Another happy day in hell...

[Rusty Trichome]

LED's have intrigued me for years, but the initial outlay of cash was a stumbling block. Dealing with Amber's (my wife) cancer cut into my "mad-money' so we couldn't afford to experiment much with the equipment end of providing our meds. And...I'm still making old shit work, lol.

However...I did go to town today and picked-up a few things. First is the thermometer. It really goes against my grain to actually know my temperatures, (stresses me out) but it makes for an accurate accounting, and was on sale. This photo was taken around 9:30 a.m. 105 degrees. And I'm guessing that it's only going to get warmer...



While at Home Depot, I also got 2 bags (3 cu/ft ea) of Garden Time - Natures Way Composted Garden Mulch. Provides about 4 inches of depth. Hopefully it'll help lower surface temperatures. I might have to adjust feeding down a tad, but I have no clue yet.

 

[Dank Demon]

Sorry to hear about your wife mate hope the meds are helping. I wish you lots of success with your grow looks like your doing a fine job with what you have to work with. I moan when its 28 degrees here let alone 105 I would probably just collapse. All the best to you and yours Rusty.

Peace

 

[Weezard]

That's a dedicated grower!
Let's see now, do I get something for dinner, or do I buy my girls some mulch?

Good call brah.
Bye m bye, dem girls will buy you a bunch of dinners.
But dang! 105? In the A. M.?!
Brutal!
Anyone can grow weeds in paradise, just water and watch.
Everyone is a good grower when nothing bad happens, yah?
I gotta to the "uphill" farmers.
Takes mad skills just to survive.

Aloha,
Weeze

PS.
I recommend, and endorse your Eclectic Daisy.
It grows large with fat, dense, colas, here.
Ideal for the desert, but she gets bud rot, and PM in our humidity.
When you do get some undamaged colas she makes up for it by being superior smoke.
In taste, odor, and potency.
Like O.H. says, she ticks all the boxes.
So, I made some seeds, do you need any?
I'll send some photos, etc.

 

[Rusty Trichome]

Amber lost her battle a couple years ago. Was on chemo (every 2 weeks) for 9 years. She credited cannabis with keeping her going for more than the 4 year prognosis. Missed the RSO revolution by a year or two. But she was ready.

Seeds I have. In abundance, lol. But thank you very much for the offer. I'm still waiting for an adequate Hawaiian Skunk donor for my Femmed White Widow pollen. But it's a slow process. Seeds are curing now for the Femmed WW x Eclectic Daisy cross. Still an f1.

It's paradise here too. At least until the sun comes up. It's the girls that get all the credit, though. They're the ones stuck out there all day. All I do is watch-n-wait.

 

[Canabuz]

Subd

Subd

Hey Rusty, nice looking garden it's my first year growing outdoors in this heat (Vegas) , and it sure gets HOT.
Questions:
1st.How often do you feed
2nd. Do you shade your plants at all?

I ask because of our similar growing conditions.
Canabuz

Thank you

 

[Rusty Trichome]

Hey Rusty, nice looking garden it's my first year growing outdoors in this heat (Vegas) , and it sure gets HOT.

So far, so good. Thanks. Just a tad warm, lol. 112 the high yesterday, 90 degrees right now. (5:23 a.m.)
Excessive Heat Warnings are the norm. Acclimation is essential. You don't want to slam youngsters out under our sun, without prepping 'em. Believe it or not, I'm vegging under an exposed-bulb (in a hood, no glass) 400w MH, with a couple 250w CFL's as supplemental. Just a circulating fan. Get's up to about 90 in the room, but a tad warmer under the lights, lol. But it's a controlled heat that they can handle. If you can Google "Dealing With Heat Issues In The Desert", ya might come across an old thread of mine explaining my methods of dealing with the heat.

1st.How often do you feed

For the past 10 years or so indoors, I've fed twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays) at half strength. (Fox Farms Trio) Gives the same weekly total, but isn't so harsh. This allows me to adjust up or down, depending on the plant's reaction. At least that's the plan. But this is my first real in-ground grow out here in the desert.

2nd. Do you shade your plants at all?

Not yet. But my landlord bought some shade cloth yesterday for his wife's garden. Hopefully he saves a few yards of it for me to use. My first goal was to protect (shade) the soil by using mulch. This kind of heat kills roots. But the canopy isn't (usually) so prissy, so long as you provide proper hydration. Once we get close to 115's or higher...it might be a different story. But each strain is different in it's abilities. Tiz one reason I planted a few different strains.
What strain(s) are you playing with?

 

[Canabuz]

Thanks

Thanks

Thank-you for the info Rusty.
Funny story about the strains outside, to start I had no intention on growing out side, I usually recycle my dirt, I toss it in my garden bed and mix.
Well last summer I ran some Black Widow and Deltas Sativa mix, anywho I made seeds and some of the seeds fell off unto my grow bags , then those bags were tossed in the recycled pile, long story short, I mixed my vegg garden bed with all the firtz and such. February comes around so I start to plant da usual, watermelon , Cucumber, Honey doo, so I plant my veggie/fruit seeds and water, come to find out I had some cannabis poping out, and like a good Gardner I kept them , I can't complain ,it's a high fem ratio, only thing is that there only like a foot and a half tall.
I coverd them yesterday so the direct 100+ don't cook them,

So I think I have some black widow /delta 9 sativa mix combo strain, will call it Sliks Mix after my turtle.

 

[Rusty Trichome]

Been fairly warm all week. Temps are going down a tad for the next few days, with some mention of thunderstorms. (yeah...right) Doubtful we'll see any actual rain, though. We never do. Looks like Vegas got some moisture. But rain does not mean lower temperatures. It just means 'sticky'.

The day before I got the mulch, I fed 'em. Since then, they're complaining about overfeeding, and now that the soil retains moisture better...they're bitching about overwatering. Nothing major, but it's always something, lol.

One day they look like they're wanting to re-veg, the next they look like they want to flower. Slow growth regardless. Gonna have to do something about that. Looking for some strong twine or rope to hang a 150w CFL for supplemental lighting in the morning and afternoon. Had some around here somewhere...just can't find it.

.

Canabuz: Might make sense for you to keep 'em under the shade cloth, unless all the other parameters are in-line and you know how to spot/correct any issues that the added stress (heat) can cause. And use a little care with your discarded soil, especially in your front yard. All it would take is to see a few rogue seedlings for one teenager to put 2 and 2 together, and make your house a target. Don't have to worry much about that here, since there's usually at least one gun in every household, and a guard dog in every yard. But tweakers do stupid stuff.

Speaking of which...Vegas Metro PD is trying to make extracts illegal. At least the manufacture of it. Kinda subverts the whole medical part of our medical marijuana law(s) which makes any cannabis extract legal for patients. Seems a few morons have burned-down their house making RSO indoors, so the cops put that in the same category as a meth lab. Same form of haz-mat concerns reported...and they fear that the RSO chemists are stoned during a hazardous process.

 

[Rusty Trichome]

In direct sun it FEELS like the 118 degrees my thermometer shows, but my computer says it's only 103. (taken in the shade, I'm sure)



Anyway, I added some supplemental lighting. It's a 200w CFL (600w MH equivalent, supposedly) Trying to make sure these girls refrain from flowering, so it's on a timer for a couple hours before direct sunlight, and a couple hours during sunset when the fence provides shade. Bumps direct light to about 14 hours/day. I'll leave the Eclectic Daisy (in the pot) out for a week or two if weather permits and she doesn't complain. I'd taken a few clones, so was vegging her indoors till healed-up.
This shot was taken at the same time as the thermometer shot. About 1:30 p.m.

 

[Rusty Trichome]

 

[Canabuz]

Water smart.... Its a desert out there

 

[Rusty Trichome]

Been more than a week, thought I should post something. Been feeling like crap. Sucks that my head makes more snot than I can reasonably swallow. <kidding> Nothing debilitating, but in this heat your energy and motivation are the first to go.

Water smart.... Its a desert out there

Lol...easier said than done. Have had a couple 110 degree days, but it's mostly been in the mid 100's during the day, down into the 70's before sunrise.

The day after overwatering...it rained. It never actually rains here. Who woulda thunk...? As a result, there's some leaf damage from stressed roots. So...I let 'em dry out...and they sag from underwatering. Makes one appreciate the environmental controls most indoor growers have.

Looks like I put-up the supplemental lighting too late. Didn't do a thing for 'em. They're still wanting to flower, and I think I'm beating a dead horse by trying to prevent it. Likely it was adding to their stress as well. Next year, I'll start 'em under supplemental and go from there. Likely we'll make some plans for the shade cloth, too.



One GDP is looking fine, the other (right next to it) looks like shit and is rather feeble. This one is an underperformer, but for what they've been through I think most of 'em will finish out ok. One Black Afghani looks like she'll be an early finisher. The Eclectic Daisy is looking slightly stressed, but no nanners, and she's starting to fill-in tight. The Z-99 is hanging in there too.

The only insects I've seen the past month or so, are the preying mantis'. But they're ok in my book. Especially if they take care of the plant-eaters.

 

[Rusty Trichome]

Guess it's time for an update again. Seems so repetitive...

Had some actual rain come through and hang-out for a while. 3 days of off-n-on, but the middle day it flooded some local area's. We got a grand total of almost an inch in an hour. Grand total for the 3 days, about an inch and a quarter, lol. Doesn't sound like much, but the clay 'soil' here (known locally as "poof dirt") does not absorb water very well. A filled hole can stay filled for a day or two. I'm still waiting to see how the plants will react to the unscheduled waterings. I did go out and shake-off excess water a few times a day. Definitely do not want to get mold.



The one GDP that was suffering (back right), is still anemic...but she is starting to fill-in. The Nye-99 (front left) is showing more stretch and is also filling-in...but she's shedding interior (shaded) foliage. The Black Afghani (back right) and the GDP (back middle) are looking more like what I see indoors. Green, starting to stretch a tad, and filling-in nice. Both of those girls are starting to fill-in pretty good, and are likely to be the best producers.
The Black Afghani (front middle) will be the first to be harvested, by the looks of it. Stress took her fingertips on the larger leaves. <DOH> She's been insistent on flowering since day one though, and never really changed her mind. I took the camera down to the garden for a couple budshots...but camera batteries finally took a dump. After this last shot camera wouldn't turn on again. Will have to go get more. A car battery can last for years with daily recharging...you'd think they could make a rechargeable AAA last more than 2 months. And after all these years...why no wall plug for camera's?

Hope y'all are doing fine-n-dandy. Any fears with those two storms headed towards Hawaii?

 

[Rusty Trichome]

Went to town, forgot batteries. But, I can still get one photo per charge.



Virtually no change. 3 are going through PMS (Pre-Motherhood Stretch) and doing their job, the others aren't. More like they're leaning on their shovels waiting for break time.

Weather has been weird all summer. Much cooler than usual, but it's monsoon season so anything goes. Haven't been over 115 or so all summer, which is unusual. Usually we hover near there for a couple months. T'was 71 degrees this morning. Damn near a frost. Looks to me like the plants retract in the cooler temps, but gain a few inches when it warms-up. Might be due to what I'm smoking, though.

Lost a couple branches on the Black Afghani, (front middle) due to strong wind and rain. One branch was 'salvageable', which I dried and smoked. Trich's are already milky, but none are turning amber. Not sure how much longer she'll hold before redelization, but no nanners yet. Buds look and feel real dense, but after letting 'em dry out, they loosened-up. What looked and felt like half an ounce turned-out to be almost a quarter. Bummer. The other branch was muddy and trashed. I rinsed it off, dried it out...and added it to the oil bucket. The filter process should catch the 'poofdirt'.

I didn't have enough soil for a transplant indoors...so I put a Cheetoez clone in the garden to see how long it would last. Being so young and having to deal with the heat, wasn't sure it would even survive. But it seems to be doing fine. Had to move a few roots around when digging the hole, (by hand) but I don't think it'll be an issue. There's a shitload of space in that hole, I'm sure.
If I can get the soil, I'll put a few pots of Eclectic Daisy clones out for flowering. Somehow I ended-up with a few extra clones. Was on a roll...lol.

 

[Rusty Trichome]

Still hangin' in there. Tried twice to post updates, got 'the blue screen of death' both times. Gave-up and went to play Facebook games...games wouldn't load. Ended-up having to restore my computer to an earlier date. Seems to have worked. So far.

Nights have been in the high 60's with daytime temps in the low 100's. Relatively mild conditions, but we usually have a very short fall. Cold weather is right around the corner.
3 plants are looking good. (Black Afghani, GDP, Eclectic Daisy) The other 2 (not shown - Grand Daddy Purple and Nye 99) will be used for oil, or I'll save some of it for the in-laws and other moochers.

. . .

.......Cheetoez...........Black Afghani........Eclectic Daisy.........GDP.....

The GDP is around 4 foot tall, the others are around 3 foot tall. The Cheetoez is coming up on 3 feet, but it might not finish before the weather turns. If not I'll dig it up, pamper it see what happens. But it's a quick finisher and might make it to the finish if the weather holds.

Largest buds award (so far) goes to the Black Afghani. About 2 1/2 foot long buds at around 6 inches in diameter at thickest point, fairly tight, fairly sticky.

Tightest buds award goes to the Eclectic Daisy. 6 inch long buds from each node, hard as a rock. Each is around 3 inches in diameter. Maybe a little more. Very sticky-n-stinky.

Crappiest runt goes to the Z-99. Smells good, but that's about it. Not a foxtail condition...but just as light-n-airy. Didn't like being outside at all. Perhaps it's the heat...IDK.

The GDP isn't out of the running though. She's the largest plant with the best-looking growth potential. Starting to fill-in...just needs to hurry-up. But it's got the longest traditional flowering time, and still has some time left.

Nothing left but waiting for the finish line. Guess I'll go harvest some antique Hawaiian Skunk, (indoors) and wait it out.

 

[Dirtboy808]

She will make it. I'm amazed any plant could handle where you are at I tried to live in your town but went to LV. Aloha DB I made a bunch of Twisted Gold if you ever need more or if someone else wants.

 

[Rusty Trichome]

Seeds I have...oil I need, lol. But TG is a strain I shouldn't run out of. I made a few hundred seeds.

Definitely a winner.

 

[oldhaole]

Rusty... I gotta do this.

If you need to you can check out my thread.....growing in constant rain. Somewhere around here.

 

[Rusty Trichome]

Rusty... I gotta do this.

If you need to you can check out my thread.....growing in constant rain. Somewhere around here.

Rain...? I think I've heard of that stuff. Around here, it's a rare and elusive breed. Does it really fall from the sky?

Is that Season One, Season Two, Embracing the Suck...? That's a shitload of reading, brother...lol. Does it mention how I can grow 15 foot monsters that I'd have to hide behind a 6 foot fence...? I tried to get my pit-mix to take a few dumps in the hole...but she acted as if I was trying to bury her.


But this does lead me to my first question...
I won't be adding fresh Miracle Grow soils in the hole next year. Likely a few bags of Ocean Forest or Happy Frog to amend/refresh the soil. But does everyone still feed full-strength when in-ground growing? I'd feed...and one plant goes "Ahhh", yet it's sister goes "WTF???"

I've learned my lesson with growing different strains in the same hole, and I will sub-divide this hole with plywood or plastic bathtub wallboard...into separate 'chambers'...but this grow even same-strain sisters acted different, and had different needs. Hopefully I'll be a bit more prepared financially by next spring, and will try a raised-bed grow next to this hole.

 

[oldhaole]

Hell Rusty, pick one. Any one. Guanfuckinteed we got pounded somewhere along there. And sorry, no, it doesn't teach you to hide 15 foot monsters behind a six foot fence. When you master that..... I'd bet you put those plants in a nine foot deep hole.

As for my special flavoring,,,, best if you let the shit come out of the dog before removal.

In ground growing, yes I feed everything at full strength. With endless dirt no build-up will occur, and all that rain tends to move the goodies through the soil deep into the ground. And if you ammend a bunch of FF into really good soil (which granted you do not have) It really isn't necessary to fertilize that much in Veg.

Get a compost pile going. Make your own soil. No dog shit needed. After a few seasons growing in the same place, your own "sand" will be full of goodies and ready to rock. The nutrients will all be aged....and your little plot will be screaming for plants.

And check your drainage too. Raised beds are the way to go.

Or you could just hit a big jackpot and move here....do it right.

Anyway, with the hard time I gotta give you props. You are literally growing in Hell. Any take there is a victory.