OG Kush Auto Grow Report: Guerrilla growing in Russia

Last summer I came up with the idea of making a detailed grow report on outdoor growing - in Central Russia at a latitude of 53º - as I wanted to share my experience with other growers. The result is something of a logbook which includes pictures, weekly reports, descriptions of the soil, fertilizers and pest control treatments I used, as well as temperature and rainfall statistics. I chose the strains OG Kush Auto by Dinafem Seeds and Big Devil Auto by X-seeds. 

Preparation

Location:

The location was chosen for security reasons. Every year it gets more and more difficult to find a suitable place, and sometimes you have to sacrifice the growing conditions - especially the sun - for the sake of security. Anyway, I find a place surrounded by swamp on all four sides where the plants receive direct sunlight from 7-8 a.m. to 7-8 p.m. - excellent! Because the area is located in the middle of swamps, the soil is not suitable for growing, so I make a mix myself, which is probably for the best, as I try to improve the substrate.

Soil:

In Russia specialised substrates are difficult to find, and the ones easily available - e.g. BioBizz and Plagron - are quite expensive, so I decide to make my own substrate (50L) with the following proportions:

• 15% Vermicompost
• 10% Compo Sana Rhododendron - to correct soil acidity and provide the benefits of organic additives and guano
• 10% Compo Sana Universal
• 20% Universal compost for flowering plants - with sand
• 15% Universal compost for flowering plants
• 15% Coconut fibre
• 15% Perlite

I maintain the pH at 6-6.5 and use hydrogel as bedding. Lastly, I thoroughly mix all the layers, stirring periodically for about ten hours to obtain a loose, light and well-aerated texture. Exactly what I needed!

Preparing a place:

I dig a hole (1m long, 30cm deep and 30cm wide), I clear it of weeds and I spread a plastic wrap covered with earth dug from the pit so that they don't re-emerge. Also, I protect the area with a slug control product. The result is a 50L bed.

Choice of strain:

I sow three seeds of the legendary OG Kush Auto by Dinafem. With the weather changing from year to year, growing photoperiod strains is becoming increasingly difficult. Plus, the 12/12 light cycle would have coincided with the onset of frosts and cold weather. This is why I decide to grow an autoflowering strain. I also planted Big Devil Auto by Russian breeder X-seeds with the same conditions just for experiment.

Off we go:

I soak the seeds in peat tablets on June 9. By June 12, they have sprouted and I place them under a 200W ECL lamp. On June 21, I plant the seedlings outside - I'm not going to expand on this point as the Internet has lots of information on the subject and everyone can choose the most convenient way.

Grow report

June 21 (10 days):

Disembarkation. I put mychorrizae by Xtreme Gardening at the bottom of each hole for the development of the root system. After planting, I spread the plants with Russian anti-stress product EPIN (Epibrassinolide), according to the instructions.

Weather conditions (from June 21 to June 27):

• Average temperature: 16 ºC
• Minimum temperature: 7 ºC (22 June)
• Maximum temperature: 25 ºC (26 June)
• Rainfall: 3.4 mm
• Days with rainfall: 5

June 27 (18 days):

The weather is not the best - on June 22 night temperature is 7 ºC - but plants are pretty well stuck. I water with CannaVega by Canna according to the instructions - 5L of solution for all 4 plants - and mulch with straw.

Weather conditions (from June 27 to July 4):

• Average temperature: 19 ºC
• Minimum temperature: 8 ºC (28 June)
• Maximum temperature: 29 ºC (30 June)
• Rainfall: 17 mm
• Days with rainfall: 5, heavy rainfalls from 1 to 3 July

July 4 (25 days):

Plants are watered with CannaVega according to the instructions - 5L of solution for the 4 plants. There are almost no differences from one another. Also, I spot spider mite, which I treat with Fitosporin-M (active ingredient: Bacillus subtilis).

Weather conditions (from July 4 to July 11):

• Average temperature: 15 ºC
• Minimum temperature: 7 ºC (8 July)
• Maximum temperature: 27 ºC (11 July)
• Rainfall: 8 mm
• Days with rainfall: 5 

July 11 (32 days):

Pests are not noticed. Plants suffered a bit, but survived. I water with CannaVega - 5L for 4 plants - and spray with Zircon, a Russian anti-stress product (active ingredient: a mix of hydroxycinnamic acids). I also apply Trichoderma to prevent diseases and mildew.

Weather conditions (from July 11 to July 18): 

• Average temperature: 18 ºC
• Minimum temperature: 9 ºC (17 July)
• Maximum temperature: 24 ºC (13 July)
• Rainfall: 29 mm
• Days with rainfall: 5, heavy rainfalls

July 18 (39 days):

First signs of flowering. Impressive growth. Plants are watered with Flora by GHE - 5 litres of solution -according to the instructions for the current development stage. I trim the weeds around the plants.

Weather conditions (from July 18 to July 25): 

• Average temperature: 18 ºC
• Minimum temperature: 10 ºC (24 July)
• Maximum temperature: 27 ºC (25 July)
• Rainfall: 6 mm
• Days with rainfall: 2 

July 25 (46 days):

The beginning of flowering. Plants are watered with Flora by GHE, 5L of solution. There's a big difference between OG Kush Auto and Big Devil by Russian breeder X- seeds (in the photo is not even noticeable). Conditions are the same, but the OG Kush is much more developed, taller.

Weather conditions (from July 25 to August 1):

• Average temperature: 21 ºC
• Minimum temperature: 13 ºC (31 July)
• Maximum temperature: 28 ºC (28 July)
• Rainfall: 44 mm
• Days with rainfall: 2, heavy rainfall

August 1 (53 days):

Bloom. The photo shows the difference between the OG Kush and the Big Devil by X-seeds. Plants gain mass. Plants are watered with Flora by GHE, 8L of solution.

Weather conditions (from August 1 to August 9):

• Average temperature: 20 ºC
• Minimum temperature: 13 ºC
• Maximum temperature: 30 ºC
• Rainfall: 24 mm
• Days with rainfall: 3

August 9 (61 days):

Third week of flowering. I keep watering with Flora by GHE - 8L of solution - and I add 1 teaspoon of Mineral Magic, also by GHE, per plant. I trim the weeds around the plants. The buds are gaining mass and are taking purple hues. I should note that the trunk of this plant was purple in the first weeks of growth. Looks great.

Weather conditions (from August 9 to August 21):

• Average temperature: 21 ºC
• Minimum temperature: 12 ºC (10 August)
• Maximum temperature: 31 ºC (13 and 21 August)
• Rainfall: 17 mm
• Days with rainfall: 2

 

August 29 (81 days):

The weather has been rainy and I spot patches of mould. The buds have gained lots of weight and I decide it's time for harvest. One of the plants is dark purple, truly beautiful!

Weather conditions (from August 21 to August 29):

• Average temperature: 17 ºC
• Minimum temperature: 8 ºC
• Maximum temperature: 30 ºC
• Rainfall: 25 mm
• Days with rainfall: 7

Conclusion

I get about 80 grams of dry product, a good result considering the late planting and the bad weather conditions. Buds are dense and sticky, giving off a bright citrus aroma complemented with an amazing powerful effect.

In the future, I plan to do more of the substrate, and I'd also like to experiment with the stretching of the plants and with organic cultivation. Otherwise, it's always a pleasure to grow Dinafem's vigorous, hardy, stable strains. Not to mention the excellent quality of the end product. So I'll be definitely growing Dinafem's seeds again in the future, maybe Moby Dick or the new CBD-rich strains. We'll see what comes along, but I'm sure it will be worth the effort. I can't wait to share the results with you all!