Elevator in the Forest

[Elevator Man]

The Japanese do, it turns out, but they also have one of the highest rates of stomach cancer in the world!

One thing puzzles me though - if bracken is so carcenogenic to humans, how come it hasn't affected us more seriously before now? Bracken has grown around these parts for millions of years, and humans have been living amongst it, and using it for all kinds of purposes, for millennia at least. I would have thought it would have a higher profile, especially amongst farming communities, if it were so dangerous to be around.

I'm not saying it isn't, but I need to see more data really. We (humans)do have a tendency to over-worry about problems we may have adapted well enough to overcome, and on a scale of harm, I think the traffic pollution I have to wade through daily just to get around, is probably doing far more damage than a few day's exposure to bracken pollen.

 

[Elevator Man]

I went out to the spot today and began clearing some space - not digging, just removing bracken, and checking for usable ground. I managed to make about 40 visible patches in two clearings, and was able to walk around the plots and find every one again, so I should be OK.

Sometime in the next week I'll get some soil up there and start replacing the bracken-mulch with some good-stuff - probably a mix of Bio-Bizz All-Mix, some coco, and some worm-castings and bat guano. Will probably get a little help if possible to speed things up a bit. More later...

 

[Sin Humo]

I think that they leach toxins into the soil via their roots to kill off competing fauna and the spores are air born in the Autumn. I'd be worried about smoking weed that might be covered in carcinogenic spores - risk minimisation and all that. Replacing the soil I'd imagine would be OK and burying a planter of some kind would definitely keep the fern roots out.

 

[Browser]

Looking great EM

This is tagged, and I'll follow it closely

Best of lucks! B

 

[Elevator Man]

I went up today with a friend and a rucksack full of the soil mix, and we managed to dig and re-fill eight holes in the main plot before we ran out. But it only took an hour, and no problems in or out, so I think I'll be OK to do the rest over the next week or two. There was actually reasonable soil around 10 inches down - a little clayey, but not too bad, and we broke it all up with the mix. It's raining now, so that's another job taken care of...

No point going crazy, as discretion is everything in this place - we saw plenty of people on the way out, including a repeat of the same dog-walking lady from the other day, but lots of friendly 'hello's made sure all was fine. I had my camera tripod with me, for exactly that kind of situation...

 

[smokeymacpot]

what will that area look like when the vegetation starts coming back? how tall will the ferns be? if you fertilise the ferns around your plant, do you think they could grow taller for more cover?
im waiting for more vegetation to grow before deciding where to put sum. also not doing too well on getting some started either, leb27 seem really hard to sprout?

 

[jaykush]

sounds good, nice spots

 

[dyr]

Good luck with your grow
i'm tuned in

 

[Elevator Man]

what will that area look like when the vegetation starts coming back? how tall will the ferns be?

They stand around six feet tall, so no need for adding any more cover! Last year the bracken was coming up already when I planted, as I was so late, and I had to cut a wide circle around the plant to get light in there. This time I'll be way ahead of the bracken, and should get a good month's growth before the heads even peep out!

I didn't have any problems sprouting the Leb27 - it was keeping them down that was the problem. They were so stretchy it was hard to know what to do. I've got one left that still hasn't totally decided what sex it is. It's also got a stem with 'crozzled' leaves, like a cabbage. Very odd.
I'm starting five more shortly, and a friend has taken five to start, as he has more headroom than I do. We'll get some going eventually, that's for sure. They also started some more of Esbe's strains for me, so we should have a good selection to plant out when the time comes.

 

[smokeymacpot]

i'd like to see some pics of your lebs.

 

[Buddle]

Elevator..hello there.Everytime i see one of your threads it reminds me I've GOT to get some Flo in the ground this yr.I grew Thunderflo last yr which was MTF x Flo.I know you LOVE your Flo.I love an up high with lots of flavor.Is Flo pretty tastey? My DJ Short blueberry did great outside last yr.Those would finish for you too.You've got a killer selection going already!!

 

[Elevator Man]

smokeymacpot - well, there's only one left, and if it's a male, it'll be leaving my employ, I'm afraid - I only need lady Lebs! But me and a friend are starting five more each in the next day or two, and hopefully we'll get a good pheno. I'll put a couple of pics up of my veg chamber shortly in the grow diary, and there's one of the Leb I think...

Buddle - thanks for the kind words - I do love my Flo! It's definitely flavoursome, though mild and delicate, rather than robust. The purple pheno I still have is very floral/berries/lavender/cream area, and the green one is more apricot/apple jam, with a dark spice background. The old purple one that I lost was a killer - blackurrant and liquorice, but still with that creamy background. I do have a few seeds still that I made with it, and the one female I grew of those had the same flavour, so thankfully I can reproduce it. And I got just three f3 seeds from that one, so if that reproduces too, I think we can consider that one stable...

 

[Browser]

Hello again, EM

Good thing to hear you got a break to prepare your plot with this crazy "spring" weather... It's been rains, wind, low temps, and hail for a while.

Esbe's genetics will do very well on our latitude, you'll see

The Leb was a bit diff for me to pop too, till I planted it directly on soil, as recomended by our friend. He posted very useful info for the Leb phenos in post 7 of my thread (see signature), which could be useful for you when trying to identify them.

Grow 'em big!

 

[smokeymacpot]

browser, yes i was having trouble getting them started in a paper towel, so i planted 12 in a tray of soil... 11 popped up

elevator, keep a male and make some seeds.

 

[eskimo]

She Loves it ...

 

[Elevator Man]

Browser - thanks for the tip - and nice thread you have - will be keeping an eye on that from now on!

smokeymacpot - I'll hang onto this plant for now, but it's getting awful tall! If it gets too much, I can always clone it I guess, and start again from small. I'll put more seeds in to soak today. Just got some more (my last) H.O.G. seeds soaking, and need to find out if they're duds or not first...

 

[Paddi]

This is a thread to follow closely.
Interesting strains. I´m looking forward to follow the Leb.
Maffe had some really monsters last year.
And I had a beauty in 06. Green pheno.

Best growluck EM


Peace
Paddi

 

[Elevator Man]

Hi Paddi - I'm starting more Leb 27 today, and my friends have already germinated theirs, so we should have some decent females to pick from soon. And one good male, ideally, though that would be planted somewhere else to avoid any 'problems'...

 

[Limeygreen]

That looks like a beautiful spot, can't wait to see you fire up some more beauties.

 

[Elevator Man]

I visited the spot again today - lovely day, with lots of sunshine, so it was good to see the coverage over the whole area - I think I've picked spots that get constant sunshine for at least a majorityof the day, be it morning or afternoon. There's some tree cover naturally, so some will lose the sun late on, but they should get the dawn and early morning instead.

Anyway, I'd lugged about 40 litres of soil mix out there in the rucksack, and I dug and re-filled another nine holes, making seventeen in total in Patch #1. That should be enough I think. I did clear over 20 spots, but there's no point in going insane. I've marked each spot with an old-fashioned wooden clothes-peg, with just the little 'ball' poking out - this way I can find it easily, and if any deer step on it, it won't get injured, as it might with a cane or other spiky device. Also they won't get seen if anyone else wanders through, which is unlikely. To be honest, I can pretty much remember each one anyway, but best to to be safe.

I also managed to find a route through the trees to patch #2 (not pictured yet) without going too near the main path, which would risk being seen by other folks - again, thanks to the deer, as I'm just following their tracks. I'm working on the theory that both the deer and me and my partners all want to avoid detection by humans - so I'm playing it their way. Stay in the trees, tiptoe around, and don't make much noise. Actually I'm probably quieter than the deer...

I'd post some more pics, but it's still down, so whenever it returns, I shall update.