Humid Temperate Colombian Andes Greenhouse Organic Grow

[cbdhemp808]

Probably I will have to train them when to use neem oil, and when only to use castille soap. Or possibly canola oil.

Are you expecting a lot of bugs?

I am thinking I should probably wait and see how this goes, because these boys are focused on low-cost. They will have a passive operation, just what has worked well and been cheap for a long time.

Are you planning to grow in the ground or in pots? (sorry if I missed this above.) Will watering be automated or by hand?

I have met people who talk openly about growing, and I have smelled it growing sometimes, only I did not pay attention to what time of year that was.
Probably what they do here is to grow it full size and then let it bloom out in summer.

You've got the photoperiod issue, same as what we have here in Hawaii. Are other growers using lighting? If you want big plants and a big harvest, then I'd say start them in late spring / early summer when the weather warms, run night interruption, let them develop, then turn off the lights to initiate flowering.

I guess with Mango Biche, hermies are a problem if there is contamination. Growing outside it will be difficult to avoid cross-pollen contamination. Growing inside would solve that but then we are back to cost.

Not really on the "growing inside"... the pollen is microscopic and carried by air currents for many miles. It will find its way into most greenhouses.

When it is time I should see if I can get seeds from that "Colombian landrace" web page Deaká, as they also claim to preserve pure genetics.
Also their strain of Santa Marta d'Oro has a lot of CBD.
Probably the landraces are landraces specifically because they have survived long term here against weather and pests and etc. So if something is "from here" or it is adapted to this valley, it might just be the easy way, because then the local help can grow it without a lot of supervision from me.
For the short term, though, I will need to show them how to keep the plants sprayed with neem and castille soap, because I am sure these genetics will need help defending against an open-greenhouse environment.

I tend to think you'd be better off looking for high-quality genetics that are bred for pest and fungus/mold resistance, rather than just growing the local stuff, unless you are personally familiar with the local stuff. I think you are also interested in high-CBD, so I doubt anything local will provide that.

I'd say basically what you want is high resin production, and high pine terpene content, for THC sativa, THC indica, and CBD indica or sativa. There are lots of sativa options, but the trick is to find a fast-flowering sativa. For indica, Grand Daddy Purple and Northern Lights #5 are the only ones on my radar screen at the moment for indica and high pine terpenes.

Basically I thought I would just plant all the seeds I have got that promise to survive a greenhouse environment, and then we will see what lives.
And then if what I need lives, and can withstand pests and such, and it is good for me, then I can keep adapting it to here. Thanks to you all, hopefully soon I will be successful at cloning, and we can also make seeds with the silver thiosulfate. So the main thing is to see what does not mold, and also resists bugs.

I would say start with genetics that have the best chance of providing what you want. You are investing in the greenhouse, so it makes sense to also invest in good genetics, if you can afford it. On the other hand, if you must work with what you currently have available, then yes, you will find out what grows well in the greenhouse. Clone the ones that do the best. It will take some time.

And then we will see what kind of pollen is flying around in the air, because most plants here are regular seeds, and the whole valley is open-pollinated.

I'd be surprised if growers aren't taking precautions not to let pollen drift around. If you are saying that people just throw seed into the ground and forget about it, it makes no sense, because then their own buds are going to be full of seeds.

 

[CBDMed]

Are you expecting a lot of bugs?

On a farm? Yes. Is that a mistake?
A few grows ago I had a crop that all turned brown. At first I thought it was salt, but that does not match the pattern. It turns out is was a mite. That was a supersoil grow, nothing really smelly to attract bugs, and the mites got me indoors.
So am I wrong to be concerned about attracting the wrong kind of bugs on a farm?

Are you planning to grow in the ground or in pots? (sorry if I missed this above.) Will watering be automated or by hand?

I need to talk with them. There is less topsoil than I thought--about 6-8". We can amend the ground, and that would work. Just use tons of compost and build tilth, and then maybe I can adapt Subcool's amendments into soil in ground??
They want to use drip irrigation. What makes sense is fabric pots with ice-pik holes in the sides in plastic tubs, then put the dripper, and you have auto-fed SWICK.
We can grow to harvest in summer and then recondition (or rebuild) the soil for the next grow in the winter. (With 20 plants I should not need a winter grow. Haha, I will probably need all winter to put it into the cob, haha.)

You've got the photoperiod issue, same as what we have here in Hawaii. Are other growers using lighting?

Not sure, really.

If you want big plants and a big harvest, then I'd say start them in late spring / early summer when the weather warms, run night interruption, let them develop, then turn off the lights to initiate flowering.

Not really on the "growing inside"... the pollen is microscopic and carried by air currents for many miles. It will find its way into most greenhouses.

Right.

I tend to think you'd be better off looking for high-quality genetics that are bred for pest and fungus/mold resistance, rather than just growing the local stuff, unless you are personally familiar with the local stuff.

My thought was that, as a landrace, it has resistance to Colombian bugs, viruses, etc.
It sounds like you are saying that outside genetics may transplant and adapt just as well, if not better? (If so, that would be great.

I think you are also interested in high-CBD, so I doubt anything local will provide that.

I'd say basically what you want is high resin production, and high pine terpene content, for THC sativa, THC indica, and CBD indica or sativa. There are lots of sativa options, but the trick is to find a fast-flowering sativa. For indica, Grand Daddy Purple and Northern Lights #5 are the only ones on my radar screen at the moment for indica and high pine terpenes.

I would say start with genetics that have the best chance of providing what you want. You are investing in the greenhouse, so it makes sense to also invest in good genetics, if you can afford it.

Well, I think we are on a good start. Haha, maybe are you saying that Canadian genetics can adapt well to the cool, humid Colombian Andes?

On the other hand, if you must work with what you currently have available, then yes, you will find out what grows well in the greenhouse. Clone the ones that do the best. It will take some time.

I'd be surprised if growers aren't taking precautions not to let pollen drift around.

Ok, so would it make sense that perhaps back in the good old days before Dutch genetics that everything was a regular? But that now people use more feminized?

If you are saying that people just throw seed into the ground and forget about it, it makes no sense, because then their own buds are going to be full of seeds.

Maybe if "landracing" is a thing of the past, because now everyone uses feminized seeds, then it would be a different game.
Yes it is a question of budget right now, and long term. I already have many seeds, I just need to grow them out, and like you say, keep the ones that work. And just keep it simple like that.

About Pineapple Kush, too bad Tweedle would not ship. I can also order Pineapple Kush from RQS, but it will be $50 by the time we are all done. Probably I need to wait until I grow out what I already have before ordering any more seeds.

 

[CBDMed]

PS my big thought with Mango Biche is just that it is 17% THC, and it is supposed to have amazing assistance basically mold and pest bulletproof. At least for Columbia. That is its claim to fame. So I don't know, I think that is what you were looking for in your quest for more resistance strains grow?
Maybe you don't like the flavor. It is a tropical sativa. It takes a long time to flower out.

 

[budnoob3]

So much I want to contribute but totally baked (medicated) at the moment

 

[InTheShed]

There is less topsoil than I thought--about 6-8". We can amend the ground, and that would work. Just use tons of compost and build tilth,

Can you build open bottom raised beds for the soil you've built? That way the roots can make use of the 6-8" of soil if they need it, and they'll probably do fine growing around whatever is below that.

 

[cbdhemp808]

PS my big thought with Mango Biche is just that it is 17% THC, and it is supposed to have amazing assistance basically mold and pest bulletproof. At least for Columbia. That is its claim to fame. So I don't know, I think that is what you were looking for in your quest for more resistance strains grow?
Maybe you don't like the flavor. It is a tropical sativa. It takes a long time to flower out.

Sorry, I just now checked out what you posted above... details of Mango Biche. Yes, very long lifecycle and flowering time (34 weeks total... almost 8 months!) Very tall plants. Psychedelic high. This is probably a safe bet for your location. I couldn't find any terpene information though.

If you are open to sativas with long flowering times, there are a great many in this category. One that comes up high on my list is Super Lemon Haze with terpinolene dominant. 6 weeks veg, 9-10 weeks flowering.

Super Lemon Haze, photo by @Nicholas Flamel , 2020

I'm currently working on finding a fast-flowering sativa-dominant strain/pheno that's high in pine terpenes. I recently found out that Humboldt Seed Company has several sativas in the 45-55 day range for flowering time. The sativa pheno of Sugar Black Rose looks promising, as does SubCool's Chernobyl, specifically the Slymer cut (aka Golden Ticket)... 8-9 weeks in flower.

On a farm? Yes. Is that a mistake?
A few grows ago I had a crop that all turned brown. At first I thought it was salt, but that does not match the pattern. It turns out is was a mite. That was a supersoil grow, nothing really smelly to attract bugs, and the mites got me indoors.
So am I wrong to be concerned about attracting the wrong kind of bugs on a farm?

From my experience, outdoor bugs are either a problem or they're not, depending on location and climate. In other words, it's not a given that you'll have bug problems. But if you already know that bugs are a problem in that location, then yes, you'll need to be ready with something to spray. As you know, my go to is neem oil mixed with Bronner's peppermint soap and water, applied with a pump sprayer.

I need to talk with them. There is less topsoil than I thought--about 6-8". We can amend the ground, and that would work. Just use tons of compost and build tilth, and then maybe I can adapt Subcool's amendments into soil in ground??
They want to use drip irrigation. What makes sense is fabric pots with ice-pik holes in the sides in plastic tubs, then put the dripper, and you have auto-fed SWICK.

Oh wow, yeah... that's not enough topsoil. You could use squat 10 gal nursery pots and fill with supersoil.

My thought was that, as a landrace, it has resistance to Colombian bugs, viruses, etc.
It sounds like you are saying that outside genetics may transplant and adapt just as well, if not better? (If so, that would be great.

Yeah, I think what you want is faster lifespan and faster flowering time. Maybe the Super Lemon Haze.

Well, I think we are on a good start. Haha, maybe are you saying that Canadian genetics can adapt well to the cool, humid Colombian Andes?

I don't think I said anything about Canadian genetics. But generally, yeah, I think as long as you've got the high resin production, and high pine terpenes, then you should have fungus/mold resistance. There's no "adaptation" going on... it's just that the genetics are either resistant or they're not. Bugs is another story, and yeah, you could have locally adapted plants that are more resistant to the local bugs... I don't know.

Maybe if "landracing" is a thing of the past, because now everyone uses feminized seeds, then it would be a different game.
Yes it is a question of budget right now, and long term. I already have many seeds, I just need to grow them out, and like you say, keep the ones that work. And just keep it simple like that.

About Pineapple Kush, too bad Tweedle would not ship. I can also order Pineapple Kush from RQS, but it will be $50 by the time we are all done. Probably I need to wait until I grow out what I already have before ordering any more seeds.

Try ordering Pineapple Kush directly from East Fork Cultivars.

 

[CBDMed]

PS my big thought with Mango Biche is just that it is 17% THC, and it is supposed to have amazing assistance basically mold and pest bulletproof. At least for Columbia. That is its claim to fame.

Uff! Phone typing...
It is supposed to have an amazing resistance to all pests and mold and threats (bulletproof, at least for Colombia).
I just remembered that they have some local seed bank conservatories here for the local plants (corn, etc.), I wonder if I talked with them, if they will know anyone with the original Mango Biche genetics, or if they will know how to grow inground in greenhouses here.
I think they would like the idea if I were to seek out the land race genetics, and try to work with those. (They would probably take that as a compliment.)

 

[CBDMed]

Can you build open bottom raised beds for the soil you've built? That way the roots can make use of the 6-8" of soil if they need it, and they'll probably do fine growing around whatever is below that.

Yes, good idea. I can potentially do whatever. I just know that the mindset is very different here. They are not going to want to do anything complicated. Rather, they are going to want something very simple and foolproof.
I have never worked with raised beds, and I have never amended soil in ground for cannabis, but I suppose it is all the same, it just handles moisture differently.

I was told that they dig a big hole here and throw all of their kitchen waste into it, and turn the worms loose. So basically they get a big planting hole filled with worm castings, surrounded by the local volcanic soil. And I guess that is a good start, but I was thinking it would need more than that. So I thought maybe if I can find a good replacement for the bloodmeal I can take the subcool super soil amendments and mix those into the soil.
We have an unlimited supply of cow manure and also goat manure. And when they clean the goat stables there's lots of compost.
You can also buy alfalfa meal and bone meal and all sorts of other meals and nutrients here for cheap in 50 kg sacks. If you are going to amend 20 holes, probably that's the least expensive way. And then you just have to learn what gives what and make your own Mulder chart so to speak.
Probably I need to check around and see if I can find a Colombian forum that talks about greenhouse growing and amending the soil. Typically they will do whatever is easiest and cheapest. I can start with that, and then see how I can add Nutrients that benefit the overall growth.
What is the benefit of a raised bed?

 

[CBDMed]

Sorry, I just now checked out what you posted above... details of Mango Biche. Yes, very long lifecycle and flowering time (34 weeks total... almost 8 months!) Very tall plants. Psychedelic high. This is probably a safe bet for your location. I couldn't find any terpene information though.

I do not reallyremember what it tasted like, I just remember that it was very trippy in a very different way. I felt like I was entering a different dimension, or something. It was really trippy.

My favorite part is they said it's basically bulletproof to any and all threats here (mold, pests, rain, etc.). I just have to find out how they grow it here.

If you are open to sativas with long flowering times, there are a great many in this category. One that comes up high on my list is Super Lemon Haze with terpinolene dominant. 6 weeks veg, 9-10 weeks flowering.

Sounds super good!
Yes, the lightbulb finally came on about what you guys were saying about growing your CBD on the side, and then mixing in the grinder. (It opens up a lot more possibilities.)
Super lemon haze with terpinolene dominant sounds excellent.

Super Lemon Haze, photo by @Nicholas Flamel , 2020

I'm currently working on finding a fast-flowering sativa-dominant strain/pheno that's high in pine terpenes. I recently found out that Humboldt Seed Company has several sativas in the 45-55 day range for flowering time. The sativa pheno of Sugar Black Rose looks promising, as does SubCool's Chernobyl, specifically the Slymer cut (aka Golden Ticket)... 8-9 weeks in flower.

Sounds good!

From my experience, outdoor bugs are either a problem or they're not, depending on location and climate. In other words, it's not a given that you'll have bug problems. But if you already know that bugs are a problem in that location, then yes, you'll need to be ready with something to spray. As you know, my go to is neem oil mixed with Bronner's peppermint soap and water, applied with a pump sprayer.

But yes, the last grow I did with top dressing (Geo Flora), the bugs were everywhere! It was like O'Hare international airport! And the early round of this grow I lost almost the whole crop to some mites. (I was only able to save two girls.)
I wrote to my guy and talked with him about putting up fine bug mesh, and then putting the plastic on over that. He likes that idea and he's thinking about that for the rest of the greenhouse also, so we can put on the plastic coat when it is needed, and take it off when it is not.

Oh wow, yeah... that's not enough topsoil. You could use squat 10 gal nursery pots and fill with supersoil.

Squat because clones?
Yes, either we will need to dig a hole or we will need to build up those raised beds that Shed was talking about.

Yeah, I think what you want is faster lifespan and faster flowering time. Maybe the Super Lemon Haze.

Ok.
Only, I was told that one of the reason the tropical sativas are so powerful is that they spend so long in flower. Is that not true?
(Do you get the same trippy effects with a shorter flowering time? Or does the trippy effect [where you enter the Wi-Fi network and float off to distant galaxies] only come with long flowering times?)

I don't think I said anything about Canadian genetics.

Hahaha, three of my six strains are from BC Bud Depot (in Canada), and the very cool grower who sent me Candida seeds also lives in Canada (I think).
Haha, so we have cold weather Canadian genetics coming to cold-weather Colombian Andes!

But generally, yeah, I think as long as you've got the high resin production, and high pine terpenes, then you should have fungus/mold resistance.

Awesome! That is excellent to know.

There's no "adaptation" going on... it's just that the genetics are either resistant or they're not. Bugs is another story, and yeah, you could have locally adapted plants that are more resistant to the local bugs... I don't know.

Yeah, I am thinking that could be worth a lot here!
Maybe I need to see if I can find some clean original Mango Biche genetics to start with, but if not, I think bug resistance could be a great benefit here!
I basically lost three grows out of six to bugs already! So bug resistance is a big deal here.

Try ordering Pineapple Kush directly from East Fork Cultivars.

I tried. They say they only deliver to the USA.
Do any of the sponsors carry their seeds?

 

[InTheShed]

What is the benefit of a raised bed?

You get to grow in your existing soil without having to dig down two feet.

grower who sent me Candida seeds also lives in Canada

I hear he's in Los Angeles but either way that's not where they're not a Canadian variety!

 

[CBDMed]

You get to grow in your existing soil without having to dig down two feet.

I hear he's in Los Angeles but either way that's not where they're not a Canadian variety!

OK, CBD God, Harlequin BX4 and Sour Tsunami CBD are all BC Bud Depot (Canada).
So 3 of my 6 strains this grow are from Canada...
(I hope I get sativa phenos with CBD God!)

 

[budnoob3]

Can you build open bottom raised beds for the soil you've built? That way the roots can make use of the 6-8" of soil if they need it, and they'll probably do fine growing around whatever is below that.

My raised beds in MN we’re about 38 in tall with chicken wire and screen on bottom so roots could still easily go down if needed, then I had chicken wire going around at about 5’ high for extra critter protection, worked well for me. I just used some cedar 5/4 in and 4x4 posts to frame them out.

 

[CBDMed]

My raised beds in MN we’re about 38 in tall with chicken wire and screen on bottom so roots could still easily go down if needed, then I had chicken wire going around at about 5’ high for extra critter protection, worked well for me. I just used some cedar 5/4 in and 4x4 posts to frame them out.

That is an excellent idea! Just figure out how much soil it needs, and then make a chicken wire hoop over the dirt.
I talked with my guy about the idea of making the top UV resistant plastic, and then making the sidewalls out of maybe chicken wire and mesh. Then we can cover the sidewalls in winter (when the weather is cold), and then remove the sidewalls in the summer, leaving only the mesh and the chicken wire in the summer, when the weather at night is very mild. And then we can have normal ventilation. I wrote to ask him if we can have a 1m wide plastic overhang, in case there is wind and rain (so the buds do not get wet). Basically just a house frame with mesh and wire sidewalls, and a plastic roof. And then you can put on a plastic "sweater" in winter. We will see what designs they come up with. (They do pretty good with bamboo here.)

Wow, that is a VERY interesting idea, just making a chicken wire cage and filling it with earth.

I think what I like about it most is that it is simple and straightforward. They want to put drippers, and this should work perfectly, Father willing.
So now I need to figure out how much soil each plant would need, based on its expected size, so as to minimize the amount of topdressing required to finish the grow to the maximum, is that right?

How do I find out what the ideal size would be for fully grown indicas, and also sativas?
How many gallons are we talking about here? 15? 20? 30? More??
Or, how big do I make the chicken-wire raised beds?

My guy talked with the contractor, and the contractor said he would follow whatever instructions I gave, so that is good.
Now I just have to figure out a simple but effective routine that they can use to get a good seasonal outdoor grow, with simple instructions.
I wrote to ask about the compost situation. Probably we have an abundance of goat stable cleanings, although I am not sure how well composted they are at the moment.
My solution is to take all of my supersoil over there, and start with that. I have 15 plants in the bloom room, 13 looking good, two little autos that I overwatered do not look so good. I could easily pluck the two little autos and we could start with 5 right now (as soon as we have anything stable).
I figure the clones need longer. I will send a report on that in a moment.
I just planted seeds, and nothing came up. They are old. We should know within a week.
And if nothing comes up, I have other seeds, so we will just keep trying until we get what we need. But it would be great to have these girls come up. (And if not, we have newer seeds on the way.)

I have not seen their compost heap, if there is one yet.
They have been distributing organic matter for mulch, and also thatch (which is desirable here). Basically they are trying to add organic matter to the soil however they can do so cheaply.
I know they have lots of stable cleanings from the goats, so goat droppings and goat stable compost should be easy, and I am hoping we can keep the sheep, because sheep is even better than goat.
You can use worm, sheep, and goat manure right away, but the stable straw has to be composted.
But if it is a simple system, and you tell them what to do, they will do it. Obviously a simple and straightforward method is best for a farm.

EDIT: I just heard back from my guy, and he says we can order worm compost for cheap.
That is great for now but long term we want something we generate ourselves (and worm castings is ideal).

We could not do organic because certification is basically too burdensome, but we are trying to stay as natural and healthy as we can.
What about if we hauled all of my existing supersoil to the farm, and then we can recondition it with hopefully worm castings (because Subcool Supersoil is like 40% worm castings to start with, hahahahahaha).
And if not worm castings, then composted sheep (or goat) manure.
Then I only need to bring in the nutes, and mix, and cook (compost).
So we could start the grow in the winter (like with 20g? 30g), and let them grow 3-4 months, and then when the weather gets hot, pull the lights, and pull the plastic sweater, and let them flower out screened and covered from rain, fed by drip irrigation?
It seems simple and sustainable.

Alternately, we can get big tubs here pretty easy. We could also do supersoil and SWICK. I would just need to know how big of containers for sativas. Can anyone please let me know how best to guesstimate, or figure that out?
Do you just look where it says how big it gets, and guesstimate?
Thank you.

 

[CBDMed]

Ok, clone and seed update.
All 3 of the bluter-clones are still here, although one is a little pale,
We keep losing some of the Aziclones, but there are still many more of them, so I am hopeful.
No seeds have come up yet.
Big sigh...
These seeds are maybe 3+ years old, because I thought we were going to be able to get started three years ago--but it did not happen until now, so I hope they are still good!
Probably give it a week, and if they do not come up, then I will need to replace. But for right now I am still hopeful for sativa phenos.

Here is a closeup. The blutercups are up front.
You can see where the ranks got thinned in the Azicups but they are still many.
The tall girls in the back look pale.

I try to spray the stems well, two squirts for each stem, two or three times a day.
I put a touch of liquid myco in the sprayer bottle. (I am not sure if that translates to perlite.)
I think maybe a drop of that Papa Zeep's cloning solution would make more sense.

This is a side-view, if it is helpful.

I have had several of the Aziclones start to go limp, and I go to pull them out, sometimes they separate and I lose half the stem down in the perlite.
And other tomes they are not yet rotting, but they've already gone limp (so I want to pull them before they rot).
When I pulled them out there's no real roots coming out. Maybe 10 pieces of perlite will stick to the stem, but nothing like what you'd call roots.

I wonder if I should try experimenting with a drop of that Papa Zeep's cloning concentrate stuff.
The fertilizer for the blutercups is BioNiva Veganics Veg, which is supposed to have algae hormones or something.

 

[CBDMed]

My raised beds in MN we’re about 38 in tall with chicken wire and screen on bottom so roots could still easily go down if needed, then I had chicken wire going around at about 5’ high for extra critter protection, worked well for me. I just used some cedar 5/4 in and 4x4 posts to frame them out.

That is very thought provoking, budnoob!
May I please ask you?
About how wide were your raised beds?
And how were you feeding your girls? Were you pre-loading the soil? Did you top-dress? Did you fertigate? (Or how did you feed?)
How big were your girls?
And, how did you decide how much soil to use?
ANd of course, were you happy with your result?
Thanks.

 

[CBDMed]

OK, my guy writes back:

The goat manure has already decomposed. We have left it to decompose there for 4 months so it is ready to use. It is made up of 50% goat manure and 50% wood waste. Taking the manure to the stable is not a problem. We can take it across the river and then take it to the stable.

Hmmm... I will need to take a look at it and see. How does that sound, 50% goat manure and 50% wood waste (I am assuming he means straw or sawdust but I will verify) to add organic matter to the soil?

The road to the property is out, so we have to manually haul everything about a half mile. (They like that kind of work here.)
Since we have to haul in everything anyway, we might as well start with the super soil, and then we can recondition that after the harvest, and then re-mix and re-cook it for next year.
not tonight but I found a whole bunch of amendments that you can buy in 50 pound sacks or hundred pound sacks, bloodmeal, bone meal, fish meal, cotton seeded meal, alfalfa meal, protein meal, etc. It has to be composted but if I try to start with the subcool formula as a launching point, it will need to be cooked anyway (especially because of the bloodmeal, but also if we put compostable products in there, it will need to cook and compost down).

But I still need to figure out how much soil each plant will take, and how big to make the raised beds.
but that is tomorrow.

 

[cbdhemp808]

That is an excellent idea! Just figure out how much soil it needs, and then make a chicken wire hoop over the dirt.
I talked with my guy about the idea of making the top UV resistant plastic, and then making the sidewalls out of maybe chicken wire and mesh. Then we can cover the sidewalls in winter (when the weather is cold), and then remove the sidewalls in the summer, leaving only the mesh and the chicken wire in the summer, when the weather at night is very mild. And then we can have normal ventilation.

I wrote to ask him if we can have a 1m wide plastic overhang, in case there is wind and rain (so the buds do not get wet). Basically just a house frame with mesh and wire sidewalls, and a plastic roof. And then you can put on a plastic "sweater" in winter. We will see what designs they come up with. (They do pretty good with bamboo here.)

Or maybe just keep the plants well in from the walls. I don't have much overhang on my greenhouses and don't have a problem, but we also rarely ever get a windy rain that comes in from the side.

Wow, that is a VERY interesting idea, just making a chicken wire cage and filling it with earth.

So now I need to figure out how much soil each plant would need, based on its expected size, so as to minimize the amount of topdressing required to finish the grow to the maximum, is that right?

How do I find out what the ideal size would be for fully grown indicas, and also sativas?
How many gallons are we talking about here? 15? 20? 30? More??

It depends on what strain you are growing. The Mango Biche would get huge if you let it, so you would need to top it to fit in the greenhouse. I've had 10 ft sativas before and they did OK in 40 gal. I would say 15 would be plenty for a lot of strains. 10 would even be OK for some... I've had really nice plants in 10 gal.

Or, how big do I make the chicken-wire raised beds?

Use an online calculator for the volume of a cylinder... just google for calculate volume of cylinder. Plug in the parameters in inches and you'll get cubic inches. Then type into google: X cubic inches to gallons. Voila! Play around until you hit the number of gallons you're shooting for. Then you can calculate the circumference to determine your length of chicken wire.

What about if we hauled all of my existing supersoil to the farm, and then we can recondition it with hopefully worm castings (because Subcool Supersoil is like 40% worm castings to start with, hahahahahaha).
And if not worm castings, then composted sheep (or goat) manure.
Then I only need to bring in the nutes, and mix, and cook (compost).

Worm casting don't have much N, but the composted manure will have lots. Best would be both.

So we could start the grow in the winter (like with 20g? 30g), and let them grow 3-4 months, and then when the weather gets hot, pull the lights, and pull the plastic sweater, and let them flower out screened and covered from rain, fed by drip irrigation?
It seems simple and sustainable.

I don't know what your winter is like, but maybe early spring would be a better start time. The deciding factor would probably be nighttime temps in the greenhouse w/ the plastic side walls. Best would be no side walls for better ventilation, so that also implies a later start.

 

[cbdhemp808]

OK, my guy writes back:

The goat manure has already decomposed. We have left it to decompose there for 4 months so it is ready to use. It is made up of 50% goat manure and 50% wood waste. Taking the manure to the stable is not a problem. We can take it across the river and then take it to the stable.

Hmmm... I will need to take a look at it and see. How does that sound, 50% goat manure and 50% wood waste (I am assuming he means straw or sawdust but I will verify) to add organic matter to the soil?

Make sure the wood waste isn't from treated lumber. Wood waste takes a lot longer to compost than animal manure, so it's possible the manure is fully composted but not the wood waste? Just something to be aware of.

The road to the property is out, so we have to manually haul everything about a half mile. (They like that kind of work here.)
Since we have to haul in everything anyway, we might as well start with the super soil, and then we can recondition that after the harvest, and then re-mix and re-cook it for next year.

Maybe you could mine topsoil from the surrounding land, for your containers... just a thought. You could run it through a mesh to get the rocks out. Just a wild idea.

 

[CBDMed]

Or maybe just keep the plants well in from the walls. I don't have much overhang on my greenhouses and don't have a problem, but we also rarely ever get a windy rain that comes in from the side.

Yeah, I think you're in the middle of the jungle, with a clearing? We are in the middle of a cow pasture, so we get wind. But yeah, just pulling the plants in from the walls makes sense and sounds like it would work without having to redesign the structure.

It depends on what strain you are growing. The Mango Biche would get huge if you let it, so you would need to top it to fit in the greenhouse.

Yeah. It says 4 m in height. The greenhouse might be that tall inside but you're right, probably it would be better to top it and make a bush.

I've had 10 ft sativas before and they did OK in 40 gal. I would say 15 would be plenty for a lot of strains. 10 would even be OK for some... I've had really nice plants in 10 gal.

Yeah, ok. look at the projected height and then make a carefully educated and informed scientific wild guess, ha ha

Use an online calculator for the volume of a cylinder... just google for calculate volume of cylinder. Plug in the parameters in inches and you'll get cubic inches. Then type into google: X cubic inches to gallons. Voila! Play around until you hit the number of gallons you're shooting for. Then you can calculate the circumference to determine your length of chicken wire.

Worm casting don't have much N, but the composted manure will have lots. Best would be both.

I don't know what your winter is like, but maybe early spring would be a better start time. The deciding factor would probably be nighttime temps in the greenhouse w/ the plastic side walls. Best would be no side walls for better ventilation, so that also implies a later start.

I'm still trying to figure out the weather patterns here, but I think we are just leaving winter now, heading slowly towards summer. It is still cool and rainy, and in about three or four months it will start to dry out and get warm. So I think we are planting at about the right time.

 

[CBDMed]

Make sure the wood waste isn't from treated lumber. Wood waste takes a lot longer to compost than animal manure, so it's possible the manure is fully composted but not the wood waste? Just something to be aware of.

Good idea. Thank you! I just wrote him to check.
If it needs more time I will give it more time.

Maybe you could mine topsoil from the surrounding land, for your containers... just a thought. You could run it through a mesh to get the rocks out. Just a wild idea.

I would do that except the other landowners might get hacked off.
There is a strip of land next to the drainage ditch we might could use for soil but we would have to check and make sure no one would get mad.
I think for this grow we are talking about bringing in my existing super soil, and then reconditioning it for future grows. Yes we will want to add some black volcanic dirt as we recondition (because like you said, the percentage of actual dirt goes down with the reconditioning so you have to bring more in.