1-to-10 moisture scale heuristic
Mentally rank soil moisture on a scale from 1 (bone dry) to 10 (soaking wet), with 5 as 'perfect', and work to keep living soil between 4 and 6 at all times.
Discussed in: ep 008
SoilBible · Techniques
Techniques 592
Operational methods Jeremy demonstrates across the season.
10 percent one-off deep watering
At the start of flower flip, do a single deeper watering of roughly 10 percent of soil volume (two shaping cans) to ensure the entire soil column — including the bottom — is wet.
Discussed in: ep 020
10-gallon clone transplant watering protocol
Day 1 after transplanting a clone into a 10-gallon container, give half a gallon; day 2, check and give a very small amount only if needed; day 3, resume 5% watering.
Discussed in: ep 008
24-hour pre-soak of cuttings in aloe + rootwise
Bundle cuts by genetic with their plant tag, submerge in filtered water with about 1/2 teaspoon aloe and a small shot of Rootwise per cup. Leave 24 hours under the grow light, then change out to plain tap water for the second day so they don't rot in the brown water.
Discussed in: ep 021
3-day cycle neem/Dead Bug through egg hatch
During an active spider mite infestation, spray every 3 days (rotating between neem and Captain Jack's and others) to catch each new hatch generation before they lay.
Discussed in: ep 018
3D seed selection for tomatoes
Pick the roundest, most 3D-shaped tomato seeds rather than the flat ones — indicator of a viable, filled-out seed.
Discussed in: ep 030
4-way corner with vertical scrog extension
Use 4-way PVC corner fittings instead of 3-way so the top of each corner has an empty slot where a vertical PVC riser can later be installed to anchor a scrog screen at the eventual canopy height.
Discussed in: ep 006
5 percent of soil volume watering rule
Apply water equal to roughly 5 percent of total soil volume on a given watering — 3.5 gallons on a 70-gallon bed — typically every other day during stretch.
Discussed in: ep 020
5 percent slow even watering
Use a pump sprayer at ~1 gpm with the widest fan nozzle to apply water equal to 5 percent of the bed's soil volume over a few minutes
Discussed in: ep 007
5% daily watering rule
Water ~5% of the container's volume per watering (e.g. half a gallon for a 10-gallon container), adjusting daily based on need rather than watering on a clock schedule.
Discussed in: ep 008
5% soil-volume calibrated watering
Compute 5% of total soil volume, load that exact amount into a Chapin pump sprayer with a 1 gpm nozzle, and deliver the full tank in one pour.
Discussed in: ep 011
5-gallon bucket + plastic bag humidity hack
If you don't have a dome or humidifier, set the transplanted clones in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket and cover the top with a plastic bag poked with small air holes.
Discussed in: ep 021
A-bud vs B-bud trim priority segmentation
On harvest day, invest trim effort in the A buds — the big colas destined for smoke flower — and send the smaller B buds and any lacking-maturity material to the rosin/hash pile.
Discussed in: ep 037
Above-soil watering
Pour the drench from the spout of the watering can from above the soil surface inside the container, so spill stays in the pot and the bench stays dry.
Discussed in: ep 002
Add 10-way mushroom blend to tea
Add a couple teaspoons of a 10-way organic vitality mushroom blend into the brewing tea.
Discussed in: ep 017
Air vortex contamination tracing
When isolated contamination (pollen, pest, disease) is found in one canopy cluster, trace the air path — exhaust direction plus any opposing internal fan — to find the vortex collision point. That point is typically where the contamination deposited.
Discussed in: ep 028
Airflow grooming (separating overlapping leaves)
Look for leaves resting on each other in the morning and separate or remove them to prevent dew and condensation pockets.
Discussed in: ep 024
Aloe + RootWise soak
Soak fresh cuttings in a cup of aloe and RootWise (contains seaweed extract) for 1 to 24 hours before pucking.
Discussed in: ep 015
aloe leaf direct dip
Stick the cut stem directly into an aloe vera leaf and use that as the cloning gel, then push into the rooting medium.
Discussed in: ep 021
Angling the PAR sensor toward the light center
Rotate the PAR sensor so it faces the geometric center of the light fixture rather than straight up, to capture the sum of all light components hitting that point.
Discussed in: ep 031
Annual outdoor mom refresh cycle
Put the indoor mom outside mid-May or June, keep her outside until late July, take fresh cuts off her, then bring those cuts back indoors — repeat annually.
Discussed in: ep 025
Apical meristem bend for canopy evenness
Bend the tallest leader over to redirect auxin flow and force lateral tips upward to fill the canopy evenly.
Discussed in: ep 025
App-based photoperiod flip
Use a phone app controlling the grow-room timers to switch lights from veg schedule to 12 hours of light / 12 hours of dark to trigger flower.
Discussed in: ep 014
ask the grower
When you taste a bowl of herb you love, ask the grower how they dried it — the answer will always involve a slow dry and conscious humidity control.
Discussed in: ep 040
Auto-water reservoir with pump sprayer
Pump up a Chapin sprayer, remove the nozzle for wide flow, lock the trigger on, and let it auto-fill a container reservoir while you work on other tasks. Watch the overflow and stop when water runs out.
Discussed in: ep 022
Automated drip via Niwa irrigation function
Hook up a drip system to the Niwa controller using its irrigation function for the first time — run multiple drip head types to compare and document.
Discussed in: ep 042
Avoiding the fungus gnat negative spiral
Do not overwater. Do not leave bare soil exposed — maintain a living mulch / cover crop layer. Do not chase gnats with interventions when plants are otherwise healthy.
Discussed in: ep 004
back the lights off instead of adding CO2
If you're running living soil without CO2 supplementation and you can't hit target VPD, dim or raise the grow light instead of pushing harder.
Discussed in: ep 019
Back-to-back Earthbox cycles with re-amend
After harvest, scrape some of the old top-dressing off the Earthbox, replant into it, and add more nutrients and compost on top. Repeat up to about three cycles before dumping the Earthbox, cleaning the reservoir (optionally with EM-1), and reusing the soil elsewhere.
Discussed in: ep 004
Backfill-and-slap
Slightly overfill the container with Light Mix, then slap the sides of the container with your hand so the extra soil falls out the bottom and the mix settles around the root ball. Follow with a gentle hand-pack on top so water does not carve a channel.
Discussed in: ep 002
Backing off the light for workload balance
Deliberately not dropping the strip light closer to the plants in smaller containers because the consequent increase in transpiration and water demand would exceed the grower's available watering bandwidth.
Discussed in: ep 031
Bamboo pole stake at outward angle
Push a thin bamboo pole into the soil near a branch that needs support, angling the pole slightly outward from the container center to support and open the branch.
Discussed in: ep 022
Bamboo stake and clip (alternative to SCROG)
Stick bamboo stakes into the soil and clip each branch to them to pull the plants apart from each other and support heavy branches.
Discussed in: ep 017
Bare-legging (shaving the legs)
Pinch off every lower branch and lower fan leaf that is sitting under the canopy and will never see enough light to produce meaningful bud.
Discussed in: ep 012
Base-cut against stalk
Reach into the plant and cut the chosen branch right at the base where it joins the stalk instead of leaving a stub.
Discussed in: ep 015
Basic aerated compost tea brew (micro man recipe)
4 gallons water + 1.5 cups fresh worm castings + 1/3 cup molasses (or Supercar sugar source) in a 5-gallon bucket with an airlift brewer, aerated for 24 hours at ambient grow-room temperature.
Discussed in: ep 014
Batch trim party
Instead of trimming incrementally across weeks, organise a single trim session with multiple staff — bring all dried material back together, trim in one batch, possibly live-stream for documentation.
Discussed in: ep 042
Bed-flip every 4 harvests (greenhouse rotation)
In a production greenhouse, rotate and replant the lettuce bed every four harvests to prevent bolting.
Discussed in: ep 010
Bed-one-foot-smaller-than-tent sizing rule
Run your soil bed one foot smaller in each dimension than your tent. 5x5 tent → 4x4 bed, 4x4 tent → 3x3 bed.
Discussed in: ep 005
Below-the-screen strip rule
Strip every leaf and branch below the trellis screen unless it's reaching up to the top light. Leaves that aren't being hit by productive light aren't earning their airflow or trim cost.
Discussed in: ep 028
Bend-and-zip training
Use a rigid zip-tied plastic trellis piece across the PVC frame, bend a branch down into the trellis and zip it so it grows through a back hole — pushing canopy width instead of height.
Discussed in: ep 014
Bending side branches up through scrog holes
Rescue a tall side branch by physically guiding it upward through a scrog square so it comes out above the screen instead of falling below.
Discussed in: ep 020
Beneficial insect release for flower IPM
Once plants are in flower, release beneficial predatory insects as the primary pest control layer instead of continuing foliar sprays.
Discussed in: ep 026
Between-grow fan cleaning and compressor blow-out
At the end of each grow, disassemble every oscillating fan, clean it, and blow it out with a compressor.
Discussed in: ep 011
Biochar pre-charging with Rootwise Microbe Complete
Charge biochar with Rootwise Microbe Complete before adding it to a finished kashi batch. The porous biochar gives the microbes a dormant habitat until water is added and they activate in the soil.
Discussed in: ep 026
Biologically-primed sowing water
Add Roots Wise Microbe Complete to the initial watering so newly sown seed starts life with microbial biology already present.
Discussed in: ep 030
Blaming photoperiod disruption for late herms
Attribute hermaphroditic traits in flower to light-cycle disruption from staff entering/leaving the facility during the dark period.
Discussed in: ep 027
Bottom water earth box to stabilize fruiting
Water into the earth box tray below the container to keep root zone moisture consistent from below.
Discussed in: ep 022
Bottom watering an Earth Box to overflow
Pour water into the Earth Box fill tube until water runs out of the overflow tube; stop the moment you see overflow. That is about three gallons per fill.
Discussed in: ep 012
Bottom-drain moisture check
Look at the drain hole of the bed or container — cover crop growing out of the drain or dark moisture visible at the bottom confirms water has moved all the way through the profile.
Discussed in: ep 009
bottom-of-tray root check
Instead of pulling pucks out to check for roots (which damages roots and disturbs the rest of the tray), look underneath the tray through the lift insert to see which pucks have roots poking through the bottom.
Discussed in: ep 021
Break-and-look interior colour check
Break a cured nug in half on camera to reveal the interior — full colour inside, with frost visible across the break, indicates quality all the way through rather than just a surface finish.
Discussed in: ep 041
Brewer upgrade (larger air tube)
Remove the stock small-diameter nozzle from the air tube and replace it with the upgrade kit's larger-diameter tube, clamped down with a screwdriver.
Discussed in: ep 014
Brush-only larf processing
Skip the brush for top nugs (trim those by hand if you prefer) and use the Cannabrush only on the small popcorn larf under the screen, dramatically speeding up the most tedious part of trim.
Discussed in: ep 041
Build-A-Bloom bridge feed
When plants are hungry and you didn't top dress in time, hit them with a low-dose Build-A-Bloom water-in while you wait for the slower top dress to become available.
Discussed in: ep 026
Build-A-Flower stacking with headroom
Stack Build-A-Flower several inches deep on the soil surface but never fill the pot — leave room for future top-dress cycles later in the grow.
Discussed in: ep 026
BuildAFlower nutrient tea
Brew BuildAFlower at 1.5 cups per 4 gallons with 1/3 cup Gem fish hydrolysate; optionally add a mushroom blend.
Discussed in: ep 018
BuildASoil Earth Box reservoir dry-down
Water the Earth Box reservoir full once, then let it go completely dry before watering again — directly overriding Earth Box's own full-reservoir recommendation.
Discussed in: ep 011
Building a pest-suppressive food web
Establish a living soil ecosystem containing predator mites, rove beetles, earthworms, and native soil fungi so that no single pest species can overpopulate. Accept 1 to 2 background fungus gnats as normal; avoid sterilisation.
Discussed in: ep 004
Bungee-cord pump damping
Suspend the noisy vibrating air pump from a bungee cord instead of letting it sit on a table.
Discussed in: ep 014
C:N-over-moisture rule for compost heat
Get the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio right and the pile will go thermal even if moisture is slightly off. Moisture affects intensity, not the binary 'will it go hot'.
Discussed in: ep 005
Cannabis leaf meal mulching
Chop defoliated cannabis fan leaves small and spread them on top of your living soil as a home-made leaf meal mulch instead of discarding them or only using alfalfa meal.
Discussed in: ep 012
Cannabrush dry-trim workflow
Hold the bud, press the brush against it at the perfect resistance and grippiness, and knock the fan leaves and crow's feet off without scissor cuts. Do this branch by branch on stacked manicured stocks.
Discussed in: ep 041
Canopy space allocation for big containers
When running a 10-gallon plant in a 5x5 area, let it spread to use the full canopy footprint rather than pushing it into a corner. If filming or access forces a corner location, the plant sacrifices some yield to reduced canopy spread.
Discussed in: ep 041
Cardboard emergency light leak patch
On discovering a light leak in a back-corner tent flap mid-flower, stuff a piece of cardboard over the opening as a fast permanent-enough fix.
Discussed in: ep 028
Centralized environmental automation via smart power strip
Running lights, humidifier, and fans through a single intelligent power strip so the tent's core environmental devices can be scheduled and toggled together.
Discussed in: ep 001
Centrifugal moisture removal
Hold the Easy Sprout vessel and swing it in a circular motion (like a morning stretch) — centrifugal force throws excess water out of the ventilated container, leaving seeds at perfect moisture
Discussed in: ep 033
Chapin fan nozzle removal for SST
Before spraying SST through the Chapin, physically remove the fan nozzle so the sprayer runs as an open hose — otherwise the seed particulate clogs it
Discussed in: ep 033
Checking castings for life on opening the bag
When unboxing a fresh bag of worm castings, immediately look for moisture, predator mites, rove beetles, and worms — these are signs of living, unsterilized, quality castings worth paying for.
Discussed in: ep 031
Cherry tomato swap for small-container indoor
Rather than fight a full-sized indoor tomato in a small container against watering-inconsistency triggered bottom-end rot, replace it with a cherry tomato that fruits more frequently and is less sensitive to watering variability.
Discussed in: ep 028
Cherry-pick the best from a bad germination batch
Germinate a larger tray than you need, then transplant only the strongest plants, discarding any that came up weak or slow.
Discussed in: ep 011
Chop and drop cover crop clear
Cut cover crop at the base and leave the cuttings on the bed as mulch rather than removing them, keeping nutrients cycling in place.
Discussed in: ep 030
Chop-and-drop before top dress in small containers
Before applying top dress to vegetables in tight containers, cut down the cover crop growing from the same container and leave the clippings on the soil surface as mulch so it stops competing with the main plant.
Discussed in: ep 031
Chop-and-drop leaves into mulch
Drop all defoliated leaves directly onto the container's mulch layer and chop them up with scissors so they break down in place.
Discussed in: ep 015
Chop-and-drop no-till harvest
At harvest, cut the top growth of the plant and leave the stalk and root system in place. Plant the next round of rooted clones into small holes next to the old stalks rather than ripping them out.
Discussed in: ep 029
Chop-and-drop with kashi and Build-A-Flower topcoat
Cut spent companion crops (like lettuce) at the base, break up the biomass, lay it on the pot surface, dust with kashi, then top with Build-A-Flower and let the bed rest to break down.
Discussed in: ep 026
Cleaning lowers below the screen
Remove all growth below the trellis screen — healthy or not — on the rationale that those branches will never reach the canopy to make worthwhile bud.
Discussed in: ep 014
Cleaning the legs up (defoliation pass)
Remove every leaf and sucker from the stalk up to about halfway up the plant, one branch at a time, working from the bottom upward.
Discussed in: ep 015
Clip-to-pole using orange vining clips
Use snap-on orange tomato/cucumber vining clips to loosely attach a cannabis branch to a bamboo pole at an open spot between nodes.
Discussed in: ep 022
Clone quarantine and double-spray
Any incoming clones are physically separated from the main garden and sprayed at least twice a week instead of the standard once a week.
Discussed in: ep 018
Clone rack off-axis low-intensity lighting
Keep the LED grow light low, off-axis, or even turned off directly above clones during the first week or two of rooting.
Discussed in: ep 017
Clone-and-run decision
Instead of transplanting ambiguous seedlings, take cuttings from confirmed females, root them, and run the rooted clones into the beds.
Discussed in: ep 009
Clone-first-then-select
Take a cutting from every candidate mother, label by parent ID, grow them all to finished flower, then retain only the clone of the best-smoking plant as the keeper cut.
Discussed in: ep 014
Clone-out for 12/12
Move clones out of the main tent into a separate tent with a small vegetative light once the flip to 12/12 occurs.
Discussed in: ep 018
Clone-to-sex for small spaces
If you want to clone-to-sex, either take very small clones so you can run them fast, or take them much earlier so they have time to catch up.
Discussed in: ep 005
CO2 enrichment via mushroom exhaust
Vent or duct the exhaust air from a fruiting mushroom grow into the cannabis grow tent so the plants get passive CO2 enrichment from mushroom respiration.
Discussed in: ep 002
Coat to sagging — good coverage rule
Spray thoroughly enough that plants sag from the weight of the water; every surface must be wet.
Discussed in: ep 018
Cocktail buffet feeding
Instead of dosing one nutrient in response to a single visual symptom, mix small amounts of many balanced products at once to avoid creating new deficiencies via the domino effect of single-nutrient chasing.
Discussed in: ep 028
Coco + Craft Blend top-dress for tomato end rot
Top-dress struggling tomato containers with coco coir plus BuildASoil Craft Blend to stabilize moisture and deliver balanced nutrition — corrects blossom end rot driven by inconsistent watering.
Discussed in: ep 035
Compare a new monitor against trusted reference
Hang the new monitor next to the device you already trust, take simultaneous snapshots and log whether the readings agree closely.
Discussed in: ep 022
Consistent pruning schedule
Stay on top of pulling leaves and tucking growth under the scrog on a regular cadence — don't skip sessions because labor compounds and eventually hurts yield.
Discussed in: ep 042
Consistent watering for blossom end rot prevention
Maintain a rigid, consistent watering schedule (ideally drip) for full-size tomatoes in small containers to prevent blossom end rot caused by moisture swings.
Discussed in: ep 014
Consistent-spot comparison scoping
Scope the same physical location on the same plant (or same bract position) repeatedly across days to track ripeness progression over time, even though bracts read more advanced than nugs.
Discussed in: ep 037
Container-size-to-lifestyle matching
Pick container size based on how often you can physically water — bigger beds let you skip days (snowboarding weekends), smaller pots need you there every day.
Discussed in: ep 020
Container-to-canopy sizing rule
Flip a plant to flower when its veg footprint roughly matches the shape and size of its container. Avoid running veg plants at two to four times their container's natural capacity.
Discussed in: ep 012
Container-to-goal selection
Pick container size by working backwards from yield goal, available space, and the number of varieties or flavours you want in rotation.
Discussed in: ep 027
Cook-and-check method
Let the mix sit and 'cook' for 6 days to 2 weeks. Periodically reach into the middle with your hand (or a thermometer) and check temperature. If hot, mix cool outer material into the hot middle and wait. Repeat until the middle stays at room temperature.
Discussed in: ep 003
coordinate light, temperature, humidity, CO2 together
Treat the four grow-room variables as a linked system: when you up light intensity, up temperature, up humidity, and then up CO2 in sequence to stay in the VPD green zone.
Discussed in: ep 019
Corn silk visual seed-count check
Each pistil hair corresponds to one potential seed — count receded hairs in a cluster to estimate seeds produced, and confirm the rest of the plant is uncontaminated if no other receded hairs exist.
Discussed in: ep 028
Cover crop chop and drop with Kashi/Craft inoculation
Seeding a cover crop into spent soil, chopping it down, leaving the residue in place, inoculating with Kashi blend and Craft blend, top dressing lightly with worm castings, and keeping the container in the dark to decompose before the next plant round.
Discussed in: ep 001
Cover crop under-straw check
Lift or peer under the straw mulch on the living soil bed to confirm cover crop germination and emergence before transplanting cannabis into the same bed.
Discussed in: ep 009
Cover exposed bed with straw or clover
After a top-and-drop or before a replant, cover the bed surface with straw mulch or plant a clover cover crop to keep the soil covered.
Discussed in: ep 027
Craft Blend for fruit retention on tomatoes
If tomato flowers are dropping without setting fruit, top dress the container with a little Craft Blend to boost fertility and help the plant hold fruit.
Discussed in: ep 012
Craft Blend top-dress into mulch
Pull back the top mulch to expose the feeder-root zone, sprinkle Craft Blend and worm castings across the surface, lightly work them into the mulch so they contact roots, then water in with compost tea the next day.
Discussed in: ep 014
Crop rotation and rack filling
Continuously rotating different food crops in and out of the grow racks so that as one crop finishes another is already producing.
Discussed in: ep 001
cross-tent humid exhaust sharing
Exhaust the warm humid air from the flower tent into an adjacent tent where seedlings/clones live, piggybacking on that environment instead of heating the second tent separately.
Discussed in: ep 021
Crotch inspection for sex ID
Open each node and look directly into the V where the leaf meets the main stalk for either a white hair (female) or an overbite / ball-shaped protrusion (male).
Discussed in: ep 009
Crowning and node-stacking observation
Track the transition from elongating inter-node distance to tight node stacking, which signals the end of stretch and the start of bud development.
Discussed in: ep 020
Cruise-control inspection walkthrough
On quiet days early in flower, walk the grow room with the explicit goal of observing — not doing — so problems are caught before they need intervention.
Discussed in: ep 020
Crumb-texture visual check
Examine the soil for 'crumb texture' — chunks that hold together like brownie pieces rather than falling apart like sand.
Discussed in: ep 003
Cultivar-specific veg length tuning
Match how long you veg the plant to the stretch characteristics of the specific cultivar — stretchers get flipped earlier, non-stretchers get vegged longer until the canopy is actually full.
Discussed in: ep 042
cut to the node + shave outer layer
Trim the cut stem down to the next node below the leaf — roots are more likely to form at a node. Shave a tiny bit of outer bark/epidermis off so roots can pop out more easily. Finish with a fresh 45 degree cut.
Discussed in: ep 021
Cut-and-come-again salad mix harvesting
Harvest young salad mix by cutting the leaves with scissors above the crown and letting the plants regrow for 3 to 5 cycles before quality drops.
Discussed in: ep 006
Cutting from every plant to capture genetic library
Take one cutting of every plant in the flower tent before flip and root them all out, giving you a clone library to pick from later based on harvest results.
Discussed in: ep 024
Cypress bed disassembly onto a rack
Take the Cypress 4 wooden bed apart, reassemble it on a rack structure to elevate the growing surface, and place smaller containers on top instead of filling the bed itself.
Discussed in: ep 042
Daily scouting
Walk the grow every day looking at leaves for intersex traits, pest eggs, mould spots, moisture pockets, and fresh damage.
Discussed in: ep 018
Daily sprout fluffing
Break up the sprouting seeds during each rinse as roots begin to form, preventing them clotting together into a dense mass that can rot in the centre
Discussed in: ep 033
Daily surface misting until germination
Lightly wet just the top of the mulch every day until the cover crop has popped, then back off to normal watering
Discussed in: ep 007
Daily walk-through observation
Walk the grow and check every plant every day even when you have automation — presence catches problems sooner than any scheduled intervention can fix later.
Discussed in: ep 024
day-one venting strategy
On day one, zip the tent closed and monitor humidity. If RH rises above 60% because the plants are freshly wet, open a flap and fold it over, open a vent, or point the small fan out of the bottom flap to exhaust humid air.
Discussed in: ep 040
Dead Bug soil surface spray
When using Captain Jack's Dead Bug against thrips or spider mites, also spray the soil surface where larvae live.
Discussed in: ep 018
Defoliate at end of stretch
Do a small defoliation pass right at the end of the roughly two week stretch window before handing off or moving into mid-flower.
Discussed in: ep 022
Defoliate problem leaves before spraying
When a pest or disease is spotted, cut the affected leaves, physically remove them from the grow room, then spray the rest of the plant.
Discussed in: ep 018
Defoliating fan leaves for flat-light canopies
Remove the biggest fan leaves that are shading lower branches, so side branches can receive light and participate in the canopy.
Discussed in: ep 012
Delayed worm addition
Do NOT add worms when building fresh living soil. Wait until the soil is in the final planting container and the mulch layer is about to be applied, then grab worms from a compost bin and place them in the bed.
Discussed in: ep 004
Dense cut-and-come-again lettuce sowing
Sow a handful of mixed lettuce seed densely into the front of an accessible bed so it can be chopped as mixed greens rather than grown to full heads.
Discussed in: ep 030
Dim lights before spraying
Reduce or kill grow lights for 1–2 hours before a foliar spray in veg; dim before spraying in flower.
Discussed in: ep 018
Dimming lights for inspection and work
Turn grow lights down to a comfortable brightness while walking the room or doing close-ups so you don't need safety glasses to inspect and photograph the plants.
Discussed in: ep 035
Dimming lights in final weeks to mimic winter
Lower the intensity/dimmer setting on grow lights in the last couple of weeks of flower to reduce stacking, fox-tailing, and bud burn, mirroring the declining sunlight of fall/winter at the end of a natural outdoor season.
Discussed in: ep 037
DIY four-corner bamboo trellis screen
Drop one bamboo pole into each corner of the container, then lash horizontal bamboo crossbars to them with twist tie or zip tie to build a square grid trellis without buying a screen.
Discussed in: ep 022
dome corner riser hack
If clones are too tall for the dome, invert or stack extra empty cups at the four corners of the tray. The dome sits on the raised corners, giving more headroom with a little airflow gap.
Discussed in: ep 021
dome vent step-down hardening
Gradually open the dome vents over time once cuts have rooted, acclimating them from 90-100 percent humidity down to normal grow humidity.
Discussed in: ep 021
dome-height cut trimming
Trim the cut stem short enough that with the puck it fits under the dome with a little clearance. Back the cut out and re-trim if it's too tall.
Discussed in: ep 021
Double-bagging worm castings for transit
Package worm castings inside a plastic inner liner surrounded by a breathable outer feed bag.
Discussed in: ep 003
Double-nutrients-triggers-heat warning
Doubling nutrients in a soil mix is the other trigger that can cause a pile to go hot unexpectedly.
Discussed in: ep 005
Droop differential diagnosis
If a plant is droopy, cross-reference your own watering log against symptoms — burnt/crispy tips + dry down means under-water, lower leaves fading lighter green means over-water.
Discussed in: ep 011
Dropping in iPhone close-ups over GoPro narrative footage
Film the walk-around on a GoPro for the wide shot, then separately film tight close-ups on an iPhone of each plant while naming each plant by label so the editor can drop the close-ups in at the right moment during post.
Discussed in: ep 035
Dropping the light into target PAR range
Lower the fixture slightly as the plants approach flower so the canopy sits inside your intended PAR band for maximum potency and yield.
Discussed in: ep 012
Dry-pocket / wetting-agent diagnosis
If runoff appears at less than 5% watering volume, suspect hydrophobic dry pockets and add a wetting agent to help water absorb evenly.
Discussed in: ep 008
Dry-shake mycorrhizal inoculation of cover crop bag
Add a tablespoon of Rootwise directly into the bag of 12-seed cover crop and shake so microbes coat every seed, then plant so the inoculant arrives with freshly germinating roots
Discussed in: ep 007
Duct mushroom tent CO2 into cannabis room
Run ducting from a 4x4 mushroom tent into a 10x10 cannabis room so mushroom respiration CO2 enriches the cannabis air, then measure with a CO2 meter.
Discussed in: ep 022
Early flower spray window catch
Get foliar IPM sprays in early in flower while it is still safe to do so — once bud development advances you no longer can.
Discussed in: ep 025
Earth box reservoir monitoring
Check each earth box reservoir every morning — refill when empty, skip when still wet. Typically every 2 to 2.5 days during flower stretch.
Discussed in: ep 020
Earth Box wick corner packing
Scoop living soil into each of the two corner wick cutouts on the screen, compress firmly by hand/fist, then lightly moisten each corner so it doesn't wash out when the reservoir first fills.
Discussed in: ep 010
Earth-box-as-stomach feeding
Pour all amendments on top of the earth box's top layer and let the container 'eat' them — forgiving of over-application because of the clean reservoir below.
Discussed in: ep 015
Earthbox cover crop chop-and-drop regeneration
After harvest, sow a cover crop in the used Earthbox and grow until lush (approx 4 to 6 inches). Chop it down, mix in Craft Blend and Kashi Blend, leave in place. Worms already present in the soil decompose the chopped material and amendments into fresh castings in under two weeks.
Discussed in: ep 004
EarthBox self-watering install
Placing the black fill tube into the EarthBox first, then layering the special tray and filling with soil, compost and organic amendments, and watering only through the fill tube so the reservoir wicks moisture up to the root zone.
Discussed in: ep 001
Ecosystem seeding (beneficial warriors)
Fill the grow with predator mites, rove beetles, worms, soil mites, mulch, compost, mushrooms and decaying matter so beneficial organisms out-compete any incoming pests.
Discussed in: ep 018
EM-1 reservoir clean between Earthbox cycles
Use EM-1 (effective microorganisms) to rinse and inoculate the Earthbox water reservoir between cycles to keep it from turning anaerobic.
Discussed in: ep 004
EM-5 rotation rinse
Spray plants with EM-5 between applications of other IPM products to clean leaves so the next product receives a cleaner surface.
Discussed in: ep 018
EM-5 tray and algae clean
Dump a small amount of EM-5 into the catch tray, shake it around and brush the grooves — completely cleans algae off.
Discussed in: ep 018
Emulsify neem oil
Warm the neem oil bottle in a hot water bath until liquid, then emulsify with a saponin extract, soap or AgSil 16H before adding to water.
Discussed in: ep 018
Engine analogy over-watering recovery framing
Teach over-watering as oxygen starvation of the soil engine — once corrected the engine fires on all cylinders again, the only cost is lost time.
Discussed in: ep 020
Environment-matches-light rule
If your LED seems 'too potent', the real fix is matching environment (VPD) and DLI to the light, not dropping the dimmer.
Discussed in: ep 005
enzyme bottle refrigeration
Store the Rootwise enzyme blend in the refrigerator between uses.
Discussed in: ep 021
err-on-the-side-of-caution drenching
Don't try to be perfectly precise with the nematode volume — worst case, go around the room twice rather than overdosing the first few plants and running out at the end.
Discussed in: ep 019
Even-top soil flattening before mulch
Before sowing cover crop and applying the mulch layer, walk and press the soil surface so it's flat across the whole bed with no deep pockets where moisture would pool.
Discussed in: ep 006
F2/F3 seed preservation with back-crossing
Cross the female clone with a compatible male, grow out F2/F3 generations, and apply a few back-crosses to stabilise desirable traits.
Discussed in: ep 025
Fan leaf + sucker removal (not tomato-style)
Remove the fan leaf together with the sucker rather than leaving the fan leaf intact like some growers do with tomatoes.
Discussed in: ep 015
Fan-humidifier coupled cycling
Set exhaust fan to trigger at 78 F, rely on passive intake for CO2-rich fresh air, let the humidifier fire automatically as incoming dry air lowers RH.
Discussed in: ep 011
Fan-spray nozzle reservoir refill
Use a 1 gpm fan-spray nozzle instead of an open nozzle when refilling EarthBox reservoirs or watering indoors to prevent water splashing dust and compost around the tent.
Discussed in: ep 029
Fans-only no-heat drying
After fermentation, dry the kashi material as fast as possible using only fans with no applied heat so the microbial populations are not disturbed.
Discussed in: ep 026
Farm-plan-software-driven bed scheduling
Map the entire vegetable farm for the season in farm planning software and drive all seeding, up-potting, and transplanting from that timeline.
Discussed in: ep 004
Feed harvest waste back to the bed
Leave damaged and shaded outer leaves in the EarthBox (or bring them to the store worm bin) so they break down and feed the soil or the worms.
Discussed in: ep 006
Feeding the mycelial network with biologicals
Feed the no-till bed with biologically active inputs — Kashi, Rootwise (mycorrhizal inoculant), Bokashi, good compost, worm castings — to keep mycorrhizal and other fungal colonies alive.
Discussed in: ep 027
Fill-tube-opposite transplant placement
Place the transplant on the opposite side of the Earth Box from the water fill tube.
Discussed in: ep 010
Final re-mix before use
Right before transferring the cooked soil into the final planter, mix it one more time to eliminate any remaining wet or dry pockets and to incorporate the surface mycelium growth into the pile.
Discussed in: ep 003
Fine-tooth comb plant rotation scouting
Shift neighbouring plants out of the way or walk all the way around each plant so you can inspect every side, don't just look from one angle.
Discussed in: ep 025
Finger-grease smell test
Instead of breaking off a nug to smell it, rub the underside of the bud with your fingers to pick up resin grease, then smell your fingers.
Discussed in: ep 035
Finger-rake cover crop into top soil
After sprinkling cover crop seed, drag fingers lightly across the surface to press seed into the top layer without burying it
Discussed in: ep 007
Finger-work amendments without tilling
Use fingers to gently move the mulch aside so Craft Blend and castings contact the soil surface — without turning the soil.
Discussed in: ep 015
First-cut-as-template PVC method
Measure and cut the first piece of PVC to exact length using the tape measure, then lay it alongside each subsequent cut as a template rather than re-measuring every piece.
Discussed in: ep 006
first-watering cocktail
Mix Rootwise mycorrhizal blend (1 tsp/gal) + aloe + Rootwise enzyme blend (3-5 ml/gal) + pure yucca saponin extract (1/8 tsp/gal) in 1 gallon water. Pour into watering can or Chapin sprayer. Apply slowly so it reaches the bottom without flooding.
Discussed in: ep 021
Flip-to-flower timing around travel
Work backward from your departure date to pick a flip-to-flower date such that you are present through the full two week stretch plus defoliation before leaving.
Discussed in: ep 022
Four-quadrant side-by-side comparison
Run four different growing configurations simultaneously inside a 10x10 tent to directly compare containers, cultivars, and methods under identical environment.
Discussed in: ep 042
Four-quadrant test layout
Dividing a single 10x10 grow tent into four distinct experimental quadrants (EarthBox comparison, 3x3 no-till bed, 10-gallon recipe comparison, indoor food) so that containers, soil recipes, and methods can be compared side by side under the same environment.
Discussed in: ep 001
Freeze-drying SCOBY for powder applications
Experimental — freeze-dry a kombucha SCOBY into powder form to then use as an input in fermentations or sprays.
Discussed in: ep 026
Fresh-frozen harvest for rosin
The day of harvest, take cut material straight into a deep freezer with no drying at all, then process it later via freeze dryer into hash/rosin, keeping the material as cold as possible throughout.
Discussed in: ep 037
Fridge-stored sprouts
Slide the whole Easy Sprout vessel (with its breathable lid) into the fridge at around 34°F once the sprouts are at eating stage — they continue very slow growth without decay
Discussed in: ep 033
Fukuoka-style random straw throw
Scatter mulch straw by hand naturally instead of laying it in perfect rows, because regimented lines mat down and suffocate the soil
Discussed in: ep 007
Full color, turgor, vigor check before flip
Before flipping a recovering plant to flower, verify full green color, full tissue pressure (turgor), and active visible growth (vigor) — don't flip a plant that hasn't finished bouncing back.
Discussed in: ep 042
Full-bed watering in one pass
After all transplants are in, water every plant zone at once with the transplant drench so every root ball is seated in fresh water and microbes.
Discussed in: ep 010
Genetic pace balancing via defoliation
Slow faster-vegging genetics down with targeted defoliation so the slower phenos in the same bed can catch up before the flip.
Discussed in: ep 014
Genetics morphology cataloging
Compare calyx shape, hair fatness, swelling pattern, leaf shape, stretch habit and color expression side-by-side between cultivars and build a mental catalog over many runs.
Discussed in: ep 028
Gentle-handling homegrown trim (anti-golf-ball)
Deliberately leave a little leaf structure on the nug — do not vacuum-pack and do not golf-ball it perfectly smooth. Gentle handling protects the nug, and the residual leaf can be knocked off later to revive the aroma.
Discussed in: ep 041
Graph-smoothness health check
Read the real-time temperature and humidity graph on your grow room monitor and check if the lines are smooth and flat or erratic and spiky.
Discussed in: ep 022
Grease-factor squeeze test
Squeeze a nug gently — if it wants to ooze and grease rather than crunch, that is the high-resin grease factor. Not necessarily more moist than the others, just a gluey resin texture.
Discussed in: ep 041
Grinding sprouted seed top-dress
Grind sprouted seeds (especially sprouted hemp) in a bullet blender before top-dressing to destroy any residual viability so no seed can germinate in the mulch layer.
Discussed in: ep 029
Grow Cow calcium-only start-of-flower foliar
Mix Grow Cow calcium product alone in water and foliar spray on the morning of the first day of flower.
Discussed in: ep 018
Growing Organic kashi fermentation
Combine rice bran and wheat bran as the carbon bulk, add small amounts of soybean meal and insect frass, add mineral gypsum and montmorillonite, ferment anaerobically for 2-3 weeks, remove from the barrel and dry quickly with fans (no heat), mill in whole malted barley on the spot, then blend in activated biochar pre-charged with Rootwise Microbe Complete.
Discussed in: ep 026
Hand tamping
Press the sown area flat with your hand to ensure every seed is in firm contact with the soil surface — a home-scale substitute for the farm's weighted roller.
Discussed in: ep 030
Hand-filling a 3x3 fabric bed from a 100 gallon mixing container
Tip the 3x3 fabric bed upright in position, ideally with PVC corner/leg kit installed first. Use a scoop or bucket to transfer living soil from the bulk mixing container directly into the bed. Distribute evenly and mix in the bed once filled.
Discussed in: ep 004
Hand-pull vs scissors for defoliation
Hand-pull leaves from thick mature branches (one-hand motion, pulls cleanly upward). Switch to scissors on thin branches to avoid kinking the branch while pulling.
Discussed in: ep 028
Hand-raking seed into contact
Use fingers as a light rake to lightly stir sown seed into the top few millimetres of soil without pushing it too deep.
Discussed in: ep 030
Handing off a grow with simple written instructions
Leave the caretaker a minimal set of rules — 'look down the tube, water when it's empty' for one container, 'one Chapin every other day' for another, 'if water comes out the bottom you overwatered' as the guardrail.
Discussed in: ep 024
Harvesting bolted lettuce back to the worm bin
Harvest bolted lettuce completely instead of cut-and-regrowing and feed the spent plant material to the worm bin.
Discussed in: ep 024
Heavy cover-crop overseeding in containers
Apply cover crop seed at well above field rate in small containers because any seed that doesn't make it simply decomposes as seed-meal fertilizer
Discussed in: ep 007
Hermaphrodite hunt in quadrant scan
When pistils start colouring up and receding earlier than expected, closely inspect the whole quadrant for male pollen sacs and bananas to identify hermaphrodite plants before pollen opens.
Discussed in: ep 027
Hermaphrodite scan on new flower hairs
At every flower-stage walkthrough, inspect each female hair cluster for pollen sacs or banana-shaped nanners indicating intersex traits.
Discussed in: ep 020
Hermaphrodite trait scan
Visually scan each plant for any male reproductive parts (pollen sacs / bananas) sticking out among the female flowers.
Discussed in: ep 025
Higher-cut lettuce harvest
When harvesting an overgrown lettuce bed, scissor-cut slightly higher than the usual trim line so the bottom layer of decayed leaves stays in the bed and the harvested leaves are clean enough to eat.
Discussed in: ep 010
Holding still for Pulse Pro reading
Click the 'receive reading' button in the app, press the physical button on the Pulse Pro, then hold the device absolutely still in the target spot while it transmits (10–15 seconds) — don't move until the yellow flash and save confirms.
Discussed in: ep 031
Home bokashi bucket composting
Keep a bucket in the home kitchen, layer kashi with food scraps as they accumulate, seal until full, then dig a hole in the yard and bury the contents to finish the conversion underground.
Discussed in: ep 026
Home bokashi minimal recipe
Wheat bran from a local feed store plus EM1 or home-cultured LAB plus molasses plus water, fermented anaerobically in a sealed contractor bag.
Discussed in: ep 026
Hot water extraction for drippers
High-value berry farmers using drippers sometimes do a hot water extraction on humic-carrier micronutrient products to get a fully liquid concentrate that won't clog drip lines.
Discussed in: ep 028
hot-room compromise
If you cannot cool the dry room below 85°F, drop the RH target to about 55% instead of 60% and push airflow harder to reduce bud rot risk.
Discussed in: ep 040
Humidify the lung room instead of the tent
If in-tent humidifier can't keep up, move the humidifier to the lung room outside the tent so passive intake pulls in already-humid air.
Discussed in: ep 011
indirect fan placement
Point the drying-room fan at the back wall of the tent or at an angle that does not hit the tallest hanging plant directly. Air must move, but must not blast a single nug.
Discussed in: ep 040
Indoor hand pollination of tomato
Manually transfer pollen between indoor tomato flowers because there is no wind or insect activity in a tent to do it naturally.
Discussed in: ep 006
Initial soak water rinse-off
Drain the initial 12-24 hour soak water (do not use), then blast the seeds under faucet stream water to physically wash off the anti-germination seed coating
Discussed in: ep 033
Install second trellis layer during early flower stretch
Drop pre-cut PVC uprights into existing corner sockets, connect top rails with three- or four-way corner fittings (no glue), lay the trellis screen on top and zip-tie it to the frame.
Discussed in: ep 022
insurance cuts per genetic
Take 2-3 cuts from each mother, not just one. When the tray is labeled you can see all your backups, and if the keeper dies you still have that genetic.
Discussed in: ep 021
Interplanting radishes with longer crops
Sow radishes into a vegging cannabis bed — they mature in ~30 days and can be pulled before the flip, sharing soil and space with the main crop.
Discussed in: ep 030
IV-style tea dose for sick plant
Give an overwatered or struggling plant a slightly heavier dose of RootWise-boosted compost tea as immediately-available nutrition.
Discussed in: ep 015
Kale regrowth from central node
When cutting back kale, leave the central nodule intact so the plant regrows from it — harvesting branches rather than killing the plant.
Discussed in: ep 030
Kashi + top-dress inoculation
Always apply a sprinkle of kashi alongside any NPK top dress like Craft Blend so the kashi biology accelerates breakdown and makes the NPK nutrients plant-available faster.
Discussed in: ep 026
Kashi 1-2% by volume in fresh soil mix
When mixing a fresh batch of living soil, add kashi at 1 to 2 percent of total volume to inoculate the new mix with probiotic microbes.
Discussed in: ep 026
Kashi blend finishing layer
Add a layer of fermented grain Kashi Blend over the castings to add extra biology and grow a surface mycelium mat.
Discussed in: ep 012
Keep the schedule moving (no slowdowns)
Don't let setup tasks like bed-building drag out for days — the lights are turning on and off on the plants' schedule and any stall behind it hurts plant health.
Discussed in: ep 006
Keeper cut quadrant separation strategy
If two pheno-selected keeper cuts have very different stretch/structure, run them in separate quadrants so neither steals light from the other.
Discussed in: ep 025
keeper-down culling and bonsai mothering
Run all 10 keepers through flower, smoke-test, agree on the best one together, cull the rest, then run the winner again. Keep the winners as 1-gallon bonsai mothers, trimming them down to stay small and provide future cuts.
Discussed in: ep 021
Keeping seedlings mobile
Transplanting seedlings up through container sizes before they get root bound so they are always ready to go to the next cycle.
Discussed in: ep 001
Kelp meal top-dress at re-amend
Rather than adding kelp meal to every cycle's soil mix, save it for top-dress applications during the re-amend step between cycles. Sprinkle a small amount on the surface and let irrigation incorporate it.
Discussed in: ep 004
Knife-under-stock lettuce harvest
Slide a knife underneath a whole lettuce head at the base and cut right through the stock to harvest the head intact.
Discussed in: ep 006
Kombucha foliar application
Start aged kombucha at 1-2 oz per gallon for foliar sprays and test on a section before rolling out across the whole garden.
Discussed in: ep 026
label-at-base-of-stem wrap
Reuse the original plant tag from the pre-soak bundle by wrapping it around the base of the stem in the new cup. Later you can move the tag higher up a branch.
Discussed in: ep 021
Label-everything discipline
Use plant stakes, masking tape or Sharpie-marked sticks to label every bed row and every seed cup — especially when mixing cannabis and vegetables.
Discussed in: ep 030
Labelled plant tag that travels
Write the strain name on a plastic plant tag and slip it through the stem so the same tag moves with the plant at every up-pot.
Discussed in: ep 002
Lasagna / seven-layer-dip layering
Instead of dumping all ingredients in at once, lay each ingredient as a distinct top-to-bottom layer in the mixing vessel. Peat on the bottom, then aeration (pumice, rice hulls), then compost, then biochar, worm castings, and finally mineral + nutrient kits sprinkled across the top surface. Only THEN do you mix.
Discussed in: ep 003
Lasagna layering against fungus gnats
Alternate an inch of compost with a layer of chopped leaves on top of living soil.
Discussed in: ep 017
Lasagna layering top dress
Layer chopped leaves, Craft Blend and worm castings on top of the mulch, then work them gently with fingers to make soil contact and water in.
Discussed in: ep 015
Lasagna stacking top dress
Continue building up alternating top-dress layers (gnarly barley, kashi blend, worm castings, compost) on top of the existing mulch without ever mixing into the soil.
Discussed in: ep 029
Late-flower lower leaf defoliation
Once colas are defined and buds have thickened, pull the rainbow lower leaves off the bottom of the plant to clean up the understory and improve airflow.
Discussed in: ep 035
Late-flower sweep and vacuum
Sweep and vacuum the grow room floor periodically during late flower to keep leaf drop, dust, and debris out of the understory.
Discussed in: ep 035
Layering castings over Craft Blend
Immediately after applying Craft Blend, spread roughly half a bag of worm castings on top so the castings' biology is in direct contact with the dry amendment and incorporates into the existing soil.
Discussed in: ep 012
leaf surface temperature offset
Measure leaf surface temperature with a kitchen laser thermometer, compare to room temperature, and apply that delta as an offset to any VPD chart or monitor reading.
Discussed in: ep 019
Leaf tip trimming for dome packing
Trim the ends off larger fan leaves on the cutting so they don't drag on each other and create moisture pockets inside the dome.
Discussed in: ep 015
Leaf-chop to accelerate mulch decay
After pruning lowers, chop the removed leaves into small pieces with scissors before dropping them into the mulch layer.
Discussed in: ep 010
Leaf-flip scope IPM check
Use the same USB scope you use for trichomes to flip leaves over mid-grow and inspect the underside for microscopic pests like russet mites.
Discussed in: ep 037
Leaf-surface-temperature VPD
Calculate VPD against the leaf surface temperature (which can differ from ambient under intense lighting) rather than the air temperature.
Discussed in: ep 009
lean toward 59 not 61
When targeting 60% RH, intentionally bias the setpoint slightly dry (59%) rather than slightly wet (61%) because the room only dries out further on days 2, 3 and 4.
Discussed in: ep 040
Leave the plant to take what it wants at the end
After the final flower-finishing top dress, stop pushing nutrients and let the plant naturally draw what it wants and leave the rest — don't force anything more.
Discussed in: ep 031
Leave the top dress undisturbed
Do not dig into a fresh top dress to check for feeder roots — trust that the roots will colonise it quickly on their own.
Discussed in: ep 027
Leaving environmental equipment running during filming
Instead of turning fans, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers off when shooting video, leave everything on and just accept the background sound.
Discussed in: ep 024
LED 100% + PAR meter + DLI
Run big-panel LEDs at 100% at the top of the tent for schedule simplicity, use a PAR meter to read average canopy PAR (~500), and use the DLI framework to set your photoperiod ceiling.
Discussed in: ep 005
Less-moisture-is-reversible philosophy
Intentionally underwater fresh soil — you can always come back tomorrow and add more, but you cannot remove water from an overwatered mix. If in doubt, go drier.
Discussed in: ep 003
Let Earth Box reservoir dry before refilling
When a no-till Earth Box shows irregular growth from slow water movement, stop topping up the reservoir and let it run dry for a day or two, then check the new growth before refilling.
Discussed in: ep 017
Let-fade-happen-naturally cultivar selection
If you know a cultivar is prone to a heavy natural fade, let it happen. If a cultivar doesn't naturally fade, don't starve it trying to force fade colours — you'll hurt yield and quality.
Discussed in: ep 037
Letting plants reveal natural structure
Don't top, train, LST or defoliate during a seed-run evaluation — grow each plant totally naturally so its genetic form is visible
Discussed in: ep 007
Lettuce post-harvest thinning
Use scissors in a separate bucket to thin dense regrowth, cutting above the growth tip of each plant so it can regrow.
Discussed in: ep 010
Lettuce reset shave
When cut-and-come-again lettuce has been harvested unevenly, shear the entire crop back to the same height at once, fridge the cuttings, and let it regrow evenly.
Discussed in: ep 009
Lift-and-flip using the fabric pot edges
Grab the edge of the fabric pot and lift/flip sections of the soil back over themselves as a supplemental mixing move.
Discussed in: ep 003
Light dimming to hold plants back
Reach up and dim the top LED(s) on each side of the tent to intentionally slow growth so plants in small containers do not outgrow their home before the next transplant window.
Discussed in: ep 009
Light stem scraping to open root sites
Use scissors to lightly scrape the bottom of the cutting to open up the stem surface and make it easier for roots to break through.
Discussed in: ep 015
Light-blocking mulch cover
Lightly cover sown seed with worm castings, compost or bark so that light can't hit the seed directly — germination rate goes up.
Discussed in: ep 030
Lights-off fade inspection
Turn off or dim the grow lights in a quadrant to see the plant's true colours — the gold hues and fade patterns are masked under full-intensity horticultural lighting.
Discussed in: ep 037
Listening to plants vs scheduling feeds
Don't fully plan out the flower feed schedule in advance — let the plants show you what they need, make observations on return from travel, then decide whether to top dress again, brew a compost tea, or hold off.
Discussed in: ep 024
Living-soil ecosystem stacking (mulch + cover crop + worms + beneficials)
Build the bed as a system: soil plus cover crop plus mulch layer plus worms and predator mites plus rove beetles — each part reinforces the others.
Discussed in: ep 006
Living-soil vacation handoff
Plan your flip and trellis work so the grow room is dialed before you travel, then leave a sitter a watering can and a fixed per-day volume to add. No pH, no feed adjustments, just water.
Discussed in: ep 022
Log-as-ecosystem-habitat
Leave a decomposing log in the bed to harbour a dense mixed population of rove beetles, predator mites, nematodes and fungus gnat larvae all in one localized place.
Discussed in: ep 020
Lollipopping lower branches
Strip a lower branch of its side shoots and leaves so only the top bud site remains — sometimes remove the whole branch if it will never reach the canopy.
Discussed in: ep 017
low-light high-humidity cloning
Use a deliberately low-intensity light source and 90-100 percent humidity so clones don't try to grow before they have roots. If you give cuts bright light they attempt to grow, yellow up, and fail to root.
Discussed in: ep 021
Lower-branch removal up to the fruit
On a vining tomato, remove every lower branch below the lowest fruiting branch to focus energy on the main leader.
Discussed in: ep 011
Lowering setpoint to force fan cycling
Drop your tent temperature setpoint below what the LEDs naturally create so the exhaust fan has to cycle regularly, which in turn triggers the humidifier and brings in fresh air.
Discussed in: ep 005
Make your own lacto-fermented fish
DIY fish fertilizer stabilized via lactobacillus fermentation instead of acidification — an alternative to buying phosphoric-acid-stabilized liquid fish.
Discussed in: ep 008
Manufacturer datasheet light placement
If you do not own a PAR meter, look up your light manufacturer's published PAR readings at 1 ft, 2 ft, 3 ft and place plants accordingly.
Discussed in: ep 009
Manufacturer PPFD map + tape measure
Instead of buying a PAR meter, pull the PPFD map off your light manufacturer's website and use a tape measure to estimate your canopy light level at a given hanging distance.
Discussed in: ep 031
Matching outdoor genetics to the region
Choose varieties like Long Valley Royal Kush for outdoor because they prefer it — and if running outdoors, plant later or use supplemental light to avoid early flip and reveg.
Discussed in: ep 027
Maybe pile sorting
Physically separate plants into three groups — confirmed female, confirmed male, and maybe — as you sex them, and revisit the maybe pile a few days later.
Discussed in: ep 009
Measuring plant and screen heights from the soil surface
Drop a tape measure straight down to the actual soil surface (not the rim) to get accurate plant and screen heights.
Discussed in: ep 020
Mid-episode video replay and pause for reassessment
Pull up earlier episode footage on screen, watch it alongside the audience, pause it to comment on what was happening, and explicitly identify what you'd do differently with hindsight.
Discussed in: ep 042
Mid-flower BuildABloom supplementation
Water in BuildABloom at one teaspoon per gallon during a regular watering as a complement to an already top-dressed living soil — not as a primary feed.
Discussed in: ep 024
Minimal training + keeper selection
Avoid aggressive topping/defoliation, build a simple screen, flip fast, select the best phenotype as a 'keeper' to rerun in the same soil.
Discussed in: ep 011
Minimal-disturbance centre replant
To replant into a no-till bed, dig back only as much soil as needed in the centre, set the new plant, and leave the rest of the bed alone.
Discussed in: ep 027
Mist-germinate top of bed
Gentle misting of the top of direct-sown seed beds (lettuce, carrots, radish) daily to keep the top layer moist until germination
Discussed in: ep 033
Misting to settle dry amendments
Mist the surface of a newly-applied top dress lightly with water so the dry powders knit into the top layer rather than blowing around.
Discussed in: ep 012
Molasses-to-fish compost tea swap
Use the same 4 gallon / 1.5 cup compost / 1/3 cup carbon source Microbe Man base recipe but replace molasses with Organic Gem liquid fish at the same 1/3 cup.
Discussed in: ep 017
Mono-crop clone quadrants for comparative analysis
Instead of running mixed seed lines, run identical clones in each quadrant so differences between quadrants reflect the growing technique or container choice rather than genetic variability.
Discussed in: ep 024
Mono-cropping a container
Putting only one genetic per container rather than mixing strains, giving each cultivar a fair chance to express its full potential without being shaded or crowded by competitors
Discussed in: ep 033
Morning watering (lights-on)
Water the grow first thing in the morning when lights come on, matching irrigation to the plant's active uptake window
Discussed in: ep 033
Mounded single-side Earth Box top dress
Mound three scoops of Build-A-Flower on one accessible side of the Earth Box rather than spreading evenly across the top.
Discussed in: ep 017
Mounding soil before top dress
In overfilled containers, push existing soil slightly upward into a mound before applying top dress so that amendments don't spill out over the rim when watered.
Discussed in: ep 031
Mulch cover pull and soil surface scout
Gently pull back the top mulch layer of the bed to expose the soil surface, then scan visually for fungus gnats, predator mites, and feeder roots breaking the surface.
Discussed in: ep 025
Mulch-layer life inspection
Lift or look down into the mulch layer and assess species diversity and population balance as a direct read on living soil health.
Discussed in: ep 020
Mulch-layer moisture maintenance
Keep the surface mulch layer — where feeder roots and top-dress amendments live — consistently somewhat moist without soaking it.
Discussed in: ep 008
Multi-cut backup cloning
Take two or three cuttings from each mother plant rather than one so you always have at least one healthy rooted clone per genetic.
Discussed in: ep 015
Multi-node sex confirmation
When a single node reading is ambiguous, inspect multiple nodes higher and lower on the same plant to gather more signals before calling it.
Discussed in: ep 009
Mushroom log soak for re-flushing
Submerge a harvested mushroom log in water to shock it into another fruiting flush.
Discussed in: ep 012
Mycelium-as-readiness indicator
Look for white fungal mycelium fuzz growing on the soil surface after a few days of cooking. Visible mycelium (especially in daylight, not just shade) is a sign that beneficials are alive and the soil is coming together properly.
Discussed in: ep 003
Nanner / hermaphrodite search in late flower
Inspect each plant visually for individual banana-shaped male anthers emerging from calyxes — one nanner is usually not catastrophic late in flower, but it needs to be noted and watched.
Discussed in: ep 035
Nanner scan during defoliation pass
While hand-pulling low leaves, use the time to carefully inspect each branch for pollen sacs, nanners or hermaphrodite traits — a free second-look diagnostic opportunity.
Discussed in: ep 028
nematode suspension drench (water-first method)
Pre-fill the watering can with water (~1.5 gallons), dump all the nematode powder in, shake continuously to keep it in suspension, remove the fan-spray nozzle from the wand for a direct stream, and hand-water a small volume into each root zone rather than irrigating the whole room at once.
Discussed in: ep 019
Never add worms during soil mixing
Do not add worms while turning or remixing the soil — mechanical mixing can kill them.
Discussed in: ep 005
Never water to runoff (living soil)
In living soil, never water so heavily that you get runoff out the bottom — runoff flushes away the nutrients you spent money building into the soil.
Discussed in: ep 008
New white pistil check
Visually scan buds for freshly emerging white pistils; if new white hairs are still popping, it's not time to harvest regardless of the target calendar date
Discussed in: ep 033
Next-day moisture check
After bottom watering a dry Earth Box, check the next day to see whether moisture has wicked up to the top layer. If not, gently mist the top.
Discussed in: ep 012
Night temperature-triggered dehumidification
Set the night temperature setpoint on the controller lower than the ambient so the exhaust fan is triggered during lights-off to pull humidity out.
Discussed in: ep 009
night-time humidity drop for bud rot prevention
Set a lower night-time temperature target on the Niwa so the exhaust fan runs during lights-off to vent humidity, and set the humidifier target low enough that it doesn't fire at night.
Discussed in: ep 019
no-burp jar discipline
Aim to dial the dry so that when the herb goes into the jar you never have to open and burp it to release moisture. Burping chasing out moisture creates hay smell.
Discussed in: ep 040
No-flush finishing in living soil
Do not flush a living-soil plant before harvest. Just chop at finish, cure properly, and expect good smoke.
Discussed in: ep 005
No-glue PVC assembly for cleanability
Assemble PVC trellis frames using friction fit only (no PVC glue) so the whole thing can be broken down for cleaning between rounds.
Discussed in: ep 022
No-rip transplant
Transplant without teasing, ripping or disturbing the root system at all, even though some growers break up the root ball.
Discussed in: ep 002
Non-sterile cloning
Skip alcohol, gloves and razor blades — take cuts by hand or with scissors; rely on biology and healthy mothers instead.
Discussed in: ep 015
Not combining stretchers and non-stretchers in shared soil
Plant pheno-matched stretchers together and non-stretchers together. Never put a non-stretcher next to a stretcher in the same container or shared bed — the stretcher will dwarf the non-stretcher and cannibalize its flower development.
Discussed in: ep 041
nozzle-off root-zone streaming
Remove the fan-spray nozzle from the pump sprayer wand so you get a direct liquid stream straight into the root zone rather than an overhead mist.
Discussed in: ep 019
Oil-drop foam kill
Add a single drop of neem or olive oil to the brew to break persistent foam.
Discussed in: ep 014
On-top in-situ composting (green drop into brown)
Chop the maturing cover crop and let the green biomass fall into the brown straw mulch so a balanced C:N composting zone forms directly on top of the bed
Discussed in: ep 007
One log at a time feeding
Never dump all the nutrients into a soil bed at once. Add small amounts of amendments regularly so the soil fire burns continuously rather than flaring up and going out.
Discussed in: ep 029
One-bag recipe comparison grow
Placing exactly one 7.5 gallon bag of a different BuildASoil soil recipe into each 10-gallon container and running one female cannabis plant per container to compare recipes head-to-head while supporting them with teas, top dressings, and organic fertilizers.
Discussed in: ep 001
One-cubic-yard thermal composting threshold
Only expect a compost pile to go thermal when you reach about 1 cubic yard (3x3x3 ft, ~200 gallons, 27 cubic feet). Below that, it won't go hot.
Discussed in: ep 005
One-square relocation of tall branches
Instead of letting a tall branch stay in its current scrog cell, pull it down and tuck it one square out so neighbouring branches can compete on equal terms.
Discussed in: ep 020
one-tub-per-plant labelling
When multiple cultivars are in tubs, either put one plant per tub or keep labels from the hanging stage intact to preserve cultivar separation.
Discussed in: ep 040
Opening up the bud and smelling inside
Gently spread the calyxes of a dense bud apart and smell deep into the interior of the cola, where the freshest terpenes are protected.
Discussed in: ep 035
Opportunistic incremental defoliation
Instead of scheduling defoliation on fixed calendar days, pull a couple of leaves here and there during daily walk-throughs, or do a bigger cleanup pass when the canopy needs it, so you're never behind.
Discussed in: ep 024
Opportunistic vegetable germination in cannabis tent
Use the already heated and humid cannabis tent as an impromptu propagation house for vegetable seedlings on rack trays rather than firing up the adjacent heated greenhouse.
Discussed in: ep 004
Optional tea bag loading
Place Craft Blend and castings inside a mesh tea bag inside the brewer so the finished tea can be removed without pre-straining.
Discussed in: ep 014
Oscillating-fan front-plate removal
Remove the front grill of a zip-tied oscillating fan to reduce load on the plastic oscillation gears that fail first in a humid grow room.
Discussed in: ep 011
Over-water rebound — hold water, tea dose, top dress, pinch
When you've over-watered, stop watering immediately, give a small extra dose of compost tea (water-available nutrients the plant doesn't have to work for), top dress amendments, bend or pinch the top to force bushy growth, and pull leaves that won't fully recover.
Discussed in: ep 042
Overflow-stop signal
Use the first sign of water running out of the container overflow port as the stop signal to immediately back off filling.
Discussed in: ep 022
Oversize cloning for selection
When stocking the next run, take 20–30 cuttings to pick the healthiest, most uniform 10 to actually run.
Discussed in: ep 015
Overwater recovery — basic tea plus zero water
Brew a simple worm castings + molasses + Blue Gold sugar blend tea, apply a small amount to the root zone, then do not water at all for 4–5 days.
Discussed in: ep 018
Overwater-to-runoff correction
To rescue an already-underwatered plant, water deliberately until roughly a quarter inch of runoff appears under the container, confirming the soil column has hit peak saturation. Then leave it alone to rebound.
Discussed in: ep 012
Paper-pot machine transplant
Load linked paper-pot cells into a special hand-plow attachment; as you pull the plow, cells unlink 'like machine-gun ammunition', bury in the furrow, and the plow closes the soil behind them.
Discussed in: ep 011
Par meter side-by-side comparison
Hold the Apogee par meter and the Pulse Pro in the same spot and snapshot both readings via the Pulse phone app for comparison.
Discussed in: ep 030
Par reading after stretch
Once a photoperiod crop has finished stretching and the canopy is close to the light, take a PAR reading across the canopy to tune light height and intensity.
Discussed in: ep 027
partial-fill transplant into solo cups
Put just a little soil in the bottom of the cup first, set the rooted puck on that soil, then backfill by hand around the puck. Tap the side and lightly press the surface to seat it.
Discussed in: ep 021
Passive intake exhaust-only ventilation
Run only an exhaust fan and let replacement air enter the tent through the seams via negative pressure rather than powering a dedicated intake fan.
Discussed in: ep 009
Peel-back mulch moisture inspection
Lift the mulch layer at the far corners of the bed to check whether moisture has reached the edges — if the corners are moist, the whole bed is evenly watered.
Discussed in: ep 011
Peel-back-the-cover soil inspection
Lift the mulch/cover off a no-till bed and check for predator mites, rove beetles, worms, feeder roots and mycelial bloom as a health check.
Discussed in: ep 030
Perimeter-then-center seed broadcast
Sprinkle cover crop seed around the outer edge of the container first and then refill the centre for an even distribution
Discussed in: ep 007
Periodic 10% deep watering / runoff calibration
Once every week or two, water up to 10% of container volume to intentionally find where runoff begins — this is your 'peak saturation' benchmark.
Discussed in: ep 008
Pet-training feeder roots analogy
Jeremy's mental model — repeatedly top dressing is like training a pet to sit for food; the feeder roots learn where food comes from and start waiting for it.
Discussed in: ep 020
Pheno hunt narrow-down by odor first
After harvest and cure, walk each jar, pop the lid, and evaluate by first-crack aroma. Star the standouts. Cross-check a few days later by smoking them in rotation — the real keeper often reveals itself as the jar you naturally keep reaching for rather than the one you thought was best on day one.
Discussed in: ep 041
Pheno-run canopy philosophy vs clone-run
When running seeds to pick phenotypes, do not stress over canopy perfection — let each plant express itself so you can pick favourites. Save maximum canopy discipline for clone runs of a chosen winner.
Discussed in: ep 017
photograph the labels
Once tray/bottom labels are written in sharpie, take a photo of them as a backup against the sharpie rubbing off over time.
Discussed in: ep 021
Pinch over scissors on tender growth
Use your fingers to pinch tender lower growth off rather than fighting to place scissors in tight canopy angles.
Discussed in: ep 012
Pinch-and-bend (low stress training)
Gently pinch the stem on one side then the other to crease it without snapping, then bend the branch down to redirect apical dominance to side branches.
Discussed in: ep 017
Pinch-free finger nug pulling
Pull a small nug off the plant with your fingers without pinching it — grip gently to pop the bud off rather than crushing between fingertips, so the trichomes stay fully intact for the scope.
Discussed in: ep 037
Pinching lower leaves as in-place mulch
Pinch lower cannabis leaves off the plant and drop them onto the mulch layer to decay in place.
Discussed in: ep 011
Planning the second scrog height
Install the second scrog layer roughly 14 inches above the first — not a critical exact number, 13 to 15 inches all work; the goal is to support the plants and allow further bending.
Discussed in: ep 020
Plant tagging with stage-of-life labels
Push a handwritten plastic tag ('Branson's Royal Revenge #9 female') into the mulch next to each plant, tracking cultivar, seed number, and sex.
Discussed in: ep 011
Plant-count-over-training philosophy
Instead of training fewer plants hard, run more plants at one per square foot and flip within a couple days of the flip date.
Discussed in: ep 005
Plant-in-place worm seeding
Drop at least two live worms directly into a freshly built Earth Box or bed at transplant so the worm ecosystem is already working.
Discussed in: ep 010
Post-brew settle-and-pour
Brew straight in the bucket without a bag, then either filter the finished tea or let solids settle and pour off the top.
Discussed in: ep 014
Pot lift test for watering
Lift each pot by hand in the morning — if it feels fairly heavy it has enough water for the day, if it's very light it needs watering regardless of what the surface feels like.
Discussed in: ep 020
Pot weight watering check
Lift each container by hand and judge by weight whether it still holds moisture before deciding to water.
Discussed in: ep 009
Pour-off-the-top humic decant
When micronutrient products carry humic acid granules, let the chunks settle in your mix bucket and pour the top of the mix off into your sprayer or container — micronutrients are already released into solution, the granules are just the carrier.
Discussed in: ep 028
PPFD-based plant-to-light distance
Stop measuring light-to-plant distance in inches and instead place plants wherever the PAR meter reads a target PPFD (Jeremy targets ~500 µmol) at the canopy.
Discussed in: ep 009
Prayer-leaf water-weight read
Observe whether praying leaves are holding their upward angle or starting to soften and tilt back down from water weight on the leaf — a soft tilt immediately after watering indicates a fresh watering has happened.
Discussed in: ep 026
Praying leaf turgor pressure read
Check whether the canopy leaves lift up and pray — that posture is driven by proper turgor pressure, confirming watering and humidity are dialled.
Discussed in: ep 025
Pre-day-21 lower lateral cleanup
Strip off the small lower branches that won't reach the screen canopy, doing the cleanup sooner rather than later and ideally before day 21.
Discussed in: ep 025
Pre-emptive top-dressing
Apply top dress the day before the next scheduled watering (ideally morning-of) so watering activates it immediately — don't wait until plants are showing hunger.
Discussed in: ep 026
Pre-feeding bagged compost
Pre-moisten bagged/aged compost and pre-feed it oats or kashi to reactivate the dormant biology before brewing a tea.
Discussed in: ep 014
Pre-flip hang time
Leave the plants alone for 24 to 48 hours after defoliation, training, top-dressing and compost tea drench before flipping the lights to 12/12.
Discussed in: ep 014
Pre-flower clone cut and per-plant labelling
Cut lower branches off each plant for clones and label each clone with the plant it came from (e.g. 'halitosis number eight'), so after flower you can discard every clone except the keeper's.
Discussed in: ep 012
Pre-flower sexing under veg light
Examine nodes of 1-gallon plants during 18/6 veg for visible pre-flower sex structures to identify male vs female before transplant
Discussed in: ep 007
Pre-flower top dress preload
Deliberately fill containers short of full (7.5 gallons in a 10 gallon) and apply a top dress of compost and amendments into the headroom right before flip so feeder roots develop up into the mulch layer.
Discussed in: ep 024
Pre-fluffing peat moss before use
Run the peat moss through a fluffing machine (or break up all clumps by hand) before adding it to the mix.
Discussed in: ep 003
Pre-harvest cover crop seeding (one straw revolution style)
In the final week of flower, scatter cover crop seeds over the bed surface and water them lightly so germination begins before harvest. After harvest, chop the cover crop and drop it on the surface, add craft blend, and mulch over the top to terminate the cover crop.
Discussed in: ep 029
Pre-harvest defoliation (labour smoothing)
If you're labour-constrained, defoliate plants completely a day or two before the chop date — strip down to just buds and sugar leaves while they're still standing.
Discussed in: ep 037
Pre-inoculating biochar
Before biochar is added to a living soil mix, saturate it with microbial inoculant (Roots Organics Microbe Complete), organic amino acids, and nitrogen so the porous structure is pre-loaded with nutrients and microbes.
Discussed in: ep 003
Pre-launch quadrant walk-through
Walk the tent quadrant by quadrant before the flip to flower, physically inspecting each plant for colour, turgor, vigor and any lingering issues.
Discussed in: ep 012
Pre-load feeder roots with top dress before flip
Lay a half-inch to one-inch layer of fresh compost (Build-A-Flower) on top of each container and Earth Box immediately before flipping the light schedule, giving roots a fresh nutrient zone to stretch into.
Discussed in: ep 017
Pre-moistening crusty soil with saponin
Add a few drops of Therm X70 to irrigation water before applying to a crusty, dry soil surface — the saponin spreads moisture evenly and stops run-through.
Discussed in: ep 030
Pre-prune at transplant
Take scissors to the lowest fan leaves and very small lowest branches at transplant. Cut, don't pinch, and chop the offcuts into small pieces before dropping them into the mulch layer.
Discussed in: ep 010
Preemptive lower-leaf removal
Pull lower leaves and lower branches that clearly aren't going to make the canopy top before they start yellowing and going crispy from light starvation.
Discussed in: ep 024
Press-depth for pepper seeds
Place pepper seeds on the soil then gently press them slightly deeper with a finger before tamping flat. Peppers need a touch more depth than tomatoes.
Discussed in: ep 030
Prevention-first IPM
Start from seed (not clones), use clean healthy living soil, maintain good inputs and overall plant health, and do not let problems enter the garden in the first place.
Discussed in: ep 002
puck dunking (not squeezing)
Dunk pucks in plain filtered water to moisten, but don't squeeze them by hand. Shake excess water off before planting (two or three gentle shakes) so the puck is saturated but not dripping.
Discussed in: ep 021
puck water-only storage
Soak the cuttings in the rooting mixture rather than the pucks themselves, so the pucks only ever contact plain water. Return unused pucks to their bag afterward — they stay fresh and reusable.
Discussed in: ep 021
Pull a failing tomato to redirect energy
When one plant in a shared bed is visibly failing (e.g. blossom end rot), pull it entirely so the surviving plants can access the released root zone, water, and light.
Discussed in: ep 035
Pull tomato flowers to concentrate energy
When a tomato plant has thrown too many flowers and is self-terminating due to stress, manually remove some flower clusters so the plant can direct its remaining energy into filling a smaller number of fruit.
Discussed in: ep 029
Pull-aside cover crop for transplant hole
Instead of scattering the straw and cover crop everywhere, pull them to one side or the back of the bed in a single pile, dig the hole, transplant, then pull the mulch back into place.
Discussed in: ep 010
Pulling back leaf to reveal fade color
Pull a large fan leaf off the back of a cola to reveal the rainbow fade colors underneath — the purples, roses, wines, and plums visible from the inside.
Discussed in: ep 035
Pulling leaves that block low branches
Identify fan leaves shading a below-screen branch and remove them to give that branch a light window.
Discussed in: ep 020
Pump Chapin extra for low fill
When the Chapin sprayer is only partly full, pump it more times than usual to build sufficient pressure for an even spray pattern.
Discussed in: ep 018
Pump-above-bucket placement
Mount the air pump on a surface higher than the brew bucket.
Discussed in: ep 014
PVC corner trellis install (preferred order)
Before filling the bed with soil, slot the BuildASoil PVC corner fittings onto cut lengths of straight PVC with the legs on the inside of the bed, building a square frame that the fabric bed sits inside. This squares up the bed and provides a built-in trellis anchor.
Discussed in: ep 004
PVC trellis stacking
Stack two identical layers of the BuildASoil PVC corner kit on the 3x3 bed — the lower layer forms the scrog screen now and the second layer stands ready for a taller support as the plants grow.
Discussed in: ep 014
Quadrant 4 space-spread
Spread limited soil volume out over a wider footprint (5x5 area) rather than stacking multiple plants in fewer containers
Discussed in: ep 033
Quadrant-by-quadrant walk audit
On returning after absence, systematically walk each quadrant in sequence, noting soil moisture, leaf color, feeder root activity, plant size relative to container, and any stress signals — then plan interventions per quadrant.
Discussed in: ep 028
Radish ring planting around a focal crop
Instead of scattering radish seeds across the whole bed, sprinkle them in a defined ring around an existing crop (like kale) so germination is concentrated in a useful zone.
Discussed in: ep 029
Ratcheting PVC cut watching the sharpie line
Mark the cut with a sharpie, open the ratcheting PVC cutter, engage the blade onto the line, and watch that the blade tracks the line as you ratchet because it can jump off.
Discussed in: ep 006
Re-amending a no-till bed for a second run
After a grow, re-amend the no-till bed — adding amendments back and top-dressing — then plant the next round into the same bed without tilling or disturbing the structure.
Discussed in: ep 041
Read the fueliest bud first
When picking which plant to sample within a cultivar group, choose the loudest/fueliest smelling one — it's the one you most want to nail the harvest timing on.
Discussed in: ep 037
Reading fade as the finishing signal
Look for fade on the plant as the signal that it is finishing, especially when smoking right away.
Discussed in: ep 005
Reading new-leaf colour and edge blue
Look at new top growth for slight blue leaf edges and no tip burn — a visual tell that nutrition, water and biology are dialled in.
Discussed in: ep 020
Reading stretch phenotypes during flower prep
Use the early flower stretch to learn each cultivar's stretch intensity so next run you can adjust veg length accordingly — veg longer for low stretchers, flip sooner for high stretchers.
Discussed in: ep 020
Recycled no-till cover-crop reload
Between grows, run a cover crop through the existing no-till soil to re-fertilize it naturally. Then plant the next round water-only for a while before adding any inputs.
Discussed in: ep 041
Recycled vs new Earth Box comparison
Run a previously-used (cover cropped and rebuilt) Earth Box next to a brand new one and track differences in moisture, worm activity and growth side by side.
Discussed in: ep 012
Recycling an Earth Box with Craft Blend and cover crop
Between runs, top-dress Craft Blend, let cover crop grow in, then turn the cover crop into the surface before replanting.
Discussed in: ep 011
refrigerated vs room-temperature storage
Store beneficial nematodes in the fridge (they ship with a cooler pack) and store predator mites at room temperature.
Discussed in: ep 019
Reject preemptive flushing in living soil
Do not run plain water two weeks before a pre-chosen harvest date. Instead, let the plant tell you when it's done and skip the flush entirely in living soil.
Discussed in: ep 035
Releasing bottle pressure on active biological product
When a biologically active liquid input (like Oil to the Soil) has bulged from microbial gas production, crack the cap briefly to release the built-up pressure.
Discussed in: ep 027
Repeatability check against the same spot
Take two readings back-to-back from the exact same marked position and compare — if the numbers match, the meter is at least consistent against itself, which is enough to trust relative benchmarks even if absolute accuracy is uncertain.
Discussed in: ep 031
Reservoir tube refill on earth boxes
When a BAS-style earth box sub-irrigated container's fill tube runs dry, pour clean water down the tube until full. That's the entire maintenance routine.
Discussed in: ep 028
Reservoir-dry EarthBox liquid feed
Wait until the EarthBox reservoir is completely empty, then top-water a small amount of liquid food solution (fish hydrolysate, compost tea, etc.) over the top dress. For big plants, refill the reservoir with clean water the same day. For small plants, wait 24 hours before refilling.
Discussed in: ep 029
Reservoir-only refill timing
Only water the earth box reservoir when it is completely empty — never top it off sooner.
Discussed in: ep 015
Restoring a broken EarthBox wick
Top water an EarthBox that has lost its capillary connection to reconnect moisture from the reservoir upward.
Discussed in: ep 030
Retrofitting trellis into a pre-filled bed
When soil is already in the bed, seat each leg by digging into the corner of the fabric bag and shoving the PVC down to the bottom, then thread crossbars through the 4-way corners, lifting bag edges if you need slack, and trim the final crossbar slightly short to ease the last corner.
Discussed in: ep 006
Return chopped defoliation leaves to mulch layer
Chop up defoliated leaves and lay them back on the soil surface as mulch.
Discussed in: ep 017
Reviving stored living soil
To bring stored soil back to life: re-moisten it, plant something in it, and re-inoculate with Kashi blend and Roots Organics Microbe Complete (root wise).
Discussed in: ep 003
Ripe pepper twist harvest
Harvest fully ripe red peppers by twisting them at the stem and pulling them off the plant.
Discussed in: ep 029
Rootbound overwatering safety rule
For a small container holding a big plant, err on the side of more water — a rootbound plant is almost impossible to overwater because it drinks water so fast.
Discussed in: ep 008
RootWise-at-application (not in brewer)
Add RootWise BioPhos and Enzyme to finished compost tea right before watering in — never inside the brewer.
Discussed in: ep 015
Rotate lettuce harvest in a circle
Harvest lettuce in a circle around the edges each day, leaving growth tips intact — do not strip to the base.
Discussed in: ep 017
Rotate seedling trays to address the weakest link
Manually rotate unlit seedling trays so both halves of the tray take turns in the strongest ambient light, evening out growth.
Discussed in: ep 011
Round container + corner step-in
Use a 100 gallon round fabric pot inside a square tent so the corners are open for you to step into.
Discussed in: ep 005
row-per-genetic tray labeling
Dedicate one row of pucks to each genetic/mother plant and label the row in sharpie (or masking tape). For larger runs, draw a grid on paper and photograph it as backup.
Discussed in: ep 021
Ruling out fan stress as herm cause
Cross-check whether fan size, speed and distance from the canopy are aggressive enough to cause physical stress herms before blaming equipment.
Discussed in: ep 027
Safe shake — not above your foot
Shake the metal Chapin sprayer to mix but never directly above your foot because these heavy metal sprayers will break your toe if they slip.
Discussed in: ep 018
Salad garden rhythm planting
Fill a small vegetable space with a mix of fast-growing short-turnover crops (lettuce, radishes, kale harvested around, sprouts in cups) so you get daily or near-daily fresh food rather than waiting weeks for one harvest.
Discussed in: ep 028
Salt-and-pepper Kashi sprinkle
Sprinkle BuildASoil Kashi lightly over a compost layer — do not dump it in a solid layer.
Discussed in: ep 017
Saponaria foliar for pest protection
Increase the Saponaria dose above the drench rate and apply as a foliar spray to leverage saponin surfactant action against pests.
Discussed in: ep 009
Saponin rescue for hydrophobic soil
When water runs straight through a dry container, dose the watering can with saponin and water slowly — reduces surface tension, gets full saturation with no runoff.
Discussed in: ep 020
Saponin wetting agent as every-water additive
Mix a saponin-based wetting agent into irrigation water at label rate and apply every time you water to prevent hydrophobic dry spots and deliver incidental plant growth promotion.
Discussed in: ep 004
Saponin-foam pre-wetting
Mix a pinch of Saponaria saponin powder into the watering volume and stir/foam it before spraying. The foam is what spreads the moisture through the hydrophobic peat.
Discussed in: ep 003
Screening fresh worm castings
Load a generous amount of fresh worm-bin material onto a mesh screen and work the fine castings through, returning the worms and coarse chunks back to the bin. Aims for an easy 1.5-cup harvest rather than passing everything through.
Discussed in: ep 014
Screw-through-tent fan mount
Run two drywall screws straight through the grow tent fabric into the wall behind to hard-mount a fan. Patch with duct tape if you ever need to move the tent.
Discussed in: ep 012
sea moss / chia seed cloning gel (experimental)
Make a gel from seaweed/sea moss or chia seeds using the preparation instructions on the product label. Mix in aloe and liquid seaweed. Dunk cut stems in the gel before plugging.
Discussed in: ep 021
second humidity dome for transplant day
Set up a receiving humidity dome on the bench. Add a little water to its bottom to pre-raise humidity. Move one clone at a time from the source dome into a cup and directly into the receiving dome, keeping both domes closed between transfers.
Discussed in: ep 021
Second screen layer above first
Install a second horizontal SCROG screen higher than the first so that the tallest tops can be bent under and poked through a new hole rather than growing straight up.
Discussed in: ep 017
Second-cycle no-till re-amend workflow
At the end of a no-till bed's first cycle, take a full soil test, review the results, and apply a top-dress re-amend based on what the data shows is depleted — without disturbing the soil.
Discussed in: ep 042
Second-pass smell walk
After walking the room once and rating smells, walk through again later to confirm first impressions and catch changes — terpene profiles can shift through the day and across the finish.
Discussed in: ep 035
Seed vs environment A/B test
Plant the same seed variety that failed last year alongside a healthy-germinating variety in the same greenhouse conditions to isolate whether the failure was the seed or the environment.
Discussed in: ep 006
Seed-in-small-container timing with clone-in-big-container
Start feminized seeds in 5-gallon containers at the same time clones go into the big quadrants — by the time the big-container clones are ready to flip at full yield, the seedlings should still be small enough to fit the 5-gallon.
Discussed in: ep 042
Seed-run keeper hunt with minimal training
Run a pack of seeds without heavy training so each plant can express its natural structure, then pick the one you like best as your keeper.
Discussed in: ep 012
Seed-run phenotype comparison
Compare individual plants from a seed run for hair density, thickness, pistil length, and timing, logging keepers based on yield, flower time, quality, and (for breeders) fertility.
Discussed in: ep 026
seeding a beneficial ecosystem early
Sprinkle purchased predator mites and drench beneficial nematodes into fresh beds even though the compost already carries some, to set the ecosystem's starting point rather than waiting for natural colonisation.
Discussed in: ep 019
Seedling thin-out
Pull all but the strongest 1-2 seedlings per cup as soon as you can visually distinguish vigorous growth from weak
Discussed in: ep 033
Selective defoliation for light penetration
Remove lower larf branches that aren't reaching the screen and selectively pluck fan leaves covering developing nugs to open up light penetration to the lower bud sites.
Discussed in: ep 026
Selective top leaf thinning for light distribution
Thin leaves from the dominant plant in a quadrant to let light reach the less dominant plants — but sparingly, since leaves are the solar panels.
Discussed in: ep 024
Senescence colour reading
Pull a few leaves from the canopy and look for the purples-on-green fade, rust yellowing, and colour shifts as signs the annual plant is entering end-of-life
Discussed in: ep 033
Sequential sprout-video stitching
Record a few seconds of video at each germination milestone for each crop, then stitch them together into one condensed timelapse-style video rather than publishing many long individual check-ins.
Discussed in: ep 031
Sex plants under 18 hours without flipping
Run 18 hours of light and the plants will actually sex themselves — no special cloning trick needed.
Discussed in: ep 005
Shiitake log activation by soak
Receive the manufactured sawdust shiitake log, soak in water, place in good humid conditions with indirect light — harvest mushrooms as they fruit.
Discussed in: ep 011
Showing male parts to camera before deciding what to do
On-camera identification of male pollen sacs and bananas so viewers learn to recognise them before making a choice to pluck, pull, wash, or press the plants.
Discussed in: ep 027
Shuffle-protection strategy (cup handling)
Once cuttings are labelled in a cup with the plant tag wrapped around them, don't shuffle them around — the wrap is not tight enough to survive movement.
Discussed in: ep 015
Side-by-side container comparison — same cultivar, different format
Run the same cultivar (Halitosis) in two different container systems (Earth Box vs 30-gallon) in parallel quadrants to isolate the container variable and directly compare yield and quality.
Discussed in: ep 042
Side-dressing around base (not against stalk)
In a bed, apply amendments in a ring near each plant's base rather than covering the whole bed or pressing against the stalk.
Discussed in: ep 015
Single-cultivar staggered harvest experiment
With 4 plants of the same cultivar, harvest one today, one at 8 weeks, one at 9 weeks, one at 10 weeks, then compare the dried/cured results to learn that cultivar's personal sweet spot.
Discussed in: ep 037
Single-cup batch labelling with plant tag
Put all cuttings from one plant into one cup and wrap that plant's tag around the stems so one cup can carry many labelled batches.
Discussed in: ep 015
Single-genetic isolation per container
When running multiple plants in one bed or container, isolate the same genetic to each container — don't mix two different cultivars in one pot or bed because the dominant stretcher will out-compete the non-stretcher.
Discussed in: ep 042
Single-timer tent flip
Wire the entire 10x10 grow (multiple quadrants, veggies and cannabis) to one Niwa timer and flip everything from 18/6 to 12/12 at once.
Discussed in: ep 017
Skip top-dress in larger soil volumes
When running a bigger container like a 3x3 bed, skip BuildAFlower top dress that you gave smaller pots and only do the tea, because larger soil depletes much slower.
Discussed in: ep 018
Skip water pH with clean filtered water
If your water is clean and filtered (near zero ppm) and your soil is good, do not pH the water at all.
Discussed in: ep 005
Slice-harvest living salad
Harvesting a portion (slice) of a living-soil salad bed at a time rather than pulling the whole plant, letting the remaining leaves regrow over one to two weeks for continuous harvest.
Discussed in: ep 001
slow dry (60/60/16)
Hold a drying room at 60°F and 60% RH and drag the drying period out to roughly 16 days (14 minimum), then jar without needing to burp. This preserves terpenes and prevents hay smell.
Discussed in: ep 040
Slow saponin-foam watering-in
After the mix is stirred, slowly spray the saponin-foamed water across the whole top surface (not dumped in one spot). The wetting agent carries moisture down into every pocket evenly.
Discussed in: ep 003
Slowing a runaway stretcher
If a plant is going to grow into the light, slow it by adding a screen, bending the top, pinching the stem, or cutting it.
Discussed in: ep 020
small jars packed full
Use smaller curing jars filled to the brim rather than large jars with significant headspace, so the jar atmosphere stays balanced and there is less air to interact with the herb.
Discussed in: ep 040
Small-area new-product test
Before spraying a new untested concoction across the whole garden, test it on one small area or one insignificant plant and wait for any negative reaction.
Discussed in: ep 018
Small-container cannabis rules
If forced into a 3 or 5 gallon container, flower small, pick shorter genetics, avoid half-pound yield ambitions, and accept you will be feeding liquid supplements rather than water-only.
Discussed in: ep 027
Small-plant-in-big-container safety rule
For a small plant in a relatively large container, err on the side of caution and water very small amounts every 1 to 3 days.
Discussed in: ep 008
Soap-and-water PVC cleaning between rounds
Disassemble the PVC trellis kit at the end of a run and wash all pieces with soap and water before reusing next round.
Discussed in: ep 014
Softening RO water
Reverse osmosis water that contains sodium can be filtered and then re-mineralised by adding minerals back in, a process called softening.
Discussed in: ep 002
Soil lab sample during transplant
Scoop a couple of cups of soil from the hole you just dug at transplant, clean any mulch out of it, and bag + label it for a saturated paste lab test.
Discussed in: ep 010
Soil-test-driven diagnosis
Send soil tests from problem and healthy beds to a lab so you can rule out nutrition and isolate overwatering (or other causes) as the culprit for a struggling plant.
Discussed in: ep 014
Soup-up-by-one-ingredient Take and Bake tweak
Rather than overhaul a soil recipe, add a single extra ingredient to Take and Bake in response to soil testing and in-run plant signals (like stem colour), keeping cost flat.
Discussed in: ep 041
Spray at lights-out (flower)
In flower, schedule foliar sprays for just before the lights cycle off so the plants have the full 12-hour dark period to dry.
Discussed in: ep 018
Sprouted Seed Tea (SST) production
Soak organic seed 12-24 hours, drain and rinse off anti-germination coating, continue rinsing 1-2x daily until tails just emerge from the seed, blend sprouted seed into water as a milky frothy liquid, strain, dilute into final watering volume, apply via Chapin (no fan nozzle) to the grow.
Discussed in: ep 033
Sprouted seed tea from scratch
Sprout a whole seed (corn, barley, any grain) in an Easy Sprouter until a small white tail emerges, then immediately blend the sprouted seed in water to release all the enzymes. Pour the resulting frothy enzyme water onto the soil.
Discussed in: ep 029
Square foot gardening density
Use the square foot gardening method (one plant per square foot) as the upper density limit.
Discussed in: ep 005
Squeeze-test moisture verification
30 minutes after watering, grab a handful of soil and squeeze. Correct moisture: at most a drop of water comes out. Wrong moisture: water streams out like a wet towel.
Discussed in: ep 003
SST leftover to worm bin
After straining the blended SST into the watering bucket, dump the remaining seed pulp into the worm bin instead of the grow container — closes the nutrient loop via worm castings
Discussed in: ep 033
Stacked-branch staggered trim pipeline
Pull whole branches out of the dry tubs. D-leaf the big fan leaves first. Stack the d-leafed branches into a queue. Run each through the Cannabrush to knock off the sugar leaves and crow's feet, re-stacking after brushing. Then pick up the stack, rotate to the glass bowl, and buck the nugs off the stock with scissors.
Discussed in: ep 041
Staged defoliation (multiple passes)
Do a moderate defoliation pre-flip, then repeat once or twice more during stretch as the plant reveals where it wants to put energy.
Discussed in: ep 015
Staged harvest pre-work via defoliation
Weeks before harvest, strip all under-canopy leaves, larf and non-finishing branches — so at chop time the plant is already mostly trim-ready and the harvest itself becomes just cutting stems.
Discussed in: ep 028
Staged harvest-day defoliation
On harvest day (after chopping) defoliate the plant: fan leaves with no sugar/resin go to the compost pile, leaves with sugar/resin on them stay attached to feed the trim bin later.
Discussed in: ep 037
Staged-top-dress feeder root training
Fill your container below the brim on purpose, then apply top dresses in stages through the grow — feeder roots learn to come up for food and are ready to receive late-flower amendments quickly.
Discussed in: ep 020
Stagger biology water-in over two days
Water Rootwise BioPhos plus coconut water into all containers on the flip day, then water Rootwise Enzymes in the following day.
Discussed in: ep 017
Stagger-harvest the keeper late
Harvest your faster-finishing plants first and let the slower keeper run as long as it needs — even if it's inconvenient — so every jar is at its peak.
Discussed in: ep 035
Staggered feeding (amendment then tea)
Do top dress on one day, tea the next day, rather than stacking everything in a single event.
Discussed in: ep 015
Staggered mother-to-clone timeline planning
Choose the mother first, then take cuttings, root them into clones, and only then plant them into the chosen quadrants. If mixing feminized seed drops into the same round, stagger their start so their timelines align fairly with the clones.
Discussed in: ep 041
Staking outer branches outward to open canopy
Physically pull outer branches outward with bamboo stakes and ties so they spread away from the plant center, opening up the interior for light penetration.
Discussed in: ep 022
Stalk-support seedling flip
Place two fingers across the stalk of the seedling on the top side of the plug, then invert the plug so the root ball pops out cleanly without handling the roots. Lower the plug directly into the prepared hole in the new container.
Discussed in: ep 002
stasis hold in dry room
Once the slow dry is finished, untrimmed branches or tubbed buds can be held indefinitely in a 60% RH environment until there is time to trim, without quality loss.
Discussed in: ep 040
Stem aphid check
Inspect the main stalk and stem of each plant — aphids cluster on stems and are very apparent there even when hidden on leaf undersides.
Discussed in: ep 025
Stem rub aroma check
Gently rub the main stem of a cannabis plant between the fingers and smell for aromatic intensity and character.
Discussed in: ep 010
stem snap test
Bend a branch by hand and listen — if you hear a potato-chip crunch instead of a rubbery bend or only leaf crumple, the stem is done. Small branches are the early indicator; main branches are the go/no-go call.
Discussed in: ep 040
Storing unused living soil long-term
Put leftover living soil in a tub or the fabric pot itself. Keep out of direct sunlight. Don't let it go bone dry. Don't seal it airtight — poke holes in the lid, leave the lid cockeyed, or keep it in the breathable fabric pot. Soil will stay alive for years.
Discussed in: ep 003
Stratiolaelaps sprinkle application
Open the vermiculite-carrier bag and sprinkle the predator mite mix into the middle of each container, letting the mites run around and disperse on their own.
Discussed in: ep 019
Stretch finish detection by top-of-plant spacing
Compare node spacing at the bottom of the flower stretch to node spacing at the top — when the top spacing tightens significantly, the stretch is coming to an end.
Discussed in: ep 025
stretch phase humidity squeeze
During flower stretch, run a slightly drier day target (e.g. 80F / 55% RH) to add a little transpiration pressure that drives the plant to eat the soil and grow fast.
Discussed in: ep 019
String-and-clip tomato vining
Tie a vertical string above the plant, roll the stem onto it, then use wedge-style clips to pinch the string exactly where you want the plant to hold.
Discussed in: ep 011
Strip kale leaves to drive new growth
Progressively strip larger leaves off a kale plant to push the plant into producing new young leaves faster
Discussed in: ep 007
Substituting molasses + LAB for KNF brown sugar
Ferment insect frass or alfalfa with molasses and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as an analogue to KNF plant juice ferments that traditionally use brown sugar for osmotic extraction.
Discussed in: ep 027
Sucker removal (tomato)
Identify the sucker that grows between the main stem and a leaf branch above a fruiting branch, and pinch it off.
Discussed in: ep 011
Sulfur clone dip for russet mites
Dip incoming clones in sulfur before introducing them to the grow room to knock any russet mites travelling on the cutting.
Discussed in: ep 026
Sulfur-oil hard separation
After a sulfur application, do not apply any oils (Thermex, Jadam wetting agent, neem, karanja) for at least two weeks or you will get serious leaf burn.
Discussed in: ep 026
Super crop (plant height management)
Pinch and bend the top of a stem to break internal fibres so the plant redistributes hormones to lower branches, bringing lower growth up.
Discussed in: ep 012
Super cropping (high stress training)
Pinch both sides of a main stem firmly enough to damage internal fibers without snapping the branch.
Discussed in: ep 017
Surface misting with Chapin sprayer for germination
Instead of watering an Earthbox with seeds on top through its reservoir (which might move the seeds), mist the mulch surface once in the morning and once in the evening with a handheld pump sprayer to keep just the top layer moist.
Discussed in: ep 031
Surface spread amendments like salt and pepper
Instead of measuring amendments by cubic foot (which only makes sense when you dig them in), spread top-dress amendments across the soil surface in a zigzag pattern like salt and pepper on food.
Discussed in: ep 029
Surface-seed cover crop
Sprinkle pelleted white dutch clover seed onto the freshly watered soil surface with your fingers, lightly moisten it to settle it in, and cover with a thin mulch layer thin enough for the clover to grow through.
Discussed in: ep 002
Take-and-Bake for autoflowers in 4-5 gallon pots
Use BuildASoil Take-and-Bake as the substrate for autoflowers in 4-5 gallon pots and avoid any stunting from over- or underwatering.
Discussed in: ep 005
Taking clones of every mom regardless of veg performance
Take and preserve a clone of every mom plant even if the mom is finicky or seemingly underperforming in veg — don't cull based on early appearances.
Discussed in: ep 042
Taped reference line PAR comparison
Drop a cable from the light and mark a consistent height reference line in the canopy with tape, so both meters can be held in exactly the same spot for directly comparable readings.
Discussed in: ep 031
Tea-brewing as space-constrained alternative to top dress
When there's no physical room left in a container for more dry top dress, brew the castings into a compost/actively aerated tea and deliver the nutrients liquid-form.
Discussed in: ep 031
Tea-on-top, water-in-reservoir (earth box)
Apply compost tea only to the TOP of the earth box, never down the reservoir fill tube; plain water goes down the reservoir.
Discussed in: ep 015
Test acreage/well water and acidify bicarbonate
On acreage, well water, or ditch water, test for calcium, magnesium, pH, and alkalinity. If alkalinity is high, add acid to bind the bicarbonate so it stops locking up soil calcium.
Discussed in: ep 005
Thin mushroom-block mulch over cover crop
Sprinkle a light, open layer of Pohu blue oyster mushroom block straw over the seeded surface. It must be thin enough that the clover can still grow through, not a thick suffocating mulch.
Discussed in: ep 002
Thin-to-vigorous seedling
Plant 2–3 seeds per cup and after germination pull all but the most vigorous seedling.
Discussed in: ep 030
Thinning radishes to egg-width spacing
After radish seedlings come up, thin the row so each remaining radish has about the diameter of a chicken egg between it and its neighbor.
Discussed in: ep 035
Three-product rotation
Keep three different IPM products on the shelf and rotate through them weekly so any pest problem encounters overlapping modes of action and cannot build resistance.
Discussed in: ep 018
Three-to-five-minute rule
If a garden task takes only 3 to 5 minutes, do it immediately rather than deferring — if a task takes longer, plan ahead and schedule it properly.
Discussed in: ep 042
Throat-coat flavor translation test
After tasting a flower, check whether the aroma translates to taste on the smoke and whether the flavour coats your throat. A true keeper hits the trifecta — it smells good, it tastes like it smells, and the flavour lingers on the throat.
Discussed in: ep 041
timer-cycled exhaust fan humidity control
Without a controller, plug an exhaust fan into a 15-minute-resolution digital timer and cycle it (e.g. 15 min per hour, or 15 on / 15 off) to target a humidity band.
Discussed in: ep 019
Tip burn cause diagnosis
If tip burn appears, distinguish under-watering with sodium or phosphorus imbalance (edge burn from lack of moisture) from salt-based hydro overfeeding (excess nutrition).
Discussed in: ep 025
Tissue culture preservation and virus cleanup
Use tissue culture protocols to propagate and store cultivars long term and to clean them of virus infection.
Discussed in: ep 025
Tomato flower tapping
Tap open tomato flowers by hand to shake pollen loose and improve fruit set when pollinator activity is low or humidity is off.
Discussed in: ep 012
Tomato seed fermenting (mentioned, not demoed)
Ferment saved tomato seeds in their jelly before drying to break down germination inhibitors.
Discussed in: ep 030
Top and drop replant timing by biomass
Evaluate whether a topped-and-dropped bed can be replanted immediately based on how much biomass is dropped and whether it will heat up during decomposition.
Discussed in: ep 027
Top dress frequency scaled to container size
Use container volume to decide how often to top dress: smaller (10 gallon) pots get more frequent top dresses (weeks 1, 4, and optionally 6 or 7 of flower); larger (30 gallon) pots get only two top dresses (end of veg / flip and week 4 of flower).
Discussed in: ep 027
Top dress frequency scaled to flower length
Use total flower length to decide how many top dresses: an 85-day variety like GMO gets at least three; a 58 to 60 day variety like Branson's gets two.
Discussed in: ep 027
Top dressing Craft Blend in front-and-back halves
Sprinkle a half cup of Craft Blend evenly across the front of the container, then another half cup across the back, to get even coverage in rectangular Earth Boxes.
Discussed in: ep 012
Top-down defoliation pass
Walk the plant from the top, removing fan leaves that block bud sites from direct light, then working down to remove side and bottom growth.
Discussed in: ep 017
Top-dress through the mulch (10-gallon)
For smaller 10-gallon pots, plan to top-dress amendments through the mulch layer mid-cycle rather than relying on the base mix alone
Discussed in: ep 007
Top-dress volume increase during flower
Start a large container at a smaller soil volume (e.g. 7.5 gallons in a 10-gallon pot), then add 1 cubic foot of top dress during the run to increase the soil column as roots fill in.
Discussed in: ep 041
Top-dress with kashi inoculation water-in
Any time you top dress, water in a little kashi with the application so the biology is present to break down the dry amendment fast.
Discussed in: ep 026
Top-dress-then-bloom sequencing
Grind barley amendment, top-dress kashi blend, then feed liquid fish — the combination triggers a visible fuzzy white mycelial bloom within days.
Discussed in: ep 030
Top-dress-under-mulch method
To feed a living-soil bed already under mulch, gently pull back the mulch, sprinkle the dry amendment on the soil surface, and cover the mulch back over — the worms take the amendment down to the roots.
Discussed in: ep 006
Top-layer feeder root stacking
By top dressing throughout the entire cycle, train the feeder roots to colonize the top of the soil profile — so subsequent amendments are immediately accessible without disturbance.
Discussed in: ep 031
Top-of-canopy sampling rule
Always sample trichomes from the top of the canopy. If the top isn't finished yet, the bottom certainly isn't either.
Discussed in: ep 037
Top-of-mulch Kashi application
Sprinkle gro-kashi onto the top of the mulch layer so it intelligently breaks down the mulch and delivers nutrients to the plant.
Discussed in: ep 011
Top-water rescue for broken wetability
When the top of a plant shows yellow/lighter green growth because the soil has been drinking too fast and nutrient cycling has broken, gently top-water with a feed solution to rehydrate the surface and reactivate biology.
Discussed in: ep 029
Top-water-only transplant in Earth Box
Ignore the Earth Box instructions telling you to keep the reservoir full. Top water only with the transplant drench until the plant visibly grows and roots have spread to all parts of the container — then switch to bottom watering.
Discussed in: ep 010
Topping (exception for oversized plants)
Cut the apical tip of a plant that is significantly larger than its neighbours to let side branches catch up and fill the space.
Discussed in: ep 015
Transfer worms from your own worm bin
Pull a small handful (10-20 worms) of red wigglers from an active worm bin and drop them onto the new soil bed instead of buying worms by the pound
Discussed in: ep 007
Transplant and sex pass
Up-potting healthy seedlings from carrier tray into one-gallon pots and using that stage to sex them as male or female before selecting which go into the final containers.
Discussed in: ep 001
Transplant at crown height
Set the plant so the root crown sits at or just above the soil surface, not buried up the stalk.
Discussed in: ep 010
transplant at first-real-root (not tap root)
Transplant as soon as there is more than just a single tap root — wait for slightly more development — but don't wait for a dense root ball.
Discussed in: ep 021
Transplant drench mixing
Build a transplant drench in a sprayer or bucket: microbial inoculant first (e.g. RootWise Microbe Complete at a tablespoon per five gallons), then a wetting agent such as Saponaria or Therm-X 70, then a splash of horticultural aloe, stir to combine, and pour into a watering can or apply direct.
Discussed in: ep 002
Transplant drench recipe build
Fill a bucket with ~3.5 gallons warm filtered water (~80F), add Saponaria wetting agent first and agitate to foam, then add Rootwise Microbe Complete dry inoculant, then Rootwise Elixir enzymes. Mix and let enzymes come up to room temperature while prepping containers.
Discussed in: ep 010
Transplant without ripping root ball
Pop the one-gallon out of the nursery pot intact and drop the whole undisturbed root mass into the hole. Do not tease or rip apart the roots.
Discussed in: ep 010
tray-lift water reservoir
Use a tray insert (Grodan smart tray lift) that keeps pucks above the tray floor so you can pour water underneath. The water raises dome humidity and gives new roots somewhere to grow without air pruning too fast.
Discussed in: ep 021
Trellis-mounted monkey fan
Clip a monkey fan onto a pole inside a trellis system so the fan lives under the canopy and keeps air moving through the lower plant zone.
Discussed in: ep 012
Trim-around lettuce harvesting
Instead of cut-and-come-again by the plant, go around the bed in a circle trimming leaves and let regrowth fill back in continuously.
Discussed in: ep 014
Trust-based product vetting (BuildASoil model)
Personally try, use, lab-test, and research every new product before it enters the BuildASoil catalogue — prioritising trust and transparency over chasing the organic label on packaging.
Discussed in: ep 008
tub rescue / compartmentalization
When the dry room has dropped into the 40s% RH too early, cut whole plants at the stem, place them loosely in plastic tubs (half to three-quarters full), leave the lid cocked open on day one, then close the lid. Residual stalk and nug moisture redistributes inside the tub to raise micro-humidity.
Discussed in: ep 040
Tuck and weave canopy training
Bend taller branches down daily to let shorter branches jump up and fill the canopy; add a second trellis screen as the canopy climbs.
Discussed in: ep 018
Two-colour carrot row sowing
Sow two varieties of carrot in alternating rows so you can tell them apart when thinning and know the spacing between colours.
Discussed in: ep 030
Two-person brush-then-buck trim division
One person holds the branch with minimal interaction and brushes all the fan and sugar leaves off with the Cannabrush. A second person takes that bucket, pulls the remaining crow's feet off with scissors, and bucks the nugs off the stock.
Discussed in: ep 041
Under- and over-shooting trellis layer height
Go taller on the second trellis if the light is far and plants are stretching hard; go shorter on the second layer and add a third layer if needed.
Discussed in: ep 022
Underside leaf flip inspection
Turn over the underside of the leaf and look for dots, eggs, aphids, or spider mite damage — most pests hang out on the back side of the leaf.
Discussed in: ep 025
Underside-first spray sequence
Flip the wand upside down (or lift leaves by hand) and spray the underside of every leaf first, starting from the bottom of the plant and working up; then spray the tops.
Discussed in: ep 018
Unfiltered-tea-with-no-nozzle
Run compost tea through the Chapin sprayer with the nozzle removed so particulates flow freely and the applicator doesn't clog.
Discussed in: ep 015
Unscrew-nozzle hose watering
Once plants are established and their roots hold the soil, unscrew the watering can nozzle to flow faster, or even use a garden hose.
Discussed in: ep 010
Upgrade from 15 gallon to 30 gallon container
Replace 15 gallon flowering pots with 30 gallon pots as the new default no-till container size.
Discussed in: ep 027
USB scope trichome sampling from nugs not bracts
Take an actual nug sample from the top of the canopy (pull it off with fingers carefully, no pinching), place on a piece of paper, and look at it under a USB microscope. Deliberately avoid sampling bracts because bracts always show more amber than the rest of the bud.
Discussed in: ep 037
use beneficials immediately
Mix and apply the nematode batch in a single session — don't mix up half, wait till tomorrow and apply the rest.
Discussed in: ep 019
Use less than label recommends when cocktail mixing
When combining multiple organic products, dose each one at less than the bag's recommended single-product rate — organics are forgiving and this avoids overloading any one parameter.
Discussed in: ep 028
use manufacturer PAR-at-distance charts
If you don't own a PAR meter, look up the grow light manufacturer's published PAR readings at 12 inches and 24 inches and set your hanging distance accordingly, then judge by plant health.
Discussed in: ep 019
Using yucca extract with worms
Apply Thermx 70 yucca extract as a wetting agent to living soil even after worms have been added.
Discussed in: ep 027
Vacuum seal fridge seed storage
Vacuum seal the seeds, put them in the fridge, and don't open the package until you need them.
Discussed in: ep 025
Vary amendment rotation for soil diversity
Even when you could use the same all-in-one craft blend every time, rotate between different broad-spectrum inputs (gnarly barley, kashi blend, worm castings, craft blend) so the soil receives a diverse mix over time.
Discussed in: ep 029
Veg IPM spray rotation
Spray Jadam wetting agent or Lactosopus castile soap mixed with properly emulsified neem oil once or twice a week through veg, then stop at flip and release beneficial insects for the flower phase.
Discussed in: ep 026
Visual bud rot inspection on dense colas
Physically open the densest buds in the room and look inside for gray rotted tissue or discolored spots — dense colas are the highest bud rot risk.
Discussed in: ep 035
Visual feeder-root verification
Gently peel back a section of the mulch layer to inspect for fishbone ladder roots and fine root tips developing up into the top dress.
Discussed in: ep 024
Visual turgor check
Look for leaves lifting themselves up and reaching for the light — lifted tips with firm structure indicate healthy hydration and successful transplant.
Discussed in: ep 011
Volcano-style hand-mixing
Mound soil from the container sides toward the middle like a volcano so material drops through the center. Alternate going all the way down the sides to the bottom with reaching in to create holes in the middle. Work around the container in a full circle, then from side-to-middle and middle-to-edge.
Discussed in: ep 003
Volume-of-soil-under-light rule
Shape of the container does not matter. What matters is how much soil volume is under the grow light — more is always better.
Discussed in: ep 005
VPD-based environment control via Niwa
Use the Niwa controller's new VPD feature to manage grow room environment instead of spending thousands on a dedicated climate controller.
Discussed in: ep 042
VPD-driven environment control
Set your tent temperature and humidity based on a VPD chart, not on arbitrary targets. Match the temperature you run to the corresponding humidity row.
Discussed in: ep 005
Wait-then-bottom-water on Earth Box
At transplant top-water once, then wait until the plant visibly puts on new growth before switching to bottom-watering the Earth Box reservoir.
Discussed in: ep 011
Walk-the-walk mulching
Mulch even neglected sections of the grow on camera rather than leaving bare soil.
Discussed in: ep 002
Warm base biological stimulation
Placing a warm surface or heat source under a regenerating container so the soil base stays slightly warm and biological activity is stimulated during decomposition.
Discussed in: ep 001
Warm filtered water for biologicals
Balance a sink-connected carbon filter with a little hot water to hit ~80F water temperature before mixing microbes and enzymes.
Discussed in: ep 010
Warm-water enzyme activation
Mix enzyme sprays (Procidic, Dr Zymes) in clean filtered or RO water warmed to approximately 90°F rather than cold tap water.
Discussed in: ep 018
Washing / pressing herm-pollinated flower
If a plant does get partially pollinated, wash the flower or turn it into oil rather than discarding it, because pollinated flower is harder to smoke but fine for extracts.
Discussed in: ep 027
Water by pot weight
Feel the weight of the pot by lifting it to gauge how much moisture is present, rather than watering until runoff.
Discussed in: ep 002
Water-glue seed finish
After tamping, apply a gentle spray of water so the seed is physically glued to its location by surface tension before the next full watering.
Discussed in: ep 030
Water-only final weeks (no-flush living soil finishing)
In the last few weeks of flower, stop adding any water-soluble nutrients and just water with plain water, allowing the plant to decide when to stop taking nutrients up on its own accord.
Discussed in: ep 037
Water-then-mulch-then-water (gluing the layers)
Water the bed to target moisture, sprinkle cover crop seed, cover with straw mulch, then apply the reserved water on top to glue seed, straw and soil together
Discussed in: ep 007
Water-volume adjustment for plant size
When watering multiple containers in a quadrant, deliberately give slightly less to the smaller or weaker plant and slightly more to the larger ones rather than applying an even split.
Discussed in: ep 028
Watering diagnosis — morning droop scan
First thing in the morning, walk the canopy looking for any plant that is drooping while its neighbours look happy. That plant is your underwatered (or other-stressed) specimen.
Discussed in: ep 012
Watering in top dress for immediate solubility
Apply dry amendments on the surface, work them in just slightly, then water immediately — a portion becomes water-soluble right away while the rest remains on the surface for feeder roots.
Discussed in: ep 031
Weakest-link environment triage
Audit temp, humidity, and airflow and spend effort fixing whichever is most out of range before optimising the others.
Discussed in: ep 009
weakest-link environmental triage
Before optimising VPD, identify whichever environmental parameter is furthest out of safe range (e.g. 30F garage, 100F+ tent) and fix that first, then move on to the next.
Discussed in: ep 019
Weekly IPM routine
Maintain a weekly cadence of integrated pest management — inspecting the plants, doing preventative foliar sprays, releasing beneficial predators, and identifying problems before they arise.
Discussed in: ep 042
Weight-based moisture assessment
Pick up the Earth Box (or container) when it's dry and remember the weight so future weight checks tell you how much moisture is actually in the soil.
Discussed in: ep 010
Weight-check diagnosis
Lift or feel the weight of the container to estimate moisture content before committing to a watering volume.
Discussed in: ep 008
Wetting agent first, everything else after
Add the saponin wetting agent to your clean bucket of water first and stir to soapiness before adding any other ingredient — this keeps later additives in suspension instead of settling at the bottom.
Discussed in: ep 028
White-ash calcium test
If your herb does not burn to a white ash, look at calcium content (and curing), not at flushing.
Discussed in: ep 005
Whole-plant chop and hang
With scissors, chop the main stalk at the base and take the entire plant out in one piece, then hang it upside down in the dry room whole.
Discussed in: ep 037
whole-plant hang for dry climates
Instead of cutting the plant into branches, hang it whole with the stock on and some leaf material left, so residual plant water raises the ambient humidity in the drying tent.
Discussed in: ep 040
whole-room beneficial coverage
Dose every container in the room — including vegetables you're not targeting — with predator mites and nematodes so the entire grow space has baseline IPM defence.
Discussed in: ep 019
Whole-room single-day harvest
Pick one optimal harvest date and pull every plant in the room on the same day, regardless of small differences in readiness between cultivars.
Discussed in: ep 037
willow water rooting
Soak parts of a willow tree in water to release salicylic acid (aspirin), then use that water to root cuttings.
Discussed in: ep 021
Worm self-regulation (small handful method)
Add only a small handful of worms to an already-moist bed with mulch in place, and let them multiply to the population the bed supports. Clear the mulch, add worms, cover mulch back.
Discussed in: ep 005
X-cut through plastic mulch cover
With the plastic cover locked on the Earth Box, cut a small X (not a circle) in the spot where the plant will go. Peel back the four triangle flaps to expose soil, dig out enough for the root ball, drop the plant in, and flap the triangles back around the stalk.
Discussed in: ep 010
Yellow-tip / yellow-lower-leaf diagnosis
Use yellow burnt-looking tips as a signal of under-watering (salt concentration in small remaining water) and yellowing lower leaves as a signal of over-watering (nitrogen lockout from lack of oxygen).
Discussed in: ep 008