AKGramma's Perpetual Grow

[AKgramma]

Frustration with the email problems, I am losing passion for this hobby. Without inspiration from the community, there is no reason to continue posting on 420. NOTHING I try is solving my email issue. My settings are all correct.

I simply do not have the time to go to each forum individually and catch up on a dozen unread posts. It was much easier via email, where I could quickly scan which posts I wanted to reply to.

Teddy, please move this forum to completed or unfinished Journals. I'm done with this mess!

Teddy: I have reconsidered. Please do not retire this journal. I'll leave it open for now.

 

[AKgramma]

Vote in the MOTM at 420 Magazine's Member of the Month - March 2018

 

[TorturedSoul]

I think they came in on the grandson's clones he gave me a few weeks ago.

And I don't mean just a leaf or two. I'm talking a sheet of webs over each plant and kajillions of itty-bitty black mites tending those webs!

I had a chance to save a little time once when an acquaintance offered to give me a dozen clones. When he showed up with them, I took one look and told him to find someone's trash can other than mine to throw them in. I later heard that, instead of doing so, he split them up between two other people. One had established plants (in addition to the clones), and ended up "canceling" that grow.

I'll never understand why people give plants that have infestations. Unless, that is, there is a healthy(???) dose of "malice aforethought" involved. Had your grandson, prior to giving you the bugs, been told that you'd cut him out of your will, lol?

Mites... Personally, I think I'd rather have to deal with the clap.

 

[AKgramma]

I had a chance to save a little time once when an acquaintance offered to give me a dozen clones. When he showed up with them, I took one look and told him to find someone's trash can other than mine to throw them in. I later heard that, instead of doing so, he split them up between two other people. One had established plants (in addition to the clones), and ended up "canceling" that grow.

I'll never understand why people give plants that have infestations. Unless, that is, there is a healthy(???) dose of "malice aforethought" involved. Had your grandson, prior to giving you the bugs, been told that you'd cut him out of your will, lol?

Mites... Personally, I think I'd rather have to deal with the clap.

Hey! TS! I tried to navigate to your journal but got a notice you were set to private. How can I get in to keep up on you? Do you HAVE a current journal?

Grandson's plants are usually very free of infestations. His plants look way better than mine. Those mites must have been dormant in the soil or something, or some of mine went nuts when they found pristine, healthy plants. Cause it was just HIS plants that got invaded.

The White Widow and the AK 48's seem to nurture mites more than the others. The AK 47 x DP aren't like that. If I do see an occasional mite, I can soak the plant down with Neem and am good for a month.

 

[TorturedSoul]

got a notice you were set to private.

That is probably because I attempted to turn all these new "stalk me" features off; apparently, I met with some success. I'm just not much of a fan of (anti-)"social media"... stuff.

Do you HAVE a current journal?

Not at present. It is still a bit chilly here, and I can barely find the money to heat (part of) my house up enough to keep the water pipes, my cat, and myself above freezing. Also... I confess that I have been awaiting some improvement in this new forum setup. It would be a disservice to the members if I created a journal - and then could barely bring myself to post in it with any regularity. So I've been trying to pummel myself into getting used to it in its current state. To date, though, that seems to have amounted to forcing myself to log in a few times per day with the intent of catching up with a few dozen threads that I'm already subscribed to. And then I end up reading/posting in one or two, and by that point my hope has been dashed and my mental energy completely expended, so I shut down the computer until I am able to try again. Maybe it'd help if I took up drinking liquor once more, lol?

I have tried to start seeds a few times, but I end up forgetting about them until I can manage to overcome the depression long enough to go check... only to find dead, yellowed "newborn seedlings" at the bottom of the cups. I've p!ssed away too many seeds because of this recently, including several strains that I only had one or two (seeds) each of.

Grandson's plants are usually very free of infestations. His plants look way better than mine. Those mites must have been dormant in the soil or something

Oh, okay. I was under the mistaken impression that they came all decked out with mite webs, as if they were Christmas trees hung all about with tinsel. Stupid of me, I suppose; you would have noticed such a thing right away, I'm sure.

BtW, in catching up on your journal thread, I saw you post about wanting it moved to "Completed." I understand that you've changed your mind for the time being (thanks, BtW ), but I wanted to mention that the best way to have such a thing done is to use the Report Post function, and ask the staff to do so in your report. Otherwise, it requires a staff member to be following your thread and to see your post.

Strange days. The other day, I found a brilliantly-colored pigeon (all the local ones are washed-out looking, even the males) in my yard. It was also quite a bit larger than the local winged rats. As I walked around it, it seemed to me that all it could do was swivel its head in an attempt to keep me in sight. I thought it must have been injured, somehow (although I saw no blood). Had I liked bird better (or at all ) or been a wee bit poorer, I'd have had it in the oven. I went back out a few minutes later and it was still there. It seemed to be trying to rise up on its legs, but wasn't making any wing movements. Its tail feathers looked almost like the back end of the bird had been rotated 90° to the side. As it was below freezing - and starting to snow - I found myself wondering if it'd freeze to death before one of the neighborhood cats made a meal of it. The next time I went out, it was gone with no blood, feathers, or feces to show it had ever been there at all. I wonder where pigeons that are as colorful as a peacock normally make their homes? Oh... I just read that the blue-crowned pigeon can grow to be as large as a turkey. It wasn't that large.

I just realized that I have NO idea what prompted me to type all that in. But since I'm mostly typing with one good hand, it took some effort, lol, so I'll leave it.

 

[AKgramma]

That' OK, TS. You can talk to me anytime. You have been a huge help to me when I first started out on this site 3 years ago. And a real inspiration to me since!

 

[TorturedSoul]

Thank you kindly, ma'am, that was like receiving an unexpected gift. No... it wasn't like receiving an unexpected gift, it was exactly that. Especially since, these days, I generally find it hard to imagine being an inspiration to anyone (in a positive way).

I still think of the forum in a good way. Much of my personal... In addition to the usual issues, trying to learn something new is getting more and more difficult for me (for whatever reason). And when it's not merely a case of learning something new, but "unlearning" the previous thing in the process... Well, I suppose I'm preaching to the choir, lol?

LOL. I am an inspiration to YOU. Seems like, when I'm "this" way, the few threads that I keep accessing even when I'm down are yours and Sue's. Who is inspiring who, again?

Again, thank you for the kind words.

 

[AKgramma]

This last week I harvested 4 Jock Horror Autos, 2 of my grandson's and two of mine. Not super larfy, but fairly small buds dried. However they smell yummy enough to promise the smokers good daytime smoking.

All I have left in flower for me, are the three AK47 x Durban Poisons I'm trying to breed. Still too early to determine sex. I did cut their tops for clones, and to give them headroom for stretching.

The large unit has my grandson's flowering Purple and White Widows. He cut a LOT of clones off them, so we have about 30 clones to babysit. I hope some of them root. I'd like to have a couple purples and another healthy WW or two.

In veg is a Purple clone and the two WW clones I'm mainlining. The only space I have for them right now is on shelving in another room with 27" head space. So they should remain low enough to avoid the lights.

We're getting lots of sunshine and it really perks up my energy! Should be a good season for successful cloning. hope...hope...hope...

 

[TorturedSoul]

This last week I harvested 4 Jock Horror Autos, 2 of my grandson's and two of mine. Not super larfy, but fairly small buds dried. However they smell yummy enough to promise the smokers good daytime smoking.

All I have left in flower for me, are the three AK47 x Durban Poisons I'm trying to breed. Still too early to determine sex.

A friend has allowed me use of his jeweler's loupe on semipermanent loan. Not a huge magnification, but at least the field of view is large enough that a micro-tremor in the fabric of the universe won't cause the viewer to go into convulsions. Now I will once again be able to see "preflowers" with my own eyes.

We're getting lots of sunshine and it really perks up my energy!

That's great. I saw a glimpse of Spring the other day, but the weather around here has been strangely bipolar the last few years. Night before last, I went for a walk at 1:30am, and was in a t-shirt because it was 63°F. Seven hours later, when I when I woke up, it was in the 30°s and there was snow on the ground. Today, I was outside talking to a neighbor and it was quite chilly (and I noticed that my grass was twice as high as it should be when one mows it ) . Now, four hours later, it is 60°F and I am hoping that my yard isn't full of my siding when I go out tomorrow to look at the house, because the wind is quite fierce and has been for some little while now. I heard something hit my window pretty hard a few minutes ago (and I'm on the second story of the house right now, lol). Probably a bird or a largish bat, I assume. I looked at my weather app - which gets its local data from approximately five miles away, as the crow flies (altitude within 13' of mine and no hills or waterways in between us) - and it is stating that the temperature is 53°F with no wind. My brother lives about seven miles from me in the other direction, and during any given torrential downpour here, I can call him and (in response to my question) he'll answer, "Rain? What rain?" 90+% of the time - but, a couple of years ago, he was hit by one of the worst storms this area has had in 50 years - and I was busy mowing my grass at the time, dry as could be (okay, the sweat was pouring off, but...).

Those who grow potatoes hate it early in the growing season, because it's even more of a crap shoot trying to decide if/when to plant than it (traditionally) was in days gone by. The guerrilla growers hate it all the time, lol. They plant later but still might get hosed. If they plant where they can take advantage of local water, they might end up wishing they'd planted rice ( lolol). If they don't, they might be faced with hauling ALL the water in or giving up. Then September rolls around and they might be growing as much mold as anything else. Things might be decent, and they have several weeks left in the season - or they might already have lost the nearby "cover."

I have seen (light, sporadic) snow in September - and I have mowed the grass in December (or January, or February).

But I ramble. I really only posted in order to say... To say... Hmm. Well, perhaps I've already said it .

By the way, I love your avatar graphic! If that thing was on sale in one of the local stores' toy sections, I'd buy one for the poor kids' Christmas present donation drop-off even if I had to sell a pint or two of the red in order to do so. Last year I was unable to buy a gift for that; first time in a long time... The first computer I ever received was a Christmas present, and - even though it had less free memory than my average post size - I think with the (tape) drive and a couple of other related items, they spent $400 or more (in '80 or '81, IIRC?). The next year I received... a paperback book and a package of Hershey Kisses. I was happy to get something to read - but both my parents seemed like they'd just been in a train wreck and were trying their best to hide it. I think when a family has kids and there's not much (or NO) money for Christmas, it can sometimes affect the parents as much or even more than the children.

Sorry, rambling again. I love your avatar (lol).

 

[AKgramma]

Grandson came by and reclaimed his flowering ladies. I have one whole empty (and deactivated) 3 x 3 unit. I suppose it's time for me to sprout another strain.

Of the three AK 47 x Durban Poisons I have in flower, my triple mutant showed several branches of male pods overnight. Every "Trip" I have had was male, so I am not surprised. But no sign of hairs from the other two, so I'll have to collect pollen with a paper bag, and keep it dry until the ladies show their Lady Parts.

 

[AKgramma]

Time for some pics of the last 3 AK 47 x Durban Poisons.

The male decided to show long before the ladies.

Male AK 47 x Durban Poison

• AKgramma
• Apr 8, 2018

One of the ladies. Note how the growing tips are starting to form rosettes. I expect to see pistils soon.

Female AK 47 x Durban Poison #2

• AKgramma
• Apr 8, 2018

 

[Pennywise]

She’s looking good, should be a fun high from that cross.

 

[AKgramma]

The seeds were the cross, so I expect a number of phenotypes from the offspring, some being more DP and some being more AK 47, and some with a more even blend of the two. I'll know by the width of the leaves which are leaning one way or the other. Also, their smell when they mature.

With so much free space, I probably should start the AK Thunder f***s (ATF) soon. But I'm not in the mood to start another batch just yet.

 

[AKgramma]

I'm preparing for the next grow. Going back to potting solutions I used in my first and second grow: 3 gallon storage bins. This time, the cheapest way to go are 3-gallon dish washing tubs. $3 apiece. These will give me another 8" of head space over the 13" trash bins I have been using.

But these are good for Fems and Photos only. Way too shallow for autos. So I'm keeping the taller bins for Autos.

I'll be able to fit 6 of them and grow to maturity in the 3 x 3 unit, and three in the 15" x 3 ft unit.

Now, to figure out what seeds I want to pop!

 

[Pennywise]

What ya got?

 

[TheMadDabber]

Pretty sure she said she's got a lot! Can't wait for the next chapter of your journey AKG

 

[AKgramma]

My seed stock includes not only gifts, but purchases, and home-grown (males gone wild)
HOMEGROWN:
Bubblelicious
Mystery Sativa crosses (from unnamed bonus seeds from Nirvana)
(AK 47 x DP) x White Castle
AK 48 x mystery Sativa
AK 49 x (AKxDP)
Polar Express Auto x White Castle

GIFTED PHOTOS :
ATF
Harlequin
Afghani

AUTO from MJSeeds:
Jock Horror Fem (turned out to be a very popular smoke)
Autoberry Fem

I don't have many Autos, so I might fertilize one branch of each with pollen I have handy (AK47xDP) and see if the Ruderalis genes express themselves in the offspring.

***I think I will pop the Autoberry next and use some of the fresh pollen from the current seeding project on one of the ladies. I have just enough tall trash bins to accommodate the Autoberries. The last Autoberry I grew harvested at 48 inches and was covered with buds from top to bottom. No cropping, no training.

Autoberry is a cross between blueberry and grapefruit and Ruderalis. It was a very popular smoke among friends and family.

 

[Bilbobudkin420]

I'm preparing for the next grow. Going back to potting solutions I used in my first and second grow: 3 gallon storage bins. This time, the cheapest way to go are 3-gallon dish washing tubs. $3 apiece. These will give me another 8" of head space over the 13" trash bins I have been using.

But these are good for Fems and Photos only. Way too shallow for autos. So I'm keeping the taller bins for Autos.

I'll be able to fit 6 of them and grow to maturity in the 3 x 3 unit, and three in the 15" x 3 ft unit.

Now, to figure out what seeds I want to pop!

Is the reason the pots arent big enough for autos because autos start flowrring when rootts touch bottom of pot? I read that somewhere on here last night.

 

[Bilbobudkin420]

Oh and hello @AKgramma. Happy to be joining as your just kicking off a new one

 

[TorturedSoul]

AKGramma, I ran into some crazy old hillbilly last evening. I think he was looking for you... .

Is the reason the pots arent big enough for autos because autos start flowrring when rootts touch bottom of pot? I read that somewhere on here last night.

I've been wondering, if a person had two containers of roughly the same volume - but of differing heights - and they planted the same strain of auto-flowering seed in each (perhaps S₁ generation siblings, since clones are not a thing), and they were able to somehow judge when the (tap?)root of the one growing in the shorter container was just on the cusp of contacting the bottom of its container... If the grower then watered it well with a good dose of nutrients - but most especially nitrogen and some nitrogen - would that plant remain in the vegetative growth phase.

Some complaints I've read over time about the posters' auto-flowering plants having delayed transitioning to the flowering phase that turned out to share "too much nitrogen" as a common denominator would appear to support this theory. But... I don't know. I suppose it would - like so many other things - depend on a number of factors.

I'm just thinking out lou-- err... in print. You can tell the difference between that and a ramble, because a ramble wouldn't stop... now.