What are everyone plans for this year??

[Cali*Style]

Just wondering what everyone is planning on for this year, cool strains, big pots, outdoor hydro, greenhouses, what ever... If you are planning something cool and exciting, post it up.

I am super excited about this season, for one... It's my second year out of Santa Cruz!! I Cannot even tell you how happy that makes me. Also, thanks to a couple good fortunes as of late, I will be able to focus all my efforts on a nice outdoor garden this year. There will be no worries of keeping bills paid, keeping rippers and guerrillas off my land, etc.

Anyways, enough of all that... Strains for this year should be fun!! I have chosen G13 x Haze, Thai Haze x Skunk, Chocolope, and BlueGoo( Blue dream x Affgoo). I am planning on trying to find the absolute best 12 plants out of 35 or so seeds. Those 12 will go into 200-300 gallon smart pots.

The main focus of this year for me, aside from growing some fire... I am trying to learn as much as I can about weather patterns in this place, last frost / first frost, fog patterns and elevations compared to my grow, wind patterns, exposure, etc. I also want to focus on only a few strains at the most! Last year was such a mess, there was just tooo damn many different strains and too many plants overall.:doh:It made feeding everyone such a pain, plus it was just way to cramped around here.

I still want to do a clone run as well, but those plans aren't really solid yet. I had to pass on remodeling my grow room, in order to make this outdoor stuff happen. Anyways, If I run clones... I will be running Lambs Bread again, PURE FIRE!!!!!!! I also want to run some Blue Berry clones from a good friend of mine, and probably some Afghan1. So that's about all for my strains, and the clones will be put outside to finish in small containers, probably 5 - 8 gallon buckets.


Going to brew tea again for sure, that stuff was amazing!! As for nutes, going to try and keep everything organic... Almost made it last year, so I guess we'll see. I think the simpler the better, so I will try and keep it simple.


I have started popping beans, they are vegging away under their little t5's. Look happy as can be too! Well, I am off to get some things done.

Hope everyone is well and in good spirits. Cali :fly:

 

[benamucc]

Cali...I got a BIG plan, but starting small and building...

I'm finishing construction on a 10x5.5 "shed".

I've finally "moved in" and am going to run a "trial" run of some honey clones in a NFT system before I go all out with the new strain I'm going to get. (still undecided, VOTE NOW)

Really excited to get this up off the ground!!

Oh, and I'll be keeping my "locker" grow going for fun too! I love this sport...er...hobby!!

 

[Rosebud]

Cali, that all sounds really really great.
I didn't know smart pots came that big.

You got me thinking, I am going to go make some compost tea this morning. I will let it set for a month...thanks for the reminder.

i would like to grow outdoors, but mr rb has a point that it isn't worth the worry. Plus i have so many other plants i can't imagine how i would deal with spider mites in July. How is that done outside. Not organically I bet.
Anyway, green mojo to all outside grows~

 

[Rosebud]

What is a NFT Ben?

 

[benamucc]

Nutrient Film Technology.

Basically think of a 4x4 plastic fence post with a couple 2" holes drilled in. They use them for lettuce, and basil, or "short" crops. A hose with spray fittings sits inside of the fence post, and sprays water for 1 minute every 4 minutes. 1 on 4 off. The posts are sloped to drain the water solution back into the res. thus also aerating the solution. It's supposed to give the plants lots of opportunity for root oxygen intake, and i've heard it's a "turbo" hydro technique. The down fall of this system seems to be the sprayers clogging, and pumps failing. But again, this seems to be most hydro issues.

Never run it before, or seen it run, but from what I see hydro is more about the water ph ec tds than it is about the delivery system. I personally feel that this system will help me maximize my sqft without having to grow MONSTERS. I want ALOT of short fat quick harvests. (relatively speaking of course since I'm looking at sativa type strains)

The actual system is based on a High Times article a few years back. I can't remember the issue off the top of my head, but once I start the "Choose My Next Strain (The Grow)" Thread I'll have all the info for you! Eventually hope to turn it into a perpetual harvest type system, with a new harvest every 3 weeks or less.

 

[fruity86]

cali living it england the weather wont let me grow, last year was my first year at outdoor and well it went great if the plan was to grow no bud LOL
It was'nt that bad realy hehe.
anyway after last year's learning curve i have chosen 3 different strains all from Female seeds, these strain's are breed for holland's climate witch is not that different then England's wet damp sort summer's, so hopefully this year should be better then last, the strain's are
Easy Sativa
Purple Maroc
Purple Power
all will be grown in my secret little spot i can't wait
peace fruity

 

[Cali*Style]

Cali...I got a BIG plan, but starting small and building...

I'm finishing construction on a 10x5.5 "shed".

I've finally "moved in" and am going to run a "trial" run of some honey clones in a NFT system before I go all out with the new strain I'm going to get. (still undecided, VOTE NOW)

Really excited to get this up off the ground!!

Oh, and I'll be keeping my "locker" grow going for fun too! I love this sport...er...hobby!!

That sounds REALLY cool!! And lots of MOJO my friend. I was reading an artical on a HUGE nft grow recently, but of course have misplaced the magazine. I think it was sept / oct of 2010, Urban Garden mag...??

Anyways, it was pretty cool. They went deep in depth on water situations globaly... as well as comparisons between NFT, DWC, R-DWC, soil, etc. It was pretty awesome the way they broke everything down, and compared the different aspects of growing in each style. They did seem to focus on water usage, but there was lots of other useful info in there as well. Anyways, my point was...lmao The article was written about this restaurant in New York, and they have this giant garden on their roof. They use NFT technology anyways, and it was a good read.

I look forward to seeing what you are working with, sounds pretty awesome! I think these sustainable farming styles, are going to become much more common practice as our populations continue to expand etc. Plus it's just cool stuff, for me anyways...

Cali, that all sounds really really great.
I didn't know smart pots came that big.

You got me thinking, I am going to go make some compost tea this morning. I will let it set for a month...thanks for the reminder.

i would like to grow outdoors, but mr rb has a point that it isn't worth the worry. Plus i have so many other plants i can't imagine how i would deal with spider mites in July. How is that done outside. Not organically I bet.
Anyway, green mojo to all outside grows~

Hey RB , yeah... Smart pots can be made to almost any size as far as I know...? I have seen 600 gallons, but they are ridiculous... I have been reading on large smart pots for a few years now, I think building them yourself is MUCH BETTER than buying prefabricated pieces, and also cheaper by a good amount.

Cheap and easy smart pots: (Material list will be per pot)


4 x 8' "t" posts
1 roll of 48" x 100' field fencing (Will make 12 pots)
1 roll of 48" x 100' heavy grade landscaping cloth. ( will make 12 pots)

Okay, measure out your growing area. Keeping in mind where any shadows or other obstructions are. I stick a nail in the center with a string attached to it, measure out 3' of string and walk in a circle with a spray can. Next you are ready for posts, I use 4 per pot spaced evenly and driven in until they are 4' tall. Next, you are going to cut a 20' long section of field fence. I use landscape staples to flatten it out on the ground. Next you are going to cut the entire length in half. Now that you have a section of fencing that is 24" x 20' long, we are ready to make the frame for the pot.

I start at any one of the 4 "t" posts and secure one end of the fence. Then I line the 4 "t" posts on the inside with the remaining fence, you will have an overlap... That is fine, it helps make the frame stronger. Next, I fold the top 6" of fence down over itself creating a 6" cuff around the top of the frame, this will do wonders in helping fight the weight of the soil and keep your smart pot round.

Next you'll need to roll out 20' of cloth and cut it off. Then fold it in half and cut it long ways. Now you are ready to line your smart pot. I start at the top container and align the cloth and wire, I secure the cloth with standard zip ties. I work my way around the entire top of the pot, making sure that the cloth is aligned well. Once this is done, work your way down the walls of the pot, attaching the cloth in what ever pattern work for you. You will have roughly 6" of lose cloth on the bottom, I fold it so it faces the center of the smart pot. You are now ready to fill with soil, and plant.

As for insect problems... I try my best to keep everything organic. I love my DT EARTH, and I use a lot of predators. But like most things,lots of moving air will help dramatically. Hope that helps at least a little bit. Lotsa MOJO for the new year.

And I am off and running again. Happy Growing all!! Cali :fly:

 

[Cali*Style]

cali living it england the weather wont let me grow, last year was my first year at outdoor and well it went great if the plan was to grow no bud LOL
It was'nt that bad realy hehe.
anyway after last year's learning curve i have chosen 3 different strains all from Female seeds, these strain's are breed for holland's climate witch is not that different then England's wet damp sort summer's, so hopefully this year should be better then last, the strain's are
Easy Sativa
Purple Maroc
Purple Power
all will be grown in my secret little spot i can't wait
peace fruity

I missed ya fruity...:doh: That sounds pretty rough my friend. I have always been fortunate to be in a decent growing area(Central Cali), and I complain all the time about the weather...lmao I guess things could be a lot worse. I have heard about that Purple Maroc, but at this time I can't remember what I heard about it. Is it the one that was bred out way up in the mountains or something like that?? If nothing else, I would go postal with some auto flower strains!! Might take a 200% increase in number, but I can see it happening... OVER GROW the whole east coast!! :ignore:

Anyways, best wishes and lots of MOJO for this new year. Cali :fly:

 

[frankcos]

Nutrient Film Technology.

Basically think of a 4x4 plastic fence post with a couple 2" holes drilled in. They use them for lettuce, and basil, or "short" crops. A hose with spray fittings sits inside of the fence post, and sprays water for 1 minute every 4 minutes. 1 on 4 off. The posts are sloped to drain the water solution back into the res. thus also aerating the solution. It's supposed to give the plants lots of opportunity for root oxygen intake, and i've heard it's a "turbo" hydro technique. The down fall of this system seems to be the sprayers clogging, and pumps failing. But again, this seems to be most hydro issues.

Never run it before, or seen it run, but from what I see hydro is more about the water ph ec tds than it is about the delivery system. I personally feel that this system will help me maximize my sqft without having to grow MONSTERS. I want ALOT of short fat quick harvests. (relatively speaking of course since I'm looking at sativa type strains)

The actual system is based on a High Times article a few years back. I can't remember the issue off the top of my head, but once I start the "Choose My Next Strain (The Grow)" Thread I'll have all the info for you! Eventually hope to turn it into a perpetual harvest type system, with a new harvest every 3 weeks or less.

Hey benn I came across this video on youtube just yesterday, sounds kinda like what you explained.. The system starts at 1:04 in the video if you want to skip ahead. hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BzsgdyxboI

 

[frankcos]

I can not wait until spring time. I am living back at the place I grew up and I am very comfortable with the area. I have a huge yard with lots of sunny spots and plenty of other plants and trees to blend in with. I plan to have 10 ladies vegged and sexed and ready for the sunshine. I'm not planning a whole patch, I am going to place them in random spots through out the yard. I am also in the process of trying to score some Sour Diesel clones from a friend. This will be my first serious outdoor grow and I am getting very excited. I wish for safe desirable conditions and green mojo to all this season. Good Luck!!:smoke1:

 

[tcbud]

I have got lots of dreams for this summer. I have found each year that the "Plan" in March is highly modified by the time the plants are in the ground in May.

I have found, like you say, that limiting the amount of strains is a good idea. Last year I ran a majority of NorthernLights (50% of total) and that worked out really well. Gave me a bit of variety and some poundage too.

But like I said, what I want and dream is always different from the end garden.

My early dream was to run all Cali Connection or OGRaskel seeds. Something like a Tahoe Kush. That entails a trip to Oakland to get the seeds, so with price of gas, that dream goes down the road alone. I also have the opportunity to run some spectacular clones from a friend.

The next Idea is to pick up some seeds over on the coast as I did two seasons ago. Those plants rocked and were of good size. I make clones from them and they came out pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

The Idea is going around in the partners head that we do clones again. I hesitate to clone it only, (clones from a despensary or my clone guy) because of my past history of getting clones and them going into flower early and revegging.

So...... the sky is the limit as nothing is set in granite or in the soil yet. I am excited but need to get my ducks in a row and at least get myself started on SOMETHING!

So right now it is tcbud singing "California Dreaming" and it is still a Winters Day.

 

[benamucc]

Hey benn I came across this video on youtube just yesterday, sounds kinda like what you explained.. The system starts at 1:04 in the video if you want to skip ahead. hxxp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BzsgdyxboI

YOU GOT IT! THATS THE WHOLE SYSTEM!!!!

Thanks FRANK. High FIVE!!!!!

 

[Cali*Style]

I know just what you mean Frankcos, I am chompin at the bit to get this year under way. Sour D = Yummy! Best of luck with your season my friend. I will make sure to check out your journal if you decide to do one.


@ Tc, tell me about it girl... That's always been my problem, too many plans and no damn time. This seems to be the first year ever, I will actually be on time with what I have planned. But we'll see.

Cali connection..... ~ DROOL I want to run almost all of their strains, Black water, Tahoe OG, Chem #4 OG, Raskals OG, Corleone kush, SFV OG, Julius C, the list just keeps on going. Oh well, maybe I will make the trip north this year for clones... Then you can live vicariously through me!! Lmao I tried Northern Lights last year, and mine were a mess!! They got ripped apart by Mold and Powder Mildew... they did do a lot better than my L.A. Confidential though, I will NEVER grow those again! Out of 10, 8 of them hermied... I couldn't believe it myself. But nothing else in the whole garden hermied, so I believe it was strain related.


As for the home plot, got a little bit of stuff done today. Got the mule loaded with a couple of scoops of soil. Got a few of my #150 Gallon holes cleared and ready for soil. I was leaning away from using them this year, but I believe I have enough soil, so I may as well fire them up as well. I will have plants to use in them after all. It decided to rain on me though, so the day was cut short. It's okay, as long as I stay focused, I think I will make my March 25 release date... But, we'll see.


Best wishes and big MOJO for all!! Cali:fly:

 

[Cali*Style]

Poppin beans and a whole lot of waiting... The weather is climbing steadily, a full degree every 5-6- days. That should put us around around 48-9 as a constant for my lows, based on my recording from last year anyways. I am hoping with the hoop houses, that those temps will reflect around 63-4 for my manipulated low.

Lot's of beans doing their thing... 100% germ rate so far, although I culled one of them due to some crossed wire issues. It had some serious health problems for sure.

Anyways, got a lot going on around here, I snapped some baby pictures as well that I will make sure and get posted up soon.

Off an runnin, Happy growing everyone!! Cali:fly:

 

[BudMuncher]

Fruity, I grew Easy Sativa as one of my first ever strains and I loved the smoke and such an easy plant to grow

This year I plan on growing in a greenhouse for the first time, I will be growing 3 different Mandala strains, Nirvana Bubblelicious and lots of freebies I got from Attitude plus an autoflowering strain I've just ordered. Currently have 4 plants in my tent and another 4 waiting to pop the soil (check my grow journal) but as soon as the light is long enough and its warm enough I wanna get some out in the greenhouse

Last 2 years I not grown much, so this year is gonna be epic!