Ortega for beginner?

mushhead70

New member
I am a beginning grower and am looking for a decent strain. I had decided on Northern Lights as that strain, due to my research in various forums. Then I heard about Ortega being a cross between NL1 and NL5, which seemed to me (in my inexperienced eyes) to be another Northern Lights variety. I've read the comparison between sensi seeds Northern Lights and Ortega on this forum. I've also read about the hermaphroditic issue with the Ortega strain. I've also heard many great things about Mr. Nice seedbank.

My question is, is this strain (Ortega) a good strain to start with? Or should I go with a seedline which has more established/stable genetics? (I'm inexperienced so, if I am misusing terms, please forgive me.)

My main priorities on which seeds to produce are, #1 Short flowering time, #2 ease of growing/cloning for a beginner, #3 potency (lets be honest, we all prefer stronger stuff).

Are the hermaphroditic tendencies with Ortega over-stated? Is the Ortega strain right for me? Or should I get a few grows under my belt before giving it a try?
 
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hi mushhead, nice 1st post and welcome to mns forums :)

indicas like ortega are easier to grow than haze strains for example, but if its ur 1st grow then youre going to fcuk it up several times along the way, but this is how we learn and ppl here will help you along the way. at the end you will get smokeable weed from it

the answer to your 3 points is yes, except for the last one cos stronger dosnt mean better

it appears to be hit and miss with the plant herming

good luck with them and get pics posted soon

happy growing

:)
 
hi mushhead, nice 1st post and welcome to mns forums :)

indicas like ortega are easier to grow than haze strains for example, but if its ur 1st grow then youre going to fcuk it up several times along the way, but this is how we learn and ppl here will help you along the way. at the end you will get smokeable weed from it

the answer to your 3 points is yes, except for the last one cos stronger dosnt mean better

it appears to be hit and miss with the plant herming

good luck with them and get pics posted soon

happy growing

:)

Thank you for the response.

I have read that environmental conditions can shock the plant into hermaphrodism, is this true? Will controlling light (to the entire plant including the lower branches), temperature, humidity, etc. reduce the chance of hermaphrodism? Or is it primarily based on the genetics of the individual plant? My gut tells me it is a mix of the two, that I should endeavor to control the environment to reduce the chance of a hermaphroditic plant, but that genetics plays a role as well.

I have good experience growing vegetables outdoors, but this will be my first indoor growing (other than vegetable seedlings) and cloning experience.
 
What's up mush? Your off to good start by researching what you want. IMO beginners go for what's hot or the elite strain of the week.
Ortega Is fairly easy to grow/clone. For me it helped me sleep and was good but not as potent as I anticipated. I flowered mine taller than what I'd recommend. 12/12 from seed or a short veg period I think is ideal for this strain.
You have made a good choice in looking at MNS. I would recommend starting with shit. It fits your criteria based on what you wrote more than Ortega. The potential issues you could face as a first time grower of this strain or weed in general could be more stress than you think. It's sucks to put in a lot of effort and not being satisfied with end product.
BBG makes a good point about learning by doing. I've grown 3 packs of shit over the last few months and I prefer the "high" to Ortega. I'm not saying it's not good just not my cup of tea unless I need to sleep and then I go straight for it.
Whatever way you choose feel free to contact me with any questions.


BTW what medium, lights,organic or not etc do you plan on using?
 
What's up mush? Your off to good start by researching what you want. IMO beginners go for what's hot or the elite strain of the week.
Ortega Is fairly easy to grow/clone. For me it helped me sleep and was good but not as potent as I anticipated. I flowered mine taller than what I'd recommend. 12/12 from seed or a short veg period I think is ideal for this strain.
You have made a good choice in looking at MNS. I would recommend starting with shit. It fits your criteria based on what you wrote more than Ortega. The potential issues you could face as a first time grower of this strain or weed in general could be more stress than you think. It's sucks to put in a lot of effort and not being satisfied with end product.
BBG makes a good point about learning by doing. I've grown 3 packs of shit over the last few months and I prefer the "high" to Ortega. I'm not saying it's not good just not my cup of tea unless I need to sleep and then I go straight for it.
Whatever way you choose feel free to contact me with any questions.


BTW what medium, lights,organic or not etc do you plan on using?

Seedlings/clone: 18/6 light period in seedling tray with dome under 6xT12 fluorescent lights. Using rapid rooter plugs.

Vegetative/Mother: 18/6 light period, 1000 Watt Metal Halide bulb, using soil mix in 1 gallon pots.

Flowering: 12/12 light period under 1000 watt HPS in 3 gallon pots.

Soil Mix: Peat moss, Perlite, Azomite mix (I don't have the exact proportions in front of me, but have the link somewhere for the right mix) so, essentially this is a "soilless mix" similar to Promix HP.

Fertilizer: Jack's classic 20/20/20 (Jack's Classic - J. R. Peters Inc. Fertilizer Products And Services) for vegetative and Jack's Blossom Booster 10/30/20 for flowering.

I figure it would be easier to keep it simple in the beginning, hence the choices on soil-less/fertilizer vs. hydroponic/aeroponic. I am choosing to stay away from organic soils as I want to completely control the environment the plants are in. I'm sectioning off an area and making it air-tight with a 2 part cooling system and a co2 generator. I know, it is perhaps a little more complicated than i should go on my first grow, but I believe if I can completely control as many factors as I am able on my first grow that the results will be better. Also, I do not have to worry about smell if it is completely contained. (I am making the area air-tight and have an "air-lock" to the grow area where the air is scrubbed with a carbon filter.)
 
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Your set up sounds good. Do you already have the seeds?

With your set up and growing Ortega I would consider going from the plugs into the 3 gallon containers and vegging for 2-3 weeks at most.

I hope you post a thread on these.
 
Oh Resin, thank you for your thread comparing Sensi's Northern Lights vs Mr. Nice's Ortega. It was very informative.
 
Your set up sounds good. Do you already have the seeds?

With your set up and growing Ortega I would consider going from the plugs into the 3 gallon containers and vegging for 2-3 weeks at most.

I hope you post a thread on these.

I haven't purchased any seeds yet. Hence this thread. I wanted to nail down which ones to purchase. I was split between Sensi's Northern Lights and MNS's Ortega. Now you add "Shit" to that list.

I feel overwhelmed with choices and since I'm a neophyte I was interested in narrowing down the list to one choice and then purchasing those seeds.
 
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i say go with a plant less prone to causing problems...Nordle sounds like the perfect plant for you, extremely forgiving, good yields and a very heavy hittting stone with a short flowering time...Nordle imho is one of the greatest lines ever offered by MNS and veterans like Scorpion and others would agree
 
Hey mushhead, i just sent for some ASH, tho it was hard to choose between that and "nordle" or "ortega" (for night med). I will prob end up with all three in the near future tho .. :cool:

I just started some lil "shit" seedlings and they look very healthy and grow fast :eek:

I would love to see some more ortega grow logs, as im also interested in this strain yet a little confused by the reports so far .. Tho being MNS I dont think there is much chance of any thing but.... great genetics.
 
Hey Dawn, I am excited about the Shit too

wanagrowbigbud-albums-shit-seedlings-picture6615-shit-3.jpg


Your CM sounds good mate ...
 
I am growing Ortega currently. It is very easy to grow and can be neglected for a while and is very forgiving of mistakes. I think it is a good one to learn on. I have had a back injury as of late and have beat up my plants due to neglect and they are pretty good considering. They are flowering in 1 gallon pots, don't get watered enough right now, and get the same feeding regimen as the hazes strains I am growing which is not enough food. With all of this abuse they still look pretty good and are flowering nicely. AND NO HERMAPHRODITES! They still have a month to go but I don't see any problems. Seems like an 8 week flowering cycle so far.

Would love a smoke report on the Ortega when its done Dawn, I use afghans for pain from a similar injury and this is the main reason im looking at the ortega.

NO HERMS !!!! .... good good :)

What light are they under may I ask ?
 
Questions like this have been asked before, not sure if in the exact form of this one. I'm pretty new here and mainly I'm trying to make a decision what seed pack to buy without searching the forum for hours. There are three MNS strains on the list that show 'family of breed' as the same or nearly the same. Since most crosses with skunk seem to use skunk #1, I am guessing that NL5 x skunk uses Skunk #1, making that an identical 'family of breed' to Nordle. I suppose differences between the offered strains may be due to the use of varying specific parent(s) or lines of either Afghan or Skunk.

From the MNS strain list:

NL5 x Skunk: 50% Afghan, 50% Skunk
Ratings:
4/5 aroma
4/5 medicinal value
5/5 yield

Nordle: 50% Afghan, 50% Skunk#1
Ratings:
4.5/5 aroma
5/5 medicinal value
4.5/5 yield

Critical Mass: Afghan x Skunk #1
Ratings:
4/5 aroma
4.5/5 medicinal value
5/5 yield

Nordle is given best medicinal value of 5/5, with best aroma of the three. NL5 x Skunk, and Critical Mass, are both shown as the top yielders at 5/5, with slightly lower medicinal.

Anyone have input to offer that would further help a person understand and appreciate these strains and practical or even subtle difference between them? Are the differences subtle, or considered actually notable?

From the ratings alone Nordle sounds good, since I'm choosing a seed pack on behalf of a friend fighting a recently diagnosed, late-stage case of cancer. Top-rated yield of Critical Mass also seems attractive since it's rated nearly at the top for medicinal. But really, are the differences between these three strains noticeable (mainly effect, medicinal value and yield) or are we talking basically six of one/half-dozen the other??

Forgive pls if this has already been hashed out in the forum somewhere. If a forum member(s) have grown out some or all of these and can say a few words about what they thought mainly in terms of the effect and medicinal value (is it restful, narcotic, or other) in relative terms among the 3 strains, I'd appreciate it. Personally I've never grown any indica dom. strain before, nor smoked one either to my knowledge.
 
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. . . I am guessing that NL5 x skunk uses Skunk #1, making that an identical 'family of breed' to Nordle. I suppose differences between the offered strains may be due to the use of varying specific parent(s) or lines of either Afghan or Skunk.

Nordle is "Afghan T" (AfgT) x Skunk #1

AfgT is one of several phenos Nevil got from Jim Ortega (dogless here on the board.) His indica line was described by Nev as kind of an "all in one" like the northern lights line he worked. He had a hashplant type, a big bud type, a kush type, and the AfgT was described as being skunky, as skunky as Sam's skunk #1, but it was pure indica.
AfgT had a sister, AfgS which is said to be sweeter.
AfgT is used as a female in Nordle and Afghan Haze (same plant.)
As part of Nordle and Afghan Haze, it finds itself used in several of the Limited Editions
Nordle:
Nevil's Skunk (Nordle male)
Angle Heart (Nordle male)

Afg Haze:
Angel's Breath (Afg Haze Male)
Critical Haze (Afg Haze Male)
Early Haze (Afg Haze Male)
Master Kaze (Afg Haze Male)

You can see it is used on both sides of a single cross in Shanti's ASH.

As you can see, the Afghan T Female finds itself into the middle of a large part of the MNS catalog.

Northern Lights is a completely different collection of "types."


From the MNS strain list:

NL5 x Skunk: 50% Afghan, 50% Skunk
Ratings:
4/5 aroma
4/5 medicinal value
5/5 yield

Nordle: 50% Afghan, 50% Skunk#1
Ratings:
4.5/5 aroma
5/5 medicinal value
4.5/5 yield

Critical Mass: Afghan x Skunk #1
Ratings:
4/5 aroma
4.5/5 medicinal value
5/5 yield

Nordle is given best medicinal value of 5/5, with best aroma of the three. NL5 x Skunk, and Critical Mass, are both shown as the top yielders at 5/5, with slightly lower medicinal.

Anyone have input to offer that would further help a person understand and appreciate these strains and practical or even subtle difference between them? Are the differences subtle, or considered actually notable?

From the ratings alone Nordle sounds good, since I'm choosing a seed pack on behalf of a friend fighting a recently diagnosed, late-stage case of cancer. Top-rated yield of Critical Mass also seems attractive since it's rated nearly at the top for medicinal. But really, are the differences between these three strains noticeable (mainly effect, medicinal value and yield) or are we talking basically six of one/half-dozen the other??

Forgive pls if this has already been hashed out in the forum somewhere. If a forum member(s) have grown out some or all of these and can say a few words about what they thought mainly in terms of the effect and medicinal value (is it restful, narcotic, or other) in relative terms among the 3 strains, I'd appreciate it. Personally I've never grown any indica dom. strain before, nor smoked one either to my knowledge.
It sounds like it would help for you to read some of the smoke reports on the 2 strains (Nordle and Critical mass.)
Having smoked NEITHER, my guess would be that CM will be more euphoric and Nordle more medicinal.
Euphoria is not a bad thing.
Honestly, you can't go wrong with either.

Given the level of experience and the occasional report of hermies in Ortega being intollerant of mistakes in environment control.
Nordle or CM seems like the best bet for a first grow.
How is the humidity level where you are growing? CM is susceptible to bud rot if your environment is less than ideal, it may present some challenges Nordle does not.
 
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Great info, thanks!

Bud rot a concern mostly in outdoor growing I guess.

In the winters around here furnaces are always going, air is so dry u could run a computer on the static electricity . In the summers air conditioners are almost always on and keep the air dry enough. Short periods in Spring and Fall one might open the windows.

The worst thing about 'bud rot' for me, if I wanted to grow those strains it would nix my idea of relocating to Puyo Ecuador on the Amazon side of the Andes, with avg. annual rainfall of 178 in, temps all year about 58 - 78F, . It's very near equator ~ 3000 ft in elev.
 
well the whole six in one half dozen in the other is wrong when viewing these strains...all had different goals and therefore have different skunks and afghans used tho some are in a few strains...Nordle and Ortega were developed for medical use and for heavy narcotic plant seekers...CM was bred for yield and commercial use but can be medicinal depending on what you seek...Shit is the MNS SK#1 and Devil uses different Afg/Sk's also...Shit is a classic indoor/outdoor bred to get you buzzed, Devil was developed for outdoor use...all of them except Ortega are AfxSk hybrids...oh and NL5xAfg was disappointing and from experience would medically get 3stars max from me however Nordle blew my mind medically
 
Nevil said that NL5 x AfgT did not "fizz" when he tried the cross. Not a good combo if I remember right.

well Nevil wasn't kidding...i would send my 3packs back for just about any other MNS hybrid...cracked 20 and had 7females and didn't even ponder keeping one, good flavor on most but i just felt cheated with the mix...i know some on the forum have found keepers and since its a new NL5 selection maybe it will fizz better tho in my experience I would buy just about try any other medical indica over this hybrid from the MNS menu
 
6 seeds-Ortega- Grew 5 Crops 2010-2011

My Favorite MNS Strain ( For Sleep And Pain Issues ) Easy To Grow, Easier To Reveg Than Most And Phat And Hashy.
I'm Currently Looking For More MNS Ortega To Grow
JKP
 

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