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28 plants out bush

Pumpkin

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Oh.. i forgot to mention the site is set up for 48 plants. Ideally that is what I want to run, mostly for legal reasons.
 

Pumpkin

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I do chill with my girls, but I have the sort of personality where I am always looking at what I can do better for them. I want to constantly improve myself how I am with them. That's my challenge as a gardener. A lot of the time that is doing nothing at all :)
 

Creeperpark

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i'm flabbergasted by the amount of water you constantly put in the ground! That has to be going into sand? Looks like paradise there! So beautiful, what dreams are made of brother! You are so blessed!
 

Pumpkin

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My soil is all sand and some rock. It has a thin layer of top soil in some places :) But it is really beautiful and I love working there. I'm not sure I am blessed, but I followed my dream. And although I don't think everyone's dream is to live like I do. Everything is a compromise. But I'm pretty happy. I'll keep working hard to keep my dream a reality. And hopefully someone who has a different idea of living, doesn't shit on my parade :) I'm not 100 percent sure if what I do dictates where I live, or where I live dictates what I do. It's probably a mixture of both.
 

CrushnYuba

Well-known member
Pumkpin: that's beutiful. I'm really glad you have that sentiment. Its good to hear someone is living the dream still! Things have gotten so damn hard here as Things have changed in the last 3 years. Don't hear much of that anymore here.

Forgive me for all the questions and suggestions. I'm just kind of living vicariously through you. EVERYONE here grows organic outdoor and light dep greenhouse so i cant ask them questions. And I'm just gearing up for next years season.

I think you MIGHT have done a little better with a bigger pot, but maybe not. You would be using more coco, but not more nutrients. The smaller pot needs the same water, just less at a time, more frequently.
200$ a week for nutrients? Is that USD? That seems awfully steep for a garden that size. Are you wasting allot running off into the sand? Or is it really expensive liquid nutrients? I can't imagine giving a 7 gal pot more then 1 gallon in a single water and a plant that size more then 5 gal in a day. Really great powder nutes can be had for about 2 cents per gallon in bulk here. That should be like 17$ a week for 24 plants.

I know that the stuff you have there is different and the usa is abnormally cheap. Do you have farming there or is everything imported? How much do tomato farmers pay for fertalizer?

I think you are killing it for the first year at that spot. Outdoor spots are slow to get dialed because any changes you want to make don't come till next year. I did a new spot last year and it was a total failure. I made up for it with my other spots being more dialed. Also, you are somewhat pioneering your style.
 

Pumpkin

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Sorry for the late reply. Been doing obligations. It's easier for me to speak in lt... and $200 is about $140usd. I'm using liquid hydro nutes I'm familiar with, because this is a new location I want to reduce the amount of variables. If something goes wrong, at least I know what not to blame it on. It's better the devil you know sometimes. I'm curious about these powdered nutes that people are using. Even if I have to import them I might end up ahead.

I water about 5lt a water which is a bit over a gallon. And I feed heavy (about 2.0ec right now). I was getting about two weeks out of three waters a day from 20lt A and 20lt B... and will move to 5 waters a day tomorrow. So maybe I was exaggerating a bit about the cost, but not by much when I move the watering up.

There is farming here, and I am sure there are good soluble nutrients available A LOT cheaper. I'll make the money back, but it's hard when you do not have a lot of capital. I figure a cannabis specific nutrient will give me a better yield, and that I expect will cover the cost and then some, but can't be sure.

I've done a lot of organic outdoors, but there is no way I am walking in that much soil and amendments into my location. Too fucking heavy. I can walk coco in as blocks that are light and re-hydrate on site. I do not even have enough access for a wheelbarrow, which adds to my security. I used to do organics indoors as well, but when I tried coco indoors, I found it less hassle and less mess. I don't feel I am being innovative in anyway, just doing what works for me and my specific situation.

Powdered nutes would suit me better than lugging 20lt bottles down all the time, but I still got to dial this location in before trying too many new things.

What has changed in the last three years where you are? I'm sure things will change here eventually as well... and I need to be prepared to adapt when that time comes. I doubt my attitude will change though. I'm doing what I love. And if my attitude changes... it's probably time to do something else :)

With bigger pots I do use more nutes when they are young, the reason being is I want the whole medium wet, and even if the roots are not taking up the nutes, evaporation does. I'm sure it is possible to not use more nutes with smaller plants in bigger pots, but it's not my style. I like to water once a day regardless of over-sizing my pots. But with everything your mileage may vary depending on how you like to drive.
 

Pumpkin

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You don't really have to dial in coco either. I'd be growing in sand otherwise and it would take a lot of amending, and I would have impossibly sad plants without using a liquid fertiliser. If I had great soil, it's possible I could have chosen a different path. But also probably not due to access issues.
 

Bradley_Danks

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Bradlely. I put a lot of energy and love into my plants, I'm glad it shows. I only get to do one crop a year here, so it all hangs in the balance. This is my first time in this location, and I had 20 males, so I am hoping, if I pull this year off, I can double the output next year. I had a bit of a late start this year because I had to set everything up .. water, clearing etc. And I'm going to make sure I have all females and enough backups next year. That said I may also do worse next year, nobody really knows what the future holds. And although I like imagining, I don't count my chickens before they hatch. I'm just trying to pull through this season right now. I normally like doing some indoor also, but have no power here. I prefer working outdoors though. Any reason to get outside is a good reason :)

yeah i hear that love for working outdoors. Do you have a way to sex your plants beforehand? Have you ever fed some organic ferts, biologics, or organic acids to your coco on top of your current regimen? You might be able to make some ferments with native plants, korean natural farming style, if you dont want to lugg in amendments. How do you like the way your herb smokes? Do you prefer growing sativas or hybrids in your climate?
 

therevverend

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Wow that's a lot of money to spend on fertilizer, those days are over up here the price has dropped to the point where you can't do that anymore. Most of the hydro shops have closed down and the ones that are still open are selling their stock from 4 years ago. Strange how 'legalization' has shut down most of the cannabis gardens in my state. But that's a story for another thread, whether a government monopoly on growing and selling cannabis is a good thing.

I've got the sandy soil too, although it has a lot more organic material then yours. I spend around $2-300 US on fertilizer every year. I use a lot of slow release granulated organic fertilizers throughout the growth cycle. I used a cheap organic fish fertilizer a couple times in Veg last year, they loved it. I still use an organic liquid fertilizer during flowering but I'm relying on it much less, it's expensive and is getting harder to find. I've found building up my soil year to year yields happier plants and saves money. Of course in the bush it's not that easy.

Sand has a lot of good points it's a lot like growing hydroponically. Usually has a good PH, the trick is adding a lot of organic matter to build it up and hold in moisture. Part of why you're watering so much is that the water (and fertilizer) runs right through the coco, through the sand and out the bottom. Of course the coco's necessary to hold the moisture it'd be much worse if it was just sand. Packing in manure's a pain in the ass. I get free horse manure and buy chicken manure, mix it up with the sand and it's ready to go. Of course I've built it up over the years to the point it's not sand anymore but keeps the good drainage.

My plants are always magnesium, calcium, and potassium hungry. Sand lacks a lot of micro-nutrients. I need to get my soil tested, keep forgetting to do that. I like Bradley Dank's comments, making a tea from native plants is a good idea. Mixing them in with the sand and letting them break down will add a lot of organic matter. You'd have to start early in the grow season. Maybe you could build up your sand and use it to cut the coco so you don't have to use as much.

I'd also like to hear about your strains, what grows well in your region. You're at a northern California type latitude, I'm guessing your days get shorter and the sun drops quickly below the trees, probably in a couple weeks. A lot of Australian cannabis has a SE Asian influence, a lot of tropical narrow leaf types but that's in the north. You're in a sweet spot for the California outdoor strains, don't have to worry about plants flowering immediately when you put them out. Boytritis is probably going to be a worry as moisture increases and temperatures drop.
 

Eses

New member
Hi

I want to grow like trees, but here in turkey that makes this work and do not have that information. I'm doing it in my own garden but I'm not giving education to small plants, which training will be given to such large plants and how much time should I need
 

Pumpkin

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Eses, I do not 100 percent know what you are asking, but if you want to grow trees, you start as soon as your season starts. That is just after your plants start flowering automatically. A full growing season can last as long as 8-9 months. If it doesn't work first time, just try again :)

The questions about what strains do well here, well I have no clue! This is my first season here. Therevverand's guesses on my climate feel pretty spot on. I want tight buds in part shade. I heard once blue dream, green crack was good for that. Bud rot is a concern of mine. I imported some regalia because it was approved for cannabis in the states. The postage was about the same as the product, and it does not go far. I had some bud rot in half the rainfall. In a month I can tell you what strains worked for me. I might be too worried about rot, but I would like to avoid it if possible.



The problem with making ferts from available plants is I have eucalyptus and tea tree, which are both very high in oil, and I question it's usefulness as compost.

therevverend: thanks for your insightful and detailed thoughts. . Next year I will start my vegtable garden, and I am going to approach it in a cost effective manner. I will confront the sand with organic matter and recycled coco.

I'm not sure I've answered anything.

Oh yeah, I thought I had fem seeds, but they were regular. Silly mistake. Strain selection is not my strong suit.
 

Pumpkin

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Pumpkin

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I have mesh but I do not train. I top once and remove lower branches that don't reach the mesh. I take the top off the plant at about the 6th node, normally the top 4 or 6 of branches will be left. The strongest looking ones with the thickest stems stay. Any bottom scraggly ones are removed. Then I just let them grow between the flower mesh. I have three layers about a foot and a bit apart. If you take the top off your plant you want it to be supported, as it creates a weakness in you centre stem. There is no harm in training your plants, bit I feel with bigger plants it is only necessary if you have a fence line to duck under.
 

CrushnYuba

Well-known member
Do you have high humidity there? Or is it pretty dry? I'm not sold on that regalia stuff. Seems like snake oil to me. Your plants seem healthy. As long as they stay green and waxy and your environment is decent, the only other thing you can do is break up your big buds. Ya know, give them a twist so air can get in.

I wouldn't import a powder from the US. It would cost to much. Just look for something locally that is similar to what you are using now. Read some ingredient lists. Might be able to use an all in one fert. Might have to use a few different things. Luckily You have 3 dosers. You probably could just use 2.
 

Pumpkin

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Veteran
If plants are left natural, I fell they figure out thier own spacing. If your circumstances dictate training to avoid detection, or your plant numbers are limited, training could improve yeild, but it is going to be a lot of work. I'm not convinced the effort is worth the outcome.

And I'm going to look into farming nutes. I'm not really sure what is available near here, or if ot is any good. Something worth exploring though.
 

Pumpkin

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The humidity can be pretty high here, but I 'm just comparing it to what I am used to. So maybe it is not also. I only use two dosers currently, the other just sucks up air. Could do with some ph up, but I do not feel it is that out of range to worry about

Sometimes snake oil is all you need :) It feels like security, if it doesn't work, I'll let you know. If it does work, i probably won't know. But if I get rot after spraying the shit, I'll let you know what I know.
 
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