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

[Shiva's Mistress]

Oct 4 2024

Subtropical outdoor guerilla grow with Connoisseur Genetics

Thanks to @ojd 's amazing generosity with the prize from September's pick a number game, I just received today this fabulous little gift in the post.

With options from the whole Connoisseur menu, I've gone with the following selection, some regs some fems, mostly long-flowering haze types, including a lot of the Nevil's Haze X Mullumbimby Madness crosses, the Swiss Thai Nevils, and the ever-famous prize-winning Super Silver Sour Diesel Haze.

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Nevil Schoenmaker’s Grail Project (Regular seeds).
Produced from Nevil's legendary Grail project RIP , the last project Nevil released before he passed.
We owe alot to Nevil for helping build the Canna scene to what it is today and many world famous clones or strains stem from Nevil's work .

7. NH18 x MM pheno 1 = (NH18 x MM pheno 1) x (NH21 x MML Male) (12-16 weeks)

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Nevil Schoenmaker’s Grail Project (Feminized seeds).
Produced from Nevil's legendary Grail project RIP , the last project Nevil released before he passed.
We owe alot to Nevil for helping build the Canna scene to what it is today and many world famous clones or strains stem from Nevil's work .

3. Thai Madness = Swiss Thai Nevil 2 clone x (NH21 x MML clone Reversed) (12-16 weeks?)

(Swiss Thai Nevil 2 = Lime, Lemon , Church , much clearer Pure Sativa High and more classic Thai Terps/High)

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SSSDH OJD Project (Feminized seeds).
OJD's legendary SSSDH cut from Reservoir Seeds Original seed release over 15 years ago

7. Super Silver Sour Thai Nevil = Swiss Thai Nevil 1 clone X SSSDH OJD cut Reversed (10-12 weeks?)

(Swiss Thai Nevil 1 = more spicy, Incense, Church, Frankincense and potent mind warping High, more Nevil Haze leaning)

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Nevil Haze 23 x Kariba (African Sativa) Hybrid Project (Regular seeds).
This project used a selected Nevil Haze 23 x Kariba ( African Sativa) Male from Nevil's Grail project strain NH23 x Kariba and hit to a bunch of OJD's clones. The NH23 x Kariba Female winner (unfortunately not used in this line) was a really special lady. Extreme amazing spicy Frankincense smell/taste, maybe the most Frankincense from the whole Grail project Nevil made from the strains tried, and very potent unique up High. The Male was selected to mirror the Female with it giving up Frankincense terps in vegative on stem rubs etc and same growth/leafs traits.

6. ThaiFrican = Outback Haze 2 clone x (Nevil Haze 23 x Kariba Male) (10-12 weeks)

According to this post here, https://www.icmag.com/threads/australian-outback-feminized-seed.18122824/post-18134559:
Outback Haze = Hempys Thai/ NH21 x NH36 Reversed

So:
ThaiFrican = ((Hempy's Thai x NH21) x NH36 rev) x (NH23 x Kariba).

Makes it 62.5% NH (21, 26 and 23), 12.5% Thai and 25% Kariba.

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Dankincense Project (Regular seeds.)
This project uses my strain Dankincense ( Nevil Haze 23 x Kariba African x Original Diesel) choosing a heavy NH23 x Kariba African from Nevil's Grail project RIP . The NH23 x Kariba strain produces insane Incense/Frankincense Terps/phenos and an amazing 3rd Eye High , opening your eyes up to the Amazing Terps/Highs that a special Haze can deliver.
10. Lemon N Lime Incense = Lemon N Lime Jones (Casey Jones x SSSDH) X Dankincense (10 weeks)

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Correction: Originally thought I had "Lemon N Lime Incense" from the Dankincense Project.
But the bag says "Lemon N Lime Jones", and I'm guessing the bag label should be correct. @ojd ??

Lemon N Lime Jones = Casey Jones cut x SSSDH cut reversed (8-10 weeks)

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One of the SSSTN seeds was crushed in shipping, but the regs all have an extra bean in the bag, so have absolutely nothing to complain about. All the seeds look beautifully mature, deep browns with their stripes still attached. The Lemon n Lime Jones seeds are very large, as are the calyxes on this cross. The Swiss Thai cross seeds are a little smaller, as usual with the Thai cultivars.

Love and hugs,
~MJS

 

[Shiva's Mistress]

This journal is a copy-paste of my grow journal on another forum.
Just kept the essential posts and pics, and didn't copy over the chat.

 

[Shiva's Mistress]

Tag some old growmies...
@Mossy @Waira @Mañ'O'Green @Nosias @Sawney_bean @Son of Hobbes @St. Tom
@FullDuplex @F.N. @blue @Jean-O @AJrexxx @dankstyle J @hecno @SOOTDAWG @TheMongol
@trailanimal @WildBill @Dudeski @pop22 @Teetee
Long time no see my friends!

 

[Shiva's Mistress]

The guerilla grow

My location is between 24N and 27N latitude. Not telling you the exact details, don't ask!
We can consider it sub-tropical, with a Cfa climate -- Temperate, no dry season, hot summer.
Though, this will be a winter grow, starting after the heavy rains and storms of August-September, and aiming to finish around Jan-Feb.
The other growing season here is from early spring harvest, aiming to harvest around June-July before the massive rains set in.

I'm at a slight altitude, about 300m = 1000' above sea level.
Means a bit more rain than down in the flat below.
Apart from these abandoned houses and some other used housing, it is forest / jungle all around.

They will thus be starting at about 12/12, and the winter solstice is about 10.5/13.5. Perfect for hazes and other tropical cultivars such as my selection above.
Photoperiod cultivars will flower in the middle of summer here -- my present avatar pick is a Thai Gold (Thai X Guerilla Gold) from La Buena Hierba, and this photo is late July (IIRC). But I'm sure longer nights will help maturity.

Temps are now just under 30C, which is 86F, during the day, and about 5C / 9F less over night.
Temps in Jan / Feb maybe 15C = 68F, during the day, with absolute minimums of a bit less than 10C = 50F.
We don't get close to frost, no ice, no snow.
Not sure how this will affect the end of flowering, but we'll know in a few months!

The site is on terraces of abandoned buildings, in a very remote area.
There were a number of possible terraces in this large site, but I made a few changes after one place had signs of activity from nearby workers after observing it for a few months.
I should be able to observe if others have accessed the site without going to the plants directly.
The terraces face south, and have almost full-day sun, except for the last rays at dusk.

I will be using cloth pots, as these are best for the heavy rains. I have used cloth pots at another site about 10 kms away, and they work well.
If it gets too dry, I will use large drip trays to pool a little water and wick it up the pot. I will need to pay attention to this, and, like any outdoor grower, constantly watch the weather and rainfall.
I hope to visit every week, though rainfall should be enough.
The next few months should average about 150-250 mm / month, or 6"-10" / month.
I also have buckets set nearby to catch extra rainfall, that I can use for manual watering on site.

One large pot is 20 L = 5 gal, two are 10 L = 2.5 gal, and another is just 8 L = 2 gal.
I am not aiming for large plants, as stealth is important and reducing root zone should help move from veg to flowering.
I will probably start multiple seeds or seedlings in each pot, and select the strongest out of them.
But I will probably also leave a few in the larger pot, as it should be big enough for at least two.

Still deciding if I will germinate and start at home, perhaps in a sunny window, before moving outside.
Or, just direct planting on site.
Probably try the latter with a few seeds, see how they go, and adjust accordingly.

My medium is about 33% coco coir, 33% potting mix (peat, a bit more coir, some perlite), 33% worm castings, and the other 1% is a combination of dolomite lime, kelp meal, chicken manure, diatomaceous earth, and various other local organic amendments across the spectrum.
I've used mixes like this before, and they seem to work out just fine in this environment And I'm growing various veges on the balcony at home with this mix.
I will need to amend with higher PK organic amendments when they are in flower, but for now I'm trying not to have the mix too rich to reduce size and move into flowering as soon as possible.

What else do I need to add?

 

[Shiva's Mistress]

Four seeds of the ThaiFrican (Outback Haze 2 x (NH23 x Kariba)) just hit the soil.
Two small seedling pots, two seeds per pot.
I figure since they're regs, thinning will take place at some point.
Sitting on my balcony, facing the east for lovely morning sunlight.

The pots were already set up, so will have to get onto some more.
Need to do it today now so they all have the same starting day (easier for journalling).

Next will be (two or three) fem Super Silver Sour Thai Nevil and (four to six) reg Lemon n Lime Incense.

 

[Shiva's Mistress]

Four more little seedling pots prepared, sitting in an east-facing window.
Four seeds of the NH x MM regs (two each in two pots) -- need some potential males!
Two seeds of the Super Silver Sour Thai Nevil (in one pot).
Two seeds of the Thai Madness (in one pot).

Originally was going to do what I thought was "Lemon N Lime Incense", but as I was planting, noted that I need to make a correction:

Originally thought I had "Lemon N Lime Incense" from the Dankincense Project.
But the bag says "Lemon N Lime Jones", and I'm guessing the bag label should be correct. @ojd ??

Lemon N Lime Jones = Casey Jones cut x SSSDH cut reversed (8-10 weeks)

Will edit the original post.

As these are 8-10 week hybrids, I'm going to save them for next spring-summer.
And instead added more of the Thai Madness (Swiss Thai Nevil x NH x MM).

 

[Shiva's Mistress]

Oct 14

The Fun Begins!

Day 2 -- from sprouting!

[Day 0 = October 12, 2023, when they popped out of the soil mix.]

Family huddle on the balcony at home, before we go on a big adventure!

At the back, the two larger plastic pots are the ThaiFrican (regs) -- 4/4 germinated.
The two smaller coco coir pots from the left, are the four Grail Project NH x MM F2s -- 4/4 germinated.
Far right smaller coco coir pot is the Grail Project Thai Madness -- 2/2 germinated.
Second from right in coco coir pot is the Super Silver Sour Thai Nevil -- 2/2 germinated, but one is just out of the ground.

Yes, I know what you're thinking!
-- "Maria, leave then at home for another week, let them get another set of true leaves on them, at least!"

Yeah, well, easier said than done. First started them inside at a window from last Saturday to Tuesday, but they only get sun from sunrise to maybe 9 AM if lucky, and little air flow. Was worried they're get very leggy (like the Thai Madness did!) and also worry about damping off (who wants that?!) On the balcony for Wednesday to this Saturday, same amount of sun -- not much! -- but at least they had some nice breeze. The Thai Madness didn't totally flop over, and they all look happy.

But main reason for taking them out now, is that this weekend the conditions are perfect for the plant out, so, carpe diem! Adventure time!! We start off as a family walk, but then it's everyone off to a slightly different location.

Every pot gets some mycorrhiza added before planting in. Those in the coco coir pots just go straight in the hole, no need to remove from the original seedling pot. Then a good water to settle them and keep them going for the next week. I have a large bucket collecting rain water at Building One, about 20L, and it's still very full. At Building Two, the 2nd floor balcony is blocked and flooded like a pond. How convenient!

Building One:

On the 2nd floor we have:
4 X ThaiFrican (reg) = Outback Haze 2 clone x (Nevil Haze 23 x Kariba Male) (10-12 weeks)
In the biggest 20L pot:

There are four in there, one is a little bit late.
I'm putt four regs all together, see what happens.

This location is a south-facing balcony. It is now somewhat overgrown with these ferns, which preserve some moisture on the ground. Together with the big pot, this doesn't dry out too much, so no drip tray needed here. A little big concerned about what may live in these ferns, like giant snails. The wall provides nice cover from the wind and view, but doesn't block the sun.

On the 4th floor we have:
2 X Thai Madness (fem) = Swiss Thai Nevil 2 clone x (NH21 x MML clone Reversed) (11-14 weeks?)
In a medium 10L pot:

These two were fast to germinate, and got long and leggy, but surprisingly didn't fall over (like many seedling this tall do).

These are just glass window sheets lying around on the abandoned balcony. I've wedged the pot between the glass and some wood, and I already know it's very safe against wind. I've added a small drip tray here, and every kind of tried to angle the glass to guide rain water onto the tray. I need to keep an eye on this and the other trays as they are quite deep. A bit of standing water isn't a problem, I feel, as the water will wick up and keep things moist during dry periods. But I don't water a lot of standing water all the time. Will watch the weather, observe the trays and moisture/water levels, and adjust accordingly.

Meanwhile, not too far away...

Building Two:

On the 3rd floor we have:
2 X Super Silver Sour Thai Nevil (fem) = Swiss Thai Nevil 1 clone X SSSDH OJD cut Reversed (10-12 weeks?)
In a smaller 8L pot.

One germinated fairly fast, but there is another in there just below the surface that got covered a little bit when I repotted. I'm fairly confident she will show up soon in her own time.

This is a smaller pot, so the drip tray is even more critical here. This location gets slightly less evening sun, so perhaps this will mean these girls won't dry out as fast. Again, need to keep my eyes on this situation.

That other pot in the background holds a bunch of organic amendments in some coco coir, aging out there in the sun and rain. This means I have some fertilizer on-site when I need to amend later, perhaps around flowering at least, and don't need to move a lot of fertilizer to the site at the time.

On the 4th floor we have:
4 X Grail Project NH18 x MM pheno 1 (reg) = (NH18 x MM pheno 1) x (NH21 x MML Male) (12-16 weeks)
In a 10L pot, actually, I think this must be about 15L. It also holds the moisture quite well.

Great germination here. Again, four regs in one pot let me thin out later if need be, and increase my chances of at least one female and one male. If I get a male at all, I will use to pollinate not just the females of the same cultivar, but also the feminized plants as well. No real room for proper selection of a male, or females for that matter, but if I can make a batch or two of any plants that survive long enough to flower (for the males) and mature in flowering (for the females), these will be great for future growing in my location and climate.

This is just up at the edge of the high balcony. There is this place where the pot fits in perfectly. I think it's originally guttering / drainage of some kind. The pot is very stable here, even in very high winds, as I have checked already over a couple of months now. No drip tray for this pot. It's larger, so holds more moisture, and hopefully this drainage place will also help bottom-watering when it rains. Will observe, though, and add a drip tray if needed.

Wow, what a fun afternoon I have had!

Perfect germination on all strains. (Oh, I haven't dropped any of the Lemon n Lime Jones. Yet.) Though one of the SSSTN is a bit slower than her sister. And these seeds got no special treatment at all. No paper towels, no additives, nothing. Dirt in a pot, seed in the dirt, put it near the sun at a window then outside on the balcony. Zing! Full germination. Full points here to @ojd at Connoisseur Genetics.

Fun, fun, fun!

Love and hugs,
~MJS

 

[Shiva's Mistress]

So, late last night I suddenly had a worried thought --

If I'm using water from that bucket collecting rain water and a balcony turned pond that has a fair amount of algae and stuff growing in it, what's the pH of that water???

Quickly Googled around, and info said algae water can have a pH of 10 and sitting water down to 5 or 5.5. Even though most of that water is from some serious rains about two weeks ago. The rain water here is sometimes quite acidic, so they say...

Holy crap! This is a worry. What I've already doomed my babies with their first watering in their new homes?!

Luckily I have a couple of types of those old fashioned pH test strips at home. Don't use a fancy meter, the strips work just fine, and for a fraction of the price.

So dropped a packet of the test strips in my pocket, and off for a walk we go...

The water in the bucket turns out to be about a perfect pH 7, maybe a fraction less.
The balcony pool water looks like somewhere about pH 6.5 from the color.

Perfect pH, to be honest.
That was a relief.

Watered the smaller pots again since I was there.
They all look fine. Some tiny little second true leaves already poking through.
The long skinny Thai Madness girls are okay, laying about 45 degrees, but heads up. They'll be fine in a few days.

Need to put another water vessel or two on site, to make it easier to carry from the big bucket or pond to the plants upstairs. Working on it!

 

[Shiva's Mistress]

After I checked with the pH test strips, both the bucket and pool / pond are about pH 6.5-7, which is perfect!

My medium is almost equal amounts of coco coir (pH 6), potting mix (pH 5.5), worm castings (pH ?), with some fine dolomite lime to balance the potting mix which is a bit lower than my ideal. I thinking it should be about pH 6-6.5 on average. I'm growing some nice veges on the balcony with exactly the same mix, and they are doing just great.

 

[Shiva's Mistress]

Day 12 -- from sprouting!

Weather was a bit wet and very windy over the weekend.
Had an opportunity to check on them, especially how they are doing for moisture with a very strong wind on cloth pots.

Building One:

4 X ThaiFrican (reg) = Outback Haze 2 clone x (Nevil Haze 23 x Kariba Male) (10-12 weeks)
In the biggest 20L pot:

As you can see, all four are alive and healthy.
One a little bigger with slightly wider leaflets, one quite small (and about to get shaded out!), and the other two in the middle.
Light green. Thinking of whether I need to add a little N to the mix. Probably not for now, but keep my eye on it.
This pot didn't need watering at all. It's a big pot, and gets far less direct wind due to it's sheltered location.

2 X Thai Madness (fem) = Swiss Thai Nevil 2 clone x (NH21 x MML clone Reversed) (11-14 weeks?)
In a medium 10L pot:

These two both had crazy long skinny stems.
They've survived in the wind, but both were down low and the one of the left was touching the soil and looking not too great. I've propped her up with a little stick.
Didn't need any watering here. Maybe the glass water catcher idea has worked?



Building Two:

2 X Super Silver Sour Thai Nevil (fem) = Swiss Thai Nevil 1 clone X SSSDH OJD cut Reversed (10-12 weeks?)
In a smaller 8L pot.

Was a bit more concerned about the moisture levels here.
They were okay, though I did add some water anyway.
The second one came though -- look at skinny that leaflet is!
But she may get shaded out by her big sister. Let's see...

4 X Grail Project NH18 x MM pheno 1 (reg) = (NH18 x MM pheno 1) x (NH21 x MML Male) (12-16 weeks)
In a 10L pot, actually, I think this must be about 15L. It also holds the moisture quite well.

All four are alive.
Two on the right are very nice, a touch light on the color.
The two on the left look to have had their first true leaves nibbled by some kind of bug.
It's not the giant snails -- or there wouldn't be anything left at all.
But the new leaves are fine so if they get stay safe for the next few days to a week that lower damage will be insignificant.
Was a bit worried about this location with the wind, as it is quite exposed.
But they seem fine for now.

All plants are still alive after their first week+ outside.
Though maybe 7 out of 12 are looking the healthiest.
May just let nature take it's course as to thinning and selection during seedling stage.

I notice that the ThaiFrican have taken best.
It may be because they went from small pots to big pots.
The other plants stayed in their little coco fiber seedling pots, and I think it takes the roots a little while to work through the coco and out into the soil of the new pots they're transplanted into. So they may be a little root-bound for a week or two. Will keep size down but not sure if I want that at this stage. Let's see what happens.

A few warm sunny days coming up, about 27C-30C during the day, low 20s at night.
More rain possibly at next weekend, and they will be fine until then.

Once they are out of baby-stage seedling growth and go into full vegetative growth, I think I will top up the soil in the pots along with some organic nutrients. Will be some balance of either 5-3-3 if they need more N (getting pale) or just 3-5-5 if their color is still okay. I may mix some of this soil soon, so that the organic amendments can interact with the soil for a while before they hit the pots.

Fun, fun, fun!

@ojd -- waddya think?!

Love and hugs,
~MJS