Stardawg17, Dutch Bucket, GeistGrow OG, 2021: Help Finishing Grow

[stardawg17]

What's up 420!?!

Unfortunately, it's been waaay too long since my last journal. I'm trying to finish up my 3rd grow. The first grow went sensationally well. The second, not so much. And this one, well it's been quite the roller-coaster ride and I'm trying to bring the train back into the station.

I inherited a couple of clones from a close friend. She grew the donor from a bag seed from a dispensary. The clones were taken during flowering, so, I guess you call this monster cropping. I had hoped to journal both this grow and the last, but, I took on a side hustle and there was just no time. So here I am at the end of my grow and I'm not sure what's going on or what I should do. I wish I had read @InTheShed posts about flushing before I got to this point. Anyway, I have grown the 2 plants in a dutch bucket recirculating drip irrigation system in a 4x4 tent. I expected to be harvesting around December 20th, and yet I still don't believe the trichomes are mature enough yet. I stopped feeding nutes and started running pure RO water around 12/14. Below are details of the grow and I'll add current state pics too.

This grow is for my wife's medicine so I really hope I haven't screwed the pooch here and you guys can help me make sure she gets quality meds without having to give all our dough to the dispensary.

Strain - Geistgrow OG
# of Plants - 2
Grow Type - Hydro
Grow Stage - Flower
Setup - 3 gallon dutch bucket recirculating drip irrigation
Light - 2x1000 Watt Giixer LED 1 Mars Hydro 600 LED
Nutrients - General Hydroponics
Medium - net pots in perilite on top of hydroton
PPM - 80
PH - 5.55
RH - 22 - 60%
Room Temperature -65 to 73
Solution Temperature -63 to 73
Room Square Footage - 16
Pests - None Known

 

[stardawg17]

I''m really struggling with getting decent pics of the trichomes. Below are pics from my usb microscope taken earlier tonight.

Plant 1

Plant 2

 

[stardawg17]

My fear is they are just not maturing at all anymore. Do either look ready to harvest? Should I re-introduce nutrients? My last grow was a single durban poison plant and due to issues with my power distribution in the shed I think I harvested too early and the buds just didn't pack any punch. Should I just throw these plants out and start all over yet again? Should I just burn the shed down to the ground?

 

[InTheShed]

How long have they got left? Two weeks without nutes shouldn't be a big problem. It's not that there's a problem with flushing if you want to do it, it just doesn't remove nutes from the buds.

 

[Phytoplankton]

You’re pretty close, a week or two. The trichs all look cloudy, but not seeing any amber, but that could appear any day. Now is when the final bud swell occurs. I’m not s big fan of flushing at the end of flower in soil grows, not familiar with hydro..

 

[stardawg17]

Thanks for the responses!

I really thought I would be finished harvesting by now. I keep looking for amber trichomes but not finding any. I am really trying to go for some couch lock. Plant 2 really seems to be maturing much slower. I think I'll move one of the Giixer lights over her tomorrow. I didn't realize the mars hydro light was so much lower wattage than the Giixers.

I had a bud from plant 1 that got too close to the humidifier and the top rotted. So I snipped it off and I'm drying the lower part of it in a pizza box inside the tent. Hopefully it provides a decent test smoke in a couple days. Is there a better way to dry it? How long will it take before it's smokeable?

 

[InTheShed]

Hopefully it provides a decent test smoke in a couple days. Is there a better way to dry it? How long will it take before it's smokeable?

I always figure since it's going to be harsh no matter what, I flash dry testers in a tin-foil canoe placed on top of the slot in the toaster. Don't take your eye off them because they dry a lot faster than you expect!

 

[stardawg17]

@InTheShed how do you know when it's done?

Thanks for helping this noob

 

[InTheShed]

@InTheShed how do you know when it's done?

Thanks for helping this noob

Just before it starts smoking!

Really, not too long. If it's a small piece, try 15 seconds and give it a squeeze. Bigger flowers will take longer, but after a few times you'll get the hang of it.

 

[stardawg17]

Just before it starts smoking!

Really, not too long. If it's a small piece, try 15 seconds and give it a squeeze. Bigger flowers will take longer, but after a few times you'll get the hang of it.

So I've been curing it until last night. It was a little harsh but hit me pretty hard. Today I chopped 3 branches and got some good pics w/ the microscope. I'm still seeing lots of clear trichs and not much amber.

 

[InTheShed]

Not much amber at all! What you gain with waiting is that the high should be similar to the early testers but last longer. Unless you wait for a lot of amber, which will change the stone to more of a couchlock type.

 

[stardawg17]

I couldn't wait any longer and started harvesting this past weekend. Here are pics from plant 1 harvested Saturday...

Branch A

 

[InTheShed]

Congrats on the first harvest!

 

[stardawg17]

Branch C

Branch E

Branch F

 

[stardawg17]

Congrats on the first harvest!

Thanks!!!

This plant I'm drying / curing following your process

 

[stardawg17]

Thanks!!!

This plant I'm drying / curing following your process

In she goes....

 

[stardawg17]

Plant 1 got jarred tonight... about 10 ounces
I'm curious if more weight will be lost during the burping process

 

[InTheShed]

Once they get down to 62% RH (which is when we usually weigh), burping won't change the weight unless the RH changes.

Nice harvest! Are you trimming them further?

 

[stardawg17]

Once they get down to 62% RH (which is when we usually weigh), burping won't change the weight unless the RH changes.

Nice harvest! Are you trimming them further?

I'm not planning to trim further. Most of this will end up as RSO for the MRS.

This plant was pretty larfy and I want all the trics she has to offer

 

[stardawg17]

@InTheShed and @AdaminCO

I followed the process you outlined in this post to trim and dry this bounty. Now just a few weeks of burping and we'll be in like Flynn