The seeds have arrived and this journal is officially launched!
WHAT WILL WE GROW? THE SEEDS
This will be my second grow. Those of you who followed the excitement of my Buddha Magnum and THC Bomb won't be surprised to find I've decided to try another set of autos in my tiny closet. This time I wanted something more dramatic, so I've chosen Sweet Seeds Dark Devil and Bomb Seeds Berry Bomb, purchased from Herbie's Seeds. I have only good things to say about Herbie's. Just what you want in a seed company.
I went looking on line for good pictures of them and began to get really excited. Both tend towards dark leaves and purple flowers. I seem to have this obsession with purple flowers.
Here are some breeder particulars on each strain.
"Bomb Berry Bomb Autoflowering Feminised Seeds Specs
Type: Indica/Sativa/Ruderalis
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor/Outdoor
Plant Height: Medium (70-120cm)
Indoor Flowering: 70 days from seed
THC: High (15-20%)
Harvest Outdoor: May-Oct
Yield: High (300-350g/m²)
Stoned/High: Starts heady, moving nicely into a body buzz.
Bomb Berry Bomb Autoflowering Feminised Cannabis Seeds Info
Berry Bomb Auto is the incredibly fruity autoflowering version of one our most popular strains, Berry Bomb.
The key characteristics we aimed to maintain when developing the strain were the explosive growth and unrivalled sweet, berry flavour. Connoisseurs won’t be disappointed; ready in around 70 days from seed Berry Bomb Auto is a fast finishing autoflowering strain with exceptional taste and potency. The auto version maintains the fat single kola structure and large internodal distances making it an ideal option for SCROG setups. The classic explosive growth helps maximise yields, and you can expect to pull up to 300g/m² in optimum conditions. Later in flowering and in the right environment Berry Bomb Auto will also turn blue/purple, adding real appeal. Outdoors, growth will accelerate fast with buds really bulking out. It can also deal with cooler climates thanks to its hardy nature and excellent mould resistance.
THC production really kicks on in the last two weeks of flowering, with buds becoming super frosty. The signature sweet berry taste and aroma that Berry Bomb has become renowned for are ever present, with the stone offering just the right balance between indica body buzz and sativa head high."
Here's a lovely picture of what we may hope to accomplish with Berry Bomb.
"Sweet Dark Devil Autoflowering Feminised Seeds Specs
100% Autoflowering
Indoor Yield: 400-600gr/m2
Outdoor Yield: 50-200gr/plant
Indoor/Outdoor Harvest: 8½ weeks after germination
Height: 80-130cm
Sweet Dark Devil Autoflowering Feminised Seeds Info
100% Autoflowering strain. This is the result of the hybridization between one of our most appreciated autoflowering genetics - Big Devil XL - and an exotic autoflowering strain with purple flowers, developed with the collaboration of the R + D department. The purple characteristic of this strain is inherited from its ancestors from the Chitral region in the Pakistani Hindu Kush, very close to Afghanistan. The purple genetics contribute for a faster flowering period, bringing new sweet aromas and purple colours to our Big Devil XL. Dark Devil shows a strong hybrid vigour since germination. Plants grow with the appearance of Indica-Sativa hybrids with a strong main stem and numerous side branches, finishing with a big main cola and multiple smaller buds on the side branches. Resin production is abundant in the flowers and in their surrounding leaves. Sweet and fruity aroma with hints of incense and delightful citrus tones. During flowering, around 80% of the plants acquire purple or reddish tones in the buds and some of them even develop purple leaves too. After harvested and dried the buds gain a very dark purple tone, almost black."
Did I say dramatic? I want nugs that look like this.
Don't you just love all that color going on there? This nug was grown by another 420 grower, Seraphim. I found his strain review in the archives.
The seeds will be planted tomorrow morning.
HOW WILL WE GROW?
PLANTING MEDIUM
I will be continuing to grow in my 7 gallon no-till Geo Pots filled with my vibrant Living Organic Soil. This will be the second run for this lovely soil community. I think we are all going to be surprised.
Once again, here is the Mix as written by ClackamasCoots:
"Equal parts of Sphagnum peat moss, some aeration deal (pumice, rice hulls, lava rock - whatever is sitting in the garage) and finally some mix of humus - my compost, worm castings some black leaf mold I bought from the local 'worm guy'
To each 1 c.f. of this mix I add the following:
1/2 cup organic Neem meal
1/2 cup organic Kelp meal
1/2 cup Crab meal (or Crustacean meal when available - it has Shrimp meal with the Crab meal. It's a local product from the fisheries on the Oregon & Washington Coasts)
4 cups of some minerals - rock dust
After the plant is in the final container I top-dress with my worm castings at 2" or so and then I hit it with Aloe vera juice and Comfrey extract. Or Borage. Or Stinging Nettle. Or Horsetail ferns. Whatever is ready.
That's it."
The mixing of my own soil is chronicled in my first journal between pages 4 and 6.
WATERING
My SWICK system has proven itself to be a valuable asset to the grow. It will be a central feature of this grow as well. The basic set up is simple: fabric pots set on a reservoir filled with perlite, maintaining the water level to no more than 1-2" below the bottom of the pot. The plants get to determine how much water they need. No more guesswork or missed waterings.
For the greatest effect of this system be sure to add up to an additional 25% in volume aeration component to your soil mix. With mine I made that increase by adding rice hulls - more aeration and diversity all rolled in together.
MAINTENANCE
Living Organic Soil growers don't use bottled nutrients. We water. What we choose to water with is what feeds the soil food web. Many organic soil growers choose to recharge their soil between grows with a period of cooking to allow the incorporation of fresh components. A no-till works a bit differently. We don't dig into the soil any more than is necessary to fit in a transplant or drop in a seed. I didn't even dig out the root balls. Eventually they will decompose and become part of the food web and their structure will aid the aeration quality of the soil matrix.
Running a successful no-till garden requires you to take responsibility for the continuous replenishments of the micro building blocks your soil needs to keep running smoothly. To that end, I schedule two top drenches a week for each pot, planning for 1 quart volume each. These drenches are done on schedule, every week, regardless of the stage of development the plants are in. You are feeding the soil, not the plant.
**The first drench is an enzyme tea made with malted barley grain. The grain is ground to a powder, added to water and bubbled for 4-24 hours. Then kelp meal, aloe vera juice and fulvic acid are added and water is used to bring it to 1/2 gallon. That is split between the plants.
**The second drench aloe vera juice, coconut water and Agsil added to 1/2 gallon of water and split between the two.
(I still need to purchase the Agsil.)
Occasionally there may be a substitution of some other type of tea to introduce a wider range of micronutrients, for example a neem/alfalfa meal tea. Also, I'd like to explore using some foliar sprays during this grow, so we'll see how that goes.
LIGHTING
They call me the Queen of CFLs. That always makes me giggle. There's no denying that I got some stellar results from the CFLs in my first grow. Between the two autos I pulled 4.5 ounces, dry. Not bad for a complete newbie. Before the end we asked the universe for some assistance and lo-and-behold if the universe wasn't listening! WooHoo!!!
Doc Bud was looking through his stuff and came across the light he used to do this review.
https://https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/test-drive-dormgrow-g8450-doc-bud.220913/
It had a couple panels out, but still had the potential to take my second grow to a new level. We worked out the particulars and got that light to me. Then I contacted the good people at DormGrow and they graciously offered to repair those panels, so that I would have a fully functional light for the big start. That light is now on its way to refurbishing.
I will still be using CFLs for side and under lighting. This more than doubles the light potential of my initial grow. If light is the engine that powers the grow then we're in for a great ride this time. I have up to around 390 Watts of CFL available to supplement the 450 Watts offered by the DormGrow G8. I believe we may see some bigger, denser and frostier nugs this run.
WHY DO WE GROW?
This is a medicinal grow.
My husband's body is trying to kill him in about six different ways. He takes 21 different medications and as he says "not a single one of them gets me high!" When you fight that hard to stay alive there has to be some way to counteract the myriad of side effects from all those meds and the depression that stalks you at every turn. Cannabis removes depression, lowers blood pressure, keeps glaucoma at bay, improves the appetite and benefits him in ways that we don't even understand yet. Most importantly from my perspective - it makes it possible for him to want to continue to live. It's not about just living, it's about living with quality and creativity and joy. Cannabis lets that joy find expression in his life against all the odds life keeps stacking against him. He tells me he's not ready to leave me yet. This motivates me more.
Reading that, and realizing that I am the primary caretaker of a man whose body is trying to kill him from many directions you don't even need to ask if I personally use cannabis for my own medical needs. Because mental health is absolutely necessary for me to keep up with all the madness. Yes, I medicate. As frequently as responsibility allows. Balancing 14 doctors and numerous medical facilities takes a toll. Many people relax with a drink. I choose cannabis. I think I make the wiser choice.
Purchasing on the open market is expensive and untrustworthy. Once I took my first adopted plant to harvest I knew I was never going to be satisfied with the the marketplace again. For one, you can't find the quality I grow in our neck of the woods, and if you could, you wouldn't be able to afford it. This man that loves me so unconditionally deserves the best I can supply him with, and that apparently is what I can grow on my own, in the tiny closet of our living room.
Turns out I have the touch for indoor cannabis gardening. Watching my garden blossom and thrive awakened a passion in me that I didn't even know was there. Sharing that passion has become a driving force in my life. Here we are, launching my second grow journal already. Let's see what we can learn about growing top-quality cannabis meds with minimal effort and maximum rewards.
The joy of the journey is just icing on the cake. Let's grow!
WHAT WILL WE GROW? THE SEEDS
This will be my second grow. Those of you who followed the excitement of my Buddha Magnum and THC Bomb won't be surprised to find I've decided to try another set of autos in my tiny closet. This time I wanted something more dramatic, so I've chosen Sweet Seeds Dark Devil and Bomb Seeds Berry Bomb, purchased from Herbie's Seeds. I have only good things to say about Herbie's. Just what you want in a seed company.
I went looking on line for good pictures of them and began to get really excited. Both tend towards dark leaves and purple flowers. I seem to have this obsession with purple flowers.
Here are some breeder particulars on each strain.
"Bomb Berry Bomb Autoflowering Feminised Seeds Specs
Type: Indica/Sativa/Ruderalis
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor/Outdoor
Plant Height: Medium (70-120cm)
Indoor Flowering: 70 days from seed
THC: High (15-20%)
Harvest Outdoor: May-Oct
Yield: High (300-350g/m²)
Stoned/High: Starts heady, moving nicely into a body buzz.
Bomb Berry Bomb Autoflowering Feminised Cannabis Seeds Info
Berry Bomb Auto is the incredibly fruity autoflowering version of one our most popular strains, Berry Bomb.
The key characteristics we aimed to maintain when developing the strain were the explosive growth and unrivalled sweet, berry flavour. Connoisseurs won’t be disappointed; ready in around 70 days from seed Berry Bomb Auto is a fast finishing autoflowering strain with exceptional taste and potency. The auto version maintains the fat single kola structure and large internodal distances making it an ideal option for SCROG setups. The classic explosive growth helps maximise yields, and you can expect to pull up to 300g/m² in optimum conditions. Later in flowering and in the right environment Berry Bomb Auto will also turn blue/purple, adding real appeal. Outdoors, growth will accelerate fast with buds really bulking out. It can also deal with cooler climates thanks to its hardy nature and excellent mould resistance.
THC production really kicks on in the last two weeks of flowering, with buds becoming super frosty. The signature sweet berry taste and aroma that Berry Bomb has become renowned for are ever present, with the stone offering just the right balance between indica body buzz and sativa head high."
Here's a lovely picture of what we may hope to accomplish with Berry Bomb.
"Sweet Dark Devil Autoflowering Feminised Seeds Specs
100% Autoflowering
Indoor Yield: 400-600gr/m2
Outdoor Yield: 50-200gr/plant
Indoor/Outdoor Harvest: 8½ weeks after germination
Height: 80-130cm
Sweet Dark Devil Autoflowering Feminised Seeds Info
100% Autoflowering strain. This is the result of the hybridization between one of our most appreciated autoflowering genetics - Big Devil XL - and an exotic autoflowering strain with purple flowers, developed with the collaboration of the R + D department. The purple characteristic of this strain is inherited from its ancestors from the Chitral region in the Pakistani Hindu Kush, very close to Afghanistan. The purple genetics contribute for a faster flowering period, bringing new sweet aromas and purple colours to our Big Devil XL. Dark Devil shows a strong hybrid vigour since germination. Plants grow with the appearance of Indica-Sativa hybrids with a strong main stem and numerous side branches, finishing with a big main cola and multiple smaller buds on the side branches. Resin production is abundant in the flowers and in their surrounding leaves. Sweet and fruity aroma with hints of incense and delightful citrus tones. During flowering, around 80% of the plants acquire purple or reddish tones in the buds and some of them even develop purple leaves too. After harvested and dried the buds gain a very dark purple tone, almost black."
Did I say dramatic? I want nugs that look like this.
Don't you just love all that color going on there? This nug was grown by another 420 grower, Seraphim. I found his strain review in the archives.
The seeds will be planted tomorrow morning.
HOW WILL WE GROW?
PLANTING MEDIUM
I will be continuing to grow in my 7 gallon no-till Geo Pots filled with my vibrant Living Organic Soil. This will be the second run for this lovely soil community. I think we are all going to be surprised.
Once again, here is the Mix as written by ClackamasCoots:
"Equal parts of Sphagnum peat moss, some aeration deal (pumice, rice hulls, lava rock - whatever is sitting in the garage) and finally some mix of humus - my compost, worm castings some black leaf mold I bought from the local 'worm guy'
To each 1 c.f. of this mix I add the following:
1/2 cup organic Neem meal
1/2 cup organic Kelp meal
1/2 cup Crab meal (or Crustacean meal when available - it has Shrimp meal with the Crab meal. It's a local product from the fisheries on the Oregon & Washington Coasts)
4 cups of some minerals - rock dust
After the plant is in the final container I top-dress with my worm castings at 2" or so and then I hit it with Aloe vera juice and Comfrey extract. Or Borage. Or Stinging Nettle. Or Horsetail ferns. Whatever is ready.
That's it."
The mixing of my own soil is chronicled in my first journal between pages 4 and 6.
WATERING
My SWICK system has proven itself to be a valuable asset to the grow. It will be a central feature of this grow as well. The basic set up is simple: fabric pots set on a reservoir filled with perlite, maintaining the water level to no more than 1-2" below the bottom of the pot. The plants get to determine how much water they need. No more guesswork or missed waterings.
For the greatest effect of this system be sure to add up to an additional 25% in volume aeration component to your soil mix. With mine I made that increase by adding rice hulls - more aeration and diversity all rolled in together.
MAINTENANCE
Living Organic Soil growers don't use bottled nutrients. We water. What we choose to water with is what feeds the soil food web. Many organic soil growers choose to recharge their soil between grows with a period of cooking to allow the incorporation of fresh components. A no-till works a bit differently. We don't dig into the soil any more than is necessary to fit in a transplant or drop in a seed. I didn't even dig out the root balls. Eventually they will decompose and become part of the food web and their structure will aid the aeration quality of the soil matrix.
Running a successful no-till garden requires you to take responsibility for the continuous replenishments of the micro building blocks your soil needs to keep running smoothly. To that end, I schedule two top drenches a week for each pot, planning for 1 quart volume each. These drenches are done on schedule, every week, regardless of the stage of development the plants are in. You are feeding the soil, not the plant.
**The first drench is an enzyme tea made with malted barley grain. The grain is ground to a powder, added to water and bubbled for 4-24 hours. Then kelp meal, aloe vera juice and fulvic acid are added and water is used to bring it to 1/2 gallon. That is split between the plants.
**The second drench aloe vera juice, coconut water and Agsil added to 1/2 gallon of water and split between the two.
(I still need to purchase the Agsil.)
Occasionally there may be a substitution of some other type of tea to introduce a wider range of micronutrients, for example a neem/alfalfa meal tea. Also, I'd like to explore using some foliar sprays during this grow, so we'll see how that goes.
LIGHTING
They call me the Queen of CFLs. That always makes me giggle. There's no denying that I got some stellar results from the CFLs in my first grow. Between the two autos I pulled 4.5 ounces, dry. Not bad for a complete newbie. Before the end we asked the universe for some assistance and lo-and-behold if the universe wasn't listening! WooHoo!!!
Doc Bud was looking through his stuff and came across the light he used to do this review.
https://https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/test-drive-dormgrow-g8450-doc-bud.220913/
It had a couple panels out, but still had the potential to take my second grow to a new level. We worked out the particulars and got that light to me. Then I contacted the good people at DormGrow and they graciously offered to repair those panels, so that I would have a fully functional light for the big start. That light is now on its way to refurbishing.
I will still be using CFLs for side and under lighting. This more than doubles the light potential of my initial grow. If light is the engine that powers the grow then we're in for a great ride this time. I have up to around 390 Watts of CFL available to supplement the 450 Watts offered by the DormGrow G8. I believe we may see some bigger, denser and frostier nugs this run.
WHY DO WE GROW?
This is a medicinal grow.
My husband's body is trying to kill him in about six different ways. He takes 21 different medications and as he says "not a single one of them gets me high!" When you fight that hard to stay alive there has to be some way to counteract the myriad of side effects from all those meds and the depression that stalks you at every turn. Cannabis removes depression, lowers blood pressure, keeps glaucoma at bay, improves the appetite and benefits him in ways that we don't even understand yet. Most importantly from my perspective - it makes it possible for him to want to continue to live. It's not about just living, it's about living with quality and creativity and joy. Cannabis lets that joy find expression in his life against all the odds life keeps stacking against him. He tells me he's not ready to leave me yet. This motivates me more.
Reading that, and realizing that I am the primary caretaker of a man whose body is trying to kill him from many directions you don't even need to ask if I personally use cannabis for my own medical needs. Because mental health is absolutely necessary for me to keep up with all the madness. Yes, I medicate. As frequently as responsibility allows. Balancing 14 doctors and numerous medical facilities takes a toll. Many people relax with a drink. I choose cannabis. I think I make the wiser choice.
Purchasing on the open market is expensive and untrustworthy. Once I took my first adopted plant to harvest I knew I was never going to be satisfied with the the marketplace again. For one, you can't find the quality I grow in our neck of the woods, and if you could, you wouldn't be able to afford it. This man that loves me so unconditionally deserves the best I can supply him with, and that apparently is what I can grow on my own, in the tiny closet of our living room.
Turns out I have the touch for indoor cannabis gardening. Watching my garden blossom and thrive awakened a passion in me that I didn't even know was there. Sharing that passion has become a driving force in my life. Here we are, launching my second grow journal already. Let's see what we can learn about growing top-quality cannabis meds with minimal effort and maximum rewards.
The joy of the journey is just icing on the cake. Let's grow!
Buds4All, and such a gracious hello. Thank you. I'm humbled. Will you be doing a journal of your grow? I found it to be a great way to learn and make new friends.
I'll be checking in every email update I get!!
