Az Desert Farmer

[badger999]

I've lived in AZ for many years now, and I have always thought it to be a great place to grow because of all the sunlight, and the lack of obstructions [ trees ]. For many years now I have worked with a good friend in the Sacramento foothills, with great results.
This year I have started my own program, And of course I have many questions. Is it to hot to grow in AZ?, should i grow above ground or dig holes?,what is in a good planting mix, or garden mix?, what kind of soil amendments, and how much of each? there are many questions. This is why I am here.
I'm pretty confidant I can get through the back half of the operation. It's these first couple months, and all the preparation, Building my soil, planting my starters, getting my patch ready, purchasing all my amendments, and just being the one that makes that final decision on things, that I'm not so sure about. It's a ton of work, cost's a lot of money, and kinda stressful, and i love it,I am really having fun.
Embracing the challenge, I have got the ball rolling. I am using 20, 100 gallon smart pots, each one holds, .495 cu. yards, or 13.37 cu. ft., that's 9.9 cu. yards of soil for all pots. I bought, 1 yard of top soil, 4 yards planting mix {50% organic matter, 25% plaster sand, and 25%landscape sand } 2 yards of organic compost, 1 yard peet moss, 1 yard of course pearlite, and approx .75 yards of alpaca manure. Then there's Bone Meal, Blood Meal, and bat guano. Any input will be considered. I'm starting everything at close to sea level, then moving them up to 2800 ft. I have maximum sunlight , with some broken shade in the afternoon. The high temp will be 110, but it will be consistently in the 100's. Any input will be considered. thank you Badger
Life is good

 

[dmshayne]

I've lived in AZ for many years now, and I have always thought it to be a great place to grow because of all the sunlight, and the lack of obstructions [ trees ]. For many years now I have worked with a good friend in the Sacramento foothills, with great results.
This year I have started my own program, And of course I have many questions. Is it to hot to grow in AZ?, should i grow above ground or dig holes?,what is in a good planting mix, or garden mix?, what kind of soil amendments, and how much of each? there are many questions. This is why I am here.
I'm pretty confidant I can get through the back half of the operation. It's these first couple months, and all the preparation, Building my soil, planting my starters, getting my patch ready, purchasing all my amendments, and just being the one that makes that final decision on things, that I'm not so sure about. It's a ton of work, cost's a lot of money, and kinda stressful, and i love it,I am really having fun.
Embracing the challenge, I have got the ball rolling. I am using 20, 100 gallon smart pots, each one holds, .495 cu. yards, or 13.37 cu. ft., that's 9.9 cu. yards of soil for all pots. I bought, 1 yard of top soil, 4 yards planting mix {50% organic matter, 25% plaster sand, and 25%landscape sand } 2 yards of organic compost, 1 yard peet moss, 1 yard of course pearlite, and approx .75 yards of alpaca manure. Then there's Bone Meal, Blood Meal, and bat guano. Any input will be considered. I'm starting everything at close to sea level, then moving them up to 2800 ft. I have maximum sunlight , with some broken shade in the afternoon. The high temp will be 110, but it will be consistently in the 100's. Any input will be considered. thank you Badger
Life is good

First of all, 100 gallon pots are HUGE, even to tree growers.

Sounds like a good setup except for the temp, around 70 degrees farenheigt is optimal :)

Ps if you want more interaction with the thread I would post it under the tree farming threads :)

 

[Golden Zia]

Not trying to red letter you but honestly, how is 100 gl. Considered HUGE?
I could see if he was working inside, but I'm pretty sure he is talking about an outdoor set up so 100 gal is definitely not huge by most standards.
Also, 70 degrees??? That is ceratinly on the cool side and no where near doable out side in Arizona in the summer.
Again not trying to be an antagonist but rather add some additional perspective.

 

[Golden Zia]

So, @badger999 some shade cloth will be a helpful addition to your tool bag.

 

[dmshayne]

So, @badger999 some shade cloth will be a helpful addition to your tool bag.

I have no experience whatsoever with outside growing so sorry if I seem to lean to the noobish side :)

 

[Seamaiden]

First, welcome to the farm! My current level of experience is growing in the foothills east of Sact'o, but I'm going to be learning about desert growing.

I've lived in AZ for many years now, and I have always thought it to be a great place to grow because of all the sunlight, and the lack of obstructions [ trees ]. For many years now I have worked with a good friend in the Sacramento foothills, with great results.

This year I have started my own program, And of course I have many questions. Is it to hot to grow in AZ?, should i grow above ground or dig holes?,what is in a good planting mix, or garden mix?, what kind of soil amendments, and how much of each? there are many questions. This is why I am here.

A good mix, IMO/E is Gardener & Bloom's Blue Ribbon potting soil and/or Dr. Earth's potting soil. That said, if your plan is to go with Smart Pots (I wouldn't in this scenario, too too too much water use required) then you're going to want to buy in bulk, like from a yard supply or landscape supply. Ask for their soil test, get topsoil.

I'm pretty confidant I can get through the back half of the operation. It's these first couple months, and all the preparation, Building my soil, planting my starters, getting my patch ready, purchasing all my amendments, and just being the one that makes that final decision on things, that I'm not so sure about. It's a ton of work, cost's a lot of money, and kinda stressful, and i love it,I am really having fun.
Embracing the challenge, I have got the ball rolling. I am using 20, 100 gallon smart pots, each one holds, .495 cu. yards, or 13.37 cu. ft., that's 9.9 cu. yards of soil for all pots. I bought, 1 yard of top soil, 4 yards planting mix {50% organic matter, 25% plaster sand, and 25%landscape sand } 2 yards of organic compost, 1 yard peet moss, 1 yard of course pearlite, and approx .75 yards of alpaca manure. Then there's Bone Meal, Blood Meal, and bat guano. Any input will be considered. I'm starting everything at close to sea level, then moving them up to 2800 ft. I have maximum sunlight , with some broken shade in the afternoon. The high temp will be 110, but it will be consistently in the 100's. Any input will be considered. thank you Badger
Life is good

Next time, consider ditching the perlite in favor of rice hulls. I see that you already have the SP's, I'm going to suggest doing whatever you can to keep them from drying out.

Cannabis can take temperature extremes IF the roots are kept at the right temperature range and moist. Given all the sand and perlite you've added to your mix I think you're going to have to use a lot of water to do this in the heat.

Get them acclimated to the sun NOW. There are a couple of ways to do this. You can either use shade cloth and pull it back bit by bit, or put them in an area of dappled shade, then over the course of a few days pull them out more and more into full sun (this is what I do). Once that's done you should be able to move them from sea level to that elevation no problem.

As long as they're getting at least 6hrs (7+ is better of course) full direct sunlight they should grow out and flower fine. If there's going to be deep shade it's better to have it near the end of the day, but we work with what we have, right?

 

[Golden Zia]

As usual @Seamaiden is on point. She nailed it with respects to the drainage composition of your soil.
I wanted to follow up on my suggestion of shade cloth. It is common for people to initially think of a black type shade cloth but I have found growing with a white fabric shade cloth may work better as opposed to black. Additionally I have found that you can spray the fabric shade cloth with water to aid in cooling/ humidity. Obviously it evaps away, but a helpful technique for those extra hot dry windy days
Oh and also, welcome. I thought that I had included this originally.

 

[badger999]

First, welcome to the farm! My current level of experience is growing in the foothills east of Sact'o, but I'm going to be learning about desert growing.
wow me too
Life is good
A good mix, IMO/E is Gardener & Bloom's Blue Ribbon potting soil and/or Dr. Earth's potting soil. That said, if your plan is to go with Smart Pots (I wouldn't in this scenario, too too too much water use required) then you're going to want to buy in bulk, like from a yard supply or landscape supply. Ask for their soil test, get topsoil.
I have a couple different ideas on keeping the roots from drying out, or getting to hot. first I am burrying my pots about half way, they should still breathe fine. then I am going to use some shade cloth, but not overhead, i plan to wrap the pots loosely with the shade cloth, that and straw all over the ground, lots of mulch, keep the ground wet. they can handle the heat, and i do have some afternoon shade. I will have to check in to rice hulls,
Life is good
Next time, consider ditching the perlite in favor of rice hulls. I see that you already have the SP's, I'm going to suggest doing whatever you can to keep them from drying out.

Cannabis can take temperature extremes IF the roots are kept at the right temperature range and moist. Given all the sand and perlite you've added to your mix I think you're going to have to use a lot of water to do this in the heat.

Get them acclimated to the sun NOW. There are a couple of ways to do this. You can either use shade cloth and pull it back bit by bit, or put them in an area of dappled shade, then over the course of a few days pull them out more and more into full sun (this is what I do). Once that's done you should be able to move them from sea level to that elevation no problem.
I'm down to 14 hrs, and i'm not going outside for another week. Right now i have a solid 9 hours of sun a day, a little more next week, so i'm good there. thanks, always learning
Life is good

As long as they're getting at least 6hrs (7+ is better of course) full direct sunlight they should grow out and flower fine. If there's going to be deep shade it's better to have it near the end of the day, but we work with what we have, right?

first off thank you all for your input, and i apologize for the slow reply,but i had to spend some time up in the hills getting things ready. and fortunately , well unfortunately my phone has zero service out on my property.

First of all, 100 gallon pots are HUGE, even to tree growers.

Sounds like a good setup except for the temp, around 70 degrees farenheigt is optimal :)

Ps if you want more interaction with the thread I would post it under the tree farming threads :)

 

[badger999]

WE are growing trees, or at least I am. when i went from 65 gallon pots to 100 gallon SP's, my yield went up almost 1/3. So huge pots make huge plants. Thanks,
Life is good

 

[dmshayne]

WE are growing trees, or at least I am. when i went from 65 gallon pots to 100 gallon SP's, my yield went up almost 1/3. So huge pots make huge plants. Thanks,
Life is good

I will love to see these trees grow :)
Tuned in*

 

[fishwhistle]

The deserts are an extreme micro climate and not alot is written about growing MJ in them but trust me it can and is being done.Try finding some related reading material and then adapt some of those techniques to your crop for starters,as you gain experience the right combinations will reveal themselves.
I was at a master composters class a couple of weeks ago and an awesome gardener turned me on to a few books on gardening in our extreme climates.I ordered them but havent got them yet but ill post the links.I ordered all 3 of these books used off amazon for less than the cost of shipping!
http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Gardening-Organic-Hostile-Deserts/dp/0970501609
http://www.amazon.com/Desert-Garden...gy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0H8CT4F29NPEGY54H6

 

[Seamaiden]

As usual @Seamaiden is on point. She nailed it with respects to the drainage composition of your soil.
I wanted to follow up on my suggestion of shade cloth. It is common for people to initially think of a black type shade cloth but I have found growing with a white fabric shade cloth may work better as opposed to black. Additionally I have found that you can spray the fabric shade cloth with water to aid in cooling/ humidity. Obviously it evaps away, but a helpful technique for those extra hot dry windy days
Oh and also, welcome. I thought that I had included this originally.

Good tip! I wonder how well it would work to just allow a slow drip across it. :)

 

[thosedamnkids]

Not trying to red letter you but honestly, how is 100 gl. Considered HUGE?
I could see if he was working inside, but I'm pretty sure he is talking about an outdoor set up so 100 gal is definitely not huge by most standards.
Also, 70 degrees??? That is ceratinly on the cool side and no where near doable out side in Arizona in the summer.
Again not trying to be an antagonist but rather add some additional perspective.

100g is not big for outdoor. I've used old truck beds for pots and they work great! Az gets hot af. I would greenhouse or something to protect from that harsh heat

 

[Joe cool]

Good tip! I wonder how well it would work to just allow a slow drip across it. :)

I started mine in dec moved
Outdoors in Jan they will flower check out my post the smell is sweet and the buds are fat I will not grow in the middle of summer just too hot