Buds still loose and very leafy: help?

[Southerncough]

Dude, don't discount what a 315 can do!
I was pulling over 1/2 lb per month perpetually putting clones in a 2x4 tent using an ebb/flow table and a 315 (harvesting a few small plants every 2 weeks).
Unfortunately I really struggled with the heat and switched to QB LED. my wife was just asking what if we're locked down during rainy season? and i joked that I'd hang the 315 in the living room it'd be nice and sunny indoors! LOL

 

[missty80]

Do you check your trichomes? Best for judging ripeness

i do. but i have this tiny magnifier and it's not always easy seeing the buds comfortably.

they say the buds are ready when the trichomes are milky white, but i'm concerned that the buds could fill out and get denser if i leave them for another week or so.

anyhow...with my current plant, i'm gonna chop it earlier this time. i'm almost sure i'm cutting too late...maybe even 1-2 weeks too late, which is why i think they buds are losing their aroma and stickiness.

practice makes perfect, right?

my next grow after this Lowyrder is gonna be Seedsman Auto Zskittlez, so...that should be a nice lime green with bright orange hairs and colorful speckles.

 

[missty80]

Dude, don't discount what a 315 can do!
I was pulling over 1/2 lb per month perpetually putting clones in a 2x4 tent using an ebb/flow table and a 315 (harvesting a few small plants every 2 weeks).
Unfortunately I really struggled with the heat and switched to QB LED. my wife was just asking what if we're locked down during rainy season? and i joked that I'd hang the 315 in the living room it'd be nice and sunny indoors! LOL

haha that's awesome

yeah, i think part of the prob is slight lack of moisture and cutting the plants too late. i think they're starting to dry on the vine before i even chop them. because they're super smelly and sticky, then i wait another 1-2 weeks to make sure they're done filling out, and by the time they're done drying and curing they've lost almost all their aroma and stickiness.

this time, with my current Lowryder, i'm gonna cut it earlier instead of waiting for the leaves to get crisp and dry.

i also slacked a bit with the humidity with this plant...got really busy and didn't always remember to refill the humidifier, so there were times when the humidity was only about 20-30% in the tent.

<3 misty

 

[BedroomFarmer]

Good luck

 

[Apoc]

A lot of the auto's seem to produce fluffy buds. Quite tasty but fluffed.

Try a Zkittlez auto, mine turned out compact and so many trichomes they got crunchy.

I just tied the top down lower than the other limbs and did a little LST. Mega Crop seedling to harvest.

 

[missty80]

A lot of the auto's seem to produce fluffy buds. Quite tasty but fluffed.

Try a Zkittlez auto, mine turned out compact and so many trichomes they got crunchy.

I just tied the top down lower than the other limbs and did a little LST. Mega Crop seedling to harvest.

yes, i've noticed that too.

my first grow, an LSD auto, looked almost exactly like that plant, including the LST i did.

is that a CMH? i keep mine about 18-20" over the top of the canopy...any closer and i'm worried about burning the plant, any further and i'm worried about it not getting enough light.

interesting coincidence: i got some freebie Zskittlez Auto from Seedsman, and that's going to be my next grow.

 

[Apoc]

These were from Seedsman. Those are Mars Hydro ts600's LED, 200w wall pull total. Could probably use 3 in a tent in my 3x3 tents. I've heard more light for tighter nugs.

 

[missty80]

These were from Seedsman. Those are Mars Hydro ts600's LED, 200w wall pull total. Could probably use 3 in a tent in my 3x3 tents. I've heard more light for tighter nugs.

looks nice, that's a big ol' thick main stem

do you ever fim your main stems? i always do, and it seems to work...splits into two nice-sized main stems, even with autos.

i fimmed my current Lowryder, and it actually split into 4 main stems. no pics right now bc i'm not at my mom's place, but i will later on. it's just 4 stems getting chunky with buds, looks pretty good. i seem to have good luck with fimming.

 

[Southerncough]

I dont know if this is true or not for everyone else, but I've been running clones from the same seed/mother plant and get various results...but what seems to make a big difference is how sturdy the branches are. If i flip a plant with thin branches, she won't yield as well as her sister with thicker branches. Now i train the flimsy branches sideways and the seem to get more rigid and the plant is more likely to produce more since it can support the weight better.

 

[Apoc]

On the shinny limbed plants it's better to LST the autos.

Just use pipe cleaners and bend the plants main cola lower than the other limbs. That way you end up with a hoard of limbs bearing big buds. You can use the pipe cleaners to spread the limbs. That's what I did on the plant in the picture. The big bud isn't the top cola it's one of the lower limbs lol.

Now on short stocky plants like Powerplant Auto, northern lights auto and sour Lowryder fimming or topping is the way to go. Here's one topped and some minor LST, 10 Main Colas and 30ish secondary. It's a northern lights auto.

 

[Apoc]

Oh do me a favor when your Lowryder from seedsman get a little bigger and check the bottom limbs. Two of my lower limbs split in half on their own, no scarring or attempted training the just split lol

 

[missty80]

Oh do me a favor when your Lowryder from seedsman get a little bigger and check the bottom limbs. Two of my lower limbs split in half on their own, no scarring or attempted training the just split lol

it's kinda strange tbh, the plant has 4 straight, clean branches...nothing else. no larf, no side branching, nothing at the bottom. just 4 individual stems that are budding up quite nicely.

i fimmed this one and it seemed to work well...it might have stunted the growth, but as Lowryder is small and short anyway, it's hard to be sure.

i think it's going to stay small, probably max out at about 12-14". Lowryder is a small plant, and since it's auto it's probably even smaller, but it smells great and is very sticky and fuzzy already. i'm cutting it much earlier than i cut my earlier grows (when about 80% of the hairs are orange and there are no new white hairs), so that should help.

my next is Auto Zskittlez from Seedsman, so i'm hoping i learn some good things from my current Lowryder and improve my skills. i'd really love to make the Zskittlez grow a great one, as my mom is excited about trying that strain and is hoping it'll hit like a truck.

<3

 

[Apoc]

My Lowryder is about 14 inches but hasn't stretched yet, it's partner is about 12 inches. They both have 7 nodes, I topped them when they hit 8 nodes. You're right so far very few fan leaves.

The Zkittlez had very few fan leaves as well. One of them I harvested at 60 days because a major lower limb broke. That's the one with so many trichomes it's crunchy. In a few days I'll chip the 70+ day one and see if there's much difference. The 60 day one it'll rock your head fast.

 

[Stoned Ape]

Hi missty I got zkittlez photo in at the moment. Got about 3 weeks left.

i think it should fatten up soon.

 

[bluter]

hi misty

it's light. it's almost always light.
them mh are great, but stuff a second in there if you can, and you'll triple quality. so long as you can manage temps etc.

i run a stupid huge cob set up for the size of the flower room .. it crushes - but mostly since it's overkill and i can dial it back.

most mh are adjustable - stuff a second in there and find the sweet spot. or get a big qb from budget led.

also hard is not the measure. overall weight and trichomes are. once you get your style dialed you'll never worry for either.

 

[missty80]

hi misty

it's light. it's almost always light.
them mh are great, but stuff a second in there if you can, and you'll triple quality. so long as you can manage temps etc.

i run a stupid huge cob set up for the size of the flower room .. it crushes - but mostly since it's overkill and i can dial it back.

most mh are adjustable - stuff a second in there and find the sweet spot. or get a big qb from budget led.

also hard is not the measure. overall weight and trichomes are. once you get your style dialed you'll never worry for either.

thanks for the advice, but i can't add any more lights. between the extra power bill $$ and the heat in there (it already gets up to the mid-80s or even high 80s if i don't open up and vent once a day), it just isn't in the cards right now.

another 315w would make it so hot in there...probably over 100 and because i use a humidifier, it might get even hotter still....

i think for now, i need to content myself with knowing i'm not doing this for glory, praise, or even profit--i'm doing it to help my mom. i shouldn't be worrying about how the bud looks or smells, but just about whether it helps her.

at around $68 per 8th and even more for rec here in IL now, even growing 1.5-2 ounces per plant is a huge savings, even if it doesn't end up looking like something that would win any prizes.

i suppose right now, i should just focus on choosing different strains and watering the coco each day instead of every 2-3 days, and cutting the plants earlier so they aren't starting to dry on the vine. with autos, i suppose about 60 days is plenty. i've been leaving them longer to try and fatten up the buds more, but i'm just drying them out and frying them, so...

anyway, i'll post pics when my Lowryder is near chop time, maybe you guys will be nice enough to tell me what you think.

thanks guys

<3 misty

 

[bluter]

try a quantum board or two then when you have the $. led is pricey -- i know ..
kind of faced the same problem ..

i build these ..

more light.JPG

• bluter
• Feb 5, 2020
• 1

under the big one..

that's a cob rig. i don't suggest that, but a newer style set of QB's will do the same and be super easy to set up ...
less than 1/4 the heat

current results in progress

whole group.JPG

• bluter
• Mar 30, 2020

current hempy group ..

it's gonna be light .... fix that up and your golden. you can get a smaller board and run it with the hid without much increase in heat. can also run the driver remote to help.

 

[multiVortex]

thanks for the advice, but i can't add any more lights. between the extra power bill $$ and the heat in there (it already gets up to the mid-80s or even high 80s if i don't open up and vent once a day), it just isn't in the cards right now.

Hey ya Misty. Let's see if we can't get you sorted and back on track.

First, for what you're doing (drain to waste), you may be better off using Promix HP instead of coco. I say this as it seems it would better fit what you're expecting (water when dry, no need to pH, etc). This also means using less water as well.

Doing this, I highly recommend looking at Farside's feeding schedule. Especially if you're running autos. (You can find it in his journal, or the now closed MegaCrop thread.)

This schedule, combined with quadlining, will blow your autos up. You will need megacrop, which you have, and if you would like you can also use some calmag and protekt. Protekt being a silica supplement. Its usage was discussed pretty heavy in the MC thread. SKIP the bud explosion. It's already part of MC anyway. More is just asking for trouble. Remember the KISS method, and keep it simple.



Next, summertime is fast approaching. Temps with the light are going to become more difficult to manage as a whole. The more you can do to prevent that, the better you will be.

How can you do that?

You don't want to hear this, I know. Nobody does. However, I strongly suggest checking out this @Budget LED light: 250w Series 3 Red Spec, 3500k.

Yes, it's money. However it's not an expenditure, it's an investment. That light will last you 10 years or better, and you'll no longer have to replace your bulb every other grow.

They also offer a discount for forum members, which you can find in their sponsor thread.

But what in the world can this do for you, other than cost you money?

It's going to save you money every month, which will add up and pay for itself within the year. First, you'll use less electricity every month. You'll first save 65w a month, as this light is only 250w. Next, it will drastically decrease heat impact. Two of these same units, on full blast, didn't raise my tent temps more than 7F above the ambient room temp, and that was with the drivers still in the tent. You can ask for a longer cord between the light and the driver, so that you can mount the driver outside the tent and further reduce heat impact.

Now when you put off less heat, that's also going to be less work your AC will have to do this summer as well, which will save you more money every month too.

You'll also not have to replace bulbs, which will save you money too. You also won't need to worry about the light degrading and reducing the quality of your grow as well.

This light is powerful, but extremely efficient. It will also rock the shit out of a 3x3. I have one running in a 3x3 right now and it's killing it. The tent temps are 3F-4F above ambient room temp, and the plant in there is just basking in the sun without a care in the world.

There are other LED's out there. For example, there is Mars Hydro. They work. People get results with them. However, I would caution against them as they use inferior components, use more watts, and at most is a $90 diff in price. That difference will be ate up in your first grow as it pulls more power and puts off a little more heat.

It's a tough pill to swallow, I know and had to do the same thing (and kinda went nuts, lol), but the end result is absolutely worth the investment.



After that, it comes down to genetics. Get. Good. Genetics. That's the first thing that makes a difference. Start with good genes, put it in the right environment, and pay attention. Also when selecting your seeds, do a little extra research once you have some options on your list. Look for journals here, and other places, and see how the seeds turn out. You'll need to be careful, as some growers out there should be skipped over. You'll know them when you see them.



Now please don't take this wrong. You're doing well so far. Now that you have a few plants under your belt, there are places you can kick it up a notch. In turn, better results, and a better product.

 

[Stoned Ape]

Well put multivortex

 

[multiVortex]

Well put multivortex

Thank you. I tried. I really did.

Money on upgrades isn't what someone wants to hear, but sometimes that's the next step. I ran into an issue (although I didn't know it at the time) when I was putting my RDWC together. Someone was kind enough to drop me a line and talk me through it. The end result was a much better setup. It still needs tweaked, but it's way better than it would have been. I had to drop several hundred more than I already had, and ended up wasting a good bit of what I had already got, but in the end it was well worth it to get it bumped up to the next (next) level. So my suggestions weren't just out of thin air. I've been on that side of it, and know it sucks. But that is what it takes sometimes to get better, and I think we all want to see members of the community here be as successful as they can be.