Indoor Autopots KIS Organics Water Only Soil

[terp182]

Here's the group at Day 22, after being bottom watered with Biowar Foliar and Nutes microbes two days ago and being topped yesterday. I'm still manually bottom watering for now. After getting some time to do some more research on here with previous attempts to use water only soil in autopots, it seems like these will almost certainly start to suffer nute issues in flowering. And my compost tea in the res idea is a bad idea - it'll be anaerobic and not what the plants need. If I feed compost tea, it'll be aerated and manually bottom fed, but now I'm more inclined to just start MegaCrop when I see deficiencies pop up, and hope the existing biology plays nice with it through the end of flower. We're moving after this harvest and I want to have a decent reserve for the stressful spring and summer.

My apologies to anyone excited to see the likely trainwreck of growing these organic only through flower in 3 gallon autopots. It seems like that was an overly ambitious goal. I hope to finish these out as strong and tasty as possible though, so tag along if the strictly organic aspect wasn't the only reason you stopped by. Cheers!

 

[terp182]

Here's an update from a few days ago. I ended up seeing significant deficiencies on the Strawberry Nugs and SSB3 plants (rust and yellowing leaves on the big lowers), so I just ended up starting MegaCrop around day 28 in the reservoir, ph'd to 6.4 and at 550 ppm. The plants look super happy, and there's a healthy mycelium coating on all of the fabric pots. While I would have preferred to keep this autorun water-only and organic only, I need more time and space to test it properly. We're looking for a house so I can't reset until after move day in May or so, hence my backslide into MegaCrop.

I was surprised they only made it to stretch before needing additional nutes. I'm looking forward to trying this again down the line with some better organic amendments, possibly an amended soil on the lower half of the pots. I was partially scared the KiS Organics Water-Only soil would be too hot for auto seedlings, but at least when mixed at 60/40 or 65/35 with perlite, that's definitely not the case.

Here's some pics of the garden yesterday and today. Lots of vigor and I'm keeping RH to about 70% to dial in VPD. Seems like the airpots are making a significant impact aerating the root zone 24 hours a day as well. I've got them all topped and LST'd to all hell, and they're responding beautifully. Now, I just need to not get into nute issues for 60ish days, and this should be a killer little 90 day crop.

 

[CannabisMingus]

Now, I just need to not get into nute issues for 60ish days, and this should be a killer little 90 day crop.

 

[terp182]

Quick update from Day 50, about 3 weeks after starting MegaCrop. Everything in the tent is riotous. There are signs of active biology/white mycelium all over the pots, and the Strawberry Nuggets (back left) and Purple Pope (back right) continue to stretch, somehow.

My Spotless Mind x AvT cross (front right) is hugely AvT dominant. Still tucking and teasing out bud sites. But the Star Spangled Banner (front left) is the standout of the tent. She’s been stacking nugs and frost for a couple weeks now, while the other 3 big plants just started to bud up and frost up a couple days ago. I imagine she’ll finish a week earlier than the rest, but I could be wrong.

 

[CannabisMingus]

Everything in the tent is riotous.

 

[CannabisMingus]

My Spotless Mind x AvT cross (front right) is hugely AvT dominant.

Sure looks like it! Nice work @terp182 !

Are you still running 500 ppm in the res?

 

[terp182]

Sure looks like it! Nice work @terp182 !

Are you still running 500 ppm in the res?

I’m managing 550-600ish now. I start to see spots on lower fans at around 525 after the stretch, and 550/6.4 seems to be the sweet spot.

They’re drinking like crazy, too and the pots are consistently wet all the way to the top, which I thought wasn’t the best thing with autopots, but these seem to indicate that’s not a problem.

Using my Pulse monitor to kee VPD roughly in check seems to really be helping, too. I wish the app with a little more reliable but it beats running upstairs to check them periodical.

 

[CannabisMingus]

So @terp182 what do you think was the issue with the original idea (water only)? I am running a 3BOG in a water only soil and it will finish ok. Granted, much smaller plant that what you are running right now.

Was it the 60/40 perlite mix? Too small pots?

 

[terp182]

I just started to see deficiencies in the lower fans at stretch. Rust spots and yellow spots. My initial plan was to supplement water with compost teas occasionally (since they’d really benefit from the AirPots going full blast) but after seeing the clear deficiencies so early, I knew I had to pivot and that the teas wouldn't be enough.

And yeah, I’d attribute it to there being so much perlite in the mix. I bombed the hell out of the pots with mycorrhizae and beneficial nutes, which was great for that first three or four weeks, but there just wasn’t enough in the substrate to fuel the stretch, I think.

Your grow is looking great though and I can’t wait to see how it finishes out!

 

[CannabisMingus]

Thanks man!

I am thinking this may be a product to address deficiencies in flower for one or two applications in a "water only" grow. I bought some to keep in reserve as a mitigation tool. It may be more immediately available than other techniques (organic fert tea, etc) - my experience so far is that there is very little you can do with soil this rich once a deficiency develops (unless it's not really a def, but lockout).

terp-tea-bloom — Aurora Innovations

I heard a podcast with a rep for Aurora say that they figured out how to "micronize" these materials for more immediate uptake. Maybe just sales bs - I have no idea. If I decide to use it I will let you know how it works.

Edit: It's on the product page as well - "Amend any potting soil with this micronized flowering nutrient to activate the aromatic power of your garden’s natural terpenes." I'm not buying the "activate the terpenes" bs but it may address a flower def. in an organic living soil system quickly enough to make a difference. YMMV, etc.

Edit (Part Deux): This may be similar: BuildABloom - BuildASoil