Equitorial Swamp Jungle Float-Garden

Swamp Thang · Sep 21, 2013

Ha ha your memory serves you right, Donald Mallard. Those drowning plant pictures posted here five years ago were mine, and they were taken in the exact same grow spot as these more recent shots. To prevent another flooding episode this go-round, I went ahead and re-built the swamp tubes to give them another foot of height above the water level, which meant lugging in quite a bit more soil. That was one workout I was glad to be done with for sure.

Also this time, rather than plant in April as is done further north of the Equator, I planted just last month, in late August, so that the buds don't start to appear until December or thereabouts, long after the rainy season here is well and truly over, so that I won't have to worry about mildew and mold.

Thanks so much also for checking in, Hush, Ga Farmer, ColoradoOG and JahRastafarii. The plants are coming along fine with no insect damage at all so far, knock on wood, and I'll take some more shots when I next get out there. Reverend is right about listening to changes in bird-song while in the woods, to know if any people are about. Here I listen to the monkeys, since they have a special warning grunt that is only used when other people besides me are anywhere near. They are used to me now, and show no fear when they spot me.

I'm hoping to get at least one picture that features a flourishing weed plant in the fore-ground, but with a background glimpse of the monkeys lined up on a palm-branch, where they often gather to critique my efforts. It will be a somewhat difficult shot to line up, but I feel oddly compelled to document my tree-dwelling visitors, as well as my swamp grow ha ha.

jbones81 · Sep 21, 2013

very nice swapthang that's how a pro sets his girls I also did swap tubes this year for the first time was reading a article in ht mag on swap tubes I have to say that was the best thing I did those girls grew 15ft plus wow and al I gave them was a little happy frog dry nutrients and let mother nature do the rest but I gotta say your tubes look outstanding hope everything works the way you plan :laughing:

Donald Mallard · Sep 21, 2013

hey swamp thing ,
for sure the timing is crucial in such a climate as yours ,
impressive your able to get much at all i think ,
darn good going man ,
im always impressed when folks can overcome challanges like you ve done ...

hope your able to line up that shot of the plants and the critics ,, hehehe ,
that would be a classic ..

Swamp Thang · Sep 24, 2013

When I visited the plants today, I couldn't believe my eyes. Most of my plants that are a little over 2-foot tall are already showing gender. I just yanked a half-dozen males that were only days from spewing pollen and seeding everything.

My location is just five degrees north of the Equator, so I made a basic assumption that the daylight/darkness cycle here is close enough to the exact 12/12 cycle seen right on the Equator that my weed plants would only flower after maybe eight weeks from the time they were planted, but would NOT be triggered to flower while the plants are still small, in response to shortening day length.

Well, it turns out that my assumption was totally wrong, in that my plants are flowering right now, at close to the same time that weed crops flower much further north of the Equator, in Europe and North America.

To cut a long story short, this effort of mine will wind up as one of the shortest grow journals ever posted in ICMag, since my plants, barely out of the seedling stage, are starting to flower, clearly in response to the extremely subtle change in daylight hours that has occurred here in a location so close to the 12/12 Equator.

My harvest from this crop is going to be quite small, and almost not worth the effort I put into preparing the grow spot, but on the plus side, I have now refurbished my swamp tubes and will have that much less work to do when I plant my next crop early in 2014.

My failed late-season planting experiment has at least taught me that I have much to learn about the triggering effect on flowering that even tiny seasonal daylight variations can have.

Few more shots today. This grow season will end for me with a subdued fizzle rather than a bang, but I won't close this thread just yet, so that I can post some final pictures of whatever mini-buds I do salvage in a few more weeks from now.

polysicks · Sep 25, 2013

Please do keep updating! It's a remarkable spot!

Is the Atlantis yours? Bailing out a dugout water heavy dugout seems like it'd be a horrible task.

Swamp Thang · Sep 25, 2013

Those dugout canoes do weigh a lot, Polysticks, and until I watched a local fisherman empty his boat in seconds, I only knew how to get the water out after lots of strenuous bailing. The USS Atlantis in the picture is mine, and it usually takes 24 hours of solid downpour to fill it and sink it like that. She probally weighs over 300 pounds, which is a lot, considering that a plastic canoe of the same size could weigh in at less than 30 pounds total.

The neat method used by the locals to empty a flooded dugout is to find a solid footing to stand on beside the canoe, grab one edge(gunwale), and then start wobbling the boat side-to-side, which will send a small lengthwise wave of water over the canoe's edge with each wobble. As the boat gets lighter with the lowering water level, the wobbles can be made bigger, to keep the wave sweeping back and forth in the water remaining, until, in a really short time and with little exertion, the boat empties and floats free.

As heavy and cumbersome as these dugout are on dry land, they do become remarkably maneuverable in the water, and as stable as dry land on the calm river surface.

OLDproLg · Sep 26, 2013

Dont worry be happy!!!!!!

You got PLENTY of time for HUGE buds bro.....
They JUST started to flower,males first always so your girls
will have a few good weeks to veg,then set bud an stretch also!
Should be fine with enuff ferts.....
Lg

mendo420 · Sep 26, 2013

good luck!

Your work is outstanding!

Swamp Thang · Sep 26, 2013

Now that is really good news, OldProLg, to hear that there is still time enough for more plant stretch, and hopefully a lot more filling out of the buds. It's been a few years since I grew any weed last, and I didn't remember having to pull male plants so soon after planting as I did with my late-season crop this year.

Pulled another couple of male plants today and now some of the females are sprouting a few white hairs. Looks like I'll need to visit often to make sure no males get a chance to shed pollen. I insist on seedless bud, or no bud at all he he.

Mendo420 the words of encouragement are much appreciated, and I hope to have some good pictures to post as the crop matures, even if my harvest this year does turn out to be less than I'd have liked.

soil margin · Sep 26, 2013

Good looking girls man. Def post some more pics next time you visit, can't wait to see their progress.

Swamp Thang · Oct 5, 2013

No harm posting a minor update today. I've had to yank quite a few more male plants, so I'll be lucky to see a dozen female plants, out of the total 30 seedlings, going on to full maturity in this grow. I decided to tie them down to improve stealth, even though the plants shouldn't get bushy enough to attract attention from a distance.

Anyway, my solitary Malawi Gold female is now producing some mini-buds which will hopefully fill out a lot more, now that the plants are thinned out and growing sideways like vines. The Maui Waui plants are doing reasonably well, as is the Kilimanjaro Kenyan bud tree.

Even this early in the flower cycle, this small cluster of plants gives off a delicious warm aroma of un-ground coffee beans that hangs in the air above the creek as I paddle in. I look forward to harvest, even though it won't be much to write home about in terms of quantity.

I finally figured out why my close-up shots are all blurry, and it is because I get this slight wobble standing in the boat, no matter how still I try to hold the camera. .

Afghan jack · Oct 5, 2013

You sir are a true grafter! I admire the effort you're putting into growing some fine herb. Best of luck for a successful harvest.

Swamp Thang · Oct 8, 2013

Decided to add a few wildlife pictures from a trail-cam I set up to check on visitors to the forest. Only the 4-legged sort so far, I'm glad to report.

Still finding male plants about to flower just about every time I visit the swamp garden. They're doing their best to fly under the radar, but when I find em I tag 'em and bag 'em quick. I hope I don't wind up losing too much of my crop this way..

Plant n Prosper · Oct 10, 2013

So sick. Tree stump idea is awesome and stealthy as hell my dude! Lookin good.

I had 2 swamp grows this year - one in tubes sitting on top of marshy grass and one straight in the marsh where water fills your foot steps after each step.

The grow directly in the swamp THRIVED compared to my 40 gallon swamp tubes. If you can find a place where it's marshy and always wet, plant straight in the ground. 9 foot monsters compared to 5 footers in the swamp tubes.

Swamp Thang · Oct 10, 2013

Thanks for checking in, Plant and Prosper. Good to hear from a fellow swamp gardener.

I expect a rather modest harvest this go round, since I planted so late in the season, having wrongly assumed that seasons didn't matter much, so close to the 12/12 Equator.

One of these days I'll canoe out and explore a few more jungle swamp islands to see if I can find anywhere that I can plant directly into soil. Most Islands here are mostly floating mats of vegetation, which is perfect for building swamp tubes, but all the soil they contain has to be brought in.

Plant n Prosper · Oct 13, 2013

Swamp Thang said:
Thanks for checking in, Plant and Prosper. Good to hear from a fellow swamp gardener.

I expect a rather modest harvest this go round, since I planted so late in the season, having wrongly assumed that seasons didn't matter much, so close to the 12/12 Equator.

One of these days I'll canoe out and explore a few more jungle swamp islands to see if I can find anywhere that I can plant directly into soil. Most Islands here are mostly floating mats of vegetation, which is perfect for building swamp tubes, but all the soil they contain has to be brought in.

Hell yeah, there's like a brotherhood amongst all swamp growers haha. Respect. The only reason the ground is better is because the swamp contains so many beneficial micro organisms that play such a big role in the plant. That + unlimited space to grow = huge plants. I thoguht for sure my swamp tube garden would out weigh the in-ground one but I was so wrong!

That's whats so interesting about this hobby, every season you learn new rules/lessons and it makes your following season that much better and more successful. Can't wait to peep pics of your final outcome homie, may your harvest be blessed!

Plant n Prosper · Oct 13, 2013

I should really have mentioned in my equation water.

So... micro organisms + unlimited water + unlimited space = huge plants

there we go lol

ponocrookedbrah · Oct 31, 2013

awesome thread stay safe man!

FlaDankster · Oct 31, 2013

Thank you for posting your grow.

GanjaGardnr3000 · Oct 31, 2013

Those are the most well made swamp tubes I have laid eyes on good job. Also getting 2 zips of your own bud is always better then sourcing street "dro" so be Stoked for these ladies regardless of yield

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