420's Sherlock Holmes' FFOF Soil, Bakerstreet C.R.E.A.M. Cheese Autoflower, Grow Journal 2019

[oopssteptinit]

Looking good Sql. Woohoo going into flower! You are doing one excellent grow here, Sql, keep it going!

 

[irie lion]

Your plants are looking great SQ looking forward to see the Backerstreet #1 in flower.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

July 24 2019 - Update​

Images:

Bakerstreet #1 - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

Bakerstreet #2 - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

C.R.E.A.M. #1 - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

Cheese #1 - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.



Growth Stage:

2 Bakerstreets: Day 3/ Week 9 ... Day 59 ... week 1 flower.

*** Photoperiod Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 2-8 weeks veg, 6-12 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Allow 1 day to 3 days of dark before switching to 12-12
*** Pistels show up about 14 days (2 weeks) after switching to 12-12


1 C.R.E.A.M.: Day 3/ Week 8 ... Day 52 ... early flower.
1 Cheese: Day 3/ Week 8 ... Day 52 ... early flower.

*** Autoflower Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 3 weeks veg, 3 weeks pre-flower, 3-6 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Pistels show up about 35 days (5 weeks) after Germination
*** Flowering takes about 56 days (8 weeks) after Pistels show up


Environment #1 - Autoflower Veg/Flower:

RH is running steady around 50% lights-on.
RH is running steady around 50% lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 23°C (73°F) and 27°C (81°F) lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running about 21°C (70°F) lights-off.

VPD is about 1.09 to 1.39 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is about 0.96 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/ Early Flower - lights-off.

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 4 cycles of "5 hours lights-on and 1 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above canopy centered over the 2 plants.


Environment #2 - Photoperiod Flower:

RH is running steady around 50% - lights-on.
RH is running steady around 75% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 23°C (73°F) lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running about 21°C (70°F) lights-off.

VPD is about 1.09 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/ Early Flower - lights-on.
VPD is about 0.34 - Danger Zone: Over/Under Transpiration - lights-off.

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 4 cycles of "3 hours lights-on and 3 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above the canopy centered over the 2 plants.



Watering and Feeding:

C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese:

pH: 6.46
ppm: 1005

Soil feed - 1.5 litres (0.4 gallons) each.

I used a full dose of the Week 7 Canada Gringo Rasta Soil Schedule, Root Mass Expanders.

*** Soil watering and feeding is done 1 hour after the lights turn on ... so the roots have been stimulated to draw nutrients up into the plant.


Bakerstreets:

pH: 6.49
ppm: 1031

Soil feed - 1.5 litres (0.4 gallons) each.

I used a full dose of the Week 5 Canada Gringo Rasta Soil Schedule, Root Mass Expanders.

*** Soil watering and feeding is done 1 hour after the lights turn on ... so the roots have been stimulated to draw nutrients up into the plant.


*** For details on my feeding schedule refer to here: The Different Feeds I need For This Grow (Version 4)


Activities:

LST on all plants.
I am checking the plants twice each day and adjusting the LST because the plants are growing quicker now.
My priority is to expose the growth nodes to light and air because they are going to become colas.

Refilled the humidifier with water.


Notes:

The priority has to be to expose the growth nodes/buds and to keep the canopy even.

I am letting all of the plants grow upwards while bending the inner (taller) growth nodes to slow their growth. I want the outer (shorter) growth nodes to catch up in growing.

I will try to keep the Bakerstreets' canopy height below 30 cm (12"). For detailed calculations on how I determined the canopy height, please refer to the ... June 30, 2019 - Update ... Lessons Learned section here: How long to Veg Photoperiods


Lessons Learned:

The Flowering Stage Of Cannabis Week By Week

By RoyalQueenSeeds

The flowering stage is when your cannabis plants grow their aromatic and soon-to-be-smokeable buds. This is a particularly important stage in your cannabis plants' life cycle. A lot happens in the flowering stage; learn how to care for your plants through every week of flowering.

When the light cycle provides your cannabis plants with longer hours of uninterrupted darkness, they enter the flowering stage. Your plants will stop growing and instead put their energy into producing buds (flowers). Outdoors, this will normally happen when the days get shorter around the end of summer. When you grow indoors, flowering will begin once you switch your lights to 10-12 hours of darkness.

For most cannabis strains, the flowering period will last about 7-9 weeks, although some sativas require even longer for their buds to mature.

What happens during flowering and at what exact time can somewhat vary depending on the particular strain you are growing. So don’t expect your plants to follow this schedule to the T; see it more as a general guideline that you can go by. Let us look at the flowering phase of cannabis week by week.

THE FIRST FEW FLOWERING WEEKS (WEEKS 1, 2 AND 3)
When the flowering period starts, it isn't an abrupt change in your plants’ growth. Cannabis won’t just stop growing and then go into flowering right away. In these first weeks of flowering, many cannabis strains may indeed undergo a considerable growth stretch. This is important to know when it comes to feeding your plants properly, but also if you want to give them sufficient space to grow.

WEEK 1 (TRANSITION STAGE AND STRETCH)
In the very first weeks of flowering, your cannabis plants will be in the transition stage. Thinking that winter is not far away and that she will soon have to carry a big load of bud, your plant will likely grow rapidly. Some strains can almost double in height during this time. Because of the fast growth that your plant is undergoing now, this early flowering phase is also known as the stretch phase.

While your plant is putting in quite some overtime to gain size and height, she will grow a number of new leaves mostly at the top of the main colas. Your cannabis plant is busy growing “green stuff,” like leaves and stems so she can become stronger and sturdier.

Important things to know in this early stage of flowering.

Although your plant has officially entered the flowering phase, she will now have an increased need for growing nutrients. You should not abruptly change your nutrient schedule and use flowering nutrients from one day to the next. It is usually recommended that you continue to give growing nutrients for at least one more week once flowering starts.

With the stretching of cannabis in early flowering, you may possibly want to think about training techniques such as low stress training (LST). This is where you bend the stems down and away from the centre of the plant so you can get an even canopy for a more efficient use of your grow lights. This can help you obtain much better yields later on.

WEEK 2
In week 2 of flowering, you may spot the first white pistils growing on your female cannabis plants. These fine and wispy white hairs will develop at those locations where the big fan leaves meet the main stem. It is these fine hairs that will later become buds.

If your cannabis plant happens to be a male, it won’t grow these “hairs,” but will instead grow small pollen sacs. Should you grow regular, non-feminized plants where you don’t know their gender, now is the time when you should “sex” your plants so you can separate the males from the females. The males won’t grow buds and will also pollinate your females, causing them to grow seeds. This is something you do not want to happen.

To properly feed your plants once they start to flower and to initiate the first signs of growing buds, you should check your nutrient manufacturer’s schedule. It is normally around this time at week 2 where you will have to increase flowering nutrients to help your plants reach their maximum yield potential.

WEEK 3
Your cannabis plants have still not entirely stopped growing and will now be about 50% bigger than what they were just three weeks earlier. Although still stretching a bit, the stretch will now gradually slow down and soon come to a complete halt.

At the locations on the plant where you previously saw some hairs, you can now see the first signs of real buds developing. There still won’t be many resin glands and trichomes on your plants, which means that the smell won’t be too pungent yet either.

This phase of flowering where your plant is starting to spend increasingly more energy on growing flowers is particularly critical. Make sure that the nutrients you give are appropriate and check the labels for the recommended dosages.

As your plants become more picky, you should check for potential deficiencies that could manifest in various ways, such as discoloured, yellowing leaves or loss of leaves entirely. At the same time, you should also check your plants for signs of possible overfeeding (“nutrient burn”) that could show up around this time as well. Nutrient burn will usually show in the tips of the leaves becoming discoloured. If this happens, you need to cut down on feeding.

WEEK 4
At week 4 of the flowering stage, your cannabis plants will likely have stopped growing altogether and are now spending all their energy on growing buds. There will still be white hairs sticking out from the buds, but the buds themselves will become bigger and fatter with each day. With more and larger buds growing, your plants will now produce more trichomes, making the odour a lot more noticeable at this stage.

Since your cannabis plant will have stopped growing, you won’t have to pay attention to training your plants any longer. Where you bent down branches before, now you may possibly consider holding them up should they require structural support.

WEEK 5
In week 5 of flowering, you can observe the buds all over your plant becoming thicker. You may also spot new buds growing in new places such as along the main cola. With buds abounding, your cannabis plants will get fatter every day. This is a surefire sign you are in full flowering mode. At this point, your plant will have a very intensive odour. Ensure that you have a good ventilation system in place if you grow indoors or in a region that doesn’t allow for legal cultivation.

Some of your cannabis plants’ previously white pistil hairs may now be turning darker into a brownish or amber colour. At the same time, when you check the trichomes of your plant, you may spot some of them becoming opaque. The trichomes becoming milky white and the hairs turning darker are all signs of your plants not being too far from harvest.

WEEKS 6, 7 AND 8 (LATE FLOWERING STAGE, RIGHT BEFORE HARVEST)
Not all cannabis strains require the same amount of time for their flowering, but many varieties will be ready to harvest in these last three weeks. There are, however, not too many strains that will be ready before week 8.

Flushing Your Cannabis Plants
Depending on the flowering time of your particular strain, the time for flushing your cannabis plant is normally two weeks before harvest. When you “flush,” you stop administering nutrients and give the plant only plain, pH-balanced water in these final weeks. This will get rid of (flush out) salts and minerals in the soil which will make for a better and more pure-tasting bud. Otherwise, your smoke will be quite harsh and can have an unpleasant, chemical taste.

Check Your Plants For The Right Harvest Time
To find out when it’s time to harvest your plant, you can use a jeweller’s loupe or a small microscope to regularly check your plants’ trichomes. You can observe whether the trichomes turn from clear to a milky white colour. If many of the trichomes you see are still clear and transparent, it means it’s still too early for harvest. But when most of the trichomes have an amber colour and an opaque clarity, this means that the THC content of the buds is at its maximum and the plant is ready for harvest.


ToDo:

Learn more about LUX and PAR.

Learn more about Temperature/Relative Humidity and Vapor Pressure Deficit.

Learn more about pests and nutrient deficiencies.

Learn more about growing during flower and the stretching of colas.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

The Different Feeds I need For This Grow (Version 4)​

*** Canada Gringo Rasta Soil Feeding Schedule = CGRSFS
*** Advanced Nutrients - Root Mass Expanders = RME
*** Advanced Nutrients - Crop Substrate = CS
*** Advanced Nutrients - Bud Potency & Stalk Strenghtener = BPSS
*** Advanced Nutrients - Bud Taste & Terpene Enhancer = BTTE
*** Every Other Feed = EOF

*** I now have two tents. One smaller for photoperiod flowering, and one larger for autoflowers and photoperiod veg.

*** Reviews on the Bakerstreets indicate they flower in 63 days (9 weeks).
*** Reviews on the C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese indicate they both matured from seed to harvest in 75 days (about 11 weeks).


July 22, 2019 - July 28, 2019

Bakerstreets: Full Dose - Week 5 - CGRSFS (RME EOF -- CS, BPSS, BTTE EOF)
C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese: Full Dose - Week 7 - CGRSFS (RME EOF -- CS, BPSS, BTTE EOF)

July 29, 2019 - August 04, 2019

Bakerstreets: Full Dose - Week 6 - CGRSFS (RME, CS, BPSS, BTTE EOF)
C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese: Full Dose - Week 8 - CGRSFS (RME, CS, BPSS, BTTE EOF)

August 05, 2019 - August 11, 2019

Bakerstreets: Full Dose - Week 7 - CGRSFS (RME EOF -- CS, BPSS, BTTE EOF)
C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese: Full Dose - Week 9 - CGRSFS (RME EOF -- CS, BPSS, BTTE EOF)

August 12, 2019 - August 18, 2019

Bakerstreets: Full Dose - Week 8 - CGRSFS (RME EOF -- CS, BPSS, BTTE EOF)
C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese: Full Dose - Week 10 - CGRSFS (RME EOF -- CS, BPSS, BTTE EOF)

August 19, 2019 - August 25, 2019

Bakerstreets: Full Dose - Week 9 - CGRSFS (RME EOF -- CS, BPSS, BTTE EOF)
C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese: Full Dose - Week 10 - CGRSFS (RME EOF -- CS, BPSS, BTTE EOF)

*** The C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese should be harvested by now.

 

[irie lion]

 

[SQl2kGuy]

July 25 2019 - Update​

Images:

Bakerstreet #1 - Looks a bit unhealthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

Bakerstreet #2 - Looks a bit unhealthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

C.R.E.A.M. #1 - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

Cheese #1 - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.



Growth Stage:

2 Bakerstreets: Day 4/ Week 9 ... Day 60 ... week 1 flower.

*** Photoperiod Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 2-8 weeks veg, 6-12 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Allow 1 day to 3 days of dark before switching to 12-12
*** Pistels show up about 14 days (2 weeks) after switching to 12-12


1 C.R.E.A.M.: Day 4/ Week 8 ... Day 53 ... early flower.
1 Cheese: Day 4/ Week 8 ... Day 53 ... early flower.

*** Autoflower Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 3 weeks veg, 3 weeks pre-flower, 3-6 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Pistels show up about 35 days (5 weeks) after Germination
*** Flowering takes about 56 days (8 weeks) after Pistels show up


Environment #1 - Autoflower Veg/Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 50% - lights-on.
RH is running between 50% and 50% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 28°C (82°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 23°C (73°F) and 24°C (75°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 1.15 and 1.47 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 1.09 and 1.15 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/ Early Flower - lights-off.

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 4 cycles of "5 hours lights-on and 1 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above canopy centered over the 2 plants.


Environment #2 - Photoperiod Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 60% - lights-on.
RH is running between 50% and 85% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 23°C (73°F) and 25°C (77°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 20°C (68°F) and 22°C (77°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 0.80 and 1.23 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 0.71 and 0.09 - Danger Zone: Over/Under Transpiration - lights-off.

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 4 cycles of "3 hours lights-on and 3 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above the canopy centered over the 2 plants.



Watering and Feeding:

Bakerstreets:

pH: 7.00
ppm: 0

Soil flush - 5.0 litres (1.25 gallons) each.

*** I used distilled water to flush the plants a bit ... focusing on the roots, and not the new transplant soil.



*** Soil flushing is done 1 hour after the lights turn on ... so the roots have been stimulated to draw nutrients clear of salts up into the plant.


*** For details on my feeding schedule refer to here: The Different Feeds I need For This Grow (Version 4)



Activities:

LST on all plants.
I am checking the plants twice each day and adjusting the LST because the plants are growing quicker now.
My priority is to expose the growth nodes to light and air because they are going to become colas.

Refilled the humidifier with water.


Notes:

The priority has to be to expose the growth nodes/buds and to keep the canopy even.

I am letting all of the plants grow upwards while bending the inner (taller) growth nodes to slow their growth. I want the outer (shorter) growth nodes to catch up in growing.

I will try to keep the Bakerstreets' canopy height below 30 cm (12"). For detailed calculations on how I determined the canopy height, please refer to the ... June 30, 2019 - Update ... Lessons Learned section here: How long to Veg Photoperiods


*** The Bakerstreets are in trouble after the transplant and flipping to 12-12!!!

*** The Bakerstreets are turning a bit yellow on the new growth and there are some brown dots on lower leaves.

*** I flushed the Bakerstreets with about 5 litres of distilled water on each plant.

*** I retrieved about 1 litre of run-off on each plant.

*** The run-off was:

pH: 5.60
ppm: 2301

This is a bit of a surprise!

I consistently set my feeds up to a pH of 6.5 and the soil starts with a pH of 6.5.

I have been feeding with a lot of Root Mass Expanders and CarboLoad, so it's possible there are too many micro-organisms driving nutrient ppm up and soil pH down.

I will make sure I only use Root Mass Expanders once each week from now on.

I will wait at least three days before feeding the Bakerstreets again.

I will monitor plant health and flush again when necessary.



Lessons Learned:

How and When to Flush Marijuana Plants

By RoyalQueenSeeds

Flushing the marijuana plants before harvest can make all the difference in the best bud, or horrible hash. This small task is simple and super easy to do. Just add water! Be very careful, as the timing of the flush can play a critical role in this process.

You have finally finished your grow, ending up with a beautiful plant covered in tremendous bud, now dried, cured and ready to go – yet something is not quite right. You can hardly get the stuff to burn, and when you take a hit, it feels like a mule kicked your lungs as you end up coughing for your life! The taste is harsh and disappointing. If this is a situation you have experienced, chances are your plants were not flushed properly before harvest.

This less than pleasant smoke is caused by nutrients and minerals used during growth still be present in the plant, altering the way it burns. Flushing removes these remaining nutrients, improving the quality of the experience. Fortunately, flushing your cannabis is an effortless and easy task, and will have you producing smooth and delightful bud in no time.

WHAT IS FLUSHING?
The act of flushing a plant is using plain water to actively remove any nutrients in the soil. A large amount of water is passed through the soil and drained away on a regular basis. Any minerals and nutrients present in the soil are washed away over time by the water, leaving the soil clean.

Why would you want to strip away all the minerals from the soil? Isn't this hurting your harvest? It actually helps your harvest a significant way. When the nutrients are removed from the soil, it forces your cannabis plant to use up any remaining nutrients still present in the plant. It is a lot like the human body. We take in a lot of food and, what we do not use is turned into fat. In extreme situations where food is scarce, the body relies on this stored fat for energy.

As flushing forces cannabis to use up any remaining nutrients left in the plant, none should remain to taint the use of the harvest bud. However, if done to early, it can leave your plant unhealthy, so timing is key.

THE BEST TIME TO FLUSH YOUR CANNABIS
Flushing is usually commenced two weeks before harvest. If the plant has an eight-week flowering period, the flushing will need to take place six weeks after the start of the flowering stage. It is best to take a close look at the trichomes on your plant to assess when your cannabis is likely to be ready for harvest. If the tiny trichomes are just beginning to turn from clear, to a cloudy and milky colour, this could be a good indication that the plant can begin flushing. It should be timed so that the majority of trichomes will have fully changed to the desired colour for harvest after two weeks – this gets easier with experience, so stick with it!

Flushing can also be a good way to reset the soil while a plant is in the vegetative state. Sometime, growers will accidently overfeed their cannabis, causing the tips of the leaves to begin changing colour and shriveling. This is called “nutrient burn”. Flushing the soil can remove the excess nutrients, helping avert the problem. However, it is a drastic measure at this phase of growth, so be sure that the problem is nutrient burn, and not something else first.

HOW TO PROPERLY FLUSH CANNABIS
Flushing your cannabis plants is a straight forward process. Whenever you would normally feed, you flush instead. Untreated tap water is all you need to use for flushing, just be sure to make sure the pH is at a safe level for cannabis. Most well water contains a healthy pH level and will not need treatment, but if it is necessary for you to add treatment to adjust the pH of your flushing water, feel free to do so. The pH adjustments will be the only thing you will need to be concerned about.

Flood the soil with as much fresh water as it can hold. Leave this for a few minutes to allow all of the nutrients to be picked up, then flood the soil again to flush it all away from the plant. If you are indoors using pots, notice the colour of the water that is draining from the bottom of the pot. It will be stained and look dirty. This is where a TDS (total dissolved solids) meter will come in handy. If you were to collect and measure the TDS of the “drained off” water, it would be around the measurement of 1300ppm, which is pretty high. It is important to keep flushing the plant until this number drops to a level of 50ppm, or at least until it is close to matching the TDS of the fresh water that you are using to flush with. The colour of the draining water will lighten up and appear to be cleaner. You want to get as much of the dissolved minerals away from the plant as you can.

THE OUTCOME OF FLUSHING YOUR CANNABIS
After the bud is harvested, take the extra time to cure the bud to its highest potential. A proper cure will cut back even further on that harsh edge, removing aspects like excess chlorophyll. You will be amazed at the difference this small effort can do to your product. All of your hard work will show in that first inhale of that silky smooth smoke that hits the back of your throat as soft as honey. This is nature at its smoothest. You can increase the quality of your cannabis by just adding water!



ToDo:

Learn more about pests and nutrient deficiencies.

Learn more about growing during flower and the stretching of colas.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

July 26 2019 - Update​

Images:

Bakerstreet #1 - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

Bakerstreet #2 - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

C.R.E.A.M. #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.

Cheese #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.



Growth Stage:

2 Bakerstreets: Day 5/ Week 9 ... Day 61 ... week 1 flower.

*** Photoperiod Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 2-8 weeks veg, 6-12 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Allow 1 day to 3 days of dark before switching to 12-12
*** Pistels show up about 14 days (2 weeks) after switching to 12-12


1 C.R.E.A.M.: Day 5/ Week 8 ... Day 54 ... early flower.
1 Cheese: Day 5/ Week 8 ... Day 54 ... early flower.

*** Autoflower Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 3 weeks veg, 3 weeks pre-flower, 3-6 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Pistels show up about 35 days (5 weeks) after Germination
*** Flowering takes about 56 days (8 weeks) after Pistels show up


Environment #1 - Autoflower Veg/Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 50% - lights-on.
RH is running between 50% and 50% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 26°C (79°F) and 28°C (82°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 26°C (79°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 1.30 and 1.47 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 1.15 and 1.30 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/ Early Flower - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 4 cycles of "5 hours lights-on and 1 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above canopy centered over the 2 plants.


Environment #2 - Photoperiod Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 55% - lights-on.
RH is running between 55% and 60% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 25°C (77°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 22°C (72°F) and 24°C (75°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 1.15 and 1.23 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 0.75 and 0.80 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/ Early Flower - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 1 cycle of "12 hours lights-on and 12 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above the canopy centered over the 2 plants.

*** I switched the lighting schedule to 12-12 uninterupted because of the article I read today.



Watering and Feeding:

C.R.E.A.M.:

pH: 7.00
ppm: 0

Soil flush - 3.0 litres (0.75 gallons) each.

*** I used distilled water to flush the plants a bit ... focusing on the roots, and not the soil at the edges.


Cheese:

pH: 7.00
ppm: 0

Soil flush - 4.0 litres (1.00 gallon) each.

*** I used distilled water to flush the plants a bit ... focusing on the roots, and not the soil at the edges.


*** Soil flushing is done 1 hour after the lights turn on ... so the roots have been stimulated to draw nutrients clear of salts up into the plant.


*** For details on my feeding schedule refer to here: The Different Feeds I need For This Grow (Version 4)




Activities:

LST on all plants.
I am checking the plants twice each day and adjusting the LST because the plants are growing quicker now.
My priority is to expose the growth nodes to light and air because they are going to become colas.

Refilled the humidifier with water.

Cut trellis netting to convert ScrOG square dimensions from 15 cm (6") to 7.5 cm (3").

*** This is really cool! I can now slide the new trellis netting left or right to fine-tune the ScrOG to hold back branches!

I flushed the C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese ... just in case!!!



Notes:

The priority has to be to expose the growth nodes/buds and to keep the canopy even.

I am letting all of the plants grow upwards while bending the inner (taller) growth nodes to slow their growth. I want the outer (shorter) growth nodes to catch up in growing.

I will try to keep the Bakerstreets' canopy height below 30 cm (12"). For detailed calculations on how I determined the canopy height, please refer to the ... June 30, 2019 - Update ... Lessons Learned section here: How long to Veg Photoperiods


The Bakerstreets are healthy again after the flush!!!

I am not sure if it was the Root Mass Expanders and CarboLoad after all.

I noticed that the discoloration was isolated to new growth, and could very well have been because I was feeding through the leaves, instead of feeding with a watering can directly into the soil under the leaves.

Nevertheless, the Bakerstreets were due for a mini-flush, so everything worked out after all.

I decided to do a mini-flush on the C.R.E.A.M. and Cheese ... just in case!!!

C.R.E.A.M.:

*** The run-off was:

pH: 5.13
ppm: 2732

Retieved 0.5 litres (0.50 gallons).


Cheese:

*** The run-off was:

pH: 5.05
ppm: 2964

Retieved 0.5 litres (0.50 gallons).


This is a bit of a surprise!

I consistently set my feeds up to a pH of 6.5 and the soil starts with a pH of 6.5.

I have been feeding with a lot of Root Mass Expanders and CarboLoad, so it's possible there are too many micro-organisms driving nutrient ppm up and soil pH down.

I will make sure I only use Root Mass Expanders once each week from now on.

I will make sure I water directly onto the soil and not over the leaves too.

I will wait at least two days before feeding all the plants again.

I will monitor plant health and flush again when necessary.



Lessons Learned:

Timeline of the Cannabis Flowering Stage (12/12 to Harvest)

By Nebula Haze

Introduction to the Cannabis Flowering Stage

During the phase of life known as the vegetative stage (the first stage of life for marijuana), a cannabis plant grows about how you’d expect… like a weed! In the vegetative stage a cannabis plant only grows new stems and leaves, and can grow several inches a day with the added ability to recover from just about anything!

Even if you run into major problems in the vegetative stage, you can bring your plant back from the brink of death simply by addressing the problem and giving your plant some TLC.

However, things aren’t so rosy in cannabis flowering stage. In the flowering stage your cannabis plant grows very differently, and is much more sensitive to problems. The tricky thing about the flowering stage is that you don’t have much room for error and big mistakes can lower your yields.

In order to maximize your yields, it’s important to know what to focus on during each part of the flowering stage. It’s also really helpful to know what to expect so you know when something is going wrong!

The Dance of the Flowering Cycle

This flowering stage “walk through” will explain exactly what to expect week-by-week while your plant is making buds, and it’ll tell you what you need to do to ensure you get to harvest with the best bud quality and yields possible!

Week 1-3: Transition to Flowering

When growing cannabis indoors, the flowering stage begins when you change your grow lights to a 12/12 light cycle (12 hours light, 12 hours darkness each day). Getting those 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness each day gives your plant the signal that it’s time to start flowering. In a way the plant “thinks” winter is coming because the days are getting short.

Note: It’s common to think that a cannabis plant getting 12 or less hours of light is what initiates flowering, but it’s actually uninterrupted darkness that does the trick! If the plant gets any light during the dark period, even for just a minute, it won’t make buds! In fact, a flowering plant may even revert back or express hermaphroditism if it gets any light at night!

*** This is the mistake I made!!!

Outdoors, it’s also the days getting shorter that cause a cannabis plant to start making buds in late summer, but outdoor buds develop on different schedules depending on the local climate. This tutorial is meant to explain how a cannabis plant usually develops when grown indoors, since that is done under controlled conditions, and plants tend to grow the same way.

Autoflowering strains of cannabis don’t need special light periods to start flowering, however the cannabis flowering timeline in this tutorial is a good general guideline for indoor auto-flowering strains, too. Their “vegetative stage” lasts about 3-4 weeks, so as long as you start counting at week 3-4 from seed (when they start getting their first pistils) this flowering timeline will generally apply to autos too, though sometimes they finish up faster.

During the first few weeks after being switched to a 12/12 schedule, your plant will be growing like crazy and rapidly gaining height. In fact, a cannabis plant can (and frequently will) almost double in height after the switch to 12/12. This period of super-fast and often stretchy growth is sometimes referred to as the “flowering stretch.”

Although your female plants will start sprouting lots of white pistils, they usually won’t start growing “real” buds with substance quite yet. If you’re new to growing cannabis, it’s very important to note that only female cannabis plants make buds.

Did you know you can figure out if a plant is male or female while it’s still in the vegetative stage?

If your plant is male, it will start growing distinct pollen sacs and should be removed from the grow room immediately to prevent it from pollinating your female plants and causing ‘seedy’ buds. Learn where to get feminized (all-female) seeds online so you don’t have to worry about male plants.

Remove any plants growing pollen sacs instead of pistils, because they are male and won’t make buds. Plus they can pollinate your female plants and cause them to grow seeds!

During the first few weeks of the flowering stage, you will see bunches of single leaves forming at the tops of your main colas (like in this pic). Soon white pistils will start coming out of the middle of the bunches, and they will become your main buds!

During week 1-3 of the flowering stage, your plant will mostly be producing new stems and leaves as it grows taller. Right now your plant is still very resilient and can handle problems just like in the vegetative stage. However, it’s still very important to avoid problems and take great care of your plant!

As part of the stretch, your plant will be growing out its bud sites. Stunting growth at this point could cause the plant to make smaller and fewer bud sites than it would if it were healthy and growing fast.

If you have more room in your grow space under the light to spread your plants out, or if you are running out of headroom, it is important to gently bend stretching stems down and away from the center of the plant to help maintain a flat canopy (a technique known as low stress training).

During the stretch, gently bend new stems down to try to maintain a flat, even canopy.

If you keep up with it during the stretch, you can prevent any one stem from getting much taller than the others.

*** I'm using a ScrOG.

When stems are new, they are flexible and easy to bend, but they quickly harden up and turn woody. By keeping a close eye on your plant and bending any too-tall branches down and away from the center of the plant as soon as you can, you will maximize your yields since that flat shape will most efficiently use your grow lights. If all your main bud sites are spread out and about the same height, you can increase your yields by up to 40% or more!

Spreading out your bud sites and maintaining a flat canopy can increase cannabis yields by as much as 40%…or even more!

At this point, you only have a few weeks left until you lose the ability to do any further training, so don’t miss this last opportunity to control the shape of your plant, especially if you’re running out of room!

Week 3-4: Budlets Form

The mad stretching of the first few weeks will start to slow down in week 3-4, but your cannabis plant will still be growing upward. At this point you’ll actually start to see real buds instead of just hairs (I like to call them “budlets” during this stage) and all the pistils will be white and sticking almost straight out.

“Budlets” start forming where buds will be, with white pistils sticking straight out.​

Your plant is going to start getting a little picky about the environment and nutrients in week 3-4 so it’s important to keep a close eye on your garden. You need to make sure your plant stays healthy all the way to the end of the flowering stage, and you’ve still got more than a month to go so you don’t want your plant to run into any major health problems now!

Be especially aware of leaf symptoms, for example: discolored/yellow leaves, or if your plant starts rapidly losing leaves. It’s completely normal to lose a few leaves at this stage, especially leaves that aren’t getting light (which often look like they may have a nutrient deficiency and then fall off, but it’s just your plant cannibalizing the leaf since it isn’t getting any more light). That being said, overall your entire plant should still be lush and green in week 3-4 while your budlets are forming.

As your plant continues through the flowering stage, it’s normal to see a few yellow or discolored leaves near the bottom of the plant, especially in the places where the leaves are no longer getting light. This isn’t anything to worry about if it’s just a few leaves as the plant is putting its energy to the top of the plant and the buds.

It’s normal to see a few yellow or discolored leaves near the bottom of the plant.​

Another thing to be aware of is nutrient burn. This is what happens when you give your plants too-high levels of nutrients – the tips of all the leaves actually get “burned.” While a little bit of nutrient burn won’t hurt your plant, it’s important to try to avoid it if you can. Your plant can never recover the parts of the leaves lost to nutrient burn, so if you accidentally give too much nutrients in the future, the burning will start “climbing” up the “fingers” of the leaves. Cannabis leaves tend to look much less appealing/pretty as more of each leaf gets burned. However, even cannabis plants with severe nutrient burn can produce good bud, so don’t give up if you run into this problem!

Try your best to avoid nutrient burn (burnt leaf tips caused by too-high levels of nutrients).​

When nutrient burn starts getting bad, it can actually start discoloring your sugar leaves (the small single-finger leaves emerging from your buds). If nutrient burn reaches the base of the sugar leaves, you won’t be able to trim it off at harvest so your buds will end up with yellow/brown spots where all the leaves were burned.

Your marijuana plants may start to smell, and it can be potent!

Make sure to control any odors before they become a possible security problem!

Nutrient deficiencies can also cause the same problem if left unchecked. This doesn’t necessarily affect the potency but buds don’t look as good as they could have.

So to grow bud you’re proud of, you’ll want to be aware of avoiding nutrient burn from the beginning. Since your plant isn’t really growing many more leaves, you need to really care for the ones it has left.

If they haven’t already, your plants may start to smell!

Some strains like Blue Mystic and Northern Light are known for having relatively low smells, but many strains can start getting pungent quickly!

Week 4-6: Buds Start Fattening

Your budlets are fattening and soon you will have buds with substance! They will still have nearly all white pistils sticking straight up in every direction, but the buds themselves will be getting fatter every day.

​

By weeks 4-6, the stretch is almost over and you no longer need to pay attention to training your plant. Instead of trying to keep the colas down, from now on you’re doing the opposite – trying to hold any buds up if they start getting too heavy for your plant!

A flowering marijuana plant (Blueberry strain) at 5 weeks from the beginning of the flowering stageIf you’re having trouble fitting your plant in your space within a safe distance from your light, your training options can start looking very grim.

If your plant has grown into the light, you may have to consider last-resort solutions like supercropping (a high-stress training technique of forcing stems to bend at a 90° angle) which you normally should never do this late in the flowering stage.

Since you don’t get many more new leaves, you need to think of your remaining leaves as armor – insurance against any nutrient or leaf problems.

Although you don’t want an excessively leafy plant, and strategic defoliation (for advanced growers) can be helpful to expose bud sites, it’s important to make sure that you let your plant keep enough leaf coverage to power the growth of buds. It may need a little extra help if something happens!

Although defoliation may be used to expose buds sites, make sure your plant still has enough leaves (“armor”) to last until the end of the flowering stage to power the growth of buds, and as insurance against any possible nutrient or leaf problems.

Although most of the pistils will probably still be mostly white by the end of week 6, the buds are getting bigger and denser every day!

Week 6-8: Buds Ripen, Pistils Darken

From now on your plant won’t be making any new leaves or stems. It has completely switched gears away from vegetative growth and all its energy will be focused on growing buds from now until harvest.

It’s normal for some of the bottom leaves to begin to turn yellow as the plant continues to put its energy in the leaves and buds getting the most direct light, though the plant should still be mostly green from top to bottom even in week 6-8.

At this point, your plant may start getting much more picky and sensitive to nutrient problems, including those caused by incorrect pH at the roots. Now is not the time to slack off on caring for your plants!

​

If your leaves are already turning yellow in week 6-8 it’s too early! Early leaf yellowing is likely caused by either a nutrient problem or light burn (which are both much more common in marijuanas flowering stage). React quickly to problems so you don’t hurt your yields!

Quickly diagnose sick plants & don’t ignore problems!

Another common problem to watch out for at this stage: if you see a whole new bud or “spire” emerging out of the side of an old bud that’s already developed, it’s usually a sign of heat or light damage.

“Foxtailing” like this is caused by too much heat or light – it’s not normal bud growth! If you see this it means you need to control your temperature and light levels to prevent further damage!​

From now until harvest it’s extra important to avoid too-high levels of light or heat because (in addition to foxtailing) this can discolor/bleach/burn your buds and may even “evaporate” away some of the THC / potency.

If things are going well, your buds should be really hitting their stride at this point. They will grow in size significantly over the next few weeks!



ToDo:

Learn more about pests and nutrient deficiencies.

Learn more about growing during flower and the stretching of colas.

 

[oopssteptinit]

Looking good SQl. Always a pleasure to read your daily journal. Thanks so much for all the info you share. Have a great evening.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

Hey @oopssteptinit ... I'm glad you are getting something out of this.

I'm just trying to take notes ... and follow the "recipes of success" ... there's a lot of mistakes I would have made without all the reading and help!

Have a nice night!

 

[SQl2kGuy]

The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

​

 

[SQl2kGuy]

July 27 2019 - Update​

Images:

Bakerstreet #1 - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

Bakerstreet #2 - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

C.R.E.A.M. #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.

Cheese #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.



Growth Stage:

2 Bakerstreets: Day 6/ Week 9 ... Day 62 ... week 1 flower.

*** Photoperiod Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 2-8 weeks veg, 6-12 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Allow 1 day to 3 days of dark before switching to 12-12
*** Pistels show up about 14 days (2 weeks) after switching to 12-12


1 C.R.E.A.M.: Day 6/ Week 8 ... Day 55 ... early flower.
1 Cheese: Day 6/ Week 8 ... Day 55 ... early flower.

*** Autoflower Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 3 weeks veg, 3 weeks pre-flower, 3-6 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Pistels show up about 35 days (5 weeks) after Germination
*** Flowering takes about 56 days (8 weeks) after Pistels show up


Environment #1 - Autoflower Veg/Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 60% - lights-on.
RH is running between 50% and 60% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 25°C (77°F) and 27°C (80°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 25°C (77°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 1.23 and 1.39 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 1.15 and 1.23 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/ Early Flower - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 4 cycles of "5 hours lights-on and 1 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above canopy centered over the plants.


Environment #2 - Photoperiod Flower:

RH is running between 55% and 60% - lights-on.
RH is running between 60% and 65% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 24°C (77°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 22°C (72°F) and 24°C (75°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 0.85 and 1.00 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/ Early Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 0.62 and 0.66 - Low Transpiration: Propagation/ Early Veg Growth - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

*** I need to bring the humidity down in this environment!

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 1 cycle of uninterrupted "12 hours lights-on and 12 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above the canopy centered over the 2 plants.



Watering and Feeding:

Bakerstreets:

pH: 6.28
ppm: 1056

Soil feed - 3.0 litres (0.80 gallons) each.

I used a full dose of the Week 5 Canada Gringo Rasta Soil Schedule, Crop Substrates & Bud Potency & Stalk Strengthener.

Bakerstreets' Run-Off:

pH: 6.27
ppm: 1832 (high ppm ... so I will decrease the amount of nutrients next feed)


C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese:

pH: 6.29
ppm: 1272

Soil feed - 1.5 litres (0.40 gallons) each.

I used a full dose of the Week 7 Canada Gringo Rasta Soil Schedule, Crop Substrates & Bud Potency & Stalk Strengthener.


*** Soil watering and feeding is done 1 hour after the lights turn on ... so the roots have been stimulated to draw nutrients up into the plant.


*** I didn't get any run-off from the C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese, but based on the run-off from the mini-flush yesterday and from the feeding run-off today, ... I will decrease the nutrients in the next feed down to a half-dose.

*** I will feed again July 29, 2019 or July 30, 2019.


*** For details on my feeding schedule refer to here: The Different Feeds I need For This Grow (Version 4)


Activities:

LST on all plants.
I am checking the plants twice each day and adjusting the LST because the plants are growing quicker now.
My priority is to expose the growth nodes to light and air because they are going to become colas.

Refilled the humidifier with water.


Notes:

The priority has to be to expose the growth nodes/buds and to keep the canopy even.

I am letting all of the plants grow upwards while bending the inner (taller) growth nodes to slow their growth. I want the outer (shorter) growth nodes to catch up in growing.

I will try to keep the Bakerstreets' canopy height below 30 cm (12"). For detailed calculations on how I determined the canopy height, please refer to the ... June 30, 2019 - Update ... Lessons Learned section here: How long to Veg Photoperiods


The C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese are healthy after the flush!!!

*** Now that the plants are in flower, it is important to monitor them very closely!

*** Originally I thought I would wait at least two days before feeding all the plants again ... but after a mini-flush, the plants are likely going to be hungry ... so I elected to feed them today. I will wait a few days before feeding them again.

*** Maybe with the soil getting healthy from the micro-organisms, ... I need fewer inorganic nutrients.

*** I will be watering and feeding the plants to make sure I get a bit of run-off each time so I can track the pH and ppm ... and then adjust the next feed accordingly.


Lessons Learned:

Timeline of the Cannabis Flowering Stage (12/12 to Harvest)

By Nebula Haze

Week 8+: Flowering Ends, Final Flush, Harvest

Home stretch! You’re so close! To make sure things go smoothly until harvest, treat your plant like a movie star and attend to its every need! Very few strains of cannabis are ready to be harvested before week 8, but now we’re at the point where some short strains are getting close to being harvest-ready!

Many growers do a final flush, which involves giving only plain water to your plants (for a few days up to a few weeks) before harvest.

Once you’ve reached week 8, buds are fattening quickly. Trichomes and pistils are maturing, though new pistils may continue to develop on the buds as they grow.

You are basically just maintaining your plant until harvest. Different strains are ready at different times, but from now on you’re going to pretty much treat them all the same. Keep a close eye on the buds, pistils and trichomes as a whole to help you figure out the best time to harvest to get the effects you are looking for.

Just around 8-10 weeks is when you get to see the buds in their full glory. It’s also when the smell of cannabis often starts to get overpowering!

At this point it’s completely normal for your plant leaves to start yellowing, sometimes rapidly. As long as the yellowing isn’t affecting your buds and you’re very close to harvest then it’s completely normal. You probably can’t prevent this type of yellowing no matter what you do with nutrients because this is just what a cannabis plant naturally does as it’s wrapping up the flowering stage.

​

After Week 8 it’s normal to see leaves turning yellow, in fact there’s not much you can do to prevent it. As long as it’s close to harvest and the yellowing is not affecting your actual buds it’s ok!

Raising nutrient levels at this stage is not recommended as it won’t stop the yellowing and can possibly prevent your buds from fattening up as much as they could have (cannabis wants relatively low levels of nitrogen in the flowering stage for proper bud growth).

Plant yo-yos, also called Plant supports - get some to support your cannabis buds on Amazon!

Many growers choose to give their plants a 2-week flush before harvest to help make sure the plant has used up any additional nutrients that may affect the taste or smell of the buds.

These buds are ready to start flushing – white pistils have nearly all darkened and curled in.​

Sometimes you’ll need to harvest your plant early due to life situations, or because the plant is unhealthy and buds are starting to look burnt or discolored. If your buds look completely done, and you’re seeing leaf symptoms getting worse, it’s often better to harvest a little early to ensure the best possible quality given the situation.

You may want to harvest your marijuana buds early if they’re starting to get damaged by nutrient or other problems. Sometimes it’s better to cut your losses than let your buds continue to get beat up! If you harvest your plants too early you can improve many unwanted effects by curing them. For example, these buds probably should be harvested before the buds get any further damage.

Harvest buds early if they’re getting damaged!
​

ToDo:

Learn more about pests and nutrient deficiencies.

Learn more about growing during flower and the stretching of colas.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

July 28 2019 - Update​

Images:

Bakerstreet #1 - Hanna Hemp - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

Bakerstreet #2 - Henna Hemp - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

C.R.E.A.M. #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.

Cheese #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.



Growth Stage:

2 Bakerstreets: Day 7/ Week 9 ... Day 63 ... week 1 flower.

*** Should get pixels between August 03, 2019 and August 10, 2019.

*** Photoperiod Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 2-8 weeks veg, 6-12 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Allow 1 day to 3 days of dark before switching to 12-12
*** Pistels show up about 14 days (2 weeks) after switching to 12-12


1 C.R.E.A.M.: Day 7/ Week 8 ... Day 56 ... early flower.
1 Cheese: Day 7/ Week 8 ... Day 56 ... early flower.

*** Should be ready to harvest by August 18, 2019.

*** Autoflower Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 3 weeks veg, 3 weeks pre-flower, 3-6 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Pistels show up about 35 days (5 weeks) after Germination
*** Flowering takes about 42 days to 56 days (6 weeks to 8 weeks) after Pistels show up


Environment #1 - Autoflower Veg/Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 70% - lights-on.
RH is running between 50% and 60% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 27°C (80°F) and 29°C (84°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 25°C (77°F) and 27°C (80°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 0.71 and 1.56 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 1.23 and 1.39 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 4 cycles of "5 hours lights-on and 1 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above canopy centered over the plants.


Environment #2 - Photoperiod Flower:

RH is running between 55% and 60% - lights-on.
RH is running between 55% and 70% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 25°C (79°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 22°C (72°F) and 24°C (75°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 0.91 and 1.00 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/ Early Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 0.52 and 0.91 - Low Transpiration: Propagation/ Early Veg Growth - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

*** I need to bring the humidity down in this environment!

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 1 cycle of uninterrupted "12 hours lights-on and 12 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above the canopy centered over the 2 plants.



Watering and Feeding:


No watering or feeding today.

*** I will feed again July 29, 2019 or July 30, 2019 -- just water .


*** For details on my feeding schedule refer to here: The Different Feeds I need For This Grow (Version 4)


Activities:

LST on all plants.
I am checking the plants twice each day and adjusting the LST because the plants are growing quicker now.
My priority is to expose the growth nodes to light and air because they are going to become colas.

Refilled the humidifier with water.


Notes:

The priority has to be to expose the growth nodes/buds and to keep the canopy even.

I am letting all of the plants grow upwards while bending the inner (taller) growth nodes to slow their growth. I want the outer (shorter) growth nodes to catch up in growing.

I will try to keep the Bakerstreets' canopy height below 30 cm (12"). For detailed calculations on how I determined the canopy height, please refer to the ... June 30, 2019 - Update ... Lessons Learned section here: How long to Veg Photoperiods


Lessons Learned:

How to Flush a Sick Cannabis Plant

by Nebula Haze

Why Should I Flush My Sick Marijuana Plants?

The main reason to flush your sick cannabis is to try to correct something wrong at the roots by leaching out extra nutrients or salt buildup in the soil or coco coir.

The most common reasons to flush sicks plants are…

*** Fix pH – The pH at the roots is several points too high or too low, causing major nutrient deficiencies

*** Flush Out Additives That Made Plant Sick – It's important to flush a plant that has been watered with something that has made it sick, for example if it is losing leaves because it was recently watered with a pesticide, nutrient or supplement that was too strong.

*** Leach Out Time-Release Nutrients – If transplanting isn't an option, sometimes a grower will flush a plant that is being grown in soil with "time release" nutrients (like Miracle-Gro soil). This idea is to try to leach out extra nutrients (specifically nitrogen) before the flowering stage begins. Too much nitrogen in the flowering stage can give buds a "green" taste as well as actually prevent buds from getting as big as they normally would. Since time-release soils slowly releases nitrogen for months it's important to flush that out before your plant starts making buds.

If your cannabis plant gets sick the day after you add a new supplement for the first time, you should probably flush your plant to "start fresh" at the roots​

Which Growers Should Flush Their Plants?

Flushing sick plants is for…

*** Soil
*** Coco coir
*** Other soilless mediums

Flushing sick plants is NOT for…

*** Hydroponic or DWC grow setups – if you have a nutrient or pH problem, just change the reservoir so it has exactly what you want

How to Prevent the Need to Flush Your Plants

*** When hand-watering plants, always give plain water every other watering

*** Always start with 1/2 strength nutrients, and only increase nutrient dose if the overall plant is starting to look pale or lime green. Learn more about nutrient deficiencies. It's also a good idea to start any pesticides or supplements at half strength until you see how your plant reacts.

*** Always check and adjust the pH of your plants every single time you give them water. Even if only giving plain water. Maintaining the pH is the #1 way to prevent nutrient deficiencies, and simply by doing this you'll dramatically reduce the chance you'll even need to flush (pH being too high or too low is the main reason to flush plants).

*** When plants are sick, try moving the grow light up a few inches or even a foot. This will help your plant recover more effectively from many nutrient problems, whether you end up flushing the plants or not.

How to Flush Sick Cannabis Plants

Make up water with low levels of nutrients (1/4 strength or seedling dose). You want to take out the bad and replace with the good.

Give 3x the pot size – Use enough water so that you're giving the plant 3x as much water as the volume of the pot. It may take a little while. Remove all runoff water immediately, you don't want your plant to suck the bad stuff back up!

Give regular strength nutrients at the end – Make up one last batch of nutrient water at regular strength, and give this to your plants. You are replacing what you took out with what you want to be there – fresh, pH'ed nutrient water!

Make sure there is a fan blowing over the top of the growing medium to help it dry out so plants don't get as droopy from being overwatered. There should be plenty of air circulation in the grow space, with access to lots of fresh air.

Raise your grow lights up a few inches while your plant is recovering. Your plant definitely needs plenty of light, but you don't want to make it work too hard during the recovery period.

Wait a few days for improvement – Although your plant may get droopy at first, you should start to see improvement within a few days. Try not to water it again until the top inch is starting to dry. It's not recommended to flush a plant two times in a row. After the first flush you should have flushed out what was hurting the plant in the soil. At this point, it's time to give your plants some TLC while you get things back on track.

How to Fix Incorrect pH Without Flushing

1.) Determine your target pH

Soil: 6-7 pH
Coco: 5.5-6.5 pH

2.) Collect runoff – Give your water at the correct pH, and collect runoff water out the bottom.


3.) Is the pH too high or low? If the pH is higher or lower than the correct range, don't panic! At the very least you're already giving your water at the correct pH from on top. That will help the plant stay healthy while you fix whatever is going on at the roots.


4.) Start correcting the pH the next time you water your plants. If you already have major nutrient problems, you might consider flushing as stated above. But if you don't see problems yet, or if you only see just a little bit of leaf discoloration or yellowing, there's no need to flush. Flushing is very stressful for plants and may prevent them from recovering as fast as they could, so it should be avoided if possible.

Most of the time, if your runoff pH was too high or too low, it's better to wait until your next watering to start correcting it.


5.) Always give water in the correct pH range, but at the opposite end. Next time you water your plants give water in the correct range, but at the opposite end of the range to start trying to get it to move in the other direction.

If your runoff water is coming out at 4.5 pH, it means you should water your plants at the high end of your desired pH range. So for soil you would water your plants at 7.0 pH, and with coco you'd water your plants at 6.5 pH.

This ensures that your roots are getting some amount of nutrient water at the correct pH, while also starting to leach out whatever is in the growing medium that's dragging the pH down.

Eventually, your pH is going to start coming out the bottom of the plant in the right pH range, even if it takes a few weeks.

I've found that correcting the pH this way seems to stop most nutrient problems within just a few days, while preventing your plant from getting stressed from a true "flush."

I wish I had known this before I started growing I've done too many unnecessary flushes and unintentionally stressed out my plants!

Happy growing!



ToDo:

Learn more about harvesting.

Learn more about pests and nutrient deficiencies.

Learn more about growing during flower and the stretching of colas.

 

[oopssteptinit]

Looking good SQL! .....and now I know why you asked me if I checked the PH of the run-off when I flushed here awhile back. Now I wish I would have. You're doing great, you are staying on top of things. Grow man, Grow! Have a great evening.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

Looking good SQL! .....and now I know why you asked me if I checked the PH of the run-off when I flushed here awhile back. Now I wish I would have. You're doing great, you are staying on top of things. Grow man, Grow! Have a great evening.

Thanks for the kudos

I am going to add this valuable practice to my skill-set.

Originally, I was intentionally giving full nutes every feed without checking the run-off. I figured ... hey ... they still look healthy ... so ... I'll just keep keep going.

It turns out, I can feed full nutes every feed for about two weeks ... then they get sick.

So ... lesson learned ... especially in flower ... it is very important to alternate full nutes feeds with just water feeds ... and always check the run-off pH and run-off ppm to verify the health of your soil!!!

 

[oopssteptinit]

Thanks for the kudos

I am going to add this valuable practice to my skill-set.

Originally, I was intentionally giving full nutes every feed without checking the run-off. I figured ... hey ... they still look healthy ... so ... I'll just keep keep going.

It turns out, I can feed full nutes every feed for about two weeks ... then they get sick.

So ... lesson learned ... especially in flower ... it is very important to alternate full nutes feeds with just water feeds ... and always check the run-off pH and run-off ppm to verify the health of your soil!!!

Awesome SQL, I had been alternating, but I haven't been checking the PH of the run-off, I'll be doing that more often. You sure save me alot of searching time, thanks for what you are doing Bro!!

 

[SQl2kGuy]

July 29 2019 - Update​

Images:

Bakerstreet #1 - Hanna Hemp - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

Bakerstreet #2 - Henna Hemp - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

C.R.E.A.M. #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.

Cheese #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.



Growth Stage:

2 Bakerstreets: Day 1/ Week 10 ... Day 64 ... week 2 flower.

*** Should get pixels between August 03, 2019 and August 10, 2019.

*** Photoperiod Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 2-8 weeks veg, 6-12 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Allow 1 day to 3 days of dark before switching to 12-12
*** Pistels show up about 14 days (2 weeks) after switching to 12-12


1 C.R.E.A.M.: Day 1/ Week 9 ... Day 57 ... mid flower.
1 Cheese: Day 1/ Week 9 ... Day 57 ... mid flower.

*** Should be ready to harvest by August 18, 2019.

*** Autoflower Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 3 weeks veg, 3 weeks pre-flower, 3-6 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Pistels show up about 35 days (5 weeks) after Germination
*** Flowering takes about 42 days to 56 days (6 weeks to 8 weeks) after Pistels show up


Environment #1 - Autoflower Veg/Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 50% - lights-on.
RH is running between 50% and 50% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 27°C (80°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 24°C (75°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 1.15 and 1.39 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 1.15 and 1.15 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/Early Flower - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 4 cycles of "5 hours lights-on and 1 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above canopy centered over the plants.


Environment #2 - Photoperiod Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 55% - lights-on.
RH is running between 55% and 70% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 23°C (73°F) and 24°C (75°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 21°C (70°F) and 23°C (73°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 1.00 and 1.09 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/ Early Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 0.49 and 1.00 - Low Transpiration: Propagation/ Early Veg Growth - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

*** I need to bring the humidity down in this environment!

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 1 cycle of uninterrupted "12 hours lights-on and 12 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above the canopy centered over the 2 plants.



Watering and Feeding:


No watering or feeding today.

*** I will feed again July 30, 2019 -- just water .


*** For details on my feeding schedule refer to here: The Different Feeds I need For This Grow (Version 4)


Activities:

LST on all plants.
I am checking the plants twice each day and adjusting the LST because the plants are growing quicker now.
My priority is to expose the growth nodes to light and air because they are going to become colas.

Refilled the humidifier with water.


Notes:

The priority has to be to expose the growth nodes/buds and to keep the canopy even.

I am letting all of the plants grow upwards while bending the inner (taller) growth nodes to slow their growth. I want the outer (shorter) growth nodes to catch up in growing.

I will try to keep the Bakerstreets' canopy height below 30 cm (12"). For detailed calculations on how I determined the canopy height, please refer to the ... June 30, 2019 - Update ... Lessons Learned section here: How long to Veg Photoperiods


Lessons Learned:

Flushing Cannabis Before Harvest (for Smoother Buds)

By Nebula Haze

What is the Point of Flushing Before Harvest? (Leaching Extra Nutrients Out of Buds)

Flushing is free and easy technique that may improve the quality and smoothness of your cannabis buds before harvest. Sounds good, right? Of course it does! But growers must also be careful with flushing before harvest because if you do it too early you can actually hurt your quality (and reduce your yields)!

The process of flushing involves giving your plants just plain water with no nutrients for a period of time before harvest. For growers who normally give water to their plants with nutrients in it, you would water your plants as normal with the same type of water you normally use, but you don't add any nutrients. Depending on the setup, growers usually flush their plants this way for a few days up to about 2 weeks.

Note: You still need to pH the water during the flush, because too high or too low pH can cause your plant to absorb extra aluminum and salt out of the water!

Flushing Before Harvest – Quick Summary

1.) Wait until harvest window is almost open

How long should each type of grower flush their plants before harvest?

*** Amended Soil Growers: Don't flush
*** Soil Growers: Flush 1-2+ Weeks
*** Coco Growers Flush: ~1 Week
*** DWC/Hydro Growers: Flush for a Few Days

2.) Water plants as normal, except with no nutrients or supplements

You're going to do everything you normally do when it comes to watering, except without any additional nutrients or supplements. Don't give more water at a time than normal, because this increases the chances of your plants getting overwatered and showing deficiencies/symptoms caused by that problem.

3.) Watch plants closely for signs of too much yellowing

During the flush before harvest, your plant can lose its green color very quickly. Although it's normal to see some amount of yellowing before harvest, it's important to harvest before the sugar leaves on the buds themselves have turned yellow. Although this doesn't affect the quality of the buds, it does affect the appearance and buds aren't as pretty. Additionally, once all the leaves have turned yellow your plant won't really mature a whole lot more, and buds can start to deteriorate quickly.

4.) Harvest Your Plants

After the flushing period, your plants should appear a lot lighter than they did at the beginning. It's time to harvest!

**********************************

The idea behind flushing is to let your cannabis plants “use up” any extra nutrients contained in the plant and buds. This way there is a much lower level of nutrients left over after harvest, and it's those extra nutrients that can change the smell, taste or (most often) "smoothness" of your buds in a negative way.

So in soil or coco coir, the grower would give the plant just plain water for days or weeks before harvest time. This lets the plant use up the nutrients in the soil/coco, and then – theoretically – start leaching extra nutrients from the buds.

In a hydro or DWC setup, flushing is even easier. The grower simply replaces all the water in their reservoir with plain pH'ed water, and the plant doesn’t have access to any nutrients available except for what’s already in the plant.

Is Flushing Important?

I used to think that flushing wasn’t that important. I'd still do it most of the time based on habits I'd learned from other growers, but other times I'd skip it altogether. One of the most common reasons growers tell you to flush is that not doing so affects flavor. I’d tried flushing and not flushing, and I personally couldn’t tell any difference when it came to smell or flavor.

In fact, I got lots of compliments on the taste and flavor of my buds. My unflushed buds didn’t have a “chemical” taste like others had warned of, and I figured the need to flush was basically a growing myth, or something growers should only do if they’ve given their plant too many nutrients.

When it came to flushing, I told myself, “How could the plant be removing nutrients out of buds, anyway?” I also figured that a flush wasn’t needed for my grows since I kept nutrient levels low throughout the entire flowering stage. I thought maintaining lower levels would prevent any type of nutrient buildup (so to speak) in the buds.

We did some testing on our cannabis buds to see whether flushing would make a big difference in the quality
I still don’t truly know about the science behind flushing or why it works, but after my last grow, my experience has changed my opinion on flushing.

For my last grow, I decided to try something a little different…I harvested different plants at different points in the flushing process.

While this was definitely not a honest-to-goodness scientific experiment since I was growing different strains without controls, the results of my experiment were more than enough to change my mind.

I grew three plants. I had one plant I didn’t flush at all, one that was flushed for a couple of days, and one that got flushed for a little more than a week.

So how much of a difference did flushing make?

The plants which were flushed for a few days or a week before harvest were more “smooth” than the buds from the plant which wasn't flushed at all.

The buds from the non-flushed plant smelled like completely normal potent marijuana, but they caused me to cough more often during smoking. The buds from plants that got flushed for at least a few days were just plain better.

An unflushed bud can be beautiful, look great and smell great, but is it smooth to smoke?Luckily, you can partially fix harsh buds by curing them for longer – giving buds a little extra time in curing jars will reduce the harshness dramatically, but why not try starting with smooth buds from the beginning?

The plants which were flushed for at least a few days yielded buds that came out buttery smooth, without irritating the throat at all.

In conclusion, in our insanely informal, scientist-enraging experiment, longer flushing seemed to create smoother buds.

As far as we could tell, the taste and smell seemed completely unchanged, so I stand by the fact that, at least in our experiments, flushing didn’t seem to have an effect on enhancing flavor/smell so much as it safeguards it.

So does that prove anything? No. But the evidence is strong enough to change my opinion and I’ll be flushing for at least a few days before all my future harvests. There doesn’t seem to be any true downside to flushing (as long as you avoid common mistakes like flushing too early) and the potential benefits are worth it!

How to Flush Your Cannabis Plants Before Harvest – Complete Tutorial

1.) Wait until plant already looks like it’s at the early end of the harvest window – in other words, wait to start the flush until you could pretty much harvest the buds right now if you wanted

The smaller, single finger "sugar leaves" on your cannabis plant should hopefully still be mostly green when your harvest your plant. At the beginning of the harvest window, your buds should already look just about the way you want them to at harvest. This harvest window lasts for several weeks because marijuana buds don't get "overripe" easily, and you have plenty of time to harvest your buds even two weeks after they've reached the beginning of the harvest window.

At this point it would be like harvesting fruit a little early; they won't be at full potential, but they'll still be pretty good, so it's a great time to start the flush now so you harvest at the optimum time. On the flip side, if you start flushing when your buds "seem" two weeks away, instead of already being in the harvest window, chances are you will be starting the flush too early and end up with "underripe" buds (and smaller yields).

Why avoid flushing buds early? Basically buds harvested on the early side tend to be more "racing" or possibly have a paranoia-inducing effect, while waiting longer to harvest increases THC levels and intensifies the psychoactive properties of your buds. Waiting even longer makes buds that are still potent and psychoactive, but the extra time in the flowering stage also starts to add a more relaxed,"couchlock" effect as some of the THC degrades to CBN.

At the earliest part of the harvest window, at least 40-50% of the white hairs have darkened and curled in. If you look at buds under a magnifier, you'll see that the mushroom-like trichomes (which were once clear) are at least half cloudy.

A little extra info on harvest time: Cloudy trichomes indicate the highest levels of THC. When half of the trichomes are cloudy it signals the very beginning of the harvest window (the earliest it's ever recommended to harvest buds). For the most part, a cannabis plant won't reach the very beginning of its harvest window until 6-8 weeks into the flowering stage, and that's still several weeks earlier than many strains.

Although buds can be harvested at this point, they will continue to develop and increase THC levels over the next few weeks as more trichomes turn cloudy. Your yields will also increase significantly! If you're looking for a more relaxed effect, I recommend starting the flush when just about all the trichomes have already turned cloudy.

Harvesting on time gives more potent results and bigger yields than harvesting early, so it's imperative to avoid flushing too early!

The harvest window lasts for a few weeks and with this method your buds will still be ready to harvest at the end of the flush, without the chance of having started too early.

2.) Provide only plain pH’ed water to plant until harvest (from a few days to 2+ weeks)

You're going to do everything you normally do when it comes to watering, except without any additional nutrients or supplements. Don't give more water at a time than normal, because this increases the chances of your plants getting overwatered and showing deficiencies/symptoms caused by that problem.

Soil Growers Flush 1-2+ Weeks – Soil growers should flush the longest, from 1-2 weeks. This is because there is still some amount of nutrients left in the soil. For super soil growers who haven't used any nutrients from seed to harvest, you don't have to worry about flushing because you've been giving plain water from the beginning. Your microorganisms in the soil have fed nutrients directly to your plants as needed, and it's very unlikely you have any type of nutrient build-up.

Coco Growers Flush ~1 Week – Coco coir does not hold onto a lot of extra nutrients and just a watering or two with plain water will wash most nutrients away. Therefore growers utilizing coco coir should only flush their plants from a few days to about a week, depending on how fast the plant is turning yellow.

DWC/Hydro Growers Flush for a Few Days – When a hydro/DWC grower changes their reservoir to plain water, their plants literally have access to almost zero nutrients immediately. Because of that, a hydro grower should usually only flush their plant for a few days before harvest to prevent early yellowing.

Exceptions to the "No Supplements" rule:

*** Beneficial root bacteria – Hydroponic growers should continue using products with beneficial root bacteria like Hydroguard right up until harvest. These products do not contain any nutrients but will protect your plants from root rot.

*** Continue to manage the pH of your water as normal – PH Up and Down products don't contain added nutrients. If the pH is too high or too low, it makes certain types of salts and aluminum more available to your plant roots. You don't want your plant absorbing that stuff up right when you're trying to flush the buds!

*** Blackstrap molasses – This all-natural bud sweetener is safe to use up until harvest in coco or soil grows (1/2 tsp per gallon of water), but not in hydro.

*** "Clearing" or "Salt Leaching" Solutions (below) – These supplements have been specifically designed to help remove extra nutrients during the flush.

Even during the flush, it's still important to manage your pH. Many growers agree that a few days to 2 weeks is a good amount of time to flush. Plants in soilless mediums like coco or hydro can't be flushed as long as plants in soil because they will run out of nutrients too quickly. For hydro you may only be able to flush for a few days. Flushing too long or starting too early increases the chances of reducing yields and running into unpleasant looking nutrient deficiencies.

"Clearing" or "Salt Leaching" Solutions

These products are formulated to help remove extra minerals or salts when flushing the plant, which may reduce the chance that these leftover minerals or salts end up altering the smell or flavor of your buds.

They're meant to be used if you've been giving your plants extra nutrients in their water. They aren't necessary when the plant has been getting all its nutrients from the soil.

*** FloraKleen (by General Hydroponics)

*** Clearex (by Botanicare)

3.) Watch out for early yellowing

During the flush before harvest, it's important to keep a close eye on your plants. Your plant can turn yellow almost over night in certain situations.

Although it's normal to see some amount of yellowing before harvest, it's important to harvest before the sugar leaves on the buds have turned yellow.

Try to harvest before the green sugar leaves (small single-finger leaves directly attached to buds) start turning yellow. In the following cases, many of the fan leaves have turned yellow during the flush, but the small leaves on the buds themselves still appear green. They are at the perfect time to harvest!

​

You can see the sugar leaves are mostly still green, but many of the fan leaves are pale and turning yellow. That is what you're looking for.
​

If the leaves of your plant have turned completely another color like red or purple, that is also a sign the end is near (not talking about when the buds themselves turn pink or purple, as that's caused by a different genetic trait and doesn't have anything to do with the leaves). Even for plants where leaves changing colors is normal, it usually only happens when harvest time is coming soon.

Your plant can't really make energy from light after the leaves stop being green. That means you should plan on harvesting within a week of leaves going completely purple, and possibly even sooner if the buds themselves start looking discolored. In the following picture the buds continue to look pristine so far, but the purple leaves are a sign that the grower should plan to harvest soon to avoid letting the buds themselves get discolored or crispy.

​

Try to harvest your buds before the sugar leaves and/or the buds themselves actually start turning yellow, or buds appear burnt.
​

Although discolored sugar leaves doesn't affect the quality/potency of the buds, it does affect the appearance (your buds won't be as pretty). Additionally, once all the leaves are yellow your buds won't really mature a whole lot more, and buds can quickly further deteriorate in health and lose potency.

That being said, even if buds don't look picture perfect, they will be just as great to smoke, and some growers prefer the more "couchlock" style effects of buds that have been allowed to mature on the longer side! Learn more about how harvesting at different times changes the potency/effects.

​

If you let the flush go this long, where buds are getting crispy and brown without any sign of green, it means the actual potency of your bud is starting to degrade.
This bud needs to be harvested immediately so you don't lose further potency!
​

4.) Enjoy your smooth and potent buds!

Woo hoo! You've been working so hard, and now you are almost at the end of your journey!

You've done everything you could to ensure the smoothest buds, so now it's time to enjoy the fruits of your labor!



ToDo:

Learn more about harvesting.

Learn more about pests and nutrient deficiencies.

Learn more about growing during flower and the stretching of colas.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

July 30 2019 - Update​

Images:

Bakerstreet #1 - Hanna Hemp - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

Bakerstreet #2 - Henna Hemp - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

C.R.E.A.M. #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.

Cheese #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.



Growth Stage:

2 Bakerstreets: Day 2/ Week 10 ... Day 65 ... week 2 flower.

*** Should get pixels between August 03, 2019 and August 10, 2019.

*** Photoperiod Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 2-8 weeks veg, 6-12 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Allow 1 day to 3 days of dark before switching to 12-12
*** Pistels show up about 14 days (2 weeks) after switching to 12-12


1 C.R.E.A.M.: Day 2/ Week 9 ... Day 58 ... mid flower.
1 Cheese: Day 2/ Week 9 ... Day 58 ... mid flower.

*** Should be ready for full flush by August 04, 2019.
*** Should be ready to harvest by August 18, 2019.

*** Autoflower Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 3 weeks veg, 3 weeks pre-flower, 3-6 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Pistels show up about 35 days (5 weeks) after Germination
*** Flowering takes about 42 days to 56 days (6 weeks to 8 weeks) after Pistels show up


Environment #1 - Autoflower Veg/Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 50% - lights-on.
RH is running between 50% and 50% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 29°C (84°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 24°C (75°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 1.15 and 1.56 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 1.15 and 1.15 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/Early Flower - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 4 cycles of "5 hours lights-on and 1 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above canopy centered over the plants.


Environment #2 - Photoperiod Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 55% - lights-on.
RH is running between 65% and 70% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 26°C (79°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 24°C (75°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 0.54 and 1.15 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/ Early Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 0.48 and 0.70 - Low Transpiration: Propagation/Early Veg - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 1 cycle of uninterrupted "12 hours lights-on and 12 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above the canopy centered over the 2 plants.



Watering and Feeding:

Bakerstreets:

pH: 6.39
ppm: 521

Foliar feed - 100 ml (0.4 cups) each.

I used a half dose of the Week 5 Canada Gringo Rasta Soil Schedule, B-52 and CarboLoad.

*** Foliar feeding is done 1 hour after the lights turn off ... so the leaves have cooled and the stomata are open to accept water and nutrients.

*** Next feed ... Half Dose - Week 6 - CGRSFS with RME on July 31, 2019.


C.R.E.A.M.:

pH: 7.00
ppm: 0.00

Soil feed - 4.0 litres (1.0 gallon).

I used distilled water only.

C.R.E.A.M. Run-Off:

pH: 5.63
ppm: 1263

500 ml (2 cups).


Cheese:

pH: 7.00
ppm: 0.00

Soil feed - 3.0 litres (0.8 gallons).

I used distilled water only.

Cheese Run-Off:

pH: 5.69
ppm: 1384

500 ml (2 cups).

*** Soil watering and feeding is done 1 hour after the lights turn on ... so the roots have been stimulated to draw nutrients up into the plant.

*** Next feed ... Full Dose - Week 10 - CGRSFS with CS, BPSS, BTTE on July 31, 2019.


*** For details on my feeding schedule refer to here: The Different Feeds I need For This Grow (Version 4)


Activities:

LST on all plants.
I am checking the plants twice each day and adjusting the LST because the plants are growing quicker now.
My priority is to expose the growth nodes to light and air because they are going to become colas.

Refilled the humidifier with water.


Notes:

The priority has to be to expose the growth nodes/buds and to keep the canopy even and flat.

I will try to keep the Bakerstreets' canopy height below 30 cm (12"). For detailed calculations on how I determined the canopy height, please refer to the ... June 30, 2019 - Update ... Lessons Learned section here: How long to Veg Photoperiods

I have been collecting VPD data for a while now, and I will begin to see what I can do with the VPD data tomorrow.

The C.R.E.A.M.'s pistels and the Cheese's pistels are starting to darken and their budlets are going to begin to ripen and enlarge into buds.

This means the C.R.E.A.M. and the Cheese is pretty much done stretching, and they are going to shift from veg into full flower.

The C.R.E.A.M. and the Cheese will not be making any new stems or leaves; therefore my pruning will be extremely selective so the leaves can power bud growth.

I will be using LST on the C.R.E.A.M. and the Cheese to push the stems out laterally and to flatten the canopy. I read that doing this can increase yield by as much as 40%!

Based on the growth stage and from reading the on-line reviews, the C.R.E.A.M. and the Cheese are still slated to be ready for harvest around August 18, 2019.

This means I will do a full flush on the C.R.E.A.M. and the Cheese on August 4, 2019.

This also means I should currently be on Week 10 of the CGRSFS.

I am collecting the run-off data for the feeds now.

The C.R.E.A.M. Run-Off and the Cheese Run-Off indicate I should feed a Full Dose - Week 10 - CGRSFS with CS, BPSS, BTTE on July 31, 2019.


Lessons Learned:

When Are Marijuana Buds Ready to Harvest?

By Nebula Haze

Intro: When to Harvest Cannabis (for highest potency)

When should we harvest the buds from a cannabis plant? That is the eternal question… I’m sure the answer we’re all thinking is “Not soon enough!”

Unfortunately for us impatient growers, harvesting at the right time is just as important as how you grow the plant. Harvest too soon and you lose potency and cannabis yields; too late and you can end up making a batch of sleep medicine.

You only need 3 things to determine the best marijuana harvest time:

*** The knowledge of when to harvest – You get that today!
*** Eyes for visual inspection – You’ve probably had these for a while!
*** A magnifying tool – Makes the glittery, resin-filled trichomes on your buds easier to see; although not 100% necessary, this lets you time your harvest perfectly to get the exact effects you’re looking for

When it comes to magnifying tools for growing, there are a few options:

*** Jeweler’s Loupe – This is the cheapest and most low tech way to get the job done. Unfortunately, it is still difficult to get the best insight into how your buds are doing unless you have really great eyes, though the one I linked to is the best that I’ve tried. Will definitely get the job done in a pinch!

*** Digital Microscope – A digital microscope is one of the best tools to determine the right harvest time. A digital microscope costs a bit more than a loupe and many models need a connecting laptop, but they will get you face-to-face with your trichomes and allow you to take video to re-examine afterward or get a second opinion. You’ll be almost uncomfortably close to your trichomes!

There are two main techniques growers use to identify the right time to harvest marijuana plants.

Note: We recommend that you flush your cannabis plants in the last week or two leading up to harvest time if growing in soil or coco, and for at least a few days in hydro.

First, we’ll show you how to identify harvest time by checking the pistils (the ‘hairs’ on your buds). The pistil method isn’t nearly as accurate as checking the trichomes (the ‘glitter’ on your buds), but it’s definitely a good place to start since you can just look at the buds and get a general idea.

1st Method to Identify Harvest Time: Pistil Method


Not Ready for Harvest Pictures

The vast majority of pistils (hairs) are still white and sticking out straight.
This is definitely too early to harvest, and these plants have many weeks to go!​

Still Not Ready for Harvest Pictures

We’re waiting for at least half of the white hairs to darken and curl in. Some of the pistils are starting to turn color, but there are far less than 50% curled/darkened pistils. These buds still have several weeks to go before they’ll reach their highest levels of THC. The good news is your buds will get bigger and more dense in that time!​

Ready for Harvest Pictures

Harvest when 60-70% of hairs have darkened for highest levels of THC.
Harvest when 70-90% of hairs have darkened for a more calming,
anti-anxiety effect as some THC turns to the more relaxing CBN.

​

With some strains, you may see a bunch of new pistils appear right when you think you’re getting close. This is normal, but it happens more than 3 times you’ve eventually got to just make the decision and chop.​

With some strains, it is much harder to tell when the time is right. Different strains can look different ways at harvest. For example, some strains can keep most of their pistils white even when they’re ready to be harvested.

You can get some good information by talking to someone who has grown your strain before, such as the breeder. The breeder or growers who’ve grown your strain before can often provide extra insight into what to look for at harvest. You can also search online for pictures of what your strain should look like when it’s fully ripened.

Next, we’re going to go over the 2nd (and MUCH more accurate) method of checking your cannabis plants to see if they’re harvest-ready…

*** I will do this in tomorrow's lessons learned section.


ToDo:

Learn more about harvesting.

Learn more about pests and nutrient deficiencies.

Learn more about growing during flower and the stretching of colas.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

July 31 2019 - Update​

Images:

Bakerstreet #1 - Hanna Hemp - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

Bakerstreet #2 - Henna Hemp - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

C.R.E.A.M. #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.

Cheese #1 - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.



Growth Stage:

2 Bakerstreets: Day 3/ Week 10 ... Day 66 ... week 2 flower.

*** Should get pixels between August 03, 2019 and August 10, 2019.

*** Photoperiod Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 2-8 weeks veg, 6-12 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Allow 1 day to 3 days of dark before switching to 12-12
*** Pistels show up about 14 days (2 weeks) after switching to 12-12


1 C.R.E.A.M.: Day 3/ Week 9 ... Day 59 ... mid flower.
1 Cheese: Day 3/ Week 9 ... Day 59 ... mid flower.

*** Should be ready for full flush by August 04, 2019.
*** Should be ready to harvest by August 18, 2019.

*** Autoflower Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 3 weeks veg, 3 weeks pre-flower, 3-6 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Pistels show up about 35 days (5 weeks) after Germination
*** Flowering takes about 42 days to 56 days (6 weeks to 8 weeks) after Pistels show up


Environment #1 - Autoflower Veg/Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 65% - lights-on.
RH is running between 50% and 55% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 27°C (81°F) and 29°C (84°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 25°C (77°F) and 27°C (81°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 1.06 and 1.56 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 1.07 and 1.39 - Healthy Transpiration: Late Veg/Early Flower - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 4 cycles of "5 hours lights-on and 1 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above canopy centered over the plants.


Environment #2 - Photoperiod Flower:

RH is running between 40% and 60% - lights-on.
RH is running between 60% and 70% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 24°C (75°F) and 26°C (79°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 22°C (75°F) and 24°C (75°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 1.02 and 1.37 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 0.62 and 0.80 - Low Transpiration: Propagation/Early Veg - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 1 cycle of uninterrupted "12 hours lights-on and 12 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above the canopy centered over the 2 plants.



Watering and Feeding:

Bakerstreets:

*** Next feed ... Half Dose - Week 6 - CGRSFS with RME on August 01, 2019.


C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese:

*** Next feed ... Full Dose - Week 10 - CGRSFS with CS, BPSS, BTTE on August 01, 2019.


*** For details on my feeding schedule refer to here: The Different Feeds I need For This Grow (Version 4)


Activities:

LST on all plants.
I am checking the plants twice each day and adjusting the LST because the plants are growing quicker now.
My priority is to expose the growth nodes to light and air because they are going to become colas.

Refilled the humidifier with water.


Notes:

The priority has to be to expose the growth nodes/buds and to keep the canopy even and flat.

I will try to keep the Bakerstreets' canopy height below 30 cm (12"). For detailed calculations on how I determined the canopy height, please refer to the ... June 30, 2019 - Update ... Lessons Learned section here: How long to Veg Photoperiods

I have been collecting VPD data for a while now, and I will begin to see what I can do with the VPD data tomorrow.



Lessons Learned:

When Are Marijuana Buds Ready to Harvest?

By Nebula Haze

2nd Method to Identify Harvest Time: Trichome Method

This harvest method tends to be more precise than looking at the pistils of your cannabis plant.

Look at trichomes under a magnifier to harvest cannabis buds with the right THC levels

With this method, you look at the glandular stalked trichomes on the buds under a magnifying glass. Trichomes are the the mushroom-looking growths on cannabis that are responsible for it being so popular!

In some places these trichomes are called resin glands. These trichromes are the ‘crystals’, or ‘frosty stuff’ you see accumulating on your bud/leaves. They’re also what makes weed so sticky.

The trichomes you’re trying to see look like little mushrooms. You may also see tiny, clear hair-like trichomes without the mushroom head but these don’t affect potency so you can ignore them. You are interested in the trichomes that have a little ball on top. This is where a lot of the THC and other good stuff in cannabis is located. Since these trichomes are what contribute the most to bud potency, being able to tell when they’ve reached their highest levels of THC will help you be able to choose the exact right time to harvest your marijuana.

Cannabis trichomes are difficult to see with the naked eye, so you’ll need a jeweler’s loupe or other way to magnify the image in order to use the “trichome method” for determining harvest time. Conversely, some cameras can take ‘macro’ shots that are clear enough to see what stage the trichomes are in but they can be pricey…

Jeweler’s loupes are relatively cheap to buy online, or at a hardware or jewelry store.

If you put the loupe right up to your buds, you’ll get a better view of the trichomes, letting you better determine their color and shape.

​

Although a jeweler’s loupe can make trichomes appear bigger, sometimes it’s not big enough. I know I end up squinting a lot when I’m trying to use one, but they are a heck of a lot better than nothing!

​

Although it’s cheap, the best rated jeweler’s loupes comes in under the $20 price range. However, please note that although it says you get 40x magnification, you don’t get nearly as much as that. However, I’ve found that with just about every jeweler’s loupe; they advertise more magnification than what you get. That being said, for a lot of growers this will get the job done!

A digital microscope typically takes video and produce bigger and more clear pictures of trichomes than a jeweler’s loupe or other small magnifiers. Not only can you see the trichomes better, but you can record video of them to look over after the fact. These are still pretty cheap, costing about $50, and they will give you better results than most other methods for determining harvest.

You will need to hook it up to a laptop or computer for it to work. It’s nice to be able to see the trichomes on a screen and take pictures or video to examine afterwards. It can be difficult to really evaluate the trichomes when you’re thinking about getting everything in focus.


Here’s a guide breaking down when to harvest marijuana buds based on color of trichomes:

(note: the trichomes of some strains turn purple or pink instead of amber/gold/yellow)

Clear trichomes look kind of like glass​

Cloudy trichomes look more like plastic to me​

I still can’t tell the difference between clear and cloudy trichomes!!!

It can be hard to tell the difference between clear and cloudy trichomes, especially if you don’t see both types of trichomes at the same time! This is completely normal, and it takes a little experience before this part becomes totally easy.

However, when in doubt, consult with the pictures of buds above. If you combine both methods you’ll get the best results! Although looking at your buds isn’t the most precise way to know when to harvest, it does give you a really good idea. Try to take everything together. If your buds just have white pistils sticking out, you know for sure that it’s no where close to ready, so you also know that the trichomes on the buds aren’t all cloudy yet. It’s only when your buds are getting close to looking harvest-ready that trichomes are going to have something to tell you!

The trichomes in this picture are still mostly clear, but that may be difficult to know immediately if you haven’t really looked at trichomes before! However, I don’t even really need to look at the trichomes in this picture to know these buds aren’t ready yet. There are other signs it’s not ready. I can clearly see several white pistils sticking straight out in the photo. The only two pistils that have darkened haven’t even curled in yet.

Trichomes are mostly clear so this bud is not ready for harvest
​

But even without looking at the trichomes, the fact that nearly all the pistils are sticking straight out has already shown that this bud isn’t ready. If most pistils aren’t curling in, it means you still have several weeks to go!

Here’s that bud from further away – it’s far from ready!​

When you’re not sure, try to use a combination of looking at the buds and looking at the trichomes!

Many of the cannabinoids we enjoy most are produced within these glandular stalked trichomes. This includes THC, CBD, and CBN amongst others.

Summary: Tips & Hints

Here are some general rules about harvesting marijuana based on trichomes and the color of the hairs / pistils. If you follow these rules, you’ll know how to harvest weed perfectly every time!

*** If white “hairs” are almost all sticking straight out and trichomes are all still translucent (clear) then your plant is too young and not ready for harvest. Harvesting now will result in low yield and non-potent harvests.

*** The beginning of the harvest window opens when your plant has mostly stopped growing new white “hairs” or pistils and at least 40% of the white hairs have darkened and curled in.

*** Highest level of THC is when many/most of the trichomes have turned milky white / cloudy (when viewed under a magnifier). Trichomes that are milky have the highest levels of THC are “ready to harvest” and contribute to more euphoric and psychoactive effects. At this point 50-70% of the pistils have darkened.

*** Some Sativa & Haze strains have trichomes that never really turn amber. If they’ve turned mostly white and don’t seem to be progressing further, it may be time to harvest!

The most “couchlock” or sedating effect happens towards the end of the pot harvest window, when the trichomes have become a darker color (usually amber/gold). The best results from amber trichomes come from indica strains. The amber/yellow trichomes contribute to a ‘body high’. Some of the THC has converted into less psychoactive CBN, which has calming and anti-anxiety effects. With some strains, the trichomes will even turn red or purple! I like to harvest around when 20% have turned amber. At this point 70-90% of the pistils have darkened. Harvesting later will increase the sedating effects, but may also start reducing the psychoactive effects.

*** When trichomes start looking grey or withered, the harvest window has passed, and buds will make you sleepy without many psychoactive effects. Usually it takes several weeks (4 or more) from the beginning of the harvest window for this to happen. It’s much easier to harvest too early than too late!

Want more of an ‘in-your-head’ effect? Harvest your buds earlier, when only 40% of hairs have darkened and curled in and more than half of the trichomes are part clear/ part milky or mostly cloudy/milky.

For the “strongest” marijuana buds with the most psychoactive effects, and the highest levels of THC, harvest when almost all trichomes are cloudy/milky.

For more relaxing, anti-anxiety buds, wait until at least some of the milky / cloudy trichomes have darkened to amber. More amber = more relaxing, though the effects may be somewhat less psychoactive. Remember, curing your buds properly for at least 2 weeks to a month will also give them more of an anti-anxiety effect.

When growing your own marijuana plants, you can certainly sample buds off your plant at different stages to get an idea for what your preferences are. It’s okay to cut off pieces at a time!

The hardest part of growing cannabis for many new growers is waiting for the right time to harvest.

There is a strong tendency for new growers to harvest the plant early due to excitement.

Unfortunately, this often results in low yields and lower-potency buds.

If you are feeling excited about harvesting your marijuana plant, pull buds off the plant that look the most done and dry them and check the potency for yourself.

Harvesting the buds in stages (starting off slowly with small batches) can really help abate the excitement.

When in doubt, listen to your gut. Using both methods together will help you pick the best time to harvest, but only YOU know how you want your buds to turn out. This means that even the best methods are just general guidelines. But hopefully, you’re now closer to getting your bud the way you want it.

Happy growing!


ToDo:

Learn more about trimming.

Learn more about pests and nutrient deficiencies.

Learn more about growing during flower and the stretching of colas.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

August 01 2019 - Update​

Images:

Bakerstreet #1 - Hanna Hemp - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

Bakerstreet #2 - Henna Hemp - Looks healthy so far - growth nodes are exposed to light and air.

C.R.E.A.M. #1 - Cowgirl Hemp - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.

Cheese #1 - Gouda Hemp - Looks healthy so far - budlets are exposed to light and air.



Growth Stage:

2 Bakerstreets: Day 4/ Week 10 ... Day 67 ... week 2 flower.

*** Should get pixels between August 03, 2019 and August 10, 2019.

*** Photoperiod Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 2-8 weeks veg, 6-12 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Allow 1 day to 3 days of dark before switching to 12-12
*** Pistels show up about 14 days (2 weeks) after switching to 12-12


1 C.R.E.A.M.: Day 4/ Week 9 ... Day 60 ... mid flower.
1 Cheese: Day 4/ Week 9 ... Day 60 ... mid flower.

*** Should be ready for full flush by August 04, 2019.
*** Should be ready to harvest by August 18, 2019.

*** Autoflower Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 3 weeks veg, 3 weeks pre-flower, 3-6 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Pistels show up about 35 days (5 weeks) after Germination
*** Flowering takes about 42 days to 56 days (6 weeks to 8 weeks) after Pistels show up


Environment #1 - Autoflower Veg/Flower:

RH is running between 50% and 55% - lights-on.

Canopy temperature is running between 25°C (77°F) and 28°C (82°F) - lights-on.

VPD is between 1.23 and 1.30 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 1 cycle of "24 hours lights-on and 0 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above canopy centered over the plants.


Environment #2 - Photoperiod Flower:

RH is running between 40% and 45% - lights-on.
RH is running between 60% and 65% - lights-off.

Canopy temperature is running between 25°C (77°F) and 26°C (79°F) - lights-on.
Canopy temperature is running between 21°C (73°F) and 22°C (75°F) - lights-off.

VPD is between 1.46 and 1.55 - High Transpiration: Mid Flower/Late Flower - lights-on.
VPD is between 0.62 and 0.80 - Low Transpiration: Propagation/Early Veg - lights-off.

*** The VPD Values I am Using For This Grow (Version 1)

CO2 is refreshed frequently when the exhaust fan turns on.

The light is running 1 cycle of uninterrupted "12 hours lights-on and 12 hours lights-off".

The light is 53 cm (21") above the canopy centered over the 2 plants.



Watering and Feeding:

Bakerstreets' Feed:

pH: 6.72
ppm: 974

Soil feed - 6.0 litres (1.50 gallons) each.

I used a full dose of the Week 6 CGRSS, RME.

Bakerstreets' Run-Off:

pH: 5.37
ppm: 5142 (high ppm ... so I will decrease the amount of nutrients next feed)

Soil run-off - 0.5 litres (0.13 gallons) each.


C.R.E.A.M.'s Feed:

pH: 6.67
ppm: 974

Soil feed - 5.0 litres (1.32 gallons).

I used a full dose of the Week 10 CGRSS, BTTE, CS & BPSS.

C.R.E.A.M.'s Run-Off:

pH: 5.16
ppm: 3360 (high ppm ... so I will decrease the amount of nutrients next feed)

Soil run-off - 1.2 litres (0.32 gallons).


Cheese's Feed:

pH: 6.70
ppm: 1064

Soil feed - 5.0 litres (1.32 gallons).

I used a full dose of the Week 10 CGRSS, BTTE, CS & BPSS.

Cheese's Run-Off:

pH: 5.13
ppm: 3294 (high ppm ... so I will decrease the amount of nutrients next feed)

Soil run-off - 0.6 litres (0.16 gallons) each.


*** Soil watering and feeding is done 1 hour after the lights turn on ... so the roots have been stimulated to draw nutrients up into the plant.


*** For details on my feeding schedule refer to here: The Different Feeds I need For This Grow (Version 4)


Activities:

LST on all plants.
I am checking the plants twice each day and adjusting the LST because the plants are growing quicker now.
My priority is to expose the growth nodes to light and air because they are going to become colas.

Refilled the humidifier with water.

Switched the Environment #1 lighting schedule to 24-0.


Notes:

The priority has to be to expose the growth nodes/buds and to keep the canopy even and flat.

I will try to keep the Bakerstreets' canopy height below 30 cm (12"). For detailed calculations on how I determined the canopy height, please refer to the ... June 30, 2019 - Update ... Lessons Learned section here: How long to Veg Photoperiods

I have been collecting VPD data for a while now, and I will begin to see what I can do with the VPD data tomorrow.

*** In an attempt to simplify dialing-in the VPD for Environment #1, I have decided to set the lighting schedule to 24-0 and the keep the exhaust fan on 24-0.

*** I am planning on getting an Inkbird IBS-TH1 Wireless Thermometer Hygrometer to simplify collecting VPD data points.

*** The C.R.E.A.M. & Cheese are really beginning to get fragrant, and it is making the house smell a bit too much.

*** Keeping the exhaust fan on 24-0 for Environment #1 will also prevent unwanted smells in the house.

*** I need to even out the canopy on the C.R.E.A.M. tomorrow.


Lessons Learned:

Complete Guide to Trimming Cannabis

By Nebula Haze

Why do growers trim cannabis buds in the first place?

Harvest time has come! You are cutting down your homegrown cannabis buds to dry and cure them. But do growers need to trim their cannabis buds? When is the best time to trim, and why do growers trim buds in the first place?

*** Appearance – In magazines, at the dispensary and in pictures online nearly all the buds you’ll see are completely manicured, or at least somewhat trimmed. This is the appearance we’ve come to associate with “good weed” and so untrimmed buds may look less appealing to some people.

*** Harshness – leaves can be more “harsh” on your throat/lungs than flowers when smoking cannabis, so trimming off extra leaf matter can improve the “smoothness” of your buds when smoking.

*** THC Concentration – the sugar leaves on your buds inherently have a lower concentration of THC than bud (even trichome-encrusted ones!), which means that you’re getting less THC gram-for-gram than with bud.

Many growers want trimmed buds but don’t want to waste any THC, so they process their trim to extract the THC in the leaves separately. You have endless options for getting the good stuff out of your leaves and other trim, but my favorite ways are making dry ice hash, butter or canna caps. I sprinkle dry ice hash on top of bowls to skyrocket their potency, I use butter for edibles, and I love canna caps for the ability to easily dose edibles on the go!

An example of well-trimmed cannabis buds.

Untrimmed cannabis buds
​

Trim before or after drying? (“Wet Trim” vs “Dry Trim”)

When I first started growing I didn’t know anything about trimming. I knew you could do it before or after, but I didn’t know the pros and cons of each. From reading online, I could see that growers successfully use both methods, so there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to do it.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to trimming cannabis. Some growers trim their cannabis buds before drying them, and some growers wait until after the buds have already dried to trim their cannabis.

Trimming your cannabis before drying is known as a “wet trim” because the leaves are still wet during the trimming process. Trimming after the buds have already dried is known as a “dry trim” since your buds will already be dried before you trim off the sugar leaves.

Most growers will at least remove all or most of the big fan leaves with their fingers before drying, though some growers will hang the whole plant upside down without any type of trim whatsoever.

Wet Trim Example – all leaves are removed before buds are allowed to dry.

Dry Trim Example – little trimming was done before buds were dried.
​

Trim before drying (“wet trim”) when…

• You’re worried about mold
• You have high humidity (above 60% RH)
• There’s a lot of buds drying in a small space
• You otherwise want buds to dry more quickly

Trim after drying (“dry trim”) when…

• You’re not worried about mold
• You have low humidity (below 45%RH)
• You want buds to dry more slowly (buds drying too fast is the #1 cause of “hay smell”)
• You want buds to be “tighter” or more dense
• You don’t mind buds losing their color vibrance (dry trim buds tend to lose their green/purple/color and take on shades of brown or tan)

*** To be continued tomorrow.


ToDo:

Learn more about trimming.

Learn more about pests and nutrient deficiencies.

Learn more about growing during flower and the stretching of colas.

 

[oopssteptinit]

Looking good, SQL! and as always you are planning ahead. Grow, Brother, Grow!