250w HPS Club And Help Guide

stoneslacker

stoneslacker

Well-Known Member
Hettyman said:
Right while curing is somewhat fresh, can I check a few things cos currently its my weak point, largely through not leaving enough smoke to cure each time. The few attempts I have had, the budd seems to smell funny for the first few days, and I get really worried and end up smoking the budd rather then lose it to mould.

I dry my budds for about 6-7 days, in pitch black, around 18 centigrade, with 4" extractor running 24/7. At this point the budds are mostly dry on the outside, but you can still feel a bit of softness when you squeeze, and the budds return to shape when you release.

Curing jars are from the fancy instant coffee I drink. Instead of screw tops, the top has a rubber bung which pops the lid on and off firmly creating an airtight seal. (800ml glass jars)

Budd stuck in the jars with ample free space and every 10-12 hours I burb (my method: open the lid and move the budds a little, leave to air for an hour, and re-seal)

Jars stored in cupboard, pitch black, and cool.

I'm sure I'm doing everything right, maybe I just need to let them dry a couple of days more first. Any thoughts??
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Sounds like you have it right. I usually dry till the stems near the bud crack nicely, but dont snap through. I pack the buds fairly tight, I don't cram or stuff them in but I make sure the jars are nice and full. The buds will smell green the first couple weeks when you open them to burp. As long as they are dried enough the risk of mold is minimal just make sure the first couple weeks you burp them regularly and inspect for mold.

I usually burp every 8-14 hours the first couple weeks and leave the jars open for a couple hours at least. When you open the jars you can feel the moisture come to the surface of the buds, leave the jars open till you begin to feel a slight bit of dryness return to the outside of the bud then seal them up for another cycle. Always rotate your bud around in the jar when you burp them too. After a couple weeks you will notice a change in the smell and feel of the buds. Sample them here and check for consistency in the dryness and feel of the buds. Check the taste and feel of the smoke. If the buds feel like they could use some more burping and air do so. If things seem pretty good at this point seal them up for a month or so, trying not to crack the seal and sample too much.
 
Hettyman

Hettyman

Well-Known Member
stoneslacker said:
leave the jars open till you begin to feel a slight bit of dryness return to the outside of the bud then seal them up for another cycle.

If things seem pretty good at this point seal them up for a month or so, trying not to crack the seal and sample too much.
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Thanks, I'm glad i've asked now, cos that first sentence is a little tip about knowing how long to leave the jars open...every day is a school day :)

And I have loads of jars, so can put a weeks supply in each one, minimising disruption once fulling cured. I have my oldest friend coming down next weekend, and have a small jar curing just for him. He only smokes about once a month now, so has a low tolerance anyway, but I like my budd to really impress...which it does. Actually he went to Amsterdam last month, and couldn't wait to tell me that on his return he had a small rizzla joint of my weed, and still gut busted. It's things like that which make it all worthwhile
 
RCgrowerman

RCgrowerman

Active Member
10acjed said:
24g dry weight, well probably 21 without the stems. Just the tops of one plant so far. And it dried much to long..

Bud seemed like it would be heavier when growing.... LOL
View attachment 2325643

View attachment 2325644

1/2 for me, 1/2 for my silent partner...
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That is a pretty steep price just to keep quiet lol. I usually smoke with my roommate and give him exclusive discounts but never give him any.
I spend way too much time and money on my girls to give him some just for minding his own business. To each his own though if it works for
you guys!
 
10acjed

10acjed

Active Member
RCgrowerman said:
That is a pretty steep price just to keep quiet lol. I usually smoke with my roommate and give him exclusive discounts but never give him any.
I spend way too much time and money on my girls to give him some just for minding his own business. To each his own though if it works for
you guys!
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Well its a bit different, the grow is at her place. Dear friend, dealing with cancer and crap insurance. She was growing some swag on the porch, i toll her she would be better just growing in the spare closet, we split the cost of everything...

So here we are ;)
 
Dr. Kundilini

Dr. Kundilini

Well-Known Member
stoneslacker said:
Looks outstanding RC. I can't say enough about the curing process. The improvements to taste, smokability, and buzz are definitely noticeable. A bud smoked at one week cure and one smoked at 2 month cure hardly resemble each other. Once you are done burping and you think they are ready, seal them up in an airtight container (a mason jar is not actually airtight but works fine), and store them in a cool, dry, and dark place. Light, especially uv light will degrade thc, as will repeated exposure to air. I have small pint size mason jars to keep my smoking stash in and try to not disturb the curing bud unless I need to refill.
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I use the same method as you, SS. I hang the buds until a stem will crack and break over instead of just bend and of course I use air circulation to help the drying. After jar curing(last year was about 2 weeks), I boil water in a sauce pan, with the Mason or Ball Qt. jar filled, but not packed, I rotate the bottom and sides of the jar in the boiling water, for about 45 seconds to a minute. This lowers the pressure on the inside of the jar. I use canning tongs to hold the opening/lip of the jar to rotate it. With the seal and thread ring already in place, I screw it down to just hand tight. In a very short time the tops will pop inward and seal. It seals out Oxygen, which is the cause of the trichromes breaking down (O2 and light are the enemy). The jars are then stored in a cool dark place. It has been 11 months since I "canned" my buds. I just opened the last Qt about a week ago. I unscrewed the lid and popped the seal...whooosh, the air rushes in and the sweet fresh aroma of Indica oozes out. I have also tried vaccume pack and freezer storage, which also eleminates excess O2 and preserves freshness. I like both methods, as both have worked well for me.
 
Dr. Kundilini

Dr. Kundilini

Well-Known Member
L33tGanjaMan said:
Yikes!!

Got a Step ladder handy dood?[/QUOTE

L33, Mine did the exact same thing. While in veg with CFL's the nodes were about 1" apart, then at 5 weeks I switched to HPS 250W...holy mackeral...they shot up and got all stretched out. Now at 10 weeks(total), they are beginning to fill in a bit. Still look kinda thin and leggy though.
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Dr. Kundilini

Dr. Kundilini

Well-Known Member
My girls are at 10 weeks...5wk veg...5wk flower. Two tents, one with two 105W 2700K and two t12 48" fixtures on earn end using 2700K for a total of 370 Watts. The #2 tent is same seed strain and age. Tent #2 is using 250W HPS and two 48" T12 floros 2700K for supplimental side light. Using GH micro and bloom, Lucas formula(sort of) 8 ml Micro 16ml Bloom/Gal. I feed aabout one time a week with enough ph adjusted H2o to run out the bottom. I think I am about 4 to 5 weeks out of chopping. I am in no hurry(I am lying) but I will let the trichroms and bud development decide when to harvest.DSCF0756.jpgDSCF0757.jpgDSCF0758.jpgDSCF0759.jpgDSCF0760.jpgDSCF0756.jpgDSCF0757.jpg[ATTACH=CONFIG

The 2 photos on the left are HPS...the three to the right are CFL grow. It is supposed to be 5 images. I think I got a couple repeat images of the HPS. One day I will learn how to use this darn PC.
 
10acjed

10acjed

Active Member
I am leaving this one to go another week or so, reason being is her sister really started filling in, the calyxs are looking plump now, alot more so that this one..
View attachment 2326390View attachment 2326391

My first chop was too early, being I am at 8 weeks now, and this is supposedly an 8 - 10 week strain ill let her go a little more and watch for the calyxs to plump up.


Here is her sister, she is looking closer. Did 1 gal with light nute, and another gal of straight water today. Will keep an eye on her this week...

Gona be a pain trimming that burnt leaf off :-/

IMG_1582.jpgIMG_1588.jpg
IMG_1589.jpgIMG_1590.jpgIMG_1591.jpg
 
Grazzmon

Grazzmon

Well-Known Member
Haven't been here for a bit .. here's an update. I've got my MM going again.. one MM plant LST'd and has been flowering for 5 weeks under the 250w CMH along with one of the clones that I swapped for (the guy started an NL from seed 23 years ago and has kept it going since with clones).

MM LST



NL



Another MM that was topped is under a 400w MH > 360w HPS conversion bulb (4 weeks flowering).

9.8.12_2.jpg

Got some clones going too.. three of each MM and NL.. oh yeah the little babies in front are Catnip :)

9.8.12.jpg


Grazz
 

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Hettyman

Hettyman

Well-Known Member
Suup??

Well I am currently enjoying the fruits of my labour, so very tangy Blue Mystic nuggs. Bit of a disapointing harvest, could have let them go another couple of weeks, but wanted to get rid of a serious spidermite problem (still getting the odd fucker, but well under control). That said it's tastey and does the job, and the while the weight was low, I'm pretty sure it would have been about 40 grams, but was about an OZ.

Anyway the next 2 in my rotation are looking a bit worse for wear, can anyone help me with this??

https://www.rollitup.org/marijuana-plant-problems/561165-defs-worse-both.html
 
stoneslacker

stoneslacker

Well-Known Member
Hettyman said:
Suup??

Well I am currently enjoying the fruits of my labour, so very tangy Blue Mystic nuggs. Bit of a disapointing harvest, could have let them go another couple of weeks, but wanted to get rid of a serious spidermite problem (still getting the odd fucker, but well under control). That said it's tastey and does the job, and the while the weight was low, I'm pretty sure it would have been about 40 grams, but was about an OZ.

Anyway the next 2 in my rotation are looking a bit worse for wear, can anyone help me with this??

https://www.rollitup.org/marijuana-plant-problems/561165-defs-worse-both.html
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What ph do you run? It might be a def due to a N or K lockout caused by improper ph. I am pretty sure you run soil right?

Try a Clearex solution at 5.8 ph, 2 quarts per pot. Follow with at least 2 gallons of water per gallon pot size at 5.8-6.0 ph. Then follow with 1/2 to 3/4 str nutes at normal 6.3-6.8 ph. It's very similar to the popular "make it rain" technique where the flush at a slightly acidic ph causes the roots to go into wicking mode. A search for make it rain will provide more details.

Ph is vitaly important to indoor growing. IMO ph and ventilation are the 2 most overlooked factors that cause the most problems.
 
Hettyman

Hettyman

Well-Known Member
Thanks for your help. I realised that inconsistant pH form my cheap testing kit was limiting me, so I have recently invested in a top end pH meter. I run at 6.4-6.5 for veg then 6.6 early flour and 6.7 the last few weeks. This is to help take up the relevant nutes, according to this chart:

https://www.rollitup.org/marijuana-plant-problems/536207-i-think-toxity-perhaps-through.html --the first reply

I have read once before about the rain technique, but this was to help uptake the nutes afterwards cos the plants go into overdrive. But I can see that would also help the roots (though I don't know what wicking is). I've not done it because I was worried about causing nute lock out
 
10acjed

10acjed

Active Member
RCgrowerman

RCgrowerman

Active Member
http://www.getbluelab.com/shop/Bluelab+pH+Pen.html
This is what I recommend to the people who can afford it. Its very accurate and easy to calibrate to ensure accurate readings each time.
Set me back $115 at the local hydro store, but you can probably find it a little cheaper online. I think we can all agree that PH is a serious
enough issue to invest in as you would a light or ventilation.
 
10acjed

10acjed

Active Member
RCgrowerman said:
http://www.getbluelab.com/shop/Bluelab+pH+Pen.html
This is what I recommend to the people who can afford it. Its very accurate and easy to calibrate to ensure accurate readings each time.
Set me back $115 at the local hydro store, but you can probably find it a little cheaper online. I think we can all agree that PH is a serious
enough issue to invest in as you would a light or ventilation.
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Thanks, it was only 20 more than the other on amazon so I ordered it.

Def think Ph is important, learned that the hard way.
 
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