Mack's Perpetual Grow Journal

[MackMcMacMac]

I'll do my best to write up a smoke report on Alien when I get there. I'll tell you what, though--she has a very mild scent in flower. She's 10w3d from seed, (5w3d in flower). Other plants at this stage of development would be stinking up the entire room, but I only smell her when I open the tent. Even then, it's a mild "ahhh, nice" smell, not a "whoa, Nelly!" smack in the facelike the C99 was.

 

[MackMcMacMac]

Or this one!?

Mephisto Genetics

they say Spicy Skunky .....effect: very strong!

but they are the F2...

Good luck with them!

Thank you, Seedsman (and thanks for the free seeds!). I'm really looking forward to the Alien. Pretty sure I have the F2...

 

[MackMcMacMac]

So I had quite the week so far. It started Sunday, when the cat puked on the carpet. I dutifully plugged in the spot bot to clean it up, turned it on… and my room went dark. And silent. No fans, no grow lights, no (supplemental) air conditioning. Figuring I tripped the breaker, I went to the garage only to find the breaker was on, not in the middle "tripped" position. Uh oh. So long story short, I couldn't get an electrician out until Tuesday. He got us up and running, and then ran a new circuit for my room AC unit so it wouldn't overload the room's circuit (anymore).

The plants were without light for all of Monday and half of Tuesday. They're back on their regular schedule now and seem to be none the worse for wear. We'll see if any nanners come sneaking into the tent during the coming weeks.

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

Baby is 2w3d from seed and 6d in veg. She's doing OK, but the fan was too much for her. I kept hoping she'd develop a stronger stem, but she's still pretty wimpy-stemmed. Still, she's alive, so there's that. When I put the plants into a spare closet temporarily, to get them out of the way for the electrician, I hung my 180w Apollo LED over the baby, so she wasn't as much without light as the two bigger plants were. Still, that experience wasn't one I care to repeat.

When she turned 1 week old as a seedling, I xplanted her into a 2-quart pitcher with smooth sides. It's taller than it is wide, so her roots will grow more vertical. It's still shorter than the 3-gallon felt pot, though. And I think it'll be easier to get her out when it's time to transplant again. The 1-gallon felt pot didn't work that well, for as long as I kept them in it.

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 20, 2018

2w3d from seed and 6d in veg

CBD Hash Plant

8w6d from seed, 6d in flower. Have I really not posted an update since… however long ago that was? I noticed baby pistils in her tops on 14 Jun, so I started calling her "in flower" then, though it's been a while since I flipped her over to 12/12 in the flower tent. That was 17 days ago. And she really hasn't developed much in the way of flower tops, even though she has definite pre-flowers.

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 20, 2018

8w6d from seed, 6d in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 20, 2018

8w6d from seed, 6d in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 20, 2018

8w6d from seed, 6d in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 20, 2018

8w6d from seed, 6d in flower

Alien vs Triangle

Age 11w3d from seed, 6w3d in flower. I keep hoping she'll fill in her colas the rest of the way before I chop her, but I don't think that's gonna happen. :/

But at last the little flying bugs are gone! Flypaper worked like a charm. A friend loaned me a 480w Mars-Hydro LED, which I'll put into the veg tent, but I'm afraid to do it now because Alien is so tall and so close to harvest. At 80 days from seed (about 75 days from sprouting), it's about time to scope her. I might be harvesting this weekend!

Alien vs Triangle

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 20, 2018

Age 11w3d from seed, 6w3d in flower

Alien vs Triangle

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 20, 2018

Age 11w3d from seed, 6w3d in flower

Alien vs Triangle

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 20, 2018

Age 11w3d from seed, 6w3d in flower

Alien vs Triangle

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 20, 2018

Age 11w3d from seed, 6w3d in flower

Lemon Candy Cob

Yesterday was day 5 of the curing stage, when some folks say it's time to have a little taste. I cut off a .6g chunk from the canary cob and popped it into my mouth, expecting the wonderful flavors described in the Malawi cobbing thread.

*gack!*

OMG. That stuff tastes so nasty, I had to spit it out. I chewed for about two minutes before I just couldn't take it anymore. So maybe chewing it isn't for me. But maybe a 4-week cure would be more tolerable? IDK who in the world finds chewing it even remotely pleasant. Then again, some people like cilantro.

 

[MackMcMacMac]

No more electrical issues. At least, for now.

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

3w2d from seed, 1w5d in veg. She's doing OK. I added more coco to her pitcher to help stand her up some more. She's about ready to be topped. I may do that today or tomorrow.

She was getting about 10-12 oz of AN Sensi Grow for Coco (A&B) mixed at quarter strength (with some Great White Mycorrhizae mixed in), but yesterday I gave her her first half-strength dose (sans GWM).

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 26, 2018

3w2d from seed, 1w5d in veg

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 26, 2018

3w2d from seed, 1w5d in veg

CBD Hash Plant

9w5d from seed, 1w5d in flower (first pistils in the tops). She was really slow to start her stretch. So slow, I was worried the tent timer somehow got set to 18/6 instead of 12/12. The loss of power in the grow room seemed to kick her ass into gear, and she started producing lots more pistils and stretching. Great news! But… I see yellow balls in the flower tops. AGAIN.

GOD DAMN IT!! WTAF?! IDK what's going wrong in there. The tent may have a few pinhole light leaks, but honestly -- how can these plants do fine under a full freaking moon at night (in outdoor grows, of course) yet have fits if there's a tiny bit of light leaking in from a pinhole?!

I'm gonna keep growing her. I don't care if she has pollen sacs. Her ass is mine! When they get bigger, I'll try to pluck them out with a tweezer, but I'll be damned if I toss a 3rd plant because of this.

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 26, 2018

9w5d from seed, 1w5d in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 26, 2018

9w5d from seed, 1w5d in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 26, 2018

9w5d from seed, 1w5d in flower

Alien vs Triangle

HARVESTED!! She was 11w6d old (from seed) at time of death, so about 78 days from sprouting. Had some clear trichomes and some amber, but mostly cloudy. Since the breeder estimated ~75 days from sprouting, I figured it was about the right time.

I washed and hung the plant pieces for a day or so, then trimmed off stems and separated leaves from buds. Wet weight: 225g buds, 75g trim. Now, the scale I use isn't all that accurate and it doesn't show tenths of grams, but I found it odd and surprising that the total weight without stems was 300g. Not 301, not 299. Weird! Anyway, I let the buds air dry for another 2 days. Semi-dry, the buds weigh 105g, so I rolled two 42g cobs and put the rest of the buds in a jar to cure the old fashioned way.

Since I was too lazy to soak corn husks and then dry them off, knowing I was going to vac-seal them "naked," I decided to try Glad Press & Seal instead. I laid the sticky side of the Press & Seal down atop the bamboo sushi mat, so it stuck to the mat but not to the buds. It worked really well! Got the cobs pretty tight. Definitely going the GP&S route going forward. Then into the dehydrator they went at 105°F for 24 hrs.

Alien vs Triangle (Auto)

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 26, 2018

42g of semi-dry bud

Alien vs Triangle (Auto)

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 26, 2018

42g cob

Alien vs Triangle (Auto)

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 26, 2018

Two 42g cobs ready for sweat

Lemon Candy - Soil - Smoke Report

After 4 weeks curing in a jar, it was time to try the Lemon Candy I grew in soil! First toke in the Arizer was smooth and pleasant. It had a mild flavor reminiscent of lemon drop candies (but without the sweet).

First toke in the Journey 3 pipe wasn't as smooth. The buds had a bite at the back of my throat, and the taste was more "dirty wet sock" than lemon candy. But I could definitely smell the lemon candy in the exhale. Still, it effed me up real good, so I'm not complaining!

First toke in a bong was pretty much "wow!" It was intensely potent with that hint of lemon drop candy and no harshness. Bong & Arizer for this one. Mmm hmm!

I'm not sure I'd buy Lemon Candy seeds when there are so many other strains to try, but if I got another freebie, I might grow it out. These buds are noticeably stronger in effect than the C99 or Tutankhamen.

Painkiller XL - Use Report

After curing 2 weeks in a jar, I decided to go ahead and make some cannabutter with some of these buds. I added 15g decarbed & ground bud to 1 cup melted butter and 1 cup of water in my herbal infuser machine and set it for 1.5 hours. After straining out the plant matter, I put the butter mixture in the fridge overnight to harden and then drained out the water. I softened the butter again, measured out ½ cup, and made 2 dozen cookies with it. I've got enough butter left for another 2 dozen.

My family member who's the main beneficiary of my CBD grows ate a cookie in the early evening yesterday. This morning, I asked her how she liked the cookie. She reported that it was waaaaaaaaay too strong. THC makes her dizzy, so she doesn't like the cookies really potent. Since the PKXL (on paper) is "only" 9% THC and 9% CBD, this really surprises me. I used the same amount of herb as in the previous batch of butter (using Dance World cannabis listed at 12% THC and >5% CBD), and she doesn't get high unless she eats 3 cookies in a short time period. She'll try ¼ of a PKXL cookie next time and work up from there if she doesn't get pain relief from it.

 

[Van Stank]

Nice looking cobs sistah! Those look yummy. Can't wait til you get to smoke them with a decent cure!! You are gonna be so hooked!

 

[MackMcMacMac]

Thanks, Van! I'm excited about smoking my first cob... The Lemon Candy Coco cob should be ready in a couple weeks.

I swapped out the 300-watt LED in the grow tent for a 480-watt Mars-Hydro I borrowed from a friend. It has grow and bloom switches, so I have grow on and bloom off. I hope the GG4xWW likes it. Here she is under the new light (white balanced).

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 27, 2018

3w3d from seed, 1w6d in veg

And here are a few more shots of my girl with balls, CBD Hash Plant.

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 27, 2018

9w6d from seed, 1w6d in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 27, 2018

9w6d from seed, 1w6d in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 27, 2018

9w6d from seed, 1w6d in flower

I taped up what pinholes I could see (tent lights on, room dark), in case the tent is playing any role in the hermification of my plants.

 

[Van Stank]

I would think you would need bad leaks to cause your girls to have a gender issue. Are they growing full on ball sacks or just throwing nanners?

 

[MackMcMacMac]

I haven't found any nanners yet, and in the crooks of the fan leaves where the preflowers grow, I see 0 male-looking parts, just female. The only problems I see are the yellow balls growing in the flowers, which I assume would become nanners if I didn't chop the plant before it got to that stage.

I've been using this tent since the end of Jan 2018. Since then, I've flowered these plants in this tent (with its pinhole light leaks):
Dance World - soil - FF nutes - no yellow balls
Painkiller XL - soil - FF nutes - no yellow balls
Amnesia Haze - soil - FF nutes - YELLOW BALLS
Lemon Candy 1 - soil - FF nutes - no yellow balls
Lemon Candy 2 - coco - AN nutes - no yellow balls
Red Diesel - coco - AN nutes - YELLOW BALLS
CBD Hash Plant - coco - AN nutes - YELLOW BALLS

I have one fan at an intake vent, but it's connected to a length of 8-inch flexible ducting with about a 90° bend so as to keep light out.

Alien was an auto, so she was never in this tent, but she was also in coco with AN nutes. The common denominator is this tent/light, but it isn't happening to every plant that flowers in it.

ARGH!

 

[Van Stank]

Genetics would be my guess......look at my Blue Dream.

 

[MackMcMacMac]

That was my original thought too, but part of me thinks that's too strange to be mere coincidence that *I* ended up growing 3 seeds of questionable genetics within a few months' time. These three plants are all from different breeders.

What could I have done that stressed them to this point? The Red Diesel and Amnesia Haze were sharing the tent with other plants that didn't grow the balls. The CBD Hash Plant is all alone in there. Sure, I had some electrical issues (breakers tripping before last week's outage), but none of those issues interrupted the 12-hour dark cycle, only the 12-hour light cycle.

 

[Van Stank]

Likely its not you sis....likely its the genetics. If you had no other issues on your other plants, probably genetics and not environmental.

 

[MackMcMacMac]

Thanks, brother. I'm aggravated but not giving up quite yet. Since the GGWW isn't going to need the flower tent for a while yet, I'll let CBD Hash Plant grow for a while longer and see what happens.

@SeedsMan if you're still following, have you heard of this happening to anyone else?

 

[Van Stank]

Yeah let it run for a bit and see what happens. Especially if you don't have anyone else in the tent with her!

 

[SeedsMan]

hello!

it hard to say from pics (and now) if those are male flowers....

for sure some genetics are prone to this if stressed!

I've just read this yesterday form DUBI of ACE genetics:

Unless it is completely necessary, it's better to prune a plant from seed when it has reached its sexual maturity, otherwise you can stress the plant too much and induce hermie tendencies.

Pure indicas also don't react very well to such aggressive topping at such early stage of life, it stops its growth in a crucial moment and the indica hasn't developed yet the hormones to produce a proper branching, most of its hormones are focused in the apical main stem, especially when the indica is so young.

and about the intersex trait in cannabis I like to quote I. Bócsa

The natural state in which hemp appears was and is dioecious. Monoeciousness is artificial in hemp, it can only exist with the help of man, and without selection, the dioecious state will return in two or three generations

I hope it helps!

 

[MackMcMacMac]

Thank you! I tend to prefer sativa-dominant, so I think I'll continue to focus my seed shopping that way.

 

[MackMcMacMac]

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

3w4d from seed, 2w0d in veg. I hydrated two new coco bricks in tap water then ran 3 gallons of pH-adjusted water through it (220-micron bubble bags are awesome for this!). Put a thin layer of coco on the bottom of a 3-gallon felt pot (final), sprinkled some mycorrhizae on top, then transplanted the GGWW. I fed her before and after with AN Sensi Grow for Coco (A&B) mixed at half strength. Finally, I topped her above the third node, trimmed off the bottom fans and growth tips, and put her back in the tent. I know she's an indica mix, but I hope she's young enough to recover from this by the time she's mature enough to flower. If she grows yellow balls, maybe this is why.

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 28, 2018

3w4d from seed, 2w0d in veg
Before xplant

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 28, 2018

After xplant

CBD Hash Plant

10w from seed, 2w in flower. Yellow balls are becoming more prominent, and her stems have thickened noticeably. That's one odd thing I noticed about the other plants that developed yellow balls -- their stems are thicker than those that didn't develop the balls. On one hand, yay for no floppy colas, but on the other hand, balls in the flowers. :/

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 28, 2018

10w from seed, 2w in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 28, 2018

10w from seed, 2w in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 28, 2018

10w from seed, 2w in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jun 28, 2018

10w from seed, 2w in flower

 

[Van Stank]

Congrats on that Photo of the Month. I knew as soon as I saw it, that you had a winner there. Great picture!! Gonna be some great prizes too! I am happy for ya sis!!

 

[MackMcMacMac]

Thanks, Van! I'm still in disbelief, but it was a good shot! I was in such awe of Alien's flamboyant trichomes. Can't wait to try her cob... which started the fermentation phase a week ago today, so I guess it's time to move her into the curing phase. Those prizes will sure come in handy, too! I'll update with some tent pics after I've fed the girls.

 

[MackMcMacMac]

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow
4w4d from seed, 3w0d in veg. She's growing like a weed. Since topping her a week ago and xplanting her into a 3-gallon pot, she's taken off. Of course, it could also be because I put her on the drip feeder. She was getting about 2 oz of feed every 3 hours, but I changed it to every 4 hours because it was puddling a little under her.

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

• MackMcMacMac
• Jul 5, 2018

4w4d from seed, 3w0d in veg

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

• MackMcMacMac
• Jul 5, 2018

4w4d from seed, 3w0d in veg

Gorilla Glue #4 x White Widow

• MackMcMacMac
• Jul 5, 2018

4w4d from seed, 3w0d in veg

CBD Hash Plant

11w from seed, 3w in flower. Yellow balls are becoming more prominent but most of them aren't really big (yet?). Flowers are definitely filling in, though, so maybe the yellow balls aren't "male" parts… If they turn out to be "massive clumps of trichomes" or some silly thing like that, I'll kick myself for dumping two plants because of them. haha

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jul 5, 2018

11w from seed, 3w in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jul 5, 2018

11w from seed, 3w in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jul 5, 2018

11w from seed, 3w in flower

CBD Hash Plant

• MackMcMacMac
• Jul 5, 2018

11w from seed, 3w in flower

Painkiller XL

3w5d in cure.

I finally got around to trying the topical oil made from the high-CBD plant. PKXL is documented as having 9% THC and 9% CBD. When made into cookies, they're more potent than I expected, so we'll see how the topical goes.

I started with 48g of dried/cured flower (all I had left) and 2 cups of grape seed oil. I opted NOT to decarb first, using the 4-hour cycle on the herbal infuser instead. When the oil was done, I strained it with the 220-micron bubble bag (nice that they come in handy for something, since I'm not going to use a 220 bag for making hash) and mixed in ~2 tablespoons of liquid sunflower lecithin. Then I put it in the fridge for 24 hours. The oil is now sitting out, warming to room temp.

I bought some small glass bottles with roller-ball tops, so I'll fill a couple with the oil and give it a try. Stay tuned for the painkilling results…

 

[Nightmask2]

You can put CBD oil into a roller-ball top bottle? I never thought of that. So like, roll on deodorant but with cannabis oil?

Just a note on the glass bottle you don't really want that to be clear glass. Light exposure will degrade the oil. So paint the outside or glue some paper to it something. There's something called Miron glass that's a dark colour useful for oil, but not sure if they have a roll-on bottle.