Opinions? Any Suggestions? Hopefully Help

[Tacky_Fingaz]

Not sure if you’re aware but gnick is one of the most experienced growers here. Just like to let you know you’re not talking to some rookie. Not trying to be sarcastic nothing but love.

I don’t care if Nick is the real Jesus tbh lol. I stated in my original post that I meant no harm. My opinion just varies. I said it in a nice way as well lol. Doesn’t make me an asshole. I hope to get any help or info I need from Nick or anyone else on the forum.

 

[GNick55]

Not sure if your aware but gnick is one of the most experienced growers here. Just like to let you know your not talking to some rookie. Not trying to be sarcastic nothing but love.

hey hey.. this topic of heavy metals is truely in its beginning stages of study..
testing now of marijuana going to dispensaries for heavy metals, as so many are failing..
heavy metals are pretty much in everything,
water quality
nutrient quality
etc..
there’s actually strains of hemp/marijuana that are breed to clean up toxic land sties, could some of these strains have entered into the breeding of other strains accidentally,
further information/study about heavy metals is on going..
so it’s advisable to use quality nutrients, hopefully your water quality is good and keep your plants healthy, by avoiding nutrient deficiencies or ph swings..

 

[GNick55]

I don’t care if Nick is the real Jesus tbh lol. I stated in my original post that I meant no harm. My opinion just varies. I said it in a nice way as well lol. Doesn’t make me an asshole. I hope to get any help or info I need from Nick or anyone else on the forum.

hey brother all is good..
jesus? hahaha not even close..
i’m learning all the time too ..

 

[CannabiscoJ]

No worries sorry didn't mean to imply you were pushing products. I just think there are other options for growers, recharge is a great product.. Great White & Recharge are what got me interested in microbial life & strains. BAS & it's products are awesome too. But there are other options that's all I wanted to specify.. that and everyone has their own ways. Some make their own Recharge with microbes & DTE products, some just buy the bag of Recharge, some shop around and try a competitor, some use Synthetics that feed the plant directly. One way isn't better than another is all I wanted to imply. I do apologize if I came off curt or rude. I get along better with plants than peoples.

 

[CannabiscoJ]

Yes heavy metals are one of the reasons I try the natural approach. This is all relatively new to me as well. I grew up learning with Synthetics & parking lot lighting. When I started growing outdoors is when I slowly started researching and transitioning away from Synthetics because of the soil life & making the soil system self sufficient. Heavy metals are in alot of different things, in my belief letting the plants decide what they want to eat is better than force feeding them.. even tho the results are so complex that we humans can't differentiate the difference in farming methods without a test involved. But thats where personal opinions get involved & we all have our own. Me I'm really into knf & microbes & rhizosphere life network etc. I find it fascinating to watch them under a microscope and feel safer knowing they are in my substrate hard at work. Others are into minerals or salts and make killer bud too. I don't send my product for testing but I grow in a method that hopefully will prevent heavy metal uptake but am still learning the complexities. Hell soil microbiologist are still learning new things about the soil life & Rhizosphere. This is a amazing process - nature itself & I like reading research papers of those white coats experiments and attempts to streamline the process or hack the Rhizosphere.. maybe in 15 years we will be growing bud with 60% thc instead of 20-30%. It really has come a long way.

 

[Harpua88]

My apologies, I didn't mean to over complicate a conversation or thread. It just felt like someone was pushing brands as the 1 all be all and it's just not that simple. I mean it is cause one can grow dank with soil & just water.. additives are not needed & if you have a healthy soil mostly everything the plant will need will already be in the soil. I use recycled reamended soil & condition it in a way that all I usually need to do is feed it water or a occasional tea. If I think I need to give more brix to the plant then I may add a tea or microbial or a carb. But really in a healthy rhizosphere the plant barters exudates with microbes & microbes provide the plant with predigested nutrients that the microbes processed from enzymes that they made to eat the yummies in the soil. You really shouldn't need to apply different potions or rely on products. And for folks that do , there is nothing wrong with your growing style either. Different strokes for different folks. We much like the rhizosphere, are a group of highly different peoples, but we all have the same end goal. You can get good results with water & good soil, or organic or veganic or synthetic or hybrid styles either by knf or bottled salts. We all have our own way. If it works why not right? As for different types of microbial life like fungi mycorrhizae or trichoderma & bacterial strains like bacillus & purple non sulfurbacteria. I never meant to confuse anyone , if curious like I was -ask away.

Never hold back on sharing things that you're very knowledgeable about. Simple can be helpful......complex can be helpful. These kinds of things you're talking about, it's one of the areas I need to dig deeper.

 

[Tacky_Fingaz]

Never hold back on sharing things that you're very knowledgeable about. Simple can be helpful......complex can be helpful. These kinds of things you're talking about, it's one of the areas I need to dig deeper.

Here is a really good book to read. I’m not sure if you are an Amazon Prime member. If you are you can usually download it for free.

Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition
https://a.co/d/39Y2FLf

 

[Harpua88]

Here is a really good book to read. I’m not sure if you are an Amazon Prime member. If you are you can usually download it for free.

Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition
https://a.co/d/39Y2FLf

We are.....thank you. Oooh. A thriller! ;).

I can get all science-y. And of course anything that could lead to bigger, fatter, more resin-y buds.....I'm in.

 

[Mothman]

I look back and wonder how much of all that Mexican and other imported stuff had pesticides and herbicides on it.

Not to mention all the weed that was cut, bricked wet, and mildewed enroute to me. And even so, I grudgingly smoked it.

 

[Harpua88]

Not to mention all the weed that was cut, bricked wet, and mildewed enroute to me. And even so, I grudgingly smoked it.

And I know we've talked before about scraping and smoking resin from pipes.......ugh....

 

[Tacky_Fingaz]

We are.....thank you. Oooh. A thriller! ;).

I can get all science-y. And of course anything that could lead to bigger, fatter, more resin-y buds.....I'm in.

I hate to read so I always try and find the audiobook version haha I like to throw it on while I’m out running or @ work. Jorge Cervantes and Jeremy over at BaS also have a lot of free material on their websites and YouTube channels. Nectar’s bible also has a lot of helpful tips and such in their bible. Even if u don’t use their products their bible is helpful to understand how a plant grows. Just my OP tho

 

[Captspaulding]

And I know we've talked before about scraping and smoking resin from pipes.......ugh....

These were dark times, dark times indeed. Kinda like your states dot department laying new blacktop, in your lungs……

 

[Harpua88]

I hate to read so I always try and find the audiobook version haha I like to throw it on while I’m out running or @ work. Jorge Cervantes and Jeremy over at BaS also have a lot of free material on their websites and YouTube channels. Nectar’s bible also has a lot of helpful tips and such in their bible. Even if u don’t use their products their bible is helpful to understand how a plant grows. Just my OP tho

Yeah I'm sure it's all valuable. I read all the classics back in the late 80s. I used to wait with such excitement for the latest High Times magazine to hit the stands.......flip to "Ask Ed"......it took a good 10 years until it got to the point where maybe I would learn 1 new thing a month. Eventually everything becomes a repeat. Not that you stop learning new things, it's just that it's hard to come up with truly new grow advice after years of reading. I recently bought another copy of "Marijuana Botany" and a couple of other classics.

 

[CannabiscoJ]

For me and my style of growing I got my own way of adding amendments & conditioners. I started originally with hp pro-mix mixed that with some coco, peat, sphagnum moss, perlite, vermiculite, diatomaceous earth & ewc. Ran a cycle of girls thru it & figured to amend it. Bought a bunny for free manure & he eats alot of alfalfa. So started adding that & greensand, zeolite & more ewc. Ran a cycle thru her. This last time I added Happy Frog soil to it & some more bunny money, ewc, crab meal, insect frass, azomite, dolamite, more Diatomaceous, bio char and some broken ceramic aquarium bio rings. Before I plant in I flush it to check ph buffer. Then I start a nutrient cycle kinda like a aquarium lol -watering in a aerated imo & probiotic tea like EM1 on steroids I add microbial products & live cultures to jump start it basically.. they are different strains of fungi like endo & ecto mycorrhizae & different strains of trichoderma & saccharomyces & the beneficial bacteria like lactobacillus & certain bacillus strains , paenibacillus strains, azotobacter, pseudonomas strains & different Lactic acid bacteria & purple non sulfur bacteria..there are many strains of bacteria that can do certain things like nitrogen solubilizing, phosphorus solubilizing, potassium & Silica solubilizers & produce certain enzymes. I add enzymes too to get a jump on all that organic matter in my substrate. Amylase, cellulase, galactosidase, hemicellulase, invertase/sucrase, lipase, peptidase, phosphatase, phytase, protease. They break down different things besides exudates as well as carbs, polyol sugar alcohols- like triacontanol, mannitol, sorbitol & different starches, yeasts, proteins, fats/lacto, cellulose/dead organic matter, chitin/chitinase, different oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, different L form amino acids etc. So this is why I love organic growing - it is literally alive lol. So I let my soil brew basically on a cloner heatmat & water it when it's dry. I do this for about 2 weeks, I've found what live cultures I added are thriving, the hibernating microbes have awakened, enzymes in check & abundant. Then I use this substrate 2 plant in. I usually veg 4-6 weeks depending on training then before switch to flower I add more flowering type of strains of P,K,Silica & iron solubilizing bacteria. Other than that it's water unless I add some carb water or ewc/compost teas or probiotic natty pgrs like aminos, aloe, triacontanol, chitosan & brassinosteroids. If I see her needing nutrients I may topdress some guanos or bsf frass or a vegan mix of alfalfa, kelp,neem & soybean meals & some malt barley.
As someone that has grown using salts & synthetics successfully , I know nutrients are nutrients inorganic or organic .. but there are organic processes that happen in the rhizosphere & in the plant besides a nutrient exchange or cation exchange and I believe that symbiotic relationship and the by product is what spurs & aids different processes inside the plant on a different level than what is achieved by directly feeding the plant like with using Synthetics. Don't get me wrong I still have the Canna & Advanced nutrients connie line & 10 other bottles of theirs - huge monster yields.. but the taste, flavors, terps & maybe it's placebo effect but I look at it like entourage effect too. I just prefer organics & using microbes, I feel like I created a better for me result. Call me crazy & extra but this is my hobby & what I like to do. I also supplement different light spectrums, uva, uvb , violets & blues during ripening. I supplement with far red in flower too, putting them to sleep faster, emerson effect at different weeks. Yeah it's not needed at all, but this is my hobby & in my head I think I'm making something special- even more special or unique. That TLC. Lately I've been looking research papers on sound frequencies, binaural beats, music's etc how that can affect plant processes and be beneficial. Sky's the limit

 

[Harpua88]

For me and my style of growing I got my own way of adding amendments & conditioners. I started originally with hp pro-mix mixed that with some coco, peat, sphagnum moss, perlite, vermiculite, diatomaceous earth & ewc. Ran a cycle of girls thru it & figured to amend it. Bought a bunny for free manure & he eats alot of alfalfa. So started adding that & greensand, zeolite & more ewc. Ran a cycle thru her. This last time I added Happy Frog soil to it & some more bunny money, ewc, crab meal, insect frass, azomite, dolamite, more Diatomaceous, bio char and some broken ceramic aquarium bio rings. Before I plant in I flush it to check ph buffer. Then I start a nutrient cycle kinda like a aquarium lol -watering in a aerated imo & probiotic tea like EM1 on steroids I add microbial products & live cultures to jump start it basically.. they are different strains of fungi like endo & ecto mycorrhizae & different strains of trichoderma & saccharomyces & the beneficial bacteria like lactobacillus & certain bacillus strains , paenibacillus strains, azotobacter, pseudonomas strains & different Lactic acid bacteria & purple non sulfur bacteria..there are many strains of bacteria that can do certain things like nitrogen solubilizing, phosphorus solubilizing, potassium & Silica solubilizers & produce certain enzymes. I add enzymes too to get a jump on all that organic matter in my substrate. Amylase, cellulase, galactosidase, hemicellulase, invertase/sucrase, lipase, peptidase, phosphatase, phytase, protease. They break down different things besides exudates as well as carbs, polyol sugar alcohols- like triacontanol, mannitol, sorbitol & different starches, yeasts, proteins, fats/lacto, cellulose/dead organic matter, chitin/chitinase, different oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, different L form amino acids etc. So this is why I love organic growing - it is literally alive lol. So I let my soil brew basically on a cloner heatmat & water it when it's dry. I do this for about 2 weeks, I've found what live cultures I added are thriving, the hibernating microbes have awakened, enzymes in check & abundant. Then I use this substrate 2 plant in. I usually veg 4-6 weeks depending on training then before switch to flower I add more flowering type of strains of P,K,Silica & iron solubilizing bacteria. Other than that it's water unless I add some carb water or ewc/compost teas or probiotic natty pgrs like aminos, aloe, triacontanol, chitosan & brassinosteroids. If I see her needing nutrients I may topdress some guanos or bsf frass or a vegan mix of alfalfa, kelp,neem & soybean meals & some malt barley.
As someone that has grown using salts & synthetics successfully , I know nutrients are nutrients inorganic or organic .. but there are organic processes that happen in the rhizosphere & in the plant besides a nutrient exchange or cation exchange and I believe that symbiotic relationship and the by product is what spurs & aids different processes inside the plant on a different level than what is achieved by directly feeding the plant like with using Synthetics. Don't get me wrong I still have the Canna & Advanced nutrients connie line & 10 other bottles of theirs - huge monster yields.. but the taste, flavors, terps & maybe it's placebo effect but I look at it like entourage effect too. I just prefer organics & using microbes, I feel like I created a better for me result. Call me crazy & extra but this is my hobby & what I like to do. I also supplement different light spectrums, uva, uvb , violets & blues during ripening. I supplement with far red in flower too, putting them to sleep faster, emerson effect at different weeks. Yeah it's not needed at all, but this is my hobby & in my head I think I'm making something special- even more special or unique. That TLC. Lately I've been looking research papers on sound frequencies, binaural beats, music's etc how that can affect plant processes and be beneficial. Sky's the limit

Sure, you could go that route......if you want to be boring....I start with a mix of ground meteorites and hand-crushed dinosaur eggs. To that I'll add a firm dollop of fermented wolf lungs and a space suit pickled in Napolean brandy...........are you kidding!!????

No, seriously that's awesome. Soil isn't just the stuff we grow in, it's literally the plants' food source, it's where the roots spend their entire life. The other parts of growing are really rather easy, unless there's difficulty getting to it........a strong light that best mimics the sun and provides maximum useable light energy. Good water. Clean air that moves and is at an ideal temperature and humidity. It's the soil that's the most complex and requires the most lnowledge to give plants the very best........you can always buy soil from someone who makes it, but you can buy pretty much anything. It's the creative, hands-on, "I made this" part of building your own soil, that goes into making your final product, that makes it so good.

Still, if you water your plants with the tears of newborn baby Ocelots....... ;)

There are a few things there that I'm not familiar with. Greensand? Zeolite? I know what mannitol and sorbitol are but why add them? If it's sugar you want why not actual cane sugar, molasses, even agave? Proteins/fats........how do you add these? Chitin/Chitinase? Is that the same stuff that's made from ground sea shells? There's this stuff that people can take with food that binds to fats and doesn't allow your body to absorb it. It's kinda like cheating.....

Azomite? And here's where you must be kidding......broken ceramic aquarium bio-rings?? I get the bacteria and enzymes part, but are so many different ones necessary? Of course the ultimate question is where do you get all of the things you're talking about?

Brassinosteroids??

Yes, you're crazy.... ;). Is this stuff you studied in school or for a career or something? Or is it all on your own so to speak....

It would be interesting to do comparative grows, all things being equal except the soil, snd see if there are meaningful, perceptible differences between the end results.

 

[DJK12]

Sure, you could go that route......if you want to be boring....I start with a mix of ground meteorites and hand-crushed dinosaur eggs. To that I'll add a firm dollop of fermented wolf lungs and a space suit pickled in Napolean brandy...........are you kidding!!????

No, seriously that's awesome. Soil isn't just the stuff we grow in, it's literally the plants' food source, it's where the roots spend their entire life. The other parts of growing are really rather easy, unless there's difficulty getting to it........a strong light that best mimics the sun and provides maximum useable light energy. Good water. Clean air that moves and is at an ideal temperature and humidity. It's the soil that's the most complex and requires the most lnowledge to give plants the very best........you can always buy soil from someone who makes it, but you can buy pretty much anything. It's the creative, hands-on, "I made this" part of building your own soil, that goes into making your final product, that makes it so good.

Still, if you water your plants with the tears of newborn baby Ocelots....... ;)

There are a few things there that I'm not familiar with. Greensand? Zeolite? I know what mannitol and sorbitol are but why add them? If it's sugar you want why not actual cane sugar, molasses, even agave? Proteins/fats........how do you add these? Chitin/Chitinase? Is that the same stuff that's made from ground sea shells? There's this stuff that people can take with food that binds to fats and doesn't allow your body to absorb it. It's kinda like cheating.....

Azomite? And here's where you must be kidding......broken ceramic aquarium bio-rings?? I get the bacteria and enzymes part, but are so many different ones necessary? Of course the ultimate question is where do you get all of the things you're talking about?

Brassinosteroids??

Yes, you're crazy.... ;). Is this stuff you studied in school or for a career or something? Or is it all on your own so to speak....

It would be interesting to do comparative grows, all things being equal except the soil, snd see if there are meaningful, perceptible differences between the end results.

Lmfao!! As I'm standing here with a jug of pre mixed nutrient water fuck lol

 

[CannabiscoJ]

I basically did searches on Google scholar, I can cite the references if you need me too. Greensand is a K source type of sand. Zeolite is basically a type of mineral that aids in drainage but also can act as storage for nutrients & bacteria. As for carbs like sugars I do add them, just figure cite the terminology cause there are different types of sugars/ mono & poly saccharides , sugar alcohols etc. So I was looking at what makes purple color in plants - anthrocyanin.. it can be manipulated with mannitol. As for Sorbitol, I read a paper saying it can be metabolized more efficiently and it increased biomass & secondary metabolites. As for protein & fats I use whey from milk from homemade LABS, I use GreenGro biologicals Aminos that has plant protein & lactose in it too. Chitin initiates a SAR response. It's in frass , crab meal, oyster shells etc. I have a pouch of water soluble chitosan oligosaccharide I add to a tea. Azomite is another type of trace mineral to aid in drainage. Not kidding on the aquarium bio rings lol I like drainage. But yeah none of this is necessary lol , at all. I just like playing scientifically.. I read the research papers & think hey that makes sense I think I'll try it. I buy most of my stuff online. LABS I make at home from rice water & milk. I use mikro brand line for fungi & microbes and then make a aerated teas to awaken them or top dress. I've used stuff like recharge, Plant Success Organics. RAW bloom microbes. Enzymes I use Rootwise Bio-catalyst Enzyme Elixer. For live bacteria I use scd probio balance plus. Brassinosteroids I use Vitazyme it has brass & triacontanol. To me it's just a hobby. I'm not implying any of its needed.

 

[CannabiscoJ]

Here's 1 of the mannitol/sorbitol.

 

[CannabiscoJ]

Here's 1 on zeolite increasing soil cation exchange

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8156034/

 

[CannabiscoJ]

Yeah it's lots of nerdy reading and boring.. but yeah so I research & read these types of experiments and if they seem beneficial then I try to implement it in my grows. Same with the purple non sulfur bacteria can affect photosynthesis, stomatol development & opening, co2 assimilation etc seemed beneficial so I try it. It's like a research rabbit hole , that's how I found out about SAR & JAR respones, chitosan & harpin proteins, humic & fulvic acid, calcium & aminos as a PGR, cytokinins, triacontanol, fungi & bennies what works best , what works together & when to best use it. Some stuff I use is for ph buffer or drainage or a home for bennies or nutrients or it effects CEC or for certain plant responses that are beneficial for growth or aid in plant metabolism & secondary metabolites. It's how I learned about short wave blue light , uva & uvb.. Google it and read the research papers if it seemed beneficial then I try it.. doesn't always work in my favor but sometimes it does.