Growing with Gaia Green - Shaded's Method

[Mikedin]

I use basalt instead of azomite because coot says so

Now, I premix the basalt in and never amend it during my grow. Why do you guys/gals feed the need to continually top dress azomite? Are you actually running into decencies? I’ve been cutting back on my basalt lately because of heavy metals. Just curious not hating.


@Mikedin Fox farm soil has to be one of the most marked up item people carry. My local hydro store (shout out to spectrum hydroponics in SoCal - Santa Fe springs) sells FFOF for under $15 a bag. I believe most nurseries and hydro shops get their supplies from the same whole seller. They then prey on cannabis growers who demand they must use FF or nothing else.

Yep I talked to my local store owner about it, even told him honestly that they where selling it 10miles away for $28.99/bag, he said that’s why he goes though multiple pallets a week and theirs are sitting there unsold lol. He has no intention to raise prices unless fox farms raises it, they get theirs directly through FF their whole store outside is covered in fox farms branding posters and signs lol

 

[Mikedin]

I mean 5 miles the other way is a store that only Carries coast of Maine products, then another few miles and they have the whole ProMix lineup, so I really have a huge variety to choose from if I want, I liked Happy frog at first then think I got a bad batch in the 3rd run with it, they said they had for a buffer issue when mixing the soil, few others on here talked about it as well when it happened. Since then I switched to strawberry fields which I like but picked up the peat moss to give that a go too, being as strawberry fields is just coco/peat moss / perlite anyways

 

[BigBlonde]

It's hard to find cannabis-growing supplies here. That's probably because home growing without a license is illegal here. So, I buy most of my supplies from Amazon.

I haven't seen any Fox Farm products carried by any stores near us. We can have FFOF shipped to a Home Depot store, but it costs $15 more per bag than it does from Amazon. A 1.5 cu. ft. bag FFOF costs $35 from Amazon and $50 from Home Depot.



There are two tablespoons in an ounce, so one pound of Epsom Salts is enough for 32 applications using @Shaded_One's method of one tablespoon every two weeks. I currently have four plants. Two are still in one-gallon pots and probably will be for a few more weeks. So, I won't have to reorder for a while.

 

[Mikedin]

These prices are getting out of hand, I’ve been collecting my compost for awhile, gunna keep sweetening it up through the summer and it’ll all be in next years outdoor plots, probably have enough to fill about 60x 5 gallon buckets if I wanted to lol

I’d also like to try a 100% organic no till grow, I do it in the veggie garden but indoors in the tent seems different to me lol, it’s just the bugs that get me when it comes to that style, I know there good but normally we’re trying to avoid any type of bug possible different mindset to get into it I guess lol, I’m no stranger to putting earthworms in my buckets but some of the organic grows I’ve seen and looking into the soil, it’s a trip for sure lol

 

[BigBlonde]

I compost for my outside plants. After my bout with spider mites last summer, I'm careful to keep the outside out and the inside in.

I have been mixing new FFOF with previously used soil. That, along with other amendments, seems to be working okay for vegetation. My issues are with the beginning and the end of the process. I've had slow-growing seedlings and trouble with light and nutrition during flowering.

 

[JBMH]

Hey y'all, hope all you Mother's are having a great Mother's Day.

Staring Gaia Green for.the frist time. Using the ratios from page one. I just got the seeds in a solo cup.

Will it make a big difference if I mix everything a week or 2 prior or just wait until I need to transolant to 1gal.


Thanks in advance y'all always so helpful!!!

 

[Slickrick82]

Hello and welcome to my "Growing with Gaia Green" guide! Figured I would just make a post that can be referenced instead of constantly writing this out in DM's or threads. Gaia Green products are 100% organic dry amendments for cannabis use. They are a Canadian based company but they also sell their product in the USA as well. They have a lot of products to offer and you may find a specific use for some of them due to your variables but I am just going to focus on what I personally use in my stack.

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Sprout phase, ~1 week: NO nutrients are being added to the growing medium. Earth worm castings & cotyledons provide more than enough nutrition for the first 2 weeks of a seeds life
-transplant to 1gallon-
Early veg phase, 4 weeks: amend 3tbsp of 100% All Purpose 4-4-4 per gallon of medium eg. 3tbsp of 4-4-4 for a 1gallon container
Late veg phase if needed, 4 weeks: top dress 3tbsp of 100% All Purpose 4-4-4 per gallon of medium eg. 3tbsp of 4-4-4 for a 1 gallon container
-transplant to 5gallon-
Early flower phase, 1 week before flipping lights: amend 3tbsp of 50% All Purpose 4-4-4 and 50% Power Bloom 2-8-4 per gallon of medium eg. 8tbsp of 4-4-4 and 8tbsp of 2-8-4 for a 5gallon container
Mid flower phase, week 3 or 4 of flower: top dress 3tbsp of 25% All Purpose 4-4-4 and 75% Power Bloom 2-8-4 per gallon of medium eg. 4tbsp of 4-4-4 and 12tbsp of 2-8-4 for a 5gallon container
Late flower phase, sativa plants: if you have a sativa plant chances are they may need an additional weeks of growing time so you could do a light top dress 2tbsp of 100% Power Bloom 2-8-4 per gallon of medium eg. 10tbsp of 100% Power Bloom 2-8-4 for a 5gallon container
-harvest-

This is the basic feed schedule and this is a FULL STRENGTH feeding regiment meaning you are pushing your plant pretty hard. Certain strains and different growing environments may mean that you might only need to use 2/3 of what I have here for amounts. I recommend starting off with 2/3 of what is listed and increasing to full amounts if you're certain that your plants can handle it.

Additional supplements that I use are:

Mycorrhizae
I generously dust the root ball EVERY time I transplant and I also add a couple scoops into my soil mix any time I amend some soil to be going into a new container. Do not underestimate your rhizosphere

Epsom Salts - Magnesium Sulfate
LEDs increase the demand for Mg and this helps cover that demand. Overall plant health and nutrient uptake seems to improve when adding 1tbsp of Epsom Salt every 2 weeks

Gypsum - Calcium Sulfate
Decreases soil salinity and improves soil structure while also providing Calcium and Sulfate. 1tbsp of Gypsum every 2 weeks

Rock Dust Blend - micronutrients and humic acid
Used primarily to supplement micronutrients that may be lacking. Overall plant health and lushness improved since I started adding 2tbsp every 2 weeks


Pretty much once you get started you are either amending or top dressing in 4 week blocks, adding supplemental nutrients every 2 weeks, and then you just water your plants. Good luck and happy grow

How it going. First time using Gia green so far i like it. So when u say supplements Evey two weeks u mean rock salt epsom salt etc..and if u have to amend Evey month when should I top feed on the day of the new month or like a week before? And does urs have a stinky werid smell after watering first few times

 

[Slickrick82]

I compost for my outside plants. After my bout with spider mites last summer, I'm careful to keep the outside out and the inside in.

I have been mixing new FFOF with previously used soil. That, along with other amendments, seems to be working okay for vegetation. My issues are with the beginning and the end of the process. I've had slow-growing seedlings and trouble with light and nutrition during flowering.

Mite need to feed the soil add castings or get some Gia green

 

[2Bad]

Hey y'all, hope all you Mother's are having a great Mother's Day.

Staring Gaia Green for.the frist time. Using the ratios from page one. I just got the seeds in a solo cup.

Will it make a big difference if I mix everything a week or 2 prior or just wait until I need to transolant to 1gal.


Thanks in advance y'all always so helpful!!!

Yes you can mix it early

 

[BigBlonde]

Mite need to feed the soil add castings or get some Gia green

I'm using Gaia Green AP and PB now. I'm also using their earth worm castings.

 

[Binary]

@Shaded_One I tried to distill your write-up into something I can print and stick on the wall. Have I interpreted things accurately?

 

[Bullmark69]

@Shaded_One I tried to distill your write-up into something I can print and stick on the wall. Have I interpreted things accurately?

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Wow you are some kind of organized….I’m jealous.
I grow with GG and follow a similar schedule amending initially followed by top dressing periodically until harvest. I started using buffered coco ( Fox farms 70/30) as my base medium before I read all the commentary about how organically amended coco was a bad idea…..a lot of folks seem to think it’s a bad idea for one reason or another. I didn’t know any better and just did it. Well, I’ve had nothing but great results and I have 11/12 grows doing it that way.
I sometimes wonder if things might be even better in a medium like Pro-Mix….and I do plan on trying it at some point.
The one thing I noticed about your schedule is the amounts of GG (444 & 284) for each top dressing… When amending your initial medium, the label suggests 3 tbsp per gal of medium…..so a 5 gal pot = 15 tbsp. This is the max…..some may choose to go lighter…..I don’t.
A top dressing every 4 weeks calls for 1 tbsp per gal of medium, not the same 3 tbsp/gal as used in your initial mix. So a dressing during veg for a 5 gal pot = 5 tbsp.
I’ll usually go from solo cup to 1 gal pots….then after about 3 weeks move to 5 gal. If all goes well, I’ll flip after the plants have been in the 5 gal about 2 weeks.
My first top dress is usually after week 2 of flower and is 5 tbsp of GG for a 5 gal pot. Since it’s into flower, those 5 tbsp will consist of 2 tbsp of 444 and 3 tbsp of 284.
That top dressing will usually take the grow to week 6 or 7. At that point I’ll do another top dress of just 284…..the exact amount depends on how the plants looks, but is usually 3-4 tbsp for a 5 gal pot.
I always mix in a good amount of EWC and a small amount of coco along with the GG.
Up until my current run, I had never used gypsum, Epsom, or rock dust.
This current run I decided to amend my initial medium w/ some powdered gypsum and GG’s Basalt, which is basically the same as rock dust.
So far so good….I’m growing 3 clones (from Trustfall….who is the greatest), all different strains. One of them did show a slight mag deficiency, at least I believe it was. I gave it a tiny bit (2ml/gal) of cal mag and it’s back to being healthy/happy.
I’ve grown a bunch of different strains from seed and about 1 out of every 4 would need cal mag. Most never showed any deficiencies, so I guess my tap water sufficed in that category.
All I can say about GG and this style of grow is my grows have been nearly 100% problem free and the buds have turned out amazing….
My drying and curing is still a work in progress but every single one of my friends who smokes says it’s the best tasting & smoothest they’ve ever had.
Maybe they’re just telling me that so I’ll give them more but I don’t think so.
After a grow or two I started tinkering w/ the recipe and it’s fun to to tweek it here and there.
Jump in and give it a go. Get a grow or two under your belt and you’ll be able to see what’s working and don’t be afraid to mix it up a little.
Sorry for the long response….I tend to ramble…good luck.

 

[Harpua88]

.
Thanks for posting this. I am going to follow along!


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What. The. Nightmarish..........

 

[Harpua88]

I'm still confused about these.......I have Epsom salts, bone meal, and gypsum. I don't have Cal-mag. Are these proper replacements for Cal-mag? How should I use Epsom Salts, bone meal and Gypsum? The Gypsum doesn't dissolve in water right away, it's pellets, not powder. How much of each do I add? (Soil, early flowering stage), and in what ways?

 

[Stokes]

I'm still confused about these.......I have Epsom salts, bone meal, and gypsum. I don't have Cal-mag. Are these proper replacements for Cal-mag? How should I use Epsom Salts, bone meal and Gypsum? The Gypsum doesn't dissolve in water right away, it's pellets, not powder. How much of each do I add? (Soil, early flowering stage), and in what ways?

Gypsum and bone meal are very high in calcium. Im not trying to hijack his thread, but in my experience bone meal is high enough in calcium.

Epsom salt is high in magnesium. Langbeinite is also very high in magnesium, as well as potassium.

 

[Harpua88]

Gypsum and bone meal are very high in calcium. Im not trying to hijack his thread, but in my experience bone meal is high enough in calcium.

Epsom salt is high in magnesium. Langbeinite is also very high in magnesium, as well as potassium.

Thank you. I saw someone in this thread ask about these as part of these nutrients/feedings. The whole calcium/magnesium thing seems like a staple, especially with increasing use of LEDs. It's hard to to tell how exactly to use them.

 

[Stokes]

Thank you. I saw someone in this thread ask about these as part of these nutrients/feedings. The whole calcium/magnesium thing seems like a staple, especially with increasing use of LEDs. It's hard to to tell how exactly to use them.

No problem. Calcium can also be found in soft rock phosphate, which is also high in phosphorus.

As mentioned, epsom salts easily cover the magnesium needs, it’s readily available and can even be applied as a foliar spray

 

[Mikedin]

No problem. Calcium can also be found in soft rock phosphate, which is also high in phosphorus.

As mentioned, epsom salts easily cover the magnesium needs, it’s readily available and can even be applied as a foliar spray

I use this method, used to feed ever 2 weeks with the azomite / gypsum / epsom I increased feed ate to 1.5tbs epsom / 1.5tbs gypsum per week with a watering

 

[Harpua88]

No problem. Calcium can also be found in soft rock phosphate, which is also high in phosphorus.

As mentioned, epsom salts easily cover the magnesium needs, it’s readily available and can even be applied as a foliar spray

Oh great, that's what I need....another product...just kidding. See I could get this soft rock o

I use this method, used to feed ever 2 weeks with the azomite / gypsum / epsom I increased feed ate to 1.5tbs epsom / 1.5tbs gypsum per week with a watering

How much ratio of all of it to how much water? And for how many plants/pots? Azomite is another one I need. But I don't want to give too much or too little, or have some of it be redundant.......

Redundant; To dundant again.

 

[Mikedin]

Oh great, that's what I need....another product...just kidding. See I could get this soft rock o

How much ratio of all of it to how much water? And for how many plants/pots? Azomite is another one I need. But I don't want to give too much or too little, or have some of it be redundant.......

Redundant; To dundant again.

I’m running 5 gallon buckets, I top dress 3 tbs epsom 3tbs gypsum 3tbs azomite every 2 weeks, (per 5 gal bucket) the Gaia green is every 4 weeks as mentioned above, I did find I still got cal def on one plant but adding 1.5 tbs gypsum and 1.5 tbs epsom to a gallon of water per bucket has stopped the progression so moving forward I’ll top dress the same with the gypsum azomite epsom but add the extra watering once per week of the epsom gypsum

It was hard for me to understand at first as well with the macro feeds so I started out low and worked up I believe I’m close now it’s just a matter of fine tuning

For example I just mixed up soil for my clones I go full feed rate as soon as they have roots, and they will go into 1 cup sized pots, my mix was 2gal peat moss, 1/2 gal perlite (additiona to what was already in the FF lucky dog peat moss) then 6tbs Gaia green 4-4-4, 2tbs epsom, 2tbs gypsum 2 tbs azomite 1/2 tsp myco

They’ll stay in those pots about 2 weeks till I can see roots out the bottom

Then same mix per gal for the 1 gal pots on up pot after the 2ish weeks

So far I’ve seen no negative impacts of the low cal / mag early veg, but I found around week 2.5-3 of flower the plants seem to want more cal and mag, so next run a week before flip I’ll start the additional epsom/gypsum, and will also do the 50% grow / 50% bloom flip top dress a week earlier this run I think they ate it all up too early, took many notes these last 2 runs lol