First try at a no dig soil mix

[itchybromusic]

yeah pot sil has a high PH , generally the soil life & plant control PH round the root zone 

plus mulch & soil filter stuff on the way through , i never ph anything from pot sil to EM-1 = PH 3.5

 

in saying that i'd prefer to use just rain water in bigger pots or ground where possible  

 

the prob i find with fabrics outdoor is , unless there big , like 30 gallon & up  

on a hot summers day soil temp & evaporation can happen way to quick

without some sort of auto watering system , so much in the pot rely's on a

consistent moisture level & most of it keeps the plant healthy & in many ways 

protected , indoors is a different story , you have environmental control 

 

plastic dose a marginally better job at retention , thicker wood would be better again 

at retaining moisture , i'm talking hand watering too, a blumat system could

swing the pendulum back , but blumats have other issues to deal with outdoor 

 

i use to grow in wood beds ( 2.4 x 0.6m ) & when i compare then to now even though i'm 

not quite doing the same things now , i think the main diff was soil moisture retention

 

anyway everything has pro's & con's , which are def different to each of us , what works generally 

 

another lite option for aeration is rice hulls , they will naturally add silica as they break down but will take 

a long time to break down , however , they will break down / disappear from your pot at some point , if you've 

kept ya pot well fed & alive , the breaking down of the hulls shouldn't be any issues in a reuse no till system  

you can get them from home brew supply , might be hard to find organically grown though 

 

depending on the environment you grow in , you'll not always see roots air pruning , but you will have a hard time pulling 

the root ball out intact , it'll be stuck in there pretty good , nothing like taking a root ball out of a plastic pot , pick 

it up , tap the plastic pot & out she comes = def not like that , tip , if you can find a stand you can put the pot on

something the same size or a little smaller than the pot itself , you can fold the top edge of the pot over & use the handles 

& sides to pull down , folding the pot off the root ball , if that makes sense  

 

on pot size , bigger the better , much better chance at healthier plants in larger volumes of soil that keep moisture consistent 

[ozraptorismine]

yeah pot sil has a high PH , generally the soil life & plant control PH round the root zone 

plus mulch & soil filter stuff on the way through , i never ph anything from pot sil to EM-1 = PH 3.5

 

in saying that i'd prefer to use just rain water in bigger pots or ground where possible  

 

the prob i find with fabrics outdoor is , unless there big , like 30 gallon & up  

on a hot summers day soil temp & evaporation can happen way to quick

without some sort of auto watering system , so much in the pot rely's on a

consistent moisture level & most of it keeps the plant healthy & in many ways 

protected , indoors is a different story , you have environmental control 

 

plastic dose a marginally better job at retention , thicker wood would be better again 

at retaining moisture , i'm talking hand watering too, a blumat system could

swing the pendulum back , but blumats have other issues to deal with outdoor 

 

i use to grow in wood beds ( 2.4 x 0.6m ) & when i compare then to now even though i'm 

not quite doing the same things now , i think the main diff was soil moisture retention

 

anyway everything has pro's & con's , which are def different to each of us , what works generally 

 

another lite option for aeration is rice hulls , they will naturally add silica as they break down but will take 

a long time to break down , however , they will break down / disappear from your pot at some point , if you've 

kept ya pot well fed & alive , the breaking down of the hulls shouldn't be any issues in a reuse no till system  

you can get them from home brew supply , might be hard to find organically grown though 

 

depending on the environment you grow in , you'll not always see roots air pruning , but you will have a hard time pulling 

the root ball out intact , it'll be stuck in there pretty good , nothing like taking a root ball out of a plastic pot , pick 

it up , tap the plastic pot & out she comes = def not like that , tip , if you can find a stand you can put the pot on

something the same size or a little smaller than the pot itself , you can fold the top edge of the pot over & use the handles 

& sides to pull down , folding the pot off the root ball , if that makes sense  

 

on pot size , bigger the better , much better chance at healthier plants in larger volumes of soil that keep moisture consistent 

 

I've just done the peat moss around the blumat so I'll see what the reading is in a couple of hours.

 

I tried to find organic rice hulls without success so I ended up buying a bale which will last me for years. I've been using them as part of my aeration to lighten things up but I have no idea yet how long they will take to break down.

 

Wood beds would be good but I grow in pots so I can move them around when I need. I can't start the plants off where I finish them because there is not enough sun low down in the stealthy spot I end up in..

 

I deliberately went for largish pots, 76 litre, to protect against them drying out too quickly but with scoria they are just too heavy to move them around easily. The Chillagoe perlite I've used in my last two batches of soil should solve that. https://www.petandgarden.com.au/perlite/2440-chillagoe-perlite.html?search_query=chillagoe&results=2#/1245-select_grade-super_coarse_grade_100_litre

 

The problem is I can't find a local stockist and the freight cost is as much as the product.

 

Getting the root ball out intact won't really matter to me; I just want to see how extensive the root system is.

[itchybromusic]

yeah i get it mate ya gotta do what works for ya , absolutely 

 

i just suggested the hulls cos ultimately perlite will pretty much do the same in a soil mix & turn to dust 

prob not as quick as hulls , the hulls do add back to the soil as they break down & feed soil life , if you don't

reuse the soil & pot than none of that matters & always revert to the statement above 

 

depending on how long shes been in a fabric pot / how extensive the root system is , you should find a little

resistance pulling the sides of the pot away from the soil because of the air pruned roots sticking into the fabric 

 

https://youtu.be/ONZco6YGmkM 

Edited March 22, 2020 by itchybromusic

[ozraptorismine]

I took a couple of bud shots to check the trichomes.

 

Ayahuasca purple, getting close

 

 

And a 710 genetics purps, still a couple of weeks away. 

 

The fix you gave me on the blumats seems to have worked itchy, I have readings that seem reasonable to me now.

[itchybromusic]

good to hear it looks like it might have worked

 

i reckon you still got a bit of time to wait yet on those girls  

[ozraptorismine]

A couple more shots of trichomes, still weeks away.

 

Caramel Kush

 

Liberty Haze

[ozraptorismine]

I took a new photo of the tric's on my two most advanced plants.

 

The ayahuasca purple is starting to get amber trichs, 62 days of flowering. I'll harvest her on Sunday morning before we get rain. Next week is not looking good for weather and the buds are tight so I'll get her done before any more mould appears.

 

The caramel kush has mainly cloudy tric's so I'm thinking another week for her. Like last year she is turning purple in her last weeks. Nice plant, very good leaf to calyx ratio; shame about the tiny yield.

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by ozraptorismine

[itchybromusic]

they look lovely mate

[Frank Reynolds]

Nice, lovely purple colours

[ozraptorismine]

I am confirmed in my decision to harvest the AP tomorrow morning. My top bud has a trace of mould this morning. I won't try to cut it out today as it is sunny and low humidity until tomorrow afternoon.