FiveToMidnight's First Grow - Coco/Perlite - NL - MarsHydro 300W LED - 2015

[FiveToMidnight]

I perceive samples as bait to keep me from flushing and chopping too soon which is what I'm trying to coax you into, (not flushing yet). Starting the flush too soon will rob her of her potential to completely finish. So once again, I suggest you revert #1 back into a feeding schedule for another week or longer, then when your sample gives you the kind of high you want, start flushing and in 4-7 days time, she'll be in PERFECT condition. You can sample from anywhere you want, but because they're bait, I always took those whispy buds from the bottom of the plant as the uppers are usually earmarked for other patients, wink wink.

When you harvest, you can take humongous branches or you can cut them small, whatever you want. In reality, I think ambient RH would help you decide. If you're in a very dry climate, it would be best to leave colas intact so as not to release the moisture too quickly in the drying process. Drying should take 4-7 days, not 1-2. I mean you can speed dry the samples so they can land in your pipe quicker, but the smoke will get harsh when done that way. When you harvest your whole plant, you'll want to dry them relatively slow, and then cure them after that in jars and/or bags. The trick is to slowly walk the moisture from the core of the bud outwards. Doing it this way preserves the flavors in the smoke. The Capn told me to get long short totes to slow cure after the hanging process to sweat the buds before they go into jars or whatever final storage container will be used. There is a butload of info on youtube and here on 420 that outlines the drying and curing process, and though they may vary in procedures, they are all identical in concept. Here's The Capn's video on trimming. You already know I am a proponent of bud washing. My teacher (The Capn) isn't a fan. Either way is a matter of preference, but I promise when you smoke a washed bud, you'll never want to smoke an unwashed bud ever again so please consider it.
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Sorry, misunderstood regarding when to start flushing. All good though as I haven't done it yet. I will keep with the normal feeding routine for now and take a sample once I see more trichromes become cloudy.

I was planning on hanging them in the grow cabinet so as to keep them out of sight and to control smells. I can also control the climate a little better than just leaving them to the elements.
I have seen people using cardboard boxes with lines of string to hang the buds from and was thinking of doing something like that as it can be easily constructed and heaps easily to place inside and remove from the cabinet.

As for bud washing, I have read up a bit on this today but think I might leave it for a later stage. I would definitely like to give it a try though.

 

[Camo420Grow]

Great read and great pictures of some trichs ! !! Very nice 5 keep up the good work, can't wait to see how these girls treat you after this long ride with you!

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Some more trichrome pics for you to check you. Looks like a lot of them are going quite cloudy and amber now
Tried the pics with more natural light behind them rather than the LED's on the microscope. Not sure if it's better or not though, just find the LED's make things very white and shiny

I've also got a few leaves going purple. I have seen quite a few other grows do the same thing in late bloom but just want to make sure it's normal and not a problem.
Please let me know what you think, looks a bit weird to me

 

[Skybound]

I can't link you to other forums for solutions so here's MY GOOGLE SEARCH, just click the first link and read. From what I'm reading suggests she's not happy with 1-2-3 and craves more P in her food.

 

[Camo420Grow]

Hmm great e vaulting skybound ! I finally popped the seeds in my first grow! Just heads up haha.

5 wow dude those buds look so damn tasty gonna start flushing in a few weeks? Well I guess first issue would be raising p. These are some very very picky girls

 

[FiveToMidnight]

I can't link you to other forums for solutions so here's MY GOOGLE SEARCH, just click the first link and read. From what I'm reading suggests she's not happy with 1-2-3 and craves more P in her food.

Interesting thread indeed.
I have also noticed people mentioning it could be due to large changes in temperature which has been happening lately. We have had some really hot days and temps have been changing about 15 degrees from day to day. Maybe it could be that?

Do you think it would be wise to change to the late bloom ratio instead of 3-2-1 for the extra P?

Hmm great e vaulting skybound ! I finally popped the seeds in my first grow! Just heads up haha.

5 wow dude those buds look so damn tasty gonna start flushing in a few weeks? Well I guess first issue would be raising p. These are some very very picky girls

Great to hear dude! I've been watching your thread and waiting to see how it all goes.
They are picky, although my environment doesn't help, temperature fluctuations are really not helping I think.

 

[Camo420Grow]

Yes 5 I am very excited indeed ! My little girls may be going in the pots today! I am unsure tho ! May be to busy with family today

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Yes 5 I am very excited indeed ! My little girls may be going in the pots today! I am unsure tho ! May be to busy with family today

Good to hear mate, will keep a keen eye on your jounal. Hope you have a good xmas!

 

[Skybound]

Do you think it would be wise to change to the late bloom ratio instead of 3-2-1 for the extra P?

yes

 

[FiveToMidnight]

yes

Ok will do in tomorrows feed

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Here's some more pics of #1 as she is getting very close to being ready.

Had a feed of late bloom ratio last night at 920ppm and 6.2ph. Had to put about 15L through each pot to get the PH to come up to the same as I was putting in, kept stubbornly staying at 5.5 but eventually came up.

#1

 

[Camo420Grow]

I see a few amber trichs in there 5!!

 

[FiveToMidnight]

I see a few amber trichs in there 5!!

Indeed! Getting pretty excited now. They look very close to other NL pics I have seen at harvest time. Can't wait to sample some!

 

[Skybound]

Have you taken any samples yet? Ya know, for quality control.

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Have you taken any samples yet? Ya know, for quality control.

Not as yet, thought I'd wait another day or so

 

[glimmergrass]

Hi, Five! Better late than never, eh?

Love your trichome pics -- you are going to have a wonderfully potent harvest!

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Hi, Five! Better late than never, eh?

Love your trichome pics -- you are going to have a wonderfully potent harvest!

Thank you glimmer! I'll be starting the flush tomorrow and hopefully have a great harvest very shortly

 

[glimmergrass]

Happy New Year!

So exciting, isn't it? These plants are amazing (well, all plants are amazing but cannabis seems kind of miraculous to me) and you are going to harvest something you grew yourself!

What's your plan for harvest/drying/curing, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[FiveToMidnight]

I must admit I don't have a plan as yet, still researching.
But I figured I'd just cut off the whole branch. Then getting a cardboard box, fixing some lines of string across the top and hanging the buds on that. I've seen quite a few people say this is a good method. I also have some jars for curing.

Do you have any advice on this at all?

 

[Skybound]

For the first 3-6 days, you want a good amount of air circulation around the buds to crust up the outsides adequately. After this it's good to put them in paper bags or any other form of spacious container for a couple hours so the innards of the buds can sweat some moisture out to the recently dried portions and stabilize the RH in the buds in the process. Once the RH is redistributed, then take them back out into some open air with less circulation, but still some circulation as you'll gradually reduce the amount of air circulation you expose them to the more the buds get dried.

The concept is first to rapidly dry them to get a good amount of moisture out of the buds to prevent molds from forming. Once you're out of those woods, then you want to focus on slowly, but steadily "sweating out" more moisture, but not too quickly as the slower the dry, the better the cure and more flavorful the smoke. Once you get to the point where it takes 12 or so hours to redistribute the inner RH, then it's time for final trim, debranching and into jars for extended curing periods. Ideal RH is 62% and you can find Boveda 62 RH packs to hold constant RH in the jars once the buds are properly cured down to that range. I've never used the Bovedas yet, but have heard too many good things to not pass along the idea.

Practice your drying and curing techniques on the samples.