The Epic Orchard 2015

[Organic Grower]

I've seen nice secure hortinova netting systems on huge plants. I personally hate the stuff. I messed with it last year too, and it worked, but I hated it. It is less than 1/4 of the price, but I still consider the cages worth it. Especially for the next few years.. Did I mention I hate plastic netting?

 

[Shcrews]

Last year my big plants nearly topped over. I had to ratchet strap my vertical bamboo supports back to T posts just to keep my plants from falling forward. I just figured if I'm going to try and grow bigger plants than la st season, I better have a better way of keeping them vertical when the gnarly oregon weatherhits.

so the problem was the bamboo then,? i feel you , remesh is def better but i had no problems last year with my nets. they were the string nets though, not plastic.

 

[epicorchard]

those green globes are looking great really bushing out, are you gonna do the top hat trellis thing on those remesh outer cages too? thats one of my main tasks this week, still debating between just t-post/bamboo and netting which worked pretty good last year, or go with remesh outer cages like yours. hate it when shit fails though, had a couple zip ties snap, maybe just double up?

oh yea gonna cap them all.
Im lucky to grow on my own land and in a friendly county. If I could re do the last couple years in shasta, i wouldnt have invested as much in infrastructure that I wiould later be forced to leave behind. In other words, only invest that which clearly is finacially justified in one season.

that being said, t-posts and remesh can all be stacked on a trailer and moved if needed. Your also only buying things once; another rule I grow by. I hate filling landfills with 7k feet of netting every year. And im certainly not going to burn it either. Bamboo at best lasts a couple seasons, so thats a waste product too.

 

[epicorchard]

so the problem was the bamboo then,? i feel you , remesh is def better but i had no problems last year with my nets. they were the string nets though, not plastic.

ive had them lean but never fall. Im usually able to counter pull support structures with ratchet ties and small posts. I have had multiple neighbors, this year and last, lose plants due to faulty netting, ties, or snapped bamboo. Consider the fact that a 10lb plant is 70% water (I think), and then account for the wet leaves and branch weight. A live plant in october is going to be impressively heavy. when it gets soaked it gets even heavier, and then comes in the wind and so on, and so on. you feel me, its a recipe for disaster.

I also love the fact that I can pull branches through each layer of cage for some easy LST. and if a main branch doesnt reach, I pull it towards the outer cage with some green tape. I swear by this technique, I think its has a huge impact on surface area and thus yield.

 

[milkyjoe]

Ends in the sun is $ in the bank.

Thanks for letting us watch a pro in action epic

 

[jd123]

Dude people do not get it. You do not toy around with the weather here. I used to look at how little support tom and humlocal would have and it would blow my mind, but the weathers just different.

I have a friend who spent all his $ on just about everything except support. Great soil, ferts, got a really nice drying set-up built...When the storm came in early septemeber, he was left with almost nothing.

I do 2 metal cages and 2-3 plastic cages depending on size.

 

[Organic Grower]

You must be busy with those twice a week foliars. You mentioned alfalfa, guano, castings, etc in shcrews' thread. You brew those and strain it out before spraying, right? That's a dedicated foliar program. And that's not to mention your IPM foliars? Shit, I've only applied a handful of foliars. Been using that hudson atomizer. I hate it. It really kills my motivation to spray more regularly. Lugging that thing around snaking 300' of extension cord refilling it a dozen times all the while having it leak all over me. Fukin amateur. My biceps do get pretty jacked tho..It's probably a decent addition to an indoor set up, but I'm eyeing some backpack sprayers for the big garden. Even a manual pump one would do me alright. What's the ticket on that stihl?

How are things growing up there man? Has that bear stopped in again? Did you really end up having to halve your garden? Let's get an update!

Cheers man

 

[epicorchard]

You must be busy with those twice a week foliars. You mentioned alfalfa, guano, castings, etc in shcrews' thread. You brew those and strain it out before spraying, right? That's a dedicated foliar program. And that's not to mention your IPM foliars? Shit, I've only applied a handful of foliars. Been using that hudson atomizer. I hate it. It really kills my motivation to spray more regularly. Lugging that thing around snaking 300' of extension cord refilling it a dozen times all the while having it leak all over me. Fukin amateur. My biceps do get pretty jacked tho..It's probably a decent addition to an indoor set up, but I'm eyeing some backpack sprayers for the big garden. Even a manual pump one would do me alright. What's the ticket on that stihl?

How are things growing up there man? Has that bear stopped in again? Did you really end up having to halve your garden? Let's get an update!

Cheers man

were still at it with the strained AACT foliars. Been busy getting the trellis dialed in and battling through a wee little russet infestation. Bear hasnt returned and I wont split my garden this year.... oh yea $700 for the Stihl

 

[epicorchard]

a few more shots
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[epicorchard]

last couple

 

[Shcrews]

damn homey those plants are huge. personally i would shoot for more vertical growth but the round bushes do look cool i'll give you that. how many times did you top them, twice?

seems like you handled the mites like nothing.

those cages tho!

 

[epicorchard]

damn homey those plants are huge. personally i would shoot for more vertical growth but the round bushes do look cool i'll give you that. how many times did you top them, twice?

seems like you handled the mites like nothing.

those cages tho!

Thanks man! We top about twice and then super crop before transplant. Then tons of LST through the cages. I always figured that plants are like a solar panels so I'd rather have a wide flat surface that gets full sun all day. Seems like the sides of tall plants see a lot of shade throughout the day. Hitting my plants with PFR twice a week and released a whole lot of swarskii mites.

 

[jd123]

Thats gnarly you do the backpack stihl. Does that take a long ass time? Organic thats even gnarlier you use an atomizer. I had a 20 gal sprayer and switched over to a 50 gal with 120 foot of hose just recently. I'd probably just skip foliar all together If I did it with an atomizer..hats off to you man, thats serious dedication.

 

[caligrownc]

Hows it up in oregon? What area you growing in and is it mmj friendly? I was looking into apots around chiloquin but really dont know people to ask about the whole rundown. Sorry to get off topic but been thinking about heading up there daily since i live ina damn banned county. Thanks

 

[Chunk O'Funk]

Hows it up in oregon? What area you growing in and is it mmj friendly? I was looking into apots around chiloquin but really dont know people to ask about the whole rundown. Sorry to get off topic but been thinking about heading up there daily since i live ina damn banned county. Thanks

Everyone and their mom is looking for spots up here. And the laws are changing a bit at the end of the year as well. You have to be an OR resident for 2 years to grow under the new law next year.

 

[hup234]

Hows it up in oregon? What area you growing in and is it mmj friendly? I was looking into apots around chiloquin but really dont know people to ask about the whole rundown. Sorry to get off topic but been thinking about heading up there daily since i live ina damn banned county. Thanks

And there goes Oregon

 

[jd123]

Dont do it. Oregon sucks. You'd never want to live here. But if you do make the trek, Chiloquin is the place to be!

 

[Chunk O'Funk]

Dont do it. Oregon sucks. You'd never want to live here. But if you do make the trek, Chiloquin is the place to be!

This guys right, everything really sucks here. But eastern oregon is where its at if you must move here. Far east like Malheur county. This goes out to everyone looking into Oregon

 

[hup234]

Move to Tillamook,grow cheese strains...they'll never smell it

 

[Noonin NorCal]

^lol