Smallzz's 5 Steps to bigger outdoor plants

[redwhiteblue]

This is a good idea, I always do half seeds and half clones as well. Good seeds will not be a gamble with quality though.



Heat is one of the reasons I have come to prefer raised beds to smart pots. That outer edge never gets nearly as hot with a raised bed. Building wooden beds is more expensive than smart pots however. They will last longer, so if you figure you will be at a spot for more than a season or two, the extra expense is worth while. The home made smart pots like Seamiaden showed are by far your cheapest container option, and they work great. They do take some extra time though, which is something that should always be kept in mind. Time is money after all!



This has generally been my experience as well. LST is sort of pointless for outdoor in my opinion. Much, much more important to provide support for the plant. You guys should check out the Hortanova plant trellis, I have found it to be much faster to put up than bamboo / T potsts / wire cages, etc. You won't have to do much if any tying either, I only use maybe a few rolls of tie tape per season now. It has saved me literally hundreds of hours of work since I started using it. You can buy it from the Peaceful Valley website for $400 for a 79" x 3280' roll.

Can you post a photo of what your support looks like in Veg using the hortinova??

 

[BeenBurned]

Start a polyculture thread @Seamaiden ! :)

Yes please!!
In the garden we use marigolds with the tomatoes but I would love to hear the farm's experience/ideas for cannabis

 

[Califlower]

No, I thought marigolds repel bugs, right?

Nope. I did read this and from some other sources, they attract spider mites, but suppress nematodes.

 

[BeenBurned]

...interesting, nematodes are evil!! Few are useful...( very useful tho!:blackalien:)

 

[Dagwood]

I adore Hairy vetch. It self seeds, uses little water or nutrient, loves both sun and shade, lays down a fat thicket of ground cover, eagerly turns into soil, has one of the highest nitrogen fixing levels & has no issue with hot or cold weather extremes. Another very handy aspect to it is it's lack of appreciation for poorly draining soil. The plant is basically a barometer of soil health. Maybe something for you to try. Seed is cheap- if not free. If you know what to look for, you can easily harvest the dark pods before they pop & use them later. Oh & if that's not enough, the stuff spreads wide, but has a simple rooting center. One quick hand raking and you can pull & turn them. Tools optional.

Studies have found that tilling a fall crop of vetch into the soil significantly reduces the incidence of fusarium infection of watermelon crops. For those dealing with this torment, using vetch as a cover crop or compost ingredient may prove beneficial.

http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/php/research/2010/vetch/

 

[Kaskadian]

I know this thread has been around for a couple of years, but I wanted to add in that there is TONS of fantastic info in here. I'm not an experienced outdoor grower, but I'm looking forward to growing outdoors next season (after moving & going OMMP). Thanks to everyone who has (and continues) contributed towards this thread. I'll be spending the next year researching outdoor growing.

 

[wesk]

Take a roll of chicken wire

This, jaredman, was worth the price of admission, as is the next post. Very nice.

 

[FenderSuper]

There seems to be a real divergence of opinion when it comes to fabric pot sizes. Some, like Smallzz, swear by monster pots. Others I've read claim to get two pounds out of plants in 30-gallon pots. Given my own space limitations, California small-backyard grow, slated for later this year, with indica clones (Afghani and Ken's GDP) and maybe one or two CBD plants, in 30-gallon pots with good soil and good pest control, am I wasting my time with 30-gal pots?

 

[wesk]

Given my own space limitations, California small-backyard grow, slated for later this year, with indica clones (Afghani and Ken's GDP) and maybe one or two CBD plants, in 30-gallon pots with good soil and good pest control, am I wasting my time with 30-gal pots?

It depends on what you're after, I suspect, but I'd go with the biggest pot you can live with. Somewhat less work/more forgiving with a bigger pot and good soil. But in a backyard, smaller might be better. Two years ago, my 30 gallon pot grew a 4' - 5' tall plant; last year my 65 gallon pots grew 7' & 8's. Both made wonderful weed. I'm growing out of 150 gallon pots this year, but not in the backyard. :-)

 

[FenderSuper]

It depends on what you're after, I suspect, but I'd go with the biggest pot you can live with. Somewhat less work/more forgiving with a bigger pot and good soil. But in a backyard, smaller might be better. Two years ago, my 30 gallon pot grew a 4' - 5' tall plant; last year my 65 gallon pots grew 7' & 8's. Both made wonderful weed. I'm growing out of 150 gallon pots this year, but not in the backyard. :)

What strains are you growing and what general area are you in?

 

[wesk]

Not a real fan of how that smiley face made it in there, but there you have it. Big as life.

 

[FenderSuper]

Not a real fan of how that smiley face made it in there, but there you have it. Big as life.

Ehh, no big. :)

 

[wesk]

I'm in Oregon, and we're growing six strains in the greenhouse and six outside. Mostly sativa-dominant hybrids, but a couple of indices outside.

 

[wesk]

Or indicas if you prefer. Jesus.

 

[FenderSuper]

I'm in Oregon, and we're growing six strains in the greenhouse and six outside. Mostly sativa-dominant hybrids, but a couple of indices outside.

Yeah, since this will be my own personal stash, and I'm an indica guy (just like I'm a bourbon guy), it'll all be indica or CBD (AC/DC). Indica plants are better for an urban, outdoor grow (IMO) because they're more like shrubs than trees. I like Afghani because it does heavy yields and it's fucking couch-lock special. Indicas keep me from panicking about the government.

 

[wesk]

Next year I'll grow out a CBD strain. Just didn't get it pulled together this year.

 

[wesk]

I like sativas so I can laugh at the government.

 

[FenderSuper]

I like sativas so I can laugh at the government.

Sativas don't give me the delightful peace of mind indicas do. Whatever floats your boat, man.

 

[Seamaiden]

There seems to be a real divergence of opinion when it comes to fabric pot sizes. Some, like Smallzz, swear by monster pots. Others I've read claim to get two pounds out of plants in 30-gallon pots. Given my own space limitations, California small-backyard grow, slated for later this year, with indica clones (Afghani and Ken's GDP) and maybe one or two CBD plants, in 30-gallon pots with good soil and good pest control, am I wasting my time with 30-gal pots?

No! You are most definitely not wasting your time. I like wesk's answer. :D

 

[Bannacis]

Growing is never a waist 0f time...unless its eggplant, then yeah.:puke2: