Two Heads 2010

[two heads]

I thought about naming this thread "Two Heads and Not a Brain Between Them!" but that is a bit too self-deprecating, even if it is kinda true. If you've followed our threads from previous years you know we keep two swamp sites and one 'dry land' site in the thick cedars. Yields in the swamp have been declining over the last couple of years and this year we hit rock bottom. Poor germination and even worse growth from the plants that did germinate. Finally I checked the pH and it was below 6. We have been supplementing our soil with compost but neglecting to add lime and the swamp's natural acidity finally caught up with us. Like I said, not too smart but lesson learned.

The good news is we watered with a pH Up solution and we will get a harvest from the swamp. Here is how the two swamp mounds at one site looked on August 23:

Not great but an improvement over how they looked a couple of weeks ago. I still hold out hope for about 6-7 oz from these plants.

They are 'protected'...

The better news is that the cedar site is doing quite a bit better. We have 4 garbage pails on this site and I hope for about 12 oz from them. The plants are bigger and further along in flowering than the swamp.

Next year we will probably start with fresh ProMix and maybe abandon the swamp mounds in favour of Rubbermaid tubs which we used for several years till they broke down from the year-round exposure.

I still believe in re-using soil as long as it is supplemented and lime is added every year but I am curious about other outdoor growers experience re-using ProMix. Let me know how it has worked for you.

I'll keep posting updates till harvest. By the way, our total for last year was 30 oz. - 15 each. Just enough for the year (we are both just about out). We won't get that this year but (here's the proverbial gardener's mantra)... Wait till next year!

 

[hamstring]

2 heads
Nice to hear from you guerrilla. Is that sweet tooth I see there? Dude this is like the episode of Seinfeld where George and Jerry argue about who’s more stupid.

We all make mistakes, fall into that rut. I did the same thing had leaf spot last year at my plots so what did I do this season nothing of course and low and behold I have it again this year. Doh!!!

How did the cedar plot turn out?

 

[two heads]

Hi hamstring. No, not Sweet Tooth. It's our own seed that we have been developing since we pollinated a clone we called Baby's Breath a few years ago. The Baby's Breath father was another Breeder Steve strain from 1998 called Blue Domino so good guess!

Last year, one swamp site was a write-off after an animal attack, the second swamp site (the one in these pics) gave us 15 oz. and the cedars gave us the other 15 oz. I expect a bit less from the cedars this year because one pail has only two small females (after pulling 9 males!)

 

[two heads]

Filling out

Filling out

Last trip to the cedars for watering was August 18 and one pail in particular needed water at that time so I went back yesterday to water and fertilize again. Same scenario - all good but one pail that was just a bit limp. We'll have to keep an eye on that pail.

It was a busy day on the trails so I went at night. I thought I had turned my flash off and tried to get a pic by a very bright moon but I guess the flash was still on. Small security breach but I'm sure no one else was around in the bush at 11 pm!

What I found was that the buds are really filling out. By allowing only early males to pollinate and then only for a short time, we seem to be slowly bring our harvest time back into September. This is what our least developed bud looked like on the 18th:

This is what it looked like (foreground) last night:

They all looked beautiful under the half moon last night. That best bud from pail 3 was intoxicating! I wish I could have risked taking more pictures but it's always better safe than sorry in guerilla gardening...

 

[hamstring]

Looks great 2 heads so you dont grow in the soil at the cedars right?

 

[wotamess]

yo two heads!!

nice to see you still at it

-wam-

 

[Charles Ingalls]

Very very nice grow.
Best of luck.

 

[two heads]

Hamstring - we grow in garbage pails in the cedars. It gets them up to a decent height and the soil the cedars are in is like concrete anyway! This pic from last year shows how the pails sit among the cedars. In the winter we put the lids on and tuck them out of aerial sight.

Cheers wotamess. I just can't quit it!

I'm off for a week's vacation. Looking forward to updating when I return.

 

[hamstring]

WOW, I remember that pic. That’s cool a garbage can completely concealed very nice. Never grew in containers but those cedars would make me start. How many times per week to you have haul water Spring, Summer, Fall?

 

[two heads]

The garbage cans are large enough that we don't have to water more than once every 10 - 14 days in the summer and fall, less so in spring. We keep four 10 liter gas cans on site which we can fill in the nearby river at night. This year we haven't used them and just hauled in six liters of water (1.5 per pail) each time. Rain does the rest.

This site is very close to popular riverside trails so being quiet and visiting when it is raining, windy or at dusk is important. Our plants are close enough to hear conversations on the trail but the cedars are so thick no one would ever think to try to venture in. We have gardened there undetected since 2003.

 

[esbe]

good to see you bro, wonderful plants! best wishes out there!

 

[two heads]

Hi esbe, thanks for checking in. I'm back from vacation and the first thing I did (besides having a bowl after a dry week in the USA) was check out the cedars. Everything is looking fuller and developing that autumn blush after a few cool nights. Nothing is ready yet but I did clip this tiny bud for a taste (maybe tonight).

Sorry it's a bit blurry. I arrived as the light was getting low and it was windy so the girls wouldn't sit still for their close-up!

Most of the plants have the tell-tale pink pistils of the Baby's Breath clone that started this seed project a few years ago. Here's a few nice bud shots showing the colour and resin development.

Most are fat but some are thinner...

And some are less pink and more dusky...

Finally, the first pail (see the night pic from my earlier post) is from a plant I really liked. This plant had a very dreamy high. We only got two females and they are further behind but catching up. They are also pure white hair, no pink anywhere. I'm sure these will be the last plants harvested in the cedars. The other will probably come down in the next couple of weeks.

That's it for now. I'll get back to the swamp before too long. It sure was nice to visit these plants though, enjoying the nice high from a week clean.

 

[esbe]

wonderful bro, i get flashbacks!

 

[hamstring]

WOW, very nice pics the cedars are changing colors too again very nice pics. good luck to ya 2heads

 

[wotamess]

awesome!

-wam-

 

[bucks8n]

DAMN them's beautiful plants!!!

Word up wotamess - how ya doin?

 

[GreenMAX]

Awesome plants!
Do you have any bigger pictures?
I need last one for my desktop........beautiful autumn colors

 

[two heads]

Main site harvested

Main site harvested

The cedar site came down September 26 and was all manicured and weighed up last night. While the quality appears to be excellent across the board, the quantity is not so good. A little over 7 oz. from these four pails - less than half of what this site yielded last year. It's clear we need to use fresh ProMix next year. While the swamp won't get harvested till next week, we already know that harvest will be even worse - maybe 4 oz...

For the two heads, that means we will likely run out before next fall's harvest but still we're very pleased with what we have and will enjoy it thoroughly while it lasts!

Here are a bunch of harvest day pics. Hearty looking buds and no mold and our plants seems to be maturing a bit earlier each season, probably from our policy of only allowing the earliest males to pollinate. This encourages early maturity in the next generation and ensures a small yield of mature seed without ending up with buds full of seed. Only the very earliest female flowers get pollinated; the rest grow as sensi. Enjoy the pics. I'll update with the swamp harvest next week.

 

[whodair]

twoheads, quality over quantity any day bro !! your colors are lovely and i hope the high sends you to the moon and stars !!

 

[haxi]

The colors are so beautiful man!!
Happy smokin

Peace