Growing in the southwest

Just wanted to start a thread to get helpful info on growing in the southwest. The first major thing I would recommend is adding a humidifier to the drying area and trying to maintain the humidity around 40%. One of the biggest things going against us is the low humidity. Flowers dried with little relative humidity get crispy and are usually harsh. With low humidity, usually below 20% flowers can dry as quick as a few days. The best thing to do is try to slow that dry time down to about a week. Using a small humidifier and a fan work great to help out.

Also the biggest two pests we have out here seem to be thrips and spider mites. I know it seems too good to be true, but regular sprays with a 2% rosemary oil spray, up until flowers appear, can eliminate mites and eggs. There is a product called sns 217 from sierra natural science that works wonders on all life stages. It can also be made at home for cheap ( $4 to $6 a gallon). I have used rosemary oil preventatively for mites and have not had a problem at all. The rosemary oil does nothing at all to the leaves and does not stress, clog pores, or leave a foul taste like neem can. Just don't spray with the lights on and don't spray the flowers. This is purely organic, and does not harm the end user or the one spraying the plants, plus it smells great. I have not seen a single thrip, brown spot, or any sign of a bug since I started using the rosemary. Sierra Natural Science also sells a thrip spray with the active ingredient being clove oil at at 1.5%. I have started mixing my own rosemary spray and plan to add clove oil to the mix after testing it on a few leaves.

Hope to see some good tips for growing in our region.

nmkush

Awesome tips for the high desert nmkush!

I run humidifiers in veg and flower to avoid VPD issues

I always have dehumidifiers and humidifiers in the drying room to keep the humidity perfect.......

The low humidity here can cause alot of problems if left unchecked.

I run my room sealed to keep the moisture in, usually keeping it low enough is an issue. It does allow me to maintain a proper vpd with temps in the mid to high 70s and an RH in the 60s for veg. It's during flower that it can be a challange keeping below 60%. Dropping the temps into the lower 70s during flowering helps as my AC runs more.

Now on the cure side, I have definately had issues. What type of humidifier do you use?

For drying I use a portable clothes closet from Target. I hang the branches from hangers on the top. The bottom has a small humidifier and an oscillating fan pointing at the humidifier on low. The best humidifier to use are the old school type. The newer ultrasonic ones actually put a visible mist in the air that can make things too moist. I keep a hygrometer in the drying closet to make sure the temp and humidity are where they should be. With temps in the mid 70's and humidity around 40% it takes about 7 to 8 days to dry. I trim all the large leaves and dry them with the small leaves still on the flowers. Leaving the small leaves on helps extend the drying time a little bit. Everything is dry when there is a nice bend and snap to the buds. After removing everything from the closet, I trim and put in locking glass jars. Only fill the jar about 75% full and burp daily. Slowly reduce the burp time and frequency until you only need to burp once a week or so. You can smoke it at any time after its dry, but the taste, high, and burn will definitely improve with curing.

If things get too dry once in the jars you can add a sugar or fan leaf, close the lid for an hour or so and it should re-hydrate the buds.
nmkush

Also, they can be hard to find but a dehumidifier can help a lot in the summer time, especially during flowering and/or if you use a swamp cooler to cool the room.
nmkush

Great info NMKush! Having seen many grows in my lifetime, I agree that humidity is very very important. Especially here in the SW. Glad to see this thread, keep it up.

On my first grow now and definately had issues but thanks to forums like this one I'm finishing strong. I manage temps of 79-81 with lights on 53% rh, 80-82 off 43-50% rh. Ventilation is everything, thought I'd yield more but my GDP has few good big buds. Sage looks fantastic, hogs breath is HUGE! It stretched to about 4 feet, in my tent! So anxious to learn more, really anxious for my next grow!

How do you start from knowing nothing about growing to where you guys are at?

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Originally Posted by stillnawe

How do you start from knowing nothing about growing to where you guys are at?

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There are so many online resources available to you. The Medical Marijuana Grow Bible by Jorge Cervantes is a great place to start. You can order it on Amazon. You can also find a lot of free information on YouTube.

Good luck and welcome to growing your own and the legal programs.

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Originally Posted by thatguyjrod

On my first grow now and definately had issues but thanks to forums like this one I'm finishing strong. I manage temps of 79-81 with lights on 53% rh, 80-82 off 43-50% rh. Ventilation is everything, thought I'd yield more but my GDP has few good big buds. Sage looks fantastic, hogs breath is HUGE! It stretched to about 4 feet, in my tent! So anxious to learn more, really anxious for my next grow!

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Glad to see this guy banned. Those strains he received were clones purchased from Mother Earth ... the same LNP he criticized. I am surprised he didn't criticize the price he paid for the clones.

Wishing everyone good luck with their personal grows. The more of us that grow for ourselves, the more medicine will be available for the patients that cannot grow their own.

"Kindness and compassion are key to a happy life."

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Originally Posted by stillnawe

How do you start from knowing nothing about growing to where you guys are at?

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Jus' takes time.
You don't even have to buy a book.

Everything you wish to know is available right here:

Everyt'ing: Cannabis FAQs / FAQ , Recipes, Medical Marijuana:thumbsup:

And, it's free!

Get to reading, my friend.
See ya back here in about 6 weeks. :D

Thank you for taking time to share your experiences. I will be checking in often. I have been doing lots of reading and getting ready to keep it simple. I will succeed. No matter how many trys. Keep sharing all your pics and success tips for the southwest please!

Almost ready for my first attempt. Have built a closet to start indoors as it is October. Will hopefully have a 10 x10 greenhouse up by Feb. I have zero exp., and am sure it will take time to learn how to have a decent grow. But am doing it because I am a do it yourselfer. Will look here a lot for advice.

sooo how did it go? trying to get my pics downloaded. geeze everything is a challenge. they are small but was worth it!

Thank you for the information about humidifiers. I am in process of starting my first grow in 23 years. I grew back east. I also hear just putting a bowl of water helps with humidity. I will use the rosemary oil prior to flowering.

Attachment 293743 haven't tried it yet but it smells good...I have looked and looked but it is hard for me to see when the trichomes turn milky. can you tell without a microscope?

I am in the beggining stage of getting set up and figured I should go ahead and get a few clones going in my "grow room",a 2'x4'x8' closet, using a 4' double bulb t5 while I'm getting my "flowering room" set up,which may take a week to 10 days.I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion on what type bulbs to use in the t5 (just for the clones).While I'm trying to keep cost to a minimum on this 1st grow I don't mind spending a little extra if its really worth it.

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Originally Posted by GATXBUCK

I am in the beggining stage of getting set up and figured I should go ahead and get a few clones going in my "grow room",a 2'x4'x8' closet, using a 4' double bulb t5 while I'm getting my "flowering room" set up,which may take a week to 10 days.I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion on what type bulbs to use in the t5 (just for the clones).While I'm trying to keep cost to a minimum on this 1st grow I don't mind spending a little extra if its really worth it.

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hey congrats on and good luck on your personal grow. Now did you say you needed clones? you do have Medical Cannabis Personal Production License right? Most producers dont sale clones because it goes against there plant count. Now if you really need help with clones and needing information the people at Brief Relief are great. they will help you in every aspect of ther grow process. They helped me and Im cutting down my harvest in a couple weeks and it looks great. They also helped me with the lighting and my income to adjust it just right so that I could afford to do this... good luck...... :rastasmoke:

I bought 2 plants today from a producer,20" & 24" tall.I will be needing more clones for sure,thanx for the tip.I went to a producer sponsored grow class in Santa Fe Tues and am signed up for 2 classes this month @ another here in abq but will look into brief relief's classes also.Anyway,just need to get some t5's on em tonight and I'll be off and running thru the weekend getting my flower room set up.

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Originally Posted by GATXBUCK

I bought 2 plants today from a producer,20" & 24" tall.I will be needing more clones for sure,thanx for the tip.I went to a producer sponsored grow class in Santa Fe Tues and am signed up for 2 classes this month @ another here in abq but will look into brief relief's classes also.Anyway,just need to get some t5's on em tonight and I'll be off and running thru the weekend getting my flower room set up.

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hey cool where in Santa Fe and Albq. did you go to a class? I would love to attend one of them. Also what producer has 22" clones for sale?? that sounds more like a plant then a clone.. lol. Do you go to the Medical Cannabis Patients Allience meeings on the 3rd Sunday of every month at HighDesert Relief? Did you already buy your T-5's? what kind you get and for how much?

New Mexicann in Santa Fe and Sandia Botanicals in ABQ.There was talk @ New Mexicann of possibly making it a monthly or bi-monthly thing...TBA.The clones came from Sandia.They also have some 4 weeks younger,about 12"H,for half the price of the larger ones.They have 2 Flo's out right now about 18"-20",wide & bushy and a nice dark green.The grower said he was going to flower the 2 I bought,a super silver haze and an ak-47 high cbd, in about10-14 days.Got a 4' dbl bulb t5,54 watt high output w/8900 lumens for $40 and $10 per bulb.Bought a 100' ext cord for $15 and cut 15' off w/the plug,figured I may need the leftover cord down the road.

Does anyone know where to get good qaulity 5 gallon buckets for a decent price?Ive been told to stay away from Home Depots buckets,the intense light has em cracking in no time.

oh ya I got a clone/plant from sandia botanticals "cloneing exchange class" about a year ago. It was a nice healthy looking clone/Plant. I enjoyed the class and people I met. Now about a couple weeks later I was infested with spider mites and I had never had them befor in the years of growing. So after i started inquireing around about SB and found out that they have a real bad spider mite problem and idk y itherthey cant get rid of them or they dont care.. iv learned not to listen to rumers but i got an infested plant from them and it hurt my garden bad. did you have a problem like this at all?

The grower told me they have mites because they grow organically and can only control them but not completely get rid of em.I nuked em 3 days ago and havent seen any...I'll be staying on top of that.They have one of those cloning classes coming up soon I believe.Ive got a 78x78x78 tent arriving tomorrow...huntin a light system now.I'm thinking 600 watt hps w/air cooled hood.I'm cookin co2 w/ sugar & yeast,is there any chance of giving them too much with that setup?I stuck the air tube in a small fan thats blowing on them.It kicks a little bubble out 50x per minute.

wow, so then they sale there buds with mites on them?? I f you have a spidermite problem in your flowering room then the buds are going to have them all in side.. or am i wrong?

im not to expierenced with Co2 but I believe there is always a chance of overdoing it. toxic level for everything. (ecept Cannabis) lol. but i am diping into it now a little bit and I am a quick learner. Are you in the Albq. area??

No,they did't have mites on them when sold,just a few eggs.The grower let me know he had treated them (organicaly) and told me what to look for and some options for control/extermination,I appreciate his honesty.I see my original quote was a little misleading.Optimal amount of co2 for mj seems to be about 1500ppm or so.Too miuch will hurt them.The air we breathe is 450-600 ppm's so you need to get it upwards of 1000 ppm's to make a noticable difference...or thats what Ive gathered from digging around on the internet.I don't think you can over do it w/ the small sugar /yeast setup but not 100% on that yet (not sure I'ts making enough to do much good either,I'll revisit this issue in a week or so after I'm up and runnin).I thought picking out a tent was tough but lights have me stumped a bit.Magnetic or digital/600 or 1000 watt/what type hood/a very wide price range.I am pretty much sold on an air cooled hood, runnig the charcoal filter through the same duct.I need to get em too the flower room next weekend so I have a little time to look around some more.Probably a hood online but I think I will pay a few more $ and get a ballast locally (ABQ) because of the hassle and costs associated with returns/warranties thru the mail,assuming the "store" is even in buisness in a year or 2 when your equipment blows up.They sure took to the transplant and the happy frog nicely...kicked into another gear.

wow i think even eggs are not good?? wow. oh well anyways . the problem on your light set up i would go with digital of course and I personally like to buy light from HTG Supply. they got good prices and great warranties.... every time i seen a local price it is always more then what I can get from a reliable source online. have you heard of the CO2 Bags that they sale for the grow room? have you had any experience with them? I was going to try them out on my garden and see. what you think?