Started this week after anxiously waiting nearly 2 months for the Bruce Banner auto from monster seeds to arrive. I used that time to prepare my own organic soil mix and intend to keep my soil alive with my own worms, worm castings ,a few organic amendments and a cover crop of white clover it's been four years since my last grow and this is the first auto I've ever grown. I'm definitely excited I have always loved the grow! I do not expect a great deal of difficulty though I have been challenged by a new genetic before. So I will monitor the grow with detailed enthusiasm. I intend to keep a good detailed journal of my process and I welcome all questions aswell as critiques of my methods. I'm accustomed to heavily training my plants.This grow being an autoflower I'm not yet committed to a particular training regimen I will get a feel for the way they respond to some LST to start with. I may take a single early top maybe 3rd or 4th node in addition if all is going smoothly. Either way to anyone who made it to the end of this long winded intro thank you and Im looking forward to learning from eachother.
Week 1: I placed seeds in peat pots inside shot glasses hydrated with warm water and a single drop of super thrive kelp extract. I kept them in a tupperware container at room temp + for the first 24 hours to soften the shells after that I placed the pots into the already prepared containers of living soil. I put a generous amount of worm castings on and around the peat pots.Then i placed a clear plastic cup with air holes over just the seeds new home leaving the clover to continue in open air. I checked under the humidity domes about every 12 hours or so and made sure to give them another spritz of water each time before recovering. The first signs of life In about 48 hours and within 72 hours the cotyledons were out with the smallest hint of the first true leaves showing. I removed the humidity some to give the leaves more light and fresh air.
Hey there. Liking your grow philosophy. I'm trying something similar, but noticed my run off pH about 7.5 . Have heard pH is more self regulating in composted soil, but then people say get it lower, so I've been adjusting water to about 6.5 Now my plant looks possibly worse. Are you actively maintaining yours, is the soil already low or is it just doing what it likes?
@yinandyang, high bud so here's the deal if the plants are healthy and your growing totally organically never mess with the pH if there is a problem adjust the pH if you must but do so with organic measures lemon juice/ vinegar pH down lime for pH up also the most important part of organic growing is the soil if you having problems at all change the mix you started with I use a custom peat compost mix and I recommend sticking with peat moss because it helps to keep soil acidic when you add lime to this they try to balance each other in the middle somewhere. But the most important factor here is the microbial life in your soil if they are healthy and happy they regulate your ph for you there won't be a nutrient lockout because they will be directly feeding your plant what it needs. Feel free to pm me for more info or show me some photos and maybe I can be more specific. Either way don't give up cause this is definitely the best way and the easiest I'm the end I assure you.