Oregon outdoor 2006, with BACKCOUNTRY

Hello everyone! I'm BACKCOUNTRY, you may remember me and my 2005 season from Overgrow.com. It was a pretty good season for me, and I hope to repeat and better this year.

A little about my area, I live in southwest Oregon. My area is pretty dry and hot through most of the growing season. Last summer we had over 80 days over 90F, and 11 of those were over 100F. Rainfall is almost non-existant from Ealy July to early September, this is one of the main problems I deal with, along with Deer, large numbers of Deer hunters, wood rats, loggers, surveyors, etc etc.

I grow mostly in the bush, under wild conditions, using natural cover and difficult terrain to protect my plots.
I prefer to use Organic methods to feed my plants, and I use water crystals to help retain moisture.

I have a wide range of different grows going on this year, all of them experimental in some way.

The type I have been waiting on all winter is what I call a Guerilla Auto-grow, for more info on it check my sig.I will be doing 2 of them this season, I would be doing 3 but had to abandon a 200 gallon water resivour I built for it after 2 ajacent properties sold, and heavy activity started showing up in this pretty isolated location, for more info on that check my sig.
Basicly the auto-grow system is designed to irrigate my plots without consatnt supervision, allowing me to plant in areas that provide great security, but no water. Also, it will allow me to stay away from my plants through most of the blooming season, which is also the bow and then rifle Deer seasons here. Huters are my main security concern here, especially since there are hundreds if not thousands of them tromping through most of the public and commercial timber lands here.

I also will be testing a product known as Dri-water, it is supposed to create water in the soil chemically as it decomposes. The company that manufactures it claims it can sustain many types of plants through the season when used right. Previous tests on OG by the Clone stranger show that it does seem to work, but is probably not cost effective for intensive cultivation. I intend to see how much it takes to take 2 plants through the season, I am sure it will be spendy, but damn it anyways.

I will be planting the bulk of my plants as low matinence grows. Basicly I will hike down into a rugged remote creek valley with as many plants as I can carry. I will look for out of the way places where water is obviously present throughout the season and the cover is good, I will also add a minimum of organic or non-organic fertilisers. Before I leave I will mark the spot with my GPS, I will return to check up on the plots atleast once through the season to pull males and confirm number of plants that survive the early season.

Also I will be putting a plant up in a tree, one way or another I will grow and harvest(I hope) at least one plant growing in a tree. Check for more info in my sig.

Anyways, welcome to my grow!

P.S. Here are some links to some related threads-

Here is what I have planted so far

Here is what I have planted so far

Auto-grow plot #1


Here are my amendments formost of my grows this year, for each hole:

1 gallon of llamma manure
1 cup of Dolomite lime or Azomite
1 cup of Kelp meal
1 cup 10-4-3 Seabird Guano
1 TBS Triple super phosphate
Also 2 cups of water crystals are mixed into the bottom 2/3 of the hole.

All the ammendments in the hole, and ready to mix in to the native soil.


The plants:









Due to extensive wood rat damage at one of my plots last year, I am also using 1/4" mesh wire to protect the main stems from damage, they will also prtect the babies from Deer until they grow big enough to get a chicken wire cage.

Auto grow plot #2:


Low matience plot #1:

This location is in a small flood plain in the uper reaches of a year round stream, the soil there should remain moist enough to sustain my plants through the season. The willow will provide great cover from the ground and air, I will need to do some clearing for light as they put on more leaves.



Here is what the area looks like form the outside:


Many more of these to come!

reserved

That must have been a let down having to abandon that 200 gal res. after digging it out and lining it with sticks and tarps and all. At least you still have your freedom.

What strains are you putting out this year?

Glad to see you have your plants in the ground Backcountry! Hopefully its a good season for you this year. Looking forward to following your grow again this year! Good Luck.

SS

Hey pipeline and Stoned Skier! Good to see you guys too.


Strains for this season:

OR95-Early 80s vintage mix of SW Oregon and Northern California local Varieties. Mostly Indica, most turn a rainbow of colors through near the harvest season. Has a wonderful sweet skunk, that is not as obnoxious as Skunk#1.

Engine #9- A selected clone from a crossing of OR95 and Northern lights, resembles OR95, with a very heavy couch lock. I am smoking the 2nd batch of it 3town and I grew indoors, it is very nice!

C99xOR95- A new cross I made last year, should be good!

I will also be making more C99 seeds, as the large number I grew in 2002 are getting old and are not germinating well.

OR95:

hey backcountry nice info ... where do u get water crystrals from thanks..

Hello BC,

Good to see you are up and outdoors.

Since its been over 2 weeks, how are things ate the auto site? With the heavy (unexpected) rains the last few days, i hope you have not been washed out.

I wanted to ask you-what temps are you going to see this summer (end of July-beginning of August)? Also, what temps you might see during mid to late flowering?


I am in the cab as you know and I am hoping to hear some positive encouragement with regards to temps. My cab is getting up to 82*F during flowering. The majority of the indoor growers believe that I will suffer some yield and bud density (hardness). It is also been proposed that higher temps result in lower THC levels. I am also looking into silica as an additive to build resistance to high temps.


Good to be back and to see you all,

minds_I

Finally I.C. is back!

Finally I.C. is back!

Whew! The timing on that down time was kinda crappy for me but oh well!

HOVAH-Thanx man! I got these from Lowes, Agrosoak is the brand name I think. I used to buy soil-moist from Wal-mart, when they had it. Both worked well through the years. I am giving each plant a very heavy dose this year, about 1.5 cup in the bottom of the hole.

minds_I-Hey man! Good to see ya! The temps during my bloom season is as follows:

Visable blooming starts in late August for me, temps for the last half of August, the average high/low was 86/55
For the first half of September we have 79/52
For the second half of September we have 76/46
For the first half of October we have 67/46
And the temps from October 15-20, which is my typical harvest window- 66/51. Temps in my freind 3towns cab usually rides around 79-90F, and we pulled a nice crop out of it the first time around, but my blooming season does get much cooler as it goes on.

OK, time to catch up on the outdoor plantings this Spring/Summer-

I planted 4 more clones at my low maint. plot #1, for a total of 8, I just love that spot!

I also planted Low maint plot #2-



It is deep in the old woods, and sits in a clearing made when a good sized tree fell over and cleared much of the southern sky of smaller trees. A year round spring run off flows through the clearing, and 4 clones(see blow) sit in high spots around the damp area.

I used osmocote at this plot, partly as a control for my typically Organic grows, and partly because I used it alot in the past, and think it works fine.
While scanning the woods around where I parked my car, I found a unopened can of Hamms, went down good on the drive out of the woods


After a long dry spell I went to check Auto plot #2-

It looked good, the plants had grown a bit, and the crystals were keeping the soil damp. I cleared weeds away from the plants and trimmed some trees to the south to let more light in.

I have decided I will use my 200 gallon rez after all, the risk does not seem to be too bad after all, I will put 4 clones and several seed grown plants on that system.

Well folks, I have 20 clones out right now, and should have more than double that ammount out by late June, more to come!

Hello Backcountry.......I remember your thread and i hope all goes well in the upcoming season...things look good on this end but havn`t planted yet. I`ll be back to see you from time to time................so post often and good luck to you and your grow. Reibsi.

...don't take this wrong, but you work harder at this than just about anyone else I've followed on this forum. I'm lucky in that I can simply put up a seven foot fence on my property and go, but it's always inspiring to see you pull your grows off.

I'll watch this one with interest...

*takes a seat*

and i agree with butte, u da man

Heheh, I will take that as a compliment guys, paranoia will motivate better than almost anything!
Alot of the hard work I am doing is kind of a eduacation, I am trying lots of different things to see what I like doing. I don't intend to spend near as much time on it in the future.
Also I guess its a hobby, I enjoy spending all this time thinking about the pros and cons, and its a great way to get myself out into country I may not have seen otherwise.
I am seriously thinking after this season almost 100% of my grows will be done ultra-simple, with seed grown plants(not clones) grown in damp soil with little help.
Please feel free to enjoy the season with me!

BACKCOUNTRY said:

...with seed grown plants(not clones) grown in damp soil with little help.

Click to expand...

I'm curious as to your reasoning for seeds vs clones....

JJScorpio-If I were a ripper I'd still take 'em, heheh.

Butte-Its simple, with clones I need a known female to be a clone mom, which means starting plants in winter and going through the whole process. Clones are very nice because you know that they are female before they even go out, which is nice when you do high investment grows(like where I am storing water on site). It is also nice for folks who buy all their seeds, since you may have only a limited number of seeds to invest.
I make my own seeds, and I regularly plant several to a pot, and thin out the plants I don't need. If you can afford to grow males, growing from seed with no cloning is tons easier, and I don't have MJ plants I gotta hide in my house all winter and spring. I just get them started in late March, and get them out in early May.

You're absolutely right BC, thats the way it was originally intended to be grown. Thats why they make so many beans. Safer, simpler, and you get to see more of the progeny of your crosses and how they turn out.

Well, all good points and I do also start seeds for new genetics, but I think I've been spoiled. There are so many great "clone-only" strains here in Cali and I have the space to keep moms, so I guess I'm really lucky. This year I provided clones to med patients of the following (in no particular order):

Purple Urple (Urkle)
Romulan
Purple Kush #7
Purple Kush Mom
Trainwreck (Arcata Cut)
Green Crack
Af Wreck
Northern Lights x Trainwreck
Rocky Mountain (a bagseed strain I've been working with for a while)

I'm in the process of acquiring some Orange Hair and Lavender cuts right now as well as attempting to bring in a cut of that infamous East Coast indica Strawberry Cough. I've been told that finishes in 56 days. Anyway about it, I get to help the med community and start my season with some monster moms.

I think I drove through your neck of the woods this weekend. I went to Bend, then Hood River and came back to Nor Cal via Portland and I-5. Long driving (1000+miles from noon Saturday to 8 pm Sunday), but a good trip. Smoked down with an old time Rasta named Wadi Gad and got to talk about "the meditation" herb gives. He really like my Rom

So, back on track, that OR95 and C99xOR95 cross sound interesting. I'm more of a sativa fan, but a big ol' nug of that Rom in the 'cano sure helps with the back pain. It's the first strain I've gotten significant pain relief from and gotten me to take a second look at some of the harder hitting indicas. Weren't you going for a med card this year?

- Butte

Hi backcountry, i remmber ur grow from og and am very impressed with your autowatering system's! Looks like an amazing area you live in, I have a lot of wood/heath land around me but unfortunatly we also get thousands of people holidaying and visiting most of this area so i find the hardest part hiding my plants.
Good luck with your grow!

pipeline-Thanks! I like growing from seeds for a number of reasons-

#1-Minimum of handling, meaning I can start seeds closer to planting season, there is no need to clone, and I have MJ plants growing on my place for only 8 weeks a year. I own my property, and getting caught growing, especially on my place could mean losing it, having plants here a minimum of time saves alot of worry.

#2-Genetic diversity, just as Darwin taught, its survival of the fittest. If I used clones of only a few plants, I could run the risk of having a large percentage of my crop fail due to a genetic flaw that may not show up indoors(Low mold, disease, and pest resistance, etc).
With seeds each plant is a little different, the chances of having most of the crop pull through problems is very good. Outdoors you will run into many different growing situations, and problems, its best to be prepared for the worse.
Also, each plants bud will be a little different, meaning I will have many different high/stone/flavor variations withen the same strain. Variety is the spice of life!

#3-I have found that seed grown plants grow faster and with more vigor than clones, easily outgrowing competing weeds and such.

Butte-It must be nice having access to the California medical cannabis system, Oregons is not as loose on the rules, and we have no "public" clubs.
I tried "Lavender" bud that came from a Bay area club, it had a decent buzz to it, but that selection was not that impressive in any certain way. I did enjoy "Frosted flakes", "Royal Purple", and "Potent Purple".
I tend to prefer heavy Indicas for the majority of my smoking, as they kill back pain more efficently without the buzz I don't need when relaxing after work. I like Sativa crosses for outdoor activities like fishing and such.
I just have nothing wrong enough with me to get a card, but a freind of mine might, and I am thinking about becoming a state registered grower/provider.

neilspotshop-Thanx man! Stay tuned, there is much more work to be done!

Yeah, BC, my wife and I both have messed up backs and have a good bit of pain. I've just got some facet injections and a steroid shot in my SI joint and it has seemed to help. I held off on the injections as long as I could, but I think I could have used it sooner. My back pain pales when you look at my wife, though. She's got Harrington rods that fuse three vertebrae shattered after a snowboarding accident (big air + overshooting the landing transition = blown out back). We’ve both been seeing doctors for years before moving to Cali, so I feel very comfortable with my recommendation, although there are quite a few people with med cards that really shouldn’t have gotten them. Doctors need to maintain some standards if we want any legitimacy.

Have you tried any of the Purple Kush varieties? Didn’t seem to dent my pain as much as the Rom, but a FAT leafed indica for sure.

Looking forward to an update...