C
Cape1
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- Jul 27, 2024
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I thought that I would take an opportunity to document my first grow experience for others who might decide to take the leap. Not only was this my first outdoor grow, it is essentially my first grow ever (except a few years back when I just tossed a couple of seeds in the ground and did nothing else but water). I'll keep this brief, but it mostly just documents things I did that were probably pretty good, and things that I should have considered.
Outdoor growing is not easy. Mother nature ultimately has the final say in how things are going to go.
Be realistic:
I grew 12 plants. Seemed cool in the beginning. It's very easy to tend to 12 small plants; it is a part time job to tend to 12 behemoth's that require 40 gallons of water every few days, along with hundreds of $$ in nutrients. A larger grown also means less options for protecting plants with a small investment unless you already have a greenhouse. Finally, it is ALLOT of work to do the necessary pruning and inspection as things progress. My grow was going well until last week when my area got amost a foot of rain over the course of 4 days, along with Gail Force Winds. In short, I wasn't prepared for that and my plants were destroyed, resulting in an earlier than expected harvest, which required days of work that I wasn't yet counting on. In short, all effort and expenses are multiplied by 12 in my case.
Cover Plants:
Mentioned above. If you live in a challenging climate, and you cannot protect the plants, DO NOT grow outdoors. You're rolling the dice.
Strain Selection:
I got all nostalgic about growing a Hawaiian strain. The problem, Maui Waui grows in a latitude of about 23 degrees North; I'm in New England at about 43 degrees North. Right now, it is Winter for these plants and they weren't' diggin' it. Bud Rot was a MAJOR problem, which cut my yield at least 50%. Next year I will grow either Northern Lights or White Widow. The Hybrids that I grew had close to ZERO bud rot even though they were right next to the MW plants. (half my plants were a strain from Exotic Genetics that was purported to do well in my climate). The genetics makes a huge difference, little did I know.
Pests and Mold:
Next year I will be more disciplined about treating plants early with a regular cadence of BT for catapillars and something like either GreenCleaner or Dr. Zymes, alternating between the two every few days. By the time you notice that you're having a problem with something like Bud Rot or Spider Mites it's too late; you're only seeing the tip of the Ice Berg.
Soil Drench:
Next season I will do a soil drench in an attempt to prevent problems before they occur.
Nutrients:
I was spending money like a drunken sailor on nutrients. Advanced Nutrients has very good products for guys like me who know jack shit about the topic. There are far better and cheaper ways for those willing to spend some time on education. I will be deep diving this topic over the fall and winter. In the end, I was feeding way too much and ended up with Nutrient burn. Next year I will alternate feedings with water only (every other watering), with maybe a small (1/4 dose) of flushing agent (thinking about this / not sure yet).
Bud Rot:
Bud rot is disheartening, but more than likely a fact of life for those of us growing outdoors in less than ideal conditions. Next year, with fewer plants, and the right genetics, along with preventative measures, I will also have more time to dedicate to daily inspections of the buds, especially towards the end of flower. Bud Rot is an asshole! It waits until you have these giant colas, gets you all excited, and then literally takes a giant shit on your parade. I got greedy. I removed only visible rot. I should have removed all visible rot and then went inside to the stems for further inspection. I should not have been afraid to 86 a whole branch. The Rot may not be as isolated as it appears. Spores can extend much further out. Defoliation is also key, but I will not go over board again, because stressing the plant too much weakens its defenses against problems.
This is it for now. I hope this posts might help another newbee and saves you a few costly mistakes.
Outdoor growing is not easy. Mother nature ultimately has the final say in how things are going to go.
Be realistic:
I grew 12 plants. Seemed cool in the beginning. It's very easy to tend to 12 small plants; it is a part time job to tend to 12 behemoth's that require 40 gallons of water every few days, along with hundreds of $$ in nutrients. A larger grown also means less options for protecting plants with a small investment unless you already have a greenhouse. Finally, it is ALLOT of work to do the necessary pruning and inspection as things progress. My grow was going well until last week when my area got amost a foot of rain over the course of 4 days, along with Gail Force Winds. In short, I wasn't prepared for that and my plants were destroyed, resulting in an earlier than expected harvest, which required days of work that I wasn't yet counting on. In short, all effort and expenses are multiplied by 12 in my case.
Cover Plants:
Mentioned above. If you live in a challenging climate, and you cannot protect the plants, DO NOT grow outdoors. You're rolling the dice.
Strain Selection:
I got all nostalgic about growing a Hawaiian strain. The problem, Maui Waui grows in a latitude of about 23 degrees North; I'm in New England at about 43 degrees North. Right now, it is Winter for these plants and they weren't' diggin' it. Bud Rot was a MAJOR problem, which cut my yield at least 50%. Next year I will grow either Northern Lights or White Widow. The Hybrids that I grew had close to ZERO bud rot even though they were right next to the MW plants. (half my plants were a strain from Exotic Genetics that was purported to do well in my climate). The genetics makes a huge difference, little did I know.
Pests and Mold:
Next year I will be more disciplined about treating plants early with a regular cadence of BT for catapillars and something like either GreenCleaner or Dr. Zymes, alternating between the two every few days. By the time you notice that you're having a problem with something like Bud Rot or Spider Mites it's too late; you're only seeing the tip of the Ice Berg.
Soil Drench:
Next season I will do a soil drench in an attempt to prevent problems before they occur.
Nutrients:
I was spending money like a drunken sailor on nutrients. Advanced Nutrients has very good products for guys like me who know jack shit about the topic. There are far better and cheaper ways for those willing to spend some time on education. I will be deep diving this topic over the fall and winter. In the end, I was feeding way too much and ended up with Nutrient burn. Next year I will alternate feedings with water only (every other watering), with maybe a small (1/4 dose) of flushing agent (thinking about this / not sure yet).
Bud Rot:
Bud rot is disheartening, but more than likely a fact of life for those of us growing outdoors in less than ideal conditions. Next year, with fewer plants, and the right genetics, along with preventative measures, I will also have more time to dedicate to daily inspections of the buds, especially towards the end of flower. Bud Rot is an asshole! It waits until you have these giant colas, gets you all excited, and then literally takes a giant shit on your parade. I got greedy. I removed only visible rot. I should have removed all visible rot and then went inside to the stems for further inspection. I should not have been afraid to 86 a whole branch. The Rot may not be as isolated as it appears. Spores can extend much further out. Defoliation is also key, but I will not go over board again, because stressing the plant too much weakens its defenses against problems.
This is it for now. I hope this posts might help another newbee and saves you a few costly mistakes.