doodies doodoo dirt disaster grow log

[iwentdoodie]

well, i was going to put last 4 in some 2gal if i can find them tonight.

then i felt bad for it. then i remembered how much room i dont have. then thought "two 2 gallon fabric pots can just stack and become 4ish if you cut the bottom" so new plan if i can find the damn things.

otherwise we may be improvising here. i have some plastic pots, already have one plant in a 2.6g one. may say fuck it and they go in those, or torture them in the 1gs and just have to top dress weekly and water 90 times daily and see what happens.

 

[iwentdoodie]

12 hour days are absolute hell for taking care of these girls. still 2 left to repot, and then stakes/cages and lighting upgrade. should get done, wife wont be home so i can work without distraction for a bit.

not that its bad, she repotted most of it and has been getting really into it. i needed a bag of coco and couldnt find any around, she ended up calling around, found it, had someone pick it up for me and then i snagged it on my way home. cant ask for more than that.

biggest challenge is still just humidity. dehumidifier is way too big and hot. i took some plants out and threw it in last night, 10 minutes and every temp sensor in there was headed north of 90*F from 73*F.

any suggestions on something i can try? thought about setting it outside and trying to rig up a hose somehow to it but kind of at a loss.

also not sure how much i trust the ac infinity probe/controller for moisture. it always reads higher than other sensors, and not by an amount i can nail down consistently. but, oh well. it is what it is and they look wonderful. every sdxtct has a smell to them, one triangle kush doesnt seem to then you get close and its like you put your nose through a scent bubble of chemical farts, which sounds bad but is somehow mouth watering.

36 hours of veg left, girls. monday, simple as just resetting my timer for 12hrs instead of 18?

 

[iwentdoodie]

nevermind.

i just realized why my humidity readings are off that high.

 

[iwentdoodie]

how the hell did i miss this one when i repotted.

testers, sd x tctsd x tct, tks1, super car as you go across the rows, and struggle bus bag seed up front

 

[Mr Jay]

simple as just resetting my timer for 12hrs

Yup yup.
,, and you get to pick.

Working 12's is sucky in that you are away from the house for more than 12 hours.
Tricky, cuz you're going to want to do your gardening whilst the room is illuminated.
Being away from home that many hours a day you may want to enlist help, just to make sure that the timers are functioning correctly.
As simple as, " could you stick your head in here at 2:00 p.m. to make sure it's dark?", or something like, "would you be so kind of too take a look at 7:00, and make sure it's lit?"

The only hard "rule" that needs to be observed is the uninterrupted darkness.
Yes, I will poke my flashlight into a dark tent twice a day, in order to check the temperature. But, other than that ,they need the dark.

A timer fail, or any other form of extended day will wreak instant havoc- even just once.
Last winter I accidentally gave my garden an extra long day. The lights were on for around 14-16 hours. I saw a slight, subtle signs of Reveg that endured all the way to harvest.

You get to pick when bedtime is, but you need to be firm.
Afterwards, let them sleep.

 

[iwentdoodie]

...and i think to myself, what a wonderful world...

we may have binged the muppet show before bed last night

 

[Agreenpassion]

This may be a bit much, dude.

Vermiculite can absorb 16X it's weight of water. It's Very good at holding water. Like a bunch of ground up sponges. I think I only typically use it when I cobble together my own soil mix ocassionally.

IMO, most store-bought soil mixes I've tried don't seem to need any extra vermiculite. Many already contain it or something else that does the job of holding water in a "nicer" way. Things like certain types of composts, hold moisture too (at a lesser extent) and can be beneficial without causing the same issues.
Maybe if you were using straight Coco fibers. And making your own mix with a coco base. Like starting with a broken up Coco block or something. I'm not recommending you use a Coco block to make your own mix. Maybe wait to do that until you feel ready. Making a soil mix can be confusing at 1st.

I grew up in a farming household for most of the time I was coming up. I cut my teeth on heirloom Pole Beans, Carrots, and other vegis., incluiding the fields of corn and grass hay/alfalfa. They also grew dwarf trees from the mid 80's. since Mostly non-Canna. And my Great Grandma Esther used to make a soil mix using low acid bark chips from Grandpa Morgan's tree removal and stump blowing business. Since the 1930's.
In Botany-GH-Horticulture trade school and my following internship, when I was 20, I spent a couple of years creating different types of soil mixtures. For potted plants, beds, and such. I'm no expert. I was just shown tricks and methods that I used, changed, added to and subtracted from and then tested over and over then and across some years. Some people here are good at different things. This was my dish. When I was younger.

The last thing you want is a soaking wet-soupy

 

[Agreenpassion]

This may be a bit much, dude.

Vermiculite can absorb 16X it's weight of water. It's Very good at holding water. Like a bunch of ground up sponges. I think I only typically use it when I cobble together my own soil mix ocassionally.

IMO, most store-bought soil mixes I've tried don't seem to need any extra vermiculite. Many already contain it or something else that does the job of holding water in a "nicer" way. Things like certain types of composts, hold moisture too (at a lesser extent) and can be beneficial without causing the same issues.
Maybe if you were using straight Coco fibers. And making your own mix with a coco base. Like starting with a broken up Coco block or something. I'm not recommending you use a Coco block to make your own mix. Maybe wait to do that until you feel ready. Making a soil mix can be confusing at 1st.

I grew up in a farming household for most of the time I was coming up. I cut my teeth on heirloom Pole Beans, Carrots, and other vegis., incluiding the fields of corn and grass hay/alfalfa. They also grew dwarf trees from the mid 80's. since Mostly non-Canna. And my Great Grandma Esther used to make a soil mix using low acid bark chips from Grandpa Morgan's tree removal and stump blowing business. Since the 1930's.
In Botany-GH-Horticulture trade school and my following internship, when I was 20, I spent a couple of years creating different types of soil mixtures. For potted plants, beds, and such. I'm no expert. I was just shown tricks and methods that I used, changed, added to and subtracted from and then tested over and over then and across some years. Some people here are good at different things. This was my dish. When I was younger.

The last thing you want is a soaking wet-soupy

Accidently clicked Post.

No, bro. You Want to be thinking earth worm compost, and definitely something to give you a lot of small air pockets like the heavy pea gravel I used to use. Just kidding. Most seem to like Pearlite. There's A Lot more to understanding soil than just water holding and releasing properties. Take it slow.

You pull-push air through the soil every time you water. +++The more fresh air and water to the roots regularly the better.+++
But if you just wanna water 1 time a day (like me.and a lot of home grow dudes) you need some substance(s) that hold Some water in the "soil" for a while.

In the future I'd get the best premade soil mix you can buy/afford. And not mix your own so soon. There's a few good and cheap ones. Fox Farms and a couple others use soft wood chips now (like Cedar) and imo are not decent. I'd use unadulterated Promix if I were you. Just saying.

And only water when they need it!

I probably missed a lot as I'm in a hurry. Sure there are other dudes who know more than me, hopeful they will chime in. Maybe some guys like chefdave, (jaybirdsmoke) oops, I meant Mr. Jay or jaws or santero (a whole lot of people here) will help?!?

 

[Agreenpassion]

When you are able to manage the proper watering amounts depending upon need, container size and etc.. the RH will drop some


If they get over watered or the soil is holding too much water it will increase transpiration causing a build up of humidity.

A 2X2 tent probably does not need much dehumidification tbh. There are small, Somewhat efficient dehumidifiers.

If the tent is too hot: You can set a dehumidifier outside the tent if there's a lung room or pipe air flow to/from to see a better RH.

We have regular rain here in Oregon. Lots of moisture. But I keep the RH at 55% or less without using a dehumidifier. And I see almost no humidity issues in veg or flower times. Gotta manage the watering toward your crop That's really important and fundamental for most types of plants.

 

[Agreenpassion]

For temp and rh, these types in many different brands are Very useful and cheap.

This one's from a back bathroom. The temps and such shown on it are not to be used for growing.

 

[Agreenpassion]

You'll grow some great weed @iwentdoodie just keep it simple.

Easy to fu[k up when there's too much to think about.

 

[iwentdoodie]

bro so much great info, thank you. ill respond in depth in a few min.

but the humidity issue was a me issue. it helps when you get your sensors out of the canopy. suddenly my 80% was 65% and thats after watering. drops right back to high 50s.

issue here has been the huge temp swings outside. we're going highs of 60 lows in 40s, and then high 80s and lows in the 60s like back to back days. and with the usual climate here, that means one day the outdoor RH is 38% and the next is 78%. its a solvable thing created entirely by my being lax in sensor placement.

that said, the AC Infinity sensors i do not trust. i actually hooked my second one up and ran them together, sensors 2" apart and identical placement. they didnt come close to matching each other, or other sensors. inkbird and the chinese weather station things all agree within 2% and 2*f.

i even jacked the sensors from my wifes snake and checked

 

[Mr Jay]

Like starting with a broken up Coco block or something

Baking in the kitchen has parallels.
We understand the need for quality ingredients, but we have been spoiled by manufacturing consistency.
Say the recipe calls for a cup of sugar,, Icing sugar is not going to act like a crystal of Cane.

This illustration shows a grain of sand the size of a beach ball, which would make a particle of clay smaller than the size of a (.177) BB
We got more words for dirt than Inuks got for snow.
Coco can be the same.
Coco peat, coco meal, coco chunks,
No standard unit there.
I have seen Coco the size of a cat hair split seven ways, I have seen chunks of coco bigger than my thumb.
Not unlike dirt, Coco can span magnitudes of sizes.

Coco Grow - Grow Bags | CocoGrow

Coco Grow offers several lines of Grow Bags that are suitable for specific crop management. We know that a clean, high quality growing medium is important for

cocogrow.ca

 

[DopeDaniel]

We got more words for dirt than Inuks got for snow.

As I tried to refute this I realised you might be right.

 

[iwentdoodie]

so, basically my humidity "issues" stemmed damn near entirely from my placement. it does rise a bit with lights on and sensors placed correctly, but its still only in the mid high 60s and doing some rough VPD math i'm actually in the sweet spot. i do have a meter on the way, however.

the soil mix isn't made up by me, i don't have the stones for that yet. but the math was done originally based on this particular coco and its drainage properties. not saying it's correct or even good, i have nfc beyond trying and it and seeing what works. i do know that this method is viewed by about 5% of what i see as the easiest ever and 95% who say it isn't possible, but for me it's been wayyyyy easier than hydro. i've nuked two sets of microgreens trying to figure that shit out.

my regular gardening stopped when we moved here, i don't have the time to dedicate to an outdoor grow of anything here with the weather. hell just my fruit trees have taken about 6hrs in the past two weeks and that's just keeping them from freezing and then panic uncovering the next day as the high goes from 60 to 80 and the inside of the covering feels like vietnam in the rainy season.

haven't moved pics to post yet but everyone is thriving right now, the SDxTCT are gonna be an Issue with capital I for height but i am stoked. they fuckin looooove those QB 288s and the 300 rspec. i have them at 100%, looking right around 8-850ppfd centered. i had them at 600 or so the first day as I was concerned about burn from the new lights, fuckers popped an inch over night (the primo girl popped around 2.5" i dont get her) so i lowered them to hit the 800-850 which is about dead center on everything ive read for late veg and starting flower and no bleach or burn, still pushed up.

i had damn near talked myself into waiting a bit more, topping down, etc...but i'd have to turn my office into a grow room. the whole tent smells like an uncleaned roller skating rink with a dead rat in a locker and someones perfume broke in front of a fan.

 

[Agreenpassion]

...feels like Vietnam in a rainy season.

I thought you as more of a plant growing noob. Oops If you can grow vegis and fruit trees, then you can definitely grow Canna. It's just a small step sideways. And you have the drive to strive, even. My bad. As they say.

Funny descriptions ️

 

[iwentdoodie]

...feels like Vietnam in a rainy season.

I thought you as more of a plant growing noob. Oops If you can grow vegis and fruit trees, then you can definitely grow Canna. It's just a small step sideways. And you have the drive to strive, even. My bad. As they say.

Funny descriptions ️

nah, veg and fruit is easy mode for me. esp the fruit, it's just keeping them alive at this point and pray they fruit before a storm blows em all away

i'm a canna noob, and it IS different enough to warrant the concern. i will never, ever be mad at someone trying to help and guide. i've never understood people who start posting somewhere, or join a new thing and immediately get defensive or aggro when given advice. you made me think hard about the vermiculite, especially. just cause some add it doesn't mean there's not a better way.

and i actually do intend to switch over to ocean forest; i can get it a looooooot easier. i have still yet to see promix in store.

 

[Agreenpassion]

Some like FF Ocean Forest. My dad used that in '06, before the recipe was changed. Then he passed. He just wasn't physically able to mix ammendments to any scale at that point.
That was a while back. When I was having a low-till Organic type of experience. Which felt like some other types of farming.

I saw a few yrs. back that Fox Farms started using soft wood for the compost in FFOF. That's usually a no-no for container gardening with plants that require a certain pH range. I know it fk_s with the PH, and I remember that it also uses (not locks out) Nitrogen (your plants need) as the soft wood pieces deteriorate.

You may have a bit more difficulty with that FFOF mix. It also ran with higher levels of Nitrogen. Which can build up as the soft wood disintegrates. (which can harm plants in large doses.) Maybe my information is outdated. It has been 19 years, after all. I'd reason to guess FFOF hasn't changed back. Soft wood mulch is much cheaper. If you do us FFOF, fact check me 1st please.

Soil diy hack-
If I had to use FFOF, I would compost it down for at least 4 months if it was summer. I used old oil drums before. And back when I even heat sterilized the soil. If you get bigger eventually. An upcycled 50gal. food grade barrel works great. I've composted in my tool shed mostly.
But, I would add rabbit or guinea pig poo from mom's hobby farm. I like goat dung also. (And miss my Nubian girls)
I try not to use bird, or pig especially. (except when I used it outdoors on beds or if I choose to make a tea with it (using an airstone) That's because it's too "hot" except after an even longer and warmer composting cycle.
One could also, with mixed results, mix 1/2 and 1/2 of that FFOF and another, maybe somewhat better and_or different premade soil mix to chill it out a bit.

If it was me, I'd add at least pearlite and a few handfulls of homemade EWC at least. Homemade EWC from composted food scraps, certain manures, wood chips, etc. Mostly throw away plant based materials. A majority of plants will do handstands for EWC. May see your healthiest tomatoes ever. From acid loving roses to vegis to trees.

Composting is probably old news for you.

 

[iwentdoodie]

funnily enough, never composted. its been on my want to do list since I was like 13, but i legit worry my adhd will have it end in disaster when i straight forget it exists for a few weeks and oops, fireball lol

 

[iwentdoodie]

also just had the time to read further into what you said about the ff ocean forest, and thats some damn good info. im probably only going to have one more full run before summer and a pause, so that might actually still work okay.

if anyone reads this: are those tumblers worth it for composting? i worry with our heat/humidity/rain about a pile outdoors 24/7, but these seem like more ideal solutions i could at least put on the porch. or still better off just in a regular bin?