DocBud's Next Medical Grow

[Wetzel]

Xare defoliated on days 21 and 45 of 12/12.
I'm not suggesting you change what you're doing but I've seen numerous grows where this has worked very well.

Hey BD I see that Xare used Coke bottles and you used Pepsi. Maybe that explains what problems you have had along the way.

 

[Wetzel]

Instead of "No Right Way" I believe there are "A lot of Right Ways"

 

[Doc Bud]

Instead of "No Right Way" I believe there are "A lot of Right Ways"

yep.
One of my most experienced grower associates grows in hydroton and ready-grow cubes on a flood and drain table. He's been growing the same strains, in the same room for 10 years. He has it wired to the point where he knows what additives are needed on which day of the bloom cycle. His yields are consistent to an ounce or less per 1000 watts. Product is really good too.

But, overall a few observations can be made:

1.)Hydro is going to have better yield
2.)Soil is going to have better taste
3.)Environment is critical

Those are the rules.....therefore the "game" is wide open for experimentation.

 

[Hash Hound]

Doc,

an ounce per 1000w, is that a typo? I got 8 oz from 400w last grow.

 

[McCrackin]

I like your biomass example on increasing actual mass by cutting out everything else, lowering the percentage of foliage increasing buds.

Best and biggest plant I ever grew outside had 11 fingered fan leaves.

 

[Doc Bud]

Doc,

an ounce per 1000w, is that a typo? I got 8 oz from 400w last grow.

What I was trying to say was that his yields are all within an ounce of eachother, run after run. He gets about 1.25 pounds per 1000 watt light.

 

[Barry Manilow]

Hey BD I see that Xare used Coke bottles and you used Pepsi. Maybe that explains what problems you have had along the way.

Haha that and my usual bumbling screw-ups Inda! But on the bright side I've got lots of room for improvement

Doc as usual you make a lot of sense, and I agree there's a happy medium in there somewhere.

For me this clone sog has a lot of appeal.

I don't have massive lighting available and I think for the hobby/cfl grower in particular this is a great way to manage light penetration. I believe that once I get my ducks lined up properly I'll be matching or exceeding the yield from my first grow with only 1/2 - 2/3 the watts I used then.

I'm not really worried about 'bag appeal' although of course we all want beautiful nugs. I jarred all my main colas separately last grow and I didn't notice any difference between them and the side buds as far as the taste or high went, so if the main colas are a little smaller and the side colas a bit bigger that's fine for me.

And I gotta say that while undersized due to flowering too soon, the bubbliecious clones have some awesome looking nugs.

Finally I've had more mold issues than I like to think about, and I believe that smaller colas and defoliating both help to reduce the mold risk.

Like you said there's no one sized fits all approach, we each have to try and customize what we have to maximize what we're going after.

 

[Doc Bud]

Haha that and my usual bumbling screw-ups Inda! But on the bright side I've got lots of room for improvement

Doc as usual you make a lot of sense, and I agree there's a happy medium in there somewhere.

For me this clone sog has a lot of appeal.

I don't have massive lighting available and I think for the hobby/cfl grower in particular this is a great way to manage light penetration. I believe that once I get my ducks lined up properly I'll be matching or exceeding the yield from my first grow with only 1/2 - 2/3 the watts I used then.

I'm not really worried about 'bag appeal' although of course we all want beautiful nugs. I jarred all my main colas separately last grow and I didn't notice any difference between them and the side buds as far as the taste or high went, so if the main colas are a little smaller and the side colas a bit bigger that's fine for me.

And I gotta say that while undersized due to flowering too soon, the bubbliecious clones have some awesome looking nugs.

Finally I've had more mold issues than I like to think about, and I believe that smaller colas and defoliating both help to reduce the mold risk.

Like you said there's no one sized fits all approach, we each have to try and customize what we have to maximize what we're going after.

MMmmmm......very important to growing, adaptability is.....

:yoda:

 

[Vapedogg223]

mmmmmm......very important to growing, adaptability is.....

:yoda:

 

[Giantsfan24]

Instead of "No Right Way" I believe there are "A lot of Right Ways"

Just for the sake of beating semantics to death...there is no ONE way to do it...

 

[Hash Hound]

Doc,

You mentioned you are flushing at every watering, and using Snow Storm also.
Do you add the Snow Storm to the plants then flush, or flush and follow it with the Snow Storm?

 

[Wetzel]

Doc,

You mentioned you are flushing at every watering, and using Snow Storm also.
Do you add the Snow Storm to the plants then flush, or flush and follow it with the Snow Storm?

I just asked this same question on my journal.

 

[Doc Bud]

Well, here is my veg and early flower watering method. After 4 or 5 weeks of bloom I leave out the humidity part:

1.)Water when lights come on. Six hours prior to lights on, turn up the RH to 80%.

2.)Mix up nutes, teas, snowstorm...whatever you're going to feed. I run about 3 gallons through a 2 gallon pot each time I water.

3.)Water the plants when the light comes on and decrease the humidity back to normal, 50-60%

4.)I let them really dry out between watering, almost to the point of wilting, but not quite.

I don't know if this is the "best" way to water.....but it has allowed me to grow some very large plants in relatively small pots.....like plants that yield 5 oz in organic soil in 1.5 gallon pots.....that was what a couple of the Querkles gave me. Ya'll see the pics I post.....I'm trying to get really resinous plants. My theory is that they go through the summer monsoons, get big and healthy, and then temps drop, it gets dryer and they finish.

I'm sure you could vary and adapt this technique in many ways, but I think the humidity thing has real merit. The growth rate after a watering in veg is pretty remarkable.

Warning:This will leach a bunch of nitrogen from the soil....and everything else. You either have to have really rich soil, or OC+ for this technique to be effective. (Or you can feed every time you water) It's great if you want your plants to fade, and they taste really, really good.

 

[George Parker]

Hi DocBud, I'd like to thank you for that watering technique.

Although I don't do it exactly the same way, the basic idea remains. In my last grow I would do a weekly flush followed by an immediate feeding as I was not using OC+, I call it my "Flush and Feed". The growth was substantially increased each time compared to the mid week water/feeding. I plan to use this regularly in my current 12/12 from seed grow , which by the way was inspired by you as well.

Thank you for sharing such useful knowledge and experience with us, your journals have changed the way a lot of people think about growing, I know They have shaped mine.

-dime

 

[Doc Bud]

Hi DocBud, I'd like to thank you for that watering technique.

Although I don't do it exactly the same way, the basic idea remains. In my last grow I would do a weekly flush followed by an immediate feeding as I was not using OC+, I call it my "Flush and Feed". The growth was substantially increased each time compared to the mid week water/feeding. I plan to use this regularly in my current 12/12 from seed grow , which by the way was inspired by you as well.

Thank you for sharing such useful knowledge and experience with us, your journals have changed the way a lot of people think about growing, I know They have shaped mine.

-dime

thanks for sharing that!

I've grown a few different ways now, and I really like 12/12 from seed. I have plants that grew that way on my last 3 grows and they end up being very manageable plants with surprisingly good yield. I also think plants are healthier when grown from seed. At least that's how it appears to me.

 

[George Parker]

It was the least I could do. I remember BlueDog talking about "Making It Rain" In reference to your method, that's a damn catchy phrase

Recently, farnorth applied the flush and feed to his girls and the results have been fantastic according to him. Your flushing method has been used by a lot of people around here, great idea!

And I do love the look of a healthy seedling

Thanks again and take care.

 

[Wetzel]

Hey Doc I am 4 weeks into 12/12 on my first grow. I have basically watered them as needed about a half gal. at a time. I respect your knowledge and appreciate your wisdom. I would like to switch to your flush and feed method.

My question is this: Can I just change the way I have been watering or would it better to finish this grow the way I have been watering and start with your method on my next grow?

Thanks for sharing

 

[Doc Bud]

Hey Doc I am 4 weeks into 12/12 on my first grow. I have basically watered them as needed about a half gal. at a time. I respect your knowledge and appreciate your wisdom. I would like to switch to your flush and feed method.

My question is this: Can I just change the way I have been watering or would it better to finish this grow the way I have been watering and start with your method on my next grow?

Thanks for sharing

You can flush/feed any time you wish.
What's your medium?

Here's the thing.....when you flush, you take stuff out of the soil....bad stuff and some good stuff. If you're in soil, for the first flush, why not do it with a compost or worm tea? You might also consider using a micronute dose with the first flush and maybe continue with them if your soil wasn't fortified.

I let them really dry out....to the point where they are nearly wilting....

 

[Wetzel]

You can flush/feed any time you wish.
What's your medium?

Here's the thing.....when you flush, you take stuff out of the soil....bad stuff and some good stuff. If you're in soil, for the first flush, why not do it with a compost or worm tea? You might also consider using a micronute dose with the first flush and maybe continue with them if your soil wasn't fortified.

I let them really dry out....to the point where they are nearly wilting....

Thanks Doc,

I am using MG garden potting soil. I am not familiar with "compost or worm tea" but I'm about to spend the next hour searching the journals about them . Thanks

 

[Doc Bud]

Thanks Doc,

I am using MG garden potting soil. I am not familiar with "compost or worm tea" but I'm about to spend the next hour searching the journals about them . Thanks

Many of the better garden shops have compost/worm tea available for not too much money. Hydro shops often have vermitea.....worm casting tea.

Here's how to make your own:

1.)Get a bag of good compost. I like biodynamic manure compost, but there are others. Same with a bag of worm castings.

2.)Get a five gallon bucket, a small air pump and airstone.

3.)Mix about 3 cups of worm castings or 3 cups of compost with enough water to fill the bucket. Add molasses....2-3 tablespoons outta do....

Stir this daily with a long stick and let it brew for 48 hours. You want to see a nice foam on top, and it should NOT stink.

You can add some guano to this as well, but be careful, it's going to be a very hot mixture....about 1/2 cup of bloom bat guano added to either compost or vermi tea would be a very strong feeding. If the plants show any nute burn, or are really dark green, I would leave out the bat guano. If you think they can take a good feeding.....go for it.

Some people filter the tea....others put the compost in bags so they don't have to filter......I find that if you turn off the airstone and let the mixture sit for a couple hours---no longer---you can pour off the top mixture and leave the sludge on the bottom. However, there's no damage using the whole mix.....just dilute it about 4 to 1 with water.

Don't forget micronutes! Earth Juice Microblast is available at hydro shops. Try to get bag of Azomite if you can find it.....just make sure your plants have enough micro's.

That's all there is to it.