QuatroVeinte's 2020 Grow Journal (first in 5 years!)

Hi fellow OG’ers,
First grow in 5 years, due to not having place to grow. A good friend of mine offered me her yard with only a few conditions, and l can grow a few plants in the ground and some in pots in a greenhouse. The g-house is a cheap one at only $140, so l’m not expecting too much, but we’ll see. (I’ll post pics soon)
I modified the greenhouse by cutting and screening two vents at both ends to allow more heat exhaust and ventilation.
I have two stand-type fans for circulation.
The greenhouse is small, 15 ’ x 7’ x 7’. Made from mesh reinforced plastic, it seems fairly decent quality, maybe enough to get two seasons from before replacing plastic?
It’s my first time growing in a greenhouse, and l did no research and am applying many of my outdoor techniques and modifying them as needed.
Likely, many mistakes will be made, but l like a challenge.
I tell my friends that l’m going to hang out with some females that stink and drink a lot. I get funny looks until l tell them what type of females they are!
The seeds were given to me by a friend, who was given by another, so l’m not sure of WHERE they came from, but their containers and the way they were carefully packaged and labeled made me confident the plants were legit plants with good genetics.
I have been pleased in all except for the Northern Lights, which is an auto-flower variety that l wouldn’t have taken. But it’s only one plant.
The other seeds are feminized, except for the PieFace, and the Pink Grapefruit seeds l was given by a friend. Pieface and random sativa just planted a few days ago, so l don’t have pics yet.
All plants are grown using organic, lowest possible concentration of non-chemically produced, homemade fertilizers and teas.

I am growing :
– JR’s ‘Pink Grapefruit’ - a strain a friend was working on. I believe a sativa dom hybrid.
– ‘Critical Jack X Widow’
– ‘Girl Scout Cookies’
– ‘Pineapple Chunk’
– ‘OG Kush’
– ‘Purple Rock Candy’
– 'Northern Lights (AF)
– 'PieFace
– Some random pollinated sativa from a friends crop, fair genetics, but he didn’t grow it right, gonna give it a shot and see what l can do.

All are in G&B raised bed soil mix plus l amended it with about 15-20% coir, due to aridity of where l lived and also to counter some hydrophobic tendencies in the soil mixes.

The pots l will be using in the greenhouse are 12 gallon from farm supply and mounted to roller dollies with zipties to faciltate easier maintenance.

Ground holes dug to 24 ’ ’ with post hole digger, then ‘belled out’ bottom of hole to around 16 ’ ’ diameter. Backfilled hole with potting mixture. Topped off with leaf mulch to reduce moisture loss.

Seeds were germinated using paper towel/baggie method on 4/20 and sprouted and planted on 4/25.

First 2 pics of this sequence are just to show average size and plant root structure on May 8, or 13 days old being transplanted for first time from four inch pots to 1 gallon pots.

Plants are in order from preceding list.







Coming Soon “5 days later, did they survive?”

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??? How long have you been have been have your plants outside… what’s the weather like in your area… or what region are you in???

I only ask because this is my first every grow I’m really looking for some guidance :sunglasses:

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They were planted in soil and put outside on April 25.
I’m in Southern California.
It was 85° today.

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Your plants look great… I’m in Texas and I worry about burning my plant… a couple people have told me harden off my plants before going outside full time… and why do you mulch?

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Welcome to the family!

Mulching is good for a couple of different reasons. It’s going to help maintain moisture in the hot climate. Also once it decomposes it provides nutrients below. Humus layer I think? That and also feeds the fungi and other beneficials

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looking good nice start you have good luck happy growing

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Thanks grow.
Same wishes to you my friend!

Hi B
Thank you and excellent question.
Hardening off is mainly necessary to transition plants from indoor lights to sun.
This can be done by limiting intensity with a patio cover, an umbrella or shade cloth, or by putting plants in only early morn and then late afternoon sun for several days.
Potsy is 100% correct on all points. Thank you, Potsy!
I can add another benefit of mulching:
Mulching , (especially with wood bark or chips, encourages ‘wolf spiders’ on your plants. ‘Wolfies’, as l call them, are highly intelligent predators that will reduce pests like moths and other egg laying and sucking insects like leafhoppers.
They are NOT aggressive towards humans and can be quite beautiful.
I’m not sure, but l would bet you have them where you live.
You need to do nothing more than put a minimum of 2 inches depth of bark down around the base of the plant.
Like they said in ‘Field of Dreams’, ‘‘If you build it, they will come.’’
The wider you go with the bark (out to the branch tips), the better water retention you will get, and having up to 4 inches will REALLY reduce water loss.
I do NOT use rubber mulch in outdoor, in ground gardens.
Good luck with your grow.

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Thank you so much Potsy, for answering that question.
I was super busy and didn’t get to it.
In addition to my garden,
I teach a ‘Farm-to-table’ class at a local Boy’s and Girls club, and therefore, take care of this farm by myself(especially now that there’s no kids until July , fingers crossed they come back then), and am also helping elderly friends with their garden.This is the farm.
I plan on getting chickens this year.



''To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. ‘’
– Audrey Hepburn

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thanks… please keep me update on when you top…LST and all that good stuff… I really hope to be successful on my first grow… thanks again for the response

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