RocBud Purple Roc B1 /Sip

[WildBill]

Sour D


Did you put anything into the rez to keep the water cleaned up?
MOB used EM1 at a low dose.
Do you have a soil ph tester? I'd be curious to see what the wet one reveals.

I'm still leery of EB's only because I have too many unanswered question, or answered enough to make it clear in my mind.
Maybe I can get some answers today if anyone is there today.
Since I'm using worms also, I'm gonna put some screen over the main area in the center to help keep crap outta the rez better

 

[Sour D]

Sour D


Did you put anything into the rez to keep the water cleaned up?
MOB used EM1 at a low dose.
Do you have a soil ph tester? I'd be curious to see what the wet one reveals.

I'm still leery of EB's only because I have too many unanswered question, or answered enough to make it clear in my mind.
Maybe I can get some answers today if anyone is there today.
Since I'm using worms also, I'm gonna put some screen over the main area in the center to help keep crap outta the rez better

I was using activated EM1 @ 1 oz per gal but just stopped cause @TxRebel/Mark mentioned he thought it was making the ph too low which I checked runoff and mine was in low 4's. I thought with this style you didn't need to worry about ph so much. No soil tester. Maybe I'll get one if they raise this stimulus thing to 2k.
My eb jr I put screen down cause red wrigglers can easily fall through. On my diy units the holes are on 3/16" and I still get a few worms in the res although I thing that may be more from them going down the wick tube.
If you get one one, put the fill tube at the opposite end of the drain. It definitely keeps your rez mo fresh, specially if you fill so water runs out for a few seconds.
I've been extremely happy with the sips in general. It seems you can do most anything to the girls in terms of topping, lst etc and they just keep chugging along. The main stems are at least double the thickness of anything else I've grown.
I just need to figure why the leaves are all going yellow 2-3 weeks before harvest. Got a feeling I need to start bloom amendments earlier and the same with a good topdress earlier than I have been doing.
One thing I am curious about is most nute formulas are for a gallon of water. I'm wondering if I shouldn't be figuring for the amount of water in the reservoir instead of the gallon of feed water.

 

[WildBill]

Sour D
I'm sure the dolomite is to buffer the Ph because, I think, the system tends to be acidic from anaerobic(I assume)activity in the wicking pockets.
It also supplies Cal/M, which can get locked out if too acidic. Do your leaves look like a Cal or Mg deficiency?
I think Mark may have been using too much EM1. I'll have to try and find what rate MOB used in his fabulous grows. I really wish I had asked him more direct questions. Just another reason his passing is so sad.

 

[WildBill]

I was using activated EM1 @ 1 oz per gal but just stopped cause @TxRebel/Mark mentioned he thought it was making the ph too low which I checked runoff and mine was in low 4's. I thought with this style you didn't need to worry about ph so much. No soil tester. Maybe I'll get one if they raise this stimulus thing to 2k.
My eb jr I put screen down cause red wrigglers can easily fall through. On my diy units the holes are on 3/16" and I still get a few worms in the res although I thing that may be more from them going down the wick tube.
If you get one one, put the fill tube at the opposite end of the drain. It definitely keeps your rez mo fresh, specially if you fill so water runs out for a few seconds.
I've been extremely happy with the sips in general. It seems you can do most anything to the girls in terms of topping, lst etc and they just keep chugging along. The main stems are at least double the thickness of anything else I've grown.
I just need to figure why the leaves are all going yellow 2-3 weeks before harvest. Got a feeling I need to start bloom amendments earlier and the same with a good topdress earlier than I have been doing.
One thing I am curious about is most nute formulas are for a gallon of water. I'm wondering if I shouldn't be figuring for the amount of water in the reservoir instead of the gallon of feed water.

Did you see any problems with your DIY set ups?
From what I understand, you don't feed thru the water and no top watering, other than misting the top at seed start and when adding bokashi or mounding up the compost.
I think I'm gonna add the full amount of dolomite EB says, not in a band, but mixed in the media.....except for the wicking pockets. In the wicking spots, I'm putting unamended media directly from the bag...............Roots Organic Original.

My media already has some added amendments for Ph stabilization with the Humic Acid and Biochar product I use.
I'll keep a VERY close eye on the PH in the water.

Too bad it's just not as "easy" as EB wants people to think.

 

[Sour D]

Sour D
I'm sure the dolomite is to buffer the Ph because, I think, the system tends to be acidic from anaerobic(I assume)activity in the wicking pockets.
It also supplies Cal/M, which can get locked out if too acidic. Do your leaves look like a Cal or Mg deficiency?
I think Mark may have been using too much EM1. I'll have to try and find what rate MOB used in his fabulous grows. I really wish I had asked him more direct questions. Just another reason his passing is so sad.

Not an expert on the cal mag bit yet. I believe those issues start at the bottom and move up. Mine appear to be starting at the top and move down. This pic shows early stage. They then go to full yellow and large rust patches and crinkled up dry. I'll scan some of the late stage when I get off today.

 

[WildBill]

Not an expert on the cal mag bit yet. I believe those issues start at the bottom and move up. Mine appear to be starting at the top and move down. This pic shows early stage. They then go to full yellow and large rust patches and crinkled up dry. I'll scan some of the late stage when I get off today.

Maybe you could do a postmortem post in the sick plant forum to get some help to id the problem. It could be very helpful for later grows. Please tag me if you do so and maybe we can put this to bed.

 

[Sour D]

Did you see any problems with your DIY set ups?
From what I understand, you don't feed thru the water and no top watering, other than misting the top at seed start and when adding bokashi or mounding up the compost.
I think I'm gonna add the full amount of dolomite EB says, not in a band, but mixed in the media.....except for the wicking pockets. In the wicking spots, I'm putting unamended media directly from the bag...............Roots Organic Original.

My media already has some added amendments for Ph stabilization with the Humic Acid and Biochar product I use.
I'll keep a VERY close eye on the PH in the water.

Too bad it's just not as "easy" as EB wants people to think.

The only thing I don't like is the cover system. It works well but is a pita when it comes to doing top dressing. I used to use clips with soft ties for lst but now I use bigass nuts hung on the branches w/ soft ties. I may dry to get some elastic banding to attach to my tarp material (wish I had kept Mom's Singer sewin machine)
I think you can make it as easy as you want to make it. Unfortunately I think most of us here are a bunch of tweakers and can't leave well enough alone. Check out Pedros Growroom on YT and the few vids on Build a Soil. The first couple grows I did in sips, I used all BAS amendments and everything went just fine outside of a battle with fungus gnats. I switched to HGMB because the cost was a lot less and I just happen to have a love affair with the ocean. I have a feeling I may end up with a mix of the 2. Water amendments mainly HGMB and top dress with BAS. As an inveterate tweaker, this is subject to change.

 

[Fermented_Fruitz]

I was using activated EM1 @ 1 oz per gal but just stopped cause @TxRebel/Mark mentioned he thought it was making the ph too low which I checked runoff and mine was in low 4's. I thought with this style you didn't need to worry about ph so much. No soil tester. Maybe I'll get one if they raise this stimulus thing to 2k.
My eb jr I put screen down cause red wrigglers can easily fall through. On my diy units the holes are on 3/16" and I still get a few worms in the res although I thing that may be more from them going down the wick tube.
If you get one one, put the fill tube at the opposite end of the drain. It definitely keeps your rez mo fresh, specially if you fill so water runs out for a few seconds.
I've been extremely happy with the sips in general. It seems you can do most anything to the girls in terms of topping, lst etc and they just keep chugging along. The main stems are at least double the thickness of anything else I've grown.
I just need to figure why the leaves are all going yellow 2-3 weeks before harvest. Got a feeling I need to start bloom amendments earlier and the same with a good topdress earlier than I have been doing.
One thing I am curious about is most nute formulas are for a gallon of water. I'm wondering if I shouldn't be figuring for the amount of water in the reservoir instead of the gallon of feed water.

Have u ever ph’d your activated em1 after adding to water and letting it sit. I had it happen from using LABS which is also fermented microbes basically and it drops to like 3.3ph after few hours so mixing and putting into reservoir it’ll continuously drop as long as it’s in reservoir getting oxygen to it! I have 1/2 a 2L bottle I stopped using cuz was giving me issues in the boxes! Think I need to go back to mixing soil cuz this time around my local guys stuff I use has had mag/cal and now f-ing manganese so thinking my guy went a little light on the micronutrient additions into the mix! That and using stupid Agsil16 stuff and never ph’ing that solution got my ph up to 6.9 and manganese isn’t available above 6.0 so gonna feed em the bioag TM7 stuff and I’ll drop solution to like 5.5 to see if they can absorb it easier! Guess we will see!

 

[WildBill]

The only thing I don't like is the cover system. It works well but is a pita when it comes to doing top dressing. I used to use clips with soft ties for lst but now I use bigass nuts hung on the branches w/ soft ties. I may dry to get some elastic banding to attach to my tarp material (wish I had kept Mom's Singer sewin machine)
I think you can make it as easy as you want to make it. Unfortunately I think most of us here are a bunch of tweakers and can't leave well enough alone. Check out Pedros Growroom on YT and the few vids on Build a Soil. The first couple grows I did in sips, I used all BAS amendments and everything went just fine outside of a battle with fungus gnats. I switched to HGMB because the cost was a lot less and I just happen to have a love affair with the ocean. I have a feeling I may end up with a mix of the 2. Water amendments mainly HGMB and top dress with BAS. As an inveterate tweaker, this is subject to change.

LOL! Yeah, most of us here just have to tweak stuff!

 

[Sour D]

Have u ever ph’d your activated em1 after adding to water and letting it sit. I had it happen from using LABS which is also fermented microbes basically and it drops to like 3.3ph after few hours so mixing and putting into reservoir it’ll continuously drop as long as it’s in reservoir getting oxygen to it! I have 1/2 a 2L bottle I stopped using cuz was giving me issues in the boxes! Think I need to go back to mixing soil cuz this time around my local guys stuff I use has had mag/cal and now f-ing manganese so thinking my guy went a little light on the micronutrient additions into the mix! That and using stupid Agsil16 stuff and never ph’ing that solution got my ph up to 6.9 and manganese isn’t available above 6.0 so gonna feed em the bioag TM7 stuff and I’ll drop solution to like 5.5 to see if they can absorb it easier! Guess we will see!

I ph'd the runoff water once when I was having the issue and it was 4.3. Because of my fill being opposite from the drain, I assume most of the water draining has been sitting for a few days at least. I've heard so many people say that growing this way, unless it is way off, ph doesn't matter. Of course none of them say exactly what they mean by "way off". I think 1 did mention the 3's. My ro/tap water runs around 7. I'll do the whole test bit Sun. of b4 and after.

It's all a bit confusing. Most of the info I see is about Living Soil which gets top watered and basically the worms convert the soil/nutrients into what the plant needs. With the sips we are bottom watering and I'm not sure of the importance of the worms. Kind of interesting is there is a gal in Cali that grows very close to a river. All she does is top dress with compost. Doesn't do any watering. Says the plants draw the water from the river. Been doing it for years and has won many 'cups".