Olderfart's Dive Down the Living Soil Rabbit Hole

[Olderfart]

Hey Olderfart! I will definitely follow along. I have been thinking about how to do water only with autopots as well so this is cool! Good luck sir!

Welcome aboard, and thanks for the good vibes. This soil thing should be an adventure, with luck, a bit more productive than last year's attempt. I am looking forward to seeing how it works. If well, the salt nutes will be staying on the shelf except for minor adjustments.

If you dive into the soil rabbit hole, tag me, I'd love to see how you make out.

Thanks for checking in.

 

[Suki]

Sounds like your rat is lucky. And good for you for knowing when to move on. I am working on that one.

It honestly took some pushing from my husband, he knew before I did that my heart wasn't really in it anymore. I didn't want to stop, I guess on the principle of I don't like being told what to do, but he was right. We lost our original boys last year, and the one I kept from my oldest litter just recently, so its just kind of a matter of losing them is too hard to keep adding more to the mischief. It also was a huge blow when I found out that some of the people I had sourced various lines from had animals that were positive for a bacteria that they can't (technically, some of my good friends are working with a lab to try to find a way around that by working with negative mothers as fosters for neonates from positive mothers) be treated for that can cause severe illness in humans (rarely, but I refuse to take that liability). Which meant that I wouldn't be able to sell pets anymore. Thankfully? I had run into a few temperament kinks last year that I had wanted to work out so I had already stopped pet homing. I guess all in all it just stopped bringing me joy, and I wasn't ready to give it up until he stressed that it was becoming a burden to him.

Sorry, rambling. All this to say I'm really not *that* great at knowing when to move on, but it helps to have someone who knows you well enough to tell when something is becoming less of a passion and more of a chore.

 

[Olderfart]

It honestly took some pushing from my husband, he knew before I did that my heart wasn't really in it anymore. I didn't want to stop, I guess on the principle of I don't like being told what to do, but he was right. We lost our original boys last year, and the one I kept from my oldest litter just recently, so its just kind of a matter of losing them is too hard to keep adding more to the mischief. It also was a huge blow when I found out that some of the people I had sourced various lines from had animals that were positive for a bacteria that they can't (technically, some of my good friends are working with a lab to try to find a way around that by working with negative mothers as fosters for neonates from positive mothers) be treated for that can cause severe illness in humans (rarely, but I refuse to take that liability). Which meant that I wouldn't be able to sell pets anymore. Thankfully? I had run into a few temperament kinks last year that I had wanted to work out so I had already stopped pet homing. I guess all in all it just stopped bringing me joy, and I wasn't ready to give it up until he stressed that it was becoming a burden to him.

Sorry, rambling. All this to say I'm really not *that* great at knowing when to move on, but it helps to have someone who knows you well enough to tell when something is becoming less of a passion and more of a chore.

No worries at all about rambling, at least not on a thread that I started. Being on this forum is about connecting with people, not just growing weed. The special thing about this social media site is that it is, thanks to our moderators, not dominated by bad behaviour. I quit Facebook years ago over the poisonous BS that goes on there, more of which is coming to light these days.

Happy growing and whatever else you get up to @Suki813!

 

[Suki]

No worries at all about rambling, at least not on a thread that I started. Being on this forum is about connecting with people, not just growing weed. The special thing about this social media site is that it is, thanks to our moderators, not dominated by bad behaviour. I quit Facebook years ago over the poisonous BS that goes on there, more of which is coming to light these days.

Happy growing and whatever else you get up to @Suki813!

Yeah I have barely been on FB since I started here, feeling a hell of a lot less stressed in general since stepping away, which is interesting but also unsurprising lol.

 

[Olderfart]

Greetings gro peeps. I am back after being away for a couple days, during which I seem to have screwed up and left the main humidifier turned off. Things got a bit dry even though the better half kept the tank full. Anyway, all survived if a bit on the thirsty side.

The pollen plants at day 16:

They will be topped shortly. 24C has shown sex, F.State not yet. I need to get the CS generator flashed up pronto.

SSSC Auto Ellephant at Day 12:

Looking more or less on track to my eye. Topping still not decided, but likely.

Dinamed Auto CBD Kush at Day 12:

Looks like one more or less on track, one not too far behind, and one not happy about something. I may soak seeds for replacement of #3 if she does not pick up her skirt by the time new seedlings are ready. It is nice having lots of these seeds.

Mephisto Fugue State at Day 4:

And Mephisto 24 Carat at Day 4:

The Day 4 girls were put into the final pots directly as peat plug babes, a couple with taps just showing, one not, but all went in anyway because I had to leave for a few days. They look like they may have been set back a bit by the humidifier screwup. They were covered, but likely still got a bit too dry for a few days.

That will do for now peeps, happy growing everyone.

 

[Olderfart]

Well peeps, here they are. First the pollen plants, now at Day 25, about four days into CS application:

Not the prettiest girls in the bunch, but good enough to make pollen. They are on MCII at ~750ppm and 6.0-6.3 pH. Earlier leaf color seems to be sorted on new growth.

Dinamed Auto CBD Kush at Day 19:

The top plant is the best, very healthy, but she is going to be small. The bottom plant is the same age. I removed one fan which appeared potentially diseased and topped her. It remains to be seen whether she perks up. The jury is still out whether I will let her continue or replace. The seedling on the right is at Day 4 after direct planting in the final pot to replace the runt that was going nowhere. She seems off to a slow start, but I am hoping that she gets her game going before long. I put two seeds into the pot and pulled the slightly smaller one at ~day 2. It had a tap root more than 6 inches long. I hope the remaining babe has been growing roots, she hasn't been growing much else. This pot has been on the reservoir for several days. The seedling is just going to have to put up with it, but I have been helping it with a bit of top watering which will continue on her side of the pot for a while to make sure she does not get dried out up top.

Mephisto 24C at Day 12:

They may be a bit slow, but healthy and growing nicely. Perhaps the big pot means more early effort on roots... One of these girls is destined to have a couple lower branches pollenated.

Mephisto Fugue State:

She is also destined for pollenation of a couple branches. If, of course, I get any pollen from her sister in the yogurt pot.

And finally, the queen of the grow so far, SSSC Auto Ellephant at Day 19:

She was topped above #4, and leaf tucked to get the side branches into more light. She now has dry sand on the top of the soil to discourage the evil gnats. The other pots will get the same once the plants are big enough. She has been on the reservoir for several days.

So far, I'd say the DIY soil mix is doing reasonably well. Minor toxicity on one of the CBD plants, but other than that, all healthy and happy so far with the one CBD plant exception. All plants were started in a mix of the full strength soil and ~50% SS#4 to cut back on early nutes. Given how quickly the tap roots grow, I do wonder whether the staged soil strength accomplishes much.

That's all she wrote for this update peeps, happy growing all.

 

[MotaZona]

Well peeps, here they are. First the pollen plants, now at Day 25, about four days into CS application:
View attachment 1386574
Not the prettiest girls in the bunch, but good enough to make pollen. They are on MCII at ~750ppm and 6.0-6.3 pH. Earlier leaf color seems to be sorted on new growth.

Dinamed Auto CBD Kush at Day 19:
View attachment 1386573
The top plant is the best, very healthy, but she is going to be small. The bottom plant is the same age. I removed one fan which appeared potentially diseased and topped her. It remains to be seen whether she perks up. The jury is still out whether I will let her continue or replace. The seedling on the right is at Day 4 after direct planting in the final pot to replace the runt that was going nowhere. She seems off to a slow start, but I am hoping that she gets her game going before long. I put two seeds into the pot and pulled the slightly smaller one at ~day 2. It had a tap root more than 6 inches long. I hope the remaining babe has been growing roots, she hasn't been growing much else. This pot has been on the reservoir for several days. The seedling is just going to have to put up with it, but I have been helping it with a bit of top watering which will continue on her side of the pot for a while to make sure she does not get dried out up top.

Mephisto 24C at Day 12:
View attachment 1386575
They may be a bit slow, but healthy and growing nicely. Perhaps the big pot means more early effort on roots... One of these girls is destined to have a couple lower branches pollenated.

Mephisto Fugue State:
View attachment 1386572
She is also destined for pollenation of a couple branches. If, of course, I get any pollen from her sister in the yogurt pot.

And finally, the queen of the grow so far, SSSC Auto Ellephant at Day 19:
View attachment 1386576
She was topped above #4, and leaf tucked to get the side branches into more light. She now has dry sand on the top of the soil to discourage the evil gnats. The other pots will get the same once the plants are big enough. She has been on the reservoir for several days.

So far, I'd say the DIY soil mix is doing reasonably well. Minor toxicity on one of the CBD plants, but other than that, all healthy and happy so far with the one CBD plant exception. All plants were started in a mix of the full strength soil and ~50% SS#4 to cut back on early nutes. Given how quickly the tap roots grow, I do wonder whether the staged soil strength accomplishes much.

That's all she wrote for this update peeps, happy growing all.

You’re not worried about the sand hurting the soil’s ability to breath?

 

[DCLXVI]

Looking very nice in there!

 

[Olderfart]

You’re not worried about the sand hurting the soil’s ability to breath?

Nope. We'll see how it goes, but I doubt that that is going to be a problem. The sand stays bone dry, air can move through it easily.

 

[CannabisMingus]

The sand stays bone dry, air can move through it easily.

Is the sand for gnat prevention?