1st run Organic BS

[0verkil13r]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I have lurked these forums for the better part of 11 years (OG member circa 2000). Over the last decade I've learned so much[/FONT] from y'all. Admittedly, I still know very little but, thought maybe it's time to throw my hat in the ring. Since the only true testament of knowledge is hands on experience, it is time to get started if I ever want to know anything about these plants.

This being said... I think it is only fair that y'all be a part of my first real grow. Any comments or concerns are welcome.

Let's start with my medium.

I chose LC's mix #1 since I wanted to go organic. My mix changed (about a week in) since the dolomite burned the crap out of some tomatoes I had in it. I had some Jungle Growth Organic potting mix lying around so, did a 50/50 with LC #1 and no more nute burn.

For nutrients.

I have to admit that I wasn't prepared to start feeding. So, when the time came, I gave them some MG 12-4-8 for the first few feedings along with some molasses. I have since grabbed EWC, Indo BG, Kelp meal & LK and use it in conjunction w/Bonnie organic Vegetable fert. 8-4-4 & urine 1:10 dilution. Sometimes I throw in a little flat Coke. They also get Epsom if they tell me they want it. Oh, this is usually mixed with rainwater runoff and bubbled for 48 hrs. Other times its well water.

I couldn't tell you my ph since I don't have a meter. These were popped from beans a friend gave me (bagseed). All are growing under the sun @ 28' N. Temps daytime 90 & night 70. I usually feed every other watering. Our humidity is fairly high 80% or better.

Anyway, enough gabbin'. Here's the 1st 3 (I've labeled A,B & C for simplicity) @ the end of week 3 veg.


Here they are again @ the beginning of week 5 veg with 4 little seedlings (E-G) in the middle of week 3.


And a week later to show size difference.


11 days ago after an up-pot.


These guys/gal are 5 weeks old and range from 7-9 inches. I didn't intend for them to flower this small but, oh well.


This one is 7 weeks old... about 30 inches and has just started throwing pre-flowers. My camera hasn't been able to capture them yet.


They were just re-potted into 2.5 gal from 3 qt. containers 11 days ago. Should I up-pot now to avoid stress?

Also, any1 got a quick way to get rid of leaf miners? They are all over my tomatoes, cuc's, watermelons etc. I've been using neem on them but from what I understand it only works on adult on the leaf surface. Should I just use a nettle tea next feeding and try to kill them off that way?

Thanks for reading... 0k13

 

[IE2KS_KUSH]

Tagged thank you and good luck. Guy to love that big hps in the sky!

 

[0verkil13r]

Tagged ... love that big hps in the sky!

It's big... it's free... it works for me! I always heard you can't beat mother nature, nor rush father time. The plan is to live in symbiosis... or, as close as possible.

Welcome! I hope it's a good show.

 

[0verkil13r]

A few more showed me their naughty bits.

A few more showed me their naughty bits.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hey all! It's been a few days so, I figure it is time for an update.

As of today I have 3 confirmed boys & 3 confirmed ladies with 1 undecided. The boys are playing in the pasture 'til they drop their dust... They'll have their fun but, only on my terms. I'll take some cuttings in a few days as well and test my luck that way. First I'd like to give them a new home to stretch their legs.

In the mean time there is lots to do. Foremost on the list is a new cloner & a new brewer. If all goes well... this weekend should allow for a raised bed or 2 and, maybe some twins...

Here's a couple pics from earlier.

There are 3 girls in here and 1 not quite at puberty.
[/FONT]

Here's a good sized male I was hoping to be a girl. Oh well... I like his pheno so, I'll get a sample from him and create some beans later. He's been smelling pretty for weeks.


I gave everybody a good neem douche and the miners haven't progressed since. I'll hit 'em again on friday since that'll be a week. Possibly, Sunday they'll get a booster shot in the form of nettle tea. I will let y'all know how it goes.

 

[0verkil13r]

Time to re-pot again.

Time to re-pot again.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Another few days have gone by and I feel it is time for an update.

One more lady showed me the goods! So, that's 4 beautiful girls out of 7. I hope to raise them right so they will treat me nicely in the future.

All the girls were moved to larger 5 gal buckets to flower in. I plan to order some 12 gal airpots to transfer the larger girls into in the next week or so.

Since I have added mulch on top of coco mats and started top-dressing with EWC, the roots have been growing through the top and into the coco. It hasn't negatively impacted their growth and they seem to be doing well.

Here's some pics taken over the last week.

A little root porn... but, not showing too much
[/FONT]
...yeah, I like her bottom too.

When I lifted her top this is what I saw.

She's got nice little ones.

Enough of that for now.

This is E directly after being transplanted on the 4th.


Here she is a couple days later.

I guess she likes her new medium.

... and a group shot day after transplanting.

you can see the guys waving off in the distance.

Here's another shot of the girls 2 days later.

Not a huge difference but, they have perked up & grown several inches.

I'll be back with another update in a bit.

 

[stonedar]

ahh 4 girls in homer buckets, brings back memories...

good luck with the grow

 

[0verkil13r]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thanks to all those who've given advice and good karma! A big thank you to all the mothers out there... without you none of us could be here... I love you Momma!

Speaking of, I need to get some cuttings and pick a couple good moms. Everything is ready for them but, I think I'll wait another week before attempting to clone. A lot on the schedule in the next 7 days.

I messed up collecting pollen and lost 2 of 3 samples. Should've taken out the flowers... Oh well, live and learn. They still got alotta balls.

The girls are doing well and shooting for the stars. I'll get up some more pics in the next few days... There needs to be a break so y'all can see progress.

[/FONT]

ahh 4 girls in homer buckets, brings back memories...

good luck with the grow

Thank you! I need all the luck and well wishes that I can get.

 

[0verkil13r]

I'm back!

I'm back!

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Okay, it's been 2 weeks and we've made it to the second page... Guess I've been slacking.

After a much needed vacation, I feel rejuvenated and ready to go. I am very thankful for that.

Anyway... time for an update. This will be short.

The girls have had several teas since our last report. They are perking up quite nicely. A & E are slowly packing on the nugs whilst B & G are quite leggy and showing nothing but pistils. Some of these girls might take a while to finish (isn't that just like a lady).

I am guessing that E is leaning more to the indica side since she is so squatty. At about 26-28" she will be the 1st to finish, though she was planted 2 weeks after A in the exact same conditions. She has a nice lemon-skunk smell that is quite pungent. Here's to her eating like a fat kid.

A may be a mix as she sticks out of her container about 4.5'. She has broad leaves and not a lot of branches and seems to have eased out of the stretch. Her smell is almost unnoticeable until you clip a branch. Kind of earthy vegetative hay-like smell... almost like a fresh alfalfa harvest, mixed with freshly tilled soil. I think she's a sleeper.

B & G, I believe are cut from the same cloth. Their characteristics are almost indiscernible from one another. They definitely lean towards the sativa side of the scale as they are very lanky and have long & narrow very pointy leaves. Add to that they grow taller & wider daily, have shown only pistils thus far and smell of straight skunk urine... These are going to be some big funky mamas. Its okay, I like trees.

I have no way to be sure of the smoke because these are from a group of random bagseed given to me by a friend. Supposedly, the seed came from "good shit" so, we should get some decent smoke in the end. I'll remain on the fence 'til the end of this experiment since I have rarely gotten more than a buzz and a headache from $40 quarter bags.

That's all for now. I'll be back later with pics and a more detailed report.
[/FONT]

 

[0verkil13r]

My apologies... I let us slip back on page 2. Life happens I guess.

This one will be short as well...

As stated before, B & G appear to be of the same strain. They are both quite tall and lanky. B is well over 6' with G trailing only slightly behind. They stink pretty good but, not to where it is overly noticeable from even 10 feet away. This is probably due to the slow bud development. B is still mostly all pistils. G is about the same.

A is bushing out a bit and has nice thick branches. The buds are fluffing up a bit and still smell of hay. I think it could produce a decent stash of headies (fingers crossed) but, I'll take a mental-couch mix ..

Now E smells exactly like Cristal (or the way I remember it anyway). Delicious, funky, citrus couch-lock goodness. A good end of the day high. This is only speculation... time will tell. She is short (28-30") with only a single cola. The branches are short (2-3") and did not appear until after buds started forming. I believe this one has around 3 weeks or more left.

I have rooted several cuttings from A & B and thrown them on 18/6. All appear to have taken it well. I want them to get a bit taller before they see the sunshine. Who knows... maybe we'll see a mom or 2 out of this batch.

I wish that I could have taken some cuttings from E but, the branches simply weren't there. Since she started the flower cycle so small (7") I did not want to cut the main stem and cause stress. I still would like another run with her... Hmm... Reveg??? Seems to be her only option. Any suggestions?

With this being the first run, I wanted to see their unaltered natural characteristics with as little outside interference as possible. Once we know what they are capable of then, I will put my hands all over them.

Gotta run for now. I will be back with pictures eventually.

 

[smokestack23]

I musta missed something. Why are they flowering?? How many hours of darkness do you get down there? Up here where I am in Canada (pretty far north) we're already getting like 17+ hours of daylight. On June 21st we'll get around 20.

I was looking at your pics thinking...man...those are gonna be MONSTERS in the fall when they flower...but then I remembered you said they are already flowering.

Strange.

Anyway..looking great..especially for your first time. You have a great attitude. You'll do well.

PEACE.

 

[0verkil13r]

I musta missed something. Why are they flowering??

We are at just over 14 hours of daylight. They were planted @ the beginning of March (9), when we were only getting around 11 hours of sunshine. I guess they thought it was fall in April (when I saw their first pre-flowers) lol.

I am in the woods, surrounded by 60 footers. The sun doesn't crest the tree line 'til 7:30 and we are in shade around 5:30. My girls are getting around 10 hours direct & 4 hours indirect light.

Summer solstice will give us about 15 (give or take). The big light is getting bright too... Nothing in the forecast under 92!

Mom's in Alaska... she says it was low 30's with 37 mph gusts (20 degree wind chill factor). I don't know how far north you are but, hopefully you're staying warm.

I was looking at your pics thinking...man...those are gonna be MONSTERS in the fall when they flower...but then I remembered you said they are already flowering.

Strange.

I thought so too. The big girls (B & G) are still in the stretch so, who knows? Still showing mostly pistils with sparse calyxes (B). I'm thinking these will have a long flower period. They're in week six, day 37.

The other 2 are as tall as they're going to get but, A is spreading pretty nice. She eats a lot of happy meals so, fingers are crossed for a big fat beautiful lady come harvest time. She's @ day 40 and E is at day 42 with a decent sized single cola.

Anyway..looking great..especially for your first time. You have a great attitude. You'll do well.

PEACE.

Thanks very much! You're making me blush. All I have done is follow what was shown to me by this great community. It's wonderful to have a place to share this with like-minded people.

It aint over yet. I have faith that mother nature can survive me and still produce some decent nuggs.

 

[0verkil13r]

The girls are getting big and thirsty. All seem to be enjoying the sunshine. Half (A & E) are putting on weight while others (B & G) are getting tall and wide.

Since the days have gotten longer, A has been sprouting single bladed leaflets. I am unsure if she has started to reveg. There hasn't been a whole lot of bud development in the past couple of weeks. I hope this doesn't have a negative impact on this plant... that would be a shame.

B has gotten quite tall (over 7 feet) and around 5 feet in diameter. She's still in stretch with no noticeable bud development. Those swollen calyxes I was referring to were filled with seed. I'm guessing the male (C) was a bit too close... Not a biggie. That was a planned cross, however, later in the season. The others seem to have not been affected.

G is catching B in height. She is well over 6' by 4' across. I have seen no bud formation but, quite a bit of pistils. This girl is need of a bigger pot now as she is still in a 5 gallon bucket and needing 2 waterings a day. Should've up-potted her (with the others) into 18 gal containers but, I ran out of soil. I'll resituate her in the next few days and order a few larger pots for the big girls to finish in. 45-100 gallon smart pots was the plan... What do y'all think?

E is still quite content in her 5 gallon bucket. She only needs water every 4-5 days. Not sure how much she'll swell either but, it doesn't seem that she'll be a heavy yielder... Doesn't matter, I love her aroma. Wish I could have pollinated/took cuttings as she would have been a great SOG candidate.

 

[0verkil13r]

Forgot to mention B has a distinct coffee aroma like fresh hazelnut with maybe a bit of vanilla. Good wake-n-bake bud? She is leaning sativa.

So... B & G may not be the same strain. G smells completely different with a skunky funk. She also has some purpling on fan leaf stems (the other girl is all green). Both are growing the same... height/girth and showed pre-flowers around the same time. I don't want to speculate too much as it is still very early.

Just thought you might like to know (it appears) out of 7 germinated seeds, 4 are female and all seem to be different strains. Guess I got lucky with my mixed bunch of random bagseed.

I promise pics are coming.

 

[Slick.E.Boy]

yes pictures please! I have been lurking/following as I have a pretty similar operation going about 30-60 days behind you... i think?

how has your leaf miner battle gone? I thought mine were experiencing a deficiency but now I think it is from leaf miners. I have heard, cannot recall where, that they like new plants so I put my new jalapeno plants close by. I also heard, no memory of source, that they are not the worst pest on the crop. I picked up neem oil today and yes I understand it only works on adults, not the babies dug into the leaves dangit! How often are you applying the neem and do you mix it with dish soap? I was thinking once a week for now then maybe every other week...

cheers & all

 

[0verkil13r]

Thanks for stopping in!

how has your leaf miner battle gone? I thought mine were experiencing a deficiency but now I think it is from leaf miners.

Wish I could say they were beat. These are persistent little critters! Thinking I have a bit of a handle on them, as they are not encroaching on the new growth.

Does your damage look similar to this?


These guys are doing a number on this plant.


The last pic is of E taken a few days ago. True... miners may not be the worst pest but, they are threatening her success. If they eat all of the chlorophyll, she dies and I lose her genetics.

I have been a bit busy so, slacking on the nettle tea as a possible remedy. It may be her only hope of finishing strong, as you can see they've done quite a bit of damage on this one. Otherwise, she'll be harvested early and hopefully, enjoyed later this summer.

I have heard, cannot recall where, that they like new plants so I put my new jalapeno plants close by.

Not sure if they have a preference (new or old). I have seen them on seedlings as well as mature plants. Maybe someone with experience can chime in on this?

Apparently, they do not like Cayenne. Nor, do I see them on my Habaneros... What I believe is Tabasco (or New Mexico Twilight) and, also my Marigolds.

How often are you applying the neem and do you mix it with dish soap? I was thinking once a week for now then maybe every other week...

cheers & all

I am using Garden Safe brand Neem oil extract and following the directions for use as a pesticide. Once, I added dish soap to the mix, and did not notice a difference. Then again, I do mix with hot water and vigorously shake the mix often.

Once every 7-10 days seems to be keeping them at bay. I make my applications at night to allow adequate drying time. They are tipped to the side and, starting at the base of the plant, get drenched to run off. Every part gets covered in Neem.

Good luck & cheers to you!

Pics WILL be up in the next day or so. I just want to keep everything in chronological order without skipping large portions of this op. This entire experience will be chronicled as a grow journal.

As always, questions and comments are welcome.

 

[Slick.E.Boy]

my damage is looking the same, not as bad... yet...

the markings start at the bottom and critters seem to be moving up the plant. Could we trim or remove infested leaves and if so how many would be too much I wonder?

i have some pictures in this thread, no close ups of the miners but I will put some up with next update
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=214823

 

[stonedar]

I like coriander oil for leaf miners
3 applications over 9 days seems to just about stop them all together

nutrilife SM-90 is a coriander oil product

sometimes I add spinosad to the spray (monterey garden insect spray)

but I am indoor, it's gotta be harder outside

 

[Slick.E.Boy]

where do you find coriander oil? I would like to try it.

I have found this in my research so far, any thoughts?

Rhubarb Spray for Leafminers
½ cup rhubarb leaves, shredded
3 quarts water

Put leaves in a pot and bring water to a boil. Steep for at least an hour, overnight if possible. Blend the solution. Strain and spray.


White Oil for Leafminers
You will need:

2 cups of vegetable oil
1/2 cup pure liquid soap (use pure organic castile soap, made from olive oil if you want to keep it all natural)
Empty jar or wide-mouth bottle
Plastic spray bottle
Pour the vegetable oil and liquid soap into a bottle or jar and shake until the mixture turns white. This is concentrated white oil and to use it, it needs to be diluted with water.

To use, add 10ml per litre or water (two teaspoons per litre of water), put in a spray bottle, shake well. Now you can spray your plants or trees.

Store in a cool, dry place, shelf life is approximately three months from the day it’s made.

Note – use during mild weather, if you use it when the temperature is around 30 degrees Celsius or higher, it will damage your plants as the oil will clog the pores in the leaves. Morning or late evenings area a good time. Also, don’t use it on plants that have hairy or soft leaves, as it will burn their leaves. Spray on both sides of the leaves, branches and bark to target pests wherever they may be hiding.

BASIL SPRAY:
Pour 1 litre of boiling water over 2 firmly packed cupfuls of basil leaves. Leave to get cold, strain. Use within a few days. Basil spray will deter and sometimes kill aphids, woolly aphids, flies, fruit flies, leaf-miners, mosquitoes, scale, spider mites, thrips, whitefly, bugs, caterpillars, earwigs, millipedes, beetles, slaters, spiders and weevils.

 

[stonedar]

nutrilife SM-90 is a coriander oil product

 

[0verkil13r]

Stonedar Thanks for the tip. Is SM-90 safe for plants late in flower. I believe my little girl is close to harvest.

Slick.E.Boy I found it here http://www.amazon.com/Nutrilife-NLSM901L-SM-90-Quart/dp/B0002I5Y10/ref=reg_hu-rd_dp_img

It can be had for cheaper ($15) but, I'd rather order through amazon or ebay. They also carry Spinosad by Monterey.