Buzzboy's bagseed outdoor grow attempt

[buzzboy]

I got a few seeds from the Lower Rio Grande Valley. I have no idea what type they are but judging from the type high, I would say some strain of sativa. I chose to germinate only seeds that were dark green in color and especially with dark brown spots. I shied away from the pale green seeds. I have no real reason for these preferences, only that they looked better to me. I germinated them in Jiffy seed starting soil in peat pots covered with plastic on my sun porch, no artificial light. After sprouting I removed the plastic and left them until the first set of true leaves appeared. After the true leaves appeared, I transplanted to plastic pots in Miracle Gro potting soil. I just cut the bottom of the peat pots out and placed the entire pot in the soil. I did have a set that were late sprouting and you can see that when I transplanted them, I had to use my leftover Jiffy soil as I had used up my Miracle-Gro.

These two sprouts are looking especially fine to me:

I plan to cull these plants down to just three total by the time they are ready to put into the ground. One concern that I have is that my best looking plants will be in the same pot and I will have to sacrifice one as I will probably not be able to safely separate them once they are of sufficient maturity to transplant. I have calculated my personal needs to be 7-8 oz. per year. I know, I know, it doesn't sound like a lot but for now, it will sufficient. I'm thinking that I should easily be able to harvest that amount from my three best plants.

I appreciate any and all input and advice, and do not worry about the niceties, I'm pretty thick skinned. I'm curious what others think about using Miracle-Gro products -- I'm not sure what availability I will have to other, more organic products in my area. I am a little concerned about putting these plants in the ground. I have 87 acres and my soil tends to be black and loamy, and I'm thinking I could get away with not amending the soil, at least not a large area. I want to be as inconspicuous as possible -- we lease the property for cattle grazing but there is plenty of wooded areas. The plants will have to be protected from wildlife as well as cattle.

More to follow as this project progresses.

 

[buzzboy]

I see there's not a lot of interest in this grow. I don't blame ya. Broke a cardinal rule by using junk seeds. If I had not, I would have had to wait until next year as it is impossible for me to do an indoor grow. I see this one as an experiment, to become familiar with the techniques etc. Next year I promise I will be buying seeds from the seed bank. Here is the latest photo:

I do have a couple of questions. I've looked around the forum and I'm sure the answers are around here somewhere but I'm just not looking in the right places.

1.) How do I know when it's time to transplant out of the pots and into the ground?

2.) If I have two plants side-by-side in a pot and I decide I want to keep them both, can they be safely separated?

Thanks for any help.

 

[cigo]

1.)just transplant directly to outdoors(ground) after week 2-3...
2.)its easy now when they are little, just dig them out carefull...and slowly...

 

[buzzboy]

Thanks for the quick reply. So I'll give em another week more or less. I already have an awesome place picked out for them. So, plant up to the first true leaf set? Or is it the second?

Thanks a lot cigo.

 

[tgadfgadgf]

Try not to put the baby plants in the direct sunlight if possible. Have you tested the drainage of where you will be planting the seeds outdoors or will you be using Mircale Grow? There's nothing wrong with using bag seeds. I personally think it's better to use bag seeds. That way if anything goes wrong you didn't spend your hard earn money on buying seeds. You can protect your plants by putting a fence around and over them when young. That way you don't have to worry about critters eating your plant

 

[cigo]

Thanks for the quick reply. So I'll give em another week more or less. I already have an awesome place picked out for them. So, plant up to the first true leaf set? Or is it the second?

Thanks a lot cigo.

i would wait until plant would look closely like this

offcourse plant can be smaller than this in photo, i just suggest.

Try not to put the baby plants in the direct sunlight if possible. Have you tested the drainage of where you will be planting the seeds outdoors or will you be using Mircale Grow? There's nothing wrong with using bag seeds. I personally think it's better to use bag seeds. That way if anything goes wrong you didn't spend your hard earn money on buying seeds. You can protect your plants by putting a fence around and over them when young. That way you don't have to worry about critters eating your plant

mmm...why not directly to sunlight?
that plant in photo which i attach is mine and i putted it directly to sun and when sun shine allways to that plant because she is on pot of little mountain.
-----
and about bag seed i got bad expierence with that...i was gotten 12 bag seeds and 0 of female... and 1 hermophrodite ...so i never will ever grow from bag seed...
and there was much of time and money spent for electricity and soil...
so i think beter to buy even 1 fem. seed , grow it and clone it!
i love clones they are like some free fem. seeds!

 

[tgadfgadgf]

i would wait until plant would look closely like this

offcourse plant can be smaller than this in photo, i just suggest.


mmm...why not directly to sunlight?
that plant in photo which i attach is mine and i putted it directly to sun and when sun shine allways to that plant because she is on pot of little mountain.
-----
and about bag seed i got bad expierence with that...i was gotten 12 bag seeds and 0 of female... and 1 hermophrodite ...so i never will ever grow from bag seed...
and there was much of time and money spent for electricity and soil...
so i think beter to buy even 1 fem. seed , grow it and clone it!
i love clones they are like some free fem. seeds!

Well looking at the pics of the plants he has now I would would wait a couple of weeks before letting them out in wild. I assuming he's a first time outdoors and he also stated that it's an "experiment." Thats why I said to just use the bag seeds and get some experience under his/her belt. And you know each person is going to have different experience with female to male ratio with bagseeds. So far the two bagseeds that I germinated have been female. I guess I was lucky. I'm just trying to help where I can that's all Cigo. It's all good.

 

[buzzboy]

Have you tested the drainage of where you will be planting the seeds outdoors or will you be using Mircale Grow?

I have not tested for drainage. However, the soil on our property is a good black, sandy, loamy soil. We have a lot of acreage so I am able to plant in a rather secure and inconspicuous area. I actually have a vegetable garden behind my house and I'm having good results with it with very little tending at all.

@cigo -- OK that's more along the lines I was thinking. I put them in a little sooner because although my plants are exposed to breezes, the stems still look rather weak. I'm thinking if I transplant them and bury them a little deeper they will be better off.

 

[cigo]

Well looking at the pics of the plants he has now I would would wait a couple of weeks before letting them out in wild. I assuming he's a first time outdoors and he also stated that it's an "experiment." Thats why I said to just use the bag seeds and get some experience under his/her belt. And you know each person is going to have different experience with female to male ratio with bagseeds. So far the two bagseeds that I germinated have been female. I guess I was lucky. I'm just trying to help where I can that's all Cigo. It's all good.

i dont wanna say you not right i just ask'ed why cuz i dont know and i'm still learning annnnd... with germination rate i full accept with you , i just like more clone than bag'ies...

I have not tested for drainage. However, the soil on our property is a good black, sandy, loamy soil. We have a lot of acreage so I am able to plant in a rather secure and inconspicuous area. I actually have a vegetable garden behind my house and I'm having good results with it with very little tending at all.

@cigo -- OK that's more along the lines I was thinking. I put them in a little sooner because although my plants are exposed to breezes, the stems still look rather weak. I'm thinking if I transplant them and bury them a little deeper they will be better off.

yah man that nice thinking i allways on transplanting put main stem as deep as possible ... and all times it will be better cuz plant spend all his energy, and food,and so on ...only to grow branches,leafs,buds not for stem soil can help hold the stem and you will get little bit better results with plant size and fruits...[buds]
and one more suggestion :when you will decide to transplant your plant to outdoors that place where your plants will grow make camuflagued...
this willl be just for rest.
because camouflage is one of most important things in wild i think.
1.sunligh
2.security[camuflage,bad-smells for wild animals,and maybe some traps,pests for bugs]


GreenLuck!

 

[buzzboy]

I've got them culled down to the three "best" plants (as far as I could tell.) They are going in the ground this morning. They're looking better now... I flushed them with RO water. Don't know if that really helped, but they do look a little better. I've had them in full sun now for a week and they seem to be taking to it well. I'm going to try to up some pics... we'll see how that goes. I have satellite internet access and I've already gone over my bandwidth limit, so now my connection is kind of spotty.

When I transplant these to the ground I will use some Vigaro root stimulator on them and oh! I found a source for Fox Farms nutrients about 70 miles away. I will be going this weekend to get some Grow Big and some Tiger Bloom (I think there was another one for early flowering stage... Big Bloom? I'll have to research this.) Also, I did find a low quality pH tester for $20 at ACE Hardware. I'm not to confident in its accuracy, but it did show that my plants a little less than 7.0 and my well water to be a little on the alkaline side.

OK, I'm going to get to work now on those pics.

...I forgot to mention... the soil they are going in is a good black loamy soil that drains well. I'm still going to amend it with sphagnum moss, humus and a little vermiculite. The only perlite I could find was MG and had nutrients in it. (What is it with those guys anyway?)

OK, here are some close ups of the final three:

__________________

 

[buzzboy]

They're in the ground now -- man was I wrong about the soil. Yeah, the soil in my veggie garden is black and loamy, but the soil I dug in today was black and hard. It was like dried clay. Hope it works out well.

I didn't get any pictures yet because it is hot as hell and I forgot my camera. I'll try to get pics in the next few days.

 

[cigo]

i will watch next update...

 

[buzzboy]

Well it's been 13 days since they went in the ground. Here is the plot:

Here are the survivors:

As you can probably see, there were initially three plants. One of them went into shock I guess after the transplant and never seemed to recover. It just shriveled up and died within a week. I planted them in holes about 18"D x 24"W and filled the holes with about 50/50 sphagnum moss and humus compost. I used Vigoro Root Stimulator at transplant and then straight RO water afterwards until about a week later I went to Fox Farms Peace of Mind Starter blend dry mix. I was recommended to use this because my plants are still pretty small. I'll be switching to more advanced nutrients probably after this weekend. (I can't remember which Fox Farms product it is... )

By the way, I did find a grow supply store about 70 miles from me with a highly knowledgeable and experience staff that was also able to answer many questions that I had about outdoor growing. If anyone in the area is interested they are:

Brite Ideas
4201 S Congress Ave #317
Austin, TX 78745
512-444-2100

Hope that doesn't break any rules here, and I did obtain permission from them to mention their name here.

Well, I'm a little concerned about being behind at this point, but for now everything is looking OK for me.

 

[buzzboy]

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering about the cages, I have cattle and I don't want them to trample the children. Cows do not have an appreciation of the finer things... then again, maybe if they were to eat them... don't want that either.

 

[cigo]

Hello!nice to see some update, and that your are doing something with this project, i was thinking you stoped or so...
Heres is my adice about plants cut to dead spots on leafs.
And plants actually are young, and looks good for me.About main stem, it looks proportional for leafs size(thats good).
All for now looks good, just me second advice would be to do somthing for secure from bugs they easely can go straight in cage...I know most of here use netle tea for it but i use insecticide's...Because my biggest outdoor plant looks damaged by them.
Really take care about bugs cuz they can just kill,or make them freeze your plant with eating leafs.
[Freeze- this is how i call the state when plant stops to grow and do totaly nothing and later die, or survive sometimes.]

Good luck, for now really looks good.

-Cigo

 

[buzzboy]

Thanks cigo. Yeah, I am concerned about bugs. You may be able to tell where I have sprinkled diamateceous earth around the cages to keep some pests out. This was at the suggestion of the guy at the grow store. I will be looking into other forms of pest control though. I am especially worried about grasshoppers and how much damage they might cause. The fields around the wooded area where I have my plot are full of grasshoppers, but fortunately so far I have really noticed any in the wooded areas.

I did cut off the damaged leaves, so I'm anxious to see next time I go to water if that has triggered a little growth spurt.

 

[cigo]

about diamateceous earth ...

Pest control

Diatomite is also used as an insecticide, due to its physico-sorptive properties. The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. Arthropods die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, based on Fick's law of diffusion. This also works against gastropods and is commonly employed in gardening to defeat slugs. However, since slugs inhabit humid environments, efficacy is very low. It is sometimes mixed with an attractant or other additives to increase its effectiveness. Medical-grade diatomite is sometimes used to de-worm both animals and humans. It is most commonly used in lieu of boric acid, and can be used to help control and eventually eliminate a cockroach infestation. This material has wide application for insect control in grain storage.

Use in agriculture

Natural freshwater diatomaceous earth is used in agriculture for grain storage as an anti-caking agent, as well as insecticide.[2] It is approved by the US Department of Agriculture as a feed supplement.

It is also used as a neutral anthelmentic (de-wormer). Some farmers add it to their livestock and poultry feed to improve the health of animals.[3] "Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth" is widely available in agricultural feed supply stores. It is acceptable as organic feed additive for livestock.

Hydroponics<{just for interesting...}

Freshwater diatomite can be used as a growing medium in hydroponic gardens.

It is also used as a growing medium in potted plants, particularly as bonsai soil. Bonsai enthusiasts use it as a soil additive, or pot a bonsai tree in 100% Diatomaceous earth. Like perlite, vermiculite, and expanded clay, it retains water and nutrients while draining fast and freely allowing high oxygen circulation within the growing medium.

-----------------
I think on this times, use new implements...
I'm using "Mavrik 2f" this is insecticide, in liquid form...
You must just mix with water and spray.
And you must stop spray with that 14-20 days before harvest , to get clean product.
So my advice better do it, but if got only diamateceous earth, use it.
I've my self havent used it before so no expierence with that.
I hope that info in top of post will help little bit...from wiki pedia.
Goodluck

 

[buzzboy]

I'm starting to get concerned. It's been 26 days since plants went in the ground. Last time I went to water -- 2 days ago -- I could see no significant change since the last pictures were taken at in-the-ground +13. They still look healthy, but no significant growth. We've been experiencing 100+ degree temperatures every day since early June. Could this be the problem? I'm going to water tomorrow, so I'll probably take some pics then.

Oh and BTW I have changed to FF Peace of Mind All Purpose fertilizer (5-5-5)

 

[cigo]

Couple of my outdoor grow plant, are still stop'ed with growing and no changes, and others are grow good!
I think this is matter of how much roots plant got before tranplanting to outdoors.

 

[buzzboy]

Back after a long absence. The two surviving plants maxed out at about 18" or so height, not too bushy. I ended up with one loosely packed quart jar of "buds" for curing. One turned out to be completely male and one was hermaphrodite. I harvested them a little early before the male pods could burst and contaminate the females -- they were of fair quality. Here are the last pics I took. I'm sorry I dropped out, but I got pretty discouraged when their growing stunted and they turned out to be mostly males.