The Shamen

[Antonio_DutchPassion 720]

Looking healthy mate, they can really use all the light they can get, when are they going out?

[Crow River 9,760]

@Antonio_DutchPassion won't be for a while yet, need to prep the plot first...  I've maxed up the light I there, so they should hopefully be okay in the meantime.

[Antonio_DutchPassion 720]

Sounds good mate, I would personally prefer to keep them indoors a bit longer anyway, until they have a few more internodes and gone a bit wide as well. And most importantly a bigger root system, it gives them more chance to survive the outdoors, especially during harsh climatically challenging periods. Take care mate!

[Crow River 9,760]

@Antonio_DutchPassion thanks. Yeah, I shall wait until they are a bit more robust for sure. At least they won't start flowering like some of my autos did... 

[Crow River 9,760]

Apologies for the lack of updates, there wasn't really much news until today.

 

Now that the first wave has gone out, I had the chance to move the second wave girls into the veg cab. They'll have a bit more space to spread out, and get a different mix of light including some UV. These girls will be going out as soon as there's a plot ready.

 

The three Shaman are to the right hand side.

 

 

[blerie420 1,698]

Looking great! You've got it all boxed off this year bro my hat is well and truly off to ya

[Crow River 9,760]

@blerie420, thankee kind sir. It is true I have worked a bit more on my growing this year. However the season has barely started, much can still happen. I am only too well aware that plans can wither away. So, I hope for the best, and if fortune smiles, I will of course share it here.  

[blerie420 1,698]

Oh yeah defo anything can happen outdoors that's the only definite with it

 

 

[Crow River 9,760]

Planted another couple of girls from the veg cab down at the bramble plot this evening including the first of three Shaman. The forecast heavy rain never materialised today, so I took some water to give all the girls a wee drink. The soil seems very free draining, quite sandy and gritty. So even when there is rain, it dries out pretty quickly. I suspect this is why the girls are hungry, not enough rain to wash the dry ferts into the soil. Fingers crossed the rain they say is on the way from Tuesday actually arrives. Quite a few yellow leaves lower down on some other girls, again the relative lack of rain and nutrients most likely cause.

 

Shaman before boxing up for the journey

 

Some pics of the plot after planting and a bit of water

 

In the foreground, second row, right is the Shaman.

Edited July 23 by Crow River

[Crow River 9,760]

Finally finished planting the bramble plot this evening. Well, apart from a mum plant, she's getting some UV in the veg cab for the rest of this week before going out. Anyway, the plot is finally taking its final shape for this season. The girls are doing okay, I gave them all a bit of water again, but they really need some rain as the soil is dry as dust.  So if a few of them are looking a bit hungry, it's probably down to lack of moisture and thus lack of nutrient uptake. Hopefully the forecast precipitation will in fact show up later this week...

 

Unless it turns out really sunny and dry, I'll not be back to this plot until at least next week. Which is a bit of a relief, I can get on with other things for a change.  

 

Shaman x 2 before heading out

 

Plot after planting the final Shaman

 

Shaman x 3

 

[Antonio_DutchPassion 720]

Nice plot mate, field of justice!

 

Peace out

[Crow River 9,760]

@Antonio_DutchPassion thanks! Yeah it's finally taking shape. If I stay with this plot next year, I hope to be better prepared. I'll be visiting the "field of justice" again probably next week. Until then...

 

 

[Crow River 9,760]

This afternoon, I took the final mum down to the bramble plot to plant out. I was apprehensive about the girls there, given they were looking hungry last visit. I needn’t have worried. The rain over the past two weeks seems to have delivered the fertiliser top dressed last time. They’re all looking very healthy. 

 

After planting the new arrival, I weeded around the plot and then top dressed with chicken manure and coco coir, plus bonemeal for any flowering girls, before mulching with straw. The idea is that it will help retain moisture, and stop the soil drying out so much. With a few dry days ahead, the timing is good. 

 

I’m pretty pleased with how the girls are getting on now. The tallest plants are around 150cm high, and presumably will grow a bit more over the next month or so. They are all bushing out too, so the plot is starting to look quite full…   

 

I’ll be back in a fortnight to check on them, and I will bring some tubs to pick brambles as they are ripening nicely and there are thousands!  

 

Plot on arrival

 

Shaman x 3

 

Plot after weeding, top dress and mulch

[Crow River 9,760]

It's more than three weeks since I visited the bramble plot. Went sown a bit earlier than usual, around five in the afternoon. The girls are doing fine, quite a few in flower now, but not all. Most are nice and healthy, a few still a bit hungry with some yellow/dying leaves. The three Shaman are still in veg, but looking just great. 

 

I gave all the girls a handful of bonemeal top dress, and a root soak with Flower Power. Did some quick weeding of any invaders that were encroaching on my plants. Took some pics, and then went brambling . Gathered about a kilo and a half of berries, enough for a batch of wine. Will pick some more next visit, there really are thousands round the plot...

 

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how the girls are doing. Not as tall as the plants at the embankment plot, but they've not been out as long. Tallest are maybe between four and five feet high. Still time for them to stretch mind you...

 

Plot on arrival

 

Shaman x 3

 

[Crow River 9,760]

Made it down to the bramble plot late afternoon yesterday. Weather was a bit drizzly, but reasonably warm. The plot felt really autumnal compared to the last visit just two weeks ago. Nearby birch trees have started shedding leaves, undergrowth is starting to die back. The bramble berries all around have started to rot. 

 

All the girls are well into flower, except the Super Kush mum. Quite a few yellow leaves around, but mainly on certain strains. Now this could just be fade during flower, but on most girls it seems a bit early for that. So I'm assuming they're hungry, and some plants redivert resources from the leaves to build buds if nutrients from the soil are insufficient. A more concerning problem was spotting a few dying branches: two on a Shaman, and one on the Triton Biscotto Lime mum. The latter had been damaged somehow, so I removed it. On the Shaman, maybe something similar had happened, but stem rot had started at the base of each branch. The main stem in those areas showed signs of dieback. I removed the branches, and I hope that will stop it, though I thought I spotted some rot at the top of the main cola too. Might swing by in a week to check how that is going.

 

The prospect of rot settling in at the plot weighed on my mind a bit. I went round removing any dead or dying leaves from all the girls. Gave them all a handful of bonemeal as a top dress, and all got a root soak of Flower Power too. Might bring manure for the hungrier girls next visit. 

 

All in all, it's going okay. But I have a nasty feeling more girls will be affected by rot as buds ripen. The forecast for the last week in September is looking better than the current wet spell. Dry, bit of sun, decent temperatures for maybe a week or so, going into early October perhaps? An opportunity at that point to harvest some buds if they're ready. 

 

Oh I also picked 1.5 kilos of brambles, not the rotten ones though. Another batch of wine underway now...  

 

Plot on arrival

 

Shaman x 3

 

Plot at departure