Blaze's 2012 Adventure

[Blaze]

Thanks guys! We may install an A/C at some point we shall see. My place is cooled and heated via passive solar design. Works pretty good most of the time, but the big problem is that if you use the stove or oven in the house, it raises the temp a bunch, and then there is no way to cool it back down if the outside air is hot too. Been working on getting a more complete outdoor kitchen set up so I don't have to cook in the house in the summer. Stoked on the persimmon tree producing, looks like they will be the only two that I put in this winter that will get fruit this first year. My goal is to have a bunch of different types of trees that all fruit at different times so I can have fresh fruit 6-8 months out of the year.

The Guava is indeed one of my crosses. Has a very distinct, sweet smell of tropical fruit so the name sort of stuck. The male was Kryptonite, which is a local strian, and the female was what was supposed to be some sort of old school Hawaiian Indica. All the seeds were started April 2nd, so that plant is a little under 4 months old right now. Next year I think I am going to start them a month earlier. Also these were the last of the original seeds to next year it will be clone and F2 seeds.

Hoop house was only 10 x 20. Could have been a little more packed, I had a few gaps here and there. Was a good learning experience though, have a much better idea how to do it bigger and better next spring.

 

[Mogrow]

Blaze// plants look awesome man. they gonna produce. you every use the cal 25 for foilar? or a hi-brix mix of some sort? plants can take some heat if they have water, the combo of high heat and no water is a killer for them though.
All the gardens around here are burnt up if not watered everyday.
Peace Mogrow

 

[Blaze]

Have not used the cal 25. I do use a locally made carb product, Foundation 21, instead of a brix mix.

 

[Oceanside]

That is a lot of hard work right there!!! Looks like it's going to explode... Awesome to watch the progress. Nice job!

Oceanside

 

[Seamaiden]

Have not used the cal 25. I do use a locally made carb product, Foundation 21, instead of a brix mix.

I keep forgetting I have like 4-5 gallons of that stuff. Have you played around with fermented plant extracts at all, or is it mostly ACTs you're sticking with? Biodynamic accumulators? I need a dedicated blender, can't keep 'chopping' this stuff up with scissors.

I'm playing around with making an acetic acid extraction with which I plan on making a trial Ca (or calcium phosphate? I'm not sure of the chemistry except for the extraction of Ca) solution to use as a substitute for purchased Ca sources. I know that acetic acid is a CHO chain, C2H4O2. But what I'll get by dissolving egg shell and bone (marrow-in), I haven't a clue. I read it in Acres, that's why I wanted to try it. Well, that and my Ca- soils, and the price of Cal-25, that shit's EXPENSIVE.

 

[Blaze]

I've read a bit about the fermented plant extracts but I have not had time to play with them much. They seem like they have quite a bit of potential and that they have many strengths that ACT does not have. If I could make my own humic acid, liquid calcium, liquid nitrogen, and some sort of liquid carb that would eliminate the last of the store bought stuff I use. Materials and resources are only going to become more expensive and harder to acquire in the future, the more self sufficient we can get our farm the better.

Maybe by next year, but we will have to see. Got a lot on our plate right now as you well know...

 

[royfree2grow]

I've read a bit about the fermented plant extracts but I have not had time to play with them much. They seem like they have quite a bit of potential and that they have many strengths that ACT does not have. If I could make my own humic acid, liquid calcium, liquid nitrogen, and some sort of liquid carb that would eliminate the last of the store bought stuff I use. Materials and resources are only going to become more expensive and harder to acquire in the future, the more self sufficient we can get our farm the better.

Maybe by next year, but we will have to see. Got a lot on our plate right now as you well know...

yeah.. i wish i could cook my own nutes, its the most expensive part of my grow right now... would have been great to be self reliant:cool:

here's a good thread on the subject btw... some heavy fucking shit though...

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community...acts-and-making-your-own-nutrient-line.18772/

 

[caregiverken]

yeah.. i wish i could cook my own nutes, its the most expensive part of my grow right now... would have been great to be self reliant:cool:

here's a good thread on the subject btw... some heavy fucking shit though...

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community...acts-and-making-your-own-nutrient-line.18772/

Good link Roy! :)Thanks

 

[Seamaiden]

I've read a bit about the fermented plant extracts but I have not had time to play with them much. They seem like they have quite a bit of potential and that they have many strengths that ACT does not have. If I could make my own humic acid, liquid calcium, liquid nitrogen, and some sort of liquid carb that would eliminate the last of the store bought stuff I use. Materials and resources are only going to become more expensive and harder to acquire in the future, the more self sufficient we can get our farm the better.

Maybe by next year, but we will have to see. Got a lot on our plate right now as you well know...

No, my friend, it's even easier than that. Just take what's actually growing, RIGHT NOW. For example, I'm experimenting with all the oxalis and woolly mullein that's growing VIGOROUSLY, while everything else that's not a tree has turned brown and crispy.

Chop it up or give it a whirl in a blender. You'll need maybe 2C worth of chopped plant material to about 5gals water. Mix, let it steep for 2-3 days, then use diluted as a foliar spray, or a root drench/feed, 1-2oz/gal is a start (most folks are recommending to go by color of the liquid, should look like sun tea).

You're getting at a lot of secondary plant metabolites, as well as a good bit of what that plant has accumulated in its tissues. What you get is also dependent on which part of the plant you're using. For example, I actually improved the blooming of my rhododendron this year by making FPE from my spent Camellia blossoms. I've never gotten good blooms from this rhodie, but this year I finally did!

FPEs are completely different from ACTs. An ACT is essentially a culture solution, yes? FPE is an extraction of compounds. Different, and complimentary.

I'm experimenting with making my own calcium by freezing vinegar 3x to get a highly concentrated acetic acid. Into that will go crushed eggshells and bone (I don't think I'm going to be able to crush the bone very well, but I'll try!). The mixture is shaken daily over a week, and after that week I hope (I'm supposed) to get a liquid calcium that is used at a rate of 1-2T/gal water.

Btw, the FPE fucking STINKS. I have almost successfully made grown-ass men vomit, but I have not quite yet reached success. This is one instance where not having such a good sense of smell is AWESOME.

 

[royfree2grow]

Good link Roy! :)Thanks

no probs bro! it is a good thread... too intense for me to practice right now:eek: but Hash sounds like a serious dude... i hope to practice some of these amazing techniques in the future...

 

[Truth Hurts]

Why do you keep the dep covered all night? I just cover them around 6 and take it off around 10 and it seems to work fine. On the second round (June 15 start day) I even stop pulling tarp in late July...

 

[Blaze]

Because my greenhouse gets 2 hours of direct sun after 6 PM, which shoots the temps up to over 100 within a half hour, it was not practical to do it that way. Plus it was next to my house and the glow from lights in the house at night would have really messed with the light cycle. Having an exact and precise light cycle helps tremendously with yield and density from what I have seen.

 

[Blaze]

FPE do compliment ACT nicely. Something that seems to get confused a lot if the idea that ACT is a source of food. It is not a source of food, but rather a catalyst. In order for the catalyst to work, nutrients must be present in the soil. Again though, that is extra time I just don't have right now, sometimes buying the pre made stuff is more practical.

 

[Liberanos5]

No, my friend, it's even easier than that. Just take what's actually growing, RIGHT NOW. For example, I'm experimenting with all the oxalis and woolly mullein that's growing VIGOROUSLY, while everything else that's not a tree has turned brown and crispy.

Chop it up or give it a whirl in a blender. You'll need maybe 2C worth of chopped plant material to about 5gals water. Mix, let it steep for 2-3 days, then use diluted as a foliar spray, or a root drench/feed, 1-2oz/gal is a start (most folks are recommending to go by color of the liquid, should look like sun tea).

You're getting at a lot of secondary plant metabolites, as well as a good bit of what that plant has accumulated in its tissues. What you get is also dependent on which part of the plant you're using. For example, I actually improved the blooming of my rhododendron this year by making FPE from my spent Camellia blossoms. I've never gotten good blooms from this rhodie, but this year I finally did!

FPEs are completely different from ACTs. An ACT is essentially a culture solution, yes? FPE is an extraction of compounds. Different, and complimentary.

I'm experimenting with making my own calcium by freezing vinegar 3x to get a highly concentrated acetic acid. Into that will go crushed eggshells and bone (I don't think I'm going to be able to crush the bone very well, but I'll try!). The mixture is shaken daily over a week, and after that week I hope (I'm supposed) to get a liquid calcium that is used at a rate of 1-2T/gal water.

Btw, the FPE fucking STINKS. I have almost successfully made grown-ass men vomit, but I have not quite yet reached success. This is one instance where not having such a good sense of smell is AWESOME.

Oh boy! I KNEW eventually I'd be able to bring my food processor into this!!!! Thanks for this Ms. Seamaiden!!! Cordially, Pablito!!

 

[Seamaiden]

Technology! We haz eet.

 

[Blaze]

Snapped a few shots in the garden today. I hadn't seen the ladies in fives days myself, we had been out in the Sinkyone Wilderness all week for the annual camping trip I take every summer with a big group of friends. Sinkyone always holds a special place for most who make it out there - it is the only untouched coast line in the entire continental USA and one of the last places left that is truly wild still. There's no cell service, no radio, no power or water, everything has to be packed in and packed out and the nearest town (which is literally a gas station, a post office, and a little market) is 20 miles away down a windy narrow road. it takes some serious dedication to make it out there, especially the way we like to camp, but it is worth it and those who do manage to make it out there almost always come back the next year, so each summer it gets a little bigger. The area is one of two spots on Earth where three tectonic plates collide (known as a triple-junction) which is why the geology in the area is so extreme. The steep cliffs along the ocean nearly impassible hills that surround the area are what has prevented it from becoming developed. Even where we went is only on the Southern end of the wilderness - to go further in one must back pack beyond where we stopped as the roads are no longer maintained.

This year was pretty epic - we had 17 people, stayed for 5 days, and had a blast the entire time. Gourmet food has become a staple on these trips (my friends and I love to cook!)and the kitchen this year was the best set up so far. We had two stoves, a grill, two griddles, a camp oven, 14 coolers, designated wash station, designated keg station, and tons of amazing food. The menu this year included proscuitto wrapped pork tenderloins, buffalo baco blue cheese burgers, assorted lasagnas, stuffed roasted bell peppers, a whole selection of home made pies, a pancake bar for breakfast, homemade chorizo, etc, etc. Next year we are planning on adding a full bar and roasting a whole pig on a spit over the fire if we have enough people.

There is a group of elk that lives there that have gotten pretty used to us - they literally hung out in our camp with us most of the weekend. Got some great shots of my buddy Gorilla Man blowing bong hits at the wild elk too LoL. Pretty cool IMO to wake up to 7 or 8 of them chillin by our tent each morning, eating their breakfast. Spent a good part of one day on the beach watching the seals and pelicans hunt for fish and enjoying the ocean.

Came back refreshed and rested to see the girls had put on plenty of growth, and the earlier strains are starting to flower now. The mid season strains are showing pre flowers and the late strains still have not switched. I also included a few shots of a new project I tried this year - one big long raised bed. It is 6' wide and 24' long and 1' tall, but the soil it is sitting on was also tilled up and amended. It is planted with Blue Satellite x Killer Queen, Purple Zebra, and Kush Cleaner. The plants are getting pretty tight there, I think next year two plants or three plants spaced farther out to the sides in the big bed will be enough. The rest of the shots are from the 6' x 6' raised beds I've been showing pictures of all season.

 

[Seamaiden]

Damn! Those elk are almost obese. And damn! The progress on some of those girls is AMAZING.

 

[caregiverken]

Love the Photos Blaze. That's Gods country for sure. I have always want to go to the forest at the beach!
Was that guy trying to get those Elk High?..o_O...lol

and yeah, Those plants are huge! and super healty. Very nice work Blaze!

 

[Blaze]

Was that guy trying to get those Elk High?..o_O...lol

Yes, yes he was. High people get some funny ideas sometime haha...

 

[Seamaiden]

That's not what most folks will think of when you say he shotgunned the elk.