Orient Express in Organic Soil
- Thread starter chappie
- Start date
Lowering the temps really has helped, thanks for suggesting it as it would have been low on my list of possibilities.
They are growing rapidly. Making me nervous in fact. I think I will flip them into flower today (27 days). I'm eager to get the males out and open up some space.
ACE suggests this strain really enjoys guano during bloom. However, these are looking so healthy and showing no deficiencies, so I am tempted to just continue with the compost teas and let nature take its course. I am not concerned with yield, but I do want them to be top quality in terms of terpenes. Maybe I should give guano to a couple of them to compare?
They are growing rapidly. Making me nervous in fact. I think I will flip them into flower today (27 days). I'm eager to get the males out and open up some space.
ACE suggests this strain really enjoys guano during bloom. However, these are looking so healthy and showing no deficiencies, so I am tempted to just continue with the compost teas and let nature take its course. I am not concerned with yield, but I do want them to be top quality in terms of terpenes. Maybe I should give guano to a couple of them to compare?
Glad the heat issue is sorted Chappie..
The plants will start to get length between the nodes now since the plants are getting a less dense amount of light.
I think your course of action is a good one. I would use the guano as a light booster during the optimum flowering period; those two weeks when the plants are really soaking up the nutrients and putting all their effort into producing fat buds with abundant resin. I would be light though since they might get shocked if you haven't introduced the new food over a period of time with an incremental build up.
I personally believe that the best results can be gained with minimal effort and common sense. I always think - better cool than hot, better less food than more. If you know a plant can take it then you can give more slowly over a period of time. From my very limited knowledge of orient express I believe it is a light feeder?
The plants will start to get length between the nodes now since the plants are getting a less dense amount of light.
I think your course of action is a good one. I would use the guano as a light booster during the optimum flowering period; those two weeks when the plants are really soaking up the nutrients and putting all their effort into producing fat buds with abundant resin. I would be light though since they might get shocked if you haven't introduced the new food over a period of time with an incremental build up.
I personally believe that the best results can be gained with minimal effort and common sense. I always think - better cool than hot, better less food than more. If you know a plant can take it then you can give more slowly over a period of time. From my very limited knowledge of orient express I believe it is a light feeder?
Watered them with TM-7, Aloe, and Ful-Power today. Flipped the cycle to 12.5/11.5 (more dark than light).
I usually sex before flipping but none of them are showing preflowers. I think they actually have another week or two, maturity-wise, to go in an optimal sense, but really am dreading their ultimate height if I wait too much longer. The Jack Herer I just grew out pushed my space to the max and it was a source of anxiety near the end, which I do not feel needs to be the case with these.
Anyway... they are looking pretty good, better since cranking up the fans and giving them some room.
This is how they are settling in now: [edit: I arranged them by size, more or less, with short/dense ones in the center and sativa stretchers on the outer rows]
I usually sex before flipping but none of them are showing preflowers. I think they actually have another week or two, maturity-wise, to go in an optimal sense, but really am dreading their ultimate height if I wait too much longer. The Jack Herer I just grew out pushed my space to the max and it was a source of anxiety near the end, which I do not feel needs to be the case with these.
Anyway... they are looking pretty good, better since cranking up the fans and giving them some room.
This is how they are settling in now: [edit: I arranged them by size, more or less, with short/dense ones in the center and sativa stretchers on the outer rows]
Attachments
5 days into flower... one of them was clearly a male and was culled. I am leaning away from the idea of producing seeds this round. From reports out there, this strain seems more or less uniform and if I really want to run it over and over, i will more likely go for another pack.
There do seem to be two dominant growth modes; extremely dense/compact, and taller, lankier. There is one plant which in particular has narrower leaves, and a couple of them seem to have extra-large fan leaves.
The male which was culled had an especially strong, pleasant aroma. Difficult to explain, and unique for sure. Incense, musk, a hint of hash, something foresty but not all that pine-like. A balanced, low-pitched dank smell. Very promising.
I was only able to find a single female preflower so far. I am eager to open up space, but for now am just holding tight letting the plants do their thing.
Here is the garden today, with one male removed. I still have the pathetic little extra plant in a solo cup. The little dude is really persevering, trying to branch, but I should probably end it's torture soon.
The (now empty) male bucket has a couple borage and anise hyssop seedlings in solo cups in it. Looking closely on the left side, you can maybe see a larger borage plant in a small black fabric pot.
Here you can see a plant which has rapidly shifted gears and is putting out what I always call to myself "landing pads" which indicate flowering is starting to kick in.
Here are some borage seedlings, one of them will need to be thinned soon:
There do seem to be two dominant growth modes; extremely dense/compact, and taller, lankier. There is one plant which in particular has narrower leaves, and a couple of them seem to have extra-large fan leaves.
The male which was culled had an especially strong, pleasant aroma. Difficult to explain, and unique for sure. Incense, musk, a hint of hash, something foresty but not all that pine-like. A balanced, low-pitched dank smell. Very promising.
I was only able to find a single female preflower so far. I am eager to open up space, but for now am just holding tight letting the plants do their thing.
Here is the garden today, with one male removed. I still have the pathetic little extra plant in a solo cup. The little dude is really persevering, trying to branch, but I should probably end it's torture soon.
The (now empty) male bucket has a couple borage and anise hyssop seedlings in solo cups in it. Looking closely on the left side, you can maybe see a larger borage plant in a small black fabric pot.
Here you can see a plant which has rapidly shifted gears and is putting out what I always call to myself "landing pads" which indicate flowering is starting to kick in.
Here are some borage seedlings, one of them will need to be thinned soon:
Attachments
Looking good chappie.. looking vigorous and healthy..
What's the potency on this? I've always been interested in this one, but after my last experience with this type of exotic boutique pot out of Spain, I'll probably pass.
SR
SR
SR, This is my first crop so I can't say. Several growers I respect, however, have had unanimously rave reviews. Hope you find what you are looking for, and I will update in a couple months to reveal how these turn out. Should be harvest time in about 60-65 days.
Also just realized how terrible the color is on those photos. It is always a chore to get pics under the sodium lamp but that is worse than normal... must have changed the white balance somehow.
And then there were 4
And then there were 4
The males have all kicked into sexy mode and are thus removed. 4 remain, which is ok with me since this is such a small space and these plants seem like they may explode. I'll leave the other buckets in the space, either growing out more clover or maybe adding some other herbs. You can see the borage plants starting to get a little leafy, while the anise hyssop are remaining very tiny and slow-growing.
I did eliminate that poor OE that was trapped in the solo cup. I could have repotted it but just don't have the spare cycles to deal with every cute little plant that begs my attention.
Anyway, here they are now after about a week of flowering, and with a little breathing room (for now). Sadly, the squattest, densest plant which I was really curious to see bloom was a male, but there is still a "compact" pheno left. Its branches and leaves are such a tangled mess I really cannot tell what is going on inside it.
Started another batch of compost tea today, using just compost (Bu's Blend) and KIS microbe catalyst, which contains quite a few foods for the microbes. They'll get a drench tomorrow.
In terms of veg growth, I am pretty happy with this growing style; I did not check pH a single time and found all of the ingredients inoffensive to work with. The initial soil mixing was a bit of a chore but that should not need to happen again for quite a while, and after the initial acquisition of the various raw inputs, I will not need to seek out more for quite some time. Meanwhile, my own compost and vermiculture systems are ramping up nicely, especially with the good weather returning. Very nice feeling to stop using the bottles.
And then there were 4
The males have all kicked into sexy mode and are thus removed. 4 remain, which is ok with me since this is such a small space and these plants seem like they may explode. I'll leave the other buckets in the space, either growing out more clover or maybe adding some other herbs. You can see the borage plants starting to get a little leafy, while the anise hyssop are remaining very tiny and slow-growing.
I did eliminate that poor OE that was trapped in the solo cup. I could have repotted it but just don't have the spare cycles to deal with every cute little plant that begs my attention.
Anyway, here they are now after about a week of flowering, and with a little breathing room (for now). Sadly, the squattest, densest plant which I was really curious to see bloom was a male, but there is still a "compact" pheno left. Its branches and leaves are such a tangled mess I really cannot tell what is going on inside it.
Started another batch of compost tea today, using just compost (Bu's Blend) and KIS microbe catalyst, which contains quite a few foods for the microbes. They'll get a drench tomorrow.
In terms of veg growth, I am pretty happy with this growing style; I did not check pH a single time and found all of the ingredients inoffensive to work with. The initial soil mixing was a bit of a chore but that should not need to happen again for quite a while, and after the initial acquisition of the various raw inputs, I will not need to seek out more for quite some time. Meanwhile, my own compost and vermiculture systems are ramping up nicely, especially with the good weather returning. Very nice feeling to stop using the bottles.
Attachments
day 9 of flowering
day 9 of flowering
Fed with a bit of guano today. They are starting to pack on the sites, but pistils are still few. They are definitely shifting gears, and aroma is picking up. Rubbing the stems does not provide much, but unzipping the tent defintely releases some dank.
Despite my terrible photography, color and structure is great. One of them is certainly a stretcher, two are intermediate, and one is so impossibly dense that I cannot even parse it's structure. Just an incredible tangled mat of interwoven leaves, very difficult to tell which branch is which.
day 9 of flowering
Fed with a bit of guano today. They are starting to pack on the sites, but pistils are still few. They are definitely shifting gears, and aroma is picking up. Rubbing the stems does not provide much, but unzipping the tent defintely releases some dank.
Despite my terrible photography, color and structure is great. One of them is certainly a stretcher, two are intermediate, and one is so impossibly dense that I cannot even parse it's structure. Just an incredible tangled mat of interwoven leaves, very difficult to tell which branch is which.
Attachments
2.5 weeks
2.5 weeks
They are fully into early flower now. I always think these clusters,a this stage, look like clover flowers... Little tufts of white pistils.
2 of the plants look like clones of each other, and each has branched into an even, SOG-esque canopy of tips. Then the one lower left, is towering above the others, in the classic xmas tree shape. Lower right, is the mind-bending bush... it is still very hard for the eye to focus on the central stem and make any sense of it at all. Leaves are twisting in all directions, some going perpindicular to where they should be. Blades are criss-crossing with other leaves. It is clear where the main tip is, but all bets are off for everything else. I keep trying to photograph it, with results that are just as confusing as it is in person.
Also still having trouble with my camera, which used to manage the white balance alright. Then I realized it might be this new bulb I put in the hood. Maybe it is much more orange than the last, although it was marketed as blue-enhanced. Oh well. I tried to manually adjust the first pic with bad results. The leaves are in fact fairly decently green, stems are green, and all seems well.
I am still pretty impressed with this growing style! Never checked pH and no more measuring of expensive liquids (other than the Ful-Power).
2.5 weeks
They are fully into early flower now. I always think these clusters,a this stage, look like clover flowers... Little tufts of white pistils.
2 of the plants look like clones of each other, and each has branched into an even, SOG-esque canopy of tips. Then the one lower left, is towering above the others, in the classic xmas tree shape. Lower right, is the mind-bending bush... it is still very hard for the eye to focus on the central stem and make any sense of it at all. Leaves are twisting in all directions, some going perpindicular to where they should be. Blades are criss-crossing with other leaves. It is clear where the main tip is, but all bets are off for everything else. I keep trying to photograph it, with results that are just as confusing as it is in person.
Also still having trouble with my camera, which used to manage the white balance alright. Then I realized it might be this new bulb I put in the hood. Maybe it is much more orange than the last, although it was marketed as blue-enhanced. Oh well. I tried to manually adjust the first pic with bad results. The leaves are in fact fairly decently green, stems are green, and all seems well.
I am still pretty impressed with this growing style! Never checked pH and no more measuring of expensive liquids (other than the Ful-Power).
Attachments
You echo my own thoughts Gelado. I would be tempted to defoliate a little so air could circulate easier around the plant.. It's like a shrub almost. Surprised you haven't found some birds nesting in there chappie
I'm going to let it go, I think there is plenty of air flow in there and the space is fairly dry.
I did have a plant somewhat like this, a Northern Lights ("Lifebreather" cut)... it was a spherical mass of leaf, wholly opaque. It ended up performing amazingly well, and while leafy, the leaf was so trichome-encrusted that it was ok.
I have also grown a little plant like this one in a hydro setup many years ago, it was exciting to watch as the whole stem was encrusted with leaf and little stubby branches. The end result was a monstrous single cola, pretty much shaped like a quart jar. It was tasteless, bland, and utterly impotent.
We'll see!
I did have a plant somewhat like this, a Northern Lights ("Lifebreather" cut)... it was a spherical mass of leaf, wholly opaque. It ended up performing amazingly well, and while leafy, the leaf was so trichome-encrusted that it was ok.
I have also grown a little plant like this one in a hydro setup many years ago, it was exciting to watch as the whole stem was encrusted with leaf and little stubby branches. The end result was a monstrous single cola, pretty much shaped like a quart jar. It was tasteless, bland, and utterly impotent.
We'll see!
Fingers crossed! Can't wait to see how she turns out.
I have a very dense, leafy skunk (not as dense as yours, but completely stacked in flowering, and I had a branch grow into the main cola (!). I pulled them apart in the nick of time. The inside of the branch is bleached and strange-looking from when it was all wrapped up in the main cola. Never seen that happen before! I'm not running her again though. She has ladyboy tendencies. Great high though.
I have a very dense, leafy skunk (not as dense as yours, but completely stacked in flowering, and I had a branch grow into the main cola (!). I pulled them apart in the nick of time. The inside of the branch is bleached and strange-looking from when it was all wrapped up in the main cola. Never seen that happen before! I'm not running her again though. She has ladyboy tendencies.
Great high though.
kiwigreen420
Member
Super exited for the rest of this grow, I took the plunge on 2 fems yesterday.
Everything looks perfect and vigorous so far. Can't wait to see them in a few weeks time.
Everything looks perfect and vigorous so far. Can't wait to see them in a few weeks time.
Plants really coming along nicely Chappie! The dense one is interesting to say the least! I am glad you are letting it go to see what it is capable of. Whenever I grow a new strain, I like to let them go natural and study their habits. I am looking forward to this grow! Thanks for sharing! E
