Elevator in the Forest

[Elevator Man]

Hummus Monk - I'll have a look over there now. The liquorice is one of my favourites, and pheno #1 of my original pack was that flavour - coupled with a strong blackcurrant/berry aroma:



That female produced around 30 seeds when crossed with the small green indica Flo male, which I'm still playing with - the best of the first ten produced this female, which kept the liquorice smell/taste, and the prodigious resin production:



I got three seeds from that, and two females from those, both of which are in flower now. I'm pleased to report that the purple female still has the liquorice smell - less berry, and more earthy, but it's there. Also the giant calyxes, long, fat pistils, heavy resin content and irregular bud formation have carried over too - this time I've got clones of it, so it'll be preserved!

glock23 - well, I needed to keep busy outdoors over the summer, and this was the perfect excuse. Not sure how well they'll do, especially the Cocoas, but it's all in the interests of research - if I can get usable results from OG Kush Cocoa Kush outdoors in England, there's hope yet...

 

[inverse]

Hey Elevator Man...i just read through your whole grow...great thread!

i love your spot...i wish here in cali we had green plant growth during summer...outdoors the biggest concerns are my plants sticking out like a sore thumb amongst all the dead, golden grass, and the fact that i'm lucky if it rains ONCE from may til october

anyways, what kind of yield per plant do you think you're looking at? the quality of buds and plant structure looks great, but they sure do look skinny!

salud

edit: i don't know if you remember, but i posted in the highland oaxaca thread about my plant "rosebud", which i thought might be dj short variety. i grew it outdoors this past summer but all the plants got completely devoured by deer . im purchasing some flo though, and also got some ACE panama for next season. well see how it does here at 38N

 

[Elevator Man]

Well, that proves that 'the grass is always greener' eh? Here's me wishing I had California's climate, etc...

Seriously though, they are a bit skimpy, and it's not from want of trying, obviously. Short of me going up every week with a bottle of nutes (which I shouldn't have to do), it's just a matter of letting nature take its course, I think. The main problem has just been lack of real sunshine again this summer - the last two weeks of July and the whole of August were overcast and/or raining - it wasn't cold, but there was no real growth - not what I'd expect anyway, given they were in fresh soil etc. I think some of these should have been two feet taller, even with pinching out the tips regularly.

I don't think the bracken has really caused problems either, in terms of 'toxic' effects to the plants - once fed in mid-veg, they all greened up and got going properly, but it's just been a crap summer, basically. Four years ago, we hit 100F in London, and had a proper scorcher for months - if we got that again I'd happily expect a few pounds altogether, but not this time. Some plants never yield high, like Flo, but the others might do OK - if there's 2-4 ounces on the larger plants I'd be quite happy.

 

[Elevator Man]

I totally forgot to mention that another plant came down on Sunday - the Mandala #1 that showed a little mould previously was beginning to go again, and it was pretty much done anyway, so we made an executive decision to chop it. Not a big plant at all, and will probably only give half an ounce, but it's delicious, and quite potent.

The next one along, the Early Special, also looks to be finishing soon, and also has a tiny weakness in the mould department, so I'm going back out tomorrow to give it a spray with Rot Stop - and any others that might look iffy, though they were all fine on Sunday.

Next plants to finish will probably be the Early Special, followed by the green and purple Flos, and probably the Funk (Skunk X Flo). Not many of the plants are yet showing the kind of buds I was hoping for, but then we've not really had the summer I was hoping for either.

The two Cheese plants and the Mystery Strain, which is very similar, look very happy, and are budding everywhere, which is very positive. Also the OG Kush and Goldfinger are both doing surprisingly well, given the conditions, and their longer flower-times. The Hasberry is getting quite fat, and if it resists the mould, could prove to be quite a good one by the end.

More updates as soon as I can.

 

[Elevator Man]

I gave the plants a final top-dressing of bat guano today, and some of the plants a spray of mould-killer - just in case. I made sure I went at the end of the day, almost near dark - partly to make the spray most effective, but also just to see how cold it got, as it's a very clear night. And not bad at all really - after a full day's sun, the ground isn't that cold, and the bracken is a nice insulator - I sat myself in the middle of it and rolled a spliff, and got quite toasty in minutes. It's obvious why the deer like sleeping on it...

So I think the Funk will probably be the next plant now - it's looking quite odd, though not ill - the weirdest purple to the buds I've ever seen - almost turquoise-purple. But it has hardly any shade-leaves left, and the buds don't seem to be increasing in size at all. One or two plants had visibly increased since Sunday though, so although the yields aren't going to be huge this year, there should be a fair selection of good smokes to choose from.

 

[i.love.scotch]

nice grow man! I look forward to hearing what your yields are like, and a smoke report on that early special would be great!

 

[Elevator Man]

I chopped the Funk yesterday, as it had pretty much closed up shop bud-wise, and had lost nearly all its shade-leaves. Probably not a huge yield - an ounce if I'm lucky - but nicely resinous, and smells lovely - quite chocolatey, with the velvety Flo back-end too. All the buds are nearly black, they're so purple.

I also gave the more susceptible plants another drenching with the mold spray - that should hopefully keep it at bay for another week, but most of the plants seem to be standing up quite well on their own - not much sign of cold damage either, but then it's not that cold out there yet.

Next weekend I reckon the Early Special and both Flos should be ready, so I'll take the camera out for some final shots. And a smoke report on this Funk too, though I've got a good idea what it'll be like already...

 

[Paddi]

so I'll take the camera out for some final shots.

Yesss E. Man

Paddi :smile:

 

[glock23]

You have to be the most dedicated UK grower I've ever met on IC! Indoors and outdoors at the same time! lol Congratulations on the successful harvests.

 

[Elevator Man]

Well it beats watching TV...

I went out on Tuesday and chopped both Flos and the Early Special - in the rain. It was hilarious - I had to wear full waterproofs, as wading through wet bracken isn't fun. We had a real cold snap last week, but not surprisingly, the plants are fine. It's a nice warm spot there, that's for sure. They were soaked through though, so gave the remaining ones a good shake, and another drenching in mold spray. There's a few patches on the more leafy buds, but not too bad really. The Early Special was the weakest, and pretty much done though. so didn't want to risk it.

Best of the bunch so far definitely the green Flo. Proper buds, though not large, and finishes fine outdoors in the UK, so a few big plants of that next year definitely! I may just pull an ounce from that one, but there's a few bigger ones still out there.

Next visit Sunday, and will probably pull both Cheese X Purple Afghan. And will get some photos, too.

 

[Elevator Man]

Here's a couple of crappy photos of the green Flo, just before the chop. Sorry for the blurriness, but it was pissing down with rain, and I didn't want to get my lovely camera wet...



It smokes lovely and smooth, BTW. I'll pop out tomorrow and get some more pics, and possibly bring a couple more plants home...

 

[Tokermon]

nice grow, i want to try something outdoor next year seeing the results you're getting. would sort of mould spray do you use? do you spray it on the buds?

 

[Elevator Man]

It was Rot Stop by Hydrogarden, and yes, you just spray it on the entire plant - apparently even on harvest day, though I wouldn't - it stinks rotten!

BTW, most of the plants were chopped today, as it was still raining, with no prospect of a let-up, and many were getting dangerously sodden. I'll update tomorrow, as it's been a long, and very damp day, and I need some sleep...

 

[labtec]

still waiting on an update. awesome grow man

 

[RealSupreme]

yo elevator , thanks to share ya beautiful plants bro.. damn man they are really impressive.. great colors there. Any updates soon?? Peace bro

-RS-

.

 

[Elevator Man]

OK, here's the update - I went out and chopped the last two plants today, Nov. 20th, which is not bad for GB eh? The weather forecast is really grim for the next few days - zero or less, and it's getting seriously windy now outside, so that clinched it really.

There was a Cocoa Kush that produced virtually no buds other than a tiny top stem, and the final Cheese, which other than a few tiny bits of mold, was absolutely fine - it was in the shelter of a tree, and that has clearly made all the difference. Still not a huge yield - maybe half an ounce - but nicely resinous. It's late now, but I'll put the last pics up tomorrow.

So it's all over - got away with it no problem, so the site's not a worry. Also the soil amendment made quite a difference, so that's all good. But the relatively shitty yields are down to two things - the wrong strains for the conditions (apart from a few), and the utterly diabolical summer we've had. I can't do much about that one, and have to assume normal service will resume next year.

So all I can do is get as many early-flowering strains going as possible after Xmas (from the Danish selections I have remaining - thanks esbe!), and get some Purpurea Ticenisis and a couple of other Swiss specials ordered asap. Next year there'll be less strains and bigger plants, definitely...

 

[Elevator Man]

So here's the last Cheese, just before I chopped it. Nicely resinous, though not the hugest of buds. Also included is the miserable top of the Cocoa Kush, which clearly is not happy outdoors in the UK...

 

[rabid]

Kudos EMan... ya pulled it off with style and panache. Excellent reportage also. Now that everything is done & dusted what was your best overall strain?

 

[Elevator Man]

Well I'd happily swap style and panache for yield and bud density, but thanks anyway!

I'm just smoking the first dried buds of that Cheese now, and it's very tasty indeed. One good thing about leafy buds is they dry really quick! Also noticed (may be subjective), that there seems to be a slight increase in potency on some strains outdoors - OG Kush in particular is very strong indeed, but this may be down to me using more, as it's leafy - harder to gauge the amount required, definitely.

But as to the best performing - it has to be my 'green' Flo pheno, though it's not that green now compared to my new one. But it did produce actual dense buds, and it always finishes by the first week of November, which is fine. So next year, there'll be a few of these going out, and big ones too...

 

[justagrower]

Hows it goin EM ? great thread , glad to see you got some nice smoke for all your efforts .

one strain i m considering for outdoors in the UK is Wernards Double Fun he bred for outdoors in holland. his old site had pics of the DF plants outdoors covered in snow , with no sign of mould . seen the seeds for sale at nomercy . i m at 53N , if i can find a suitable plot , i might give em a bash myself next year .

all the best for 09 mate .