1st outdoor grow and starting to stress

S

SCD

Well-Known Member
Hi all. Hoping I can get some assistance to get me back on track to salvage as much as possible.

Its been getting cool here, storms, precipitation and very little cover.
40/50F at night but no sign of any frost for a few more weeks and it should be dry for the following week, although it just finished raining today.

This 1st my first grow attempt and was unexpected and very poorly planned but I would like to enjoy the fruits of my labour if possible ;)
Just watched the Wash video and feel that will apply to me either way.

I am outdoor in what you could call a forest, w/ 4 C99 clones of some sort.
7 gallon DIY smart pots. Now 6
6 gallon because of a poor soil choice and no mixture. Opposite end of fluffy and well draining. Compaction more like it but they found 5-6 feet and are fattening up.

I think I would still go soil next year but certainly would include perlite and a few other amendments that I’ve been learning about this year. Combos still tbd And also interested in hearing.

Trichs getting cloudy but still no sign of any amber yet, otherwise I would probably just pull them.

I’m doing my best to monitor and shake them off when it rains.
Pwm has been around, have sprayed them a few times with sodium bicarbonate, dish soap but again, no shelter. That’s in the works for 2nd attempt next year.

I am currently most worried about bud rot.

At this point, I’d almost appreciate simply how to properly identify bud rot more than anything, if anyone had a solid link.
I have taken tweezers to a few sugar leaves a few weeks ago that went a bit mushy brown.
( I know where they were in case I have to chop that area going forward)

I stare at them looking for problems and then zone out at all the wonderful healthy portions lol.

The reason for this post is because I noticed a small stem or two on a main cola that looks like is has some sort of black ugly developing.
I’m sure I don’t want that creeping up in to the buds.

This is my first post outside of introduce yourself so I’m sorry this is all over the place, I’ll tighten up my posting requirements over the winter as I learn and read more of others posts.

Any and all advice more than welcome.
I wont flood with any pics atm until it’s appropriate or requested.
I’m not sure I could properly post a pic of my blackish stem problem atm anyway

SCD
 
Managed to grab one, just happened to notice the darker area between a smaller lower bud that was resting on the stem.

Problem or can’t be avoided outdoor in the open with no shelter?

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Brown mushy sugar leaves are the symptom of bud rot in progress. If it hasn’t rained or been dewy before now, it’s probably caterpillars. Cats you can spray for with BT. But you need to go exploring and eliminate every bit of rot - remove outside of it to make sure.

Is there a hole in the stem? I’ve never had borers, but it’s happened to others. It could be cat damage too.
 
FelipeBlu said:
Brown mushy sugar leaves are the symptom of bud rot in progress. If it hasn’t rained or been dewy before now, it’s probably caterpillars. Cats you can spray for with BT. But you need to go exploring and eliminate every bit of rot - remove outside of it to make sure.

Is there a hole in the stem? I’ve never had borers, but it’s happened to others. It could be cat damage too.
Click to expand...
Hi Felipe and thanks for your reply.

I’ve had the the small lime green cats crawling around but I was hesitant to spray.
I have no idea whether it’s healthy or wise to start spraying now considering they should be ready to harvest in the next couple weeks.

Ive received lots of rain here the last few weeks and now dew pretty much each morning as days are still pleasant but cool nights.
I don’t have many other options this late other than to gently shake them a few times per day.

The brown mushy sugar leaves I mentioned were just 2 leaves. Still not great but I plucked them a few weeks ago and can’t see anything in that area atm. I check that area several times per day and don’t see anything obvious top side.

I’m staying as vigilant as I can for decaying leaves around buds and don’t see any at the moment.
My attention was drawn today to buds sitting on other parts of the plant as they fill in.

Not sure what I could do there short of just snipping them
 
You can use bags or air pots outdoors. Let soil dry between waterings. Hopefully you’ll never get a week long rainstorm. I make sure outdoor pots stay outside as I grow in a tent. Not chancing it with bugs being brought indoors. Guud luck.
 
So my original concern regarding black spots where buds were compressed on the stems, seems to be only on 1 of 4.
I’ve opened the area up at the risk of limiting yield but atm that feels better than chopping.

Days here for the next week seem sunny and clear but highs are 65F and lows overnight of 40F. No frost yet but it shouldn’t be far off in a few weeks.
Still no sign of any amber trichs but they are mostly cloudy and protruding.
Lovely scent for pirates at different times of the day :/

I don’t have a plan for drying or an indoor tent but I’ve read the DIY UHaul and that seems like a very reasonable option.
Any other last minute ideas? Can I simply hang them in the basement in a dark place? It’s ok if the house smells for a week.

Have all my wide mouth 1L mason jars and Boveda packs from my local shop, so I should have curing covered :)
 
SCD said:
Any other last minute ideas? Can I simply hang them in the basement in a dark place? It’s ok if the house smells for a week.
Click to expand...
Your approach to drying should be based on your ambient RH at the time of harvest. For example, if it’s pretty high, you would probably want the buds to dry off the stems to help prevent mold - instead of cutting and hanging the whole plant.

Ideally, you want to quickly drop the moisture in the buds to around 70%, and then spend as long as you can in the curing zone between there and 58%.

You should get some small hygrometers that will fit in the jars so that you can monitor the humidity once you are in the zone.
 
SCD said:
I’ve had the the small lime green cats crawling around but I was hesitant to spray.
I have no idea whether it’s healthy or wise to start spraying now considering they should be ready to harvest in the next couple weeks.
Click to expand...
I have struggled with botrytis and cats for the past 3 seasons. It simply is part of the process of growing outdoors. You HAVE to stay on top of the prevention leading into flower. THAT is the best way to avoid this. Even with all the time, efforts, and products used for prevention and I still have buds rotting and cats. Not nearly as much as last year though. I also incorporated more sacrificial plants/companions to distract pests.

If you are seeing dead leaves, then open up the buds in that area and see if it is spreading from inside the bud that's connected to the stem or if it is on the outside of the bud. You would be surprised how many cats may be hiding and eating inside your buds and don't show any rot yet.

You need to decide to go through all the plants thoroughly and clear out everything infected. Treat and let what is left to continue to mature on the branches. Or chop it all down now, trim away infected buds, and then do a good bud wash.

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Let me know if you have any questions.
 
It’s getting awfully chilly up here in Canada. Still wearing shorts of course because that’s how we roll
It’s 50F now during the day but easily 35F overnight.
The ladies are hanging in but still no amber. Does temperature play a part in this process or it it simply a matter of time and ripening?

A shot of one of the girls. She is lighter in colour than most I see but I attribute that to mostly user error as much as I’d like to think it’s the strain.
Also this is the morning sun which also makes her look even that much lighter.

Smells lovely, can’t find anymore pwm and no sign of any rotting sugar leaves around the buds.

B13532EB-60FE-4C56-8888-944119E8598C.jpeg
 
@BakedARea, sorry for the late response to your post that you spent time on for me.
I’ve never seen any rot quite like the photos you posted.
Just a few very small spots here and there over time and I think I got on them quickly and removed said area + a bit more to be safe.
To date, I believe I’ve cut out approx 1ounce of wet weight which included many leaves.
I don’t think that was all much myself. A drop in the bucket
 
I ended up harvesting most today. I say some because I’m beat after snipping, cutting washing and hanging.
Thankfully the Mrs took part.
I’ve realized with nearly the equivalent of 1-1/2 plants still standing, that I need more hanging space lol

Sorry for the upcoming very poorly taken photo and I didn’t paint it, but here it goes anyway
Post wash hangers from the $1 store. 20 clips each. Currently drip drying after a 4 bucket wash.
Still much more work ahead to clean them up for proper drying. Later tonight or tmrw morning.

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