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Strawberry Cough Goes Outside

NPK

NPK

Active member
So, I'm growing a number of strains simultaneously, and am learning the hard way that this is not the best method of controlling one's canopy. I have six Stawberry Coughs that began significantly outstripping their tablemates in growth after several days in veg. When I saw that, I knew I didn't want these in my grow room...but what to do with them? I wasn't about to just chuck six healthy, rapidly growing, possibly quite tasty females.

Well, for the past couple of weeks, the weather has been fantastic in Northern California: sunny, with temps in the high 60s to low 70s. I looked at an almanac-type website and learned that, in my latitude, the days are currently about twelve hours long, and that in two months' time, they'll only be about 14.5 hours long. The extended forecast looks pretty great as well, so I decided to start flowering the Coughs outside in my back yard. I put them out about four days ago and they've already gained noticeably in size. Here they are as of today:

9643sc031107.jpg


Right now they're in one-gallon pots and are about ten inches tall. The one-foot boards in my terrace retaining wall provide some sense of scale.

9643scfromabove031107.jpg


Here they are from above...oops, look out for the guard cat!

As for feeding, I have a nearly full bottle of FloraNova Grow, so that's what these girls are going to eat for now. Been feeding at about 550 ppm but am going to up it some as of tomorrow.

Though the weather's been saying otherwise, it's technically still winter here--so wish me luck!
 
EddieShoestring

EddieShoestring

Florist
Veteran
know what you mean about the multi-strain canopy thing, NPK, better to stick them outside than bin them
good luck with them

eddie
 
NPK

NPK

Active member
Thanks Eddie. Yup, the great outdoors is a much better place for multiple strains, and you can't beat the free halide in the sky!
 
Dalton

Dalton

Member
Another reason why I wish I was in cali. Are you going to have to bring them back inside when the days start getting longer? Looking beautiful. I'll be watching :)
 
G

Guest

This makes me wanna put some plants outside too =] Right now our day length is 11:58...
 
Ono Nadagin

Ono Nadagin

Active member
Heya NPK very healthy lookin plants. Kudos


And if anyone wants to make a calendar that shows the day lengths follow the link in my sig.... it comes in very handy
 
NPK

NPK

Active member
Are you going to have to bring them back inside when the days start getting longer?

Heya Dalton, I hope I'm going to be in pretty good shape there. The day length here will be about less than (or at) 12 hours through mid-April, and less than 14 hours through the middle of May. I put these out March 8, so their entire time outdoors will be their flowering period. It'll be interesting to see what size they end up after they're done stretching. I've never grown this strain before, but it's showed some lankiness early on.

This makes me wanna put some plants outside too =] Right now our day length is 11:58...

IS, if you have the privacy, space, and weather on your side, you should do it! I'm so stoked for spring and this season's grow, and outdoor gardening in general.

Heya NPK very healthy lookin plants. Kudos

Thank'ee Ono. They're cooperating nicely so far. :wave:
 
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NPK

NPK

Active member
My outdoors garden grew in number yesterday: I added three Bogglegums because they were hogging up too much real estate in my veg space. It wasn't so much a vertical issue as a horizontal one--the biggest of these is a ridiculous two feet across, twice as wide as it is tall!

9643steroidal_BOG-med.jpg


9643prettymaidsallinarow-med.jpg


I grew the Bogglegums from seed, and this isn't the first time I've noticed such absurd leaf and stem development with seed-grown plants in coco. I have a huge Caramella in my flowering room (oy, again with the canopy issues) that displayed the same characterisitics.

Growing from seed always adds an element of mystery because you don't know what you're going to end up with.
 
Ono Nadagin

Ono Nadagin

Active member
lol did the boggles do that after you opened up space around them.... I have had plants in the past that would almost instantly start filling in space I would open in the veg room. It cracks me up I call em bullies
 
NPK

NPK

Active member
Ono, I had 'em crammed in there kinda tight, but they definitely opened up more when they were given the elbow room to do so. Looking at the biggest one now, I have no idea how it didn't shove all the other plants out of my 2x4 tray.
 
G

gdawg

npk the plants look great and happy. i recently had to set a few out too. it was my first coco grow and its kinda easy to veg them too much. they had been in 12/12 for almost three weeks but are real sativa-ish so i hope they stay buddin. :joint:
 
NPK

NPK

Active member
Gdawg, your plant model is looking good! Lucky timing with the still-short days, eh?

Too true about the easy-to-veg-too-long thing. I've done that a couple of times now--that, or not accounted for the fact that some plants would continue to stretch quite a bit. Still trying to figure out which strains will suit me best indoors...I'd really like a bunch of high-yielding indicas or indica crosses in the bloom room.

Anyway, best o' luck with your first coco grow! I'm new to the medium myself and am loving it.

P.S. I think your dog wants to come in.
 
G

Guest

I've seen plants put out in March flower then go back to veg. You may be in better shape cause you got them out eariler but I'd watch'em closely. The equinox is next week and the days will just be getting longer after that.
 
Berry_Coughin'

Berry_Coughin'

Active member
Veteran
NPK & Gdawg---->what size of container is that and do you ever run into rootbound issues using those pots outdoors? I ran into some issues using gallon containers..... Let me know if you get by, then I'll have to try it..... thanks.....
 
NPK

NPK

Active member
Shmokin said:
I've seen plants put out in March flower then go back to veg. You may be in better shape cause you got them out eariler but I'd watch'em closely. The equinox is next week and the days will just be getting longer after that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, having 'em reveg is a possibility, but since the days are going to be quite short for the next couple of months I like my odds--especially with the Bogglegums, which are a pretty short-flowering strain. Might be a problem with the Strawberrry Coughs, though. I'm going to be getting a shed for the backyard; if it looks like they're going to reveg, I'll just stick the SCs in there to maintain their flowering period.

Berry_Coughin' said:
NPK & Gdawg---->what size of container is that and do you ever run into rootbound issues using those pots outdoors? I ran into some issues using gallon containers..... Let me know if you get by, then I'll have to try it..... thanks.....
Click to expand...

Berry, the containers in my pics are one-gallon pots. I've flowered plants in them before; in my first coco grow, I was shocked that it was possible to grow and flower large plants in such small pots, never mind get a good yield. I wouldn't do it again though--in my case, stability was the issue. The plants got too heavy and kept falling over. I just transplanted these into 3.5 gallon pots yesterday (that's big for coco). Indoors, I use two-gallon pots.

Rootboundedness doesn't seem to be an issue with this medium.
 
Berry_Coughin'

Berry_Coughin'

Active member
Veteran
Thanks... I've been really looking forward to giving coco a run.... did you prep it at all or straight into the pot??
 
G

gdawg

hey npk those bogglegums look killer :yoinks: ya'll definetly got the choice genetics out there. berry coughin i agree with npk on the containers. as far as a bigger container it would cut down alittle on your waterin frequency. npk how often you waterin, and are you doing the 15% runoff thing? its been rainin a lil bit here so i haven't to had water yet. :wave:
 
NPK

NPK

Active member
Berry_Coughin' said:
...did you prep it at all or straight into the pot??
Click to expand...

Berry, whether you prep the coco or not depends on the stuff you buy. B'Cuzz and Canna already have the salts rinsed out and can be used right out of the bag. I've used both with good results, but this time I bought a large compressed bale (Down To Earth brand) that requires rinsing. More work, but it was $16, compared to $20 for the bagged stuff, and included half again as much medium. I like the texture better than the finer bagged stuff; it's nice and spongy but also has great drainage. I just broke it up inside the pots and hosed down the coco in the back yard.

gdawg said:
hey npk those bogglegums look killer ya'll definetly got the choice genetics out there. berry coughin i agree with npk on the containers. as far as a bigger container it would cut down alittle on your waterin frequency. npk how often you waterin, and are you doing the 15% runoff thing? its been rainin a lil bit here so i haven't to had water yet.
Click to expand...

Thanks gdawg. I just hope at least one of them's a girl. When they were still in gallon pots I watered them daily, but now that they're in larger containers I'm sure I could get away with doing it less...I want the hydro roots though, and those come with more frequent waterings. Guess I'll figure it out as I go. :wave:
 
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