My first Season

[Livin Sublime]

I've been reading alot and have been talking to a buddy who knows alot about growing MJ. This will be my first season so I'm want to be prepared and do it right. The guy I am learning from grows White Widow alot so I trust his knoledge and his gardening skills. I really just want to know if I am going about this the right way. I will be growing outdoors and will be doing 2-5 plants in a secure area. I will be using Miracle grow and Peet Moss for the soil. I'm on the east coast of Florida so water and sunlight shouldn't be too much of an issue at this time of year. Might actually get too much water.

My questions are can I use hay to prevent the soil from getting too filled with water? What bugs/animals do I need to look out for and how can I protect my plants from them (i.e. cage, spray???)?. There will most likely be alot of possums, armedilloes, and racoons around this area. Is it better to plant under shaded arear that gets sunlight or directly under the light?

Sorry if these are stupid questions but I just want to do it right the first time.

[law_101]

first of all i would not grow with miracle grow soil... It is about the worst soil for weed growers. I would plant them in a open but concealed area and over watering might become a issue. For this i would plant on higher ground so run off can be speed up and maybe mixing some pea gravel into the soil and peat moss to get the water also flowing faster...

[Corto Malteze]

How's it going?


- You need to find a terrain that WON'T get flooded. Mulching helps reduce waterings but I don't think you can prevent a flood with hay.
- against animals: dog hairs, pee, liquid fence (a liquid you squirt around plants), chicken wire.
- protect your seedlings: crushed egg shells around , beer , moth balls. You can make a little platform on a tree for the seedlings so snails don't get it if you have nothing. They're protected from slugs when about 1 ft tall.
- you need at LEAST 5-6 hours direct sunlight , the more, the better but keep the mj well hidden like in tree lines - not in an open field-, swampy areas (but not IN the water)
- Do you want to use pots or plant in the ground? It's different on many points but I won't get in to that!! For pots: 1 pot per plant, 15-20 gallon pots for best results.
In the ground: start in 3 gallon pot (for 1 month) and put in 3x3x3 hole. You can put raw fish heads and guts at bottom (see Old Pork's thread , he knows a lot). You can line the bottom half way with a tarpaulin (-that you remove in the end for the environment!). This grealty reduced my waterings when I did it (every 10 days instead of every week). The other top half of the hole is open for the roots to continue.
- Use 20-30% worm castings: stimulates the bacteria life. Important.
- Perlite and vermiculite: They air out the soil. They can be useful if you're using the local soil that's too compact (clay etc...).
- FERTILIZING: Add "N" (nitrogen) when they're growing VEGET. stage ( worm castings tea, nettle tea, fish emulsion tea / or N chems). Change ferts when buds start flowering: "P" (phosphorous) and "K" (magnesium) in bat guano tea, fish emulsion / or flowering chems).
- Some add "superthrive" check how much and "epsom salts 1 tsp" twice each season for the "trace elements" (see OP)
- 2-3 weeks before end: add 1 TBS Blackstrap unsulphured molasses/gallon until end or almost. Harvest!

A few rules (1 is crucial but easy to follow, 2 takes a lot of time, all are important IMO): 1.Never tell anyone 2.Find a stealthy location - 3.Don't wreck it with tracks - 4. Water enough - 5. Don't over nute. 6. Good soil mix - 7. Kill the males or only grow fems 8. Don't overnute - 9.Check the trichomes- 10.Wear gloves, led headlight, scotch tape footprints. Only go at night if close to people - 11. Don't grow at home (esp. if garden is visible). 12. Have faith in your spot and wait.

Hope this helped out a little!

[OldSkool1010]

Are you setting out seedlings or growing from seed? The reason I ask is because the light cycle is getting shorter. Plants grown from seed now will be flowering in Feb. Mar. when the days are getting longer. You will get bud but it will be loose with a fairly high leaf to flower ratio. If you have the opportunity, I'd veg under artificial light for 2 months and then set them out to flower, that way the gradually lengthening days won't make that much of a difference because of the contrast from what they're used to.

I kind of missed my peak grow this fall because every seed I sowed in Aug. turned out to be male and my clones got wiped out by some blight. I still have six plants to harvest in a month or so but my main winter grow won't be ready until around the same time as yours.

Also, winter is the dry season...there shouldn't be a problem with over watering. How far north in florida are you? I'm at around 25 degrees.

[Livin Sublime]

Wow, alot more info than I expected. I am a little south of Melbourne on the east coast. The area I am planting in is an old orange grove and will be at a high point (where the orange trees sit) so it should have great runoff. The soil should be good since orange trees grew there for years and still are growing without help. The area is well secluded so I'm not worried about people, just hogs. I'll just need to put up a cage once they mature a little and bring my .22 with me.

My plan from what I had previously read was to grow in seperate pots until they sprouted, then plant them in a large garbage bag in the ground with fertilized soil. I mentioned hay because it is sometimes laid at the base of the plant and around it to keep the soil from absorbing too much water if it's been raining alot. How soon can I tell if they are Male/Female? Is it worth keep a hamaphrodite?

Is 5 plants a good idea to start with? I figured a couple wont make it because of my inexperience so a good batch might be needed.

[Livin Sublime]

oh yeah, I have a hunting camera laying around I think. I should put that out there while I'm preparing all this. Good insurance.

[Corto Malteze]

if you keep the hermie, you'll get seedy weed in your whole patch (no good kill hermies AND males), not sinsemilia ("without seed"). Hermie seeds make female and hermie plants for next season. Isolate it if you really want those seeds. Best is to buy seeds (Dr. Chronic's) every year if you don't want to f--k with males and hermies.
Mulch is to RETAIN water, not isolate from too much water (why are you worried about flooding if your place is elevated?) You said you were on top of a hill but people will go up there just to see what's on the other side (like the bear story) or to see if there's weed up there. Plus, you'll get "too much" sun if that's possible, meaning you'll have to water A LOT if you're getting 12 hours direct sun (may die!). Better to hide it a little in bushes, in small tree lines, smaller reeds etc... 8 hours direct is good enough if you don't want to water every 5 days! Maybe you have a good spot, I'm just throwing in some ideas ok?! Place 3 or 4 females per spot just in case. Indicas finish quicker and are smaller (medium yield). Sativas finish later and grow to be huge (big yield but more visible). Hybrids are in between.

Good luck!

[Corto Malteze]

My spot has hogs (wild boars), they sacred the shit out of me at first but they mind their own business and don't eat or go to plants. On top of a hill= hard to bring water there. Think of worst place people don't want to go to. One of my spots has waist high water to get there. No snake bites so far!

[Corto Malteze]

Does mulch help if too much rain? Maybe. It's also to keep water in.

[Livin Sublime]

Good news, I got the o.k. from my girl to grow on her property. Thats 5 acres of great, wooded land with lots of tall (6-8 feet) grass. I bought the starting pots today, just need to pick up some peat moss and perlite and prepare the area while I'm waiting for the seeds to sprout.

I hear everyone say seeds and seedlings? Are seedlings the sprouts?

[Livin Sublime]

I getting started now. My friend gave me 2 small plants tonight and we are picking up 30 more seedlings tomorrow. This is a $0 budget. Sweet!

[gonejuhsm0k3]

i dont know why no one has told you you missed the season. unless im wrong and its different in florida.. the seasons over. the days should be too short. wont they start to flower as soon as they can, resulting in very small plants and yields.

[Livin Sublime]

yes, the season is over and the days are short, but this is south florida. It stays pretty warm here until christmas. The plant will grow smaller for sure. One is only a fwe inches tall and already budding while another one is over 1 foot and no buds yet.

[OldSkool1010]

Originally Posted by OldSkool1010

Are you setting out seedlings or growing from seed? The reason I ask is because the light cycle is getting shorter. Plants grown from seed now will be flowering in Feb. Mar. when the days are getting longer. You will get bud but it will be loose with a fairly high leaf to flower ratio. If you have the opportunity, I'd veg under artificial light for 2 months and then set them out to flower, that way the gradually lengthening days won't make that much of a difference because of the contrast from what they're used to.

I can only repeat. IMO you'd be best served in vegging the plants under artificial light. 30 seedlings are going to require a lot once they get any size on them, but i'd recommend 2-4 48" two-light flouro shop lights. after a month or two, set them outside to flower.

[devilishfatcat]

Originally Posted by OldSkool1010

I can only repeat. IMO you'd be best served in vegging the plants under artificial light. 30 seedlings are going to require a lot once they get any size on them, but i'd recommend 2-4 48" two-light flouro shop lights. after a month or two, set them outside to flower.

Listen to OldSkool. Clearly knows his shit.

D.