First lesson : Learning the elements presented by : A-B-Seeds. http://www.a-b-seeds.com Growing cannabis, Frist lesson By Frank@a-b-seeds.com http://www.a-b-seeds.com LET MY PEOPLE ...GROW! On any fertiliser you will see these 3 letters ( N-P-K) these symbols are playing different roles. 1- N : nitrogen P2 O5 - K2 0 2- P : phosphor P2 O5 ( oxide-basis-phosphoric-acid) 3- k : potash K2 0 (soluble potash , potassium oxide) The first letter is N, which is Nitrogen. Nitrogen is associated with growth. (just like the needed chlorophyll for the healthy looking leaves) If your leaves have a bright green look and they are very straight, often oriented up like in a Ç V È shape, that's a good sign. (even if you are not an expert, trust me, you will notice if the leaves are looking healthy or not.) The second symbol is the letter P, that stands for Phosphor. This is the element required for developing a good rooting system. For example, in the formula 10-52-10, now you know that the amount of Phosphoric-Acid is higher than the other two elements. We use this fertiliser in the early process, that figures, the plants need to generate lots of roots and will grow at an alarming rate. Once the plant is mature after a few weeks of growth : the "P" nutrients (EXAMPLE : 10-60-10) will force your plant to flower. (light-cycle must be on 12/12) 12 hours of TOTAL darkness (no leak) remember that I said total darkness. The final element is the letter K That is the symbol for Potassium (potash) The third element will play a very important role in the generative phase (flowering). This third element will give you the wanted flowers so desperately wanted by each and every one of us. Other elements : Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sulphur (S) Zinc (Zn) Iron (Fe) Manganese (Mn) Boron (B) Copper (Cu) Molybdenum (Mo) N.B. : Always follow the exact recipe on the label of each product, use the proper proportions amount of water needed. Don't try to be a Nobel prize winner the very first week. If you over-fertilise your plant, you will learn the hard way about the Osmotic process. Osmotic process : When you over-fertilise your plant, water is drawn out of the plant ; the leaves will curl upwards or downwards. Still Growing and it's fun and easy as 1-2-tree! Soil : Vermiculite & Perlite / Aerated soils constantly being oxygenated Soil characterisation : Texture/ ph-level = near 6.4 / salinity / other organic matter. (more things in soil) - Styrofoam - High Nitrogen Bat Guano - Mycorise To wash the soil. To remove the remaining salts, distilled or deionized water. PROBLEMS/CAUSES-. Salts in the soil slow or reverse osmosis in the root system (not cool). Any osmocote slow release fertilizer . In other words, the uptake of water and nutrients by the by the root system is slowed or reversed by the build-up of salts in the soil which act like a magnet, attracting water from the plant. Look for the following symptoms: New growth is smaller or nonexistent and any damage to foliage is bordered by a bright yellow line between the damage and the green, especially at the tips. TOO MUCH WATER : Bottom leaves that yellow from the centre vein out to the edges, leaving a firm bright yellow leaf that is easily removed, indicates under-watering. Leaves that yellow from the outside front of the leaf inward, feel clammy and are hard to remove, indicate over- watering. A brown, crispy, tip indicates flood watering and a soft brown tip indicates a plant that is sitting in stagnant water. If either of the brown tips show a bright yellow line between the brown of the tip and the green of the leaf. Hydrogen peroxide (H202) (6% or 12%) and 35% (wear gloves and goggles to open and manupulate the bottle) Keep the gloves on, especially after using it, never touch the bottle bare-hand. (35% Hydrogen peroxide BURNS hands) Hydrogen peroxide is a molecule similar to water, but contains an extra oxygen atom. This makes it very reactive. When H202 comes in contact with an anaerobic micro organism, the oxygen jumps to the micro organism, burning it. Peroxide helps plants to take up food easier and quicker, so this treatment has an extra benefit to the garden. (H202) (6%) = 4ml in 10L (many use : neutralise chlorine in municipal-water, insecticide) (It kills spider mites) (in small dose : root and leaf stimulant) (few drops in water / to rinse Rock wool Cubes) (to Sterilize) Lights : Photosynthesis : CO2 + H2O+ light = CH2O + O2 HID (high-intensity-discharge) HPS- High Pressure Sodium Fluorescent lights Phytochrome [red] / Pr 660nm (approxi 30minutes after sun-rise) Last-flash [far red] / Ppr 730nm (slowly diminish /darkness period) Chronobiology / Photoperiod : The daily number of hours of day-light (vs.) night-time. Too MUCH LIGHTS : 1000 lumens=1foot, 2feet 1/4 250 lumens, 3feet=1/9 111 lumens, 4feet=1/6 62.5 lumens.) Does your plant's growth pattern appear tight and close, with pale foliage? Too Much light causes this symptom. A plant that is stretched and spindly means too little light. Locate your plant accordingly. Gfi : ground-floor-interrupter.(happy couple= security& electricity) HYDROPONICS MEASURES : TDS & EC TDS=total Dissolved Solids conductivity meter (TDS gives only a rough estimate of solids) 0 to 100 / zero represents pure water ( zero-ionic-salt) For salt solutions a ppm conversion-factor of 0.5 (hydroponics) (a good TDS-meter ranges from 0 to 10.000) TDS(in PPM) x 0.64 = EC (in uS / cm) TDS is the concentration of a solution as total weight of dissolved solids : 1ppm=1milligram/Liter Electro - Conductivity : Conductivity flows by ion transport. Example : (Na+) (Cl-) Nitrate ions (less conductivity) vs potassium ions. anion: negatively charged ion ESP : Exchangeable Sodium Percentage. Electro - Conductivity's rule : The higher the nitrogen to potassium in a nutrient solution = the lower the EC-values. Electro - Conductivity values specified here are given as a broad range. It should be noted that different seasons and climate will alter the needs of your plant. As a general rule, in cooler grow rooms, the plant requires higher nutrients. With warmer rooms, the plant requires lower levels of nutrients. EC- 2764mS at 25C (EC) or Conductivity Factor (cF) can be expressed as either millisiemens(mS), cF or parts per million (ppm). example : 1,28 mS DeciSiemens per meter to measure EC millisiemens/cm = mS/cm, microSiemens/cm = Us/cm 1 microsiemen/cm = 1000 millisiemens/cm 1 dS/m = 1mS / cm = 1000 uS / cm (1 uS / cm = 5ppm) 1mS = 10cF = 700ppm ,[0.5cm/mS=250ppm] [1mS/cm=500ppm] [2mS/cm=1000ppm] general : 1mS/cm=10cF 0.7 Ec = 7 cF Micromoles (µmol/m2/s) or par value (photo synthetically active radiation) Electrical-Resistance : Millimho & Micromho : 1ohm resistance with 1volt, will conduct 1 ampere of electrical current.(the metric equivalent for mho is Siemens.(ohm or mho) Electrical equation : V(volts)=I(current) x R(resistance) ETC / other allelopathy: inhibition by a plant of the germination, establishment, and growth of seedlings. Automatic Temperature Compensation (always under water) Calibration solution : keep it in a dark place (no more good after 1year) CA-sodium / IONIC-SALT : Ammonium nitrate >x2, Magnesium sulphate >x3 Gypsum (lower-sodium) CaSo - 2H 2O Hydroponics-baby-clones : 450 ppm (a+b FLO) KCL (potassium chlorine) (hydroponics solutions) Libra trays (for rock wools) NFT- Nutrient Flow Technic Ph-up : Potassium-Hydroxide, Ph-down : Nitric-acid or (good old simple vinegar) Phyllotaxy / meristem/ monophyllows (three blades) Silica contaminants / thylakoid lumen Salinity/Sodium-chlorine(salt) 30% of most super mix hydro-solution. Sulfate Sulfur : SO4 - S Sanitization: (indoors) (1) no dead dry leaves on top of soil in each container.(2) no dead dry leaves on grow room's floors. Preparing Media One of the most complete media is in the Sigma catalog: Murashige and Skoog shoot multiplication medium B (MSMB) (Sigma Catalog No. M7149). At the appropriate time, order a pretransplant medium (Murashige syngonium stage III Pretransplant Medium with sucrose: Sigma M 8650) You will also need a gelling agent, preferably a blend of agar and agar substitute, such as Agargel. Purchase sterile distilled water from a local grocery store. For 1 liter of medium use a 2 liter container (because the medium boils up). Add the powdered medium to the water and stir. (Don't add the agar (gelling agent) at this stage because it gums things up when adjusting the pH). Adjust the pH to pH 5.7 using 1N NaOH or 1N HCl (carefully, by the drop) Use about 5 grams per liter of medium. Heat and stir until the the medium is clear. (The clarity tells you that the agar has melted.) Dispense into test tubes. By Frank@a-b-seeds.com http://www.a-b-seeds.com Error: Unable to read footer file.