30 years since i was able to grow some weeds. i am now the proud parent of some beautiful girls.... : )( :

[Eledin]

Im now thinking, my options are way more limited here when I have to choose from organic brands, it would be best if someone from the US advices you on which one should you buy, there's plenty more to choose from in the US.

 

[Eledin]

In case no one comments about it, if you feel better this is the tripart from AN formulated for soil. It doesnt have as many goodies as sensi ph and I would still go sensi ph but if you want something even cheaper and formulated for soil here is the tripart. Still has all the chelated minerals and calmag which are the most important things besides the NPK. Its still bio-mineral like sensi ph, not synthetic nor organic. It doesnt lower your ph though like sensi ph perfect.

 

[JaBy]

Then its definetely too much food. All the tips seem to be burned, which indicates PK burn if its not the light which I doubt too since even the lower leaves have them. The yellowing on the edges might be the same reason. My conclussion after knowing all what you said is that the soil had more PK than N. The depleted leaves are the nitrogen deficiency while the ones that are yellowing on the edges can be either a deficiency or an excess. Potassium deficiency looks like that but it looks like the soil was too hot not too light so it could be overwatering or PH like you said. If youre feeding them with tap water you should get a PH meter because the PH can be waaay to high. The PH from my tap water is around 9, max recommended to avoid nute umbalance and unproper absorption is 7, thats way too much, my nutes help bring it down and I have some ph down in case I need it. Sometimes something I add is too acidic like iguana juice + big bud and I have to PH up a little bit so I dont burn them and again, to not cause nute umbalance due to unproper intake. I use the ph droplets kit from GH theyre a cheap fix if you cant afford a good PH meter. Without having the information on all important parameters its hard to diagnose what could be the problem. Overall theyre doing quite good I would say though, right? As long as the pale one doesnt keep getting more pale.

i have been adding 2 or 3 drops of the vinegar per half gal of water in order to see if a slight lowering of the ph of the water would show any benefit. i would note that #2 which is the plant that is the lightest in color does seem to be maintaining it's color if not slightly improving. #1 seems that it might just be normal leaf loss as it doesn't seem to be affecting many leaves. the newer growth of the young branching within the 2 plants does have a better green color so i am doing what i can not to make things worse. i still need to take care not to engage in overwatering as the new larger pots make it neccessary to get the feel for them. in addition where there is much more organic matter from the composted material this time it also changes how the watering should be pursued. in retrospect i would have preferred to have had perlite, vermiculite or both added into the soil to help as the sphagnum moss that was plentiful in the soil before composting was broken down. i would say i'm not nuts about the moss, especially how much of it was in the soil mix originally.

if things look stable here at the end of this grow i'll probably take the leap to obtain perlite/vermiculite and yes a more reliable ph tester. if my problem is too much food it should slowly adjust with just water allowing the excess nutes to diminish. #3 & the oregon grape are what i would consider havign a bit more nitrogen than optimal as they have been a very dark green and the leaves appear shiny which from what i've seen suggests an over abundance of nitrogen but they are starting to moderate and are taking on a slightly lighter color which is still a very robust green.

i would say they are doing ok as #1 & #2 don't seem to be growing all that vigorously but the other 2 are really showing a good rate of developement. the oregon grape is turning into a monster as to growth rate. even though it was started days after the previous plant (#3) it is rapidly gaining in size compared to the others. if it doesn't turn male i might just be able to get another shot of the results from the last og on grow 2. as the space i'm now using provides for more height it could well produce more yield. i got my fingers crossed .

 

[JaBy]

Sensi ph perfect is for soil, Im confused as to what made you think its not for soil. They have the regular one for soil and the coco version aswell which I would guess if you wanna go hydro you would take the coco version. Coco tends to build more salts, specially if you dont water it properly, so my guess is that the coco version is addapted to deal with salts in coco while the regular version relies on the magnessium and sulfur like epsom salts to avoid salt build up in the soil.

then that would be what i would look into. i went to the website and it never stated soil, it referred to coco and hydro. if things look stable here it would be sweet to see how much better the plants would do. my brain is melting just thinking of how nice a grow it would allow

 

[JaBy]

Exactly! Thats why I have both ammendments and liquid nutrients. I provide a solid well ammended soil but not too much, then I try to reach their maximum potential with liquids because with ammendments you have to wait and you cant adjust in time or if you use too much youre fucked but certainly a rich soil will make them grow bigger and thicker.

well said, well said indeed.

 

[JaBy]

I feel you, I started with kitchen scraps because I always wanna make use of what I have but unless you have a farm youre gonna need to buy some stuff to balance your compost and you still wont be able to use most of your coffee grounds because that would be way too much. I would suggest that you learn how to create a balanced compost if you wanna keep doing it and just put around 10% of the total volume of the pot from your compost. Maybe if you balance it properly you can go up to 20% but if youre going from seed I think its a bit over kill to go 20%. Maybe 20% for the new soil after the transplant.

after seeing how the soil/compost i have affected the seedlings i would probably opt to just use a regular soil mix for the seedlings and then use a compost soil mix for the larger pot so as to not negatively affect the seedlings developement. i definitely need to look into what i compost as to what each component i add provides as to particular nutes they will provide in order to have a more balanced affect on the plant.

 

[JaBy]

Dont you guys have ricycling bins in the US? Where I live they come pick up each kind of trash one day of the week and theyre marked with QR codes so if you start messing around and throwing organic material in the plastic bin youre gonna get a warning and if you keep doing it youre gonna get fined. I feel better throwing all the organic material in the organic bin, I know its gonna be used to make compost for fields to produce food instead of going to a garbage dump that will contaminate the soil and water.

every state is different. here in oregon they do have them. they have one for trash, one for yard debris and another for recycles. coffee grounds and other food stuffs would go in the trash bin. i could always just spread the grounds out in the yard and let it enrich the soil there.

 

[JaBy]

Ah I see why, they market it as designed for hydro but it works as good in soil, been using that line for years before swaping to full organic. Hell I always have sensi grow and bloom at hand in case I need to fix a deficiency quick but that doesnt happen often, thats because its absorved faster than organic liquids but organic liquids are still faster than organic ammendments.

that's my shortcoming at the moment. the nutes i have require a bit of time to assess whether i am heading in the right direction.

 

[JaBy]

I would say that sensi ph perfect is superior to biobizz in terms of what it offers, slightly more expensive but not much. Athena is another line that is marketed for hydro but you can use in soil without any problem, its one of the best lines but its also expensive.
The major difference between biobizz and sensi ph perfect is that you dont need to flush with biobizz and you will get a more organic taste, to me it tastes more hashy and sometimes more earthy too, depends on the strain. But hey, not all the cannabis cup winners are grown organic, its a matter of preference. In terms of performance sensi ph wins, but if you wanna go organic you need to go for biobizz. There are other options too, I just chose the cheapest ones without sacrificing your plants needs.

the results i got years ago that were outstanding were in either soil or hydro and i would gladly admit that without a doubt the best bud i ever had was the grape tasting stuff i got in the mid 2000's in indiana and that was grown hydro. think it's possible to produce super fine bud with any growing method as long as the method used is properly managed...... overwatering is a shitty way to grow .

given the use of compost as well as a good soil the extra cost for the sensi would be minimal as it would be unlikely i'd have to use it to a great degree which would allow it to last.

 

[JaBy]

If you wanted to go for an organic liquid that includes all of what sensi ph perfect has to offer the price will increase because you will be needing to buy supplements or go for something more expensive like Iguana Juice which is 100% organic and besides the NPK it has a lot of goodies like the chelated minerals, aminoacids, calmag, vitamins, etc... and its the one I use to push my plants without having to buy a lot of supplements.

the iguana juice definitely sounds like something i would like to try as well.

 

[JaBy]

In case no one comments about it, if you feel better this is the tripart from AN formulated for soil. It doesnt have as many goodies as sensi ph and I would still go sensi ph but if you want something even cheaper and formulated for soil here is the tripart. Still has all the chelated minerals and calmag which are the most important things besides the NPK. Its still bio-mineral like sensi ph, not synthetic nor organic. It doesnt lower your ph though like sensi ph perfect.
View attachment 2453193

if i did end up obtaining a more impressive nute product i would consider the cost to be of less importance unless it was something that needed to be applied constantly as that would use it up far too quickly.

 

[JaBy]

Im now thinking, my options are way more limited here when I have to choose from organic brands, it would be best if someone from the US advices you on which one should you buy, there's plenty more to choose from in the US.

i don't know anyone here that i could neccessarily trust for advice and i don't tend to like trusting what ads for things say so what you are focusing me on would likely be the best options i would have that i could trust.

 

[JaBy]

I would say that sensi ph perfect is superior to biobizz in terms of what it offers, slightly more expensive but not much. Athena is another line that is marketed for hydro but you can use in soil without any problem, its one of the best lines but its also expensive.
The major difference between biobizz and sensi ph perfect is that you dont need to flush with biobizz and you will get a more organic taste, to me it tastes more hashy and sometimes more earthy too, depends on the strain. But hey, not all the cannabis cup winners are grown organic, its a matter of preference. In terms of performance sensi ph wins, but if you wanna go organic you need to go for biobizz. There are other options too, I just chose the cheapest ones without sacrificing your plants needs.

actually i would prefer a product that doesn't need to flush. does athena require flushing?

 

[katraiter]

Looks really good! Always wish I could smell the pictures haha

Like why don't we have scratch and sniff photos right DREAMS !

 

[JaBy]

Like why don't we have scratch and sniff photos right DREAMS !

couldn't have said it better....

 

[JaBy]

 

[JaBy]

 

[JaBy]

Then its definetely too much food. All the tips seem to be burned, which indicates PK burn if its not the light which I doubt too since even the lower leaves have them. The yellowing on the edges might be the same reason. My conclussion after knowing all what you said is that the soil had more PK than N. The depleted leaves are the nitrogen deficiency while the ones that are yellowing on the edges can be either a deficiency or an excess. Potassium deficiency looks like that but it looks like the soil was too hot not too light so it could be overwatering or PH like you said. If youre feeding them with tap water you should get a PH meter because the PH can be waaay to high. The PH from my tap water is around 9, max recommended to avoid nute umbalance and unproper absorption is 7, thats way too much, my nutes help bring it down and I have some ph down in case I need it. Sometimes something I add is too acidic like iguana juice + big bud and I have to PH up a little bit so I dont burn them and again, to not cause nute umbalance due to unproper intake. I use the ph droplets kit from GH theyre a cheap fix if you cant afford a good PH meter. Without having the information on all important parameters its hard to diagnose what could be the problem. Overall theyre doing quite good I would say though, right? As long as the pale one doesnt keep getting more pale.

i tried to locate some info on the ph of the tap water here again. all i find is a whole lot of info on what elements are in the water and nothing as to ph. i did see a ph statement for the city of salem virginia which is the east coast (i'm on the west coast). that being said the water ph in salem virginia is stated to be an average of 7.5 which is not something i would like. i would have thought the ph of tap water would have been regulated to a neutral reading but it appears that i could have issues with the water ph. a ph of 9 is stunning. this by itself could possibly be causing me issues.

i hadn't taken into account the possibility that the reason the 1st grow was so healthy was water ph but it would definitely be a consideration now.

 

[Eledin]

then that would be what i would look into. i went to the website and it never stated soil, it referred to coco and hydro. if things look stable here it would be sweet to see how much better the plants would do. my brain is melting just thinking of how nice a grow it would allow

My bad I didnt realize they were targeting hydro growers until I went to the official webpage. In the grow I buy it says its good for soil and hydro and in the 3-4 years that Ive been using sensi ph perfect I had very satisfactory results.
As for the vinegar, a few drops per gallon are not gonna change your PH at all and it can promote cyanobacteria growing in your soil which can be harmful for mycorrizhae. All that organic matter that youre dumping like vinegar, cinnamon (dont do it it promotes mold, I tried to treat a plant once with cinnamon because someone told me it was great and it was full of mold in less than a month) will also attract pests while other beneficial microorganisms like bacillus, glomus and mycorrizhal fungi will help against them. Gnats love it every time you give them more organic matter too so going with micro or sensi ph perfect could help you in that matter if you dont want drainage to avoid them.
Citric acid from lemons are also a problem except for the first 3 weeks of flower where they benefit from citric and ascorbic acid the most. The problem with citric acid compared with nitric or phosphoric acid is that it degrades quicker which can lead to damage to the roots. I personally use PH down from GH which has both nitric and phosphoric acid which the plant will absorb as nutrients and they will be more stable in your soil, meaning more stable ph and less risk of burning the roots and it lasts forever since you only need a few ml per gallon.

In Europe its called Terra Aquatica General Hydroponics Europe but you should find it under the brand General Hydroponics and nothing else in the US. If you need a PH up I would get it from the same brand aswell, I have not digged into PH up as much since usually I need to bring it down if anything but if they know what theyre doing with the ph down I trust them with the ph up.

 

[Eledin]

actually i would prefer a product that doesn't need to flush. does athena require flushing?

Yes Athena does require flushing, the line its only partially organic. Its considered in Spain the best line that mixes organic with synthetic and bio-mineral but its pricy and yes, you need to flush. The thing is that while I have heard good things from growers here using Athena in soil I never used it myself while I have used sensi ph and iguana juice and I can guarantee you that those work perfectly for soil. Specially Iguana Juice, but mind you again that organic matter attracts gnats and pests, if youre gonna keep them in a closed container without any drainage its probably better that you go for micro or sensi ph which wont directly feed pests and since sensi ph is suitable for hydro too it takes more into consideration the build up of salts, you cant water until runoff to get rid of them so thats something to consider too. If you plan on adjusting about the drainage Iguana Juice wont let you down though, for me its worth every single cent.