Biggest Growing Mistakes...

[Rusty Trichome]

A lesson in patience...
A few years ago, I was a member of another cannabis site where selling and trading of seeds wasn't frowned upon. I mentioned being without quality genetics, and was using cannabis for my wife's cancer, and my hep-c.
Besides the seeds Reeferman (a well-known breeder) gifted me, (R&D medical strain #1) a very generous member gifted me some realy cool strains. White Widdow, Inca Spirit, and I think Shishka Skunk. After having planted the WW and the Inca Spirit, wife and I had decided to move. Vegas is too expensive.

Anyway, when the realtor started to bring folks over, I had to accelerate the grow, and move the grow into the garage, trying to salvage what I could of the already planted genetics. After 2 weeks waiting for germination, I finally gave up on the WW and Inca Spirit, as nothing was breaking ground.
So I tossed them into the trash.

About a week later, as I was already in the motion of tossing the kitchen trash into the larger trash bin, (where I had tossed the failures) I spotted 5 or 6 plants growing out of the trash. My heart jumped at the thought of re-claiming the plants. Then the trash I was throwing away, landed on top of it.

I sorted thru the trash for about half an hour, trying to save the survivors, of which I was only able salvage one. A lone Inca Spirit. It still had the bamboo marker stake sticking out of it's soil ball. (bamboo stake marked with color-coded twist-tie) Was forced to pollinate a mature Potent Purple with the pollen from, what turned out to be a male Inca Spirit.

I still grow the hybrid today, and since I already have the PP in it's original form, am trying to 'peel' away the Inca Spirit genetics, from the Potent Purple. (selective breeding)

[Twentyinches]

Ouch Rusty that's a bad deal. And of course it couldn't have been bagseed but something good like those. Kind of reminds me when I've accidentally thrown something away then remembered-but when I go to find it it's all covered in trash ooze, it's never right on top.

[Surfnbird]

used paper bags to transport my plants to my grow site on the way there the bag got wet and the bottom fell out and killed like 4 plants just chopped of the heads of the poor things.

[Mr. Clandestine]

Nice story, Rusty! Glad to hear you were able to salvage at least one of the babies... but losing good genetics still sucks, especially for a couple that really needs them. In my novel of a mistake up top, I couldn't save a single plant. I can't remember the exact strain I was growing, but it was some kind of Skunk & I ended up losing all the seeds that I had just payed handsomely for. I wish now I would have at least taken some clones, but even then with the amount of Nitrogen those plants were being poisoned by, they probably never would have rooted. Plus, I didn't know anything about cloning at the time. All I got for my efforts was just a big, smelly mess.

And just visiting Vegas is too expensive for me, I couldn't imagine living there! I don't visit major metropolitan areas now unless I absolutely have to. I went to college for four years in Athens, GA., and worked in Atlanta at the time. (About a 2.5 hour drive-time between the two.) Then, after college, I spent a couple of years dividing time working between Pinellas County, FL (next to Tampa) and Miami. I've come to DESPISE cities and their gridlock, vagrants, flaring tempers, bad drivers, etc. For the first time in my life, I'm living out in the sticks. Been here for a few years now, and I'm loving it! Only traffic I ever have to deal with is a random fleet of logging trucks.

Thanks to everyone who's chimed in so far with their stories! :thumbsup:

[norkali]

....I watered and foliar fed last night before the lights went off.

For this grow, I have set the circulation fan to turn off with the lights, so there is no circulation at night.

High humidity, no air circulation, 12 hours = powdery mildew on your plants.



DUH!

I am feverishly looking for any signs of more of it, none so far. The spores had just started on 2-3 leaves. Leaves=Removed, Heater=On, Window=Open, Humidifier=definitely off, fans=On. That fan will stay on 24/7 now.

Let's hope I nipped it in the bud.

[Weedhound]

....I watered and foliar fed last night before the lights went off.

For this grow, I have set the circulation fan to turn off with the lights, so there is no circulation at night.

High humidity, no air circulation, 12 hours = powdery mildew on your plants.



DUH!

I am feverishly looking for any signs of more of it, none so far. The spores had just started on 2-3 leaves. Leaves=Removed, Heater=On, Window=Open, Humidifier=definitely off, fans=On. That fan will stay on 24/7 now.

Let's hope I nipped it in the bud.

Oops.....how about an anti-fungal spray like Serenade?

[norkali]

Oops.....how about an anti-fungal spray like Serenade?

Off to work today....no time. They will have to wait until at least Monday to get any anti-fungal spray.

I actually think I may have gotten away with it this time.....*fingers crossed* The question is whether or not if powdery mildew, once spread by fans, has the ability to continue living if not in ideal conditions. Like an incubation period for powdery mildew. Looks like 5-6 days.

Before - and after. And PM info.

[Weedhound]

good info! Thanks.

[Mr. Clandestine]

Norkali - Thanks for sharing, and for showing us what you did to (hopefully) resolve the problem. I've only had to deal with mildew a couple of times, when I was keeping plants in my super humid crawlspace. I never did get around to using an anti-fungal spray on them, I just wiped as much of the mildew off the leaves as I could, applied some neem oil, and added several more fans to the room, and a dehumidifier. I wasn't using a hygrometer at the time, but I could tell that the space was far less humid. That was my last encounter with mildew. Now I keep my plants in a much more stable area, and I actually have to use a humidifier every once in a while to keep the RH from falling too low.

Thanks again for the post! :thumbsup:

[norkali]

Eff you Powdery Mildew! Eat 0.074% QST 713 Strain of Bacillus subtilis!

Haha! :rambo:

Edit: Goddamn! This stuff stinks! BTW, the Powdery Mildew problem did not go away with the changing environment, it merely slowed it down. I would suggest having an anti fungal on-hand at all times, just in case.