Xlr8's Hydroponic Adventures & Photos From The Garden - 2012

[OG13]

I like how Jack the Ripper is a girl........maybe it should be Jackie. Super creeper, sounds like a transmission to make some money with. Tonight is full of random thoughts.

Back to business now, yeah, perpetual you have to be like an operating room clean, can be a real drag. Always have to be willing to shut down if needed to "fumigate".

 

[Alaskan1]

Good luck! Are you trying clones in rapid rooters, too? Those little plugs are really great - I think you'll be really pleased with the results.

I've been using your idea of an airstone in the reservoir this round, and I'm thinking I really like it so far. I'm really pleased with the grow at the moment, and I believe the plants have grown more vigorously since I started aerating the reservoir. I'm getting a little more gunk then I get without the airstone, but not nearly as much as I'd feared (certainly not enough that it concerns me at all). At this point, I don't see myself going back at all - I'm thinking I'll stick with it. Thanks again for all your efforts to demonstrate its effectiveness and testing it. Helped me a bunch!

Yep, I used the rooters for the seeds and clones. I went back to using my bathroom to grow clones as it's very warm in there and the humidity is a little higher and I think this helps them. How long before I take a peek inside the rooter for the seedlings to see if anything is going on? They have been in for 24 hours now. i'm hoping I got the seeds in correctly. It was hard to see which end was pointy on them.

I'm glad your're liking the airstomes. I certainly do love using them. They help in a couple of ways. They keep the nutes mixed, add oxygen to the system and help keep the mixture cooler. Funny......me helping you lol Usually the other way around!

 

[Mr. Krip]

I've had her for a while, and I need to thin her about once a week. I've never seen a plant that naturally stacks nodes so tightly. It's a blessing and a curse. It becomes a nightmare to keep her thinned and trimmed. I wish I had some spare room to just grow one monster bush from her. But she's going to be kind of squeezed in there, unfortunately.

I like the Jack the Ripper quite a bit. It's a lot like Super Lemon Haze flavor wise (really lemony) but it does have a hint of something else with the lemon that the SLH doesn't. It's also the plant I have that grows those interesting bud-leaves. The other thing interesting about it is that it's a SUPER creeper. It's a very delayed high that kind of catches you off guard. By far, the longest high delay of any strain I've ever had. Makes it easy to over-medicate, so one must be careful with the Ripper.

Great to see you - your garden sure has been looking amazing!

Sounds just like Jack the Ripper to get you when you least expect it!

 

[SurfBuddy]

Hiya Xlr8,

How do you extract your seeds from the dry buds? I don't want to destroy them with scissors, but the nugs are so sticky I'm not sure how to deal with it efficiently.

 

[Propa Gator]

Dry them crispy, then break them out with ol' skool fingers in a shoe box lid.

 

[Xlr8]

Hiya Xlr8,

How do you extract your seeds from the dry buds? I don't want to destroy them with scissors, but the nugs are so sticky I'm not sure how to deal with it efficiently.

Dry them crispy, then break them out with ol' skool fingers in a shoe box lid.

Agreed! They are pretty easily removed once the bud dries more. Some will pop out on their own practically, and some you'll have to dig for a little (some can realllly hide) - using fingers as Gator suggests. Nature will help some - if they are mature and bud is dry they'll want to come out (it's in their design to do so). The shoe box lid is a great idea -- thanks Gator!

 

[Xlr8]

Hmm.
Very interesting info xlr8 !!! :/

Btw, do you think will be an excess of a 4x55 watt (starlight) 8 bulb CFL fixture, in a 4x4 tent for 2 mums and 9 plants in veg ?

Thank you (as always ) xlr8 , food for thought , as you said ....

It sounds good - actually though, I think what you mean is actually a t5 flourescent fixture, and it should work fine if you keep it the right distance from your plants and can fit them all under alright. Fluorescents work great for vegging.

 

[Xlr8]

I like how Jack the Ripper is a girl........maybe it should be Jackie. Super creeper, sounds like a transmission to make some money with. Tonight is full of random thoughts.

Back to business now, yeah, perpetual you have to be like an operating room clean, can be a real drag. Always have to be willing to shut down if needed to "fumigate".

Super creeper sounds like a band from Seattle to me... Yes, no real down time makes for challenges and need for continual best practice behavior. No short cuts or you get burned!

 

[Xlr8]

Yep, I used the rooters for the seeds and clones. I went back to using my bathroom to grow clones as it's very warm in there and the humidity is a little higher and I think this helps them. How long before I take a peek inside the rooter for the seedlings to see if anything is going on? They have been in for 24 hours now. i'm hoping I got the seeds in correctly. It was hard to see which end was pointy on them.

I'm glad your're liking the airstomes. I certainly do love using them. They help in a couple of ways. They keep the nutes mixed, add oxygen to the system and help keep the mixture cooler. Funny......me helping you lol Usually the other way around!

I'm a day late or so replying, but my guess is that you are either seeing them poke their heads up now or you will by morning. I wouldn't peek in the rooter - let them come out on their own, which will be soon if not already. Some can take up to a week to pop out, others in a couple of days.

Careful not to over soak the rooters or let them get too dry. I like to have one with no seed in it that I treat like the others so I can squeeze it and inspect the moisture level. You want to maintain moist, but not soaked and they'll work like magic.

 

[Xlr8]

Sounds just like Jack the Ripper to get you when you least expect it!

Haha, yup it's a sneaky one. Cool plant with extra leaf blades, buds on the fan leaves... Really unique with an amazing taste and smell. Be interesting to see if any of those traits are in the plants that are crosses with the male JTR I used.

 

[jandre2k3]

Hiya Xlr8,

How do you extract your seeds from the dry buds? I don't want to destroy them with scissors, but the nugs are so sticky I'm not sure how to deal with it efficiently.

I usually hang a fine mesh bag loosely around a seeded plant so as to catch the seeds that fall out as it dries while hanging. Then, get some tweezers when the stem snaps, and do as Propa Gator said. pick'em out.

 

[Xlr8]

I usually hang a fine mesh bag loosely around a seeded plant so as to catch the seeds that fall out as it dries while hanging. Then, get some tweezers when the stem snaps, and do as Propa Gator said. pick'em out.

Another good idea - thanks Jandre!

 

[Xlr8]

These are from Friday the 21st, Day 5 since beginning flower cycle.

View from the side:

Group picture of the flowering plants from above (taken Friday). For fun, compare the picture from Friday, to the picture below it from Monday earlier that same week - quite a difference a few days makes, huh? Notice how as the growth happens, I try to work with them to fill the space horizontally so that they have more room to grow "up" later. Sort of like an invisible SCROG (that's really hard to keep up with when they grow this fast!):

From Monday - 4 days earlier in the week:

Overall, I'm thrilled with their development so far, and I'm as excited as I've ever been about a grow. I wasn't able to train them much this weekend, which can be a real problem (as you can see from above how fast things change). Hopefully, I can whip them back into shape somewhat tonight, but they're clearly hitting high gear in the stretch/growth process.

I think I made a mistake trying to sneak in the Pineapple Express with these F1* crosses of mine, as the hybrid vigor is going to win the fight for space I'm afraid... I'm going to have to fight to keep some space for the Pineapple Express it looks like.

*For those unfamiliar with F1 crosses (first generation cross between 2 unique strains):

When you cross-breed two different (the more genetically different the better) cannabis strains, the resulting seeds have something that is known as "hybrid vigor". ​

Hybrid vigor only seems to apply for that first generation of seeds. These seeds are known as F1 (first generation cross) seeds. Subsequent generations after the first set of seeds don't show signs of hybrid vigor unless they also are crossed with different strains. Note: Commercial corn growers use this to their advantage all the time, as a way to produce bigger, higher yielding crops (for example).


​

 

[jandre2k3]

You always have such a frikkin even canopy... that shows finesse.

 

[Xlr8]

You always have such a frikkin even canopy... that shows finesse.

Thanks Jandre - as you know, it's critical to keep up with training during the first 3 weeks of bloom. I took a few days off, so we'll see if I can keep it even or not, lol. As I mentioned, I'm worried about the Pineapple Express with the others - it's in a much slower gear than the F1's in the tent. Live and learn I guess, but I think I'll have my hands full these next couple of weeks due to the PE needing space.

The Jack the Ripper might be an issue too -- it's a clone of the same plant I flowered a couple of grows ago, and that one hardly stretched at all (not at all what I expected from a mostly Sativa plant). Though, that one is in it's own pot with coco coir, so I should be able to put something under it if it falls behind the others. This time, a LOT more veg for the JTR too, so maybe that'll change things...

Thanks again - I definitely try to keep it even!

 

[naphtali5725]

Hey Xlr8, things are looking good there buddy, looks like good growth I hope all is well man, great job as usual

Kind regards

 

[Xlr8]

Hey Xlr8, things are looking good there buddy, looks like good growth I hope all is well man, great job as usual

Kind regards

Hey Naph! Good to see you buddy. Might sound cheesy, but you've been following my journals and dropping by for long enough that I think of you as an old friend. I always smile when you pop in - makes me feel good always just knowing you're still around. How are things going for you? You still working on the car (truck) project?

 

[OldMedMan]

Hey X !

jandre picked the picture I liked best.....brother you are going to have soooo many bud sites very soon!

 

[Alaskan1]

Hey X my brotha111
I want to thank you again for your tutorial on cloning and seeding. my 3 seeds popped and are reaching for the moon! Reps to you for that!!!!

Also nice looking jungle you have going there

 

[OldMedMan]

Hey X my brotha111
I want to thank you again for your tutorial on cloning and seeding. my 3 seeds popped and are reaching for the moon! Reps to you for that!!!!

Also nice looking jungle you have going there

Hey A1, do you have an active journal going right now......I don't want to miss it. OMM