Hey everyone, I'm new to Grasscity and new to growing. I was hoping someone with a little outdoor growing experience could take the time to look through my grow plans and give me some feedback or tips/changes I need to make. Thank you, I appreciate it. Alright so I have a spot I picked out last fall that is pretty safe security wise and gets lots of sun all day long. It is also pretty close so watering won't be to big of a deal I plan to buy feminised seeds from Herbies Seed bank online using a debit card purchased from Walmart. I will germinate them in a paper towel in my closet. Once they all sprout I'll put them into solo cups with seedling soil outside in the same place I plan to grow, watering as needed (no fertilizers yet). Once they reach the right size I will transplant them into camo spray painted 5 gallon buckets with some holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. I plan to use this soil in the buckets; a mix of homeade compost, rich black top soil, and potting soil. Once they are all transplanted and are about 2 weeks from germination I plan to put some organic fish oil fertilizer in with my water while watering as needed. After about a month when they start to flower and show sex I will kill the males (hopefully there won't be many as I am using feminised seeds). So now if all goes according to my plan I'm left with all females that are starting to flower. I continue watering with the fish oil fertilizer, and about two moths after flowering began I start checking the trichomes for a mix of amber and cloudiness with a 30x jewelers magnigying glass. When I see this I cut them all down and begin to dry them. This is my plan for drying: I absolutely have to do this out side in the woods because there's no way I can indoors with my parents. I will build a a 6x6x6 wood fort/box with a 100% waterproof ceiling and cut some small (10x10) windows in the side and staple burlap over them so some air can get in there. Once stems are dry enough to snap I'll use some Fiskars trimmers and trim trim them all up and place all buds in jars, burping for a couple minutes everyday for about 2-3 weeks. I also plan to use all trimmings for kief, edibles, butter, oil, or hash or something haven't decided yet. Also I am in southern Wisconsin so winters get cold and I plan to have about 15 plants so any ideas of how to store all of the finished weed outside? I know I could bury it under 4 feet to prevent freezing but that would be ALOT of work lol. Well, that's the just of my plan, i'm sure I missed a couple things, but if you guys could just give me some input that would be awesome, thanks!
Last year was my first grow and I used a 5 gallon bucket for my only plant. This year I'm planting in the ground because watering was such a pain in the ass and my spot was less than a mile away. Also the more root space available for the plants to grow the more you will get come harvest time!
My original plan was to plant in the ground then I started thinking about using 5 gallon buckets. What strain did you grow and what was your final harvest? Also how often did you have to water? That's my biggest worry but my watering spout is only about 300 feet.
The strain was Northern Lights, I got 2 ounces off of my only plant, and I had to water every 2 days. It got hot last summer!
why would you plant in buckets out in the woods ? Soil is bad ? really limits the size of your plants.
It's just that Iv'e heard these stories about everything going good untill they put them in the ground, then the plant died for some reason. Maybe they just weren't careful enough transplanting and the shock killed it, who knows. I'm starting to think about putting all but maybe 2 in the ground now. Would I just dig a whole 2 feet deep and put the same dirt mixture as I wouldve used for the buckets? there is allot of clay at around 2 feet so I would probably put a couple inches of gravel for drainage I think.
Having to continually go to the site might compromise the location by leaving trails ect. Maybe you could use the soil that was going into the buckets to amend the soil at location. Best of luck hope some pics will follow
Yes I think I might do a grow journal, or at least some pictures for sure, If so I'll put the link on this thread in case anyone is interested. But it wont start until the end of April since I'm in Wisconsin. And yea I worked up a nice patch with the tiller last fall in another area but it's kind of far and I don't think the safest spot. I think I'll just work up a nice place, dig some holes and put good soil in the new place I have in mind and maybe still grow one plant in a 5 gallon bucket just to compare for next year. Do you know if it's a good idea to transplant strait from the cup to the amended soil in the ground, seeing as the plant will only be about 6 inches at this point? Or will it be fine? Also there are deer and rabbits in the area even though I live in the middle of a populated city so i'm thinking about putting some chicken wire around it untill its about 1.5 feet.
Use chicken wire for sure. Young plants are especially appetizing to a variety of animals including rabbits and deer. The key to transplanting without too much stress is simply to make sure you water consistently especially for the first few weeks after transplanting. Since the roots haven't had time to grow into the surrounding soil.
[quote name='nissification42']Use chicken wire for sure. Young plants are especially appetizing to a variety of animals including rabbits and deer. The key to transplanting without too much stress is simply to make sure you water consistently especially for the first few weeks after transplanting. Since the roots haven't had time to grow into the surrounding soil.[/QUOTE Alright it's settled I'm for sure using chicken wire until plants are about a foot and half, thanks.
Corto Malteze has dried his buds outdoors. I suppose the biggest issue is the weather at the time of drying. If the humidity is 100% then A) they won't dry and B) They may mold over.
You should always choose your spot during the summer when all the leaves are on the trees,I would either plant in the ground,or in at least 20 gallons of soil,drying outside can be a ton of problems but its possible,you want airflow but u still want it dark,try to do a full trimm before u hang them,if you leave leaf to dry with the buds it will effect the smell and taste.