[MEGA]Community Growing advice, tips, tricks, & experiences Part 5 (2012-2013)

[Artificial Emotion]

The best product to use would be SB Plant Invigorator since it's safe, non toxic and effective (effective against spidermites too but I digress). Since getting that might be a headache on a flowering plant at your stage, I would strongly recommend going down the route of using an insecticidal soap that suffocates the aphids. You should specifically get one with an organic clearance and there should be no problems. It'll probably say on the label that it's safe to spray food crops and pick/eat on the same day. That said if you can, try and avoid spraying the buds directly if you can at all help it.

As laugh suggested, for a belt and braces approach you could also use pyrethrum, but specifically one an ant powder (works great against thrips, too) which you simply sprinkle onto the soil surface. For a couple of days preferably water from underneath although this is not essential. It's safe and works! The insecticidal soap should be effective on its own though if used correctly.

Insecticidal soap is what is known as a contact insecticide. For it to work, it must come into contact with the aphids but this is an advantage because unlike systemic products it isn't absorbed into the plant, persisting inside your buds until you harvest and smoke them. In fact it is actually extremely safe to use. One brand in particular I would recommend is Savona although I don't know if that's available online where you live or not.

 

[drug_mentor]

Unfortunately that SB Plant Invigorator is not available where I live.

I thought it wasn't safe to use pyrethrum during flower? I have some pyrethrum spray, my plants really did not react too kindly to it even when they were in veg. Also, I can't seem to find any that doesn't contain piperonyl butoxide, is that also safe to use?

I have some insecticidal soap on hand, will try and get that on some of these fuckers. The majority of them are in the soil though and I don't think I can use it as a soil drench. If I accidentally get some of this on buds is it going to spoil the smoke?

 

[Whosajiggawaaa]

this mite sound incredibly primitive but dishwashing detergent took care of my spidermite problem. it did, no lies. 3 washes over like 10 days.

 

[Artificial Emotion]

Unfortunately that SB Plant Invigorator is not available where I live.

I know I was thinking that - it's so annoying, all the best products are not available where you live!

I thought it wasn't safe to use pyrethrum during flower? I have some pyrethrum spray, my plants really did not react too kindly to it even when they were in veg.

Pyrethrum ant powder is dirt cheap and isn't absorbed by the plant. It would be worth trying since the majority of the bugs are in the soil.

Also, I can't seem to find any that doesn't contain piperonyl butoxide, is that also safe to use?

It's probably fine, but I would avoid it like the plague personally since we don't really know what effect it has on humans. It's meant to enhance the effect of the permethrin.

I have some insecticidal soap on hand, will try and get that on some of these fuckers. The majority of them are in the soil though and I don't think I can use it as a soil drench.

Unless it says not to on the label I think it would be fine as a soil drench.

If I accidentally get some of this on buds is it going to spoil the smoke?

All I can say is try and avoid it if you can. Use plastic bags and rubber bands or string if you have to.

 

[Prelude2TragedyII]

Hey guys, Sorry I was gone so long,
Had a lot going on, I was kicking my heroin habit, going to school & work full time, and my girl ended up getting pregnant. So, needless to say, I was gone for quite a while.
But I'm back.
AE, I hope I have a surprise for you in a couple months , I germinated 3 seeds of the F1 cross, hoping to get a female or two. Also have one Northern Lights #5 I plan to clone and grow a few of this year.

Apologies for being gone so long, Was a really miserable time for me.
Ill try to get some photos up of my seeds that just popped.

Also, I have two questions, this year, I was thinking of just doing an out door scrog. just getting some PVC and some chicken wire, and creating something that can be a couple feet off the ground, and make it possible to do a scrog.
And another thing, since I live in California, I'm probably going to get hit by Caterpillars. I was considering buying some PVC or 2X4s and creating a 'cube' out of the wood, and putting screen around it (like screen that goes on windows to keep bugs/sun out)
Was curious if this would block too much of the sunlight, or if it would end up cooking the plants in the long run. Any info is much appreciated.

So glad this thread is still going :D I didn't think it would have had such a long life.

-

Also , for spider mites, you can get water, and rosemary, mix the two, and maybe add one or two drops of dish soap, and that will do the trick, worked for me anyways.

---What country are some of you located in? I see some of these plants flowering, yet, It's time to start Vegging next month here in California. (Well, we have 13 hours of light, but I still bring my babies in at night to keep them under CFLs just to give them a little extra. I figure once we hit 14 hours I can throw them outside and stop worrying about them. )

 

[w01fg4ng]

WB prelude

 

[FangFreak]

Good Evening All, I am currently reading through prior posts from this thread before I start to ask questions. That being said, 300 posts deep, this thread seems to be mostly for outdoor growers.

Artificial Emotion: in the posts that I've already read it seems that you use to grow indoors but moved them outdoors. Is there a mega thread that I should be reading other than this one for best indoor practices ?

I have additional questions but will hold off on asking them until I've finished catching up on the thread.

thanks in advance

 

[Prelude2TragedyII]

Thanks Wolf!

FangFreak, I used to grow indoors as well.
It just became more of a hassle for me than it was worth.
It always just seemed much more cost effective to grow outdoors, and still get quality bud.
That's just my experience though.
What is it you're trying to do?

I believe we have our share of indoor growers in this thread as well though.

 

[FangFreak]

Prelude, I am currently in the process of planning/developing a grow room. I have been given a really rare (so I've been told) opportunity to legally grow some plants. From what I have already read from previous posts in this thread it seems that people tend to move from indoor to outdoor for various reasons. Because I will be growing them legally I don't have that option. I have to grow it quietly indoor, secluded and secured so that short of the DEA stepping on the states dick nobody will know.

That at being said, I am currently white boarding ideas from various places so that when I actually start there is minimal learning curve. No sense in wasting a ton of cash on something if you either don't know how to use it or are to ignorant to admit you need help.

 

[Artificial Emotion]

Good Evening All, I am currently reading through prior posts from this thread before I start to ask questions. That being said, 300 posts deep, this thread seems to be mostly for outdoor growers.

Artificial Emotion: in the posts that I've already read it seems that you use to grow indoors but moved them outdoors. Is there a mega thread that I should be reading other than this one for best indoor practices ?

Now that I don't have a psycho neighbour stairs doing things like reporting me to the police for saying 'I want to kill John' in my own flat (even if I were saying that wtf is he doing listening in?!), playing an amplified electric guitar all evening every day and basically making my life a living hell, I am able to grow indoors again. My new place has no electric/gas meters inside and most importantly, there's a loft/attic, so I can grow without the worry. My guerrilla spot is no more (found the 50L pots and all the equipment in the middle of the plot neatly stacked in a pile, with all the trees surrounding having been cut down! I'm expecting a tent in the post which I'm using to grow some regular Ace Panama seeds. I'm going to create a bonsai mum for taking clones in future grows once I find a keeper.

The plan is to get quite a few cuttings and 'fuse' them all together - a bonsai technique that gives the trunk a lot of thick girth to it, making it look like an old tree. The idea is to make it look like a real tree - bonsai style - not just to save space but because it'll look awesome!

This is the growing thread though, to answer your question, both indoor and out. If you have any questions just shoot away - I'll answer or someone else will, it's no problem. We were all beginners at one point so there's no such thing as a stupid question.

Had a lot going on, I was kicking my heroin habit, going to school & work full time, and my girl ended up getting pregnant. So, needless to say, I was gone for quite a while.
But I'm back.
AE, I hope I have a surprise for you in a couple months , I germinated 3 seeds of the F1 cross, hoping to get a female or two. Also have one Northern Lights #5 I plan to clone and grow a few of this year.

Nice to see you again Prelude. I can't wait to see how the seeds do, so do keep us updated. Hope you're doing better now with the heroin addiction, it's certainly a tough beast to battle. I'm dependent on opiates but I've never been addicted psychologically, so I don't really know what it's like. I know the withdrawals are like hell from my personal experience though.

 

[backwoods famer]

backwoods farmer your inbox is full.

Just popped 18 regular Ace panama seeds. I'm hoping to get a purple expression like this guy got:

Should be all good now brotha.

 

[Prelude2TragedyII]

Yeah, I'm doing quite a bit better, thank you.
I wish I could have stayed on them forever, I'm so much more productive and sociable. But, alas, I can't.
I wish I were you AE, lol. But I'm doing alright now, trying to focus on college so I can just get through it.
And I will definitely keep you posted about the plants, lets just hope I get at least one female, and I'll be happy.

That's pretty strange you found all the stuff neatly stacked, I wonder who did it?
That would freak me out.

I want to see this bonsai weed tree of yours.

 

[the toad]

Growing pics :D

NSFW:

Some mothers ive set outside for a spring flowering (clockwise from bottom left) gdp, blue dream, fire og, alien og, sour diesel.

Indoors ive got
Sour diesel (blue cups)
Fire og (green cups)
Gdp (square cups)
The white (staked cups)
Alien og (staked cups)
Girl scout cookies (6" pots)
Cherry pie (6" pot)
Platinum og (8" smartpot)
Purple cadillac (back 3 gal smartpot)
Grape ape (front 3gal sp)

And some more i just cut on sunday.
Gdp
Purple cadillac
Grape ape

 

[Artificial Emotion]

Yeah, I'm doing quite a bit better, thank you.
I wish I could have stayed on them forever, I'm so much more productive and sociable. But, alas, I can't.
I wish I were you AE, lol. But I'm doing alright now, trying to focus on college so I can just get through it.

Keeping busy definitely is one of the best things you can do. Boredom is probably one of the biggest catalysts to relapse their is IMO. The longer you can stay off all opiates, the shorter the time it will take for your brain to reach your opiate-naive condition. It takes a while but it will happen. You don't want to be on maintenance drugs for years if you can avoid it. If you do, you might need to have to consider making it a lifelong commitment.

That's pretty strange you found all the stuff neatly stacked, I wonder who did it?
That would freak me out.

I'm certain it was the forestry workers without a doubt, since they were the ones that were working on the adjacent woods and I had to dodge them a couple of times when I was harvesting my plants (one time they put this huge spotlight on me when I was holding a plant in my hand lol). Once I got into a really awkward situation where the guy obviously was standing there seeing me in a fenced off area I had no reason to be in and I just pretended to look relaxed and like I knew what I was doing and I was supposed to be there. He never said or did anything. The pots and other growing equipment made it pretty obvious what I was doing, and to be honest, I've got a sneaking suspicion they actually saw my plants last autumn before they were harvested - they just didn't do anything about it. I think they just left the stuff there for me to collect, so I don't think it was malicious. Pro-cannabis views are far more common against predominantly male groups of their age (late 20s to late 30s) so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have a problem with what I was doing. I've been straight out caught growing twice before and both times the guys that caught me just said outright that they didn't have a problem with what I was doing.

I want to see this bonsai weed tree of yours.

Trust me, it's going to look awesome!

Growing pics :D

NSFW:

Some mothers ive set outside for a spring flowering (clockwise from bottom left) gdp, blue dream, fire og, alien og, sour diesel.

Indoors ive got
Sour diesel (blue cups)
Fire og (green cups)
Gdp (square cups)
The white (staked cups)
Alien og (staked cups)
Girl scout cookies (6" pots)
Cherry pie (6" pot)
Platinum og (8" smartpot)
Purple cadillac (back 3 gal smartpot)
Grape ape (front 3gal sp)

And some more i just cut on sunday.
Gdp
Purple cadillac
Grape ape

You've got some lush looking plants there mate! Nice!

 

[the toad]

Thanks finally starting to get the hang of it i think lol.

 

[Prelude2TragedyII]

Is it alright to have plants placed outside already?
Or should I hold off for another month.
About 13 hours from sunrise to sunset currently.

And toad, those are some nice looking plants

Fang, did you ever find what you were looking for?

 

[freehugs]

Does anyone have any tips they have found that help cuttings root? I am using a hydroponic cloner with Clonex solution and I haven't had any success yet. I have read most guides so I have the basics down, but anything that you think could help me I would really appreciate

Is it alright to have plants placed outside already?
Or should I hold off for another month.
About 13 hours from sunrise to sunset currently.

And toad, those are some nice looking plants

Fang, did you ever find what you were looking for?

I would wait until its closer to 18 hours. Ours are still in the greenhouse right now.

 

[the toad]

My outdoor plants are definately under a flowering photoperiod and starting to flower, which is what i want... Ill have to pull them indoors in the evenings as the days get longer (mid-may)as they will finish around the end of may or beginning of June, which is about the earliest you can put the fall plants outdoors without supplemental light to keep them from flowering...

 

[the toad]

Does anyone have any tips they have found that help cuttings root? I am using a hydroponic cloner with Clonex solution and I haven't had any success yet. I have read most guides so I have the basics down, but anything that you think could help me I would really appreciate

I use dyna-grow cloning gel... I think its the same stuff as the clonex gel... Idk about the solutions... I thought those were for feeding clons but dunno for sure...

I used rockwool my first time and they were slow to root... Second time and from then on ive used the root riot plugs and had much quicker results...

 

[Artificial Emotion]

I don't know if it's warm enough outside in your geographical location. That said, if you're growing cuttings under 13h of daylight, they could just start to flower - not what you want. However, if you're germinating seedlings they can tolerate that photoperiod since it's increasing from 13 hours steadily (if it were indoors under 13 hours every day, that would be different but outdoors the number of minutes of daylight increases every day).