Maria's Subtropical Outdoor Guerilla Grows with Connoisseur Genetics (Perpetual Journal)

[Maria Sanchez]

Day 21 -- from sprouting!

A week since last post.
Weather was a bit colder, cloudy, not much sun, just a bit of rain.
Then just got quite hot again today, up to 30C.
Just checked them this evening.
A bit dangerous walking around those abandoned buildings.
Hard to see and walk up narrow stairs and not fall in the pond!
Was worried they would be dry, but they weren't too bad.

Building One:

4 X ThaiFrican (reg) = Outback Haze 2 clone x (Nevil Haze 23 x Kariba Male) (10-12 weeks)
In the biggest 20L pot:

Down to two out of four.
Snails.
Caught one in the pot when I was there... damn!
But the two left look pretty good.
Fifth node / set of leaves coming out.
These plants are the tallest and largest out of all of them.
Because they weren't transplanted in the coco coir pots, so no constricted roots.
Lesson learned -- the little coco pots are convenient, but restricting.


2 X Thai Madness (fem) = Swiss Thai Nevil 2 clone x (NH21 x MML clone Reversed) (11-14 weeks?)
In a medium 10L pot:

These two both had crazy long skinny stems, but they're quite stiff and rigid now.
There's been a lot of strong wind.
Look healthier than before.
But still not looking that great.
Pot was fairly light -- still haven't mulched.
Fourth set of true leaves / node.



Building Two:

2 X Super Silver Sour Thai Nevil (fem) = Swiss Thai Nevil 1 clone X SSSDH OJD cut Reversed (10-12 weeks?)
In a smaller 8L pot.

This girl is doing well.
Taller sister shading out the other one, but never mind!
Fifth node / set of leaves showing.
Roots still haven't gotten through the coco pot, so she's restricted up top, too.

4 X Grail Project NH18 x MM pheno 1 (reg) = (NH18 x MM pheno 1) x (NH21 x MML Male) (12-16 weeks)
In a 10L pot, actually, I think this must be about 15L. It also holds the moisture quite well.

All four are alive.
Doing a bit better than before, and the bug damage from before has all but disappeared.
Up to their fifth node / set of leaves.
But roots must be restricted, so up top is short and a bit stunted.

After almost 4 weeks from seeds hitting the water, about 3 weeks since popping out of the soil:

We have 3/4 healthy fem seed plants.
And have 6/8 healthy reg seed plants.
So maybe we have 6 females in there, give or take; and maybe 3 males.

Nature is doing it's own selection process.

The coco coir transplantation pots have restricted some of them a bit.
Means no huge growth, but also may help keep these sativas from getting too out of control down the line.

A few warm sunny days coming up, about 27C-30C during the day, low 20s at night.
Then maybe a bit cloudy for the days after that, still highs of 26C-27C, with some possible showers.
Less rain than I expected.
But they are also doing okay.

Just need their roots to get into the main pots, maybe less watering will help, force those roots down deep.

Need to find some mulch for the SSSTH girls.
And maybe something to scare off the snails on the ThaiFrican.

Fun, fun, fun!


Love and hugs,
~MJS

 

[blondie]

Great post! Your plants look to be doing well.

 

[Maria Sanchez]

Great post! Your plants look to be doing well.

Thanks. I guess they're doing okay, all things considering.
Whole life outdoors, planted after autumn solstice, high winds, etc.
Most are still alive, which is something, haha.

 

[Maria Sanchez]

Forgot to add last post:
I think next week or so the daylight hours will be down to 11/13 already.
Will hit peak darkness at the winter solstice Dec 22 at about 10.5/13.5.
Then back to 11/13 around the end of January.
Means the next almost three months (12 weeks) are at 11/13 or less.
Hope to show sex by the end of this month, Nov.
Hopefully they (most of them, at least) will be very close to finishing before getting back above 11/13.
Nice plan, but let's see what actually happens.

 

[Hasch]

I tried coco fibre mats as covers for my pots. They were made in China, so no details as to what ingredients were used to make them... A fan leaf touch it over night and that part started to dry up / go brittle. I don't use them anymore.

No till growers in the German section here use hay as mulch and their plants are doing great.

 

[Maria Sanchez]

I tried coco fibre mats as covers for my pots. They were made in China, so no details as to what ingredients were used to make them... A fan leaf touch it over night and that part started to dry up / go brittle. I don't use them anymore.

No till growers in the German section here use hay as mulch and their plants are doing great.

Thanks for stopping by!
Something wrong with "coco fiber" that does that!!!
Don't really have hay around these parts.
Though I have used similar things elsewhere.
I have some rough long fiber coco coir on the SSSTN, as you can see, and it's worked quite well.
Maybe I could split it between two pots?
Maybe find some small bamboo leaves in the forest nearby, or the long wide grass leaves, or something like that, which I also used a couple of years ago.
Probably need to top up the media level in the pots as well, but that can wait a little bit for now, when they're a bit taller I think.
Going to go and check them soon, as it's another hot sunny day (up to 30C) with more days like this to come, no rain in sight, and access opportunities are limited.

------------------

Edit to add:

They are looking very nice in the bright sun.
It's much better to check on them like that than being there in the dark, and looking at photos with a flash after I get home.
Leaves standing up, and the leaf color is good -- all a medium green, not too dark (excess N) or too light (N def).
No signs of the mix either too light or too heavy/hot.
So I won't be amending with anything at this point, even though a month is almost up.
Stems are all nice and firm, the winds have made them strong, which is great.

The two ThaiFrican reg plants have been chewed a bit, but they are hitting that age when I think a bit of damage won't slow them down much at all, and the stems are too big to be fully cut off. Pity about their other two siblings that didn't make it.

Gave them all a good solid soaking, even though they weren't dry, as I just did a medium watering a couple of days ago.
Watered to run-off, and those smaller pots with the fems, the Silver Silver Sour Thai Nevil and the Thai Madness girls, all left about 1cm of water standing in their drip trays.
Yeah, yeah, I know, our babies don't like wet feet, but I doubt much of the root mass has hit the bottom of the pots yet, maybe just a few feeler roots or two, and in this kind of weather I think that water will be gone after a day or two.
But it will keep them nicely hydrated for longer, and that's better for them and less work later for me.
Especially with the high % of coco coir, where moisture levels can affect the pH levels, and they should ideally be just nicely moist all the time.

Didn't mulch. I get to the site and go into hyper-stealth mode, just want to check them, water them, and safely get out of there, while doing overall surveillance on the surrounding area to make sure everything is good. Can't be too safe!

 

[Hasch]

Maybe find some small bamboo leaves in the forest nearby,

I would definitely go with the bamboo leaves. Bamboo (actually being a gras) contains good amounts of silicates.

So when used as mulch hopefully some silicates will available to the plants...

 

[Normannen]

I would definitely go with the bamboo leaves. Bamboo (actually being a gras) contains good amounts of silicates.

So when used as mulch hopefully some silicates will available to the plants...

I can vouch for the bamboo, also less likely to mold or rot in a bad way

 

[Maria Sanchez]

I would definitely go with the bamboo leaves. Bamboo (actually being a gras) contains good amounts of silicates.

So when used as mulch hopefully some silicates will available to the plants...

I can vouch for the bamboo, also less likely to mold or rot in a bad way

Thank you both, @Hasch and @Normannen
This is very useful advice.
Both the silicates and anti-mold points.
There are a few stands of bamboo around here.
May be time for a walk to see what I can gather.

 

[Chevy cHaze]

Nice one, this looks great. Also like the strains you've chosen, two thumbs up.
About container size though... especially the smaller 8L ones... they will dry out in one or two days with an established mid size plant?
Best of luck anyways!!!
CC

 

[Maria Sanchez]

Nice one, this looks great. Also like the strains you've chosen, two thumbs up.
About container size though... especially the smaller 8L ones... they will dry out in one or two days with an established mid size plant?
Best of luck anyways!!!
CC

I'm worried about the same issue myself.
They've been doing okay with maybe 5 days no watering so far, in temps about 27C-30C.
But they're small, and will only get bigger.
However, the temps are going down.
Summer is ave about 36C, and Jan will ave about 20C, give or take.
So that will reduce transpiration, etc.
And the rains should increase a bit more, according to local climate data.
But am definitely considering up-potting to maybe 15-30L pots for those small-pot fem girls.
But I don't want to disturb them while they're still quite young.
Thanks. Noted. And Monitoring the situation.

 

[Eltitoguay]

(...)
But am definitely considering up-potting to maybe 15-30L pots for those small-pot fem girls.
But I don't want to disturb them while they're still quite young.

...Well, I think the smaller she is, the less she will know about the transplant.

 

[Chevy cHaze]

I second that opinion
They will growing and flowering for quite a while and with those genetics I'm sure the gals will not take too much offense, but definitely fully stretch out their roots to fill a larger container.
Doing great though, no questions
CC

 

[Maria Sanchez]

...Well, I think the smaller she is, the less she will know about the transplant.

Hmmmm, good point!
I'm afraid that trying to them out of cloth pots when they roots don't fill the media will make the media fall apart, making the transplant very messy.
When the roots hit the bottom and sides, in my experience, it holds the media together, making it easier to drop the root ball + media into a hole in the new pot.
Also, I am hoping the smaller pot will help force flowering, as I feel larger pots let the plants grow longer into their spaces before flowering.
But you do have me thinking, and I appreciate your point.
Really got me thinking now....

 

[Maria Sanchez]

I second that opinion
They will growing and flowering for quite a while and with those genetics I'm sure the gals will not take too much offense, but definitely fully stretch out their roots to fill a larger container.
Doing great though, no questions
CC

Thanks, Chevy.
So two voices for pot-up now (or sooner rather than later).
Will prob have to wait for next weekend, if I do.
Though I pretty much have everything prepared.
The pots, coco, potting mix, remaining worm castings, etc. etc.

 

[Maria Sanchez]

I'm reading that marathon "12/12 From Seed: A Different Way To Grow" thread.
Seeing what people have learned on 12/12 from seed indoors,
and how it may relate to my 12/12 to 11/13 from seed outdoors,
especially concerning final plant size and time to show sex.

 

[Eltitoguay]

You can also look at outdoor growers in your area, and in others in the hemisphere with similar latitude in Florida (USA), Mexico, Canary Islands (Spain), etc.

 

[blondie]

Hi Maria. I use fabric bags and I’ve found the rootball will stay solid. I also think it’s easier and less invasive to repot when the roots are not filling the bag. I’ve tipped the bag upside down over a new bag while holding my hand on the top of the old bag, so the entire root ball doesn’t drop out, but it comes out slowly. The loose soil falls into the new bag and slowly the entire root ball start to dislodge. You can pour the loose soil into the new bag and gently place the root ball into the new bag. Works well if you go slowly. Some loose soil may spill onto the ground but who cares.

I will say also, I’ve grown 3 seasons and about 2-3 plants per season outdoor in fabric. Every one has grown roots through the bottom of the bag. When I’ve gone to pull the bag I can feel it ripping out roots.

 

[Maria Sanchez]

You can also look at outdoor growers in your area, and in others in the hemisphere with similar latitude in Florida (USA), Mexico, Canary Islands (Spain), etc.

I should probably do that!
Not many outdoor growers in my area. It's not that kind of place.
I've heard of some, but they keep as low key as possible.
This is a full on 'war on drugs' kind of place, near fascist state in this regard.
Some of the Mexican and Florida grows will be pretty similar, and Hawaii may also be similar too.
Thanks for the tip!

 

[Maria Sanchez]

Hi Maria. I use fabric bags and I’ve found the rootball will stay solid. I also think it’s easier and less invasive to repot when the roots are not filling the bag. I’ve tipped the bag upside down over a new bag while holding my hand on the top of the old bag, so the entire root ball doesn’t drop out, but it comes out slowly. The loose soil falls into the new bag and slowly the entire root ball start to dislodge. You can pour the loose soil into the new bag and gently place the root ball into the new bag. Works well if you go slowly. Some loose soil may spill onto the ground but who cares.

I will say also, I’ve grown 3 seasons and about 2-3 plants per season outdoor in fabric. Every one has grown roots through the bottom of the bag. When I’ve gone to pull the bag I can feel it ripping out roots.

After reading your third vote for 'transplant now!', I've been studying up on transplanting from fabric pots.
This is a very nice video with technical detail, here.
My usual transplanting skills are not too bad, if I may say so myself, but seldom from fabric pots.
My material is quite stiff, so rolling it back off the root ball may be a bit tricky.
May just cut it off if that doesn't work, as they're worth the equivalent of less than US$1 here!

Wondering if I can put the SSSTN and Thai Madness together in one big 1' pot (5 gal / 20 L)?
The big medium mass would be great for moisture maintenance, but I did want to spread out my plants for security and to see the results from different positions.

Apart from the bigger pots with the regs, the two smaller fem pots don't really have anything for the roots to grow through into. They're not sitting on the ground/earth.

Need to get prepped for a next-weekend mission, it seems!

Thanks @blondie @Chevy cHaze @Eltitoguay @Hasch and @Normannen for your thoughts and advice!
Team growing, is what I love about the forums!

Have an awesome day, everyone!