Outdoor Chocolope - My First Grow

[Ottos_Jacket]

HELLO EVERYBODY!!!! (Doctor Nick voice) After more than 20 years of smoking the sticky-icky, I finally decided to try my hand at growing it. This came about because I was given a bag of chocolope bud indirectly from a dispensary that happened to have many seeds in it. As I've learned in the past couple months, this probably wasn't the best way to start but it is what it is at this point. Next grow I’ll plan better and probably order the seeds. This is probably a good point to mention that I've learned everything I now know about growing in the last couple months. It's amazing how much info is out there! It’s been a great couple months. I’m having a blast doing this!
So... I germinated 12 seeds with 100% success - all systems go! I planted them in ten solo cups (I was short two, I didn't expect them all to sprout!) on May 20th.
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=55533&pictureid=1296172



I killed two plants as they didn't seem to be doing very well. I now have 10 plants growing nicely. My end goal was to end up with 4 or 5 plants. I figured that several would likely be males and would need to be killed.
I used a mixture of an organic potting soil (Espoma) and perlite in the cups. I transplanted the babies to growers pots, about 2 gallons or so, on June 16th. I wanted to use the same soil but couldn’t get it. I ended up using Miracle Grow Organic and an Espoma organic fertilizer mix (chicken crap, bat guano, fish, etc.) and topped it off with a liquid seaweed fertilizer for root growth. I believe the pots are about two gallons volume. I read that three gallon pots are preferred but I don't have ones that big and I don't want 12 ft. trees growing on my balcony!!


For nutrients, I have been using Iguana Juice Grow at half strength in the beginning and then went up to full strength after transplanting. I just switched to bloom this week. I know that this stuff is intended for hydroponics but I didn’t realize that when I ordered it. Is it bad to be using these hydro nutes for soil? I figure that with the smaller than ideal pots, the hydro nutes might actually be a good thing since they’re getting everything they would get if they didn’t have any soil. The little ladies seem to love it. What else should I be giving them? Molasses? A flower booster?
I had planned to train them but I didn’t do much. I had considered topping them and/or supercropping and tying branches down to make them bushier. But all I ended up doing was supercropping the branches and crimping the stem on the three tallest ones.
Recently most started preflowering. I’m now sure that nine are females and I think the tenth is female also. This seemed too good to be true so I did some research about it. Given that the seeds came in a bag from a dispensary, it seems to make sense to me. Apparently the dispensary was having some trouble with their growing operation as this is what they told my friend they sold it to him at a discount informing him that there were some seeds in the bud. So it appears to me that the seeds were generated due to hermaphroditism and therefore my seeds are feminized. Maybe they had light leaks or something? Maybe they had bad genetics – hopefully NOT!!! Yes, drawing some conclusions but I find 10 out of 10 to be just too lucky to be real. The fix must be in! So I’m hoping that I don’t have hermie problems and I’ll be checking them closely as they start to flower.
My main concern has been starting the flowering period. I’m in northeast US and therefore daylight won’t hit 12 hours until late September. With this strain taking about 9 to 10 weeks for flowering, this just isn’t going to work with the impending cold/wet weather. So I had been exploring options of covering the plants starting right about now, planning to be harvesting in early/mid October. But… alas, I did not realize that plants grown outdoors are less sensitive to the 12 hours of darkness and several of them have now begun flowering on their own. Woohoo!! This makes things so much easier. But I’m not clear on why some appear to be well on their way into flowering and others are sexually mature (preflowers and alternating nodes) but not quite flowering yet. Should I expect the rest to start flowering in the next week or so?
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=55533&pictureid=1296177


https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=55533&pictureid=1296189
Any comments, questions, and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

More recent pics...

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

I've had a couple issues since transplanting (about 6/22)...

The first is that I don't think I was careful enough with the root balls when I transplanted them and therefore most of them had some shock after. The biggest ones prior to transplanting, the ones in the beige pots, were overtaken very quickly. Three of them had explosive growth while the rest seemed to stagnate for weeks. But now, six weeks later, the smaller ones seem to be catching up.

Another issue I had and actually still have is that a couple plants have more yellowing than I would expect at this stage. One of them has some yellow spotting. Anybody know what this is due to? A nutrient deficiency?




And most recently, several of the ladies had spider mites. You can see the spots on some of the leaves. Thankfully, I caught it early. On Tuesday I turned each plant on its side and sprayed the shit out of them from the bottom up with a pretty high powered sprayer wand. I thought I might have overdone it but that has seemed to work in getting rid of most of the mites and their eggs. I plan on using either a hot pepper spray or a neem oil spray if I notice them again... which I am expecting. I couldn't have gotten all of the eggs. But I've been really pleased with the result of just physically spraying them off.



I'm thinking I should remove this leaf. I think this is the best example of the damage done by those little bastards.


And comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[window]

Yes, If the original plant hermed the seeds would be feminized but will carry a greater chance of herming themselves.
If your vigilant, you could pick off any male parts that appear but its so easy to miss some, just keep your eyes on them and good luck.

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

Thanks Window! From what I've read, the greater likelihood of herming is a genetic trait but any strain can herm if it is stressed enough. If the mother was just stressed significantly and genetically had a normal likelihood of herming, the seeds won't necessarily be more likely to herm. Is that correct? Otherwise all feminized seeds would be much more likely to herm. Seems like there's a lot of conflicting info out there on this topic.

On Sunday I transplanted Big Bertha (that's the big lady's name) into a bigger pot that I forgot I had. She's now about 4.5' without the pot! I used another brand of organic potting soil, can't remember which, along with some bone meal for additional phosforous and calcium. Once finished I used the rest of the cubic ft of potting mix with bone meal to top off the other babies and other plants on my balcony.

Not the best pic but here it is...


Still seeing some leaves with yellow discoloration and some browning and curling. Is this due to pH or a deficiency? How can you tell the difference? From what I've read it looks like it can either be a phosphorous/magnesium/zinc/calcium deficiency or a pH issue. I have a pH tester but the thing is garbage. It's a Luster Leaf Rapitest 1815. Don't waste your money! I have to buy another tester or a kit to rule that out before I start trying to correct a deficiency. Any suggestions? Not looking to spend much loot.

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

Flowering seems to be progressing well. There are only a few that look like they're taking their time getting past veg. I'm still not sure that this last one is female. The preflowers are coming in very late compared to the rest. And it already has stipules coming out of the bud sites! The other plants' preflowers are all very clearly female.

Suspicious preflowers


One of the bud sites on the same plant


Main cola on the third tallest plant, progressing well


Main cola of the smallest plant from above. This one is the furthest into flowering... and looking good! And starting to get a little stinky!


And the guard dog watching over the tasty crop!

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

I'd really appreciate any comments or suggestions about the yellowing/browning leaves or the sex of the one plant. Thanks in advance!

 

[OvergrowDaWorld]

Thats a female.
I would get a ph test kit at the hydro store. The drops.

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

Thanks Overgrow! Very happy to hear that! It's thee second biggest plant so I would've been disappointed to cut it down. And I have ph testing drops coming in the mail tomorrow as well as a cheap pH tester that has very good reviews. Looking forward to ruling pH issues out and moving on to figuring out the deficiency.

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

It's been a long time since my last update. I didn't have a pH issue. The problem was I wasn't feeding the girls enough. They perked up after several proper-strength feedings. The ladies are looking good now but the last 5 weeks have not been without problems. Fungus gnats, a few budworms, spider mites again, some random seeds in the buds and most recently, powdery mildew.

I don't think the gnats have had too much of an impact and I think I was lucky with the budworms. I only lost a few branches due to the worms.

The spider mites have been and still are a problem. But within the next few days, I'll be giving them a good spray with a rosemary solution and I'm hoping that will help. I spot-sprayed them on Monday but didn't have time to do too much with them. And if that doesn't do the trick, next up is a lavender spray.

I've also found some seeds in some of the buds on several of the plants. I'm happy to say that the situation doesn't seem too bad at all. Most buds that have any seeds only have one or two. And I have no idea where the pollen came from. My balcony gets a lot of wind so the culprit could be rogue pollen... I guess it's possible that some high school kids were rolling blunts in the woods by my house, tossing the seeds on the ground and a couple months later, BAM! some bastard has knocked up my sweet little ladies from a couple hundred yards away! Haha! But I think it's more likely that one of my plants hermed. I haven't been able to find any evidence of pollen sacs though. So hopefully the situation doesn't get any worse.

But the newest and most disconcerting issue is the dreaded powdery mildew. We had several days in a row of high humidy along with thunderstorms they took their toll. I had to cut down one plant yesterday morning because there was quite a bit in the buds. And from what I've heard the stuff can spread like wildfire so I acted quickly and killed it. I kept the top cola because I didn't see any mold on it and it's hanging drying. Why not right? I've been away for work since yesterday morning and I'm really nervous at what I might find when I get home tomorrow night. I saw a little bit on the leaves of two other plants so I sprayed them with a milk solution before I left. And I'll probably spray them again tomorrow too.

Anyone know if it's bad to spray a milk solution and then a rosemary or lavender solution within 24 hours or so? I'm thinking I can just spot-spray for the mites but I think it would be a good idea to spray all of them with the milk spray. Anyone have any suggestions? I would greatly appreciate the help.

Only a couple/few weeks away from harvest. Can't let things get F'ed up now!!!

Pics to follow tomorrow...

 

[Gardening Angel]

Hey otto,

Nice to see more chocolope grows
I'm currently growing a terperella - choc x ssh

Looking forward to the rest of your thread

Thanks
GA

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

Pics... Finally!!

Pics... Finally!!

Finally getting some pics up. These are all from the biggest lady. And all of these are from the 17th.

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

More pics

More pics

All of these are from the 17th too.

Top of one of the branches on the second biggest


Top of another branch on the second biggest


Top of the main cola on one of the average sized ones


Another pic of the main cola on the same plant


And....... my first dried nug, the top of the first one I cut down due to PM. It was very early to chop it and no flush. Not the best herb I've ever smoked but faaar from the worst! And it's the first nug I've ever grown so I'm still happy with it.

 

[Chunkypigs]

looks good! are those things right out in the open?

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

The short answer to that question is yes. But there are very few people who could see my balcony and the screen and the many other plants on my balcony do a good job of camouflaging them. That said, I never expected or wanted to have 6 ft tall plants. Topping or low stress training is a must for next time. And not as many plants. Thats probably the main reason for the PM. The list of lessons learned is endless!

 

[OvergrowDaWorld]

Thats a great attitude Otto.
You'll do just fine as a grower of this fine medicine.
Keep up the great work!
Always remember..... Pigs get fatter, but hogs get slaughtered!
Keep things on the down low and you'll enjoy your hobby for along time.

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

Sorry for the delay in replying but I've been busy! Thanks Overgrow! From someone that's been on here a long time and seen a lot, that means the world to me. I greatly appreciate the compliment!! Yes, I will be enjoying my hobby for a long time. You can count on it!

So I've found out in the last few days why people say that trimming is so fucking tedious. Yes, it has been rewarding but since it is my first time, it has taken FOREVER!! Bertha took me about 9 hours to cut down and trim and hang. Yes, ridiculous but the main reason is due to powdery mildew on many branches. And therefore, I had to check every damn bud for it and trim it more than I would have liked.

Here's Big B prepped and ready to die! So gorgeous!!


Bud on bertha before trim


Bertha's fat head after trim


Bertha dead and trimmed on the rack


I wanted to let her dry out at least partially with all leaves on each limb but due to the PM, I couldn't risk it.

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

And I could have given a much better answer to the question 'are they all just out there in the open' but that would not be good for business. Can't give away my location!! Obviously. I like to live on the edge from time to time but playing with fire is not my game... even though I'm a clepto at heart! Haha!

Spider mites have taken a back seat to the powdery mildew issue. I really haven't seen any problem with those little bastards, mainly because they are on the leaves and not on the buds as far as I can tell. So when I trim, they're gone. Tanglefoot is on all the tips of the branches to be on the safe side but I haven't seen much to be concerned about.

HOWEVER, I had had to throw out the entire cola of one of the plants due to bud rot. I had sprayed that one with a milk solution to combat powdery mildew and I had read that it can make bud rot more likely. Well, again, lessons learned. The funny part is that it literally scared the living shit outta me when I first saw it. I pulled back the one brownish bud on the cola thinking it was just burn from rosemary spray during the day and BAM - it looked like something from a fairytale - like someone had put an evil curse on my lady. So fucking disgusting that in my stony state it really freaked me out. I had to stop trimming for the night and head to bed. Ooofff!! I've seen all sorts of insects and mildew on the plants but the bud rot is a totally different story. So horrendously gross. I felt like it was starting to grow on me!! Haha! I threw it in the garbage immediately. And then thought... this is why when I planned for four plants I kept all ten! So fuck it! Lesson learned. One must take heed when using milk spray. It may help bu tthere is a real danger apparently.

 

[Ottos_Jacket]

So, moving on to where we are now... Had ten plants and I'm down to two big ones, two small ones in one pot (never doing that again!) half of one that I didn't finish cutting down because budrot made me feel like a little kid with the lights off, and my little dwarf whose hot even a foot tall. The two big ones are all I'm concerned about. They both look gorgeous and I'm thrilled to take them down tomorrow. If I don't see any mildew on them I'm going to cut the branches and hang them without trimming. From everything I've read, this is the best way to dry them. I just haven't had that option yet.

 

[Brazilian Stone]

Chocolope Issues

Chocolope Issues

Hello guys, im terribly desperated. I just started my first time outdoor crop with 3 strains (chocolope, swiss cheese and Super lemon haze). and im having trouble to grow plants of Chocolope (DNA genetics).
Here is a brief information on the growing site: its an outdoor place in Brazil, plants get direct sun from 9:00 am to 18:00 pm, receiving water once or two times a day, the only fertilizer i used til now is worm humus (mixed in the soil), plants have 25 days of life.

The problem: All of them are very good but chocolope plants. I germinated 3 seeds, 2 already died last week, and the only one left are like the photos below.

Can you guys tell what i am doing wrong with them ? Ty Ty Ty Ty Ty (im a complete noob).