Rabbit's Big Leap - High Brix With Doc's Kit

[SweetSue]

I've come to take your confidence for granted KR. You're the strong presence beside me that allows me to work on the med threads with more confidence of my own. How gratifying it must be to realize you can cut back on production. Life is rediculously sweet, eh?

 

[KingstonRabbi]

Back to Business

Here is the entry I meant to post the other night before I got all reflective and self-analytical.

Up to now I've been running with the idea that I absolutely had to keep the tent running at full capacity all the time and hang on to everything. I think I'm over that phase and it feels so much better.

My plan for downsizing is to convert this corner of tent, a roughly 4x4' "L" wing of the full tent, into my veg area. I've already removed the 3 LED fixtures and these 2 hash bombs are just waiting for the chop. That brings me down to 1000w of light in the bloom area from 1850w before. My T5 will fit perfectly (I had it there before I bought the LED units.) I'll hang plastic to make 2 walls, 1 to make bloom tent smaller and 1 to create 4th wall of veg area.

this is current veg area with clones I'm finally ready to let go. In front are WW2 and WW3, aka "short pheno" and "tall pheno", looking pretty close to the same now. I love the strain but I'm finally grown up enough to recognize how mediocre these plants are and not worth keeping in rotation. The WW clones I was making for a SOG grow I've tossed, so these will eventually be bloomed and then I'll start over with new seeds.
2 BCS clones are behind the WWs. These are extras, the mother plant is off to left, and I will definitely be keeping her around to clone for future grows.
Behind them (mostly hidden by BCS) are 2 Dance Worlds from seed, extras that didn't make it into current grow. They are good plants but not so special that I feel need to clone them. I still have more seeds for future grows.

These are my new Hash Bomb clones. This HB is the best of 5 plants I grew from seed. I will be keeping her in the rotation at least until I have time and space to run the seeds I made in search of even better pheno.

And this is HB mother, soon to be bloomed now that I have successful clones to keep line going. She's now in 4 gal hard pot. My plan is to LST her branches for better spread, but to limit the number of colas to 8 or so. My gut feeling is that I kept too many flowering shoots on plants currently in flower. With her I want to try for fewer larger colas, partly to try new style that may be easier to harvest and process and partly out of vanity of wanting to compete for NOTM.

Longer term goal is to keep 3 strains in rotation: BCS for high THC, HB for high CBD that is still THC dominant, and to choose a 1:1 strain from either Medical Mass or Dance World. That will leave me room in flower tent to try 2-3 new strains in each grow. Smaller, simpler, smarter, with room for some experimentation to keep it fun.

 

[Radogast]

I was wondering what you were going to do for CBDs if you cut out Dance World - you answered that.

Have you ever seen any test results far Hash Bomb?

The only think I have seen is Anaytical 360 results on Hash Bomb Resin - about 35% THC and CBD-A. Maybe it was an early harvest, but that sounds like a 1:1 strain to me.

 

[KingstonRabbi]

I was wondering what you were going to do for CBDs if you cut out Dance World - you answered that.

Have you ever seen any test results far Hash Bomb?

The only think I have seen is Anaytical 360 results on Hash Bomb Resin - about 35% THC and CBD-A. Maybe it was an early harvest, but that sounds like a 1:1 strain to me.

I haven't done a lab test yet. Planning on doing one, but it's a pain in the ass to get to Seattle from Tacoma. Only 30 miles as the crow flies but feels like a lifetime in traffic. What I've seen on Analytical 360 is that CBD strains vary a lot in their ratio with THC. Bomb Seeds lists it as 15%:5%. I've vaped dispensary weed tested at 1:1 and my vape test with this HB is definitely THC dominant with some CBD to moderate the high partially.

edit: The HB feels like what I was going for. The precise ratio isn't so important. I wanted high THC strain with some CBD for entourage effect and better for daytime use to treat cancer. If I had to pick one strain for cancer this would be it. BCS is very high THC strain to blast the crap out of cancer if I ever need to again. The 1:1 strain is to heal the damage done by chemo and radiation. That's why I chose these 3 for rotation. That was my plan from the beginning, I just didn't know what strains would fill those roles back then.

 

[KingstonRabbi]

Inside the Flower Tent

Yesterday I gave everyone a GE drench with 5 ml per plant and .5 ml of Tea, plus a spray with Neem. Today I followed up with Brix foliar spray that I should have done Thursday.

The mites launched a major offensive on Blue Mystic (right), but she held up well to the initial onslaught. Her leaves are now covered with little white dots but overall she doesn't look too stressed by them, especially considering I also waited a day too long to water again. After the Neem spray I called in backup from my off-brand lego super heroes. Revenge is leading the operation the back, Smasher is taking right flank and Lightning covers the front.
BCS is not doing well. The light exaggerates the yellowing but clearly she needs something. I have just enough Transplant to try a rescue drench, but that would use up what I have for rest of grow.

Medical Mass 1 (right) and 2 (left) are showing some interesting differences. MdM2 is having the better stretch in spite of having more flowering shoots dividing her energy. She also has lost more leaves in past week than MdM1. MdM1 buds are fuller, as expected since she started flower 3 days earlier. Looking forward to seeing how each responds to upcoming Cat drenches. Front right you can see Falcon Man and Metal Man making me wish I'd paid extra for name brand super heroes.

Dance World is doing the best right now. She also has white spots indicating mites but I'm having hard time finding many, just 2-3 small ones on a few leaves.

Next steps:
Cat drenches for all 5 when they are ready for next watering. That will be 3.5 weeks on average from first sign of flowering, a little longer for BCS and shorter for Dance World which was last to show pistils.
I ordered ladybugs and lacewing eggs to try to keep mites from coming back. What I really want are ladybug larvae but I can't find any for sale and way too early to find them outside.
I have room for one more plant but I won't be moving anything in until this grow is harvested. My plants in veg are still looking mite-free. So I'll either wait until tent is mite free or set up another flower tent with my 3 spare LEDs elsewhere in house.
I switched out my MH 600s for Mars Reflectors I was using for 3 plants that just finished. They have less power but more efficient spectrum. Current configuration has some wasted light but still getting close to 50w per sq.ft. Daytime temps are little lower without heat from 3 units I took down. Night temps still at 70. Humidity is 40% or above as long as I remember to refill humidfier daily, up too 50% if I remember to refill again before lights out.

Some struggles this week. Still a good week with good bud development on all 5. I've got a clearer plan and that should make rest of grow much simpler.

 

[Radogast]

I haven't done a lab test yet. Planning on doing one, but it's a pain in the ass to get to Seattle from Tacoma. Only 30 miles as the crow flies but feels like a lifetime in traffic. What I've seen on Analytical 360 is that CBD strains vary a lot in their ratio with THC. Bomb Seeds lists it as 15%:5%. I've vaped dispensary weed tested at 1:1 and my vape test with this HB is definitely THC dominant with some CBD to moderate the high partially.

edit: The HB feels like what I was going for. The precise ratio isn't so important. I wanted high THC strain with some CBD for entourage effect and better for daytime use to treat cancer. If I had to pick one strain for cancer this would be it. BCS is very high THC strain to blast the crap out of cancer if I ever need to again. The 1:1 strain is to heal the damage done by chemo and radiation. That's why I chose these 3 for rotation. That was my plan from the beginning, I just didn't know what strains would fill those roles back then.

Hash Bomb sounds like an excellent next addition to my grow. My wife loves the THC, but she probably needs some CBD too. I was thinking the combo in Hash Bomb would be great for a topical.

Tacoma is a little bit of a haul - plus it smells (I get to say that, my parents lived in Tacoma when I was born )



+reps for Falcon Man, Metal man and their off-brand friends

 

[KingstonRabbi]

Tacoma is a little bit of a haul - plus it smells (I get to say that, my parents lived in Tacoma when I was born )

The Aroma of Tacoma isn't what it used to be. I grew up in Seattle and made jokes about Tacoma mercilessly. The smell from the paper pulp mills was like a pile of rotten eggs and dead fish and a couple skunks. It made eyes water. It was so back there's actually a Wikipedia article about it. When we drove to Portland to visit my aunt my mom would tell us to hurry up and roll our windows up before we reached the curve on I-5 just north of the port. With the scrubbers they installed it's hardly noticeable now, and I drive through the port every day coming home from work, with the windows down during summer.

 

[KingstonRabbi]

HB10 Harvest

Final weight on Hash Bomb 10 is 115 grams. That's more than I expected from those skinny buds, but with 40 or so stems it adds up. Considering that I very nearly killed her in week 3 of flower with complete collapse from underwatering and mites that's a pretty nice windfall. Smell is a little stronger than previous HBs, more like eucalyptus than lemon.

Critical is still drying due to her much fatter buds, but should have weight on her soon.

 

[KingstonRabbi]

Critical Update (the last one, except for the vape report)

Dry weight is 138 grams, just shy of 5 oz. Smell is much fruitier than previous grow, less pungent, and stronger. It's been filling my kitchen and working its way through much of the house for a week now. Time for a binky! (that's a rabbit happy dance, but you don't have to be a rabbit to do one, everyone can join in!)

 

[KingstonRabbi]

Medical Mass side by side

MdM1 (right) is several days ahead of MdM2 in flowering but there a clear differences even allowing for age. #2 has the bigger and more filled canopy plus more stretch, but #1 has the better buds (bottom). She also has fewer buds to feed so I expected hers to be bigger. #2 (middle) has a lot of space to fill between buds . Can't be sure which has more total weight but I suspect it's #1. Cat drenches start this weekend if not sooner. Can't wait to see how each responds.

 

[ginganinja30]

How do you find the effects of medical mass KR?
This will be my 1st strain to grow and I'm loving following your progress ...


1st Time Grow For My Beautiful Broken Brain

 

[Lady G2HM]

Are you enjoying the training that you give individually instead of mass growing? Again, I'm learning so much from your journal and incredible results. I am crossing my fingers for an oasis of bud like yours...

 

[KingstonRabbi]

How do you find the effects of medical mass KR?
This will be my 1st strain to grow and I'm loving following your progress ...


1st Time Grow For My Beautiful Broken Brain

I haven't tried Med Mass yet, but I did use Critical Mass for abdominal pain following chemo. I vaped small doses so didn't really feel much except better with less pain. I'm planning to use this to help my memory recover among other benefits.

Are you enjoying the training that you give individually instead of mass growing? Again, I'm learning so much from your journal and incredible results. I am crossing my fingers for an oasis of bud like yours...

Not much training to do right now but I love being able to really focus on a plant when I have it out for drenches. Thanks again for your support. If you had a single large room for your plants it would definitely be an oasis. But then you'd have to listen to your Divas covering Midnight at the Oasis all night and get no sleep!

 

[Radogast]

I haven't tried Med Mass yet, but I did use Critical Mass for abdominal pain following chemo. I vaped small doses so didn't really feel much except better with less pain. I'm planning to use this to help my memory recover among other benefits.



Not much training to do right now but I love being able to really focus on a plant when I have it out for drenches. Thanks again for your support. If you had a single large room for your plants it would definitely be an oasis. But then you'd have to listen to your Divas covering Midnight at the Oasis all night and get no sleep!

I like sitting in my 4x6' veg area, it's enough space to soak up the vibe and bring out each pant for individual inspection.

I loved sitting in my old 8x8' veg room. Then it was "seeds to the left of me, clones to the right - stuck in the middle with you"

 

[KingstonRabbi]

Cat Drench Night

One thing I'm trying not to do with this grow is push watering too long. The girls could have gone another day but I don't want another batch of fried plants. So tonight was first Cat drench to boost those buds. I measured out 8 ml of Cationic Drench and 1 ml Tea into each of 5 1 gal milk jugs. Usually I fill tub and let them sink down to soak up as much as they can. Tonight I wanted to make sure they all got same amount. I placed each plant in dry tub, watered 1/2 from top focusing on edge of soil and 1/2 poured into tub to be soaked up. I will give each a little more plain water to make this a full drench. I have just enough CD left to give same dose next time.

A record of bud development:
MdM 1, with the fullest buds but almost no stretch.

MdM 2, with the most buds and biggest stretch, but lightest buds.

Blue Mystic, 2nd fullest buds. She had a lot of yellow leaves tonight. I pulled as much from her as other 4 combined. She has plenty of fan leaves left to support buds but can't afford to lose any more.

Black Cherry Soda, the first to start flowering by almost a week, buds seem to have stalled. Leaf yellowing seems to have stopped.

Dance World, the last to start flower but making up for it. She had good stretch and buds seem to be filling in well but hard to tell because her leaves are so dense. She's the "It" girl this week.

This is about same time in grow that I did Cat drench for the first 3. These are much further along than even Critical was at this point. If I can keep from frying these ones ... nevermind, better not jinx it.

 

[KingstonRabbi]

The Yellow Update

The epsom salts seems to have stopped the yellowing from progressing. This is typical yellowing leaf from Med Mass. Yellow leaves haven't improved but plants look better overall because I've removed the worst. Loss is comparable to a heavy defol on some. Blue mystic lost the most and still has lot of yellow. Black Cherry Soda also has a lot of yellow but most of leaves. Med Mass 1&2 look about right. Dance World actually needs a defol to expose buds better. I need to do that and also a follow up epsom treatment after the 2nd cat drench to keep problem from coming back.

 

[KingstonRabbi]

Two Days Later

Last batch of photos didn't really show extent of bud development very well, but it looks like they have started responding. Here's some better pictures from tonight.

Dance World: Big leaves, still hard to see how much her buds are developing. She was the last to show pistils, actually had me a little worried, but she is definitely on pace with others.

Black Cherry Soda: Another that had me worried because of extensive yellowing, but it seems to have stopped and buds are growing again. Last run had sweet fruity smell, this one actually smells like cherry soda, even tickles my nose a little.

Blue Mystic: Mites took a toll and she still has a lot of yellow leaves. Not as many healthy leaves left as others either, but enough to finish well if I don't screw her up again.

Medical Mass #1: Far and away the biggest buds. I wish she had a few more leaves. With fewer buds to feed she should still produce some impressive ones. I have a clone of her that I'm keeping. Contrary to what I said last week about keeping things simple I think this one is worth hanging on to at least for a little while.

Medical Mass #2: Far and away the leanest buds, but also the best foliage except for DW. Difference between her and MdM1 may be genetics, but I'm thinking that I want to go with fewer buds on future grows. Even if she ends up with higher total weight than #1 it's a lot more work to harvest all those little ones than fewer big ones. (well, duh! Took me long enough to figure that one out.)

And I'm seeing frost start to develop on all of these. Critical started to frost midway thru, but then she started yellowing and didn't develop much frost after that. This time I need to keep up with Magnesium, Brix foliars, temps/humidity, and mites ... basically the things that caused problems with the first three ... and then late next month I'll have the harvest I've been hoping for to close out my rookie year (First 2 seeds planted 3/29/16, final yield on those = bupkis. Anything would be improvement over that, but this will be especially sweet!)

 

[Doc Bud]

The Yellow Update

The epsom salts seems to have stopped the yellowing from progressing. This is typical yellowing leaf from Med Mass. Yellow leaves haven't improved but plants look better overall because I've removed the worst. Loss is comparable to a heavy defol on some. Blue mystic lost the most and still has lot of yellow. Black Cherry Soda also has a lot of yellow but most of leaves. Med Mass 1&2 look about right. Dance World actually needs a defol to expose buds better. I need to do that and also a follow up epsom treatment after the 2nd cat drench to keep problem from coming back.

Please up your feedings.

 

[Lady G2HM]

KR - I love that you are feeding from the bottom, such a valuable technique. If you are feeding from the top too, do you divide the amount equally? Brain wants to learn. .

 

[KingstonRabbi]

KR - I love that you are feeding from the bottom, such a valuable technique. If you are feeding from the top too, do you divide the amount equally? Brain wants to learn. .

Each plant takes up about 2 gallons. I water about 1/3 - 1/2 gallon on top to help top dressings work into soil. Also it makes watering faster. It takes at least 20 min per plant if I just let drench soak up to top of soil without top watering. Either way I leave plant in drench tub until it stops soaking up water.