I've been going back and forth on this for a while now. I have enough materials to make 75 gallons (10 cubic feet) of ClackamasCoot recipe soil. My original plan was to grow in two large pots, but I'm debating planting right in the ground. I have a few questions, if I do decide to do this. Mostly, I'm debating whether I should just dig two 35ish gallon holes, fill them with the soil mix and call it good, or should I go for one long trench and use some of the native soil (amended) to make up for the difference I'd need? I'm thinking a 2'x5' trench, 18" deep would do the trick for two plants. That's 15 cubic feet all together, so I'd have to make up the 5 cu ft using native soil, peat moss, and whatever aeration I can get my hands on...probably perlite (only enough pumice on hand for the 10 cu ft). Does this seem like a solid way to go? It is what I am leaning towards right now. The only thing I really wonder is, what does native soil represent in my mix? In my mind, it takes the place of compost, so I should mix it with one part peat and one part aeration. Is that accurate? I have no idea the quality of my native soil. I'm in mid Michigan, if that helps. I'd like to avoid having to purchase anything additional, but I've got more than enough peat, neem/kelp/rock dust to amend, and have a friend with a big bag of perlite going to waste that I can steal. Any holes in my plan? I've got my seeds started and will be growing for about a month indoors in 3 gal bags. Probably plant mid May.
My clack holes are 2x2x3. I would choose rice hulls or lava rocks over perlite...perlite wont break down and floats up to surface...hulls break down and rocks are a more natural and permanent solution. A trench dig wouldn't be beneficial IMO, wasted soil and time. I would consider a trench dig if I were planting a row of evergreen or other shallow root based trees or shrubs that have year round root systems.
High PH water once a week every week start to finish for Powdery Mildew 1 tablespoon of Baking soda to 1 gallon of water. Drench spray. BT Thuricide starting Aug 1st and weekly until harvest for Caterpillars. Run a bug zapper close by helps limit the moths. 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. BNW
I grew in 20 gallon fabric pots last year. I averaged 8 ounces per plant and they were all over 6' tall. The only issue I had was starting them too early like you are doing. They got too big to fast and required a lot of teas to keep them happy. Fabric pots can be turned. In ground plants cannot. I was growing against the south side of a building. This year I'll start my photo period plants indoors around May 10th.
Six feet tall and only eight ounces? That seems like a poor height to bud ratio, lol. I'll be staking and trellising like I do indoors, so not going to be able to rotate them anyway. At minimum, each plant is gonna have 35+ gallons of good soil to work with, pot or no pot. I figure, in the ground, their roots can spread even further and watering will be less of a concern in the hot months. The latter is the primary reason I'd like to do the hole method. Less watering. Gotcha. So two individual holes it is. That's a little deeper than I have soil to fill, but I could do 2x24" diameter circular holes, 18-20" deep. Thanks. Thanks. None of this is at all related to what I asked, but cool, haha.
highly recommend picking up a couple packs of carrots - Set it and forget it. Also recommend a minimum of 5 feet separation difference from each hole.
I agree with the yield being low. My plants were root bound within the first few weeks of flower from starting them too early.
Man, I'd really love to, but I am just out of funds for this project. I really looked into the blumat stuff, but deemed it a non-essential luxury for the time being. I'd need to buy the pressure reducer/hose attachment as well, which is an additional $60. Maybe next year, or maybe I can add some mid season if I stumble into some cash. Gotcha. I'm not sure what to expect outdoors, but my typical indoor harvest is 12-16oz per plant. I'm hoping for at least that. I plan to train them out to monstrous bushes. No job, so I can go out and tinker with them daily, top dress, teas, whatever. The longer they veg, the better. That's where I'm at with it
I hear you on funds....good luck but here's a little motivation. Rain barrel off craigslist $20 Carrots off ebay - $60 Gravity fed and not having to water - priceless. A well watered plant is going to grow bigger and stronger too... /end rant
If you don't control the Powdery Mildew and the Caterpillars your wasting your time growing outside as none of what you harvest will be fit to use. Both will ravage the plants into total garbage. It won't matter at all what it's grown in. Potassium Bicarbonate or Sodium Bicarbonate (household baking soda) Buy your BT Thuricide now as come spring all the tomato growers will be snapping it up for hornworms. Ace Hardware stocks it here in so cal. I bought new a separate pump sprayer for each agent after the herbicide disaster of 2013 and clearly marked each one. BNW
I chop the grills out of my bug zapper so I can brush the dead out every morning as my monitor on how bad the moth infestation is and if I need to double up my BT spraying. Caterpillars are an outside Cannabis growers biggest nightmare. BNW
That first year I harvested 10,000 Caterpillars and not much else. Each adult moth can lay 50 eggs in a clutch and several clutches per night. BNW
I agree with the longer the veg. the better, when they are in the ground. I have pulled over 2 pounds per plant with Blue Dream outdoors in the ground. Trimming sucks on those huge plants. I grow my state's legal limit of 3 mature plants and 3 immature plants. Three auto's in my greenhouse that finish before my 3 photo period plants start to flower so I can kind of cheat my mature plant count.
whats the penalty for going over the count? I'm cheating the Massachusetts system kind of the same way you are... penalty is $100 dollar fine per extra plant and only the penalized plants get removed. Risk reward is worth it to me.
I'm not sure. But, most people I talk to don't believe in set limits and do their own thing. I don't use the amount I currently grow, so more is not necessary in my case. I grow more for my love of growing the plant then for the yield I'll get.
Limit in Michigan is twelve plants! Yet, you're only allowed to possess 2.5 ounces, lol. @BrassNwood My dad has been growing outdoor here for three years now. Never had any caterpillar problems. Must be a regional thing. Only thing I see being an issue here is powdery mildew.
Most of North America is the range of the little bastards of the various ones known to infest the Herb. If you have Moths around the Porch light odds are you have Caterpillars in your Buds so watch for them. The damage appears as a sun dried bud that pulls out when tugged as it has been chewed free and died. If you keep digging in the hole the bud was in you'll find the Caterpillar. By the time you see the damage it is way to late to spray BT as the catties are in to deep. BNW
Well, if the bud was filled with caterpillars, then me and dozens of other people have smoked dozens of ounces of caterpillars without ever noticing, lol. I'll take my chances, considering he's had three growing seasons in the same yard I'm about to grow in with zero caterpillar problems. If it is a problem, I'll plan for it next year, but I don't want to get into the habit of doing something right off the bat when it's not even proven to be necessary. I appreciate your insight, but I'll go my own way here.
There was a comment about not using perlite in the ground. I use perlite in all the beds where I grow really expensive ornamentals and with all my “bulb type” ornamentals. It works spectacular, doesn’t notably break down or float. If you deliberately flood things excessively and wash soil away, the perlite will float. Under normal circumstances it stays put. Cheers Os
I knew someone here gave the all clear on perlite. Might still end up using some just to make my hole a bit deeper. Might do layers. Top 18 inches will be the clack, bottom few will be native soil mixed with perlite, peat, and some dry amendments. Then it won't go straight from the loose, airy clack to dense earth. It'll have a little transition. It's also basically guaranteed not to float if it's all buried 18 inches deep!
