Buds Buddy's 1st Grow Journal

[Smokiemcpot19]

Its strain dependent... some will cloud up early without seeing any amber right into the last week. I actually see amber down low usually before the top goes and I will see amber on the sunleaves maybe a week before I start seeing it at the very top on the calyxes.
I suggest using the product to do a proper flush with 3x the container size of water on one of your watering days 2 weeks before the end, right as the final budswell starts, and then keep on your regular nute schedule right up to the end, including any finishing nutes you might want to use. We have learned a lot since the days when we recommended water only for the last week or two.

I still see lots of people Flush and go water only last couple weeks or just molasses.

I'd rather have really good tasty buds then have a bud just a bit bigger but smokes like ass.. just my opinion

 

[Buds Buddy]

When I did soil I would Flush 5 - 7 days before harvest & they got nothing at all after that flush. Just sat in the tent until the soil dried out. Then I harvested.
Not sure how this works with Coco. I have seen people do it both ways. The Bottle of Final Phase says to use it the Last Week of Flower to get rid of Salt & Nute Build up. So I kind of think they are saying that their Nute Line up will need to be flushed. So yeah, the Final Week I want to use the Final Phase.
But how can you judge if you're in the final week looking at trichomes ?

 

[Emilya Green]

But how can you judge if you're in the final week looking at trichomes ?

you really cant unless you have some history with that strain... its more an overall plant judgement thing.

 

[Emilya Green]

I still see lots of people Flush and go water only last couple weeks or just molasses.

I'd rather have really good tasty buds then have a bud just a bit bigger but smokes like ass.. just my opinion

For years that was the going advice... water only for the last 2 weeks. Now we know better, and know that the nutes that are still in the plant have no effect on the taste of the cured bud. This realization came from the organic world, where nutes do not turn off at the end... 24/7 all the nutes and all the minerals are there, finishing out the buds... and they end up tasting better than anything else grown. As time goes on, we learn more and more about these plants and we tend to throw away some of these old wive's tales about how the old timers used to grow this stuff. This is why the quality of pot continues to increase.

 

[Smokiemcpot19]

Then why do all nute manufacturers account for flushing? Wouldn't they make more money by you using those extra nutes last 2 weeks??

So just keep feeding nutes at full str till chop?

 

[Smokiemcpot19]

And @Buds Buddy most people will wait till they see 15-20% Amber tricomes and they start the flush but it's really all up to the grower, you can harvest based off your smoking preferance! Make those indicas insanely couch locking and the sativa's super heady by harvesting earlier then Amber .

 

[Emilya Green]

Then why do all nute manufacturers account for flushing? Wouldn't they make more money by you using those extra nutes last 2 weeks??

So just keep feeding nutes at full str till chop?

They don't... at least not flushing as you are trying to describe it, as being giving water only at the end. A flush is 3x the container size in water... giving water only is simply a starvation diet which is trying to flush out the plants, and not necessarily the soil. Modern science shows us that we have no need to flush out the plant.
Check out Fox Farm's feed schedule for instance... which calls for a flush about every 4 weeks. Then they call for giving full nutes right up to the end.

 

[farside05]

Then why do all nute manufacturers account for flushing? Wouldn't they make more money by you using those extra nutes last 2 weeks??

So just keep feeding nutes at full str till chop?

They make more money selling you a bottle of some "flushing" product.

 

[Barney86]

Then why do all nute manufacturers account for flushing? Wouldn't they make more money by you using those extra nutes last 2 weeks??

So just keep feeding nutes at full str till chop?

Most of them also sell a "flushing agent" and they've already told you to use 5 times the amount of nutes you need so they're still making more money.
Over a grow I use about 20% at the very most of what the manufacturers recommend and get zero deficits.

 

[farside05]

Most of them also sell a "flushing agent" and they've already told you to use 5 times the amount of nutes you need so they're still making more money.
Over a grow I use about 20% at the very most of what the manufacturers recommend and get zero deficits.

Damn dirty capitalist...lol. Big Mike ain't going hungry, that's for sure.

 

[Old Salt]

Most of them also sell a "flushing agent" and they've already told you to use 5 times the amount of nutes you need so they're still making more money.
Over a grow I use about 20% at the very most of what the manufacturers recommend and get zero deficits.

I'm using 35% the recommended General Hydroponics' Flora Trio and Supplements, except for CALiMAGic which is at 45%. I had some early deficiencies, which the extra CALiMAGic fixed. Now there are no deficiencies or excesses showing. I'm trying no-flush for the first time this grow. As I use a coco/perlite substrate, and this is a drain to waste system, the substrate is 'flushed' at every feed.

 

[Smokiemcpot19]

Well I guess I'll keep feeding up till the end and sometimes mini flush the medium for salt build ups, I've just personally talked to people who have said they have tried both ways and flushing a week or 2 ahead and giving no nutes those final weeks produces a smoother and more tasty smoke.

 

[Old Salt]

There are folks on both sides of this issue. Flushing, or using synthetic nutrients in LOS will kill off the bacteria in the soil, and shouldn't be used.

I've always flushed in my drain to waste system for my previous grows. I'm not doing it for this grow. I also won't be able to draw any conclusions, as these are different strains, grown under different lights than I have data for. I'd need to do a side by side grow in the same tent for any meaningful results.

 

[Buds Buddy]

Here we go with a DAY 71 update. 1st off I'm going to say I did decide to go ahead & start flushing with the Final Phase.
Yesterday I ran 3 gallons through her to get her started. I use 6 ml. of Final Phase & pH to 5.8. I got a good 2.75 gallons of run off through her. Now I'm running a gallon through her a day for the next 3 days & then letting her dry up some before the chop. I checked her out this morning by taking a few pieces of leaf from different areas of the plant & the ends of the leaves that were closest to the buds are Amber but as you go out closer to the tip of the leaves it gets milky & then clear at the very ends. So I'm guessing at a week to finish.
Here are some pics of her..........

 

[Buds Buddy]

The Northern Lights x Critical 2.0 & the Haze XL are my 2 smallest plants right now. They are still coming along nicely. I gave those 2 ladies a haircut last night so they may look a little thin in the pics.

 

[Buds Buddy]

And now for the 2 Big Girls (Northern Lights & AK 47 x Six Shooter)

 

[Buds Buddy]

Day 75 & 2 - Down with 4 to go. So far I can't say much for this grow. Hopefully, the 2 big girls produce a lot more.
The little dwarf Critical 2.0 got the chop a week ago. Got somewhere between 1/4 - 1/2 oz. off her. What a joke !!!
The AK 47 got chopped yesterday. She produced 14.5 oz. of wet / trimmed bud. So that means maybe 3 - 4 oz. dry at best. Bummer !!! Took some pics during the chop so I'll post them as soon as I get them on the computer.
The Critical is Dry & in a jar. Just tested a "J" & it's OK so far. Nothing super great. Seems like it might be OK in another week so I'll leave it sit.
The AK Buds are all in Paper Bags drying. They are shriveling up to nothing pretty quickly. Not sure how the bud is yet.
I tried some of the shavings from the bottom of my bowl trimmer since it dries in no time. Kind of a spacey head high.
Never have liked a Sativa High. I feel like a chicken with my head cut off when I smoke it. Body is ready to run & my head wants to relax. I don't like that feeling. I wont grow the Critical or AK again. They don't fit the kind of weed I want to grow. Although they don't taste bad it's not the taste I like.
The Critical may be more potent than I thought. It seems to have crept up on me as I keep catching myself spacing out.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

I planted all my Auto's in there start to finish pots which are 5 gallon cloth grow bags. This time around I'm using Botanicare Coco Bricks & Perlite (70% Coco & 30% Perlite). My 1st time using Coco so hoping it all works out.
To prep my Coco I ended up pH-ing 75 gallons of water to 5.8 pH to wash my Coco. Yeah, it took that much water to bring the pH up to 5.8 at Run Off. It started out at 5.0 & this was 2 - 5 kg. bricks of Coco I was washing. After washing it I let it dry some for about 3 days then poured a 5 Gallon Bucket of water pH'd to 5.8 with 50 ml. Sensi CalMag Plus in it. I let it sit 2 days & then mixed in the Perlite & filled my pots with the mix. After filling the pots, I mixed 1 gallon per pot of Week 1 Nutrients at 1/4 strength & poured that through the pots. I let that sit 1 day & then planted my seeds.
Here are some pics from the day I planted the seeds. In the pics of the Photo's you'll see I have a Solo Cup inside the 3 Gallon Plastic pots as starter pots.

Hey @Buds Buddy ... I'm glad I ran into your journal ... I have been growing in soil ... but I am expanding my skills by starting a coco grow this week.

Thanks for the info ... I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your journal tomorrow!

 

[SQl2kGuy]

I'm using all Advanced Nutrients Coco Products this grow. I have : Sensi A & B Grow & Bloom, Sensi CalMag Plus, VooDoo Juice, Piranha, Big Bud, Over Drive, Bud Candy, Rhino Skin, B-52 & Final Phase to use in this grow. During the 1st 2 weeks I only use A & B Grow, Cal Mag, VooDoo Juice, Piranha & B-52. I've been feeding about 36 oz. every 2 days here lately.
I gave 2 feedings at 1/4 strength & 4 at 1/2 strength to date. They will get 2 feedings at Full Strength before switching to the next set of Nutrients.
These are the Nutes I'm using right now.
Also a pic of the Re-Veg Big Bud (if it grows)

I have pretty much the same lineup of AN products ... except I am using FF Gringo Rasta base nutrients.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

Anyway, I want to Tag a few people but have never done it before. I think I just have to put their name with the at sign in front of it so I'll give that a try.
Looking forward to seeing you here @Emilya, @West Hippie, @Tom Sawyer, @Teddy Edwards
Anybody & Everybody is welcome to ride along on this journey if you choose.
The more the merrier !!!

I think I've met everyone except for @Tom Sawyer ...

Well Tom ... nice to meet you ... and you've just inspired me to listen to that audiobook on YouTube this week