So, here it is my first post. I guess I should start where I started. After moving from Europe where I had lived for 14 years and getting my Hawaii Medical Cannabis card, or permission slip if you like. I was in my front yard and a bunch of cannabis seeds fell outta the sky on the house and I was set for starting this adventure.
Starting to grow cannabis outdoors here in Hawaii was a real learning experience. The hardest part for me to learn (get over) is that no matter the time of year when your plants are put outside they will start to flower. On the mainland, you put your plants out in the spring and harvest in the fall. It really does take some time to get used to this year-round thing. The good part is that I have found when getting an idea of how long your plants will take, take the indoor time frame the breeder suggests to get an idea of just how long before you harvest outdoors. If the breeder says indoors the strain you are trying to grow takes 65 days to mature, its a pretty good guess that 70 days after you put the plant outside it will be ready to harvest
Here in Hawaii, we are blessed with a climate that allows us to grow cannabis year round. though admittedly how much work growing depends on where on the islands you are. For example, Holmgrown Farm is on the windward side of the big island of Hawaii. In my area, there is almost no topsoil at all. Here at Holmgrown Farm, we have zero dirt and only have lava. Not having any dirt kinda means digging a hole and planting a clone is outta the question.
Another issue growing here on Holmgrown Farm on the big island of Hawaii is the humidity. It’s almost always at least 75% but can be 90% for days on end with rain pretty much every day. With this kind of humidity, the strains that can be grown here to full maturity is not large. Anything will grow here, but not everything will grow well. If you are trying to grow Hashplant or something with more than`30% indica in its genetics it most likely is not gonna grow too well. That is not to say it won’t grow, its more that it will mold before it finishes. I have found that sticking with landrace equatorial strains for the best result in getting plants that reach full maturity without mold issues.
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Because in the ground was not possible (or is it?) pots were the way to go. But even with big pots, it was taking a lot of potting soil. Started to grow in 35gal. trash cans. It produced great grows but was work to keep the soil in good shape. You could grow 6 big plants in them, of course, soil still needed to be changed as it just became a root ball with little dirt. Also that 35gal. trash can would get pretty hot sometimes on sunny days. They also dry out pretty quick if we don’t have a shower in a couple days once the plants get bigger in size.
For the past 2 years, I have been growing in the ground. Really! I grow all my plants in the ground organically using phenomenal native Hawaiian topsoil. I know you’re confused because I just said I had not topsoil and only lava. Well, ever hear the expression, “if you need something designed for you, hire a stoner!”. People who grow and or use cannabis will create specialized equipment to smoke and grow it from common household items. It’s just true. That’s what its like to grow cannabis here in Hawaii. You need to be creative, and luckily I am!
Here at Holmgrown Farm with the help of a jackhammer, we blasted out the lava to make garden beds 3 feet deep. This has really really worked out well. It is just like growing in a raised bed but it’s in the ground so it gets rainfall to help keep watered well. By simply adding a touch of lime powder, cow manure, compost, and bone meal I can keep the plants growing fabulously. Plus, I have the added bonus of not needing to replace potting soil. Just till it up and over and plant again. every 6 months I have to re-add manure, bone meal, and lime but it’s gotta be till after each harvest anyway. easy peasy.
That’s about all to share for now. First posts are always the hardest one to do. The only thing left to do is add one more set of photos of the buds, We all wanna see buds, no?