Outdoor grow journal - Start to Finish

Hello everyone. I've been lurking for a long while, but finally decided to register and start my grow journal. I would like to contribute to the many other great journals out there that have a simple beginning and end with information helpful to other new growers. I'm hoping mine ends with a successful grow!

I am a noob to growing marijuana, but have been reading this forum for the past month non-stop. I can't seem to get enough info! I also enjoy vegetable gardening from time to time.

Lets talk about the grow...

Germination: I have germinated and sprouted three bag seeds. A word of caution about germinating in paper towels: make sure the tap root hasn't embedded itself in the fiber of the paper towel. I accidentally snapped the end of the root and killed one. I would have had four sprouts!



Medium: a mixure of natural, rich compost from a nearby private forest, perlite, and vermiculite. The soil naturally has a favorable ph, so I dont have to worry too much there. I decided to add the perlite and vermiculite to better aerate the soil. I am using the same mixture in pots while they are young so when I transplant them to the forest, they will have an easier transition with less shock.

Site: I have scouted a nearby forest that is privately owned by a community. The forest is rather thick and small, so there are no hikers, hunters, or deer. I do worry though about kids who sometimes (rarely) wander out there to play.

Within the woods, there are patches where the trees have thinned out and lots of sun shines through. I would estimate the plot receives about 5 hours minimum of direct Florida sunlight, and much more indirect. I plan to grow the plants in pots for a period of 2-4 weeks at my house where they will receive a full day's direct sunlight everyday before being transplanted to the forest. I will post pictures of the site soon!

Nutes: I placed a small amount of starter fertilizer in the soil at the time of planting in the pots. I know... shouldn't have done it. Its best to wait until the plant tells you it needs food. Lesson learned, and plants are doing OK. Starting in three to four weeks I will be feeding with Jack's Classic Plant Food from J.R. Peters. The website is great. You can locate vendors by zip code. I will use the All Purpose fert for vegging and the Blooming Formula for flowering.

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Phase two

I am considering these first three sprouts my practice plants. Within a few weeks I will be receiving 10 Afghan seeds which are brilliant indicas for outdoor growing and very resistant to disease. Several sites have ranked this strain within the top 5 outdoor strains. I purchased the seeds from this reputable site. The price was fantastic and every order is shipped with an additional 5 free seeds! Hopefully, the month lag between grows (bagseed and Afghans) will allow me to make most of my mistakes on the bagseed strain.

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This concludes my first post. I dont plan on this being a daily diary of events. I plan to post about once a week or possibly more frequently if I am having grow problems. In that case, I would love your comments and suggestions. For that matter, I would love your comments and suggestions regardless! I am well read, but need help as any newbie would.

Thanks for reading!

So, I said I would try not to post everyday, but I do have a couple updates. Early this morning I put all three of my babies on a cement surface where they would receive tons of sunlight. Unfortunately, when I checked on them in the afternoon, the hot cement had virtually fried two of them. I quickly relocated them to a better area and flushed the soil with lots of water (they were very dry). The other sprout however looks surprisingly healthy and thriving. I hear these early strong ones are often times males. Is this true?

Meanwhile, I located an even better area of the forest for these guys later in life which is much more secluded. The soil is similar, but very clayish. I'll have to add lots of vermiculite and perlite. Any other suggestions on how I should work this soil?

Here's one last predicament... I am soon receiving those 10 Afghan seeds and 5 other random ones from www.marijuana-seeds.nl. I will have about a 15' by 8' plot in the forest. How many plants should I germinate? How many do you think I could grow in that amount of space?

Just checking your grow for the first time. I often wished I lived near the woods where I could quietly put a few plants. The only things I would worry about is animals and bugs getting in there. Nothing you can do about the bugs outside of pesticide but is it possible to setup some kind of barrier with dead logs or something? Deer and rabbits will eat your plants for sure.

forestgreen said:

The other sprout however looks surprisingly healthy and thriving. I hear these early strong ones are often times males. Is this true?

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One of my plants was savagely mangled by one of my dogs but came back to be my strongest plant. I feared it was male but it was a girl. These are the plants you want to make clones from. So I don't think being healthy and tall is a strictly male trait.

forestgreen said:

Meanwhile, I located an even better area of the forest for these guys later in life which is much more secluded. The soil is similar, but very clayish. I'll have to add lots of vermiculite and perlite. Any other suggestions on how I should work this soil?

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I think sand has good drainage if you're covering a large area. You'll probably want to stay in the coarse sand-fine gravel range of consistency.

forestgreen said:

Here's one last predicament... I am soon receiving those 10 Afghan seeds and 5 other random ones from www.marijuana-seeds.nl. I will have about a 15' by 8' plot in the forest. How many plants should I germinate? How many do you think I could grow in that amount of space?

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I've grown eight four foot tall plants in a 3' x 5' space so I would say you can fit all of them.


So hope that helps. Again, I've never grown outdoors but the basic needs of the plants don't change. Good Luck!!!

Thanks Mared Juwan. I'll look into sand for that clay soil. I guess I'll just plan on germinating all my seeds when they arrive. When they are ready to transplant to the forest I'll just space them as much as I can.

Day 6 of bagseed grow

Today I had to pull two of my plants. They were very sickly and yellow, and were not improving. I came across a site that listed diseases and saw a picture that matched perfectly. I figured it was better to just be rid of them. My strong plant however is still very strong and beautiful! Her picture is listed below. Here's to hoping she's a girl!

Still waiting on my 10 Afghan seeds.

I cleared out my plot in the forest yesterday and it is really looking ideal. This area of the woods is a real pain in the ass to get to which is a great sign. I'm just a little worried because according to google maps, the plot is only about 250-300 feet away from the nearest house. Again, the forest is dense, and no one will ever wander out there, but what happens when My 10 Afghans start to bud? Will I have an odor problem on my hands?

Whoa, I've had plants on death's door come back to be good. I'd wait as long as possible before killing them if it happens again. As far as your smell issue, I think you'll be fine as long as no one sees you walking back there. There are a lot of things in nature that smell like weed. All the time when I'm driving or walking through the woods I swear I can smell weed but it's a skunk or a different kind of plant. I think you should be okay.

sweet sprout, a monster awaits

mared juwan said:

Whoa, I've had plants on death's door come back to be good. I'd wait as long as possible before killing them if it happens again.

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Yeah, if these were the Afghans and not just bagseed, I may have waited longer. The two bad ones were just rotten looking though, and they were that way for several days (since birth... I guess). Both root systems were very underdeveloped. Seeing as I am using the same medium and variables as the healthy one, I figured they must be diseased gonners.

forestgreen said:

Yeah, if these were the Afghans and not just bagseed, I may have waited longer. The two bad ones were just rotten looking though, and they were that way for several days (since birth... I guess). Both root systems were very underdeveloped. Seeing as I am using the same medium and variables as the healthy one, I figured they must be diseased gonners.

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Right on. I keep forgetting you're growing outside. It's not such a big deal to scrap a bagseed plant. Us indoor peeps have to invest a lot more electricity and nutrients and additives so the plants are a bigger loss when they must die. You have the upper hand there. And your remaining sprout is looking good.

Day 10 of bagseed grow

My remaining sprout is looking a little stressed with some spots on the leaves and a general yellowish tint. It sits in full sunlight, all day long (which I believe to be good), but also endures lots of afternoon wind off the lake (the plant is on my dock). The wind has recently caused one of the blade tips to break. Here are all the reasons I can think for the stress...

1. Too much hot sun
2. Too much wind
3. Insects that have been spotted around the plant
4. Insecticide that was lightly sprayed on the leaves yesterday.
5. Fertilizer that I put in the soil at time of planting

Please help me with some advice as to how I can make this girl happy again!

My Afghan seeds have still not arrived after 9 days, so I'm expecting them anytime now. I kinda dont mind waiting though. Its giving me time to screw up this plant before I screw up the others. I did however pick up a trainwreck seed from an eighth I picked up last night. I have it germinating in a paper towel now.

Clearing the plot

Here is my plot in the woods and a shot of the treeline directly above to show the exposure to the sun. I started turning the soil today and it is dark black and completely FULL of worms. I will soon be mixing in some peat moss to loosen the soil a bit (decided on peat moss instead of vermiculite). When do you think my plants will be able to make it on their own? How old do they typically have to be to give them the best chances?

I was hoping some more outdoor growers would start to follow your thread but I'll try to help. I've never seen those yellow spots like you have which means I can't tell what it is for sure but I can rule things out from your list of possible causes. It is definitely not too much light or too much wind. Your leaves are flat, not curling up so it not ph problems. It does not look like any nutrient burn I have ever seen. Also, at least the insects us indoor growers get tend to eat away at the leaf, leaving holes or depressions. Looks like yours are still smooth, but hard to tell from pics. My bet would be the insecticide. Was it the gentle kind, like for tomato plants?

forestgreen said:

Clearing the plot

Here is my plot in the woods and a shot of the treeline directly above to show the exposure to the sun. I started turning the soil today and it is dark black and completely FULL of worms. I will soon be mixing in some peat moss to loosen the soil a bit (decided on peat moss instead of vermiculite). When do you think my plants will be able to make it on their own? How old do they typically have to be to give them the best chances?

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Are you prepping your soil with any nutrients? I prepare my dirt with an organic mix 3 months prior to planting so the soil will be nice and decomposed. Check out my journal for info on my soil preperation.

I wait until mine are about 2-3 weeks old and the roots are bursting out of the starter pots. Once they are in their final home they take a week or so to establish a better root base.

I wouldnt stress about the yellowing too much unless it gets worse. You might could try giving her a shot of fish emulsion. High Nitrogen and doesnt burn. Great for young plants! Mix a cap full with a gallon of water and use it on your next watering.
Just my 2 cents

OH AND...


Dont use nasty insecticide!!! Go get you some Diatomacious Earth (spelling??) at the store. Its an organic powder that is made of crushed up sea shells. Microscopic death spikes that kill every bug that crawls across it

good luck with the grow man! ill be watching

Thanks Mared! I used a garden/veggie safe insecticide. I posted in another forum on this site and was told it was probably the sunlight. It is freaking scortching hot out here, and I think this baby is starting to feel it. I'm going to move her into my pool enclosure out of so much direct sunlight and see how she does.

huffy420 said:

I wouldnt stress about the yellowing too much unless it gets worse. You might could try giving her a shot of fish emulsion. High Nitrogen and doesnt burn. Great for young plants! Mix a cap full with a gallon of water and use it on your next watering.
Just my 2 cents

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Sounds like good advice. I'm going to go look for some of that! Maybe Lowes has some.

Good to have you following along herbtoker!

where is the finnish ?

forestgreen said:

I used a garden/veggie safe insecticide. I posted in another forum on this site and was told it was probably the sunlight. It is freaking scortching hot out here, and I think this baby is starting to feel it. I'm going to move her into my pool enclosure out of so much direct sunlight and see how she does.

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Sound like a good idea.

I just noticed you live in Florida... we probably have similar weather then(Arkansas). Blistering sun, high humidity?? I suggest using some water crystals in the hole when you transplant. They retain moisture and keep the soil damp longer so you wont have to water every day when it gets into the 100's. They are a life saver for me as we tend to go though a drought around August here.

huffy420 said:

Sound like a good idea.

I just noticed you live in Florida... we probably have similar weather then(Arkansas). Blistering sun, high humidity?? I suggest using some water crystals in the hole when you transplant. They retain moisture and keep the soil damp longer so you wont have to water every day when it gets into the 100's. They are a life saver for me as we tend to go though a drought around August here.

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Its a tough call. Our summers have been very unpredictable lately. It is "supposed" to rain every other day. The past couple summers have been very dry though. You never know when that heavy rain will start coming back.

Afghan seeds have arrived!

I also received 5 free Mazar X Afghan. Never heard of Mazar. Anyhow, I am very happy with the speed of shipment. 10 days isn't too bad. Props to www.marijuana-seeds.nl.

I started germinating 5 of the Afghans yesterday. I started by placing them in a shot glass of water for about 6 hours. Once all of them dropped to the bottom, I transfered them to some wet paper towels. Looks like 4/5 have cracked so far in less than 24 hours. The tap roots are still tiny, but I might go ahead and put them in the soil.

My bagseed plant is on day 11 and is looking a little better after taking her out of the direct sun. She still got a few hours of direct light, but it wasn't as intense under the screen. I'm going to throw in some organic, non-burning nitrogen pellets and see how she takes em.