Bannermen

DaenerysT It’s a sign!! Emerged on 420!! Started with a moist bed of Coco, Peat, Perlite (Jiffy seed starter), worm casings and bone meal. In a homemade reflective grow space under WAKYME 600w (actual 80w) LEDs. When they are large enough, we are planning an outside grow.

DaenerysT Growing as planned.

DaenerysT Moved outside on day 14. They are in 55 gallon drums that were cut in half with drainage and handles added. Soil is blend of coco coir, miracle grow moisture balance and perlite. Weather was cloudier and wetter than anticipated this first week. I did pinch the main stem to encourage branching 2 days after transplant because they seemed to be doing great. One of them didn’t split properly. Rather than 2 smaller branches coming off the main, I have one. The plants are in 2 different locations, one was being nibbled on, so I dusted the plants in that location with a little seven dust since flowering is still 2.5 months away. Once they are a little larger, this won’t be an issue, but for now we need every square inch of fan leaf generating solar energy, so no nibbles allowed!

DaenerysT Just plugging along with this outdoor grow. They get natural rainfall, I add water when they are dry. They get nutes about once a week in either case. Worked a little pelletized lime (dolomite) into the soil of each pot this week to add cal/mag. They look healthy. By the time they are ready to flower, they’ll be beasts.

DaenerysT We’ve had some intense weather this week. Severe thunderstorms, hail. The girks seem to be getting by okay. We know the soil has been well flushed with the intense rainfall, so we will be adding nutes back carefully over the next week or two, watching closely how they respond.

DaenerysT Both plants growing in separate locations are nice 34-36” bushes at only 42 days old. These guys have a good 2+ months before conditions cause them to switch to flowering. One is watered with drip irrigation on a timer and rain water. The other receives its water via buckets that I mix the nutes in and give every 3-4 days depending on precipitation, humidity etc... Both end up with the same amount of nutes. The locations are different in that the most direct sunlight is the 2nd location where we have to bring water to the location. The first location has access to running water, but it shaded from some morning and some late afternoon light, with only direct light for late morning/mid afternoon. I’m getting really excited for what these big guys are going to produce and how I’ll brace/support the branches. I’m also muddling through some creative solutions for overhead cover that prevents rain from ruining my blooms but still leaves the plants outdoors to thrive in real sunlight.

DaenerysT 49 days old and 48” tall. Lots of rain this week and more on the way! But we’re in veg, so that’s okay. If these guys keep growing like this thru the middle of Aug when we predict they’ll go into flower, I’ll need a 10’ ladder to harvest them!

DaenerysT All the rain we had may have flushed my big girls too much, they are showing signs of nitrogen deficiency. Now for the careful task of adding enough to support their massive growth without burning them..... or do I cut them back since there is plenty of time before bloom. The 2 weeks of rain brought lots of darkness, and the girls are telling their sex now. Fingers crossed while I chant “please don’t herm, please don’t herm.”

DaenerysT They’re huge!! We’ve had a lot of rain flushing the pots, keeping up with nitrogen is a challenge and I’m afraid we have a fungus too. I’m going to trim the lower branches to give better airflow between the pots and the foliage this next week.

DaenerysT 5’ t-posts in these photos. Plants are in half 55gallon drums, sitting in 12” of soil. Yellowing of leaves has stopped. Hope I didn’t over fertilize. Outdoor grow, with daylight hours over 14 hours per day, but really crappy rainy weather. I’m afraid they’ve already gone into flower.

DaenerysT So much rain! Keeping up with the nutes is crazy while the rain keeps rinsing them out of the pots. I’m afraid they’re going into flower. It’s earlier than expected: but with the weather, not surprising.

DaenerysT Had some straight line winds come thru with a good thunderstorm and lay one of my Bruce Banger’s over on it’s side, bringing the root ball out of the soil. I uprighted and stabilized it right away, but it appears that there was a lot of root damage. I’m trimming it back and crossing fingers that it can recover. Photos of damaged plant were taken 3 days after the storm. When it’s not storming here, it’s baking us with heat indexes over 110 due to the insane humidity. Added some nutes to help with root development and crossing fingers. Kinda afraid to cut her way back because we are just about to start the bloom period and I’m not sure if that would be a total death sentence or not. The other Bruce Banger is 7’ tall and lush!! I’m pretty confident that the dark stormy weather has started us into flower. Not listing this as a flowering week yet though because I am not 100% sure she won’t pop back into veg if we get some sunny days. Daylight length is still over 14 here. I’ll be bringing some corral panels over to stabilize the healthy plant against winds and prep for heavy bud growth.

DaenerysT Looks like the remaining Bruce Banger is definitely in bloom. Fingers crossed we DON’T have a bunch of sunny days to bring it back into veg and possibly herm. The storm damaged plant is alive, but very wilty.

DaenerysT Down to one Bruce Banger for sure now. I tried trimming back the one that uprooted in the windstorm to give it minimal load to while it grew new support roots, but it didn’t work. The one plant I have is huge though!! T-posts are 5’ tall.

DaenerysT week beginning 7/29

DaenerysT The remaining Bruce pheno is doing great! So bushy and so many colas!!

DaenerysT My remaining Bruce is thriving. If I had a bunch of ornaments I might make Christmas photos in front of him. Wish the wind hadn’t taken down the other, I’d have enough for Christmas gifts for everyone I know 😂

DaenerysT Unrelenting sun and a heatwave this week. Mother Nature needs a mental health assessment! Bruce is not loving the heat. Only one photo this week. I had a tough week physically and someone else took care of Bruce for me.

DaenerysT Since the rains stopped and the excessive heatwave came upon us they’ve stalled. There is more light but heat indexes are running over 100°F with insane humidity. I’m trying to keep septoria in check, but it’s there... I’m so ready for autumn but it’s weeks away. This giant, lush plant held so much promise, but weather had put it thru hell and now I am just hoping it holds on until it is ready to harvest.

DaenerysT Hot, lower humidity than we have had most of the summer. Took this photo before picking off the yellow leaves. Still working to keep septoria in check, but they seem to be budding up nicely. Gave one last feed, added a little nitrogen, to help counter the septoria. Will be flushing for the next two weeks in anticipation of harvest. These containers (half 55gal barrels) are pretty much filled with root. It takes a bit for them to drain after you fill them with an inch of water standing in top. So I’ll be flushing a little longer to be sure I get it all.

DaenerysT The nutes I fed least week really helped her green back up. The nugs are looking big. Hope the weather cooperates and septoria stays at bay until she’s ready to harvest. Growing outside is a bitch! So many factors out of your control that can take a massive harvest down to nothing. It’s stressful to leave your babies outside unattended!!

DaenerysT Bruce is massive. I started cutting away the fan leaves on the 15th in preparation for harvest in about a week. I found a few spots of rot/dead brown buds, was able to pop the dead part out. Not sure if it is real rot or if it is a result if bug injury or something. The buds are so packed. It’s wall to wall bud on a plant that is over 8’ tall. I’ve been trimming fans every morning and evening for 3 days now and there are still plenty more to trim! I’m getting excited for this harvest. trichomes I checked under the microscope are mostly milky with about 20% clear and a few amberish. I can’t imagine trying to dry and store the harvest if I’d not lost one of the plants to bad weather.

DaenerysT Probably won't grow outdoors again. The stress was too much. Once she was out there, and had gotten taller than I was, I couldn't protect her from mother nature's wrath. I worried obsessively over this plant. Then decided to harvest because there was rain in the forecast and I worried that our high 90 degree temps plus rain and high humidity was inviting rot or mold while Bruce was so vulnerable to bud rot. Trichomes were mostly milky, with a few amber and a few clear. Bringing that beast in and wet-trimming her so that the buds got good air circulation during initial dry down was a 10 hour long affair for two people. That was a bit much. Indoor grows are much less stressful and easier to manage. I have grown a clone of this Bruce indoors and it topped out around 42". I am able to easily keep the fan leaves trimmed enough that good light gets through to all of the bud sites.