we've been pretty busy finishing our setup; tilling/amending/planting/irrigation . I haven't taken many pictures but will post more soon.
The big mounds have been plugged for about a month now, the plants are chugging along for the most part, but a few of them are having issues with their lowest branches wilting and dying off , which I think may be a sign of pythium. We ordered some Mycostop ,we will water it into each mound individually. I hope it doesn't become a bigger problem, this was one of our biggest issues last season but I didn't identify it until it was too late. I believe we lost at least 2 or 3 plants to it last yr. They just wilt everywhere eventually, if you get lucky a few branches will survive until harvest. Perhaps it is related to overwatering???? It's always tricky this time of year, walking a fine line between the soil surface getting too dry vs. the cores of the mounds getting too wet...
We've been spraying with sulfur weekly for mites. So far everything looks clean but we will keep it up until flowering, at which point we will switch to a Venerate/Grandevo rotation. We haven't really started foliar feeding yet though, I'm still waiting on a new sprayer pump. Also need to get a 250gal tank so we can start doing a weekly root drench with some nutrients. We did amend the soil heavily before planting so hopefully they won't get too hungry too soon.
Many of the ladies are growing well past their cages already, we will have to put up our first layer of trellis soon. I am thinking about just hanging the first layer of trellis directly from the cages themselves, draping it over each plant and wrapping around before attaching at key points. Then we will use T-posts for the second layer of trellis. I still haven't got an orchard ladder so doing the top layer of trellis might be interesting but we can worry about that in a few weeks
Our seed project is on hiatus for now, we had to focus on getting the full term garden planted and our males got neglected to say the least.. I will try again in the fall, perhaps pop some seeds this summer to re-plant the mounds after harvest and do a late-season open-pollination seed run. I think they can finish OK in November, it typically doesn't get below freezing until December.
Despite a slow start and a few issues, I am very happy with this year's garden so far. We still have room for improvement but I think this could be our best season yet. I owe a lot of it to my partner, my Queen, she has been working with me nonstop and keeping my spirits up. Our place is looking better than ever, I've been getting some music done in the studio, I am starting to finally have a social life. I have been feeling grateful lately, just to have made it this far. Even better will be if we finish out this season and crush it!
peace and good vibes!..
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our water pH is about 6.8 i believe, but it's been a while since i checked. not sure how much it matters for foliar, probably not very much since the water is going to evaporate anyway but dont quote me on that.What is the ph of your water?
I forget if you mentioned if you are on a well or if you get your water in a tanker truck?
I always wondered about foliar also. About adjusting ph or should it matter?
My tap water is up around 8 i think,. i never ph downed it before spraying my plants....
just wondering if it really matters or not?
I only spray neem, spinosad and BT... I don't really foliar feed, with teas and what not....
Looks good budz! Keep up the good work!!!!
I have a reotemp moisture meter, i use it , but I'm still learning to trust it. I still have a constant fear of overwatering (and sometimes underwatering), but I am training myself to only water the plants when they really seem to be drying out. . As the season progresses and they start to fill out the big mounds and drink more it will become less of an issue.Hey Shcrews, if you dont want any trouble with root rot why dont you use a moisture reader? Most outdoor growers use them like rootwise. Just a heads up. Plants look astonishing as usual. Keep on keep it on.
What is the ph of your water?
I forget if you mentioned if you are on a well or if you get your water in a tanker truck?
I always wondered about foliar also. About adjusting ph or should it matter?
My tap water is up around 8 i think,. i never ph downed it before spraying my plants....
just wondering if it really matters or not?
I only spray neem, spinosad and BT... I don't really foliar feed, with teas and what not....
Looks good budz! Keep up the good work!!!!
I have a reotemp moisture meter, i use it , but I'm still learning to trust it. I still have a constant fear of overwatering (and sometimes underwatering), but I am training myself to only water the plants when they really seem to be drying out. . As the season progresses and they start to fill out the big mounds and drink more it will become less of an issue.
in regards to root rot, One plant in particular has shown the most symptoms, possibly pythium or fusarium. Lots of dead wilted lower branches, and a generally weak/droopy look to the plant. I am hoping the Mycostop will help. The garden is looking great for the most part though
I have a reotemp moisture meter, i use it , but I'm still learning to trust it. I still have a constant fear of overwatering (and sometimes underwatering), but I am training myself to only water the plants when they really seem to be drying out