Divine Kush

Two of our plants (Divine Og Kush and Afghan Original) were originally started in 1 gallon infinity pots, we had prepared two 10 gallon infinity pots with the bases removed and sat them on the top of our 12X2 foot outdoor garden bed. We decided we would like to try a cover crop this year as we learned how beneficial it can be for the garden environment and richness of life in the soil but we had also read that it may not be the best of methods when it comes to Cannabis. Cover crop roots may actually strangle the much needed roots of the Cannabis plant so we decided we would try it this way, with them raised above the bed and we went with a 5 seed blend by Black Swallow Living Soil. We will be maintaining the cover crop by simply trimming it and tossing it back to itself, hopefully it will break down and feed off of its own nutrient system. If we find it is having a negative effect we will have to remove it, so far it looks incredible and the plants are doing well. Our first step to the outdoor transplant started with the AGN Dip, it is a product meant for trees specifically but we found it did a wonderful job inside so we used it for the plants outside, that we hope will be as mighty as a tree and it all starts with a great root system. The first initial outdoor feeding was a tea blend that we brewed in our 70 gallon rain barrel, we let it bubble over the course of three days. For the most part it was made up of Bokashi Pro-Gro by My Good Green Home but we did add our own combination of other products that we have become fond of. The mix consisted of Gaia Green Organics 4-4-4 along with their brand of Kelp Meal, Seaweed Extract, Insect Frass and some Bone Meal. Hydro Bio was our choice of microbes and of course we made sure to down our PH to 6.5 by using the TNB Naturals PH down. Once dipped and planted, a good 20 litres of this tea was enjoyed and the growth has been incredible in just a week. The work has begun! Throughout the week they were top dressed with the Gaia Green Organics 4-4-4 along with a sprinkle of their Rock Dust Blend and the water maintenance averaged out to be 20 litres of ph’d water every other day in order to maintain the life of the microbes by keeping them moist. Note* A thin layer of hay was used for a bedding in hopes of maintaining moisture as well. (We have already had an issue with tiny black caterpillars on one plant and then another, so we gave everything/one a couple of treatments with the N-Force, hopefully the situation has been rectified.)

What a difference two weeks can make, as you can see everyone of our girls are looking spectacular and the fun has just begun! (6 separate diaries) We have been sticking to a nice diet schedule and they are thriving already, it has not been difficult to keep the pots moist as of yet but we expect the upcoming heat will have us working at it twice a day. Another barrel of tea was prepared and thankfully the rain held off while it brewed, to this we added the microbes and we found that the Ph level was perfect as it sat at 6.4 so no adjustment was needed. Happiness could be seen by each of our plants after they enjoyed the treat and they stood tall and proud as they reached for the sky. Right now we are keeping a good moisture level in the pots by maintaining them with 20L of water minimum each day, our Ph levels have been ranging between 6 and 6.8 which seems to keep them flourishing. Pruning of inner branches and defoliation has added to their growth and they are very much enjoying the natural elements, branches of each plant have been topped thrice and they seem to become stronger bushes everyday. They have had a dusting of insect frass and it will soon be time for another top dressing of amendments, we have found the hay has made a big difference so far in keeping the top of the soil bed cool and damp. Our ladies have enjoyed a seaweed foilar spray along with a photosynthesis enhancer spray made by MBX and as of now the previous mentioned problematic bugs, have moved along. Our cover crop is working out wonderfully and we have only trimmed it once thus far but it will soon need another trim! We are enjoying our garden very much and it will only get better’

It has been a busy couple of weeks for this girl, she seems happy regardless of the weather although she has been bothered by the bugs. Outdoor gardening is one insect after another and since this girl is technically rooted to the earth beneath the cover crop we can only assume nature will take care of nature. We have trimmed the cover crop a few times now and the birds seem to enjoy it as well, the beauty in it is they always have a source to draw from and they definitely do not go thirsty. Bloom stages are teasing and we are very excited to see what she becomes. The most enjoyed part of her diet is the bokashi tea which always adjusts the Ph to perfection, otherwise we use tnb naturals Ph down and we have maintained a nice level. We continue with the microbes although it is not so easy to keep moist with the heat that we have had but we are pretty sure that the cover crop is providing for many different life forms.

As stated below you can see how ill our Kush plant was in the pictures but her new growth is also quite visible and extremely appreciated. Aside from our regular regimen we have had to step up our game due to yellowing leaves, more so on our Kush plant which we noticed right away and we had to start a treatment immediately to rectify the situation. Hyshield has been added to the rain barrel once a week to provide an overall health booster. We used Sensizyme from Advanced Nutrients to promote a good root wash and clean up the overall health of the soil. Fearless Gardener Rocket Fuel was used as a supplement in the soil and as a foliar spray which they happily responded to very quickly. We also used the Fearless Gardener Flavonator which we hope boosts the flavours! In addition LIFE by Hydroponic Reasearch has been used to benefit the Rhizosphere Organisms and Mycorrhizal Fungi. We have also added Gaia Green’s Power Bloom, Diatomaceous Earth as well as their Rock Dust Blend to the top coat. The most recent treat for them was MBXGROW microbes which they loved and of course they had a dose of Dutch Science Nutrients Cal/Mag, this seemed to perk them up right away. We now have new growth that is coming in healthy and green, we hope that this is the last of our issues for these girls and that they grow steady on.

Oh the Kush plant, the plant that speaks for them all. This girl is always the first to show signs of unhappiness and it’s as though she does it so the rest won’t suffer. (High thoughts) The many bottom branches have been removed and she responded to that care right away, as for blooming this is our other slow poke. For her, it has begun but also it hasn’t so I have left her in veg for the moment. Hopefully she stays healthy for the rest of the season. As august passes us by we expect to see many changes over the next couple of weeks and this is when things get exciting. We have cleaned up branching that would only become little bits and act as a distraction to the main tops of the plants where we want the most focus, it has been a very wet season and we anticipate the dreaded bud rot so we thought the airflow would benefit them, they seemed quite thankful to have the extra energy. They have done well with the wind and we do hope they continue to strengthen themselves so that they can hold their blossoms once the weight of them sets in. We have continued on with the same care although we did add Epsom salts to the diet last weekend which we will continue to do every couple of weeks. The weather has been somewhat strange with cooler temperatures at night and reaching a high heat in the afternoon, it has helped us with water consumption as there haven’t been many days that they showed a thirst but they really don’t appreciate the cool nights. Hopefully we get some balanced weather over the next few weeks with a little less rain. As for now, we enjoy and appreciate the beauty that unfolds before us.

OG Kush has finally got her bloom on and she is moving at a quick pace, we believe she will finish just in time assuming the weather treats us right. Epsom salts has been added to the rain barrel once a week and she has had a small dusting of coffee grounds added to the top of her soil bed which seems to have helped her a lot. We do not have any worries with this girl, she is in the groove and we are enjoying the show, we hope to avoid bud rot as always but the season doesn’t seem very promising for that situation. As for the cover crop, it was taking over so it has been cut back quite a bit. We find it to be a benefit for the most part, in one way it helps to keep the garden moist and sheltered but at the same time it is also absorbing what the plant needs.

Kush is doing amazingly well, the only issue was how much of a bush she became which isn’t an issue at all but we did give her a good clean up for the home stretch of the season. There were many inner branches that would not develop into anything worth trimming so they were removed, they at this point would only uptake the much needed energy that would do better to go towards her greater blooms. If we thought the season was going to allow a second sweet harvest we would have left some but the weather has been incredibly fierce and we will be happy to at least reach completion. Kush is moving quickly so we do not anticipate this as a problem for her, as long as the weather holds out. The benefit of the rain has been that our cover crop girls have needed very little care aside from the barrel treat mix of Mbx grow, Flavanator, Rock Hard, Epsom Salts and seaweed, for the most part they enjoy half a can of water on a daily. Kush is beautiful and she probably doesn’t need that can of water every day but we know she appreciates the acknowledgment and refreshment! We definitely like this strain and this style of growing, we will do the cover crop again but perhaps a different blend of seed (accordingly) and have somewhat a knowledge of the proper maintenance in our pockets. Let us hope we are blessed by a warm set fall!

Rain, Rain and more Rain. That is the only issue in our garden at this point and we are on the lookout for bud rot on each of our girls. The season is changing quickly and we no longer believe the girls in the garden will be harvested in the order that they should, they will come done as long as they can stay healthy. It is unfortunate but the outdoor growing adventure can sometimes be harsh, either way we always appreciate what the plant gifts to us. They all had a taste of the microbes and we are now sticking to a daily watering although we will add the Epsom’s once a week, at the moment we have sunshine and the temperature seems right which is something to be thankful for. OG Kush, this beast has really held up a great fight to the weather conditions and we are very pleased with her to say the least. This is another of our girls that we fear will not have time to complete her cycle before harvest and we hope she can at least hang on until she reaches that sweet window. Hopefully we have another diary log or two before the harvest. 🤞💚✌️

Our Kushy girl is the last one standing in the yard and she is proud! In the beginning this girl seemed as though she would be problematic all the way through but she came around after her last good cleanup and she took charge of life! This is the last diary log before her harvest which will take place tomorrow, as you can see we do have a site with bud rot and winter is coming after all! It is nice to have a good strong strain in the yard, she may have been susceptible to more issues than others but she fought them all off like a champ. The cooler weather has only seemed to make her thrive, we wouldn’t consider that unusual on a dry year but with all the rain and humidity we have had we can truly respect how amazing she is! The season went so quickly and it seems as if we just put them out, of course that blink thing happened. 🤷‍♀️🏻💚✌️ Kush is sure grand and at the moment still stands!

And the winner is….. Divine Kush! To say the least, she fought the most and she really shined through. If you see the video above 👆 you can see how wowed we are by her, not only because she sprouted her own seed within herself but also because it shows how much moisture she had to deal with and she sort of found an interesting way to disperse of it! We did try to plant her seedling but unfortunately it did not survive but we are still in awe of it happening before our eyes. Nature is amazing and Our Kushy girl is very much appreciated, she has taught us quite a bit this year. WOW 🤩💚✌️ Plz note, we totally forgot to weigh her.