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Organic vs Chemical
After a single successful harvest you're probably eager to attain a still higher yield and experiment with all sorts of new cultivation techniques. There are certainly many possiblilities, such as placing many small plants in a square meter or, raising fewer, bigger plants. One can also preselect the desired heights/ size of the plants and top them. Exploring the difference between these cultivation techniques is instructive and helpful later in choosing the appropriate system which best suits you.
Furthermore there are also a thousand and one soil mixtures and other mediums like coconut and mapito or rockwool. There are so many choices, we cannot cover all of the thousands of varieties which each have their own particular requirements to grow and prosper. One type naturally fares better in one growing system than another. There is so much variety and room for experiment that if you live to be 90 you'll be able to say that you still haven't tried everything. You' ll have made great strides, but the fact is that the rate of development of new media, methods, varieties, crosses and grow systems is so relentless that you'll find there is always something more to learn. And that's all for the good!
This said now it's time for me to jump into the waterpond and try hydro.
There's an ongoing debate over the desirability of soil (bio) vs. hydroculture. One can say with confidence that hydro grows faster and produces higher yields than bio. On the other hand bio weed has a better taste and effect, though the average layman might not notice much difference in a comparison test. You will often hear those who are against hydro say that a good bio- soil grower can produce results as good or better than hydroculture; both yield and potency-wise. This would of course be true if you're dealing with just an average hydro-grower. But if you pit an experienced hydro- grower against an equally experienced bio- grower, there can be no doubt whatsoever that it is the hydro- man who will bring in the higher yield. Since I have less interest in high yields than in the highest quality, I grow bio.
If I ever succumb to the seduction of money, naturally I will switch to hydro, not because I'll want to but because that's the path to higher turnovers.
Fish Shit
Nowadays we have further developments in hydroculture like organic-hydro and aquaponics; refinements which are giving hydro a better name. One can speak favorably of these aquaponics, where the plants are fed on large quantities of fish excrement, nourished on the NPK which the fish drop into the water they live in. In return the plants filter the water for the fish.
Aquaponics is an integrated hydroculture (fishtank) and hydroponic (water cultivation) system. First and foremost the discharged water from the fish tanks is pumped through a filtration system to be treated with a natural bacterium which converts the fish detritus into usable food for the plants. When this conversion is complete the fish effluent can then be utilized by the plants. The nutrient liquid is pumped over to the grow medium in which the plants are standing. The liquid is pumped through a filter that is full of live bacteria which converts the waste to usable nutrients. From there the nutrified water flows on to the plants. You can also make a filtering system by running the water though a pan full of clay balls.
It takes about 14 days to obtain sufficient live bacteria through cultivation. This occurs automatically and requires no input from the grower. One can also purchase live bacteria in liquid form at the local aquarium shop to speed things along.
This system will provide fantastic buds of very high quality. It can be considered an organic method because no chemicals have been added to the water! Recently I read an interesting article concerning the subject of comparisons between organic and chemical fertilizers. In short it said that cannabis plants are capable of absorbing radioactivity and thereby purifying the ground in which they stand. If you doubt this, did you know, cannabis plants are indeed being used to purify the ground near Chernobyl! That's right, that place where a nuclear reactor discharged into the air. Because the soil in the vicinity was also contaminated, plants with absorbative properties such as cannabis and also tobacco are being used for this purpose. In reference to this it is nice to know that a lot of fertilizers contain minute quantities of radioactive particles. Chemical fertilizers contain up to five times more particles than organic fertilizers.
Knowing this makes me feel that bio weed is healthier to use than that cultivated by other methods used in indoor growing.
Although previously, debate over methods tended to center on issues like turnover and taste, the issue of health is beginning to get more attention. A futher danger from smoking cigarettes than the tobacco itself is this - commercially cultivated tobacco plants are massively sprayed with chemical fertilizers. The radioactive particles in the fertilizers are yet another source of cancer hazards. This is a matter I needed to mention.
Hydro
Choice, choice, too much choice! I have chosen a hydro - setup with a clay ball filter system. You can also choose coconut slabs or a host of other media, such as ebb and flow, NFT- systems (bacterial), a growbox, and many, many more.Your choice of a system will generally follow from asking yourself one basic question: what will yield the best results I'm looking for with the right equipment, for as small an investment as is feasible.
I chose hydro for now, also because that way I can put my prior knowledge to use. Installing everything went very smoothly. Because in soil I don't use a vat I needed to buy one, together with all the pH- and EC- necessities that I never needed with soil, which will be shown to be very handy for hydroculture.
Personally I'm a bit wary about homemade plumbing, which is why I recommend growing on a ground floor or in a cellar when possible, to limit any damage a leak might cause. Leaks are one of the most common reasons for which indoor growers are arrested. If I'm going to have to worry that just when I kick back thinking everything is set up right a deluge can start, I think I would feel safer with my trusty soil!
Anyway, to ensure that the trough maintains an average temperature of about 23 degrees centigrade, I purchased a heating element at an aquarium shop. This is the perfect tool for maintaining the correct water temperature. The plants love tepid water. Because hydro plants will be growing a bit larger and developing more quickly, I space the plants somewhat farther apart than I otherwise would with soil. I want to give them a space wide enough for unimpaired side branch development.
Early on I observed that the hydro plants started and then took off rapidly. After a few days growth the difference is clearly seen. After a week's speedy progression they're increasing at a rate of centimeters per day. It won't be too long before the growth is sufficient to begin with flowering. If I give them another week to grow, the grow room should be like a jungle. I regularly check the pH/EC levels, keeping them and the environmental settings as constant as possible. Everything goes smoothly so far. I should also mention that I used special food supplements that are masnufactured especially for hydro-culture. I kept it simple and tried not to use too many growth boosters or additives which might affect my pH levels. Fortunately I've experienced no problems. With soil I know much about what can go wrong and can deal with whatever happens quickly. But hydro is new for me and it's more difficult to discover and correct problems that aris!e.
After blooming a couple of weeks the buds are developing beautifully. They've got considerable bulk and the smell is nice and sweet. An explosive blooming was clearly observable - the tops are noticeably larger than they would be at this stage in soil. Since plants love oxygen, I provide them an oxygen-rich feeding trough by means of an aquarium pump. They seem to appreciate that and in turn produce an abundance of new white hairs on the ever- thickening tops.
Drying room
With the harvest quickly approaching, everything seems quite rosy and all is well. Time to find the scissors Moreover I find those white nets on which I can lay the tops for drying really handy. You can safely pile a few on top of each other. I find that attics are about the best place for the drying. Up there it's neither too warm or too cold, at least in my house. There's always a perfect temperature of between 13 and 20 degrees centigrade up there and the buds can slowly dry and ripen. After a few days the smaller tops will already be dry and ready for a taste test. After two weeks the larger tops will also be ready; the biggest ones should stay drying another week-- three weeks total.
The flowering stage is almost complete now, and I now give them only pH- balanced water and withdraw other nutrition so that the plants realise time is up and are even forced to draw the last nourishment from the fan leaves. this causes yellowing in the leaves but that is normal. Sometimes some varieties respond to the withdrawal of food strangely and develop beautiful red or colored protective leaves. During the cutting I saw that the tops were quite robust with the THC- laden parts protruding.
I collect thye leaf material and let it dry a few days. These leaves are on the borderline between wet and dry and is excellent material for making water hash. I freeze in the leaf material for one night and made great waterhash the next day. The quality was outstanding as always! The only problem is that this stuff will spoil you! You become so enamoured with this tasty hash that if you try to smoke normal hash afterwards, neither the taste nor the quality of the regular stuff is adequate! While the tops were drying for three weeks, I had my waterhash to enjoy. It's very pleasant being able to smoke your own homemade waterhashish while waiting for your tops to dry! This way I have no thoughts of drying some of the bud prematurely just in order to taste some. I can let it dry thoroughly in its own time, for maximum curing.
For those who insist on rapidly drying some portion of their yield in order to try someimmediately, I recommend getting a device called the Ice- O- Lator. With this machine, you can process yourself a nice chunk of high quality hashish to smoke while you're waiting. If you're so impatient that you absolutely must have some of that bud now, you can utilize the fresh and still wet leafy material in the meantime! It dries quickly and can be smoked just a few hours after the harvest.
When your tops are finished drying, your hash stock will almost be smoked, and it's time to try out the crop. Now I must say that my own sense of taste isn't so well developed, and I see no difference between hydro and bio. Although the hydro tops are gorgeous looking and very potent, and I had a high yield, I've chosen to continue cultivating in soil using organic fertilizers. Not that it tastes better but simply because organic (bio) is healthier (or as healthy as can be with something you smoke). If for that I must sacrifice some yield I'll do it gladly.
I'll definitely grow hydro again though. I want to experiment with it, modify the system and try out a new idea. But at the end of the day I'm sure I'll be returning to my good old soil! I'm also intrigued by coconut, mainly because you can grow in it for months without turnover loss or sickness. Putting down roots is fast and easy in the airy coconut medium.
To summarize my hydro adventure: the growing period is accelerated, an abundant flowering leads to high yields, and regular controls of pH- and EC- levels are necessary. On to the next system....