Grow Talk
A place to hang out, talk grow, and help each other become better growers.
Organizer:
- Organized by
-
-
The case for Organic Watering
-
The case for Organic Watering
Are we as growers ready to face the reality of organic gardening? That is….what does organic even mean? Its a relative. Growing organic is a source of pride for the work it takes, and alot of growers think that growing organic creates a better, more natural flower because it takes a bow to how nature does it. And i must confess im in that camp.
The question id like to pose, or discussion i would like to start is that of organic watering. Or maybe in an even more broad sense, how much of nature are we willing to try and reproduce so that whatever is special about cannabis….its connection to nature, becomes better and closer to that which it comes from.
Rain one of the most natural ways a plant gets water, but foliar feeding can incite pests and mold and bad things. So most tend not to water that way, but, cannabis has evolved with rain. There are physiological and chemical changes it goes through that we may have overlooked that may hold keys to a greater plant. Im not suggesting foliar feeding but what is the cost benefit of creating that pre-rain/post-rain environment before we water.
As a rain front comes in, the pressure drops and temperature drops (unless its a warm front), anywhere from hours to a day from the rain. The humidity spikes hours before. The wind might pick up a half hour before rain, as well as the light levels often dip 20% or more.
How much is too much? Light dimming for sunset and gradual rise for the morning?
I think we definitely have the technology to automate most of that, the question is, could it be worth it? Has anyone ever tried this?
-
8 Replies
-
Interesting topic. While researching Triacontanol as a foliar spray to stimulate plant growth, I found information about the effect of mechanical stimulation on plants by rain and touch.
You may be interested:
Why plants panic when it rains
Good Luck!
-
Thats a neat study from the Uni of Australia, ill have to look at the other two in a bit.
If the defensive mechanism is triggered, it stands to reason that because thc is a lipid (oil/fat) which is hydrophobic, could there be a mechanism the plant enacts to actually boost thc as a way to prevent water from sticking to the plant and thus help to mitigate disease? Its already there as a UV block, could it be possible that the plant produced tricomes to also protect from the rain? And if that is the case, does it create more tricomes, or does the mechanism contribute to larger tricomes?
Thanks
-
Huge fan of alfalfa meal as cover crop and the triacanotol stored withing. Im very happy to see this post and definitely going to give it a read.
I love fish hydrauloslate in veg for voiliar and kelp extract. But a misting with triacanotol at the beginning maybe around the time it’s 3rd node forms. I was thinking for flower though maybe the kelp extract which loaded with small amounts of almost every nutrient element but and could be all of them not have to check that. Anyways heard to try soap nuts foliar in flower but need to study up on the benefits which I think wetting agent for sure but may have more use.
-
-
My grow style defaults to the ways of least work and complexity. One person will monitor their garden the most complex way possible…then there is me.
When I say I’m a simple grower with a truck farm background that’s how I grew up in simpler times. I lived with depression era grandparents from 1965 until I went in the Navy in 1969. Today I grow great flower likely in a much simpler way than most.
My watering setup is a two gallon clear paint mixing bucket and pump up hand spraying courtesy of Menards total cost around $15. I have a measuring cup I use to scoop solution out of the bucket to pour it in the sprayer.
It doesn’t get anymore basic than that. There has been some debate about the term organic with some insisting it’s synganic. As a simple basic indoor gardener I don’t give a darn what people want to call it. I plant plants, grow them and consume them and have the process tweaked to my liking. I like being hands on and actually gardening as opposed to automating everything. I didn’t work in an office for forty years so I could create spreadsheets for my garden. The fun and awe of nature is in the hands on style.
-
Thats an awesome background, society has certainly lost alot of that “just rub some dirt in it” perspective. And honestly i agree, while i believe trying to replicate nature will produce a better product, its not practical for most people that grow. Or maybe the time/reward is not really worth it. I have grown a bunch of ways and as long as it works, one cant be unhappy. Ultimately its about enjoyment and sometimes that organic rabbit hole can pull from it at times, but its can also be very satisfying.
I guess why i brought it up is because historically the option to try and create natures intricacies have been extremely difficult. Even lighting has evolved so much in the last 10 years its hard to believe. HPS/MH was the standard for so long, and the evolution into LED and spectrum customization has i think on the whole created a more “organic” product, which is great, because it pushes even the simplest of gardeners into the organic realm without even having to try.
Organic watering is, i think, going to walk that same path. allow those that dont want to fuss with it, to automate it and not have to put extra effort into it but still create a more natural environment that the plant responds positively to, leading upto and post watering. Dosent mean you cant still water by hand, but that, just as the custom LED spectrum, it will maybe coax out an even greater plant, without having to put as much effort in.
Thanks
-
Well said! I like your outlook. I lean towards organic, but to say im fully organic…who knows. Nor do i give a shit! Not to put down anyone who’s attempting a fully natural organic style. Grow how it suits you and share your process.
I use Coast of Maine soil, top feed when needed and i hand feed with a 3½ gal 1min/gal pump sprayer. Using ferments that ate store bought, Biobizz. Has worked wonders for me! Hand watering every 2-4 days is simple enough for me, but keeps me in touch with my plants.
-
-
I too have embraced an organic grow style, and grow Autos. I say I use living soil, but it;s more like a super soil as I don’t have space for a living soil bed. My SOP includes “Recharge once a week. I use 10 gal fabric pots. I use 10 gals so my math is simple LOL. For instance 10% H2O is 1 gal H2O. Sorry off on a tangent.
I spritz my girls about once a week with rain water. I do this 5 or 10 minutes before lights out, Kinda mimicing the dew in my mind. I don’t spray anything after the second or third week of flower.
When young seedling/early veg, they could get a little kelp meal or alfalfa meal in thier shower. This depends on how they are presenting themselves. My soil usually supports a healthy veg all the way to top-dress.
The spritz is just me letting them know I care LOL Yeah I’m that guy; I talk to my plants breath in my tent/lung room/bedroom, daily, increasing CO2. I also play a forest soundtrack for 30 minutes when my lights come on. Lots of running water and bird chirping LOL.
-
“I also play a forest soundtrack for 30 minutes when my
lights come on. Lots of running water and bird chirping LOL”This is the kinda thing my OP was about. While it dosent seem scientific necessarily, it does in fact mimic the reality that plants have evolved in. Natural sounds is another thing i definitely think is in that true realm of “organic”. We tend to think of organic as a box that really only soil and natural fertilizers sit in, but the reality is natural sounds and pre-water/post-water environment as well as “wind” variation and gradual sunrise/sunset should be in that box too if we are going to push the limits of what organic actually is.
Have you ever tried growing the same strain, one with those natural sounds, and one without?
-
Log in to reply.
