Cape Mountainside Bay Garden: Transkei Sativa Soil Grow

The Celt said:
Thanks for the input Carmen :) My Sis-in-Law is an ER Doctor, I don’t think she is allowed to leave the province, let alone the country, until they have a vaccine and get the spread under control. Outbreaks have popped up a couple of times in her home province. The virus is still being spread about the country by interprovincial and international travel.
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Ah crap, Celt :(
I think our government, having made some disastrous decisions, are starting to take the view that South Africa may have developed a herd immunity. Despite high numbers of known infection, we have a high recovery rate and low number of deaths relatively speaking. Even if our economy shut down and suburbia and cities were in lockdown, the vast majority of people here couldn't adhere to lockdown because living conditions preclude that. So effectively, there has been lots of mingling and sharing germs. At this point, people's livelihoods matter more to most people than the disease.:passitleft: Which part of South Africa is your sister-in-law from?
 
The Celt said:
I believe she’s from Cape Town, but it might have been JoBerg as she often refers to it as well :rofl:
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Oh nice. I was born in Joburg, grew up in Durban and now live in the Western Cape. Joburg is the big city of SA.
 
Molly at 15 days (bottom); Holly at 14 days (middle); and Polly at 13.5 days (top).
Re feeding: I am thinking this, but please will you folks chime in with yay / nay / suggestions. I think that the SST (including the kelp concentrate and LABs), can be fed once a week during veg, and then as soon as they begin to flower I should add PK (banana tea and LABs) to the mix once a week. The rest of the time straight borehole water. What do you think? Oh, and prime the holes with LABs a week or so prior to planting?
(incidentally, I am crushing hard on Weedy, the garden man from down under... #numberonefan :hippy: :adore:)
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Great photos Carmen!!
 
Great looking youngsters. I admire your commitment to the organics. I'm learning a lot from your thread and other input here. For some reason I thought you lived on a mountainside in Tennessee USA...lol. Then it dawned on me...why is he setting out seedlings in early fall...lmao. Later in your thread I see SA and assumed it was South America..lol. I really need to quit assuming.
 
Hey everyone. Sorry so late Carman. Soil should be fine. I'd get a couple bags vermi compost mixed into the soil. Other options could include harvesting like I did but you will need a few months to break down. Kelp washed, dried and ground up, shells or cuttlefish inner (the white one for giving to birds) for calcium although the tap water Will contain it. Mix that all into your soil good to go. Start with the vermi compost. Shouldn't be too expensive. Maybe two bags per plant mixed with the soil it's in.
 
Oh and I must add while all the extra additions will help somewhat they may not be necesssary . With a great organic soil (you want a great one not just a good one) you shouldn't have to feed the plants anything at all. They should grow like they do in nature. I think I spent only 250 bucks for the entire grow last year and the soil just keeps getting better. My winter grow has been pretty decent with no attention. Just set and forget. Got some nice nugs this year with no effort at all :)
 
Lerugged said:
Oh and I must add while all the extra additions will help somewhat they may not be necesssary . With a great organic soil (you want a great one not just a good one) you shouldn't have to feed the plants anything at all. They should grow like they do in nature. I think I spent only 250 bucks for the entire grow last year and the soil just keeps getting better. My winter grow has been pretty decent with no attention. Just set and forget. Got some nice nugs this year with no effort at all :)
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Yay, so glad to see you back here LR! Thank you for reading my journal and for the advice. I did mix the vermicompost in at about 1/3, along with the alfalfa meal and Jamie's elemental blend. I am thrilled to hear that I shouldn't need to worry about feeding. I want to try the SST (bascillus and kelp blend), and the banana tea during flower (bascillus and epsom salts too) once a week in a weak solution and see how that goes. I am looking forward to seeing your grow this season. :passitleft:
 
Week 3 Update:
Molly, Holly and Polly are doing well (pics to follow tomorrow).
A seed from a mystery purple plant has popped and gone into soil in a pot.
I have put three more very interesting and exciting pips to sprout (more to follow).
My bacteria juice is fermenting for a week and then I will use it to further prepare the holes prior to planting out.
Here is a pic of the bacteria juice.... I zone out when I stare at it :hippy:
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Lerugged said:
My favourite bird song in the last hour of light.
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LR you just sent me down a rabbit hole of delight. I did not know that the pretty birdsong I was hearing was this little fellow mimicking other birds!
 
Today my first three plants went into the ground. All three are Transkei origin seeds which I've named Molly, Polly and Holly.

My mysterious purple plant is in a small pot and has cotyledons. Success. I think I am going to keep Purps in a pot, more as an ornamental plant than anything else. I just want to see the colours develop.

Now my next set of seeds were gifted to me by my homey @Lerugged. I feel very lucky to be trying out his LC-18 which is a Miss Sticky x Wild Lady; a Double Wild Durban which is a Wild Lady x Wild Male of St. Lucia origin; and then a proper heirloom Transkei Landrace. These too will go in the ground. I expect them to have popped by morning tomorrow.

Here are, from the top Holly, Polly and Molly in their forever homes.
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Lerugged said:
It's LC-18 x crossed with that jumbo male Transkei. So it's miss sticky x wild lady x transkei. This is the first I'm growing them too so hopefully they turn out winners.
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Do you mean Studley? That would make my heart burst with joy.
 
Holly polly and molly are all looking good! Nice and healthy Carmen!!
 
Sadly, Holly took a beating. I am hoping that the plant is not completely destroyed. Is there any chance of recovery?
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I am waging war with these red devils!
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Locusts? If there is green on her she has a chance. Even if it's a slim one. Get yourself some bird and insect netting to cover them so the critters can't get to them. You won't likely win against those locusts. There will be many indeed. Sorry Carman.
 
Lerugged said:
Locusts? If there is green on her she has a chance. Even if it's a slim one. Get yourself some bird and insect netting to cover them so the critters can't get to them. You won't likely win against those locusts. There will be many indeed. Sorry Carman.
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Thanks LR. I phoned Stodels and they only have shade cloth. Have messaged Jamie. I hope I can find the right kind of netting..... perhaps a haberdashery.
 
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