light and airy buds??

[seaniken]

I have harvested, and dried one of my plants (a little early but trichs were cloudy). Why are they SO light? All the bud I have bought in the past is usually somewhat dense-very dense. Could it be because I harvested somewhat early? It still delivers a nice high but I wish they were more dense. I have 3 more plants that are late bloomers so Im asking to see if I can do anything to make those more dense. PLEASE HELP! Any suggestions would be GREAT!

 

[GrowingPA]

The more light that get to the buds the denser they are going to get. I would try to water with molasses to help densin the buds.But one of the main factors is light describe the area around your plants, this maybe the main factor. Im not sure but i believe soil also plays a factor in the density of the bud.

 

[seaniken]

hmmm... I guess that could be. Im growing with CFL's but I have 3 plants right now with 15 - 46w bulbs. So light shouldnt affect it right? Im growing in store bought soil but currently Im feeding it Green Light Super Bloom once every 10 days or so. Two teaspoons per gallon. The plants are healthy otherwise. How do I feed molasses? Like just regular store bought molasses?

 

[seaniken]

Someone please help!!!

 

[Phinxter]

thats the reason ... cfls will always give you fluffy buds
hps will deliver the dense nugs you are after

 

[seaniken]

i disagree. Only because of the CFL journals Ive seen on this site and some of the incredible buds they have produced. If they can grow great buds with CFL's shouldnt I be able to do the same? Do any CFL growers wanna chime in on what this could possibly be?

 

[Dirtyboy]

It could be that they were not finished. The last 2 weeks is when they put on the weight. They should be thick with your light just maybe not that big.

 

[seaniken]

Thats definitely understandable. They may not have been finished. I have 3 more growing and I WILL NOT pull them early. Any tips on the final stages? What's this I hear about molasses? Is it just regular store bought molasses? How is it fed?

 

[KushKing949]

molasses is a flowering ladies best friend haha 1 tbl spn per gallon
the brand to get is "grandmas all natural unsulphured molasses" hope this helps.

 

[husalife]

Almost same problem here seaniken, my plants are growing strong and are nice and thick and covered with crystals, BUT, I clipped one big bud and hung it to dry after two days it had shrank sooo much and has air spots all in it instead of being spongy like the nugs i buy, my light is the Sun though.

 

[ThaGreenBandit]

Just a noobie myself, but from everything I've read, and I have been doing soooo much reading, and from all the questions I've asked, I can say that the general opinion is gonna be that cfl's are gonna give you lighter, fluffier buds...

 

[Rocky Top High]

I also agree, CFL's will not give you the density that HPS or the sun will give you. I don't care what others say or what is written in a book. CFL's from my experience have always been smaller aand fluffier. High temps will also make your buds fluffy.

 

[Thundercat]

Ok so I don't have too many grows under my belt, but I've been around it for several years now, and reading anything I can get my hands on, to make each next grow better. I know that some people grow with cfls, and the question is nessecarly about the type of lights, but rather the wattage! The amount of useable lumens that your plants get makes all the differance in the world! I have grown with florescents until the bloom cycle of my last grow. The buds were fluffy, thats when I said ok time for HPS! My last grow was 60-90 days veg on florescents, the internodes on the plant were stretched. I bloomed with a 1000k HPS, for 50-60 days, and the buds ended up fairly tight in the long run, much better then with florescent. I really think that the light is the biggest prob. if you don't want to go to HPS, then get like 10 more high watt cfls, and make yourself a light board or something to maximize plant exposure.

To the fellow that said that he has the same problem, but he grows outdoors. Outdoors buds are always fluffier!!!

 

[Al B. Fuct]

thats the reason ... cfls will always give you fluffy buds
hps will deliver the dense nugs you are after

Correct. Flowering with CFLs is the main cause of poor density. It is high light intensity which makes dense buds. CFLs produce low intensity light, even the very large 125W types recently introduced. More dim lights does not make bright light, so it doesn't really matter how many you have over a given area- it's still just more point sources of low intensity light.

A secondary cause can be excessive air temp in the flowering room. Normal range is 24-26C.

If you absolutely have to use CFLs for flowering, you can maximise density if you put a CFL literally next to each bud on the plant, within 2". Mind you, if you want to grow enough dense buds to get you through to the next harvest (figuring on smoking about 1/4z per wk), you need either impractical numbers of CFLs or a single, small HPS. A 250HPS is a good personal smoke flowering light. Not hard to get an oz of quality buds a month in a small SoG op with a 250.

Neither molasses nor any other sugar are useful as a plant food and will not in any way increase bud density. This is pure urban myth. There's commercial interests who have picked up on this myth and sell products like 'Carbo Load' to fill the demand.

 

[GrowingPA]

i personally think molasses works. So

 

[Al B. Fuct]

I personally think Bigfoot stole my cabbage plants last summer, but I can't prove it.

Do what I did. Head to the web and search for information about sugars as plant food, fertiliser, nutrient, etc. Exclude any anecdotal information from growers or sellers of sugar sauces. The information you want is peer-reviewed writings from the botanical or horticultural colleges of a well known university, information which has been used by independent others to replicate certain claimed results.

Don't tell me I'm wrong, prove me wrong. Bet you can't. I've tried to prove or disprove the benefits.The very closest I've ever found to quality evidence of the utility sugars in growing plants is the incorporation of sugar beet processing wastes in agricultural soils as a conditioner... and you may as well have used any compost for that purpose.

With specific regard to hydroponics, sugars are food for pathogens and nothing else. I can't tell you how many people who have come to me over time with compounded root rot and fungal problems advanced by molasses and/or other sugar solutions.

 

[seaniken]

Thank you for all the input. I dont disagree (anymore) but I've seen many buds on this site grown under CFL's and they have turned up some great buds. I dont know... To be honest, when and if I ever do another grow I will likely get a 400W HPS. Simply because it's easier (no light adjustments daily, no worry about light falling on the plants... etc) We will see if that makes a difference. In the mean time, my fluffy buds still get me feeling like a million bucks and, with 3 still going, Ill be SURE to let them mature fully. Maybe that makes a BIG difference. I'll keep you updated. We're looking at 2 weeks. Im flushing.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

Sure, you might be able to raise a (very) few nice looking buds with CFLs in very close proximity to the plants, which requires frequent adjustment as you note. However, anything more than a few inches away from the CFL tube will give you the dreaded popcorn fluff.

Yep, speed is the second benefit to high light intensity, beyond density. Flower this CFL grow for as long as you can.

CFLs absolutely have a place in a productive grow op. They're great for clones and even vegging mums when speed of regenerating veg matter on the mums is not of critical importance, as it might be in a continuous harvest SoG op, where you need high quality, thick stemmed cuts every couple of weeks. Flowering is simply not their strong suit.

Many new growers use CFLs because they're now widely available and very cheap, but it's actually more economical to buy a small HPS and do it right going in. A 400HPS is a terrific small flowering light. Should easily be able to grow more rock-solid frosties than you can smoke with one.

 

[Dr.X]

In the long run its cheaper to run a cfl for 12 or 18 hours a day than it is to run a 400watt HPS for the same amount time isnt it? Making it the more economical choice, i think cfl's are fine to use throughout the grow, less heat and risk of burning your plant and cheaper to run and purchase in the first place.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

It's also cheaper to ride a moped than a Fireblade.

Apples/oranges.

If you flower with CFLs you'll get fluffy buds. If you just LIKE fluffy buds, more power to ya.