Photoperiod Subtropical perpetual outdoor guerilla grow with Connoisseur Genetics: crosses of Neville's Haze, Thai, SSSDHaze, Mullumbimby, Kariba

Spring-Summer Grow Begins -- Maria among the Hazes!

Day 41


Haven't visited for a while.
Weather has been typical for this time of year -- rainy, wet, foggy, misty, not much sun, but the temps are warmer at around 25C-30C during the day, and over 20C at least overnight.

Guerilla growing is a pretty cool thing, even if I must say so myself!
Guerilla growing in an abandoned set of apartment buildings, makes it even cooler.
Guerilla growing at a site where you have to walk through a large abandoned garage that has become a giant bat-cave, well, things don't get much more awesome than this!!!
🦇 🦇 🦇

But note to self: bats start waking up around dusk.
So there's a few dozen of them flying above and around me today as I went in.

Then, just to hype up the adrenaline, when I get out of the cave, there's a pack of wild /stray dogs there!!
Woof! Woof!
🐶 🐺 🐶
I freak out a bit more, and yell at them (woof back at them!) -- until they get the idea and leave.
Another guerilla garden I had about 30 km from here a few years ago also had wild dogs, but they were super aggressive and would run at you in packs, whereas these ones are more chill -- luckily!

Eesh! Blood pumping now, for sure.

Anyway, I get to the garden.
My biggest concern for this grow is:
Will they really just go into flower and flower out properly, given it's spring going into summer?
Or will they freak out a bit, and veg like crazy, giving me giant plants in medium-small pots?
Daylight hours right now are about 13/11, increase slowing down, with max of about 13.5/10.5 in late June.

Well, to answer that question, here they are:
PXL_20240502_095416574.jpg


Top left is the two re-vegging SSSTN.
Bottom left is the three Grail x ThaiFricans + the little L'n'L Jones.
Right is the re-vegging Grail (NHz x MM) + the larger L'n'L Jones.

The bigger L'n'L Jones is looking nice.
Clearly into flower, at least a week I'd say -- so maybe showing sex a bit after a month / day 30 at a guess.
PXL_20240502_095456831.jpg

She's about 35 cm tall, which isn't very tall, but she has only just started flower, so the stretch is really yet to come.

Next to her sharing the pot is the re-vegging NHz x MM (NLD pheno)
PXL_20240502_095503872.jpg

She throwing a few 3-leaflet leaves, so looks like thinking a bit about vegging.
But that usual messy re-veg shape to her, haha!!

In the other pot are the three Grail x ThaiFricans and the one little L'n'L Jones:
PXL_20240502_095429111.jpg
The tall one is obviously a male, and been flowering for maybe 10-14 days I'd guess.
Looks like like the ThaiFrican father to me, similar height and shape.
One pollen cluster was opened, but the "powder was dry" shall we say?
I removed about half of his larger pollen clusters, I don't want to cull him yet, and hard crushed and bent his main stem. Slow him down a bit, and possibly collect some of this pollen later if I want to keep him. (No real need, but can't help myself!)

The two shorter Grail x ThaiFricans under him are both showing pistils, so two more ladies -- yah!
They are just showing pistils, not really flowering, so have the possibility of putting on some more height, for sure.

On the bottom right is the smaller L'n'L Jones -- not looking very happy, to be honest.
A bit stunted. She was kept in a small seedling pot for a little bit, but not long.
I think she probably just doesn't like the wet too much, as she's rather pale (medium diluted for her??)

Meanwhile, over at SSSTN land, these two girls looking fairly confused to be honest:
PXL_20240502_095536161.jpg
Bottom is the first very sticky badass girl, top is the fluffier rounded bud girl.

Another branch of the sticky girl:
PXL_20240502_095529762.jpg
As you can see, the leaf shape is neither full flower nor veg, and the node spacing is still super short.
I'm just going to let them do their thing, for fun.
Maybe they'll move more into veg as the days get longer.
The sticky badass girl is wonderful, and to have another chance at her would be too awesome.

Everyone is looking a bit hungry, but nothing too dire (except maybe that smaller L'n'L Jones).
Wanted to bring in some nutes, but today's situation didn't allow.
May have another chance soon, and will do my usual amendment mix:
Worm castings, organic 2-5-5 pellets, a bit or fine dolomite lime for Ca and Mg, and some kelp meal.
Plenty of rain at this time of year will help break it down and work it in.
Giving a higher PK feeding at the start of flower was what I did last round, and it seemed to work fine.
And then another one after maybe a month of flowering to last them to the end.
By June and July the rainfall drops somewhat, and we have more bright sunshine (and temps up to 35C-39C every day).

The aim is to have these girls finishing in that slightly drier period, and we seem kind of on track for now!

Peace and Love,
~MJS

🦇 🦇 🦇 🐺
 
Garden 2

Grail (fast pheno) x ThaiFrican regs

PXL_20240430_060117868.jpg


Grass in the grass...
Two (and a half) still standing -- both the tall ones.

Still haven't been able to safely plant them out to their in-ground forever homes....
Gave them a hard snap LST to keep them low and out of sight...
 
Spring-Summer Grow Begins -- Maria among the Hazes!

Day 50


Haven't visited or pic updated Garden 1 for 9 days.
During that time it's been fairly warm to hot, 25C-30C.
Maybe rained once a week ago, but not much.
And last few days very low humidity (for here) around 50%!
I was thinking that they are going to be very dry, if not falling over.
And since they were hungry 9 days ago, they're not going to be very happy.

I therefore prepared not only my usual organic flowering amendments,
mostly 2-5-5 (IIRC) pellets, plus some kelp meal, a bit of fine dolomite lime, and another higher PK chicken fert powder,
but also 1 L bottle of mixed Peter's nutrients, two part hydro mix from a long time ago.
I mix the 1 L bottle about 5 x strength, and then drop that into 5-10 liters of the bucket on site topped up with water from the pool.
I dropped half the concentrated bottle, and left the other half hidden near the garden.
Gives them an instant feeding while they wait for the organics to kick in.
Rough and nasty, and not pure organic, but one does what one must in the guerilla garden.

Getting to the garden, they haven't wilted, but they are definitely hungry.
Some lower leaves already yellowed and dropped.
Pots are light, but they can handle it.
Now I have a better idea of how long they can go without watering in this kind of weather.
(Though it's only going to get hotter....)
PXL_20240511_013956781.jpg
Left pot: older L'n'L Jones female, re-vegging Grail NLD pheno female (from last grow).
Middle pot: younger L'n'L Jones female, two Grail x ThaiFrican females (male already removed in this pic)
Right pot: two re-vegging SSSTN (super sticky girl and fluffy girl, from last grow).


Left pot: older L'n'L Jones female, re-vegging Grail NLD pheno female (from last grow).
PXL_20240511_014003146.jpg


Older L'n'L Jones fem:
PXL_20240511_014006845.jpg
She's already taken some pollen from the Grail x ThaiFrican male that I left.
But you can see that she's got nice frost on her.
She's about to put out a big burst of calyxes now, you can see it building up.


Re-vegging Grail NLD pheno:
PXL_20240511_014012487.jpg
Definitely moving in the vegetative direction, as the tops are now all 3 leaflet.
The nodal length is still very very short though, she's a bit hesitant.
I took a cutting from her (see next post) for fun.

Middle pot: younger L'n'L Jones female, two Grail x ThaiFrican females (male already removed in this pic)
PXL_20240511_014017259.jpg


Little L'n'L Jones:
PXL_20240511_014020774.jpg
Slow start, but steady. Thought she would have died without any water, but she's okay!
Maybe she's just slow and will take her time to put on some size before flowering. Here's hoping!

Grail x ThaiFrican One:
PXL_20240511_014024254.jpg
Classic NLD sativa look about her.
A few pollinated calyxes, so there will be some Grail x ThaiFrican F2 seeds in the future.
She's only just starting the stretch, so here's hoping she'll put on some height.

Grail x ThaiFrican Two:
PXL_20240511_014027954.jpg
Shorter but slightly more NLD shape.
Also barely starting to flower, so should have some time to put on some size.


Right pot: two re-vegging SSSTN (super sticky girl and fluffy girl, from last grow).

I think this pic is from the first 'big miss' super sticky pheno.
PXL_20240511_014037146.jpg
I mean, that's not flowering, but it's not really vegging either!
Maybe the feeding will start her in the right direction (?)

And the fluffier 'little miss' pheno:
PXL_20240511_014037146.jpg
Looks almost identical, and equally indecisive about what she's doing!

More pics in the next post or two...

Peace and Love,
~MJS

🦇 🦇 🦇
 
Spring-Summer Grow Begins -- Maria among the Hazes!

Day 57


Apart from some pretty heavy rain over a 36 hr period earlier in the week,
it's otherwise been quite sunny, with daily highs around 23C-28C or so, and the usual strong winds.

The last feeding was good for them, and while they're a bit greener they're still light green not dark.
I think the N levels are about right.
And the organic amendments will slowly work their way in over the next couple of weeks, too.
In addition to the watering from the pond,
I used up the other half of the non-organic mix I left on site last time.
It should be fairly light, maybe just a few hundred ppm.
But that will help with their overall health until the organics break down.

Remember, the big concern with this round was the light hours and flowering:
Will they just go into and keep flowering with 13/11, even though the days are getting longer?
Or will they veg over the summer to 13.5/10.5 and go into flower after a few months?
Or will they just be very confused and not know what to do??
It seems we've got a bit of everything here!



A couple of family shots:

Left pot: Older L'n'L Jones, revegging Grail (NLD pheno)
Middle pot: Younger L'n'L Jones, two Grail x ThaiFricans
Right pot: Two revegging SSSTN (sticky and fluffy)

PXL_20240518_021338418.jpg


PXL_20240518_021344252.jpg


Left pot: Older L'n'L Jones, revegging Grail (NLD pheno)

PXL_20240518_021353696.jpg


Older L'n'L Jones:

PXL_20240518_021401465.jpg


This girl is definitely hitting flowering hard.
She was (kind of accidentally) dusted by the Grail x ThaiFrican male.
But she's definitely putting out more rounds of flowers as well.
Trichomes on the calyxes and inner leaves.
Can definitely see the indica in the mix -- the sensitivity to light, flower formation, trichome dev.

Revegging Grail (NLD pheno):

PXL_20240518_021411135.MP.jpg


She's now also putting out some five-leaflet leaves.
It seems for now she is definitely on "veg" mode, and not "flower mode."
Fine by me, as it will mean she can put on some size.
Node length still very short, though.
She has about 3 or 4 main heads at the moment, with a couple of smaller ones as well.

There's a good chance once her pot-mate L'n'L is finished, another month or more I'm guessing,
she will still be growing strongly and I can give her the whole pot to herself.

Middle pot: Younger L'n'L Jones, two Grail x ThaiFricans

PXL_20240518_021418004.jpg

All looking very happy together.

Younger L'n'L Jones:

PXL_20240518_021423197.jpg

She's already shown some pistils and flipped to three-leaflet leaves up top.
I figure she's either about to hit a sudden growth/stretch point soon, or just be kind of stunted like this until the end. Or maybe she's not entirely sure if she wants to flower.

First Grail x ThaiFrican

PXL_20240518_021428377.jpg

This Grail x ThaiFrican lady is more into flowering.
She's in stretch, and leaflets from five to three points already.
Some nice little side branches showing too.
She is definitely a sativa NLD pheno, so may just keep stretching for a long time.

Second Grail x ThaiFrican

PXL_20240518_021431956.MP.jpg

Pretty similar to the first Grail x ThaiFrican.
Very NLD sativa, similar side branching at this point,
but just keeping a bit shorter and less signs of flowering, for now, though she is female.

I'm looking forward to seeing what this Grail x ThaiFrican cross will throw out.
Obviously something long and sativa, but there are a lot of things in the mix,
so it could lean NvHz, or Mullumbimby, or the Thai, or the Kariba --- some combination of them all.


Peace and Love,
~MJS

🦇🦇🦇
 
Spring-Summer Grow Begins -- Maria among the Hazes!

Day 57

Right pot: Two revegging SSSTN (sticky and fluffy)


PXL_20240518_021437098.jpg

Still on the re-veg mode, but some signs they are thinking more about vegging than flowering right now.
It's a crazy mess in this pot, hahahahaaa!

Sticky
PXL_20240518_021444561.jpg

See the three leaflet leaves there?
She's thinking more about veg, great!
Maybe she can grow nice and big over summer, and see what happens in the fall!

Fluffy
PXL_20240518_021451615.jpg

Also showing the three leaflet.
But not really sure if I want to keep fluffy, to be honest.
Those nanas in mid to late flowering weren't great.
The high is nice, buds a fair bit fluffier than sticky, though.
Leave her to do her thing for now,
but if they really get going and sticky is looking strong,
then fluffy may have to go.


Finally family pic from above:

PXL_20240518_021631020.jpg

Top: L'n'L Jones and revegging Grail
Left: two revegging SSSTN
Right: L'n'L Jones and two Grail x ThaiFrican

Peace and Love,
~MJS

🦇🦇🦇
 
Spring-Summer Grow Begins -- Maria among the Hazes!

Day 76


Almost three weeks since the last photo update.
Weather was okay for a while, but last 7-10 days very cloudy, rainy, wet, foggy, misty, very little sun.
The rain was good in that I didn't have to water or worry about them being too dry.
But I was most concerned that they would be hungry, as they were in need of a top-dressing.
I was just hoping that they wouldn't be all yellow and missing half their leaves...

Had my umbrella due to the rain.
It was good to use in the bat-cave, keep me safe from any spontaneous guano deliveries... :p

Before the plants, here's some wall art that the local kids / taggers put up a long time ago.
As I said before, the kids are alright. Tee hee hee.


PXL_20240606_091728460.MP~2.jpg



On my way up the stairs, I note that the balcony pond has been nicely topped up with fresh rain water.

PXL_20240606_091841785.jpg




A couple of family shots:

PXL_20240606_092036230.jpg



Left pot: Two revegging SSSTN (sticky and fluffy)
Middle upper pot: Younger L'n'L Jones, two Grail x ThaiFricans
Right pot: Older L'n'L Jones, revegging Grail (NLD pheno)

When I saw this, I knew that they weren't really hungry at all.
I also knew that for most of them -- except the earlier L'n'L Jones -- are definitely not flowering, but vegging.
Happy to see that.
I gave them their top-dressing anyway, mostly 2-5-5, plus a few other goodies, including Ca and Mg.
And washed all that down with a light Peters 5-11-26, because I thought they'd be hungry, haha, and it'll take a bit for those organic nutrients to break down and become available.

For a fancier lineup with background pic (Crazy Goofy eating another Crazy Goofy?!?!)

Left pot: Older L'n'L Jones, revegging Grail (NLD pheno)
Middle pot: Younger L'n'L Jones, two Grail x ThaiFricans
Right pot: Two revegging SSSTN (sticky and fluffy)

PXL_20240606_092241004.jpg



PXL_20240606_092246223.jpg




Left pot: Older L'n'L Jones, revegging Grail (NLD pheno)

PXL_20240606_092251945.jpg



The L'n'L Jones is hidden in the front there.
She flowered early, and has been overtaken by the Grail girl.

Older L'n'L Jones:

PXL_20240606_092300724.MP.jpg



She's small, very dark green (when everything else is light green), fairly chunky, and almost mature to harvest.
She also has quite a few seeds in her, from the Grail x ThaiFrican male (already pulled).
I picked out a little bit of bud rot, unfortunately, as the weather has been terrible.
Calyxes are nice and big, what I'd expect from the SSSDH side of things.
Fruity with a bit of chemical / gas in the back.

Revegging Grail (NLD pheno):

PXL_20240606_092308876.jpg



Looking really good!
Lots of tops, 5 and 7 leaflet fans.
So happy to have another chance with this girl.
She still has her red stems, and fairly short nodal length.
But getting a bit bigger and bushier all the time.


Peace and Love,
~MJS

🦇🦇🦇
 
Spring-Summer Grow Begins -- Maria among the Hazes!

Day 76

Middle pot: Younger L'n'L Jones, two Grail x ThaiFricans

PXL_20240606_092315145.jpg


The two taller very NLD girls in the back are the Grail x ThaiFricans.
The more hybrid lady in the front is the later L'n'L Jones.

Younger L'n'L Jones:
PXL_20240606_092320599.jpg


She kind of started to flower, maybe she still is, but the still slowing increasing light hours may have thrown her a bit.
Still, she's a lot bigger than the earlier L'n'L Jones girl, who is in full flower.
And so when she does hit flowering proper, we should get a nice top cola and a few side colas as well.

First Grail x ThaiFrican
PXL_20240606_092324855.jpg


This girl is up to about 80cm now, 32".
Not sure if she's pre-flower doing a nice big stretch, or just vegging and showing sex.
But looks like she'll put on a good size.
Inter-nodal length is reasonable for a very sativa cross.

Second Grail x ThaiFrican
PXL_20240606_092328740.jpg


This girl looks very similar, just a bit shorter, that's all.

Right pot: Two revegging SSSTN (sticky and fluffy)

These re-vegging girls just look like heavily topped seed plants or clones from a distance.
Sticky and Fluffy have just blended together.
Not sure if I can tell which leaves and branches are which.
They're the two happy sisters, so I will just leave them be.

PXL_20240606_092333716.jpg



Damn these two girls look lovely.

I need to pay attention to when to cut down the earlier L'n'L Jones girl.
Everything else is just on full veg mode.
The lesson learned -- the sativas need less than 13.5 / 10.5 to flower.
At this rate, they'll still probably be vegging up until .... when??? ... late July? August?
Then the 12-16 week flowering countdown will begin.
Finish some time around ... who knows?!?! ... November to January, maybe.

Over July-August-September and sometimes October, it's the typhoon season.
This location is fairly protected from typhoons (compared to where I've lived previously),
and these girls get plenty of strong winds to strengthen their stems and branches,
but the risk of surviving the typhoon season is a big challenge.
If I could get to the garden just before a typhoon, I can tuck them away inside the building.
But I can't guarantee I can get to them.

If they veg all summer then flower into fall, they're going to be big plants.
Not huge now, but another two months of summer veg,
plus the early flower stretch,
could easily get up to 2m or so.

Then, big plants in small pots is an issue -- not just feeding, but holding them down in the wind.

Big season in Maria's Bat-Cave Gardens.
Maria among the hazes!

Thanks for joining me in the journey, my friends!

Peace and Love,
~MJS

🦇🦇🦇
 
Connoisseur Genetics' Super Silver Sour Thai Nevil (SSSTN) won second place in the PiffCon for haze / sativa plants.
Was grown with the name Teresa, and the winning plant was just picked from a pack of 5, not a giant pheno hunt.
I've been smoking mine as it continues to cure in the jars.
And I gotta say it is definitely in my top 5 flower of all time.

I just dropped 10 seeds of the 'Sticky' pheno of my SSSTN (re-vegged in this grow) pollinated by a nice ThaiFrican male.
Interested in seeing how they'll go over the summer to fall.
 
Cool site! I've really liked the story so far. Plants look great and for being so hands off I'm impressed.
Thanks for stopping by and the like bombs.
Most plants grow okay by themselves if the conditions are set up well.
Let mother nature do her work.
 
Back
Top