2020 MASSACHUSETTS outdoor grow Thread!

[dubekoms]

Hey brother, I just wanted to point out to you there is no need to spend a ton of money to grow some of the best tasting, smelling bud, with a fraction of the amount of work...
Start learning how to provide everything MJ needs with organic nutrients, and you can get those for free just composting your trash... If you dont have time for that, you can buy 3-4 yards of compost for probably $100-$150 bucks from any landscape supply. That compost alone would be enough to fill your 12x 100gal fabric pots (I bought a 6 pack of them for $65 or something on amazon but talk to @ganga gurl420 shell help you build any size pot with landscape fabric for basically no cost...

The best parts about growing organically... the smell and taste are far better, you only have to feed water (barely have to feed water if growing 100+ gal because they retain moisture so well Ive only watered a handful of times this year the rest has been rain) -- You can top dress with compost/EWC or feed teas if you wanted to... Organic nutrients wont burn your plants... The soil microbes do all the work... No measuring or paying for nasty bottled nutrients... ever.... and one of my favorites.... you dont have to flush.. But the all time best thing about it is its literally free if you want to put a little bit of easy work and time in... and if not... its still dirt cheap...( )...

You can also re amend and reuse your soil mix for years, let worms live in there and they will shit gold all throughout it, eat everything and break it down ready to be taken up by the plants.


I feel like this is one of the biggest misconceptions in growing weed... Its such a marketing ploy that you need all that garbage shit they charge crazy amounts for.... If you need any help building a soil mix, dont hesitate to ask, Ill walk you through it, or Im sure others here will... But Im telling you, you could easily get 12 or more 100 gal fabric pots planted and harvested for a total cost of Id say... $100 - 350... and really you could go cheaper than that if you wanted... If you had the time and started a compost pile right now you could do it next year for free...


Sorry for the ramble, I hate seeing people getting taken advantage of by these companies, and all this unnecessary work... This medicine would be so much more accessible for people with too much pain to put the time "required" into all that bullshit... or are on too tight a budget and believe the one medicine that works is out of reach for them... makes me sick tbh.

A big tilled hole in the ground with some homemade compost, tomato tone,gypsum, and kelp meal will grow some monster plants for cheap.

 

[Warfox]

Yeah it could just like more iron compared to the other plants. A good tea should set it right.

Iron Chelate for plant Chlorosis

Councidentally, it’s the active ingredient in Corry’s slug and snail bait! Can get at Home Depot, et al.

You could alternatively top dress with Milorganite or related products, which are simply bacteria that eat human sewage, and are subsequently oven roasted. It’s not technically organic, but I don’t care I have achieved stellar results with it. Milorganite is 6-4-0 with calcium + iron * molybendium.

 

[Zeez]

Iron Chelate for plant Chlorosis

Councidentally, it’s the active ingredient in Corry’s slug and snail bait! Can get at Home Depot, et al.

You could alternatively top dress with Milorganite or related products, which are simply bacteria that eat human sewage, and are subsequently oven roasted. It’s not technically organic, but I don’t care I have achieved stellar results with it. Milorganite is 6-4-0 with calcium + iron * molybendium.

This sounds like a plan. I have a 30 gallon res with a sump pump inside for mixing. Epsoma is always a good starting ingredient and the rest is all organic goodness. After a few days (when it starts to compost) that's when its getting good. Further than that it gets ripe but its still good. I've got a pump and a wand that makes it easy. Tomorrow I'll pick up some milogranite and add it in. Early flowering is a good time toffee them all as well.

Thanks to all.

 

[doug mirabelli]

Haven’t posted this one. The strain is Marmalate early version. It’s started outside, then I brought to a friends house to veg and flower w my indoor equipment, which fell apart due to friend chemistry rather than any other kind of plant failure. Long story short it was a wreck when I got it back bc he left a tarp on until noon in the heat on the day he was going to transport it to me. I did a lot of pruning and let it sit w a top layer of worm castings for about a month. When it started to revive and produce bud sites again, I Put down a layer of some roots organic bloom terp tea and practically overnight it started shooting pistils. Looking like it will produce a good bunch of small buds

 

[PioneerValleyOG]

Hey brother, I just wanted to point out to you there is no need to spend a ton of money to grow some of the best tasting, smelling bud, with a fraction of the amount of work...
Start learning how to provide everything MJ needs with organic nutrients, and you can get those for free just composting your trash... If you dont have time for that, you can buy 3-4 yards of compost for probably $100-$150 bucks from any landscape supply. That compost alone would be enough to fill your 12x 100gal fabric pots (I bought a 6 pack of them for $65 or something on amazon but talk to @ganga gurl420 shell help you build any size pot with landscape fabric for basically no cost...

The best parts about growing organically... the smell and taste are far better, you only have to feed water (barely have to feed water if growing 100+ gal because they retain moisture so well Ive only watered a handful of times this year the rest has been rain) -- You can top dress with compost/EWC or feed teas if you wanted to... Organic nutrients wont burn your plants... The soil microbes do all the work... No measuring or paying for nasty bottled nutrients... ever.... and one of my favorites.... you dont have to flush.. But the all time best thing about it is its literally free if you want to put a little bit of easy work and time in... and if not... its still dirt cheap...( )...

You can also re amend and reuse your soil mix for years, let worms live in there and they will shit gold all throughout it, eat everything and break it down ready to be taken up by the plants.


I feel like this is one of the biggest misconceptions in growing weed... Its such a marketing ploy that you need all that garbage shit they charge crazy amounts for.... If you need any help building a soil mix, dont hesitate to ask, Ill walk you through it, or Im sure others here will... But Im telling you, you could easily get 12 or more 100 gal fabric pots planted and harvested for a total cost of Id say... $100 - 350... and really you could go cheaper than that if you wanted... If you had the time and started a compost pile right now you could do it next year for free...


Sorry for the ramble, I hate seeing people getting taken advantage of by these companies, and all this unnecessary work... This medicine would be so much more accessible for people with too much pain to put the time "required" into all that bullshit... or are on too tight a budget and believe the one medicine that works is out of reach for them... makes me sick tbh.

This is an awesome response to my post. One thing I've considered is utilizing a local compost farm, I am basically surrounded by farming land and communities. One farm specializes in compost in bulk, (including organic compost) and I can get a sq. Yard, I think? That's like a the back of a pickup truck full, and I'd think plenty, for like $45. I do use a lot of water, just water, in September I may juice 4x.
now my friend uses Emerald Harvest system, and I've heard him in the phone as they tell him to water with these chemicals EVERY SINGLE DAY!. Now, different areas and climates I would THINK, would require different amounts of said chemicals, (it's like 7-8 different bottles with anywhere from 4 to 160 oz. ) Yet Emerald Harvest has a template that is evidently universal.
I'm not sure if these are indoor nutes that can be used outside as well, but I wasn't impressed. I'm fact, the plants seemed to be kind of floppy and although the harvest was ok, in my opinion, but waste of money. Now his indoor grow was more successful, and in the end,.I did convince him that watering with all these different bottles was too much, I think he was addicted to measuring out carefully so many oz. for this, so many of that, it was like chemistry 101.

Now I'm response to the organic approach- I have seen some amazing medicine grown using just dirt and water, no fertilizer whatsoever. The old addage, 'Its a weed, it'll grow anywhere!' while not completely accurate, has some small merit. The impact that organic fertilizers have I do not doubt makes for a cleaner, purer smoke, one would think that everyone would utilize this method. This is where Mega Corporations step in to convince people that their 'Organic' chemicals will meet these standards thus providing a superior smoke.

I'm thinking next year I'm going back to the Indian method, when the shad run, perhaps a fish of appropriate size will provide the nitrogen needed in the first stage of growth. The second stage of growth, in my humble opinion, requires more potassium, I'd be interested to hear an organic additive for the second phase, I have read banana peels could be an alternative:

https://www.hunker.com/13427188/how-to-make-homemade-potassium-for-plants

you have planted the organic seed in my mind, and if I'm going to commit, then I will do it all out. I mean, what the hell, I get to go fishing and eat banannas, can't be too bad... It will be tough to pull me off of my old ways, although I don't have to commit my entire grow to this new method, I can try it on a few plants, it will be interesting to compare the end results.

thank you So much for your time and advice. Oh yeah, @ganga gurl420 is The Bomb for all things Ganga, lol, I'll HHU for the pots info, ty. May the sun shine brightly upon your day, peace my friend.

 

[matty-berk]

Flowers blooming in western ma, wind blew a plant over last night, splinted it up with a old broomstick sawed in half.
View attachment 4669403View attachment 4669404View attachment 4669405View attachment 4669406View attachment 4669407

this is my first year growing in western ma. do you have any tips for harvest? i have a brook 100 feet away and my backyard is like a valley. everything rolls down into the middle of my back yard. so mold and stuff seem like a scary thing for me.

 

[NewEnglandFarmer]

you have planted the organic seed in my mind, and if I'm going to commit, then I will do it all out. I mean, what the hell, I get to go fishing and eat banannas, can't be too bad... It will be tough to pull me off of my old ways, although I don't have to commit my entire grow to this new method, I can try it on a few plants, it will be interesting to compare the end results.

I'm just a rookie, so take it for what it's worth, but I completely agree with dunphy about how you don't need all that fancy stuff. In fact you'll get better results if you focus on building and maintaining healthy soil teeming with microorganisms. A load of organic compost for $45 is a no brainer, I got some last May from an organic dairy farm for $55/yard. Do a soil test on your native soil, you may be able to just mix in a bunch of compost plus a few other amendments depending on your soil test results. Or you can just go full compost like GG--I did about 80% compost/20% native soil (mine isn't that great, way acidic and low in phosphorus, magnesium, calcium), and so far it seems to be working out well. I actually think this route is easier than the bottled nutes method, as long as you understand that you're feeding the soil and letting the soil and microbes feed your plants for you.

Just my two cents.

 

[stealthfader508]

lots of good organic advice today in the mass thread ... love it ... if you're growing outside for yourself, there's absolutely no advantage to growing with salts ... none

I've recently discovered the JADAM farming method (google it)... it's fascinating stuff ... it takes organics to a whole new level, although its been around for centuries

... but I can understand growing with salts for commercial purposes and/or in hydro... if you're growing for massive commercial yields on total automation... there's no question salts will make you more money, in both material costs and labor... growing organically on the commercial level is financial suicide

 

[NewEnglandFarmer]

growing organically on the commercial level is financial suicide

Is there a premium market for organic weed? I would think health-conscious consumers, as well as flavor/smell/taste connoiseurs, would pay extra for choice organic buds. Here in Maine there are people (like me!) who willingly pay $12/gallon for raw organic milk, for example, when we could go to the supermarket and get conventional milk for less that half that price. But the quality of the product is night and day--not to mention the economic benefits to all of us from supporting small family farms over corporate agri-business.

I have JADAM bookmarked, will explore it in more depth. So much knowledge, research, and wisdom out there to be gleaned.

 

[stealthfader508]

Is there a premium market for organic weed?

I'm sure there is ... but the way they set up the canna regulations prohibits the small independent guys ... by the time someone is done paying all the legal fees, and greasing the politicians, there's only enough money left for salts...

check out this link for recipes for making JADAM farming inputs... there's a ton of shit online about it, but this is a good place to start

Recipes for Natural Farming Inputs

Links to recipes for Natural Farming Inputs and how they are used.

www.bumbleberryfields.com

 

[ganga gurl420]

I'm just a rookie, so take it for what it's worth, but I completely agree with dunphy about how you don't need all that fancy stuff. In fact you'll get better results if you focus on building and maintaining healthy soil teeming with microorganisms. A load of organic compost for $45 is a no brainer, I got some last May from an organic dairy farm for $55/yard. Do a soil test on your native soil, you may be able to just mix in a bunch of compost plus a few other amendments depending on your soil test results. Or you can just go full compost like GG--I did about 80% compost/20% native soil (mine isn't that great, way acidic and low in phosphorus, magnesium, calcium), and so far it seems to be working out well. I actually think this route is easier than the bottled nutes method, as long as you understand that you're feeding the soil and letting the soil and microbes feed your plants for you.

Just my two cents.

Dang... and here I complain when compost is 20 a yard. I pay 15 for mine lol.

I recently broke it down and I mean with everything minus the cost of seeds (which I didn't buy any this yr) I spend 35 a plant and that includes everything for the whole season from the material to make the pots to the bugs I bought for pests.

Organics can be done very cheaply imo

 

[NewEnglandFarmer]

Dang... and here I complain when compost is 20 a yard. I pay 15 for mine lol.

Is that for organic? Wow, great deal.

Guessing where you live in Dairyland the supply is greater than the demand, which keeps the price lower. Here in Maine--at least in my area--dairy farms are few and far between. $55 is high but these folks run a nice family farm and make some quality compost. I've bought cheaper compost that had broken glass in it, plastic, etc. I admit it was a bit of a splurge.

I just read a pretty in-depth article on the dairy farm economy in Wisconsin. It was heartbreaking. Sounds like it's become pretty much impossible for family farms to make a go of it anymore...a lot of despair. One struggling farmer had to dump a bunch of milk this year on account of the pandemic--just makes you want to cry. You hear some of stories of these farmers and it's both sad and enraging--the politicians have totally let them down and the big factory farm corporations are having their way. Interestingly it sounded like one bright spot was the Organic Valley cooperative, but pretty much everywhere else families are just not making it. That how it looks on the ground there?

 

[ganga gurl420]

Is that for organic? Wow, great deal.

Guessing where you live in Dairyland the supply is greater than the demand, which keeps the price lower. Here in Maine--at least in my area--dairy farms are few and far between. $55 is high but these folks run a nice family farm and make some quality compost. I've bought cheaper compost that had broken glass in it, plastic, etc. I admit it was a bit of a splurge.

I just read a pretty in-depth article on the dairy farm economy in Wisconsin. It was heartbreaking. Sounds like it's become pretty much impossible for family farms to make a go of it anymore...a lot of despair. One struggling farmer had to dump a bunch of milk this year on account of the pandemic--just makes you want to cry. You hear some of stories of these farmers and it's both sad and enraging--the politicians have totally let them down and the big factory farm corporations are having their way. Interestingly it sounded like one bright spot was the Organic Valley cooperative, but pretty much everywhere else families are just not making it. That how it looks on the ground there?

Yeah it has happened and is a struggle for sure. Things will eventually get back on track.

As far as the compost yes it is organic.... but I know not everyone has farms around like we do. We are very rural here. I still feel compost is the way to go because you can keep feeding it and reuse it every yr vs that bagged designer dirt that is so expensive. Blows my mind at the cost ppl spend.
One of the greatest benefits especially in the cold areas is that compost is warmer then dirt naturally. So when the cold comes it helps keep the roots warm. If the roots freeze then its game over.
To each their own tho as long as people are growing good (safe to smoke) herb.

K off to work I go....have a good one everyone

 

[Trainwreckertonville]

lots of good organic advice today in the mass thread ... love it ... if you're growing outside for yourself, there's absolutely no advantage to growing with salts ... none

I've recently discovered the JADAM farming method (google it)... it's fascinating stuff ... it takes organics to a whole new level, although its been around for centuries

... but I can understand growing with salts for commercial purposes and/or in hydro... if you're growing for massive commercial yields on total automation... there's no question salts will make you more money, in both material costs and labor... growing organically on the commercial level is financial suicide

Check out Chris Trumps videos on IMO 1-5 (indigenous micro organisms). It’s kind of geared toward larger scale but still interesting.

I’ve has good luck with the subcool mix and even better luck with the coot’s mix and BAS craft blend topdress. As many worms as you can afford, of course. Grokashi. Nothing else.

 

[YardG]

^^ Unfortunately the dairy industry suffering began before Corona, although no doubt Corona has made it that much worse (particularly for the artisanal cheese industry). Vermont's dairy milk industry has been in real trouble for several years now, to the point that farmer suicides have made the news here and there.

 

[Tstat]

You guys have helped me in the past, so I'm back with an all new problem (it's always something here in the NE)!
I'm assuming it is yellow leaf spot or septoria. It happened really fast, so that has me concerned.

I also am getting black shoots and stems:

I removed a lot of the worst leaves and sprayed with Green Cure this morning. What else do I need to be doing?
In the past I've dealt with the worms, powdery mildew, the good old bud rot, etc. But I have never seen this before.
BTW, they are in the ground, feed with all natural bloom fert, full sun, in the veggy garden, Southern NE.

Thanks for reading!

 

[dunphy]

You guys have helped me in the past, so I'm back with an all new problem (it's always something here in the NE)!
I'm assuming it is yellow leaf spot or septoria. It happened really fast, so that has me concerned.
View attachment 4672029
I also am getting black shoots and stems:
View attachment 4672030
I removed a lot of the worst leaves and sprayed with Green Cure this morning. What else do I need to be doing?
In the past I've dealt with the worms, powdery mildew, the good old bud rot, etc. But I have never seen this before.
BTW, they are in the ground, feed with all natural bloom fert, full sun, in the veggy garden, Southern NE.

Thanks for reading!

I cant tell but is this still a bunch of WPM on the leaves or is that just because they're still a little wet and the light is hitting them weird or?

Im not positive on the yellow leaf spot, but the black(purple?) shoots/stems you're seeing is purple top phytoplasma disease I believe

I've dealt with it a couple of times, I believe it is transferred to the plant through insects, and not sure if it can spread but I've always removed the infected shoots completely until I dont see any more purple growth, and then try to stay on top of my pest management better ( preventative spraying weekly of B.T.-k.)
Sorry, I've got to run, I will try to take another look at it later for you.
I wish I had time to read all the organic conversation going on here recently, will check it out later today for sure.

 

[Zeez]

I agree, it looks like purple top phytoplasma.

View attachment 4672065
I cant tell but is this still a bunch of WPM on the leaves or is that just because they're still a little wet and the light is hitting them weird or?

Im not positive on the yellow leaf spot, but the black(purple?) shoots/stems you're seeing are purple top phytoplasma disease I believe

I've dealt with it a couple of times, I believe it is transferred to the plant through insects, and not sure if it can spread but I've always removed the infected shoots completely until I dont see any more purple growth, and then try to stay on top of my pest management better ( preventative spraying weekly of B.T.-k.)
Sorry, I've got to run, I will try to take another look at it later for you.
I wish I had time to read all the organic conversation going on here recently, will check it out later today for sure.

 

[Tstat]

I cant tell but is this still a bunch of WPM on the leaves or is that just because they're still a little wet and the light is hitting them weird or?

Yea, just wet. I don’t have any WPM (yet!). It’s raining today, but clearing up for the rest of the week.

 

[p59teitel]

View attachment 4672065
I cant tell but is this still a bunch of WPM on the leaves or is that just because they're still a little wet and the light is hitting them weird or?

Im not positive on the yellow leaf spot, but the black(purple?) shoots/stems you're seeing is purple top phytoplasma disease I believe

I've dealt with it a couple of times, I believe it is transferred to the plant through insects, and not sure if it can spread but I've always removed the infected shoots completely until I dont see any more purple growth, and then try to stay on top of my pest management better ( preventative spraying weekly of B.T.-k.)
Sorry, I've got to run, I will try to take another look at it later for you.
I wish I had time to read all the organic conversation going on here recently, will check it out later today for sure.

I agree the white areas look like powdery mildew. I’m seeing it starting to pick up a bit here and there on my plants, and so gave everything a weak peroxide spray yesterday in addition to wiping it off. Checking them twice daily now for both PM and caterpillars, it’s too close to the finish line to blow it now!