brother, those things are huge already. gonna be some serious surplus
Sleepy Hollow Canyon-2011
- Thread starter CanniDo Cowboy
- Start date
Great update man. That last pic is my definition of beauty, although I'd like to see about twice as many girls stuffed in that canyon heh.
WOW all i can say is that all growers need to take time & appreciate all of the FREE knowledge that is here on this site...Back in the day It was some old high time with a grow article or word of mouth,,
That was it.... and the "MOUTH" thing was mostly wrong..i.e Hanging plants uoside down for the sap to drain to the buds
so to all who post.. THANKS
That was it.... and the "MOUTH" thing was mostly wrong..i.e Hanging plants uoside down for the sap to drain to the buds so to all who post.. THANKS
Slangheat
Member
Thanks for more gorgeous shots CC.
Been melting down here for nearly the past week now, if I don't get up before 6 am I get scorched before all my chores are done in the yard... and with just a small 12 plant backyard boogie, I can't even imagine what'd it be like to have a garden twice my size, let alone what some people here run... guess automation helps hehe.
Hope you're a bit cooler, my plants don't mind the heat but they sure seem to perform at an ideal rate when it's below 100 - which it hasn't been for almost a week now...
Been melting down here for nearly the past week now, if I don't get up before 6 am I get scorched before all my chores are done in the yard... and with just a small 12 plant backyard boogie, I can't even imagine what'd it be like to have a garden twice my size, let alone what some people here run... guess automation helps hehe.
Hope you're a bit cooler, my plants don't mind the heat but they sure seem to perform at an ideal rate when it's below 100 - which it hasn't been for almost a week now...
Hey Slang...Yea pard, I hear ya on the heat deal...Hell,I try to be done waterin by 6:00 am!! I'm at bout 1200 ft so my plants get a little break. Shoot, we still got a few runs at 110 up here if the summer goes as usual. Personally, I would rather deal with higher temps now because we tend to get excellent flowering temps closer to finish time in the fall, IMO. That's when the coastal boys are fightin mold from much cooler temps...So we got that goin for ourselves...! lol
The Hollow hasnt showed any signs of heat stress: Slow growth, wiltage etc. Ive had to up the watererin and cut back serious veg feeding to only once a week to prevent burning but little else. In fact, I'm gearin up for the second round of plant bondage here shortly. My Blue Dreams are pushin 6ft + and gettin mighty rangy and the purps are fluffin out big time. I have a novel plan to use metal stakes, hortinova netting and rebar. Should prove interesting. More on that later...
Durin these higher temps, I'm been carryin a 5gal bucket of water to 18 plants every 3rd morning and back again with another 5 the same evening. 10 gals of water to each plant every 4 days. Automation? Yea right...lol Definitely a labor of love...
Next year, I'll bury a 600 gal sistern above the Hollow, tap into my natural spring and let gravity to the rest. But alas, that's next season. For now, it's cowboy up and just get it done...CC
ManitoidsGhost
Member
looking AWESOME!
concrete reinforcement "fabric" works well... 6" holes, self supporting in a circle, and like the most hard core tomato cage ever. ala:
did i miss the pruning discussion? i know you asked on opinions on that. was wondering what you decided to do. Until admins hear my cries for help, my IC account, the email it was attached to, and my facebook were all hacked this past week, so I have to float around as a ghost of my former self until i can maybe get a new login password for my real acct.
AGAIN, you are going to be overjoyed with this harvest! DELUXE!
Manitoid(s Ghost)
concrete reinforcement "fabric" works well... 6" holes, self supporting in a circle, and like the most hard core tomato cage ever. ala:
did i miss the pruning discussion? i know you asked on opinions on that. was wondering what you decided to do. Until admins hear my cries for help, my IC account, the email it was attached to, and my facebook were all hacked this past week, so I have to float around as a ghost of my former self until i can maybe get a new login password for my real acct.
AGAIN, you are going to be overjoyed with this harvest! DELUXE!
Manitoid(s Ghost)
looking AWESOME!
concrete reinforcement "fabric" works well... 6" holes, self supporting in a circle, and like the most hard core tomato cage ever. ala:
did i miss the pruning discussion? i know you asked on opinions on that. was wondering what you decided to do. Until admins hear my cries for help, my IC account, the email it was attached to, and my facebook were all hacked this past week, so I have to float around as a ghost of my former self until i can maybe get a new login password for my real acct.
AGAIN, you are going to be overjoyed with this harvest! DELUXE!
Manitoid(s Ghost)
Hey Mani...Yer in ghost status now? LOL Man, one day a hero, the next day a zero...Hope ya get back to bein a real person soon...lol
As to the pruning: Posted on previous page: "I agree, I would think plants and strains most likely react differently to pruning etc. I went ahead and did some shaping and pruning thinking: "What the hell, what's the worst that could happen?" I did some pretty serious whacking on the Blue Dreams cause they grow so fast and rangy and were gettin way out of balance (more top than side growth).'
Ah yes, the concrete reinforcement fabric. In my younger days while in the concrete game, they called that stuff 6/10 wire: 6inch squares, 10 gauge wire. In a perfect growing world setting ie: greenhouse or flat garden area, the wire cage route might be considered. However, tryin to erect wire mesh rings on the steep slopes of Sleepy Hollow could prove to be an exercise in dumbass-ness. AND, IMHO, the wire cage app has one big limitation if ya dont have an automatic drip system(like me): With larger plants, the wire "ring" has to be erected further out and away from the plant for necessary support which makes hand watering more difficult and too, plant maintenance becomes more difficult the larger the plant grows especially if you have short arms! lol. Ive used the wire method in the past with T-posts and while it does help make it easy to manage the plant in its initial 4 feet or so, when the plant starts getting taller and larger in diameter, the mesh, instead of aiding in support, actually becomes a barrier which then quickly becomes a pain in the ass. Again,my IMO.
I'll detail my support system soon. As always, nothing elaborate. Just a simple, practical approach with material costs and labor kept to a minimum. The main thing is I want to be able to water and access the plant without hassle. Right now, I see no need to support the plants as the branches have to real weight. Some folks like to have the support already in place and "train" the plants but then the plant overgrows the support! So then they have to build more support to support the first support. Next thing ya know, ya got a real mess and the whole thing looks like Stevie Wonder put it up...just sayin...CC
ManitoidsGhost
Member
Fucking great picture you painted for me there.
Yeah if the plants grow too far past the trellis, the trellis turns from something that holds it up to something that the branch breaks on. This year i have plants today that are bigger than 3 lb. finished plants last october... i may need more trellis!
Looking forward to seeing your "On the slope trellis" job.
yeah i started to think i was cool... turns out im not, and am truly a forum noob.
It has been resolved that i will never get old account back, so i can move on... Heck, some people like shakespeare, get the most recognition after they become a ghost. Maybe Ill fly higher than I ever could in my previous shell!
Manitoid(s Ghost)
That's one of the reasons I'm hoping I can do it all with Hortinova, get more sway action and less snap. But this is my first time using it and I'm nervous as hell about adding the second layer and perhaps beyond. Nice problem to have...
Alrighty then...Just a small update (pics to follow). Dang, I can't seem to get in here as often as I used to to give progress reports. This summer as been one thing after another when it comes to things away from the Sleepy Hollow. Seein as this is my first year outside with any seriousness, maybe that's the way every season will be. The Hollow is pretty self-contained which means that except for watering sessions, she's hittin on all 8. So, I reckon bein busy with life's less interesting but necessary chores is probably a good thing 'cause if I spend too much time in the Hollow a-fussin over the girls, I'd most likely screw something up! It's that ol sayin: If it aint broke, leave it be..."
The Horti-Trellis I ordered got delivered today. A 300ft roll for $75.00. The dern grow shop wanted $14.00 for a 4ft wide x 10ft long chunk or $400.00 for a 300 ft roll. Rotten bastards! lol I'll tell ya one thing for sure: If a fella is able to plan ahead and order some of the necessary supplies on line, you can save a ton of grow moola.
Gonna round up my iron soon (metal foundation stakes, 3/4 inch black pipe & 5/8 inch rebar) and get to shoring up the girls for their impending flower run. I'll post a little ditty on how that all gets done. I'll be glad when the stake-up is done 'cause it will be one less thing rattling around in my brain...
On an interesting note, if y'all remember back to my very first post, I mentioned "Mr Bear" living somewhere in the thicket back beyond the Hollow. Well, somewhere in betwixt dusk & dark yesterday evening, I went outside to turn off a irrigation sprinkler I had runnin and saw what i thought was the neighbors dog coming up the driveway. I was just fixin to holler at him to go home when I realized it wasnt a dog at all, it was Mr. Bear. I was only bout 6 ft from the door so I put my ass in reverse and slowly backed up to where I had one hand on the door handle in case Mr Bear decided he wanted to get up close and personal.
It was pretty amazing. Mr Bear, from no more than 30 feet away, looked over at me, chuffed and grunted as if to say: "Howdy bro, just takin in the evenin here..." and kept going right on past me. I ran in and grabbed my camera but when I came out, he was long gone. I swear, it was the damndest thing. The spooky thing was he was headed towards the Hollow where I had just been 20 minutes before. Brother, it's gonna be a long summer....CC
The Horti-Trellis I ordered got delivered today. A 300ft roll for $75.00. The dern grow shop wanted $14.00 for a 4ft wide x 10ft long chunk or $400.00 for a 300 ft roll. Rotten bastards! lol I'll tell ya one thing for sure: If a fella is able to plan ahead and order some of the necessary supplies on line, you can save a ton of grow moola.
Gonna round up my iron soon (metal foundation stakes, 3/4 inch black pipe & 5/8 inch rebar) and get to shoring up the girls for their impending flower run. I'll post a little ditty on how that all gets done. I'll be glad when the stake-up is done 'cause it will be one less thing rattling around in my brain...
On an interesting note, if y'all remember back to my very first post, I mentioned "Mr Bear" living somewhere in the thicket back beyond the Hollow. Well, somewhere in betwixt dusk & dark yesterday evening, I went outside to turn off a irrigation sprinkler I had runnin and saw what i thought was the neighbors dog coming up the driveway. I was just fixin to holler at him to go home when I realized it wasnt a dog at all, it was Mr. Bear. I was only bout 6 ft from the door so I put my ass in reverse and slowly backed up to where I had one hand on the door handle in case Mr Bear decided he wanted to get up close and personal.
It was pretty amazing. Mr Bear, from no more than 30 feet away, looked over at me, chuffed and grunted as if to say: "Howdy bro, just takin in the evenin here..." and kept going right on past me. I ran in and grabbed my camera but when I came out, he was long gone. I swear, it was the damndest thing. The spooky thing was he was headed towards the Hollow where I had just been 20 minutes before. Brother, it's gonna be a long summer....CC
G
guest8905
nice post. great read...
keep it green!
keep it green!
ManitoidsGhost
Member
could you enlighten us (me) as to where the great deal on horti-trellis is. I found it at more the $12 for 4X10 and thought, no way
this makes at great, as im about to require a 2nd layer... already...
Thanks,
Manitoid
Edit: post #50, will you be my friend
ManitoidsGhost
Member
oh wow, thats a good bit over a half a mile! But alas they are sold out of every size except the tiny one... Cannot imagine why!
could you enlighten us (me) as to where the great deal on horti-trellis is. I found it at more the $12 for 4X10 and thought, no way
this makes at great, as im about to require a 2nd layer... already...
Thanks,
Manitoid
Edit: post #50, will you be my friend
Hey ManiG...Good to see yer still out n about! Believe it or dont, I ordered my Horti-T from Amazon.com...They have quite a few grow accessories and at as good or better pricing as any of the on-line gardening supply places and I trust them more than the bazillion garden websites out there... Also IMO, Amazon can sell a little cheaper cause unlike the garden centers, they sell everything under the sun, not just gardening stuff...CC
LOL...Dang pard, I'd hate to have to pay the shipping/freight on that! 3280 ft? I reckon its cheaper by the mile eh? LOL CC
Slangheat
Member
Doh, amazon, why didn't I check there.. thanks CC!
Anyone reading this; avoid Agriculturesolutions.com - jackasses are giving me the roundabout - charged me 3 weeks ago, order still not sent out, and they are now ignoring my emails for the past week about a simple refund. Live and learn but I can't stand when a company lacks customer service... you'd think with increased competition, folks would strive harder to please there custies... nope.
Anyways CC, hope your garden is kicking ass and the weather is treating you well.
Anyone reading this; avoid Agriculturesolutions.com - jackasses are giving me the roundabout - charged me 3 weeks ago, order still not sent out, and they are now ignoring my emails for the past week about a simple refund. Live and learn but I can't stand when a company lacks customer service... you'd think with increased competition, folks would strive harder to please there custies... nope.
Anyways CC, hope your garden is kicking ass and the weather is treating you well.
So, the beginning of August and Sleepy Hollow is all I thought it could be. This cowboy is stoked...I think my biggest pleasure is when I take in the natural setting of the Hollow. It's like the plants are in the wild but not. Hard to explain but for some reason, I just find that pleasin as hell. The fact that I buried the Smart Pots helps lend to the setting and a decision I have come to greatly appreciate even tho at the time of digging them damn holes, I was crying like a baby.
Ive finished the second round of plant support. Boy howdy, a sizable chore for just one cowboy. I took the advice of a couple of my IC Mag brethren (thanks fellas, especially M-Ghost!) and tweaked the process to fit my needs. It took 3 days and 2 rolls (150 ft) of 5 ft high 6/10 concrete wire-mesh with 4- 1/2 inch rebar stakes per plant. I bought the #4 rebar in 20ft lengths and then cut them into 6 ft lengths. The mesh rings are 5 ft in diameter on average around each plant (apprx 16ft long each with zero overlap). I raised the wire mesh apprx 2 & 1/2 ft off the ground (a tough chore for a one man show) for easy accessibility and watering purposes. Overall height ends up around 9 ft on the downhill side of the Hollow's steep slopes. I will be adding extentions (4 whips per cage) to the top of the cages bent slightly at an outward angle and finish with a wrap of Horti-netting to form a cone-like support around the top 3 ft or so of each plant cage with a chunk also stretched across the top of each. The cone shaped top will enable me to spread the top branches of each plant, allowing better sun exposure to the inner top flowers. Looks good on paper anyway...
The combination of 6/10 concrete mesh wire-tied to 4 -1/2 inch rebar rods makes for a formidable and sturdy support system. When done properly the rods only need to be driven into the ground a short distance because the whole structure works together as a unit and believe it or dont, even the plant itself helps in the support process as it growers larger. Yep, true story. Even raising each mesh ring off the ground 2 ft or so does not compromise the support strength. I chose the mesh/rebar system because it was the most practical in that it offered the most branch/flower training support and flexibility and the system, in the long run, is not awful labor intensive to construct for the superior strength it gives and IMO, ya get a lot more bang for the buckaroonie. Most important, it will not fail at the most critical time of the whole grow and that, mi compadres, is invaluable...BTW, I researched the Texas Tomato cages but I'm sorry, a six pack of the largest cages for $100.00 while only offering a 2ft diameter is IMO, pure Texas foolishness for the kind of plants we are growing, that is, if yer into size...Again, thanks to M-Ghost and a few others who helped change this stubborn cowboy's way of thinkin on plant support. In this game, if ya dont listen, you dont learn...With that I give you Sleepy Hollow: August 2011...CC
Ive finished the second round of plant support. Boy howdy, a sizable chore for just one cowboy. I took the advice of a couple of my IC Mag brethren (thanks fellas, especially M-Ghost!) and tweaked the process to fit my needs. It took 3 days and 2 rolls (150 ft) of 5 ft high 6/10 concrete wire-mesh with 4- 1/2 inch rebar stakes per plant. I bought the #4 rebar in 20ft lengths and then cut them into 6 ft lengths. The mesh rings are 5 ft in diameter on average around each plant (apprx 16ft long each with zero overlap). I raised the wire mesh apprx 2 & 1/2 ft off the ground (a tough chore for a one man show) for easy accessibility and watering purposes. Overall height ends up around 9 ft on the downhill side of the Hollow's steep slopes. I will be adding extentions (4 whips per cage) to the top of the cages bent slightly at an outward angle and finish with a wrap of Horti-netting to form a cone-like support around the top 3 ft or so of each plant cage with a chunk also stretched across the top of each. The cone shaped top will enable me to spread the top branches of each plant, allowing better sun exposure to the inner top flowers. Looks good on paper anyway...
The combination of 6/10 concrete mesh wire-tied to 4 -1/2 inch rebar rods makes for a formidable and sturdy support system. When done properly the rods only need to be driven into the ground a short distance because the whole structure works together as a unit and believe it or dont, even the plant itself helps in the support process as it growers larger. Yep, true story. Even raising each mesh ring off the ground 2 ft or so does not compromise the support strength. I chose the mesh/rebar system because it was the most practical in that it offered the most branch/flower training support and flexibility and the system, in the long run, is not awful labor intensive to construct for the superior strength it gives and IMO, ya get a lot more bang for the buckaroonie. Most important, it will not fail at the most critical time of the whole grow and that, mi compadres, is invaluable...BTW, I researched the Texas Tomato cages but I'm sorry, a six pack of the largest cages for $100.00 while only offering a 2ft diameter is IMO, pure Texas foolishness for the kind of plants we are growing, that is, if yer into size...Again, thanks to M-Ghost and a few others who helped change this stubborn cowboy's way of thinkin on plant support. In this game, if ya dont listen, you dont learn...With that I give you Sleepy Hollow: August 2011...CC
