2nd Grow (highlights: bagseed, tent, t8 veg)

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Our local bank is giving away free seeds. (veggie not pot)
When I went to pick mine up they were growing some in their window - and some were in egg cartons. I immediately thought of you. BTW- those were the sickest looking of all the different methods they were testing.
It was someone from their that actually taught me to make the newspaper pots.

I actually took a clear plastic swizzle stick and marked it with permanent marker at the right depth for my seeds. Then I would use that to make the hole - I found when I try to do it by eye- they go too deep or too shallow.

Was that water to Solo cups or straight to the dirt?
Glad to hear this new bunch is doing better. Practice makes perfect.
 
I made quite a few newspaper pots to hold seedlings when I first started out with organic.
 
I put em in a water overnight till they cracked and then buried them.

The egg cartons may work for some shallower rooting plants, but its just not enough space for our purpose. I still have a couple seedlings from that experiment in the tent, just to see what happens. They are dying off pretty consistently tho.

I like the swizzle stick idea, im gonna do some variation on that.

Ill put up some pics of the seedlings right after I check on them in a minute.

sMACk

PS I like the new avatar THG! Is it for halloweed? haha a typo but I decided to leave it...
 
you can clearly tell which ones were planted with the egg carton... There were 2 that I actually took out of the carton, but even they have now started to yellow and wilt. I think that its due to the rough nature of their xplant. They are barely 2.5 weeks old so I don't think its nutes... Another reason is possible overwatering, but I recognized that and have changed my watering habits and they seem to only get worse...

The newer sprouts are 4 or 5 days old.


sMACk


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So went out to get a few things today and saw that my only local gardening store, is going out of business. That might sound like bad news, but they don't really say anything that I need anymore. The even more not bad news is that they were having a 50% off going out of business sale... WOO HOO, got some coco fiber pots to try out and a new machete.
They also have a ph/moisture meter that I am interested in. Usually its very expensive, about $200USD, but they are selling it now at like 65% off, so I am going to pick that up tomorrow. It seems like a high quality product. I want it for the pH but the moisture meter will be interesting too.
The only actualy problem is that I don't know where i am going to perlite from.
Does Promix drain well enough with out added perlite? The variety of promix I get is in an orange bale and is probably some generic type they make. It has perlite in it already but not much else i dont htink, no vermiculite.

sMACk
 
peralite at least will be cheaper to ship than soil due to weight if you cant find it locally.

cool buy on the ph/moisture reader. spend smart and grow green!
 
that is true... good point.

I read an interesting article that commented on the sustainability of perlite and vermiculite. Check it out if you are interested in being organic(anyone, not just Iams obviously!):

hxxp://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/How-To-Make-Your-Own-Potting-Soil.aspx

sMACk
 
sMACk,
Let's see a picture of that new meter. I just ordered the really nice BlueLabs Combo. I was gonna go with pens- but this one has longer warranty AND if something happend to the pH probe I can get a replacement. If I toasted the pen I would have to buy another one.

ps: Get more coco- you are gonna love it.
 
I don't think this meter is anything too fancy, its even got an analog display, ha but after shipping and other costs, its much cheaper for the moment. I will not be living where I currently am for more than a year longer and when I get back to civilization, I am gonna go crazy ordering all the cool gear and organic fertilizers and soil amendments...

Speaking of that, I saw a post by THG on watering with organic fertilizers(which I use currently). She said you dont want to wait as long to water as you would normally with chemical fertilizers. She told me to PM nouvellechef to get the real lowdown and s/he elaborated,

"When it dries out, the microbes go dormant and need to be re-inoculated. Unlike bottled nutrients where you need to let it dry out good. Besides O2 uptake, with bottle nutrients, you want the plant to absorb all that liquid up. Or else if not, when you add more on top of what you already feed it, it will give it a nutrient overdose."

sooo, I asked, as you might, how can you re-inoculate them?? s/he(nouvelle chef) happily answered that too. But you have to buy some product and as I continue to say, ad nauseam, that is difficult for me. So I put on my google hat and went to work...

I came across a site that has a recipe for the EM-1 as they are called. I will just copy and paste the info from the site to make it a little easier.


sMACk
 
I just found some blackstrap molasses and I am givin this a go! heres the link for this article:
http://www.hawaiihealingtree.org/?p=163


Aloha thumbs and friends. I am back to give one of my biggest secrets away, it is my own homemade root inoculate or EM™/BAM(beneficial active microorganism) made with rice water, milk and sugar. There are many shelf bought version for ridiculous pricing, for those with the little know how to make ones own. House & Garden makes Root Accelerator,Hygrozyme, Sensizyme, Advanced Nutrients Voodoo Juice are some of the high priced products that my own home culture works as well as or even in some cases has even worked better. I know many growers that would not even think of culturing their own or even would have the know how to, but I offer you my knowledge for your own frugal organic gardening purposes. Not to mention how I have talked about recycling and composting with worms, now I will introduce you to the Japanese form of Bokashi Composting or fermenting and how to make your own home made cheap alternative Bokashi Buckets and Bokashi mix.


Wikipedia:

Effective Microorganisms, aka EM Technology, is a trademarked term now commonly used to describe a proprietary blend of 3 or more types of predominantly anaerobic organisms that was originally marketed as EM-1™ Microbial Inoculate but is now marketed by a plethora of companies under various names, each with their own proprietary blend. “EM™ Technology” uses a laboratory cultured mixture of microorganisms consisting mainly of lactic acid bacteria, purple bacteria, and yeast which co-exist for the benefit of whichever environment they are introduced, as has been claimed by the various em-like culture purveyors. It is reported[1] to include:

Lactic acid bacteria: Lactobacillus plantarum; L. casei; Streptococcus Lactis.
Photosynthetic bacteria: Rhodopseudomonas palustris; Rhodobacter sphaeroides.
Yeast: Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Candida utilis (no longer used) (usually known as Torula, Pichia Jadinii).
Actinomycetes (no longer used in the formulas): Streptomyces albus; S. griseus.
Fermenting fungi (no longer used in the formulas): Aspergillus oryzae; Mucor hiemalis.
The concept of ‘Friendly Microorganisms’ was developed by Japanese horticulturist Teruo Higa, from the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa, Japan. He reported in the 1970s that a combination of approximately 80 different microorganisms is capable of positively influencing decomposing organic matter such that it reverts into a ‘life promoting’ process. Higa invokes a ‘dominance principle’ to explain the effects of his ‘Effective Microorganisms’. He claims that three groups of microorganisms exist: ‘positive microorganisms’ (regeneration), ‘negative microorganisms’ (decomposition, degeneration), ‘opportunist microorganisms’. In every medium (soil, water, air, the human intestine), the ratio of ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ microorganisms is critical, since the opportunist microorganisms follow the trend to regeneration or degeneration. Therefore, Higa believes that it is possible to positively influence the given media by supplementing with positive microorganisms.

EM™ Technology is supposed to maintain sustainable practices such as farming and sustainable living, and also claims to support human health and hygiene, animal husbandry, compost and waste management, disaster clean-up (The Southeast Tsunami of 2004, the Kobe Earthquake, and Hurricane Katrina remediation projects), and generally used to promote functions in natural communities.

EM™ has been employed in many agricultural applications, but is also used in the production of several health products in South Africa and the USA.[citation needed] (fuel additive products are no longer available).

A High School in Malaysia, Sekolah Menegah Kebangsaan Dato’ Onn Butterworth, Penang, are using EM to treat Greywater, minimise odour from Septic Tank & remove sludge from drains.

This is a recipe I learned from a friend along time ago.

EM/BAM: this a trade secret!(lactobacillus culture)

1/4 cup rice

1quart Mason Jar

1 cup water

1 fine mesh strainer

80 oz milk depends on how much one is making

1 gallon container or jar

1 tsp. black-strap molasses

Procedure:

1. Place rice and cup of water in mason jar and shake vigorously until water is cloudy white, strain off rice kernels and discard into tour compost bin or cook for dinner. I have heard of the Japanese adding a dash of nato to help ferment but not needed.


rice water EM
2. place cap on loosely and store in a cabinet or cool dark place for 5-7 days.

3. Sift off top layer and strain liquid (serum)

4. measure your rice liquid and now add a ratio of 1 part fermented rice to 10 parts milk, I would culture in a 1 gallon jar. let sit for 5-7 days.


Rice water and milk serum fermenting 3 days - notice lid is only siting on top as to not build pressure.
5. sift off curd settlement and add to your soil or feed your animals it is good for their digestion, then there should be a light yellow serum left this is your unactivated serum.

6. Add 1 tsp molasses to feed and keep your bacteria alive and refrigerate. should have a shelf life of 6-12 months.

7. to activate microorganism activities and to room temperature non-chlorinated water at a ratio of 1 part Serum to 20 parts water.

8. feed to plants either straight into soil or follicular feeding.
 
Found my ph meter online:

http://userweb.cybernex.net/kelway/hb2.html

also, saw it on amazon for like $200usd so thats a plus!

sMACk
 
tastyness said:
ps: Get more coco- you are gonna love it.

I dont really have coco, like coco coir per se... I think its the same thing, but its in the shape of a 3 or 4" pot, but its definitely the fibers... I got a bunch so if they dont work out too well I will just shred them and use em as a potting medium...

sMACk
 
Hmmm, I use the stuff that comes in bricks and you add water and it bulks up. At first I used the big ones (very hard to get off a smaller piece) then I found some in smaller packages. One brick + 5 Liters (rain water) = 50L of medium.
Throw up a pic of what you have if you like.

My meter is for liquids - to test the nutrients I mix up. The soil one you got looks pretty neat.
 
sMACk
I've never worked with those. They might be quite interesting.
What medium are you planning to use inside?
Be sure to use a good amount of dolomite lime to offset the magnesium extras plants in coco need.
I'll be interested to see how this all turns out.
It would be cool if you had seeds from the same strain and could do a side by side of these and other pots. (Another good reason to buy some seeds eh?)
 
I use ProMix general purpose potting soil, its got perlite and some lime already in it. Does the coco have a lot of calcium in it? I assume thats why they would need extra Mg, right?
I think I'm gonna do half n half coco cups and solo cups on the next round of seeds I pop... which will be soon I think...

I have to wait till november(wyclef) till I can get seeds. The local guy said he would have some then, and if he ends up not coming through, which is very possible because its the "style" around here... then I will get to order some legit seeds!!

Anyone grown out Reserva Privada Sour OG kush/headband? I wanna get that and the chEEeeeEESE(say it like in Old School)


sMACk
 
sMACk-
Cool that you can get promix. Is it pricey where you're at?
Glad you've got a seed plan together- November is soon :D
 
Not soon enough... ha, the promix is about $17 for the 4 cubic ft I think.... does that sound right? Its a compressed bag, so it expands to double the size i think or soemthing...

Its one of the only good htings home depot sells here...

sMACk
 

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