Chapter Thirteen - Easy Organics

      Organic indoor gardeners must choose between two growing methods: using either a hydroponic medium or a planting mix. Hydroponic gardeners use a medium such as clay pellets, foam rubber or spun rock, all of which are virtually nutrient-free, and add nutrients by using water-soluble fertilizers. Planting mixes can also be fed with water, but quite often they are composed of nutrient-rich ingredients. Each growing method has its advantages and disadvantages.
      Gardens grown using planting mixes are more forgiving, because the ingredients and micro-organisms they host buffer the plants in extreme conditions. They are also generally easier to get started than hydroponic gardens and do not require a large investment of time or money. The hydroponic method, on the other hand, offers automated care, higher yield and faster growth.
      The hydroponic method is particularly advantageous in large systems, where handwork can be very time-consuming. In smaller gardens, where hand-watering takes only a few minutes, automated systems may not save time, but they will eliminate the need for the gardener to be continuously on hand to water the plants.
      The other advantage of hydroponics—higher yield—is alluring to the ganja-growing hobbyist. Hydroponic gardens are more finicky and react more intensely to change, like the Porsche as compared to the Toyota mentality of planting mixes. Planting-mix gardens are the way to go for growers who do not wish to become garden experts, but would like to grow an ample harvest of good bud.
      Setting up the planting mix garden seen here is quite easy. if seeds are being used, each is planted in a single 2 inch to 4 inch container. After a few weeks of growth, a branch is clipped from each one and marked. The clipped branches are kept in a jar with water and a few drops of houseplant fertilizer, then placed under a regimen of 10 hours of light and 14 hours of uninterrupted darkness. Within 7 to 10 days the plants will grow flowers, indicating whether they and their clone mothers are male or female. Remove and destroy the male plants.

      Sexed seedlings and rooted clones are ready for the second stage. In this garden, 10 inch containers were filled with a high-quality planting mix recommended for all plants. This special mix is composed of 50 percent worm castings, peat moss and rock phosphate. This mix needs no fertilizers until forcing flowering, about a month after planting. Then high-phosphorous bat guano, such as 1-10-1 or 3-8-1, is added to the water at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 2 gallons (a cup per 30 gallons) with each watering.
      This garden is located in a 10 x 10 x 8 foot room built in a basement. The door leads to the aisle flanked by 4 x 8 foot trays on both sides. These trays were built from wood and then coated with epoxy for water resistance. Only one of the trays was used this time. This tray rests on several stacks of industrial pallets, about 30 inches above the floor. The tray has a drainage hole on one side and was installed at a 1:40 ratio slant, 2 inches over the 8 foot length, for fast water return. Twelve 10 inch, standard flowerpots (obtained used for free from a local garden shop), which hold 3 gallons of medium, are spaced evenly on the tray. The garden is illuminated by two 400 watt lamps, an HPS lamp and an MH lamp, in old-style vertical reflectors which were salvaged from one of the mysterious recesses in the basement. Thick Mylar sheets, purchased for pennies each at a flea market, are staple-gunned to the walls on three sides. On the fourth side, shutters (flea market cheap because of broken slats), also covered with Mylar, can be extended for reflectivity or closed for easy access to the garden.
      Two 20 inch window fans hang from the ceiling at either end of the grow space. They are on constantly to circulate the air. A 50 lb. CO₂ tank opens for about 30 seconds several times a day. This occurs whenever the garden’s owner, the former First Mate, now Captain, happens by when the lights were on.
      The Captain was not planning to grow at all and this garden was unexpected. He tells it best: “I hadn’t thought about starting this garden until a friend came over with a Christmas present of cute little clones and five bags of ‘special’ soil.” The clones included Jack Herer, White Rhino, White Widow, Bob Marley, Skunk #1 and X-l0.
      “I generally discourage my friends from bringing live presents. But these rooted clones were so cute and very special, and they smelled good too, unlike a puppy, which is likely to smell poopy and entails a longer time commitment. I decided to take in these 24 orphans and give them a good home for a season. The 24 plants seemed like a lot for such a small space, so when a friend came over, I gave him 12 plants for his bare-looking empty space. He had helped me with my garden in the past, and we often share herb together.”
      “I kept some Bob Marleys, the Jacks, and White Rhinos and gave my buddy the other plants. The gift included several bags of soil that the gifter read about in High Times and had tried. He said he found it to be the easiest system he had ever used. I took the clones, potted them in the soil mix and watered them. It was almost a week before they needed water again.”
      “I let the plants grow vegetatively under continuous light for six weeks, when they averaged about 18” tall. Then I pruned them and set the timer to 12 hours of light/12 darkness, and began using one cup of 3-8-1 bat guano in a 30 gallon reservoir. Each time I watered a plant it got about 1/2 gallon of water from a plastic jug. Actually, although I was advised to start fertilizing at forcing flowering, I didn’t start for the first 25 days of flowering. The plants were watered with this every four to six days, freeing up long weekends.”