Questions about grow... Heaps of them!

yeah and its also high in sodium and carbonates is it not? also with cacao magnesium calcium ratio is terrible. i respect your choice to go organic but i’d really get organic tomato fert or something as @Samsung Kawasaki suggested if not a cannabis specific organic fertilizer. also is baking powder organic?
All this info is brilliant! Re. Magnesium calcium ratio.. what should it be for cannabis? Specifically, should I add more magnesium or calcium to offset? I added 50 grams of cacao
 
yeah and its also high in sodium and carbonates is it not? also with cacao magnesium calcium ratio is terrible. i respect your choice to go organic but i’d really get organic tomato fert or something as @Samsung Kawasaki suggested if not a cannabis specific organic fertilizer. also is baking powder organic?
Just looked it up... 2 parts calcium for one part magnesium... I also added a tbspn or so of pulverised egg shells..added to the banana tea... Hilarious if this works out, even a little! I'm laughing as I write, at how crazy this seems..and no doubt, is! Poor babe..let's hope she takes it in her stride
 

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
Fairly sure that baking powder will not help. With organic growing the idea is to put what is needed into the soil along with compost long before there are plants growing in it to give time for it to break down and become available to root systems. Any raw organic materials added to the mix will at first need to be broken down into their elements through microbial activity in order to be absorbed by the roots through symbiosis with mycorrhizae fungi. Luckily this is easier than it sounds: just add worm castings and fertilizer to the soil and let it set for 30+ days to normalize ph. Adding granular mycorrhizae in the hole at each transplant will ensure the soil is well inoculated with fungi to assist with the absorption of nutrients. Minerals help buffer the ph and adds macronutrients; sprinkling in something like crushed oyster shell and/or fish bone meal could help.
All that being said without proper lighting your buds probably never reach full potential. It’s actually kind of impressive what the plant looks like with just windowsill sunlight so far. If you don’t plan to upgrade further just be happy with what you have done for basically zero investment. I’m curious to see how it works out but if you are worried about nosy neighbors it’s probably best to spend a little on a small tent and lighting. You can easily get away without nutrients as you seem interested in making your own fertilizer.
We have been feeding our plants mostly kitchen scraps because we have a worm bin that provides free compost 4 life; it really is what you need in order to to do what you are trying to do here with the eggshells and banana tea, etc. Not saying banana tea won’t help it’s just that you need a high level of microbial activity to break things like this down quickly and the secret of what drives it all is active compost.
 
Fairly sure that baking powder will not help. With organic growing the idea is to put what is needed into the soil along with compost long before there are plants growing in it to give time for it to break down and become available to root systems. Any raw organic materials added to the mix will at first need to be broken down into their elements through microbial activity in order to be absorbed by the roots through symbiosis with mycorrhizae fungi. Luckily this is easier than it sounds: just add worm castings and fertilizer to the soil and let it set for 30+ days to normalize ph. Adding granular mycorrhizae in the hole at each transplant will ensure the soil is well inoculated with fungi to assist with the absorption of nutrients. Minerals help buffer the ph and adds macronutrients; sprinkling in something like crushed oyster shell and/or fish bone meal could help.
All that being said without proper lighting your buds probably never reach full potential. It’s actually kind of impressive what the plant looks like with just windowsill sunlight so far. If you don’t plan to upgrade further just be happy with what you have done for basically zero investment. I’m curious to see how it works out but if you are worried about nosy neighbors it’s probably best to spend a little on a small tent and lighting. You can easily get away without nutrients as you seem interested in making your own fertilizer.
We have been feeding our plants mostly kitchen scraps because we have a worm bin that provides free compost 4 life; it really is what you need in order to to do what you are trying to do here with the eggshells and banana tea, etc. Not saying banana tea won’t help it’s just that you need a high level of microbial activity to break things like this down quickly and the secret of what drives it all is active compost.
Hey Richard,

Thanks for your response. A few points: Symbiosis is the relationship definition and not actually the process (there are three main categories for nutrient uptake, further divided into subcategories). What you are referring to, by way of symbiosis, is more precisely defined, in the example which you speak of, as ectosymbiosis, but again, that is in relation to the relationship, versus the process/es.
In reference to composting, I am also aware of the processes, and requirements, and am in the process of preparing compost for a grow later on in the year.

In reference to cacao and water soluble additives, they can indeed be absorbed (via one form or another of diffusion, or via active transport), by the plant. I believe that you are confusing a few principles in relation to composting organic matter (inclusive of herbivore manure), versus water soluble compounds and their respective constituents, as well as when speaking of, or referring to, symbiosis as a 'process' proper, rather than as the defined relationship for the process/es.

In so far as my query relates, I am particularly interested in knowing how old the plant appears and whether there should be any concerns re. Pistils browning at such an early stage, and inclusive, of whether the trichomes are indeed appearing both cloudy and amber. I don't know how long she has been flowering for. I paid her little to no attention aside from watering, without so much as looking at her (simply glancing and checking soil), so she may have started sooner than.i suspected or assumed, and so, to repeat, am curious to know the specifics re. Her appearance in relation to possible flowering stage and trichome appearances (as provided via some snaps).

Thanks, Richard
 
Fairly sure that baking powder will not help. With organic growing the idea is to put what is needed into the soil along with compost long before there are plants growing in it to give time for it to break down and become available to root systems. Any raw organic materials added to the mix will at first need to be broken down into their elements through microbial activity in order to be absorbed by the roots through symbiosis with mycorrhizae fungi. Luckily this is easier than it sounds: just add worm castings and fertilizer to the soil and let it set for 30+ days to normalize ph. Adding granular mycorrhizae in the hole at each transplant will ensure the soil is well inoculated with fungi to assist with the absorption of nutrients. Minerals help buffer the ph and adds macronutrients; sprinkling in something like crushed oyster shell and/or fish bone meal could help.
All that being said without proper lighting your buds probably never reach full potential. It’s actually kind of impressive what the plant looks like with just windowsill sunlight so far. If you don’t plan to upgrade further just be happy with what you have done for basically zero investment. I’m curious to see how it works out but if you are worried about nosy neighbors it’s probably best to spend a little on a small tent and lighting. You can easily get away without nutrients as you seem interested in making your own fertilizer.
We have been feeding our plants mostly kitchen scraps because we have a worm bin that provides free compost 4 life; it really is what you need in order to to do what you are trying to do here with the eggshells and banana tea, etc. Not saying banana tea won’t help it’s just that you need a high level of microbial activity to break things like this down quickly and the secret of what drives it all is active compost.
By the way, I also appreciate your advice re. Options in composting methods
 

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
Hey Richard,

Thanks for your response. A few points: Symbiosis is the relationship definition and not actually the process (there are three main categories for nutrient uptake, further divided into subcategories). What you are referring to, by way of symbiosis, is more precisely defined, in the example which you speak of, as ectosymbiosis, but again, that is in relation to the relationship, versus the process/es.
In reference to composting, I am also aware of the processes, and requirements, and am in the process of preparing compost for a grow later on in the year.

In reference to cacao and water soluble additives, they can indeed be absorbed (via one form or another of diffusion, or via active transport), by the plant. I believe that you are confusing a few principles in relation to composting organic matter (inclusive of herbivore manure), versus water soluble compounds and their respective constituents, as well as when speaking of, or referring to, symbiosis as a 'process' proper, rather than as the defined relationship for the process/es.

In so far as my query relates, I am particularly interested in knowing how old the plant appears and whether there should be any concerns re. Pistils browning at such an early stage, and inclusive, of whether the trichomes are indeed appearing both cloudy and amber. I don't know how long she has been flowering for. I paid her little to no attention aside from watering, without so much as looking at her (simply glancing and checking soil), so she may have started sooner than.i suspected or assumed, and so, to repeat, am curious to know the specifics re. Her appearance in relation to possible flowering stage and trichome appearances (as provided via some snaps).

Thanks, Richard
Looks like about week 2 or 3 of flowering. Without a light/timer you are at the mercy of whatever passive sunlight she gets from a window so guesses for flowering or finishing times are …out the window. Good luck and happy growing
 
Looks like about week 2 or 3 of flowering. Without a light/timer you are at the mercy of whatever passive sunlight she gets from a window so guesses for flowering or finishing times are …out the window. Good luck and happy growing
Thank you greatly, Richard. Appreciated. If I may ask, at what point do you start counting re. Flowering? I've read a bit on pre-flowering, & flowering, and various definitions appear to have been given. So do I count flowering from the point that the pistils appear, or at a different point? Also, should I be concerned if they are, as you say, only at 3-4 weeks of flowering? The pistils are already turning orange, pink, brown..
 
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Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
When pistils emerge the plant is flowering; that is day 1. Count weeks not days. Takes about 10-12+ weeks to ripen most strains but that also depends upon a solid 12/12 light cycle through the entire phase. With just the sunlight through a window all estimates on flowering times are off. Take another pic in 7-8 weeks and we will be able to say how much longer; that is if it does not go back into veg mode due to the suns natural cycle; will be about 2nd week of May by then. Sunlight hours should be increasing as the spring equinox was just this past Sunday. No idea how long it stays 12/12 in your locale…
 
When pistils emerge the plant is flowering; that is day 1. Count weeks not days. Takes about 10-12+ weeks to ripen most strains but that also depends upon a solid 12/12 light cycle through the entire phase. With just the sunlight through a window all estimates on flowering times are off. Take another pic in 7-8 weeks and we will be able to say how much longer; that is if it does not go back into veg mode due to the suns natural cycle; will be about 2nd week of May by then. Sunlight hours should be increasing as the spring equinox was just this past Sunday. No idea how long it stays 12/12 in your locale…
We're heading in autumn over here, so days are getting shorter. Won't re-vege, but lack of sunlight may be an issue, unless I supplement with lights,as recommended.
Should I be concerned about the pistils changing colour this early on, though? Trichomes also look cloudy, with some possibly even amber (???), but as I've never looked at trichomes before, I could be entirely incorrect.
 

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
We're heading in autumn over here, so days are getting shorter. Won't re-vege, but lack of sunlight may be an issue, unless I supplement with lights,as recommended.
Should I be concerned about the pistils changing colour this early on, though? Trichomes also look cloudy, with some possibly even amber (???), but as I've never looked at trichomes before, I could be entirely incorrect.
In that case it will begin to ripen a bit faster as the days shorten to the detriment of bud mass. Don’t bother looking at the color of trichome heads; buds are nowhere close to being ripe.
Try yelling loudly at your plant to slow the fuck down …if that doesn’t work go get some lights.
 
In that case it will begin to ripen a bit faster as the days shorten to the detriment of bud mass. Don’t bother looking at the color of trichome heads; buds are nowhere close to being ripe.
Try yelling loudly at your plant to slow the fuck down …if that doesn’t work go get some lights.
Brilliant! Thank you, Richard
 
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