My First Time: AK47 & Gold Bar Kush

[MrGreene]

I drilled and tapped 32 holes tonight. This set will be for the 2'x2' tent. The new tents will be here Wednesday and I'd like to start moving the girls right away. Hopefully I'll get the chips and reflectors mounted tomorrow night and maybe a frame built.

 

[Radogast]

I've been checking out the ladies tonight trying to plan their futures and plan the grow spaces. Should I expect AK to finish in a couple weeks or more like six weeks?

AK47 in general, and your AK47 in particular appear to ripen at a normal 'hybrid' speed - about 60 days from changing light.

Based on how she looked about 8-10 days under flowering lights on March 3rd, I think you can reasonably expect AK47 to finish up around May 23-25th. I'm calling May 1 as day 35. In about 10 days, day 45, looking at the pistils and looking at the trichomes, it may look like harvest time. If you harvest on day 45, you will get a very nice smoke at full strength. Wait until at least May 15th, day 50. By day 50, your AK47 will probably look like she got a 'second wind' - new white pistils with new clear trichomes to go with them.
Between day 45 and day 60, your buds bulk up about 1 gram a day. By day 56-60, the trichomes will look done and it is harvest time.

I call it 3 to 3 1/2 weeks until harvest.
1/2 oz less yield, but fine smoke, if you harvest in 2 weeks.

Second question is about how big GBK is getting. I think she is 26" tall now. I found the place where I split her a few weeks ago and that is 16" below the tops. You can still see some of the yellow tape way down there. I can spread her a bit so that more light will get to the center and down low after she gets her own space. Right now she is wider than the 10 gallon pot already and there isn't a good place to tie her up to. I also thought about topping her at the four main tops, maybe taking off a couple inches to even up her canopy but will wait on recommendations before I do anything. She is getting pretty thick on the 4 main tops. Almost as big around as a "sharpie" marker a couple inches down.

I've just let her do her own thing since splitting her. I think it's time to do some grooming to her.

I suggest you remove all leaves and any branches shorther and thinner than a pencil from the bottom 10-12 inches of GBK. On THIN branches that you keep, I would remove all but the last 4-5 inches of small branches where buds form. Remove yellowing and dried leaves, especially the smaller yellowing leaves.

I would not top her again unless you plan to veg her for at least 18 more days. If she were mine, I would put GBK under flowering lights in the next few days.

 

[MrGreene]

Thank you Rad. I was pretty lost on how to count the start of flower because of how she started flowering on her own. 3 1/2 weeks isn't too long to wait for a good harvest.

I was shocked to see how GBK looked in the middle last night. I really couldn't see any of that till I spread her open. I'll pull her out tomorrow night and manicure her before going into the tent. It'll be exciting to put her in flower.

 

[Radogast]

Thank you Rad. I was pretty lost on how to count the start of flower because of how she started flowering on her own. 3 1/2 weeks isn't too long to wait for a good harvest.

I was shocked to see how GBK looked in the middle last night. I really couldn't see any of that till I spread her open. I'll pull her out tomorrow night and manicure her before going into the tent. It'll be exciting to put her in flower.

A nice little bonus to my growing Doc Bud's kit, is that every 7-10 days I take the flowering girls to an outside room and do a walk around foliar spray. It is then quite easy to defoliate, pick up the yellowing and dead leaves, and photograph the girls before I spray and take them back to the flower area. My flowering girls get more attention than they used to get. The veg girls were getting individual training and inspection almost every day anyway.

I was surprised at how much GBK got away from you, but it is at that point when there are just too many bud sites competing to be the top bud site, and the center of the plant is getting clogged with twigs and leaves, and you wonder if you should have caught it earlier - It is that point that seems to be about the right time to clean them up and send them into flower. If you have space available

 

[MrGreene]

I for sure fell behind in doing what she needed. I developed the habit of not spreading her open to see what was in there after splitting her. She has been in the back corner of the closet and hasn't quite had enough space either. I'll have her in her own tent tomorrow night. I guess I've been to both extremes with her......trying too hard and not trying at all. She will look like a princess ready to bloom tomorrow night.

I need to get things ready again. It looks like I'll be going to Canada for a few days soon.

 

[ganjafarmer25]

MrGreene well what can i say other than wow. its took me a while to make my way through your thread but hay ho it was well worth it. I'm a newbie here and been lurking around to gather some information for when i setup my first grow in a month or so. Some stunning girls you have there and a very good attempt on your first go. you've seemed to of learnt a lot here and i know there is a lot of helpful people on here. you've learnt from your own mistakes. Top work on the COB builds mate really looking good fair play to you man really well done. while on vacation i bet all you could think about is them girls back home i wouldn't be able to cope lol.keep up the good work looks like you have this under control!!!!!!!!

 

[MrGreene]

MrGreene well what can i say other than wow. its took me a while to make my way through your thread but hay ho it was well worth it. I'm a newbie here and been lurking around to gather some information for when i setup my first grow in a month or so. Some stunning girls you have there and a very good attempt on your first go. you've seemed to of learnt a lot here and i know there is a lot of helpful people on here. you've learnt from your own mistakes. Top work on the COB builds mate really looking good fair play to you man really well done. while on vacation i bet all you could think about is them girls back home i wouldn't be able to cope lol.keep up the good work looks like you have this under control!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the support and encouragement ganjafarmer25. All of this time away has made the grow go by fast but also made it too easy to neglect GBK since she appeared to be doing so well with a quick look. The swicks have made it to where going away isn't so hard because I know there is a pretty good chance that they will be ok when I get back. I couldn't have made it this far without all of the info here at 420 and the help from Rad, SweetSue, and others. Let me know when you get started on your grow and I will be there to subscribe and follow along.

 

[MrGreene]

Now it's time for the big update. I have spent the past five hours moving every plant and setting up new tents.

First I set up the 2'x2'x4' tent in the bathroom and made it the new early veg area. Cinderella 99, Columbian Gold, and the Second AK clone moved in there.

Since I set up the tent in the space where the bubble cloner was, it got moved up on top of the tent. That is two GBK clones and a cutting from a gardenia in there.

GBK breathed a sigh of relief. I think she knew that I was about to give her more space and some TLC.

Next AK47 and GBK got moved out of the closet so I could look them over and work in there.

The 32"x32" tent was moved over to the side of the closet that was the veg area and AK went right back in. I want to finish her under this set of lights.

Next I had to relocate some shelf supports in order to fit the 36"x36" tent into the closet since it is taller then the other tents. I got it assembled and put GBK in there. I tied her to the four corner posts to spread her out a bit and went to work removing dead leaves. She looks a lot better but still needs more attention soon. I was running out of time and the four cobs I started assembling a couple nights ago won't be enough for the big tent, so I hung the mars 100x3 that SweetSue gifted me about 17" above GBK. Thanks again Sue. I finished up by filling the swick. I'll keep her in 18/6 for a couple more days since I forgot to pick up another timer.

Now I'm just monitoring temps and keeping an eye on things and admiring all that I accomplished tonight.

 

[SweetSue]

Well done buckaroo. That deserves a big hug.



Lots of fun putting tents up, isn't it? It took me two times to realize the tents unzipped along the bottom. That discovery made the tents so much easier to get up and down. Lol! Sometimes I amaze myself. Haha!

That AK looks so fine..... What's she smell like to you? You're making this look like you pay attention. The plants are responding with their own brand of love. Keep up the good work. You won't believe the reward.

 

[MrGreene]

Thanks Sue. Here's some hugs for you too.

Putting up the tents was the easy part. I got lucky because they came already unzipped so I didn't have to learn the hard way. Lol

Moving my clothes out of what was left of the closet, and reorganizing everything was a challenge.


I was amazed at what AK looked like under normal light. Her smell has changed over the past few weeks. It was for sure skunk like while she was in veg and it has gradually changed to something more pleasant. I didn't notice her smell much tonight because I had GBK all over me. Lol. Hold on and I'll go smell her. It is hard to describe her smell. It is pleasant. She is pretty mild tonight. Maybe earthy and spicy with something else mixed in.

I hope I did the right things for GBK tonight for her to respond with lots of love. She seems to be getting a better color in the middle already.

 

[Radogast]

Now it's time for the big update. I have spent the past five hours moving every plant and setting up new tents.

Good job cleaning up GBK - she looks a lot better. She looks good !

And congrats on all you accomplished and after all the recent light work. In about a month this will be boringly easy for you.

Thanks Sue. Here's some hugs for you too.

Putting up the tents was the easy part. I got lucky because they came already unzipped so I didn't have to learn the hard way. Lol

Moving my clothes out of what was left of the closet, and reorganizing everything was a challenge.


I was amazed at what AK looked like under normal light. Her smell has changed over the past few weeks. It was for sure skunk like while she was in veg and it has gradually changed to something more pleasant. I didn't notice her smell much tonight because I had GBK all over me. Lol. Hold on and I'll go smell her. It is hard to describe her smell. It is pleasant. She is pretty mild tonight. Maybe earthy and spicy with something else mixed in.

I hope I did the right things for GBK tonight for her to respond with lots of love. She seems to be getting a better color in the middle already.

My AK47 XTRM was skunky in veg, but really sweet smelling in flower - sort of a gentle pineapple/mango aroma. She got skunky/pissy smelling on harvest day and during the dry. Then the piss smell went away. After a few weeks in the jar her smell is getting gentler and becoming a blend of the 2 aromas. Or maybe I'm merging 2 plants - smells do change and they depend on genetics, fertilizer, and probably hugs


You did just the right thing with GBK. You could even do a little more. I personally, would pick a line about 1" above the top fork (the 4th pair of branches above the soil line.) I would trim off every leaf, baby bud, and skinny branch below that line. I would look on the interior of the plant and cut off every leaf with yellow, and most small leaves and buds on a small branch - leaving only the top leaves and buds on the small branches. The big branches I mostly leave alone, except to remove dead leaves, dying leaves, and baby buds.

This process can be repeated (at the same imaginary line) every 10-15 days. It keeps the center well ventilated and diverts growth energy into the buds. Sometimes, you only pick off 4 or 5 leaves.

 

[MrGreene]

Rad, we need to ask Sue if hugs help plants. They help so many other things. I've worried that I might hug GBK too tight and break something.

I peeked in on GBK after work and she seems to be getting a better color in the middle and perking up. I also took down the mars light because the fans are so loud I knew it would be noticed and put up three of the flood lights for now.

I'll try to get some more of the lower defol done in the next day or so also.

 

[MrGreene]

There isn't much to report tonight. I did give GBK, AK and her clones some nutes tonight. I adjusted the restraints on GBK also. I'm really trying to let GBK have a chance to recover in the middle before I switch her to flower.

Cinderella 99 and Columbian Gold have both just about doubled in size. I can already see that CG wants to be a large girl just like GBK. C99 seems to have a leaf size/shape somewhere in between.

I'm starting to get a better idea of the plant flow. I'm sure I'll get that wrong at some point but that's why I have the fourth tent.

 

[MrGreene]

Doing good !


In the top photo (I moved it around) this girl is not growing above ground because most of her energy is growing good roots undergroud. There is enough energy from photosynthesizing the light to grow, but she needs to go down into the soil and seek out the nutrients and elements that will be building blocks for growth. She is sending the search parties through the soil to locate good stuff.


In the bottom photo, she has located the good stuff in the soil, now she needs more leaves to gather more light energy to power the machinery of fetching those nutrients and elements from the soil and beginning construction of new light harvesting leaves and stems above ground.


If the soil stays moist, she will continue to build above ground until she has used up all the elements and nutrients she has discovered.

If the soil is allowed to dry out, she will be forced to grow more and more roots in search of water - and incidentally locate several new sources of nutrients in the soil. As the roots spread she has access to almost all the elements and nutrition in the soil, more than she needs at this stage.


So if you run wet and dry cycles in veg you create this vast underground infrastructure - the bigger and better the root system, the more access she has to the building materials to grow above ground. She has built a large network of roots to efficiently transport those nutrients.


On 2/13 I tossed a plant into flower that was 12" tall and 24" wide.
On 2/24 She was 24" tall and 24" wide.
Because the lights are on a flowering cycle (11 on/13 off) most of that growth is focused on making buds.


If I did my wet dry cycles right, she has access to all the nutrients in the soil. I am giving her all the water, foliar spray, and nutes that she can handle so she can produce her best possible crop of buds.



This is my philosphy of watering.
I know you didn't ask for all this.

I'm going to repost it on my own grow thread, so others who didn't ask for it can read it too

Hey Rad, I was just looking back through my journal since I have young plants again and saw this again. It is on page 2 but I thought it wouldn't hurt to quote it so more people will see it. Such a great description and mental picture. Thanks again.

 

[MrGreene]

I made it home about an hour ago and I'm very pleased with how the girls have grown. They are 22 and 19 days old if I'm counting correctly. It has been a 20 hour day so I could be off a little.

Two months ago AK47 and GBK were just little ladies and now AK is in flower and GBK is almost filling up the 36"x36" tent and should be put in flower this week. It is pretty exciting to see how much they've changed in two months. Today I have two more little ladies about the same age as they were in that pic. Let's hope that C99 and CG have just as bright of a future. Cinderella 99 is on the right and Columbian Gold is on the left.

Cinderella 99

Columbian Gold. She has a couple of funny looking leaves from getting too close to the light a few days ago.

 

[Radogast]

Your Cinderella 99 looks very skunky, more than some of the Jack Herer.

She looks like she will knock you deep into the couch Which seed company is she from?

 

[MrGreene]

She is the GYO house brand and was a freebie. I hope she doesn't turn out to be an auto like their AK47 did. Here is some of what they say about her:

GYO Seedbank Cinderella 99 feminized cannabis seeds create a jaw-droppingly powerful sativa plant that is noted for its remarkably rapid growth and its sweet and fruity taste. Descending from Grapefruit and Pineapple heritage, this specimen can grow to between two and three metres in the correct conditions. It’s a veritable vegetative beast!

The THC content is extremely high and this causes a very strong physical and mental buzz that lasts and lasts and lasts. Inside, this beaut can be harvested between 50 and 55 days, and outside at the end of September to mid-October.

This sweet-tasting, sativa-dominant plant can reach lofty heights of up to 3 metres! It’s well known for its high THC content, and gives a long-lasting, cerebral and energetic buzz that makes cleaning the house much more interesting!

All they have listed on genetics is Cindys_99.

 

[Radogast]

She is the GYO house brand and was a freebie. I hope she doesn't turn out to be an auto like their AK47 did. Here is some of what they say about her:

GYO Seedbank Cinderella 99 feminized cannabis seeds create a jaw-droppingly powerful sativa plant that is noted for its remarkably rapid growth and its sweet and fruity taste. Descending from Grapefruit and Pineapple heritage, this specimen can grow to between two and three metres in the correct conditions. It’s a veritable vegetative beast!

The THC content is extremely high and this causes a very strong physical and mental buzz that lasts and lasts and lasts. Inside, this beaut can be harvested between 50 and 55 days, and outside at the end of September to mid-October.

This sweet-tasting, sativa-dominant plant can reach lofty heights of up to 3 metres! It’s well known for its high THC content, and gives a long-lasting, cerebral and energetic buzz that makes cleaning the house much more interesting!

All they have listed on genetics is Cindys_99.

Your description sounds a lot like -

Blim Burn Seeds - Cindy's 99
This sativa behaves like an indica. It is noted for its remarkably rapid growth and its sweet and fruity taste that comes from its Grapefruit and Pinepple heritage. Inside is can be havested as early as between 50 and 55 days and outside at the end of September to Mid October.

THC: Very high
Indoor production: 550 grams
Outdoor production: Mid October
Indoor flowering: 50 days
Genetics: Mostly Sativa
Genotype: Princess x Cinderella 88
Efect: Physical and mental
Feminized: Yes
Height: 2 - 3 meters

The genetics listed there are Princess (Jack Herer x mystery male,) back crossed to itself half a dozen times.

Jack Herer is a well respected name, both the man and the strain.
Nothing that sounds like an auto. It should grow a lot like your GBK.

 

[MrGreene]

I get excited reading about her. I'm looking forward to trying her out.

 

[ganjafarmer25]

cheers mate agree alot of helpful people on her there really is. i will let you know when I'm set up bud