Sawney Bean Grow Shows 2023 Bob's first go at a SOG - Sawney's SOS grown in BioTabs

[Bob's Auto's]

im along for the ride bob and are these gonna stay in these pots till the end

Yup, we're going to see how this works. Single cola SOG with a little help from my friends

 

[HAWKMAN]

Hey Friends


Three days on and most of the seeds have germinated or at least have cracked. I started with a cleanup job which I should have done earlier, but then I'm lazy For the third time I'm reusing this soil and I just dumped the old root stubs with the leftover soil from last time in the tub with the leftover soil. Gave it a couple of good punches and this is what I was left with. I don't know anymore who asked me a while ago, but the roots don't have issues going through those pouches...
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I mixed this old dry soil with the soil in the barrel...No need to add anymore amendments at this time as 50% of the soil is still unused and has been brewing for more then three months with the Startrex and Silicium Flash. When needed I can topdress the soil with the Silicium Flash as need be, but I don't think we'll need to be doing that
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I filled up the 3.5L / 0.92gal pots with about 1/2L or two Solocups full of soil.
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Then it was time to take out the big guns. For this round BioTabs provided me with two ten packs of them BioTabs.
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I dropped one whole BioTab in a corner on top of the soil...I had been contemplating if I should crack them, but I decided against it and just dropped one whole tab in each pot.
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Then topped of the pots until the brim. I didn't press the soil or anything. I try to keep it as fluffy as possible while the worms start to take hold in the soil.
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Next up the seeds.
As I said, most seeds did germinate. About four weren't cracked yet. I've set them aside until tomorrow to check if more seeds did germinate. Anyhow, I had enough sprouts to sow into the pots.
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Full house!!
I figured out it was easier to transfer the tray with the pots without first watering them, so there I went to the tent. Once there I had a bit of an issue getting the try into the tent as both are 60x60... An empty tray is easy, but filled with sixteen pots...Food for thought.
Some of you might have noticed, but I put some plastic tape around the pots to keep them together during transport. This has probably save my skin while squeezing the tray inside the tent...
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Installed my trusty NodeMCU with temperature, humidity, lux and CO2 sensor drop in the middle of the table and slided the whole unit as low as I could get it so the lux sensor give an approx. value of the light intensity.
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As usual just before watering I measured five teaspoons of Bactrex and dropped it into 5L of water.
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Before watering the pots I dispenced one teaspoon of Mycotrex on top of the soil and worked that in with my fingers.
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I'm trying to be very careful with the amount of water I'm giving these pots. First of the soil was already 'moist', not wet...though. I'll try to photograph how I water one of the next times...
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Set the extraction fan to the below setting. I didn't have time to hack it yet, so this grow will probably be adjusted via this knob.
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The TS-1000 on the other hand is completely controlled by my Blynk app. The blue light is the NodeMCU inside the plastic box.
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And these are the values inside the tent after a couple of hours running before I placed the pots inside the tent and now an hour after placing the pots inside.
The temperature is a bit on the low side, so I'm going to adjust the light a bit from 66 to 75%, this will probably raise the temperature enough for the seedlings to enjoy it's heat and grow, grow, grow!!!
I've also ordered a 55x55cm 48Watt heating mat to put underneath the tray. This will aid me in the winter to keep the tent up to temperature without light poisoning my ladies. And since the values which my CO2 meter gives are a bit to high to be correct I've ordered a newer, bit more expensive (like 4 times more expensive) sensor.
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Regards,

Bob

your "bio-tabs" are like "Grow Dots" I think ? Dudegrow= grow dots how do they work ? were did you purchase the monitor for your soil (pictured)

 

[Bob's Auto's]

your "bio-tabs" are like "Grow Dots" I think ? Dudegrow= grow dots how do they work ?

They work magnificent!!! In combination with living soil. ie, worm compost with the worms still in them it's a winning combination with which you only need tap water

were did you purchase the monitor for your soil (pictured)

I didn't. Made it myself.
Have a look here. You'll find the explanation


I was also curious and had a looksie inside the tent. Saw that I forgot to do something very important... Put some cellophane wrap on top of the pots to prevent drying out...It's the microwave kind with the small holes in. Don't know if they really work, but my mentor thinks so and I've still got entire roll to use.

And this is how I water for the time being. I have a 5L canister on the side out of view and use gravity to syphon the water + Bactrex into the pots.
Very slowly, as not to disturb the soil. For now I'm succeeding in doing that.

 

[Bob's Auto's]

Hey Friends

You guys know my posts as very honest and direct. And I always shared the good, but also the bad...Today is such a day...
After almost a week of waiting for the sprouts to emerge from the soil I started panicking...What did I do wrong?? Temperatures have been on the low side, so I ordered a 50x50cm heating mat to put underneath the tray.
Today I went to check up on the sprouts and still only four that were up... So I started digging and found one mush seed after another. Didn't notice the white specks until I started to take pictures, yuck...compost mites...AGAIN!!



Last year I had the same issue until I got rid of them. There are several way to accomplish that, but since I was and still am, growing organic and don't want to subside from that style, I ordered some nematodes (Steinernema carpocapsae). These little guys attack about any insect that causes trouble in or around your pots.
I thought that these guys were still in the soil, but it seems they can't handle cold very well. And the barrel with the soil had been standing outside the previous weeks before I took it in to acclimatize before being mixed with the old used soil.
Seems I gave these, otherwise harmless, mites the advantage by letting them roam free in the warm soil with all the dead plant material they could ever eat. Adding that freshly sprouted seed was just the cherry on top and a welcome dessert for these white mf's

Anyhow, I've just ordered myself a new batch of nematodes. More then enough to treat every plant in the house and then some, but there's a minimum order of 10million so... Guess I'll be in the opportunity to treat all my plants again...


Until I get this shizzle sorted out this grow is put on hold. I'm not canceling it, just a false start



Regards,

Bob

 

[Zaaboot]

That's a shame Bobs - as you say it is the way it goes sometimes, pleased to hear though it is only going to be a delay.
I have to say I would have no idea what to do if I found anything in the tent - probably panic and throw the tent and pots and stuff and start again.

Anyhow, hope you are well

 

[Bob's Auto's]

That's a shame Bobs - as you say it is the way it goes sometimes, pleased to hear though it is only going to be a delay.
I have to say I would have no idea what to do if I found anything in the tent - probably panic and throw the tent and pots and stuff and start again.

Anyhow, hope you are well

That's what I did last time I saw them overcrowding my wormbin. Started searching the net and found out about these nematodes.
Not even going to touch the pots...Just remove the four sprouts that made it and water the nematodes in as soon as they arrive. Then let them do their job for ten days and then reapply. After that the soil should be alright again

 

[St. Tom]

Bob thanks for your honesty as this is how we learn and maybe you showing people may save some other person's grow
Plus Your a top bloke and a credit to afn

 

[DetroitDarren]

Tagging along. Sorry to hear the news

So @Bob's Auto's, are you going to have to restart them all or will they bounce back?

 

[NoFrillsNoBills]

Until I get this shizzle sorted out this grow is put on hold. I'm not canceling it, just a false start

That's life, isn't it? But that's why we always take the punch, and lean back in to that forward push and end up succeeding eventually, no matter the crap we gotta jump over to get there.

 

[Bob's Auto's]

Bob thanks for your honesty as this is how we learn and maybe you showing people may save some other person's grow
Plus Your a top bloke and a credit to afn

Thanks for always being here brother!! Honored to be a part of AFN

are you going to have to restart them all or will they bounce back?

I'm gonna cull all four of them as I want a even canopy. So, I'm starting over as soon as I get my soil sorted out, which would be in about two weeks give or take...Hopefully by then the heating mat will also be delivered so I can start playing with the lights as I figured out I'm giving way to much light to the plants.
With the light on 24/7 @50% I still have a DLI of 28.07 which is more then enough for vegging go figure!!

That's life, isn't it? But that's why we always take the punch, and lean back in to that forward push and end up succeeding eventually, no matter the crap we gotta jump over to get there.

Right on mate!!!
We learn from our mistakes.
Calendar check for next year..."Order some nematodes"