Snack420's Coco Blue Dream Journal 2014

[Titangoddess]

She is looking good. Did you alter her cycle? I noticed you have a little pedestal fan. We had that the first couple of grows but upgraded to a tower fan. With the towers you get more air displacement than a box fan. Big Lots has them for an awesome price. How long has it been since you flipped her? Overall your lady is gorgeous… thanks for the pics… happy growing

 

[snack420]

Thanks Titangoddess!! Oh, I flipped her into flower about 10 days ago now. Yeah, I did alter the cycle so the light is on overnight now instead of during the day. I think it's working out a bit better temperature-wise, but there are still swings of 20-25 degrees from the coolest (around 60) to the warmest times (around 85), at least the last few days. Not sure if that's a problem. I realized that the schedule I gave it was more conducive to me than the plant, and not taking full advantage of the daily temperature changes from the weather, so I'm slowly shifting the on/off times by a half hour at a time until I find the sweet spot. I hope that doesn't stress the plant too much!

So, in this journal entry I figured I'd report on a few new developments and things that are going on...

1. Fungus Gnat issue
2. Light/Dark hours & Heat and Temperature variation in the tent
3. pH Measurements
4. Odor Control

1. Fungus Gnat issue. For anyone who might be following along, you might recall I noticed a fungus gnat issue around 2 weeks ago. At that time I ended up getting some SNS203 and making a soil drench and this succeeded in seemingly stopping or significantly slowing down the critters and resultant droopy looking leaves. Around 2-3 days after the soil drench the plant seemed revived and much more vibrant. Looking at the pictures between 7/9 and 7/12 shows this significant difference. Well, yesterday I starting noticing it looking slightly droopy again, and lo and behold, I noticed a few more fungus gnats on the yellow sticky traps. Yesterday, I got rid of the used sticky traps and replaced them with 2 new ones. 12 hours later there were 9 gnats on one trap and 2 gnats on the other. Another 12 hours later and there were 12 gnats on one trap and 3 on the other, so they are definitely back in action. I gave them another drench tonight, 3/4 strength as the first time, so hopefully that will slow them down again. If that isn't successful and they come back again, I might have to get nematodes and/or use diaceous earth.

2. Light/Dark hours & Heap Temperature variations in the tent. The long and short of this is that throughout veg and the first week or flower I had the lights on during the day, but it's getting up into the high 80s and 90s here during the summer and even though the grow is in a basement, it was still getting quite hot in the tent at times and needing some AC to keep it from getting into the high 80s in the tent. Plus, I got my electric bill recently and it was a lot more than the previous month, and I'm sure a lot of that has to do with running the AC longer at lower threshold temps, so it would be nice to optimize this a bit and save money, so I took Titangoddesses suggestion, something I had been pondering, which was moving the light cycle to the night time when it's naturally cooler to offset the need for AC to keep the tent cool. This seems to be working pretty well, where the temps are about 75 in the tent after the air-cooled light goes on around dinner time. The temps start rising in the morning though and shoot into the mid 80s at times. The tent temp will also go down to the low 60s for periods of time during the day in the dark too. This is a swing of 20-25 degrees I read that we want a low variation of temps between cycles, but maybe my range isn't too much to worry about. Not sure. I like the AC on for myself anyway, so I'm not sure how effective this plan is actually going to turn out. I do believe growing in the spring or fall in this climate is going to be less costly, with regard to electricity (to run the AC) than doing it in the summer, but I guess we'll see. If I shift the light cycle by 30 or 60 minutes a day, will the plant get stressed?

3. ph Measurements. So, I got fed up with trying to eyeball the actual pH of my tap water before and after adding nutrients using the pH "dropper" test kit because orange is 5.0, yellow is 6.0, darker yellow is 6.5, and figuring out anything in between isn't easy, at least for me. Also, I was having trouble matching up the color of the tested water and the color chart on the pH tester bottle, so I decided to get a multifunction meter which measures pH, EC/TDS, and temperature. I made a batch of waters and nutes and pH'd it down to about 5.9-6.0. I then watered my plants and extracted some of the runoff to test the pH of that. It also came in at the same pH as the water being fed, with two separate samples, which I believe means the root's pH is healthy and in that same range too. Anyway, I also used the pH dropper test kit to see what 6.0 looks like on the color chat, and lo and behold, it is pretty much orange, which actually looks like 5.0 on the chart. If I hadn't gotten that meter, I would've been adding pH up and giving my plant pH that is really too high. I'm convinced that these meters are a good idea because getting precise measurements of the pH means we can ensure nutrients are going to get absorbed by the plant. If the pH is too high or too low, this isn't possible and the plant will get a nutrient deficiency, or overload.

4. Odor Control. Well, as we all know, when the plant get into the flower cycle they start becoming increasingly pungent. Well, I began realizing when I got home that my whole place was starting to stink of cannabis. This is fine if it's just me who is there, but I can't have it like that for when guests come; that wouldn't exactly be keeping with the stealth spirit here, so I need to find a suitable solution. At first I was convinced I needed a carbon filter, and maybe I still will, but for now I've got a bottle of Ona gel and I've put some outside my grow room and it's definitely helping. I added another jar of gel on the upper floor, so I'll know in a couple of days if together they are keeping the smell under wraps.

If you've read this far, congratulations and thanks!! Any and all constructive criticism, comments and tips are always appreciated. I hope that at least one other person in the community learns something from my grow as I've learned from the kindness of others.

 

[orangehaze]

I would definetly get a carbon filter. If you have the money then go out and buy one today. It's a stay-out-of-jail kind of investment that I think you should make ASAP. If you air-proof your grow room and make sure you have negative pressure (more air going out than going in) then the carbon filter will remove all of the odor (they are very, very effective). Stay stealthy! Really good read so far, best of luck.

 

[Titangoddess]

I've never had problems with gnats like you have. I read though it takes up to four treatments for them to be gone. I also read that if you cover the top layer of soil with sand it kills the larvae which is what causes problems for the plants. Not the adult gnats as they do not feed on roots. Larvae do feed on roots. So I think one more application of your pesticide would be good. I'm interested to find out how that works out. Do remember you don't want to use anything toxic within 35 days of harvest to be on the safe side. So if you are still having issues by then I found some interesting natural ways to help out by searching google for fungus gnats in houseplants.
The closer you get to harvest the more your grow will stink. If you touch it or work on it your entire house will smell pretty bad. Orangehaze is right on, carbon filter. You can buy one or make your own. We have had both and both worked well for us. Nothing will ever stop the smell though. I don't care if you have a million carbon filters. The trick is to not manipulate the plant unless you really have to. Mine get a little skunkie when the temps get up there. My temps are a bit higher than yours in my tent though. I don't think the temps will phase your plants in the amounts your are describing. I have an outdoor grow right now. The temps vary from nighttime to daytime by almost 30 degrees. It gets into the mid to high 90's during the day and drops into high 50's low 60's at night every night. I do not think you should stress your temps at all. Do keep in mind that during the summertime the electric company implements a usage tier. So no matter what your electric would have gone up even if you never touched the a/c. The same amount of usage in the spring will cost you more in the summer. What a racket huh? I wish I owned a power company or just had stock with them.
On the PH topic, throw your strips away. They are worthless when it comes to this process. You need exact measurements. A difference of .2 can kill your plant. Invest 30-60 dollars in a PH pen. Totally worth it. Get a dropper also. Make larger amounts of your ferts. and store them in a large container. Its easier to adjust larger amounts and it is also time effective. You don't want to have to micromanage your grow. Unless you want to. But once you start not much is going to make you wanna stop so you want to be as simple as possible and a ph pen would do that for you. If you are using city water try to set your water aside for about 12 hours before using it or invest in a water filter. That helps with the PH problem. All in all your grow is great. It really is. My first grow I about killed everything. Well I didn't but my old man did. We were also using general hydroponics and our plants did not like that stuff at all. We instantly switched to canna products and bam, it all sorted itself out.
You are doing excellent, just so you know. I see that unless you have been here forever and know everyone that interactions with others on your grow doesn't happen as well. I think that is why there are so many unfinished grow journals. I'm sure they are finished but people post here to get feedback and when you get none you move on. A grow journal is an excellent idea though and you should keep it up till the end. You can use your journal to go back to at any time and see if you have similar problems as you had before. I just started grow journals this current run. I kept asking my old man didn't this happen during this run or that happen during that run and he couldn't remember either. So this journal thing helps so much. I am also keeping a written journal. But I live in a state where this is legal. I would not recommend you keeping one if you don't. That's called evidence then… lol… If growing is something you love to do or need to do then you will be doing it again and again and again. So a journal, good call. I'm watching your grow. You are doing so well, really. You should have seen my first… oh my… but here I am still kicking.
Happy Growing!

 

[snack420]

First off, thanks very much to Titangoddess and orangehaze for all the recent encouragement and feedback. It's really awesome and greatly appreciated!!!

@TG, I totally agree that keeping a journal can be very helpful. I keep some notes for myself (somewhat securely), but in addition to trying to help others, I thought keeping an online journal would be a useful record for me to refer back to for any future grows - problems to avoid and lessons to learn, that sort of thing. Hopefully it will serve that purpose, at least to some degree. If anything, the experience itself is helpful and recording it here just etches it deeper into my mind so there is a greater chance I'll remember stuff for next time. This is useful since my memory isn't quite what it used to be. ::

Anyway, here are some recent pics from just a little while ago. The bud sites seem to be starting to form and it's a very exciting time

As far as pH goes, I totally agree that getting accurate measurements is really important, so I did invest in an electronic pH meter, and it also measures TDS in ppm and EC. It really rocks! I'm usually trying to aim for 5.8-6.0 after all the nutrients are mixed in. I also gave her some more SNS203 on Friday and then again today in order to try and deter the fungus gnats, which have continued to be a problem. Today I took away two sticky traps that had a total of around 60 gnats trapped and replaced them with 2 fresh traps. I'll be curious to see how many get caught over the next couple of days. Hopefully some smaller numbers! If they keep coming, I'll continue with a couple more regimens of SNS203 (which will then kill the bottle) and if the gnats still insist on sticking around, I think I'll have to resort to getting some beneficial nematodes, as I've read a number of times that they are an extremely effective way of killing the gnats in the larva stage . Diatomaceous earth also sounds like an interesting option, but I did read that it can be a hassle to deal with for some reason that I don't recall right now. I think BTI and hypoaspis are other options that people like. Not sure what would be best in my situation, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it if the SNS203 doesn't quite do the job.

As for odor control, although the Ona gel is working fairly well, I believe a carbon filter is definitely the way to go for more trustworthy and complete odor management, and I also believe the extra exhaust fan will greatly increase air exchange which should improve the overall growing environment for Miss Green.

As usual any feedback is quite welcome. Enjoy the grow!

 

[Teldren]

Looking good so far! Just keep moving and tucking into the screen for the first few weeks of flowering through the stretch until they crown out.

 

[snack420]

Thanks Teldren!!

OK, so I have some new pics and a few general questions about the flowering phase...

First off, looks like the fungus gnats caught on the traps has decreased significantly and the leaves look good. There are a total of 6 or 7 gnats caught on new traps put down 2 days ago. I guess the SNS203 worked again; yay! I gave her a little more SNS in the feeding today, but that's it for this batch, so hopefully they'll stay away for a while.

The top bud site is looking good! I'm kind of starting to wonder what kind of yield I might expect from this blue dream plant, assuming all goes well through flowering and harvest. Also kind of wishing I had 4 plants growing instead of 1 !!!

I was thinking that I might want to shift the timer back an hour or two in the day for better regulation of the temps. Is it alright to do this or will the change stress the plant?

Oh, and I realized that I can point the air-cooled light exhaust at the ballast and keep it much cooler with no extra cost or effort. Cool.

So, I also have a couple of equipment suggests and hoping folks will pipe in their opinions
+ Do you guys/gals prefer one carbon filter brand over another? I'm looking at Phresh and Phat ones in particular and not sure which one to get.

+ Are there comparable fans to the 6" Hyper Fan that are less expensive but still effective and reliable?

+ Finally, when it comes time to inspect the buds closely for ripeness, what specific type/size of magnifying glass or photographers loop is recommended?

As usual, thanks for any and all comments and feedback. I really appreciate them and hope my journal is helping others in the community too!

 

[snack420]

Are those exposed roots at the top of the coco medium a concern? I have some extra coco I could sprinkle on top of them, but am not sure if it's necessary. Do anybody know?

Thanks &

 

[Teldren]

Dont go cheap on the filter I did and you get what you pay for. Same goes with the fan....cheaper the louder. If you are having problems with heat you can move the light ballast out of the room to save a couple degrees. For looking at tricombes I use a jewelers 30x but some say 100x is better. If you mess with the cycle dont shorten the light cycle just make sure you adjust making dark cycle longer.

 

[snack420]

OK, those sound like good suggestions Teldren. Thanks a lot! I'm planning to pick up a decent carbon filter and fan later this week and hopefully get them installed over the weekend. I guess I have some time to get a jeweler's loupe or magnifying glass, but am starting to look around for those as well.

Any idea if those slightly exposed roots (in the last picture posted) are something I should cover up or not worry about? It seems like the level of coco in the pot is slowly diminishing over time as Ms Green gets her waterings. I'm not really sure if I should be adding more coco on top or not.

Been away a few days, but looking forward to seeing her progress later and I'll try to post some new pics too. Thanks for all the support everyone.

 

[orangehaze]

Yes cover them up for sure.

 

[snack420]

Yes cover them up for sure.

Thanks orangehaze, that helps confirm my thinking about it.

I did end up covering up the roots last evening with some extra coco. I recalled when it was a seedling that the roots were not supposed to be exposed to light, and I sort of assume that goes throughout the life of the plant. Did a bit of research and it does sound like light should be kept away from the roots themselves. Of course, she is getting bushy enough now that there is little light, if any, that can actually reach through to the roots, but better to be safe than sorry.

 

[snack420]

More pics coming soon, (and I'll probably ask for a couple of pointers too) but here's one of her now...

 

[Charlie8Brown]

Nice amount of detail to go along with.

 

[snack420]

Nice amount of detail to go along with.

Thanks Charlie8Brown! I'm trying to be thorough in documenting changes and problems that arise, intermixed with the eye-candy pics, of course

Temps: low 60s to high 80s
RH: low 40s to high 50s
pH'd water with nutes: ~ 5.9
ppm with nutes: ~ 735

Miss Green appears to be doing very well. Nearly all the leaves look healthy and green and the fungus gnat situation also seems to be under control, at least over the last 2-3 weeks. I got some more SNS203 and will be using that in low to moderate amounts in an effort to keep the gnats down. I was really worried there for a bit in July when she was getting all droppy! Also, some equipment news... I've picked up a carbon filter and exhaust fan which I'm planning to install this weekend. Also, procured was a loupe with 30x and 60x magnifications. I just toyed with it a bit yesterday and seems like it will take some practice to use right. I was told I'll need the 60x to see the trichomes.

I think my main question at this point in the grow is about trimming and/or pruning. My understanding from reading and hearing from folks is that it is a good idea to trim off smaller buds to allow more energy to be directed to the main buds. That sounds good, but I'm not sure about exactly which buds I should be clipping, and whether I should be taking off entire branches, or just buds and leaves. I'm also not sure how aggressive I should be with this. I did trim a few yellowing leaves near the interior that weren't getting light, but I'm a little skittish about trimming off actual buds. Any guidance on that subject would be great!

I believe I want to get the RH down under 40% as she gets deeper into flowering, because I know mold can be a real problem with too much humidity. So, I'm going to see how much RH decreases after I install the filter and exhaust fan. If that isn't sufficient I'll probably look to use some baking soda or a dehumidifier.

I did notice a little brown striping on one of the leaves, but I'm not terribly concerned since it just appears to be that one.

I also was given a couple of products at the hydro store during a promotion, and I'm not sure if I should use these things. Any opinions? It's not clear to me whether those Cascade Minerals would be useful in my situation, growing in coco.

I'm told the Rock Fusion can be substituted for the Flora Duo A&B nutes, but I'm not really sure whether it's worth it for me to change the regimen. How long will this type of stuff last if it's left sealed in the bottle?

I'm also starting to read and think about which harvesting method I'm going to use, but I still have time to figure that out. Blue Dream is the strain and my understanding is the flowering cycle is typically around 77 days or 11-12 weeks, so I still probably have nearly two months to go until harvest time.

As far as pests go, I did spot a small spidery looking thing crawling toward Miss Green yesterday, but I killed it and didn't notice any other pests upon inspection, though I realize we're unable to visibly see everything that might be lurking. I also read a thread about optimizing feedings by taking EC samples and adjusting feedings based on those numbers, and that sounds very interesting as like everyone, I really want to try and maximize my yield. I think next grow I might try the flux method because it seems like it's a great way to create several colas that will be mostly the same height.

As always, any and all constructive comments, criticism, questions, or tips are welcomed and encouraged. I'm learning a ton from this site and I appreciate all the guidance, and also hope I'm giving back a bit with this journal too.

 

[Titangoddess]

Well she looks pretty good there. Great Job…
First, your light cycle can go up or down two hours. You can take two hours away from whatever period they are in. The light cycle for flowering is 10-12 hours of darkness, not 12 or more hours of darkness. And those are for indoor only. In nature you will never get 12 hours of darkness (unless you are in Alaska and then you wouldn't need the a/c) and def., not the kind of darkness you maintain in a tent. When you grow inside you are ultimately controlling every aspect of their lives. You give them the sun and the dark and the water and so on and so forth. The more on point with these factors the better your grow will be. The only problem you may encounter by changing different aspects of the growth cycle would be a tad bit longer budding cycle. People like to be spot on and do this with razor sharp rules. It is possible to get great grows with less rules. You must remember that this is a plant that usually grows in nature with no problems. You are just mimicking that pattern in your own home. Life is not perfect so your grow doesn't have to be either.

I can't get a good idea on the size of your plant. Im thinking you may get two oz out of her. You can't be positive because some buds are just heavy while others are light and airy. Yours look heavy though.

Yah on the filter. Have you noticed changes in the smell?

The loop you will get used to. I use a school microscope for mine. I start clipping small leaves as close to the bud as I can get and then look at them that way. I have a loop but it doesn't come close to the accuracy I get with my microscope. You don't need to use either though. A simple way to tell if they are ready is watching the hairs and the leaves. When the hairs start to 'wilt' and droop over the buds that is when it is close or ready to be done. Some strains will make you think they are ready and some won't ever turn amber at all. It depends on the strain so do some research on your strain to see what they say would be the best time to harvest it. Don't go by days. You will notice most of the larger leaves will yellow and fall. Some do it worse than others. I had a red dragon kush that lost every single leaf it had. It looked like a Charlie Brown christmas tree. But even after it lost the leaves it was still another two weeks till it was at that 50/50 point. You can also make a cycle shorter by adjusting certain things or using different things. We recently started using CO2 and it makes the plants grow faster and finish faster. You'll be able to tell when its close to the end and if you post photos Ill be here to help out as will others that are helping with their opinions and experience.

Happy for you on the gnat thing. Bugs are so hard to control

Keep growing… you are really doing good with her…

 

[Titangoddess]

oh and don't add or change your nutrients mid cycle unless you are having issues. I meant to put that in the last message but forgot. It is important though. It could kill your grow. What you are doing now is working. If you want to do another grow using those products start with them. I'm cautious about FERTS as I have had some BAD things happen in the experiment stages… best to stay with what you have now. The only thing that wouldn't be too much of an issue would be a big bud additive like bud candy or something similar.

 

[snack420]

Well she looks pretty good there. Great Job…
First, your light cycle can go up or down two hours. You can take two hours away from whatever period they are in. The light cycle for flowering is 10-12 hours of darkness, not 12 or more hours of darkness. And those are for indoor only. In nature you will never get 12 hours of darkness (unless you are in Alaska and then you wouldn't need the a/c) and def., not the kind of darkness you maintain in a tent. When you grow inside you are ultimately controlling every aspect of their lives. You give them the sun and the dark and the water and so on and so forth. The more on point with these factors the better your grow will be. The only problem you may encounter by changing different aspects of the growth cycle would be a tad bit longer budding cycle. People like to be spot on and do this with razor sharp rules. It is possible to get great grows with less rules. You must remember that this is a plant that usually grows in nature with no problems. You are just mimicking that pattern in your own home. Life is not perfect so your grow doesn't have to be either.

I can't get a good idea on the size of your plant. Im thinking you may get two oz out of her. You can't be positive because some buds are just heavy while others are light and airy. Yours look heavy though.

Yah on the filter. Have you noticed changes in the smell?

The loop you will get used to. I use a school microscope for mine. I start clipping small leaves as close to the bud as I can get and then look at them that way. I have a loop but it doesn't come close to the accuracy I get with my microscope. You don't need to use either though. A simple way to tell if they are ready is watching the hairs and the leaves. When the hairs start to 'wilt' and droop over the buds that is when it is close or ready to be done. Some strains will make you think they are ready and some won't ever turn amber at all. It depends on the strain so do some research on your strain to see what they say would be the best time to harvest it. Don't go by days. You will notice most of the larger leaves will yellow and fall. Some do it worse than others. I had a red dragon kush that lost every single leaf it had. It looked like a Charlie Brown christmas tree. But even after it lost the leaves it was still another two weeks till it was at that 50/50 point. You can also make a cycle shorter by adjusting certain things or using different things. We recently started using CO2 and it makes the plants grow faster and finish faster. You'll be able to tell when its close to the end and if you post photos Ill be here to help out as will others that are helping with their opinions and experience.

Happy for you on the gnat thing. Bugs are so hard to control

Keep growing… you are really doing good with her…

Hey, thanks Titangoddess.

I'm definitely enjoying this growing experience! A couple of quick notes on...

+ pruning
+ RH
+ light cycle timing
+ size of plant, yield
+ filter, smell
+ nutes

* Pruning - read a few threads and articles and came to the conclusion that most of the pruning and training should be done in veg; some light trimming of yellowing leaves and undergrowth sounds okay, but I'm not going to prune entire branches like I was thinking before. Next grow though, I'll want to do better training so I have a more level canopy. For some reason my two attempts at FIMing this time didn't go the way I hoped or expected because the main cola kept growing instead of splintering into multiple colas; at least that's what it seems like.

* RH - my RH is fluctuating between 40-55%. I believe while flowering I'll want to bring that down a bit. The addition of the carbon filter and exhaust fan brought it down a couple of percentage points and I also added a bit of baking soda in a bowl on the tent floor which seems to be helping a bit too. They are still a little higher than I think is recommended though. I'm thinking about other options such as a small dehumidifier. What do folks feel is the idea flowering RH range?

* light cycle - instead of altering the light cycle, I finally got around to programming my thermostat today, so I'll see how that affects the temps in the grow, which seem to be mostly alright, but a little better regulation won't hurt.

* size, yield - well, the plant is almost two feet tall, from the top of the pot; 22 1/2 inches to be exact and we are 5 days short of 3 months from planting the seed and yesterday was the first day of the 5th week of flowering. If I'm able to harvest 2 ounces of dry bud, that would be terrific. Anything less than 1.5 ounces and I'll probably be a little disappointed, and anything over 2 oz's will be tremendous. I hope you're right that buds look heavy!!!

* filter, smell - install the new carbon filter and exhaust fan and it is clearly creating a suction. So it wasn't too strong, I ended up lowering the exhaust fan to the 40-50% speed and I'm happy to say that the filter is doing a very fine job - there is absolutely no smell at all outside the tent anymore. Awesome stuff! A truly stealthy grow now.

* nutes - I have to agree with you TG; I'm not going to change nutes at this point at Miss Green seems to be very happy with the current plan and changing it without really knowing what I'm doing is probably too much of a gamble. I was really more wondering about that stuff you put on top of the soil/coco, the Remineralizing Soil Booster, that's supposed to sit on top, as I thought it might be good for the grow and also maybe help keep pests from settling on the medium's surface.

Anyway, overall I'm really pleased with the way things are going and I think I just have to keep reminding myself that keeping it simple is almost certainly the way to go here.

 

[snack420]

Happy Growing everyone!

 

[snack420]

main cola

day 89 total
day 31 into flowering

420 for all!