# Indoor-Outdoor Desert Grow



## mojavemama (Apr 18, 2009)

1-24-09: Germinated 25 seeds, Paper Towel method.
1-29-09: 21 seeds sprouted, transplanted into Peat cups with OMRI Organic Soil. Put under 5 32-watt 6500K fluoros, 24/7 and put heating pads under containers.
2-06: Transplanted 9 seedlings into 16 oz cups. 
2-08: Took seedlings outside in 70 degree sun for afternoon.


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## stonedrone (Apr 18, 2009)

What do you got there is that some bagseed or seedbank seed?


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## mojavemama (Apr 18, 2009)

Transplanted 21 seedlings into gallon pots. Pots kept in 2 rolling garden carts, rolled out into the sunshine in the morning, taken back in under lights at dusk.
No nutes yet.


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## mojavemama (Apr 18, 2009)

Hi Stonedrone! Thanks for stopping by. I am just filling in my grow journal now, and have a ways to go. You caught me in the middle of two posts. 

To answer your question, this is half top quality Mendocino bagseed and half medicinal seeds from Oregon. This is my first grow, and I didn't want to make all my mistakes on a seedbank order, plus I don't have an optimum grow room yet.


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## stonedrone (Apr 18, 2009)

those look nice I wish I could make stuff grow in soil.


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## mojavemama (Apr 18, 2009)

Plants were slow in growing, but have begun growing strong since the weather changed and it's now very sunny and in the 70's. Organic nutes & Tarantula 1/4 strength applied 3-28-09. Some nute burn. Tested and found PH was out of balanace and I had to change to de-ionized water. Flushed 3 times. 4-10-09: Added Ironite.

Pictures of three different strains.


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## mojavemama (Apr 18, 2009)

Supercropped several plants today. Many plants showing female preflowers!


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## mojavemama (Apr 18, 2009)

Ph finally nicely balanced, nutes given at 1/2 strength. Some aphids on plants yesterday, so I bought 100 ladybugs and put them on the plants last night during 6 hour dark period. Plants all looking healthy, supercropped plants nicely bent horizontal but top leaves all facing upwards to the sun. 

Still keeping plants outside during daylight hours, and inside under 12 40 watt 6500K fluoros. So far 12 plants have shown female preflowers, and the one I thought might be male has not turned out to have nanners or balls. May have to wait until flowering to know for sure. 

Plan to keep these plants all in veg until second week of May, then into forced flowering in the grow room once each transplanted into 3 gallon containers. Then no more outside sun.


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## bombbudpuffa (Apr 18, 2009)

Looks great MM.


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## mojavemama (Apr 19, 2009)

It was inevitable; it's the Mojave Desert, after all. The temps began soaring this morning and it's now over 80 degrees and it's still morning. The girls are basking in the morning sun outside, but the soil was getting very hot. 

To be able to keep them outside until afternoon, I covered all the soil in each pot with layers of newspaper, leaving the leaves to gather more sun. Made sure each plant had adequate water, and put water on the pebbles in the bottom of the carts to keep the humidity up. 

In this climate, it's not just the heat, the intensity of the sun (no marine layer to keep it from scorching!), but also the extreme dryness. Keeping enough humidity going is difficult. I have just been keeping a substrate of pebbles wet all the time, with a fan on the plants at night. But it's getting too dry for that now to do the trick. Tonight I'll put a humidifier on the plants.

There is certainly a challenge in trying to do this indoor-outdoor grow during a desert spring. Summer would be impossible. Fortunately, they are ready anytime now to go indoors for flowering, and only the unfinished state of my grow room has kept me scrambling for more vegetative time. 

Ladybugs still on the plants--can't believe they didn't all fly away by now!
They must be finding something to eat.


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## Muddy Paws (Apr 19, 2009)

Those are pretty happy plants, MM..I'm glad the Ladybugs are stickin around 

Nice work!


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## LassChance (Apr 19, 2009)

mojavemama said:
			
		

> It was inevitable; it's the Mojave Desert, after all. The temps began soaring this morning and it's now over 80 degrees and it's still morning. The girls are basking in the morning sun outside, but the soil was getting very hot.
> 
> To be able to keep them outside until afternoon, I covered all the soil in each pot with layers of newspaper, leaving the leaves to gather more sun. Made sure each plant had adequate water, and put water on the pebbles in the bottom of the carts to keep the humidity up.
> 
> ...




So!  Have you made a decision on what light to get for your grow room?

Im so happy for you--you're doing great.

Lass


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## 4u2sm0ke (Apr 19, 2009)

:ciao:  *MM*...just stopping by  to have a look see...and i see you have your hands full..are you able to control the heat in th house?  and those black pots do generate heat.  hope all is well in the desert;;ill check back again Later:bolt::bong:


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## UKgirl420 (Apr 19, 2009)

*great journal so far
your plants are looking great ,,,heres some green  mojo for more healthy ladies to appear ,,

goodluck with the desert heats ,eace:*


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## mojavemama (Apr 19, 2009)

Thanks, 4u2sm0ke, for dropping by!  And thanks for asking about the pots and indoor temps. We have AC, and normally keep it at about 70. Yes, those black pots sure DO soak up the heat. I knew that when I planted them, and just hoped I could get a bit of size on the plants outdoors before it got too hot for them.

It's getting too hot. Next week, temps will hit 100F degrees. 

This afternoon, I kept them outside but under the new shade shelter I made for them. I left the newspapers on the soil, and spritzed the leaves every hour with water to help keep them cool. It was close to 90F today, so this is about the top temp I can see subjecting them to. 

Again, I was really careful to wrap the pots in newspaper and load newspaper on the soil before putting them out. And then, only in the sun for 4 hours before going into the shade tent. Still bright in there, nice breeze to strengthen the stems, but no direct sun so no problem spritzing them with water every hour. 

I should have no problem keeping the grow room (extra bedroom) at 70-75 constantly--that's about normal. And I'll be transplanting the plants out of their 1 gallon pots into 3 gallon pots.


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## mojavemama (Apr 19, 2009)

Thanks, Lass, for stopping by and your nice comments!  I owe you a PM, and got behind when I made my grow journal. Don't give up on me! PM tomorrow.

About the lights---I don't really have a choice, or much of a choice. My only option is between straight fluorescents and CFL's. I already have ballasts I've been saving to surround the room in fluoro tubes, so I'll probably put up whatever I can get, and end up with a mishmash of CFL's and 4 ft T8's. 

Not optimal, but it should give me a bit of meds for the winter. Anything is better than paying $960 an ounce here for mids. I know I won't get big, tight buds, but anything I get is money I don't have to pay the robber....er, dealer.


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## Locked (Apr 19, 2009)

Lookin really good Mohave... I had to laugh at your 1 post about buying 100 lady bugs... I am from the east coast and I don't know of anyplace where I cld go buy 100 lady bugs... Wish I did because I like lady bugs... I only see them in the wild and they are not abundant where I live near the ocean... Good luck with the grow...will be checkin in from time to time...
If you don't hve a problem keeping temps down indoors during the summer there you might want to look into Feminized auto seeds...you cld do a grow in 60 days or so and walk away with a cpl ounces depending on how many plants you grow...


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## mojavemama (Apr 20, 2009)

Thanks for your comments, Hamster Lewis! Great to have you stop by and check out my first grow. So, on the East Coast, you can't buy ladybugs in the nurseries? They do fly away, but during March, April and May here, we can buy them easily. I end up getting a carton full every couple of weeks. Hope my neighbors appreciate all the ladybugs they get from my efforts! As long as a few stay here, I'm happy.

I don't have any problems with temps indoors during the summer--none of us could exist here without a/c! We have to put oven mitts on to touch our steering wheels in the summer.  It's just that I want do do as much outside in natural light as possible, since I don't yet have a great light system. 

Thanks for the advice on Feminized Auto Seeds! I have been checking into them for the next grow. I sure like the idea of a 60 day grow, but think I'd have to do better in the light department before investing in good seedbank seeds. Also, i was hoping to get a couple of clones, and I know you can't clone auto seeds. 

Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your expertise!


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## mojavemama (Apr 21, 2009)

Looking for ideas on what to use for drainage pans for the grow room. It does not have a water drain. I'll have to catch the run off water with something. Ideas?


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## 4u2sm0ke (Apr 21, 2009)

:ciao:  my Desert friend...I grow in a shed  with wood floors  so I know all about Catch pans...:rofl:  I use a veriaty of thisngs from small Plastice containers  that hold 2 one gallon containers..and small totes about 6 inches high..and *4U*..in the chair..look at the ones with wheels..you slide under bed..They can be found at Home DePOT:aok:  My  concern with this grow is when you transfer to 3 gallon pots..do you still bring in and out?  and if so..20 Ladies is an awefull lot of work when they are 3 plus feet high..Send me You Address I will help:giggle:  J/K..and I am suppling a link for those that want lady bugs..they ship all over the world  and all year long..and questions folks, please  PM me..dont use *Mojave *thread or better yet read the web site:spit:..Take cvare and be safe desertmamma:lama:


ladybugs hXXp://gardeningzone.com/index_130.html?osCsid=5a92237236e1aa91a3ecad664d893877


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## mojavemama (Apr 22, 2009)

4U2Sm0ke, Thanks so much for the ladybug link! Ladybugs are fantastic, and I don't think I ever appreciated them more than I do right now. 

And I LOVE the idea of rolling totes for collecting water run off! YESSS! That will make it much easier for me in the powerchair. 

As for continuing to take the plants inside and out each day, once they are repotted in 3 gallon pots and getting 3 feet high--I WOULD do it, and I may do it for a short while, and it's not the work that bothers me. It's whether I can keep the plants cooled down enough in our summer sun. The intensity of it is brutal. Only in the spring and late fall can anything with semi-broad leaves tolerate it outside. 

I'm an avid gardener, and have many plants that can't thrive here in the sun, out on my back patio. But they are under shade cloth, and there is a mister running. And I have to double pot them--meaning, put a second pot around the first pot, with wet Spagnum moss in between the pots to keep the soil cool enough that the roots don't cook. 

It would be SO much easier to keep them indoors once they start flowering, and when they get well into flowering, they will be strung up and I won't be able to move them. But maybe for a month or so I can pull it off--we'll see!

This is an experiment, after all. I shouldn't even be growing since I can't yet afford good enough lights. I just thought I MIGHT be able to pull it off with a bit of hard work, since I have the help of the sun, the mighty Mojave sun.


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## 4u2sm0ke (Apr 23, 2009)

and you have us here to help best we can..I like the idea of a misting shaded room  as you speak of..I remember Grandma haveing a patio with shade roof and plants everywhere with fans and misters on and off..she lived in Arizona.  But it was not MJ..lol..you are in a tough area in the world to grow..but  it can be done..and dont worry about not enough lights on this grow..its you first..we are learning. heck  i started with 1000MH  that made so much noise.plus i didnt know i had to have flower seperate..lol..didnt even know there was a female and Male...weed was weed   I thought..its an enjoyment to grow..Let me ask you is the desert a medical mj area?  and how about some GREEN for the page?  we wanna see how those babbies are doing..until next time Take care and be safe:bolt::bong:


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## mojavemama (Apr 23, 2009)

Must be Karma. I was absolutely certain I would never be able to even get these seeds to go past early seedling stage, so I went hog wild germinating.
They all made it.

Then I thought, "noooo problem, half of them will be boys. And half of the ones left probably won't make it." They all made it, and they all are girls. 

21 girls. Hot summer is coming. Gotta make a tough decision on which of my girls to kill, so I'll have enough light for those I can manage to get under flowering lights. I can't believe I'm contemplating killing healthy, bushy, gorgeous females, of which at least 5 are purples. 

Anyone else ever found themselves in this dilemma? If I can't find anyone nearby to adopt some of them, I'll have no choice. But how to choose when they all look so good, and there are no 'problem' plants?


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## mojavemama (Apr 23, 2009)

Smoke, thanks so much again for your encouragement and help!  Yep, your grandma had the right idea. Keep the moisture up, keep the sun shaded in afternoon, and watch the plants thrive! 

I hear you loud and clear about mistakes we newbies make! But it's awfully nice of you to share you experience to make me feel better. <G>

>>Let me ask you is the desert a medical mj area? <,

Not sure what you are asking--do you mean is it legal here to grow MM? If so, yes. It's Nevada. But not a lot of MM users can even afford the cost of the license. It's the highest in the country, and few doctors will give a referral. Those that do charge a lot for that service. It would cost me close to $750 for a 1 year license. And then, there are NO medical dispensaries in the state, so still no legal way to buy clones, seeds. It's only legal to grow 7 plants for MM users. But the catch 22 is that it's still illegal to get anything, so how much does the license really help anyone, other than if you get caught and face arrest? Even with a Nevada MM license, we can't buy clones or seeds or weed or anything else in California, because there is no reciprocity between states. So in essence, those with MM licenses are allowed to grow, but can't buy the seeds or clones. So it's all a stupid, useless catch 22, and in the meantime, those who need it the most cannot afford to get the license, cannot legally get the seeds or starts, so even legal means one has to do the illegal before getting to the legal stage. Stupid or what?


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## UKgirl420 (Apr 24, 2009)

> Not sure what you are asking--do you mean is it legal here to grow MM? If so, yes. It's Nevada. But not a lot of MM users can even afford the cost of the license. It's the highest in the country, and few doctors will give a referral. Those that do charge a lot for that service. It would cost me close to $750 for a 1 year license. And then, there are NO medical dispensaries in the state, so still no legal way to buy clones, seeds. It's only legal to grow 7 plants for MM users. But the catch 22 is that it's still illegal to get anything, so how much does the license really help anyone, other than if you get caught and face arrest? Even with a Nevada MM license, we can't buy clones or seeds or weed or anything else in California, because there is no reciprocity between states. So in essence, those with MM licenses are allowed to grow, but can't buy the seeds or clones. So it's all a stupid, useless catch 22, and in the meantime, those who need it the most cannot afford to get the license, cannot legally get the seeds or starts, so even legal means one has to do the illegal before getting to the legal stage. Stupid or what?


__________________
wow  lol 
great news on the all females:yay: shame you have to kill some :fid:


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## mojavemama (Apr 25, 2009)

Curious. Today I topped my plants, and two of them ooze purple liquid. The stems are green, it's just the liquid inside that's purple. The plants are showing no signs of stress, look very healthy, growing rapidly. 

Anyone ever have purple juice in their strain's stems?


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## cannabis037 (Apr 25, 2009)

hi mojavemama, just finished reading your thread. first i'd like to say nice job on those vegging plants! they look really happy under real light. about the purple ooze, i believe it is natural. when i topped my plants the topped section of the plant turned purple and left my razor blade blackish purple. first i thought it was the alcohol that changed the color, but nothing happened to my plants. you shouldnt worry too much about the ooze.


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## Locked (Apr 25, 2009)

Lookin real good Mojave...I wish I had your problem of having to many females...


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## mojavemama (Apr 26, 2009)

Thanks, Hamster! It means a lot from this noobie to get your thumbs up! 
I've really enjoyed reading your GJ. You inspire me!


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## mojavemama (Apr 26, 2009)

Hey, Cannabis037, thanks so much for your input! I'm glad to hear you have had some plants bleed purple too. BTW, your grow journal is outstanding. I was mesmerized reading it. Lots of ups and downs, but wow, all you learned is fantastic. And the WW buds--delicious! How are those clones doing? Thanks so much for stopping by. I learned so much from reading your journal.


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## cannabis037 (Apr 26, 2009)

haha, its no problem. i enjoy looking at your garden grow! my clones are finally growing and they are growing pretty quickly. i'm anticipating for some nice buddage on your plants beecause mojave has "alot" of sun. i know this because i use to live in california city! lol.


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## mojavemama (May 9, 2009)

Thought I had everything set up beautifully for my hubby to take care of all my vegging plants during my week-long vacation in CA. 

Unfortunately, he didn't quite understand the details. I have river rock in the bottom of my carts, upon which the plant pots sit. I keep an inch of water in the bottom--well below the bottom of the pots, just for humidity. 

Hubby put a gallon of water in the bottom each day, and for a week, all the pots swam in putrid, stinky water. 
Worse--it was the TAP water, with the uber-high Ph that I only use for humidity, never for watering the plants.

Got home after a 12 hour drive only to find the plants were at last gasp, so I had to spend 6 hours repotting, trimming rotton roots, and putting them in 3 gallon containers full of DRY organic soil. 

It's been two days, and there are no more leaves falling off, burning at the tips or turning bright yellow. Still, the rootballs are moist, some still wet, and no need to give additional water yet. 

I repotted all the plants with layers of newspapers around the inside for insulation, and I put the 10 worst plants outside, under the shade canopy. I'm not really expecting them to make it, as it's very hot in the desert already. But, you never know. One is a Sativa, so it may hang in there and enjoy the heat. I hated to put the healthy Sativa outside, as this is mainly a medicinal grow, and Sativa isn't exactly couchlock pain control pot. But if I can only have 11 girls inside to flower, then the "fun" Sativa is relegated to doing its best in the backyard. 

Now that I'm down to 11 plants, it makes getting the grow room ready much easier. 

Oh, and NO, I did NOT holler or complain at poor hubby, who got up at 4 am every morning to take care of all my plants. He tried SO hard, and it was just a mistake. I just bit a hole in my tongue. 

Here's some pics of the now outside plants, the ones that were the worst. You can see the Sativa is still holding its own, though!


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## cannabis037 (May 9, 2009)

looking very green there! plants look very happy; almost looks as if they're raising their leaves in joy). also stem looks strong! hopefully = more yield


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## swiftgt (May 9, 2009)

sorry to hear your plants have had such a hard time,
ther ones in the pics look good though,they should pull through!


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## thedonofchronic (May 9, 2009)

23/23 thats more than impressive!
you could be a great indoor grower if you
invested in some HPS/MH action. even still
looking great.

thedonofchronic


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## Locked (May 9, 2009)

Lookin sweet...even with the slip up...


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## mojavemama (May 10, 2009)

DonofCronic, you are SO right that I sure need some better lighting, but I was hoping that being able to augment the indoor lights with the outdoor sun might get me over the hump, so to speak. Compared to most journals I've been following, my plants are quite small. Not much I can do at this point, as $500 a month vet bills for my aging service dogs pretty much are eating up my disposable income this year. Still, a girl can dream!

Took all the plants left from "the swampy flood" outside today, for the first time in 3 days. Covered pots with shade cloth and layers of wet newspapers, and put them out for morning sun only. It's already pretty hot here, with temps hitting 100 daily. 

Yesterday, the 10 plants I culled--the ones that looked the most damaged from the flood--were put outside permanently. Figured that since I have way too many plants (all girls, too! 21 of them), and have to kill half of them, might as well use the culled ones to see how they handle the desert sun full-time. I'll still take them under the shade canopy in the afternoons, spritzing them to keep some humidity going, but otherwise, they are going to live outdoors in their pots. At least, until they get too big, too smelly, or die from heat prostration. 

At midnight, I watered the plants and gave them a foliar feeding.

Since this whole grow is an experiment (in frustration!) in desert indoor-outdoor growing, trying to maximize natural light since I only have fluoros indoors, what the heck? 

I spent a couple hours this morning looking at all my plants with my jeweler's loupe, to see if any of the plants under such stress were going hermie. So far, no signs of any balls or nanners, but I still expect it to happen at some point. 

Here is a picture of one of the plants I think will make it. Those I kept all look this good.


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## swiftgt (May 10, 2009)

so how many hours daylight are you getting now?
do you know what relative humidity is outside?
what is your water sourse like, are you using a well, or just normal tap water?
you might be able to get a pump set up with a timer to spray a fine mist of water on your outside plants like every 5 mins, should keep the temp down abit during the day,


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## Locked (May 10, 2009)

Looks nice and green Mojave... if they all look as good as that one you shld be sittin pretty...


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## 4u2sm0ke (May 10, 2009)

:ciao:   Looks like Hubby didnt too bad. :giggle:  next time be sure to leave writen instructions for step by step..I know how we Males are..are intentions are good..but sometimes need some direction..they look nice..KEEP M GREEN:bolt::bong:


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## mojavemama (May 10, 2009)

ROFL,4U2Smoke! I DID leave detailed written instructions for my hubby. Unfortunately, he just didn't understand the concept of keeping water in the bottom of the carts for humidity, and instead, filled the carts a few inches deep every day, so the pots were sitting in the water, not on the river rocks. 

Poor man felt terrible when he realized he'd goofed, but I felt even worse knowing how hard he tried to do his very best by the plants, using the moisture meter on each one every day, and hauling them inside and out morning and evening. I just wanted to minimize his feeling bad about making such a simple mistake, when, for the most part, he did everything else right. No way was I going to jump down his throat for a simple mistake, when his heart was in the right place. 

SwiftTGT, great questions!  

"how many hours daylight are you getting now?"
Only about 6 hours, before it gets just too hot outside and growth would stop. Then I bring them inside, and they are under fluoros and CFL's for 12 hours, with 6 hours of dark during the night. Before it started getting so hot here, I had them out about 10 hours a day, from dawn to dusk, then back inside under the fluoros overnight.

"Do you know what relative humidity is outside?"
Yes, it's 7% right now. Hideously dry. That's life in the middle of the Mojave desert. So, to augment as much humidity as I can, I line the bottom of the rolling carts I keep the 3 gallon pots in with river stones, and keep an inch of water in the bottom.  Inside, I now remove all the plants from the carts, put them on the floor of the garage, and have two humidifiers going 24/7. I have about 30-40% relative humidity in the garage growing area right now. 
Closer to 30% now that I have to leave the kitchen door open so the air conditioning will keep the garage cool enough for the plants to continue growing. 

"what is your water sourse like, are you using a well, or just normal tap water?"

You're singing my song! I had some major Ph problems early on in veg due to using tap water that had sat out for 24 hours. When I finally got a Ph tester, I was horrified to see how high the Ph of our tap water was. So, I immediately began using bottled water, which has a 7.0 Ph, and flushed all the plants well, and have since used ONLY bottled water. 

"you might be able to get a pump set up with a timer to spray a fine mist of water on your outside plants like every 5 mins, should keep the temp down abit during the day,"

Yes, we can get misting systems, and setting one up is not a problem. But I was concerned that misting water on the leaves in that intense sun would be very problematic, and burn the leaves. Also, I was concerned about the foliar feeding effect of that high Ph water, since I can't use bottled water for the misting system.  Hence, I have been misting them before the sun comes up, and every hour in the late morning, when I put them under the shade tent. 

My in-house grow room will soon be finished, and I'll be able to put the plants in the COOL house (73%) by next week. I plan to let them veg a couple weeks longer, to help fill out the leaves they lost during the flood, then change bulbs and start them on flowering. The culled plants (the 10 that took the worst beating) are outside now, and I'll just keep them out there until they die. I'm sure they won't last long in this heat. In another couple of weeks, it will be 110 degrees during the day, and only going down to about 95 degrees at night. Way too hot for the plants. But, they are the ones slated to die anyway, since I can't flower 21 females inside! 

On the tip for painting the pots white: great tip! I did this when I lived in a more friendly climate. But it is not enough in this dry, extremely hot climate. We can't keep any potted plants alive unless we double-pot them, with wet moss or newspapers between the pots to keep the roots from boiling in the desert sun. 

So what I've done is to wrap thick layers of wet newspapers around each pot to help keep the soil and roots cool. And I re-wet the newspaper every hour they are outside. 

Thanks so much for your responses--it's so helpful, and I appreciate all the time you spent reading and responding. I'm deeply grateful!


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## swiftgt (May 10, 2009)

hay mojavemama
yea sounds like you have to battel totaly different weather condions
then i do! its quite wet and cold here!
average temp is 55f and rh average is 80%!
what lights are you going to have in your new flower room?
so what was the ph of your tap water,?
here is a link to a water treatment system,

http://cgi.ebay.com/0-PPM-7stage-100G-RO-3X-DI-Reverse-Osmosis-Water-Filte_W0QQitemZ120417497595QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c097131fb&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

its good value at $100,
it should save you money buying botteled water!


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## mojavemama (May 11, 2009)

Hey SwiftGT! I envy you living in such wonderful high humidity and cool. About this time of the year, I'm ready to move into my refrigerator. 

Our tap water Ph is 8.5! 

I really appreciate the URL to the reverse osmosis water unit. You are right, it would be a savings. I'll definitely be checking into this asap! Thanks so much for taking the time to find that for me. I'm very grateful!

As for lights in my growing room, alas, this year I will only have 16 fluoros for the top and will put 6 cfl's vertically on each side, with 4 single fluoros on the floor to help penetrate through the lower canopy. 

Though not ideal, my hope is that if I can continue to get 5 hours of early morning real sun on the plants, that they might turn out okay. I realize I won't get heavy, tight buds, but even light, airy ones--small ones--will be most welcome. 

Next year, though, I plan to get two of the convertable HPS/HID lights. This year I'm committed to putting my veterinarian's children through college. <G> So this is essentially my "learning curve" grow, the grow I can experiment with, make major mistakes with, and hopefully learn as much as I possibly can. 

Thank you so much for your response!


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## mojavemama (May 11, 2009)

I am stunned. It's been 5 days since I arrived home after vacation, to find my plants sitting in swampy water and full of root rot, yellowed and burned-tip leaves. 

I culled 11 of the girls, putting them outside to die. But they aren't doing a good job of dying, and instead are starting to fill out again, with hundreds of new leaves sprouting up at every node. 

Here's an example of the worst of the plants, and what they look like now. 
These are the most incredibly resiliant plants. It's just unbelievable to me how they are thriving. Though they are still yellowed, and the Ph is not yet balanced again, they definitely ARE thriving.


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## zipflip (May 11, 2009)

i too had a battle wit PH isues lil while ago wit my current grow. but they surprised me. 8 outta 12 were still female and all pulled thru it. i always find myself undereestimatin their power. 
  sorry to hear of the mishap tho 
  hope they  pull thru for ya...


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## swiftgt (May 11, 2009)

ha you envy me eh, not if you lived here all your life!
wow 8.5 thats quite high! do you have ph down?
i like to use Phosphoric acid as its a great sourse of phosphate's as an added bonus!
yea they look like there fighting back!
well you doing very well so far!


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## mojavemama (May 11, 2009)

Wow, Swiftgt. Phosphoric acid, huh? I'll have to try to find some. I don't use a Ph down, though I do have some. I just flush with neutral Ph water, and the re-adjust pretty quickly, at which point I can give them a light feeding of nutes and then they are stable. But the high Ph is why I only use de-ionized 7.0 Ph bottled water on them. We don't drink the stuff, either. 

Yep, I'd still envy you living in that cool climate even if I'd been born there. 
Imagine putting on oven mitts to be able to touch your steering wheel in the summer, even though you have blackened windows and an insulated sunscreen on the windshield. 

Imagine pavement so hot that a dropped egg will immediately fry to "over hard." Imagine your skin feeling so dry that no amount of showers and lathering all over with skin lotion helps keep it from cracking. This is not a human-friendly climate in the summer months. Count your blessings. Sounds like where you live would be HEAVEN to me! 

Thanks for the encouragement, SwiftGT! I really appreciate it. I'm learning tons, and even though mistakes in this climate can be disastrous, I have enough plants to experiment with pushing to the edge.


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## mojavemama (May 18, 2009)

It was an exciting weekend for me: finally got my grow room functional, with panda cloth up, lights up, fan and humidifier. Last night (05-18-09) put the plants on 12/12. Took plants outside for 5 hours of sun this morning before it got too hot, and back into the grow room for the afternoon. 

I just went through all the plants with my jeweler's loupe, and sure enough, the two plants I suspected might be male or possibly go hermie 3 months ago definitely developed balls in the past 24 hours. Balls and pistils: hermies. These were two plants that went through several major stress periods, both had broken necks and were patched back together, and also didn't handle the flood well. I'm not at all surprised, and I uprooted them and sent them to balls and nanner heaven. 

My grow room is air conditioned, and the humidifier is holding the room between 50% and 60% humidity--heavenly for me, since we're in single digit humidity here in the desert now. When I go into the room, I feel like I'm back in North Carolina. Love it!

The plants love it too. Some grew an inch over the past 24 hours, some two inches. I'm down to 16 female plants indoors, and have two outdoors just to test and see how they hold up in the heat full-time.

Here's a pix of my grow room and one of the smaller female plants. Please don't laugh: I know it's very slapdash, ghetto, and unprofessional. Plus, I'm only using T5's and T8's plus augmenting with CFL's on the sides. I do have two banks of 5 double lights over the top, and will be putting up 10 more fluoros on the sides this weekend. 

Had a blast totally lightproofing the room. Ended up using sticky-backed black felt around the door jambs, and as a bottom door brush. There isn't a hint of light when I'm inside, and I lose my direction, feel like I'm inside a cave. Cool!


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## stonedrone (May 18, 2009)

Those ladies look real green mama, I won't laugh at you.


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## mojavemama (May 18, 2009)

Awww, you made my day, Stonedrone!


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## stonedrone (May 18, 2009)

Well that just makes me giddy.


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## mojavemama (May 20, 2009)

Well, in spite of every error under the sun that should have killed most of the plants, all 21 survived and thrived. Of these, only two went hermie (and were uprooted), but these also had their necks broken and were the two that took the most beating in the flood. 

Now in day 4 of flowering, I still take all 19 outside every morning to sun. It's 100 degrees outside now, but the plants are still thriving and growing. I put their pots in rolling garden carts packed with newspaper, with each pot covered with layers of wet newspapers, then plant pots and cart covered with shade screening. By afternoon, when everything else in the backyard seem to be wilting, the girls sunbathing in the nude in the carts just seem to be showing no stress at all. 

Here's a couple shots of the girls in the carts. You can see I did some LST on a couple of the girls in one of the pictures. These are the ones that are a bit taller, have a bit more sativa in them. The ones in the other cart are bushy but low in height.


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## Hick (May 20, 2009)

"I" think you're doing great! too MJMomma.. your persistence will prevail


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## swiftgt (May 20, 2009)

yea i dont know what i would laugh at, it all looks good to me!
your plants look super green,
im sure its hard work havin to move outside let alone work!


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## mojavemama (May 22, 2009)

Hah! True Dat, Swift. It's more work than I ever expected, but I figure it's all part of my education. If I manage by some miracle to get them through to harvest, I will know I have earned every heavenly puff the hard way!

And next year, may all my dreams be answered by a couple of nice HID's so I don't have to do all this in-and-out stuff constantly.


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## mojavemama (May 22, 2009)

All 18 of the plants, including the ones I thought were too damaged from the flood to survive--have grown and thrived beyond all expectations. I thought for sure I was down to a nice even 10 plants, which I could handle. But noooo, all 18 of the girls decided to try to outshine the next. 

When you have 18 beautiful girls, how do you choose which to kill, because you just can't take them all to harvest? I had no problem killing the 3 hermies, but these girls are all showing beautiful pistils now, and I can't bring myself to do any of them in. Plus, they struggled for life so valiantly! 

Can anyone share what to look for in lesser plants? What might make it sensible to ax one over another? 

I can't grow them outside--other than to covertly sun them for a few hours during the day, but live in Suburbia and will have to stop doing that once they start getting the heavenly scent and getting bigger. But for now, they are enjoying the sun, and enjoying the nice 12 hour dark nicely humid and air-circulated grow room at night. 

How do I choose which ones to kill, and which ones get to live? I know it's getting late, but realize I can still clone any of these girls. How do I choose the mother plants? I think the tough decisions are rougher than the 4 hours of work a day it takes me to keep up with these ladies. 

Attaching a couple of thumbnails of the COG grow, with all 4 carts in a row, and a close up of one of the plants.


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## Hick (May 22, 2009)

Wen I choose a 'keeper' mother/donor, I like to take cuttings from everything, marking ea. to correspond w/ the seed plants. Then flower out the seed plants. Observing anything that I consider important to "my" preferences. Resilience, resistance, vigor,...
  Last but not least, the "final product", yeild, potency, color, whatever fits best to "your" personal preferences.


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## LassChance (May 22, 2009)

OMG!  I couldnt bear to kill any of them, either! Look...rather than kill them...why not "single cola" the ones you would kill...and at least give them a chance at life, sniff...and they wont take up hardly any room! sniff, sob! OH GOD DONT KILL THEM!  LOL...I mean...jeeez, how many DO you have room for? 10?  So, 8 "extras"? What about this...uuummm...get some tall narrow containers, like 2 liter soda bottles, say...cut the top off, spray paint them (Im assuming the roots dont like light?), fill em with your grow medium and pop in the girls.  Remove the side branches... squeez em in there?

It just breaks my hear to kill a living thing.

I may be in a similar fix soon enough.  My 11 "kids" are still in veg, but another couple weeks and it's flower time.  Im hoping a nice 5 or 6 or even 4 fem, but what IF more are?  I know I wont be able to  kill any of them. Now that Ive thought of using 2 liter bottles...hmmmm... At worst, they die, but at least they'd die of...natural causes, LOL.

Come to think of it...really, the Universe has given you a tremendous gift, letting them ALL be females. I hope you can find a way to not kill any of them.

Bless your heart. I know this is just killing you.

Lass


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## mojavemama (May 22, 2009)

Great insight, Hick. Thanks so much. I'm truly honored you took the time to reply to my post. 

You gave me a lot to think about. After your post, I went outside and looked at all 18 plants and thought about which ones had proved they had great resistance, vigor and resilience. Three of them, though they have truly rallied, are more stunted than the others, and not throwing huge fan leaves or an abundance of flowers. If they were all I had, I'd probably be happy because they seem healthy and thriving now. But since I have to choose some to cull, your insight gives me much to think about and makes the decision a bit easier. 

Also appreciate the wisdom on cloning, and will follow your advice. 

So now I'm down to 15 plants, and every couple of days I'll see if there is one that's just not quite up to par. 

Thanks again for your help. It's greatly appreciated.


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## mojavemama (May 22, 2009)

Hey Lass, you're a girl after my own heart! You sure understand what kind of agony this is for me. I wish I could keep them all, but there just are not enough lights for me to take all of them into full bud. 

OTOH, you are doing great with your babes, and I KNOW you (with your fancy new light!) will have an outstanding crop. If you get tired of that light, you know where you can send it. Hahh!  

Grow on, gal!


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## Dyannas son (May 23, 2009)

GREAT WRK so far ! ,i my self live in the Mojave desert where the temps reach well up in to the 100 an teens or even 100 an twentys,i will try and get my pics up for this season so far asap, i am very limited for time on the computer im also very limited for space this year,also i dnt bring mine inside at all only the strong will prevail right i do have about 12 plants left iv had only one hermie so far an like 2-3 males haha anyway ill keep an eye on this grow again nice wrk an smoke on my friend...


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## mojavemama (May 23, 2009)

Wow, I'm impressed Dyannas Son! Can't wait to see your pictures--please get them up soon! Haven't met ANYONE else in the desert yet. So do you grow in the ground or in pots?


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## tcbud (May 23, 2009)

Catching up on your grow Mojave, Your girls look great!  I leave the Murder to the husband after I inspect the plants, looking for as Hick said, their strengths.  Then I let him do the deed of getting rid of them.  You should, IMO, leave out one of the hartiest that made it thru the flood.  See if they can indeed grow outside.  Since you are in CA, arent you a Medical MJ patient?  It matters not if you live in suburbia if you have the recomendation, you can grow.  If you give the outside girl some late afternoon shade cloth over her, she may suprise the heck out of you.  I hear Afganistan is pretty hot, and Mexico is pretty hot, and Africa is pretty hot, MJ grows wild in all those places....or used to.
Your plants look so beautiful.  Have you looked into the FIM method of topping your plants?  I had pretty good luck with that last year on one, four long huge kolas.
Again, looking wonderful, Awesome, and all the adjectives that indicate WOW! what beautiful plants.


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## mojavemama (May 23, 2009)

Wow, TCBud! Thanks for the fantastic thumbs up on what I thought was my pathetic grow. You've given me a lot of positive feedback and so much encouragement.  I'll sure take your advice on saving one of the heartiest plants that made it through the flood. 

Yep, I know the Sativas will grow well enough here, but this is a medicinal grow, and though Sativas are such a lovely head buzz, they aren't couchlock enough to tackle vascular pain. The broadleafed Indicas burn up here pretty quickly--and only very thin-leafed plants/trees survive for long. 

Unfortunately, no, I'm NOT in CA--oh, how I wish I were. I'm in NV, and it's legal here for MM use, but it's a catch 22, because there are no dispensaries, no place to get clones or seeds legally, and the price for a license is ridiculously high, about $500 with consultation. 

Still, the going price for hydro here is $960 oz ($120 eighth), so I'm at the point where the only real option I have is either grow my own, or give up and take the pharmaceuticals that leave me too stupid to communicate. I cannot function on Oxycontin! 

So to know my little grow is succeeding just means the world to me, and I'm almost ready to hope that it will give me enough to make it through the winter. I try to be verrrry conservative in using it, just a tiny pinch in a pipe each night before bed, so I don't run out. 

Oh, I SO want this grow to make it through to harvest! Thanks again for your lovely words of encouragement, TC.


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## Dyannas son (May 23, 2009)

mojavemama said:
			
		

> Wow, I'm impressed Dyannas Son! Can't wait to see your pictures--please get them up soon! Haven't met ANYONE else in the desert yet. So do you grow in the ground or in pots?



I do a lil of both i have more luck with plants in the ground so far i think that its because of the sun heating up the containers but i hope to have luck with this one plant i have in a 10 gal container  witch i have a green house fem super lemon haze so i hope to have some luck with "i hope" her haha among a few other strains that will be going in the ground...


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## mojavemama (May 23, 2009)

I hear you, Dyannas Son! The plants in pots here are always at risk. I sure play tons of time games trying to keep those pretty little roots cool. But I don't really have the option of growing in the ground here. Suburbia. 


I'll be looking for some updates on your Super Lemon Haze girl(I hope it's a girl for you too)! Sounds absolutely delicious. I'm so stoked to know you're able to grow in the desert, and the EASTERN Mojave, at that! Color me IMPRESSED.


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## Locked (May 24, 2009)

Nothing to laugh at in your grow room... looks really good... keep up the good work...


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## DirtySouth (May 24, 2009)

Mojavemama,did I hear you right your lookin to harvest some indica,in the desert?I found that BUBBA does really well outdoors in the dry,windy heat.Our temps. are similar so I bet she'll do good there also....hmmmmm....


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## LassChance (May 24, 2009)

Yes, Im in love with my light! But Im still dreading the possibility of ...gulp...facing the same sitch you're in--TOO MANY girls!  If I do, I swear, Im gonna get them under that light somehow.  Wouoldnt it be cool if HEY I JUST HAD A BRAIN SPASM!! Why not have TWO "shifts" of 12/12???
Put half the girls under the lights for the day shift, then move them and put the other girls under the lights for the night shift?? Double your crop (mine, too, if it comes to it) in the same number of weeks...without sacrificing ANY of those sweet gals!


Lass


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## Dyannas son (May 24, 2009)

mojavemama said:
			
		

> I hear you, Dyannas Son! The plants in pots here are always at risk. I sure play tons of time games trying to keep those pretty little roots cool. But I don't really have the option of growing in the ground here. Suburbia.
> 
> 
> I'll be looking for some updates on your Super Lemon Haze girl(I hope it's a girl for you too)! Sounds absolutely delicious. I'm so stoked to know you're able to grow in the desert, and the EASTERN Mojave, at that! Color me IMPRESSED.




thanks i will try and have some pics up asap im having trouble learning how to re-size them ive only ever posted 2-3 pics on here and it was with my old camera and i didnt have to re-size to post em but anyway i hope to figure it out im probaly just too stoned off that utopia haze right now haha ,also im right in the middel of Suburbia my neighbors are pretty cool my only wory is the dreaded chopper that usally comes around once a day but ill take my chance at it again for the third time in the same spots same neighbors ..


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## mojavemama (May 24, 2009)

Dyannas_Son, if you need some help resizing your pictures, just give me a shout on a PM and I'll send you my email addy, and I'll do them for you and shoot them back to you. I can do this anytime you need pictures resized. Takes me just a moment, and it's no trouble at all. I'd love to be able to help you get your pictures up here!

As for the chopper, how about just putting up a simple shade cloth for those times the chopper comes by each day?


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## mojavemama (May 24, 2009)

Lass, you're brilliant. But problem is, I am just not sure I'll have enough light to do them all, even if I do them in shifts. It might be more work than I can possibly handle, but you know, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? I'll give it a shot! At least I have found the 4 mother plants that are super hardy, and seem to be able to handle all the stress I can throw at them. So it's on to clones, next. Like, in the next couple of days!


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## mojavemama (May 24, 2009)

Thanks, Dirty South! Appreciate the tip on Bubbas---I'll be sending in a seedbank order in the next month or so, so I really appreciate your timely advice. So, thank you, thank you, thank you--until you're better paid!


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## mojavemama (May 25, 2009)

Oh, Boy, cloning day! My first cloning experience--what fun! Took two clones from each of 5 supermoms. Though the mothers are already in flowering, it's only day 8, and I know it will take a bit longer to grow roots, but this way I know which ones are the strongest, most resiliant, and growing heads like crazy. 

I can't believe how many flowering heads are on each plant. Some of them have 11-13, some 6-8. Great to see the results of LST and supercropping giving me so many multiple heads. 

Herrrrrr's my first cloned babes, all nestled in their cloning greenhouse.


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## 420benny (May 25, 2009)

mojavemama, I just read your whole thread and I have one thing to say; If we had an award here for anyone successfully growing in the worst conditions possible, you deserve it!! Really nice work. It only goes to show that a green thumb can do it's magic anywhere, period. You are going to be fine, I just know it. btw, what is your weather like in winter? Here's some cool green mojo for you.


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## mojavemama (May 25, 2009)

Wow, 420benny, you really made my day!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Gosh, it's so exciting seeing all the flowers on every node of every stem. I've never seen any before, so this is just too exciting for words. I'm like a kid at Christmas. 

Winter here is short, but can be cold and always blustery and windy. We do have a few days with a brushing of snow, and many days it does dip below freezing, so I have to play games with all my plants, bushes, vines, and cacti to keep them alive in the cold weather. This past year I built a little greenhouse for all of them, and most of them weathered the weather very well. I converted that greenhouse to a shadehouse for summer, so it's been doing double duty. 

Thanks for the green mojo!


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## mojavemama (May 27, 2009)

I know these pictures of my beginning flowers won't impress anyone, but I just want to have a record of seeing the flowers on top for the first time. They may be small, but they absolutely THRILL me!


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## 420benny (May 28, 2009)

Howdy MM! Looking good! It is a good thing to take pics along the way. Just wait a month from now and compare those buds to these shots. The reason why I asked about your winter is because I was wondering if you could cheat a season and get started in say January for putting outdoors in late Feb? with protection or on rolling stands so you can bring them back in. Just trying to find a way for you to grow without cooking. TTFN


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## DirtySouth (May 28, 2009)

Nice


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## mojavemama (May 28, 2009)

Hey, 420Benny! Okay, i see what the winter question was about now. You know, that's just what I did. I started the seeds in January, and began putting them out as soon as they had some roots. They were a long time in veg state, though. And I couldn't put them out every day--I was dependent upon a warm enough day, so they probably only got about 3-4 hours of sun every other day in February. I'm sure a lot of the slowness was my fault, though--I should have gotten them in bigger pots sooner. But, that's part of the learning curve, right? Thanks for helping brainstorm! This is a fun experiment.


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## tcbud (May 28, 2009)

Your Young budding plants are so beautiful.  Looking on all that potential bud is so cool.  And it let's You Know You are doing IT Right!


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## mojavemama (Jun 1, 2009)

I was pretty sure the plants I culled from the "good ones", when left outside and ignored, other than given water and brought in the dark for 12 each night, would still not make it. They were yellow, lost most of their leaves, were pretty sickly. Still, they WERE girls, and I couldn't bear to kill them. 

Well, I'm here to advise newbies NOT to give up on a plant! Just when you think they are kaput, life sneaks up and gives them a shot of whatever they need to thrive in spite of the odds.

Thought it might be fun to post a few pictures of my "reject" plants--the ones left aside to die. They simply amaze me! The flowering tops may still be small yet, but they exist. Talk about hardy plants!


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## mojavemama (Jun 5, 2009)

Thursday, June 4, 2009...

I was ecstatic to get my two new digital timers and toss out the analog ones that just aren't accurate enough for flowering. The analog timers would turn off or on at 6:17, or 6:32, but never at 6 on the button.

Problem is, the instructions to set up the new digital timers are so convoluted, so TOXIC I can't begin to figure it out. Nor can my husband, who gave up after 20 minutes of frustration. "I don't WANT dawn or dusk, I just want 6am and 6pm!" 

 Okay, I admit I smirked a bit, but with my back turned. I commiserated, but figured I'd sit down, set it quickly, and get that timer into the grow room. Maybe I could even sleep in tomorrow morning. Mmmmmm...

I'd just spent 3 hours trimming, doing pest control and fertilizing the girls. I thought setting up the timer would be quick and satisfying, and I could look at the grow room with all plants smiling at the light. 

I took one look at the instructions, gave up and filled a pipe. 

Thought I'd give that timer one more try. I read for about 20 minutes, before I realized I was reading the Spanish side of the instruction sheet. I'm not multi-lingual.

The ecstasy of this evening is that I'm enjoying a good buzz, and know eventually I won't have to set the kitchen timer to remind me to do the lights at 6am and 6pm. 

The agony is that I'm enjoying a good buzz, and know I have to remember to set the kitchen timer to remember to do the lights at 6am and 6pm tomorrow. 

Here's the thing. I know any grade school kid would have this going in a hotflash. If only I could grab the first neighborhood kid that flies by on a skateboard. Yeah, right. <G>

On an up note, the "pretty maids all in a row" are happy and healthy, so I have a lot to make me smile.

Ahhh, one more hit on the pipe, and---G'Night!


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## 4u2sm0ke (Jun 10, 2009)

hello *mojavemom*...things looking  great!!!  the plants are sure showing you the Love they are recieveing..as for the timers..I use commercial type timers  yeah they need to be addjusted..but  IMO..as long as they are getting close to the 12/12..they are good..no need for on the button:giggle:  but  i can see you are very well organized..and hope that digatal  works  4u..keep up the great work..you will Reap a beautifull Harvest..and who knows  maybe ill take a trip down  and help you and Hubby Harvest..not very  good at the trimming  but  i can  always  work on it:bong:  until next time  Take care and be safe


:ciao:


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## mojavemama (Jun 10, 2009)

I'm actually seeing buds forming now--how exciting!


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## tcbud (Jun 10, 2009)

Mojave,
I am with you on the timer!  I/we got one, and well, the directions were on a bout the size of a three by five card, with spanish on the flip side.  With the glasses on AND a hand held magnify glass, I could barely read it.  And the english side sounded like alien gibberish.  The husband says let me see that, well...long story short...that timer is still in the bag with a set of directions.  Another timer was bought, and after much reading in the "reading room", he was able to figure that one out and set it accordingly for the vedging plants.  It also had the sunlight aspect, and that is what was confusing both of us.  Im still confused, it sounds like the ocean waves in my brain when he talks about the timer still......

hey...And your plants are looking *GREAT*!


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## 4u2sm0ke (Jun 11, 2009)

:clap:  yup  i see buds too :yay:


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## cannabis037 (Jun 11, 2009)

they look so very sweet! its like you sprinkled powdered sugar on top of them! im eager to see them blossom.


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## mojavemama (Jun 14, 2009)

Battling the flu this past week has left me too depleted to mourn the loss of my beautiful vegging plants--okay, not total loss. <G> But gone is the sea of green, and now are the lovely flowers while the leaves yellow and drop off. 

Nice to see trichs, and my 60x loupe shows me the top ones are already cloudy, with some turning amber. Lower ones on the stem are still clear. 

When I look at all the flowers individually, it's very exciting to see the progress. But when I look at them in the carts, they look nothing like the lush "carts of green" I was seeing 3 weeks ago.


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## 4u2sm0ke (Jun 14, 2009)

yeah  they dont look good at all....ill be right over to take those crappy polants off you hands:rofl:



very nice desert Ladie:aok:


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## mojavemama (Jun 21, 2009)

I've been down in bed with pneumonia the past 10 days, and hubby did a great job of keeping the plants alive during that time. 

Unfortunately, when I was able to finally inspect them closely this morning, at least half were discovered to been pollinated. Seed pods are coming out. 

I'm not devastated, but I am disappointed. I didn't have any males to pollinate them, so they must have been pollinated from some rogue male plant and the pollen carried in the wind--it's hella windy here, so accidental pollination was something I knew could happen. And, alas, it did. 

I realize the buds won't be quite as potent, and they will be seedy, but heck, at least they are maturing just fine, and probably 3-4 weeks from harvest. Seedy and less potent--so be it, at least I will have something to tide me over for meds this winter. 

The indoor-outdoor experiment has been really interesting, tremendously labor-intensive, but did teach me a great deal. 

I think, though, that my next grow will be totally indoors, once I get good lighting, so I can control the accidental pollination stuff. 

At any rate, I'm so glad have this grow nearly under my belt now, and am looking forward to not making the same mistakes in my next grow--instead, I'm sure I'll make many new ones. But, such is the learning curve. 

Seedy though they are, the buds smell magnificent, are getting fatter daily, and a little test bud quick dried tells me it's going to still be some far better smoke than I can buy here commercially.


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## Locked (Jun 21, 2009)

Sorry to hear about the unplanned pregnancy... Great job none the less....


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## DirtySouth (Jun 21, 2009)

Sorry 2 hear of you being under the weather,but glad 2 hear your still a float,j/k,NO OFFENSE INTENDED.That sucks bout your girls gettin all knocked up.Looks like you have a full canopy of leaves,which makes me wonder,maby theres some ballz in your forest.Maby it's more hermi rather than rough pollen.Just some food 4 ur thought!


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## mojavemama (Jun 21, 2009)

Thanks, DirtySouth!  Now I'm not sure I understand what you're saying: "Looks like you have a full canopy of leaves, which makes me wonder, mayber there are some balls in your forest, maybe it's more hermi than rogue pollen." 

How does the full canopy of leaves figure into it? I'm confused. Not questioning you, just confused!  I looked so closely to see if I had any nanners and if they looked like balls with the thin stem, but even when I tore apart a bud to look, I saw only a growing seed. But it may be too early to tell for sure? Or would the stems not be visible on a tight bud? 

With the stress these plants have had during their short lives, it wouldn't have surprised me to get hermies, but I just don't see any signs of it. Of course, I am only going by pictures, since this is my first grow. Wish I had a closeby mentor to come here and give them a look-see! 

Thanks for your comments, DirtySouth--I will keep looking closely. But even if they are hermie, they are going to be harvested, because what is there now from my taste test shows me that whatever I have, they will be good enough to keep me in medicine--even if lower grade--than what I can buy commercially here.


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## 420benny (Jun 21, 2009)

Howdy MM! Sorry to hear you have been sick. I hope you get well soon. I think what dirty meant was that a thick canopy of leaves makes it hard to see through and a good hiding place for hermie flowers. The flowers can be hard to find. There are some good pics here. Try resources first. Hick knows where they are. The hermie flowers are yellow and come out of the buds themselves, or the more normal node intersections between branches and stalk. I vote hermie, too. Aren't you quite a way from any other garden?


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## DirtySouth (Jun 21, 2009)

Yep yep.You have a beautiful assortment of leaves,don't get me wrong.But they help the nutz hide.I thought "dam those pistals sure are gettin red quick".Looked and looked but couldn't find squat.I've seen a full blown male,but never a hermi.Until bout 2 weeks ago.They can look like 2 mini grapes somewhere under the bud or where the leaf meets the stalk.


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## mojavemama (Jun 22, 2009)

Thanks, Benny and DirtySouth. I think you are right--they are all hermies. All 18 of them. Ah, well. I'll cry myself to sleep, wipe the tears and try again to grow a better crop next time.


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## 420benny (Jun 22, 2009)

18 out of 18, WOW! That sucks, MM


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## 4u2sm0ke (Jun 22, 2009)

hello  Desert Ladie..Hope this finds you feeling a bit better..sorry to hear of the Hermies..IMHO..first time grow  we may have went with   to many plants at one time..you see how much  work  they need..and the attention  is neglected when growing more then a few plants..I know..its hard to inspect everyone  and every inch...when you have a hermie in  you garden  they  sometimes wont  get  spotted  untill to late..some of those nanners  burst  inside deep  of budd..never know..untill smokeing..now  that  they  have been seeded  the plant will now concentrate on the seed and less on the THC..its  still gonna finish  but  not as potent  as those not seeded..it will still be good smoke to  for this  is better then none..or buying from street..and  make *Hick   *Happy  by  distroying all the seeds from these plants..they will only produce more hermies..just my thaughts..All in All  you did an AWESOME job  on the first grow..now  another thing  we neeed to think of  is  how  they  hermied..do  we know?  and  what  is the next  grow gonna be?  well gotta grow now..ill check back in later..take care and be safe


BHC  123 :bolt::bong:


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## 4u2sm0ke (Jun 22, 2009)

mojavemama said:
			
		

> Thanks, Benny and DirtySouth. I think you are right--they are all hermies. All 18 of them. Ah, well. I'll cry myself to sleep, wipe the tears and try again to grow a better crop next time.


 

What  a great  learning  experience  huh?  this  will only  make you  better  remember that okay?


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## DirtySouth (Jun 22, 2009)

Well momma,you did better than I did my first time around.Shoot my first 2 times,all I did was figure out how to burn leaves and produce spidermites!Great job,more cash 4 you(not cause ur sellin,cause your not buyin)


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## mojavemama (Jun 22, 2009)

Thanks for the support and encouragement, guys! I really appreciate that. I learned so much during this first grow. I just don't know how they went hermie without my noticing it earlier. Like you said, 4U2sm0ke, too many plants to do them justice, though I sure tried. I spent several hours every day going over every single plant with my loupe, removing pests, analyzing problem leaves, studying to find out how to find the best nute mixture for the different strains, learning LST, etc. They were certainly some beautiful plants, with such profuse leaves, short internodal space--a lot of things went right, as well as wrong. 

It was not in vain--it was all good information for me. And yes, of course I'll destroy all the seeds--I wouldn't dream of using them, nor pawning them off on anyone else. 

Since they are all so close to harvest now, I'll see them through, and perhaps somewhere between all the seeds I'll find enough to get a few grams of smoke. It can't be any worse than what I can buy here--at outrageous prices ($960 oz, $120 8th). 

And, maybe next time I'll do a little better! I'll try by starting with some good seedbank seeds this time.


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## Locked (Jun 22, 2009)

Real sorry about the Hermie situation...all 18...that's a real kick in the ***. I hope you still get some good smoke and like you said, get some good genetics from a reputable seedbank and gve it another try. Just chalk this one up to a valuable learning experience...


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## Midnight Toker (Jun 22, 2009)

Hermie or not you got free bud out of it along with a good expierence  Next year will be better and if you have any questions or anything throw me a pm :bong1:


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## Hick (Jun 23, 2009)

Fantastic journal Mmomma    under _'less than ideal'_ conditions , and first attempt, you did well.
  Your tenacity to learn and succeed persevered!! congratulation are in order...:aok:


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## cannabis037 (Jun 23, 2009)

hey MojaveM, i'm very sorry to read that all of your endeavors went awry. if its any consolation, i had my troubles with hermies. i hope for the best of luck in your next batch of crops. (which i wont think you'd be needing it, b/c you know so much now)


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## tcbud (Jun 24, 2009)

I agree on Congratulations are in order.  Looking at your bud, I think you did great for a first grow.  My first grow was a revedging nightmare (I dont think six plants yeilded three oz), tho the revedge nightmare brought me to this fine Forum with questions.  I am on my third serious grow and am still having problems.  Hermi plants being the foremost (I am watching my hermi tendency Flo like a hawk and have considered assasinating her and her clones just for GP) and confused Girls being the least (they are in preflower five weeks early, so I have another revedge season to look forward to).  Also I am gone some of the time, and not able to keep as good an eye on them as I would like.

In edit...I forgot to mention, I HATED the taste of the dark purple pot I grew last year, so much that I wont smoke it and dont even like to smell it.  Okay, I admit it now, shhhhh only here, dont tell anyone.  And the light purple was such an up high...well you just couldnt get the "good nights sleep" I want from my pot.

Do you remember a time before sinsimilla pot? The time of the shoe box lid and the papers culling out seeds?  Your Pot will be Better by ten x ten times then that reefer.  It will be good smoke.  You can also save the green leaves and make some canna butter out of it (if you can stand the smell as it cooks).

Your idea of a total indoor grow sounds good.  And a rotating crop is also an idea, that way you will always have some to smoke and it is fresh.  I like my smoke fresh after a six week cure, I have found out.

I look forward to your next Grow and reading Your next Journal.

Again....
I think you did great!


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## HomeTNGrown (Feb 20, 2011)

*Hey MM its HTNG420 from the bay, looken for all the Dirty Dozen members, espically 4u2 i know hes underneath another name, if you  could help me get back in touch w/ them my account got delted here when they had sever problems*


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