't use that!

What bugs are you having trouble with?


From what I can see from the photo which isn't great (is the lamp on?) they look as if they need a good feed. I'm not sure though, as it could be a lockout problem or something. Let us know what the bug is and then I'll be able to help. I assume that it's a fungus gnat problem from what you've said though, so if that is the problem, I think the quickest, most effective way of dealing with it is using ant powder containing pyrethrin. Don't worry, it's safe, and probably an easier, cleaner and more effective solution than using a sand mulch which can have it's own issues like salt deposits. Don't stop watering if they need a drink, however make sure you use a wet/dry cycle without allowing them to wilt.

In future I would recommend using a pre-made medium from a company such as Fox Farm. Unless you've have a good working knowledge of soil science and understand how the different components of a medium interact, it's just not worth risking it. Companies like Fox Farm do all the hard work for you, so why not just buy their growing media that you know is cost effective and works well?

edit: also those plants look too big for those pots. Do you not ever pot up? I think potting up is quite important, even if you only do it in a few stages.
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Sorry mate i ment pyrethrin not Pyritione my spelling is shocking :) yes the light was on in that photo...........and im not too sure on the speices on bugs that are in my grow room and i cant really get a photo as there tiny....The best i can do is explane them they are very very small like no bigger than half a match head they have black bodys n clear wings n there fucking heaps of them n when i water my plants the fly into my face or land on my arms......n yes man next time ima buy the proper shit fox farm soil NO MANURE and proper canna ferts................I have changed there pots once but wasnt really planing on changing there pots again....Should i??i have switched the lights down n probz just gonna start again :)

Thanks for all ya help peoples =D
 
Did you water it in? What active ingredient did it contain? If it contains permethrin I can't see why it wouldn't work. If it does contain it I would reapply it and add more.

Alternatively use sand that's been washed as a mulch, however the ant powder should really work if it has permethrin. I would hazard a guess that it contains some other active ingredient (I dread to think what it actually is!). If you do use sand mulch, make sure it's been thoroughly rinsed to remove sea salt.

If you can get hold of a lovely ingredient called neem seed cake, which is the seed husks left behind after neem oil has been extracted, that should also kill them. This stuff is great since it acts as an organic fertilizer, kills off other nasties like springtails and feeds the microherd in the compost. When using organic compost I always add a handful of this stuff to the medium since the plants seem to love it.
Once you think you've eradicated them, place a cube shaped piece of potato, about a couple of centimetres in length and leave it there for about 20 mins. When you take it out you should be able to see their larvae (gross, I know) if they're still present. They are not hard to get rid of though, not like spidermites, so be grateful the problem isn't worse.

Do the bugs look like this?
216803d1192651795-revised-complete-guide-sick-plants-ph-1134fungas-gnat1.jpg
 
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Here's my project:

Grow out a pack of Lebanese plants, select the best phenotype which yields the most but also produces great tasting weed that has a good high. I will then clone this and cross it with a few promising Black Widow males. The best male will be chosen according to which produces the best offspring. This will be called the F1 cross. The best F1 female will be crossed with the two best males (again, chosen according to which produces the best offspring) to produce an F2 cross of two populations. The process will be repeated to the F4 cross, after which the two lines will be crossed to make a new F1 strain, which I will call Lebanese Widow (see the image to visualize).

I will also have another project where I cross the best Lebanese female (P1) to the best Black Widow male (also P1) and then cube it, by crossing the best F2 to the P1 Black Widow male and repeat it and son on.

I will also be trying this with Mr Nice Shit and Mazar-I-Sharif. Hopefully the projects will yield something useful in the end. The main aim will be to acclimatize the Lebanese Widow to the British weather so that it is a type of semi-automatic flowering strain that finishes in early October and avoids mould where possible. Potency, yield, colour and taste are also important and will be bred into the crosses.

3GTNY.jpg
 
Dude... I was linked here by Chainer because of my questions in a new thread. Doesn't he know stoners don't like reading? This thread is way too tl;dr. }; Guess I'll go somewhere else...
 
Artificial Emotion said:
Did you water it in? What active ingredient did it contain? If it contains permethrin I can't see why it wouldn't work. If it does contain it I would reapply it and add more.

Alternatively use sand that's been washed as a mulch, however the ant powder should really work if it has permethrin. I would hazard a guess that it contains some other active ingredient (I dread to think what it actually is!). If you do use sand mulch, make sure it's been thoroughly rinsed to remove sea salt.

If you can get hold of a lovely ingredient called neem seed cake, which is the seed husks left behind after neem oil has been extracted, that should also kill them. This stuff is great since it acts as an organic fertilizer, kills off other nasties like springtails and feeds the microherd in the compost. When using organic compost I always add a handful of this stuff to the medium since the plants seem to love it.
Once you think you've eradicated them, place a cube shaped piece of potato, about a couple of centimetres in length and leave it there for about 20 mins. When you take it out you should be able to see their larvae (gross, I know) if they're still present. They are not hard to get rid of though, not like spidermites, so be grateful the problem isn't worse.

Do the bugs look like this?
216803d1192651795-revised-complete-guide-sick-plants-ph-1134fungas-gnat1.jpg
Click to expand...

haha no i dont think i watered it in very well....I will try again today n see how it goes....N the bug in that picture is dif to the ones i have in my bathroom :\ i think there "bitting midgies" i'll try to get a photo of a few but they are really really really small...............
 
^ put a cube of potato in the surface of the medium, leave it for 15-20 mins and then take it out. If you see larvae in it it'll probably be fungus gnats.
 
Sorry, having problems with photobucket, going to find another place to upload, sorry for the delay.
Going to harvest one of my Northern light plants today :D
Looks like an interesting project AE
And the breeder was Nirvana,
Thanks Papasomni and AE, appreciate it :)
 
^ try imgur. Hope you're feeling better by the way.

I wish I could just use something like imgur but I unless someone tells me something different I still think it's too much of a security risk.
 
I have been out of the loop for awhile so cut me some slack.
I have done hydro (a lot) never out door. Im helping a friend (or trying to) here are my questions.

1. He has two plants both are sativa and been growing around 8-9weeks. They are both green and seem mostly happy however both have yellow dots on the tops of leaves (aphids right?) at this point would spraying with them with neem oil be a good idea? One plant is yellowing a bit the other is pretty much green beside some damaged leaves I believe from these red bugs that are on them. Little red dots on the leaves, small black dots on the bottoms of leaves, small white dots also though not a lot most the plants are healthy though the smaller of the two has some leaves that point down (which means its unhappy right?) the tops of the plants are green and healthy.
2. He waters them once a day, they look well fed however he is using miracle grow bloom which is high and phosphate seeing as we are at 8-9weeks would it be a good idea to stop feeding them and just give them water?
3. How will I know when there ready? I think by looking at them two more weeks at least I figure let them go until I notice bananas right? Is there a better way to know when to harvest? He has no idea what they are there 8-9weeks old and I figure that at most they will require 12 weeks. I mean right?

So to repeat
1. Do I spray them with neem oil
2. Do I keep feeding them this miracle grow? or just water at this point
3. How can I have a good idea when to cut them, by looking I think 2 weeks (wait for bananas then cut?)

Other questions. Should I worry about bugs on out door plants? Is there a chance to infect a (unused) room in side the house that will be used to grow hydro in a month? I told him to shower before going in the room and chance clothes so not to bring in anything. right? Is there anything else to think of with these plants im missing. I mean let them go till buds start to really tighten up and look done is how I do it with hydro, I don't cut early. Cut them then dry for what 1-2 weeks? right? Then trim and cure for 1-2weeks?
When drying it must be a controlled environment right? so I don't loose to much weight, not to cold not to hot right?

Any websites with info I could refresh my memory on? and thoughts ideas? I will browse around the forum and read up, I just though I could ask some basic questions the main things being just spraying them with neem, when are they ready, bugs a problem? and do I keep feeding them this bloom formula. I don't even know if you need to flush out door plants having never done a out door grow. Thank you for the information sorry if my post is messy, Im not used this forum or the computer in awhile im still getting back into the swing of things.
 
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