Debating which route i would like to take.
Heres what i see....
Raised beds:
-less nutrient control
-more room for roots so bigger plants/yield?
-a little cheaper to build.
-more soil
-last longer
Geo pots:
-complete control for nute uptake
-less room for roots (but will air prun?)
-easier assembly
-less soil to fill
-less life
These are things im just thinking of.......anybody gooten plants as big in geo pots as they have growing in ground?[/QUOTE]
I wrote this in another thread. read #3.
TMB-
1) Genetics. You can't get them that big without the correct genetics. I have years of sorting through different seeds to find the ones that works best for me. Every year I put something new in the garden hoping to find something nice, Jesus Jilly was that plant this year.
2) Early start. I start my seeds on the "waxing moon" nearest March 1st (northern hemisphere). Just put them in a greenhouse and let them go. I don't let them get to cold at night, so I have a heater in the greenhouse on the coldest nights. Some strains will want to start flowering after 6-8 weeks, but most wont. To keep the ones that want to start flowering in a vegetative growing stage, I put a light over them the same hours as the daylight hours on the "waxing moon" in May when they go into their 200 gallon smart pots.
(confused?, I'll explain. Say the waxing moon in May is the 15th, the sun rises @ 6am, and sets @ 7:30pm on that day. I'll put a 1000 watt MH light in my greenhouse. The light comes on @ 6am, then off @ 8am when the sun is high enough in the sky to take over. The light comes back on @ 6pm when the sun is about to leave the greenhouse then off @ 7:30pm to mimic the hours of daylight on May 15th...understand?) By doing this I have 3'-5' plants ready to go into their Smart Pots that won't go into shock. They've been outside in a greenhouse with the correct hours of light to put into their 200 gallon Smart pots for the full season.
3) Smart Pots. I get 20%-30% more buds from Smart Pots (200 Gallon) then I do in the ground. I'm a firm believer in "air pruning" of the roots, and Smart Pots. I also amend the soil under the Smart pots because the roots grow right through the pots and into the ground.
4) Soil. I have a few goodies in my soil that most don't. I'll keep that secret to myself, but I do mention it in a few of my pasts posts from years past.
(hint: Dr's orders)
Good soil is key, hard to get big plants without good food!
5) SCROG. I SCROG all my plants until August 1st (give or take a week depending on strain). After August 1st I put up a 2nd and 3rd layer of screens 18"-24" above the 1st SCROG screen to keep the flowers from falling over. These screens keep the flowers upright to absorb the maximum sun light until harvest.
6) Food. Good food is a must, but DON"T OVER FEED!!! I feed every 5 days in amounts recommended by the manufacture. I've used Maxsea years past with good results, but this year I used the Grow More line of products with great results.
There are other little tricks that I use, but If you follow the 6 tips I mentioned above, you'll get amazing results. O'ya, lots of water too.
TMB-
Whew that was long....
