2021 Green(hopefully)house grow

[SubSpecies]

@Rustybiff Said: Whats that bogie on my plant?

 

SubSpecies Said:

That is an Aphid, would be wise to get rid of them, you should see a few hanging about, wanna hear the shit part, probably not but sadly they clone them self 5 times a day, yes, they shit them selves out 5 times a day and the shits quickly grow up to be just like them! Also the ants work with Aphids, ants will protect Aphids in return for the sugary Aphids sap excretion, so you may notice ants hanging about too. Aphids can soon colonize on your herbz, they will slow the vigour of the plants growth down, basically smaller plants with less immune an defence system, and not to mention mold on damaged areas in flower

 

Methods of Treatment:
1. If there ain't many squash them with fingers!

2. Use a very light mix of water and washing up liquid and spray on the Aphids in the early morn or evening, avoid applying in burning sun. This suffocates them in seconds.
3. Use Neem Meal powder around the base of the plant, water into soil, the taste and smell of neem put all sap sucking blighters off coz it taste grim to them, but neem does way more that, it completly fucks with plant eating insects heads by making them forget to do anyting in life, they just sit there, dumb struck till they die, but it does not effect benificial insects that don't eat plants.
I ain't sure if it works for snails and slags but its interesting stuff. I use it in veg stage only.

4. Employ more Ladybirds, go on a collection mission with a tub and a lid, release them on your plants with Aphids, bye bye Aphids!

 

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by SubSpecies
Ps. Nice picture man! You should post it in the Wildlife On Weed section in the Guerilla section! Bless Up!

[Rustybiff]

My god @SubSpecies if it aint one thing it’s a-motherfuckin’-nother! Thanks dude, I owe you one! Encyclopaedic knowledge straight to the brain. I’ve never seen an aphid this big.. Or maybe I’ve just never seen an aphid? Either way it’s getting popped. Hopefully this aint the beginning of the end! Already put some neem powder down the other day so hopefully that kicks in soon. It makes sense that it’s on the plant that’s in just compose and perlite, less complexity in the soil, the plants are probably more stressed.

 

Thanks again, straight to the rescue 

[MJMan]

17 hours ago, Rustybiff said:

My god @SubSpecies if it aint one thing it’s a-motherfuckin’-nother! Thanks dude, I owe you one! Encyclopaedic knowledge straight to the brain. I’ve never seen an aphid this big.. Or maybe I’ve just never seen an aphid? Either way it’s getting popped. Hopefully this aint the beginning of the end! Already put some neem powder down the other day so hopefully that kicks in soon. It makes sense that it’s on the plant that’s in just compose and perlite, less complexity in the soil, the plants are probably more stressed.

 

Thanks again, straight to the rescue 

 

That's a BIG f***er

 

I knew about Ants farming Aphids from Chilli growing - Also about Neem

But not Neem Powder

I have the Oil I mix with Castile Soap for spraying chilles

Guessing not recommended for flowering cannabis @SubSpecies?

Thought I'd best check

 

TIA

[Rustybiff]

It was a beast! Thing is when I went back it was gone, and no more to be seen on any other plants. I heard the neem powder can have a bad effect on the bud’s flavour if used when flowering @MJMan

[SubSpecies]

@MJMan Indeed, it can be a fucker for sure, i didn't use it last year and mi had Aphids bad last year, but with neem meal mi have no problems mon

Defo don't use it in flower, when neem is applied as powder/kelp/meal to the soil it acts as a systemic, meaning the plant takes up properties of da neem so to sap sucking bugs it tastes horrible to them, i believe it can take 4-6 weeks to rid the trace of neem from internal parts of the ganja plant, so technically you can apply a little at the very beginning of flower to help it through, so technically by maturity and a good flush the neem is gone/cleaned. But there is no evidence for this, or to say its bad in flower, just brain logic. All i know my bud all taste amazing with no side effects from neem, i can still move, reproduce, eat, shit etc but nar seriously, i can't taste anyting bad at all. Just don't apply it 1 week or more into flower and all should be good. I see Mendo Dope in USA use it, and they propper professional, they grow the biggest plants in the world! Can't be bad!

Heres what my seller said about their product: "Neem Meal is the residue remaining after the neem seed kernels have been crushed to extract the oil. The remaining product is rich in N-P-K and also contains all other nutrients and minerals required for plant growth. Not only does neem provide nutrition, but is also a well know replacement for synthetic pesticides containing anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-pest properties.

Neem deters pests on its own by suppressing pests appetite, it also enables the plant to boost it's own natural pest defence system. As a by product of this the plant produces better aromas and flavours than ever before. Neem is also proving to be an effective fungicide for the prevention and control of many plant diseases such as powdery mildew, black spot, down mildew, rust, leaf spot and botrytis. Earthworm populations have been known to increase where Neem Meal has been applied. 

Perfect for vegan organic gardening."

 

Amen to dat!!!

Pleasure doin bizznezz gentlemen

[SubSpecies]

1 hour ago, Rustybiff said:

It was a beast! Thing is when I went back it was gone, and no more to be seen on any other plants.

 

Yeah man, i kno, those tingz are the smart version of Aphid, they see you comming and run away, fuckers! bit like the Capsid/Shield/Stink bug. Always check under the leaves gently and slowly, that where they hide. Good luck on your mission, don't worry to much about them, but do get the fuckers if they show up, im sure you will, if you sit with your plants for while an skin'up a few bifters you will be sure to see them eventualy, i caught them eating a ladybird larvae yesterday, i'll get the pics up in Wildlife On Weed section at some point. Although you may be lucky and it was just passing, but that would be a little unusual.

 

Honestly, you'll be amazed what goes on on your plant throughout its life!! Enjoy mother nature at her finest!

 

Jah Bless 

 

Ps ya nar owe mi nuttin bredda, i&i juss helping out mi bredrens and sistren in times of need, doing Jah works, knowledge is strength brother! Sharing is caring.

 

Rastafari

Edited July 13, 2021 by SubSpecies

[AutoAberdeen]

We had a massive aphid infestation on our blackcurrant bushes which are near the greenhouse with my precious ganja and chilli plants but the critters don’t seem to have made it inside. The wife has an assortment of carnivorous plants in there so maybe they’re dealing with the pesky mini beasts. 

[Rustybiff]

What’s good everyone, welcome back to Rustybiff’s guide on how not to grow plenty of ganja.. Thank god the veg patch is yielding better than these gals.. 

 

I’ll start by saying hats off to people that can take decent photos while baking to death being blinded by sun in the greenhouse, not easy.
 

Well another week has passed, some plants are growing slowly while others seem to be fairly happy. I top dressed the vegging plants with krill meal, neem powder  and a bit of alfalfa meal. 

Been playing around with a bit of super cropping and still going with the lst to keep the plants nice and compact and discreet, not that they’ll be turning into monsters any time soon  

 

Here’s the oldest NL auto, probably the top buds are still a week away (see trich photograph) which will take it to 3 months on the dot. Smells lovely and looks great, just need to get a vape ordered, I can’t smoke any more as it causes major heartburn.

 

 

The younger NL auto, not too far behind really. 

 

This purple punch seemed to react really badly to being pinned down and has barely grown since. It’s hard for me to tell as a beginner whether it’s more to do with the cold constantly returning. I figure if I LST and then the weather cools off again then the lack of rebound is probably caused by that, not the training.

 

2x younger purple punch, fed the other day with BB grow, seemed to like that

 

2x Quick ones, one of which slowed down a lot and the other was super cropped yesterday

2x Blue Mystic

 

2x Frisian Ducks. the one with 6 is looking good after the final mainline topping.. got high hopes for it actually, the stem’s quite thick so when it hits flowering in a couple weeks it should grow nicely! I broke one of the stems off the other one so it’s thrown off the symmetry, the OCD pain is too much to bear

 

That’s all really, thanks for taking a look and hope you enjoy yourselves on this warm week, peace

 

[AutoAberdeen]

Looking good, I’m enjoying the diary, keep it up! 

[Rustybiff]

That’s really good to hear, cheers @AutoAberdeen! Likewise, so stoked to see what happens with your Sour Diesel, your mate better know that keeping us up to date is part of the deal

[Rustybiff]

Not a full update as I cannae be arsed sitting in a greenhouse when it’s 28 degrees out, but today I chopped the first NL auto, may well be an absolute popcorn nug orgy but it smells lovely and finished it’s course! 
 

The rootball was non existent and I was shocked at how dry the soil was in that pot, didn’t quite realise

How bad it was. Is this a fabric pot thing? How do people deal with this? 
 

 

[Poisonata]

Good diary, enjoyed reading this. First time grower you've done far better than most. You've definitely got the skill that's for sure, no evidence of the usual new grower errors such as over watering / over feeding. Now it's all about refinement, getting the most out of each grow. My first grow got some 4 to 5 ounces from 6 plants, I was elated. Fast forward 2 years the same 6 plants now produce double this. Maximum yield for minimal effort.

 

Regards fabric pots, they are excellent for many reasons with the odd drawback. Once the root ball is well established is almost impossible to over water them in fabric pots providing the planting medium is sufficiently aerated with perlite. Roots have much easier time accessing oxygen, proliferate far faster. I've grown in solid plastic pots, growth was significantly slower but unlike fabric it isn't necessary to water them as frequently. Fabric readily allows water to escape into the surrounding air as it's a permeable medium. But this is an acceptable trade off (for me at least), required to water once a day (bearing in mind I'm growing indoors with active air extraction / circulation significantly exacerbating the loss).

 

Reason I've never liked autos is you've no control over when the plant transitions from veg to flower. Whilst potentially this has merit when light pollution is unavoidable the trade off is too great for me as an indoor grower (guarantee darkness for X hours). When you've only so many weeks in veg you can ultimately end up with a small plant / small yield. Photo periods always grow them until every plant has achieved a pre determined height, those that grow more vigorously are simply topped to stall vertical growth, time frame ultimately decided by you. Guarantees substantial plants worth transitioning to flower thus avoid disappointingly small yields.

 

My fabric pots (8 or 12 litre depending) once the grow is over are solid, roots binding everything with nothing falling apart when removed from pot. No expert on autos but I'd likely suggest the small root ball was due to plants not being in veg for sufficiently long enough relative to size of pot in combination with lower layers of pot being too dry. In flower (growing indoors) my plants normally share two containers of water (total 5 litres) between the 6 of them every day although sometimes it can be slightly less if pots feel heavy / not been that warm outside.

 

Have you considered wet trimming, removing the unwanted leaves prior to drying. Find trimming the buds this way much easier as once dry they are more problematic to remove / aesthetically less appealing. Unless to plan to smoke the sugar leaves ground up with bud, certainly too good to waste. Personally throw them in a trim bag, hermetically sealed then freeze it. Once I've enough make some cannabutter > ginger cookies.

 

Just my thoughts on your diary in no particular order. For a first grow your results really are superb, commend you for that. My ultimate goal (maybe yours also) was to be free of 'the dealer', cannot tell you the relief of knowing I'd never once again have to buy low quality / expensive bud again from whatever undesirable person available to sell. Worst part was availability, 'nothing around mate' having convinced me the previous week a delivery was imminent. Also showed me just how poor the quality of street weed was having now grown my own. 

 

Wish you the very best, following your diary  keep posting

[Rustybiff]

Hey @Poisonata, sorry it's taken so long to reply, had a really busy weekend! Thanks for the info and I appreciate the kind words, it's really encouraging to hear. I've learned the hard way about autos having a low threshold for messing around. Regret trying to manipulate them so much as it's slowed a lot of them right down. I guess there's always next year! Main thing I'm looking forward to is seeing how those ducks come out...

 

I've begun watering the rest of the pots by submerging them in a washing up bowl to get the water right through. Also unfortunately on the most recent feed of the Purple Punch I did give them too much, you must have jinxed me hahah.. 

 

Reason I'm not wet trimming is because I'd quite like to slow the dry down as it's such a small plant, and with this hot weather as well. temp is at about 20 and humidity about 55, so not too bad. I was thinking of trimming when dry and then drying the trim further, then putting in the freezer until I have enough to make something fun!

 

The ultimate goal is just to have fun growing this awesome plant, it's been a dream since I was younger but something I'd never acted on. Waiting until it's legal just didn't sound fun and by the looks of things we'll all be dead and gone by the time it happens under this tory reign. 

 

Cheers for your insights and nice to have you following along, I'll update this week!

 

[Poisonata]

Avoid that, submerging the pots in water. Plants do not deal well with saturated growth medium. Roots need oxygen, sodden soil will deprive them of this which will very quickly be evident in upper plant. Best way is by lifting the pots; if your unsure take two spare pots both filled with same growth medium. Let one dry out, water the other. Then by lifting these you can easily gauge the weight of pots when dry / correctly watered. After a while this becomes second nature but I'd strongly encourage you to adopt this practice if you haven't already. Forget sticking your finger into the soil, using a electronic probe, simple pot lift is the best method. 

 

Any kind of plant manipulation with autos (exception of some low stress training) is unlikely to work out well as your on the clock. Once you'll got your inside grow set up switch to photo periods (sure I read you planned on doing this). It has to be said however some forum members here produce remarkably good results with autos.

 

If the end product is sufficiently dry enough to jar / start the curing process then the trim is also dry enough, no further drying is necessary prior to freezing. Good luck drying them slowly in this weather, my last crop was ready to jar after only 4 days. Ideally like to dry it over slightly longer period BUT ultimately the most important thing is to ensure they are dry enough when jarred. Not bone dry / brittle else no water remains to facilitate curing process (process by which chlorophyll is broken down - dramatically enhances the end product smoothness). Consider using Bovida 62% packs in any jars you intend to store product.

 

Interestingly a candid interview with politician some years ago revealed not as against legalisation as you might think / huge revenue this would generate is a real incentive. But it's just not a priority for them, just other things that are considered far more important politically. Throw things like financial crisis / Covid into the mix and it's back to the bottom of the list again. It will come that I'm sure of but I couldn't wait for another 10 years.

 

I'll look out for your update  mine have 4 weeks left before chop day 

[Revive]

On 12/07/2021 at 0:05 PM, Rustybiff said:

Hey guys, found this little fella camping on a plant just now, can anyone tell me what it is? It’s body is about 6mm long

Alfalfa plant bug nymph  very bad pests that do lots of damage to our beloved plants..