420 Magazine's Official Girl Scout Cookies Comparative Grow By Emilya

[Emilya Green]

Garden is looking absolutely GORGEOUS @Emilya

I went back to the beginning of your journal and re-read everything a second time. I also picked up a copy of TLO and just finished - great read!

One quick question... originally you mentioned using spikes in this grow. After going thru your journal a 2nd time, I couldn't find any additional mention of them. Just curious if you decided to not use them, or maybe I missed it somehow. If you did use them, were the spikes more geoflora, or some other recipe?

Good question! In keeping with the TLO techniques I have been known to drill holes and fill them with raw nutrient spikes, and in lieu of that I have used Jobes Plant Food spikes on several occasions. This time the @GeoFlora Nutrients seemed to be doing so well that I didn't use any of that, just wanting to see how the Geoflora does without a lot of extra help.

 

[Emilya Green]

Bloom - 4 weeks, 5 days
Geoflora Feed - Day 11
Wet/Dry Cycle - Day 1
Number of fast waterings - 2
24 Days since last SNS Foliar, SNS 209 given on each watering
Length of Grow - 3 months, 1 week, 6 days

Tonight, let's just let the buds do the talking. We suddenly find ourselves just several weeks from the end!

 

[LizardMate]

bulking up nicely

 

[Jon]

Bloom - 4 weeks, 5 days
Geoflora Feed - Day 11
Wet/Dry Cycle - Day 1
Number of fast waterings - 2
24 Days since last SNS Foliar, SNS 209 given on each watering
Length of Grow - 3 months, 1 week, 6 days

Tonight, let's just let the buds do the talking. We suddenly find ourselves just several weeks from the end!

Is this last photo that odd looking bud and how it's developed? Or am I seeing a cola behind a cola and can't tell?

 

[Emilya Green]

Is this last photo that odd looking bud and how it's developed? Or am I seeing a cola behind a cola and can't tell?

Yes, that is the big one that we are keeping our eyes on

 

[HashGirl]

Is this why your garden always looks so nice because you have people lying and sitting on the floor to tend things when you're not around?

Looking good, Em.

 

[Emilya Green]

Is this why your garden always looks so nice because you have people lying and sitting on the floor to tend things when you're not around?

Looking good, Em.

It certainly helps! It's a family thing and we all do what we can.

 

[Mark Gordan Smith]

It certainly helps!

If you had the remains of my family ....It certainly wouldn't.

 

[Emilya Green]

Backbuilding Cuts

We are at the 5 week point and today is the time to do this cut. I am not going to go into all the discussion and theory on this because it has been well handled before I came along and started using it. Here is the original link by LA:LA's Quick Guide To Simple Backbuilding Technique For Buds!

Basically, we are simulating a deer coming along and nipping off the very top of the bud. This causes a dramatic reaction in the plant and it begins to build the bud from the back and the sides instead of the top, causing a "chunkier" and arguably larger bud than would have resulted in the natural conical shape.

To show the difference I have made this cut on 3 buds on each plant so we can see the difference this tiny cut makes. Here is how much I am removing from the top:

Also, over my delusions of a possible 2 liter bottle sized bud on the tallest bud that we have been watching, I will easily settle for a couple of coke cans stacked along that branch. She also got the backbuild cut so that we can help that to happen, and I am using her as my first example.

 

[DeeBoy]

How many buds do you cut?

 

[HashGirl]

So, you just cut a bit (1", 2"?) off the back of your 3 largest colas?

 

[Emilya Green]

Bloom - 5 weeks
Geoflora Feed - Day 13
Wet/Dry Cycle - Day 0
Number of fast waterings - 3
26 Days since last SNS Foliar, SNS 209 given on each watering
Length of Grow - 3 months, 2 weeks, 1 day


Today was fast watering day and it was also a day before the scheduled 2 week feeding of @GeoFlora Nutrients. I made the decision that both events were important, so we fed. Also an examination of the largest of the plants showed a slight calcium and potassium deficiency starting up at the end of the feeding cycle, so it seemed prudent to feed a day early.

Based on conversations on the Geoflora thread about feeding extra for large hungry plants, I did that too, on this last feeding of the grow. Instead of 2/3 cup as recommended for 7 gallon containers, I gave the 10 gallon dose of 1 full cup.

The plants are all getting super sticky and the buds keep building. The smell about knocks you out when you come into the room and I could sit up there for hours.

Just one quick bud shot tonight, but I promise a lot more as we start to compare the backbuilders from the coneheads as we head into the finish.

 

[Jon]

Backbuilding Cuts

We are at the 5 week point and today is the time to do this cut. I am not going to go into all the discussion and theory on this because it has been well handled before I came along and started using it. Here is the original link by LA:

Basically, we are simulating a deer coming along and nipping off the very top of the bud. This causes a dramatic reaction in the plant and it begins to build the bud from the back and the sides instead of the top, causing a "chunkier" and arguably larger bud than would have resulted in the natural conical shape.

To show the difference I have made this cut on 3 buds on each plant so we can see the difference this tiny cut makes. Here is how much I am removing from the top:

Also, over my delusions of a possible 2 liter bottle sized bud on the tallest bud that we have been watching, I will easily settle for a couple of coke cans stacked along that branch. She also got the backbuild cut so that we can help that to happen, and I am using her as my first example.

Fascinating. I wouldn't give up on your 2-liter bottle dream just yet - those buds have a lot of fattening to do yet and if your back cut thing works as intended you just may get there. Couple questions:

1. So you did 3 on each plant. I understand you are in part trying to teach something, but independent of that, if you are so sold on this how come you don't just do this cut to all the buds? Is there a reason besides the teaching thing, for example, maybe if you cut them all it's a problem, too much stress or something?
2. Your timing on this cutting: how specifically did you end up with this as the ideal time? Is it a "how the buds look" thing, or a "it gets done at time X regardless" sort of thing? And if it's the latter, how come?
3. Can you please figure out a way to transfer smellevision or something so we can smell that grow room with each post? But seriously, how stinky is this grow at the present time? Is this a high stink strain? Cuz it looks dank as hell!

Thanks Emilya! Damn it looks healthy in there.

Sorry, missed the part where you covered the smell. Ignore that question. Lol.

 

[Emilya Green]

How many buds do you cut?

I like to cut all the main kolas and then leave the smaller stuff below alone. This time I am only cutting 3 of the top buds so we can see the difference.

So, you just cut a bit (1", 2"?) off the back of your 3 largest colas?

no no... slow down... lol. Nowhere near that much. Maybe a quarter of an inch. I want to only nip into the green part and most of the cut is going to be white pistils at the very top. Not the back of the kola, the very tip top.

 

[Jon]

I like to cut all the main kolas and then leave the smaller stuff below alone. This time I am only cutting 3 of the top buds so we can see the difference.


no no... slow down... lol. Nowhere near that much. Maybe a quarter of an inch. I want to only nip into the green part and most of the cut is going to be white pistils at the very top. Not the back of the kola, the very tip top.

Almost like "fimming" the buds, yes?

 

[Emilya Green]

Fascinating. I wouldn't give up on your 2-liter bottle dream just yet - those buds have a lot of fattening to do yet and if your back cut thing works as intended you just may get there. Couple questions:

1. So you did 3 on each plant. I understand you are in part trying to teach something, but independent of that, if you are so sold on this how come you don't just do this cut to all the buds? Is there a reason besides the teaching thing, for example, maybe if you cut them all it's a problem, too much stress or something?
2. Your timing on this cutting: how specifically did you end up with this as the ideal time? Is it a "how the buds look" thing, or a "it gets done at time X regardless" sort of thing? And if it's the latter, how come?
3. Can you please figure out a way to transfer smellevision or something so we can smell that grow room with each post? But seriously, how stinky is this grow at the present time? Is this a high stink strain? Cuz it looks dank as hell!

Thanks Emilya! Damn it looks healthy in there.

Sorry, missed the part where you covered the smell. Ignore that question. Lol.

Mostly Jon, since this is such a high profile thread as a result of being part of a 40 member comparative grow, I wanted to do a bit more in showing the various methods that I regularly use, in a training like setting, much like I am doing with the watering method that I explain a lot, but rarely show in such detail as I am doing here. Normally I would do this backbuild cut on every top bud as it probably adds 20-30% to the overall size and it makes the bud have much more bag appeal. Its not a matter of stress... I am barely nipping them.

The timing is at the 5 week point, just after the buds start taking a distinct conical look to them. 6 weeks is too late, as then we are getting into the final bud swell, and 4 weeks is too early as the buds have just stopped stacking and have yet to start building out the conical shape.

 

[Emilya Green]

Almost like "fimming" the buds, yes?

very similar I think

 

[Jon]

Mostly Jon, since this is such a high profile thread as a result of being part of a 40 member comparative grow, I wanted to do a bit more in showing the various methods that I regularly use, in a training like setting, much like I am doing with the watering method that I explain a lot, but rarely show in such detail as I am doing here. Normally I would do this backbuild cut on every top bud as it probably adds 20-30% to the overall size and it makes the bud have much more bag appeal. Its not a matter of stress... I am barely nipping them.

The timing is at the 5 week point, just after the buds start taking a distinct conical look to them. 6 weeks is too late, as then we are getting into the final bud swell, and 4 weeks is too early as the buds have just stopped stacking and have yet to start building out the conical shape.

Perfect. Succinct. Very clear. Thanks!!! That's what I meant by the teaching thing, obviously you stated it much better, but I figured that was it. So you've done this many times and it always makes the buds chunkier eh?? I love it. Why wouldn't I do this every time? Does it ever not work?

 

[Emilya Green]

Perfect. Succinct. Very clear. Thanks!!! That's what I meant by the teaching thing, obviously you stated it much better, but I figured that was it. So you've done this many times and it always makes the buds chunkier eh?? I love it. Why wouldn't I do this every time? Does it ever not work?

only if you do it too late

 

[Fudo Myoo]

Beautiful garden and happy belated birthday!