HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Amy Gardner's First Journal - Outdoor - Critical Cure & Chaos In The Forest
- Thread starter Amy Gardner
- Start date
Kismet
Well-Known Member
Speaking my language Amy. Yes i loved outdoor and finding just the perfect microclimate. But was always growing on someone elses land which never caused any problems but won't do it again. Just out of respect.Welcome all to Amy Gardner’s first grow journal
First I'll get some particulars on the table - much is still in flux (no pun intended), but the known quantities so far are:
Strain(s);
1 x CBD Critical Cure (Feminised - Barney's Farm), Indica dominant (80%/20%) | THC 5.5%/CBD 8% | this is largely for meds, a supply of oil for treatment of pain & PTSD | this one is going in the garden enclosure.
1 x Professor Chaos (Regular - TGA Subcool), Sativa Dominant (65%/35%) | Relatively short flowering (50-60days) | I bought this before learning more about strains and about landrace. In the future I'll more likely go for a Panama. But I'm hoping to plant this one out in the forest, it's going to be fun to see how the Chaos goes out there in the wild.:icon_cool
1 x Money Bush (Feminised - Heavyweight, freebie from Herbies), Indica dominant 80%/20% | THC 21%/CBD3% | this is going in an experimental location, to see if it's a viable spot. The strain doesn't particularly excite me, but it was free which is great and it will do a great job for me testing this spot.
Veg or Flower? Nothing in veg or flower yet - i'm preparing to get soil ready (and waiting for protected enclosure to be built - finished any day (or week) now!)
Environment: All outdoor
Medium: Soil - this is being worked out now. Some kind of 1 : 1 : 1 plus amendments arrangement. The rest of this opening post will begin a discussion and ask for advice about my soil. See below!
Container: 1 or 2 in pots - hopefully a 30L and 1 straight in the ground (in a slightly amended spot)
Light: The Sun
Air-cooled?: The nor-easterly breeze
Temp & RH - Our summer’s can get pretty hot and late summer can be humid. Can’t control it, will just monitor and try to build strong plants!
Any Pests?: Hopefully not! and let’s hope the plants are strong enough. I’ve grown in the area before and not had any.
How often are you watering? As little as possible at first and then as much as they seem to want.
Type and strength of ferts used? All natural - what’s available. Seaweed, some compost teas, worm castings topdress if needed.
I really don’t know what to expect and that’s the most exciting part. It’s the first time I’ve tried more than one plant at a time and a more serious (but in a kind of frivolous sense, not serious, just more serious) approach to growing than I’ve taken before. It’s my place here so I am experimenting with different sites around the garden (but anything outside the enclosure needs it’s own wallaby/possum proof fence, so there’s that to consider).
I had originally planned to drop the seeds with the new moon at the end of this week (I do things by the moon as much as possible) but the enclosure is delayed and now I am taking a trip away for a week that can’t be helped - so I plan to drop seeds about the 27th which is a bit late in the cycle but still waxing, so should be ok.
This is my 4th grow. Each previous time has been a grow of only one plant, 3 different locations over the last 6 years. The first one I grew when I wasn’t smoking much and it lasted years! I have no idea how much it was in weight. The second I grew was this one (different user name - it was me!) and she was a beautiful plant but she lost the sun too soon in the season (behind some tall trees) and being a sativa this didn’t go well - plus, in the last 5 weeks of flowering we had about the wettest autumn on record and it rained and rained … i was so dedicated - out there every morning shaking her down and cutting off the rot! I had the craziest rig of clear (milky) plastic and supports trying to jeep the rain off her. Anyway - she got pulled too early but I still had smoke from her for a long time and it was a nice smoke, good for me and the occasional friend, and occasional bonus for the folks who come to work here.
Currently I’m growing an indoor for the first time - mostly because I was getting impatient for summer and the garden enclosure we’re having built is, of course, way behind schedule.
SO - onwards!
I’m trying to do what I can with what’s here and whatever amendments are deemed essential.
I need to talk soil with you good folk!
I’ve been reading a lot - and some of it has sunk in and been understood, some of it has sunk in and confused me and some of it I’ve very likely missed. I haven’t read all of the earlier journals of DocBud and Conradino23 that i’d like to yet so I’m missing some stuff there I think, but i’m still reading. I’ve read a bit about CEC and the base cations etc. and still digesting this crash course is soil mineral science! So to be clear from the outset - I’m not equipped, or inclined actually, to do a no-till situation. I also will not be going down the full LOS pathway that involves lots of grain hulls, teas, cover crops etc, although many of the principles and ideas are certainly in play (and I might try some chamomile and or clover in the pot - maybe. Maybe not.). My main take away messages from the reading I have done have been more to do with mineralising the soil. I’m a big fan of the DBHBB kit (and a big fan of what it grows in good conditions!) but it’s just not in my financial ballpark (especially when I’m still cutting my teeth = higher risk) so let’s see what I can do here on my own, eh? I know I need Myco, and minerals and compost. I’m heeding the warnings of hi-brix growers like DocBud and Conradino23 to not have too much organic matter - which can overwhelm the bio-community (at least that’s my understanding of it) and slow the whole web down (the same thing happens to us if we eat too much and don't get enough minerals)
OK - what I have is:
A load of compost is coming for the veggie patch from a local garden supplier - it’s good so I’ll be using some of that mixed with some of our own compost (we’re only 2 and we fast a lot so there’s not a lot of food waste to compost!). I’ll contact the supplier and see if they can tell me a bit about their compost. I’ll include worm castings if i can source them easily. (Easily means - very locally, and cheap)
The PEAT or COIR question.
I had been thinking I’d get Peat moss. The same business that sells the Myco sells peat and there’s another options too - but all require shipping. But, we’re going to be using CocoCoir to make seed raising mix and potting mix for the veggies etc. and I’m thinking it’ll be easier and cheaper for me to go with this. The coco we’re getting is good - for organic gardening, not full of salt etc. We’re being careful about this.
So my question here then is can I do a good 11 mix using coco, compost and aeration? And still have a good soil community? And regarding aeration, is perlite the only option - and is it as much of an issue outside (one or 2 will still be in a pot, 1 in the ground)? I.e - will I need 1/3 perlite outdoor? It’s not something I remember Conradino using - but i’ve more to read.
We have this really good looking clay here and the holes dug for the enclosure have unearthed heaps of it! I’m spending this morning researching what it is exactly. This is the hole it comes out off followed by pics of what it looks like up close.
Nice huh? I’m certain it must be full of good minerals (hopefully incl. cations) so I’ll be on the phone trying to find out the composition (found nothing so far on local gov website). Some of it is greyer and some of it is more mustard kind of colours. (pics will get greener as we go along I'm expecting - in the meantime, I love the colours in this clay!)
And I’m looking at the following amendments:
Myco - I can get this from a business here (an 'organic garden solutions' supplier). They call it AMF (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) and it seems the goods. From what I can tell (they sell Coots style compost etc.) they’re geared towards canna growing without actually mentioning that, as they have all the usual suspects for folks doing notill and LOS. This will be used as an amendment to the soil mix and also for sprinkling during transplants. (and into the veggie soil too if I can convince the other gardner.)
Either Basalt or Volcanic rock dust (the place that has the Myco also sells the volcanic rock dust, but I think basalt is better from what I’ve read, so if I can find it… (maybe my clay already has it?!). The ogs supplier I mentioned includes Basalt and Gypsum in their 'complete nutrient' mix, but they don't sell it seperately.
Crushed eggshells go into our compost all the time (not exactly powdered tho) but I’m thinking I will make a dedicated cup full for my ‘special’ soil mix, by using the heavy duty mortar & pestle and trying to powder it. I recently did this to feed the soil in my indoor grow and it was a bit taxing, so I'll see how I go with that particular DIY.
Crab/crustacean meal: I haven’t looked into sourcing this yet. My question here is - s there a way to get chitins into my soil community without crustacean meal?
Oyster shell flour (mixed with the eggshells as I'm not sure I can eat and crush enough of them in the time!). I’ve heard outer farmers use black tar to attach the shells to the host post or base… hoping I can get flour that’s guaranteed not to have tar in it! The organic place that sells the Myco has this as well, but my budget there is getting tight.
For looking after things during the grow I have a plentiful supply of seaweed, kangaroo poo (for making a compost tea) and an LAB starter that I’ll be learning how to make use of (thanks MerryAnna). There'll be worm castings for topdressing, some mulch (lucerne) if needed. Anything more will be worked out as I go along.
At the moment I’d love some help on where I’m at with the current thinking. Please if there’s any small detail in there that seems a bit off, or misguided, I’m relying on folk to point it out. I’m a details person - details, I love em. There’s nothing to learn if one’s ego gets in the way so feel free to, recommend, point out any errors, or impending issue you may spot, in general - edutain me! I hope the grow entertains you! I'm excited and I haven't even dropped the seeds yet!
Kismet
Well-Known Member
Loving all this talk of cricket . A sport i will truly never understand.
Kismet
Well-Known Member
Loving the critters. Still waiting for some gigantic spider lolI'm in love with your critter of the week discoveries. Your plants are gorgeous, statuesque and buddiful. Grow on!
- Thread starter
- #465
A very warm welcome to the Gardner’s garden Kismet
I hope you’re enjoying yourself
I’m just tasting not quite dry trimmings from the professor chaos that’s still in flower... Care for hoot? 
... I’ve mixed it with a little of the CBD CC trimmings and I’m finding it very relaxing. It’s the first time i’ve tried the combination and I’m very pleased.Well I have an off topic thread so if there’s any day when you’d like to know something about it’s details I will be most happy to oblige. I love talking about cricket - there’s a couple of good test matches going on at the moment actually. NZ play ENG, in NZ I think & AUS are playing SA in SA. I do miss my dear @MerryAnna - who you were quoting back there. She hasn’t been around for a while... she loved to talk cricket too, and she’s in SA - so we’d have a bit going on right now! (I’m not at all patriotic about my sport - I love the game, and get attached to certain players, who can be from anywhere)
Spiders are easy! They’re everywhere! Stay tuned...Enjoy yourself here and wherever you wander
Smeegol
Well-Known Member
Morning Amy, yeah it's probs more sneeking around..... Cricket....mmmmhhhh, nope I'm a rugby type of guy especially when it's my boys playing.... I was also wondering where @MerryAnna went to, I'm also sneeking round there gathering tidbits of knowledgeable....? Oh I'm S.A. too...lol
MaddHacker
Well-Known Member
Ok Ames... This is a legit journal maam... I love the wide range of knowledge here specifically about outdoor growing, no offense but Hydro is a huge monetary investment for some folks on here... Thus the Budget journal, that being said as i am coming into my 20 th plus season outdoor growing i find that i still learn alot on here and see some aces for buds... most of the other journals i visit seem to be meetings at the clubhouse by friends.... they all grow the same vacation together etc.... I will be keeping my eye on you as i move forward.... i am growing a massive garden for me, that is to include veggies of all sorts for the family and community... I am Earth friendly and family strong and have well wishes for everyone who comes to this journal and site... Green pastures and Happy How High Are You Day lol
Kismet
Well-Known Member
Thank you for the warm welcome AmyA very warm welcome to the Gardner’s garden Kismet
I hope you’re enjoying yourself
Well I have an off topic thread so if there’s any day when you’d like to know something about it’s details I will be most happy to oblige. I love talking about cricket - there’s a couple of good test matches going on at the moment actually. NZ play ENG, in NZ I think & AUS are playing SA in SA. I do miss my dear @MerryAnna - who you were quoting back there. She hasn’t been around for a while... she loved to talk cricket too, and she’s in SA - so we’d have a bit going on right now! (I’m not at all patriotic about my sport - I love the game, and get attached to certain players, who can be from anywhere)
Enjoy yourself here and wherever you wander
. Really enjoyed seeing your girls grow outside. They look so happy and content. Looking forward to seeing some creepy critters lol.
We want more bugs Amy!
the hen
Well-Known Member
Hi Amy! Lovely harvest
I was wondering what you use to wash your harvested buds? We were really thinking about starting to wash ours
I was wondering what you use to wash your harvested buds? We were really thinking about starting to wash ours
- Thread starter
- #471
High - thanks!Hi Amy! Lovely harvest
I was wondering what you use to wash your harvested buds? We were really thinking about starting to wash ours
I use: 1st bucket 1/2 cup fresh lemon or lime juice + 1/2cup BiCarb soda (baking soda?)
2nd bucket water
3rd bucket water
If there’s PM you can add a bucket with a weak dilution of 3% h202 at the start.
There’s a budwashing thread actually. It’s Doc’s technique AFAIK and it’s all pretty much there on the first page... actually - he lays out the recipe and rationale in this post Bud Washing but then the recipe gets revised at some point to 1/2 cups instead of full cups.
I’m sure they’re drying better because of it - and people say that’s one of the reasons to do it. It was so fun hangin them all out in the breeze like that.
Yay - rooster farms bud wash!
When is your next harvest due do you think?- Thread starter
- #472
In fact - everyone should checkout these pics of Graytail’s showing the shiny clean trichs glistening in the sunlight after washing...
Hmm pics didn’t come with the quotes... so here - link to Graytail’s post instead Bud Washing (and there’s a closer version next post down...)
Hmm pics didn’t come with the quotes... so here - link to Graytail’s post instead Bud Washing (and there’s a closer version next post down...)
- Thread starter
- #473
Harvest Update supplemental:
CBD Critical Cure has been hanging for 7 days. I’m pretty sure it’s going in jars tomorrow. It’s been a very humid week here and keeping the humidity down has been a real challenge: 70-75% most of the time with some periods getting down to as low as the mid-high 60% range. There’s been a fan moving air very lightly the whole time (not directly on them) and they seem fine. Thankfully, after 3 days of rain and then some respite yesterday, today we had warm dry winds and the humidity inside the room came down to between 45-55%. The reading in the space where it’s all hanging finally came down below 62% (61%)
The leaves I left on will stay there - they have lots of oil making goodness on them...
The buds on all the larger colas are about 1-1/2” thick and really solid
So tomorrow begins the next phase of it’s life. Hopefully I’ll get some oil made in the next few days too.
Harvest season is really and truly upon me! I’ve made the call that Professor Chaos is coming down on Friday morning (it’s now already Sunday night here so that’s up to a day sooner than you might think, depending on where on the globe you are ). I mentioned we had days of rain - oh wow it’s been wet, and cool - a terrible combination! The dry warm wind that came today was very welcome. We now have 4 clear, warm and hopefully sunny days followed by possibly more rain. Hopefully the next 3-4 days of sun for the Professor and she should be cooked - plus it’s the Easter full moon on Saturday so a perfect harvest time.
Here’s some micro eye candy of Professor Chaos today - she’s about 64 days into flower - ready in a few days you think...?
Lots of amber in some spots
And a few clear plus the odd new pistil shooting out lower down on the cola... I’m hoping a few days in the sun will bring this on some more
Not to be left out - the Golden Tiger x Northern Lights cross is setting flowers (the larger one in the pot). It’s nearly 3 weeks since pistils started pushing out the tops - such lovely early frost
We missed out on a critter for the harvest update - Something happened when I posted it and I couldn’t get back in to the post to edit it and I was tired and then the moment had passed. It happens. We’re back in business today though and seeeing as there’s been a request...
Here you go Kismet - we don’t see these all the time but they’re always there. Thing I love about Wolf Spiders, they don’t dash away so easily and are quite happy sometimes to just pose for the camera.
View media item 1513776
That’s where things are at in the Gardner’s garden today. I’m exhausted and my legs don’t work properly at the moment - that means I don’t even know how the Money Bush in the Pod is doing. I won’t update the garden again until after Friday’s harvest. That’ll be another harvest report then - I’ll be sure to get some good final portraits before I chop! Got a friend visiting this week, someone who enjoys a smoke too so it’ll be lovely to share the enjoyment of the garden.
Stay frosty my lovely garden visitors - frosty is the current theme around here... 
CBD Critical Cure has been hanging for 7 days. I’m pretty sure it’s going in jars tomorrow. It’s been a very humid week here and keeping the humidity down has been a real challenge: 70-75% most of the time with some periods getting down to as low as the mid-high 60% range. There’s been a fan moving air very lightly the whole time (not directly on them) and they seem fine. Thankfully, after 3 days of rain and then some respite yesterday, today we had warm dry winds and the humidity inside the room came down to between 45-55%. The reading in the space where it’s all hanging finally came down below 62% (61%)
The leaves I left on will stay there - they have lots of oil making goodness on them...
The buds on all the larger colas are about 1-1/2” thick and really solid
So tomorrow begins the next phase of it’s life. Hopefully I’ll get some oil made in the next few days too.
Harvest season is really and truly upon me! I’ve made the call that Professor Chaos is coming down on Friday morning (it’s now already Sunday night here so that’s up to a day sooner than you might think, depending on where on the globe you are
). I mentioned we had days of rain - oh wow it’s been wet, and cool - a terrible combination! The dry warm wind that came today was very welcome. We now have 4 clear, warm and hopefully sunny days followed by possibly more rain. Hopefully the next 3-4 days of sun for the Professor and she should be cooked - plus it’s the Easter full moon on Saturday so a perfect harvest time.Here’s some micro eye candy of Professor Chaos today - she’s about 64 days into flower - ready in a few days you think...?
Lots of amber in some spots
And a few clear plus the odd new pistil shooting out lower down on the cola... I’m hoping a few days in the sun will bring this on some more
Not to be left out - the Golden Tiger x Northern Lights cross is setting flowers (the larger one in the pot). It’s nearly 3 weeks since pistils started pushing out the tops - such lovely early frost
We missed out on a critter for the harvest update - Something happened when I posted it and I couldn’t get back in to the post to edit it and I was tired and then the moment had passed. It happens. We’re back in business today though and seeeing as there’s been a request...
Here you go Kismet - we don’t see these all the time but they’re always there. Thing I love about Wolf Spiders, they don’t dash away so easily and are quite happy sometimes to just pose for the camera.
View media item 1513776
That’s where things are at in the Gardner’s garden today. I’m exhausted and my legs don’t work properly at the moment - that means I don’t even know how the Money Bush in the Pod is doing. I won’t update the garden again until after Friday’s harvest. That’ll be another harvest report then - I’ll be sure to get some good final portraits before I chop! Got a friend visiting this week, someone who enjoys a smoke too so it’ll be lovely to share the enjoyment of the garden.
Stay frosty my lovely garden visitors - frosty is the current theme around here... 
dynamo1
Well-Known Member
congratulations on your harvestNice pictures, nice buds whoo hoo
Pretty update Amy. You take such nice pictures. The Chaos looks like it is in the window, you could take her anytime.
the hen
Well-Known Member
We arlreast started harvesting actually. I think we have five left still that we haven’t taken. Flipping the new tent over soon so it will be awhile unless we try it for these few!! I definitely would like to try and see the difference. I’m pretty excited about itHigh - thanks!
I use: 1st bucket 1/2 cup fresh lemon or lime juice + 1/2cup BiCarb soda (baking soda?)
2nd bucket water
3rd bucket water
If there’s PM you can add a bucket with a weak dilution of 3% h202 at the start.
There’s a budwashing thread actually. It’s Doc’s technique AFAIK and it’s all pretty much there on the first page... actually - he lays out the recipe and rationale in this post Bud Washing but then the recipe gets revised at some point to 1/2 cups instead of full cups.
I’m sure they’re drying better because of it - and people say that’s one of the reasons to do it. It was so fun hangin them all out in the breeze like that.
Yay - rooster farms bud wash!
- Thread starter
- #477
thanks
yes good - I thot ‘harvest window’ too when looking at the pics.
There’s a nasty mouldy spot inside one of the back colas that i didn’t share. Will quarantine it during harvest and cut out the offending parts - might even pull it down today...
I decided Friday because they’re a bit haggard from the 3 days of rain. I’ll see if a day in warmth and sun perks them up at all - maybe it’ll com down wed or Thursday instead... (phew! - I need to recover some more anyway)
Smeegol
Well-Known Member
Well done on the harvest Amy, lovely spider by the way. Glad it's on your side of the world...lol
Kismet
Well-Known Member
Harvest Update supplemental:
CBD Critical Cure has been hanging for 7 days. I’m pretty sure it’s going in jars tomorrow. It’s been a very humid week here and keeping the humidity down has been a real challenge: 70-75% most of the time with some periods getting down to as low as the mid-high 60% range. There’s been a fan moving air very lightly the whole time (not directly on them) and they seem fine. Thankfully, after 3 days of rain and then some respite yesterday, today we had warm dry winds and the humidity inside the room came down to between 45-55%. The reading in the space where it’s all hanging finally came down below 62% (61%)
The leaves I left on will stay there - they have lots of oil making goodness on them...
The buds on all the larger colas are about 1-1/2” thick and really solid
So tomorrow begins the next phase of it’s life. Hopefully I’ll get some oil made in the next few days too.
Harvest season is really and truly upon me! I’ve made the call that Professor Chaos is coming down on Friday morning (it’s now already Sunday night here so that’s up to a day sooner than you might think, depending on where on the globe you are
Here’s some micro eye candy of Professor Chaos today - she’s about 64 days into flower - ready in a few days you think...?
Lots of amber in some spots
And a few clear plus the odd new pistil shooting out lower down on the cola... I’m hoping a few days in the sun will bring this on some more
Not to be left out - the Golden Tiger x Northern Lights cross is setting flowers (the larger one in the pot). It’s nearly 3 weeks since pistils started pushing out the tops - such lovely early frost
We missed out on a critter for the harvest update - Something happened when I posted it and I couldn’t get back in to the post to edit it and I was tired and then the moment had passed. It happens. We’re back in business today though and seeeing as there’s been a request...
Here you go Kismet - we don’t see these all the time but they’re always there. Thing I love about Wolf Spiders, they don’t dash away so easily and are quite happy sometimes to just pose for the camera.
View media item 1513776
That’s where things are at in the Gardner’s garden today. I’m exhausted and my legs don’t work properly at the moment - that means I don’t even know how the Money Bush in the Pod is doing. I won’t update the garden again until after Friday’s harvest. That’ll be another harvest report then - I’ll be sure to get some good final portraits before I chop! Got a friend visiting this week, someone who enjoys a smoke too so it’ll be lovely to share the enjoyment of the garden.
Kismet
Well-Known Member
Awww thank you Amy. He really does seem to be posing and almost cute in a creepy spider way.Keep it frosty like frosted flakes. Get some rest now.