old ways vs new ways

[tnavel]

Hello my friends. I have a question about growing outdoors. In 1982 to 1987 i was a guerrila grower in the honeydew area of humbolt county. we grew very nice plants then. most averaged about 1 lb/plant. We used chicken shit, alfalfa pellets and rice hulls in our holes. We would test for ph and add soda ash or lime depending on the tests. We also used bat guano and or green sand along with liquid fish emulshion. that is and was our basic formula. i have gone back into growing last year with a script. my son has been growing the last 4 years. the debate is whos method is better. he used ocean floor and river loam. he makes a tea with worm castings, mollasas,bottled nutriients and a few other things. his way gets fairly expensive. his plants do yeild a bit more per plant. the potency in my opinion is debateable on whos stronger and tastier. is this new method of making tea all that better then the old way. any input or opinions are appreciated thank you for listening to me rant.

tnavel Reviewed by tnavel on 06-22-2011. old ways vs new ways Hello my friends. I have a question about growing outdoors. In 1982 to 1987 i was a guerrila grower in the honeydew area of humbolt county. we grew very nice plants then. most averaged about 1 lb/plant. We used chicken shit, alfalfa pellets and rice hulls in our holes. We would test for ph and add soda ash or lime depending on the tests. We also used bat guano and or green sand along with liquid fish emulshion. that is and was our basic formula. i have gone back into growing last year with a Rating: 5

[CanGroIt]

This is one of those subjects where their will always be a difference in opinion.... At the end of the day, I think it only matters that you had/have a successful grow/harvest....

However, I am a fan of controlling the amount of N-P-K, micro nutes, supplements and microbes that are available to my little ones throughout the grow....

CGI::::::

[tnavel]

thank you. i can appreciate that idea. do you find the cost justifies the end results?

[CanGroIt]

do you find the cost justifies the end results?

Hhhmmmmmm, well let's see.... The nutes I use average about $30 per 1liter bottle. I use 8 of these $30 bottles. They last me anywhere between 1.5 - 2 years. I can grow 16oz per month.....so 16oz x 18months that's 288oz that I can grow for just under $300 on just the nutes.....

When not growing my own, I use 1-2 grams per day....that's 1-2oz per month....roughly $3-600 per month....so I really don't mind forking over $30 a bottle nutes to grow my own, especially if they'll last me more than a year.... And like I said before, I like controlling nutes available for certain periods of growth.... It really helps when you know how to give what, when, so that you get the best growth possible....

CGI::::::

[Purple Daddy]

Indians used to place dead fish a foot under each seed they planted for corn. IMO whatever works for you is the best method but I do think a lot of people spend way more money and put a little too much thought into this. It's not quite as easy as planting a seed and growing it out but it's not much more difficult either. A good blend of nutrients, good sunshine a well drained medium and an efficient way to deal with spider mites is pretty much all it takes. Indoors there are other variables to consider as well as it's more time consuming. I'm pretty much at the stage where I water every other day and feed about once a week. FWIW I use worm castings 2 cups, 2 cups of manure compost, a table spoon of miracle grow, a table spoon of kelp/seaweed extract, a table spoon of molasses, a table spoon of epsom salt, 8 fish oil capsules, 8 cal/mag/zinc vitamins crushed up and a half cup of whey protein super advanced body building fomula with creatine. I mix this with five gallons of water and aerate overnight with a fish pump, I put 32 oz on each plant then another 32 oz of straight water.