Growin at 800 meters, not always easy!

[Sativa Diva]

Hey Stoners, newbie to this site, made a intro at Dr Livingston and a couple of comments here and there.

But I think this is the site I'm after, wondering how many smokers are growing at high altitudes.

 

My place is 830 meters, surrounded by farmland on one side and national park the rest. Temperature range is from minus -7.4C to 39.7C. That is what I have recorded here over the last 17 years.  Snow falls we get most winters but they are usually lite, 2012 was our heaviest recently.  

 

  

 

Heavy frosts are common, last season we had frosts up till mid Nov. Rainfall since 1st Jan. 584mm, this year we are above the average for this area. Overnight dew is the biggest problem for backyard growing. 

Over the last 17 years, the most dew free nights I have had in one year was 48 dry nights,  I usually lose up to 30% to bud rot. Thank the Cannabis Gods for clear plastic. My babies usually stay under plastic till late Nov, then straight into the ground, and if needed plastic at nights for late frosts.

 

My seeds go in on the 1st of Aug. The earliest harvest I have had was mid Mar. and the latest mid May. 

These girls went in on the 1st Aug under plastic and popped up about 5 days ago, they are Blue Hash Plant X Holland's Hope. 

 

 

This is some of last seasons girls, in Jan 2015, they are the same as girls above.

[Stanley.Beamish.]

 

Good luck with this run m8.....

 

The leaves on those girls in the last crop look HUGE   

[Sativa Diva]

Thanks Stanley, I got another dozen seeds will be goin in over next 2 weeks, it could be as long as 8 months till harvest, weather depending, so I will be doing updates as I go, happy smokin.

[torrietree]

This should be an interesting grow to watch. Subbed

[Dingo-2008]

Hi Sativa Diva,

 

Have have you ever grown indoors as that would help you with all your cold weather prob's an even the hot temps in summer.

 

Regards,Dingo-2008.

[Sativa Diva]

Hey Dingo, nice to hear from you. No, I have never grown indoor, and for no other reason than I love weed thats been grown in our amazing Mother Earth .

The temperature, frosts, heat waves and all, thats just a part of outdoors. I dont see them as problems, just a part of the end goal, and that is enough weed for next year. I must admit, Mother Nature can be harsh, in April 2001 we had a very early snow storm come thru, followed by 3 days of minus %, all my girls where about 3 weeks off harvest, they froze solid, none recovered, I still ended up with a good amount of bud, just not quite ripe.

I have never had problems with heat, in 2009, on Black Saturday, it reached 48.8C here, I had soaked everything at sunrise, and had no problems with any of the plants. I have always believed the stronger the sunlight, the stronger the bud, thats not based on science, just my own observations.

[manbearpig]

Hi sativa d,

                 growing in the colder climates here in aus can be challenging

you have a good grip on the environment variables and a realistic outlook

may I suggest a few earlier flowered plants ie force flowered around december so you get some buds that are "cooked up" in the full summer sun,  in case you get those early frosts again?

 

just an idea as I have done quite a few grows running the frost gauntlet

 

happy growing

[louise]

Thanks Stanley, I got another dozen seeds will be goin in over next 2 weeks, it could be as long as 8 months till harvest, weather depending, so I will be doing updates as I go, happy smokin.

 

Hi Sativa Diva, I used to live on the other side of the mountain... ne vic, growing at 600m... I have to ask... why put your plants out so early? I used to begin my seeds indoors October and set the plants out in the ground in November.... earlier than that and they would just sit and sulk in the cold.

[Sativa Diva]

Hey Manbearpig, ok, thanks, sounds interesting, but how do you go about forcing a plant to bud.

[manbearpig]

Hey Manbearpig, ok, thanks, sounds interesting, but how do you go about forcing a plant to bud.

 Hi Sd , basically its the method of photoperiod manipulation,

veg some plants out to a mangeable size, much  better if you use pre sexed cuttings,

keep in mind the amount of stretch once flowering is initiated, ie a foot tall plant may become a three foot tall plant when it has finished flowering

i usually do just a couple of smaller plants and use a light proof box/covering,( massive cardboard boxes are good ,think fridge size) which goes over the plant at 6pm

then is removed at 6am , ie a 12 hr trigger for flower initiation,

then

repeat every day until you are well into flower ( usually six weeks )for me )

and the last few weeks you can do away with the box on box off saga which should give you enough finishing time

without the plant reverting to leaf production

I have even cut down to one third after flowering, harvested buds and got another smaller yield before autumn /winter has set in from the same plant

its a bit of a pain, but assuming you are with your plants daily its a minor inconvenience for some nice early buds

others have automated green house covers which retract on a timer etc, so the sky is the limit if you are the inventive type

 

just enter "force flowering cannabis" into any search engine , there are quite a few articles around which may help you out

 

happy growing