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Motherlode Gardens 2018
- Thread starter Shcrews
- Start date
Good luck this season buds
This year we used Happy Frog for our starter soil, amended with worm castings and rainbow mix. Our seed starts are looking good, most are tracking the sun all day. They are starting to show sex, got a few females that look like good big-plant candidates.
We are still in the process of getting the mounds ready for planting, just chopped all the cover crop and not sure if i want to till it in or just leave it. Still not sure about amendments either, or might just do topdressing. We havent sent in soil test for any of the mounds yet this year bet but the cover crop seemed to do just fine.
Foliar regimen starts soon. We will keep it simple like last year, some AEA stuff and lots of calcium, maybe some ferti-nitro in the summertime.
Just trying to stay on schedule at this point, I weedwacked the hillside all day today, still need to finish tomorrow. Then it's just getting the garden prepped for planting and hope/pray that the seed starts fill out their pots before transplant time which is next week.
Springtime is chaotic but this year seems easier because almost everything is already set up from last year and previous seasons. drip system, mounds, t-posts, cages, it's all there. basically plug-and-play.
We are still in the process of getting the mounds ready for planting, just chopped all the cover crop and not sure if i want to till it in or just leave it. Still not sure about amendments either, or might just do topdressing. We havent sent in soil test for any of the mounds yet this year bet but the cover crop seemed to do just fine.
Foliar regimen starts soon. We will keep it simple like last year, some AEA stuff and lots of calcium, maybe some ferti-nitro in the summertime.
Just trying to stay on schedule at this point, I weedwacked the hillside all day today, still need to finish tomorrow. Then it's just getting the garden prepped for planting and hope/pray that the seed starts fill out their pots before transplant time which is next week.
Springtime is chaotic but this year seems easier because almost everything is already set up from last year and previous seasons. drip system, mounds, t-posts, cages, it's all there. basically plug-and-play.
Id say you are a head of the game at this point. Do you plant accordingly to the moon? I see a new moon on the 15 of May. Keep up the great work budz
I try to plant according to the moon because it's easy to remember. 15th of may sounds good. no pressure though, these starts need to fill out their 7gal pots before transplant time.
Sticky Sat
Active member
Beautiful work and plants Shcrews ! 
Thanks a lot for sharing it with us
Thanks a lot for sharing it with us
hey of course, thanks for stopping by! the community here is important to me, i would not be where I am now without the help and support and love that has been shared so freely on the forums. Unfortunately a lot of the pioneers here have left us completely, or relocated to instagram which i feel is a vastly inferior medium for sharing information. Therefore i am obligated to carry on the tradition of sharing our experience as growers in hopes that someone else may gain from it as much as i did from those who came before me....Beautiful work and plants Shcrews !
Thanks a lot for sharing it with us
Lots of activity up here lately.. it's spring prep time and we have been clearing weeds and chopping covercrop for quite a while, the hillside is almost ready for planting.
We are not tilling the garden this year, instead we are just chop/dropping the covercrop and topdressing with dry amendments, then watering with pacific-gro. I havent decided what to do for mulch yet, might just use fabric or maybe plant a living mulch cover-crop again. I didn't like the straw mulch last year, it got everywhere and made a mess.
Foliar regimen now is (per gallon of water: )
-1 oz. Holomac (aea)
-1 oz. Holomic (aea)
-2 oz. Albion Calcium
We skipped the soil analysis, so far this year at least... I may change my mind but we will see.
Our first round of seed starts are looking good, some are starting to outgrow their 7gal bags. They look to be about a week behind in growth compared to this time last year, due to a bit of overwatering when they were small. They are catching up though, even seem a bit healthier now than last year. The leaves are noticeably bigger and darker, probably a result of using a better starter soil.
We will start plugging the biggest ones into our mounds this week, and all the rest will go in the native soil before june...
Ancient OG f3:
Snow Leopard (bodhi seeds):
Looking like it's going to be another epic season
We have a trim crew at our place right now, finishing up the last of our 2017 outdoor harvest. We had bins full of weed sitting around for 6 months, took that long to sell what was already trimmed. The market has been crazy lately. Things moved slow and I got lowballed all winter, but now my phone is blowing up with people who want outdoors. I guess things finally dried up. this might be the last time that happens, considering how many giant weed farms are being set up right now.
I fully expect prices to drop again this year. They've gone down steadily since 2012. our 2017 crop sold for 700-1000 per pound, i won't be surprised if we can only get half that this year. We will be switching to machine-trimming in an effort to further cut costs.
We may need to think about branching out into other types of production (vape cartridges, hash oil, edibles) in order to keep making a profit. There's possibly also some money to be made by starting our own seed company, with genetics that are proven monster-makers. To be competitive in any of those fields though, we need to start building a solid brand. Unfortunately our local municipality refuses to license any legal cannabis businesses so we are basically spinning our wheels right now.
I'm just trying to keep this pirate ship afloat. The property will be paid off next year so 2018 might be the last time I have to worry about all this stuff. Even if I decide to keep growing i might just go work for somebody else. I wish it wasn't like that but there's just too much stress involved right now.
I fully expect prices to drop again this year. They've gone down steadily since 2012. our 2017 crop sold for 700-1000 per pound, i won't be surprised if we can only get half that this year. We will be switching to machine-trimming in an effort to further cut costs.
We may need to think about branching out into other types of production (vape cartridges, hash oil, edibles) in order to keep making a profit. There's possibly also some money to be made by starting our own seed company, with genetics that are proven monster-makers. To be competitive in any of those fields though, we need to start building a solid brand. Unfortunately our local municipality refuses to license any legal cannabis businesses so we are basically spinning our wheels right now.
I'm just trying to keep this pirate ship afloat. The property will be paid off next year so 2018 might be the last time I have to worry about all this stuff. Even if I decide to keep growing i might just go work for somebody else. I wish it wasn't like that but there's just too much stress involved right now.
With no mortgage, a decent job in the industry should keep you going good. Most people pay at Least 1/3 of their income on housing. Probably more where you live. I am sure any farm would be lucky to have such an experienced grower on staff. Prop 64 sucked big time. Now Jerry is trying to put more people in jail. Never stand in the way of a politian and your hard earned money. T hey are already cracking down on the black market.
Hopefully you will be able to keep at it for many years.
Ibechillin
Masochist Educator
Hey man, I posted a thread a few days relating pretty heavily to this about cutting costs and upping yields with different growing methods and genetics. Its in my signature the link under Tons Of Information On Max Efficiency Growing, Root Systems and Breeding:
You remember last july (15th) I asked you in your thread:
This was the answer you gave me:
Well, needless to say it wasn't the answer i was looking for, im trying to work on a tight budget lol.
Something I had been thinking alot about last year was why cannabis is called "weed". I had an epiphany one day thinking about these odd weeds that sprout and grow in my vegetable garden, reaching 4ft in height in like 2 weeks tops with stalks as big around as a quarter at least, the weird thing: all of its roots will fit in a 2x2x2 inch area max and support extensive explosive above ground growth!
When I pulled the rootball out of my 100 gallon pot from my plant that was 7ft tall, 6 feet across and 6 feet deep, the root ball was smaller than a basketball!
I hope the information in the thread helps you to relieve some of your stress man.
You remember last july (15th) I asked you in your thread:
This was the answer you gave me:
Well, needless to say it wasn't the answer i was looking for, im trying to work on a tight budget lol.
Something I had been thinking alot about last year was why cannabis is called "weed". I had an epiphany one day thinking about these odd weeds that sprout and grow in my vegetable garden, reaching 4ft in height in like 2 weeks tops with stalks as big around as a quarter at least, the weird thing: all of its roots will fit in a 2x2x2 inch area max and support extensive explosive above ground growth!
When I pulled the rootball out of my 100 gallon pot from my plant that was 7ft tall, 6 feet across and 6 feet deep, the root ball was smaller than a basketball!
I hope the information in the thread helps you to relieve some of your stress man.
looking good Budz!!
You should look into making sauce/live resin?, maybe take a whole plant at the end of the year and give it a try? Thats what all the kids are smoking nowadays lol. Keep up the good work
You should look into making sauce/live resin?, maybe take a whole plant at the end of the year and give it a try? Thats what all the kids are smoking nowadays lol. Keep up the good work
I had a buddy ask me a couple months ago about buying my outdoor plants this year as whole plants.
Im still thinking about it, It hurts if i was to do it. I started them and babied them to hopefully finish. I want to see my shit dry and cure properly and trim by hand, even though thats the worst part of growing in my opinion.
He would make live resin with it. Its hard to come up with a number though. Last year i averaged a pound per plant, but I'm only in 45 gallon containers and I'm in the suburbs with 4 neighbors surrounding my yard lol.
I have a height limit also to 7- 7 1/2 feet tall
Im still thinking about it, It hurts if i was to do it. I started them and babied them to hopefully finish. I want to see my shit dry and cure properly and trim by hand, even though thats the worst part of growing in my opinion.
He would make live resin with it. Its hard to come up with a number though. Last year i averaged a pound per plant, but I'm only in 45 gallon containers and I'm in the suburbs with 4 neighbors surrounding my yard lol.
I have a height limit also to 7- 7 1/2 feet tall
The happy frog (aka Heavy Frog), is very nutrient dense. Great bang for your buck imo. It is a little heavy though, I always add some extra aeration to it. Very easy to over water fresh transplants in it, even with added aeration. Once they root though, it will keep them nice and green for much longer than most of the bagged soil.
Glad you did a thread, always enjoy them. Also sounds like your doing well. Imo, the only way to stay in the legal industry is to vertically integrate. Need that store front, or delivery service. Most if not all of the shops will eventually do the same, cutting out suppliers. Even if you diversify into sauce, edibles, etc.. etc.. without a retail platform that you have control over you are at the mercy of other store owners whose main goal is to not need you eventually.
Some collaboration among like minded farmers, to pitch in and start a retail outlet, even a low cost delivery service. If you deliver dank, customers will be loyal. Competing for the cheapest pounds of decent, machine trimmed, sucks the enjoyment out of it for me.
Nice start and wishing you the best,
Mr^^
Glad you did a thread, always enjoy them. Also sounds like your doing well. Imo, the only way to stay in the legal industry is to vertically integrate. Need that store front, or delivery service. Most if not all of the shops will eventually do the same, cutting out suppliers. Even if you diversify into sauce, edibles, etc.. etc.. without a retail platform that you have control over you are at the mercy of other store owners whose main goal is to not need you eventually.
Some collaboration among like minded farmers, to pitch in and start a retail outlet, even a low cost delivery service. If you deliver dank, customers will be loyal. Competing for the cheapest pounds of decent, machine trimmed, sucks the enjoyment out of it for me.
Nice start and wishing you the best,
Mr^^
