2016

[SpiderK]

@GrowingGreen

( they look great! ) ^^

It's awesome out by us last few weeks but the temps can still hit freezing.

I have had issues with plants in planters if it freezes for 8-10 hours. If they are in the ground they can handle it much better but we must wait until may 15th - 20th at earliest. But at the end of the season they can handle very low temps. We had sub zero temps in mid october and they still stayed out for two more weeks. Many of mine even mini's did great but I also put lots of straw around them at night. But if the plant was in the ground, it handle frost and snow as long as it warms up during the day, some sun, it really helps the plant finish if it's not a 100% sativa and we can't run those anyway in my short window. I'm very lucky, my natural window lines up with plants normal cycle of 80-90 days and the temps drop just as you want the plant finishing .....

 

[GrowingGreen]

@GrowingGreen

( they look great! ) ^^

It's awesome out by us last few weeks but the temps can still hit freezing.

I have had issues with plants in planters if it freezes for 8-10 hours. If they are in the ground they can handle it much better but we must wait until may 15th - 20th at earliest. But at the end of the season they can handle very low temps. We had sub zero temps in mid october and they still stayed out for two more weeks. Many of mine even mini's did great but I also put lots of straw around them at night. But if the plant was in the ground, it handle frost and snow as long as it warms up during the day, some sun, it really helps the plant finish if it's not a 100% sativa and we can't run those anyway in my short window. I'm very lucky, my natural window lines up with plants normal cycle of 80-90 days and the temps drop just as you want the plant finishing .....

Thank for info brother!

 

[Growin Grass]

munches on some popcorn

 

[SpiderK]

working on another project.

building a compost pile onside,then using compost for heat. the plan will be taking care of everything onsite. so in october the rains can be an issue w/ temps average 45º-60º during the day and humidity is high around 70%-80% at night. temps can hit low 30's for 6 hours or so overnight ...

so the plan will be hang dry for a couple days then use micro tents onsite for finishing up. so the compost will be placed in a small bin made onsite between trees that split into three at bottom so i can just wrap it in plastic one foot fencing then 3 mil plastic then just camo it out with sticks and shrubs and tall grass. this will become the " heat box " - i would seal compost with 3 mil plastic at bottom of the tree then open up a square hole on one side .....

then build a small tent on one side of the compost that is now enclosed, maybe 4x4x4. ( fun fact* compost can heat water over 130º .... )

then open up area between the two so the heat from compost will fill the tent from the bottom like they built old sauna's hundreds of years ago. so then build a few of these 4 x4 x4 micro tents in the area. could dial in the venting the week before so i can hold temps between 55º or 65º overnight is the goal, then take them out and continue hang drying if it is sunny out without rain. this could also be used if it rains after chop. also wanna make salt buckets for taking humidity out of the tent. came across a guy online who cut drill holes in home depot bucket then filled with rock salt. he then placed this bucket into another bucket so the water was pulled from the air then dripped into the second bucket, takes down the humidity in a room quick.

figured if i made 3 of these and keep them below 4 ft should not be so bad for a few days. everything must fit into back pack so this will happen with 3mil, sticks, tree's, make compost onsite over summer in big pile then just fill heat bin's the week they are needed so nothing will be constructed till needed. i already have 3.5 mil 15ft x 10ft plastic rolls onsite. i visited a greenhouse in northern wisconsin that was heated in the winter from compost so this will just be same thing on a micro level .....

so if anybody can add on with other ideas, great!

 

[SpiderK]

 

[MendoGiantZ]

We have been rototilling in trace minerals. Bone meal. Feather meal. A bag of chicken shit and about 2/3 of a bag of perlite for each 300 gallon pot.

 

[SpiderK]

Hey mendo how's it going that looks like a shit ton of work without path for bobcat .... Do you mix new soil every year or just add trace ? Do you have a source for worm castings ?

I wish I could grow in an area and tend the plants all day like that, lots of work but a cool day job. Checking out your thread now, great stuff man - !

 

[SpiderK]

went out yesterday checking out area after major rains the last few weeks. about 59º today, wind chill temps hit 29º last few nights.

should give me a good idea on area's that made be flood prone later on. hold off a little bit before i drop some off. but as you can see the area is very rich in vegetation, all types of interesting wildflowers and plants. the grass is very dark green, and it's grown like 2-3 feet in just a few weeks.

really excited to see how the Dutch Flowers Chocolate Trip F3's perform. looking at a shit ton this year and next outdoor so i can select for a few generations and see if we can lock'in some short flowing times & some electric sativa high's. i do not grow indoors so this will be a couple year project.

 

[stickyfing3rs]

Hey spider I think we're in the relatively same area (corn belt 41°) . i was wondering if you have any problems with ditch weed pollinating your crops? I've really been wanting to do some small outdoor. I've got some good locations in mind that seem similar to what you've showed. But everywhere I go I can find ditch weed near by. I guess it's still be good for hash if seeded bad...

 

[SpiderK]

@stickyfing3rs

so your in in, il, or iowa ..... niiice ....., i have come across the ditch back in the day near some old limestone quarries in the burbs but i have not seen much in my travels in the area. this spot is new and could have some but after walking around a few different times, i hope everything goes o.k.

but if you have some similar area's i'd go for it. #1 issue for me is always a spot that you can visit AND have an excuse or not look out of place. ( hiking area's, fishing ..... ). next up is the soil, if you are in the general area around 42º your in the sweet spot regarding time, open window for completion ( 85-90 days ), temp's dropping into october, it's perfect. and if you find the prairie with really black dirt it really helps regarding trips out during the season. i break up the top soil ( between 2 in, 6 in max ) avoiding compaction, removing the grass and roots. next i take some chicken wire and make circle ( 1-2 ft high ), then wrap this in landscaping cloth, then place this over area broken up. so the upper root zone has plenty of oxygen and it taps into soil below ....., using the black, casting rich native soil and fill your wire basket. ( air pot with no bottom really .... ).

if you notice many area's in cali in all the outdoor grows in mendo etc .... do not have good soil. the wild grass on-site is patchy, maybe 6 inches tall. in this area, all the grass you see is now 2-3 1/ 2 feet tall. it was six inches two weeks ago. everything is dark green, everything. so you really only visit if they do not see rain's or if you can find a spot near creek or stream with some low lying area's like this, you may not visit much except for pulling males or spraying for bug's. but as i posted before everything is brought in by back-pack slowly over time ( spray bottle for neem, diatomaceous earth etc .... )

you will be blown away by quality and growth even planting in june. i would not trade this area for anything. so ya, go for it bro-

 

[stickyfing3rs]

Thanks for the advice! I think I'll go for it and see what happens. I'm further west then you and ditch weed is literally in every ditch. I got a spot in mind I think wind will be minimal so that should help. The area is swampy in spots and like you said the grass is like 2-3' tall and is hasn't even warmed up yet. So I know it will thrive. Good luck this season man I will be keeping an eye on the thread

 

[SpiderK]

@stickyfing3rs

took some soil home with me for some starts last week in my backpack ..... :smoking:

real nice dew on everything in the a.m. ( tucked in prairie patches along bush line / tree / bog this holds in the humidity over 24hrs in a.m. helps w/ dew that is key ). always stay in these area's. the open fields are inviting for the sun but if u notice the grass growth its sub-par. the real tall grass locals have a much better cycle going and now project this over decades as this great growth just compost. last years grey dead layer mulches in moister for soil, then just below this is a fine compost layer that is dark brown and much like sawdust, then even with the 4ft grass already ( may 16th ) the root zone is only making up first 2 inches of soil. once this is removed the next 7-10 inches are pitch black worm casted soil. with my little folded shovel / military every scoop was exposing maybe 3 or 4 worms never seen so many baby ones that looked like white string. the worms made up the first 6 inches of soil just under root zone of the prairie grass but the soil is pitch blk as far down as u can dig........

so expecting great things this year. not size but quality. back home an hour away i have never found soil like this ......, not even close and we have prairies all over the place. i can't say why the difference except maybe compaction over time from expanding city with maybe pollution from cars etc ... not really sure. so try and pick area farther out near the massive corn fields / farms that still drill water wells lol'....

 

[SpiderK]

been a great memorial day weekend. hope everyone is having fun and driving safe afterwards ....

can't beat the weather or food, mid 80's in midwest with steady breeze chilling in the shade all day with friends. about 48 lb's of beef ribs slow smoked for 24hrs ....

from a hike in central europe on a buddies farm last year ....

 

[SpiderK]

update: :smoking:

 

[Yaddadamean]

I enjoy growing outdoor cannabis. It has more of a connection to mother nature. Sure, indo is always good. But it's artificially grown organically. Of course as a farmer, i understand the benefits of indo cultivating. However, when grown and cared for properly, outdoor can be quite the top shelf herb.

There are more elements to deal with when growing outdoor. The weather, climate, soil, wild critters, gophers, insects, LE task force, strain types. This challenge require a little bit more TLC.
And more TLC equals better quality THC.

 

[Blaze]

Those are the nicest guerilla plants I have ever seen. Usually they look all stressed out from lack of regular care, you sure have a knack for picking the right spots.

 

[SpiderK]

thanks guys but the party is over .......

we got ' hammered " by heavy rain / humidity last five days and everything is toast ...... ( central midwest usa tons of rain last five days )

my micro climate is perfect until it's not. last week everything changed. so the dry climate win's again. (* cali )

i'll post a couple pic's but after 4 shot's with the camera and 8 hours of work ahead { in the woods } oh well .... thats why i go " over the top ", 2/3rd's gone in 4 days but i still have enough for me and my friends once again. i do notr sell anything, just for me and a couple friends, and someone vey close is deaing with cancer so really, i do not give a fuck.

u can make millions, whatever, but without living every day like its the last is a waste. bud rot x 10, on everything not tied down.

and mine did not start till 5 days ago. i bet, everyone has been crushed in midwest / east coast. the rain / humidity have been brutal. but really happy this sativa was fast finisher, it was ready. but 2/3rd's with rot just starting. not worth it for me, most would have kept it, i cut everything, most sitting on weeds in a marsh. but ...................... without the late rains, it would have been perfect. when you grow outside away from your home its a dice roll. all and all im very happy. i will smoke another year on some outdoor dank. until next time .......

 

[the rrock]

man that is hard to hear after all your work,glad you were able to salvage a bit

 

[SpiderK]

thanks boss .... but looking forward, not back ......

next year will be better than ever. running snowhigh in the midwest......

thai bx ( Drawoh ) colab, panty dropper se, grimm creeper, heart of darkness, ect ..... its all good. its karma, sometimes its good, sometimes its not. ( a cross with pineapple express thai ect .... snowhigh ) so much dank moving forward, n.l. 5 haze f3's nevil , be happy with today, no matter the cards dealt.

 

[SpiderK]

on the way out .....

all and all not bad. it's gonna hit 70º w/ 15 mph gust and humidity around 50% so everything looks good .....

and the bad ..... but every year is an adventure, some great, some bad, nothing guaranteed guerrilla .... if it had rot, in some spots i did not use it so 4 10fters just lying in marsh.