Anthony Suszko: Tony's First Grow

[JimJonesJr]

Cool, gonna be a low budget grow.. and blame @Emilya for talking me into it.. but Whatever lol.. I really cant compete with the high grade tents and Mars light set ups.. This is gonna be a Miracle Grow trailer trash home depot grow.. but I'm willing to share taking progress photos every 2 weeks and keeping the journal updated...

That would have been a great title... Miracle Grow trailer trash home depot grow...lol. I'm in for the ride too now that I've found ya.

 

[Anthony Suszko]

That would have been a great title... Miracle Grow trailer trash home depot grow...lol. I'm in for the ride too now that I've found ya.

Sometime today I'll drop new photos after shit settles down a bit around here..

 

[Anthony Suszko]

Sometime today I'll drop new photos after shit settles down a bit around here..

Plants are in 12/12 now and just starting to show pistols so we're coming down the stretch.. This Afghan1 strain forms nice long buds along the main beams so we may be in for a little show down the road when colas start getting very pronounced..

 

[JimJonesJr]

I talk to my plants and exhale CO2 upon them so they know me as their Daddy.. Is that wrong ?

No, I talk sweet to my ladies everyday. They know I love them but I hide my murderous intentions for harvest. I don't want to scare them.

 

[JimJonesJr]

I also figured if I wound up with too many for the grow booth to handle, extras would find their way outdoors growing next to the house shoveled directly into the ground with soil amendments.. A little worried about size potential. These 2007 photos of a Mazar-I-Sharif which is one of the Maples X's shows it gets quite large growing outdoors.. Afghani plants also grow like trees seen here with soldiers..

If you must move some outdoors and worry about detection plant the thing damn near sideways in the ground. Then as she grows continue to tie her down. This will keep her low profile and all of her lower branches will fully develop. You can even go as far as buying some fake plants like ivy or philodendron at the dollar store and pin some to her to break up her profile even more.

 

[JimJonesJr]

Playing around with some bud jar label ideas ..

Your background in graphics design is shining through I see....nice

 

[JimJonesJr]

Update 7/11/20 finishing week 7 on Monday 7/13/20

Lots of things going on since the last update... I have 4 nice clones and will start up a MegaCrop Hydro bucket at the end of this week. Yes that's right, I sprung for a large bag of MC after frying up the tips using Miracle Grow being overzealous-heavy handed with the proportions in week 4. I went to 5 week using MG but ever since reading the plant description and how it doubles it size once reaching flow stage I wanted to really bulk these babies up and reach 5 grams per gallon with 3 weeks to go in veg. The plants are looking great after a week of 2.5 Grams of MC and have noticed a color change to vibrant richer green with little sprouts popping up all over the plants.. They are getting so big I had to construct tomato cages around them..

Clones
I made a huge mistake with the goldfish bowl cloning chamber.. Way too much humidity in there and plants ended up curling twisted looking like wilted mutants.. I revised the approach and went from cutting, to dipping in hormone powder strait to cups and had success. I now have 4 nice beauties 2 of which I'll soil plant, and other 2 go into hydro on Monday. I love soil because It makes me feel like an old grungy Tie-Dye sandal wearing Hippie and also want to see what these soil grown clones do in MC in the updated booth lighting. Hydro is going to be fun once I bring it up to 5 Grams per gallon MC. I'll go to single pot hydro buckets after 3 weeks in this double pot set up.



Hand Built Tomato Cages
so with the bud formations getting heavy I needed to go out and spring for some cages.. The thing is, everyone was sold out but that was OK, because I'm creative and had a back up plan building my own version using trim stock and yarn as cargo netting. I figured they can get as entangled as they want.. I'll just cut the yarn netting away and recycle the wood staves for the next grow.



Updated Booth & Lighting

The 12 inch 2009 light LED Red-Blue Light panel I ordered from China on whim finally arrived .. I order it on April 27th.. It's laughable but it's OK.. Dealing with Chinese excuses which caused me stress is funny to me now.. This LED panel has no makers mark-brand name or even an instruction pamphlet .. It's actually not that bad and will probably use it for sprouting seeds.. If I had to do it over I woulda gone with just adding 2 more GT omni's spreading the light across more evenly. Not a big deal and Future booth upgrade. The GT omni's are only $14.00 each..

China LED Panel throwing down a column of purple light


My cliche Purple photos along with music suggestion.

I'd say your doing a great job so far. You've cracked beans, managed seedling, nutes, environment, and now flowering. Your growing in experience fast. A determined man can accomplish anything. I'm loving this grow.

 

[JimJonesJr]

No matter how long you have been growing you never stop learning.

Never, never never never. I learn something every grow whether I want to or not. Sometimes it can be a very humbling experience.

 

[Anthony Suszko]

4:45PM 7/25/2020
Finaly got settled down and have time to drop New pics after the bee swarm incodent..
Indoor and outside grow combined...
Outdoor:
Male showing pollen sacs after 3rd day in 12/12 darkness.

Male- Tell tale white button filling with pollen sacs underneath.

Male- pollen sacs developing..

Fem- "Big Sexy" still spreading out in 12/12

Fem- "Wide Bottom Honey"..

Big sexy's twisted leaf genetic marker showing up in a couple places, proves shes from good stock.. the real deal.



Indoor:
Big Sexy Clone1 Headchop not slowing her down a bit
up potted and tied down because those those big fan leafs wave around in the fanwash.

Wide Bottom Honey clones 1&2 This one's a fast grower also.

Arched - bent over LST. Hydro clones from BS & WBH
Everyone reaching for the sky

 

[Anthony Suszko]

I'd say your doing a great job so far. You've cracked beans, managed seedling, nutes, environment, and now flowering. Your growing in experience fast. A determined man can accomplish anything. I'm loving this grow.

Not bad for a Trailer Trash Home Depot Grow.. Quickly ditched the Miracle Grow after scorching tips badley in week 4.. Needed more control over nute power so have been on MC ever since.. Slowly built up reaching 5.0 gpg as reccomended for late flower.

 

[JimJonesJr]

Great update. Most folks that get into this hobby don't take the time to research and ask the right questions. Your updates show steady progress and proof that it can be done right the first time. Sure, you've made mistakes and believe me you will make more but you fix it, move on and try your best not to repeat the hiccups.
Personally, I wouldn't encourage a new grower to start breeding on their first grow. Just learning the basics is difficult for most but you'll be okay. It's all exciting and new. I totally get that and it's really fun to sit back and watch a man make shit happen. I'm already looking forward to your next update.

 

[Anthony Suszko]

Great update. Most folks that get into this hobby don't take the time to research and ask the right questions. Your updates show steady progress and proof that it can be done right the first time. Sure, you've made mistakes and believe me you will make more but you fix it, move on and try your best not to repeat the hiccups.
Personally, I wouldn't encourage a new grower to start breeding on their first grow. Just learning the basics is difficult for most but you'll be okay. It's all exciting and new. I totally get that and it's really fun to sit back and watch a man make shit happen. I'm already looking forward to your next update.

Yeh that's the trick is to make mistakes that dont sink you but can learn and grow from them.. You definately have to do the studying and surround yourself with enough info to pull off each new phase of growing you dive into.. Cloning is not that easy but there's some great diagrammed youtube primers out there to use as outlines along with reading articles from Leafy, grow-marijuana.com, and other helpful sources including here at 420. I always figure out the more resources you tap into cant hurt you.. I'm big on attaching links from resources so it doesnt look like I'm talking shit but have material to back it up, but it's kind of frowned on in here unless they are advertising bumps and have accounts with 420. You noticed I'm a dive head in and immerse yourself kind of guy, because i dont like going in blind.. Same thing with Fishcarving, I was a novice beginner at one time and reached Illinois Artisan professional status.. I studied anatomy , bought taxidermy plastic fish heads so I could pose them while carving to help with head shape mouth interior and gill anatomy... the hardest thing about carving is to picture it in your brain from all sides subtracting the neggative space away from it .. I'm going to study before attempting the pollination thing as well and bag a few branches if all works well..But I love this stuff and every day is a new adventure for me.. Everytime i go downstairs to the booth and see a new thing or new growth its really cool..

 

[JimJonesJr]

I think my favorite time in a grow is when they are half into flowering. I used to shuffle down to the basement and sit outside my large growbox n burn one. Then as the high swoops in the familiar hum of the ballasts could be heard kicking into gear for another cycle...It's Show Time!
Man, I'd sit there for hours talking and spending time with them. This hobby is an addiction and a love affair all wrapped into one. The end product is just a special treat at the bottom of the rabbit hole. Enjoy the grow...friend.

 

[Anthony Suszko]

I think my favorite time in a grow is when they are half into flowering. I used to shuffle down to the basement and sit outside my large growbox n burn one. Then as the high swoops in the familiar hum of the ballasts could be heard kicking into gear for another cycle...It's Show Time!
Man, I'd sit there for hours talking and spending time with them. This hobby is an addiction and a love affair all wrapped into one. The end product is just a special treat at the bottom of the rabbit hole. Enjoy the grow...friend.

we are so much alike, are you sure we aren't brothers ?

 

[Anthony Suszko]

If you must move some outdoors and worry about detection plant the thing damn near sideways in the ground. Then as she grows continue to tie her down. This will keep her low profile and all of her lower branches will fully develop. You can even go as far as buying some fake plants like ivy or philodendron at the dollar store and pin some to her to break up her profile even more.

It's cool, I live on 3/4 of an acre semi wooded and very private.. Plan is to plant a stand of hydro started Sativa in bunches of 3 around the wooded edges and flower bed islands. They'll mix in fine with the other vegitation.. I mapped out the prime sunny locations along with good partial shade locals. Am using this first grow to see what light value my plants were getting along with potential snags to my plan.. also have to make note of when powdery mildew shows up late in the fall, in which areas its heaviest, and be chopping plants down way ahead of it.. IIll need to invest in a pump sprayer for inoculants and wheelbarrow gallon jugs of MC out there, so dont want to over do the grow limiting it to 8 -10 plants to cover survival rate odds..

 

[JimJonesJr]

It's cool, I live on 3/4 of an acre semi wooded and very private.. Plan is to plant a stand of hydro started Sativa in bunches of 3 around the wooded edges and flower bed islands. They'll mix in fine with the other vegitation.. I mapped out the prime sunny locations along with good partial shade locals. Am using this first grow to see what light value my plants were getting along with potential snags to my plan.. also have to make note of when powdery mildew shows up late in the fall, in which areas its heaviest, and be chopping plants down way ahead of it..

A true sativa takes a long time in flower. I'm guessing you mean a sativa Dom hybrid. Do you think you'll run out of time in your region before frost? I have roughly 150+ days of growing season here but your way up there in Yankee land.
Your planting outdoors on 3/4 acre and I'm here worried about 18 plants on 40acres...lol.

 

[Anthony Suszko]

A true sativa takes a long time in flower. I'm guessing you mean a sativa Dom hybrid. Do you think you'll run out of time in your region before frost? I have roughly 150+ days of growing season here but your way up there in Yankee land.
Your planting outdoors on 3/4 acre and I'm here worried about 18 plants on 40acres...lol.

My preferences are Acapulco Gold, Columbian Gold, Mexican Airlines, NYPD, Michoacan. Mexican sativa because the pipeline back in the old days ran right through Chicago and I just love the idea of smoking the shit I grew up on.. Been reading up on them and they grow like Christmas trees..

 

[Anthony Suszko]

A true sativa takes a long time in flower. I'm guessing you mean a sativa Dom hybrid. Do you think you'll run out of time in your region before frost? I have roughly 150+ days of growing season here but your way up there in Yankee land.
Your planting outdoors on 3/4 acre and I'm here worried about 18 plants on 40acres...lol.

I'm in zone 5b
Chicago, Illinois is in USDA Hardiness Zones 5b and 6a. Zone 5b : -15 to -10 (F)

2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

planthardiness.ars.usda.gov

 

[Anthony Suszko]

A true sativa takes a long time in flower. I'm guessing you mean a sativa Dom hybrid. Do you think you'll run out of time in your region before frost? I have roughly 150+ days of growing season here but your way up there in Yankee land.
Your planting outdoors on 3/4 acre and I'm here worried about 18 plants on 40acres...lol.

well, now the cops have google satellite imagery / 3D Map Of The Earth And Street View and can zoom in on your house, not needing to fly a chopper any more to locate pot from above.. try it some time and punch in your stree address into the site.. its amazingly accurate.. so thats why im planting in 3's , and tree cover branches that break up the area help along with varying sizes of different bush and small tree forms..

Satellite & Street View Earth Maps

 

[JimJonesJr]

My preferences are Acapulco Gold, Columbian Gold, Mexican Airlines, NYPD, Michoacan. Mexican sativa because the pipeline back in the old days ran right through Chicago and I just love the idea of smoking the shit I grew up on.. Been reading up on them and they grow like Christmas trees..

Those are classic 70s strains mostly. Forgot one...Panama red. I grew up in the 70s in South Florida. Talk about a pipeline..lol Those were the days aye? Stems n seeds anyone? How many hours did you spend sifting herb back then? A flour sifter was my best friend.