Dig a small ditch circle about a meter in diameter, or any kind of swale design. Throw that dirt in the middle, that increases the layer of fertile soil, and the circular swale catches extra water that sinks into the ground. Also if you get frost it will freeze in the ditch but not in the higher middle.
Throw kitchen scraps in the middle, and nettles, dandelion, thistle, any weeds that are common in your area. They have deep taproots, and contain lots of minerals that break down fast and become availabe to your plant.
Cover the inside of the circle with cardboard and/or newspapers, to keep the weeds from growing and to retain moisture. Drench with water.
Throw horsemanure on top of that. Horse owners mostly give it away for free.
Cover with hay and straw, tree leaves, grass clippings, whatever you can find for free or cheap.
Get some certified organic compost, cut a hole in the center of your circle, through the cardboard/newspaper, add a couple of handfulls of compost and sow your seed or transplant your seedling. The surrounding mulch will protect it.
Good and easy way to start. You can keep adding random organic matter whenever you feel like it, the more the better.
Sow a nitrogen fixing cover crop mix in the circle as well if you wish, stuff that stays low, clover for example. Plant a couple of cloves of garlic, onion and chives too perhaps. It keeps the nasties away.
Well, there were some 8’ tall bushes growing there, so he’s been using his saws-all on roots and alternating with digging the soil out. The roots are going fairly deep so I hope it drains well. I’m more giving him pointers and guiding how he’s doing it. It looks like he’s going about 18" deep for it.
Sounds like you’re good on your drainage most likely. That is a lot of top soil. If it good why not just work some compost in, add some blood meal and bone meal, earthworm castings and give them some cal-mag along the way and you should be good to go. I grow 1# plus plants that way yearly. It’s about as hillbilly simple as it gets
Not a problem, permaculture creates new soil. On the north side of the circle I described you can perhaps sow buckwheat (nitrogen fixer), the big roots improve claysoil. Once it blooms you chop it down and use it as mulch, the deep roots die off and turn into fertile soil, replacing the clay.
Don’t be afraid to add a bucket of urine diluted with water either. Once every couple of months perhaps.
Your soil will improve year after year, just keep adding organic matter, also banana peels, they contain lots of phosphorus and potassium.
I have all blue clay… but we also had an old volleyball court. 16 inches of sand with drain tiles under that. I til up the ground, dig, or use my auger, holes then add
my amended soil. Top dress with worm castings, peat moss and straw throughout the grow.
I get some Huge plants!
Yes Sir. That should work great. I also should say you don’t need huge plants to produce a lot of smoke. It’s not hard to turn 5# for personal use outdoors with just a few plants in good soil. I am dropping seed today when I get off of here. To grow those true giants it takes a big hole, great soil, a long grow season and lots of supplements. Some of those guys veg all winter and put bug plants out. I know a guy who dug up his outdoor plants after they finished flowering, cut them back and reversed them. He has kept them going all winter indoors and is going to put them back out this spring. Takes a lot of space but I’m curious to see how that works out
I’m a female grower…
Don’t purposely grow big… they just do.
That is crazy about reversing his grow like that. Is this his first time doing so?
Not that I want to. Curious tho…
One amazing plant, for sure.
I usually start from seed, unless looking for something special. Then I’ll start early make sure it’s a female, try it, then clone.
Oh, I like regular seeds, too.
Sorry, I did assume that by your username but it’s great to see Lady growers here. About the reversing, he has a guy who is an oldtimer like me who claims he has done it before. I have seen the plants about a month ago, they where in approximately 50 gallons of soil, in a greenhouse where he had just moved them with supplement lighting. They all looked good, not great, about 4-5 foot bushes. I think it will work, but not something I would do unless it was real special and I didn’t get a clone. It would be a lot of trouble.
Like you I don’t want huge plants, they are to easy to see.
I usually run photoperiod seed also. This is the first year I have regretted it. I have just decided to run several different strains and now I’m not going to have time to sex them before they go out. I will have to take cuttings asap and sex them so I don’t have to take care of them all summer
I grow trees. Outdoor exclusively. I start mine outside under the sun in starter soil, then 2 uppots in organic soil until they are in 2 gallon pots. Wait for the solstice until they show sex, then the females go in the ground. I only use fabric pots for their final destination if I’m gonna do a full container grow as transplants from those fabric pots are a pita and super traumatizing as you literally have to tear the roots from the fabric. Plastic is best when you are root building and plants still need transplants
Many reasons… First, I have space for 9 plants spaced 5 feet apart, I don’t want to waste a spot on a possible male that I would have to pull, so I have to wait for them to show sex. I could start any fem seeds straight into the ground, but I have more control over moisture levels, none of my pets stepping on my seedlings, birds grabbing the sprouts or bugs eating them when they are tiny when I use starters and let them get a bit bigger. Cannabis seeds are pricy compared to just some $2 packet of say corn seeds with 100 in a package that you just direct sow and thin out later. Doesn’t matter much if 20 of the seeds don’t germinate or get taken out by critters or drowned from watering etc… Just how I roll… You only get one window to germ your seeds. If you lose most to elements etc or they turn male right at solstice, there’s no way you are replacing them until the next year. I like to ensure my success by playing it smart. Of course my Feminized seedlings can go to ground sooner as I don’t have to worry about a male. I did have a fem herm last year. That sucked. Left an empty spot in my patch.
I grew outdoors in fabric pots that were bought at a hydro store, not supposed to be some Chinese crap and guess what, handles ripped.
If you go with them, just don’t move them when they are soaking wet, drier the better to move, but def give a good amount of water (not overwatered, but I assume this helps the new and old soil integrate) when transplanting is what I’ve heard.
Not sure if anyone mentioned it, just skimmed quickly, my two cents worth.
