InvasionANC's "The Edge" Grow Journal (Summer of Dutch Passion!)

Hello again, it is I...nvasionANC, back with another (hopefully, presumably, quite possibly, but maybe not) fairly detailed journal with semi-regular updates! As mentioned in past introductions, I am a resident of the great state of Alaska, where cannabis was legalized several years ago for both medicinal and recreational purposes. The state definitely dragged ass getting things off the ground and have not picked up the pace much since, but we can finally see the local industry making some real headway, with several dispensaries open in multiple cities/towns and new cultivators being approved all the time. I am almost to where I need to be, educationally, financially, and legally, to start my very own operation, at which point I will have achieved what I consider to be my most important goal in life to date. I'm not looking to become a millionaire overnight, the money will just pave a pathway to a fulfilling life where I am able to give my best to the world, not just as an industry member and producer, but also as an advocate and a mentor to anyone involved in any capacity with this plant I hold in such high regard. I'm also a recovered opiate addict and would like to take all those bad choices and terrible experiences that turned my world upside-down and erased my sense of identity and use them to empower myself and others and to enact real change, big or small. My mother always told me to find something I love and then figure out a way to get paid for it...well, I simply want the means to produce natural, safe, and reliable medicine of the highest quality and provide it at a reasonable price and that appeal to a broad audience, forming an ever changing line-up of top-tier products suitable to anyone that comes along looking for a no-nonsense brand. I don't want to go on a rant about the idiocy of 'elitist stoner' culture after all that, but let me just say, in the immortal words of Peter Griffin, "It really grinds my gears."

Obviously it would be ideal for this thread to showcase the strain for which it is titled, but I know from past experience that I end up slacking when I have multiple journals to keep up and as such will simply use this for my entire operation as I set up and arrange my new grow room that should be ready by winter. Having tried a few Barney's Farm strains, I can tell they are a breeder that delivers on promises and I still have Liberty Haze and Blue Cheese on deck, but they'll just have to sit and wait out the summer...of Dutch Passion. I have 7 x Auto Euphoria (intended to order a pack of feminized but inadvertently chose the auto-feminized) outside in my greenhouse, my first attempt at growing an auto.

I started a few Orange Hill Special just a couple weeks before those autos, in the beginning of may, and after about 6-7 weeks in veg I made the switch to the bloom room.




Finally, I got my five pack of The Edge soaking in 80 degree water with a tiny amount of dissolved kelp extract (RAW) and within 24 hours 3/5 had split, all five were planted in prepared coco plugs. 48 hours later and they had all broken ground.


...and this morning.



Hopefully this will be of some use to the world...but, until next time, good luck and happy growing!

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This was originally part of my first post, but it seemed unnecessary and cumbersome up top. I felt it might be worthy of its own reply, so here it is:

I recently wrote up an inventory of my garden supplies, and let me be the first to admit that I have a bit of a spending problem...which seems to reinforce compulsive need to try everything for myself. I have tried most of the big names in nutrients at this point, and most of my observations seem to imply that any quality nutrient system can be used to produce fantastic bud, be it Advanced Nutrients, General Hydroponics, Canna, Mills, Botanicare, Nectar for the Gods, Growth Science Nutrients, Veg+Bloom, Heavy D...you name it, as long as it's not Fox Farm! (I can't say Fox Farm won't produce healthy plants and decent flowers, I just ran into numerous issues when using their line that I never encountered with any others.) That being said, not all nutrients are created equal, so price is only one of many deciding factors. There is no outright "best" brand or line out there, and beyond your budget it greatly depends upon: schedule, medium type (or lack thereof), container size, water quality, simplicity/complexity, preferred methodology (system type: soil/hydro/aero/aqua, diet: "chemical"/organic/bio-hydro, water/solution delivery: drip/flood/capillary/hand, concentration: peaks&troughs/low&slow, runoff: drain-to-waste/recirculating, placement: indoor/outdoor/greenhouse, training: SoG/ScroG/Lollipoping/Super Cropping/Monster-Cropping/topping/FIMing/Bending/Tying, irrigation: passive/active/manual, light-source:CFLs/Prefab. LEDs/DIY LEDs/CMh/MH/HPSthing I missed?), level of understanding and experience, availability, and many other details. Most important to consider are one's expectations and, ultimately and perhaps most importantly, one's level of commitment and personal interest in the art and science of botany, and/or the craft and industry of cultivation. When assisting most new growers, I tend to recommend starting with a good, old-fashioned potted plant using soil (Pro-Mix, Roots, Canna Terra), a watering can, and a simple fertilizer to get them through veg which typically ends up being Botanicare Pure Blend Pro Grow or Canna Terra, whichever is more readily available locally and/or reasonably priced. This will be all they need to get a feel for growing and help them assess how serious they really are about cultivation in general, so don't make it too easy...failure is often the best teacher. Some soil blends come inoculated with bacterial colonies and fungal spores that should help in the breaking down and absorption of essential elements in the rhizosphere, the populations of which can be maintained by providing them with certain carbohydrates (sugars, preferably simple and partially digested) and large organic molecules found in most tea bases such as Botanicare's Pure Blend Tea (the ingredients of which are already contained in Pure Blend Pro formulas) or Advanced Nutrients' Mother Earth Blended Organic Super Tea Bloom [3-2-5] (a Grow version apparently exists but I have yet to find it available anywhere) which can also be used as a standalone nutrient for flowering for the less demanding garden[er]s.

 

I borrowed my father's digital camera earlier to nap a few high quality pictures of my girls and the results were great. Of course I anticipated an increase in size and clarity but the macros were quite impressive. Using the forum slideshow feature will not allow you to fully expand the images. I recommend viewing the images in their original location.



I love seeing those baby trichs! More pictures to come later.

 

Things have been pretty hectic around the house recently, new appliances had to be moved in, old ones out, new pipe fittings acquired, etc, etc... long story short, I haven't had much time to post an update and the times I tried ended up with me passing out on my laptop. One of the biggest additions/changes made to my operation was the unexpected acquisition of a 4'x8'x6'7" (LxWxH) Gorilla Tent for $300 with free shipping! I have been wanting a totally self contained and more or less sealed off growing area to allow for the filtration of all incoming air and eliminate almost any real concern of getting bud rot. There is the obvious advantage of more room, better reflective material and coverage, easier to clean, simple to access, portable, versatile, and just plain awesome:

A new Phresh Intake Filter:

And a new, much more powerful inline fan (440 CFM) with variable speed controller, by Ventech:



Once I begin using my old bloom room, where my OHS is currently about halfway through flowering, for my vegging plants I will have more space for clones, mothers, and/or variety, and will also be able to utilize my 400 watt MH to really get these little babies taking off. I started trying to germinate five more seeds yesterday, 4 x Special Kush #1 by RQS and 1 x OG Kush by Dinafem, all freebies. They were the fasted blooming strains available (~50 days) and I'm hoping that will make them perform well alongside The Edge, which will always be a week or so ahead of the rest but that also take more time to bloom (~60 days).

Speaking of which, here are a few recent shots of the baby girls:






Lastly, the Orange Hill Special trio is around 30 days into bloom and beginning to look and smell very enticing. I get a hint of orange zest such as is prominent in Tangerine Dream, but much less intense and thus more satisfying to those of us that like a distinctive yet mellow flavor to accompany our smoke. It may not become one of my favorite strains, but is the first of three strains I am running to observe the quality and consistency of the genetics of Dutch Passion. They produce novel strains chosen by a discerning staff/breeder with classic sensibilities and modern methodologies. These guys deserve the recognition and confidence of growers new and old from what I hear, and my first trail has proven more than adequate thus far.

 

Not much to say about my autos...this summer has been cold, rainy, and overcast, and I have really been guessing as to what they can handle...they seemed hungry for awhile but they're finally looking happy and growing vigorously. Worst case scenario I should have a decent amount of bubble-hash or BHO material.



Three Euphoria


Euphoria Cola


Critical + Automatic


C+A Cola


Kushmatic


Grand Heft Auto


G.H.A. Cola


Two Euphoria


Euphoria Cola


Blueberry Kush Automatic


B.K.A. Cola


Two Euphoria


Euphoria Colas




I'm utilizing the runoff from my girls to feed eight tomato plants that I have going and they seem to be doing great:


Just for reference, I took a few pictures of the average weather we've been having most of this summer. The girls seem happy and healthy, they just aren't being given the power they would need to really explode with stinky goodness. You never can count on the weather or climate in Alaska, though, and I'm really hoping for the bout of heat that hit the last couple days will stick around for a bit.