early start in tazzy

[skunkish]

gday fellow oz stoners.. i was looking for a few tips on outdoor growing.. im in a cold climate (tazzy) and this year i had heaps of seeds so i thought why not try and get a few going already!! anyway crack all 20 beans using a damp chuxer (hanging out of a cup with a little water in the bottom) as soon as they poped in smallish pots in premium potting mix with heaps dry and crushed cow. chicken and alpaca shit i cut up some sponge and added it to the mix the pots and floor of the small green house is painted white ( very secure location).. haven't started feeding them yet but plan on using my homebrew worm tea mix and seasol.. these plants will not stay in the pots eventually going into a hole a big as i can dig.. from what i have told you guys would you be able to make any suggestions... some things i would like opinions on include... should i place a dead sheep at the bottom of the giant hole? heard that it works alright.. also is it worth my time getting them out early in the greenhouse? also any other tips on adding things to soil would be appreciated =)

[sargentscraps]

G'day Skunk,

 

Adding a sheep at the hole definitely wouldn't hurt, as long as its deep enough but as its your first grow I probably wouldn't bother just yet. Plus it would also be pointless to put it in a few weeks before you plant as it would need to degrade quite a bit for it to be beneficial to the ladies. I would be careful putting seedlings with manure and so forth as it could be quite hot and the frail delicate little thing will topple over. All they need is a little 4" pot full of seed raising mix. Once they have developed a few leaf sets, then think about transplanting into something with a good neutral top soil or potting soil with a good bed of compost and manures underneath. This is so the plant isn't thrown into hot soil, rather the plant and roots get established in the new soil, then when the roots start to grow they hit the nutrient bed and go for green. As for the greenhouse, I would definitely be using that, grow them to a decent height when they're well established then move them outdoors. Also remember if your in a place where there is quite a bit of rain in march and April, which is pretty common in Tassy, if you don't know have a look at your local weather records (weather-zone will have somewhere close by) I would recommend maybe growing in large pots so at least if its going to poor down you have the ability to move the budding girls into the greenhouse or into shelter...........I take it your not guerilla growing? As for soil, the best things are compost, worm castings, mulches and various amendments you can throw in depending on your natural soil. But for example if your just putting all your on soil in, what I use for 4 holes this year was,

6 bags of good quality organic potting mix/soil

3 bags searles 5 in 1 (I highly recomend if you can get it) 5 in 1

20kg worm casting

 

Mix them all up and let it sit for a month to get everything going and your right on track.

All the best mate, hope that helps

 

Scraps

[Auntynorm]

G'day ish.

 

The Sarge has it down pat, but I would also add a good dose of blood and bone, and a good dose of garden lime. Any organic matter is good, but it all needs a bit of time to get working properly. As far as the sheep goes, might find every dog and tassie devil within a zillion miles will home in on that, and wreck your garden, also dead things, even deep underground, do stink, usually very badly. This could also attract vermin like rats, 2 and 4 legged, also pigs, once again 2 and 4 legged. Just make sure you dig everything in very well, by using manures, blood and bone and lime it will break everything down faster. Just go very easy on nutes of any sort while the plants are still babies. I usually wait until there are at least 4 sets of true leaves before I add any nutes, just rain water until then. Then start them out slowly on feeding, quarter to half strength for the first 2 or 3 feeds, and then SLOWLY increase the levels. I'm looking forward to seeing some pics soon. Do you know what strain the seeds are? It could be a help if something goes wrong down the track. I usually only transplant once, straight from the seedling pot, @ 150mm size, into the well prepared final position. This lessens the chance of shock. Try not to disturb the soil from the potting mix too much and water them in with some weak seasol or fish emulsion, you say you have worm tea, terrific, though use it as a weak tea.

 

:guitar:

Edited September 16, 2011 by Auntynorm

[shroomyshroom]

 

sargentscraps and Auntynorm

 

Are correct in every aspect.. I also like to mix some coco into the mix just to make the medium a little more fluffy and softer for the roots to penetrate.. thicks hard mashed together soil is very hard for young roots to penetrate even adding some gypsum is a great idea

 

best of luck with your grow this year keen for some pics

[Frazz]

i really think a small shark would be better than a sheep, and a good deal cheaper

though i guess that depends on availability too

 

[sargentscraps]

To true, I've always dreamed of going to the Murray and catching a bunch of carp and putting them all at the bottom of my holes. I'd be doing every one a favour.

[Auntynorm]

G'day Troops.

 

A very worthy idea, Sarge. Everyone should do a bit of that, thin that crap out big time, and give the native species a better go. Also it would be better to eat the sheep yourself, ish, the price of lamb nowdays. Some fish scraps would be ok, but down about a metre at least, with a good covering of soil/compost/mulch. The roots will soon find that.

 

:guitar:

Edited September 17, 2011 by Auntynorm

[skunkish]

thanks heaps for all the advice all !! i wont go with the sheep this year then i guess although i am a very keen fisherman and forgot to add previously that i have the whole of about ten redfin perch and the guts of a few brown trout at the bottom of the hole so im excited to see what difference it may have in contrast to the others.. most of my plants when they are a nice size will be moved in their pots to a guerilla style set up mainly in small plots of about 4. although im keen to keep the odd 1 or 2 in the greenhouse.. as far as keeping them in the greenhouse goes what are the pros and cons? will i produce higher quality buds in the greenhouse? if so why? also a quick question on feeding with seasol and the worm tea is this best done by just diluting the concentrate in a spray bottle then spraying on the leaves when not in the sun e.g. at sundown or just mixing it in the watering can? also if anyone can recommend any great ferts as far as flowering is concerned please do, ( note i don't really have access to a hydro store so products easily accessible from Bunnings ect would be perfect) again thanks to this great little community for all being so helpful.. p.s pics coming soon =)

[The Hash Nibbler]

Heya Skunkish =), Greenhouses are great mate, especially in a weather fickle place such as Tassie . I am growing in a greenhouse and have 1 girl that was put out about 5 weeks ago in flower, and another put out 2-3 weeks ago which is starting to flower. the second may re-vegg as the hours get longer but the first should bring me early buds =)

 

I have lived down in Tassie and if ya can get ya plants in the greenhouse soon, you'll be laughing. Buds from sati's in April/May.

Keep those pots off the ground, usually some of that foam panels they pack around new tv's and shit works well.

Ventilate the greenhouse on warmer days and adjust for less ventilation when cold and windy.

It's real easy, and plants love it.

At Bunnings i use a Blood and Bone fertilizer with added PK, can't remember the name of it, but works a treat and then just smash em with PK towards the end, lubbly. I also add seaweed extracts, such as seasol or one of the others to keep the soil healthy , with the occassion bit of mulch and the old leaves and stuff i trim in the soil, this works great.

It's absolutely pissing down here..... and I got buds growing......outside...... Gotta love the Greenhouses.... Peace. Gh72