Hasbro's Desert/Outdoor/Mandala/ Fox Farm/Organic/ Grow Thread

[Hasbroh]

Hasbro, I am liking your journal man!
Thanks for being very clear and using standard English conventions.....it's frustrating when I'm trying to learn how to grow as well as learn someone's unique sub-standard English conventions.

Anyway.....about the shade cloth:
I read in Skunk Magazine (volume 7, issue 5: February/March 2012), "The Rev" writes on the "baby carrot" effect. He says that if you grow outdoors, and place a sunshield above your grow (i.e. wood lattice or sun shade), you may suffer a loss in yield (approx. 15%), but what you do grow will be a very noticeably, higher quality, "always top shelf" connoisseur smoke.

I'm in San Diego where temps are hovering around 85 but I have a removable sunshade that rolls out/in easily. I'm debating whether to use it and go for the "baby carrot" effect. Is the 15% in yield reduction worth the "extra quality" in smoke?

Again, great journal and I hope for the best in your grow. Keep us informed.
Late

Appreciate the compliments. Quality is way above quantity, which is synonomous with integrity, if you'll allow me a brief philisophical dalliance . I'm going to switch to green shade cloth on the sides for better stealth and will use the tan for the top.

Thanks for the reference. It's uh, conventionally conventional.

Day 84, 6/27

102 and muggy still. 10 gallons x2. 52-53". Will have to up quantity soon due to upcoming heat increase, lower humidity.

Could the flowering Rishis contnue flowering through the summer and go full flower in the fall? I have no prior knowledge regarding this situation and can see nowhere that human error is involved, just a heat response? General structure and appearance and color are excellant. Anything I'm missing?

 

[kamut]

KillYourEgo: The shade cloth, when used for shading plants, does not have to be all or nothing. You can move it on and off. I use it for: the hottest part of the day, trying to reduce transplant shock, younger plants. Maybe you can take less than a 15% hit that way.

 

[Hasbroh]

Thought I'd bring this up from yesterday as someone may have missed it:



Day 84, 6/27

102 and muggy still. 10 gallons x2. 52-53". Will have to up quantity soon due to upcoming heat increase, lower humidity.

Could the early flowering Rishis contnue flowering through the summer and go full flower in the fall? I have no prior knowledge regarding this situation and can see nowhere that human error is involved, just a heat or strain response? General structure and appearance and color are excellant. Anything I'm missing?




Day 87, 6/30

About 102-104 last three days, still more humid, about 20-30%, I think, not sure, will pay a little more attention.

Watered only once yesterday, about 10 gallons. 10 or 12 this morning, 6 tonight in a couple of dry spots.

Four plants are 53-55". Little K. is about 8 or 10" shorter. Still the prettiest, although the biggest Rishi is pretty impressive with the flowering all over it and there are about 15 leading branches within inches of the top. Another 10 branches a few inches below that. Yeah, a pic would help, I'll get on it. Keep getting home too late and the phone camera whites out in the sun. I'm also a little nervous about having the computer lady downloading my camera when she fixes it since it is filled with grow pics.

Ten gallon potted Rishi is about 47" and way less vegetation. Some lightening of leaves down below in the shadier areas but will probably not fert for a while. Why? Curious to see how it responds with less than, not more, ferting.

Day 88, 7/1

11:00 and 100, 105 later. Ten gallons at 11:00.

 

[Hasbroh]

Day 88, 7/1, (cont.)


103. Fourteen gallons tonight. Humidity today 15-35%.

From an unpruned 5 central leaders there are now about 50 equal height branches that are 48-55". Will be fun to watch them develop. The little Krystallica has as few as five and the large flowering Rishi has eighteen. So, five plants, five slightly different structures. Should be fun to observe cola differences.

Oh, the three flowering plants; the Krystallica in the center never really went into flower and is just vegging. One Rishi also didn't kick off but still has some flowering but may be abating? Big Krystallica is still flowering. She was the most pruned, biggest, in the hottest corner, and dried out the most back a bit when I was playing with watering needs. Very minor wilting at the time but combining all of these factors may have triggered flowering? Oh, and the perlite wasn't on iirc, so higher soil surface temps. That's all I can think of with this situation. Maybe a toad likes to pee under it.

Day 89, 7/2

102, 17-55% humidity. Unusual that it is warmer than the forecast(100). It didn't cloud up as anticipated. Seasonal monsoons are trying to develop, which is great if it keeps temps down. Fingers crossed. 12 gallons at 11:00.

The two flowering Rishis are a slightly lighter green I noticed today. I gave the big Rishi and the potted Rishi a handful of organic 5-3-3 fert mixed in one gallon of water and then added four gallons of water with a tablespoon of Maxsea acid fert. I did not fert the other Rishi Kush for comparison.

I guess I'll go back to making tea again but will have to make in my bathroom as the garage is too hot. I like the smell but it should make an interesting aroma coupled with the cat litter. Eu de Ew.

57-54"

Time to alter!

One of two Cats of Death. Fifteen year old brothers. Ten gallon Rishi is somewhat visible. Pot tray in front helps shade plant and is also great for a four egg quail's nest. In spite of the two Cats of Death. Sometimes they're Cats of Huh?.

The two fertilized plants are more turgid right now when, at dusk, they should be wilting a little. Food for thought. Most likely the extra water they recieved, still trying to transpire due to too much moisture? Dunno. I should overwater a different plant to observe.

Didn't water tonight. Much cooler now.

note: haven't been reading much other weed oriented literature for a while. Just want to learn the grow on my own so I can try to figure out things as they develop. It's more challenging and fun to me. Now, if they get bugs I'll get on the lit really fast!

To Do:
-refurbish potted Rishi
-green shade cloth, tan top
-spread branches with twine and rocks
-teas,
-ferts, decide for rest of veg

Day 90, 7/3

Three months. Feels longer. Half way there.

High of 90, woohoo! 35% humidity. Ten gallons at 1:00.

Draped the new green shade cloth over the two visible sides, left tan on there to make a more discrete view. Looks pretty cool. Well, to me. I thought all of my tree houses looked cool, too. They really did!

I've resorted to shoving plastic coated landscape wire through the cloth and wrapping it around the t bars. Quick and simple and flexible. I'll wire two corners of the tan roof cloth to the outer property wall where it has iron bars, that will take tensile stress off of the four corner t bars and allow for an easier removal on cooler days.

No water tonight. Shade roof will really cut down on water usage.

11:00pm; a very light rain, first time they have experienced it.

Day 91, 7/4

85, going to 90, 50% humidity, some clouds. Ten gallons at 11:00. A little Maxsea foliar on the front flowering Rishi.

Put a third layer of shade cloth on the two sides for more stealth.

3:00; RAIN!!!

Center and left shade cloth sides have three layers. The tan is much more reflective so it works out well having the green on the outside. 56-60".

Just tried some new growth near the top of the little "Indica" Krystallica. Wiped the rain off of it and stuck in the bowl, lol. Definately different. Stronger body, very nice and calm. Stronger, and creeps! Would love to know what chemicals are actually being taken in. Hah, hah, yeah, don't smoke fresh. Think I'll go make sure with another test...

 

[Hasbroh]

^ Added some pics.

Day 92, 7/5



High of 93, currently 40% humidity. 20-50% for next 24 hours (high). Watered with eight gallons this morning. Could have used less after rain but wanted to get any dryer spots covered. This is where the moisture meter really helps as there tends to be dry spots in varying areas. The rain only surface wet the garden, about 1/2" deep.

There are quail eggs everywhere and the parents really raise a fuss when I come out. They truly feed the desert. There are 12 eggs sitting unattended in one spot - Mom and Dad must have become lunch. The good thing about my back yard is the bigger animals stay out so the quail have a safe haven. Fairly safe, the hawks, roadrunners, gila monsters, etc. get in but rarely see bobcats and haven't seen coyotes in the back, although they are very good jumpers. My next door neighbor has seen them jump his six foot wall in a single bound with ease. At least the javelinas stay out. Wabbits, although they could walk in do not as the entry is too intimidating for them. I'm thankful for that! The wabbits and javelinas would destroy the back yard. Wascals.

 

[WyoGrow]

Deep mulching will help combat heat and cold stress. Perhaps a frame supporting some shade screen would help. I use shade cloth over cool weather crops that like to bolt to seed in the heat. Weed doesn't naturally grow in 100% unobstructed sun. Some shade wont hurt your girls. Water in the morning. Watering will cool the root zone through evaporation. Watering at night you might chill your ladies too much. Watering in the morning will help "air condition" your plants. A good thick application of mulch will help keep heat in at night and keep heat out during the day.... and conserve water.

 

[Hasbroh]

Deep mulching will help combat heat and cold stress. Perhaps a frame supporting some shade screen would help. I use shade cloth over cool weather crops that like to bolt to seed in the heat. Weed doesn't naturally grow in 100% unobstructed sun. Some shade wont hurt your girls. Water in the morning. Watering will cool the root zone through evaporation. Watering at night you might chill your ladies too much. Watering in the morning will help "air condition" your plants. A good thick application of mulch will help keep heat in at night and keep heat out during the day.... and conserve water.

Thanks, I'm sure you mean well and are knowledgable but perhaps you missed parts of my scintillating stay up all night thread. I have two to four inches of perlite for an excellant mulch. The roots are actually on the soil surface under the perlite. Shade cloth on the sides and a removable top. Watering at night will not chill the plants in the desert summer. They also get surface watered every hot day and I use a laser thermometer on the soil.

 

[WyoGrow]

Sounds like you have it all figured out then homie.......

 

[Hasbroh]

Sounds like you have it all figured out then homie.......

Not even close!

WyoGrow, in homage to your birthday, this morning I fertilized a few plants (tomatoe,potted Rishi, and a penta) with 60 parts water/1 part urine, peepeems of 200. To do it again I would want to see an analysis. Plus I have a high peeH of about 7.0 due to my diet. Intentionally.

For those completeley befuddled: https://www.rollitup.org/organics/542687-you-flushing-away-one-best.html

Day 93, 7/6

Only 97 today, 25% humidity now. 12 gallons at noon. Better weather than the Midwest. This is the mildest summer since moving here seven years ago.... so far.

Tallest are around 65". I need to tie these girls down,enough to shorten them by 12-16". The logistical ergonomics will be seriously impaired. I have a foot to a foot and a half of a walking path on the ledge between planter and shade cloth walls. This is where all of the twine held down by rocks will also be. In the planter will also be rocks holding twine. Hmmm, Hasbro (that's me!) doesn't have any where to walk. I think wires would be just as awkward. If any of you folks have a suggestion please endow me with your insights. You will be blessed by the powers that be and I will also really appreciate it. At the very least several gnomes will smile in your direction.

Bored. Any suspension geeks out there may view this with some pleasure:

And for the aerodynamic performance buffs a little 1400 lb. project of mine:

Day 97, 7/7

Fourteen gallons at noon, 100 degrees so far, 10% humidity.

Brewing some tea finally, about 800 ppms, but will dilute to 160 (25 gallons). Will up the ppms for the two flowering Rishis if the response is poor. Will give each plant two gallons and will use the rest for other non weed plants. Will have to move perlite aside so as not to make them dark.

If anyone sees a problem with not pre watering 160ppm tea please let me know.

I sometimes forget to mention things but I'm assuming that the Rishis just developed an increased need for nutrients a few weeks ago in spite of the fresh mass of planter Happy Frog. In retrospect I would still use the HF, not a spicier soil, and just adjust ferts on a per plant application. Three of the five plants in the planter didn't show flowers but it's time for all to be fertilized to varying degrees although the three non flowering plants barely need it. Another reason to love teas!

Playing with my calculator. The harvest numbers were initially not a concern as I just wanted to complete a successful grow and take it from there. Playing with the calculator suggests that one fourth of the stated harvest potential on Mandala's site will yield about three pounds. I have been telling myself that 1 1/2 lbs. would be a satisfactory yield but, hey, I won't turn my back to a bigger result!

TEA

Decided to do the tea tonight instead of tomorrow morning because...

-planter was close to needing water anyway
-cooler at night
-ummm, that's it

16 gallons, diluted to 175 ppms but that's a heavy watering for a fairly moist already planter. Also decided to water each the same, even the little Krystallica. Foliar fed the two flowering Rishis. So, more fert than usual for me but it's been a while and will need it again soon. Don't know if I'll move the perlite to the side again, what a pain in the buttocks.

Will fert potted Rishi tomorrow as it's dark and I don't want to scare the quail sitting on her nest.

Day 98, 7/8

100, 23%, was partly cloudy this morning, sunnier now. No 105+ heat in the near future. This must have been what the weather was like one hundred years and more ago here when there was more water with Jaguars and mountain sheep. Watered ten gallon Rishi, and the rest of the garden and foliar. Will give planter water this evening.

Well, my favorite, the little Krystallica is a boy! Major bummage. About two days ago it just started and today the whole plant, poof, full of balls. Haven't cut down yet. Was hoping to use for cuttings but that's life. So, 5 of 8 are females. I must say the extra room will be welcome for tying down branches. Still, that leaves only one Krystallica. My bad, should have kept better watch as I haven't been looking closely for the past few weeks. Oh well, moving on.

 

[Hasbroh]

Day 99. 7/9

Busy work day. 102, 20-40%, partly cloudy.

-24 gallons this morning
-transplanted potted Rishi to empty spot in planter after male removal
-2 handfuls Espoma 5-3-3 to replant, handful to the two flowering RKs
-16 gallons tonight with 1/2 tablespoon/gallon, 175 ppms, Earth Juice 'Grow', wish I'd bought liquid fert 3 weeks ago.
-average 8 gallons each, to ensure a deeper saturation, may be too dry in middle level
-bought twine for tying down branches, will use plastic coated wire for looping around branches
-bought black shade cloth for top (first top, tan, is now 3rd layer on a side), will start using it on all days except cloudy, not so much due to sun duration, but very high uv levels here in desert and at this altitude. So, three shades of shade...

 

[thebeej72]

I just read this whole thing...Hasbroh, I give you props this is a truly dedicated grow with ridiculous factors involved...I have def learned a lot just be reading this....I wish you a bountiful harvest my man!

 

[Hasbroh]

I just read this whole thing...Hasbroh, I give you props this is a truly dedicated grow with ridiculous factors involved...I have def learned a lot just be reading this....I wish you a bountiful harvest my man!

When I get these compliments I'm so blown away, thank you, kindly.

Day 100, 7/10

Yay! Day 100! I don't know how that really matters but, Yay!

Ten gallons so far. 104, brutal work day.

Attached a temporary top shade, need a longer one. Will take a pic later.

I've been lauding the fact that we haven't had any seriously hot days yet, 110+. However, June had the most days over 100 in recorded history. I thought it SUCKED!!!

Pics are pretty bad, phone can't seem to adjust to the lighting.

Tonight gave the two biggest plants two gallons each with 50 ppm fert. Set out sixteen gallons by the planter for morning.

I'm starting to think that the flowering plants are a good thing. One is semi flowering, the other is in pretty full gear , I think. They are 3 1/2 months old, maybe they are not all that far off. It will also allow me to harvest and cure a plant ahead of the others so that will give me some experience for the rest. My confusion is what fert to be using. For flower or veg? Don't want to veg fert if it's 1/3 into flowering!

Next year if I did the same grow I would plant four with an aisle in the middle and LST the branches to the outer perimeter shelf. I could access everything from the middle. Might start them later, also, for reasons of flowering (Rishi, not Krystallica) and height. This year's crop will be a bitch to access, there will be tied down branches everywhere. And about a 1/2 bag each of earth worm castings and Ancient Forest per plant for better moisture retention - tea sediment is also great for moisture retention I've noticed.

Day 101, 7/11

98 (oops!went to 102), 20s%, getting cloudy this afternoon. 16 gallons this morning, It feels much better under the top now. Probably won't do anything today, too tired. Swung a pick for four hours. I'm too old for this s%$t.

I really am touched by the few people that have left such nice responses. Being a new adventure, there are ups and downs and who knows what is to come. I sincerely hope my mistakes help future growers, particularly those attempting to grow in the desert. It certainly can be done. I think!

Reverse osmosis. Or as I like to call it, The Constantly Flooded Garage Thingy. Absent minded people should not be legally allowed to have an r. o. filter within a building. No need to expound. Update; just checked the ro, the 20 gallon container was so full the water was above the lip due to surface tension. No spills, heh,heh.

So, to paraphrase, Mandala stated not to trim many of the leaves from the buds of Rishi Kush as they have as much thc as the buds. Wonder if that's why I'm enjoying the new growth as much as I am and not because I get high so easilly. Hmmm.

Yay, I have caterpillars! Finally something to counter attack! Saw some chewing a few days ago on the taller leaves of two plants. Too bad such pretty lime green things are so destructive. So my game plan is a full on, straight in, no flanking, super aggressive approach - hand picking. That's right. Six of the little guys so far. One of them sang, "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina!" as he hurtled to his death.

3:00 pm, I think all five plants are flowering. Or at that phase just before, not sure since I've never really grown this stuff before.
Quick thoughts;
-Biggest Rishi, full flower, not popcorney but two to three feet per branch of fairly consistant flowers, about fifteen branches. That sounds as if that's a good thing, hope. Maybe one of these phone photos will be worth posting.
-two other RKs, one has been flowering lightly, other just started last nightish.
-Potted RK, just planted 2 or 3 days ago. Just started today
-Krystallica, in the middle, also started today, maybe yesterday. Much more foliage than RKs, pretty.
-plants are greener today, flowers also.
-Flower Triggers; recent ferts (2-3 days ago), top shade (1 day ago), Last two weeks of monsoon humidity & clouds, two rainshowers this week, reduced light duration (very little but...), reduced light from side cloth also (2 weeks ago), actual age of plants plus accellerated growth from 24 hr. lighting?, high heat & uv.
-starting to think this is supposed to be happening... if Mandala has flowered in 120 heat and if the shade cloth protects the oils from uv deterioration... Feedback welcome.

Seven caterpillars

Sorry for the bad pics but they give the general idea even if you can't see all of the flowers. About five branches are bending against the shade top at 5'6" or 8". Need a pole in the middle and to lst.
"Tomorrow, tomorrow!,
I'll do it tomorrow,
It's only a day away!".

Perhaps this will help put planter/shade house into perspective; from camera end to opposite end is 12'. Shade sides left to right is 9'. Planter itself is about 5 1/2 -6' by 8-9'. Planter depth is 32+", soil depth 16" plus 2+" large perlite. Top is 5'6"+ from soil.

They used to be so cute!

The best shot I could get V

Day 102, 7/12

8

102, humid, hazy, some clouds, 18 gallons. 16-18 gallons is pretty good for the 60 cubic ft. right now. May have to increase if we get a real summer again.

Tightened up the top and realigned it so will probably leave it up and add some more cloth here and there. I like how the plants still get full sun at some time during the day, usually at an angle so less uv. I still have lots of branches down low and the sun penetrates down to them pretty well. I'm sure most growers would trim them but I like watching how well they are doing even though they do create some ergonomic issues. It's so nice to sit in the planter now, especially in the morning. Feels like I'm not in the desert. Plants look really healthy.

10

This pretty little rock lizard keeps getting stuck in the planter and has been in there for two days. She doesn't freak out as much and just moves to what ever side I'm not on. I'm sure she gets enough to eat but wish she'd climb out, a roadrunner will snatch her in a second.

Day 103, 7/13

Friday the 13th, it's 87 at 11:30, 50% humidity, and mid 90s for the next five days. What the hell is going on!? Now I'm worried about getting too little sun!

14 gallons - played with different levels of vegging fert (Earth Juice's Grow) and flowering fert (Fox Farm's Big Bloom) depending on the specific plant. I'm sure an inquiry on the forum might change my approach. Might do that soon. The big Rishi is really going to town, lots of flowers. So, I won't really have a solid record of flowering days. I can get close enough. Lucky I listed total growing days from the start.

Started playing with tying the branches down last night to the recently transplanted Rishi last night. Pretty cool how they adjust so fast. Should get them all done in several days. Manuevering is gonna be hell.

I posted an inquiry re. the early flowering here: https://www.rollitup.org/outdoor-growing/545286-desert-grow-flowering-need-expert.html

 

[Hasbroh]

Day 104, 7/14

90, 50%, cloudy, only needed ten gallons due to a rain last night. Crazy.

I measured one of the nicer flowering branches yesterday. Total branch length of 5'. The top 38" has flowers all along it. There are 20 branches along this 38", from 2-6" long each and they are full of blooms. So, If things work out, the branch should be a three foot long mass. It's so cool to to see. I do not want to get my hopes up though, as it's so early and anything can happen. Never thought I'd be worried about mold in the desert, for instance. So, no solid info on my thread asking about the early flowering. I'll start ferting more towards flowering and cross my fingers.

A little pet peave of mine:
Reading comprehension is defined as the level of understanding of a text. This understanding comes from the interaction between the words that are written and how they trigger knowledge outside the text.

Proficient reading depends on the ability to recognize words quickly and effortlessly. If word recognition is difficult, students use too much of their processing capacity to read individual words, which interferes with their ability to comprehend what is read.

Not directed at anyone in particular, just something to think about.

Day 106, 7/16

Yesterday was cloudy, high 80, 5 minutes of rain, no watering. Today was 92, humid, plants were dry, 14 gallons this morning, about 20 this evening.

Loosened sides of top to allow more sun in the sides until it gets sunny again, if ever.

So, the big Rishi stopped growing in height about a week ago - took me about five days to realize - and started getting frosty two or thee days ago. At least I don't have to tie it down. Actually, will have to tie it up as it gets heavier. It's spreading out nicely now. So, does it sound as if it's about half way through flowering or so? I'm guessing another 4-6 weeks? Guessing being the key word.

Some of the spreading out of the branches is also due to leaning towards the brightest exposure, Which, of course, means too little light due to the shade cloth and the cloudy weather. From too much sun to too little sun is a great learning experience. Tells me a lot. Especially in combination with humidity, or lack of, and the high uv here. Aside from loosening the top edges up, I'll leave it alone and let the plants redirect themselves, which will allow them to not require tying down as much.

Tried a leaf and bud on the Krystallica from about the 2/3rds height of plant. Way too young but was curious. Did a quick oven dry. One small hit. Oh , boy. Came on fast, sort of heavy but with a pillow in front of it, if you get what I mean. Just wasn't expecting it but was very pleased. Clear headed but shows a strong potential. Rather short lasting, 2-2 1/2 hours, but a small hit. This was the first "grown up" high experienced so far from this grow.

 

[Hasbroh]

Day 107, 7/17

94, clear, finally. 18 gallons this evening. Veg fert to most recently planted Rishi. A pole used to elevate top shade cloth in middle fell and cracked a large branch on a Rishi. No wilting, seems fine and will leave it where it is laying as it is close to where it was tied down. Such an amazing plant. Since I was still finding caterpillars I put some bacillus thuringiensis on the big Rishi. A lot easier and works better than hand picking. The first batch of pillars were easy to see and they ate the leaves. This new batch are smaller and ate the flowers. No, no, no, can't have that. B.t. will have already knocked them out. Haven't seen any on the other plants but will monitor all closely.

 

[SNTSX]

Nice looking plants! Great job.

 

[Hasbroh]

Nice looking plants! Great job.

Thank you, SNTSX.

Day 108, 7/18

99, dry, clear, plants love this temp/humidity. Very light watering, will hit it in the morning.

Been tying down branches. Watching plants respond to different lighting, temps, humidity, ferts, watering, has been a great experience.

There are a bunch of little experiments going on in my head, learning a lot. For instance, observing how a growing branch responds to being up against the top shade cloth. It eventually grew away from the cloth, sort of.

Not sure about different phenotypes since there were so many uncontrolled variants such as early flowering. But they are all a little different.

Tied more branches down. It's opening up the middle of all of the plants and planter itself. This will allow the Krystalica in the middle to really widen out, which it really wants to do and bet it will do quickly. Aside from improving the yield it will just get prettier as it grows. I like growing a pretty plant.

I tied the branches down in the dark, by the way. At an angle of at least 45 degrees. Went back out an hour or so later and the litttle branches and shoots are straight up! That must be gravitropism as opposed to phototropism in the light. So cool!

Day 109, 7/19

14 gallons, high 90s, fairly overcast, not too humid, sun is starting to burn through.

A few more branches tied down, getting there. Will stake up broken branch and tie some more down later when it's getting dark. By then I will only have one approach to access plants, which will be through the stepping stones in the planter. The raised edge will be full of branches. Pretty awkward but will do. Hate to do it but will have to tie Krystalica down, too. With yesterday's sun it just shot up several inches. Was hoping to leave it alone.

Caterpillars that I found were just sitting on the leaves. Will spray again only if I see any more. I just hate spraying with anything, even b.t. I almost sprayed with neem a while back but held off and the beneficial insects handled everything. I really like my little white spiders that come out at night. No webs, they travel all over the plant. Fortunately, there were no mites, thrips, or aphids on the crop this year. That may have to do with not over doing it with the ferts. Other four plants are clean.

So, next crop will be vegged indoors 24/0 for around 6 weeks or so and put in the planter, which will then be a step down greenhouse. If I can afford it. There will be a recessed center about 18" square to facillitate my standing fully upright and a ledge to sit. In other words, I would be standing at the bottom of the soil level. Four plants, one to each corner and pruned similar to now but less so. I pruned a lot of growth out this time to be able to fit them under the top. But the basic branching has worked well. This will be a winter grow so should prove interesting. A little ceramic heater should be adequate. I'm thinking that this could be a challenging grow with the winter lighting, erratic temps, higher humidity, etc. Suggestions welcome.

Big Rishi, 3 gallons with 2 caps Big Bloom. Rishi also on open west end also 3 gallons with 1 cap Big Bloom and 1 cap Grow. About 3/4ths finished with tieing branches down. Pretty tedious.

Day 110, 7/20

Hot morning, 85 at 3:00, a few light showers afternoon/evening, 18 gallons early afternoon, 12 around 7:00 pm, no fert, will not water tomorrow. We could get some real rain tomorrow.

Just puttering along. Three plants, including the Krystalica, are barely flowering so they seem on schedule. That's today's prognosis. The Rishi recently from the pot is a weenie and not performing well. Have given it a fair amount of ferts but it's responding slowly. Will play with it, maybe try more extreme measures, use it as a guinnea pig.

Day 111, 7/21

High 90s, some sun, humid, afternoon shower, cooled down a little. Toying with spraying b.t. on all five plants. If I find another 'pillar I will.

 

[Hasbroh]

Day 112, 7/22, 16 weeks

Same as yesterday, some sun, not much, higher 90s, then down in the 80s in later afternoon, humid. Still haven't watered yet, will tonight with 23 gallons - that's what is sitting out there in containers.

Second most flowering Rishi is starting to kick in gear and bulk up just a tad, whatever a tad is. It is the first to have a scent, somewhat citrus-ey. I did smell the plants from about 20 feet away for the first time, though. Nothing heavy but discernable. Tried the aforementioned plant and the third most flowering Rishi (open end) in the last couple of days. Nothing heavy duty but getting there.

I spoiled the "cured" cuttings from several weeks ago by vascillating on the moisture in their containers. They don't smell moldy but they don't smell right, so have not been using any of it.

Will start doing just flower fert for the Rishis (4) soon. The Krystalica is a very solid green and robust so will monitor. Hopefully it will be another month before it switches to flowering.

Again, horrible pics. First pic is wall to wall branches. Rishi to left, RK1, was the biggest and is the first to flower. The Rishi to the right, RK2, is getting very big with about 20 main branches, some over 6 1/2". A pleasant surprise but it needs to slow the heck down!, lol. There isn't any more room! She is lightly flowering.

Second pic is a long branch full of flowers. Will be more obvious when it gets fatter.

Changed a couple of things. Only watered base of plants with two gallons each as the outer areas were still wet after two days of no watering. Also gave each Rishi both a capful each of Big Bloom and Grow to get them a tiny bit greener yet have the phosphorus.

To further enhance my verbosity, a thought that I didn't put down 'till now; being in unchartered territory, my way to handle all of the unexpected growing pattern(s) was to grow a healthy plant more so than a healthy crop. How this affects the crop will soon be determined. Don't hesitate to make suggestions, oh, Learned Reader. To all a good night.

Day 114, 7/24, RK1 35 days flower

Not precise but will call today 5 weeks of flower for the earliest flowering Rishi, which I will refer to as RK1 now.

Similar weather today and yesterday. No water yesterday, 21 gallons tonight. All is well.

Biggest flowering Rishi, RK1, smells citrus-ey as of today. Checked out a couple of other grows and re-read Mandala's fert page. Feel good about everything.

Krystalica is around 6' wide x 3'+ wide x 5 1/2" tall, likes her spot in the middle. RK2, sw corner, is now easilly the biggest, about 5'x5' wide. When her branches reach about 6' they get tied down so she's getting very wide which really lets the light in the center. RK1 stopped growing a while back and is about 4'x4'wide and starting to put some nice weight on all of her 16 big branches. RK3, nw corner, is about 4'x4' wide but not as heavy as RK1 but could be wrong. RK4 is the wimp, se corner, and is heavilly tied down so not sure about size. She is also a lot harder to get to so didn't bother.

Cliff Notes on sizes and flowering:
K, center, 6'+ x 3'+, will get wider, very small amount of flowering, still stretching and vegging a bit,
RK1, nw corner, 4'x4', full flower, 30-35 days left?,
RK2, sw corner, 5'x5', intermediate flowering, still stretching,
RK3, nw corner, 4'x4', almost full flowering?, still stretching,
RK4, se corner, 4'x4'?, airy, light flowering, still stretching,
all are around 5 1/2' tall, all due to tieing down except RK1, which stopped growing 3 or 4+ weeks ago.

7/25, 1:00 am;
broke down and snipped a little bud near the top of RK1 - snipped up, fully green, straight into pipe. A very smooth, calm, refreshing? buzz that creeps up slowly. Very nice! Will shape up beautifully. First time to take a sample near the top of the most mature plant. Very encouraged, although sacrificing myself for the sake of research is a daunting, exhausting, and selfless commitment to science. Somebody has to do it. Thanks for your support.

Day 115, 7/25

97, clearish still at 2:00. Sun all day, will start to get cloudy soon but it's been ages since the last clear day. Yay! Will water later when it's cooler, just wanted get this posted before this post times out.

Have been speculating about the yield lately since it's getting closer to harvest. Have tried not to think about it but it's hard not to. A local grower estimated early on that 1 1/2-2 lbs. would be realistic for my grow. I accepted that and anything more is gravy while any less is a bit disappointing. But I'm going to stick my neck out and say 3-4 lbs. Mostly based on RK1's size right now. With 16 main branches on RK1, it's hard to imagine not getting an ounce per branch just based on the mass I'm seeing at this early point. Noobs always seem to greatly overestimate their yield but if I don't lose any of the harvest due to unforeseen reasons, 3-4 seems realistic to me. RK2 and RK3 appear to be also on similar track. RK4 I'm not counting just to have a more conservative total but should yield 2-6 ozs. I'm guessing. And the K should theoretically be the biggest yielder so there you are.

 

[Hasbroh]

Day 118, 7/28, Rishi Kush #1, 39 days flower

Days 116 and 117; 100/98, 16/14 gallons.

93 today, some sun this morning, first good shower, 1/2". It's as if the desert switched weather with some other region. Just crazy.

8 gallons pre fert water, 20 gallons tea plus foliar. Tea; molasses, Happy Frog, ewc, Ancient Forest, Great White, Kellog's organic (dry) 4-6-3, Big Bloom. Diluted to 140 ppms.

While watering, the rain came. RK1 was almost on the ground, had to stake and tie branches up. Had planned to stake sometime soon so at least RK1 is done. Good lesson.

Day 119, 7/29, RK1 40 days flower

93, mostly cloudy, afternoon showers. No watering. Hit all five with b.t. tonight. So nice and cool tonight, 76, 80% humidity.

Have dealt with 4 kinds of caterpiilars. The two bigger types ate the leaves, one little type the flower, and not sure about the fourth type - think they were b.t.ed too early to tell. The two big ones were easy to find and erradicate manually. The biggest, 1" green, chewed the stems of new growth leaves and there were only two, thankfully, as they were on the Krystalica! The 3/4" green ones chewed the leaves.


Those two big caterpillers were discovered early and the leaves they chopped were half dry, which was very nice of them, especially when compared to the way I returned the favor. The leaves are being utilized in a very good way and are trully enjoyed. Thanks, 'pillars, sorry I smooshed you and turned you into green paste. At least you didn't get slowly liquified by bacillus.

Day 120, 7/20

Same, no watering. RK3 is starting to catch up to RK1, thickening a little and getting a little frosty. Maybe this should be first day of flower for the Krystalica, not sure, due to some flowering starting a while back?

Day 121, 7/21,

Mid 90s, partly cloudy, will be around 100 and dryer for the next week but August is predicted to be cooler/milder this year.

15 gallons, half of it being rainwater. Will do 5-10 more tonight. Need to run wire crosswise to the four corner t-bars at the top to use for staking up branches as they bulk up. I still need to tie some down, though, as RK2 is still a little over the top shade cloth on the side. The Krystalica will need just a bit more also on a few branches but will try to use the cross strung wires as the K. is in the middle.

Earliest harvest should be the end of August/early September. I think.

 

[Hasbroh]

Day 122, 8/1, Four months

100, mostly sunny, no water. Added the two cross cables for tying up branches. So, three methods of support; staking, tying down, and wiring up.

Day 123, 8/2

100, mostly sunny, 19 gallons at noon, 6 gallons with 1 cap/2 gallons of Big Bloom and 1/2 cap Grow per same at 10 pm.

Day 124, 8/3, Rk1 45 days flower

100, mostly sunny, no water.

Tried some RK1 bud after a 10 minute oven dry. Oof, had too much, wasn't aware how much it had strengthened. Couldn't read, just watched tv, lol. This isn't supposed to be a very strong strain but it caught me unaware. It's really cool how both strains creep.

Day 125, 8/4

101, partly sunny, 14 gallons this afternoon, 9 gallons tonight. Didn't water RK2 from second watering, just to observe. I like watering twice every other day. This week will be hotter but will still try to skip every other day.

Not sure if I mentioned it but Krystalica seems to be stretching a little bit. All Rishi Kushes have stretched.

Pics from a few days ago, two visible sides are three layers thick of shade cloth for stealth;

The home owner's association does not allow for any out buildings to be taller than wall. Hence the low structure.

Keep in mind planter's soil surface is 16" lower than visible ground. That, heavy pruning, and tying down allows for up to 6 1/2' plants with lots of branches.

Always one to set the fashion standards in gardening style - seat cushions by Happy Frog. I suck my cheeks in during photo shoots.

Decided to keep west end open for light and more growing room. Actually, a few branches on RK2 there are 7'. RK1 fore, RK2 aft.

About 110 ft. sq. There are a bunch of tied down branches that aren't visible - it's very hard to water as it is hard to manuever. I have to go barefoot to help myself contort around the branches. The only way to get in this mess is to squeeze next to the fence on the left below.

Horrible pics don't show the flowers well but the frost is sort of discernable. RK1

RK2

Day 126, 8/5


100, mostly sunny, a little shower this evening no water. RK3 went two days of no water without wilting. Will try stretching out watering to two dry days but it's getting hotter this week, up to 105, so we'll see.

Day 127, 8/6

101, sunny, more cloudy as afternoon progresses, which is typical with the monsoon seson. Ten gallons at noon. 15 gallons with some Grow and Big Bloom this evening. 1 cap per gallon of each. Was going to do one gallon of b.t. but it showered so will wait.

Random thoughts;
- b.t.
- use more worm castings outdoors. Slow down drainage, less water.
- look for ways to build this winter's greenhouse, aluminum? Block steps? Wood?
- look for missing free three seeds from Atitude, dumass.
- still not sure what to do for a drying room/area. get on it.
- drip system, raised container for ro water, float valve. Most work by far has been lugging water.
- fert. pretty satisfied so far.? Use less with the heavier soil?

Tried using a little bit of dried leaves (Krystallica) on top of a still drying bud (Rishi Kush plant #1). Kindling. Helps to get temp up quicker to better burn the bud. Whoa! Cooking dinner will not be as simple as previouslly anticipated. Very succesful and highly recommended. Mixing the two strains also must have been an enhancement.

Day 128, 8/7

It's only midnight but here goes my prediction; 104, mostly sunny with afternoon clouds, no water. Very hot but they breezed through. Three gorgeous woman rang the door bell, told me how awesome I was and took advantage of me in more than just psychological mind games. In spite of my honorable intent, they succeeded in breaking my will.

















HEY, IT'S MY PREDICTION!!!

8:00pm; except for the woman, everything turned out just as predicted. Have to go, doorbell is ringing.

 

[Hasbroh]

Day 129, 8/8, Approx. day 50 RK1 flower

108, mostly sunny until late afternoon. Second day of no water and started wilting early afternoon. About 40 hours without watering. Ten gallons around 4:00 pm, 10 more around 9:00.

Day 130, 8/9

105, partly cloudy. Will probably water/fert again tonight and see if they can go tomorrow without. 105-108 tomorrow so we'll see. Krystalica is only one not fully blooming.
edit; water only about 14 gallons late afternoon/ evening in two shifts, about same this evening with 200 ppms of Grow, Big Bloom, and Maxsea 10-14-10. West half recieved half it's fert from Maxsea, east no Maxsea. Just playing with portions, doubt it will make any difference.

Little trivia; have a few purple hopseed bushes in 5 gallon containers. Rootbound, soil level way down. Water a tiny bit every 3 days or so. 6:00 pm and a container on the hot side is reading 131*.

Day 131, 8/10

2:00; well, it's 106 and going to about 108 so I think I'll do a quick 4 gallon syringe of the surface. In the shade the planter surface is only 90+ due to the perlite mulch but the surrounding shaded area is 109 already so a couple of gallons can't hurt. No wilting. By the way, I have a very accurate laser thermometer.

Setting record heat this week, 110 this weekend. Sure am glad I don't live in Phoenix. 112 today and hotter the rest of the week. No thanks.