Ok this year is going to be my first grow, i cant do it indoor or in my garden for personal reasons so i have to go gorilla! Im in ireland by the way were we dont get much sunshine and plenty of rain. I have done hours and hours of research but i feel this is the best way to get all my quistions answered I have found a few ideal spots in my area but they are in an opening amongst a ring of trees which would block out a few hours of sunlight everyday, is this reason enough to go in search of a better spot as im sure i can find them as i live on the outskirts of a small town. Im going to go with autoflowers who which wont get that big so would say 20 Lt pots be big enough with the bottom taken out? the pots will be buried into the ground as this way i feel they can get the best of both worlds wise which brings me to my next quistion Are nutes that nessasry as im in a small town with no garden shop, and a low budget, However i do have unlimited amounts of cow,chicken,sheep shit so if any one could give me a nice recipe it would be greatly appreciated? are they really important and do they play a big role in the end result? As it rains alot here is it possible for the plants to drown? How do i protect the plants from insects? i have pellets for slugs and chicken wire for rabbits. Im also going to go with strains which are mostly indica as i heard these are better suited for our climate?
1. Your container size, if my math was correct, 20lt is a little bigger than 5gals. which is suitable for autos. i grew mine in 3gal (11.3lt) bags last year, and they turned out fine. 2. Your gonna wanna go to the Organics Section for suggestions on soil mixes without out adding chemical nutes. As for if they are important? Yes and No. You really need to do alot of research on soil blends, and the fundamentals of plant growth. Once you have the basic's of what a plant needs to grow and why, then learn what cannabis need. Think about a plant like a person bodybuilding, if they ate junk food and worked out all the time, they would grow a little muscle. If they ate a healthy diet, with certain nutrients in their food, they would maximize their growth. Technically, you could just throw your seeds in the ground and come back a few months later and if they sprouted, they would have grown. Would it be anything great? No, and you probably wouldn't get much of a harvest if any. 3. Yes plants can drown. If your soil has proper drainage, they should be fine. If your digging a hole, do not dig it deeper in the center of the hole, this will cause water to puddle in the bottom of it. Instead, dig the sides of the hole deeper than the center, dig the hole deeper than needed and place a mound of the same dirt you dug, in the center creating a mound, than place your rootball and soul on top of it. This will cause to water to sit around the outside of the hole, and not in the center. If you search the site, there was a grow log last year, as well as previous ones i believe of swamp grows. That's what you should look at if the hole you dig is below the water table. 4. I can not help you here. Seems bugs got the best of my grow last year! There are chemical options, which i do not favor, as well as organic options. Organically, neem oil is typically used. It will not work well for you since the rain can wash it off! (think that was my problem) 5. Just look for seeds that are better for northern climates. Not to sure about your conditions in your country so i'm afraid i'm not much help there.
for the soil mix, you need to add 30% perlite and then burn free nutes for seedlings (like worm castings). See links under my signateur, they can help you out. chicken shit: very good (complete) but burns so place at very bottom it'll act as a slow release nute sheep very good but also a bit strong for seedlings cow very good and less strong (use after a few weeks not on seedlings though) easy recipe for seedlings (1st month) 30-40 % perlite 40-50 % peat moss (cut that with dolomite lime to increase pH) 5 cups dolo per bale of peat 20% worm castings then eaither change pots but for your case with autos place stronger nutes at bottom pot (2 handfuls of composted manure of your choice -not all chicken as it burns-), under the rootball (not touching it) water with plain waer, that's it also the second important thing is finding a very sunny spot (8 hours min. per day, all day if posssible) so yeah fund one that is open (trees are no good and will be full of leaves possibly in summer). Only the sun allows big buds and healthy plants. Try finding a spot with morning sun or better all day. have a water source nearby tell no one and don't be seen there
if you don't have worm castings you can use 10% composted (old) cow shit instead of the 20-30% castings for seedlings
All is great info but I might add you need to do the work and research how to grow quality plants. Grab a few books an read them front to back twice or more. This way you will have a good understanding on what needs to be done. Ed Rothensal and Jorge Cervantes both write great books that are packed with grow secrets. Well worth the money spent.
NP man... Don't forget for to Corto and kronic know their shit also. I think corto did/does the natural manures also so he he's a lot of experience with it. Like anything, the more you learn the better prepared you will be. And don't be over confident, shit will always hit the fan, leaving you to scurry for a solution. Good luck!
Well lads decided today that ill get one of my pals to travel to a garden store, just gona ask for a bag of organic fertaliser! Will that do? this craic seems awfull confusing :/ ill mix in some manure aswell! Should i add lime theres plenty of that around the place