KJ's T5/CFL 1st Time Grow

[KarlJay]

I still need to do the fine trimming, these are just rough cuts. Need to find out how to do a good trimming and need a container for the cuttings.

I know they would be better if they were spread out more, but I was way off in the yield estimate, I thought this one rack would cover things... Not even close!

Any tips on best way to trim buds?

Also, any hints on how to weigh this? I was thinking a homemade balance beam thing, just to get a ballpark.

 

[mcloadie]

TIMBER !!!

Did a final trich check and some were getting VERY amber, probably near the 25/30% mark.

I got 6 plants about 2/3's done. I'm doing a selective harvest. Cut down the top 2/3 of the plant and leave the rest. Move them together and lower the lights and let them mature more.

Ran into a few problems:
I bought a 6 tier drying rack and it's overfull already. This is probably 40~50% of the total for grow 1. Grow 1 is 11 plants but 1 is only 10" tall.

I didn't think I would need more drying room, but I haven't see the girls in the back for a while, they got a bit FAT!!!! and those side branches really added up.

2nd problem, I have no way to weigh these. I'd like to get a ballpark of the weight, but all I got is a pocket scale.

I'll buy probably 2 more drying racks or figure out what else I can use. maybe boxes and string / clips.

I think at least 2 more are ready to harvest, but I'm spot checking each plant before I harvest.

I was a bit surprised that the taller ones were much more amber than I thought, it's like they passed up the shorter ones.

Pics:

It's a bit easier to manicure wet buds karl.....+ reps

 

[mcloadie]

I still need to do the fine trimming, these are just rough cuts. Need to find out how to do a good trimming and need a container for the cuttings.

I know they would be better if they were spread out more, but I was way off in the yield estimate, I thought this one rack would cover things... Not even close!

Any tips on best way to trim buds?

Also, any hints on how to weigh this? I was thinking a homemade balance beam thing, just to get a ballpark.

just use your letter scale thingy and put enough on it to weigh only half of its capacity. Just trim away the stuff you dont want to smoke with your bud, take the big fans off, then the three fingered leaves that the petioles go into the bud, then I just cut the ends off the single leaves that don't have sugar on em. That's how I trim, for my smokin pleasure, some people wanna trim that shit til it is ready for a beauty contest, I just wanna get it ready to smoke, I can't stand tweakin on trimmin, a good trimmer can do a pound a day....and gets 250 bucks for doin it! You could get an electric trimmer and knock all the goodies off so you could make hash AND off the bud. Good job karl, I hope you are happy with your work.....I am!

 

[KarlJay]

Thanks! Glad I made it to the harvest, I was a bit over-concerned for a while there.

Got the word back last nite from a long term pro, he said this is top shelf, 1 hit-n-quit, so they are really impressed with the results.

 

[KarlJay]

Ok, so any stem more than say 1/2" should be cut except the main colas?

Is there any advantage to leaving more stem during drying?

With this kinda rack, is having the fan pass by on low a bad thing?

I know you want a slow dry/cure and I've heard you want passive (indirect) air flow, but I'm also concerned that some of these racks are over filled.

The top one is something like three deep!, I don't want to damage them.

 

[KarlJay]

Wow, trimming is some work! Got the fan leaves off, if this is 40% of the harvest, this trimming is going to suck.

 

[mcloadie]

Wow, trimming is some work! Got the fan leaves off, if this is 40% of the harvest, this trimming is going to suck.

Just try ta be gentle with the buds, and if they're stacked in your basket thingys you're gonna have to keep turning them.........NO DIRECT AIR....you just want the fan to create some circulation in the drying area, if you put a hygrometer in there you can guage the ventilation you're getting by the ambient Rh........blahblahblah.........One of the beauties of drying on the stem is how convenient it is...IMHO, you have a handy little holder to hold the buds, they will be spaced apart, only the chunk will be touching each other, and it slows the drying process. The chlorophyl needs time to break down, and with the moisture in the stems that keeps getting redistributed in the bud leaf material it makes for a dandy deal. I don't wait til the stem snaps to jar my weed, I feel that if I do that my bud's too dry. You gotta remember the Rh here is very low.........usually around 15 to 16 %. I keep my weed as moist as I can without mold issues, I just want it to burn even.....weed that will grind is too dry for me. Hope this helps, I know sometimes a different description of how a dry and cure happens may help you get the idea of how you're gonna get that product in the condition you want. BTW, I think trimming is fun for the first 5 minutes, but I like to make a connection at the table with the trimmers, I like to bring em drinks, roll joints for em, bring em branches and clean thier fiskars......6 trimmers will keep you runnin!

 

[mountaingoat]

Super sweet KJ!

 

[KarlJay]

I'm a solo trimmer, it's like when you move, everyone else "had other things to do."

I have the RH at about 50% and moved the fan so it's not direct.

Amen on keeping the stems, I didn't do that on the 1st trim, learned the lesson quick

I noticed that they flatten out, so I'll be rotating them. Makes me think the hanging string method would be better, but I already have the 1 rack. Maybe I need to setup a string system for the rest.

BTW, I was looking at a way to guess the current yield/weight. I saw a YouTube vid where they said they had 1 pound. It looked like about 4" X 6" X 8" brick, packed solid. Does 4x6x8 sound about right?

I'm hoping to get a 3 to 4lb net yield. Based just on the size, that might be in the ballpark.

 

[KarlJay]

Super sweet KJ!

Thanks!

 

[KarlJay]

Update: got all the cuttings from the 6 tier drying rack into glass jars. Ran out of larger jars and they are packed a bit tight, so today I got 2 more 1 gallon jars and 12 more 1/2 gallon jars (that's all they had in stock).

Got a cigar RH gauge, it's about the size of a quarter, so I can see what the RH is inside the jars.

About 30% of the yield is in jars, 40% hanging on fishing line waiting for jars, the rest is under the lights getting ready for their cut.

Still no clue about how much weight this yield will be.

I'll post some pics as soon as I get the rest in jars.

 

[KarlJay]

Update: Got about 70~75% in jars, the rest is near ready for harvest, I'll have to take a close look, but there are 8 partials and 1 full plant waiting for more amber. Probably a few more days.

Total jars are:
4 -- 1 gallon
10 --1/2 gallon
3 -- quarts

I had to pack them a bit tighter than I probably should have, but I bought all the jars I could find a several stores, so I'll have to buy some more.

I got a Csonka Cigar Hygrometer and I'm check in with the salt/water test right now... it's saying 71 and 100% correct @ 4 hours is 75 so it looks like it is accurate.

It's about the size of a quarter, so it'll fit in the jars.

I haven't figured out how to weigh these, anyone have a clue how to weight these?

The only scale I have is a very small pocket type, so I'm open to ideas how to do this. I guess I could do it a handful at a time if I had to.

 

[mcloadie]

Update: Got about 70~75% in jars, the rest is near ready for harvest, I'll have to take a close look, but there are 8 partials and 1 full plant waiting for more amber. Probably a few more days.

Total jars are:
4 -- 1 gallon
10 --1/2 gallon
3 -- quarts

I had to pack them a bit tighter than I probably should have, but I bought all the jars I could find a several stores, so I'll have to buy some more.

I got a Csonka Cigar Hygrometer and I'm check in with the salt/water test right now... it's saying 71 and 100% correct @ 4 hours is 75 so it looks like it is accurate.

It's about the size of a quarter, so it'll fit in the jars.

I haven't figured out how to weigh these, anyone have a clue how to weight these?

The only scale I have is a very small pocket type, so I'm open to ideas how to do this. I guess I could do it a handful at a time if I had to.

Yes karl, take an empty jar, the same size the buds in that you're gonna weigh, set it on the scale empty and enter "tare", this should make your scale read zero WITH the empty jar on it, now put the full jar on the scale and...BAM!

 

[CA215]

What mcl said! I love the tare button.. I have the small scale also, to weigh about an eigth at a time without tareing a container.. I've really been dreading weighing my bud so I haven't. Messing my numbers up pretty bad because I've been burning down Babylon for the past few days lol.. Keep in mind you look on the back and find the max weight, don't wanna put a glass jar on it that weighs well over 500gs' and bend your scale. I would suggest if you have a plastic Ziploc container, I found one that sat perfect on the scale. I always noticed with a container hanging off the sides, if you don't set it back on the same spot it might be off a point or two. Just something to think about. But man those are a good number of containers there buddy, rascal smells really good right? Lemony pungent diesel raunchy goodness. Supposedly the strain has a great cbd content which gets you that more medicated feel and not all "stoned" forgot your last name feeling. I really like this strain, which I could have let her go longer. Around how many days flower did the girls you cut end up going? I'm sure you will enjoy your meds, great pull KJ, reps+

 

[KarlJay]

I'm about 9.5/10 weeks in flower, the lower ones. I had a sample tested about 2 weeks ago by someone that 'really knows' his shit He loved it. He's been 'in the loop' for 25+ years, really sad that he has cancer. Really gotta hate cancer taken people down like that. No rhyme or reason as to who it attacks, just all of the sudden you got cancer and that's that. I hate hearing about cancer.

Anyways, back to the grow.

Did I cut and pack these right? I removed as much of the stems as I could, I'm keeping them open for hours at a time and rotating the jars to break them up so they don't end up as a big block.

I'm keeping them open longer during the start of the cure because I don't want mold. The RH is probably higher that it should be because the branches didn't snap.

 

[mcloadie]

I'm about 9.5/10 weeks in flower, the lower ones. I had a sample tested about 2 weeks ago by someone that 'really knows' his shit He loved it. He's been 'in the loop' for 25+ years, really sad that he has cancer. Really gotta hate cancer taken people down like that. No rhyme or reason as to who it attacks, just all of the sudden you got cancer and that's that. I hate hearing about cancer.

Anyways, back to the grow.

Did I cut and pack these right? I removed as much of the stems as I could, I'm keeping them open for hours at a time and rotating the jars to break them up so they don't end up as a big block.

I'm keeping them open longer during the start of the cure because I don't want mold. The RH is probably higher that it should be because the branches didn't snap.

Yep, and that is exactly how I dry my weed, by the time it's ready for long term storage, I'm probly two weeks into a dry.....smell each jar every time you open em, the smell will change every day! I hate cancer too bro, and diabetes.

 

[CA215]

I'm about 9.5/10 weeks in flower, the lower ones. I had a sample tested about 2 weeks ago by someone that 'really knows' his shit He loved it. He's been 'in the loop' for 25+ years, really sad that he has cancer. Really gotta hate cancer taken people down like that. No rhyme or reason as to who it attacks, just all of the sudden you got cancer and that's that. I hate hearing about cancer.

Anyways, back to the grow.

Did I cut and pack these right? I removed as much of the stems as I could, I'm keeping them open for hours at a time and rotating the jars to break them up so they don't end up as a big block.

I'm keeping them open longer during the start of the cure because I don't want mold. The RH is probably higher that it should be because the branches didn't snap.

Yeah the "C" word is devastating, ruins my week whenever I hear about it. Happens to the best of people it seems like, hope he pulls through KJ. If you think the buds are a little too humid still, try spreading them back out onto your rack if it isn't in use (probably is haha). Keep a close eye, check on them every couple hours, once they start to feel crispy on the outside again, jar them nugz back up. I have don't this until I felt I had the perfect texture. My nugs are still a little wet but with burping every 6-8 hours or so they are fine. No signs or mold. But the bud is keeping a very consistent rH perfect for any smoke. I will start letting them stay closed longer once I notice them at a steady texture. This is how I've heard to judge it The only difference I am seeing is I have my jars filled up half way, and yours are pretty damn near the lid

One more thing on removal of the buds from stem. Did you pop off all the branches from the main stem, then snip smaller nugs from the branches? I try to cut all my buds off with a small part of the stem coming from the bottom in which you can hold for trimming purposes, I try not to touch the buds and just pinch that little stem the whole time, pain in the ass though. Either way I think it's mainly how you feel what's easiest for you. I think everyone has their own techniques and what not but this is what I find easiest so far

 

[KarlJay]

I didn't really leave any stems. Based on how many jars I had, I knew I needed to get them pretty packed in there. So, I cut them so they'd fit better in the jars.

I don't know much about trimming. The other guy involved in this grow showed me a nug that had a few leaves meshed in the outside. He said, if it sticks onto the bud, leave it.

Also, I've heard others compressing the buds so the parts that stick out end up meshing into the nug.

One part I don't really understand is that I know these leaves have trichs, why would someone NOT want these trichs?

I'll probably have to get in touch with the C patient and see what he wants, he is one of the primary judges anyway so his opinion is counts more.

I think it's more window dressing than anything else.

Still have to figure out what to do with the trimming/shake. I wanted to make oil or wax, I'd at least like to give that a try, seems simple enough if you work in a open area with no flames, but I really don't know.

 

[mcloadie]

I didn't really leave any stems. Based on how many jars I had, I knew I needed to get them pretty packed in there. So, I cut them so they'd fit better in the jars.

I don't know much about trimming. The other guy involved in this grow showed me a nug that had a few leaves meshed in the outside. He said, if it sticks onto the bud, leave it.

Also, I've heard others compressing the buds so the parts that stick out end up meshing into the nug.

One part I don't really understand is that I know these leaves have trichs, why would someone NOT want these trichs?

I'll probably have to get in touch with the C patient and see what he wants, he is one of the primary judges anyway so his opinion is counts more.

I think it's more window dressing than anything else.

Still have to figure out what to do with the trimming/shake. I wanted to make oil or wax, I'd at least like to give that a try, seems simple enough if you work in a open area with no flames, but I really don't know.

I can't bring myself to cut those leaves covered with sugar either.....why?, it gives the bud a little tooth too, some of it's so gummy.

 

[CA215]

Im guilty of sitting there and trimming my buds until they are literally just bud. Ever since I smoked I always seemed to even trim the weed I had gotten from people, I've always used that trim or shake for edibles, edibles, edibles. Been also looking into wax or oil, but man, I keep coming back to making BUDDER. Edibles are so useful, eat a nice fat piece of brownie in the morning with a quick toke and you are set for a good 4 hours minimum! I've also found for the woman, like baking and what not, let them learn the process and have them bake you your medicinal edibles! In this case it keeps them busy and they don't feel completely left out while we have our hands all over our, other, ladies.. Regardless if you do try to make some oil/wax ill be around to watch! Just always felt sketchy. I like your idea with going with the older bros' opinion, sounds like he really enjoys your product! Congrats. Let us know what you choose! Thought of even making hash? Keif?