300 gallon smart pot grow(Need advice)

[Dizzworth]

Im currently running 24 300 gallon smart pots and these things are strait bushes! This is currently my first outdoor grow and i am wondering if i can get some tips for supporting these things in flower. The last thing i want is broken branches!! :angry

Also i have had many different opinions about covering these things in the later seasons. Im running sour D, dogshit, and bluedream so i know they will all be late finishers. Is it necessary to cover them when the rain comes? How cold can it get before i need to have them covered? All the support and advice i can get from experienced people would be greatly appreciated! thanks farmers

 

[Seamaiden]

I'm sure others will have something to add here.

The cages will do it, so will Hortonova trellis. Cages/trellising/netting also prevent rippers from cleaning your clock. I wouldn't want to hand-tie all those girls beyond what's needed to stabilize them in a cage like what you've done. Some folks might have something like a hoop house or frame that plastic sheeting can be hung on, it's a terrible thing to have a storm come in at just the wrong time and ruin a bunch of crop. Have on hand Bt spray, as well as... oh man, the name is escaping me, for preventing mold.. Serenade?

Looks like you're off to a decent start. :)

 

[l0g1c4l]

hey dizzworth, your garden looks great! Like seamaiden said looks like you're on the right track, the cage is definite where its at. I would add a netting over top so they can stretch through while there is still time.

 

[BakedasBeans]

Monsters man!! Just f**king monsters!

 

[Dizzworth]

Thanks guys! And ya i will probably put netting over the tops to do some low stress training on these bad girls. Ill continue to post pics throughout the season.
trails

 

[chranotik]

lol @ 300 gallon pots .. beastmode

 

[MileHighChic]

wow...those are def gonna be some high yielders! 300 gallons..never even heard of a pot that big. Coolio!:party0033:

 

[MileHighChic]

oo..maybe some bamboo stakes would help or tomato cages will support it. A trellis would be a great idea, too.

 

[crossouttheiis]

looking good man... try four bamboo stakes and hortonova trellis it comes in large rolls.. that's what I do. Like seamaiden said run some hoop houses you can DIY for pretty cheap.

 

[Seamaiden]

oo..maybe some bamboo stakes would help or tomato cages will support it. A trellis would be a great idea, too.

If you can find bamboo stakes that are on the order of 2" thick and about 8'-10' long, yeah, sure. Otherwise, the quickie solution is a combination of good twine and t-bars, as long/tall as you can get.

 

[squarepusher]

quick question on the smart pots:

where did you find soil and additives to fill 24 x 300 = 7000 gallons of soil? I'm a hydro guy so this might be basic, do you buy truck loads of quality or what?
How do you condition the dirt/soil to get it ready for plants?

thanks!

 

[Seamaiden]

If it were me (and next year it will be, but I haven't got flat land enough for 24 sites) I'd go with a truckload of topsoil. It's what we did for the raised beds, and our supplier's soil f'ing kicks azz! $300 for a 10cu yard load, delivered. All very well-amended, of course, starting with Gardener & Bloom Harvest Supreme.

Then I include things like kelp meal, blood and bone meal, greensand, dolomitic lime, guanos, alfalfa sweepings, can't remember what else... Oh yeah, a few bags of worm castings go in, too. Um... Dr. Earth Organic 4 for my girls, Organic 5 for hubby's veggie garden. Organic 4 for my rhodies, Camellia, dogwood, that stuff. What else..? Play sand, the silicate type. Threw in some diatomaceous earth for pool filters, but just a few small handfuls. Now that I've sourced Azomite I'll be adding that when I recondition after harvest this year.

Jeez! I can't believe I forgot that I added a scoop-load (guessing at about 2'x2'x3' volume) of compost from the local garden center. It still had some woody bits, but it was better volume for price compared to the Harvest Supreme.

 

[dusty]

Good job for the first time

 

[Frank_Castle]

your hose set up; is that continual drip or are you manually turning it on and off?

 

[Blaze]

Indeed they are looking good. Those cage you are putting up should do the trick for supporting the plants, no problem. You don't NEED to cover your plants for the rain, but if you can, I highly recommend that you do it. Rain knocks off a lot of trichromes - your buds will come out frostier and look better if you can protect them.

 

[Green81]

some really clever information on this thread, anymore pics :)

 

[Dizzworth]

Frank_Castle your hose set up; is that continual drip or are you manually turning it on and off?

no its not continual drip i have a 200 gallons res that i have to fill! My water is too high of a ph to just run through the system so i have to down the ph. 200 gallon is nice to mix nutrients though. :)

 

[Dizzworth]

more pics soon!

 

[norcal215]

Im currently running 24 300 gallon smart pots and these things are strait bushes! This is currently my first outdoor grow and i am wondering if i can get some tips for supporting these things in flower. The last thing i want is broken branches!! :angry

Also i have had many different opinions about covering these things in the later seasons. Im running sour D, dogshit, and bluedream so i know they will all be late finishers. Is it necessary to cover them when the rain comes? How cold can it get before i need to have them covered? All the support and advice i can get from experienced people would be greatly appreciated! thanks farmers

your on the right track used those before and did what you did, with the wire cage round the pot, but use 4 8' tpost around the cage and built from there if they get to 10 foot add another ring of wire cage

 

[norcal215]

quick question on the smart pots:

where did you find soil and additives to fill 24 x 300 = 7000 gallons of soil? I'm a hydro guy so this might be basic, do you buy truck loads of quality or what?
How do you condition the dirt/soil to get it ready for plants?

thanks!

easyest way is to fill them with ten bales of promix