Emmie's Advanced Female Seeds: Knockout Journal, 2016

[Emilya Green]

I don't stop here often enough Emmie, but you caught me in passing and I'm so glad you did. I'm loving the use of that garden stake for holding down. I hadn't thought of that. And I must say the name stake was a stroke of genius as well. I can appreciate adaptability. Lol!

Don't you love the way this forum is like a shopping mall for cultivation ideas? This looks like one of those ideas I should pay more attention to.

Good-looking plant Em. Shiggity shared some info from Dutch Passion Seeds on how growing conditions beginjing at week 3-4 will influence sex of the seed. I thought you might enjoy a read, if you haven't read it already, so I'll drop the link for you.

Influencing the sex of the seed

Thanks for the link, I will definitely give it a read! The other day I was thinking about that crazy price that Lowe's wanted for their plant name stakes, and it hit me as I walked through the Dollar Store the other night that for a buck I could get a bag of 10 spoons, knives and forks. We are going to use the forks to eat with, and the knives and spoons make perfectly acceptable name stakes.

the hold down hoops are nothing more than a 100' spool of garden wire, cut to various lengths, formed into a narrow hoop and bent outward at the bottoms to hold them in the soil, and then placed over a branch to hold it down. As the branch grows and tries to go vertical, the wire hoop can be bent in the middle toward the outer edge and the end of the branch, further tightening the LST pressure on that branch to keep it horizontal. It is a good system that allows total domination over the plant's desire to go vertical until you are ready, and unlike tying strings to the lip of the container, it allows the entire LST system to transplant right along with the plant when you go to a larger container, so that the method can be continued without interruption using more hoops and the larger surface area.

 

[SweetSue]

Thanks for the link, I will definitely give it a read! The other day I was thinking about that crazy price that Lowe's wanted for their plant name stakes, and it hit me as I walked through the Dollar Store the other night that for a buck I could get a bag of 10 spoons, knives and forks. We are going to use the forks to eat with, and the knives and spoons make perfectly acceptable name stakes.

the hold down hoops are nothing more than a 100' spool of garden wire, cut to various lengths, formed into a narrow hoop and bent outward at the bottoms to hold them in the soil, and then placed over a branch to hold it down. As the branch grows and tries to go vertical, the wire hoop can be bent in the middle toward the outer edge and the end of the branch, further tightening the LST pressure on that branch to keep it horizontal. It is a good system that allows total domination over the plant's desire to go vertical until you are ready, and unlike tying strings to the lip of the container, it allows the entire LST system to transplant right along with the plant when you go to a larger container, so that the method can be continued without interruption using more hoops and the larger surface area.

Excellent vision Emmie. I can get the same effect with bonsai wire. I need to make my daughter find that wire. She has it buried in her apartment somewhere.

 

[Emilya Green]

Today we get new containers for the entire group, nice 7 gallon felt smart pot knockoffs. I am also using the no-till method our girl, re-using the same container and same soil that was used in the last round. The main stem and as much of the rootball brain that would come with it was yanked out of this container upon harvest, leaving the rest of the rootball structure intact.

I have spiked these containers, just in case there should be any deficiencies in this used soil, but I know that most of the undigested nutrients are still sitting here, waiting for the next plant to use... and the next one... and the next one... It takes a long time to break down minerals and other organics.

So here is what a spike looks like. I take that car jack handle you see there and I poke it down in 4 places, just outside of the just transplanted rootball. I want the microlife to have been able to munch on these spikes a bit before the roots get in there. I poke the jack tool down making a hole, and then I wiggle it around, making the hole even bigger. Then using a funnel, the hole is filled up. There were 4 veg spikes in the original containers already, and now in the final container I added 2 pure earthworm castings spikes, and 2 spikes made for flowering needs, consisting of:
1/4 cup 5-5-5 organic fertilizer
1/4 cup soft rock phosphate
1/2 cup steamed bone meal
1/2 cup high N bat guano
1 cup kelp meal
1 tablespoon dolomite lime
1 tablespoon Azomite powder

Here we have our Knockout, well on her way to being a huge producer. Those top two dominant nodes were pinched last night, and right now I see 8 kolas that would develop if flipped today. This however will not be acceptable. We have 3 weeks left to see what we can do, but I expect that soon 8 will become 16, and 16 will become 32... we will probably stop there, no sense going crazy.

 

[Canna Montana]

Today we get new containers for the entire group, nice 7 gallon felt smart pot knockoffs. I am also using the no-till method our girl, re-using the same container and same soil that was used in the last round. The main stem and as much of the rootball brain that would come with it was yanked out of this container upon harvest, leaving the rest of the rootball structure intact.

I have spiked these containers, just in case there should be any deficiencies in this used soil, but I know that most of the undigested nutrients are still sitting here, waiting for the next plant to use... and the next one... and the next one... It takes a long time to break down minerals and other organics.

So here is what a spike looks like. I take that car jack handle you see there and I poke it down in 4 places, just outside of the just transplanted rootball. I want the microlife to have been able to munch on these spikes a bit before the roots get in there. I poke the jack tool down making a hole, and then I wiggle it around, making the hole even bigger. Then using a funnel, the hole is filled up.

First I'd like to thank you for all the info you provided in this update. next, after you make the hole bigger, what do you put in the funnel to fill it with. Also, above you said you spiked the containers, just in case there were any deficiencies. What did you spike it with then? Thanks for all of your help!!

 

[Emilya Green]

First I'd like to thank you for all the info you provided in this update. next, after you make the hole bigger, what do you put in the funnel to fill it with. Also, above you said you spiked the containers, just in case there were any deficiencies. What did you spike it with then? Thanks for all of your help!!

Think of a spike just the same as one of those Jobe Plant Stakes, those hard things that you pound into the ground that can supply nutrients to your tomatoes in a time released form. My spikes are the same sort of thing, only I artificially make them by mixing the components that I listed above. This mixture is then poured into the hole that is created using the car jack thingy, and then using the funnel to make sure that most of the mixture goes down in the hole where I want it. This creates a vertical spike in the container of pure nutrients, and a place to congregate for all those little microbeasties that like that sort of thing.

 

[Canna Montana]

Think of a spike just the same as one of those Jobe Plant Stakes, those hard things that you pound into the ground that can supply nutrients to your tomatoes in a time released form. My spikes are the same sort of thing, only I artificially make them by mixing the components that I listed above. This mixture is then poured into the hole that is created using the car jack thingy, and then using the funnel to make sure that most of the mixture goes down in the hole where I want it. This creates a vertical spike in the container of pure nutrients, and a place to congregate for all those little microbeasties that like that sort of thing.

Ooohhh, ok! Makes total sense now!!! Thank you for explaining to me. We are close to harvest and want to reuse the soil. I couldn't have seen your post at a more perfect time.

 

[Emilya Green]

Here she is after 11 days of intense training. She is coming along very nicely and soon will be ready for me to take some clones and clean up underneath. She is the one in the back corner, by the electrical cord.

 

[Emilya Green]

Tonight marks 14 days since the last update. I am betting that you will see a small difference in the size of the plant. Tonight the tent is in a 36 hour dark period before the official start of flower, tomorrow. It has been 3 weeks and 4 days since transplanting to the 7 gallon containers. It has been 1 week since last watering, so the root system was not ready for flowering until now. I suspect that in the next 2 weeks of stretch, the roots will also finish filling out, and we will start hitting them hard with regular waterings... right now we are still in veg mode and are teasing out the roots, making them search for all the water, but that strategy will change in 2 weeks.

I have never fertilized my plants at this stage of the grow before, and was not prepared for what has happened in my tent. In the last 2 weeks, every plant has doubled in size, and frankly, I am starting to worry about my vertical height. Last night I trimmed up my Knockout and took 7 clones from her. Even with all that cutting, I still count 24 active bud sites going into flower, so I am pretty sure that she is going to produce for me. I can see the effect of my flowering extract and the fish hydrolysate and the cal-phos on this last watering... not only the amazing growth over the last 2 weeks, but the color, and the number of bud sites appearing below the main growth tips... the stuff is definitely working.

Here is a before/after set, showing the cleanup underneath and after taking the clones:

I also want to warn people about the cute idea of using pipe cleaners to LST that first top cut. It definitely worked, but look what happened... the pipe cleaner is now inside of that main horizontal trunk... ooops!

So, here we go! 7 clones are going into the purple light of the veg tent and we are starting flower in the big tent. KO is actually one of the small ones with her 24 kolas... this round is going to get fun!

 

[Emilya Green]

Yesterday I forgot to show you the 7 clones. Here they are safe and sound under their purple pur par light, sealed up and in their own individual environments for the next 7-10 days.

I am also pleased to report that out of the 6 plants in the room, this KO was the only one that ate its pipe cleaner... all of the rest were removed without incident.

 

[Emilya Green]

Here is a quick update from the veg room... all of the KO clones are showing signs that we will be seeing roots soon. Today is day 10, and usually when the roots start popping out. All 7 of the clones show signs that they are alive... we will know soon.

 

[Emilya Green]

(flower, day 11)

Just a quick update to show what is happening here at mid stretch. Our knockout is responding very well to the dandelion flowering extract and has developed multiple complex bud sites all over the plant. She already looks like she is going to have a punch to her, and easily has the most developed buds in the tent, even at this early stage.

 

[Emilya Green]

well...
very bad news from the veg room. All of the KO clones died. All of them. This is bad. I have had to examine everything, and have concluded that the problem is these jiffy plugs. It is that or my brain. Egads. Thinking back, I have had bad luck since I got these things... two boxes of them... before that I enjoyed a 95% success rate.

I am going to stop using jiffy plugs for anything. This batch must be very acidic or something... the results have been very disappointing, not just here, but in the vegetable garden too.

So, bottom line is that when this single plant finishes in flower, I am done with Knockout unless and until I buy some more seeds. This of course almost guarantees that KO is going to be of amazing quality and taste, and that I will be forced to purchase more seeds for her so that I can repeat the experience. I remain hopeful.

Here, so that we can have a silent moment of respect, are the carcasses.

I pray that your garden is doing much better than this one.
Blessings,
Emmie

 

[Emilya Green]

(flower, day 28)


Over in the bloom tent, things are going much better. Our girl has been hiding in the back of the room, building some impressive looking buds already. I went in to water last night, knowing that they were all on the verge of wilting and I found KO already starting to relax. Several of her buds were too heavy to hold up already and she was starting to lean to one side in protest.

Out came the bamboo plant stakes and some garden tape, and we got her stood back up again and watered. She looks a lot better this morning... last night she looked like she had had one too many and was just starting to get a little loose and tipsy. Every girl needs a fling while she is young and can handle it. We had a talk this morning, and she is ready to get down to business now, and realizes that now that the halfway point has been reached, I will probably start forcing water on them... it is time to get down to business.

Here she is this morning, under flash lighting. Note that she is still shyly sitting there in the back all staked out and pretty... and what she hasn't told anyone is that she is really in the best spot for the light, right in the middle where she gets full benefit from both lights when they come on.

 

[Emilya Green]

(Flower, day 38 of 63)

Knockout is becoming very impressive and very pretty, and she still has a long ways to go. I am getting excited about this one. She was one of the first in the tent to start falling over, her buds were getting so heavy. They say she is ready in 6 weeks, and I can see that... but they say she will be much bigger and better at 9 weeks. We are going for that one.

 

[Rascio]

Hi Emmie,
You sure have a lot going on. Lost track of how many ideas I've found in your journals that I'll try in my own garden. What's this dandelion flowering stuff you mention?
Cheers!

 

[Emilya Green]

Hi Emmie,
You sure have a lot going on. Lost track of how many ideas I've found in your journals that I'll try in my own garden. What's this dandelion flowering stuff you mention?
Cheers!

Hi Rascio, thank you for all the likes across so many of my threads... I am honored that you are catching up with all of my stuff. The dandelion extracts that I mention across all of my threads are documented in this thread: Emmie's Backyard Fermented Plant Extracts from Dandelions!

Basically I use every part of the dandelion in my garden, and I take a daily supplement of ground up dandelion root for its incredible antioxidant and red blood building capabilities. In the garden I ferment 3 distinct supplements from the dandelions, the leaves as a growth supplement, flowers/seed pods/stems as a flowering supplement, and of course the roots as a rooting compound. Dandelions are considered to be what is called a super accumulator... if a mineral exists in your soil outside, these plants will gather it up and make it available to your plants, by fermenting.

 

[Coloradokid19]

Just stopping by... Great looking flowers, and I'm sorry to hear your clones died ): there is always next time though so don't give up!!
Happy Growing


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[Emilya Green]

Just stopping by... Great looking flowers, and I'm sorry to hear your clones died ): there is always next time though so don't give up!!
Happy Growing


Sent from my iPad using 420 Magazine Mobile App

Thanks Kid... my fault. I should have suspected those jiffy pellets a long time ago... and good riddance, and no, I don't give up.

Here since I am here, is an update on Knockout... she has just entered the 2 week window and nothing but water from here on out. Here is how she looks before the last two week buildup:

 

[Coloradokid19]

Nice looking buds, and definitely can't wait to see the final results! I can only hope that mine turn out like that once I flip which will be in the next few days!


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[Emilya Green]

Anyone notice that I am actually burning my plants just a bit with the dandelion extract? That is at 2 tablespoons / gallon application rate... it is powerful stuff! It is clear from the results of this run that I can get by with as little as 1 tablespoon / gallon of my extract and still give the plants everything they need.