Amy Gardner's First Journal - Outdoor - Critical Cure & Chaos In The Forest

Amy Gardner's First Journal - Outdoor - Critical Cure & Chaos In The Forest

Amy you are doing an amazing job, you are miles ahead of yourself. I have a motto not to give advice on something I don't have personal experience with so your grow is over my head, but SweetSue nailed it down to a fine science for yah. I'm still very impressed that you are doing all this with a cognitive impairment. That means you get twice the love...:hug::hug:

And one for SweetSue:hug: hahahaha just random love for her advice.

Thanks G! So funny you say 'ahead of myself', I try terribly hard not to do that. And with this grow things have been behind at every step! My plans have been ahead of reality tho, or reality has fallen behind my plans -one of the 2. My theoretical understanding of soils & electricity, as rudimentary as it is, is certainly ahead of my growing experience and ability but I see that as a necessary thing, and a good thing. Each grow will help that theory sink in. Plus, it gives my obsessive mind something to zoom in on ;)

For the record, my cognitive impairment happens intermittently really, and becomes an issue if I've overdone it (physically, mentally or socially), like in the last few days getting the bush pods sorted. So as much as I'd live your extra love I'm not sure saying I have a cognitive impairment is entirely accurate, it's more that my mental capacity is just as susceptible to severe fatigue as the rest of me, and when things go down, my cognition suffers a lot. I have plenty of good days (these days mostly good days), and things are improving all the time the better I get at managing the condition. If I pace well rest heaps and ration my output I'm mostly my old regular self - who needs to do much less and rest much more. It's thankfully not degenerative as long as I don't prolong periods of stress or activity and keep managing it well, and I feel very lucky for that. .

Garden wise, it's been raining here for 2days. It was raining when I finished the transplants, we got very wet!

I let them get some rain for a while and then went out in a break yesterday and put a little clear plastic 'hat' over them. They'll still be getting wet, but hopefully not hammered! It's cold too. Hope they're hardy . too wet to look at them today, hope they're still there ..

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Hi Amy I'm luving those pods. Are they made from garden hose and a plastic mesh of some sort?

Hi bear! Thanks for dropping over. Yes that's the general idea. When I do my update -sometime this weekend - I'll do a little rundown on the construction ..

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Update: Day 36-39

It's been a while since I updated properly - I was so wrecked from getting them all out of those tiny pots and into some proper soil it's taken until now to recover well enough. Thankfully it rained a lot after transplant so I haven't had to do anything much except look at them.

Winding back to last Sunday (transplant day): Money Bush and Professor Chaos #1 got moved to their new homes for life :high-five:. After much deliberation, consideration of available materials and capacity, and stealth, a few ideas came together and the 'bush pods' were born. You've seen a completed one already in my post from last weekend, posted just after we finished. They are constructed from Ag-pipe (usually used to send water around gardens, but folk use it to make hoop houses as well - these bits were left over from the veggie patch enclosure were building), star pickets and bird netting - with a few zipties (12per pod) and a healthy dose of digging and burying of netting around the perimeter (I have hired muscle to do the digging ;) ), so prior to the net going on it looks like this (the pale powder in the bottom of the planting hole is Gypsum):

MoneyBush pod

BUSHpod-construction2.jpg


and Professor#1 pod
BUSHpod-construction.jpg


And the finished item the day we made them (repost of pic - it's so cute, I couldn't resist)

1BB5EAEF-9FA6-4880-BB8D-4389A78EBEAB.jpeg


Once they were in, I let them get rained on quite a bit afterwards and then, because the rain was going to keep on and get pretty heavy (we got about 80ml in 36 hours), I did this to both:

MB-day35.jpg


Fast forward a few days and this is the Professor#1 yesterday (6 days after transplant)

Profesor_1-day36.jpg


Prof_1-day36_1_.jpg


So i've been thinking i would top this one, maybe twice. Can I do this so close to the solstice? The days will change in about 1-2 weeks and then flowering can start whenever, although round here we've noticed everything in the garden happens a little later than 'standard'. It's ready to top don't you think?

Professor_1-day36.jpg



And here's Money Bush. The top looks weird because I attempted a FIM and missed it (how ironic! advice request about that will be in the next post).

MB-day38.jpg


MB-day39.jpg


The soil for these sites ended up being a blend of 1/3 what came out of the holes we dug, 1/3 the existing soil from our old veggie patch (not enhanced since last season, so nice and neutral), and 1/3mushroom compost. The mushroom compost I was not keen on but it happened because I was tired and weak and I succumbed to the pressure of others telling me I couldn't NOT put the compost in. I was too tired to discuss it, it was raining a bit and getting dark so I said 'sure, whatever...'. Plus I added 1-1.5cups of gypsum per cubic foot, 1 cup of oyster shell powder per cubic foot and 1 cup of palagonite (a semi converted form of basalt) per cubic foot. So the soil is not exactly what I had thought about, but I'm sure it'll all be good - they're still alive and growing!


Earlier that same day (bush pod construction day) the other 2 plants, which are destined for the new garden enclosure, got potted up into somewhere they can live until their final home is fit for dwelling. Both Professor Chaos #2 and CBD Critical Cure got nice new terracotta pots (I chose terracotta because Doc mentioned the roots might be getting hot in those plastic ones if our weather is getting hot, which it has been so I thought the clay would help to keep them cool).

transplant_.jpg


I read afterwards that these can be tricky to transplant out of because the roots can stick to the inside of the pots! Well - i'll find out about that in a little over a week. They'll move into the raised be area made just for them once the enclosure is complete. It's really close. Yesterday the bottom half of the fencing was just about completed and later this week the netting is going over the top. Then it's just securing the gates and we're in! Full exclusion zone. It has to be very secure as our critters are determined and resourceful - so it's worth the wait to know it's really secure.

This is those 2 today - 7am this morning to be precise:

Professor #2 looking beautifully recovered...

professor_2_day_38.jpg


professor_2_day_38_top.jpg


And CBD Critical Cure...

CBDCC_day39.jpg


CBDCC_day39_top.jpg



I've been reading an old journal of Conrad's for the second time and consolidating some info, taking better notes etc. Next year I'll be better equipped to run some similar experiments myself starting out with compost free soil. I don't have his awesome northern Italian 'dirt' to begin with so it'll be different here. I'm saving up to get some soil testing done after this season finishes so I can swing into next at least knowing what I'm starting with.

I have my own LABs nearly ready. We had/have stinging nettle we bought months ago in prep for the veggie enclosure but haven't been able to plant it yet so my plan for nettle tea is a bit thwarted so I'm about to ask a few garden minded folk I know if they have any...

That's the update for this week. It was a big week and I've slept much better knowing they're out of those tiny pots. They're out there in the bush now and what will be will be. The pods are as secure as I can make them...

...he wants it... he wants it soooo badly

predator.jpg
 
Amy Gardner's First Journal - Outdoor - Critical Cure & Chaos In The Forest

Help! FIM the FIM!

I've topped plants with great success in the past so thought I'd try a FIM this time around as the outdoor time window is ticking by and I figured the minimal recovery time from a FIMming would suit the situation. Also this Money bush plant is not so mould resistant and we have a humid environment so I'm aiming for more smaller buds to reduce the risk of mould and rot.

Except, I think I missed!

This is what it looked like after the cut:

FIMtheFIM.jpg


And this is what is looks like 6-7 days later.

MB-day39_1_.jpg


MB-day39_2_.jpg


Am I right that i missed?

Am I good to give it another try? Any particular tips? I really thought I'd got it, but maybe i'm missing exactly what it is I'm supposed to be missing ;)

thanks folks

:Namaste:
 
Amy Gardner's First Journal - Outdoor - Critical Cure & Chaos In The Forest

Amy will this help ?
420-magazine-mobile1890316475.jpg

Yeah, thanks king - that was one of the pics I thought I'd copied, that and a diagram from growweedeasy. Thot I'd got it right but pretty sure I missed.

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Re: Amy Gardner's First Journal - Outdoor - Critical Cure & Chaos In The Forest

Yeah, thanks king - that was one of the pics I thought I'd copied, that and a diagram from growweedeasy. Thot I'd got it right but pretty sure I missed.

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I read that post (again×12) about 2 hours ago.... hehehehe! Psychic!
I love Nebula Haze. Great teacher, i think ❤
 
Re: Amy Gardner's First Journal - Outdoor - Critical Cure & Chaos In The Forest

Yeah, thanks king - that was one of the pics I thought I'd copied, that and a diagram from growweedeasy. Thot I'd got it right but pretty sure I missed.

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Good news is you can't go wrong it's still going to be a win win maybe a tad stunted but a win still I'm learning too what I've been doing on Larry lol since he can take abuse video update on after here just fed and showing people how well Larry is and how bad I've missed at my tipping attempts and more fim lol

And vise Vera . I understand stopping is great if one area is getting more ahead and bushy you can then top and then that give underneath and other side to catch up . I'm really learning still after two years so please do not feel like an idiot .

Me first .

Next time killer .
 
Amy Gardner's First Journal - Outdoor - Critical Cure & Chaos In The Forest

Good news is you can't go wrong it's still going to be a win win maybe a tad stunted but a win still I'm learning too what I've been doing on Larry lol since he can take abuse video update on after here just fed and showing people how well Larry is and how bad I've missed at my tipping attempts and more fim lol

And vise Vera . I understand stopping is great if one area is getting more ahead and bushy you can then top and then that give underneath and other side to catch up . I'm really learning still after two years so please do not feel like an idiot .

Me first .

Next time killer .

Well, feeling like an idiot wasn't anywhere near! I totally don't. And I've always done multiple topping before and it always works.

Just seeking advice from someone who might look at my pic & be able to suggest where I went wrong, and if I am ok to attempt to FIM again. FIMing doesn't slow things down the same way the topping does, from what I've read...

Thanks for the encouragement Joe.

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Re: Amy Gardner's First Journal - Outdoor - Critical Cure & Chaos In The Forest

I read that post (again×12) about 2 hours ago.... hehehehe! Psychic!
I love Nebula Haze. Great teacher, i think .

I agree. Do you use FIM as a technique? So what d'ya reckon- Am I good to give it another go? Have I missed the window in terms of solstice timing?

Haven't caught up properly for ages...

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Amy its going to be fine. Wait a bit - once it grows if there is still a single central stem pinch it off.

Yep - thanks Bear ... There's still a central stem... it's popped out 2 new nodes since the missed FIM (I swear i did exactly what's in that pic that KJ posted... )

I'll have another look today. I've never had things at this stage of veg so late in the season so I'm unsure about timing. In my previous grows, I was usually well into multiple topping by now and never really paid attention to when flowering started in earnest (and I certainly didn't document it!) so I don't really know how much time I have (hence the FIM idea). How far into preflowering can you continue to top (if at all?).

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Re: Amy Gardner's First Journal - Outdoor - Critical Cure & Chaos In The Forest

Well, feeling like an idiot wasn't anywhere near! I totally don't. And I've always done multiple topping before and it always works.

Just seeking advice from someone who might look at my pic & be able to suggest where I went wrong, and if I am ok to attempt to FIM again. FIMing doesn't slow things down the same way the topping does, from what I've read...

Thanks for the encouragement Joe.

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Oh crap I thought It was the other way good to know lol
 
Chris Scorpio says my FIM'd FIM looks the same as his and I should go ahead and pinch her again. So I will, this evening - it's a hot day so, snake safety ...
Hi, Amy.
Ok: i have to keep reminding myself of this, so i'm just going to put it out there: summer solstice isn't the guaranteed flipping date. Nature isn't calender precise with her whims & cycles. Think of SS as a prolonged due date (maybe due fortnight?) - around that time.
So your ladies will flip when they feel strong enough to do so, and unless you see definite flowers, keep up with the veg phase training. Does this make sense to you? (I had a few hits off a j, i'm a little uncertain if i make sense right now. Nice flavours, though ).
 
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