New Flowerbox Test 1: Starting From Clones 4 x SD & 4 x GDP

[jandre2k3]

Okay, so today marks the first official day of the flower test. I removed the 1 hour of light from GLR last night that they were vegging in to gain some good roots and a little vegetation. So today will be the first actual flowering growth day. I can't count yesterday because they were still on from GLR from the night before. This day they will have started the production of the flower hormone and it will have been undisturbed throughout the night and thus, unbroken darkness will have spurred the flower growth when the "Sun" comes up this morning. I will post pics every week from this point to the smoke report. If I forget, someone please nudge me to get it done. I have a weekly alarm set for it, but y'all keep me to it, k?

I will be adding one more light to the array hopefully this week or next.

First pics will be today when they wake up. Till then, I'm gonna go take a nap. Couldn't sleep. Was too happy about starting actual flowering and mind was buzzing with everything I need to do. And I'm out of indicas, so no sleep for this insomniac.

HERE WE GO!

Wish me luck?

 

[Lurch Farmer]

Okay, so today marks the first official day of the flower test. I removed the 1 hour of light from GLR last night that they were vegging in to gain some good roots and a little vegetation. So today will be the first actual flowering growth day. I can't count yesterday because they were still on from GLR from the night before. This day they will have started the production of the flower hormone and it will have been undisturbed throughout the night and thus, unbroken darkness will have spurred the flower growth when the "Sun" comes up this morning. I will post pics every week from this point to the smoke report. If I forget, someone please nudge me to get it done. I have a weekly alarm set for it, but y'all keep me to it, k?

I will be adding one more light to the array hopefully this week or next.

First pics will be today when they wake up. Till then, I'm gonna go take a nap. Couldn't sleep. Was too happy about starting actual flowering and mind was buzzing with everything I need to do. And I'm out of indicas, so no sleep for this insomniac.

HERE WE GO!

Wish me luck?

Great Luck, dude. You can do it. I gots faith. Can't wait to next week man

 

[jandre2k3]

DAY 1 FLOWER

Okay folks! I promised pics as soon as they woke up......

When I opened the box this morning, there was a buildup of that wonderful smell that lets me know medicine is on the way. I really need to get the Can and Fan in here before the neighbors complain.

Here are the pics!!

Sour Diesel

Sour Diesel

4x Sour Diesel

6x Ken's Grand Daddy Purple
1 Unknown Sativa (From Thing 2) center left.

First of the GDP to start stretching. Notice the trichs already on the leaves.

I will be defoliating the SD a bit to get rid of the big fan leaves.

 

[jandre2k3]

Defoliation, looks severe, but I want bud sticks!!

Also super cropped before they got too woody inside. The right one snapped using the bend method, so I used the crush method on the other three.

 

[Mark Green]

I sure do love a whole stick of bud! To me they look normal, I defoliate the piss out of mine.
Great node spacing on that first pic!

 

[jandre2k3]

I sure do love a whole stick of bud! To me they look normal, I defoliate the piss out of mine.
Great node spacing on that first pic!

Thank you! I hope the GDP turn out with the same spacing, they're sure taking their time to stretch. They're gonna be some tight little things, either way.

Anyone have any experience with Ken's GDP? Anyone know why they're lagging like that? You saw that they had the same environs and the same treatment, and the SD are racing ahead.... Kinda worries me about the flush when the SD are finishing and the GDP aren't ready to flush yet. Damn, I hope they catch up.

 

[jandre2k3]

Okay, on day 2 of flower, I open the box up after the light came on, and lo and behold, 3/6 of the GDP are now starting to stretch. These GDP surprise me every time. . .

 

[BigIrishDoode]

i have often wondered if the shiny lil' things that look like trich's were actually trich's and your early trich pic tells me i was not off my nut in thinking thats what they were,,,question: that plant is a clone yes? did you make the cutting? was it in flower at the time? i have noticed when i clone in flower some cuts continue to make trich's during reveg and on thru its cycles, and seem to have stronger buds than the ones that did not do that, and the trim is more productive for butter/hash etc. im sure ,
unfortunatly the strain i have seen this with may be lost to me unless the last seed i have (currently germinating) turn out female(its from a female that hermied from heat stress) rather than hermie so far most of the seeds i got from her have been hermies , so my fingers are crossed for a female, i plan to breed her to whatever male i get in the purples! that strain i called #9 and i tried to change that to "green dreamz" but it has never stuck or rolled off my tongue for me so i have decided to just stick with #9
i love the "budstick" i have a 2 footer that is my favorite i have in flower right now, and i gotta steal your measuring grid thingy i might actually measure them if i have something like that! rather than a ruler or yardstick, i cant wait to see the gdp in full flower, does it "purple" on its own or do you need to drop temps? i really want some gdp *sigh* someday ... looking awesome opossum in here brudda!!

 

[jandre2k3]

i have often wondered if the shiny lil' things that look like trich's were actually trich's and your early trich pic tells me i was not off my nut in thinking thats what they were,,,question: that plant is a clone yes? did you make the cutting? was it in flower at the time? i have noticed when i clone in flower some cuts continue to make trich's during reveg and on thru its cycles, and seem to have stronger buds than the ones that did not do that, and the trim is more productive for butter/hash etc. im sure ,

Yes, I make all my own clones. All clones are taken from the mother plant in the mommy bin under GLR (12-1)

Unfortunatly the strain i have seen this with may be lost to me unless the last seed i have (currently germinating) turn out female(its from a female that hermied from heat stress) rather than hermie so far most of the seeds i got from her have been hermies , so my fingers are crossed for a female, i plan to breed her to whatever male i get in the purples!

If it self pollinated as a hermie and you got the seed form there, it will be female.

That strain i called #9 and i tried to change that to "green dreamz" but it has never stuck or rolled off my tongue for me so i have decided to just stick with #9

i love the "budstick" i have a 2 footer that is my favorite i have in flower right now, and i gotta steal your measuring grid thingy i might actually measure them if i have something like that! rather than a ruler or yardstick, i cant wait to see the gdp in full flower, does it "purple" on its own or do you need to drop temps? i really want some gdp *sigh* someday ... looking awesome opossum in here brudda!!

Sometimes they go purp on their own. With Ken's GDP, I have no idea yet as this is the first of the strain I have flowered. I saw a vid of Ken in his garden, and he said that "the temps get down to 50-55 at night" where he is, "which they love..." So, If I don't see purple at week 9, I'll set them outside for a couple of nights. It will be March by then so I'm not too worried about frost, but they'll easily get down to 50-55 to make it purple. hell, by that time, I may have a duct set up to pull air into the box from outside with a thermostat set to 53. Who knows? I'm far from completing the box and will be making little tweaks here and there to better suit my taste.

 

[BigIrishDoode]

i saw your post over on omms page, i was reading up on gdp, and i saw several comments where they stated the gdp was a lil slow getting going, but takes off like a shot after a lil lag, so i think your good bro!!

 

[jandre2k3]

i saw your post over on omms page, i was reading up on gdp, and i saw several comments where they stated the gdp was a lil slow getting going, but takes off like a shot after a lil lag, so i think your good bro!!

Hey, good lookin' out. Just confirmed my research. Thanks for following up on it bruddah!

 

[BigIrishDoode]

Hey, good lookin' out. Just confirmed my research. Thanks for following up on it bruddah!

allways and anytime bud, i love helpin! i am always looking for info on purples i figure they are all related, seems my 2 purp #1's are a bit laggy too, from what im seeing and confirmed by research, the liluns aren't so lil now ,i need to update things today lol, im following you close my brother in purple

 

[jandre2k3]

Okay. I found some of the problem. But first here are the ones that are right as rain and starting to stretch finally.

Second here is one that is still lagging, but will still keep in the test.

Last, for some reason, this one failed to root properly and I have attempted a second try. For some reason it didn't die without the humidomes, but it spun free when grooming this morning so I looked at the bottom of the cutting and it was shriveled. I have removed it from this test and into the cloner for a second try. If it faisl again, it will be my first to tossed for such.

 

[Xlr8]

Hi Jandre!

I just read through your cardboard box construction thread, and got caught up on this one now too. First, excellent DIY and journaling of said efforts.

One thought - you don't need an airstone for your reservoir with the Flood/Drain. Many people do anyway, but the nutrient solution gets saturated with oxygen during the flood and drain process anyway, and it is more than sufficient for oxygenation. Conversely, if you keep an airstone in the res, you are opening yourself up to other potential issues somewhat unnecessarily. Oxygen rich, moist air is what the baddies like when reproducing, too. A lot of people will tell you to put that airstone in like you did --- but, trust me you don't need it. Just a thought!

Otherwise, I love this style of growing, and it can work very nicely for your flower box. Though I don't put an airstone in my reservoir, I do put a small water pump in there to keep the nutrient solution stirred up and free of hot spots.

I've been told by Mr. Smith and others that I don't need that either, but I had the extra pump, and it does seem to keep the mix stirred and circulated well. I think TorturedSoul may have been my inspiration for the water pump in there.

I'm definitely going to have to grow out some GDP someday. I like purps too!

I just gave you +rep, and want to reiterate nice job on the box. Also I was sorry to hear about losing your job. I hope you have that sorted out. Last but not least, thanks for the continued support and well wishes on my thread, etc. You rock!

 

[jandre2k3]

Xlr8!! Welcome to my little corner!

Thanks for stopping by! and thanks for the rep!

Hmm... not needed, huh? I will leave it out of the other side, then. Hehehe, my first comparison journal may be in the makes there!

When you pointed out that the ebb and flow cycle aerates the water, it had never occurred to me that the surface area of the hydrotone does the job, not to mention the 2' fall back into the res through the drain before the pump shuts off. Plus, the pocked and pitted surface of the pebbles trap air as it fills to further aerate the solution as it flows through. It really makes perfect sense. Do you think that the two cycles a day is enough to prevent the solution from going stale, though? It *is* in complete darkness, so no algae build up in the res, I just don't want sallow nutes.

 

[BigIrishDoode]

did u put some rooting hormone on that funky clone, i think you should to ensure vigorous roots this time, im still on the fence about aero, i get almost 100% as it is so i dont see the gain,and i just got 60 coco starting plugs just like the peat pellets you add water to to expand but made with coco

 

[Xlr8]

Xlr8!! Welcome to my little corner!

Thanks for stopping by! and thanks for the rep!

Hmm... not needed, huh? I will leave it out of the other side, then. Hehehe, my first comparison journal may be in the makes there!

When you pointed out that the ebb and flow cycle aerates the water, it had never occurred to me that the surface area of the hydrotone does the job, not to mention the 2' fall back into the res through the drain before the pump shuts off. Plus, the pocked and pitted surface of the pebbles trap air as it fills to further aerate the solution as it flows through. It really makes perfect sense. Do you think that the two cycles a day is enough to prevent the solution from going stale, though? It *is* in complete darkness, so no algae build up in the res, I just don't want sallow nutes.

(Don't forget that the surface area of the res is constantly exposed to oxygen even as it flood and drains from the reservoir to your flood table, too).

Good question! That is the other thing I meant to add. I think twice a day is probably okay for veg. I flood about every 6 hours during veg.

For bloom phase, I took my cue from Mr. Smith, who floods every few hours or so during flower. I had no problems and was very satisfied.

During flower I flooded every 3 hours with lights on, once during lights off (just to make sure the roots stayed damp as my humidity is typically real low during flower). I've found that hydroton drains well, and I had no issues with this. My first flood was 30 minutes after lights on, and my last flood with lights on about 30 minutes prior to lights off. One at night right in the middle of the dark period.

There may be better ways to do it, but this worked great for me and I had no issues. Since it was my first time growing with flood/drain style I borrowed as much knowledge as I could from people like Mr. Smith, who has a lot of experience with systems like the one I ran. I liked thinking the plants had every opportunity to fatten up with that much access to the smorgasbord!

 

[jandre2k3]

(Don't forget that the surface area of the res is constantly exposed to oxygen even as it flood and drains from the reservoir to your flood table, too).

Good question! That is the other thing I meant to add. I think twice a day is probably okay for veg. I flood about every 6 hours during veg.

For bloom phase, I took my cue from Mr. Smith, who floods every few hours or so during flower. I had no problems and was very satisfied.

During flower I flooded every 3 hours with lights on, once during lights off (just to make sure the roots stayed damp as my humidity is typically real low during flower). I've found that hydroton drains well, and I had no issues with this. My first flood was 30 minutes after lights on, and my last flood with lights on about 30 minutes prior to lights off. One at night right in the middle of the dark period.

There may be better ways to do it, but this worked great for me and I had no issues. Since it was my first time growing with flood/drain style I borrowed as much knowledge as I could from people like Mr. Smith, who has a lot of experience with systems like the one I ran. I liked thinking the plants had every opportunity to fatten up with that much access to the smorgasbord!

Wow... 5 fills in 24 hours. My system was specifically designed to keep 1/16" water in the bottom so roots had some take-up juice between floods. They get a flood twice with lights-on (7:05am and 6:30pm which will change accordingly with diminishing light e.g. 7:20 and 6:15 and so on) and nothing at night when the doors are closed. But, now that I think about it, the mommy bin gets 3x/day with the same, but that's a drip system, but it still has the same 1/16" retention. hmmmm... interesting... <exaggerated German accent>Vehree eentuhrestink. I may give it a try on the other side of this box.

 

[jandre2k3]

did u put some rooting hormone on that funky clone, i think you should to ensure vigorous roots this time, im still on the fence about aero, i get almost 100% as it is so i dont see the gain,and i just got 60 coco starting plugs just like the peat pellets you add water to to expand but made with coco

Unlike my friend, Twelve12, I use rooting hormone, and yes, I put more on the clipped tip to try again. I also removed it from this testing experiment, as it will be too far behind the others to catch up. I might be removing one other GDP as well, depending on what it does in the next few days. As yet though, in all my clones this is the first to actually fail to root. The other one is rooting, just slowly, and I expected it to root slowly. This one and the one that failed were clipped from a pruning before the last arboreal training on Momma GDP and both were cloned as an afterthought. When they taken from the mother, they were not taken with the purpose of cloning, they were simply sacrificed in the normal pruning. After looking at them though, I decided to try and root them, but they sat in air for almost 10 minutes, so it was really a half-hearted attempt to salvage what would have otherwise been tossed into compost. So really, they shouldn't count against cloning success rates, as they weren't taken as clones, and care was not taken to keep air out of the stems.

 

[jandre2k3]

BigIrishDoode, Xlr8, Thanks for the rep!

Okay, after reading up on cloning from various sources, I gave up on the two that were started as an afterthought they're compost. I waited too long and it will only give me heartache if I keep trying to save them.

There is a bright side to all this. I did some rearranging, added another HO T5 to the array, and went by my not-so-local collective. I say not so local because I do not live in Sacramento proper and have to drive 12 miles to get to my new collective. I'm upset at this, because there were 44 in Sacramento county that were shut down. I had a choice of 4 within 10 blocks of me. Sacramento County is constantly barraged with people that think collectives sell to kids or anyone that walks in and got all 44 shut down with the exception of 5 in Sacramento proper, and those are under the watchful eye of the authorities.

Anyway, sorry about that... I went by my collective today and found my ultimate happy moment for the week:
Green Fluffy Bunnies clones $10

I got one for flower and one to keep in my mommy bin.

They had VERY nice root systems, so I have no reservations about putting them into the starter nutes I'm currently running in this flower test. 5ml each of Grow, Micro, Bloom per Gallon for the next week or so to get the clones ready for next step up in nutes. This is a happy surprise after the hit to my confidence I took today, damn near shook me to the core. Meh, it is my first hydro bloom ever, so I knew it would be a rocky one, but those were purples!


So, I get these babies home, and start to free the root ball, and was happy to find that they were started in Gro-Dan Starter Cubes! YAY! So I wash the dirt off in a SUPERThrive bath to keep from shock.

They have a VERY nice root system established already. Vegged about 5 weeks from the looks!

Here she will live out the rest of her short life. For the next 8-9 weeks, she will enjoy bright light, tasty water and nutrients, and cool breezes. What more could a plant ask for. Not to be chopped? She would die after the flower anyway. This is just an early end to keep her from suffering. Besides, when her life ends, she will not be forgotten, I will smoke in her honor, and her sister will give many daughters after her. All in the pursuit of controlling migraines.

These are, for the simple fact that the help WAY more than pharmaceuticals ever did, are held in equal regard to my purples for the insomnia.


Can you imagine not sleeping for 7 days with a sledgehammer pounding inside your head the whole time? Just lying there, awake, and in pain, nauseated so bad if you roll over you.... well I'll not go there. The Mother gave us the medicine, it should be legal to have/grow/consume it in this country.


<Gump>That's all I've got to say about that.