Oldbear 2019 Outdoor Grow

[Oldbear]

While searching for tips here, I found this article written by Purple goose in 2011. Im curious if anyone has found this to be true, less sunlight equals faster flowering outside?

"Hi are you growing outdoors in ontario? Had problems with getting your plants to finish before the frist frost? Well I have been doing some research picking the brains of all the outdoor growers I know and have asked them what they find is the best strain to grow in southern ontario that will finish on time every time and found that most of them didnt have a specific strain they use but instead a specific tactic.

The way they explain it to me is if you put a cannabis plant in an area where it gets unobstructed light from dawn till dusk in ontario it will be much later in the season before flowering is triggered instead many of my friends have taken to growing in areas that allow for 6-8 hours of direct light per day in intervals of around 2 hours between shady periods , so by growing in these areas that have a bit more shade but enough light to not allow the plant to trip to flowering to soon you will find that generally by the first week of september your plants should have been flowering for 2-3 weeks and any 8 week strain should finish by the 1 or 2 week of oct. And why does this work well if you are getting only 6-8 hours of direct light during the longest days of the year will only be getting 4-6 hours of direct light by the end of aug and by the time sept comes they will be getting at best a total of 10 hours of light per day so they will race to the finish line. Give it a try you might be surprised."

Great information.

 

[Amy Gardner]

I am excited to try out some new Mandala Genetics this summer...bred in the PNW, they supposedly handle the high humidity well.

Mandala #1.png

• Blew Hiller
• Jan 2, 2019

Blew Hiller GH Grow 2019

That sounds wonderful Blew! I’m in a similar position to you folk, but on the other side of the equator.

One the light thing outside... I think flowering start has a bit to do with genetics and seasonal factors outdoors as well. I have 3 photoperiods going outside now. They all get the same sun conditions (full sun 800am -1pm then intermittent dappled shade fi sun all afternoon/evening). This year everything is 2-3weeks later starting flower than last year.

And they all start at different times. The Critical Mass was very fast to start and the White Widow started about 10days later, then the Candida CD-1 was another week after that. So I’m sure the light can influence to some extent - but tbh I had a Critical Mass cross in a spot last year that got shade periods through the day and it took ages to start and ages to finish - this one in full sun is going much faster, and harder too!

Hiya ‘bear! Hope you’re well today and are getting some headway on your soil building plans.

That recipe posted back there by @panacea sounds tops!

I dug my holes roughly 4'x4'x16" deep and would put anywhere between 2-4 plants per hole. A nice base soil with plenty of perlite and organics such as Azomite, oyster shells, rock phosphate, fish bonemeal, worm castings, blood meal, chicken manure, greensand, Seaweed meal, and fish Protein powder. My original ground was a little top soil and clay, the area has good vegetation growth of other plant and tree species.

Nice big deep holes! . 2+ plants together in a big space is a great idea too. I have 2 in a 3x3’ bed and they are v happy together. 2 of the same strain would probably be ideal - one day

You could also hit Van Stank up for his current soil recipe... might grow you some monsters!

 

[panacea]

Same here, i grown 30-40 plants(different strains) every year for the last 10 years throughout my property in different locations , some full sun, others half and half etc.. i have not noticed any difference in flowering times. But i will say my mother plants that i take my clones from will usually always finish flowering before her babies. I am in Southern Nova Scotia so strains like Bubba kush, Ak-47, Granddaddy purple will always finish by first week of October,Blue dream by mid October but will become a little susceptible to mold .I never took my Super Silver Haze until late October but could of used another month before i harvest it( To long of a flowering strain for outdoor unless you go greenhouse) and it still had pathetic bud sites.

 

[panacea]

Like to have feedback from anyone on a little question about growing in a large 70'x30' Greenhouse. If you were going to grow in a greenhouse of this size , what method of growing would you go with to get the best Quality & Quantity. I am looking at growing in the ground with a good organic soil or growing in pots. I will also will be aiming for 2 harvests ( 5 month grows for each , 3 month veg and 2 month flower +/- ( supplemental lighting and wood boiler heat for the greenhouse for the colder months like March,April ,November & December). In the ground will require less watering and larger plants, in pots will require more watering but also more plants. So any suggestions would be great. Thanks guys.

 

[Blew Hiller]

Like to have feedback from anyone on a little question about growing in a large 70'x30' Greenhouse. If you were going to grow in a greenhouse of this size , what method of growing would you go with to get the best Quality & Quantity. I am looking at growing in the ground with a good organic soil or growing in pots. I will also will be aiming for 2 harvests ( 5 month grows for each , 3 month veg and 2 month flower +/- ( supplemental lighting and wood boiler heat for the greenhouse for the colder months like March,April ,November & December). In the ground will require less watering and larger plants, in pots will require more watering but also more plants. So any suggestions would be great. Thanks guys.

This question would be an interesting thread on its own...lotos to unfold. First question is what was your largest grow to date and what did you love/hate about it? 70x30', imo, is a lot of work and you could easily get 15-20 huge plants or double that for smaller (but still big) plants. "Supplemental lighting" for that space would be $$$$. Heating would also be $$$...not rally feasible in ground for those winter months, much more practical to use pots (with root and air heating) and you would need to keep air temps above 45F and root temps above 50F (at the minimum, with expectations of them increasing at some point in the 24-day either by sunlight or some other added heat). Watering in-ground or in pots not even something I'd worry about in the decision process....I'm guessing you have access to plenty of water and it's just a matter of setting up a simple automated irrigation (or someone using a hose). Lastly, there is a consideration of putting all your eggs in one basket. What if rot or a fungus whacks them all? Depending on your choice of heating potentially you could just duct into 2x separate 40x30' tunnels and then at least you have a firewall between the 2x grows.

Lots to consider.

 

[panacea]

This will potentially be a funded project , (5) greenhouses = 70x30 per greenhouse 2100sqft, perimeter of greenhouses will insulated 2 feet deep. The forest i clear for the greenhouses and facility will be used for heat into a wood boiler heat system. I have excess to water&wood which will not be a issue. My thought is with pots above ground i will have a issue with to much heat to the roots unless i double or triple pot them, same goes for the colder months when the roots get to cold. In the ground i get the benefit of the natural thermal insulation from the ground, ground heats up throughout the day and soil will keep heat imo for a longer period of time into the night. the greenhouse will be laid out with a more then recommended ventilation system with bug screens since my biggest worry is mold & pests, with extra air circulation pests have a harder to to mate and mold spores to develop. if i go above ground i will go with 100 gallon fabric pots. I will also pinch every node every 3 weeks after my first set of 5 leaves until 3 weeks before flowering, i do not want to get plants to tall so i cannot do proper quality control. As for supplemental lighting , i will just use T8 or T5 since i only need the lighting to keep plants from going into flower in March -May and August-October . I will have lights come on midnight fro 3-4 hrs ( hear this is the best method). i used a decent organic soil recipe a couple years ago i found off of youtube i will post the link below..the entire documentary is good but if ya want to cut to the chase to see the soil recipe go to 47:10
.

 

[Oldbear]

Ahh its great when the big work is done. Strolling about the recently completed grow room enjoying the smells and the greenery. On the hunt for any signs of distress, bugs, or the dreaded banana. A pleasant stroll twice a day.

growtent.jpg

• Oldbear
• Feb 26, 2019

Its very peaceful here. Could stay here for hours. Oh wait ...... whats that noise?

The alarm clock has done its thing. Its all a dream. Maybe someday ......

 

[Oldbear]

Last years NLA crop had a few seeds on a couple of plants. No male parts, no nanners, but seeds showed up. I was happy.

Last week, I grabbed a seed and did the usual germinate and pop in the ground steps.

This little sprout is the result. So time will tell if it grows out well, isn't male, and indeed moderately seeds itself again. And if it produces reasonably well. I'm assuming its still an auto.

sprout.jpeg

• Oldbear
• Mar 23, 2019

 

[Blew Hiller]

Last years NLA crop had a few seeds on a couple of plants. No male parts, no nanners, but seeds showed up. I was happy.

Last week, I grabbed a seed and did the usual germinate and pop in the ground steps.

This little sprout is the result. So time will tell if it grows out well, isn't male, and indeed moderately seeds itself again. And if it produces reasonably well. I'm assuming its still an auto.

sprout.jpeg

• Oldbear
• Mar 23, 2019

Getting an early start?

 

[Oldbear]

Morning Blew Yes a bit early.

Today's -18C windchill and the 2 feet of snow on the ground may delay the mini greenhouse install. Shooting for mid-April.

I wanted to determine if these seeds are viable. Seems so based on a 1 seed random sample. I also have about 20 bluedream seeds.

I still have the cant grow indoors problem. I have a shed and I might convert a corner to a small grow room - like your insulated box in the greenhouse.

If she gets smelly, this little sprout may have to go in the compost bin.

 

[Blew Hiller]

If she gets smelly, this little sprout may have to go in the compost bin.

She won't stink for a few weeks.

We actually just got a ton of rain and some above freezing temps so we had most of our snow melt...now just hoping the ground can absorb the majority of it...lots of runoff.

But I'm mixing soil next week for spring....

 

[Oldbear]

Isn't fun doing new season start up? I have some neighbours to speak to about co-op grows to ensure all them do their civic duty (as per US colonies mandatory to grow hemp) to grow 4 plants.

 

[Blew Hiller]

I have some neighbours to speak to about co-op grows to ensure all them do their civic duty

Older Cannabis Collective

 

[The Bard]

Hi, @Oldbear. Thanks for your comment to me on another thread regarding outdoor growing. Excited to following your journal here. I just got my "fast" seeds for my first attempt this summer. Appreciate your suggestions on lighting, etc. Thanks!

 

[Blew Hiller]

Looking forward to some updates here. Hope you are doing well.

 

[Oldbear]

Morning Blew Thanks for stopping in.

I have nothing going yet. zero zip nada total bust

Geography and my brides overly sensitive nose are the culprits.

Fast forward past all the complexities, and it gets me to this weekend. Im going to stick some seeds in the ground out at the cabin and hope they can look after themselves. They will be alone most of the time.

 

[StoneOtter]

Good Luck

 

[Amy Gardner]

Hi bear! I hope that works out for you. If they have a good spot with sun and water I’m sure they’ll do just fine for you! We do whatever we can, eh?

 

[Oldbear]

Hi Amy yes we do whatever we can, and the best we can with what we've got.

I really want to grow a couple to see what happens with the seeds. These are seeds from a couple of Northern Light autos that self seeded. There was maybe a dozen in 3 or 4 buds.

So Ive confirmed they will germinate, but need to grow out a couple to see if the cannabinoids are good and plentiful, plus wondering if they will produce more seeds.

 

[Oldbear]

Last years NLA crop had a few seeds on a couple of plants. No male parts, no nanners, but seeds showed up. I was happy.

Last week, I grabbed a seed and did the usual germinate and pop in the ground steps.

This little sprout is the result. So time will tell if it grows out well, isn't male, and indeed moderately seeds itself again. And if it produces reasonably well. I'm assuming its still an auto.

sprout.jpeg

• Oldbear
• Mar 23, 2019

Its been a long time but now I have some info to share. Pics this weekend since Im not where the plants are.

I selected a few of the 'self seeding' seeds from last year. Random selection without regard to size or color.

I was delighted but surprised with the 100% germination rate. Some are in containers, others just in the ground.

Spring 2019 was not kind to them. Cold and wet for too long. Followed by dry and smoking hot. I cant be more than half time where the plants are so they needed to be self sufficient.

They are all behaving like autos with early budding and different sizes that I'd call small to medium. Lots of trichomes and terpenes present.

So fast forward 2 months and heres where Im at:

They are mature enough now that, just like last year, I can see that a few calyxes on some of the buds have seeds. I can not find any evidence of pollen sacs or nanners.

So no idea how the fertilization is occurring and why its just a few seeds per plant. (I still have to check all the plants).

I any case I have plants providing good quality and quantity of cannabinoids with the bonus of viable seeds for the next years plantings.

That makes me very happy .

More to come - Im hoping to get another month of growing at least. Forecasts are for a warmer September than usual.