In need of advise to reformulate organic based nutes and maybe suggestion of a better line

[Tela Mcgrupp]

Hi! So real quick for a background I when I was taught to cultivate it was with House and Garden in coco....I did that for 2 years and decided about a year ago to go soil and (mostly)organic..I have had really shitty luck and feel like my head is spinning on what to do...My past 2 rounds have been tragic where I have had to pull weeks early because of nute burn...so I am looking for a simpler alternative that is organic for the most part and yields well...This is what I have been using

FOr my medium:
Fox Farm Ocean FOrest
Perlite (or light warrior)

For flowering my nutes are
(Heavy Feed)
Botanicare Bloom Fert 30 ml/
Botanicare Liquid karma 10ml/
Thrive ALive 3ml/
Botanicare Aqua Shield 10ml/
Hygrozyme 15ml/
Botanicare Bud Candy 10ml/
Botanicare Cag Mag 5ml/
Earth Juice Microblast 5ml/

(Light Feed)
Botanicare Liquid Karma 10ml/
Botanicare Bloom Tea 10 ml/

I was told to not water in between these feedings which I am realizing is insane....I have also followed the amounts given which I am now realizing is far too much..but I need help...should I switch to something else? SHould I stick with Botanicare and reformulate? I don't want to go back to chemy but if something doesn't give I have to....PS I am also in a PHD program so I can will and love to spend time with my girls but it can't be my full time job...Suggestions???????????

 

[tattoojim]

thats alot of goodies...i have a problem with going to heavy also...:D...im still learning and will b for a long time.......but if you learn to use super soil, or caps goodies, or a1 nutrients.
all you will need is good water, and a very small list of bottled nutes...less is better my friend, and that is a hard one to learn...we love our plants to much lol

 

[Schwoop]

My suggestion would be to amend your soil with rich organics, Super Soil if you will, Then start brewing AACT, feed the soil not the tree. You got 2 crops bro! the one under the soil and the one on top, if the one in the soil isnt happy the tree on top will not perform to its ability. You should ck out the A1 Nutrients line up for soil.


tattoojim is spot on! Less is More!!!

 

[tattoojim]

super soil....water...water...water..light tea...and then start working tea to a CAP specification

 

[outwest]

I just finished a run using subcool's super soil recipe (google it or search here at the farm). No burn, no deficiencies, and no sweat. I did not measure ph or ec even once. I fed heavy doses of microbe tea and that was it. Plants finished incredibly. If you follow that recipe to a T, you will love it.

outwest

p.s. - great screen name, Tela, Jewel of Wilson'e foul domain!

 

[LexLuthor]

Soil is by far the easiest way to grow, IMO. With the soil you are using I would recommend you do what the other great farmers have told you, or, just get the Fox Farm 3-part liquid nutrients (Grow Big, Big Bloom, Tiger Bloom) and thats all you need. Follow there FF fertilizer schedule, but start out at 1/4 strength and by time you get to mid-bloom you should be using full strength nutes, depending on strain.

I have no exp. with Botanicare, so all I can say about that is if you want to keep using it, then go LIGHT on the feedings and give your plants plain water at least once a week.

Right now I'm using FF Tiger Bloom and GH KoolBloom and my plant is starting its 6th week of bloom. I'm watering every other day at 2 tsp/g TB and 2 tsp/g KB, but I'll give plain water every 3rd watering. So thats feed--feed--water and so on, just remember, always start at 1/4 and keep it simple, you don't need 8 different bottles of nutes, especially with soil because the medium itself supplies alot of macro and micro nutrients.

P.S. If you really wanna go organic, go with a super soil, ACT's and Caps bennies, but I suggest you get a successful soil grow under your belt with basic nutes 1st.

 

[ttystikk]

There's a great deal to learn about organics; just for openers, consider 'available' vs. 'unavailable' nutrients; the available stuff may be organic in origin, but your plants will soak it right up as if it were normal salts- because they are. Therefore, take it easy with available nutes- I suggest feeding a light dose every watering, making sure EC is not high enough to kill beneficial bacteria.

Unavailable nutrients are the ones you need the microherd to break down first so they become available to your plants. Most organic soil inputs have both components, some more than others. It should be on the package, something like 'X% N, of which % is soluble, and % is not'.

I had great success many years ago by running organic nutrients with a light but constant feeding of... Miracle Gro, lol. Seriously, I followed the constant feeding recommendations on the box of 15-30-15, something like 1/2-1 tsp/gallon, and when I mixed my soils, I used chickenshit, blood meal and bone meal. Sometimes I wonder if I should just go back to that!

 

[Tela Mcgrupp]

I just finished a run using subcool's super soil recipe (google it or search here at the farm). No burn, no deficiencies, and no sweat. I did not measure ph or ec even once. I fed heavy doses of microbe tea and that was it. Plants finished incredibly. If you follow that recipe to a T, you will love it.

outwest

p.s. - great screen name, Tela, Jewel of Wilson'e foul domain!

I actually have been brewing an anti root aphid compost tea and water with it every 10 days (its an epidemic where I live so I am trying to be preventative) How come you don't ph? How is the yield with the super soil?
ps I hope you are hitting up shows this summer they are killing it right now :)

 

[Tela Mcgrupp]

Soil is by far the easiest way to grow, IMO. With the soil you are using I would recommend you do what the other great farmers have told you, or, just get the Fox Farm 3-part liquid nutrients (Grow Big, Big Bloom, Tiger Bloom) and thats all you need. Follow there FF fertilizer schedule, but start out at 1/4 strength and by time you get to mid-bloom you should be using full strength nutes, depending on strain.

I have no exp. with Botanicare, so all I can say about that is if you want to keep using it, then go LIGHT on the feedings and give your plants plain water at least once a week.

Right now I'm using FF Tiger Bloom and GH KoolBloom and my plant is starting its 6th week of bloom. I'm watering every other day at 2 tsp/g TB and 2 tsp/g KB, but I'll give plain water every 3rd watering. So thats feed--feed--water and so on, just remember, always start at 1/4 and keep it simple, you don't need 8 different bottles of nutes, especially with soil because the medium itself supplies alot of macro and micro nutrients.

P.S. If you really wanna go organic, go with a super soil, ACT's and Caps bennies, but I suggest you get a successful soil grow under your belt with basic nutes 1st.

What is ACT's and Caps bennies? How is the yield with the FOx Farm nutrients? and you are using the GH Bloom in addition to FOx Farm nutes? What do you ph at for the Fox Farm nutes? Thanks so much for your response btw :)

 

[outwest]

I actually have been brewing an anti root aphid compost tea and water with it every 10 days (its an epidemic where I live so I am trying to be preventative) How come you don't ph? How is the yield with the super soil?
ps I hope you are hitting up shows this summer they are killing it right now :)

I just finished my first run with super soil and it's hard to say. I got russet mites at the very end. I was also running a bunch of low yielding kushes. . . In a larger space. . .without co2. . .and without additional lighting. Need to dial genetics, lighting and co2 if I'm gonna use the larger tent. All that said, the quality was exceptional. While yield is secondary for me, I would have liked to have done better in that department.

Yes, they are killing it! Couch tour has been epic! See you in gamehenge!

outwest

 

[LexLuthor]

What is ACT's and Caps bennies? How is the yield with the FOx Farm nutrients? and you are using the GH Bloom in addition to FOx Farm nutes? What do you ph at for the Fox Farm nutes? Thanks so much for your response btw :)

Compost teas and Caps=Capulator, he is a vendor here on the farm, and bennies are his beneficial bacteria that he sells via Ebay. The yield has more to do with lights, environment and # of plants, but FF nutes are great for semi-organic growing thats why I mentioned it. GH Kool Bloom is a synthetic PK boost, yes I'm using it with FF and I like it but if you wanna stay organic I wouldn't recommend it, because GH KB is 100% salts. You really don't need a PK boost, I just like using it. I don't PH because I use distilled water and FF nutes are Ph adjusted for soil and I never had a PH issue. I'm not saying don't PH your nute solutions, but I don't and my plants look great and I'm happy with my results.

Now more on yield, I honestly believe the company of nutrients have little to do with yield. FF products are great for soil and semi-organic growing, but with hydro I would go with GH. As long as you have good lights and all of your environmental factors are dialed in, you can get a great yield by using FF or most any other nutes as long as you use them the way they were made. Also, training tech. has alot to do with yield, topping, scrogging ect., thats gonna help increase yield more then just the name on a nute bottle. Thats why I said to use basic nutrients with soil until you get a successful grow just to get the hang of it, then you should definately learn how to brew tea's, get Caps bennies and make your own super soil. Good luck and if you have any more ?'s feel free to ask.

 

[ttystikk]

ACT = Aerated Compost Tea, this is to differentiate this approach from fermented teas, such as the fermented nettle tea the French are so enamored of.

Cap's bennies; just like lex0415 above said, Capulator is the handle of a guy here on the Farm who sells three types of concentrated micro-organism blends; one each for nutrients, roots and foliar feeding. The closest thing to criticism I've heard about his products is that someone complained about him marking up the product too much- although I find his prices to be reasonable to the point of charity, myself. In terms of effectiveness, follow his brewing and usage instructions in his section on the Farm here and unless something goes drastically awry, you'll be very pleased with the results.

I'm not very familiar with Fox Farm's product line; I know it but never used it. Same with Supersoil. I'm following along to see how you do with these!

 

[LexLuthor]

^^^^ttystikk is right, I said ACT is a compost tea, but it really means Aerated Compost Tea, my mistake.

 

[oregongreener]

ACT's are great, and work phenomenally. If you're "afraid" of ACT's or some of the other suggestions presented, then you need to incorporate something like Sea Green in your regimen. It's some of the farmer's "magic bullet" for making Heavy Feeding possible. Read up on Alien's Organic Regimen...

Now, Sea Green is not the ONLY option. It's just the one documented fairly well here in the 'Farm.

Thanks!!!

-greener

 

[sdgrower]

Biocanna line up with sea green. I also use organa add, organa guano and humboldt nutrients natural bloom at different times.

edit Oh yeah a whole bunch of ACT tea

 

[ogtealover420]

Hi! So real quick for a background I when I was taught to cultivate it was with House and Garden in coco....I did that for 2 years and decided about a year ago to go soil and (mostly)organic..I have had really shitty luck and feel like my head is spinning on what to do...My past 2 rounds have been tragic where I have had to pull weeks early because of nute burn...so I am looking for a simpler alternative that is organic for the most part and yields well...This is what I have been using

FOr my medium:
Fox Farm Ocean FOrest
Perlite (or light warrior)

For flowering my nutes are
(Heavy Feed)
Botanicare Bloom Fert 30 ml/
Botanicare Liquid karma 10ml/
Thrive ALive 3ml/
Botanicare Aqua Shield 10ml/
Hygrozyme 15ml/
Botanicare Bud Candy 10ml/
Botanicare Cag Mag 5ml/
Earth Juice Microblast 5ml/
1
(Light Feed)
Botanicare Liquid Karma 10ml/
Botanicare Bloom Tea 10 ml/

I was told to not water in between these feedings which I am realizing is insane....I have also followed the amounts given which I am now realizing is far too much..but I need help...should I switch to something else? SHould I stick with Botanicare and reformulate? I don't want to go back to chemy but if something doesn't give I have to....PS I am also in a PHD program so I can will and love to spend time with my girls but it can't be my full time job...Suggestions???????????

Well it is a tad late but i love to use peruvian seabird guano 10-10-2 makes plants greeener than anything I have ever used. I mean like Dark hunter green man. Ever lighter trains get dark color. Explosive growth! I Add it like subcool does high nitrogen guanos and sometimes you need to top dress certain hungry specimens. I also like bone meal because it is more alkaline and guanos are acidic in nature likely due to the organisms that grow in the tea and or soil it.Bone meal and lime keep the pH in check. Alfalfameal has triacontanol so woowoot! Also use humic acid in soil. Ummmmmm-use the tea once a week at 2 tbs guano per gal. of water and 1 tbs of organic molasses add some form of soluble seaweed extract. Add sugar 1Tbs. per gal just before watering with the tea to keep bennies' kickin'. Use bottle nutes 1/16 th -1/8 strength once a week. You should be watering 3 X's a week. If the soil is wet/water logged then we can't water so just follow the routine don't skip applications. 1st water application is a ACT. 2nd water would be for supplements or plain water. 3rd is for light nute solution from the bottles(your choice). All that cal/mag is not needed. Hygrozyme sucks! Botanicare LK is watered down badly. Use technaflora seaweed extract and their liquid humus. Much cheaper. Plus LK has antiseptic in it. Smell it. It smells like listerine original gold formula. It will kill bennies! Not sure what microblast is but if it is not organic I would go light or ditch it. Use lots of perilite 30-50%. Don't shy from addidng coco/ perilite at rate of 50/50 with 1-2 Tbs. lime per gal. added to the mix. At whatever soil/coir mix ratio you see fit. Also add lime 1Tbs. per gal. of Fox farm soil if you want a stable source of cal/mag and pH buffer from the acidic teas. All those nutes are too salty for soil and the ogranics will for sure increase quality. Use a bloom booster like bigbud or MOAB whatever tickles your fancy but go super light, 1/16-1/8 strength. And only once a week at most. use lots of sugar water on plain water day 1-2 Tbs. per gal of water. Also Add any sugar you can that is organic like raw honey$$$$ or blue agave nectar but stay about 2-2 1/2 Tbs. total of sugars. Also adding 1 tsp per gal of water of raw vegan protein powder that contains aminos throughout is ideal(made from sprouts) it contains brewers yeast which are two things that advanced charges high $ for but they use milk bi-products for aminos. Ick!. Hope this helps you out soil farmin' fellow farmer.