Doc Bud's High Brix - Strawberry Cough - Pineapple Express

HappyGrowmore said:
I asked this question in the FAQ and got no reply, so i thought I'd try where the experts hang out.


So when I'm out shopping for worm castings there are so many price ranges and I'm not sure what to buy.
Here are my choices.
40 lbs Black Castings for $40
15 lbs organic worm casting for $45
30 lbs wiggle worm castings for $24
I'll be using it in my soil mix and for teas.
So what should i be looking for when purchasing worm castings?
Thanks in advance for suggestions and advise.
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I've used Wiggle Worm with good success. I've actually found a live worm in a bag. I've also used the Aurora WC as well as others.

Make sure you're getting worm castings as opposed to compost. It's probably the best additive for organic growing!
 
Doc

I don't know if I truly achieved high brix or not, but I sure did grow some frosty buds.

an observation of this grow, other than the plant that died, they all seem to be the exact same color. It's hard to tell the strains apart after drying. Same shade of green, same maturity and color of the red hairs, and about the same maturity and look of the trichomes, mostly milky with a bit of amber.

And they all finished at the 9 week mark. No stragglers this time

However, the quality seems to vary; WW x Q, the best, El Alqumista very good, Power Kush, good, but not great. And actually the Spicy White Devil that died might be between the El A and PK.

Some bud porn in my old journal.
 
Hash Hound said:
Doc

I don't know if I truly achieved high brix or not, but I sure did grow some frosty buds.

an observation of this grow, other than the plant that died, they all seem to be the exact same color. It's hard to tell the strains apart after drying. Same shade of green, same maturity and color of the red hairs, and about the same maturity and look of the trichomes, mostly milky with a bit of amber.

And they all finished at the 9 week mark. No stragglers this time

However, the quality seems to vary; WW x Q, the best, El Alqumista very good, Power Kush, good, but not great. And actually the Spicy White Devil that died might be between the El A and PK.

Some bud porn in my old journal.
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Don't know what to say.....

In the vegetable world, heirlooms do better than hybrids when it comes to brix. I have no idea what strains of weed do better....but I'm sure some respond better than others.

My quality is ridiculous right now, so I'm staying on the path. The taste and effect are just crazy good.

After I'm satisfied my new soil will work, I'll begin packaging up the amendment for truly High Brix growing. Won't be too much more expensive than OC+.
 
These will be the last pics on this particular journal. Harvest tomorrow thru next Wednesday or so.


Shaman:
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Lemon Paki:
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Columbian getting ready for the greenhouse:
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Doc

nice pics. congradts on another great grow.

can you post a pic of one that you topped and got multiple colas? I'd like to see how well one developed starting under 12/12 and topping. Were you happy with the yield as compared to a single big cola?
 
Hash Hound said:
Doc

nice pics. congradts on another great grow.

can you post a pic of one that you topped and got multiple colas? I'd like to see how well one developed starting under 12/12 and topping. Were you happy with the yield as compared to a single big cola?
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Lemon Paki and Shaman are grown from cuttings.....so no 12/12 from seed on this one. I did top them, however, and each plant has 4-6 colas. The Shaman has traditional, bushy colas, but the LP grows ultra-dense chunks.

Yield on this grow is less than a comparable grow in super soil. How much less? I dunno, I'm going to say 15% less yield. However, the quality is really special. The buds are like giant, hairy, sticky raisins. They're going to dry really well. The smells are so distinct and so damn fresh....gonna be epic weed. No comparison with the super soil, and that was damn good.

High Brix is different. It feels better, tastes much more mild and almost healthy for smoke, and has a much more interesting effect. If you're ever in my area, let's get together and you can try some, provided your medical card is current, etc.
 
Hey Doc,
Man, those look so amazing I bet your room smells so good. Although it is kind of a drag to see this journal come to an end, it was a pleasure watching it. I've learned so much from your journals. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and setting us on the correct path to higher brix.
 
Hash Hound said:
I hope I can take you up on that offer one day Doc.
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I do too!

Curso said:
Hey Doc,
Man, those look so amazing I bet your room smells so good. Although it is kind of a drag to see this journal come to an end, it was a pleasure watching it. I've learned so much from your journals. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and setting us on the correct path to higher brix.
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Don't worry, my best effort will be my next journal; a truly high brix soil, with the exact feeding schedule recommended by the lab. Stay tuned.
 
Hey Doc this may be a dumb question but the lab you sent your soil samples to (international? Was that the name) Did you have to specify a high brix goal to them, or are they just sending you standard soil test results? I guess what I am wondering is if this is something any lab could do, or is high brix something you need to find a specific lab for?
 
kbuggins said:
Hey Doc this may be a dumb question but the lab you sent your soil samples to (international? Was that the name) Did you have to specify a high brix goal to them, or are they just sending you standard soil test results? I guess what I am wondering is if this is something any lab could do, or is high brix something you need to find a specific lab for?
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International Ag Labs is a proponent of High Brix growing, specializing in high end vegetables for restaurants and people who want really healthy produce for health reasons. They do specialized soil test for the purpose of achieving high brix. Each soil test comes with a recommendation for amendments and feeding....no one size fits all, each situation requires custom blended amendments.

Your local university soil lab does not do these tests.
 
OK , I lied. These are the last pictures on this journal, before i start another one.

Pruning: it works. These are identical clones, same height, same soil, cuts taken the same day, potted up, watered the same, etc.

This is what one plant looks like, unpruned.
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This is the top of that same plant.
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This is what a plant that has been pruned properly looks like.
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This is the top of the pruned plant.
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Random shots before harvest.
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Hey doc are you still recommending 1 cup per 1.5 cubic feet of soil of the rock powders?
 
gittergreen said:
Hey doc are you still recommending 1 cup per 1.5 cubic feet of soil of the rock powders?
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As of right now, yes. The gardens I'm consulting on are still using the Promix HP, worm, humus, rock n chicken, and 6-5-3 rock powders. It's a very, very good mix.

However, I'm going to do my first run with the stuff from International Ag labs; the broadcast, Perkup, Z-Hume, etc. We'll see how that goes and then I'll modify my recommendations.
 
Hash Hound said:
Doc

Can you give a recap of the pruning technique you used?

When did you trim the lower growth?

From the look of the pic, it was topped to have four main colas?
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Topping: Basically the Uncle Ben technique, top above the 2nd true node.

Pruning:

What I'm doing right now I learned from my "hydro-master" friend, who has his garden one wall away from mine. He takes everything from the bottom of the plant and leaves the top 3, 4, or 5 nodes, depending on the strain.

The first pruning is done in veg. The second pruning is done when pistils begin to form up.

For example, OG Kush grows golfball like buds at the tops. He prunes till only the top 3 nodes are left. On the other hand, a strain like Romulan that grows a massive colas you'd want to leave the top 5 nodes intact.

With this method, overall yield is not really increased, but all the yield is large and appealing.

I left the top 4 nodes intact on the Lemon Paki and the Shaman.
 
Hash Hound said:
Doc

at what time of the growing stage do you do the pruning?
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Clean them up during veg....and prune them again when stretch is over and pistils are forming. I pruned the others 5 days before I pruned the one I took the picture of. After taking the pic, I gave it a good haircut.

I did it just to check on my methods and make sure they were effective. You want the plant to concentrate it's energy to the tops, not distribute it to a bunch of suckers.
 
Hey doc your last photos came out great! Just wondering what kind of camera you have?
They look like you took them in the dark cycle but how do you tame the flash back from the trichomes.
Mine always bounces too much light back and doesn't show any green on the buds.
thanks, gittergreen.
 
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