Outdoor Grow Guide

[Lion]

This is by far, the best outdoor growing guide I've ever read. It answered every question in absolute. Thank you.

[smokeandmirrors]

Originally Posted by Captain Cannabi

Okay, I'm a VERY Noob grower, I tried last summer, and all my plants died but 2.
I moved one, it died, the other I moved and it never got out of the "baby" stage(two small leaves and a very thin stem.
looked similar to corn when it first comes up.
I want to know how to grow outdoors, without all the grower's jargen.
I just need to know how I get my seeds into plants ready to harvest and smoke, any help?
I have about 5 seeds, some are dark(like a brownish with tiny black spots) and some are light(light green colour)
How do I plant them and tend to them etc.
and whats the best way? any expert growers to help?

did you read the start of the thread or just post this???

every question you have asked has been covered in detail by Corto already - read again - use the search facility and try to limit question to specifics and you'll get all the help you need

[Corto Malteze]

Glad this helped you out Lion! Thanks Smokeandmirrors!

[ThePot]

quick question and a quick tip:

? - When preparing in advance, just throw the soil and everything else in and leave it for a couple weeks (preferably)? need to cover holes at all? Also for random additions, I plan on grass clippings and maybe some coffee grounds/other compost...top dress now/later? or mix with rest??

tip - just reading through some of 'Cultivator's handbook of Marijuana' (google book previewr ftw!) and never head this before -
'Avoid ammonium sulfate when buying chemical fertilizer. It kills earthworms." I know MG has it in it, not sure about anything else.

thanks for the mix suggestions and "diet' section corto!!

[Captain Cannabi]

Originally Posted by ThePot

quick question and a quick tip:

? - When preparing in advance, just throw the soil and everything else in and leave it for a couple weeks (preferably)? need to cover holes at all? Also for random additions, I plan on grass clippings and maybe some coffee grounds/other compost...top dress now/later? or mix with rest??

tip - just reading through some of 'Cultivator's handbook of Marijuana' (google book previewr ftw!) and never head this before -
'Avoid ammonium sulfate when buying chemical fertilizer. It kills earthworms." I know MG has it in it, not sure about anything else.

thanks for the mix suggestions and "diet' section corto!!

Thanks, hey would ground up acorns help my soil?

[cantharis]

Originally Posted by Captain Cannabi

Thanks, hey would ground up acorns help my soil?

Added to a compost heap and left to rot for 6 months, yes.

[Corto Malteze]

Sure no problem Thepot. Bananas and coffe grounds are worms' favorite foods, and they won't burn your plants. Yes, the manures and meals should be covered by mulch to protect the worms and micor organisms living in there. After 1-2 months, remove some of the mulch, add your soil, OP's fish and add more mulch. As Cantharis indicated, don't add fresh composted things (attracts bad pests, burns etc...).

[WeekendWarrior]

[quote=Corto Malteze;3534462]Outdoor Organic Grow Guide ( OldPork's mj tips and tricks + other great GC gardeners' tips + my outdoor logistics experience).

1) Start them in solo cups (Oldskool) at home inside or outside. Place them directly in the soil mix (no cotton or tissue stage: adds a useless step where sprouts can be damaged). Use 1/2 organic potting soil (no manures or organic ferted soils like FFOF: too hot) + 1/2 peat moss + 15% wormcastings. Don't start with a store-bought rich mix.

2) After 1 month or so, take them out from the cups (cut the cups), and put them in 3-4 gallon pots in order to kill the males if non femmed before you put only females in the holes (no males in the hole is smart thanks OldPork).

3) Cut out the 3 gallon pots when you have only females and transplant into the hole (at night fall when the plant less active).

I'm confused about these 3 steps. Will they outgrow the Solo cups before I can sex them? Why not just plant them in 3 gallon pots to begin with? Is it in order to prevent nute burn when they're seedlings or what?

[Corto Malteze]

I use small pots (or bigger solo cups) with a mixture of 50 potting soil (good one from the store, no ferts in it), 2O worm castings, and 30 builder's sand/native soil. (Don't use a lot of peat as wrongly indicated in guide '20% max as it can burn -I don't use any in the cups). The small cups are so you can manage them easier (close by and not visible for neighbours or what not) and control the water you give them easily. After 1 month place them in the 3 gallon pots and wait for them to sex. I don't feed them in the cups (or maybe once very light).
It's true that's not very clear in the guide. Good luck.

Another quick summary I wrote up:

Outdoor organic mini guide (for stealth issues, spot choosing, watering, pests see GC stickies)


I don't "germinate" (no paper towel step). I just place seeds 1/4 inch in soil. In (big) solo cups (or small pots), make about 4 drain holes. Cup Soil mix: 40-50 potting soil or old compost from nursery (no slow release ferts! No peat! These can kill them), 20 worm castings, 20 regular yard dirt, 20 thick sand or perlite (drainage). Water soil before placing seeds in so they don't move around. Let dry out a bit (2-3 days), (place in sun for 3-4 hours about, enough). Water again gently (mist), let dry some. Etc… They'll pop after 4-7 days about, when the dirt is drying out (often). Leave in cups for 1 month about.

Cut out cup after 1 month. Place in 3-4 gallon pots. Place drain holes in pots too if there aren’t any (plug holes with cork screw plugs to regulate drainage –1/2 or ¾ of holes plugged). Soil mix of pots: 40 compost, 20 peat, 20 perlite (or thick sand) to drain, 20 worm castings (food), 1/8th cup lime (or eggshells, or ashes) to raise pH. You can add a bit of blood and bone meal in pots too for N and P. Mix all well. Leave in pots until they show sex (about 3 months). Males show in July, females in August. You can see sex earlier (June) with a x10 or x30 loupe during preflowering stage).
Place in holes/bigger pots (cut out pots or flip over with stem in between hands) which wee amended with meals and manures at bottom + the less hot stuff.

Dig a 2'x2'x2' hole (or 2x2x3’ wide). Add 1/2 shovel composted cow manure (mine has seaweed and chicken shit too), 1.5 cup bone meal, 1 cup blood meal at bottom. Mix at home. Let cook for 1-2 months with mulch on top.

Then, take off mulch (or not), add your less hot soil mix (no need to cook the following ingredients):

50% compost/top soil –buy at local nursery if you don’t have a compost heap-. Compost takes close to 1 year to be done. Doesn’t burn when bought or ready.

+ 20-30% worm castings (store or home made better): very important. Doesn’t burn.

+ 20-30% of a soilless medium like peat + perlite (drains)(or thick builder’s sand)/vermiculite (holds water). If it's at home, you don't need as much vermiculite (you'll be able to water). Mix the peat you’ve moistened beforehand with perlite and/or vermiculite (peat will dry out and die if not helped with combo, or watered regularly), esp. if guerilla growing. Peat is acidic so mix it with regular dirt and compost. Don’t use more than 20 % peat (or any) for seedlings (just use nursery compost, sand, reg dirt for example for seedlings).

+ 20-30 % native dirt (from outside: see loamy soil and/or sand and/or acidic humus –black dirt from under decayed trees). Don’t mix clay and peat: the mix will fall at bottom hole and kill plants if you use 50 clay 50 peat (don’t do this!). You can use the top soil from the hole you dig if it’s good.

+ Powdered dolomite lime (1 ounce per gallon of dirt). Don't mix lime and manures/meals. Mix lime with the rest to counter the acidity of the peat and humus (if you used any).

+ Add rock dust too if possible (good trace elements).

Plant your weed from the small pots/solo cups after 1month (about 1 foot tall). Add a fish with open guts 3 inches under the root ball. Cover with mulch.Water.

Watering with organic teas: once tea, three times plain water (see organics section for tea recipes). Twice in season add 1tsp epsom salts per gallon. Finish with mainly unsulphured blackstrap molasses (1-2 TBS per gallon) in last month.

That's it!

OldPork's explanation on the banana (to get more females) and the copper wire (against slugs) tricks:
http://forum.grasscity.com/general-o...ed-grow-2.html

Summary on finding your spots:
http://forum.grasscity.com/general-o...locations.html

[NQDEWEY]

You rock

[WeekendWarrior]

Thank you very much. Your grow guide is very informative and it covers all of the bases. I'll be visiting again for reference throughout the season

[Corto Malteze]

thanks guys. Glad I could help out with all other growers whose tips are in the guide too.

[Leapfrog]

Regarding sexing plants in 3 Gallon pots I do the same in 7 Gallon ones due to some strains getting root bound in 3 gallon pots risking turning hermaphroditic or showing other signs of stress.

[Corto Malteze]

Originally Posted by Leapfrog

Regarding sexing plants in 3 Gallon pots I do the same in 7 Gallon ones due to some strains getting root bound in 3 gallon pots risking turning hermaphroditic or showing other signs of stress.

Thanks LF. You do have an important point here. Good luck to everybody.

[L.L.Rain]

OldPork DO NOT use clay for the other half of native soil because this peat-clay mix will fall at the bottom of the hole (too heavy with wet clay), and eventually kill your plants.

not sure how to quote this but thats what it says in the grow guide
can anyone elaborate on this...
what if one was to use mostly peat, with maybe 30-40 percent of the native soil, which happens to have some clay in it, are you saying this will kill the plants? its not like 100 percent clay or anything. sorry but i'm a little confused at this, any response is appreciated.