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CALLING ALL SWAMP GROWERS.

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Plant n Prosper

cmon guys, don't be shy...

anyone have any soil mixes they have for swamp tubes?! :tiphat:
 

GEMiNi GENETiCS

Active member
Any blood/bone meals in your mix just put it out at the location to cook for a month .... During that time the critters will dig and turn it ...... Also will keep deer from that area but depending on the swamp type/conditions ... Deer shouldn't be an issue ...... .during the cook time the smell will decrease ,... By the time you put plants in your mix your chances will be minimal


As far as the mix .... I don't think 1 particular mix can be used for all strains ... Styles .... Or locations ...... Tweaks are needed

But if I were to use sub cools super soil .... I'd ditch 6 of the bags of soil for straight coco and some sand/rice hulls

I'm testing out a couple custom mixes this year similar bases but minor tweaks to see which is better ..... Basic mix in swamp tubes will be coco/peat ..... But I'll be layering the mix for various reasons ...... I see my swamp mix as a 3yr project to reach the results I'm after

Bottom 1/3 of my tubes will be comprised of coco/sand ... Coco/perilite or vermiculite.... Coco/lava rocks (1-2cm diameter) .... Straight coco ..... All of these bottom mixes will be amended with d.lime, 5%Ewc, kelp ........ The middle sections of my tubes will consist of various mixes of peat/coco ... 50/50 .... 60/40 .... 40/60 ....... In addition these will be added .... Greensand, Ewc, d.lime, azomite, Epsom salt, Espoma rose/garden tone, kelp, chicken manure and Guanos ..... Flowering Guanos will be added in august and again in September .... ... The top 6" of my mix will have neem cake(1/4 cup), diatomaceous earth and 100% coco mixed together ..... Each strain I run in tubes will have at least 2 plants per experimental soil structure ..... So that way I can see which strain perform better in each adjusted mix ...... We'll see what works and what doesn't ..... What ever works this season will have minor tweaks made next season ...... And so on

Hoping to narrow my swamp strains down to 3 clone onlys and 3-4 hybrid crosses in seed form ..... Swamp breeding to keep the strongest most resistant plants(pest/mold/pm) and all September finishers with heavy yeilds ...... This year I'll be running Durban poison, kksc, and possibly MOB ... next year I'll try out golden goat and green crack .... Seeds this year ... S99 x (abusive og x kushaze), jack herer x 4sd(looking for a jack Dom as the mother had ZERO mold), Casey jones crosses from loudog420 and a few others ..... This year I'm searching for next years keepers to really push the limits




I hope everyone in the swamps leaves them the same as when they came .... Take your trash w you and don't wreck the biological diversity and think long term .... Plan to keep your spots for years to come .... If your good to the swamp she will reward well but she's tempramental so don't destroy her ecosystem!
 

GEMiNi GENETiCS

Active member
THANK you Gemini, this is exactly what I needed to hear, and then some! I spoke to a friend of mine last night and he too explained how cooking in the swamp a month prior is beneficial for those exact reasons - I guess they dig and get bored then leave the site supposedly.

My goal is 30 tubes and 60 plants - 2 in each tube as well.
I can't afford to buy that much coco as my tubes will be around 40 gallons total (6 cubic feet) so I located a peat moss bulk order for wicked cheap.

DO YOU think straight peat in exchange for your peat/coco mix will work out alright? Or should I dig deeper and scrounge for the coco as well?? That's my main question here...
Besides that, I'm feelin your mix and layering techniques here dude. This is my FIRST swamp grow so this season will be a big learning season. Stay curious!


Strain-wise...

I've heard great things from running Durban in swamp tubes, but went with Critical Hog and C99 for my main producers this year... along with critical mass, sweet island skunk, and blue widow. Had any luck with any of these in the past??

Yeah ..... they are curious from the smell ....... Just like a dog ;) ....... Gotta satisfy their curiousity and they will then move on .... plus it will help the mix get nice and it wont be too hot for your roots.... Yeah peat is pretty cheap ....$10 per 3ft^3 ..... Helps hold water and my coco helps hold o2 ... match perfect


Im not sure how well straight peat will work in the swamp .... Only reason why I say that is depending on your swamp .... If theres standing water where your tubes are and the peat stays soaking wet if can get to heavy/thick and not allow much o2 which will slow roots and always has the possibility to cause root rot .... If you run pure peat make sure that the medium at/below water level is VERY loose and airy ..... A few of my s99 crosses and jack herer x 4sd will be in tubes but most will be 2 girls per 5-gal grow bag so I can move them and use them for back-ups if a girl in my tubes gets messed up.

If you get Durban .... Get it from Dutch Passion ...... Theres isn't hybridized ...... Others have been crossed out and frankly arent very good ...... But Durban that I grew had ZERO MOLD and it rained for the last 2 weeks before chop ........As far as Critical Mass ..... I HIGHLY HIGHLY DOUBT that she will do well ..... If Im not mistaken she's suseptable to PM and mold ..... Buds are just too dense for a swamp do to high RH..... I bet your C99 and SiS will do very well ..... Just LST/top the shit out of them to make a lot of smaller colas which should help keep mold/pm at bay ...... Blue Widow is a 50/50 flip ...... I got few strains like that ...... Im bringing out only the strongest girls and Ill be pollinating only the females thst do well ..... Will only keep seeds from the girls that don't have any mold on them come harvest for seed stock next season
 

GEMiNi GENETiCS

Active member
Yeah those tarps sound like they will be perfect ...... As far as sticking them in the swamp ..... I'd say grab 2' wooden stakes from home dePOT ..... 25 for$8 ........

I'm testing out bottomless trash cans (20"h x 18"dia) ....... Cement tubes ..... 24"h x 12"dia ..... So these I'll just force down a good 6" into the rich muck and adding 3 24" wooden stakes to each plus a 1.5ft dome of chicken wire
 

GEMiNi GENETiCS

Active member
Well for me this year I'm just waiting till a heavy rain storm to see what the swamp looks like .... Every year is different ..... He'll in the spring my field is flooded 6" deep w water .... But it never floods past May ....., I'm just looking for high ground about 2' above level ground .... Which would put my plants about 4' above flood levels and my swamps are more of marsh/fens ..... Really high water table ..... None visible but water pools in foot prints ...... And all the 5-gal grow bags will be moveable so not really worried about those...... I went out a few weeks back .... 1' deep waters in most low areas after the snow melted ...... And we got about 4' of snow last month so I figure that's about the max or close to so if I keep it to the high ground I should be good....:tumbleweed:

As far as moss on trees ..... Should be able to look at the dead ones and they should have a good indication ...... Not sure if you can get away w 2' tubes or not .... You'd have to be the one to figure that out cause only you can see the swamp and determine water levels ....... But I am testing 2 tubes at 48"x12" and in a lower area that has higher potential to flood
 

paladin420

FACILITATOR
Veteran
Paladin - Are raccoons found in the swamp??? I'm planning on growing on a deer bed in the middle of the swamp... I have to treck through some water about knee deep with my waders to get to the spot. Then planning on spraying wolf scat all around the perimeter in hopes to deter any critters/deer from returning to the patch.

Lemme know if you think this will do me good, or if you guys have any other suggestion for pest prevention!

yes sir they are every where around here.. we put wire fence flat on the ground over the hole with a cut-out for the stem.. makes it hard for them to dig up the plant. briar canes work well on the paths and trails. and at the plant site. coons have tender feet n hands.
good luck
 

paladin420

FACILITATOR
Veteran
Blackberry/raspberry briars. Any pickers or stickers. We companion plant cucumber,pumpkin, around the perimeter of our veg gardens.

If the little bastards really take an interest or they are over populated you move or go to war. I won't be passing on what the local farmers will do.

Btw? Use multiple paths if possible. Leave as little trace of your presence as possible

Good luck
 

GEMiNi GENETiCS

Active member
Yeah that's a good call with the grow bags... I may do an experiment and throw some of them out along side my tubes and see how big of a difference I see.

Question: Is THIS location considered a bog? Or a swamp? it boarders the edge of a forest and drops off immediately into water thats around 2-3 ft deep at the shore. Fresh water trails are seen flowing through the green algae from google earth so it's not stagnent water... take a look and tell me what you think:
https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=810c9cc837&view=att&th=13cdb1ba97583239&attid=0.3&disp=inline&realattid=1426991987213405917-3&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P9B-drpbtB9jjUuYfC7v5Ew&sadet=1364243701087&sads=Z6Epgtpyp9ERzdtcDUtrjS50cKU

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=810c9cc837&view=att&th=13cdb1ba97583239&attid=0.4&disp=inline&realattid=1426991987213405917-4&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P9B-drpbtB9jjUuYfC7v5Ew&sadet=1364244616743&sads=bexbhIFvnrv_jQWafP-qAPwWByc

I love this spot. I don't feel like deer would venture into the water very far, and this spot faces the south with full coverage all day. I'm really hoping judging by the size of this bog/wetland/whatever this really is... that the levels won't rise TOO much. I'm new at this method though and don't really know too much about these environments unfortunately :(

Sorry but I can't see what you link to for some reason .... Maybe cuz I'm on an iPhone ..... Who knows lol ....... But from your description it sounds like a swamp/bog .... Fed by a stream or spring?

No doubt! I'm gonna go with salt licks and hope they get thirsty after licking em and go elsewhere for water... unless they drink swamp water. Then that would be making the situation worse LOL...

I found a creek that borders my plot so I'll be using that for transportation, then walking backwards as I exit the creek for a good 10 meters til I reach the forest (military tracking tactics) ;)

I dunno how well a salt lick would work ... It might attract more unwanted animals to your area insearch for minerals ..... ... Just fence up your plants to protect them for the first 1' or 2' and after that I doubt you'll have issues ..... Good find on the creek ...... I use one at my field plot ..... No path left and easy to float materials up stream ...... Good place to cool O.F.F.F. after a hard day working at the plots ......

Good tips to use the briars .... I do that over my entrance/exit path ..... Helps keep people and deer out ..... Surround your plants with a pile of briars each season .... Camo plus animal deterrent ....... I also bring an extra bag of organic ferts high in N and give it to the briars surrounding my plots so they grow big and fast ..... Best fencing ever!
 
P

Plant n Prosper

ok I think I fixed the prob...

ok I think I fixed the prob...

Sorry I'm semi-new to the
 
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