Urban Achievers Inner City Seeds of Promise

[Tony Urban]

I was mistaken UA - I meant the 18-55 not the zoom lens. Shows how rusty I am! My DSLR is an old Canon EOS Rebel XS, it's old but it has served me well over the years.

sweet, my camera is the next generation after the EOS rebel, although they are older they still have what it takes to take good shots. They are up to the T6i or something now, so its 4 or 5 years old at least.

I'm buying as real dslr this year and looking forward to it. No more mini dslr for this guy.

Some great entry level options out there, and you can find some gems used, so dont feel you need brand new necessarily. I guess it depends how much you are going to use it and what you want to take photos of. I have been looking at picking up a newer body but I dont really need it and cant justify it lol.

 

[Archiweedies]

Hey man, I read the damn thread and forgot to post yesterday lol. I'm here and watching!

 

[Tony Urban]

Hey man, I read the damn thread and forgot to post yesterday lol. I'm here and watching!

lol awesome...thats standard operating procedure around here lol. Welcome to the party, I am sure you know most everyone here lol, happy to have you

 

[Archiweedies]

lol awesome...thats standard operating procedure around here lol. Welcome to the party, I am sure you know most everyone here lol, happy to have you

Thanks for the welcome man. I'm liking what I'm seeing here and your definitely in good hands! Best of luck on the grow!

 

[Tony Urban]

All seeds are now sprouted and in soil, looks like we will have 5 plants, and now we can focus on the veg. The compost tea is bubbling away and will be ready to go tomorrow. I am excited as I think the grow is missing this component. Pots are starting to lighten up too so the timing is right.

I bought two tall spray bottles as well, to go with the pressurized mister that is on its way, that will allow me to have a few different foliars ready to use. Sprouted seed teas, compost teas, neem mixes, or horsetail fern to prevent mold. Now if I can just get motivated to clean my basement lol.

Picked up two more 6400k T5 HO bulbs and swapped out the two 2700k. Shouldnt be any uneccessary stretch or wasted lumens involved now. Only 96w so we will see how they do in the 2x2 tent. Hoping its enough light to get them to the 3x3 tent. Probably need to veg them for a bit under the 200w COB before flipping.

Took a few shots today. One this morning and one this afternoon.

#3 GC after a light misting to keep the surrounding soil slightly moist.

#4 GC this afternoon. Catching up to #3.

 

[Blazin Waffle]

Looks like I came just in time (don't worry, I set that one up for you Pat!)

You have quite the collection of knowledge in the room! I'll be hanging out trying to get the Poof's back from PW and Pat

 

[Tony Urban]

Looks like I came just in time (don't worry, I set that one up for you Pat!)

You have quite the collection of knowledge in the room! I'll be hanging out trying to get the Poof's back from PW and Pat

lol we will have to wait for Pat to return from his leave for him to knock that one out the park Thanks for joining!

There is certainly a lot of awesome folks lurking on 420 and a bunch of them are right here, which eases my anxiety a lot, knowing that I have an almost instant troubleshooting geek squad. My first attempt all those years ago all I had was a book. No cell phone, no web forum, and certainly no peers to help. Times they-are-a-changing...or have changed lol. I have another update here shortly...need caffeine.

 

[Tony Urban]

"Mind if I do a J?"

Alright so I have fed the soil some aerated compost tea. It wasnt as frothy as I had hoped but it was also a slightly weaker mix even though I added a bit more boogie brew and EWC's after the first 12 hours. It essentially brewed for 36 hours. Had so much I fed my houseplants as well as the few outdoor plants we have lol.

While enjoying some fine Lavazza freshly ground coffee this morning, a knock on the door brought me my 1650D 3ft x 3ft x 6.5ft heavy duty fusion tent and the pressurized mister I purchased. Wont be setting that up until I clean the damn basement lol.

My birdseed SST is a failure so I am soaking some mung beans. I will get some growth hormones if it kills me lol.

I thought I would drop some more knowledge on the camera side of things. So here it is. One thing to keep in mind with these little segments. Rules are made to be broken. They are more guidelines. Your art and my art may not be the same. Its still art.

Composition, cropping, and competition. The following images were taken on a Canon t1i with F2.8 100mm macro lens.

The rule of thirds. Imagine an empty tic tac toe board. Now overlay that onto your image, breaking it up into equal thirds both vertically and horizontally. Some point and shoot cameras have this overlay built into the camera. The idea is to fill 1/3rds with different components. You can also use the intersections as focal points.

You can achieve this when taking the photograph or in the editing phase. In the following example, instead of the typical seedling centred on an image, it is offset to the left third. Leaving open space to the right two thirds. The centre of the new shoots is in one of the intersections. Empty space is part of the composition. Purposely put it on the left side as the seedling is looking right. Giving the impression of space to grow. Maybe lol. This was done by cropping the image. Here is the before, followed by the after, you decide which looks better. This is #2 WW fighting off the shell/membrane.

Notice I cropped out the large pieces of perlite at the base as well as the twig on the right. No majorly distracting features.

Cropping your image, or cutting off portions, can also improve an image. This photo of the brewing tea is not great. However it was improved by cropping off some excess blurred bubbles and dirt. Again, you decide if it makes it a better image. This is the untouched image.

The cropped image.

Finally here is an example of the same concepts done while setting up the shot. Not in the editing phase. This is the #3 GC. I remember my Accounting 11 teacher telling us about how we normally view an image or an advertisement: In a letter "Z" from the top left to top right, down to lower left, then to lower right. For westerners at least. I have never looked at an Ad the same way since.

Lastly I wanted to mention competitions. Most, if not all photo competitions or contests have fine print, usually once you submit an entry it is "theirs" to do what they want with. You may get credit but not paid. Now I havent checked the 420 rules but their watermark is in all our images (not necessarily a bad thing) and they may have the right to use for advertising free of charge. If you take an amazing photo, just keep that in mind. I dont submit my photos to any company photo competitions. Not that my photos are good enough but even an amateur can take the odd stunner. However, in the name of promoting cannabis and its benefits, I may be willing to submit the odd worthy photograph to 420 competitions.

Again, rules are made to be broken, and there are plenty of examples out there to prove that. I am not a professional, just some dude who has a camera, just some food for thought.

 

[Tony Urban]

Boiled some horsetail ferns for an hour or two then it sit overnight. Probably let it ferment over the next few weeks before inserting it into the foliar blends. Horsetail fern tea is a source of silica but more importantly fights off mold...from what I hear lol.

Mung beans are looking good, hopefully the majority sprout, and then i will have a small batch of sprouted seed tea. Which of course I will have to use right away unless I ferment that too.

#5 BD is above soil now. Yay.

Here is a group shot of the cramped quarters in my 2x2, #3 GC far back left, #2 WW far back right, #4 GC lower right, #5 BD lower left, and #6 Amnesia x OG dead centre.

smoke 'em if ya got 'em

Edit: It will be interesting to watch the Blue Dream and Amnesia OG, they will be growing in moister soil that was primed with the compost tea, compared to the two Green Crack and one White Widow who was left to grow in the slightly damp initial soil mix. Also worth mentioning was the amazing drainage I have in the soil. I could hear it percolating down as I watered. I also got my EC/PH/soil moisture meters in the mail this morning. All goodies now accounted for.

 

[Tony Urban]

Much like a new parent, I cant help hovering over my babies, and taking photos for all to see. No different this morning. I wanted to show off the blue dream, after only 24 hours post cotyledon show, it has responded to the compost tea feeding. I cant say for certain but I believe it has grown better than my first set of seeds who were planted in soil that wasnt innoculated with compost tea. Regardless they are now all well on their way to becoming all they can be. Inner city seeds of promise with the neccessary means to grow.

Here is #5 Blue Dream after 24 hours.

This is the #2 WW, who I think is asking to become a bonsai, but thats just another grow bucket list item. The struggles we all face early in life ripple throughout our lifetime. Making us stronger and better prepared for what lies ahead.

Finally an interesting shot of #6 Amnesia x OG. I partially peeled off the shell but the membrane is still there. The photo is not completely focused or sharp but this was pre-caffienation. Ain't nobody got time for tinkering pre-coffee.

Lastly, there are a lot of excellent photos on 420, with a lot of skilled photographers taking some great photos. I wanted to show off some of these folks and some of their photos as it relates to topics discussed here. I read through, and follow, this persons journals and was amazed at the quality of medicine they grow. As I read I was also impressed with their photography. So with his permission to do so, I would like to show off some of Twox's photographs that use elements of composition, and the rule of thirds, from his impressive Exotic Genetics journal. These are a few that caught my eye. If you haven't read it yet...those trap stars are some frosty mofos, go check it out!

 

[Tony Urban]

Got a little somethin' sumthin' in the mail today.

Had a little of the hash tonight, great buzz, few pulls off the cherry bomb too.

 

[Applesauce]

Got a little somethin' sumthin' in the mail today.

Had a little of the hash tonight, great buzz, few pulls off the cherry bomb too.

Awesome! I love getting new genetics. Ive made like 6 orders in the last 2 months lol, I gotta slow down. I keep reading up on strains though and somehow convince myself I have to have them immediately! Got some Scarlet Queen on the way now...

 

[Tony Urban]

Awesome! I love getting new genetics. Ive made like 6 orders in the last 2 months lol, I gotta slow down. I keep reading up on strains though and somehow convince myself I have to have them immediately! Got some Scarlet Queen on the way now...

No more genetics for me until I grow most of what I already have lol, those little presents were some fresh nugs and a little hash!



Scarlet Queen you say....those sound interesting!

 

[Applesauce]

Oooh ready to use, even better! That cherry bomb sounds awesome, ive never had a cherry tasting bud before... I got the scarlet queen because it has a cherry flavor profile and is supposed to have pinkish red trichs, making for pink cherry flavored rosin! Since I got my rosin press, I havent really smoked any flower, just dabbin!

 

[Tony Urban]

Oooh ready to use, even better! That cherry bomb sounds awesome, ive never had a cherry tasting bud before... I got the scarlet queen because it has a cherry flavor profile and is supposed to have pinkish red trichs, making for pink cherry flavored rosin! Since I got my rosin press, I havent really smoked any flower, just dabbin!

I have to admit, I dont taste cherry lol, but it is in a rolled joint form. I know I get more taste when I vape. But recemtly lost my da vinci on a road trip.

Is that Scarlet Queen from TGA? I got a 5 pack of Deep Purple (Urkle x Querkle) that I am dying to grow

 

[Applesauce]

Yea it probably comes through more in a vape or concentrate. I have a sour melon that doesnt really taste melon-like in a j or the bong, its more sour and musky, but squished out its like fresh cantaloupe!

Scarlet Queen is a TGA strain. Space Queen x Space Dude... Recent re-release from '08 I believe... Man I really wanted that deep purple but held off. Cant wait to see you grow that one out!

 

[CapCity]

Great pics Urban. I look forward to following along with ya.

I've also got a little one that looks pretty bonsai, the critical Jack auto. It's had a woody stem since two weeks old and may be starting to flower already at three weeks and only about 5". She is auto tho. Regardless, I'll put up some more pics of 'er.

Good luck with your grow!

 

[Tony Urban]

Yea it probably comes through more in a vape or concentrate. I have a sour melon that doesnt really taste melon-like in a j or the bong, its more sour and musky, but squished out its like fresh cantaloupe!

Scarlet Queen is a TGA strain. Space Queen x Space Dude... Recent re-release from '08 I believe... Man I really wanted that deep purple but held off. Cant wait to see you grow that one out!

Yeah a bit bummed I lost my vaporizer, might pull the trigger on a Volcano but, not sure I need to go there just yet. The only reason I didnt pop those Deep Purple first is because I wanted to get a grow or two under my belt first. Those genetics, although not big yielders, should be gorgeous looking buds with excellent flavour. Cant wait lol.

Great pics Urban. I look forward to following along with ya.

I've also got a little one that looks pretty bonsai, the critical Jack auto. It's had a woody stem since two weeks old and may be starting to flower already at three weeks and only about 5". She is auto tho. Regardless, I'll put up some more pics of 'er.

Good luck with your grow!

Hey CapCity! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate the company, flowering at 5"? Thats crazy! But awesome too, its a bit lame but, been facinated with bonsai ever since I watched the original Karate Kid lol

 

[Lady G2HM]

Hi UA, Your photos are alive! I can almost reach out and touch them.

 

[Tony Urban]

Hi UA, Your photos are alive! I can almost reach out and touch them.

Thank you!, although its more my camera lens than me, it is made for taking these types of photos. I spent countless hours in my yard chasing bumblebees and bugs, bent over flowers, and wandering around looking for interesting things to capture.