General Outdoor Grow Needing Help

[llama farmer]

Hi all

 

Was originally an overgrow member back in about 2000/2001 and then life moved on and had to take a few years off.

 

Looking to grow a couple outdoors in WA and only just germinated my seeds, by my guess and memory I am running about 1/2 months behind schedule? Will they start to finish around the feb/march mark?

 

Made up a soil recipe a few days ago

 

Potting mix (forget which brand atm)

cow manure

a half dozen cups of blood and bone

some trace elements

a couple cups of kelp meal

a three quarters cup of Epsom salts

some dolomite

 

Going to stick the beans in some pots tomorrow and get it started.

 

Any advice from any other WA growers regarding the timing of my operation?

 

Also just some general questions I'm hoping someone can answer as my memory is rusty as all get out and the old archived overgrow growfaqs lurking on the net don't seem to be half as helpful or well organised as they were half a dozen years ago

 

- When should I first fertilize

- I can't locate any good organic fert brands in general stores (bunnings, nurserys etc) and would like to give chems I have laying around from failed hydro grows a go, how do they work in soil? comments on this?

- I don't want them popping up over the fence or getting more than a few feet high, should I lst? or will they simply grow too much and cover a shit load of horizontal ground?

- What pests and critters can I expect and should prepare to protect from? (domestic garden not rural)

 

I'm sure I will think of more. I'm hoping people can ease me back into this

[Ozzy420]

Hi there and welcome to ozstoners.

 

With that potting mix u have made i dout they would need anything for a wile as it sounds like a nice rich mix u have there.

 

I wouldent fert (with the soil u have) for the say 1st 2 months and after that once a fortnight at most and yes you can use hydro nutes on a plant that is been growen in soil.

 

With pests in ya yard the only thing u really have to worry about is slugs and snails keep them at bay and all should be cool.

 

With the plant not getting to tall yes lst will be good u will just have to keep tieing it down as it grows and yes it could be 6 foot+ by the time u harvest u will just have to keep tie down until harvest time.

 

Another way u could go it tipping the plant by doing that the plant wont grow very tall but it will be a short and very bushy plant.

 

I hope this has helped u out, i aint from wa but we have a member here that should reply when he sees this post who is from wa will be able to tell all u need to know about planting times there, and a few other members as well...

[67Special]

Welcome to OS llama farmer

 

All that I'll add to ozzies advice is that LST can be a pain in the arse if your tending more than just a couple of plants.

Once they really get growing they need regular adjustment to prevent snapped branches and it can become quite time consuming

So if your growing a bunch of em, tipping is the go, but if it's just a couple of pets in your backyard LST is ok and keeps you in touch with your ladies

Starting them late is probably a blessing in disguise if you don't want them too big.

I started some in early October last season and had trees by xmas

 

As for this...

What pests and critters can I expect and should prepare to protect from? (domestic garden not rural)

...dodgy neighbours are always a worry ...but your llamas should keep em at bay

 

Best of luck for the season mate

[llama farmer]

Hi there and welcome to ozstoners.

 

With that potting mix u have made i dout they would need anything for a wile as it sounds like a nice rich mix u have there.

 

I wouldent fert (with the soil u have) for the say 1st 2 months and after that once a fortnight at most and yes you can use hydro nutes on a plant that is been growen in soil.

 

With pests in ya yard the only thing u really have to worry about is slugs and snails keep them at bay and all should be cool.

 

Thanks.

 

What do people recommend in terms of both watering newly sprouted plants and later on after a few nodes of leaves develop.

 

I'm guessing people just go by their senses and lift and determine the weight of a pot freshly watered VS one that has dried out.

 

- Should I water once I have determined the soil has completely dried out? Or a little less/more which is to say give it a full day of dry soil once it has dried out/always keep the soil slightly moist

- Can I add super-thrive to my water?

- Do people bother with adjusting their tap water ph or using distilled water?

- What are people's opinions on bore water as that is what our reticulation is, should I skip that station on the retic circuit?

 

With the plant not getting to tall yes lst will be good u will just have to keep tieing it down as it grows and yes it could be 6 foot+ by the time u harvest u will just have to keep tie down until harvest time.

 

Another way u could go it tipping the plant by doing that the plant wont grow very tall but it will be a short and very bushy plant.

 

I hope this has helped u out, i aint from wa but we have a member here that should reply when he sees this post who is from wa will be able to tell all u need to know about planting times there, and a few other members as well...

 

Welcome to OS llama farmer

 

All that I'll add to ozzies advice is that LST can be a pain in the arse if your tending more than just a couple of plants.

Once they really get growing they need regular adjustment to prevent snapped branches and it can become quite time consuming

So if your growing a bunch of em, tipping is the go, but if it's just a couple of pets in your backyard LST is ok and keeps you in touch with your ladies

Starting them late is probably a blessing in disguise if you don't want them too big.

I started some in early October last season and had trees by xmas

 

As for this...

 

...dodgy neighbours are always a worry ...but your llamas should keep em at bay

 

Best of luck for the season mate

 

Good point guys.

 

Should I look at setting up a chicken wire SCROG?

 

Just how much does continuous topping counter height? Are they likely to still break the 5'/6' barrier?

 

At this stage I think I will try both techniques as a fun experiment/comparrison

 

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/5557/onemq7.jpg

 

Break the surface you little bastards! You can do it! (Only put them in this morning)

[llama farmer]

Also the beans are one bag seed and a number of different strains I ordered a couple of years ago

 

1 x old bag seed

1 x unnamed 'freebie' from gypsy nirvana's store (not sure about advertising rules so I won't url it)

1 x hindu kush

1 x northern lights X big bud

1 x Jock horror

1 x Unknown (It is one of the four possible ordered seeds which fell out of place at some point and I have NFI which one it is)

 

The only one to not have cracked was the NLxBB but the rest were ready to rock so it got the transfer along with the rest

Edited November 19, 2007 by llama farmer

[Ozzy420]

Those lil pots look a lil dry to me give them a water but dont flood them u need to keep it moist but not to wet as well.

 

The boar water can be high in metals, and arnt to sure if it will be any good for the plants u will have to get the water tested.

 

With watering your plants it a lil trial and error but never let them dry out, some ppl go how heavey the pot is weather it needs watering if it seems a lil lite to them they water.

 

One of the easyest way to keep an eye on it is it u dig down about an inch into the soil and it is dry it time to water but the hotter it gets the more u will need to water as it is drying it out a lot faster.

 

Yes u can use super thrive in ya water but wait until the girls are at least 6 weeks old and againe only use it once a fortnight as it can build up in the soil and give u a heap of trouble.

 

With tipping u just keep taking the growing tip from the highest growing points and in stead of growing up at a rate of knots it will grow out instead u will still gain hight but at a lot slower rate.

 

Oh and forgot to add that the ph for plants in soil is around the 7 mark (i think)...

[llama farmer]

Ok thanks. Just gave them another water, almost dried out in the arvo sun. I'll keep a vigilant watch the next couple of a days.

 

Also I have a digital ph meter and have always assumed it is only for liquids. Will it give any reading dipped in the soil? How do I test the ph of the soil? Or do you simply mean make sure the water, both by itself and later with fertz, is a ph of 7

Edited November 19, 2007 by llama farmer

[llama farmer]

Hmm third day and still no sprouting...

[Ozzy420]

The tap root will grown down a bit before it brakes through.

 

How deep did u plant the seeds ?

[llama farmer]

1.5cm - 2cm

 

Relax and give it a few more days? It also got an accidental hit of the bore retic