Maine Outdoor 2020 (first timer)

NewEnglandFarmer said:

What do you think about burying the stems during transplant? I've read in several places that works well...but I'm a little nervous naturally.

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You can bury them lower, no problem. They will out grow the ones you don't bury from my experience.
Just don't pack them in mud, so they can still breath.

What's everyone's lineup for outdoor pest management?
I'm doing a soil treatment with Botanigard 22WP/Azadactarin , then the regular Spinosad/neem/ Pyrethrim routine, with BT added starting with the worm season. The Botanigard 22wp/ Azadactarin can be used for foliar application as well, but probably reserved for outbreaks.
Nicotine, soap and cayenne oil is another, deer hate it too. Nicotine* is easy to grow, lots of trumpet flowers for beneficials. (*tobacco's skinny cousin)

Any Regalia or Actinovate users for mildew? Serenade seems to be just as costly when running for a season, for less effect.

dunkin73 said:

We have cold temps forecasted with lows in the 20's this week.

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Yeah, it's been a frigid spring here in Maine so far too.

dunkin73 said:

I'm waiting a few more weeks to move pots outside. They will be in a room in the garage with a heater starting Thursday. My basement is getting too crowded with my veggies started too. I start everything indoors since our season is so short.
Make sure you cover them with something at night if frost is forecasted, seedlings are sensitive to frost. Adults handle it fine. I'll get around to posting some pics for you to check out. Def bury stems to within two inches of soil, better for strength of plant. Good luck and happy growing!

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I was thinking I'd have the pots outside during the days if it's 55 or above, in the shed at night (or in the house if it's getting really cold). Don't really have the lights inside to handle 22 gallon pots!

I'm going to try burying those stems when I transplant tomorrow. The seedlings got watered yesterday morning and I think I'll have better luck after the soil dries out a bit more. I have a feeling once they go into those pots they're going to grow like mad.

When do they start to show sex? And when do you need to worry about pollination?

DCcan said:

Any Regalia or Actinovate users for mildew? Serenade seems to be just as costly when running for a season, for less effect.

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Found a Cornell study on "Efficacy of Organic Fungicides for Vegetable Diseases"
Looks like all 3 have their place in the garden for different crops and diseases, just have to look at using it more effectively or at different concentrations/ together.

Looks like Actinovate is mostly for PM root drenches, and can be foliar applied for disease. Mycostop is similar bacteria for colonizing the roots, then used for foliar for outbreaks on leaves.

DCcan said:

You can bury them lower, no problem. They will out grow the ones you don't bury from my experience.
Just don't pack them in mud, so they can still breath.

What's everyone's lineup for outdoor pest management?
I'm doing a soil treatment with Botanigard 22WP/Azadactarin , then the regular Spinosad/neem/ Pyrethrim routine, with BT added starting with the worm season. The Botanigard 22wp/ Azadactarin can be used for foliar application as well, but probably reserved for outbreaks.
Nicotine, soap and cayenne oil is another, deer hate it too. Nicotine* is easy to grow, lots of trumpet flowers for beneficials. (*tobacco's skinny cousin)

Any Regalia or Actinovate users for mildew? Serenade seems to be just as costly when running for a season, for less effect.

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I used Cease, Regalia and Actinovate last year and it worked well. I had couple spots of bud rot but it was due to bud worms. Those little menacing orange bastards.
And I use the Regalia and Botanigard WP as part of my IPM for indoor but I can see it working well outdoor too.

This year I'm growing Blueberry Shortcake and Black Banana Cookies as well the LVTK moms I've been pulling cuttings from the last couple months. I'll probably use 50 gal fabric pots filled with 707 and a couple amendments. Keeping it very simple and hopefully hassle free.
Hopefully this season will be as mild as last yrs

Tangerine_ said:

I used Cease,

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That's a much better buy than Serenade by the quart, same stuff, same concentration.

There's something about the smell of serenade that turns my stomach. I used that one season then threw the rest in the trash.

Tangerine_ said:

This year I'm growing Blueberry Shortcake

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Is that Rado's gear I've seen you mention? That sounds nice, are there anymore of those seeds in stock and where would I find them?

NewEnglandFarmer said:

When do they start to show sex? And when do you need to worry about pollination?

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6-8 weeks under 18-20 hours of light they'll usually show sex. Not always, some strains are a bit more stubborn letting you know.

DCcan said:

That's a much better buy than Serenade by the quart, same stuff, same concentration.

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Another grower and myself split up a gallon. We did the same thing with the Regalia and it saved us both some loot.

natureboygrower said:

There's something about the smell of serenade that turns my stomach. I used that one season then threw the rest in the trash.

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I think @thumper60 summed it up nicely...smells like wet ass and doesn't work very well for foliar since UV kills it when the sun comes up.
I used up the last of mine for root drenches, how's the smell of Cease? Hopefully that's the inert ingredient.

natureboygrower said:

There's something about the smell of serenade that turns my stomach. I used that one season then threw the rest in the trash.


Is that Rado's gear I've seen you mention? That sounds nice, are there anymore of those seeds in stock and where would I find them?

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Those packs sold out quick during that drop. I did see some folks in the Rado thread growing out some Blueberry Sundae though. Same cut of BB was used.
And Cease has a foul odor too. It dissipates quick but it definitely stinks.

I'm gonna pm ya later on.

DCcan said:

I think @thumper60 summed it up nicely...smells like wet ass and doesn't work very well for foliar since UV kills it when the sun comes up.
I used up the last of mine for root drenches, how's the smell of Cease? Hopefully that's the inert ingredient solution.

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You're right. I never considered the UV affects on the active bacterial spores.
Before I waste time mixing up a batch for an outdoor foliar, I better do some more reading. I really didn't want to invest in more Actinovate but that might be the best route.

Tangerine_ said:

You're right. I never considered the UV affects on the active bacterial spores.
Before I waste time mixing up a batch for an outdoor foliar, I better do some more reading. I really didn't want to invest in more Actinovate but that might be the best route.

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Mycostop is the same bacteria as Actinovate, but has a few more smaller sizes to choose from..
UV kills those as well. Mostly for evening/ overcast treatment.

That Cornell study is useful, no sense pouring $80 on something that only gets knocked back marginally, or see that something used with Yucca will be 25% more effective at coverage, or at a lower concentration.

DCcan said:

I think @thumper60 summed it up nicely...smells like wet ass and doesn't work very well for foliar since UV kills it when the sun comes up.
I used up the last of mine for root drenches, how's the smell of Cease? Hopefully that's the inert ingredient.

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I still got a couple quarts I used it once stunk so bad never touched it again. timing on its use is APITA uv kills it rain washs it away.The one time i used it for pm early flower i cant believe folks spray that on the buds.

So I'm going to transplant tomorrow from the seedling trays into 1g pots. I'm a little nervous about the procedure to be honest since this is my first time. Would love to hear your opinions on some questions I have:

1. OK to do this outside in the shed even if it's below 55 degrees? Or should I perform the operation in the house and keep them inside for a couple days afterward? Sounds like it's going to be quite cold tonight (no frost but close) and then rainy later tomorrow afternoon.}
   
   
2. I read that easing up on the light helps immediately after a transplant. True? For how long?
   
   
3. Should I transplant in the morning or evening? Wondering if a quiet night of rest and nocturnal root growth right after the transplant would be good. To this point they've been getting 14 hours of light (I know more is recommended at this stage, but I'm deliberately mimicking the natural daylight hours here in Maine now).
   
   
4. The Coast of Maine Stonington Mix seems slightly moist out of the bag. Should I premoisten it a bit more before transplanting? Or just lightly water after transplanting? I watered the seedlings thoroughly yesterday morning so they should be good.
   
   
5. As far as burying the stems, I was thinking I should transplant, lightly water, then loosely add more mix on top to avoid having any stem rot issues.

Any other tips?

These seedlings have been a little slow to start, I'm expecting they will start growing like gangbusters a few days after the transplant. Hope they don't outgrow those 1g pots before I get them in the ground! Still thinking Memorial Day weekend or perhaps a little later.

Thanks for interest and help everyone.

By the way, I can definitely start to smell some of these seedlings now. The Copper Chem is really strong, and they all have distinctive "palettes." Can't wait to see what the buds smell like.

Just finished transplanting all 22 seedlings to bigger pots (I asked the nursery for 1g but it turns out they're 3quart). Took exactly 1 bag of the Stonington Blend.

Went OK I think--we'll see. They were a bit dry (watered 2 days ago), a couple tried to crumble apart on me as I extracted them from the seedling tray, but mostly they held together. I lightly watered the last couple seedling trays to try and prevent that. Roots looked bright white and healthy. This was my first time ever doing this, so I was a little clumsy, and turns out I didn't dig the holes deep enough so couldn't bury all the stems up to the cotelydon leaf like I planned. But once I realized my mistake I started digging deeper holes.

Afterward I watered them with about 5 oz. or so of water. Will keep them inside tomorrow (they spent most of the day today in the sun and breeze), see how they're doing. A little unsure if I should water them again or just wait for a few days. I'm bracing myself for some droopiness or "malaise" in some of them, but hopefully they bounce back quick.

My plan is to go from these pots directly into the ground on Memorial Day weekend or maybe the week after. Need to go prep my holes now with some compost.

Nearing the end of week 3 here...will post some pictures soon.

NewEnglandFarmer said:

Just finished transplanting all 22 seedlings to bigger pots (I asked the nursery for 1g but it turns out they're 3quart). Took exactly 1 bag of the Stonington Blend.

Went OK I think--we'll see. They were a bit dry (watered 2 days ago), a couple tried to crumble apart on me as I extracted them from the seedling tray, but mostly they held together. I lightly watered the last couple seedling trays to try and prevent that. Roots looked bright white and healthy. This was my first time ever doing this, so I was a little clumsy, and turns out I didn't dig the holes deep enough so couldn't bury all the stems up to the cotelydon leaf like I planned. But once I realized my mistake I started digging deeper holes.

Afterward I watered them with about 5 oz. or so of water. Will keep them inside tomorrow (they spent most of the day today in the sun and breeze), see how they're doing. A little unsure if I should water them again or just wait for a few days. I'm bracing myself for some droopiness or "malaise" in some of them, but hopefully they bounce back quick.

My plan is to go from these pots directly into the ground on Memorial Day weekend or maybe the week after. Need to go prep my holes now with some compost.

Nearing the end of week 3 here...will post some pictures soon.

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We got snow coming this weekend keep everything indoor.

NewEnglandFarmer said:

Yeah, it's been a frigid spring here in Maine so far too.


I was thinking I'd have the pots outside during the days if it's 55 or above, in the shed at night (or in the house if it's getting really cold). Don't really have the lights inside to handle 22 gallon pots!

I'm going to try burying those stems when I transplant tomorrow. The seedlings got watered yesterday morning and I think I'll have better luck after the soil dries out a bit more. I have a feeling once they go into those pots they're going to grow like mad.

When do they start to show sex? And when do you need to worry about pollination?

Click to expand...

You can always cover the pots with plastic if it's going to get really cold, like below freezing and there is a threat of frost or freeze. Plants don't show sex until they sense the light cycle is getting closer to 12/12. This would naturally occur in late July, early August in our neck of the woods. You can force it with a closer to 12/12 light cycle under lights, then once sex is shown, revert back to a longer light cycle. I normally just let em grow and once the balls pop out on males, I cut them and burn them in my fire pit. I don't collect seeds, I prefer to buy feminized seeds online. I know some people don't want to waste time on male plants, but you will be able to tell as soon as they start to show sex. Males tend to be "Leggy", like they stretch, lots of space between internodes. I can just look at a plant and tell it's male come later in the season. Another way is to start seeds under a 12/12 light cycle. After the third or fourth set of leaves, they will start to sex. Remove males at that point, and change the light cycle back to 18/6 or whichever you like.

dunkin73 said:

You can always cover the pots with plastic if it's going to get really cold, like below freezing and there is a threat of frost or freeze. Plants don't show sex until they sense the light cycle is getting closer to 12/12. This would naturally occur in late July, early August in our neck of the woods. You can force it with a closer to 12/12 light cycle under lights, then once sex is shown, revert back to a longer light cycle. I normally just let em grow and once the balls pop out on males, I cut them and burn them in my fire pit. I don't collect seeds, I prefer to buy feminized seeds online. I know some people don't want to waste time on male plants, but you will be able to tell as soon as they start to show sex. Males tend to be "Leggy", like they stretch, lots of space between internodes. I can just look at a plant and tell it's male come later in the season. Another way is to start seeds under a 12/12 light cycle. After the third or fourth set of leaves, they will start to sex. Remove males at that point, and change the light cycle back to 18/6 or whichever you like.

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Uh-oh--I'm not going to be able to tell the females until late July? Didn't realize it was going to take that long--was thinking I would just be planting females in the ground in late May/early June. Really wasn't thinking I'd have to transplant and care for all these seedlings through the summer...

thumper60 said:

We got snow coming this weekend keep everything indoor.

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Just heard that on the news. I'm on the coast and hoping it blows out to sea and skips us completely. I don't think they'll be so lucky up north or in the mountains.

It snowed today and windy as hell...after breaking 60 yesterday. Don't think it will frost tonight but it well could. Seedlings spent most of the day inside the boat (makeshift greenhouse!) under LED but when I checked this afternoon it was 37 degrees in there, so brought them all back in as a precaution. I've seen some cold springs here in Maine but this one takes the cake!

Just finished week three, they're only a few days from transplanting, so not taking chances. Here's a picture of the whole gang:



Everything looks healthy except one Orange Blossom Special is showing some weird crinkling/shriveling on the leaves. What do you make of this?



Hopefully this cold snap ends quick and I can get everyone back outside where they belong!

How's everyone else doing this spring?