FNG, Giving Outdoor A Try: Any Advice Is Greatly Appreciated!

[roaring lion]

ddk,
looking mighty fine. how many days do you thinkyou've been in flower? from the looks of things, i'd say you're close, but looks like there's still room to fill in on the flowers and make them nugs nice and dense...are they turning purple at all? cloudy trichomes sound like a good thing. i haven't ordered my magnifying loop yet but i'd say i better hurry so i can get the harvest timed right. can you take a close up of the flower? what's the coldest temps you've had through the night?
you look further along than a couple of mine and i'm hoping to get three more weeks out of them (trying for full moon in october). i'm getting twitchy too, but i know they won't be as plump if i snip a bit early. super tempted to just clip a small bit from down low to sample the goodies but patience...

 

[DDK319]

roaring lion,
Thanks for the reply! I think this upcoming weds or Thursday will mark 9 weeks in flower, although I am not the best judge of this stuff.

Coldest temps we have had are 50d fahrenheit. and they will be there the next couple nights. 48 on Sunday night.

I am not seeing much purple in the buds, just in the leaves. I attached some close ups of the buds. Funny how what look like healthy yummy red hairs don't look like such a good thing under magnification. I am not sure if I should be concerned or not. I am anxious to hear what others have to say!

Thanks,
DDK

 

[roaring lion]

DDK,
i wish i had the key to the lock. you've been patient for this long (well done, btw), 9 weeks is a long time. i'd have a hard time stopping myself from diving in. it looks like they'll give a final push of white hairs and fill in all the tight spots, but i'm no professional advisor. about 50/50 on the white hair to amber hair? i haven't grown in 15 years and can't wait for the ladies to finish up. will you see a frost in your area? forecast look good? i'll be in your shoes in a few more weeks and i'll be asking you if i should hold off and how it worked out for you...

i'm actually surprised that anyone still takes anything i say seriously! once they see my hillbilly set up, they realize what they're dealing with. there's a heck of a guy and great gardener @GHempster who has got some sage wisdom on life and cannabis...hopefully he stops by and brings his friends @greenjeans @Backlipslide

i mean, even if you clipped a chunker off the top to let the light in to the rest of the plant, you wouldn't be able to truly enjoy that fruit for 10-15 days even if you are hurrying the process. easy for me to say "be patient young grasshopper" but i know it ain't that easy...

 

[GHempster]

Hey DDK, nice plants you have there and getting some solid advice from Roaring Lion.

Looks like she is still advertising for pollen with her pistols standing up; however in saying that. I got a NL plant with pistols standing up still but she is done when looking at trics. So I would inspect buds on top and around half way down and see where trics are at.

I wouldn't worry about the purple change in buds some plants don't change much in color that has to do with the individual plant and doesn't indicate when finished.

I would be waiting for trics to show some amber in the buds not just on leaves. The good thing is a branch is off which is perfect lets you test it out for potency.

I think @roaring lion is right when saying patience is needed here unless you need the medicine now.

As far as nutes concerned I give my girls straight water for at least last 3 or more weeks which is my flush as I grow organically in soil. I personally don't like any chemicals in my medication so I sacrifice bud size for cleaner buds. But now I'm rambling maybe lol.

Oh and as far as hill billy setups go Roaring Lion. I got you beat bud as there is more tuck tape holding my operation together than anything else lol. I live by Red Green.

I hope this helps DDK. Or if I missed something let me know as I do medicate heavy . Let me know what you are thinking DDK. I would like to see you get the best medicine possible.

 

[greenjeans]

Red Green for Prime Minister !!!!!

 

[Backlipslide]

Hey everyone!!

Thanks for the tag in @roaring lion



Still trying to wake up, so I’ve got nothing really to say here.

I will tag a long and jump in when necessary

 

[DDK319]

Thank you all very much for the advice! It has been quite the learning experience, and I can't wait for future grows! That said, I think this one is done.

The branch that came off a while ago worked great for potency, so that's a good sign. I am having a hard time getting any decent pics with the wind we have had the past few days, but the buds are looking full and happy. The pistils have mostly lied down, and the trichomes are all cloudy, with a few being amber. In addition to the gale force winds that are likely to break branches at this point, we have frost warnings tonight and tomorrow night, then a couple days of warm but rainy. Seems to me like all the signs say it's time. I'll miss tending them but will enjoy trimming and smoking them!

Best pics I could get in these winds attached. I will take more as they come down, get trimmed and get hung. I am 50/50 on if I want to trim before or after drying, so I'm thinking I'll do one each way.

Thanks,
DDK

 

[Carcass]

Good luck with the harvest(s),DDK
Looks like you'll have enough smoke to last a good while!

 

[roaring lion]

WOOT WOOT! yeah DDK

congrats on the harvest, what a great way to spend your weekend! i'm stoked for you.
i haven't had a harvest in over 15 years and i can hardly wait. my 2 C about the trimming, if i may...
my last harvest, i clipped the fan leaves and that was about it...hung whole branches and had a fan blowing on the flowers for 10-12 days in a cool garage, in darkness. by the time i went in to do the finer trimming, it was definitely more challenging to get at the sugar leaves that wilted up and shrivelled, but i worked through it. once that was done i let the fan keep going for a couple days (or more, can't remember). the buds were so sweet and smooth when it was all finished up, it was a treat. so my polite suggestion is to really give this method a try as you are favouring. you won't regret it. man those girls look plumpaliscious...smoke 'em if you gottem

 

[greenjeans]

to trim before or after drying,

I am a total noooooob so......
I am a bit hung up on this as well - so far I have given them a very light trim, fan leaves and whatever hangs out a bit. They are still pretty "leafy". My nugs don't look nearly as dense as what I see in everybody elses pic. Is there any reason other than cosmetics or appearance to trim real close?? As long as they dry I would think all that material adds to the mix.

 

[Backlipslide]

had a fan blowing on the flowers

The way I hang and dry. I never have a fan pointed directly at the plant. Drying too quickly can result in less THC production. I hang in a cardboard box, with a small fan in the bottom upside down, just moving air around. Never blowing at the plants.

I flipped the fan around after the picture was taken.

I’ve also hung in my tent as well. Always in complete darkness.

 

[DDK319]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the advice! Apologies for my absense, I thought I had left a post here but I guess I never clicked post! Life has been crazy the past couple months, nothing to do with the grow though.

Everything worked out pretty darn good, and the end product is quite nice! The presentation could be a lot better, I still think I have a lot to learn and improve upon in the drying/curing phase, but I certainly learned a lot on this grow and can't wait to go again!

One thing I plan to change next time is how I dry them, will definately use a fan or something next time so the initial drying happens sooner. I think I will try both roar lions way and backlipslides ways next time.

Also, dealing with burping 16 mason jars a couple times a day is a lot, I heard from a couple friends that they use a big tupperware until everything is ready to be put in jars and left alone. I will try that next time. Those same friends "wash" their buds, and their final product is a lot prettier than mine, not sure if the washing is a factor. They seem to think so, google does not seem to support their thoughts. I may try it anyway.

Basicaly I am really happy with the smoke, as is everyone else that has tried it, but I would like it to look a lot more like the really pretty colorful stuff I see from more experienced growers and dispensaries. There is always work to be done!

I have attached a pic of the final product. Any input on what may have caused the esthetics to go off are greatly appreciated!

For the first time, I have a successful grow that yielded me a good amount of good bud! I say that with an ear to ear smile, and it would not have been possible without you guys, so I thank you from the bottom of my stash!

-DDK

P.S. I lost all of the clones from these ladies to spider mites about a month ago, with the exception of one that I had moved to another location. I am thinking I will leave that one where it is and start new from seeds in my indoor spot once I am sure it is 100% spider mite free. I have cleaned it out and bombed it a couple times and think they are gone, once I figure out for sure it's seed order time!

 

[greenjeans]

Also, dealing with burping 16 mason jars a couple times a day is a lot

Hmmmmm, I've been doing 65 and taking the time to sniff quite a few of them in the process!!!
I'm retired - that makes a difference!!!

 

[greenjeans]

For the first time, I have a successful grow that yielded me a good amount of good bud!

Hey DD - those buds look pretty tasty to me - while I'm happy that I ended up with anything usable - I think my stuff is of substandard quality and potency - it does the job but I think it is lacking...
So congrats on your haul !!!