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VICTORIA - outdoor growers. Post your 2013 preparations here


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Vic growers, let's make this a mega-thread and hope that growers in other states start their own similar threads as a resource for noobs and an ideas exchange for experienced growers.

 

With around six weeks till the Spring Equinox, I have started preparation for this year's outdoor grow. The grow patch has been dug over a couple of times since harvest and a few handfuls of lime sprinkled over the dirt. 

 

I'm in Sth. Gippsland which has extremely fertile black loam soil but it tends to be very acidic. The lime will restore balance to the soil and was applied early, giving it time to settle before planting. I've grown weed outdoors for over 20 years and usually harvest enough to keep me in smoke for the year.  Personal principles are: I do not buy or sell; growing is 100% organic.

 

This first week in August sees me preparing seed raising mix for September. I've dug a couple of barrowloads of our lovely black loam, sifted it to remove weeds, seeds, stones, leaves, roots and then added a few handfuls of dolomite and dynamic lifter to the mix. That will now sit there until the seeds are sprouted.

 

Since last year I've collected every toilet roll tube and plastic meat tray. The tubes are perfect for seedlings. Stand them up in a meat tray, fill with seed raising mix, using tweezers, pop a germinated seed in each tube. Water with a very weak seaweed solution (1 cap per bucket water) until the seedlings are about 4" high. Then the whole tube can be put in the ground, minimising root damage from transplanting.

 

I like to give my plants the best possible start in life. Being close to the sea, I don't suffer many frosts and as soon as the seeds sprout and go into their tubes I like to put them outside so they are well acclimatised before transplanting into their final growing spot. 

 

Ten years ago I started breeding my own strain. I can say now with certainty that it is stable and predictable - a great quality in an outdoors seed. This year, thanks to SirVapesalot, I will be tandem growing a few other strains to assess how (and if) I wish to breed them into GSL (Great Souther Land). 

 

So Vic outdoors growers, please add your preparations, do-lists and observations to this thread. Let's make it a 'go-to' resource for new Vic outdoors growers. 

 

Peace and harmony to all

cane

 

 

 

 

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im not in vic but my outdoor preps go like this.

 

starting at the beginning of august, find a location, preferably a north facing slope, with a source of water nearby. dig a whole at least 1m x 1m and one spade depth deep (if the natural ground is particularly bad you may have to go deeper). for every spade depth you go down add 1 wheelbarrow load of organic compost (about 5 or 6 bags if your buying it) so if you dig your whole deeper you will need even more compost. i also add 1 bag of rooster booster, 1 bag of cow manure and a large bag of worm castings if you can get it. one or 2 hand fulls of blood and bone. a little lime and a generous dose of beneficial bacteria.

 

turn it all over a few times until it is all well mixed and you should have a nice little raised garden bed that is about the equivelant of growing in about a 200l pot with the added bonus of the roots being able to search out through the natural ground as well.

 

once its all turned over cover it with mulch. shredded cedar or cedar chips are good if you can get them because they also repel bugs. leave it until the start of september so all the beneficials can do there thing and mellow out the mix so its not too hot.

 

start your seedlings at the start of august indoors if you can this way by the time september rolls around you have well established seedlings ready to go into the soil you prepared.

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im not in vic but my outdoor preps go like this.

 

starting at the beginning of august, find a location, preferably a north facing slope, with a source of water nearby. dig a whole at least 1m x 1m and one spade depth deep (if the natural ground is particularly bad you may have to go deeper). for every spade depth you go down add 1 wheelbarrow load of organic compost (about 5 or 6 bags if your buying it) so if you dig your whole deeper you will need even more compost. i also add 1 bag of rooster booster, 1 bag of cow manure and a large bag of worm castings if you can get it. one or 2 hand fulls of blood and bone. a little lime and a generous dose of beneficial bacteria.

 

turn it all over a few times until it is all well mixed and you should have a nice little raised garden bed that is about the equivelant of growing in about a 200l pot with the added bonus of the roots being able to search out through the natural ground as well.

 

once its all turned over cover it with mulch. shredded cedar or cedar chips are good if you can get them because they also repel bugs. leave it until the start of september so all the beneficials can do there thing and mellow out the mix so its not too hot.

 

start your seedlings at the start of august indoors if you can this way by the time september rolls around you have well established seedlings ready to go into the soil you prepared.

...more little notes lol cheers fiwh v. :sun:

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i'll germinate my seeds this week, i do what you do canetoad, with the toilet roll tubes, with my soil i prep it in a very similar way as forgetiwashere mentioned.

we've had a good amount of rainfall here in Vic of late and the temps are expected to reach near the 20's by end of the week so it looks promising.

 

good luck everyone

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I have some 6 week olds that I might put outside as I'm running out of tent space.

 

It was 26*C and sunny yesterday but it's back to being wet and cold today, when it generally becomes warmer say by Oct, I'll put em out. I just worry that these early morning frosts we've been getting would wreck them.

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