Another on point balcony grow! Never ceases to impress though...
Stunger's Organic Soil Stealth Balcony: Landrace Mulanje & Other Sativas
- Thread starter Stunger
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DV8
Well-Known Member
Wait.....theres a balcony?
I realise your referencevto top dressing is for your own journalling purposes but thanks for sharing mate.
You didnt give yourself one yet, but Im awarding a gold star. ☆. Should stay valid for a few weeks.
Those girls are singing. Its rumoured if you listen closely at Earth hour this year that Stungers girls can be heard anywhere in the world. Ill be listening.
I realise your referencevto top dressing is for your own journalling purposes but thanks for sharing mate.
You didnt give yourself one yet, but Im awarding a gold star. ☆. Should stay valid for a few weeks.
Those girls are singing. Its rumoured if you listen closely at Earth hour this year that Stungers girls can be heard anywhere in the world. Ill be listening.
They are looking spectacular Stung! How many more weeks before harvest are you anticipating? Last year, I think I fed my plants probably 2 or 3 too many topdressings. Not a big deal other than "wasted" nutes because I don't think she kept feeding past a certain point. Trying to find that balance and understanding is where my ignorance is at. I don't want to cause a deficiencies late in flower. I also don't want to use more nutes than needed.
I get scared about wetting the buds too much though. Again, trying to find that balance. Enough BT coverage but not too much to cause excessive moisture in the buds and be the cause of bud rot.
with your wind problems, i suppose you wouldn't have stagnant air problems.
They do look incredible! You think they're done stretching?
I will need to incorporate some stealthy tricks myself this year. Expanding the outdoor garden to some new locations I need to keep camouflaged. Quantity and size!
Duuuuuude...I have a serious hatred problem with caterpillars. Like really really bad!!! I was still not good enough with my BT treatments last year. This year, my plan was to ensure I continue using it at regular intervals...PERIOD!
I get scared about wetting the buds too much though. Again, trying to find that balance. Enough BT coverage but not too much to cause excessive moisture in the buds and be the cause of bud rot.
with your wind problems, i suppose you wouldn't have stagnant air problems.
Good thing that rail covers the bottom 2/3 of the plants! Haaa haaa. J/k
They do look incredible! You think they're done stretching?
I will need to incorporate some stealthy tricks myself this year. Expanding the outdoor garden to some new locations I need to keep camouflaged. Quantity and size!
Thanks for the detail, awesome. How much taller can you let Mulanje get? Looks like she's already above the railing. And I'll trade you aphids for caterpillars - at least you can see them easily enough. Lol. Is there already info in here on the diastatic malted barley? That one fascinates me, what's the deal with that? (feel free to direct me if I missed it earlier please). Thanks Stunger! Gorgeous.Update - 3rd and final top dressing
Greetings 420 enthusiasts! The good weather has come back and the girls are ripping into early flowering, so much so that they are now crowding me out of the balcony!
On the 19th February, I carried out a 3rd and final topdressing, it was a fairly light one but I think that should see them thru to harvest. So that has been 3 top dressings over the last 6 weeks or so, roughly about 2 weeks apart.
Summary of top dressings given - for my own future reference and anyone who is interested
1st topdressing - 20th January 2022
2nd topdressing 2 weeks later - 3rd February 2022
- 2 tablespoons Blood n Bone
- 2 tablespoons Neem powder
<edit> The above quantities are for the smaller 30L (13 gallon) containers. I added a bit extra for the larger 50L (13 gallon) containers.
- 2 Tablespoons Blood n Bone (1/8 cup)
- 2 Tablespoons Fish Meal(1/8 cup)
- 2 tablespoons Guano Phosphate(1/8 cup)
- 2 tablespoons Seafood Lush Fert Mix(1/8 cup)
- 2 tablespoons Kelp meal(1/8 cup)
- 2 tablespoons Neem Powder(1/8 cup)
- 2 tablespoons Diatomaceous Earth/Silica(1/8 cup)
- 1/2 cup rough ground diastatic malted barley
3rd and final topdressing 2 weeks later - 19th February 2022
3 Tablespoons Blood n Bone for 50L pots, 2 tbsp for 30L pots
1 Tablespoon Fish Meal for 50L pots, 1/2 tbsp for 30L pots
1 tablespoon Guano Phosphate for 50L pots, 1/2 tbsp for 30L pots
3 tablespoons Neem Powder for 50L pots, 2 Tbsp for 30L pots
1/3 cup dried shrimp (washed to remove salt)
1/3 cup rough ground diastatic malted barley
Pest/bug treatments
I have been spraying BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) to deter caterpillars. It is recommended every 3 to 14 days, I was spraying closer to every 1 - 2 weeks, but after consultation with my fellow 420 enthusiast (@stinker) who was giving his plants a light spray daily, I am increasing the regularity of my spraying too, because those caterpillars are a right royal PITA!
Anyway, time for the pictures! Here's today's view from the side window
And the view front on
I will do an update shortly on the male and the gathering of it's pollen.
Thanks for dropping in, be well and may your gardens be blooming!
tangwena
Well-Known Member
Beautiful Mulanje looks like she is finishing her stretch and should start filling in those colas big time soon.
She is going to be just solid cola forest from the look of her def worth a bit of pollen.
Should go 8 /9 weeks from here.
She is going to be just solid cola forest from the look of her def worth a bit of pollen.
Should go 8 /9 weeks from here.
This is the ticket Stunger! Perfect size too! Happy bud fattening!Update - 3rd and final top dressing
Greetings 420 enthusiasts! The good weather has come back and the girls are ripping into early flowering, so much so that they are now crowding me out of the balcony!
On the 19th February, I carried out a 3rd and final topdressing, it was a fairly light one but I think that should see them thru to harvest. So that has been 3 top dressings over the last 6 weeks or so, roughly about 2 weeks apart.
Summary of top dressings given - for my own future reference and anyone who is interested
1st topdressing - 20th January 2022
2nd topdressing 2 weeks later - 3rd February 2022
- 2 tablespoons Blood n Bone
- 2 tablespoons Neem powder
<edit> The above quantities are for the smaller 30L (13 gallon) containers. I added a bit extra for the larger 50L (13 gallon) containers.
- 2 Tablespoons Blood n Bone (1/8 cup)
- 2 Tablespoons Fish Meal(1/8 cup)
- 2 tablespoons Guano Phosphate(1/8 cup)
- 2 tablespoons Seafood Lush Fert Mix(1/8 cup)
- 2 tablespoons Kelp meal(1/8 cup)
- 2 tablespoons Neem Powder(1/8 cup)
- 2 tablespoons Diatomaceous Earth/Silica(1/8 cup)
- 1/2 cup rough ground diastatic malted barley
3rd and final topdressing 2 weeks later - 19th February 2022
3 Tablespoons Blood n Bone for 50L pots, 2 tbsp for 30L pots
1 Tablespoon Fish Meal for 50L pots, 1/2 tbsp for 30L pots
1 tablespoon Guano Phosphate for 50L pots, 1/2 tbsp for 30L pots
3 tablespoons Neem Powder for 50L pots, 2 Tbsp for 30L pots
1/3 cup dried shrimp (washed to remove salt)
1/3 cup rough ground diastatic malted barley
Pest/bug treatments
I have been spraying BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) to deter caterpillars. It is recommended every 3 to 14 days, I was spraying closer to every 1 - 2 weeks, but after consultation with my fellow 420 enthusiast (@stinker) who was giving his plants a light spray daily, I am increasing the regularity of my spraying too, because those caterpillars are a right royal PITA!
Anyway, time for the pictures! Here's today's view from the side window
And the view front on
I will do an update shortly on the male and the gathering of it's pollen.
Thanks for dropping in, be well and may your gardens be blooming!
tropics
Well-Known Member
Your Mulanje is coming on
less room for leaf more room for meat!!
Awesome
less room for leaf more room for meat!!
Awesome
- Thread starter
- #388
Thanks Shed! I do like the look myself, but the bigger girl is getting a little bit 'pokey outy' above the balcony rails.Another on point balcony grow! Never ceases to impress though...
Cheers DV8! Yip there is no room left for any more plants or for that matter myself, it's a squeeze getting past them.
Thanks BA! I did grow a Mango Sherbert last year and I harvested her mid April. So probably 6 - 7 weeks for her. And then I can move the left most plant up to get a bit more direct sunlight. I haven't grown pure sativas before but they possibly/probably will need further time which might be interesting when the weather starts to turn.
My topdressing is similar to last year except this time I spread it out over 6 weeks. The topdressing amendments that I gave are all dry and not mixed in as I know their are roots right to the top and I didn't want to upset them. The first 2 topdressings were given on top of the old mostly decomposed mulch layer where the waterings would gradually carry it into the soil. This last topdressing I did the same but added a new mulch layer of Pea and Barley straw on top. So far, I am not aware of any nute issues, I think they're good.
I feel the same way BA, every time some manage to evade it, so I do think that more regular sprays are best.
Last year's grow I did train them lower earlier, which did work out well. This year I let them get a little higher but the Mulanje might has got a bit too much 'free rein'. When I view it from down below, I can see a few cola tops but it is a tricky to discern them because the herb planters in front create a bit of distraction.
However, I will look for some plastic foliage/flowers to maybe add some additional camouflage.
Thanks Jon! I think the Mulanje is close to finishing her stretch, but she has got a taste of that free air above the balcony rails! Altho, the herb planters do help distract the eye from discerning the cannabis behind!
My use of diastatic malted barley comes from Jim Bennett, who you may have heard of for formulating his famous Clackamas Coots soil recipe. I have a lot of other things in my soil so I must say here that I am not using his mix, but I liked his reasoning for adding a source of Chitin which can be crab meal or insect frass, or in my case, because I couldn't get either of those locally I used dried shrimp that I purchased from a local Asian food shop. Diastatic means that the malted barley contains enzymes. I buy mine from a beer brewing shop, they sell a bunch of different malted grains, but some are smoked which we don't want for 'gardening' as the diastatic content will be destroyed.
Chitin is a polysaccharide that when bacteria break it down it releases Chitinase which in turn breaks down hard insect shells. Diastatic malted barley is added to bread making to enhance the activity of the yeast. Barley when sprouted will produce at least 8 different enzymes. In bread making one of these enzymes, protease, will accelerate the breakdown of gluten so that's why in bread making they don't want to add too much otherwise the bread will lose it's structure. But out of those 8 enzymes found in diastatic malted barley it is Chitinase that we are interested in. So this is added to further assist in breaking down the Chitin source I added (dried shrimp). There are a number of defensive pathways that plants have to respond to pest and bug attacks, this relates to the Chitinase Salicylic pathway. The upshot is, that the plant becomes 'pre-warned' and stronger against hard shell insect attacks. Jim Bennett also found that the plants grew stronger and flowering reached the harvest point a little quicker. Jim Bennett is an absolute legend, he has been growing the same plant for getting close to 40 years! Taking cuts off the mother plant, which has enabled him to observe the response of his amendments, just phenomenal!
I amended my soil in the 'off season' with dried shrimp (first washed to remove any salt) and diastatic malted barley. Without checking, I think I added about a cup of each at that point. So for my recent topdressing I gave lesser quantities. I hope this makes some sense.
Hey Tang thanks! She's really taking off, perhaps a little too much haha.
Hey Skottel, nice to see you again, thanks! Those drones really are a game changer eh. It's amazing to effortlessly cast a line out half a kilometre, altho we are finding the 'billow' in the line will trigger the release if it drops into the water, so next time we'll take it higher up and try for 800 - 900m. I couldn't at first work out what the phrase 'non ed' meant, but I think you mean you're targeting non edible. I think your pics are going to set @stinker off as he misses his fishing days past!
Thanks Otter! Yip, finally getting to the bud stacking phase!
Yes indeed tropics, thanks, I am looking forward to the bud meat developing haha!
DAMN @Stunger. I gotta tell you man, you impress me on a consistent basis, but this answer....
I'm impressed. Thanks very much.
Ohhh, Jon. You just have no idea bro. I'd take aphids ANY day of the week and twice on Sunday over caterpillars. If you don't control caterpillars early on, you won't know you have a problem until you're gorgeous buds turn into a putrid mess in a matter of a day or two. Open it up to find a caterpillar feasting on the inside and it's too late at that point.
Aphids...shooooot...I'd just wash those stupid boogers off and turn those washed out buds into an edible. Catching them before they become an infestation can be hard but I have yet to see them decimate an entire garden in a matter of a week like unchecked caterpillars will.
Haaa haaaa! Dollar store here I come!!! Thanks for this gem of a reminder.
Or smoke 'em after the wash. If I turned flowers that had bugs into edibles my jars would be empty!
Good thing it's a Dollar Store and not Family Dollar!
Family Dollar recall: 404 stores closed in 6 states after rodent infestation. See the list.
Family Dollar has temporarily closed more than 400 of its stores in six states related to a rodent infestation that is also tied to a recall.
www.usatoday.com
Little rat turds everywhere. Lmao
Lol! Thanks BA. I'm sure you're right. I just haven't ever dealt with bugs, so they really freaked me out. Unfortunately, I got hipped to how easy aphids are to get rid of too late and trashed 25% of the buds before I found out. So you might not know a caterpillar was even there till you found it INSIDE the buds? OMG that would bug me.
Lol. See what I did there?
Yup, I trashed buds I could have just washed off. Buds that were not damaged yet, and only had a bug or two on them, like they just got there. Oh well. Live and learn. I probably cost myself 3/4 - 1 ounce of buds.
nickeluring
Well-Known Member
That Mulanje is looking insane, mate! I don't think I've ever seen better use of all the space of a balcony before.
Heavenly Hybrid
Well-Known Member
Amazing balcony Stunger! I can’t believe you got four on there this year. Absolutely beautiful work bud!
- Thread starter
- #397
Thanks Nick! I will have to do something shortly about that, because once buds are stacked up I am going to set off a dank bomb every time I brush against them when watering or maintenance.
- Thread starter
- #398
Thanks HH! I can't really believe it myself. I sprouted 4 regular seeds and at best only wanted (but didn't expect) 1 male and 3 females, which amazingly is what I got. The 4th is from an earlier sprouted feminised seed that I thought wouldn't survive, the Mango Sherbert (she is now the second biggest), she survived a nasty mutant phase of life, first grew her tap root above the soil and it then came out the second time with the membrane stuck for about 3 days, very multi week stunted beginning. But 4 plants is really too much without more stringent training being carried out.Amazing balcony Stunger! I can’t believe you got four on there this year. Absolutely beautiful work bud!
- Thread starter
- #399
Update - pics of some early budding
Greetings 420 enthusiasts! Today I have tried to take some pics of early bud development. I can only really do so with the 2 plants on the right most end where the balcony is a bit wider. So lets start off there.
Mulanje
Mango Sherbert
And the full line up viewed from the side window!
Thanks for dropping by, and keep well everyone!
Greetings 420 enthusiasts! Today I have tried to take some pics of early bud development. I can only really do so with the 2 plants on the right most end where the balcony is a bit wider. So lets start off there.
Mulanje
Mango Sherbert
And the full line up viewed from the side window!
Thanks for dropping by, and keep well everyone!
DV8
Well-Known Member
Great pics, start of something special there.
As a point of interest mate, sorry if youve mentioned this before now, whats the watering like on these girls at this stage and in the size containers there in? Like frequency and total litres on average or per pot
As a point of interest mate, sorry if youve mentioned this before now, whats the watering like on these girls at this stage and in the size containers there in? Like frequency and total litres on average or per pot
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