Thoughts for next year

[Crow River]

22 minutes ago, blerie420 said:

Won't even let anyone know I'm thinking of going again in real life.

 

I think that's key. Nobody offline knows that I grow outdoors. And that's the way it's going to stay!  

 

I finally decided to invest in some trail cams to monitor my plots over the off season, see what if any animal or human activity there is. Nothing fancy, but I should be able to review pics onsite. They won't help if I get ripped, but they will give some warning of any visitors before plant out...

[Crow River]

23 hours ago, DutchFox said:

ps im more fan of a   Post drill / auger ...i make a hole in the plant hole of 1 meter....fill it with a mix of spot soil and coco and or sand or organics....just to make sure that the pen root can go down easy...to all the water she needs....in heavyier soils.....

i saw diffences in plants with and without the post drill holes...

 

I like this idea, might try it. Basically provides a bit of a moisture reservoir...

[DutchFox]

On 3-11-2023 at 7:58 PM, Crow River said:

 

I think that's key. Nobody offline knows that I grow outdoors. And that's the way it's going to stay!  

 

I finally decided to invest in some trail cams to monitor my plots over the off season, see what if any animal or human activity there is. Nothing fancy, but I should be able to review pics onsite. They won't help if I get ripped, but they will give some warning of any visitors before plant out...

 

yes...i got a warning....my cam was stolen...   ...well no harm done...the cam is worthlessfor them...it had a pincode......and i ripped my own plot early...  ...still i have no idea who did it....who knows...a poacher..who saw my cam too late  ...??

Edited November 4, 2023 by DutchFox

[Crow River]

@DutchFox, ah that's a pity about the camera, but at least they didn't take your crop!

 

Trail cams are so inexpensive now, a basic one is almost disposable, and even a slightly better one with an LED screen, menu buttons and stuff costs less than when I last looked two years ago. Sure you can go for an all singing, all dancing one with mobile connectivity, etc. Why bother with that though if they might get stolen or damaged by water ingress? My most important feature was being able to look at images on site without bringing any other devices or accessories along, so a basic PIR triggered cam, with IR and a wee screen inside to check the pics fits the bill. Some batteries and TF cards and they're up and running...

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Crow River

[5Lip]

An outdoor thread without a mention of the dreaded rot...for those growing in the UK, how do you deal with it? The first ever plant I grew was outdoors which was amazing until it was wasted due to rot 

[Crow River]

@5Lip I'll defer to those with longer experience, but my tuppence worth on the basics:

 

- Strain choice

- Location

- Plant numbers

- Airflow

- Harvesting early if need be

 

?

[Crow River]

Having slept on this a few times, a tentative plan is forming.

 

Bramble plot will be converted into the monster plot. Maximum six plants, give them plenty of space, airflow, and create large areas for each with added soil amendments, compost, fertiliser, etc. It's the easiest plot to work given the sandy soil, and gets the best sunshine, also has the best tree cover to screen giant weed trees. 

 

Embankment plot will be widened slightly in both directions, as it's quite narrow now. It will become a breeding plot. If all goes well, the main focus will be the Welsh strain repro, plus a few fems from other strains to cross-pollinate with Welsh pollen. Around eight to ten plants in total. Soil needs improvement here as it's very stony, difficult to dig. Small enough area that I can maybe do trenches lengthways to amend rather than individual planting holes.

 

Railway plot will be the experimental plot for testing out autos, semi-autos, including any new crosses I might make which fall into that category. I'll also try out new types of planter, including old tyres, beer mini-kegs, and maybe even hanging baskets... Will aim to do two cycles of autos if possible.

 

The plots that were used for ducksfoot strains this season will continue in that role. Going to test out ducksfoot crosses, and other mutant strains.

 

As for the Polytunnel, and I'm not sure what I'll do there yet. Maybe extend the ducksfoot efforts to include @twigs Electric-Duck-Buddaz f2s. They could be more comfy in the shelter of the greenhouse environment. I can also veg seedlings there in May and June.

 

Finally, one of the plots that was compromised earlier this year will be used to test out the Wild At Heart seeds, which hopefully will be ready in time. That will be very much plant and leave, observe from a distance, zero intervention during growth on my part. If my block of coco is still there, I'll dig it in and chuck some chicken manure pellets down over winter, help improve conditions slightly.

 

The bottom line is fewer plants next year, possibly fewer strains too, and fewer rounds of planting and harvest. The aims are a bit different also. Will try to ensure the soil at each plot is better prepared and fertilised prior to planting out, which hopefully will reduce the need to visit so frequently, at least until harvest time nears.

 

 

Edited November 5, 2023 by Crow River