One Pink Lemonade - no-till cycle 7 in 4 foot diameter pot, 5x5 tent

myke said:

Nice,so how many days of flower did she do?

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I'd have to look back on this thread and find my post saying I just flipped to 12/12 and count from there, but I'm too stoned and lazy right now.

I harvested it about a week into its harvest window just to make sure the lower parts of the colas were ripe, so in all it might have been at least 10 weeks.

I've got a few questions:
1. How do you feed the plant the first 2 grows before the cycle starts?
2. Do you have a list of all bugs in the soil (besides the centipede lol)?
3. Do you have to add more worms/bugs regularly?
4. How did you introduce fungi into the soil? Where did you get it?

wizkhalifa01 said:

I've got a few questions:
1. How do you feed the plant the first 2 grows before the cycle starts?
2. Do you have a list of all bugs in the soil (besides the centipede lol)?
3. Do you have to add more worms/bugs regularly?
4. How did you introduce fungi into the soil? Where did you get it?

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Yikes, so many questions! lol

1. I'm a bit confused and not sure what you mean by this #1 question. I stopped feeding my plants a long time ago. I've done everything I said I did in this post to prepare for future grows by ensuring the biota in my growing medium is as happy and as productive as possible. That's all that matters.

2. I've only seen that centipede twice. I need to set up night time motion activated little macro cameras all over my soil. We'll catch the bastard eventually. In all seriousness I have no idea, but a species inventory would be very cool. I know I have several species of mites, but apart from the common oribatid and Stratiolaelaps sp., I haven't conclusively identified the others. The springtails are obvious. I do have some idopods in there I introduced last summer from the great outdoors, but they're either hiding or died because I don't see them. If they're gone, I blame it on the centipede.

3. No, happy creatures like worms and such get very horney and in the processes actually multiply as long as everyone gets what they need.

4. Fungal spores are everywhere. Even your nice piece of bread will mold up nicely if left in the back of the fridge. Anyone who has cultivated shrooms knows this all too well. lol

Just kidding. In all seriousness mold is everywhere, but it's great if you can introduce other sources of medium that could increase your biodiversity. I often bring in stuff I dig up from forest, field, and garden. I run it through my worm bin just to be safe. I started my soil with this, and then I did a second application near harvest time as a top dressing with 3" of hay on top of it.

Northwood said:

Yikes, so many questions! lol

1. I'm a bit confused and not sure what you mean by this #1 question. I stopped feeding my plants a long time ago. I've done everything I said I did in this post to prepare for future grows by ensuring the biota in my growing medium is as happy and as productive as possible. That's all that matters.

2. I've only seen that centipede twice. I need to set up night time motion activated little macro cameras all over my soil. We'll catch the bastard eventually. In all seriousness I have no idea, but a species inventory would be very cool. I know I have several species of mites, but apart from the common oribatid and Stratiolaelaps sp., I haven't conclusively identified the others. The springtails are obvious. I do have some idopods in there I introduced last summer from the great outdoors, but they're either hiding or died because I don't see them. If they're gone, I blame it on the centipede.

3. No, happy creatures like worms and such get very horney and in the processes actually multiply as long as everyone gets what they need.

4. Fungal spores are everywhere. Even your nice piece of bread will mold up nicely if left in the back of the fridge. Anyone who has cultivated shrooms knows this all too well. lol

Just kidding. In all seriousness mold is everywhere, but it's great if you can introduce other sources of medium that could increase your biodiversity. I often bring in stuff I dig up from forest, field, and garden. I run it through my worm bin just to be safe. I started my soil with this, and then I did a second application near harvest time as a top dressing with 3" of hay on top of it.

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Thanks for the info! I appreciate it! What I meant by question 1 was during the first 2 grows in the soil before the biological cycle of using the waste from the last grow starts, what does the plant get for food?

wizkhalifa01 said:

Thanks for the info! I appreciate it! What I meant by question 1 was during the first 2 grows in the soil before the biological cycle of using the waste from the last grow starts, what does the plant get for food?

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Honestly I cheated a bit and used Pro-mix Organic Herb and Vegetable medium here in Canada, and it's supposed to be preloaded with "organic" nutes to grow a plant for 3 months. Sort of like Miracle Grow? LOL *kidding* (I think?...)

Anyway, I added my amendments that would break down and increase biological activity in my soil, and basically pray that my CEC was enough to hold whatever could be built up in my soil during the first grow from the mineralization. But I do little to nothing at all except always remember to give upon whith you take away, and a treat of something a tiny bit more now and then. Then you can be as lazy as this elderly person.. Haha!

I only planted my seeds this morning. I wanted the cover crop to mature for another week so that they aren't shaded out too early. Cycle #8 officially starts now. Once they start sprouting I'll continue to post updates for them in a grow journal. I also made another temple ball today (from older bud of a previous grow), and will start trimming my Pink Lemonade tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'll just trim enough for gifting and occasional personal use, or if I should trim it all. I just hate making bubble hash from meticulously manicured bud and thinking of all the work gone to waste.

Northwood said:

I only planted my seeds this morning. I wanted the cover crop to mature for another week so that they aren't shaded out too early. Cycle #8 officially starts now. Once they start sprouting I'll continue to post updates for them in a grow journal. I also made another temple ball today (from older bud of a previous grow), and will start trimming my Pink Lemonade tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'll just trim enough for gifting and occasional personal use, or if I should trim it all. I just hate making bubble hash from meticulously manicured bud and thinking of all the work gone to waste.

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Do you use fresh frozen or dry when making hash?

wizkhalifa01 said:

Do you use fresh frozen or dry when making hash?

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Both. Sadly I grow and trim way more bud than I can smoke these days, so I eventually make bubble hash out of it (dry) which is the stuff I made today. The weed was a year old from mason jars. Yesterday's temple balls were made from a fresh frozen batch that included a lot of sugar covered leaf from defoliating the Pink Lemonade. I needed the freezer room because my homemade bacon will be ready soon.

Well I planted my seeds Sunday morning, and by this morning (Wednesday) all four of them were full up with cotyledons open. I find that messing with paper towels or peat pellets or transplanting is just too much work for me and results in a slower start. I don't even bother to soak my seeds. Plus my seed is literally sprouting in mycorrhizal heaven from the second it cracks the shell.

It's now official, cycle 8 has officially started as I continue to trim my Pink Lemonade. Cycle 8 will be much shorter, thank goodness! lol



Isn't she cute? Lol

Northwood said:

You can definitely make this system work in 30 gallon totes.

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Would i need to put holes in the bottom of the tote?

Hollatchaboy said:

Would i need to put holes in the bottom of the tote?

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Most definitely. Drill lots of them.

Do you

Northwood said:

Most definitely. Drill lots of them.

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Have a suggestion on a size for a tote? I'm in a 3x3.

Hollatchaboy said:

Have a suggestion on a size for a tote? I'm in a 3x3.

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Well for sure don't select a tote that measures more than 3 feet in width or length, or it won't fit in your tent. *kidding*

The more surface area the better, but you still want to ensure that you can see and vacuum up any runoff should it happen. So a tote measuring 3 feet wide by 2.5 in feet in depth would probably be perfect. I feel any part of your tent that has bare floor for no reason is wasted space. If the tote of that size is too high/deep, you can always cut off part of the top as you desire. Just remember that you want several inches of spare room with your soil in there to fit mulches and top dressings as needed.

Northwood said:

Well for sure don't select a tote that measures more than 3 feet in width or length, or it won't fit in your tent. *kidding*

The more surface area the better, but you still want to ensure that you can see and vacuum up any runoff should it happen. So a tote measuring 3 feet wide by 2.5 in feet in depth would probably be perfect. I feel any part of your tent that has bare floor for no reason is wasted space. If the tote of that size is too high/deep, you can always cut off part of the top as you desire. Just remember that you want several inches of spare room with your soil in there to fit mulches and top dressings as needed.

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Ok... I'm gonna do some more research. I'm really interested in no till. Seems more efficient and economical.

If your on a budget: https://www.amazon.com/Xnferty-Breathable-Planting-Container-Vegetables/dp/B07CSGYXY9/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=3x3+grow+bed&qid=1614125670&sr=8-7

m4s73r said:

3x3 Living Soil Raised Bed

Living Soil Raised Beds are the ideal way to maximize soil volume for your surface area. If you don’t see a size that will work for you, submit a custom order request and we’ll take care of you!

www.grassrootsfabricpots.com

If your on a budget: https://www.amazon.com/Xnferty-Breathable-Planting-Container-Vegetables/dp/B07CSGYXY9/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=3x3+grow+bed&qid=1614125670&sr=8-7

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Thanks. The first one is a lil too much, but I like the fabric pot.

There you go. 9 cubic feet of dirt for that particular pot. That leaves you about 3 inches on top for mulching and top dressing. Keep in mind that much dirt wet is about a 1000 LBS. Plan accordingly.
But your not wrong. This type of growing is very economical. Ive never seen a 3x3 done before. when you get that set up send me a link. Id like to watch your grow on that. But your in the right spot for learning this type of growing. Northwood knows his shit and he explains it well. Im looking foward to these next 4 plants.

m4s73r said:

There you go. 9 cubic feet of dirt for that particular pot. That leaves you about 3 inches on top for mulching and top dressing. Keep in mind that much dirt wet is about a 1000 LBS. Plan accordingly.
But your not wrong. This type of growing is very economical. Ive never seen a 3x3 done before. when you get that set up send me a link. Id like to watch your grow on that. But your in the right spot for learning this type of growing. Northwood knows his shit and he explains it well. Im looking foward to these next 4 plants.

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Oh crap. 1000 lbs.... I'm gonna have to move my tent to the first floor. Lol

I agree... he seems very knowledgeable and he does explain it well. Well enough that even i understand it. Lol

m4s73r said:

There you go. 9 cubic feet of dirt for that particular pot. That leaves you about 3 inches on top for mulching and top dressing.

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3 inches isn't enough in my experience. I routinely load up my pot with stems/stalks of the last grow over a couple/few inches of cover crop, with 3 inches of hay put over that. Lol

I'm guessing you aren't talking about no-till though?

Yeah i dont use hay. unless im burying it. I dont live on a farm and any hay I find is at Ace Hardware lol. Hay, Mulch, stems/stalks, leaf mould whatever. I guess it depends on how deep your pot is. The one I mention is 16 inches. Going on the idea that you want at least 12 inches deep of soil, that leaves you 4 inches. were talking 9 cuft/67 gallon pot. Maybe try 10 inches of soil and leave 6 inches? I dont know. Ive always done the 12 inch rule for beds. And kinda followed what i have seen from just gardeners. not so much the cannabis community.

So... Unless you get a deeper pot not sure. I have never put that much stuff on top to start with. Even my current bed. 20 cuft of soil 3 inches of mulch plant clover. My current bed is 18in tall. So i got 15 inches of soil. Been doing no till this way for 6 years. no issues yet. But after 6 years in 25 gallon Geopots I did finally fill it to the point i couldnt put shit else in it. When I started it I only dropped in 20 gallons per pot. So About a gallon of build up a year? That was why I got the 4x4 bed. I had to either dig my pots out and go to bigger ones or just start over. So i took all 8 pots that had been running and dumped them into the bed.

Holla: That may be a issue you run into. Northwood has a point. If you dont have enough room you'll find yourself where I did. Full pots that i couldnt mulch on no more. I ended up dumping them into a giant 4x4 bed. So either plan that you may upgrade in 4 or 5 years. May be worth looking around for a bigger pot that you can slowly fill over time. maybe something like this. its 32" wide by 29'' inches tall. You could proly roll the sides down put in bamboo like northwood does and roll the side up as you fill it.