Pete Detroit's First Grow, Indoor, Dirt, Multi Strain: Round Two

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Pete Detroit's 2nd Grow, Blackberry Kush Photoperiod In Soil, Also 3 High Sativa Autos

Ok, here we grow again... first grow is mainly winding down, 2 of three autos croaking it, the last one barely made it to harvest, and getting ready to switch the Photo monster over to bloom... so time to start the next run... "Star" of the show is Blackberry Kush photoperiod (from 420, same as...
www.420magazine.com

And Thanks GBud, for turning me on to this - New, Fun, Interesting and LEARNING!!!
Helps keep the brain young and flexy!
 
Ok, so, went to water Goldie this afternoon, and some of the branches twitched, on their own... Creepy. Apparently she LITERALLY is growing fast enough to see.. Given the sheer size and quantity of large fan leaved blocking the light, decided it was time to trim her up a bit, again. So, sat down after work w/ little scissors, and away we go. 1/2 hour later, I've got a full mixing bowl of leaf. MAY try smoking some, but my expectations are pretty low. Friend of mine is looking to play at making edibles, sounds like a good idea, to me... At any rate, two days of top water to drench in the GeoFlora Bloom ferts, will go back to bottom watering, tomorrow. While I was turning her around, also released all the LST tie downs - I think she's wide enough! Also took some close ups of the tips where pre-flowers are suddenly getting big! This is FUN!! 30 ya, we didn't have access to digital imaging tech, so didn't pay much attention to stuff I couldn't see. And these bud sites are up and down every flipping branch on that shrub!
Anyway, here's today's pix...

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Goldie, pre trim - wall to wall, counter tall...

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Post trim, she's a bit more open

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Pre Flowers, or proto buds?

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More bud sites

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One more..

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Big Azz leaf!

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Salad bowl, full of the Devil's lettuce...
 
Thanks! I'm somewhere b/n floored and frightened. This MoFo is YUUGGE!!
Have full expectations in entering her in POTM in Dec.. (Research indicates 8-10 weeks of bloom is where this strain 'hits' and on the short side of that... )
But is she buds up the way she's looking to.. YOWSA!!
 
Ok, one of the corners I got for the ScrOG frame was threaded on one arm (Silly me, assuming all bits were in the proper bin, at Home Despot) so had to replace it. Got that sorted today, and turned the light to fun the long way. Anyhow, as I was trimming Miss Goldie (pulled another salad bowl of fan leaf - I Swear, they just jump UP to replace what I've cut!) and took two cuttings for clones..) the timer kicked in, and shut the light off.. so I kicked on the overhead, finished the job, and left quietly, so as to interfere w/ her sleep as little as possible. Did NOT take pix, will rectify that tomorrow. She's still drinking well, 2+ L / day, and seems to be suffering not at all - so will hold off on next dose of Bloom Ferts until next week, unless something changes. By then, she'll prolly be moved into the Root Cellar... we'll see...

As for those who've been wondering "What ever happened to Zilla?" well, I tell ya.. she's still alive and kicking, all the damaged leaf cleaned off, and she's embiggenign the remaining nuggs! Trich's are mostly clear, and plenty of fresh white pistils! Costs nothing to be patient!
And yeah, GB, should DEFINATELY have put more dirt in the bucket - should have made a 2nd batch..
THAT has been rectified, and next batch of girls will have a little more room...
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Zilla, as she sits

Late Nugg.. .jpg

Late Nugg.. .jpg

Typical bud, still putting out white pistils, and clear Trichs...
 
Thanks! I'm hoping! Got a small amount of Geo Flora Bloom waiting to be watered in, tomorrow (she was still moist tonight) so we'll see what happens. Since she was "supposed" to be finished by now, it's ALL just bonus round!
The nuggs I plucked earlier spent like two weeks in a paper sack, then moved to the fridge for a week, seem to be well cured, VERY flavorful - Sandalwood, Cinnamon, Ginger... maybe an ounce, dried? But, she had issues - first, when the light half crapped out, and I was using original 'sprout' light to supplement - and it got to close, and scorched the hell out of her. THEN the root rot / fert burn that killed off nearly all her leaves (and prompted the early harvest of the nuggs I have)... Poor kid. Hope she makes it a couple more weeks, gives me more decent nuggs before she gets the chop...
 
Ok, Photo Session w/ Goldie - I swear she's grown 4 -6 inches in the past week! The pic above the tips are at the top of the drawer in the cabinet, now they're at the counter top!
As before, close ups of bud nubs, yuuuge pistils, and feathery tips!

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Release The Kraaken! Taller than the counter

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Lovely Pistils!

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Lotsa Pistils

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Feathery tips!
 
I'm torn b/n thinning her out (like debranching) and doing a LONG bloom and trying to collect all the Larf as real bud, once the top colas are clipped... Then again, conventional wisdom says you get bigger better colas by thinning the Under Shit... hmmm, decisions... opening it up to better vent would seem to be a bonus, too..
 
Ok, moved Goldie to the root cellar, bit of a process, that... get in there w/ a mechanic's creeper, hoist the bucket onto the creeper, climb past her to get out front, pull her out and around the stairs, and into the root cellar, go get the drain tray, then heave her off the creeper and into it w/o crushing the edge (NAILED it in One!) Then, back to teh Radio Room, take the light off the frame, move it. Knock the frame into 2 parts, move and re-assemble THAT, re-hang the light, move it into position and get everything all plugged in, and it looks GREAT!
Except that she's getting close to the light... may need to get some more PVC, and cut 'em 6x4 Then I could have two frames, one 6x4x3, one 5x4x2, (if there's any point) Or may just get some screw hooks, and hang the damned light(s) from the ceiling... To solve the power problem, put a medium bit in the battery drill, and drilled 4 corners of a (roughly) 2 in square, from the root cellar side of the wall, so I could see where the shelf is. From the other side of the wall (where the power is) used a saber saw to connect the holes. Voila, we have a hole in the wall to run a power cord through to the timer. At any rate, she's all moved in, tomorrow she gets another dose of GeoFlora Bloom, as a trophallactic - NONE of these plants have shown ANY deficiency! Apparently, they're loving my poop dirt mix!
Noticed that some of the lower branches were apparently being smooshed from being too close to the workbench, or the wall... if they don't perk up w/ more room, they gonna get the chop! Anyhow, looking back at prev posts, she's been in bloom for 2 weeks, and tops are definitely getting interesting!

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Goldie, in the new and improved Bloom Closet - little more room to breath!

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Tops are starting to look interesting!

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Top #2

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Still more fun!
 
Three weeks in bloom, Goldie's just kicking ASS! First two shots are whole plant, side and more vertical view, highlighting how much spread she's got (pretty much 3x3 canopy, w/o need of SCROG). She's COVERED in bud sites some of which are about ready to ask for bubble gum. THAT'S what I'm talking about, must be doing SOME thing right! Now, if I can just 'stay the course' for the next 5 weeks or so, and not kill her off, should get some significant yield!
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Goldie, side view

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Goldie, showing 2.5 x 3 ft light support frame (5 ft tall) for scale

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Buds Ahoy!

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More Bud

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She's COVERED!!!

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Extreme Close-Up cam!!!
 
Ok, scrolling back through, looks like FLIP was on the 3rd, and by the 10th she was showing actual BLOOM activity, so this would be the end of week 3 in BLOOM, not 4... which is fine. I'm not REALLY in any hurry (GAHHH!!! GROW, Bloom! FINISH already, you MoFo!!!) It appears she's quit stretching, which is good, as she's getting dangerously close to the light. Need to get some screw hooks and hang it from the ceiling joists. Would also give me the option to add another light, improve the penetration to the sides... Options, options. Anyhow, pulled another salad bowl full of fan leaves out, that will definitely improve both light and air penetration. I'm not sure that the difference is obvious in the before / after shots. Buds are definitely putting on mass! Any who, after all that, gave her a 1/2 c of GeoFlora Bloom, and started the watering in process w/ two pitchers (3 qt) of top water, will repeat tomorrow.
As for Zilla, she's still hanging out, nuggs slowly plumping, some are 50/50 w/ the pistils, but still a whole lotta white, not seeing any amber trich's yet, so let her ride...
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Goldie, pre-trim

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gratuitous bud porn

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Post trim

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Salad Bowl of devil's lettuce (yeah, it's weak, but I'm amused at the joke)

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Zilla, chilling..

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Zilla, "typical" nugg
 
Sunday story time.... Hung a 2nd light from the scrog cage, and found out that a 2nd set of side bars to enhance rigidity would be a Really Good Idea. Also, the height of the cage is only 5 ft, you can't hang the lights w/o SOME loss of height, and the cola tops were getting pretty close. So, got some hook eyes, made holes in joists, hung lights from the ceiling. They're both Mars Hydro TSL 2000s, so I can chain the dimmers, they work in synch. Basically, running 2x lights at 1/2 power, same output, wider footprint. Might make sense to bite the bullet on power cost, and turn 'em up a bit, now that I can get 'em to a safe height. Anyway, she's about 4 x 4 x 4, COVERED in buds, the top ones being 9"+
I'm pretty impressed w/ this, as a first grow... Two dead, one seems to be SLOWLY maturing (being an auto, she's not programmed to make more leaf at this point, has to work the sugar leaf that's left to mature the nuggs... it's a theory)
No new pix of Zilla, as she's not changed much in a week. Goldie just keeps getting bigger, buddier, and heavier... Nominally 4 weeks to go
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Goldie, The Monster, 4x4 and prolly 4 ft + tall, covered w/ buds

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9" colas, getting fat and sticky

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close up of a cola
 
Here We Go (or How I Spent My Day Off - page two) (no, there is no page one)
Ok, Finally read an article that convinced me I needed to prune the ever loving SHIT out of The Monster.
Thank you all who could SEE it coming, and decided to let me learn on my own rather than telling me I was effing up, but not fatally.. (Would HOPE someone would point out fatal mistakes...)
Any How... Article some how sank in (8th time's the charm, right?) that my anticipated 2nd harvest of "lower bud" Was NOT gonna be worth much - it might mature behind the top colas, but not WEEKS behind - once the tops are gone, they get better light (especially after dropping the lights) They'll tighten up, and ripen RIGH up - and be small, weak, and been sucking up resources that COULD have gone into making the GOOD buds better, stronger. So, last night, I broke out the Dykes (wire cutters, to most) and gut the living SHIT out of her "skirt" of low branches, started to clear out the "inside" skinny stems.. many had knobs of early bud, and all had "crotch tips" in pretty much every node. Today, I got in to the core, and cleared out a lot of the stringy shoots, and went to work - after all, Waste not, Want not, right?
Lessons Learned (which, I'm sure most of you know, but if there's other n00bs reading...
1) when it's (about) time to harvest, take as much of the Sun / Fan leaf as you can - it's easier to get BEFORE you cut the stem
2) any 'wet trimming' fans, and or sugar leaf you're taking, do it RIGHT away
3) HANG That Shit!!!

Jeeminy Crisp bits, yesterday's clips have the texture of wilted spinach.. Yuuggg...
Ok, so the pix... Goldie, post prune - looking a LOT less scary / more like other people's grows, close up on her base, you should be able to see the MASSIVE trunk / branching going on. You may note the chopsticks, wire, and the healed "split zone" - remember when THAT happened, when I re-potted her? (Mid Sept, Imma think? )
Top colas are over 12", and I elevated the lights a tad...
Obligatory Bud Pr0n
The trimming tray I'm using is nominally 30"x18", vintage "snack / service" tray First pic, yesterday's lower branches are on the left, today's "innards" are on the right (can you see the salad bowl?
Took me over three hours (more like 4) to clip the fans, then buck the big nuggs, then the "armpit" q-tip looking stuff. Don't expect the leaf to be worth much, will likely ship it off to the Butter Maker to play with... Have pic of the final result of today's "harvest" , then some branchy bits, then the total "harvest" SEVERAL ounces of leaf (still WET) and a notable quantity of immature bud that ought to be worth a bit of a buzz, any way?
And, now I get to practice drying / curing on "bud lite" before it actually matters... Yay go me!
Bottom line, take aways? clean up the plants EARLY, don't waste the nutes, promote the main colas, all the usual shit, blah blah blah...
Funny how "best Practice" becomes "common knowledge" eh?
Anyway, on to the pix.. (First one is from last Sun, unmolested)

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Goldie, The Monster, 4x4 and prolly 4 ft + tall, covered w/ buds

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Goldie, post Pruning

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Close up, MONSTER stem-age!

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Didn't mess w/ the good colas..

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Close up! (Bud Pr0n!)

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Two piles of pruning - yesterday on the left, today (can you see the bowel?) on the right

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nice budlets, scraggly stem..

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End of today's prune - "large" bud pile ! baseball size. "Crotch Bud" pile, about half..

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Yesterday's pruning, BIG scraggly branch, looking like wilted spinach..

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Two nicest buds, 5" scissors for scale

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End of session, Da Stems Pile is prolly 18" Deep, close to 24" wide

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Big ol PILE of leaf, prolly headed to the Butter Maker! (will likely sample some, first)

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"Big" buds on the left, "Armpit" (up to peanut size) on the right.
 
End of Week 5 - Larff, Larff, thought I'd cry..
Continuing the clean up / prune out..
Ok, back tracking on the Viable Colas, and cleaning up all the scraggly shoots - again, prolly should have been done WELL before flip, all wasting all those nutes - but hey, then I wouldn't have smoke now, right? (or, "Soon" more like... Still need to dry 'em, and a little (at least) cure can't hurt, good practice, any way, right? )
Prolly gonna need to repeat in the next day or two, finish shaving the ladle's legs, could only get so much this aftn - after about an hour, back was getting grumpy. From the pix, you can see how much "cleaner" (aka "normal") she looks ...
Colas are still Yuuge, and plumping NICELY. She's still sucking up ~ 3L / day, and getting her last dose of bloom ferts tomorrow. Top water them in for two days, and prolly again two days next week. Bottom water for the rest of THAT week, then start to drought her for week 8. When she starts to droop, water again, and check the Trich's... Jimney, she's Almost DONE!!! (HA! Then the cutting, hanging, drying, curing.... another 2 weeks to taste, 4-6 to taste GOOD..
Good thing I've got a shit ton of "pre bud" to carry me through.. which I can start "sampling" after it dries, in a week or two...
Pictures show today's trim pile - Knock off the fans (mostly into the same bag as yesterday. Small fans feeding the q-tips or bigger budlets set aside - seemed they had some frost on 'em, might be well worth the taste. Worst case, they get re-processed... Also, the stems seemed more likely to have value (though it might have just been the finger hash I was working) so tossed them into the Butter Maker Leaf bag as well.. Meanwhile, close up of the baby bud shows pistils just starting to turn, perhaps in advance of the top ones - but we're focusing 100% on THOSE bad boys going forward, from a growth viewpoint. The baby bud / Larf should be worth a decent buzz, at any rate.
OH!! Also, decided to play w/ my New Fun Toy (salad spinner / bud trimmer) to see if it would chop green leaf - answer is a DEFINATE "Sort Of" - Prolly do better w/ wire "blade" after it's dried. Might even try it w/ the early buds, when dried... But yeah, dropped a fair bit of leaf onto the grill, dropped the dome, the sweeper fingers (mostly) shoved the leaf into the blade, which mostly cute them a few times.. Not sure if that will help it dry, or not...
Pix Ahoy!
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Goldie, looking NEKKID!!!

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Don't Touch the Colas!!

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Speaking of Colas..

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Nugg pr0n!

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Larf, Larf... thought I'd cry...

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All processed - sticky Stems, "Bigger" Nuggs, Larf up to peanut buds (goodly amount!
Lotta...

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"Bigger" nuggs on display

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Nugg Close-up

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Another close up, Pistils just beginning to darken...

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Into the SHREDDER!!! ( not as effective as hoped)
 
Looking good Pete!

I think you are correct - would have been better to trim the larf off early. I usually trim like crazy first week of flower. About a third of the plant - all the lower stuff - gone. Any flower site that looks like it won't produce at least a quarter sized bud - gone. This focuses all of the plant's energy to the remaining bud sites and they fatten up.

For the other one - 5th week of flower? - I would probably trim her lightly and let her finish off. You'll end up with some larfy stuff for edibles or rosin but that's ok.

Hows that bud smell?
 

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