MadeInUSA's Soil Blue Dream Grow Journal 2017

[MadeInUSA]

Thursday 12/7 It was nute feeding day...FF Trio with new add of "Beastie Bloomz", plus molasses. No more Bopomerang per printed feed schedule. Moved the lights up another inch. Going to need to reposition the LED (to the left of the carbon filter to gain another foot) as the plants are getting very close to light which is within a few inches of the carbon filter now. Next time I know to flip to flower a few weeks earlier lol to control the height. Plants are very healthy, I think I have a bit of leaf burn going on towards the left back part of the tent, the general canopy is 18 inches which is perfect. My tall colas are at 12 inches from light. This is exactly 30 days into flowering, and have perhaps another 40 days to go, this is when the grow gets very interesting!

 

[Tony Urban]

looking good man! I am not that far behind you. I was a bit paranoid about height so I flipped when the plants were halfway to my total max space. I read on here to expect double the existing height to estimate the flower stretch for indica or hybrids, more for sativas. Definitely the exciting period in a grow, it will be a merry xmas indeed

 

[MadeInUSA]

looking good man! I am not that far behind you. I was a bit paranoid about height so I flipped when the plants were halfway to my total max space. I read on here to expect double the existing height to estimate the flower stretch for indica or hybrids, more for sativas. Definitely the exciting period in a grow, it will be a merry xmas indeed

Thanks UA! Yes 1st time growers learn much, these journals (not just mine but all of them) play a role in getting it right the first time and then every grow after that. I am hoping my 5 gal buckets will limit the height I can see the roots have hit bottom and are trying to come out the bottom. I am sub'd to your thread because we are on similar plant start times and we will be doing same things about the same times.

 

[MadeInUSA]

OK I am behind on pics so tomorrow will be pic day when I do my nute feed. Being in FF soil and nutes, my FF feed schedule told me I had a flush due on Tues 12/12 so thats what I did then, ran 10 gallons of water/SledgeHammer/Boomerang through them to work the salts out. Flushing is my least favorite activity, but it beats having burned out plants. I follow their feed schedule to the letter and have not had an issue I could not figure out. One of my plants is having some leaf color issue and frankly, all of them that are in the center of the tent are getting "burned" (reddish/purpling leaves) by the light (Mars CREE 256 at 18 inches from main canopy and 12 inches from tops) The problem is not the light, it's just a very strong light, I think in my situation 12-18 inch recommendation needs to be more like 17 to 24 so I've bumped up the light height. Problem now is the light is bumping up against the carbon filter at top. If I move the light a little sideways in the tent, I have another 6 inches before reaching top of tent, though the light wont be perfectly centered. I figure I have another 4-5 weeks of flower left and hope I am past the stretch but I am still seeing some vertical growth. The only encouraging news on that is I noticed the tallest bud when it got to within 12 inches of the light, it just stopped, like it could not take it any longer. Still running CO2 12 hours a day in a sealed tent with temps running 62-88 and RH at 40% during sleep, and around 65% average during the day. Since the tent only vents for 5 min every 30min during daylight, the smell builds. Thank God for carbon filters.

 

[Tony Urban]

Yeah vertical stretch was my greatest worry, well still is for future grows, but hopefully your plants put the brakes on and start to fatten up.

CO2 is interesting. Might give it a shot in a few grows. I would want to have more lights in the tent before I pull that trigger.

Looking forward to some pics!

 

[MadeInUSA]

OK so Sunday 12/16 I was going to take pics when I did my nute feed; instead, I noticed my Co2 tank was empty and in the scramble of getting it out of tent, running the tank across town and getting it refilled on a compressed timeline, I spaced off taking new pics. You'd think I was smoking something lol. I promise pics on next tent opening Wed 12/20.

I do have an answer to "how long does a 20 lb CO2 tank last"? question I've been asked several times. Using most restrictive use methods in a closed 4x4 tent:
* Electronic regulator connected to a CO2 monitor that limits to 1500 PPM with auto turn off at night
* During Veg, run CO2 continuously the 18 hr lights on cycle CO2 turns off when it hits 1500ppm, then kicks back in when needed); only vent tent when lights off (when Co2 is auto shutoff); downside became humidity buildup happening, hard to control. I felt the gamble was OK without budding and 2 tent pole fans and 1 on the floor moving air. CO2 is a heavy gas that likes to sit at the bottom of the tent.
* During flower, running 30 min on CO2 with no exhaust fans; running 5 minute exhaust cycle (with CO2 off) to lower humidity, then repeating that cycle continuously during the 12 hour lights on

Doing all that, a full 20 lb tank lasted me 107 days. IMO I think the investment in the regulator and monitor (appx $300 US) paid for itself in a single grow (versus not having those) as I have heard a tank lasting appx 10 days using flow rate to space determination and larger space or tents.....for me a tank refill using my own tank is $29...PLUS, and this is very important, you should not run CO2 with lights out, you will kill your plants.

I love CO2, it's a gas!

 

[MadeInUSA]

Today was supposed to be a water feed but the pots didn't feel dry yet so I thought I'd wait an extra day and water tomorrow. I spent my tent time pulling out dead leaves and snapping pics. These pics are 13 days after my last set of posted pics, the buds have thickened much, though my pics do not show that well. Top cola is 1 inch closer to the light than last week. Good news on slowing vertical growth.

 

[Tony Urban]

Looking pretty good to me! Very nice growth and they are putting on some weight

 

[MadeInUSA]

Thanks UA. I've been catching up on your journal tonight and noticed your buds have thickened up considerable as well - your journal has the best photography I've seen in a journal. Myself, I've noticed since adding Beastie Bloomz and Cha-Ching to their diet (0-50-30 and 9-50-10) that bud thickening and bud density is off the hook for me now. I dont dare take off the scrog now lol. I did full nute feed 27th so 12/31 will be the RO feed. I'm watching my trichomes carefully and I am still showing clear. I'm noticing alot of fan leaf color change as the plant starts to consume themselves for nitrogen I'm guessing. I am also noticing the purples coming out, like you are showing. I mentioned I had to move my lights up higher to 24 inches for the lowest colas as I felt the fan leaves were showing signs of scorching under the LED's, and I added a few fans on top to cool the tops.

 

[Tony Urban]

Thanks man, its getting close, do you have any stretching in the buds? Mine are fattening but also still getting taller. Thank you digging my photos, I enjoy taking pictures, and there are a few good folks around 420 that do too. So many cool people here its awesome. Looking forward to seeing some of your girls!

 

[MadeInUSA]

Thanks man, its getting close, do you have any stretching in the buds? Mine are fattening but also still getting taller. Thank you digging my photos, I enjoy taking pictures, and there are a few good folks around 420 that do too. So many cool people here its awesome. Looking forward to seeing some of your girls!

Here's the most recent pics. The buds are just EXPLODING with growth! I am stunned. Even with a trellis in place about 2/3 of the way up, the colas are falling towards the 4 sides of the tent because of their weight. Nice problem to have. Please excuse the number of pictures. Note the LED light burn in the center. Strong light. I have the light raised as high as it will go (7.5 ft tent), without doing tent surgery to move the outlet fan outside the tent. I estimate I have 4 weeks left, and I am just going to let it go without the surgery. The largest cola is only growing an inch a week now, and it is 8.5 inches from the light...3 inches too close now, but the others are at perfect distnace from light (18 to 12 inches) so I may top the big one, and let it go to harvest. I need to start reading about what to do next. I did thin some leaves out, every 4 days I take out dead/yellow ones to the tune of a sandwich bag pack packed. My feeling anymore about leaves is I'll let my girls decide which ones to take off. I'm not going to prune them down. I'm getting great bud growth below the canopy as well and the grow is going great and I'm not going to F with it now. Hope everyones grow is going great and Happy New Year!

 

[Tony Urban]

Getting closer! Exciting times, you got some big girls going on, that light is crushing it

 

[MadeInUSA]

Thanks UA I did a trichome check today and to me they are looking clear, and the hairs are all still white. Thats why I think I have a few more weeks at least. I need to flush with water for 2 weeks before chop? I need to figure this out, timing wise. That must assume we have SOME idea of the ideal flower time for the plants. I am at day 55 since the flip to 12/12 on Nov 7th. To me all the trichomes seemed clear. After awhile I'm not sure if I am seeing clear or cloudy. Not seeing any amber. REALLY hard for me to tell with a jewelers loupe at 30x it seems, and at 60x I have to be so close it's impossible to keep from touching them. I am using this chart for reference.
Close up pics of trichomes - Should I start chopping?
I think next time I am there I will be posting some iphone close ups. I'm following your grow closely too because I think we will be doing same phases about same time.

 

[MadeInUSA]

Today 1/4/18 was nute feed day, water day will probably be Monday 1/8. I did another trichome check and I'm seeing a few more cloudy. I've decided to continue feeding nutes for 3 more feed weeks (24 days), then do a 2 week flush, then chop. That will put me to start flushing on 1/28, and chopping on 2/11. That will mean my flower period was 11/07-02/11, 96 days (nearly 14 weeks)

I've attached trichome and bud pics.

 

[Tony Urban]

Daaaaamn those are looking good! Well done, is there a little light bleaching on a few tops? Man those are monsters lol

 

[MadeInUSA]

Thanks UA, a few of the main colas still have white hairs and a few shots were over exposed flash pics on the iphone8 giving that impression of being bleached. Alot of my fan leaves in the center of the tent got zapped (too much light) , I'm thinking that's an LED thing.

Well, it's time. Tonight I was in the tent and did a trichome check. With my plants I am having a hard time finding any clear anymore. Most are cloudy now, and there are maybe 5% amber going on....Blue Dream especially so.

My plants seemed to turn quickly in the last week. I'm seeing this trichome color across all my plants; only the much younger lower growth has any clear anymore. I'm sad to say this but I'm going to move up my harvest schedule due to what I'm now seeing. Going to spend some time tonight reading up on this phase of the grow, but I believe I am going to start my flush tomorrow for the next 16 days (4 RO water only feedings). Then chop after letting the plants sit in the dark for the last few days.

I don't want to mess this up by letting them grow too long and having them go totally amber on me, but I am feeling bummed about the grow ending, I was having such fun in this stage. Determining when to harvest is not easy for me. Cutting down something you babied for 5 months is not either.

What I did do tonight was move my light down several inches to encourage whatever growth I can from the lower level buds (I have alot of buds going on about 20-18 inches from the light, and my mains are about 8-12 inches from light....I figured, since I have just a few more weeks left, lets encourage what I can.

I've read your journal. You should be entering contests here and elsewhere with your photography. Your plants appear to have copious amounts of frost on them, you got the serious resin thing going on there. I'm in agreement with your organic post earlier on the last page - I may go that direction on my next grow. Thanks for your insights and showing us how to get it done. I'll post some pics from today later.

 

[Tony Urban]

Yeah you and I are in the same boat. Not sure what I am doing from here on out. Makes me nervous lol but I am sure we will be fine.

Sounds like you have things figured out. I will be watching closely too, I am a few weeks behind you so, I will try and copy what works lol

 

[MadeInUSA]

I found a MUCH easier way of posting all the photos I uploaded from a photo session. Click into your members-galleries folder and if you give your photos a title (which I make the date I take the photo) then you can search for photos by title keyword. So, the link below takes you to my photos taken 01/07/18 7pm. Sweet. From there you can toggle through the photos taken instead of scrolling through a long list of photos on the journal page. Hope this works!

1/7/18 7pm - 420 Magazine Photo Gallery

 

[MadeInUSA]

On 1/10 I turned my CO2 off for the rest of the grow, and I turned the fans on 24x7 now. My wife was complaining about the smell, I could not control it on the CO2/fan schedule I had going. I would rather be stealth, too much to risk at this point. Frankly, I don't think the smell can be controlled in a sealed tent at this stage of the grow, MAYBE doubling the fan frequency from every 30 min to every 15, but I would need a 48 cycle timer...so maybe next grow. Had a great run with the CO2 and grateful for having it there, made a huge difference in growth and bud density.


As I mentioned before, I've started my flush on 1/8, so I did a RO only (at 6.5) and today 1/12 did same. Next 2 RO dates are 1/16 and 1/20. My PPM's are running around 750 for the back plants and still higher for the front ones at 1600. So I have some time left here, I may add one more flush date 1/24 if my PPM's are not all below 200 on my last flush. I'm thinking of adding some Sledgehammer on the next 1/16 flush to assist in the nute washout process.

My RH is now in the 45-65 range, a benefit of not being on CO2 and sealed tent, I want the RH is get consistantly lower to slowly work the humidity out of those buds. They are so heavy I am challenged to keeping them upright - with the trllis installed, they want to fall in the direction of their square. It just dawned on my to raise the trellis higher. Duh. It's only coming up about to 2/3 up.

Made a decision to lower the lights another inch. My thinking is to hit those newest buds at the 18 inch canopy level with the most light to produce more.

Its really going to be a trip chopping these plants down. Just my little bit of propping up buds got my hands covered in sticky resin. I got a box of gloves but I think I need to think out how I am going to do this without getting resin everywhere; part of me wants to put down a thin painters drop cloth when I do this cause I got this feeling its going to be messy. I want to wet weight before I hang to dry too.

01/12/2018 7pm - 420 Magazine Photo Gallery

 

[MadeInUSA]

1/14/18 9pm - 420 Magazine Photo Gallery