Six super soil variants run side by side

[Dunge]

Diamond phalanx . Present.

New today are the left row.
They are bigger than those living outside, but being new to their pots, I expect the outdoor plants might catch up.
The outdoor group has folded leaves and looks slightly weathered.

 

[Seamaiden]

Would you be able to get anything under the pots to warm up the roots, a la Electric Blanket Sandwich perhaps? I found that makes a massively huge difference.

 

[Dunge]

Only five days since last update, but today is the start of a parallel trial of the same nine soils only this grow is

peppers!
Three varieties of seedlings went into soil today.
Don't know much about peppers, but growing spicy plants is a thing, right?

The girls are growing nicely.
The only thing I think I might see is #3, the coco based, might be a bit slow.

 

[HouseOfWojo]

Nice Peppers Dunge!
What varieties did you plant? Biggest thing I have learned about peppers is they like a lot of humidity and very consistent waterings.

By they way, hunting down that recipe, think i tossed the paper I was using since I had the video so I will have to rewatch the version on the camcorder.

 

[Seamaiden]

And warmth, they also really seem to need good warmth. My dad has a gift with the most difficult of peppers, I don't know what it is because he really loves to feed with the blue shit.

Your observation on the coir lady seems to be in line with the horticultural papers I've read.

 

[Dunge]

Evening light through the west end of the tent.
Land of the midnight sun.

All nine are loving life.

The peppers on the other hand are not looking so hot.

 

[HouseOfWojo]

Man those look nice Dunge,
I cannot wait until I am able to build a greenhouse and start utilizing the sun more than a few months a year!
Any planned tops, trains, defoliates, that kinda stuff? or just letting em grow out natural this year?

 

[Seamaiden]

Uh oh! For the peppers, totally understood. My dad has quite a gift getting the difficult ones to sprout and produce, they really need quite a lot of heat. The girls are looking fantastic!

Land of the midnight sun.

Frankly, I think that would drive me insane. I can't sleep with lights on at all. I have to turn my alarm clock away from the bed, even.

However, I love to watch that show Alaska: The Last Frontier because I think those Kilchers are a gas. :D I couldn't do it!

 

[Dunge]

The objective of this experiment is to help simplify the cartoons fighting it out in my head over what my plants need.
I was taught the agricultural principal of 'limiting factor' (I think that's what it's called)
It's the idea that a plant will take what it needs from the environment, in the quantities required.
(Ph, temps, and water are confounding variables; not to mention predators big and small)
When those elements are not available, only then will deficiencies show.
This is how dramatic demonstrations of additive performance can be used to sell all sorts of additives.
The trick is to script the defect sample such that it is just below this critical level thus allowing the additive to appear almost magical in it's ability to make plants grow.
I have limited entries to these formulations so that they can be easily reproduced.

I am a student of the power of pruning.
All of these cuttings were topped once, main tops trimmed to three or four, and all bud sites below half height were removed.
They may need another round of pruning, but I'll resist as my plan is to compare my results by weighing the entire above ground bio mass of each plant.
I cut and hang cure full plants, so I'll modifying my triple beam balance to allow plants to hang below it for weighting.

One of my cartoons addresses fan leaves. I believe that they are the machines designed by nature to provide the greatest level of primary productivity.
"Shading a bud site" does not reduce the bud because they are both serving the plant, and the plant shares what it has to all areas of itself.
I know there are limitations to this model, but in general I keep it in mind when working my trimmer.

Thanks for watching farmers. Without help from Thcfarmer I would never have gained any confidence about bringing plants to harvest.
Neem insecticide spray, Caps foliar, BTi, and earth worms. Love those worms.

 

[Dunge]

Two week update.

Reminder: This is a test of nine DIFFERENT soil formulations.
Three weeks remaining until they go under 12/12.
In full veg, they all are performing equally well.
Will it be the stretch that spreads the field?
Quickness to set flowers?
At least developed flowers should say something.
This race might come down to a wet weight winner.
Or, worst case, smoke report.
Forgot one: photo contest.

 

[kolah]

what do you plan to use to light dep your greenhouse?

 

[Dunge]

what do you plan to use to light dep your greenhouse?

Bringing them into my basement where they will stuff my flower area full.

 

[fishwhistle]

Dunge, Are you going to flower under lights in the basement or light dep them by bringing them in and out?Also when do you do your first topping?

 

[Dunge]

Found these bent hoop bamboo sticks, and I think they might change my life.

Especially suited to my method of topping clones low.
Seems very strong and I hate filling the pot with individual wands.
I think these hoops will make it very easy to move the pots about by keeping the plant contained.
I may throw a line around each bush before taking them inside in two weeks.

This is a reverse angle shot of the entire gang.
The striking thing to me is how ALL the soils are neck and neck.

This might take some thinking.
A common element is the heavy microbial presence in each of the soils.

 

[Seamaiden]

Nice find! And... yeah, I can't really tell the difference between any of those girls, they all look very, very happy.

 

[caveman4.20]

Found these bent hoop bamboo sticks, and I think they might change my life.
View attachment 417536
Especially suited to my method of topping clones low.
Seems very strong and I hate filling the pot with individual wands.
I think these hoops will make it very easy to move the pots about by keeping the plant contained.
I may throw a line around each bush before taking them inside in two weeks.
View attachment 417542
This is a reverse angle shot of the entire gang.
The striking thing to me is how ALL the soils are neck and neck.

This might take some thinking.
A common element is the heavy microbial presence in each of the soils.

Great experiment ...any difference on water uptake between different soils?

 

[Mogrow]

Dunge //// is it possible to flower outdoors, seems like the dramatic sunlight loss would blow them up.

you seeing any difference in the plants from the different soils???

keep rocking and claim your space in the GH, I know how the womenfolk try and take shit over:rage:

 

[Dunge]

At this stage I can't see ANY substantive differences in the nine different soils.
In two weeks this group goes into the basement for nine weeks under HPS & LED.

New hoops in all pots, and strings encircle branches that survived yesterdays pruning.
Pruning strategy was strict and minimum because I didn't wish to confound final weight results by pruning.
Pruning rules:
Lower veg cleared away to assist viewing while hand watering.
Any branches with tops below mid plant {present height) were removed.
All flower growth below mid height were removed.
Fans left intact, but for a few that were clogging up the centers.
As this pruning was in keeping with previous strategies, thus volume removed was much the same for each plant with cloneable cuts set in water.
I expect another round of trim and string in five weeks. This will be three weeks 12/12, mid-stretch, and should take them through harvest.
I would love to light dep these, but it's just not practical, and might confound results.

Peppers are mostly alive and finally growing after very slow start. The peppers will stay in the sun all summer and may tell more about the soil than the Rock Candy.

This thread is one in a suite of related trials I am currently running.
I'll try to get links into my signature.

 

[kolah]

great and informative thread. thanks.

 

[Dunge]

I came back to this thread, because the notes I write here are better than the ones on the clip board, and I need to mix more soil.
Imagine my surprise to find them missing.
I had written the following for placement here, but stashed it in an organic soil thread, and forgot it.
So this here is what I'm up to in this thread.


Nine (9) soil formulations for this demonstration are based off of reading done at ThcFarmer which started me in the direction of "Super Soil". The promise is a media from which a plant can draw all nutrient requirements, leaving the farmer to water only and attend to other environmental issues. This has been working well for over three years.
So why don't I know more about how it works?
Knowing things "for sure" is a slow process for me. I keep messing with things.
ie. "microbial tea"
Having six like cuttings ready to go, and an early spring in interior Alaska forced me to do the heavy lifting required to formulate my soil in small batches. I can now mix 5 gallon batches. So I made six variants of the base.

soil 1:
local pit peat - one five gallon bucket
Compost - 6 pounds 7.5 quarts
worm castings - 3.8 pounds 2.75 quarts
blood meal - 136g 210 ml.
bone meal - 136g 220 ml.
bat guano - 384 ml.
Perlite - make to 20% of volume

soil 2:
ProMix replaces local peat
no additional perlite

soil 3:
Coco replaces local peat
no additional perlite

soil 4:
refurbishment of used soil with addition of 140 ml "Peace of Mind" starter.(3-4-3)

soil 5:
refurbished with additions from the original formulation but at one third quantities.

soil 6:
original soil #1 with half the blood meal

So the outline is a head to head grow off between three base media, two soil refurbs, and a stab at the question, "why all the blood?".

Original full batch quantities are based off of three pound bags of Miracle Grow blood & bone.
The five pound box of guano, sixty pound bag of compost, and a 38 pound bag of worm castings are all from Down to Earth.

And the three new soils are:

7- “Three Little Birds” refurb. I got this from a large soil compilation. (https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=228020)
I like it because I need more refurb soil, and it calls for worm castings and rock phosphate, two things I have in abundance and want to use.
The full list is old soil, worm castings, rock phosphate, alfalfa, kelp, bone, diatomaceous earth, and dolomite.

8- soil 2 with rock phosphate replacing guano.

9- soil 8 with half blood meal.

In review:

I, 2, &3 are different base components.

4,5,&7 are soil refurbs.

6, 8, &9 are rock phosphate for guano substitutions with 6 & 9 testing lower blood meal quantities.

All nine are water only.