BJ's 38 degree NorCal backyard grow-The trials and tribulations of a moron

**BigJon** · 04-10-2012, 10:52 AM

Hey everybody! I'm a longtime lurker, but it's been a long time since I've been involved in an online community where I'm semi-anonymous so I decided to make this official and offer my electronic handshake. I try posting about my meds on FB, but I get very little "likes." And that sucks, because I know there a muhhfuhhs in the world who appreciate some good ganja talk!

Just like everybody else in California, I get super super excited when the sun comes out in February/March. I stayed patient, however. I watched. I waited. I blankly stared off into empty fields fantasizing about the potential until my wife wakes me up with a slap to the back of my bald head.

A little background: I'm a Prop215 medical patient living in NorCal, around 38 degrees. I have had success in the past doing what I thought was "living organics." My soil consisted simply of 50/50 FFOC and Kellog brand compost. I fed it nothing but machine dispensed reverse osmosis water and I top dressed it with some high quality bat guano when the flowers started to form. I had a wonderful harvest. The tastiest herbs my buddy's ever had. But in the few years since then, we had went from a house, to an apartment, to a trailer, to an apartment, back into a nice house.

I grew about 4 Purple Urkel clones and 5 Jack Herers. I know that seems out of my legal limit, Jack matures in my area around late September. So while the 5 are maturing, the 4 urkels can still pass as an immature plant that "may be a male." Of course, despite constant helicopters, I was left alone. I love California.

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**BigJon** · 04-10-2012, 11:39 AM

The problem with my version of living organics, is that there's a lot more things I could have added like earthworm castings, azomite, etc. I could have went with a bigger pots that year. I put one Urkel and one Herer right into the ground and they did fantastic. The rest did okay but I had some issues with a rootbound GDP I put out too early and a few of the Herers in those small pots. The urkels did well and most were transplanted mid season.

My yields suffered but the taste and high was superb. My urkels for sure approached 20% THC although lab testing was not as prevalent as it is today.

This year I will be going with SubCool's supersoil mix in 5 gallon buckets. Except for one plant.

Read on to find out what happened there.

April 1st

That Sunday morning I woke up in great spirits as I headed to the local Lowes to buy some soil to fill my raised vegetable box with. I was so excited about Spring, that I decided I should grow veggies to satisfy my urge to grow something.

I filled my box with 1/3rd proportions of peat moss, cow and chicken manure (composted), and perlite/vermiculite. I planted three kale plants, 1 early girl tomato, 3 collards, and 3 cucumbers.

I was so happy and ecstatic about my new raised bed!

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**BigJon** · 04-10-2012, 12:05 PM

April 5th

Woke up April 5th excited to see how my plants are doing only to be sorely dissapointed.

My Early Girl tomato and my cucumbers...dead. My kales and the collard seedlets I started weeks before were doing great. It was either a frost, with it being very cold that morning, OR I didn't let my soil mix sit long enough before planting. I'm pretty sure that's what it was. The kales and collards must have loved the extra nitrogen. Oh well. We live, we learn. I planted a few more kale seedlings I was going to throw away to fill up the spot where the early girl was and I moved a collard over to fill in more space and leave the bottom left corner of the box for some cannabis. I figured I would put in a Black feminized seed that I picked up from a local farmer for $1 each. Plans went a little different.

**BigJon** · 04-10-2012, 12:27 PM

April 6

I look at a local dispensary website and see that they have Jack Herer clones! I had to get one because I do not see Jack very often and I like her so much because of that September harvest and that lovely daytime high. Those are some genetics that I needed to have despite the fact that I am NOT prepared. I have zero indoor lights, but I do plan on at least being able to set up a small CFL grow for clones when she's big enough to give them.

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I originally intended to get a Lavender teen, but they were sold out. (I love my Urks, GDPs, and Lavs as great reliever of my gout symptoms.) Luckily, they had this lovely GDP that was very well rooted and almost a teen. I snatched her up. Again, it's all about genetics. I love my NorCal purple varieties. I have gout and a nice .5 blunt has me bouncing around like a kung fu fighter even during a gout attack. It's amazing.

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So even though I have no lighting, my plan was to keep it in the window during the day and in the kitchen at night to prevent it from flowering.

**Humboldtchronic** · 04-10-2012, 01:42 PM

looks legit bro i live on the coast near eureka hopefully i dont get any mold..

**BigJon** · 04-10-2012, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by Humboldtchronic

looks legit bro i live on the coast near eureka hopefully i dont get any mold..

I'll be sending positive vibes your way! Stay away from the kushes!

April 9

Predicament-My cat loves the flavor of cannabis leaves. If I leave my plant as it is, rotating between window and lights, she is going to eat it.

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So I threw it out in the bottom left corner of my box. Because of how afraid of the burn from the tomates and cucumbers, I mixed in some mushroom compost to balance it out. My cannabis soil mixes have more stuff than my box planter but this was an emergency and I didn't have any other dirt to put it in.

However, its supposed to rain all week so I mocked up an umbrella for her.

I'm afraid of her preflowering, but I will pick off all I see and feed a fish emulsion or a high N tea (which i have never made before). But I know I dont want it to flower.

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**BigJon** · 04-11-2012, 09:17 AM

So here's where I have some questions. I'll need some help from the veteranos to help me get myself out of this hole I dug for myself.

Checkit...

1) GDP is in a 18inx18in hole. The first foot deep is manure, peat moss, perlite, and mushroom compost. Like I said above, my favorite clones come and are gone quick at the dispensaries. If I saw a strain I wanted, I have to get it, even if I'm not prepared for it. :/

Can I use dolomite lime and trace minerals (Glacier Rock is what I have access to) as a top dress? Or is it useless if I didn't premix it into my soil.

2) If I notice that it starts to flower, will picking small buds and feeding it high N fish emulsion keep it from flowering? Any idea how long that will set me back?

**BigJon** · 04-11-2012, 05:11 PM

Can anybody answer my questions?

**Humboldtchronic** · 04-11-2012, 07:24 PM

Looks good man im confused too on when to put my clones outdoors you think may 1st would be alright dont want them to flower they will be about 1 foot tall I live near eureka.