MC`s Forest Adventure

[markscastle]

What info I have on the strains passed on to me by family is already in this thread if you look close enough.

 

[markscastle]

Wanted to wait until they cracked but now starting to get tails on the 1982 Skywalker and 1994 Bubba Kush seeds. They are weak but alive. Soon as these are ready for cups I`ll start something else. Thinking LA Con and Sour Kush? Maybe some original Sensi Star I will also be starting some Caughdrop Kush, Blackberry x Chemdog 91 and Cherry Kush. Possibly some 69 skunk marked `road kill`. It`s not the Sweet #1 most people have, but some older rank smelling stuff if I remember right. I`m still undecided about growing the skunk as it can be smelled for miles! I like the stone but hate the flavor/smell.

 

[Ned Kelly]

Any seeds planned . Wouldn't mind some of that sky walker.

 

[markscastle]

Plan is to refresh seeds , make mothers for clones, planting and then maybe release limited number of seed packs. This is not a major operation. Just a small one. I may also release a few clones locally. I` not going to be getting into the clone biz but just trying to recap some of the expense. It`s cold here and slowing the seed sprouts. I` still not certain I`ll get healthy seedlings out of this project yet.

 

[TortureKill]

Wish you luck with everything MC. If you've got a seedling heat mat, or can get any kind of heat in the root zone, you will see some explosive growth from those seedlings. In the past Ive used those heated wire types that you lay right into the medium, and bury. Ive had excellent results with these in large planters, several plants to a planter, sog stlye. Lately I just use those plug n play heat mats that lay under the pots. They work just as well, and wont reach temps that would harm the young plant roots. Keep us posted as you progress. Hope you're staying warm this winter. I dont know about you, but Im ready for the warm spring sun to shine thru.

 

[markscastle]

Got heat mats as well as thousands of $ worth of indoor equipment but much of it is useless when your off grid. I just been setting the seeds in paper towels and plates on a pan in front of a gas heater and keeping a watch on them to keep them from becoming dry at night. They stay plenty warm in the day time when it`s been sunny. I`ve got a few to sprout and they look healthy but are growing very slowly. I`m not sure the batteries would hold up if I left them plugged in through the inverter on a heat mat. I run one small 12v light at night so I don`t stub my toes if I get up , keep power to my satellite controller, and to the fridge as it is. Solar panels start charging the batteries at sun up and if needed I can run the generator and charge the batteries through the charge/ inverter. I only have 400 amp hours of battery space. I have 4/ 100AH glass mat deep cycle military grade batteries in the bank. They are new at a cost of $259.00 each. I`d like to double the battery bank size and increase the solar panels from 500 watts to 1200+ watts. The controller is 30 amp. If I doubled up the batteries I could run a second 6000 watt inverter fro them for a 1500 watt heater or aybe run one of the AC units on the low setting for at night in the hot summer. I` thinking a shade/rain cover over the motor home should come first. Getting it out of the rain in winter and the sun in summer would decrease the need for power in the first place. I could use sides on the cover in winter to cut heat loss and use bamboo fencing for side shade with ventilation in the summer. I could also see through the side shades in summer for security. Be leave me being off grid is a whole new ball game.

 

[TortureKill]

Wow man, I could imagine. You have a whole new series of obstacles and hurdles. You're very creative and persistent MC, I know you will figure it out. I wish you all the luck this season. I pray to Shiva upon entering and exiting my garden, and it seems to have been working. I will add an extra prayer for you brother.

 

[markscastle]

I`m almost tempted to grow 150 Sq. foot and follow the letter of the law for Butte County. They have no plant count so I could grow 99 small plants for a seed refresh and no bud this year. I could always make hash from the de-seeded bud and plan on doing a winter bud grow in the greenhouses after. I don`t think they will be coming way out in the forest in the winter looking for a greenhouse grow out of season. I also wouldn't have to worry about planting so timely to get the best yield and the winter bud would be coming out nice and fresh when everyone else`s outdoor is running thin in the spring. It would cost much more and the yield would be much less but I wouldn`t have rippers to contend with on the winter bud grow. I really need to preserve as much of my stock as possible.

 

[Kush Kloud]

Hey, markscaslte that 69' skunk sounds like it would be good to strain to grow to preserve the road kill smell pheno in the line, considering there's a lot of growers that want this in there garden. But I can see how it could be a pain to grow because of the strong skunk smell. I hope you decide to pop those beans in the near future, before they get to old.

-Kush Kloud

 

[markscastle]

It was warm enough for this tmie of year but that changed. It started with a few dark clouds and then lightning and thunder. Then it became much cooler and started to hail. The size of hail was almost the size of gulf balls! ad a little snow and then some large blobs of slush kind of and it soon became 3+ inches. Still some patches on the ground this morning! Snow level is down to 3500 ft. Well below of here. I` m going to wait until later in the year before I try any more seeds for a couple of reasons. It will be easier when it warms up and stays that way. The motorhome generator keeps pooping out and won`t stay going. My backup generator is still in the shop with no word on any progress. I can`t depend on solar when it storms and is cloudy. Also I do plan on doing a seed run instead of bud grow so I won`t need as big of plants. Instead I`ll grow more and smaller ones. In a way the county land codes will not hinder me in this way as much as if they were based on a plant count instead of grow area restrictions.

Getting ready to make an other run to Southern Cali again. As you know my Dad passed away. I still have my Stepmom and thinking it`s only an other 200 or so miles to her place from LA. I would like to make a visit if I can get someone I trust to watch the camp and my pets. Not certain this will work out but it`s a thought. My sisters are there with her and going over everything in an attempt to get her relocated on one of the properties in Northern Cali. She is having a hard time of it as she has dementia (intermittent memory loss) and keeps going over the loss of my dad anew very often. Sometimes she just thinks he`s outside working still . She`s tuff as she has had a hip replacement, back problems and censer twice. She is little help when it comes to figuring out the estate. Technically it is already us kids as to reverted from a living trust to a trust when Dad passed away. So on paper I now have a lot of money I guess. It was estimated my share was 385,000.00 in 1970 . Dad having been a work-o-halic has made that figure much larger but his record keeping without mom`s help in the last few years is a nightmare ! I`m glade it falls to my older sister to be executive of the estate and not me! I just want to see the woman who raised me from 9 years old when my Mom died. I`m hoping she will be open to moving closer as AZ is so hard for me to drive to.

 

[markscastle]

Dam! The parts to fix my Honda EB6500 generator have still not all come in! They had to be ordered from Japan and the shipping strike has slowed down delivery. The strike is over but the shipping yards are backed up two months. Not sure when I`ll have my back up generator done. The Motorhome generator runs, kind of. It misses , spits and sputters and often shuts down but seems to start right back up again. It needs rebuilt badly. I depend on generators to keep things charged and running so hope it lasts long enough. I can`t even keep pilots to work for the fridge or hot water heater without batteries charged , then there is the laptop, cell phone and flashlight batteries that also depend on being charged. Also the battery bank for my inverter! The solar panels take three days to charge the bank up fully without a generator running to charge them when it is overcast.

 

[markscastle]

Wanted rechargeable /solar powered heat Mats ! Well I could try to build a cold box and use a solar heated floor with insulated heat exchange tanks , seems a little over kill though and it wouldn`t be cost effective.

 

[markscastle]

Back from down south. Long trip and back. Resting up today and then going to contact the surveyor ! Next going to see about a fresh timber cruse for possible logging of the property. Be more fire safe , put some $ in my pocket and should leave my roads , culvert and pad in. My Dad had an old tractor with a front bucket and post hole digger attachment. It would need a box end scraper. I also might like to look for a backhoe attachment. May also have a trailer with it. Have to wait until it`s brought back to Cali and have a look at it. I`m likely to want to increase the size of the pad left from logging and could use it to put in a septic and fence holes. It would also work great to keep up the roads with a box end scraper.

 

[markscastle]

Today is bill day and re-supply day. If I get time I`ll call about surveying my land. I also want to get a truck load of quail manure in the next few days. It`s free but they want $25 to load it with a tractor or free if you load by hand. I got some a few years ago and it is some hot shit! stinks really bad but plants love the stuff. Anyway lots to get done as always. Oh picked up a nice Springfield XD-40 (40 cal S&W) from my brother the other day before I went south. Doing some upgrades on the M-16 also. Still haven`t got my full auto lower back from y son`s friend so looking into getting a Tac-con trigger system put on the simi- auto lower along with a new upper with built in rails instead of the carry handle. I have a holographic site and need the room for a flip over 3x scope also. Also stocking up on green tip ammo before the ban. I`m not sure I want any of my fathers guns yet. I know they have value but my brothers will get them and keep the in the family anyway. I`d rather put my money into things I would use. Might like to pick up a nice bolt action hunting rifle and shotgun more useful for hunting than the coach gun I have. May need to hunt to eat at some point.

 

[below frigid]

Years ago before I had my own land I would hike into the Los Padres forest for a few days to hunt turkey's. You never know when your going to run into a pig so I bought a Savage over and under. Top barrel was 30-30 and the lower barrel was a 12 gauge. Break action so you only get one of each without having to reload. Great gun for packing in though. Got rid of most of my guns except for that one and my 835 Ulti-mag. Put one of those high tech recoil pads on her. It's like shooting a 22 now. Even with 3 inch slugs.

 

[markscastle]

Got mostly supplied up, just need to haul off some trash. I`m taking one ore brake to go to a meeting about Butte Counties Measure A today. It`s in Concow at the Grange and although I have little info about the meeting I believe there will be an attorney there. Starts at 1pm to 4pm.

 

[markscastle]

Attorney didn't show so I left early. Really not much useful info.

 

[markscastle]

I don`t even know if the new code enforcement will even bother to come out this far in the woods. Seems like a ghost town out here. Almost everyone has left and those of us still around are planning on growing within the new limits. The conservative counties are cutting there own throats as this is going to bite them in the ass in the 2016 elections. They are almost guaranteeing an increased vote in favor of state wide legalization of cannabis! It seems to me the legalization groups are doing very little to fight the counties at this point , instead they are using it as a tool to drum up votes for legalization state wide in 2016. And I see it working very well towards that ends. As Butt County now has a 150 sq. ft. limit and no plant count. It seems like the perfect tie to grow 99 small seeded plants for a refresh of some of my seed strains. This keeps me in the new limits and I can grow bud grows later. I will be working on opening up my land for farming instead of doing a bud grow this Spring anyway.

 

[suomynona]

Every one up my way is still going to do it like normal, the trouble makers left to tehama and mendo. I have my hoops glowing like ufos already and im not the only one.

Good luck to you mark no matter what u do! The court case gets heard april 1st and we plan to have a meeting with the lawyer of the case, ill give u a heads up once we have the community center reserved.

 

[markscastle]

Thanks suomynona ! I just got the word it`s going to cost me $5,000 to do the survey. It will be registered with the county so I can get an address and permits for the septic and well, etc. It will also help define the boarders for the logging and hardwood harvesting. I also have an offer to rent out 4-5000 sq. ft. to a grower next Spring for $12,000-15,000. I` not sure I want to do that until I talk to an attorney. I could end up with a lien on the property for his fines. Seems it would be better to do my own grow for the risk I`d be taking with liens. I could do 30 plants and get 90+ units in that space.