Eugen.Eichelmann said:

Hello growers!

I live in central Germany, where the weather is mixed and not always ideal. I’m planning to grow outdoors at my father’s place this year. I’m only there once or twice a month, so I’m looking for a setup that can mostly manage itself.

I’m using feminized seeds of Northern Lights, Special Kush, and Critical.

My first question is whether it would be better to plant them in pots and rely mostly on rain for watering, or to plant them directly in the ground so the roots can reach more water. I’m also considering trying both methods so I can compare them.

If I do plant them directly in the ground, the sunniest spot seems to be between two ponds, with the plants about one meter from each pond. The ground there is about one meter above water level. Would that area be too wet, or should it be fine?

The area is currently covered in grass and other wild plants, so I would also need to clear it first. What is the best way to do that?

Thanks a lot for any help or advice!

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Ninjadogma said:

Welcome to your new obsession

Awesome that you're able to grow and while you've got obstacles that's all they are is obstacles, not hard blocks.

First of all, location. You've got to keep in mind that the sun is going to swing further and further South from June moving forward, so a spot that has the best exposure to the Southern skies is going to be your best spot.

Watering is going to be a challenge if you are only able to make it over there periodically. For that reason alone you're going to be much better in the ground where they can benefit from moisture in the water table and any rain that happens. Alternatively you can set pots up with drip lines and put them on a watering schedule but that requires a lot of trust that it's gonna work good and there's no lines gonna clog when you're gone.

Watch out for critters... Bugs will take your plant when you're looking the other way, and rabbits and deer will pick a plant down to a nub in the ground. If it's a problem you can put 1/4" galvanized mesh around the plant high enough so the deer can't grab it.

Wishing you the best and when you get it underway, share pics!

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Eugen.Eichelmann said:

I came to this platform hoping for a response like this, so thanks a lot!

This is what I’ve done so far. I’m not really sure how big they’ll get — do you think the spacing is fine? Right now the plants are about 0.8–1 meter apart.

The plants haven’t had the best conditions so far, so they’re still pretty small. I would have loved to plant them today, but tonight is still going to be a bit cold (around 4 °C), so I’ll plant them tomorrow instead.

I think the soil is already pretty good, although there are a lot of roots. I’m planning to use some bought soil (containing NPK) and maybe some compost as well.

The advice about critters was really helpful as well. I found some galvanized mesh that’s about 0.5 m tall. Do you think that’s enough to keep deer and other animals away?
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Eugen.Eichelmann said:

I came to this platform hoping for a response like this, so thanks a lot!

This is what I’ve done so far. I’m not really sure how big they’ll get — do you think the spacing is fine? Right now the plants are about 0.8–1 meter apart.

The plants haven’t had the best conditions so far, so they’re still pretty small. I would have loved to plant them today, but tonight is still going to be a bit cold (around 4 °C), so I’ll plant them tomorrow instead.

I think the soil is already pretty good, although there are a lot of roots. I’m planning to use some bought soil (containing NPK) and maybe some compost as well.

The advice about critters was really helpful as well. I found some galvanized mesh that’s about 0.5 m tall. Do you think that’s enough to keep deer and other animals away?
View attachment 2641826View attachment 2641827

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Ninjadogma said:

Looks like your seedling is getting the brunt of cold root conditions, high EC in the dirt and poor oxygen in the root zone.

You can dilute the EC with the next available watering window and afterward, give it only gentle light for a couple days. For the cold roots you can put your pot on asphalt during the day and it will help get the temperature up in the dirt. That alone might take care of the low oxygen conditions. Also I don't know if you bring it in at night but that that protects from the cold snaps... Just gotta make sure that inside they get the same amount of light as they'll be getting outside and especially if you'll be dropping it in the dirt soon.

Mesh height, I don't know what clearance you need for deer but I'm thinking at least 5 ft. They can clear a 6 ft fence but there's nowhere for them to land if you just wrap your plant... Just a thought. I only have to deal with rats and rabbits and 18" is fine for that.

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Eugen.Eichelmann said:

I’m really impressed by your diagnosis just based on the picture. I flooded them a bit and tried to estimate the EC value by measuring the resistance of the drained water with a multimeter, but sadly the inaccuracies of the multimeter made it pretty unreliable.

After that, I finally got them into the ground! Hope they’ll be fine, tonight it’s only going to be around 9 °C. Oh and I also fixed the spacing — they’re now about 1.5 m apart from each other.

Had to improvise a bit with the mesh, but I think it turned out okay. Mice and rats could probably still get in if they wanted to, but I hope they won’t be too interested. Deer could definitely jump over it, but I don’t think they would without a reason.

The plants on my balcony might also have high EC and poor oxygen access. How would you usually deal with those issues when you have a small plant in a big pot?

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Bilber said:

Hey Eug....

I noticed you planted your plants below the soil line.....

The problem I see with it would be the rain water will fill the trench and possibly drown the plants....

Mounding the area for each plant prevents water sitting and collecting.....

Great job so far!

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