New Grower 2 failed grow attempts & what I learned.

[Mellow Yellow]

A very special thank you to Mellow Yellow for allowing us to move this thread to the New Grower sub-Forum.

I have tried unsuccessfully to grow some buds outside. Here's some of what I learned.

1st grow, I hurried and bought some seeds and germinated them and put them in some soil that was way too hot and I burnt them to a crisp. Not even a sprout came up!

2nd grow attempt, I slowed down "some" (not enough apparently) had a friend on here that tried to help me by giving me some very good guidance.

Since I was not able to readily obtain Promix BX as everyone suggests, I used the only thing I could get in a pinch.

MG Organic Potting Mix & Perlite mixed together, PH checked and it was around 6.0.

Germinated some seeds placed my soiless mix in 3 gallon grow bags with chicken wire around them for critter control and tried to hide them in the area I was going to attempt my outside grow.

All began well. I was starting to see some green coming up in a couple of bags and then someone found one of them and threw my bag. That was ok, It was a bag that I hadn't put anything in yet so I was ok with it and even got the grow bag back.

I had scoped this area out and thought all would be good with the rest of them and was excited to see some green starting to show in a couple.

I had a bag with Fast Bud, Russian Rocket Fuel, Flash Cobra & Auto Assassins spread out in the six remaining bags I had out.

I thought I'd be a little more stealth and wait to check them at night since one bag had been found and dumped. We had several days of hard rain and I figured that it was good and I just let them go for a couple of days without checking them.

I was excited to get to my area and look at the progress of my
little babies. Wouldn't you know it, the two fields I had my Fast Bud & some Flash Cobra's and some Auto Assassins in had been mowed when I returned!!!

They haven't mowed these fields in a very long time! Three more bags gone!

That's OK, I had 5 bags left and 3 of the 5 had some green sprouting.

I checked my Russian Rocket Fuels that were sprouting only a couple of days before and looked and low and behold, NOTHING! The sprouts were dead!!! Too much rain perhaps.

I checked another bag and I have one AA sprout still growing.

I checked the rest of them and no life what so ever!

I figure the rain drowned them.

So, I now have a total of two bags and two sprouts still alive at this point.

So what I learned?

You can't rush growing and if you don't have the right stuff, it's not even worth trying to grow. Instead of putting my grow bags in the field, I should have put them in the fence row. Even if they'd have cut the field, they'd have been OK in the fence row.

It is said that we learn more from failure than success, so I figure I've learned some valuable lessons with these attempts.

I will germinate my seedsin the spring and get them growing before I put them in my grow spots. I will have Promix this time as well.

Oh well I will try again in the spring. I wish I could do an inside grow, but my wife is not MJ friendly at this point. So unless someone has a strain that doesn't stink your house up, I am screwed until next spring!

So if any of you have mercy on me I will acept any and all buds that you don't want!! hahahahaha.... Just kidding!

I look at it this way. I will have all winter to study up on growing some buds for next year and I'll have all winter to obtain all my stuff for the next attempt and who knows, by spring maybe my wife will change her mind or my state will pass the Medical Marijuana law and it'll all be good.

I appreciate all the help and info you've all provided to me and I have my job for the winter now. Study and learn!
:cry:

 

[Muddy]

Jeez, sorry to hear that MY. I know how much you were trying to get a small harvest in before the winter.

I've never been a fan of planting seeds directly in pots, or bags, outdoors. I much prefer to start them indoors and move then outdoors once they sex, or in the case of feminized seeds, at about 3 weeks or when they have 4-5 nodes. I think it greatly increases the germination rate and their chance of survival.

But I like your attitude. By next spring you'll be all set to go and won't have to rush things. If you've got a little area, even as small as 2' x 2' you could set up a small indoor area with a carbon filter to handle the odor. I would be big enough for 3-4 plants and your Mrs. wouldn't smell a thing!

 

[Nelson]

I hear your distress and will add my voice. Muddy's advice is 100% right first of all. Second it sounds like you are planting on someone elses land. It is a no no to do that. It is just not right if they find them they will destroy them or call the law. If you have to plant on someone's property you have to go for the unbeaten path. The swamp is good no one goes in there and the sun is good because the trees all die and the sun shines on through. There is usually a mound that will work out for you to place your container on where it will be dry enough. If it doesn't rain you will have to water but it is usually easy to find after all it is a swamp. We don't have snakes or crocs up here so be carefull if you do where you are from. Buy yourself a pair of high rubber boots and some good insect repellant you will need both. It has an added bonus the thieves don't go in the swamp either so you will probably get your pot at the end. Pick something for a type that matures quite low not the six footers they are easy to spot growing. Good luck on your next try.

 

[AndyBotwin]

Bummer, MY. Outdoor growing, especially stealth growing on public land, is tough to do. Back when I did it, I never really counted on more than 10% of my plants making it to harvest. Just too many uncontrollable factors that can end your grow. I used to get all my plants started inside and grow them as large as possible before transplanting, and that helps the odds tremendously.

I'm in the same boat when it comes to a wife who is unfriendly to MJ. We pretty much have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy where she would just rather not know what I'm doing. Fortunately I have a basement area where I can grow that she never goes in & doesn't have the keys to. Like Muddy said, if you can find a small private space, you can at least keep a couple of plants in constant rotation. Check out my sig to see the small box I'm using, and there are several other cabinet grows in the indoor section. If nothing else, look into PC-case growing, which can be done pretty much anywhere with nobody knowing. Carbon filters will help you keep it stealthy.

Stick around & I'm sure with all the combined expertise on AFN we can come up with something that will get you growing. :thumbs:

 

[Joe Dirt]

Man, that's why I love this place... brothers and sisters supporting brothers and sisters.

We don't have snakes or crocs up here

Nelson, as someone who is close enough to walk to one of the largest deltas in the US, I was thinking: "you are out of your mind" until I got to the part I quoted above, LOL. Heck! Between the pigs, snakes, gators, TIDAL SURGES (LOL), etc., the only thing you could be sure about in the swamp here is, nobody is gonna come looking for it.

But, like you said:

so be carefull if you do where you are from.

 

[Jackal]

I'm sorry you had so many problems, it really sucks. But like you said lessons learned. That makes you a better grower, learning from your mistakes. I know have learned alot from mine. Hang in there thou it will get better with knowledge learned. Get yourself a carbon filter, like suggested if you have a little spot inside to grow.

 

[Mellow Yellow]

Thanks to all of you. A carbon Filter Hmmmmmm... I must learn about this!

Not to sound like a total newbie, even if I am what is it and where do I get one?

Do I see a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel?

I could hide it in my crawl space. The wife doesn't go in there at all unless she's getting seasonal decorations and they are stored at one end. It's a very large area and I've been gonna do some work in their anyway.

I'll have to look at this closer.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Dang MY! You have a crawl space available?!? Heehee, all hope is not lost.

 

[Nelson]

I don't think I would be planting in your swamp either by the sound of it. Yikes it scares the shit out of me just thinking about it. Closest thing we got to a slightly scarry snake is a rat snake. Occasionly I see the odd moose in the swamp but they are Ok if it is not mating season. But mating season is getting close. I usually take my rifle at that time of the year to scare them away.

Man, that's why I love this place... brothers and sisters supporting brothers and sisters.

Nelson, as someone who is close enough to walk to one of the largest deltas in the US, I was thinking: "you are out of your mind" until I got to the part I quoted above, LOL. Heck! Between the pigs, snakes, gators, TIDAL SURGES (LOL), etc., the only thing you could be sure about in the swamp here is, nobody is gonna come looking for it.

But, like you said:

 

[Muddy]

If you've go a crawl space, depending on the size, you could be growing in no time.

Carbon filters get hooked to an exhaust fan and filter out all the odor from the plants. You can buy a good fan/filter combo for about $120, cheap ones for less. You would need an exhaust fan anyway to provide circulation, and depending on what kind of light, remove heat. If you've got enough vertical space you could build yourself a fine grow area.

Thanks to all of you. A carbon Filter Hmmmmmm... I must learn about this!

Not to sound like a total newbie, even if I am what is it and where do I get one?

Do I see a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel?

I could hide it in my crawl space. The wife doesn't go in there at all unless she's getting seasonal decorations and they are stored at one end. It's a very large area and I've been gonna do some work in their anyway.

I'll have to look at this closer.