Glasgrow's Outdoor Grow - Early Skunk - Scotland

[Kushtie]

Sounds like a braw plan to me.

Hope you find some decent water bud. Think I'm going to have to get some pH up and try to use the water round my site as carrying enough soil out there is bad enough and having to get enough water out there to wet it just makes the job twice as hard. Thankfully I never met anybody the other day with a 50L bag of soil poking out the top of my rucksack but have now switched tactics to stockpiling smaller loads near where I want them to hopefully avoid looking too dodgy with massive loads of stuff.

Must say though the 4 autos I've had out for about a month haven't done a lot. They are a fraction of the size of one the same age I kept indoors under a 125w CFL. They aren't getting as much direct sunlight as I'd hoped, the weather was shite in May and the soil still looked as wet as it could get without runoff tonight. Different plan for the ones I'm getting ready to go out then lol.

 

[Mono]

Ello ello

 

[Glasgrow]

New pics. This first is the one that was attacked by the cat. More stunted in growth than the next 2 you will see (all early skunk). A close up pic of the main stem shows as best i can the damage sustained but looks like it has 3 new shoots.

The second is the other that sustained wind damage. Not sure how this is progressing but looks like the main stem is starting to grow again, it has been slow regaining growth.

The third i am particularly proud of. Lots of new growth and if i fim'd correctly then it looks like i may have between 4-6 new shoots. Again the close up pic of this is best i can get. Fim was done a few days ago and growth has continued so seems to have suffered no stress.

Finally is the sugar candy. No probs with that and is still going at a normal rate.

Have to say these plants are slow starters but have heard that these explode with growth so once out in the wild i do expect some serious sh*t.

Am also going to start adding lyle's black treacle. It is almost the same as molasses and have heard people say they use it instead of molasses. Got a big tin of it sitting in the cupboard so may as well use it. Gonna mix in 1 tbsp per 4L of water, perhaps 4.5L but did cut the tops off the bottles as i used them as buckets for making ice hash with. Not sure if am gonna add with every feed. Will be seeing to the plants once every 2 weeks so when i water i will be adding full strength fertilizer. The first time i go out to water i will add no nutes as the soil will be fresh compost so will be full of nutrients to last a good couple of weeks if not more. But will still add treacle.

 

[Glasgrow]

Finally got round to sorting out my plots. Got them done around 5pm so me and my mate picked out places that were almost out of view from the main path (which we dont think gets used anyway, but better to be safe though) and were still getting sunlight. 3 plants will be trained to grow horizontal with a home-made trellis made from netting and bamboo canes, will further cover these plants with extra netting sitting approx 2'-3' high. The last plant will be left to grow upright and will be covered with some netting staked to the ground and adjusted when needed. The netting - we seen a deer within the area the plants will go and seen 2 others on our travels so the netting will offer some protection from them. Will definitely be getting liquid fence as a second line of defence from deer.

The digging took took some time as only had a wee spade/trowel and now thinking about it i didnt dig deep enough. Filled in the holes with general purpose compost and spread it out a bit mixed in with the natural soil that was there. Any ground that was bare and hard did not get used as it would be useless for the plants - picked areas that were still sunny at that time of day, had vegetation growing and the good thing is there are no trees to block out the sun for most of the day (up till that point of day at 5pm). Wanted to keep the plants together but wasnt possible so they have been spread out a bit and can see them all from one another.

Used 20L of soil for each plot and prob dug around 6" deep and the pots are around 7"-8" deep. Not watered the plots yet, will do that when i take the babies out there. Will get that done this week or perhaps next week. Will giving the soil only a week-10 days to settle be long enough and will putting plants out this late still be ok?

Also gave the plants their first lot of black treacle yesterday, hopefully this will help with growth. Also got some pk 13/14 yesterday so will give the plants that after a couple of weeks of flowering and continue till near harvest time.

Also one last question. From what i have done do you guys think i can average out around 6oz per plant? If so i will be well chuffed with a 24oz harvest.

 

[Kushtie]

That rhododendrons in the background? Lets hope those ones are not marked for eradication this year as they a highly invasive species and some estate owners seem to be putting a lot of effort into getting rid of them. Think there's been talk of a mass eradication program too.

Not quite sure of the scale of the effort going into tackling rhododendrons but I see them as a risky plant to be around as they might attract people. They don't attract much wildlife and I think mess up the soil so other species can't grow under their canopy which can have a significant impact on biodiversity which is why folk are trying to wipe them out.

Other than that it looks good to me. Think we'll need a cracking summer to get 6oz plants but I don't think you're being overly optimistic either. It's hard to guess

I just stuck a photo plant in a 25L pot outside the other day....a big leggy sativa that finishes flowering in 8 or 9 weeks. If it does turn out to be a bitchin summer that lasts long enough I'll be hoping for a lot more than 6 off that one but I'd be happy with a couple of oz off the autos. If not it was just a clone that was surplus to requirement and didn't have room for indoors. Best not to get our hopes up but I guess that's easier to say when you have enough indoor stuff working. I want to know if it works more than I need the harvest.

 

[Glasgrow]

Not sure if they are rhododendrons. If they are i dont see them getting culled in that area - it a big forest so should be ok. 6oz plants is being realistic as i was growing 1.5oz plants indoor with minimal veg, no training and only a 400W HPS. These plants will mostly be grown horizontal thus giving me more colas. If each plants gives me 10+ colas and each weighs around 14g each then i should be pretty close. Good sunlight, good soil and a bit of tlc. Another good thing about this area is it crawling with spiders. Bugs should not pose any problems with these spiders around.

Hoping to get some autos and stick them straight in the ground once germinated. No growing inside just straight out into the big wide world. Will plant 3 x thc bombs near to where these ones are, perhaps in another area. Not gonna be able to sort them out till begin of july. My pal away on hols 4 2 weeks so am screwed with anything in the meantime. Really need liquid fence but cant find it anywhere to buy in glasgow. Can order via amazon but if i get it sent here to my home my mrs will ask questions so need it sent to my pals house. Dont wanna put the plants out till i have it but leaving them here for too much longer means they will get a lot bigger and more difficult to transport down the road.

Could i be cheeky kushtie and ask you to order it and i could meet you in glasgow somewhere to get it from you? Cost around £15 for a spray bottle of it. Cant PM you till i get 50 posts, hence the reason am asking here. Stay near cardonald area. Would order it and post it to you but that involves me having your address, and seen as we dont know each other and this is a public journal then that isnt going to happen. Understand if you do say no. Looking at getting these plants outdoors by next thur or next sun at the latest. If i cant liquid fence i will have to hope that the netting draped over the plants and staked down will be enough in the meantime.

 

[Kushtie]

From what I can gather liquid fence isn't available in the UK because of some EU bollocks. There does seem to be a bunch of recipes on the web though.....pepper sprays seem to be favoured here and simple recipes could be as easy as washing up liquid and a hot chilli sauce.

Or there's stuff like this....

I think another product which is available here would be a whole lot easier and should do the same job. I'd have the same problem explaining to my mrs lol.

So far the deer haven't bothered my plants but mice chewed through one of the plastic bottles of nutrient solution I left by the grow.

 

[Glasgrow]

I hear ya kushtie on the problems of getting liquid fence. Seems as though it gets imported and gets stopped at customs (found that out by accident somewhere). Resorted to getting Grazers G1 concentrate from amazon. This along with netting should provide the plants with enough protection. Picked up strawberry and pea netting, i think if the deer did chew through that they wont like it too much so will probably leave the plants alone after an initial munch (if they do so and the repellent doesnt work).

Some bad(ish) news. The fim didnt work on the plant that i tried it on, didnt cut far enough down so as a result the ends of the leaves have been cut short and the main stem is still growing as normal (no big deal, it was 1st time trying it). On the good news one of the plants damaged by wind now has 3 main stems! Also feeding them with black treacle (very similar to molasses) has had them all shoot up in the past 2-3 days, explosive growth with all 4.

Also have ordered 2 auto thc bomb seeds and got a free g13 gigabud seed. Going to germ the autos inside and plant outside as soon as they sprout and will do the same with the gigabud (although that is supposed to be an indoor seed so will see how that holds outside). May not get much off the gigabud as days will be shortening soon so may flower quite early and without too much veg. No idea where i will plants these 3 extra plants but will be somewhere near the others. May get a grow bag, cut the bottom off it and stick it in the ground with turning some soil underneath so the roots get further down. All 3 seeds should have enough room in the grow bag. Or if i have time then will use compost and dig holes like the rest. These are really just to give me some smoke sooner rather than later. Will start a separate grow journal for these. How do i add that journal to my posts here? Or does it do it automatically?

 

[Kriaze]

Subbed, what a great read this is.

I feel it's a travesty that people have to go to such extremes in order to grow a plant due to our draconian laws, it's a joke considering a lot of countries are now accepting the fact that not only do a lot of people enjoy the smoke but the fact that the plant has medicinal properties too. It sticks in my throat too much that normal people that contribute to society one way or another are driven to such extremes and made to feel like criminals. Sorry about that, rant over.

As for the bottled water issue I actually sidetracked myself to take a look around at some tested water regulation PDF's and have found something that may be of interest to you. Apparently Ashbeck bottled water (Tesco's own brand) has a PH of 6.2, I actually drink this myself (we had a problem with our water for a year until I finally managed to get it sorted, way too high concentrates of metals but I've never trusted it since) and have a bottle in the fridge. I have a proper PH and EC meter arriving shortly so I'll test it myself to be sure and let you know the results. Might be a bit easier on the plants than using water from the burn. Also if you do use water from the burn or any stream for that matter make sure you find a spot where the water runs over a rock or outcrop as this will always be the cleanest, never use stagnant water, ever. Seems my military survivalist training is good for gardening finally lol.

Great spot of the Rhodendrons Kushtie, it seems that every little detail has to be considered and that's a great point to raise. I would have had no idea about that until now

Hey Professor great to see you're onboard. I reckon Glasgrow is in safe hands regarding organics and nutrients now

I wish I could help you but the distance is too great for me to come and do some digging, could have done with the exercise too considering how much lard I've gained since my double accident. I hope this grow goes well and I'll be along for the ride in spirit, sending the good karma over if you don't mind. All the best

 

[Glasgrow]

Well said kriaze. Everyone should be allowed to grow 2-3 plants for personal use. Think it should be licensed too. You pay a small amount for a license, you grow but at any time the police can come to your door and check. If found to be growing more than 2 or 3 plants then you lose your license, lose your equipment, lose your crop and get hit with a standard fine. It should mean that you cant flower and veg multiple plants at one time - you get caught doing that and you get done for it. Saves people going to dealers and the government would make money from selling licenses.

I work in tesco and am going to buy ashbeck water as it seems the correct ph. Going to get some ph testers and test the burn water and i just need to look for the source, it not too far from my site, just havent gone searching for it yet. Worst comes to worse and the ph is way out then will fill bottles at home, leave for a day or two then transport to the site. I know a route that gets me there fairly easily and can drape the bottles in jute bags over the handlebars of my bike. Saves me having to carry them which would be a back breaker. 1 bottle per plant once a week or once every couple of weeks. Can add nutes before i head over there. Have pk 13/14 for flowering, using black treacle with every water/feed, and i have general purpose fertilizer for tomatoes (48 ratio). A bit low on the N side but am sure this will be ok. Plants not showing any nute deficiencies and they seem to be doing fine. Get them outside next thur.

 

[Glasgrow]

That should read 4 : 3 : 8 ratio. Somehow it put a smiley in there.

 

[Mono]

Get them under plastic mate. I'm about 100 miles north of you.. Put out end of may looking like this -

We were still getting frosts here at that point. Now they look like this -

 

[Mono]

^^ is a strange picture, not from my gallery lol.

They look like this now...

 

[Kriaze]

I'd wondered where the pots had come from Mono, thought you'd dug it up because of the frost

 

[Kushtie]

Well said kriaze. Everyone should be allowed to grow 2-3 plants for personal use. Think it should be licensed too. You pay a small amount for a license, you grow but at any time the police can come to your door and check. If found to be growing more than 2 or 3 plants then you lose your license, lose your equipment, lose your crop and get hit with a standard fine. It should mean that you cant flower and veg multiple plants at one time - you get caught doing that and you get done for it. Saves people going to dealers and the government would make money from selling licenses.

Aye, and I voted yes purely because it wasn't going to make legalisation any less likely. I want to see it as grow whatever you want and if you decide to do it commercially you get the proper insurance policies in place and pay your taxes like every other decent business owner. There are already laws in place that cover driving under the influence and dodging taxes so I don't see why there needs to be any more layers of bureaucracy. Just free the weed and watch the money go round

Congrats on passing 50 posts bud If you want links to show under your posts you need to go into your profile and edit your signature.....your threads won't show automatically there.

 

[Glasgrow]

Now am at 50 posts i can now PM people. Yay! Will adjust my signature when i get started on a new grow. Still not sure how am gonna do it. Need to germ in the house then take out to the site. Only prob is keeping the tub or plate level along with 4 plants which are reaching 10" in height. May have to play around with things to sort it. Also need to get another bag of soil out there so they got fresh stuff to grow in with some fresh nutes. May have to delay them for a couple of weeks.

Looking good mono. Some serious growth outside in 6 weeks. You're still getting frosts? Nothing like that here in glasgow so plastic sheets not required. Temps have been quite steady recently. 15°C during the day and around 8/9°C at night. I can cycle back from work at 11pm without the need of a jacket, hat and gloves so the plants will be fine. Have had them (the plants) out on the balcony for quite some time and have seemed to be doing well. Granted it will be warmer on the balcony than on the ground but when they are in the woods they should get sheltered by the trees and there will be no risk of frost at all now till harvest time.

 

[Glasgrow]

Am thinking of making a horizontal trellis for my plants. Will do for 3 of them the other am gonna let it grow au naturale. Gonna use 4' long bamboo canes and tie wire across horizontally at intervals. Will be sort of rectangular shape, every time the main stem lengthens i will feed it through the wires. May put in a couple of wires along the length of the canes so i can bend down and feed the side branches through thus giving an even canopy of light over the plant. Will support the trellis with other canes about 1' off the ground. I can then drape netting over the canes to make a sort of canopy netting. Peg it down and that should keep the deer away. Also got grazers g1 concentrate. Will spray this around each plant and that is a 2nd barrier from deer. Dont think they will try munch through netting though.

What do you guys think? Will take pics on thur once done.

 

[Mono]

Sounds like a good idea! Although for deer, you really need something like chicken wire or even better, stock netting. Anything less and they will get through if they really want too. Good luck with your outdoor season mate!

 

[Kushtie]

Sounds like a good idea! Although for deer, you really need something like chicken wire or even better, stock netting. Anything less and they will get through if they really want too. Good luck with your outdoor season mate!

By the looks of things even the deer struggle to find my site, there's so many easier sources of food for them in other parts of the forest and no source of water my dog will drink from for miles. Fingers crossed young ones don't go exploring near my site I guess

 

[Glasgrow]

Well i cant catch a f*cking break with when i want to do anything outside. It is raining outside and not sure when it will die down enough for me to go out and plant them outdoors. Will probably die down just before i head to work, lol. Will take me a good hour to get there, dig the holes and cover with netting. Not gonna have time to get the trellises built and in place so will have to leave that till another day. The netting will be there as a makeshift deterrent for the deer till i get things sorted more permanently, will also be spraying the plants and the outlying areas of each plant with g1 grazers. This stuff is ok to be sprayed on plants and should be enough in the meantime till i get more time to go out and make a proper netting cover. Not sure how i will secure the netting down, if i can find some heavy rocks/stones then that will do the job. May have to use some tent pegs (if i can easily find them in the house somewhere). Cant use too many of them as going camping with my wee boy soon.

Chicken wire would be good but would be more visible from a distance and need a way to support it. Also budget is very tight at the moment so netting will have to do. Dont think the deer will enjoy munching on plastic netting and they will probably eat something that is easier to find. Just have to hope for the best.

Only good thing about this rain is that at least the ground will have a watering prior to putting the plants out. Bad thing about not getting out today is it messes up my plans for the next few days. Was supposed to have the gym tomorrow and also gotta pick up my boy at the bus station at 3.45pm so once i finish work at 1pm i dont have much time to do anything. Gonna have to change everything about now.

These plants are now getting pretty big so getting out with them will be a bit of a stealth operation. Having to go out with 2 bags and having to take them on the bike as walking with them is no longer an option as walking past people they will be seen. Will be taking my bottles of water, nutes, canes, tie wires and netting and leaving it all nearby in a plastic bag. Saves me carting stuff back and forth. Still need to check the ph of the burn so will do that soon. May have to make my peace with that if it is a little on the low side as i cant go back and forth with bottles all the time. Although i got 4 x 5L bottles i would need to get them to the site on the bike and may get spotted with them in a bag, want to do that just the once as subsequent visits will be just me (plus some treacle water to feed the plants with) and easier to get to and from the site. Also carrying 20L of water on the bike is a bit difficult, had to do that yesterday and it was one hell of a journey.

Also heard from a friend yesterday that when he grew plants that he sprayed them with fizzy water - has co2 which plants need so did them the world of good. Anyone else ever heard of this and does anyone do it?