Complete beginner: no buds

[nickeluring]

Yes, tucking the leaves is the best option if possible.
The plants need another 4 weeks or so. 40x works, but 60x is better I think. In a couple of weeks you'll see more trichomes. They might not have developed their ball heads yet.

 

[Calvados]

Hi CroQ. I’d say you’re more like 3 weeks away.

Take close ups of the buds. Trichomes look like drops of oil. You’ll see them on your leaves and buds. It’s the buds you are interested in. The trick with the loupe is to hold it really still. It takes practice.

They develop tips which start off clear, get cloudy, and then amber.

When to harvest

• Calvados
• Jun 28, 2017

 

[CroQ]

quick question: I have a 600W Viparspectra LED in the 1x1m tent, as you can see in the images. @nickeluring was right and it's getting kinda cramped in there with the light lowered to an optimal distance. Would it make sense to get another one of those leds ? Maybe a smaller one, lets say 450W so I can spread out the plants a bit more while the light is still close enough to them ? Is 2x600W maybe too much in that space (let's say we don't think about the price for now, just what's better for the plants)

 

[Calvados]

If you look up the specs of your light, it should have a footprint for veg and bloom. The footprint is the area it covers. It should tell you the PAR value for specific distances and areas. At a guess I would say another just like that is probably right. What model do you have?

 

[CroQ]

I have one Viparspectra reflector series 600W, not sure if there's anything else related to the model in the name. And yes, the coverage is:
- Vegetative Coverage at 32": 3x3ft
- Flowering Coverage at 22": 2.5x2.5ft

Converting this to units that I understand ( ) seems like it's covering 0.75x0.75 (from 1x1m).
So it seems another one would not hurt at all.

I can get another 600W ($199) or a 450W ($155). Is it worth the extra $45 in my tent or not ?

Edit: Doesn't matter now, got another 600W. Either go big or go home

 

[nickeluring]

You did the right thing, mate. You'll get bigger buds with that second 600W light.

 

[CroQ]

Since my 2nd LEDs are late, I thought to put up also my old 600W HIDs. Is there a problem if I have 2 types of light over the plants? At least until my LEDs get here.
With 2 lights, I can spread them more in the tent so all the buds get more light.

 

[Mikesem420]

I'm running an hps 150 with a hlg 100 4000k next to it over 1 plant and I'm getting great results frosty dense nuggs plus it's about 2x2 big lots of tops everything I've read says mixing helps create more of a full spectrum. I have 2 cob box leds at the back of the tent over 2 plants one for each and you can see a big difference they have larger buds from the far red cree leds but there not as frosty and dense as the front with the hps/led combo i think it's best of both worlds with less of the cons if you mix.. just what I've gathered from my own grow good luck!

 

[GeOMaTTiC]

Not an issue having a HID and an LED, so long as your temperatures do not go too high. As for spacing them out, I cannot say as I do not have any HID.....but, I do not see how it would be an issue, as long as all plants are getting some good quality light

I have my 1200w (252 actual) and my 600W (108 actual) about one and a half feet apart, so the coverage is overlapping on the two plants. No seam is good in my books

 

[FelipeBlu]

More light + another source of it =

As Geo points out, just watch for heat with the HPS.

Great work turning your initial experience into your current success!

 

[CroQ]

OK, both light are up until my 2nd LED arrives. Yes, it's a bit more of heat but I'll manage. Also, my electric bill is not happy, that 600W HID eats power like crazy.

Anyway, let's hope all turns out OK, the buds look great I'd say, even if some are more 'ripe' then others on the same plant.

 

[NOOOBIENOT]

i use a 600 watt hps and a 900 watt led in my flower tent 4x4x8 and the plants love the combo light , hids in back and led up front , i personally believe they compliment each other with a better (fuller) light full spectrum and helps to keep the temps down and yet offers more light for the plants than 2 600 watt hids.

 

[CroQ]

Here are some buds from all 5 plants. Since I'm too blind or stupid to actually see the trichomes, what do you guys think only from looking at these pictures ?
The 5th one is obviously the 'youngest', so no issues there.
Also, what happens when 1/2 of the plant looks ready to harvest, while the bottom half doesn't ?

 

[GeOMaTTiC]

I see crystals from here, more than my plant. As for uneven ripening, I've heard of people harvesting the top buds, while allowing the bottom growth to firm up and fill out.

 

[Emilya Green]

what happens when 1/2 of the plant looks ready to harvest, while the bottom half doesn't ?

I would say that none of this looks done yet and I would guess that you are in about the 5th-6th week of actual bloom and that you have approximately 3 weeks left to go. You really have to be able to see the trichomes to know for sure when to harvest. They have some really cool devices out there now that throw a magnified image onto a little hand held screen... an electronic hand held microscope for like $35... I have to get me one. My eyes are not the best either.

 

[George Mc]

Here are some buds from all 5 plants. Since I'm too blind or stupid to actually see the trichomes, what do you guys think only from looking at these pictures ?
The 5th one is obviously the 'youngest', so no issues there.
Also, what happens when 1/2 of the plant looks ready to harvest, while the bottom half doesn't ?

I purchased a electronic microscope that hooks up to my cell phone from Amazon for $20. It has 1000 power.

 

[Mikesem420]

I also have one of the ones that connects to your phone I have a note 8 and it does work good but it's not easy to focus it when not in the stand just a little frustrating I think it's worth spending a little extra on one of the better ones like the celestron micro direct its 100$+/- but it's also one of the cheapest that is hdmi not otg so you can go direct to a TV..

 

[CroQ]

Thanks for the answers guys/gals The plants are less than 2 months (germinated the seeds on 5 Dec), so I guess a couple more weeks until action time.
I'm gonna search for some magnifying things, phone or not, ideally not phone, because if I change my phone next year, they probably won't work anymore. Emilya's idea: "They have some really cool devices out there now that throw a magnified image onto a little hand held screen... an electronic hand held microscope for like $35 " sounds best if I can find something like that.

 

[CroQ]

What do you think about this one?
Plugable USB 2.0 Digital Microscope with Flexible Arm Observation Stand for Windows, Mac, Linux (2 MP, 250x Magnification)


It would work with a laptop (I don't use Android, so no OTG for me),but how easy is to somehow get this thing next to your plants and somehow keep it steady to use it ?

 

[nickeluring]

If you want something cheap, one of these will do the job. I picked mine up for €2.50 including shipping on Amazon.
I have used many different ones, and I find 60x is best for checking trichomes. That gives you an overview so you see a fair few of them at the same time. Anything more than 100x is totally useless for trichomes, unless you want to study them in detail - fun perhaps, but not so useful. Less than 40x and it's getting harder to see.