DopyLemontree's High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow Jour

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Hi CC. You asked so many questions I just couldn't answer them all, so I focused on this which you kinda asked two different posts.

Hey Doc! Thanks for stopping by and dropping some knowledge and experience. I really appreciate it.

So pumped after reading all this, I'm gonna head to the garden and do a super Drench on the OG's, and what the hell...I'll take some brix readings of them too!

Love to learn

.

 

[CannaCountry]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Good Morning DL, Good Morning All,

Thanks so much for all the input, comments, new information, explanations, etc...everyone's input is quite interesting. Thank you all as well for the welcome to the 420 forum. I'm not really new here per se, but new to the posting of comments and so forth. I've lingered here for quite some time, albeit not as much as of late.

Being DocBud is the authority in terms of the kit and since he took the time out of his day to stop by and add to the conversation; I'd like to thank him and comment a little in terms of his questions.

Of course, I am always interested in improving anything I'm interested in; Cannabis is no different. However, my thoughts per se, at least as they pertain to High Brix were not spurred on initially by trying to find a better way to grow. Although there are some huge take aways from everything I've read thus far. My interest is more going from studying Brix for many years without knowing there was any sort of relation between it and Cannabis...at least in terms of growing. So once I began reading, of course, my curiosity was peaked. I suppose my questions are a bit more specific in nature to my own thoughts, but it's more of me trying to apply what I've come to know with what I'm learning here in terms of the kit and the process. Graytail recommended I read his journal, and albeit, I've only made it through about 20 pages of it, I have found his information quite interesting and along with your comments, I'm beginning to understand a bit more of how Brix is being applied in the grow room. All of it is quite interesting and I'm looking forward to learning more as I go.

In terms of me bragging about how great I can grow something; no, I'm not that guy. Yes, I have a lot of agriculture experience, but I learned a long, long time ago; I don't know everything and in fact, I know very little. As I mentioned early on, some of the grows I've observed here have been less than stellar and some of the grows have looked almost fake, they look so good. I certainly like to think my methods fall somewhere in between those lines, but that's as far as I'll claim. I am a student in life; I live and I learn. It's my interaction with people, experiences and things, that spurs this on for me and being here at 420mag is certainly aiding me in this process. At this point I'm just trying to learn, again, not so much on how to grow per se, but more or less attempting to learn the nuances of what ya'll are doing but more importantly why it's being done and how it applies to what I know (or not); and I'm getting it as I go. This is largely due to everyone's input and comments here; thank you.

I appreciate the information on the Refract you're using. My maintenance guys used relatively the same sort of unit to test our refrigeration systems, more specifically glycol, in order to ensure dilution levels remained stable; to ensure not only refrigeration oils weren't entering the system, but in some cases food grade liquids too. This is a case where the refract was being used for something other than Brix determination. However, in the same breath, my guys never came to me and said 'hey we have a Brix of 15 on that glycol'...it's more of a 'hey we have a refractive index of 15'...and this would be applied to a 'standard' of what the refractive index should be at a particular mix percentage. Anyhow, maybe I'm tanning the hide on that dead horse at this point...haha.

I'm an avid shooter and I've taught several individuals over the years on how to shoot. There is a bit of a saying; bad habits are hard to break, and this is not only true in shooting, but also in other things. My brain has been trained to think about Brix in certain ways, and this is great in terms of what I did for work. However, I'm now trying to cross over from what I've always known to what I'm only now learning about (the relationship between Brix and Cannabis); sometimes that change of gears is a little rough. Like they say though..."if you can't find 'em, grind 'em". I'm sure after grinding my gears for a bit, I'll catch on to what's going on and I'm sure I'll figure out a way to apply it moving forward.

Just talking out loud here, but perhaps, with the 'Kit' having such a huge following and obviously a great group of folks using it, perhaps, as a community, a set of parameters could be agreed upon and then, all those with the funds and time to take measurements and so forth could collectively post the data. This way a standard, if you will, could be developed to not only help all those currently using this kit, but something that might help future users of the kit and perhaps just the growing community in general. Anyhow, it's just a thought...

Thanks again to everyone for your comments and help in my understanding; this has been a very interesting and stimulating journey thus far. DL, thank you for allowing me to bring up the questions here and again I apologize for mucking anything up in terms of your journal.

Your grow is looking fantastic; it's only a matter of time before my lab coat will be put on and I hop on board to try Doc's kit. I'm a sucker for a good experiment and all of this information and ya'lls comments only open up that sort of opportunity for me.

I hope everyone here has a fantastic weekend; DL, Morglie; my best to your wives and yourselves...keep on keeping on.

 

[CannaCountry]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Sorry, I failed to answer the last few questions from Doc...so here it goes. (Disclaimer)...I am not fortunate enough to live in an area where cultivation of cannabis is legal, so everything I say at this point is just made up...

What's your grow method? Soil mix? Brix readings? Lab tests? Photos? Watering tech? Harvesting Tech? Curing method?

I use a medium mix which resembles yours; though not exactly I'm sure. I like a 1/3 Peat (similar to Promix), 1/3 Earthworm Castings, 1/3 aeration. I amend this with varying supplements; most, if not all of them, have been discussed here and there on this forum. I do not cook my soil. I don't use liquid nutrients; I prefer granular. My entire process is as close to organic as I can get it, from seed or cutting (no hormones, gels or powders...just a bit of Aloe) to harvest. Unless I perceive a problem and I feel a tea would be beneficial, this is all I do (amend the medium from the start and just water). Like the commercial, I 'set it and forget it'. At the end of a grow, the medium is simply recycled, any remnants of the last grow are worked back into and it's left to rest until it's time to use it again. Is my process perfect; nope. Is there room for improvement; I know there is. Have I achieved that almost fake, plastic, shiny look I see inherit in many of the 'kit' grows; sometimes, but not to the extent or as consistently as I see it in your process. Do I have lots to learn; yes I do.

I have never taken Brix readings or Refractive Index readings; this is why I'm here. My mind would have never crossed over to do so, which again, is why I'm here now. Will I in the future; you have no idea...haha

I don't have any lab reports. I do have extensive lab experience though, and while again, it has had nothing to do with Brix and Cannabis combined, I believe those types of experiments are now in the making. My mind is curious, so I'll tinker a bit and see what I can learn.

Photos; I'd have to break out my crayons and make some up ...again, the whole "I am not fortunate enough to live in an area where cultivation of cannabis is legal" is enough deterrent to keep my camera off. I know...no pics = it didn't happen...and it didn't...haha.

Watering; I water as needed. I use the typical water coming out of the garden hose, which is municipal tap water. I don't set this out in an attempt to bleed off the chlorine...I simply get it out of the hose and go. ( I used to set my water out but over the course of several experiments I didn't find it to be any more or less better.) I don't pH anything; again, over the course of several experiments I found doing this to be counter productive and in fact not necessary.

Harvesting; I do this like most here I would guess. I look at the overall plant, resin development, trichome maturity, etc...then I make my own determination as to when it's time to harvest.

Curing; again, I would guess I go about it as most here do. I don't wash anything, though I see so many people doing it and singing the praises. I'm sure I'll find a moment to experiment with the idea; it could possibly be something I do in the future, but as of now, I don't. I wet trim it, hang it until it's time to sweat it out in jars and then just go from there. I simply attempt to do all of this as slowly as possible without introducing mold to the equation. Nothing special.

I'm sure nothing I've mentioned is news to you or anyone here really, in fact this might just be an opportunity for most to give a smile and say 'yeah, this guy doesn't know squat' but yeah, this is how I would do things in my made up world.

Thanks again for the input and comments Mr. Doc....and thank you DL again for allowing me the opportunity to reply here.

Have a great day guys.

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Hi CC!

Nice explanation of your intentions and limitations...well written! I have enjoyed your presence here, and your always welcome. No mucking anything up at all.

I've grown cannabis since I met my wife in 1995, yes she is the reason. I started in miracle grow soil, then studied and used the "sea of green" technique, great VHS tape, then I learned Aeroponics, and ran that system for 10+ years. All of these systems I ran, now that I look back, I had no idea what I was doing. I was just following directions with mediocre results at best. I decided in 2016 that I wanted to learn to grow weed that was exceptional in taste, effects, minimizing environmental impact. I knew it was possible, every once in a while I would get to smoke some cannabis that just excelled in flavor and effect, and I thought...I'm going to unlock this secrete!

Well, Doc has done this already, and thankfully has shared his success, and is turning it into a nice business with his kit and customer support.

CC, I think you may have stumbled upon something here that will change you life...I know it has mine.

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Ok quick update

Last night I gave both OG beauties a Super Drench. Then I took some brix readings of both.

A little back story...

On Headband OG C1- I pruned this on flip day. I read a statement of Doc's to try and veg out a frankinstrain, and then chop it back to half its size, recover a little then flip. Basically trying to go into flow with a 2ft tall plant with a 4ft tall plants root system. These OG's roots are so inefficient. I did not give it any recovery time, after the prune, I went right to the flip.

I took a middle canopy healthy fan leaf that was covering another lower bud. It had good color, and a waxy sheen.

I fold the leaf up into a tight little ball, and put into a cut out corner of a ziplock back, and into the jaws of a vise.

I repetitively open/ close the jaws, as if they are chewing the leaf. I then take the leaf material out and fold it over, and repeat.

The plastic keeps the sample from getting contaminated from what ever is on the vise, plus directs the juice along the bottom fold.

Then I give it a final big squeeze, and the leaf juice flows.

And one drop on to the refractometer

Down goes the cover, squeezes out the air, and as I peer through the eyepiece, this HBOG C1 has a sharp line at 15 brix

I do the same with HBOG C2

A little back story of her.

I pruned her just like the other OG above, but in addition at day 21 pf I pruned off all the stretching tops, basically leaving the secondary growth as the new tops. I read about this as a way to approach the 1 gram per watt, but wanted to see the outcome for myself and if it effected taste, quality, etc. you can see the difference, it has an even top canopy, there are more bud sites, although they are shorter than the other OG's. The brix level on this plant is 14.

No flash

Love how the flash brings out the trichomes' bling!

The BG and 2- BD are starting to get some color back, but the BG is still faded, but she is an early ripener.

All I can smell in there right now is the BG.

Please anyone that sees a problem with the way I did my brix reading, feel free to correct me. I understand I need to be consistent with the way I take the readings.

Cheers!

 

[CannaCountry]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

DL,

Thanks for your comments earlier, the pictures you posted and the explanation; you really went above and beyond. I like your method on collecting your sample...good stuff.

Damn your girls are looking nice...you may need to change your nic to Charlie "Sheen"...you got your plants just glowing.

 

[Doc Bud]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Ok quick update

Last night I gave both OG beauties a Super Drench. Then I took some brix readings of both.

A little back story...

On Headband OG C1- I pruned this on flip day. I read a statement of Doc's to try and veg out a frankinstrain, and then chop it back to half its size, recover a little then flip. Basically trying to go into flow with a 2ft tall plant with a 4ft tall plants root system. These OG's roots are so inefficient. I did not give it any recovery time, after the prune, I went right to the flip.

I took a middle canopy healthy fan leaf that was covering another lower bud. It had good color, and a waxy sheen.

I fold the leaf up into a tight little ball, and put into a cut out corner of a ziplock back, and into the jaws of a vise.

I repetitively open/ close the jaws, as if they are chewing the leaf. I then take the leaf material out and fold it over, and repeat.

The plastic keeps the sample from getting contaminated from what ever is on the vise, plus directs the juice along the bottom fold.

Then I give it a final big squeeze, and the leaf juice flows.

And one drop on to the refractometer

Down goes the cover, squeezes out the air, and as I peer through the eyepiece, this HBOG C1 has a sharp line at 15 brix

I do the same with HBOG C2

A little back story of her.

I pruned her just like the other OG above, but in addition at day 21 pf I pruned off all the stretching tops, basically leaving the secondary growth as the new tops. I read about this as a way to approach the 1 gram per watt, but wanted to see the outcome for myself and if it effected taste, quality, etc. you can see the difference, it has an even top canopy, there are more bud sites, although they are shorter than the other OG's. The brix level on this plant is 14.

No flash

Love how the flash brings out the trichomes' bling!

The BG and 2- BD are starting to get some color back, but the BG is still faded, but she is an early ripener.

All I can smell in there right now is the BG.

Please anyone that sees a problem with the way I did my brix reading, feel free to correct me. I understand I need to be consistent with the way I take the readings.

Cheers!

Your tech is great. Just do it the same way, evertime. Same time of day, same basic area of the plant to take a sample...etc. Then your readings will tell you what's going on. 15 brix is stellar. No wonder they look so good. And a frankenstrain too!

 

[DrZiggy]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Ours are free range which is great as the tick and super flea population that we had last summer, our first here, was greatly diminished this year. We're planning on putting in fruit trees here, hopefully in the fall. We have walnuts and gobs of wild black raspberries and blackberries already.

Yea, the terps are what I'm after. I only had two plants I successfully grew before going with the kit. I'm convinced the terpenes play a major role in the effect and I want to bring that out as much as possible. Plus, it's a very forgiving system.

I've grown tomatos in it and am currently growing two types of basil and spearmint in it. Eventually I want to have a large selection of fresh, high brix herbs for the wife to utilize in her cooking and soap making excursions. She tries to use as local as possible. We had our first hive swarm this spring, so we're back to waiting again, as the second hive we started in the spring gets its feet under it and begins producing surplus we can utilize. The honey and beeswax will be an awesome addition, and once I get ahead on my cannabis stock, there'll be cannabis oil added to that as well. Things are looking good.

Now if they can just figure out this nausea issue. We're back in the hospital again. No pain this time as the gallbladder removal took care of that, but the nausea is back.... I'm glad it sounds like they're making some progress in helping your other half. Safe journeys my friend.

High Brix produce of all kinds is amazing!

 

[DrZiggy]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Those familiar with forest fires, and red fire retardant, may be interested to know that a refractometer is used to test the salt content of the mixture. Since poly ammonium phosphate is the active ingredient (fertilizer). They take this measurement using a handheld refractometer multiple times each load. Every time they load. Thousands of times each summer over dozens of bases.

Just thought I would throw that out there since there we were talking refracts lol

Salinity Refractometer for Seawater and Marine Fishkeeping Aquarium 0-100 Ppt with Automatic Temperature Compensation, By Aqueous Lab

21$...on The Bezos Universe..

 

[Mag7]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Hey doppy, can you show me a pic of how you water your plants. I think I remember you putting something together to make it easier. I can remember tho

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Hey doppy, can you show me a pic of how you water your plants. I think I remember you putting something together to make it easier. I can remember tho

Hi Mag, this is how I water. I mix up the drench (or Drink), and like to use wheeled dollies to roll everything around. I roll the bucket(s) into the grow room, drop in my spray wand contraption (wand, pump, and hose), plug in the pump, I keep the wand in the bucket for 30 sec to recirculate and really mix it up, especially if it is a drench. Then I top water, evenly to each plant, 2/3rds of the contents, the other 1/3 goes in the saucer.

I find it really saves my back, especially after a long laborious day at work, and the wand makes it easy to get under the short stalky plants like the Bubblegum. It also fans out the gentle spray so it doesn't trench out the soil, and has a shutoff lever to minimize spillage between plants.

I find it fun and therapeutic to water this way...sit down relaxed and calm, surrounded by a harem of sweet colorful aromas, lush sounds of foliage, and ancient water trickling its way into other fractals of dependent organisms.

 

[Duggan]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Fancy!....

 

[Mag7]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Yes!!!! That's exactly what I need for my girl. Ok, so can I get all the parts individually or do have to break down other items like the wand to make this work?

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Yes!!!! That's exactly what I need for my girl. Ok, so can I get all the parts individually or do have to break down other items like the wand to make this work?

Yeah I got everything individually. The pump was left over from my aeroponic grows, you can get them at a grow shop, Amazon, etc. the sprayer is from my local Ag store, and a piece of garden hose

 

[StoneyMemoirs]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Brilliant DL!

...Might have to 'borrow' this idea on a permanent basis

 

[Mag7]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

I'd like to know the brand of the sprayer so I can pick that up. Thanks DL, you really are a time saver ..

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

I'd like to know the brand of the sprayer so I can pick that up. Thanks DL, you really are a time saver ..

It's a Dramm Rain Wand , one touch 16"and

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Gave the 2 Blue dreams and Bubblegum a drink last night. Bubblegum is always the first to fill the room with candy aromas!

Blue Dreams

All rolled back into place

The clones

Have a great day everyone!

 

[Doc Bud]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Gave the 2 Blue dreams and Bubblegum a drink last night. Bubblegum is always the first to fill the room with candy aromas!

Blue Dreams

All rolled back into place

The clones

Have a great day everyone!

Looks like you know how to grow cannabis, sir.

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Looks like you know how to grow cannabis, sir.

Hi Doc!

Well I have you to thank for the excellent products, tutorials, support group, and most importantly...The passion!

Thanks for the show of support, I enjoy this plant on so many levels!