Littlebat's first grow, '08

Well, I've finally decided to make a grow journal. To be quite honest I was kind of embarrassed to show my plants. They're not exactly thriving. There have been two huge setbacks: four of the plants got their tops chewed off by squirrels, and we've had a tremendous amount of rain. Not only have I not had to water at all, the soil feels like mud. Today is really warm and sunny so they're soaking it up. I hope we have enough sun in the next few weeks that they really grow.

All of these plants are Subcool's Conquistador. I gave seeds to Seamaiden and Hydrotech and they're starting them soon, Seamaiden outdoors in CA and Hydrotech indoors (right?)

So, my plants don't look very big. I've started LST on a couple of them already. Some were started May 1, some were started May 15, I don't remember now which is which.

The following pics were taken on June 3, '08, pre-squirrel attack:







The last one is the healthiest plant before I started LST. The following pics were taken today, 6/21/08. All were attacked by squirrels, some down to stalks with no leaves, but I refuse to give up on them. The first pic is of that last plant, now:







Look closely at the following and you'll see my cat, the original Little Bat (one of his many nicknames.)



The bat checks out the crops -- he's Mama's boy!!



I apologize for huge pics...I don't know how to do the thumbnails! If someone wants to tell me, I'll edit.

The thing I've learned thus far as a noob: I probably started LST too soon. I cringe to admit this, but y'know the biggest one? I bent the stalk a few days ago. I was pinning it down and I bent it. Don't worry, I am leaving all of them alone for several weeks before I pin them down again. Apparently Conquistador likes to turn hermie, and I'm scared I've made all of them hermie or male at this point with the stress. Is it or is it not true that stress can cause males? I've heard several different answers. Can someone who's been growing a long time give me a definitive answer? And if they turn hermie, does that Dutch Masters Reverse stuff really work?

The other thing I'm wondering is if I put them in the large pots/rich soil too soon and if that stunted their growth. It's a blend of Miracle Gro Organic and a locally-produced potting soil with worm castings. Hopefully you can see from my other plants that I actually am a decent gardener! The other plants, particularly the roses and basil, are going nuts with the worm casting soil. I've had that rosebush for 3 years and it's never bloomed like this!! Neither have my other flowers. I hope this is a sign of things to come.

Okay, have at it...you guys can tell me all the stuff I'm doing wrong, and hopefully something I'm doing right!!

they really dont look that bad. i would try and keep a better eye on them. ie if its going to rain move them out of it not completely but to the point where they arent taking a shower for the entirety of the day. you seem to be doing a good job its your first grow do alot of reading on here and see what other people are doing and suggesting. keep it up happy growing

looks great, what strains are they? good luck hope the squirils dont come back lol.

fucken rodents~~~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know, I HATE SQUIRRELS!!!!!!! Fuck those bastards! But you know what totally works to keep them away? Cayenne pepper! I made a sun tea out of it and I squirt it on the leaves after each rain. Incidentally, the cayenne pepper spray you buy at the garden store is $17, and it cost me all of 50 cents to make my own. There are a lot of ingredients I don't recognize in the commercial spray, and it's oil-based. All mine contains is cayenne pepper and water, and it's just as effective.

I wish I had a place to move them out of the rain, but there's no shelter on the terrace, and my apartment is really small, so I can't bring them in. So anywhere I put them they'll get equally wet.

All the plants are Subcool's Conquistador. I know the strain was developed primarily for indoor growers, or outdoors in the South, but I'm in NY. We shall see how they do.

Can anyone give me any info about the Reverse? I would really like to know if anyone here has tried it.

Found ya!

As you know, I know nothing about the Reverse, but here's my thinking...

If Conquistador was developed as an indoor strain, and we know that it is actually light manipulation that spurs hermaphrodism, then you should have nothing to worry about as long as you keep them outdoors. From everything that I've read, hermaphrodism is a problem for indoor growers, I have yet to read of an outdoor grower who is not manipulating light cycles having a hermie. To the best of my knowledge it is manipulation of light, most often to induce flowering, that is the culprit when plants 'go hermie'. I have not read of any other stressors inducing hermaphrodism, not even anecdotally.

Now, what's the deal with that? In order to flower, the plant requires 12 hours of DARKNESS. If that darkness in interrupted (lights on a timer, someone comes in and flips 'em on to take a peek, or when the door opens they get light), then female plants that are flowering or pre-flowering may begin to express themselves as males--hermaphrodism. With me so far?

To that end, if one is growing outdoors and NOT forcing flowering by manipulating light, then there seems to be little to no chance of the plant spontaneously expressing hermaphrodism. I COULD BE WRONG, but I've done a good bit of reading on it even though I'm growing outdoors.

I expect that my seedlings will express whatever sex is already chromosomally determined. Oh yeah, two are poking their heads out of the dirt. Say hello little Conquistadores!

YAY little Conquistadors!! I can't believe they're sprouting already! Awesome! These are some tough plants.

Yes indeed! I decided to wait to plant the others that have germinated so I can see which way the tap roots are going, I am marking them Conquistador-S (for straight) or Conquistador-C (for curled). That's because I've been following a thread where a gal named kindprincess has been posting. She's given some interesting information that I haven't read before regarding temperatures and how they appear to affect sexual expression as well as hermaphrodism. The thread was stared by a fellow who said an old timer told him that he was able to sex his seeds based on how the tap roots formed upon germination. So, I figured, what the hell, right?

I have been informed that my unknown variety of bagseeds are from 5th generation clones and the guy who grew 'em has completely forgotten what strain. Some of the plants are showing slightly different physical traits, slimmer leaves and a more open, airy 'look' to their growth (Sativa genes, mayhaps?). Man O man have I got even more reading to do, sheesh.

I've also concocted a tobacco tea to try to eradicate whatever the hell is eating some of those plants, and I've caught two grubs and am growing them on my kitchen windowsill to see what they are. They seem to like salad spinach a lot better than the weed, though. In just three days they've doubled in size. I must do more research on the tobacco, though, because it is apparently EXTREMELY toxic, as in don't get it on your skin kind of toxic. I used American Spirit organic tobacco, the loose roll-your-own kind (and I got a free pack of papers, too!). It actually smells really good, not like cigarettes.

Got any recent pix? I'm working on resolving my own camera and card issues at the moment, will be trying to put up some pix between today and tomorrow.

Yay for littlebat the kitty!

Back when I still smoked cigs, I smoked American Spirit roll-your-own. They don't taste like regular ones. I could never handle regular filter cigarettes, they taste disgusting. But I still crave a hand-rolled every now and then! So needless to say I've touched a whole lot of it and I'm fine.

I read that thread about the roots, that's awesome you're keeping track! I'll post more pics tomorrow when I set up my hydro grow...I'm so excited!

Yeah, I don't think you have an issue touching dry tobacco, but the tea I've concocted is pretty strong. Haven't had a chance to do much more searching on it, but I did find one of the little (not so little) fuckers that's been chewing the shit out of one of my plants. I have an MRI in Sact'o tomorrow, and while I'm out I'm picking up the Ivory soap that's recommended. I wish I had the extra $$ to buy another one of those pump sprayers, the only one we have we use for poison oak spray, don't want to even risk mixing that shit in.

Is it or is it not true that stress can cause males? I've heard several different answers. Can someone who's been growing a long time give me a definitive answer? And if they turn hermie, does that Dutch Masters Reverse stuff really work?
stress causes hermies this is fact the most common being irregular light patterns. resverse while it wont completly kill the male flowers it slows production and they will be steril.outdoors you shouldnt have any problem with light. however the rain issue around your parts is another story.Might want to cosider building a canopy of sorts>(just a suggestion).and as for the stoned squirll. Have your bat cat keep gaurd. i had a cat for 17 yrs. pure white called her many names.but the one she liked best was "the bunny" i miss her everyday. but she was great at squirll patrol. Boy i would love to get some of those seeds. i hope were cool. let me know

Great advice, bongshits. We used to have an all white cat when I was a kid, he was the first cat we were ever allowed to have (my dad's very allergic). The day he showed up Mom & Dad were getting stoned and listening to Pink Floyd, What You Gonna do With That Axe (Eugene), and that was the cat's name. Then he ate my rat. He was set adrift in the pool for that one, put him in one of those 20gal galvanized tubs and pushed him to the middle. He thought he could jump out. Eugene was WRONG.

Seamaiden said:

Great advice, bongshits. We used to have an all white cat when I was a kid, he was the first cat we were ever allowed to have (my dad's very allergic). The day he showed up Mom & Dad were getting stoned and listening to Pink Floyd, What You Gonna do With That Axe (Eugene), and that was the cat's name. Then he ate my rat. He was set adrift in the pool for that one, put him in one of those 20gal galvanized tubs and pushed him to the middle. He thought he could jump out. Eugene was WRONG.

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well that sounds like crule and unusall punishment. (eugene with sea sickness)

bonghits4all said:

well that sounds like crule and unusall punishment. (eugene with sea sickness)

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He ate the rat. He broke into my room, broke into the Habitrail and ate Sinabu. He left her head and tail in front of the refrigerator. I felt being set adrift in a pool of still water was a light punishment.
He didn't get sea sick, he got wet.

hydrotech364 said:

She said bongshits lol....

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WHOOPS! I got to typing too fast...

cats eat rats thats just that lol. now i need a bongshit.

(chortle)

ur cat looks like my cat but mines a girl, she looks after my plants and coats every thing in hair lol. My only pests are little tiny gnats or flys or wotever living in the soil.