NCGA Still Kicking for 2013

I have always measured plants when ever I can to get a basline. You have to realize the way our brains work and we always tell ourselves ,

The Plants are flowering earlier

AND

The plants look smaller


I am guilty of this ,BUT I take height measurements every Sunday for the past 15 outdoor seasons. I can compare different areas and even different friends gardens ( looking. I also do sap testing . Turns out the plants are on average 12 inches tall than my past best year. Plants have also used less $$ for fert ( more solids less water weight ). I have really been amazed at the starting hole prep of Azoz, Mycos, Insect Frack, Sea Bird Pellets 12 12 2 , and Worm Castings. Also every other week of additional top dress with the sea bird. The organish garden is doing well with a good organic start , and now 20 20 20 growmore. Just finsihed up the fert plan . Going to use House and Garden along with my own MOAB mix. Lots of carb loading an Foliar feeding to come.

Going to buy a Sthill 4 gallon fogger. Also ordered a 55 gallon graduated drum to use with my shurflo 435-0111 12volt pump and a Northern tool wand
Valley Industries Flash Turbo Spray Gun — 15 GPM, 250 PSI, Model# SG-2200



The green house is a delicate balance of vigorous growth and limited height. I am trying to find a good balance of height and manageability .

So an update

How are you getting at the plant sap, and what are your measurements? Are you doing Brix only, or are you also measuring NO3 and perhaps pH? Is this the MOAB mix you sent me a couple of years back? I still have a buttload of Foundation 21, thanks for reminding me to use it!

ncga said:

KingsCounty said:

Hey NCGA, just wanted to stop by and say thanks for your advice on thinning the middle growth. I was a little cautious about it at first, but I am really starting to see the benefits in vigorous top growth. Thanks again, bud!]

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Can somebody explain this to me please?

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For example

If you don't clean out those lower branches that hang down on the ground a number of things can happen

They hold moisture and create an environment that is perfect for rodents and mold and mildew
You can not see the stalks to determine if you have pest
1 Ants are a pre courser to bad things
2 Pill bugs who will strip the
3 Rodents who will gurdel your stalks and kill your plants. Rodents prefer covered forge areas and now open ones
4 Disease. whith a thick inner canopy of of leaves alive and dying it holds moisture and is a breading ground for mold and mildew to take hold.

5 THIS IS THE MAIN PRACTICAL PROVEN REASON.
So think back to harvest and all those small inner branches that have hash making material. Are you growing buds or making hash? This is the constant conflict between land owner and worker LOL. You can trim what I call AGDS (Aintgoing To Do S**T ) branches off now by yourself our pay workers in October. We are all optimist but, come on...... look at your optimistic branches at harvest and you will see what I mean. Right that on a YOUR HARVEST WALL, and let me know :)


The other side is more theory but, seams to work well with almost all fruits and vegetables. When a plants energy is focused on fewer areas the results will be better. Based on wine grape production you will thin some bunches to have a higher yield and sugar content. I believe fruit growers do the same. Tomato growers remove some sucker to get better yield

nc

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It's not theory, it's put to work every time a Medjool date farmer makes his selections, selecting OUT fruit with low potential in order to best guarantee the biggest, best fruits from his palms. Every time my mother would have me and my sisters go out and thin the plums, apricots, peaches and nectarines and we hated her for it, but then a month or two later we'd be gathering huge, juicy fruits warmed by the sun, while fewer, were much much better than if we'd simply allowed the trees to set as many fruits as possible.

Not theory at all, my friend.

I have the OLD Cardy meter set, so I do N03, K PH and EC of the sap. I take 10 leaves or so and use a Zyliss garlic press. Lets me really get the plant in there prime. I can push them up to but not burn.

The new N03 meter only read up to 9,900 but I like tun around 3600 ppm No3 and K with a sap EC of 18+ mS/cm ( as close I can with this keyboard set)

I recall you and Blaze, or was it HIM, discussing the capabilities of the new meters compared to the old.

Wait a minute, you mentioned a HIM plant! He busted a T-bar stake with a single plant, seriously?

I enjoyed my walk through your awesome outdoor grow.. Very nice.. I would need a bottle of Tylenol daily to keep up with that garden! .. Best to ya, to the finish line ..

Seamaiden said:

I recall you and Blaze, or was it HIM, discussing the capabilities of the new meters compared to the old.

Wait a minute, you mentioned a HIM plant! He busted a T-bar stake with a single plant, seriously?

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Yup. Think I might even have a picture of it somewhere. It was a monster 16' tall Blue Satellite x Killer Queen if I remember right.

Yep the Sat Queen which I brought back this year. She is the biggest overall yieldeder but the Mendo Pineapple has more smaller buds which are easier to support.


No photos yet but the flower plan is in place An I'm starting what I call the get redy stage. By the 15th of August the fast verical growth slows so I start getting them ready. Tomorrow they will get a 6 0 0, 3 3 3, fert and amino acid mix ( 15 1 1 ). Then on the weekend they will get a Cal /Mag drench. This makes sure they are ready for the full push of ferts till the end of the month. I also will start foliar applications of nitrogen for the next few weeks.

Last week I went through the garden and took clones of of most pheno types. I missed a few and will take those cuts this week before the big clean out this weekend. I take the cuts and hold them in a closed frig for two weeks before rooting them. This gives me time to clean the lab out and make the transition easier. This part I hate since I know have to baby a new generation and work on the current. Life was easy when the market was not so picky on specific pheno types.

Planned for the next few days is to get some help in a get most of the plants thinned out. This is one of the most important things for a good harvest to do. You want to get it done before they stop the rapid growth.

As a side note I have notice a lot of growers getting red bumps from trimming out the plants. In the past after a day a thinning one would tend to get a rash. But I'm not sure if the reaction is due to exposure over the years but something has changed in the strains we are growing. I know I ordered some EXTRA LONG long sleeved T Shirts fore the big push.

I've always had that problem, but then I've had a sensitivity on my arms since working the fish industry, had some kind of weird reaction to aquatic plants. I used long vetting gloves, the kind used for large animal palpations.

A busy week in getting ready for the flowering stage. All flowering ferts and Fungicides ordered and in house, I know the call will be coming some I stock up so I can help my neighbors and friends out. For me I cant do this with past years of logs.

Based on my logs the plants this year are about 3 weeks ahead in height and nutrient cost are down. Did a lot more top dressing as well as some new ag products on the market.

Since I'm so behind in cleaning out the inside of the plants I call the harvest crew together for a full day of cleaning out of the plants. Should have them all done after a long day.

Potassium Silicate is now at 100ppm alternated with House and Garden Multi Zen , and next week Starting Bud XL. I make my own bloom powder so I don't use the Shooting powder. Also gave the plants a good shot of an Amino Acid drench. This paying off with a higher plant EC level and lower slat use by the plants. Overall fert cost are down but grow and vigor are up. I use what has been call Organish growing. The GH is mainly Organic but I do use the H&G but always finish with a nice health soil.

So some photos Of the Gh and another garden that is mainly non organic and has a way lower cost and larger yield

GH


Floor view of greenhouse


WR Garden



BBC99

ncga said:

The most important this was to preserve and prepare for next year. Oh how I hate this. I liked the old days when any one of 3 phenos would work. Now the market wants SPECIFIC phenos

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What are you doing here?

KingsCounty said:

What are you doing here?

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Most of my genetics don't have a lot of phone variation to them . So I used to just strat new seeds every year. Now the market has found some specific phenos they like Lemon Jack ( LA2k X JTR ) and Purple Zebra ( PK POW) are examples. So now as I look for the new next great strain I take cuts from the mom's to hold over the winter. Then in the Spring I start making clones.

I used to enjoy having the winter of to travel carefree lol.