dstroy
Well-Known Member
When you can, if you’re going to be doing this for a while, you should get one. They’re handy to have around for other stuff too.
First Cannabis grow, third crop grow. How do my plants look? Feedback appreciated.
Cx2H
Well-Known Member
Love your detailed posts. How's the Velcro strip on the front of that gorilla holding up? I got 2 4x8 and the Velcro strip fux up first, other than that gorilla's are great.
Plants look great, keep up the good work.
Ro0k
Member
Thanks!
Velcro seems to be holding up okay, but I'm fairly gentle with it and not opening all the way if I don't have to. Worst case I can always stitch new stuff in .
medicallynecessary
Member
Make a drum vac, you can use a regular vacuum cleaner. Get an airtight container large enough that the suction and vacuum hoses are not near each other. Something like a 5 gallon bucket. Use aquarium tube or similar for the suction line. And put the tube through the lid lower then the vacuum cleaner suction. Then put the vacuum hose spaced far enough apart on the lid so one at 3 and one at 9 O'clock. Now you can vacuum with a dry vac.
Ro0k
Member
May 27th Update - Week 3 of Flower
Not a huge update today. Plants are looking healthy, but boy, I hope this stretch ends soon. I am almost out of room in the tent, and if I get any more growth, it's going to be tighter in there. Plants are healthy and thirsty. Drinking 2.5gal of water every 2 days. Still following Canna light feed schedule. Here's hoping I have only 5-6 weeks left!
Not a huge update today. Plants are looking healthy, but boy, I hope this stretch ends soon. I am almost out of room in the tent, and if I get any more growth, it's going to be tighter in there. Plants are healthy and thirsty. Drinking 2.5gal of water every 2 days. Still following Canna light feed schedule. Here's hoping I have only 5-6 weeks left!
Attachments
PigKiller
Active Member
http://bucketheadvac.com/
Cheap and great for small spaces. Since you use a 5 gal bucket as a reservoir emptying is easier then even the smallest shop vac.
Cheap and great for small spaces. Since you use a 5 gal bucket as a reservoir emptying is easier then even the smallest shop vac.
Ro0k
Member
Update: Week 3, Day 4 of Flower
Just a quick one today.
Intro
Walp, that's it. I'm out of room. Due to rookie not-knowing-how-the-stretch-works, and too long in veg, I've managed to take up all the space under my trellis. I've run out of room to route the branches for SCROG. I've got double branches in some of the spots. Boy, I hope the stretch ends soon, because this is getting ridiculous.
On the other hand, these beauties are looking good! With the exception of the one big branch on the right of the pics below, I've managed to keep the canopy fairly uniform, and all the branches are being run underneath the trellis. I think I've got the makings of a true SCROG and not just skeletal support. Or at least what passes for SCROG for a first-timer.
These babies are getting thirsty too. For awhile, 2 gallons every 2 days worked. Then it was 2.5 every 2 days. Now, it's 2 gallons a day. I'm going to try 3 gallons tomorrow and see how the runoff looks and maybe I can back it off to watering every other day. The plants don't seem to be TOO dry with watering ever 48 hours.
Lessons Learned
Less veg, definitely. 3 plants and 6-7 weeks of Veg was WAY too long. They could have gone into flower in week 4 or 5 and I'd still have all the trellis filled and probably be getting better yields.
I've done some true screwups trying to pinch my plants. One of the plants has only 3 main branches, one has a ton of bud sites, one has a bunch of main branches. A true cluster-fuck of errors. I mean, it looks like I'll still get a harvest, but, boy the cola sizes are going to be inconsistent.
Concerns
I'm concerned about the nodal spacing. You can see the large branch on one of the pics below and how far apart the nodes are. Not sure if this is normal or not, but I've kept the light as close as I dare to the plants. They're all getting good light.
Just a quick one today.
Intro
Walp, that's it. I'm out of room. Due to rookie not-knowing-how-the-stretch-works, and too long in veg, I've managed to take up all the space under my trellis. I've run out of room to route the branches for SCROG. I've got double branches in some of the spots. Boy, I hope the stretch ends soon, because this is getting ridiculous.
On the other hand, these beauties are looking good! With the exception of the one big branch on the right of the pics below, I've managed to keep the canopy fairly uniform, and all the branches are being run underneath the trellis. I think I've got the makings of a true SCROG and not just skeletal support. Or at least what passes for SCROG for a first-timer.
These babies are getting thirsty too. For awhile, 2 gallons every 2 days worked. Then it was 2.5 every 2 days. Now, it's 2 gallons a day. I'm going to try 3 gallons tomorrow and see how the runoff looks and maybe I can back it off to watering every other day. The plants don't seem to be TOO dry with watering ever 48 hours.
Lessons Learned
Less veg, definitely. 3 plants and 6-7 weeks of Veg was WAY too long. They could have gone into flower in week 4 or 5 and I'd still have all the trellis filled and probably be getting better yields.
I've done some true screwups trying to pinch my plants. One of the plants has only 3 main branches, one has a ton of bud sites, one has a bunch of main branches. A true cluster-fuck of errors. I mean, it looks like I'll still get a harvest, but, boy the cola sizes are going to be inconsistent.
Concerns
I'm concerned about the nodal spacing. You can see the large branch on one of the pics below and how far apart the nodes are. Not sure if this is normal or not, but I've kept the light as close as I dare to the plants. They're all getting good light.
Dankman5150
Member
For me rethinking how I do my next post haah nice details can't wait to see how it goes like you said baby steps
Ro0k
Member
Update: Flower Week 6
It's been a good couple of weeks since my last update, so I thought I'd post some more progress pics. And I. Am. EXCITED!!
Intro
Flowers are looking gorgeous, and I have a whole bunch of interesting developments. One plant has some large buds. Maybe 8 or so. It's the healthiest and fullest of the bunch. Another is a bit shorter, and has always drank the least water. It's got some smaller buds and is shorter all-round. There haven't been any health issues that I can pinpoint, and it could just be bad genetics or first-time mistakes I over-looked. The third is somewhere in the middle, with some good bud sites, but some smaller ones, too.
They're all healthy and ticking over. I've had one plant with some cal/mag deficiencies which I've handled with epsom salt. It's doing fine and with the exception of one leaf, it's healthy and green. The rest are developing nicely.
Tent is running a bit hot, but we're having a heat-wave here, and the plants don't seem to be showing any signs of heat stress. I'm thinking the positioning of my thermometer might be adding a couple of degrees. I have between 3-6 weeks of flower left by my reckoning, so I'm confident they'll do okay. Worst case, I can pipe in an a/c unit, but I hate running with my grow lights on the came circuit and when I'm not home.
These plants are getting sticky. I don't know if it's a product of the genetics, just the way the plant is, or a result of the lights, or some combination of the above, but touching these is like touching a pine seed. You can feel your fingers getting tacky after the first touch. I'm hoping there will be good crystal formation. Looks like they're starting, and if the sticky is any indication, I'm hopeful. I mean, I don't know, cuz I've never done this before, but good goo means good bud I hope.
Buds are filling in nicely. Internodal spacing looks good to my eyes, as there's little-to-no space in the buds themselves. Lots of white hairs, and a few are turning brown, though it's not ripe, yet. No pests, and no serious health issues with any of the plants.
Lessons Learned
This whole thing has been a lesson in the plant. The last 2-3 weeks, I've mainly spent deciphering the descriptions of the feed guide and comparing it to where the plant is growth-wise. I have no prior experience, so it's been sort of guesswork. "Oh, so that's what they mean when they say, 'flowers develop in length and growth in height achieved.' Oops, better add some nutrients." Round 2 will be that much better because I have some experience.
I also appear to have a mild allergy to... I'm guessing the plant oils. Going bare-armed when working in the garden, if I brush the plant with my forearm, the exposed part turns red, bumpy and itchy. Like milder poison ivy? Not enough to be concerned about just like, 'wear long sleeves in the garden, dummy.' Apparently this is a common enough thing, so it's just interesting rather than concerning.
My plants are still sitting in the trays. I tried boosting them up onto a brick or something, but the plants weren't cooperating. For the time being, I just evacuate the runoff. Next grow I'll rig something different. Raised drain-to-waste system maybe.
Questions
Can/Should I still trim? I can see some fan leaves blocking some of the light, and I defoliated a bunch prior to the last 10 days, but they keep growing! I don't want to hurt the plant, nor rob the bud growing.
Conclusion
My original goals appear to be materializing. I've had success growing from seed so far. No serious diseases, pests or nutrient deficiencies. No emergencies. I've got all females and every plant has bud/flower sites. So far, I'm expecting a yield. Not sure how much, but I'll get something out of this. That was the goal.
From now on, it's water, observe, wait.
As always, I welcome tips and feedback.
Pics:
It's been a good couple of weeks since my last update, so I thought I'd post some more progress pics. And I. Am. EXCITED!!
Intro
Flowers are looking gorgeous, and I have a whole bunch of interesting developments. One plant has some large buds. Maybe 8 or so. It's the healthiest and fullest of the bunch. Another is a bit shorter, and has always drank the least water. It's got some smaller buds and is shorter all-round. There haven't been any health issues that I can pinpoint, and it could just be bad genetics or first-time mistakes I over-looked. The third is somewhere in the middle, with some good bud sites, but some smaller ones, too.
They're all healthy and ticking over. I've had one plant with some cal/mag deficiencies which I've handled with epsom salt. It's doing fine and with the exception of one leaf, it's healthy and green. The rest are developing nicely.
Tent is running a bit hot, but we're having a heat-wave here, and the plants don't seem to be showing any signs of heat stress. I'm thinking the positioning of my thermometer might be adding a couple of degrees. I have between 3-6 weeks of flower left by my reckoning, so I'm confident they'll do okay. Worst case, I can pipe in an a/c unit, but I hate running with my grow lights on the came circuit and when I'm not home.
These plants are getting sticky. I don't know if it's a product of the genetics, just the way the plant is, or a result of the lights, or some combination of the above, but touching these is like touching a pine seed. You can feel your fingers getting tacky after the first touch. I'm hoping there will be good crystal formation. Looks like they're starting, and if the sticky is any indication, I'm hopeful. I mean, I don't know, cuz I've never done this before, but good goo means good bud I hope.
Buds are filling in nicely. Internodal spacing looks good to my eyes, as there's little-to-no space in the buds themselves. Lots of white hairs, and a few are turning brown, though it's not ripe, yet. No pests, and no serious health issues with any of the plants.
Lessons Learned
This whole thing has been a lesson in the plant. The last 2-3 weeks, I've mainly spent deciphering the descriptions of the feed guide and comparing it to where the plant is growth-wise. I have no prior experience, so it's been sort of guesswork. "Oh, so that's what they mean when they say, 'flowers develop in length and growth in height achieved.' Oops, better add some nutrients." Round 2 will be that much better because I have some experience.
I also appear to have a mild allergy to... I'm guessing the plant oils. Going bare-armed when working in the garden, if I brush the plant with my forearm, the exposed part turns red, bumpy and itchy. Like milder poison ivy? Not enough to be concerned about just like, 'wear long sleeves in the garden, dummy.' Apparently this is a common enough thing, so it's just interesting rather than concerning.
My plants are still sitting in the trays. I tried boosting them up onto a brick or something, but the plants weren't cooperating. For the time being, I just evacuate the runoff. Next grow I'll rig something different. Raised drain-to-waste system maybe.
Questions
Can/Should I still trim? I can see some fan leaves blocking some of the light, and I defoliated a bunch prior to the last 10 days, but they keep growing! I don't want to hurt the plant, nor rob the bud growing.
Conclusion
My original goals appear to be materializing. I've had success growing from seed so far. No serious diseases, pests or nutrient deficiencies. No emergencies. I've got all females and every plant has bud/flower sites. So far, I'm expecting a yield. Not sure how much, but I'll get something out of this. That was the goal.
From now on, it's water, observe, wait.
As always, I welcome tips and feedback.
Pics:
Last edited:
Ro0k
Member
Update: Flush, Harvest and Beyond
Okay, this update has been a long time coming, but I've done the harvest, done the cure and am awaiting enough curing to test my buds.
Leading up to the flush, I discovered seed pods. That was a huge bummer, but I guess it's what I get for using bag seed. I chopped on July 1st and flushed for a full week prior. Plants were healthy up to final harvest, with very few if any deficiencies leading up to harvest. The trichs were nice, and the leaves were healthy.
A bit bummed that I had to chop a week earlier than I would have liked, but I got panicky what with the seeds and the hermies I was growing, and we had a huge heat wave that made controlling temps in my grow room a joke. I had to get 'em down or risk serious heat stress.. Such is life.
Canopy and closeup prior to chop:
Buds are healthy, and plants flushed nicely.
The canopy was huge. I completely ran out of room in my tent with 3 plants. A 6 week veg was way too long. And BOY did it take me a long time to chop and trim everything. Like, all day on a Saturday long. I owe this to a) not knowing wth I was doing and b) frequent breaks.
But I got it done, nevertheless. Below are my plants, out of the tent, just before chopping them. I could have done more undercarriage maintenance, and my canopy wasn't as uniform as I would have liked, and I definitely could have pruned more during growth. Just to get the fan leaves out of the way.
But I'll tell you this: I love smart pots. The root ball on these plants was basically 100% of the substrate. Anything that was covered by the coco was roots. Huge, healthy dense rootball. No binding, no circling. Just lush dense roots. I'm going to be using smart pots forever.
The harvest went well, but as I mentioned above, took way too long. At the end, I ended up with a paper bag full of fan leaves and detritus, and a paper bag full of popcorn/seeded lower buds and sugar leaves. But, ooooh, that smell! I don't know what strain I have, but they smell super spicy and pungent. This doesn't smell like the cheap skag weed you sometimes smell walking around.
The buds weren't as dense as I'd like, and I'm not sure whether it's a function of the environment/tent, genes of the plant or the fact the plants all went hermie and most got seeded. I'm guessing a combination of all of the above. The plant grows in all conditions, but I can definitely see the benefit of a completely climate-controlled room. I don't have the ability to do that, so I have to play and grow with the seasons.
Once I got the chopping and wet trimming done, I hung them in my tent for a week to dry. That part was easy and I had no issues or anything.
After hanging, the true comedy of errors started. I bought bubble bags and was all, "I'm gonna make bubble hash!" That part wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. 2 bags of ice, a 5-gallon bucket, the bags and a mixer. What was annoying was how badly I miscalculated the ice-to-water ratio. I used a bag of ice in the bottom, and added a bit of water. Then my trim, then a second bag of ice and more water until it was a solution. But I used way too much ice. It took a good 3 hours for the ice to melt well enough for me to hit the mix with the hand mixer and get all the crystals off. I got 'em off, but it took soooo long. After figuring out how to jig the bags to keep all the crystals concentrated, then figuring out how to scrape 'em off the screens then laying them out, I ended up with some hash. Which was nice.
73 micron on the left, 25 micron on the right.
After it dried and darkened for a few days, the true hilarity began. I was like, "Okay, how do I get this off the paper?" I'd seen a hot water bottle rolling method, so I figured I'd try that. Nope. All I ended up with was a sticky pasty mess. And I got so much on my gloves. Just ridiculous. Turns out my apartment was warm enough to keep the crystals soft so they actually needed to go into the freezer for a half hour to get it cooled enough to roll. After I figured that out, the rolling went well and I ended up with a couple marble-sized balls of hash. Not a huge amount, but enough to satisfy me.
After a week of drying in the tent, I trimmed the buds and put them in a 1-gallon jar to cure some more.
The good: I got a decent weight of harvest.
The bad: So. Many. Seeds.
I reckon half of this harvest is seeded, and I'm not even sure what to do with it all. I guess I can separate them and make hash with the rest, but I don't feel like pulling out seeds for smoking.
Lessons Learned
I'm excited to smoke this stuff. Not necessarily because I think it'll be a great high (it probably won't), just to have the satisfaction of, "I grew this from seed, and got this." I know what went into my plants, and I didn't have any pest problems.
I'd like to circle back on this and review my original goals, which were 2-fold:
So do I count this as a success? By my original goals, undoubtedly yes. Personally? I'm 50/50 on it. I got smokeable material and I got hash. I didn't get dense buds like I wanted, and I'm still suspicious about the strength. I'll see tonight, though. For my own ego, I'll count this as a success. I achieved everything I set out to, even though the quality is not up to my personal standards. But it's only up from here, folks.
Final Yield:
Dried material: 125g dried. Not quite 5 ounces, or 0.4g/watt.
Hash: 3.17g for the 73 micron, 2.74g in the 25 micron. 5.93 g total.
Okay, this update has been a long time coming, but I've done the harvest, done the cure and am awaiting enough curing to test my buds.
Leading up to the flush, I discovered seed pods. That was a huge bummer, but I guess it's what I get for using bag seed. I chopped on July 1st and flushed for a full week prior. Plants were healthy up to final harvest, with very few if any deficiencies leading up to harvest. The trichs were nice, and the leaves were healthy.
A bit bummed that I had to chop a week earlier than I would have liked, but I got panicky what with the seeds and the hermies I was growing, and we had a huge heat wave that made controlling temps in my grow room a joke. I had to get 'em down or risk serious heat stress.. Such is life.
Canopy and closeup prior to chop:
Buds are healthy, and plants flushed nicely.
The canopy was huge. I completely ran out of room in my tent with 3 plants. A 6 week veg was way too long. And BOY did it take me a long time to chop and trim everything. Like, all day on a Saturday long. I owe this to a) not knowing wth I was doing and b) frequent breaks.
But I got it done, nevertheless. Below are my plants, out of the tent, just before chopping them. I could have done more undercarriage maintenance, and my canopy wasn't as uniform as I would have liked, and I definitely could have pruned more during growth. Just to get the fan leaves out of the way.
But I'll tell you this: I love smart pots. The root ball on these plants was basically 100% of the substrate. Anything that was covered by the coco was roots. Huge, healthy dense rootball. No binding, no circling. Just lush dense roots. I'm going to be using smart pots forever.
The harvest went well, but as I mentioned above, took way too long. At the end, I ended up with a paper bag full of fan leaves and detritus, and a paper bag full of popcorn/seeded lower buds and sugar leaves. But, ooooh, that smell! I don't know what strain I have, but they smell super spicy and pungent. This doesn't smell like the cheap skag weed you sometimes smell walking around.
The buds weren't as dense as I'd like, and I'm not sure whether it's a function of the environment/tent, genes of the plant or the fact the plants all went hermie and most got seeded. I'm guessing a combination of all of the above. The plant grows in all conditions, but I can definitely see the benefit of a completely climate-controlled room. I don't have the ability to do that, so I have to play and grow with the seasons.
Once I got the chopping and wet trimming done, I hung them in my tent for a week to dry. That part was easy and I had no issues or anything.
After hanging, the true comedy of errors started. I bought bubble bags and was all, "I'm gonna make bubble hash!" That part wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. 2 bags of ice, a 5-gallon bucket, the bags and a mixer. What was annoying was how badly I miscalculated the ice-to-water ratio. I used a bag of ice in the bottom, and added a bit of water. Then my trim, then a second bag of ice and more water until it was a solution. But I used way too much ice. It took a good 3 hours for the ice to melt well enough for me to hit the mix with the hand mixer and get all the crystals off. I got 'em off, but it took soooo long. After figuring out how to jig the bags to keep all the crystals concentrated, then figuring out how to scrape 'em off the screens then laying them out, I ended up with some hash. Which was nice.
73 micron on the left, 25 micron on the right.
After it dried and darkened for a few days, the true hilarity began. I was like, "Okay, how do I get this off the paper?" I'd seen a hot water bottle rolling method, so I figured I'd try that. Nope. All I ended up with was a sticky pasty mess. And I got so much on my gloves. Just ridiculous. Turns out my apartment was warm enough to keep the crystals soft so they actually needed to go into the freezer for a half hour to get it cooled enough to roll. After I figured that out, the rolling went well and I ended up with a couple marble-sized balls of hash. Not a huge amount, but enough to satisfy me.
After a week of drying in the tent, I trimmed the buds and put them in a 1-gallon jar to cure some more.
The good: I got a decent weight of harvest.
The bad: So. Many. Seeds.
I reckon half of this harvest is seeded, and I'm not even sure what to do with it all. I guess I can separate them and make hash with the rest, but I don't feel like pulling out seeds for smoking.
Lessons Learned
- I am NEVER growing from bag seed again. Period. From now on, I'll be spending the extra money and getting some good feminized seeds from a reputable company. If I can keep the temperatures under control and start with a stable strain, I expect my results to be better.
- Hash, man. I don't need to do anything fancy. Knock off the crystals, let the water evaporate, stick 'em in the freezer for a half hour, THEN peel it off the paper and roll. I don't need anything else besides that.
- Temperatures. Cannabis is a hardy plant, no doubt about that. It'll grow in a host of conditions. But to get the best yields, I HAVE to control the temperatures somewhat.
- I'm NEVER starting in March again. My grow started from seed in early March, and I harvested July 1st. For the last half of May and the whole of June, my temperatures were out of control. We had unseasonably warm weather and it wreaked havoc in my tent. Most days were nearly 30C in the tent. I'm going to go with 2 grows a year from now on: one on Labour day, one in January. Give myself a 4 month window to grow. So I have time if it takes longer to ripen, and correct any issues, and the temperatures should stay in control. I can even use the exhaust from my light to heat my house in the winter.
- Yup, I learned the life cycle of the plant. It's like chess: not difficult to do with time and attention, but difficult to master.
- Minimum feeding is best feeding. I stuck with the Canna light feeding recommendation, and had zero over-feeding or nutrient burn problems. Plants were healthy for their whole life-cycle, with no yellowing or anything until the flush.
I'm excited to smoke this stuff. Not necessarily because I think it'll be a great high (it probably won't), just to have the satisfaction of, "I grew this from seed, and got this." I know what went into my plants, and I didn't have any pest problems.
I'd like to circle back on this and review my original goals, which were 2-fold:
- Learn the plant life-cycle and how it behaves.
I definitely did this. Learned what the plant process looks like, learned how she grows, learned how to prune, learned how to water, learned about some nutrient deficiencies (mainly cal/mag). This has been a huge addition to my experience. You can have all the books and tutorials in the world, but nothing beats first-hand experience.
- Have a harvest, of any sort. If I can get some frost, avoid pests, and have smokable weed, I will count this grow as a success.
I got a harvest! I'm super pumped. I grew a thing. I can now smoke a thing. Here's hoping it's not snap-crackle-poppy, but we'll see how that goes later. I didn't have pests. Not a one. No flies, no mites, no nothing. Clean grow room, good air and good media are worth their weight for the savings in headache. As a corollary, it also means I didn't have to spray anything or rinse anything. No pesticides or anything like that were used. I'll have a better smoke because of it, I'm sure.
So do I count this as a success? By my original goals, undoubtedly yes. Personally? I'm 50/50 on it. I got smokeable material and I got hash. I didn't get dense buds like I wanted, and I'm still suspicious about the strength. I'll see tonight, though. For my own ego, I'll count this as a success. I achieved everything I set out to, even though the quality is not up to my personal standards. But it's only up from here, folks.
Final Yield:
Dried material: 125g dried. Not quite 5 ounces, or 0.4g/watt.
Hash: 3.17g for the 73 micron, 2.74g in the 25 micron. 5.93 g total.
Cali Cajun
Well-Known Member
Hey Rook, just found your posting this morning - I really enjoyed reading your detailed posts; it sounds like you learned a lot. I'm currently on my first grow, and many of your "lessons learned" resonated with things I'm seeing. Anyway, congratulations on the first grow and good luck on the next one!
Ro0k
Member
Bit late to this one, but thanks man. I appreciate the feedback. I'm about 3 weeks away from harvesting my second grow, and they look GREAT.
Blueberry strain, and the pic below is from nov 15. 4 plants, but same setup. I have 3 or 4 MASSIVE colas. The scrog is fucked because I grew them too long, but they're ripening and best news: no seeds!
I love comparing the first shitty bagseed grow to now with lessons learned and proper good genetics.
