# Satori Comparison Grow - Organic vs. Soilless/Synthetic



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 2, 2015)

I've recently grown, cloned, and sexed some Satori plants. I have two females in 3rd week of flowering, and I took 3 clones from one of them. The clones are healthy and are 18 days old.

I've never grown Satori before.

I&#8217;m a long-time organic grower who&#8217;s wanting to try full-blown hydroponics, and my first step in that direction will be a soilless grow with synthetic nutes.  However, I still have some good organic Super Soil left, so I&#8217;ve decided to do a comparison grow just for fun.  Organic vs. soilless/synthetic, with 3 clones from the same mother, under the same lights, and under the same conditions.  The only difference will be grow medium and nutes.

I expect the soilless/synthetic grow to win in terms of yield, but I&#8217;m interested in seeing yield differences and comparing taste.

The organic Super Soil I&#8217;ve always mixed is pretty potent.  My grows go from seed/clone to harvest using nothing but un-ph&#8217;ed tap water.  No additional nutes or additives of any kind.  I&#8217;ll give the recipe in a later post, as it&#8217;s too long for this introductory post.  I will grow two of the clones in this Super Soil.

The other clone will be grown in ProMix HP and Advanced Nutrients (AN).  I&#8217;ve been wanting to try AN for a while now, if for no other reason than to mark them off my checklist.  I bought the smallest bottles possible in case I don&#8217;t like them.  I&#8217;ll list the exact AN products I bought in a subsequent post.

I will post the details of my grow thus far, and grow room specs, later today.

Here are pics of the mother, the clones in rockwool, and the 18-day-old clones just after planting last night: 

View attachment 006 (800x600).jpg


View attachment 002 (800x600).jpg


View attachment 001 (800x600).jpg


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 2, 2015)

*Grow Details Thus Far:*

I ordered my Satori seeds a while back, and planted 4 seeds, hoping for 2 females.  They were all raised in organic soil.  I damaged one of the seedlings due to careless handling, so I planted another seed.  

By the time these 4 plants were about 8 inches tall, one began stretching very badly, so I culled it.  When the 3 remaining plants showed pre-sex, I took 3 clones from each and put the parent plants in the flowering room.  

All 3 parent plants turned out to be female, but the clones from one looked "better" than clones from the others, so I ended up keeping 3 clones from the same mother.

I cloned using 1.5" rockwool cubes, un-ph'ed distilled water, Take Root powdered rooting hormone, and Clonex mist.

I planted them in their respective grow mediums last night at 18 days old.  

One was planted in pure, uncut ProMix HP.  I will feed it Advanced Nutrients.  And I will post the exact products used in a later post.  I watered them last night with a weak grow solution.

The other two clones were planted in pure, uncut Roots Organic soil.  They will get transplanted into Super Soil somewhere along the way when they are mature enough.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 2, 2015)

*Grow Room Details:*

The plants will veg in a 32"x32" tent under T5 lighting.

My flower room is a 3.5' x 3.5' x 8' closet painted flat-white, with a 600-watt Hortilux Super HPS, powered by a Lumatek digital ballast.  I will use one of my large Sunlight hoods.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 2, 2015)

*My Super Soil Recipe:*

2 large bags Roots Organic soil
20 lbs EB Earth Worm Castings
16 red cups (about 1kg) organic rice hulls
420g fish bone meal (Down to Earth 3-16-0)
420g bat guano (Happy Frog 0-5-0)
420g blood meal (Down to Earth 12-0-0)
100g neem seed meal (Down to Earth)
80g potassium sulfate (0-0-50)

200g Ancient Forest Alaska Humus (General Organics)
200g xtreme mycorrhizal granules
200g azomite

100g sea kelp (Algamin 1-0-2)
70g dolomite lime (30% cal 3% mg or 75/12)
50g alfalfa meal (Down to Earth 2.5-1-1)

20g humic acid powder (Down to Earth)
8g Epsom salt
I cook it for at least 45 days before using it.

I use pure Roots Organic soil until my plants are ready for their second transplant, at which time I use 50% Roots Organic and 50% Super Soil.  On their 3rd and final transplant, I use 100% Super Soil.

As mentioned in an earlier post, this recipe takes my grows all the way through harvest using only un-ph'ed tap water; no additional nutes or additives of any kind.

However, the plants also stay green until harvest, which may mean the soil has too much nitrogen.  I've read that green leaves thru harvest can be a sign of heavy nitrogen, which stimulates green leaf production/maintenance.  And this can (supposedly) interfere with flowering efficiency.  I don't know for sure.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 2, 2015)

*Advanced Nutrients Products I'll be Using:
*

Connoisseur PH Perfect Grow A & B
Connoisseur PH Perfect Bloom A & B
Hobbyist Bundle (VooDoo Juice, Big Bud, B-52, Overdrive)
Final Phase
I bought the smallest bottles of each in case I don't like AN.

I hate ph'ing.  The happiest day of my grow life was the day I threw my ph meter and ph-up-down in the trash can.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 2, 2015)

Everyone feel free to post, comment, ask questions, etc.


----------



## WeedHopper (Aug 2, 2015)

ill be watchen my friend. Green Mojo


----------



## ston-loc (Aug 2, 2015)

Pulling up a chair :stoned:


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 2, 2015)

This is my first time using rockwool to clone. I had 6 of 9 clones take root within 2 weeks. Not as successful as I had hoped, even though I had planned to keep only 3 of them to grow out anyway. I may have over-watered since it was hard for me to know when the rockwool needed more water.

I've used only Rapid Rooters for cloning in the past, with 80-85% success rate. I like Rapid Rooters better. Except they don't stand up on their own like rockwool cubes do.


----------



## mindtrip (Aug 2, 2015)

Sounds like an awesome experiment.  Looking forward to watching!


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 2, 2015)

I realize that discussions of Advanced Nutrients (AN) sometimes escalate to flame wars. I've probably read every pro and con internet post regarding AN. But I'm just the kinda person that's gotta find out for himself.

I have a good baseline of repeated good-yield (for soil) grows to compare against AN.

I've not used a ph meter much in many years of organic growing. So when switching to hydro, I wanted to try AN first since they claim their nutes are "ph perfect".

I'll finally see for myself.


----------



## zem (Aug 2, 2015)

interesting, I am waiting to se the results from this run especially that you are experienced in organics. It would be nice to later try and compare the soilless system with something like DWC or ebb and flow which may further boost the results imo. I am all into hydroponics, I see a nice future for hydro organic, it is already out there in commercial systems like this http://www.gogreenagriculture.com/About/ he got awards and claims to be the first of its kind commercial organic certified high density hydro farm.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 2, 2015)

I forgot to mention that I'll be using tan Smart Pots in which to grow the clones.  I have several each of the 5-gallon and 7-gallon sizes.  I haven't decided which size I'll use yet.  Probably the 7-gallon size.

I'm a big believer in the heat-reduction and air-pruning qualities of the fabric pots, and the tan color reduces heat even further.  Just MHO.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 3, 2015)

My hydro always blows my soil grows away, but I am still somewhat a newbie with organics, which I consider a lot tougher than hydro.

What kind of hydro are you running?  I also hate to pH, so tried the PH Perfect line.  My plants hated it though--they reacted adversely the first time I used it.  I have virtually full bottles and may give them another try, but then maybe not.  Hope you have better luck.  I am using their Jungle Juice 3 part now.  It is the same formula as GH Flora series.

As a side note, rapid rooters will stand up if you turn them upside down.  However, they dry out so fast that it is very hard to use them without the cell tray.  I always end up cutting the cell trays into smaller chunks.

Looking forward to following your grow.  I have 5 Satori seedlings now and may go with hydro for some and organic with others.  They are seeds though, so not a good test, like yours will be.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 3, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> My hydro always blows my soil grows away, but I am still somewhat a newbie with organics, which I consider a lot tougher than hydro.
> 
> What kind of hydro are you running?  I also hate to pH, so tried the PH Perfect line.  My plants hated it though--they reacted adversely the first time I used it.  I have virtually full bottles and may give them another try, but then maybe not.  Hope you have better luck.  I am using their Jungle Juice 3 part now.  It is the same formula as GH Flora series.
> 
> ...



After I get done with 2 or 3 soilless/synthetic grows and decide on an exact nute lineup, I'm going to transition to either DWC or Flood & Drain.  F&D sounds easier, but the  consensus seems to be that DWC is more productive.

Thanks for the tip on Rapid Rooters.

Organics will treat you well.  I just wanted to try something new with hydro.  If I ever mix my own soil again I'll have to buy one of those home cement mixers from Harbor Freight.  Manually mixing my soil in a compost tumbler was hard on my shoulders and neck.  But using only water the entire grow sure was nice.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 4, 2015)

*Day 22 Update:*

Well, the unexpected has happened. The clones in pure Roots Organic soil (the rightmost two) show new growth, while the clone in ProMixHP-AN has shown no growth in two days.

Organics 1, ProMixHP-AN 0.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=228897&stc=1&d=1438732605 

View attachment 001 (800x600).jpg


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 5, 2015)

What is in the Pro-Mix HP?  If it is totally inert (and I suspect that it is) I think the baby may be ready for food.  The Roots Organic has things in it that will feed the plant.  A straight soilless mixture will not, so the plant needs to be fed sooner.  I am thinking that may contribute to the soil plants showing new growth and the soilless no new growth.


----------



## WeedHopper (Aug 5, 2015)

:yeahthat:


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 5, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> What is in the Pro-Mix HP?  If it is totally inert (and I suspect that it is) I think the baby may be ready for food.  The Roots Organic has things in it that will feed the plant.  A straight soilless mixture will not, so the plant needs to be fed sooner.  I am thinking that may contribute to the soil plants showing new growth and the soilless no new growth.



Yes, ProMix HP is inert.

I've fed the plant twice now with AN nutes.  The first feeding was half their recommended dosage for clones, and the second feeding was at their recommended dosage for clones.

The plant is very healthy, but is just lagging behind the others a bit in growth.  Maybe it's ready for veg-strength nutes now at 23 days old?  I guess it should be.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 6, 2015)

*Day 24 Update:*

Last night, just after I typed the above post, I went to AN's web site and looked for grow support commentary.  What I found was a phone number to call for support.  So I called.  And got an answer within 2 rings.

A man answered, and talked with me at length about my situation and their recommended feeding.  And I also asked for an email for reference, and he was kind enough to send that as well.  Here's what he said:

Don't start feeding the Connoisseur formulas until the clones develop roots and two new sets of new leaves above the old growth, before  that time give them B-52 at 2 mL/liter and a low dose of Voodoo Juice 2 mL/gallon, it will help speed up rooting and new vegetative growth, once they get the second set of new leaves give them Connoisseur stating at 1/4 strength (1 mL/liter) and increase gradually until you are feeding at full strength (4 mL/liter )at week 4, and apply both the B-52 and Voodoo Juice at 2 mL/liter

They advocate slowly increasing nute strength so as to allow the plant to say when it's at good nute levels.

But since I had already been feeding at 1 milliliter per liter, I increased it to 2 milliliters per liter tonight.

I don't have the B-52 or VooDoo Juice yet, but I have them ordered.

Here's a pic taken tonight.  The ProMixHP-AN plant is on the left.  The organic plants are on the right.  Keep in mind that these are clones from the same good mother, and that they all started at about the same size.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=228964&stc=1&d=1438909818 

View attachment 001 (800x600).jpg


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 8, 2015)

*Day 26 Update:*

The 2 organic plants (on the right in the picture below) continue to grow more vigorously than the ProMixHP-AN plant.

As for the ProMixHP-AN plant, I increased the nutrient solution to three-quarters strength today.  Next feeding it will get full strength.  I've purposely started low and increased slow with this plant on the advice of AN.  We'll see if it catches up.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229035&stc=1&d=1439077197 

View attachment 001.jpg


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 9, 2015)

I did not have a good experience with the AN pH Perfect products I used--my plants hated them and none of them grew well.  It still could be the nutrients.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 9, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I did not have a good experience with the AN pH Perfect products I used--my plants hated them and none of them grew well.  It still could be the nutrients.



Beginning with its next feeding, the ProMixHP-AN plant will get full-strength nutes.  Maybe it will show more vigor then.

This is a fun experiment.  I've been meaning to do it for long time, but just never got around to it until now.


----------



## stonegroove (Aug 9, 2015)

For a fair test I think you need to increase the numbers of plants in the study. My clones are often from the same plant and they still seem to grow a little differently to each other even tho they're in the same box with the same nutes and light. As fun as it is,  I'd take the results of this test with a pinch of salt and a big bowl.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 9, 2015)

stonegroove said:


> For a fair test I think you need to increase the numbers of plants in the study. My clones are often from the same plant and they still seem to grow a little differently to each other even tho they're in the same box with the same nutes and light. As fun as it is,  I'd take the results of this test with a pinch of salt and a big bowl.



You're right.

But the truth is, I don't have the room to do a properly-sized experiment.  My flowering closet is a bit less than 4x4, so I have room for only about 3 plants (unless I do SOG, which I never do).

But I might luck into some results that would be meaningful in small grow such as mine.

For example, if the ProMixHP-AN plant eventually takes off and blows the organic plants away, then I think I could draw some positive conclusions about AN from that.  Because I think my organic soil is as potent as it can be, and I have years of experience using it with many different strains.

For another example, if the organic plants do indeed beat the ProMixHP-AN plant, I could probably draw the conclusion that it's my fault due to inexperience with ProMix HP and AN.  Because when used correctly, I believe that all reputable synthetic nutes should soundly beat any soil grows in terms of growth rate and yield.  But that's just my opinion.

The gray area, I think, is if the ProMixHP-AN plant beats the organic plants, but not by a lot.  Then was it my fault, or is AN inferior, or was it just that one clone...?

IDK.  It's kinda fun anticipating and wondering what will happen.  I used to love college football, pro football, riding my ATV, etc.  But now my main hobby is growing weed.

I still watch football when I'm high, but I stay off my ATV...


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 9, 2015)

Here's a pic of the mother of the 3 Satori clones in this grow.  She's in her 4th week of flowering.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229067&stc=1&d=1439165381 

View attachment 003.jpg


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 9, 2015)

As an aside note, here's a pic of 2 nice Sugar Punch clones in their 4th week of flowering.

The two in the front are Sugar Punch.  The two in the back are Satori.

Sugar Punch has the sweetest smell and taste, and a stunning high.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229068&stc=1&d=1439165586 

View attachment 001.jpg


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 10, 2015)

stonegroove said:


> For a fair test I think you need to increase the numbers of plants in the study. My clones are often from the same plant and they still seem to grow a little differently to each other even tho they're in the same box with the same nutes and light. As fun as it is, I'd take the results of this test with a pinch of salt and a big bowl.


 
It always surprises me that clones from the same mother in the same closet can grow so differently, but they do.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 11, 2015)

*Day 27 Update:*

The ProMixHP-AN plant (in the center below) has increased growth rate, and is somewhat catching up to the organic plants since I increased its nutrient solution to 100% strength. And tonight, my Voodoo Juice and B-52 arrived, and I added the recommended amount of each to tonight's feeding.

I'll post another pic in a couple days.

And I forgot to mention that I'll be transitioning to LED for vegging when my new LED light arrives on Friday.

I got so tired of T5 bulbs burning out. And of having to keep the light so close to the plants. We'll see how my new LED does.

*Current nutrient solution mix*
4 milliliters per liter Connoisseur Grow A
4 milliliters per liter Connoisseur Grow B
2 milliliters per liter Voodoo Juice
2 milliliters per liter B-52

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229139&stc=1&d=1439349063 

View attachment 003.jpg


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 12, 2015)

I wonder why your bulbs burn out...mine seem to last forever.  Funny, but one of the things I like about the T5s is being able to keep them right on top of the plants.  What type and size LED did you get?  I am still vegging with my T5s, but on my first run flowering with LEDs.  You going to run all the way through with LEDs?


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 12, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I wonder why your bulbs burn out...mine seem to last forever.  Funny, but one of the things I like about the T5s is being able to keep them right on top of the plants.  What type and size LED did you get?  I am still vegging with my T5s, but on my first run flowering with LEDs.  You going to run all the way through with LEDs?



I bought 8 Spectralux T5 HO grow spectrum bulbs about 4 months ago.  Four of them have burned out thus far.  It may just be a bad run of bulbs, because my past Spectralux bulbs lasted longer, I think.  Or maybe it's my T5-fixture-ballast going bad and damaging the bulbs somehow.

I veg 24/0, but I figured the bulbs should have lasted longer than that even at 24/0.

I've used T5 for vegging for many years.  And as with any repetitive process, I've developed some dislikes (pet peeves) about T5:

1. The bulbs burn out (LEDs generally don't).

2. For me, it's not so much that I _can_ keep my T5 fixture close to the plants, it's that I feel I _have to_.  Which means that the light has to be raised daily to care for plants, and then lowered again.  With LEDs, the fixture is kept a couple feet above the plants, allowing easy access to plants without having to adjust the light height.  I'm kinda lazy, so this is a significant reason I'm moving to LED over T5.

3. The LED is much easier to install, take down, and store, because of it's small size and weight.

I'm only planning to veg with LEDs at the present.  I'm still flowering with HPS.  But as soon as I can afford to properly equip a 4x4 grow closet with a bloom LED, I'll probably do so.  This summer has been a real challenge in heat control, even though I'm flowering at night.

Here's the veg-only LED I bought.  It's a California Light Works 220-watt VegMaster.

hXXp://californialightworks.com/product/solarflare-220-vegmaster/

What LED do you have?


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 13, 2015)

I have a 700W Mars II and a 768W Apollo Purple Sun.  They are in a closet that is 3 x 6.5.  My first run with them.  I think that some of my plants are going to be too short, squat, and bushy to do well with them, but we will see.

As Satori is one of my all-me favorites, I will be following along.  I have 5 (from seed) I just stuck into DWC--they were just not looking happy in soil.

As far as nutes, I used the Sensi Grow A and B pH Perfect.  I could be that the Connoisseur line is better.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 13, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I have a 700W Mars II and a 768W Apollo Purple Sun.  They are in a closet that is 3 x 6.5.  My first run with them.  I think that some of my plants are going to be too short, squat, and bushy to do well with them, but we will see.
> 
> As Satori is one of my all-me favorites, I will be following along.  I have 5 (from seed) I just stuck into DWC--they were just not looking happy in soil.
> 
> As far as nutes, I used the Sensi Grow A and B pH Perfect.  I could be that the Connoisseur line is better.



I've read good things about the Mars LED line.

I'm really excited to try Satori.  I've grown mostly indica-dominant plants since I've been growing (couchlock stuff), but I've long wanted to rediscover that high from my teenage years where I'm laughing and zipping around the house.

I transplanted my plants tonight from their 18-ounce Dixie Cups to larger containers.  They were definitely ready, judging by their root structure.  I'll post pics tomorrow night, by which time my new VegMaster LED will be here and installed.

Preview: the ProMixHP-AN plant has caught up since I increased its nute solution strength to 100% and included Voodoo Juice and B-52.

This is a fun grow.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 15, 2015)

*Day 27 Update:
*
Well, my new LED has arrived, and I installed it tonight.  It's a California Light Works SolarFlare 220-watt VegMaster.

The plants have been transplanted into bigger containers.  The organic plants are still in 100% Roots Organic soil.

Below is a pic of the plants taken tonight.  The ProMixHP-AN plant is front center.  It has caught up with the other plants in height, and has surpassed them in bushiness and vigor.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229301&stc=1&d=1439682266

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229302&stc=1&d=1439682266 

View attachment 002.jpg


View attachment 004.jpg


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 16, 2015)

They are looking great!  The ProMix plant has indeed increased in size, but all 3 look stellar.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 16, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> They are looking great! The ProMix plant has indeed increased in size, but all 3 look stellar.



Thanks.

I watered the organic plants and fed the ProMixHP-AN plant this morning.  I'm heading up to my grow room in a bit to do some work.  I can't wait to see how much they've grown today.

Their mother is in week 5 of flowering.  I'm so anxious to try Satori for the first time.

How long do they typically flower before they're ready?


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 17, 2015)

I usually take mine at about nine weeks--63-65 days.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 17, 2015)

Well, the plants are doing great under my new LED.  And at the recommended height of 24 inches above the plants, it's running 5 degrees cooler (at canopy level) than a 2-foot 8-bulb T5 was running at 3 inches above the plants.

Tonight, it looks as though the 3 plants are pretty much equal.

This is a fun grow.  I'm anxious to see where it will go.


----------



## zem (Aug 18, 2015)

it's good to hear HC420, 5 degrees is a significant decrease in temps :aok: good luck


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 18, 2015)

*Day 34 Update*

I watered the organic plants and fed the AN plant tonight.  The AN plant has only a slight height advantage, but somewhat surpasses the organic plants in breadth and leaf growth/vigor.

The AN plant is front center below:

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229415&stc=1&d=1439947938

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229416&stc=1&d=1439947938 

View attachment 001.jpg


View attachment 003.jpg


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 22, 2015)

Below are pics taken tonight. I watered/fed them last night, and wanted to give them 24 hours to grow before I took pics.

I placed each plant with its "best side" forward. The AN plant is in the center. And as you can see, it's starting to pull away from the organic plants in terms of leaf size and bushiness. Yet about 12 days ago, it lagged significantly behind the organic plants while I was slowly ramping up its nute strength.

Don't get me wrong. The organic plants are fine plants. They're doing great. But the AN plant has taken the lead.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229575&stc=1&d=1440283722

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229576&stc=1&d=1440283722 

View attachment 002.jpg


View attachment 007.jpg


----------



## Sweetmansticky (Aug 26, 2015)

Looking good!


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 26, 2015)

*Day 42 Update*

Below is a pic taken last night.

The AN plant is on the left. It has bigger leaves and bushier growth  than the organic plants. But the organic plants are doing very well.

After taking the pic, I transplanted each of them into 5-gallon,  tan-colored Smart Pots. And each plant had a very thick and healthy root  structure.

Of course, I transplanted the ProMixHP-AN plant into ProMix HP soilless mix. And fed with ASN nutes.

I transplanted the organic plants into a mixture of 35% Roots Organic  and 65% Super Soil (mixed by me according to the recipe given in a  previous post).

They have a bit of droop after transplant. I'll post a pic when they perk up.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229701&stc=1&d=1440642593 

View attachment 001.jpg


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 27, 2015)

*Day 44 Update*

Here they are in their 5-gallon Smart Pots under the veg LED.  The AN plant is up front.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229713&stc=1&d=1440713896 

View attachment 002.jpg


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 29, 2015)

*Day 46 Update*

Below are pics taken tonight.  In the first pic, the AN plant is on the bottom.  In the second pic, it's on the left.  And it's still significantly bigger and bushier than the organic plants.  Although the organic plants are doing fine in their own right.

I hope AN blows organics away.  Not because I dislike organics; I've grown organically with good success for many years.  But I'm tired of mixing my own soil, carrying heavy bags and pots, and dealing with the resultant back and neck pain.

But if AN doesn't distinguish itself in this grow, then I'll stick with organic growing, because I'll never go back to ph'ing anything.  I'll absolutely never own a ph meter again.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229800&stc=1&d=1440884186

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229801&stc=1&d=1440884186 

View attachment 001.jpg


View attachment 002.jpg


----------



## Rosebud (Aug 29, 2015)

What a great journal. Thank you, very nice read.

This is a fun test. I am an organic grower too. I have 2 composters that i can turn to mix. I too couldn't turn compost any longer with a pitchfork.  I love my little composters and now I have a wagon.. as we get older we have to compensate huh.  I don't haul many pots now days, the are pulled on a cart or on the wagon.

THG, always says she can't tell any difference in taste from organic's to synthetics.. I wonder if you will. Some dispensary pot makes me cough some doesn't. I don't know if that has to do with chemical residue or not..
I will be staying tuned.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Aug 30, 2015)

Rosebud said:


> What a great journal. Thank you, very nice read.
> 
> This is a fun test. I am an organic grower too. I have 2 composters that i can turn to mix. I too couldn't turn compost any longer with a pitchfork.  I love my little composters and now I have a wagon.. as we get older we have to compensate huh.  I don't haul many pots now days, the are pulled on a cart or on the wagon.
> 
> ...



Thank you.

I've grown Sugar Punch in soilless with DynaGro nutes, and couldn't detect much taste difference between it and the Sugar Punch I grew organically.  

However, AN makes a product called "Flawless Finish" (aka Final Phase) that's supposed to eliminate any chemical taste.  It's supposed to be used several times at the end of flowering, to aid in flushing I guess.  I'm not going to use it this grow on my AN plant, but I'll use it next grow and see if I can tell any difference in taste.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 30, 2015)

Rosebud said:


> What a great journal. Thank you, very nice read.
> 
> This is a fun test. I am an organic grower too. I have 2 composters that i can turn to mix. I too couldn't turn compost any longer with a pitchfork. I love my little composters and now I have a wagon.. as we get older we have to compensate huh. I don't haul many pots now days, the are pulled on a cart or on the wagon.
> 
> ...


 
I have noticed this when I smoke with my friends.  One of my best friends seems to have pretty good bud, but it usually makes me cough.  I always just figured that it didn't have a cure on it, but I really am not sure what makes some harsh to me and some not.

I am loving this side by side grow of one of my favorites.


----------



## Rosebud (Aug 30, 2015)

Truth be told my pot makes me cough, some strains. so there ya go... Still looking forward to this lovely journal.


----------



## WeedHopper (Aug 30, 2015)

The older i gets the more Weed makes me cough. Lol


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Sep 2, 2015)

*Day 50 Update*

Below is a pic taken tonight right after I watered them.  The AN plant is up front, and is very impressive.  And the organic plants are quite healthy as well.

I'd like to flower them soon, but my flowering closet is full for a couple more weeks.  I may need to drop from 24/0 to 18/6 to slow their growth rate a bit.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=229921&stc=1&d=1441239134 

View attachment 003.jpg


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Sep 4, 2015)

Dropping to 18/6 will not slow their growth--it will make them stretch.  You might want to do something like fim or top them.  It will slow the growth a bit while they recover and you will have more tops.

While the AN plant is ahead of the others, they are all impressive.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Sep 4, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> Dropping to 18/6 will not slow their growth--it will make them stretch.  You might want to do something like fim or top them.  It will slow the growth a bit while they recover and you will have more tops.
> 
> While the AN plant is ahead of the others, they are all impressive.



Thanks.  I'll FIM them tomorrow.


----------



## HotelCalifornia420 (Sep 6, 2015)

*Day 53 Update*

I FIM'ed the plants tonight.  Hopefully their growth rate will slow, because my flowering room is unavailable (full) for two more weeks.

I took pics of the bottom of the Smart Pots, to show the difference in the roots of an organic plant vs. the AN plant.  The pics are below.  The first is the organic plant, and the 2nd is the AN plant.

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=230029&stc=1&d=1441581010

http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=230030&stc=1&d=1441581010 

View attachment 006.jpg


View attachment 003.jpg


----------



## stonegroove (Sep 6, 2015)

What is this FIMing?


----------



## hippy59 (Sep 6, 2015)

this is interesting. I was thinking of making a super soil but decided to try DWC so I too will be watching.


----------



## Sweetmansticky (Sep 7, 2015)

stonegroove said:


> What is this FIMing?



Fim stands for duck I missed . It's like topping but not . You don't remove all the tip it's like you tried to top but said fim


----------



## stonegroove (Sep 8, 2015)

Ha,  I may have done that then


----------



## Sweetmansticky (Sep 8, 2015)

I think it's to keep the nodes tighter. Well that's the difference I've noticed vs topping traditionally. Also the plants bounce back quicker. Mabey it's not as traumatic too? I dunno but when a pal showed me how to do it I switched and haven't topped since .


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Sep 8, 2015)

When you fim, you just take off about 1/2 of the growing tip--usually only about 1/2 to 3/4".  This usually results in 4 new tops growing.  With topping, you take more of the top part of the plant and make the cut on the stem.  Topping usually results in 2 new tops growing.


----------



## Grower13 (Dec 5, 2015)

HotelCalifornia420 said:


> I had a rough day yesterday for reasons that border on my desire to transition away from lifting heavy bags of soil, pots, and water buckets. And thus my reason for trying AN in the first place.
> 
> Night before last, I filled up a 5-gallon bucket with water to sit out and off-gas overnight. I picked up the bucket by its handle with my right arm and moved it about 5 feet. I felt a slight strain in my neck, but I was fine. Until I woke up yesterday morning.
> 
> ...


 
go to your local feed and seed farming center and ask for horse liniment........ rub it in good...... you'll feel better fast.


----------

