Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon Haze

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

Hey gang,

I started feeding according to the ripening schedule today having picked up some dry KoolBloom. And, since the temps have been a little higher than I believe they should be, I connected some ducting from the AC vent in the room to the intake in the tent and hopefully that will bring the temperature down a few degrees.

More updates and pics tomorrow!

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

The buds are coming along nicely. I'm definitely noticing a slight bulking up starting.

I believe the extra AC air into the tent is helping bring down the temps a bit too, but I need a little more data over the next day or two to be sure. Also, fungus gnats are still being caught on the stickies, but seems no biggie. Haven't noticed any flying around the coco in the last couple of days and I did add some mosquito bits to the surface.

Also MajorPITA, you may be right about one of the nutes reacting with the mosquito bits because when I reviewed things I did notice the problem seemed to start after I started using Liquid Koolbloom in the nute mix. Also, I noticed a reaction when pouring that into the measuring tool which had a little CalMag in it from just before. Anyway, I've stopped adding the mosquito bits to the nute mix altogether, so the problem of the clogging pump is no longer.

Here are some pics from the last couple of days.
Please enjoy!

a frosty bud

a nice bud

white hairs

brown hairs

the tallest bud

a dense looking bud

Vera, the largest of the ladies

just before lights on

another frosty bud

a nice bud cluster

frosty big bug

yum yum

A wish you all a wonderfully green weekend!

 

[Major PITA]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

Very nice looking nuggage there snack!
They look very close. I'm thinking two weeks more, but ...
I think I'm seeing a stray hair here and there. Do you wash your harvest?
Reps to ya for turning your grow around so well and for such an excellent journal.

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

Very nice looking nuggage there snack!
They look very close. I'm thinking two weeks more, but ...
I think I'm seeing a stray hair here and there. Do you wash your harvest?
Reps to ya for turning your grow around so well and for such an excellent journal.

Thanks very much Major!!! (The reps are totally appreciated ) Things are looking really good and I'm super excited for the upcoming harvest. I have to hand it to you guys for helping me out along the way, because your guidance has really been awesome. This grow has definitely turned around in a big way, but I absolutely needed some support from the 420 community at times, and you guys totally stepped up to the plate for me, which was so cool.

Yeah, I saw a stray hair on one of the buds too (after I had already posted the pics, unfortunately). I went to investigate and noticed it was a dog hair which is now removed. The dog isn't even allowed on the same floor as the grow, but of course, his hair gets all over my clothes so I'm sure that's how it ended up on one of the buds. I'll have to lookout for those on other buds too. Maybe wearing a smock before entering the grow room is a good idea after all (someone suggested that to me last year). I generally at least change my shoes before entering the room, but apparently that isn't always sufficient.

I am planning to try the bud washing routine this time around, which I believe I should do right at harvest time before hanging them up to dry. I'll look at the thread again to refresh my memory on the procedure though.

My main challenge at this point will be figuring out exactly when to start flushing. My plan is to use FloraKleen, molasses, and pH'd water during the flush. I think I want to start flushing when maybe half the triches are looking milky or cloudy white. Does that sound right? I think I want to harvest when maybe half the triches are amber, but I'm also thinking about harvesting in stages to get a range of effects.

 

[Major PITA]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

If you wash them (and you should, IMO), defintiely do it as soon as they are chopped. If they dry, it is too late.
I'm not much help on the trich coloring. In my limited experience, you may never see 50% amber - or if you do, it could be too late. It is somewhat strain-related. When bulking is done, resin production seems finished and new pistils are few, I consider them "ripe". I don't flush, but assuming a week of that is enough, then using the above guidelines will hopefully tell you when to start flushing. Looking forward to your harvest and smoke report. Your buds look top notch!

 

[CCOiler]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

Last lap snacks, bring them home.

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

If you wash them (and you should, IMO), defintiely do it as soon as they are chopped. If they dry, it is too late.
I'm not much help on the trich coloring. In my limited experience, you may never see 50% amber - or if you do, it could be too late. It is somewhat strain-related. When bulking is done, resin production seems finished and new pistils are few, I consider them "ripe". I don't flush, but assuming a week of that is enough, then using the above guidelines will hopefully tell you when to start flushing. Looking forward to your harvest and smoke report. Your buds look top notch!

Cool, I will plan to wash the buds right after chopping.

Yeah, I was reading about trichome colors and it seems you're right, the colors and state changes are apparently strain specific and sometimes they don't even turn amber, but occasionally gold or even other colors. I have a digital microscope, but the CD with the software is missing, so haven't been able to use it yet. I hoping to find it tonight though. In the meantime, I'll continue looking through the 60x loupe to try and see the color and state of the triches. I should have more info on that tonight or tomorrow.

I will definitely be posting all about the harvest here and am also going to dedicate some time to summarizing the grow more succinctly in order to highlight lessons learned. I'll then use that info to outline how I'm thinking about my next grow and how I'd like to set it up and manage it because it will be somewhat different. And, of course, a smoke report will be filed as well

a bunch for your feedback Major!

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

Last lap snacks, bring them home.

That's the plan, my friend!

Stay tuned for more updates over the next week or so...

Also, one small update for now. Last night I checked the pH of the nute solution (day 3 after mixing it up) and even though the pH the day before was 5.8, yesterday it was about 4.8-4.9. Wow, I was surprised it dropped so dramatically. On the other hand, this did happen last week too. So, it seems the chemicals are reacting in some sort of way as I guess they are breaking down and interacting. Possibly the Koolbloom is contributing to the pH change, because I didn't notice that earlier in the grow before I started using Koolbloom. I'm not really sure but could test it. However, in the interest of time and given that this grow is about to wrap up, I think I'm going to go back to mixing up 2g batches instead of 4g gallon batches again. It seems keeping the nutes fresher is probably better overall for maintaining pH and probably a better mix for the plants too. I did notice a different smell to the solution yesterday too.

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

Hi friends! Here's another update for ya:

NUTES:
So, I mixed up a fresh batch of nutes yesterday because when I checked the pH of the remaining nutes from my last 4g batch, again the pH had dropped down to 4.9 after being adjusted to 5.8 the day before. I also noticed a bunch of that spooge stuff on the water pump again and the smell of the batch was somewhat off, so instead of adjusting it again, I mixed up a fresh batch. I think that spooge may be actual growth of something, perhaps related to the Hydroguard since I believe that has some sort of organisms in it and it may be reacting with the Koolbloom. In any case, it does seem that using fresh nutes at this stage is more important.

AIR FLOW & TEMPS
Air flow is good but I still noticed temps have been getting into the mid to high 80s so I adjusted the ducting from the AC vent into the tent because I noticed there was a leak. I don't think the AC direct into the tent is making too much of a difference in temps though. It's just really hot from the HPS light. The fan blowing through the light is on maximum and the outtake fan is also at about 75% and the tower fan in the tent is going 24/7, so I think air flow is about as much as I can get going and will just have to accept the higher than ideal temps at this point. I guess the lesson to be learned for me is that it is tough to cool the tent in the summer in these parts, even with AC, and in the future it's probably better if I veg in the summer and flower in the fall to work a bit more inline with the natural climate.

TRICHES!
Last night we examined the triches from two specimens under magnification. I snipped off one of the tiny leaves near one of the top buds on the front left plant and another from one of the lower buds on the front right plant. My eyesight isn't great, even with the magnification, so it's hard for me to see the difference between clear and cloudy with the equipment I have, but my wife looked at both samples and said she thought the triches looked mostly cloudy with about 10% of them being clear and about 10% of them being amber. I was able to see a couple of amber bulbs myself as well. So, I think that may mean it's actually time to start flushing! I use the remaining nutes that are mixed to feed tonight and tomorrow will start flushing.

Also, I just found the CD and was able to successfully install the software for the cheap digital microscope I have and it seems to be working, so I should be able to get some good images of the triches and post them up tonight.

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

OK, I have some trichome pics! I wish the scope had somewhat stronger magnification, but by my eye it looks like there is a mix of mostly clear and cloudy, but with some amber, especially with one of the samples. I have fours samples.

It would be great to hear what you guys think about the trichomes! Does it seem like it's time to start flushing, or not quite yet?

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 4

Here's that stuff that grows on my water pump that I've now stopped using. Pretty gross, right?

And, a few shots of the ladies and their beautiful flowers...

Looking forward to hearing your opinions on whether it's time to start flushing or whether I should continue on the ripening nutes for a bit longer.

as always!!!

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

Hey everyone, today is day 59 of flower.

Tonight I noticed an unpleasant odor and did a little investigative work and figured out that it was coming from the runoff (feed) solution. The smell was one of rotten eggs or sulfur and was actually quite strong and offensive. I used a syringe to suck out the standing water in the saucers before feeding them ripening nutes again this evening. I'm wondering if this is an indication of root rot. We're so close to harvesting that it probably doesn't matter, but it's something I'll want to note and try to avoid for next time. I have a feeling leaving standing runoff water in the saucers for the plants to just sit in is probably not so great for them and might've caused this problem over time.

Anyway, I took another small sample; one of the tiny leaves coming out near the top of one of the buds.

I'm a little unsure what to make of the buds' maturity status though because I can see that some of the trichomes are clear, some are cloudy, and some quite obviously have amber heads. It seems like they are ready for harvest based on the state of some of the trichomes, but there are still a lot of white pistils and I've read they aren't really ready for harvest until most have turned brown. To make things even more uncertain, I noticed that the trichomes on one sample may show a lot of clear and cloudy and another sample shows much more amber. I guess the buds mature at different rates depending on their proximity to the light and probably other factors too. Ideally, it would be good to harvest buds as they get mature, but if I do that and dry them somewhere outside the tent, they will stink up the house which is a little risky and definitely not in line with my stealthy goals. I guess I'll just have to try and pick the best average time to harvest when the greatest number of buds seem they are at the peak of their maturity.

Even though I have learned with this grow, there is still so much that I still want to learn and understand!

Of course, I'm going to continue monitoring things closely. I don't want to make the rookie mistake of harvesting too early, but I also want to avoid waiting too long and potentially harvesting too late. According to a reputable site that lists strain data and flowering times, SLH flowering time is 56-65 days and SD is 67 days. Unfortunately, I'm not sure which plants are which strain. My guess is that it will be time to start flushing this weekend and then harvest next weekend, but we'll see how it goes and I'll try to let the plants let me know when they are ready for the chop

If you've made it this far, for reading!

 

[Major PITA]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

Follow your instincts. You're doing fine.

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

Follow your instincts. You're doing fine.

Thanks buddy!

I guess I just feel some tension from the competing feelings of wanting to harvest ASAP and starting the drying process, and the converse feeling of letting them mature more and hopefully bulk up into bigger buds.

Part of me wants more of an uppity racy effect brought on by an earlier harvest, but some people I respect have suggested I wait until at least 50%-75%(!) of the trichomes are amber, so I'm going to go with their recommendation. Truth be told, I typically use the buds in the evenings, so a mellower late harvest effect probably works better with my schedule anyway.

As always, I appreciate your comments! I also started checking out your grow as well. Wow, those babies are huge! Wish I could get an outdoor grow going, but unfortunately that just wouldn't work with my current situation. The Hi-Brix stuff is definitely very interesting.

 

[Hungaluz]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

very much!

Today is day 61 at 12/12 and it's now been a week of feeding ripening nutes. I read a couple of journals on Strawberry Diesel and in one of them it looked like the harvest at 70 days looked very good. So, if that is any indication, I'm expecting to start flushing either today or sometime in the next couple of days after I check how the pistils and trichomes are looking.

Even though it goes against my stealth plan, I may pick a couple of buds that look ready and start drying them. More pics and updates coming soon!

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

Hey everybody! Hope everyone (stateside) had a wonderfully green holiday weekend

Things seems to be coming along nicely with my girls. Yesterday was the end of the ninth week, or 63 days, and the trichomes are looking very cloudy and many are turning amber, so I started flushing (yesterday). Unless the trichomes change more rapidly than expected or anyone suggests differently, I'm going to plan to harvest next weekend at the 10 week mark.

Here is how things look at the moment...

Regina (back left)

Tori (back right)

Sadie (front left)

Vera (front right)

The gang

The tent

Trichomes (Tori & Sadie)

Greenest regards!

 

[HydroDyna]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

Looks good so far

 

[madmarv0525]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

From everything I can tell flushing longer gives you a cleaner less harsh taste but the most important thing is the cure. Everything looks amazing and I just started looking through your blue dream journal you are doing awesome my friend subbed for the rest of the ride. What strains are you doing next and have you thought of going perpetual.

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

From everything I can tell flushing longer gives you a cleaner less harsh taste but the most important thing is the cure. Everything looks amazing and I just started looking through your blue dream journal you are doing awesome my friend subbed for the rest of the ride. What strains are you doing next and have you thought of going perpetual.

Thanks madmarv! I've also read that flushing longer reduces the harshness of the smoke which is definitely something I'm going for. I'm planning to harvest in about a week, so will have flushed for just about 7-9 days, depending on the exact harvest time.

My blue dream grow had some glitches but I was still fortunate to come away with a decent harvest that I'm still enjoying, so in my mind it was a big success. I learned a lot from that grow and even more from this one, so I think the next one will be even better. At least that is the hope!

I do plan to grow blue dream again, but for my next grow I'm thinking of growing a couple of big bud X white widow (BBxWW) ladies. I'd like to get some good indica dominant buds into my stash. After I harvest this grow and am waiting on drying and curing I'm planning to detail what I have planned next, but it will probably be the BBxWW.

I have thought about having a perpetual grow and would like to, but the winters are very cold here and I would have to provide a lot of expensive extra heating to make it happen during that time of the year to keep the girls from freezing. Also, I'd need to have a separate veg and flower area, and I don't really have the space to accommodate that, so for the time being, I have to cope with one or maybe two grows over the course of a year. As much as I enjoy growing, and it really is a great outlet for me, it is also somewhat time consuming and I have to admit that it will be nice to have a break for a few months to pursue my other hobbies. I just hope I harvest enough to get me comfortably through to the next grow season!

 

[snack420]

Re: Snacks - DWC Bucket - 600W MH/HPS Grow Journal - Strawberry Diesel & Super Lemon

We sampled some of the dried bud I clipped off about a week ago. It dried fast because I have it in the same room as the tent (for stealth/odor reasons), but we ran it through a vaporizer and it was very tasty and provided a short-lived but very positive "up" feeling buzz. I'm really eager to test things after the buds have been properly dried and cured.

Somewhat sadly, I think the intense trimming of leaves and branches I did while they were in the early stages of flower might've hindered the buds from developing as large as they may have otherwise. I'm not sure, but I definitely get that impression. My expectation was that the buds would've been bigger by now. Comparing some photos of the bud size from two weeks ago to today shows no noticeable size difference. So, I'm temped to believe that they are done bulking up at this point. If I had to guess, I'd say the yield is going to be closer to 1-2 oz per plant, where I had originally hoped for 3-4 oz per plant, but we'll see soon enough. Even harvesting 4 oz will be very nice, but if it is closer to 8 oz, that would be much better

I hope to inspect the trichomes a little more thoroughly later and hopefully post some more pics. Getting very close to harvest time now...