DocBud's Next Medical Grow

[Doc Bud]

Oh no don't take a break yet Doc, lol

I have a question about temps.
When you refer to temps, are you referring to the temp right at the top of the plants, soil temp, or the ambient temp in the room?

All of the above:

For general health of the plants, canopy temps are very important.
The Ambient room temps are important, especially if you have really good air circulation in the room, as ambient temps will equal "THE" temp everywhere except directly under the lights.

Soil temp is important also. Warm air due to a heater in a rooom with plants on a stone cold cement floor will do some really funny things to your plants.

You've got to balance everything out. Keeping the plants on raised trays mean the roots will be slightly cooler than the ambient temps in the room, due to evaporation. Cooling the lights will keep canopy temps close to room temps.....you get the picture.

Ideally, the ambient temp is "THE" temp. But for that to happen you've got to have light movers, vented hoods, and really good air circulation in the room.

 

[Giantsfan24]

Doc, is there any truth to the 24 to 48 hours of darkness before harvest to increase THC production theory?

Have you tried this and if so, what have been your results?

Thanks!!

 

[Doc Bud]

Doc, is there any truth to the 24 to 48 hours of darkness before harvest to increase THC production theory?

Have you tried this and if so, what have been your results?

Thanks!!

I tried it a while back. I honestly don't know if there was any difference....I can only speculate about it.

I do know that THC is highest in the morning, giving creedence to chopping right before the lights come on. Does a period of darkness improve this? I don't know, but I am going to chop mine today a few hours before lights on.

 

[Giantsfan24]

I tried it a while back. I honestly don't know if there was any difference....I can only speculate about it.

I do know that THC is highest in the morning, giving creedence to chopping right before the lights come on. Does a period of darkness improve this? I don't know, but I am going to chop mine today a few hours before lights on.

That makes sense to me while the darkness thing doesn't quite make sense. I'm chopping on Monday...

Good luck with your harvest!

 

[Muggles13]

I'm not saying YOU should do this.....but this is what I did up until about the 6th week of bloom:

On watering day, crank up the humidity to 80%, about 6 hours prior to lights on. When the lights come on, crank DOWN the RH to normal 50% and water each pot with 2-3 times the volume of the pot. In your 3 gallon pots, that means 6-9 gallons of water.....massive run-off.

Basically, it's a flush every time you water. I was able to grow very large, healthy plants in small containers.

Now, with all organics, I don't flush every time I water, but about every 3rd. time. I always add organic matter back in, depending on the plant's needs, so the nutrients aren't totally leeched out.

But with OC+, let 'er rip! You can always modify the monsoon technique....maybe do it every other watering, and alternate compost tea, vermi tea, molasses/sucanat in between rainstorms.

2 tips with OC+: watering with cold water will release less nutes than with warm. So, if your grow room is getting hot.....find a way to use cold (60-65 degree) water.....this will keep a large amount of nutes from dumping and keep your roots happy.

Also, turning the temps down to a daytime high of about 72-73 will decrease the rate of release. These low temps, coupled with low humidity will increase resin production AND make a bit of purpleish coloring.....not a bad thing at all!

Thanks Doc, I appreciate You taking the time with your harvest coming up. Planning to start giving them molasses next watering.

 

[Doc Bud]

Good harvest. Dank, dense, purple buds.
I've got a horrible case of gnats.....gonna have to get out the big guns tomorrow.

2-3 weeks on the Blue Dream.

Pics:

Before manicure

 

[Vapedogg223]

Good harvest. Dank, dense, purple buds.
I've got a horrible case of gnats.....gonna have to get out the big guns tomorrow.

2-3 weeks on the Blue Dream.

Pics:

Before manicure

Oh Doc!

Reminds me of a Christopher Walken line from one of my all-time favorite movies, Man On Fire... "A man can be an artist... in anything, food, whatever..." Doc, your art is weed!!!

 

[Doc Bud]

Oh Doc!

Reminds me of a Christopher Walken line from one of my all-time favorite movies, Man On Fire... "A man can be an artist... in anything, food, whatever..." Doc, your art is weed!!!

That is the best compliment I could ever get! Thank you, thank you!!!

That's exactly what I'm striving for...artistic, boutique, ultra-premium weed. But there's a long way to go.....still learning...making mistakes every grow....but getting better!!!

 

[Hydrogrown]

Spectacular buds Doc! No surprise, your plants are always looking so healthy. Good luck with the gnats those bastards have plagued me as well. Im sure you'll knock em out. Oh and I just got snowstorm after finishing all your journals, I can't wait to use it. It was 1/3 the cost of purple maxx, which I was considering before, and your plants are still colorful and frosty as all hell. Keep up the good show, and thank you for all you wisdom, most importantly enjoy that harvest

 

[Doc Bud]

Spectacular buds Doc! No surprise, your plants are always looking so healthy. Good luck with the gnats those bastards have plagued me as well. Im sure you'll knock em out. Oh and I just got snowstorm after finishing all your journals, I can't wait to use it. It was 1/3 the cost of purple maxx, which I was considering before, and your plants are still colorful and frosty as all hell. Keep up the good show, and thank you for all you wisdom, most importantly enjoy that harvest

Thanks bro!

Snowstorm is the real deal. I have been using it for a while now, and there is no doubt that it increases resin content. The best thing I like about it is that the label says not to use more than 800 or so PPM of nutes with Snowstorm and even makes the comment that most plants grow better with less......which is very, very true!

Another thing I did this grow was mixing sea water with fresh. I did that a total of 5 times.....5:1 RO/Sea water. I am now aware of a product by Bloom (yellow bottle) that does the same thing, so those who don't have easy access to the ocean can still do it.

Lessons learned:

1.)Bigger pots
2.)kill the gnats

Summation of what i've learned so far to be implemented in the next grow, which is already underway:

1.)Growing the Jack herer with FFOF/lightwarrior, OC+, compost, micro's. I'm not going all organic on the Jack, because the last time I grew it with OC+, people pretty much freaked out over it. Several offers to take the whole crop, everyone compared everything else to the Jack. "Good stuff, but not as good as the Jack, Doc." "Almost as good as that Jack Herer you grew last time." "Are you going to grow the Jack again?" That's all I hear. So, I'm going to grow it like I did last time, with the addition of compost in the soil and bigger pots.

2.)I'm gonna use a combination of the all organic techniques I learned on this grow, with OC+ for the other plants, mainly for yield. I'm hoping I can maintain the taste and color, while increasing yield a bit. If the quality goes down, I'll abandon the OC+.....but sumpin tells me things are going to work out just fine.

3.)I have enough info now to start making custom soil that is strain specific. If everything goes well, I'll be growing in a new, larger space in the near future, where I'll have enough room to have pallets of soil and shelves of amendments alongside a cement mixer. I'll be able to mix up large batches of soil and compost them....not just for myself, but for patients who want to try their hand at growing their own.

I'll have Subcool's super soil for sure, but also other blends for strains that aren't as much of nutrient hogs like Subcool's strains are. (his stuff is badass....I'm convinced he breeds it so that wake n bake, all day stoners can still get high as labrats....damn strong.)

I figure in 5 years I'll really know what I'm doing.

 

[Barry Manilow]

Beautiful Doc! If you ever get tired of being an artist you can take up teaching, you have a gift for that as well. I can just see your boutique grow room with a cement mixer parked out back lol!

 

[HorseBadoritz]

High Doc, beautiful harvest

Please come back with your gnat smack down. My next step may be Steinernema feltiae.

I'm trying to avoid Imidacloprid, but it seems like the sure knock out. The 1/2 life is just a little scary

Looks like gnats don't care how classy the hotel is

 

[Doc Bud]

High Doc, beautiful harvest

Please come back with your gnat smack down. My next step may be Steinernema feltiae.

I'm trying to avoid Imidacloprid, but it seems like the sure knock out. The 1/2 life is just a little scary

Looks like gnats don't care how classy the hotel is

Hey Horse! Thanks for stopping by.
I got a product from Monterey for soil insects:

VEGETABLE GARDEN
SOIL INSECTICIDE
For Use on Lawns, Ornamentals, Home Perimeter/Foundation, Vegetables,
and Flower Beds/Gardens

- Low Odor Formula
- Ready-To-Spread Granules
- Season-Long Control
- Kills Over 45 Insects
- Formula de bajo olor
- Gránulos listos para esparcir
- Control para toda la temporada
- Mata a más de 45 tipos de insectos
ACTIVE INGREDIENT:
Bifenthrin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.115%
OTHER INGREDIENTS: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99.885%
TOTAL: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.000%

This product can be applied to the vegetables listed below:
CROP
DAYS TO WAIT TO HARVEST
Tomatoes, sweet corn 1


Green peas, sugar snap peas, snow peas, green beans (wax beans, snap beans), dry beans (black-eyed peas, cow pea), cucumber, gourds, muskmelon, pumpkin, squash, and watermelon 3
Artichoke 5
Broccoli, Chinese broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Chinese mustard, eggplant, head lettuce, peppers (bell and non-bell) 7

this product is my last choice. I tried No Pest Strips....no help. I tried sand on the top of the pots....helped for a while, but the sand washed down and drainage became less efficient.

I tried sticky traps, and they worked well, but the last 5 days there has been a huge outbreak.....so I've got some plants just going into bloom and some Blue Dreams about 3 weeks from harvest, and I've got to kill these damn gnats.

I would much rather have gone with the natural controls....but to no avail.
I'm told the gnats came in the Roots Organic soil....which sucks, because I've got a barrel full of composted super soil with a roots base......I'm going to try mosquito dunks on that before I use it.

I'll post the results. I'm gonna hang around the forum at least until the Querkle is in the curing bags....maybe do a VERY abbreviated journal on the next run, sort of like the whole thing in 5 posts.

I'm growing like crazy and busy as can be when not in the grow room.

 

[Hash Hound]

Doc,

I Think I might have them buggers in my house. My gf has them all over, she has fly papers hanging and they are all over that. I think one might have hitched a ride on me or laid some eggs on my clothes while I was there. I have killed two flying around my house, so I did a little research and saw that putting a little apple cider vinegar in a bowl will attract them and they go in it and drown. I haven't seen any in the vinegar yet to prove the method, but maybe the two I killed were all I had.

unrelated question; How close to harvest do you discontinue the use of Snow Storm Ultra?

Good luck zapping the buggers.

 

[Doc Bud]

Doc,

I Think I might have them buggers in my house. My gf has them all over, she has fly papers hanging and they are all over that. I think one might have hitched a ride on me or laid some eggs on my clothes while I was there. I have killed two flying around my house, so I did a little research and saw that putting a little apple cider vinegar in a bowl will attract them and they go in it and drown. I haven't seen any in the vinegar yet to prove the method, but maybe the two I killed were all I had.

unrelated question; How close to harvest do you discontinue the use of Snow Storm Ultra?

Good luck zapping the buggers.

My infestation just got too bad for bowls of vinegar......it might actually need a product like Malathion, the way things are going. My goal is to manage them till i harvest the Blue Dreams, then I can kill them properly. But if the product I just used works as advertised that should do it.

I use Snow Storm right up until the last week.
I stop feeding poop, compost, kelp and all that stuff about 2-3 weeks before harvest.

 

[Hash Hound]

Doc,

I am thinking of using some fabric type weed block (not the plastic with holes in it type) held down with a little gravel on my next grow as a preventive measure to sort of seal the soil from such an infestation.
It will also probably help prevent the soil from being disturbed when watering.

Think it will work?

 

[Doc Bud]

Doc,

I am thinking of using some fabric type weed block (not the plastic with holes in it type) held down with a little gravel on my next grow as a preventive measure to sort of seal the soil from such an infestation.
It will also probably help prevent the soil from being disturbed when watering.

Think it will work?

It might....it just might. But these damn gnats are pretty small, they could get through the fabric....but you might just be on to something.

I've heard, although not had any first hand experience, that you can inoculate your soil with Mosquito Dunks, which will keep the gnats out. It's a friendly bacteria, no harm to people or plants.

 

[HorseBadoritz]

Doc,

I am thinking of using some fabric type weed block (not the plastic with holes in it type) held down with a little gravel on my next grow as a preventive measure to sort of seal the soil from such an infestation.
It will also probably help prevent the soil from being disturbed when watering.

Think it will work?

The weed block may work, but I was thinking of the fabric that we lay over foundation perimeter drains. It's around 15 bucks for a 3'x150' roll. It's got some fine-ness. Use a ball bungee or rubber bands around the pot and cover with lava rocks or hydroton.

A gnat thread here?

 

[HorseBadoritz]

It might....it just might. But these damn gnats are pretty small, they could get through the fabric....but you might just be on to something.

I've heard, although not had any first hand experience, that you can inoculate your soil with Mosquito Dunks, which will keep the gnats out. It's a friendly bacteria, no harm to people or plants.

I've got a few hempies w/ crumbled dunks in the bottom... we'll see.

I've got an airstone in a 5gal bucket w/rain water and a mosquito dunk (rain barrels have dunks, too), which goes into all my feedings. I still have gnats after at least a month of that. I'm thinking that gnats aren't mosquitos.

Another bollix to add to the mix is are they really fungus gnats, or root aphids? I can't find a picture that exactly portrays what I have... fuckin mutants... I knew it wouldn't be easy in the crawl

Thing is, I'm not seeing any harm from anything (other than my EcoSmart fumblings)... if they were just cuter

 

[Two Tokes]

I had a gnat infestation that was growing and I started treating with Gnatrol which has a bacteria that kills the larva. I kept spraying the soil surface with essential oils to kill any crawling or flying gnats. Re-treated once a week for two weeks to get any new larva. The result is no more gnats.