DocBud - New Room - Super Soil - Etc

Hash Hound · Jun 26, 2011

Harvesting Question

Doc,

After recently completing a fairly disappointing grow, I do not want to have another so so outcome. Two C's two B's and an A. Don't get me wrong. They were all good, just not the quality expected. And little or no taste or smell.

My plants were very very healthy so it must be one of two things. The strains/breeder, or something I did or didn't do right. I can point to the two weakest results coming from the same breeder, and the other three from other breeders with the best plant being the White Widow from DP. (a freebie yet) So that finger (which I am not necessarily pointing yet) might point to genetics.

If one doesn't harvest at the exact 5 day window of opportunity with relation to trichomes, it still should be good weed shouldn't it? We waited longer for more of a stoney high. Only the Vanilla Kush leans that way slightly.

I'm sure our environment was not ideal, but neither is Mother Nature and she usually turns out good weed buy guys giving plants half the attention and care these got.

Any thoughts?

Doc Bud · Jun 26, 2011

Re: Harvesting Question

Hash Hound said:
Doc,

After recently completing a fairly disappointing grow, I do not want to have another so so outcome. Two C's two B's and an A. Don't get me wrong. They were all good, just not the quality expected. And little or no taste or smell.

My plants were very very healthy so it must be one of two things. The strains/breeder, or something I did or didn't do right. I can point to the two weakest results coming from the same breeder, and the other three from other breeders with the best plant being the White Widow from DP. (a freebie yet) So that finger (which I am not necessarily pointing yet) might point to genetics.

If one doesn't harvest at the exact 5 day window of opportunity with relation to trichomes, it still should be good weed shouldn't it? We waited longer for more of a stoney high. Only the Vanilla Kush leans that way slightly.

I'm sure our environment was not ideal, but neither is Mother Nature and she usually turns out good weed buy guys giving plants half the attention and care these got.

Any thoughts?

I have a few thoughts:

1.)Growing is a long term endeavor. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, things just don't work out, for any number of reasons. Don't let the results of one grow get you down....learn what you can and move on.

2.)What medium were you in? Were you using OC+? I can't remember. Anyhow, dirt has pockets where perhaps things were mixed up poorly, maybe the guy who made that batch forgot something....maybe the suppliers of peat to the dirt company sent a bad batch....maybe the fish guts had diesel fuel on them.....who knows?

3.)Genetics is huge! I can't believe the difference it makes.

4.)The harvest window is longer than 5 days....especially with OC+
5.)Wait till after a good month of curing before you pass judgement on taste.

But the number one factor is always environment....always.

Comparing indoor and outdoor is not valid....outdoor plants have constant temperature root zones, far more lighting, natural predators that take care of pests and many other things that make them grow larger.

Indoor plants are much more fragile....but they can also be more potent and can taste better. But they get treated poorly too.....SNAP it was noon....now it's night. BOOM, it was 77 degrees.....now it's 65. Last week they drank one nutrient, this week another......mites, PM....you name it.

A week of high humidity and low temps is enough to mess up the resin factory if it happens at the wrong time. High temps will also shut the plant down......as will really low Rh, or really high Rh.

Last grow, I had 8 very healthy plants, all potted up in the same soil, under the same light, in the same pots. One plant just up and died about 5 weeks into flower. I have no idea why.....the others were just fine.

Who knows?

In future grows, here are a few little things to remember:

Smell comes from terpenes in the resin. Sulfur is key here.....good sources of sulfur are:

Epsom salt
Gypsum
Manure.

But using each of those effects other nutrients as well.....so you've got a balancing act. If I thought my plants weren't stinky enough, I'd probably give them a bit of epsom salts and a good compost/manure tea feeding or two.

I also amend the soil with Gypsum at times.

Anyhow, I've probably said way more than you needed to hear. Keep your head up, keep growing, and learn what you can!

Imitate success. Find someone who is getting good results and copy them for a couple grows.....

copy their feeding schedule, medium, temps, and genetics......it shouldn' be too hard to get results.

Doc Bud · Jun 26, 2011

Re: DocBud....New Room, Super Soil, etc.

Hash Hound:

I just looked at the last couple pics on your journal. Here are a few observations:

1.)bud structure was definitely sub-par. That almost always speaks to environment or some really whacked nutrients. I wonder if you didn't give them too many products....OC+, DM, Epsoma....perhaps a simpler approach might have worked better?

2.)All of the plants looked stressed in the latter weeks of flower....definitely environmental issues.

Here is a link that I find very helpful. I use it all the time when trying to figure out remedial action or making a soil.

concepts in plant nutrition

But overall.....Genetics!
Don't let it get you down.....just move on to the next one. But I'd keep it more simple.

For example, the plants I have growing currently are in FFOF and OC+. That's all. They're fat, frosty and dank.

Hash Hound · Jun 26, 2011

Re: DocBud....New Room, Super Soil, etc.

Doc,

Thanks for the help. And taking the time to look into it for me. Going to take your advice and go a little simpler will be for the next grow. And I will work on getting the environment in check.

We have two clones taken from the last grow (White Widow and Kandy Kush) in the room now in soil loaded the same as the last grow. I will try to let it ride as is and not add any more things to see if we over did it last time. We'll see if that makes a difference.

Another test will be to see how the Papaya clones I gave away turn out with different nutes etc.
One guy is using almost the same soil loaded like mine, but no extras will be added.
One guy is using MG and epsoms and not much else.
And I have 2 on a hill side with OC+ only. In unaltered natural soil.
It will be interesting to see how the others turn out as to the taste, smell and stone.

We have Blueberry and Orange Bud freebies from an Attitude order on deck for the next grow, and I really want to do a good job with them.

Doc Bud · Jun 26, 2011

Re: DocBud....New Room, Super Soil, etc.

Hash Hound said:
Doc,

Thanks for the help. And taking the time to look into it for me. Going to take your advice and go a little simpler will be for the next grow. And I will work on getting the environment in check.

We have two clones taken from the last grow (White Widow and Kandy Kush) in the room now in soil loaded the same as the last grow. I will try to let it ride as is and not add any more things to see if we over did it last time. We'll see if that makes a difference.

Another test will be to see how the Papaya clones I gave away turn out with different nutes etc.
One guy is using almost the same soil loaded like mine, but no extras will be added.
One guy is using MG and epsoms and not much else.
And I have 2 on a hill side with OC+ only. In unaltered natural soil.
It will be interesting to see how the others turn out as to the taste, smell and stone.

We have Blueberry and Orange Bud freebies from an Attitude order on deck for the next grow, and I really want to do a good job with them.

Nice and simple.
Environment.
Proper drying/curing

Doc Bud · Jun 27, 2011

Re: DocBud - New Room - Super Soil - Etc.

Just a few more days to go......they are getting chunky.
For the disbelievers: this is Osmocote Plus and FFOF right out of the bag with no amending.

I've used compost tea 3 times, sucanat 3 times, and snowstorm for weeks.

Oh, here's Carlos, my soil helper:

Big things happening this week, and then the real growing gets under way.

papatater · Jun 27, 2011

Re: DocBud - New Room - Super Soil - Etc.

Lookin mighty fine Doc them sure are some frosty buds im using Osmocote Plus for the first time this year I am having some good results I just grow outside and there getting bigger than expected very happy with the results so far and i dont have to mix ferts all the time whew thats a good thing thxs for sharing your grow with us

shaggie-420 · Jun 27, 2011

Re: DocBud - New Room - Super Soil - Etc.

IM GETTIN ANXIOUS!!!! time for another Bowl :roorrip:

Great link on plant nutrition

Vapedogg223 · Jun 27, 2011

Re: DocBud - New Room - Super Soil - Etc.

The girls look killer as always! I love the cement mixer...I started looking at them myself after my second batch of soil.

Doc Bud · Jun 27, 2011