Why do you grow the way you do?

[brightness]

Have you ever thought about the influences that led you to use the methods that you do? We all have a history that led us to our current protocols and practices. For some it was a mentor, or a group. For others it's a lonely endeavor with private rewards.

What I'm proposing of here is an anecdotal record of how different (or similar) our experiences have been and how our different reactions have led to the various and sundry methods we use and sometimes vociferously defend.

There seem to be three reasons (or slight variations) to grow: Medical, Recreational or Commercial.

If that's true what factors have influenced your use of media, lights, nutes, training, indoor or outdoor, scraping/not scraping clones, organic vs not, ...this could go on forever.

Hope to hear your story.

Later,

B

 

[Tolpan]

My little growerstory:character0111:

I started outdoorgrowing about 17 years ago and from the first day I was into all that different variety! Was travelling alot to Holland especially Maastricht and Eindhoven, but never thought about indoor growing. i did some nice outdoorharvests and stopped for several years growing and staying up to date and going to Holland! That was about 95 to 96.
In that days I met an old friend who was into indoorgrowing from the mid 80's and I was helping him for about 12 years. Mixing soil, building rooms, harvest and all that stuff.
We're very pleased, cause we had some 1st hand cuts from White widow and Northern Lights, which are 2 of my favourite smokes, until today. Never tried any better than those two cuts!

After some security probs, we had to move the mothers and a friend killed them!
From that time on we had chronic for several years!
That friend was for sure a mentor, but I always did my own thing. I'm a farmer in my normal business, so I know little bit about plants. It's a mixture from evrything!
Also the net and couple books.

And for about 2 years I build my own room, hanging on the boards and trying my own thing! Always open to new things!
It's all about learning and sharing!

Cheers

Tolpan

 

[Finalopagus]

I smoke crack and need something to keep me busy
I like this thread tho....

 

[brightness]

Thanks Tolpan. I had this idea kickin round in my head for a couple of weeks. Don't know if people ever think about WHY the do things the way they do. I think it's good to examine our motivations occasionally, the whole keeping an open mind thing, eh. Thanks for your input...

Anyone else?

Later,

B

 

[Greyskull]

Greyskull's take...

My first grow was in a closet. Simple 2x3 turbogarden and a 1000hps. 12 plants.... just shy of an eLBow. That was first taste of growing, but it was 7 years later I decided to do what I do now.

I used to buy medicine from a friend in the emerald triangle for my patients. I wanted to supplement my with my own grown buds. My friend is the man... multiple locations... 10+ lights each... cash cropping it to the max. And his shit was always killer. So I simply asked him some questions, listened intently, and remembered exactly what he told me first, "There is a million ways to do things. But this is what works for me...". The crux of of it was 100% coco in pots ebb n flow about 50% nute strength lights on temp 80 ligts of 70 humidity 40.

So I took that information, and proceeded to build a guitar rig out of grow equipment & technique! I find a lot of parallels & analogies between guitar playing and growing plants that help me understand things how/why folks do what they are doing.

With guitar playing, I always found the best sounds were created with minimal interferece between guitar & amp (ie not a lot of pedals and rack gear processing and synthesizing). Dudes like Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains), Adam Jones (Tool), Stevie Ray Vaughn, Angus Young... those dudes have TONE. And they are not rocking huge pedalboards with 200 fucking little boxes to mess with (as opposed to guitar players like Head & Munky of Korn, Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit, who have a million fucking pedals and have no organic "feel" to their tone). And I noticed that most of the best growers used only a few bottles of stuff to get killer killer dank. They are not overloading their res (or guitar signal... hehe) with a bunch of stuff. They Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS).

So taking my friends words of advice, I went the route of maximum results with minimum product.

Here's a little rundown of how I see guitars & growing...

acoustic = soil
electric = hydroponic
semi-hollow = coco

single coil p/u = top drip
humbucker p/u = ebb n flow
filtertron p/u = dwc
coil tap = aeroponic

strings = nutes

cable = tap water
wireless = RO water
george l's cable = filtered water

effects pedals = additives
*tuner = PH up & down
*overdrive = veg stimulator
*wah = bloom stimulator
*delay = sugar/carbs
*eq = enzyme

amplifier = lights
*ac30 = 600hps
*marshall stack = 1000hps
*mesa/boogie = dual spectrum
*fender twin - outdoor

It makes sense, donnit?

here is my signal chain with my favorite guitar:
Noel Gallagher Supernova > George L's cables > Boss TU2 > Fulltone FDII > Tesse Wizard > Ibanez AD9 > Boss EQ7 > Marshall 50w JMP+4x12

seems to flow pretty much with my 4x4 grows:
coco > ebb n flow> filtered water > AN PH down > Canna Rhizo > Canna PK 13/14 > Botanicare Sweet > Cannazym > 1k

but I am high as the sky right now so if this doens't make any sense I apologize....

 

[Jacobtaylar]

Great job done here. Keep going on keep posting such a nice stiff that will help the beginners like me a lot in gaining the knowledge regarding the different ways of farming and specially the indoor one.

 

[putembk]

Smoked marijuana all my life and never even considered growing until the laws relaxed and I retired. Have been growing indoors for approximately 3 years now, not only is it fun, satisfying and very educational it keeps me from getting bored. There is always something to do almost to the point that I can't get away to do other things. I grow in soil simply because I want to explore the different plants and the different characteristics involved in growing them. I read several books, gathered as much info as possible before starting. I basically did this without a mentor and ultimately learned the hard way by trial and error. By doing it this way I now have a masters degree on fucking thins up. I am sure that made me a better grower. It's better to experience and correct your mistakes than hear about them. I try to learn something new every day and never make the same mistake twice.

 

[RI Redneck]

I grow in organic soil that I make myself. My evolution over 15 years went roughly Nonorganic Bagged Dirt -> Nonorganic Homemade Dirt -> Hydro -> Organic Hydro -> Homemade Organic Dirt. For me it's about flavor and ease of operation. Sure, making dirt is hard work, but then it's 'just add water and occasional teas.'

And a vibrant, living soil produces a quality product that (IMO) hydro simply can't match. YMMV.

 

[The HC]

Indoor s too much of a hassle.