So after much looking and reasearching I finally decided to buy Brainwarp. http://www.drchronic.com/products.asp?recnumber=1455 As It is a satvia and proberly won't do that well is there anything i could do to help it the best way as possible? Considering I live in the Uk which isn't that great with warm,sunny weather. If i go that extra mile to help it along will i get a harvest? Harvest time 20-24sept I have already brought BioBizz BioGrow Organic Plant Nutrient 0.5L Hydroponics http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEBTOX:IT&item=150216349875&_trksid=p3984.cTODAY.m238.lVI I didn't know if this was a wise choice so i brought it anyway. Is there anything that i should buy? Netting for warmth? Different Nutients? Anything.
Just looking at the brainwarp i would have said it has some indica in it ... a quick google tells me that the original texada timewarp is roughly 70% Sativa - 30% Indica ... but the brainwarp is a hybrid ie. timewarp x secret sugar. I have no idea what the secret sugar is like or what type of plant (sativa or indica). There are tropical sativas but also temperate ones too. Someone said that sativas will not flower in the UK but thats just not true ... there are many sativas (early ones like Durban) that grow just fine here. It would be good to get some organic 'slow release' nutrients to put in your holes along with some compost and the dirt that is already there:- - Fish, blood and bone OR 'Growmore' slow release fertiliser. - chicken manure pellets (6X brand) or real chicken manure. - Also, most garden stores sell 'Maxicrop' calcified seaweed ... just use a tiny sprinkle because too mutch could raise the PH of the soil. It's good for trace element like magnesium and manganese. - Tomorite is a good all round plant food for cannabis - I bought a box of 'Chempak' trace elements to use last season because alot of plant feeds don't contain the full range of trace elements. It seemed to work just fine and just one feed will last the whole growing season. If you really feel you need a cloche to protect tender young plants outdoors until they are big enough then i'd suggest making your own using 5mm green garden netting, some wooden beading from the hardware shop and some thick wire ... just bodge something up eh? It'll protect from heavy winds and rain. The cloche tunnels you can buy (i've looked at a few in my local garden shop ... they don't seem very strong and aren't tall enough. You'll need something about 2 foot tall. Last year a few friends of mine lost plants due to flooding, so put them somewhere that won't get flooded eh. Bio bizz products are a pretty good source of silicon which will help keep plants healthy and fighting fit (it strengthens the fibres). But normal plant foods like miracle grow and Tomorite ect are a little stronger in NPK for large hungry plants. Personally i'd mix the two, and maybe use some seaweed extract also.
The idea with 'fish, blood and bone' is that when it's been in the ground for a month it'll break down, providing a nice gentle and organic slow release fertiliser containing mainly Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium and a few trace elements... the same is true for chicken manure pellets but this is mainly for Nitrogen. I'm just being fussy ... you COULD just use the fish blood and bone, mixed in with your soil and compost. (checken manure pellets are expensive ... i think about a tenner for a box). The Tomorite (yes thats the stuff) is to ensure your plants get enough NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) and outdoors you can use the solution suggested on the bottle. Clay contains alot of trace elements like Calcium, magnesium and iron so i doubt you'll need any calcified seaweed after all (again .. it all costs money) so scrap that idea. But if you develop a trace element deficiency, then reach for the Chempak 'chelated' trace elements to correct any deficiency. - 'chelated' is a form of nutrient/trace element that can be taken up by the plant and used immediately. I like to give a feed of the chempak trace elements when i put my plants in the ground and 'water them in'. It certainly won't harm the plants and will ensure they get all the trace elements they need for the whole growing season. So shopping list: A fairly mild compost for starting seeds and growing on for a few weeks until the plant becomes established and develops strong roots. DONT use 'potting on' compost which is mutch higher in added nutrients and manures, however this compost is perfect for your holes outdoors. I personally use 'J.Arthur Bowers, Bulb fibre compost' ... you can buy it in 10 ltr bags and costs about 3 quid ... alot of garden shops stock it. I mix it about 70/30 with some perlite (about 3 or 4 quid for a small bag). I find this is perfect for starting seeds in until a month old. 'Potting on' compost ( higher in nutrients and manures) for your outdoor holes ... anything will do really. Tomato grow bag compost is pretty good if you cant find mutch to choose from. Fish, blood and bone ... to mix with your compost outdoors. Tomorite ... for feeding manually ( to make sure they actually get fed enough). Chempak trace elements (or any other brand) ... to avoid trace element deficiencys. I understand there is a river nearby which is great ... you could leave your bottle of Tomorite 'on site' and mix up solutions with it from the river water whenever you need to. Of course sometimes the plants will just need water and not feed. As long as you don't mix too mutch fish, blood and bone with your soil you'll have no worries about 'overfertilising'. Just follow the instructions on the box. Cannabis is a fairly heavy feeding plant anyway.
Well the main problem with clay a foot down is poor drainage. If you're only digging 10 holes then just make them as deep and wide as possible ... get as mutch clay out as you can and chuck some stones in the bottom of the hole to help with drainage. It could be that the clay is just a layer and you may be able to get below it down to some shaley rock perhaps? I'm glad to offer advise. I'm kind of in your area after all (south Devon) and i suppose i'm familiar with our weather and soil types .. a bit. I first grew outdoors 11 years ago but had a long break from it but i've been 'geurilla growing' for the last 3 years. I almost enjoy growing more than smoking it these days ... it's just great being out in the wilds tending marijuana plants. It's a nice peaceful and focused 'zone' to be in. Just play it cool and don't tell anyone ... especially don't tell anyone where your plot is. Try and visit the plot at times when there will be the least people about and on the roads and paths. Shitty rainy weather is the best time because the rain covers any sound you may make too.
Excellent ... you got some early girl ... thats just uncanny! Some advise on germinating seeds. Most people these days soak their seeds in water for 24 hours (or with big chunky seeds 48 hours) before planting. ... just so the seeds can take up water quickly in order to sprout. Then they either transfer to tissue paper so they can see the roots appear and then they can plant them with the root downwards, or just plant into the soil after a soak ...i plant seed 'belly button' side upwards because the root appears and grows from the other end. What i actually do nowadays is soak my seeds until one of them shows the tiniest of roots ... and then plant the whole lot in soil. Seeds actually don't really need warmth to germinate and keeping them too warm can cause fungi and bacteria to grow which can harm the seeds.- This is one reason why i see soaking them as a good thing ... because it get the germination process going quickly, leaving less time for mould problems to develop. It is said alot these days that high humidity and lower temperatures in the germination and early seedling stage can contribute to more females developing, so it has been suggested to me that using a simple dome or non heated propogator is good for these reasons.
