Alkhemist - Soil - Big Budxsuper Skunk #1 First Grow Journal

[Alkhemist]

50 days into flowering... alas with all the stress of having to relocate my grow partner to a new house(all for the better as its better suited to grow the aero SOG i wanna upgrade him to! ) and the plants not responding well to their defoliation- seeing no increase in bud size after 2 weeks... and now i have to find a new place as our landlord has given us notice that she wants to move back into this house!!! 3mnths notice but fucks sake, we have only been here 6mnths! grrrrr more stress ... BUT ... the grows must go on! tbh im actually quite excited about upgrading.

some pics from tonights check up and a couple of attempts to get some close ups thru my 20x loupe loL :

a couple of the stretchy throwbacks to the right:

still no sign of amber anywhere to be seen:

a coupla lower flowers:

thanks all and peace

 

[Grand Daddy Purp]

Looking great. Nice grow!

 

[clever]

So defoliating on this run was not what you hoped for? what were your results, it probably is also depending on strain. Like how some sativa's are already leggy and airy, where some indica's are squat with dense leaves. I heard somewhere that plucking leaves is bad because the stress draws energy away from the forming buds. And that the leaves are like panels where alot of oxygen, c02, and light react in photosynthesis, I cant spell that but you get the idea. plus the leaves are a natural part of things in nature . Anyway I wanted to know what results you got and what you were looking for

 

[Alkhemist]

Looking great. Nice grow!

thank you brother! much appreciated alas they are nothing compared to the last few grows of the same strain :[[ the only thing i can put it down to is the defoliation experiment.. which seems to have stunted rather than swelled like the tsunami buds i was hoping for loL.. my buds of this strain in my last grow yielded over 10 ounces each plant.. but at this stage ill be lucky to get half that :\ again.. nothing different except added co2(yeast) and defoliated(flowering cycle)...

 

[Alkhemist]

So defoliating on this run was not what you hoped for? what were your results, it probably is also depending on strain. Like how some sativa's are already leggy and airy, where some indica's are squat with dense leaves. I heard somewhere that plucking leaves is bad because the stress draws energy away from the forming buds. And that the leaves are like panels where alot of oxygen, c02, and light react in photosynthesis, I cant spell that but you get the idea. plus the leaves are a natural part of things in nature . Anyway I wanted to know what results you got and what you were looking for

yeah bro, i think along the exact same lines.. and ordinarily i wouldnt defoliate anywhere near that aggressively- not that it was an extreme defoliation. the experiment was based on the theory that the buds increase in size MORE when exposed to light.. as opposed to leaving leaves on as 'solar panels'.. my little experiment on my recirculating top feeding system has shown the same thing.. the ones i defoliated have stunted somewhat and havent increased in size- being tied down to open all bud sites to even light exposure, thinned out so light can penetrate deeper with a continuing defoliation.. i will continue with it in that grow though i havent seen the benefits of defoliation there either.. like you say, it could just be the strain. the ones i left- slight training down, thinned and pruned as i normally do(just to open buds up to light where needed)- have actually shown increased swelling of resin glands and slightly denser bud sites... you are right re the different strains and how they react... normally i do slight lollipopping by thinning out the bottoms a little allowing energy to be sent to the main areas that receive the most light- leaving stuff on the bottoms ONLy to make bubble hash with after harvest- and the buds fatten up considerably!.. my last grow of the same strain yielded some top colas almost as fat as my mates head.. seriously quadruple the size of this grow- so im at a loss. the only thing i have done different is add co2(yeast) and defoliate... i'll paste some pics to show previous buds of this strain as a comparison

 

[Cola Monster]

Hey Alkhemist, sorry to hear about the low bud production this time around as that really bites after all the hard work you put in. Do you by chance have anyway to monitor the CO2 levels in your room that come from using yeast which I've never done before as anything over 2000 ppm they say can stunt the growth of your plants drastically? Just curious! And as far as defoliating goes I hardly ever touch my legal ladies unless seeing a bad leaf possibly as to much pruning does the same thing I.M.H.O. being their needed to provide shade for the flowers and help in producing sugars. And on a note, I've also had problems in the past when growing the same strain the second and third time around as it always seems smaller for some odd reason which I have yet to figure out myself so if finding an answer to this quandary were both in feel free to give me a shout. ~Peace~

 

[Alkhemist]

this bud was 3 inches from my mates head.. against his cap- to show a comparison of the size of it:

this is still green but completely solid:

these plants ranged from 6ft 5in to over seven foot and yielded 7-12 ounces dry- ea plant

so... by comparison this grow has been something of a failure.. but it will still yield a decent amount.. but nothing like the last several grows in the same room of the same strain...

 

[Grand Daddy Purp]

Be careful of pictures with identifying marks... It is for your own safety as you never know who may be here.

 

[Alkhemist]

Hey Alkhemist, sorry to hear about the low bud production this time around as that really bites after all the hard work you put in. Do you by chance have anyway to monitor the CO2 levels in your room that come from using yeast which I've never done before as anything over 2000 ppm they say can stunt the growth of your plants drastically? Just curious! And as far as defoliating goes I hardly ever touch my legal ladies unless seeing a bad leaf possibly as to much pruning does the same thing I.M.H.O. being their needed to provide shade for the flowers and help in producing sugars. And on a note, I've also had problems in the past when growing the same strain the second and third time around as it always seems smaller for some odd reason which I have yet to figure out myself so if finding an answer to this quandary were both in feel free to give me a shout. ~Peace~

ah yeah bro... that is a good point- excessive co2 could be an issue! im only using 3 2litre milk bottles half filled with warm water and yeast, with slow release tubes sticking out the tops... could be something to consider! i dont have a ppm meter for co2 at present but i will remedy that with the next grow or 2... yeah, im the same brother.. normally i dont touch leaves except to open up a bud site herre n there or to, like you say, remove a deficient looking leaf.

yeah, i consider this a silly lesson as i NORMALLY ALWAYS do a test plant or two first... i should have known better, if in fact it was a result of defoliating.

i have a a couple of mother plants that i take cuttings from so im certain there would be no issue with generation abuse, but i certainly know what you're saying! i normally try and stay away from taking cuttings from cuttings.. from cuttings.. from cuttings etc but have done so when i havent had mothers in the past.. but no more than 3-4 generations... im at a loss.. the only thing i can think is defoliation.. or possibly, like you say, co2 excess... i really need to invest in a co2 meter.

thank you kindly for your advice though my friend! im always open to advice and tips- i'll try and locate a co2 meter to borrow just to test the levels before the end of harvest... would be good to know what 3 bottles put out for future reference!

peace and happy blazing!

 

[Alkhemist]

Be careful of pictures with identifying marks... It is for your own safety as you never know who may be here.

i understand and thanks for the heads up bro!

 

[ajagunle]

Beautiful looking plants Sir, especially from your previous grow.

Sorry you have had a bad experience with defoliating, just about to go down that rocky road myself. You said you were open to experimentation, have you considered GLR?

 

[Grand Daddy Purp]

GLR is working great in my grow and saving me money to boot.

 

[Alkhemist]

Beautiful looking plants Sir, especially from your previous grow.

Sorry you have had a bad experience with defoliating, just about to go down that rocky road myself. You said you were open to experimentation, have you considered GLR?

yeah aj.. my little experiment with defoliation hasnt resulted in the increased yield i hear so much about... but i had to try it at least once loL i think i'll just stick to what i know to be effective and yes sir-ree im keen to try some GLR! and as tactical said.. i like the idea of a cost effective veg cycle PLUS i am really interested to see how it will speed up the transition from veg to flowering- fascinating idea of interrupting the 12/12 with a single hour of light to trick the plants... i can hardly wait to test it!

 

[ajagunle]

GLR causes a huge reduction in stretch, can be advantageous if you’re prepared for it.

Love the journal!

 

[clever]

Forgive my ignorance, GLR? please help me out?

 

[Grand Daddy Purp]

Forgive my ignorance, GLR? please help me out?

Gas Lantern Routine.... 12hours on, 5 1/2 off, 1 on, 5 1/2 off.

 

[clever]

To what advantage does this have

 

[Grand Daddy Purp]

It cuts electricity cost. It also makes great use of light as it gives the plant 5 1/2 hours of rest between light cycles but not enough to allow the flowering hormones to emerge. It works really well with growth as can be seen in my current grow. The rest period allows the plant to assimilate and aspire after only 13 hours of light as opposed to 18 or more hours that are used as the standard.

 

[R2MNot]

Alkhemist Nice grow! I bet water day is a pain in the arse!

 

[clever]

I hope I don't sound to ignorant, this is during the veg. cycle. Its just that I never heard of this and it sounds like something I might try, maybe in a small space with just a couple cuttings