Come grow with me by HCG (week 4 and on)

You’re correct. Brown sugar contains molasses which will help feed the microbes in the soil. Just an alternative for substituting molasses, since most people will have it in their pantry.

2 Likes

That’s what I was guessing @FloridaSon … doesn’t seem like they would be able to make a huge difference in 24 hrs. I like the idea of doing things like that (organic style of gardening) Philosophy of “feeding the soil” and plants will benefit accordingly makes a lot of sense to me. I haven’t typically done things like that but plan to start trying things like that myself.

1 Like

I’m also trying to get away from commercial aspects of the grow. I still have another year to go on my 1st compost pile. After three years it’s supposed to be good to go.

2 Likes

@Nepa Howdy! Didn’t do a dang thing to mine and we figured out the guy was bogus as he never showed the before pics. I’ve heard both sides yes it does something and no it’s an ‘old wives tale’ I am leaning towards an old wives tale and I know others that will say just the opposite. I guess it boils down to a scientific test one with and one with out.

3 Likes

@highcountrygal I wouldn’t be surprised that feeding the soil with a bit of a brown sugar solution might help a bit. I’ve been trying to study up a bit (there are some interesting vids on utube about growing cannabis organically) about KISS organic style gardening. Most of them are big advocates of compost teas made of some sort of diluted compost w/ molasses and run in a plastic bucket for a day or so with an air bubbler running in it to promote growth of microbes. Water the plants with the compost tea and they love it … or rather soil microbes love it and thrive accordingly. Something for you to consider … might be difficult for you since you have such a large garden and you have so many thirsty girls to take care of.

1 Like

I forgot where it is on here, but milk is also supposed to be beneficial…

I’ll find it…

You can decide for yourself if this would be worth trying as well…

2 Likes

@Nepa I am a total outside grower, and I love it! I don’t pinch, tie, wire, stake. I do not feed a lot of stuff because I believe they can become toxic really quick and sometimes less is better, and lol, weed has been around a little bit longer than me and seems to have survived for thousands of years and something made you come back for more so I kinda think natural can work. I use 5 gal buckets, a good mix of different soils, gypsum, Super Thrive, a pinch of acid food, fish gunk, a pinch of bone meal ‘Open Sesame’, ‘Beastie Bloomz’ and ‘Cha-Ching’ (Amazon.com). and all the water they can drink. Now just so things I say make more sense I am in a wheelchair, have to be able to move or manipulate if necessary, so the bigger the more awkward, so I try to keep them manageable. The more stuff, the bigger, the harder to handle. And honestly I do not know what possessed me to sprout all of these seeds. I currently have a total of 20. 5 are almost done, 7 I am waiting to sex, 6 ILGM seeds F and 2 I am just growing because they are trying to.live. Did you see my '17 grow? I planted 8 seeds and ended up with 6 F and from those 6 I harvested 1 + lbs.

4 Likes

Love that approach to growing you have @highcountrygal country. That’s exactly the type of thing I have planned to do this time. I’m doing it indoors though but believe in the less is better approach. I see so many others putting so many things on them it seems like they are all creating problems. It’s a weed right? I did see some of your pics from your 2017 grow that you posted. Looks awesome to me … also love the way you have your backyard setup with fruit trees and roses … looks like a lovely spot!

3 Likes

I think @Nepa probably has the sugar thing figured right. It will feed the soil microbes and then the roots will feed on what the soil offers. The roots will take what they need and leave the rest.

Lot’s of ways to do things, this forum gives me a way to learn about different ways of growing. I’m kind of like my plant…I take what I think I need, and leave the rest. To each their own :grin:

4 Likes

@Nepa I am laughing so hard and can’t stop! I am always saying to my friends 'It’s a damn weed for gawd’s sake" They get so mad ,No it isn’t" Okay what ever! Exactly how I feel, how can you tell what’s doing what? I have no deficiencies, no problems and my gals are a very deep forest green, the pics do not do the color justice. Thank you! I love my little spot of heaven. I’ve lived here 30 yrs and never once have I ever tired of it. The big center area was a pool , I wanted garden area so I had it imploded! So where abouts are you growing? San Diego’s East Co. here.

1 Like

@mulegal Ah there you are! Thought maybe you got a boat! I just thought of something, Willa will be getting ready soon do you have a drying area set up? I use hangers with clips to let them hang dry. I am thinking mine may be ready at the end of next week and I need to fix up my dry room. Grilling baby backs so I’ll be back!

2 Likes

Ya raining like a crazy thing. Went to town to get some food in the house. Too wet to do anything around here today.

I have a basement under the old part of my house. I have a dehumidifier down there to protect my pack gear and saddles. I also have some clothesline strung up to dry clothes in the winter when it’s too wet outdoors. Figured I’d use that setup and hang on the clothes line. Just went down and checked… 55% humidity, but the machine was off, not sure for how longso it could have been climbing some. I’m sure humidity outside is about 95% hahaha Pretty sure I can get it set lower if need be. Have been reading that some folks put in paper bags after a while, to slow down the drying. I dunno. Thoughts appreciated HCG

WillaJ is looking GOOD. Tomorrow is 9 weeks .

2 Likes

@mulegal It’s so dry here during harvest in the fall that sometimes I can skip drying. Just get it dry, check often and when the are spongy then it’s time to trim from trim to drying ‘basket then re trim and into jars with a boveda pack (Amazon.com) I think 62.5% Now since you will be growing a decent amount in the summer consider one of these I can’t find the pic but it is a layered mesh dryer that has 6 2’ circ. ‘baskets’ that hook together with those plastic snaps on dog collars and then hangs from where ever you want you can use all 6 or just one. This is for after you trim to dry then to the jars. I will get you through this. I am going to look for that pic.

1 Like

Yeah I’m kind of lost here. I cut off the branches with the buds on them and hang upside down with fan leaves removed? in dark with fan? So far so good? Then when stem will almost crack when bent, I trim the buds and sugar leaves off the stem? These buds I dry in the drying rack?

It is not that dry here in the summer. It is an irrigated farm valley and lot’s of water around. I bet you are much drier. Maybe I get one of those thermometer hydrometer things …if they can be had for cheap.

2 Likes

Oh in Walleyworld today, I saw several people rolling carts with cases of canning jars stacked in them. Not really the time of year for beans and pickles. I had to smile. Must be winter harvest.

3 Likes

Right now just concentrate on her making colas. When the time comes you will see the done ones but before you cut check and see if there is a bud or two that aren’t quite done, leave those to still grow. In the next while or so you will see the big fan leaves and bottom leaves dying out cut those and toss. The closer it gets the less big leaves will be left. Here’s what some of mine looked like. It will be the next pic. this is one section of the drying tray.


Just harvested and waiting for a space in my back bedroom


My drying rack I had to scramble to get it together, again act first, think last.

You can see there is nothing taken off yet. When spongy then I trim


and trim and trim

Then I re-trim each bud to get what I missed and then I separate the buds to size and jar them. Once in the jar you ‘burp’ them (open up the jar to let air out) this is a good time to smell for mold and I do it 3 x’s aday for a week or so then down to 2 x a day then to 1 x a day then weekly and eventually when you get some out I call that a burp check. I had to go to bigger jars from here because I put all sizes in the same jar. I will be right there wid ya chickie

5 Likes

Thanks much girl. Yes, I’m focusing on her bud growth now. I figure at least a month before she’s ready. Wait till you see her tomorrow on her weekly photo op. Looking pretty good for a little auto I think.

So you looking at about another week? Do you flush the last week?

2 Likes

I’m about to start my first grow, an indoor 4 x 4 tent setup, @highcountrygal.and I live in central east coast area. So I’m pretty amazed that you can have such success with growing things so well over winter and early early spring. I’ve enjoyed reading your journal. It’s great to see you have success with the minimalist approach you use.

3 Likes

@highcountrygal

Well, Well…Woundering what’s up here. i’m going to check into this a little. Cause if they are posting BullSh***t I will find out or maybe like you said do it more than once or even more or less brown Sugar they never said. Well I went and found out what’s up with the sugar

Add to every watering through out flower this will and should do the trick for ya. What was going on with the plants in the video not a clue. I think we were all take’n in by this " OVER NIGHT " Thing…cause as they say if it’s to good to be true It’s is…

Will

7 Likes

@mulegal Good mornin’! You are welcome! I hope the visuals help. I learn better by seeing something. While looking through my pics I found a bunch I forgot about. I’ll put some up later.
I am so confounded different than everyone else, I flush every evening when I water for the very reason of flushing out built up nutes. I think it is used more for indoor?
Has the rain stopped yet? I bet it is lushes green there now. How are the seedlings? Hey I tried something new with gypsum I put some in my watering can added water let it sit a bit stir it up and water with it, oh so much quicker!
I am hoping they will finish soon as all the summer plants are really getting big fast and I will soon be using my 5 gal pots. They are so sticky and they are starting to smell. The buds are tightening up next to the stalk, colas, and I am seeing some red pistols. I am on my way outside, now.

2 Likes