PNW Outdoor Mixed Indica Grow Journal 2019

[PacificNorthWest]

Hello all,

In preparation of growing some huge outdoor girls this year, I'm going to document my steps for all to see. I am by far an experienced grower. I grew some Northern Lights in a closet in my 20's about 20 years ago. But now that my country has legalized...It's time to start back up again.

I am finishing up a pretty sad indoor grow (315 watt CMH, 4x4 tent), where I learned TONS about EC & pH meters, salt-based nutrients, as well as burning plants with hot doses, and neglecting plants by not feeding them enough. I've decided to put the tent on hold for this summer season, and focus on 4 outdoor girls to make it through to the fall up here in the Pacific North West.

Strains: 1 White Widow (Crop King Seeds), 2 Blueberry & 1 Cream Caramel (Sonoma Seeds).

The seeds started their germination last Sunday (24-hour soak, then a paper towel for 4 days), and today I planted them in 50/50 pro-mix/perlite and they will sit in my kitchen for the first few weeks. I bought some dolomite lime the other day because I read that pro-mix over time can lean towards the acidic side, but I haven't put any in yet. I'll be using the REMO line of nutrients, but I don't plan on adding any nutes for the first few weeks of veg.

I'm looking forward to sharing this grow with you and receiving some awesome suggestions to make it better! Here's where these ladies will live out their lives... I hope my baby artichoke plants give them some love!

Thanks
PacificNorthWest

 

[Pennywise]

Hey PNW welcome to 420. You may want to start feeding around 10 days to 2 weeks from the time they sprout. Usually when the first true leaflets show up. Start them on 1/4 strength nutrients at first. Make sure they get plenty of light from the start.

 

[Greenlizard]

Welcome to the group.
Looking forward to seeing some big girls.

 

[PacificNorthWest]

10 days...really that early huh? They should get great sun where they are right now once they sprout...I'm wondering if throwing them into the tent with the 315 on dreary days would be good?

 

[Carcass]

Sounds like a good plan,PNW,looks like an ideal growspace for your fine ladies!
I might ask you for some Artichoke growing advice-I can grow cannabis just fine,but I'm batting zero on the chokes

 

[Pennywise]

If temps are warm enough you could plant outdoors, still a couple months to early where I am.

 

[PacificNorthWest]

Sounds like a good plan,PNW,looks like an ideal growspace for your fine ladies!
I might ask you for some Artichoke growing advice-I can grow cannabis just fine,but I'm batting zero on the chokes

So I started a few artichokes from seed about 5 years ago, and only one made it. So I switched to buying the seedlings from CDN Tire and I've had about 60-70% success with them. I try to stay on top of the pests in the summer...slugs and ants and such...but for the most part, they are maintenance free. I think I've given them the 20-20-20 MG about twice or 3 times a year. The big one on the left is about 2 years old. Gave good chokes last fall...and the other smaller ones are just a year old and haven't produced any fruit yet. Maybe some small ones this year?

 

[PacificNorthWest]

If temps are warm enough you could plant outdoors, still a couple months to early where I am.

Yeah temps are not quite warm enough. It was snowing here a few weeks ago so I think I'll wait at least a month before planting outside. We've got a really long season here so I think I have lots of time.

 

[Pennywise]

The strains you have will mature in plenty of them me.

 

[PacificNorthWest]

Hey guys,

Good news and bad news. Good news...The girls look good. Bad news. There are only 3 of them now.

Seems like one of the Blueberries didn't want to make it. The seed was the one with the smallest tap-root on it when I planted it. Maybe I could have waited a little longer in the paper-towel for a longer tap root? Or maybe it was just meant to be.

I'm debating whether I should start another one to keep 4 outdoor girls. I have Sour Diesel, Early Girl (autoflower), and one bag-seed that I got from some cookies and cream that I smoked a while back. I'm reluctant to plant the cookies and cream seed next to the other 3... just in case that seed was born of a hermie, and it impregnates my girls. Any suggestions from you guys what you might want to see me grow? Or should I let this go "organically" and just stick with the 3 because the universe wants it that way?

Looking at these girls...I think I will call today Day 1 Week 1 of Veg. Does that make sense? And as per Pennywise's instructions...will dose them with 1/4 strength ferts in 2 weeks. Now can anyone chime in on what the EC should be on 1/4 strength fert formula? I'm guessing something like 0.7 or something? Does that sound right? And then I should be dosing with ferts every 3rd watering??? Yeah sure...I think that maybe? This is where I screwed this up last time. But now I have an EC meter so I can get bit more precise. Btw, EC coming out of these little things is 2.4 right now!!! (ppm 1769 on 0.7 scale). I guess that is some HOT promix huh? I placed the germed seeds into Jiffy pellets, and then those iffy pellets into these peat containers with 50/50 promix / perlite.

And for your viewing pleasure...here's a stoned frog from an aquarium I went to the other day:

Thanks a lot guys...your suggestions and comments are very welcome!!!

Cheers,
PNW!

 

[Pennywise]

I wouldn't feed them until they ask for it, that soil is pretty hot. I'd pop another seed or 2 but that's just me! Lol

 

[PacificNorthWest]

Sounds good! I will monitor EC levels coming out as well for the next waterings.

Not sure if I should be alarmed...but I woke up to this today:

The second blueberry leaning over like this. It obviously started to happen yesterday because she already adjusted her leaves to compensate for the droop. But should I be worried? Anything I can do to help her?

 

[Pennywise]

They need more light, they're stretching big time!

 

[Carcass]

You should maybe be a little worried,but it may not be as bad as it looks...

My experience has been that any seedling in a windowsill will
stretch,no matter how "direct" the sunlight is-

Would it be possible to sit them on the other side of the glass,or open the window
so the light isn't filtered through the glass?

To hold them up now,you could put some of those little bamboo shish-kebab(sp?) skewers in the soil next to it and tie the plant to it (loosely,don't want to mash the stem).

You should also do it to the other two,because they look pretty close to laying down,too.
The stretch doesn't look good,but when you transplant them,you can just bury them a little deeper than they are now to "shorten" those stems.

 

[Pennywise]

I'd transplant and bury those stems a little deeper.

 

[PacificNorthWest]

Ok cool. I'll transplant into red-solo cups a little deeper.

As for light issues... I have my 315watt CMH available for these guys now. I was afraid to put them under that wattage when they are this young...would you guys suggest I do that to increase light delivery? At what distances from the bulb should seedlings be?

Cheers!

 

[Pennywise]

I start mine under lights hung 24-30" above the seedling.

 

[PacificNorthWest]

I start mine under lights hung 24-30" above the seedling.

And do you give your seedlings 18/6? (And I'm guessing you are talking high wattage HID lights correct?)

 

[Pennywise]

QBoards at full power 18/6

 

[PacificNorthWest]

Well thank you guys...I took your advice.

Sunk them deep in solo cups with 50/50 perlite/promix. Threw them into the 315 CMH tent around 30 inches from the bulb.

carcass...I did already have plans to build a little outside ledge for them to sit on, but it's still quite cold sometimes still (45-50s) in my neighbourhood. I'm right next to the ocean too so the wind can really pound. I could only have them outside these days for a few hours and only on sunny days.

anyway...here's what they're doing now: The light is going to be 12/12 for the next 2 weeks until these other girls finish...so I'll keep them in the tent until then and then switch the light to 18/6.