Sqwheels' 2nd Grow - White Widow - Soil-Less Mix 2011

[Xlr8]

Since your using a soil less mix, I would follow the chart you have.
How close are they to finishing? If your close...then the leaves are eating themselves and that's normal. I'm betting xlr8 can tell you more.

Yoo whoo xlr8, we need your in put!

Sorry, I've been crazy busy and haven't been on the forums much last couple of days... but here I am!

Well, I'm not 100% sure on what's happened with the leaves, but the high temperatures you've had are probably a big part of it. The leaf tips look like nutrient burn, which could be in part due to a salt build up as SS mentioned. The other thing to consider is that when the temps are that high, the plant can't take in nutrients as well, and it doesn't take as much to have a nute burn or nutrient lockout situation. Also, sometimes near the end leaves start to die naturally as they'll use themselves up to keep the buds healthy. When they are mostly dead, I remove them, no matter what, to avoid any problems with decaying leaf matter (like mold, certain bugs, etc). Environment is everything with plant health, and I'm sure those high temps you've been having are really behind the sad looking leaves in one way or another.

Having said all that, I'm with OMM, and I would just harvest now. 30% is about perfect as far as amber trichomes in my opinion. There are other factors to consider, but you're good to harvest right now if you want.

Ideally running PH balanced water with no nutrients for a week or so first (flushing) would help remove built up nutrients (would help with plant health, and would also remove nutrient taste prior to harvest).

BUT -- In my personal experience, bud flavor can still be very good without a flush at the end if they are dried and cured properly. The leaves, in my experience, seem to hold more of the poor taste left over from nutrients not being flushed, and I cook brownies/make canna-oil with my trim leaves, anyway, and this isn't an issue for me (not sure what you'll want to do with trim leaves). I still flush when I can, but I've had to harvest without it and had great bud still.

If your humidity still gets up to 60% or higher at times, make sure you keep a lot of air movement in the room where you dry your buds to avoid mold.

Sqwheels - you're almost there and should have a great harvest, and your own home grown meds!

 

[Dee House]

Hi Social Smoker. I wasn't disputing what you said at all. Sqwheels is confined to a wheel chair and she works around that as best she can. One brave lady who is learning fast. I think she is addicted to growing already!

hi omm i know wheels is in a chair

 

[OldMedMan]

hi omm i know wheels is in a chair

Oppps!

 

[sqwheels]

Hi Yall,

Wow where do I start, yall are so helpful and full of knowledge...ok,

from the sound of things she hasnt flushed at all bet theres all kinda salt build up

SS, you're right, no flushing, just an ocassional watering with no nutes. Maybe 3 times this whole grow. The canna feeding schedule said for soil less mix to feed with each watering. I started out with lower than recommended amounts and increased as the plants got older. Their product is relatively low NPK, compared to the GH Flora Nova Grow and Bloom nutes I used the first time...anyway I didn't think much about over nutes because of this.

Salts... I'm just figuring out the whole nutes thing and how each of them are used and moved around within the plant. I'm new and still learning as yall know, it's kinda been a learn as you grow thing with me.

I don't think SS understands your situation. It would be nice to flush them before harvest, but you don't have to. I never do. I personally would chop soon.

OMM, You NEVER flush? Do you go to plain water, no nutes, at the end?

And YES, Definately Addicted. I've always liked growing things, and this has the added benefit of meds. I know where and how they were grown. Just never realized how much goes into it. But I love it

Sorry, I've been crazy busy and haven't been on the forums much last couple of days... but here I am!

Well, I'm not 100% sure on what's happened with the leaves, but the high temperatures you've had are probably a big part of it. The leaf tips look like nutrient burn, which could be in part due to a salt build up as SS mentioned. The other thing to consider is that when the temps are that high, the plant can't take in nutrients as well, and it doesn't take as much to have a nute burn or nutrient lockout situation. Also, sometimes near the end leaves start to die naturally as they'll use themselves up to keep the buds healthy. When they are mostly dead, I remove them, no matter what, to avoid any problems with decaying leaf matter (like mold, certain bugs, etc). Environment is everything with plant health, and I'm sure those high temps you've been having are really behind the sad looking leaves in one way or another.

Having said all that, I'm with OMM, and I would just harvest now. 30% is about perfect as far as amber trichomes in my opinion. There are other factors to consider, but you're good to harvest right now if you want.

Ideally running PH balanced water with no nutrients for a week or so first (flushing) would help remove built up nutrients (would help with plant health, and would also remove nutrient taste prior to harvest).

BUT -- In my personal experience, bud flavor can still be very good without a flush at the end if they are dried and cured properly. The leaves, in my experience, seem to hold more of the poor taste left over from nutrients not being flushed, and I cook brownies/make canna-oil with my trim leaves, anyway, and this isn't an issue for me (not sure what you'll want to do with trim leaves). I still flush when I can, but I've had to harvest without it and had great bud still.

If your humidity still gets up to 60% or higher at times, make sure you keep a lot of air movement in the room where you dry your buds to avoid mold.

Sqwheels - you're almost there and should have a great harvest, and your own home grown meds!

Hey Xlr8,

Nice to see you. I'm sure you're right about the high temps taking their toll, but I didn't think about the plants not using up the nutes because of it, good call. I know that toward the end they use up the bigger leaves, that's why I didn't pick them all off along the way, and yes I always pick the dead ones off.

What # is considered balanced pH - neutral @ 7? I think I could wait just a few days and water them a couple more times with plain water. I don't want nute filled buds. I can bring the shop vac in from the garage to do a flush, if that would help them. I just want to do whats best for them.

My harvest/cure method the first time is one that I found here, adjusted a little to accomodate me. Basically, first thing in the AM I cut the stalk, picked off all the leaves, hung upside down for a day or two in the dark, with a fan blowing on them, checking daily for them to dry slightly, as soon as they did I trimmed all the buds, put them (in small quantities) into brown paper bags, checking daily for moisture I left them for a few days, when the buds where mostly dry, but the stems still had a little give I put them into glass jars, checking daily for moisture until the stems snapped. After that I checked every few days for another couple weeks...I've been smoking it since March and it's some of the best I've ever had. I actually impressed myself, I didn't think I'd do that good my first try.

I used my trim to make butter and made some brownies, they turned out good as well. Although I'd rather smoke.

Ya, the humidity is still not under control...in the last 3 days it's been as high as 65% and as low as 38%...go figure. I'll be sure to have fans running when I harvest and I'll check them daily as last time.

Ok, my thoughts...
It's Sunday, I'm going to water again tomorrow morning, plain water pH 7. I'll check the run off and see what it's pH is again. I'll check the trics again, up to this point I've only looked at about 10 buds, only about 10% of whats there...they are getting so sticky it's hard to turn them around in there now, they cling to each other.

I'll probably cut them on Tuesday...On that note...I've read all kinds of things here about leaving them in the dark for some time before cutting, is this a good idea? How long?

One more ?? is it best to cut when they're wet, or dry. If I water Mon morning should I wait until Wed to cut. I don't want to promote any molding

Let me know what yall think please. I value the experience yall have very much.

Thanks again to all, I'm done rambling now

and Happy Growing

 

[OG13]

Let them dry a bit, cut when you would water. I don't believe the dark period thing but a lot of peeps do it....If you are harvesting this week, don't water now.

 

[OldMedMan]

Hi Yall,

Wow where do I start, yall are so helpful and full of knowledge...ok,



SS, you're right, no flushing, just an ocassional watering with no nutes. Maybe 3 times this whole grow. The canna feeding schedule said for soil less mix to feed with each watering. I started out with lower than recommended amounts and increased as the plants got older. Their product is relatively low NPK, compared to the GH Flora Nova Grow and Bloom nutes I used the first time...anyway I didn't think much about over nutes because of this.

Salts... I'm just figuring out the whole nutes thing and how each of them are used and moved around within the plant. I'm new and still learning as yall know, it's kinda been a learn as you grow thing with me.



OMM, You NEVER flush? Do you go to plain water, no nutes, at the end?

And YES, Definately Addicted. I've always liked growing things, and this has the added benefit of meds. I know where and how they were grown. Just never realized how much goes into it. But I love it




Hey Xlr8,

Nice to see you. I'm sure you're right about the high temps taking their toll, but I didn't think about the plants not using up the nutes because of it, good call. I know that toward the end they use up the bigger leaves, that's why I didn't pick them all off along the way, and yes I always pick the dead ones off.

What # is considered balanced pH - neutral @ 7? I think I could wait just a few days and water them a couple more times with plain water. I don't want nute filled buds. I can bring the shop vac in from the garage to do a flush, if that would help them. I just want to do whats best for them.

My harvest/cure method the first time is one that I found here, adjusted a little to accomodate me. Basically, first thing in the AM I cut the stalk, picked off all the leaves, hung upside down for a day or two in the dark, with a fan blowing on them, checking daily for them to dry slightly, as soon as they did I trimmed all the buds, put them (in small quantities) into brown paper bags, checking daily for moisture I left them for a few days, when the buds where mostly dry, but the stems still had a little give I put them into glass jars, checking daily for moisture until the stems snapped. After that I checked every few days for another couple weeks...I've been smoking it since March and it's some of the best I've ever had. I actually impressed myself, I didn't think I'd do that good my first try.

I used my trim to make butter and made some brownies, they turned out good as well. Although I'd rather smoke.

Ya, the humidity is still not under control...in the last 3 days it's been as high as 65% and as low as 38%...go figure. I'll be sure to have fans running when I harvest and I'll check them daily as last time.

Ok, my thoughts...
It's Sunday, I'm going to water again tomorrow morning, plain water pH 7. I'll check the run off and see what it's pH is again. I'll check the trics again, up to this point I've only looked at about 10 buds, only about 10% of whats there...they are getting so sticky it's hard to turn them around in there now, they cling to each other.

I'll probably cut them on Tuesday...On that note...I've read all kinds of things here about leaving them in the dark for some time before cutting, is this a good idea? How long?

One more ?? is it best to cut when they're wet, or dry. If I water Mon morning should I wait until Wed to cut. I don't want to promote any molding

Let me know what yall think please. I value the experience yall have very much.

Thanks again to all, I'm done rambling now

and Happy Growing

Hi sqwheels.
Here's my take on things.
Your method drying is good....I do almost the same thing.
I don't flush because I use OC+......you can not flush it out. My peeps have never complained about the taste or strength.

About the darkness period, water your girls one day, wait a day and do the 24 hours darkness..the belief is that the plants will send everything they have to top of the plants to save it's self one more time. When it's over your plants already have a head start on drying. They are much easier to trim if a bit dry. There will be more comments coming along, so read em all and then deiced what's best for you.
Flushing with a pH of 7 is fine. Good luck and you know I mean it!
If by chance your weather turns dry, put the girls in the dark the next day. I really don't see that happening though. OMM

 

[Dee House]

wheels if your chop n tues wed id flush real good then let em dry and chop

 

[Xlr8]

Hi Sqwheels -

Like OMM said, your drying method sounds much like how I've done it (and continue to) many times. Nice job on your first harvest drying so well - I had a couple of jars mold on me once because I forgot to include them in my burping rotation. Never again! How cool that you grew your own meds and they were awesome?!

OMM would know better as far as PH. I'm a hydro grower and the PH is different for hydro. I like Social Smokers idea for flush timing before harvest. I've never done the dark thing first, but many people swear by it.

10 buds is a good sampling - you'll have some more great meds by the sounds of where those trichs are.

I'm sorry I've not been able to be here more frequently lately. Too much stuff going on right now and I'm behind on many things.

with the harvest!!!

 

[sqwheels]

Hi Yall,

Ok, it's been a few days since I've posted, I think I'm having withdrawl,

Update...They got their last water on Saturday, I let them dry out til Tuesday. I cut them and trimmed them and this is what I've got now drying. Sorry so fuzzy, the fans are blowing on them.

I've learned alot during this grow, I can't wait to get planning my next one. Yep OMM, definately addicted.

Thanks to all for your help and encouragement along the way.

I'll update again when all is dry with final pics.

Happy growing everybody

 

[OldMedMan]

 

[Truth Seeker]

Oh yea!! those look yummy!!!

 

[420fied]

Congrats on your harvest my friend.

 

[Xlr8]

Congrats on the harvest Sqwheels! You've done a great job, and I'm really happy for you. Looks like you'll have a decent yield there!

One suggestion to consider -- I've found that it's not necessary for me to have the fans blowing directly on them, it can dry things too fast sometimes. What's worked best for me is to have good indirect air movement. Keeps things from drying too fast, but it's still enough to keep things from getting moldy. I know you've had a little more humidity, so you may want to have stronger air movement.

Another thing I do that I just thought of - I take a fresh piece of branch and keep it in the freezer. That way if things get a bit dryer than I wanted, I put a piece of it into the jar to restore some moisture.

I know you've done these things before, and you have a good program in place for drying, but I wanted to share those couple of thoughts. Hope you don't mind...

Anyway - really awesome grow and journal, it's been one of my favorite journals in a long time, and I find you to be very inspirational.

I'm stoked for you!

 

[sqwheels]

Hi All,

It's been a little over a week since I've had a chance to post, I've missed you all so much. My honey had a weeks vacation and we took full advantage of it.

Xlr8, Any and all tips and tricks are always welcomed and appreciated. I never thought about freezing a stick. Too late now, but I'll keep it in mind for next time. Thanks

Update...I trimmed and cut and hung to dry...this is the final result, I haven't weighed it because my little digi's battery is bad...but I'm guessing a couple of oz. The funny thing is that it doesn't smell as pungent as the last ww I grew. I haven't tasted it yet, it's still curing, will try it soon.

I have found a few seeds. They look like really nice ones..Is there any way to know if a seed is femme?

Here's a couple of pics

Thanks to all for the help and encouragement along the way.

 

[Dee House]

congrates on the harvest wheels

 

[OldMedMan]

 

[Xlr8]

Great harvest Sqwheels! If I had to guess, I'd guess that's at least 2 1/2z you have there.



I'm trying to recall your seed situation - you had one plant hermie, correct? I'm fuzzy with medications right now... sorry.

 

[sqwheels]

Hi Xlr8,

No, I had two plants and both hermied. From all you guys have told me, it's possible, if wwA pollinated wwB then I could have some viable seeds that I could use. But if wwA pollinated itself then they wouldn't be good to use, because it would most likely hermie also. I think I got that right.??

That's why I want to know if you can tell if a seed is femme...I have found about 9 seeds so far. I'm trying to decide if it's worth my time to plant them.

If say I've got a 80% chance they'll be femme, I will probably try it, but if not then I don't think it's worth the effort.

I'm sure I read somewhere here that you can tell the difference, but I don't remember where, and trying to find it again will make me crazy. Overload...ya know.

 

[Truth Seeker]

Hey Sqwheels,
Glad to hear you had an excellent harvest!!! and a time well spent with your other love!!! LOL anyways, about your comment with the seeds, I am still on a successful female grow with those 2 seeds that came from a hermie!!! and they are in flower now!!! still no herm!!! and I also gave 4 seeds of the same batch to a friend, all 4 females!!! so far it looks good to assume that herm seeds are feminized!!! but thats 6 of 6 seeds for me!!! I still got 6 more lets see what happens!! not to mention I have the 2 GDP seeds that came from hermie also....

 

[OG13]

Hi again, if I remember correctly, the Herm self pollinated are about 90% female, the Herm cross pollinated are around 99% female....maybe Cervantes? I don't believe there is a way to visually tell seeds apart--don't go crazy looking. Just plant some and see.