Originally Posted by senorx12562
I'm really pissed off and frustrated right now, because I spent about 2 hours drafting a review of this seminar only for it to be zapped out of existence when I somehow got redirected by this website. So now you get the way- shortened version (And you are all probably saying, "THANK GOD").
No, Dana is not a monster, nor did I ever think he was. What he is is something of a hot head who doesn't like to be questioned or disagreed with (and who among us does, right?). In fact I think he's a pretty nice guy who's heart is in the right place, whose rants on this site were an emotional response. Whether he meant them or not, I can't say, as I can't get inside others' heads. I try to say what I mean, and mean what I say, and assume others do also.
Now the class. Since I refuse to retype my previous post ( hunt and peck barely describes my sad typing and computer skills) I'll cut to the chase. Yes, the class assumed no knowledge on the part of the attendees, although many were experienced growers. Although it is apparent that Dana really knows his shit, and has his method down to a science, the presentation was a little disorganized, a lot of which was due to questions from the audience of 50-60 getting him off track and behind. I think some details were skipped due to subsequent time constraints. I got the impression that this class has not been given before, and will get better with practice. There were other speakers, who were worth listening to, but didn't talk much about growing.
As to Dana's way of growing, basically it's an aeroponic sea of green with supplemental CO2. Rooted clones directly to flower, and he claims 7-8 lbs. every 45 days, from either 36 or 60 plants, which was not clear. Either way, those 8 oz. buds in the bowl must be exceptional even for him based on these numbers. That being said, over time that's a pretty phenomenal yield. Although he claims to follow the principles of KISS and less is more, an aeroponic sea of green with automated controllers, CO2 burners and an RO water purification system is hardly simple, or at all suited to beginners. The 45 day time frame means he's only growing short flowering indicas, and he was pretty openly hostile to organic nutrients, insisting that they aren't necessary instead of telling us how to incorporate them into his system to meet the perception of patients that that is important.
Whether the class is worth the money is hard to say. Since he kindly allowed me to attend at no charge, sure it was. If I had paid, probably not. However, that is only because at this time I have no interest in (or $ for) buying all the equipment necessary for his method, although maybe in the future. When I did all my research before setting up my grow, it was pretty clear that if yield is one's #1 priority, aeroponics and CO2 supplementation were the way to go. I made a conscious decision to give up potential yield for the sake of $ and more importantly, to make for a set up that would be forgiving of the inevitable screw-ups. Going directly into flower is just not possible with soil because of how much longer it takes a good root system to develop in soil vs. aeroponically. That makes the class less valuable to me right now than it might be to others. I did enjoy meeting all of the presenters and my fellow attendees, and the enjoyment factor is important, too. I suppose overall, yeah it was worth it, and if I had paid for it I wouldn't feel fleeced, especially if I hadn't already set up my grow. I will answer any questions any of you may have, just post them in this thread. Thank Dana again for me please, clonequeen.
