shadow_moose
Well-Known Member
He's gonna want a decently hot soil, and he probably would be better off with LED simply because there's less chance of burning plants and less need for temp management (as long as he can feel that it's not too hot, he should be good, but it's hard to know whether it's too hot at canopy level without confirming using a thermometer. Growing in an area that's relatively low humidity already, say a garage, could easily eliminate issues with mold and pests. COBs or these new quantum boards would be great.
His soil should require few amendments. You're gonna want something that's already chock full of compost and stuff that the microbes and worms can break down. Think dolomite lime or crushed shells (I have about 400 pounds of oyster shells I got from one of the big ass piles out in Grays Harbor, I crush them up and put them in any new soil. It provides both calcium and magnesium since it's just chitin. It naturally breaks down over time in moisture, or microbes will build colonies around it). You'll want plenty of compost, bone meal, blood meal, and some sort of excrement (guano works, but there are many other options for nitrogenous wastes that will provide plant available nitrogen.)
You'll also need a very good micro-herd and a good amount of worms, which ties into the compost. You'll need a wealth of organic matter in your soil that these beneficial little creatures can break down, thus making those resources available to the plant. Look into Korean Natural Farming (KNF) methods for jump starting your micro-herd, specifically IMO extraction from tree roots using rice in a box. You can add your IMO concoction to your compost, and then later to your soil. You will basically come out with super biologically active compost, which you can then mix in with your soil. These IMOs will consume and reconstitute dead roots, leaves, and any other dead organic matter present in the soil. This is important because it reduces the need to feed plants with additional fertilizers during growth. It may be beneficial to water a couple times with compost teas during the grow, but that's something you could likely come over and help him with.
It's important to have good drainage with soil like this. Often I see really good biologically active soil put to waste because it holds far too much water, eventually killing off your microherd and damaging your plant's root system. It's imperative that you include something like perlite in the soil. I use about 1/3 perlite by volume all of my potting soil that I make, and I use a mix of decently fine gravel and perlite outdoors in the ground. The microbes will also act as a natural buffer, regulating soil pH on their own. Organics are typically naturally pretty acidic, so he could put in pH 7-8 water and still be fine.
You could set up a simple drip system from a reservoir of de-chlorinated water. It would make it easier for him to water the plants without being able to see them. Just flip a valve for a little while and let the plants soak up some water, then turn it off after a given amount of time. You can get easy drip hoses from any garden center, and just attach it to a big barrel with water in it. Think about using a magnetic float in the res so he can feel how much water is being drained and know when to stop.
Try getting him into a SCROG as well. It negates the need for fiddly training and he can still get a good canopy just by feeling around and pushing stems this way and that within the lattice. More plants vegging for less time will increase overall yield if he messes up or accidentally snaps branches, simply because it leaves less time for errors to occur. I think sea of greens under a SCROG is definitely the way to go, and it will get him some greens quicker as well.
His soil should require few amendments. You're gonna want something that's already chock full of compost and stuff that the microbes and worms can break down. Think dolomite lime or crushed shells (I have about 400 pounds of oyster shells I got from one of the big ass piles out in Grays Harbor, I crush them up and put them in any new soil. It provides both calcium and magnesium since it's just chitin. It naturally breaks down over time in moisture, or microbes will build colonies around it). You'll want plenty of compost, bone meal, blood meal, and some sort of excrement (guano works, but there are many other options for nitrogenous wastes that will provide plant available nitrogen.)
You'll also need a very good micro-herd and a good amount of worms, which ties into the compost. You'll need a wealth of organic matter in your soil that these beneficial little creatures can break down, thus making those resources available to the plant. Look into Korean Natural Farming (KNF) methods for jump starting your micro-herd, specifically IMO extraction from tree roots using rice in a box. You can add your IMO concoction to your compost, and then later to your soil. You will basically come out with super biologically active compost, which you can then mix in with your soil. These IMOs will consume and reconstitute dead roots, leaves, and any other dead organic matter present in the soil. This is important because it reduces the need to feed plants with additional fertilizers during growth. It may be beneficial to water a couple times with compost teas during the grow, but that's something you could likely come over and help him with.
It's important to have good drainage with soil like this. Often I see really good biologically active soil put to waste because it holds far too much water, eventually killing off your microherd and damaging your plant's root system. It's imperative that you include something like perlite in the soil. I use about 1/3 perlite by volume all of my potting soil that I make, and I use a mix of decently fine gravel and perlite outdoors in the ground. The microbes will also act as a natural buffer, regulating soil pH on their own. Organics are typically naturally pretty acidic, so he could put in pH 7-8 water and still be fine.
You could set up a simple drip system from a reservoir of de-chlorinated water. It would make it easier for him to water the plants without being able to see them. Just flip a valve for a little while and let the plants soak up some water, then turn it off after a given amount of time. You can get easy drip hoses from any garden center, and just attach it to a big barrel with water in it. Think about using a magnetic float in the res so he can feel how much water is being drained and know when to stop.
Try getting him into a SCROG as well. It negates the need for fiddly training and he can still get a good canopy just by feeling around and pushing stems this way and that within the lattice. More plants vegging for less time will increase overall yield if he messes up or accidentally snaps branches, simply because it leaves less time for errors to occur. I think sea of greens under a SCROG is definitely the way to go, and it will get him some greens quicker as well.
