Gia micronizes their products for fast breakdown. What is the NPK? What is the nutrient issue you’re dealing with most? Maybe you need to just supplement that with a slower release amendment.
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@Budbrother Veg is 4-4-4 for all purpose, flower booster is 2-8-4. Should be good, just need to master the amount. Been supplementing with ff big bloom occasionally, its light, and organic as well. Extra mag through epsom salt. Microbes as well with fulvic once in a while. Next grow which will not be until next summer, i will add feather meal in veg for some additional nitrogen, which is slow release, and soluable seaweed extract for flower for additional potassium. I do believe i was not using enough. Proper amount should not need additional anything with the ingredients that are there, just a first round learning curve. But in my opinion, the seaweed extract would be most beneficial
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I’d suggest adding CSM into the transplant hole. It won’t burn, and takes months to break down. It provides me the slow release N for flowering that won’t strip my terps.
It will add acidity to the pots as it breaks down, and this is usually helpful to me with a 7.5 water source.
Avoid fulvics and humic past wk 4, as these will encourage hermies
Feathermeal takes a year to become available.
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@Budbrother Believe it or not…im still ph’ing lol. Hard habit to kick since i was always a synthetic guy. Thanks for the suggestion. I forgot to mention that i top dress about a cup and a half of worm castings each time as well when top feeding. Do you not like feather meal? Never used gaia i take it? I was looking at the down to earth nutes…i just like the ingredients in the gaia a bit more.
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Sorry i missed the comment about feather meal. Strange gaia says nothing about that. Fulvic and hermies huh? Never had that, ever. Hermies in past yes, but not bc of fulvic. Good to know.
Whats your opinion of blood meal?
Nope, but the Dr Earth I use is 4-4-4 & 3-9-4. Very similar numbers to Gia. Not micronized either, but I enjoy the added BioChar in their products.
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@Budbrother How much u topdress and duration? Id rather buy american…but after a bunch of canuck video’s, i wanted to try out the gaia and old school roots. Been over 20 yrs since last organic style grow
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Learned this from SubCool and D.Diamond.
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I’ve used the buds and blooms many years, but I always add my own amendments or teas with them. 1/4 cup in a 5er, I was getting 2-3 wks between top dressings for stage of development. I supplement with seabird guano teas for P & Ca 0-11-0 +22 Ca or I did use the Build a Bloom 2-10-5 +10 Ca per stage of development. These can push top dressing demands a couple weeks further. I’m always staying ahead of the developmental weeks of flowering to have breakdowns fall in line 2 wks out from stage demands.
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Solid info brother. Definitely alot of different ways to the end. I still feel im going to do pretty well. Just not perfect. For organic, what u think how the grow looks?
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I’ve ran so many ways an amendments over the decades. You learn the amendments and breakdowns. The Guanos add a depth and subtle nuance to the more volatile terp expressions.
It looks great. I zoomed the stalks and you’re on point.
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Lol u should of seen my last one, the single plant in coco in the opening statement. The stalk was a 1-1/2" wide. 24oz’r in one plant if memory serves. Its late i gotta get up at 4am. Time to burn and crash. Thanks for your input brother.
Haven’t used it in 8-10 yrs. Better sources for N (IMHO) than resorting to a slaughterhouse floor with possible contaminants.
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@Budbrother Ya im a meat eater and not a vegetarian. So for me, not wasting it is better. I did a little homework on feather meal. Which is more humane. Says in 4-7 days it starts to break down. After 40 days, if i recall its approx 75% used up. Sure it can vary based on production. But i will be going that route.
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I’m not opposed to using blood meal; I just don’t use it. You asked my opinion on it. Not wasting is a huge plus. For me, I have many other N inputs that are more beneficial.
I haven’t done research on feather meal in a couple decades. Thank you for the push to update my knowledge. I know it’s in many premixes these days for a cheap N source.
I was reading some studies this morning. A lot has to do with preparation of hydrolysate, bacteria or amino acids used, food supply of poultry. A useful study showed “Approximately 45, 55 and 65% of fertilizer N were released after 1, 2, and 8 weeks, respectively.”
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Alot of different options for sure! I do like that cottonseed meal. Plus some pk. So u only use for the transplant ole huh, not as a top dress? Learning new stuff everyday on this side. Im curious brother, what is your thoughts of molasses? Been giving black strap once, every other week…but not sure i really like using it. Out of all the items i use, that is the one im thinking about omitting next run. With the amount of microbes i use, (castings, recharge, fishsh!t) really dont think the necessity is there.
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Because of the breakdown time I coat root ball and toss a palm full into the hole.
My process is to provide them slow release. Crustatuon meal as NPK Ca Chitin (SAR). CSM to boost and add acidity. Kelp to feed fungi and build roots. They grow around the slow release and absorb into middle of the root ball.
I use it. I feel people overuse it often times. I have been using ferments with more targeted nutrition, as a replacement.
Stop using BSM if using the Recharge. It has plenty already. People often times overuse that. Not that I am saying you are by any means.
If you get too much sugar, the microbes feed on that, and not the amendment. Also, if over done, BSM, can cause, fungal, outbreaks, like Trichoderma.
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Good info. Ya the recharge has 6% molasses. I was aware of that. I stop the recharge at wk4, then fishsh!t only. Typically how i always have done it. Even while using synthetics. I did read it is better used as a fermenter for teas. Thanks.
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