It was a thumb nail sized chunk of bud … khaki colour had a silky feel between fingertips - it literally had no body to it …it just came off when I touched it
The rest of the plant was perfectly healthy, you may be on to something with botrytis …
1 Like
I grew many guerilla plots in northern NJ between latitude 40.9 to 40.7.
Bergen, Morris and Warren Counties. Some years were better than others.
Had a few really disastrous seasons. PM and botrytis tag team the plants when the weather turns cool and damp in late September. Out of desperation I learned to always put a few plants in containers in order to bring them indoors overnights with fans and dehumidifiers. In doing so I was always able to harvest some of the plants when their inground sisters were largely ruined.
As mentioned by @Upstate always search for any squiffy looking leaves growing out of the colas… when noticing bud rot I immediately performed surgery, cutting out the rotten areas, then after removing, spray down the adjacent remaining flowers with some H2O2, in the hope of slowing it down a little. Daily checking of your plants is vital at this stage.
I do not miss the NE for growing outdoors, it can be quite daunting for sure.
5 Likes
Was fortunate not to have the issues as some here.
Didn’t have the pm,mites or anything like that.
2 Likes
@OleReynard nice to meet you mate
Interesting on cold weather survival … I think I’m going to throw a few Madagascan Beans out over winter . that would be cool,
It is Rarely below 12 degrees and hits 18 degrees during the day
I reckon if I sort a sunny position facing the sun with scrubby bush as a windbreak … it could be a bit of fun …
thanks 
Busy sorting beans from some local buds over here …I’m gunna be at this for ages by the look of it lol
3 Likes
Good to meet you also @livingthedream.
That’s exactly what I’m doing living the dream.
Yeah it gets alot colder here.
2 Likes
Yup. Thats what it was. Kind of like cotton candy consistency. If it pulled away easily I believe that’s what it was
1 Like
Thanks for contributing everyone. What kind of ground does someone choose in a wet climate? For instance we have been told about slopes that face the morning sun. They warm quickly in the morning , and any Frost Burns off quickly . We have talked about Frost pockets, and about growing in higher ground with wet ground beneath it, so the roots will penetrate to get the deeper water. How do you all prep your soil? I normally have a clay soil where I am. Grey and reddish. I avoid the gray ( when possible)as it is not fertile, and it gets very waterlogged.( it can be fixed) The redder type is fertile, and when mixed with adequate compost/ manure it becomes a very nice soil. I always add horse manure because its nearly 2/3 air and other manures are closer to 10%. All manures are good of course and I would use whatever is at hand, increasing perlite for drainage. This is another reason I use mulch. If someone walks across your patch in the offseason and sees perlite they will know what it is used for … if I don’t have access to manure or compost, I take advantage of my wet climate. In the springtime there is no need to water a compost pile as Mother Nature does it for you. Turn over your soil and set aside all the weeds and whatever else you’ve pulled out of the ground . Mix in plenty of leaves from last fall and things like brown grasses. Any brown crispy material free of weed seed heads. Add some sphagnum moss if you can find some nearby… I am referring to the naturally growing living variety of sphagnum. Use the dead portion and replace the living portion so it continues to grow. The dead stuff Lies Beneath the living layer and sometimes is a foot thick or more. Something similar should be in your area. Add some blood meal to get the microlife humming, (and for nitrogen to decompose the leaves )and whatever other nutrients your heart desires, some dolomite to keep the pH in check, and when you come back in a month or two your hole will be full of compost and worms. Learn where Native Shrubbery and small trees prefer to grow. For instance I know that if I plant near blackberries the soil is fertile soil and well drained. Certain types of brush like it waterlogged and some prefer well drained. They are clues to weather extremes. For instance you guys mentioned risks of floods. Even flat ground can get waterlogged . Plants are a clue as to if this happens during the year or not.Trees are the same. Not all species can handle being waterlogged . Do the plants you are looking at prefer acidic conditions? If so you will need extra lime. My area has lots of limestone, but I do not think this is typical for wet areas. I always add some lime to the soil, because the rains are acidic and our soil is calcium poor. However, we have plenty of magnesium in our local soil, so I use calcitic lime now, instead of dolomite lime to avoid pushing my soil out of balance with too much magnesium. Nutrients leaching out of the ground can be a concern in wet climates. Contrary to what you might think, I mulch in this area. I keep the mulch from touching the stalk of the plant. It acts as camouflage, and keeps the Choppers from spotting any dirt patches early in the year before the canopy fills in. The microlife love it and the remains become compost. This is where all those weeds you pulled out earlier will come in handy. This is what they are used for. If your soil drains well, it doesn’t matter how much it rains. The soil never becomes waterlogged. For swampy ground do the exact same thing except found your soil of about 2 feet above the surrounding ground like a grave. you won’t have to go back the whole season if you sex your plans first. Well that’s all for now guys. What do you all do for prep in your area? What other tricks and tips can you provide us?
3 Likes
It’s the only way you can Harvest most indica dominant genetics. I’ve resorted to that myself. If you keep breeding with them they will go a little later each year without developing mold.
1 Like
I’m doing autos this year outside because of the wet and humid climate so they finish before October. Some won’t haha
Tips I would give others for growing in my environment and of course there are exceptions:
Shake off plants after rainfall
create a molehill to help water runoff (raised planting)
Everything you cut away to make room for your plants can become mulch
Clear a little around your plants so they have room to breathe
Wind is your friend.
Sun is your friend
Walls are your friends
Trees are your friends as long as you can see the sun from the plants position at some point during the day
Don’t plant in a dip
Loose soil is good as long as it’s not Sandy
Copper rings work wonders for slugs and snails.
Planting later as in june and July can sometimes work better.
Rocks are not your friends. They make pools
Carrying in compost is a pain but is worth it.I
Hardening off sucks, don’t do it. Start them outside.
4 Likes
Your my brother from another mother lol. You sure said all that a lot quicker than I did LOL!
2 Likes
Haha what a mother. I forgot to say try autos! There’s a ton more stuff but simpler is better and plant and plant and plant and plant… How many times was that? 4? And plant again hehehe backups for your backups means you get one for sure.
3 Likes
I’ve been looking a bit harder at autos these days but find myself going later rather than earlier. I just want to try something different from what I’m used to. I’ve looked at Auto Malawi, and auto Zamaldelica from Ace. They perked my interest. Over the years I’ve been breeding the same couple strains over and over and over again. Since 1991, I’ve added 5 weeks to the harvest time by selecting for sativa qualities in the buzz in one of them , and mold resistant ( ish)afghani based plants in the other since 98. Everyone wants quicker flowering plants, and I went the other direction. Any autos in particular you would recommend? Since I smoke all day for pain, Zero burnout is a must, unless you know of a super secret indica type auto that just has to be tried.
5 Likes
I haven’t done an outdoor in a while. This thread has me thinking this is the year. Soil here is generally pretty good. I’m going to put a few auto seedlings in the ground and throw a bunch of gaia green power bloom around it…then just cross the fingers.
1 Like
I’m new to autos myself but I like these blueberry autos I’m growing at the moment. Your seeds sound really cool I’m looking for something like that too. it’s all about dialing into your area, I’m at 52n so my growing season is done and too wet and cold by October for most things and flower is usually triggered in August so it’s brown trousers moments which suuuucks HahaHaha
4 Likes
Yup. Do it. Be careful but do it.
Yeah you’re up there. The weather changes fast that far north. Those short days can drag out flowering times too. My stuff still wasnt quite done at 49 north on nov 7th, and it finishes three or four weeks earlier at 42n. Branches alternate starting early august and seeing hairs mid month. We can have a frost by the end of august on occasion and usually have one or more by the second or third week in september. Temps are consistently in the 30s at night from that time on, and the length of time at those temps is 12 hrs by the end of the month. By October our high temperatures drop into the 50s and 60s and lows usually hover around 28 to 35. Frost can stay on the plants until 10 or later in some cases. They are quite crispy to the touch. The plants that handle it best really wilt. By mid month it snows. Its likely quite similar to you except for daylight hours. Plants have to be able to handle a frost here for sure to go with reg genetics.
1 Like
Do these blueberry autos have that blueberry taste and smell? In 1991 when I first started growing my strain it smelled snd tasted like blueberries. I’m pretty sure that’s what it was. The Speedy Buzz the weed gives reminds me of thai and mexican tales of old, and i know dj short used both in blueberry. Thefts took the blueberry out of my line. I now have a Hashy smelling pheno, and a straight in your face strawberry smelling pheno, but without the strawberry flavor. Tasty but not strawberry. And not Blueberry anymore. I have a quarter of a baggie full of seeds from 2008 from a blueberry female and though they seem viable, I only got a few that sprouted and died when I tried last year. I’m hoping to get it back and have been researching germinating old seeds, along with following that thread here at OG.
1 Like
I’m in Southern Cali, it’s fairly humid. Average is 68% For me, Indicas tend to be the issue outside with their denser buds and early flowering. Slugs I handle long before my plants go in the ground. I get them really late winter - early spring. I actually just killed them all off recently. Threw slug pellets around the perimeter of all of my planters and veggie patch. They quickly disappeared. The biggest problem here is caterpillars and if even a few get through and damage a bud, the humidity will set in and they’ll mold. Later flowering hybrids and sativas seem to do much better. I also companion plant with marigolds and nasturtiums as beneficials and sacrificials to aphids. For really wet humid climates, one could always just plant late autos en masse as they will finish quicker. Less time for mold to set in, especially if planted say beginning of July.
Edit: Almost forgot, I give my plants aspirin foliars and drenches to strengthen their immune systems too. Someone mentioned LAB as a mold preventive on a thread here as well. I’m gonna mix up a big batch this year and try it as well.
4 Likes
I will let you know on taste and flavour but checkout my grow thread incase I forget as I’ll report back there, still early days.
Edit @Meesh I heard h2o2 can help too.
1 Like
What a great idea! I can’t believe i didnt think of that myself! This spring before planting i will do that. Fall seems a better time, but too late for that now. The source of the mold with those caterpillars always seems to be their poop. What we need is an organic recipe to get those little bastards constipated LOL!!! I never had many issues with caterpillars with my own varieties, but I grew Panama and Malawi from ace seeds last year, and I did have a few caterpillars in the Panama plants. Very easy for me to spot and I managed to get to them before there were any issues. I used to companion plant when I was younger. Your post has just reminded me. I remember things like basil and oregano and marjoram are supposed to make tomatos more vigorous, and more flavorful. So back in the day I figured I would try it out with weed as well. As a nice bonus, near Harvest time I was able to make one hell of a spaghetti sauce! I remember Nasturniums are supposed to get rid of root nematodes correct? And marigolds are a deer deterrent. Which one do the aphids go for? I never had aphids on my own heirloom varieties, but they enjoyed the Panama. They weren’t hit very badly, and i was able to kill them with one dose of neem and squishing by hand.( My own heirloom variety was less than 5 feet away and untouched by aphids or caterpillars.) I have also found later maturing varieties mold less in my area. September is one of our driest months, and that weather usually holds out until the first or second week of October when the rains and snow come in. The humidity has usually Faded by this time of year as well, although last year we had a very humid September. Mid October is generally the end of our season without a greenhouse here.
How do you make this, and what does it do exactly? Can you make it out of Willow branches?
2 Likes