Graytail Goes LED - 810W Intelligent-Gro II w/ High Brix

[sir grow alot]

GT!!! What up brother!!

Ive been MIA do to life but happy to be back hanging in the community!! Your garden still looks great!

last time I was around I was having some of the same issues as you were, glad to see you are sticking it out, turning it around and still putting out TOP NOTCH produce!!

That destroyer is looking super nice, I got my eye on her

 

[Graytail]

Again, I thank you all for your support! It's been difficult to keep my enthusiasm up while things have deteriorated.

But I've located a local source for Pro-Mix BX and I'll be starting a new cook soon - gotta get the RO system first. I'm quite pleased with the way the Intelligent-Gro II 540W has performed, and the bloom room in general. The mold problem was only a temporary issue for a few weeks in mid-summer - all gone now - and I'll be prepared for it next year, now that I know I'm vulnerable. My veg space has me puzzled - performing very poorly. I may simply not have enough light and I'll be taking measures to improve that. I was vegging with 644 watts of CFLs, and I switched to a different area and got a cheap 250W MH to replace half the CFLs, but it's just not working well. I've only been running 276W of CFLs for a total of 526 watts, and it covers a larger area, so I'm going to have to add more CFLs until I can get an LED panel. But even the seedlings under the CFLs aren't doing well, so I'm pretty sure the primary issue is soil alkalinity - I think I've watered with all the alkaline water it can take - the mineral balance must be fubared, I'm guessing. I could test a soil sample, but I doubt there's an amendment mix that can fix it, so I'll just start another kit and be sure. I did get two good runs from it. So, for anyone following my path, you can count on the kit for two runs, no matter how bad your water is. That still makes it one of the least expensive nute regimens you can get. Or you can do it right and use RO water - even better!

I chopped Carn5 today. I was going to take Carn4 first, but she started to grow calyxes again so I'll give her another week or so. Carn5 looked like she was going to take a rest, so down she went. There's less than 2 ounces yield I'm sure, but it's as sparkly as I've seen it. The Intelligent-Gro really pumped up the trich production.

Carn5 - 137 days old - 66 days 12/12 - 57 since pistils - brix 11/12

Utopia Haze has been behaving herself pretty well - very few males flowers so far. I had to pick off another half dozen little buds yesterday, but it isn't picking up pace or spreading, so no real problem yet. Meanwhile, there are obvious signs of calyx swelling and some chevron foxtailing. And the test buds are impressive. I didn't wash them, so they're pretty harsh, but the high is very much like the first one I grew, despite the obviously different pheno. I'm encouraged! I think she might go another couple weeks before the hermies get out of control - fingers crossed ...

UH1 - 135 days old - 73 days 12/12 - 59 since pistils - brix 15/16

Carn4 is trying to stay alive and useful and I have warm feelings for her for that - good girl. I'll monitor the new pistils and chop her if/when they stall. It's not much, but I'm in no hurry, so I'm just letting her run. Brix was up a notch on both of them this week.

Carn4 - 137 days old - 66 days 12/12 - 56 since pistils - brix 11/12

Destroyer is still doing fine. It got its first Cat drench last watering and responded very well. This won't be the best plant I ever grew, but I like the pheno - well behaved and wonderfully fragrant. I'm looking forward to having it in my collection of jars.

Destroyer - 112 days old - 35 days 12/12 - 25 since pistils - brix 11/12

Grapefruit is also doing better than I thought it would. I didn't take more cuts of it, so this will be the last one. I like it, but I have a few ounces of it now, and while it's a nice zippy high, Carnival is better. Nice terpenes, though - glad I have several ounces of it.

GF3 - 107 days old - 14 days 12/12 - 3 since pistils - brix 11/12

Buddha Haze is also in full bloom and looking great! I just wish I'd grown it bigger before I flowered it, but it needed to get out of that lousy veg space. The next one'll be bigger. I liked the high from Utopia Haze (half Brazilian sativa) so much that I pored over the seed banks and identified a few other Brazilian sativa strains, including Buddha, which is half Manga Rosa. I'm also running Nexus this series, which is another Brazilian cross.

Buddha Haze - 91 days old - 14 days 12/12 - 3 since pistils - brix 14/15

Here's that feeble Carnival cut that I tossed into bloom, just showing pistils today. Meh.

Carn6 - 137 days old - 10 days 12/12 - brix 11/12

I took pics of the youngsters, but they look so awful that I'm embarrassed to post them. Gotta get a grip on the veg room, fer shure. Ack. The next one to go into bloom will be Blue Blood. Here she is, all stalled and confused, but looking fairly not-bad.

Blue Blood - 79 days old

 

[Conradino23]

Gray, your grow should be called The Haze City I always enjoy reading about these ones, and this Carnival still as a winner. Well, one say I'll have to give it a try Ah, DJ Short writes that Brazilian sativas were basically Colombian Red related, kind of Lowland Colombian. Well, I dunno how that sits with you but I guess it's worth to know Hmm, I'm giving Malawi Gold a go very soon cause the sample is almost ready while enjoying Ace's Orient Express in the meantime

Keep'em green!

 

[Teddy Edwards]

Evening, Graytail. Just got to write to say thank you. Superb words and pictures update. So thorough and therefore really helpful for a 55 year old student of the art. Appreciate it. I also admire your could-be-better attitude. But from this side of the proverbial, the results look most acceptable.

Beautiful harvested buds.
for sharing.

 

[Duggan]

Yes, indeed,Gray....another great update! 55 too Mr.T.
Cheers!

 

[CCOiler]

What Mr. Teddy & duggan said, sorry guys only 54.

Thank you for sharing Graytail.

 

[Graytail]

Evening, Graytail. Just got to write to say thank you. Superb words and pictures update. So thorough and therefore really helpful for a 55 year old student of the art. Appreciate it. I also admire your could-be-better attitude. But from this side of the proverbial, the results look most acceptable.

Beautiful harvested buds.
for sharing.

Yes, indeed,Gray....another great update! 55 too Mr.T.
Cheers!

What Mr. Teddy & duggan said, sorry guys only 54.

Thank you for sharing Graytail.

I loved 55! I envy you guys. That's one of the ages it'd be perfect to stay all your life, if you could. That and 35 ... 35 was pretty good times, too.

Gray, your grow should be called The Haze City I always enjoy reading about these ones, and this Carnival still as a winner. Well, one say I'll have to give it a try Ah, DJ Short writes that Brazilian sativas were basically Colombian Red related, kind of Lowland Colombian. Well, I dunno how that sits with you but I guess it's worth to know Hmm, I'm giving Malawi Gold a go very soon cause the sample is almost ready while enjoying Ace's Orient Express in the meantime

Keep'em green!

Funny you should mention that, because as I've been messing around with Utopia looking for males, I've been getting a lot of contact aroma from it, and I swear it rings old bells. It reminds me of the Columbian brickweed from the early 80s. I grew several phenos of that, so I know it well, but only in old dusty memories. The first Utopia pheno was entirely different, though - more peppery musky sweet. But I'm currently enjoying a good buzz from this one right now (washed some hermie buds) and I like it jus' fine! Yep, this is jus' fine. And these are immature hermie buds - I bet there are better buds to be had.

 

[SmokeyMcFly]

Great update, I am quite jealous of the amount of killer strains you have going at once How do you even decide what to smoke on at any given time with all that variety? I would be like a crackhead in a coca factory if I had all that to choose from

 

[Duggan]

What Mr. Teddy & duggan said, sorry guys only 54.

Thank you for sharing Graytail.

60cal......54....just a baby!!LOL!

 

[sir grow alot]

great update!

That utopia haze is just CRAZY

I just wanna chomp down on that washed carn!!

sorry to see you unhappy but I know how you feel!!! getting an RO system though seems it could solve your probs along with the new kit!

keep it green GT much love brotha from my garden to yours

 

[PakaloloHawaii]

New soil and RO kit will blow your mind gray

 

[KingJohnC]

Congratulations on your harvest!

 

[PotChimp]

Dang I'm the young chimp in the crowd makes me feel kinda good..... wait a minute! Sudden urge! Sudden urge!

 

[Graytail]

Carn 4 and 5 are dried and jarred and yielded 26 and 25 grams respectively. That's a tad less than an ounce apiece, but this is definitely the most potent Carnival I've grown. Man, does it have a punch! Whew!

I give credit to Dave and Intelligent-Gro for much of the improvement.

This panel is a top performer, with its 10 band spectrum and 3 spectrum programmable controller.

It's very very efficient and runs shockingly cool. I ran the entire bloom on the dimming cycle from the programmable controller, using an average of 400 watts or so. When I get my new kit going, I have no doubt the 540 panel will produce my best buds yet.

Utopia Haze is still behaving herself very well - only found one hermie over the past several days. New pistil formation is slowing though, so we'll see - I have it scheduled to chop in about 10 days.

Here's what Carnival 4 & 5 look like.

 

[brightlight]

Beautiful buds Gray. Yield good enough but who cares about it when the power is there, right?

 

[SmokeyMcFly]

Those look FANTASTIC Enjoy

 

[Teddy Edwards]

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness / Close bosom friend of the maturing sun"

Liking the look of your mellow fruitfulness very much, Graytail.

 

[Graytail]

"To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells with a sweet kernel; to set budding more"

And yes, I am oft seen amid my store.

Even at this fuzzy-minded age, it rang of Keats - kinda proud of myself. Thanks for sparking some old musty synapses!

 

[Icemud]

Wow Graytail!!! Those nugs look delicious!! I am happy to hear that the Igro's worked well for you too! I definitely agree the spectrum really put some good flavors in my nugs and lots of trichomes amazing journal and harvest!! Congrats!!!

 

[Duggan]

Much congrats on your tastey looking nugs Gray. Very nice job,indeed....they look very potent! Cheers eh!