61 North outdoor grow

[ak craft grow]

This is my 2nd year growing legally outdoors in Alaska. Learned lots of lessons last year. We are allowed 6 plants three in flowering for recreational use. In addition, I have a medical permit for up to 24 plans, 12 in flower. Sorry for the delay in getting this post going, I've been documenting from beginning, so will get everyone caught up. So much more to come. But fist the basics:


The space
6 x 12 foot plastic-nylon greenhouse
2 raised beds ~24in high
12+ year garden spot enriched with compost
environment control box
1500W heater
dehumidifier (critical in late flower)
several fans




The plants (more detail on each to come)
2 Pickles (100% ind)
1 Belay's Blizzard - (50% hybrid)
1 Jack Herer (50% hybrid)
1 Purple Cali Kush (ind leaning hybrid)
1 Hawaiian Sativa (100% Sat)
1 Nebula (75% sat/25% ind)
late addition Bobo - (100 % ind)


All these were clones from my continuous grow. I started most of the clones in early December, root in ~week and move into 16 ounce clear cups.(sativas and BB started later) I do some pinching and manicuring early. I moved of the clones into 2 gallon pots with 66% coco (Canna) and 33% vermiculite in thinnest air pots I can find.




I veg under 4 55W power compacts for clones and first 6 weeks. Then moved to my experimental space (old saltwater aquarium light with 150W MH and 2 75W power compacts, rebulbed to ~6500K. A wooded square and wrap of Mylar) They spent most of Feb, March, April and early may under this setup. Planted then in the ground on 5/12.


I setup the greenhouse in early April after flipping the raised beds. I set the environmental control box ~5/4 and started fine tuning the environment. I ended up with the dehumidifier at 65% or higher and hooked heater to cooling output. I set temp on heater thermostat at 65F and turned cooling to 0F (always one). We have had two hot summers in a row to date, but still got down to upper 30s to lower 40s for 1st two weeks plants were in the greenhouse. Able to keep greenhouse over 55F night and up to 75F during the day from planting through early June.




Once the temps got warmer, turned of heater and added a large box fan to the cooling output, set temp at 85F, so fan cut on at or above that temp.


I use Advance Nuts, so in veg they would get (per gal)
6-7ml Dinosaur Humeric Acid
14-15ml Iguana Organic Veg mix
3-5 ml of Botanicare CalMag
1ml Jump Start (concentrate tricotnylol) (ssp)
.5 ml bioEmzyme
5ml Photosynthic plus microbes .


I veg these from late December to 6/7 (started covering), so the got solid 150 days on the Jack, pickles & PCK, about 120 on the BB, and less than 70 on the Sativas) That's all for now

 

[ak craft grow]

Couple more images of plants after transplant and experimental grow space

 

[ak craft grow]

The strains - Jack Herer

The strains - Jack Herer

I'll start with the Jack, I have the most experience with this strain, as I grew two 7 footers last summer. I've been working off the same clone stock for about a year and 1/2 indoors. This is a truly beautiful plant, forming nice big main colas, branching nicely, forming a pine tree shape. If pinched early, it will make several main stalks making for several very large colas and numerous side branching. Very strong stems support the dense colas. (In the greenhouse had to "relocate" tops to center of greenhouse with string due to height requirements.)

2015 outdoor Jack


Jack clone at 30 days of veg

I'm working with an indica pheno of the Jack. Colas are very dense, with nice inter-nodal spacing. This combines to make some impressive weight to plant size harvests. (will post some current example of indoor vs outdoor growth). Slighty fruity bag hit, with undertones of spice and hash. The pheno is very mild smoke with again a fresh fruity odor when the buds are broken apart and very mild fruit with clove/spice undertones on inhale. The finish is very hashy, with the outdoor even more so.

Main cola 2015 Jack

This is due to the thick trichrome production. Colas and sugar leaves glisten nicely by day 30 inside (45 outside) and finish in about 70 days inside (~90 outside). Leaf ratio is medium to high, making it a little longer on the manicuring side, but outside the sugar leaves curl and grow a dense growth of glandular trichromes.

Top bud from indoor and bottom from outdoor

The buzz is very clear and uplifting, with the haze influence still strong. However, the indica keeps down any racing effects I find in stronger sativas. Develops into nice relaxing high that allows for good focus with light euphoric effect. Medically has very little appetite enhancement, but moderate to good pain relief, and strong to very strong stress relief. I have several folks that use the Jack tincture for insomnia and have reported that it works wonders.

Jack close up

With yields at 300 to 400g per m2 with 3 foot plants in coco inside and 500 to 600g per m2 with 7 foot plants outside, it been a good producer. The cola from 2015 above was 82g dry weight. The plant in the years run has four main stalks and is about 6 ft ~18 days into flip. Will post more soon.

 

[ak craft grow]

Internodal spacing inside vs outside

Internodal spacing inside vs outside

Here are a couple of shots of the Jack to show the difference in growth of these sisters inside vs outside

These plants were flipped within a day of each other. Inside is coco Hydro drop feed. Outside is soil but getting same nutrient mix during stretch. You'll notice that the inside is a good week ahead as far as flower formation and has a shorter spacing. Mostly Advanced Nutes, Per Gallon:

6ml Dino juice Humeric Acid
5ml CalMag
~.5ml Bio-Emzyme
~1ml Jump Start - tricontynol
12ml Organic Bloom formula
6ml Organinc Tea
3ml Photosynthesis Plus (microorganisms)
6ml Bud ignigitor

 

[corky1968]

Nice to see an Alaska Grower.

Your going to give anyone South of you some hope.

Keep up the great work.

 

[ak craft grow]

The Strains - Belay's Blizzard

The Strains - Belay's Blizzard

I call this BB for short and its my favorite strain. This clone stock was started from a bag seed I kept special. You know one of those seeds you find in amazing weed and stick aside thinking wow if only I could grow that.

BB bud

Well the BB is all that. I'm pretty sure it has ties to Nirvana's White Berry. It has most of the traits of that strain including tremendous trichrome production and fresh green good looks, but lack the single-cola dominance. I often pinch this strains several times during veg, creating 3-5 main colas for inside growth. Below is a clone at about 2 weeks after rooting.


Outdoor BB in veg

In her short 7-week flowering phase, BB becomes bejeweled with trichomes that frost her buds, and she generates a decidedly berry perfume. Some calyxes may turn purple, giving them an exotic and mouthwatering appearance. Although the buds will look as if they are on the verge of ripeness at 6 weeks, it is best to leave them another 10 days to allow the cannabinoids to reach their peak. By then, the ripened buds will add a fresh astringent lemon to the unmistakable berry scent, like a mixture of berry jam and citrus. The flowers will have bulked out, achieving yields in the 400-500 grams per square meter range. I recently pulled a small 24" BB and got full 60g The BB calyx-to-leaf ratio is very low, with most of the sugar leaves forming at the bottom of the flower. I save all the sugar leaves a for excellent kief, collecting 2-4g of trichromes per ounce of dried bud just from the bud trimmings.

1 gram of BB kief

BB’s has hybridized genetics, with moderate stretch, leading me to think ~50/50 Sat/Ind genome. She has a complex and versatile smoke. The typical result is a crystalline sativa head high, complimentary to most activities. Yet when smoked in higher quantities, an indica-style stone comes forward, like a warmth radiating over the smoker. If I could only have one strain (thankfully thats not the case), I'd go with BB, it smoke lightly throughout the day, but gives a deeper stone at night

 

[ak craft grow]

Plant update - 20 days outside veg

Plant update - 20 days outside veg

The plants have all rooted into the earth nicely and are starting to put on growth again. Increased the nitrogen levels in my veg mix by adding 2ml gallon of Amp It which also has some other free elements like maganese, iron, and sulpher. No pinching or trimming at this point, just relocating stalks with strings to provide best spacing.

Left to Right - Jack, BB, Pickle


View from behind pickle with BB and Jack to right and PCK on far right


Pickle on left and PCK on right

 

[ak craft grow]

The Strains - Purple Cali Kush

The Strains - Purple Cali Kush

Indica 60 / Sativa 40
Origins: Granddaddy Purple x triple backcrossed OG Kush
Flowering: 56-63 days

This strain came to me from some self pollinated seeds that a friend grew from seed bank stock. I grew three to maturity, keeping the one that showed the shortest internodal length and production. This plant shows a tendency to hermy around day 65, so while its a temptation to let this plant continue to get its pretty colors, its risky to other plants in a mixed garden.

The Purple Cali Kush is an indica-dominant hybrid that blends a lanky OG Kush father with a mother Granddaddy Purple indica from the wine regions in northwestern California. The OG Kush is a more sativa-dominant strain with an enviable kush high. The purple mama is a hardy and stout plant that infuses the kush flavors with the purple tones of grapes and tartness of berries. This plant smells like grape cough syrup in flower.


PCK plant in veg

This West Coast Cali plant was bred in the inland desert regions of California, and it is very stable in dry or desert conditions. The PCK does well in hydro or soil and delivers the best yield when topped and allowed to form several limbs. As they mature, about half of the plants form lengthy branches like its OG Kush father, while the other half stay fairly stout and compact (Pheno I kept). Both types have very even growth, with more symmetry than most Christmas trees.

Indoor PCK at Harvest

PCK is adapted to thrive in its home environment, making it very tolerant to overly warm temperatures and highly resistant to molds, mildews, and mites. After the fifth week of flowering, the buds dense up considerably, and the majority go fully chromatic, with vibrant green. All PCK plants twinkle with a glow of heavy resin. The colas are wide and compact, often taking on a crown shape.

PCK bud

The PCK high is a relaxed, yet energetic, happy high that creeps up progressively for the fifteen minutes after inhale and tends to linger for hours. Lightweight users should take care not to indulge too heavily at first, allowing the full effects to be revealed before proceeding. The initial high of PCK is great for concentration and motivation. This initial feeling fades to a mellow enjoyment, making it good for social activities or concerts where the beginning of the night is full of lively energy that naturally fades to a more casual mood. Medical marijuana users who treat depression or seek an energy boosting effect will enjoy this variety.

 

[ak craft grow]

Thanks, did not grow for years due to family, but now that its legal, no worries

 

[BadTicket]

Nice mang. I'm growing @ 61N too, only in Finland. How's the day/night schedule in Alaska? We get a lot of light with the nightless night thing, it's 12/12 somewhere in september or so.
Gotta have some special early strains, autos work good, too.

I'll be watching, good luck mang

 

[stoned40yrs]

Looking good, where ya at, southcentral? I have a small gh for some autoflowers and for vegging indoor plants here.

 

[ak craft grow]

yes its 1:30am and just getting dark for about an hour of true night. Then bright enough to read a book by 3:30am. I flipped with solstice last year, but realized quickly, that plants would be long gone by the time we got back to 12/12.

I use a tarp to cover and upgraded my ends covers this year. Thought of automating, but seemed more trouble than its worth. Will post more on that soon.

I had a 1st generation Finnish grandmother, so have relatives in Finland, but have never travelled there.

 

[ak craft grow]

Looking good, where ya at, southcentral? I have a small gh for someh autoflowers and for vegging indoor plants here.

Yep, southcentral, I run a continuous indoor grow with 4 plants per month and 8-10 strains. The outdoor stuff is more for fun, because we can. Grew up growing in mountains of VA, so like them roots in the soil.

 

[ak craft grow]

The Strains - The Pickle

The Strains - The Pickle

Not a lot known about the origins of this pure indica strain. This plant forms nice pickle sized nugs that really real beef up if you let them go. Harvest can start at 70 days, but lower buds will continue to ripen up to 120 days. A very stable strain, I have not experienced any male flowers even after one went 140 days total in flower.



A vigorous grower this plant will form multiple branches with limited pinching. She forms nice candelabras of buds at the top of each stalk. Her indica nature comes out in stretch, as in none. They will add flower sites quickly, showing good clusters after 2 weeks in flower. The dark green foliage produces a vinegary-acidic odor which carries over to the buds.







The real root of the name comes from the flavor of these crystal coated buds. They really taste like dill pickles. As soon as you break a nug apart the odor is strong. It has a sweet, vinegar mouth hit and a dill-spiced flavor on exhale. The buzz is mellow, with a strong creeper effect. With my sativa preference, I find I must be careful with this strain or I'll knock myself out. Typically a couple of hits, go doing something for 15 minutes and see if I want more.

 

[ak craft grow]

Planting the Sativas

Planting the Sativas

I had a decision to make. I had a Nebula and Hi sativa in early May that were about 30 days in veg. I continued to veg inside until 1st of June. I plan to start light dep the week of June 6th (actual day will depend on plant size and getting tarp out).


So the question was, put the Sativas in the ground, let them get some roots and flip them while smaller or Keep them inside and veg them for extra couple week beyond light Dep in the green house and then plant them into 12/12.


I went with plant them smaller and get the roots. Yes, the plants will be smaller, but I banking on a strong rooted plant will give better production on the flower sites it does have. Plus the sativas will stretch a lot more than the hybrids and indicas. I always go for more roots than more veg. Bigger Roots = Bigger buds.


So a couple of pictures of the sativas. The Nebula is on the right and HI sativa is on the left. Nebula is about 1.5 ft tall and the Hawaiian is about 18 inches at time of planting June 2nd.

Nebula Hawaiian Close up of HI Sativa

 

[JGP]

Fantastic looking plants and ak

 

[ak craft grow]

Begin Light deprivation on 6/8

Begin Light deprivation on 6/8

We will not see 12/12 natural light until we are starting to frost, so light dep is the only way outdoors unless you go with autoflower. I thought about lots of ways to automate the darkness, but in the end just settled on improving my current design. I may build a better green house after harvest and work on automation in the design (any feedback or links are always appreciated).

So light dep design is pretty simple. A large, heavy duty tarp with solar blocking, a couple of ropes and some long 1x1s. I attached the 1x1s to the edge of the tarp and use the ropes to pull it up and over the greenhouse. Then pull it down to ground and tuck in the edges. Inside, I originally used black plastic "drapes" which I would roll up and unroll every day.

Tarp pulled ~2/3 over greenhouse

This year I got smarter and visited my local school district surplus yard. They donated two 6x8 ft projection screens. I mounted these over the black plastic "drapes". I cut out the area behind the screen and then taped the remaining black plastic into place. This left the four corners always blacked out and the area over the door on each end.

Greenhouse closed for night

The amount of light loss is minimal and the real benefit (other than time) is reduced contact with the plants. I found last year as plants got larger, was always bumping flowers trying to tuck drapes into the corners. All together, takes about 3 minutes to close or open twice a day.

Several friends questioned whether light leakage would cause problems, experience last year with one stable strain was definite no.
We will see what happens with multiple strains this year.

Some pics from Day 1 in flower



Hawaiian Sativa w/ Pickle in backgound


BB top and large side branch (she's a big one)

 

[ak craft grow]

Flower day 8

Flower day 8

Starting to stretch quite a bit, the tops are branching nicely

New addition Bobo in box, Jack, BB, Pickle


PCK in back and Pickle in front


Nebula


PCK top


BB top with Jack tops to right

 

[ak craft grow]

Flower day 14

Flower day 14

Two weeks and starting to reach end of stretch will continue to fill out for week before really starting to produce stamens.


Added a Bobo from the inside grow, was to big and wanted to spread out, after only three days she is doing the minimal strech of a pure indica. A classic AK strain, the Bobo might not have the fame of MTF outside, but its a great plant and with a great combination of traits.


I'm going to leave the Bobo in a 2 gal coco pot rather than earth her at this stage.


BB is spreading out

BB top

PCK top

 

[ak craft grow]

Day 21 flower

Day 21 flower

Sorry, String Summitt, then work, then stretch of rainy weather (battling high humidity) has kept me from posting, but have continued to document.


Left to right Bobo, Jack, BB, Hawaiian (front/center) and Pickle


Left to right - Pickle, Nebula, PCK (she's going to be a crazy plant


Pickle and good shot of the black plastic and movie screen, has made cover/uncover so much easier


BB top colas - just starting - oh so cute, but she's going to be massive


Close up of the PCK