Sweetsue's First Grow - Stealthy Trio of Autos Under CFLs

Thanks for the valuable input Antics. I wish I had room for a grow tent or a cabinet conversion. That may be the way to go if this grow doesn't work out the way I want it to. For the moment it's this space or nothing. I'll be putting the upper shelf back in so I can suspend the lights from there.

Surrounding the plant with light worked better than I thought it would. I adopted the Northern Lights as a scrawny teenager, nutrient deprived and with gnats, and still managed to coax one and a half ounces of incredibly tight and potent buds out of it. I need to find a way to harvest enough for two oz. a month consumption. There's my goal.

I've been reading through an organic growing thread on another site and it suddenly occurred to me that I'm going to have to rethink the water storage for larger storage capacity or come up with a way to clean up tap water. RO isn't an affordable option at this time, although it should have a line in the budget. A search through my notes is called for. I remember reading recently about how to do that beyond letting the water sit to evaporate the chlorine off.

It also became obvious that what you all call "water only" is a pretty complex approach of ACTs, SSTs and special watering additives. To be honest, I was planning on ACTs anyway, but the coconut water and the SSTs and the aloe are new ideas for me. I can understand the idea behind them and there's no disputing the results. It needs further study.

After studying a bit more I'm certain that the yum yum will work best as a top dressing for this grow. The only big crossover between the two mixes is kelp meal, but I believe that's enough to potentially stress the soil community. It will make an interesting mulch addition though. One of the ideas I came across was cooking the mulch mix for a week or two. Anyone do this? It sounds like a reasonable approach.

I need to get worms. Maybe if I say that enough I will make it happen sooner. Some red com posters and some Europeans to dive deep. Having worms in the soil has to be one of the coolest things ever.

Today I plan to clean the space completely out, begin a soil reclamation container and hopefully start painting the interior with flat white. Still have a few more doctors visits to slot in before week' send and they just added two more specialists to my husband's list. That makes 16 total doctors. Too many doctors to support. It's beginning to diminish quality of life. Good quality herb will help with that. Just a few more months. This medical support battalion is cutting into my study and cultivation time, dammit!
 
The idea of LST appeals to me, but we'll be growing autos, and my understanding is that you don't want to stress autos. I can't see how some gentle bending of the main stalk to create more of a horizontal profile would hurt, if it's started young and followed consistently. Anyone have any experience with this growing autos that you can share?

This grow is to prove to myself that what I coaxed out of the adoptees wasn't a fluke. I need to hedge my bets for success by developing a simple and consistent gardening approach and stick with it. If I can get a system running smoothly I will be happy with that. Increased yields and potency will come with further experience. At any time my husband's health can take a nosedive and then we're into survival mode until it settles out, so the simpler the gardening demands the better.

I'm getting anxious to get something growing and I still haven't gotten all my components to mix up the soil. I keep reminding myself that the quality of preparation time is a solid predictor of success. I don't want to rush into this. Although we got some good quality meds out of my rescue grows I wasn't happy with paltry harvests.

The more I study the more I realize how much I have yet to learn. I have quite a stack of notes to organize already. Maybe it's time to learn to mind map.

I cleared out the closet down to bare bones. Good grief, that's a tiny space! At the very least I can see we're going to have to do some training to contain the plants in there and still get dense buds and lots of trichome production. Lighting will be a key element. Now to get ready to paint.
 
TY Antics. I've been reading an old journal of PeeJays and he has me interested in SCOG again. This technique just fascinates me and I love the way he trained his from the beginning. I feel like I should be able to practice gentleness with the training - get the plants to enjoy the process. If I can get them to work with me I'll be able to do two shelves like I had planned and they won't be so crowded. I want them to have their own pots and their own grow space, if possible. In my mind I see that THC Bomb sitting right at eye level while the Buddha Magnum fills the lower space with some LST.

First grows can sometimes feel intimidating going in. Reading other journals I feel like such a beginner. Had a moment yesterday where I questioned my sanity, but then I remembered what I'd already pulled off without knowing anything and just working off instinct. There are so many options and I have to keep reminding myself that I want simplicity.

PeeJay, I learn so much from your journals. Today, reading your first journal, I learned to set the fabric pots up on bricks when I water to let them drain properly and keep them from getting waterlogged. Brilliant idea. Your use of potpourri for odor control made me laugh. I love your creative mind. I had to laugh at your concerns about posting and stealth because just yesterday my husband looked over as I was posting and said "Is it really stealthy if you post it on the Internet?" LOL!

My seeds and inoculant powder came in today. Woo Hoo! Still waiting on the rest. Time to buy the sphagnum.
 
All the components except sphagnum are here!!! Two appointments to deal with tomorrow and another two on Thursday. After that my time is my own (within reason) for a couple days. By the end of the weekend I should have the soil mixed and cooking and the space cleaned and painted.

One step at a time. Now for some more reading.
 
Although I'm drawn to SCROG I think maybe this first time I'll resist the temptation and just grow to show myself that this soil will do what I know it can. So easy to get distracted by the shiny stuff. LOL.

Going through what we had on hand from other gardening adventures over the years I found some soil purchased for Nepenthus (tropical pitcher plants - my man loves his exotic plants) that's a 50/50 mix of top-grade peat and perlite. Perfect for a seed planting plug in the center of the 5 gal pots. I want to plant right into the pot and eliminate transplanting. Any insights on this? I'll be watering with coconut water at first. This is probably the part I'm most hesitant about. If the seeds weren't so expensive.....

Husband is in the hospital for a few days at least, so I may be a bit distracted until he's home. I'm still planning on mixing soil this weekend though and get it cooking. I also found some orchid soil mixes that I'm considering tossing in to let them compost down a bit, then sift some out and use for mulch. Trying to use what's on hand to build diverse textures.
 
Everything waits for my schedule to settle down
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Hoping to get sphagnum on my way home from the hospital today or tomorrow. Traveling by bus or walking makes this trickier. I'll need to take the fold-up dolly and some bungies with me.
 
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I emptied the tiny space out and got all ready to paint. It will have to wait until I can get him home from the hospital. It's hard to believe that such a small space will supply such bounty. Until I can afford a tent or build a decent box (I already have the space in the corner of the bedroom scoped out) this is all I have to work with. What I could have pulled off with our old house. LOL
 
I have just a few more posts to,get to 50, so bear with me guys.
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I found these treasures yesterday. I knew I saved them for a reason. I tend to shy away from the hoarder gene that runs in my family. This bounty survived my last purge.
 
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I think I have a potential gold mine here. The mixes are similar, yet quite different in structure.
 
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I see the makings of some delightfully diverse additions to the mulch layer in these mixes.
 
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anyone use sphagnum moss in their mix? Know of any reason not to use this in a soil mix?
 
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this is the mix I found left over from when we had carnivorous pitcher plants on the balcony. It was such fun to watch the flies get drawn in for sacrifice. I have three bags (3 gallons total) on hand. Who knew being married to a frustrated zoologist who carried his interest in exotic pets into the field of exotic plants would pay off like this?

My thought is that a small well of this in the center of my pots will give the seeds a light start and then the roots can scurry out into the real world. I feel intuitively that you should be able to plant the seed right down into the pot it will live its entire life in and have healthy plants spring forth and thrive. The pictures you guys post of your own luscious, frosty leaves makes me want that to be true.

It's so hard waiting.
 
I should be able to bring this man of mine home tomorrow and get back to gardening prep. I'm reminded of John Lennon's statement, "Life is what happens when you're making other plans."
 
Unfortunately his heart is compromised and tomorrow they'll be doing a heart cath. If he survives (and he damn well better) we're looking at another three or four days in hospital. I need to get the sphagnum peat moss tomorrow on my way home and mix up my soil. It's going to cook for a month, and I'm not willing to wait any longer. All this craziness took more time than we anticipated and I'm considering mixing up a seedling batching soil based on PeeJays formula and starting them in small pots for transplant. I'm confident I can do that without stressing the little ones. I can plant my next grow directly into the soil. One has to be flexible.

Being at the hospital all day every day is exhausting and their wifi doesn't let me access cannabis sites. I'm feeling deprived of my study time. I can't afford to use anymore data time on the phone. Bummer! It's such a shame because being able to study the grow journals was teaching me so much about this new endeavor and helped me find creative distraction. Ah well, in time things will go back to some semblance of order. Just a few more days.
 
Thanks Antics. It looks like he may need cardiac bypass. He's not happy about them slicing through his favorite tattoo, but I'd be even less happy about losing my soul mate to a widow maker. Still in limbo while the cardiology team makes their determination.

Never dull around here. He can't wait to get back to building his trains, I can't wait to get back to the pleasure of growing cannabis. I miss the smell of flowering something fierce.

I did start a worm farm today. Woo Hoo!!
 
One of the unexpected benefits of organic gardening has been the re-introduction of blackstrap molasses into my pantry. I can remember my grandfather swigging his chilled mixture of molasses and milk every morning to start his day. He was one of the most vibrant men I have ever known. I don't know why I stopped using molasses regularly in my own home, likely because when things got really crazy I stopped baking fresh bread. How sad. Regardless, when I began my adventure in cannabis growing using organic methods, I bought a jar and immediately began enjoying a couple tablespoons every day after I found this little write-up from natural news.com.

What blackstrap molasses does for us

Good for hair - One serving (two tablespoons) of blackstrap contains approximately 14 percent of our RDI of copper, an important trace mineral whose peptides help rebuild the skin structure that supports healthy hair. Consequently, long-term consumption of blackstrap has been linked to improved hair quality, hair regrowth in men and even a restoration of your hair's original color! Click here for more information about blackstrap's hair benefits.

Safe sweetener for diabetics - Unlike refined sugar, blackstrap molasses has a moderate glycemic load of 55. This makes it a good sugar substitute for diabetics and individuals who are seeking to avoid blood sugar spikes. Moreover, one serving of blackstrap contains no fat and only 32 calories, making it suitable for a weight loss diet.

Laxative qualities - Blackstrap is a natural stool softener that can improve the regularity and quality of your bowel movements.

Rich in iron - Two tablespoons of blackstrap contain 13.2 percent of our RDI of iron, which our bodies need to carry oxygen to our blood cells. People who are anemic (including pregnant women) will greatly benefit from consuming 1-2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses per day.

High in calcium and magnesium - Blackstrap molasses contains a mineral profile that has been optimized by nature for superior absorption. For example, two tablespoons of blackstrap contains 11.7 percent of our RDI of calcium and 7.3 percent of our RDI of magnesium. This calcium-magnesium ratio is ideal, since our bodies need large quantities of magnesium to help absorb similarly large quantities of calcium. Both of these minerals aid the growth and development of bones, making blackstrap a good safeguard against osteoporosis and other bone diseases.

Additional mineral content - Two tablespoons of blackstrap molasses also contains 18 percent of our RDI of manganese (which helps produce energy from proteins and carbohydrates), 9.7 percent of our RDI of potassium (which plays an important role in nerve transmission and muscle contraction), 5 percent of our RDI of vitamin B6 (which aids brain and skin development) and 3.4 percent of our RDI of selenium, an important antioxidant.

To be honest, I needed the iron to keep me alert and healthy as we conquer my husbands myriad health concerns, but it was that first item - the prospect of going back to my natural blonde tones - that fascinated me the most. I don't consider myself a vain woman. I have never dyed my hair or worn makeup or wore high heels and my attire of choice for years now has been grey gym shorts or sweats and a grey tee shirt (I guess I decided that my personality should sparkle, not my wardrobe, LOL) but the idea that regular ingestion of this delicious nutrient would potentially restore my hair color caught my fancy. If it works it will be such a hoot!

Most of you reading this have molasses in your possession. I would hope I'm not the only one using it for personal benefit.

Before running back to the hospital today I dropped some leafy greens into the worm bin. Their first official meal! Cool.

My starter colony of worms. Thanks to my gardening angel.
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Let's see if I can make this day work out to allow me to FINALLY get the soil cooking. Everybody cross your fingers.
 
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