Colorado outdoor, Season 1

[orion6324]

So I've always been an indoor stealth hydro guy. I'm from back East and have recently moved to Colorado. I have some land now that is totally secluded and a perfect place for some BIG plants. So, I'm gonna go for it. As I said, I've always been indoor hydro, so the outdoor thing is totally new to me and not sure how it will go yet and I thought if I start a post on here from start to finish, some seasoned outdoor guy will chim in from time to time with tips and helpful advise. So here's what I have so far.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popu..._Editor_001&s=+&prod=albums&ins=orig&alb=all#

Ordered these from the Netherlands, King Tut and Afghan Kush x Black Domina.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popu..._Editor_001&s=+&prod=albums&ins=orig&alb=all#

The girls are sprouting.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popu..._Editor_001&s=+&prod=albums&ins=orig&alb=all#

Pretty maids all in a row

https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popu..._Editor_001&s=+&prod=albums&ins=orig&alb=all#

4 tons of an organic compost mixed with a good topsoil that has been cooked for two years, this is what I'll be using for my base soil. I think I'm gonna go with Subcool's super soil, if you're familiar with that recipe. If you know something better, please chim in. As I said, I'm new to dirt farming.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/photo_popu..._Editor_001&s=+&prod=albums&ins=orig&alb=all#

Here are the massive pots I'm gonna use, my guess is that they are 4-6 hundred gallons. I put it next to the grill to give some size perspective. Overkill? Or a good size for huge trees?


My plan is to wrap the inside with this burlap to make a huge pot. My thinking here is that the roots will get good air to them with this method.

I plan on documenting this entire grow on here in hopes of some help along the way so pull up a chair and enjoy the show.

 

[orion6324]

The pots with the burlap I'm gonna use. Thoughts?

 

[orion6324]

Seed pack.

 

[panick503]

Ur gonna want to make the pots wider and more shallow for big trees. Go for 18"-24" deep, and if 4-600 gallons, somewhere around 6+ feet wide, really the wider the area of root space the better...

On second thought, just go find the Growing Large Plants Outdoors thread. Its in the Tom Hill forum. Pretty sure it's locked up now, but man that thread carried my ass a couple of years ago when I did a decent sized outdoor run...

 

[MJPassion]

I was going to suggest the same as panick...

What side of the divide are you on?

The wes side is the bes side. Hehe
Season seems a bit shorter over here though. It typically goes till eo Sept to mid Oct but the last couple years have gone until Turkey day & beyond with some night time freeze protection needed once in a while.

 

[orion6324]

Thanks fellas! So ya my pots are 28'' hi and about 4' wide. I guess I'll redo them today and make them a bit wider.

MJPassion: I'm on the East side South of Pueblo so I think I'll have plenty of time before a freeze, I think, as you know this will be my first outdoor run, so I'll learn as I go.

Another question if I can. I've been reading a lot about Michorizae fungi. Lots of the bag dirt has it in it already, mine doesn't. Is it important in outdoor? What kind of nutes can I buy that has it in there? I see that Pirahna from advanced has it in it but has been discontinued. You guys know any others that work good and aren't just hype?

Thanks for the replies fellas and keep em coming.

 

[Ingski]

If you haven't mixed your soil yet you could add Fox Farm Fruit and flower and some other amendments they make. Most all of them have beneficial microflora.

 

[aridbud]

Thanks fellas! So ya my pots are 28'' hi and about 4' wide. I guess I'll redo them today and make them a bit wider.

MJPassion: I'm on the East side South of Pueblo so I think I'll have plenty of time before a freeze, I think, as you know this will be my first outdoor run, so I'll learn as I go.

Another question if I can. I've been reading a lot about Michorizae fungi. Lots of the bag dirt has it in it already, mine doesn't. Is it important in outdoor? What kind of nutes can I buy that has it in there? I see that Pirahna from advanced has it in it but has been discontinued. You guys know any others that work good and aren't just hype?

Thanks for the replies fellas and keep em coming.

Nice area of Colo...beneficial for extended seasonal growth.

Mycorrhizal fungal filaments in the soil are truly extensions of root systems and are more effective in nutrient and water absorption than the roots themselves.

If you have a good soil/organic amendment, you shouldn't need added nutes.

 

[MJPassion]

Without Myco fungi in your soil P uptake can be limited.

They (mycos & bacteria) actually make nutrient assimilation more successful to he point that you can reduce your overall inputs. This is true in both hydro and soil growing.

Fax Farm/Happy Frog bagged nutes have my vote. The Tomato n Veg (7-4-5) may be to much N for OD. I only add it to freshly transplanted cuts when I expect to Veg for more than 3-4 weeks. Fruit n Flower (5-8-4) is great for a stand alone but my favorites are the General Purpose (5-5-5) Jump Start (3-4-3) & Bulb Food (3-8-8).
All contain mycos.

 

[MJPassion]

Far as that burlap goes...

It might last more than one season.
If you use landscaping fabric your pots could last for years.

The burlap will also suck up some of your N inputs as it decompose.
Double layer for durability.

 

[orion6324]

Nice area of Colo...beneficial for extended seasonal growth.

Mycorrhizal fungal filaments in the soil are truly extensions of root systems and are more effective in nutrient and water absorption than the roots themselves.

If you have a good soil/organic amendment, you shouldn't need added nutes.

Nice for a long season was my thinking too. My base soil is something I got from a landscaping company here in the area. It's a compost with added top soil that they have cooked for a couple years. With this base soil I think I'm gonna go with Subcool's super soil recipe. If you haven't heard of it just google or youtube it. It's supposed to be a just add water deal. Can you give me your thoughts on it? It seems to be fairly expensive as well which I would like to avoid if I can. Do you have a certain soil recipe you use? Thanks for the reply and the help. I'm gonna document this whole grow with pics and video on here. So it should be a good show and a nice learning experience for me. Thanks again!

 

[orion6324]

Without Myco fungi in your soil P uptake can be limited.

They (mycos & bacteria) actually make nutrient assimilation more successful to he point that you can reduce your overall inputs. This is true in both hydro and soil growing.

Fax Farm/Happy Frog bagged nutes have my vote. The Tomato n Veg (7-4-5) may be to much N for OD. I only add it to freshly transplanted cuts when I expect to Veg for more than 3-4 weeks. Fruit n Flower (5-8-4) is great for a stand alone but my favorites are the General Purpose (5-5-5) Jump Start (3-4-3) & Bulb Food (3-8-8).
All contain mycos.

Thanks for the reply MJ! I'll definitely Look into The bagged nutes. If you don't know or haven't heard of Subcool's super soil recipe, could you look into it as well and give me your thoughts? Also, crazy coincidence but I just got a bag of the happy frog veg today just for the N content in it for the next transplant. GP 5-5-5 and the 3-8-8 I'll check out too. Ya the burlap was just going to be one season deal anyway and ya I planned on doing a double layer. I didn't think about landscape fabric though, great idea.

I redid 4 of my pots today and made the last 3 for a total of 11 for 11 girls. Some are a 4' diameter and some 5' and 6', all 24'' tall. The 4,5, and 6 are just because I wanted to experiment and see what kind of a difference it will make. So next season I'll know just the right size. Thanks again for the replies and help fellas, it should be a good harvest. I'm thinking it could go to 50lbs or so with 11, we'll see.

 

[orion6324]

Ok now for the weekly update. I hit Lowe's today for some 5 gallon pots in preparation for the next transplant. While there I noticed they had some of the ingredients for my soil mix so I picked p a few things to get a start on them. It's gonna be expensive but I hope it'll be worth it. Also, the girls are shooting up nicely with one hottie really outshining the others. As the saying goes, she's growing like a weed. I've been hitting them with water everyday too and I think it's to much. The soil in one of them is like mud so I'm gonna slow down on the watering for now and just hit em every 3-4 days. Here are some fresh pics.

 

[orion6324]

Week 3 update! Growing nicely with no problems so far. I mixed up a batch of "super Veg soil". In it is, my composted dirt I had delivered with a bag of MG garden soil added, two bags of MG perlite, a bag of vermiculite, two bags of worm castings, a handful of blood meal and bone meal. I have some Azomite and Mychorizae on the way that I'll mix in with it once it arrives. Thoughts on the mix anyone? I think it should be good for veg. It's got plenty on N in there. If not, I picked up a gallon of Pure Blend Pro just in case. I'm thinking this will get me through veg but holy shit, the work I'm gonna have to put in to get 11 of my huge pots filled with a soil mix is gonna be a pain. I think I'll need a few more tons delivered as well.

 

[orion6324]

Not much to report this week! The girls are growing great and are very healthy. Probably move them out of the 3 gallon pots and into some 5 gallon buckets in preparation for the outdoor hardening. Can't wait till I can get em in the BIG pots. Here are some fresh pics.

 

[mowood3479]

Looking good..

 

[farmerinc]

Looks great, good luck with your first outdoor grow!

 

[slender]

check out my pnw outdoor grow

 

[orion6324]

So it's been a few weeks since my last update. It's been lots of work but I finally got the big pots filled with what amounts to the most expensive dirt on the planet. I rented a backhoe to help get the work done and when I pulled up in the driveway and went in the house, the truck trailer and the backhoe on the trailer took off backwards down the driveway. Jackknifed and crushed the side of my truck. I got lucky though. It almost went over the edge of a 200' cliff. I have no idea how it stopped but somehow it did.The truck was teetering over the edge and the trailer with the backhoe on it was hanging over with just a set of tires on the ground. The jack knife stopped it thankfully.

I've had a few pest problems since putting the girls out but I hit em with some neem oil today, lets hope that stops it. The side branching is really taking off and I topped everything on them yesterday. This should produce the big bushes I'm looking for. Here are some pics. I can't tell you how much money I have in dirt but it's in the 5k range with 15 big pots. Lets hope it lasts several seasons.

 

[farmerinc]

Anyone else can chime in that might be an experienced outdoor grower or an expert. Will those black burlap sacks get to hot for the roots in 90-100+ degree weather? Should the pots be buried to help keep them cool? Also the tops leaves look like they might be taco-ing. I assume this might be due to some of the pest problems you were having or high heat. Not trying to be negative but want you to get the best harvest possible brother because it looks like a lot of work. Other than that I hope they turn into monsters and you have a fantastic turn out. Keep the updates coming definately following.