AKGramma's Perpetual Grow

I wonder how sticky BBL buds smoke? I don't smoke, just take cannabudder capsules. Do they stay sticky through the drying process? Or do they dry and can be crumbled for bongs and joints?

EDIT: I'm pressing some of the smallest buds into larger nugs, about 3/4" (2 cm) long. Same trics, just from smaller bits and pieces.
 
Last night I tried fertilizing a branch of one of my BBL mothers in flower, but she was so sticky, she stuck to the inside of the bag. I dabbed her flower into the pollen, and peeled the baggie off her. I hope there was enough contact to pollinate.

This whole sticky plant thingy is new to me. I hope sticky = potent!

As soon as the hanging buds are dry and moved to jars, I'll up-pot three juveniles and activate the closet for 12/12. That will give me 2 flower units and one veg unit. Up to now, I have spaced out the switch to flower one plant at a time, 1 to 2 months apart, so the harvest is gradual, not a huge day-long job!
 
AKgramma said:
This whole sticky plant thingy is new to me.
Click to expand...

Lol. Looks like things have improved all around for you this time. I bet your next harvest(s) will be even more noteworthy.
 
I'm going to have to start drying my buds in paper bags. Just hanging them in a 50% RH closet dried them out too fast. Just two days. So, after I trimmed off the dry stems, I sprayed them very sparingly with water and jarred them. I will be going by touch and a hygrometer, till they regain some moisture. Just checking them several times a day will air them out.

My wet harvest 2 days ago was 96g off one plant.
Super dry weight this morning was 36g.

I had no cool place to hang them, due to the hot weather we've had the last few days. I should have paper bagged them and put them in the refrigerator. Next batch, I'll do just that.

Once they are rehydrated to 62% in the jar, I hope the weight will rise a few grams.

EDIT: I wonder if I could stretch the drying period out, if I just hung the whole plant (minus the fan leaves) upside down in the closet?

EDIT: a few hours later, the buds sucked up the moisture in the paper towel and the open jar is now up to 75%. I am leaving the cap off and fluffing the buds to aerate them until the RH drops to 62. I will nurse this for 5 or so days, until the RH is stable, then cap for storage in the bottom of the refrigerator.

I think this puts me back on track for the drying phase, and this time I'll make sure it progresses slowly.

EDIT: Nope. Too wet for the jar. I dumped the buds into a flat plastic container, arranged the buds in a single layer, with room for the hygrometer, and set the cover on, slightly open for ventilation. I can keep an eye on the drying process and stir the buds periodically.

Jumping through a lot of hoops to dry this batch correctly the first time. * sigh *
 
I was reading the journals of those folks who have given me advice on my Journal, and I came across the fluxing method of increasing yield. I followed the links back to the original person on 420 who first coined the word.

So I said, well why the hell not? I have a brand-new 5 gallon storage bin already drilled with drainage holes, and the last clone of BBL#1 that got all spindly except for tufts of terminal leaves. It is a Juvenile, but still limber enough to tie down the two branches. It will never fill out on its own, and so this is its last chance to prove itself. I will be royally PISSED if it is a male, because the bin takes up the space of 2 smaller bins.

I planted it deep in the 5 gallon bin and sprinkled a liberal dose of MYCO on the roots, and just watered the section where the current rootball is. The rest of the soil was slighty damp and should do till the next watering. I didn't want to soak the whole bin until the roots spread out. I also put handfuls of worm castings around the stem and about 4" in diameter, where the current rootball is.

As soon as the tips turn up, I'll post a picture, to show you that it IS possible to start them older, if they are flexible. To prevent a crotch split, I crossed the branches towards each other, then strapped them down as shown in the original flux manual. I have split every older Juvenile I've tried to tie down, so went with the crossed-branch technique to hold the two branches together at the stem.

This will be my first MJ plant in 5 gallons, so I am planning just one in a 2' x 4' closet, with maybe a 3 gallon to one side trained in the usual manner.

Wish me LUCK! Pictures to come, as I progress through each step of the process.
 
FLUXING JUVENILE PLANT

Here is the picture I promised. The tips have not yet turned up completely, but they will by tomorrow morning.
Flux_step_1.JPG

The purpose of this method is to encourage the nodes along the stems to put out shoots, which will become a mass of flowering tips, all the same size. The original method performs this first step when the plants have only 4 nodes, then is topped, and let grow for several nodes before tie down. Since this was an older juvenile not branching well on its own, I thought I would experiment, as a last resort.

Note how I crossed the stems to prevent splitting.
 
I checked the bottoms of the clones in my DIY coning bowl and All clones have at least two 1/8" roots! I am surprised I only lost 2, because they were so tiny when I took the cuttings. I will have to put them into muddy water, then gradually add more soil to acclimate them to a solid medium.

EDIT: That makes an 8 day result! No dome, no mites, no soil!

Not quite ready to go the hempy route, however, since I don't have any perlite yet, or the correct nutes for it. Sorry, Tead!
 
Final dry weight of the harvest from my first BBL Lady to mature = 30.15g. That is hydrated to 60%. Pretty good for me! Now that I have leds, the next lady should give me more.

Went to the store and bought the perlite and some larger CFLs: a a 200 and a 150. Plus some more worm castings. I got the last 2 bags of the perlite. Lotsa growers in this neck of the woods! Also picked up a tall 10 gallon trash bin to use as a drying container. Was cheap enough to rig up with a removable rack to hang from and I have a few plastic lids from other bins that will fit the top, to control the humidity. A few other pieces of hardware, all for the grow room. I didn't buy anything for myself this time, except lunch at the double arches.
 
Tead said:
You'll get there. I'm a gentle and patient preacher. The seed has been planted and you're already digging for info... yeah, you'll be the next victim. I have faith after all.
Click to expand...

Me and Sweet Sue. Both of us have signed up as your disciples on your Journal!
 
AKgramma said:
Here is a picture of a DIY plain-water cloning device.

CloneViaWater.JPG




All you need are:

1 fairly straight sided pot or bowl, dark enough to block light to the roots.
scrap piece of styrofoam 1/2" to 3/4" thickness.

Prep: You do not need to scrape or split the stems, nor dip in rooting hormone. You don't have to trim down the fan leaves unless they are really large. Just remove enough leaves to leave you a stem long enough to go through the styrofoam and be submerged at least 1/2" into the water.

1) Cut the styrofoam to a diameter smaller than the inside of the pot.
3) Poke holes in the styrofoam all the way through, big enough for your clone stems.
3) Fill the bowl about 3/4 full and take it to the plant you are going to clone.

Setting the clone:
1) trim your clones, leaving a stem long enough to go through the styrofoam and submerge at least 1/2 " into the water.
2) Immediately position your cones in the holes and seat them firmly by tugging gently on the stem from underneath.
3) place the bowl with the clones in a window that is always shaded.
4) top off the water till the styrofoam in level with the rim of the bowl.

The only care you need to give them is to top off the water now and then, never letting the stems go dry. Expect roots in approx 2 weeks.

Note that this method allowed me to take the very small branches inside the plant and under the canopy. I didn't even count nodes.
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Thank you so much, you lovely woman. This is what I've been searching for. All this messing around with plugs and dipping and stripping was too much for me to be concerned with. I'm basically quite a lazy gardener. Gonna have to give you reps for that girl. . :laughtwo:
 
Forgive me dear, but I tend to overrun a room now and again.

AKgramma said:
NOTE TO SELF: Venting an 80 def F room into an 80 Def F house isn't going to bring down the grow room temp.
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:rofl: Been there, done that. My grow last year was a 4x4 tent that took up 1/4 of my bedroom and vented right into the only room without air conditioning, the very room I tried to sleep in. Lol!

AKgramma said:
Yesterday, I realized that my buds were sticking together in the drying bin, so I used clothespins and clipped them to clothes hangers, and hung them up in the now-empty closet. They are supposed to dry in cool dark place. Dark, I can do, but cool is out of the question in the grow room.

This is the first time I've gotten any noticeable odor out of the Bubblelicious. Still a sticky-sweet-candy odor, tho, so no need for the DIY odor bucket.
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Noticeable smell means stronger terpene expression which translates into more beneficial medicinal value. Well done gal. :high-five:

AKgramma said:
I wonder how sticky BBL buds smoke? I don't smoke, just take cannabudder capsules. Do they stay sticky through the drying process? Or do they dry and can be crumbled for bongs and joints?

EDIT: I'm pressing some of the smallest buds into larger nugs, about 3/4" (2 cm) long. Same trics, just from smaller bits and pieces.
Click to expand...

I leave mine out to dry overnight before attempting to smoke. With the vaporizer you can vape freshly harvested. I'm pretty old school and usually go with a pipe or a water pipe, my latest favorite delivery system.

AKgramma said:
This whole sticky plant thingy is new to me. I hope sticky = potent!
Click to expand...

You bet your life that's what it means.

TorturedSoul said:
Lol. Looks like things have improved all around for you this time. I bet your next harvest(s) will be even more noteworthy.
Click to expand...

From here on out every harvest gets better.

AKgramma said:
I'm going to have to start drying my buds in paper bags. Just hanging them in a 50% RH closet dried them out too fast. Just two days. So, after I trimmed off the dry stems, I sprayed them very sparingly with water and jarred them. I will be going by touch and a hygrometer, till they regain some moisture. Just checking them several times a day will air them out.

My wet harvest 2 days ago was 96g off one plant.
Super dry weight this morning was 36g.

I had no cool place to hang them, due to the hot weather we've had the last few days. I should have paper bagged them and put them in the refrigerator. Next batch, I'll do just that.

Once they are rehydrated to 62% in the jar, I hope the weight will rise a few grams.

EDIT: I wonder if I could stretch the drying period out, if I just hung the whole plant (minus the fan leaves) upside down in the closet?

EDIT: a few hours later, the buds sucked up the moisture in the paper towel and the open jar is now up to 75%. I am leaving the cap off and fluffing the buds to aerate them until the RH drops to 62. I will nurse this for 5 or so days, until the RH is stable, then cap for storage in the bottom of the refrigerator.

I think this puts me back on track for the drying phase, and this time I'll make sure it progresses slowly.

EDIT: Nope. Too wet for the jar. I dumped the buds into a flat plastic container, arranged the buds in a single layer, with room for the hygrometer, and set the cover on, slightly open for ventilation. I can keep an eye on the drying process and stir the buds periodically.

Jumping through a lot of hoops to dry this batch correctly the first time. * sigh *
Click to expand...

You should let me send you some Boveda packs. Seriously. You can hang to dry for a day or two in your low humidity then pop them in a jar with a Boveda and stop stressing about it. Let me know if you're interested. I'd be my pleasure to help make your life a little easier.


Tead said:
You'll get there. I'm a gentle and patient preacher. The seed has been planted and you're already digging for info... yeah, you'll be the next victim. I have faith after all.
Click to expand...

:rofl:

AKgramma said:
Final dry weight of the harvest from my first BBL Lady to mature = 30.15g. That is hydrated to 60%. Pretty good for me! Now that I have leds, the next lady should give me more.

Went to the store and bought the perlite and some larger CFLs: a a 200 and a 150. Plus some more worm castings. I got the last 2 bags of the perlite. Lotsa growers in this neck of the woods! Also picked up a tall 10 gallon trash bin to use as a drying container. Was cheap enough to rig up with a removable rack to hang from and I have a few plastic lids from other bins that will fit the top, to control the humidity. A few other pieces of hardware, all for the grow room. I didn't buy anything for myself this time, except lunch at the double arches.
Click to expand...

:high-five:

AKgramma said:
Me and Sweet Sue. Both of us have signed up as your disciples on your Journal!
Click to expand...

Let's be gentle with the lad. Two strong women in the same room can sometimes be intimidating. :laughtwo:
 
Tead said:
Now worries... it's not the first time Tead's brought home 2 ladies from church after all....

Oh my! Did I say that?!?! What happened to The Right Rev. ?
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:laughtwo:
 
SS: I do use Boveda 62's. I was just getting my first BBL grow close enough to the right RH to safely jar them with a couple of packets. I also store my jarred bud in the fridge. Today I gently rolled the jar in my hands and none of the buds stuck together. So I have it just right!

Thank you Tead and SS for commenting on my posts. It was getting lonely in this journal. :Love:

I made my hempy and sprayed it black. When I get ready to plant it, I'll take some pics along the way. I'm still up in the air whether to transplant one of my older juveniles, or to transplant one of my 5-month old, very small OGK clones. I really need to up-pot two of the juveniles, tho. They've been vegging for 4 months on a gaslight schedule, and will come to flower very quickly once the switch is made.

Decisions, Decisions!

I was browsing through my gallery and realized I had mis-calulated the flower time for the first BBL. it looks like I cut her at exactly 60 days, or 8-1/2 weeks! I hope that wasn't too early. She was 90% amber pistils, and some of her lower buds were 100% and getting dry. Most of my BBL clones came from her. I didn't care for her phenotype, but she had buds all the way down. I think BBL#5 is too bushy to put out that many buds. She isn't stretching much.

I mounted the 200W CFL in the closet with a dozen 23W CFLs, and intend on using that as a second veg, because I have so many grown-up clones.

I have a place in the flower unit just big enough to put the hempy, when the transplant is acclimated. The kitty litter jug is a narrow rectangle, and rather tall, just over 2 gallons. It's smaller than what I would like, but we'll see what the end product looks like.

Enough blathering for now, until I get some pictures up. :cheesygrinsmiley:
 
I love the fact that you use CFLs, kinda like I do. I'm a new entry into LED too, but where there's study and make the choice before purchasing, I had mine come to me unexpectedly through the contest win. My comfort zone is still CFL, most particularly the efficiency of the 40 watt and this wonder 23 watt bulbs you can get right up inside the plant.

My new Timber Vero 240 is like having a sunny closet in the corner of my living room. I don't even have a door on the closet.

Which reminds me, I use scallions, planted with my cannabis, to control the smell. This is amazingly effective, but you'd mentioned earlier about a DIY odor control???? Care to elaborate? Since my grow was compromised I packed away all the big equipment and went back to the tiny closet. I don't want to use a fan and filter combo with this grow if I can at all avoid it. If there's some other trick I can utilize to keep the smell down I'm all ears.
 
I find it rather cozy and friendly here. I can't imagine why it's been so quiet. :Love:
 
I made my decision. I up-potted the largest BBL clone I had to the 2 gallon hempy pot. She is 4 months old, a 1st generation clone from a seeded mother.

This is a kitty litter jug, sprayed black. I first filled the jug with Perlite, put my finger over the hole, and filled it to the top with warm water in the kitchen sink. I then let the water drain out of the hole. The water coming out was white from the dust in the Perlite, so I repeated the process.

IMG_059441.JPG


Then, I scooped out most of the Perlite to make room for the roots of the juvenile, because I knew they would be long enough to hit the bottom reservoir. I shook all the dirt I could off the roots, then gently agitated the roots in a bucket of water, getting most of the soil off.

Then I held the clone in place at the height it needed to be, while I scooped the wet Perlite back into the jug, gently tapping it down to support the roots. I tied the stem to the handle to support the plant till the roots spread out.

I then refilled the jug till there was runoff at the hole. She is now with her sisters in Veg unit #1.

According to a tutorial I saved from somewhere, it needs to sit with just plain water for a while to give the roots time to find the reservoir. Since the roots already reach all the way down, I will give her the first feeding in a couple days.

I left the handle on the jug so that I could carry it to the sink for feeding and watering. I am surprised at how light weight it is! So much easier than lugging binsful of dirt!
 
Well done AKgramma! :bravo: I'm gonna be chomping at the bit before its time to drop my first seed. :laughtwo: I'm determined to space them every two weeks and get this perpetual going properly. I'll be watching your grow to see how it works for you.
 
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