Let's Find a Mother! Hiking Through a Field of Mary Jane
- Thread starter Hiker
- Start date
Bummer Hiker about ur Pops. I never got the chance to know mine. But really sorry to hear bout your loss. Hope all works out for you. Keepem Green
Twilight LED
Well-Known Member
Glad to hear about the harvest!!! 
Thank you everyone for the thoughts
Dad had been in the hospital for more than a week since his heart attack. We had known for several days he would not recover. He passed after about a day pr so in hospice. That helped a little as we were already coming to terms with it.
I feel worse for Spiffy and BID's family
On a happier subject...
I decided this morning to go with the Mars II 400W. I've been working out the order details with Sara for a couple days. Hoping to get everything finalized today.
I'm only going to run 2 'cycles' instead of 3. I may add a third cycle later on, but we think harvesting every 3-4 weeks would be too often. With 2 cycles, we will harvest every 5-6 weeks.
I've also decided to do one side with my bucket system and the other side with a soil type of media. I want to setup some sort of irrigation. I've been hand watering the current batch (retired mothers), and it's too much work. Not that I don't love being down there, I'm just too busy to spend the time needed to water. It is a daily task in late flower! I want to be able to turn on a pump and have it feed while I do other things down there. Basically, I'm buying time. I setup a system for the veggies outside, but those things leak.
Does anyone know of a drip irrigation system that doesn't leak? I haven't looked into it much yet, but I'd prefer not to have to use rigid pipe. If anyone knows of a good resource, I'd love to see a link.
I'm still planning for 24 plants total in the space, so each side will be 12 plants. Each one will have it's very own Mars II 400W. So Jimmy, they are 5W diodes operating at ~2.3W. I've seen lots of growers have good results with these lights. I have one of the 144x3W reflector lamps, and it does a great job. My brain is having a hard time with the idea of a single 400W lamp for each plant. I know they say coverage is 3' x 3', and that the rule of thumb is to take off 1' for LEDs.I'm just struggling to believe a single 400W LED can cover 2'x2'. I stood in the basement last night measuring out spacing. Part of my brain understands it's good coverage, but part of it thinks it's not enough!
Harvest begins tonight @ lights on!
There are 2 or 3 plants that are ready to come down now, and a couple more are close. There are 4 that will be 2-3 weeks behind due to getting very dry at one point early in flower. We will take down as many as we can before we leave. The others should finish up while I'm in CA. I'm a little nervous about leaving them for 6 days, but I tend to stress my plants at the end to increase trich production anyway...
I'll take pics during harvest and post some Monday.
- Thread starter
- #804
Thanks Twilight!
Update...
Thanks to the new bowl trimmer, we were able to harvest 5 plants in under 48 hours. That's very fast! I even slept and built a drip watering system for the soil plants during that time. We've always talked about doing something to make trimming less of a burden. It's really hard to harvest 20+ plants while also working full time! When I researched trimmers in the past, they were always too expensive, but this time I found one for ~$150. I got it from the online retailer with which I hold a "prime" membership. The brand is "Clean Cut". I debated getting the larger model (~$200), but having used the smaller one, I see no reason for me to get the larger one. I thought it did a pretty good job. There wasn't a lot of touch up. I did learn that you have to do it when they are fresh cut. I started to fall asleep while working on the last plant. When I continued in the AM, that plant did not work quite as well. I attribute this to the plant being "limp" from sitting overnight.
There are still 6 plants in the flowering room. 2 more are real close, but since I'm leaving on Saturday, I'm going to wait to harvest them when I get back. The other 4 have at least a week to go, but more likely 2 for a couple. Sorry guys, but I didn't take any pics during harvest. I've just been too busy trying to get things ready for me to leave this weekend. I will take some harvest pics after the trip.
I put 4 of the plants into gallon jars last night. Only ~11 ounces, so not super happy about that yield so far. The 5 plants harvested were not the largest in the room, so hopefully the numbers will get better. There is still one more in the rack, it will get jarred tonight probably.
FYI, if anyone wants to automate the watering of their soil ladies, it's MUCH easier than I anticipated. I just made a manifold out of PVC. It has a fitting to attach 1/2" tubing coming from a pump. It then distributes that into 3 of Orbit's Apollo 8 port manifolds. Each plant has a 1/4" tubing running from a manifold. I made rings out of 1/4" soaker hose and a 'T'. They go around the base of the tomato cage. (I'll show pics next time) It works great. I'll probably get a 7-day programmable type of timer, but right now, the standard 24H timer is working great. I stuck one of my rings into a bucket and measured how much water was pumped in 30 minutes. It was exactly a 1/2g. I think the plants are using ~1g each per day, so I can just use 2 pins on a typical timer. I want the 7day type of timer as it will let me program shorter watering times and/or spread them out. I might even want to water alternate days, and I can't do that with a basic timer.
Sara is going to help me get my order shipped this Friday, so it will arrive at my house on Thursday. I've been spending the last couple days defoliating, topping, bending, tieing, and basically abusing the beg ladies to get them ready to go into flower. I have more plants than I need in the veg trays, and they are growing fast, so I might cull a couple tonight to make more room. Either way, as soon as I get back, the next batch (a hydro batch) will go into flower.
After I finish the harvest, I will be closing this journal and starting a new one. I'm no longer searching for a mother. In fact, I'm not even going to keep any mothers for a few months. Since I'm also switching to LED, and the whole basement is pretty much built out, it's time.
I'm pretty excited about what it's going to allow me to do. Since I will have one side hydro and one side soil, I hope to run lots of interesting experiments. If anyone has an idea they would like to see tested, let me know. I have a couple things I want to try: supersoil, doc's kit, and a couple other of my own ideas. I've been thinking about trying some different nutrient lines, but GH has served me well, so I'll stick with it for now.
This journal isn't done just yet, but it IS winding down. I anticipate one or two more posts. Thanks everyone for hiking down the trail with me!
Update...
Thanks to the new bowl trimmer, we were able to harvest 5 plants in under 48 hours. That's very fast! I even slept and built a drip watering system for the soil plants during that time.
We've always talked about doing something to make trimming less of a burden. It's really hard to harvest 20+ plants while also working full time! When I researched trimmers in the past, they were always too expensive, but this time I found one for ~$150. I got it from the online retailer with which I hold a "prime" membership. The brand is "Clean Cut". I debated getting the larger model (~$200), but having used the smaller one, I see no reason for me to get the larger one. I thought it did a pretty good job. There wasn't a lot of touch up. I did learn that you have to do it when they are fresh cut. I started to fall asleep while working on the last plant. When I continued in the AM, that plant did not work quite as well. I attribute this to the plant being "limp" from sitting overnight.There are still 6 plants in the flowering room. 2 more are real close, but since I'm leaving on Saturday, I'm going to wait to harvest them when I get back. The other 4 have at least a week to go, but more likely 2 for a couple. Sorry guys, but I didn't take any pics during harvest. I've just been too busy trying to get things ready for me to leave this weekend. I will take some harvest pics after the trip.
I put 4 of the plants into gallon jars last night. Only ~11 ounces, so not super happy about that yield so far. The 5 plants harvested were not the largest in the room, so hopefully the numbers will get better. There is still one more in the rack, it will get jarred tonight probably.
FYI, if anyone wants to automate the watering of their soil ladies, it's MUCH easier than I anticipated. I just made a manifold out of PVC. It has a fitting to attach 1/2" tubing coming from a pump. It then distributes that into 3 of Orbit's Apollo 8 port manifolds. Each plant has a 1/4" tubing running from a manifold. I made rings out of 1/4" soaker hose and a 'T'. They go around the base of the tomato cage. (I'll show pics next time) It works great. I'll probably get a 7-day programmable type of timer, but right now, the standard 24H timer is working great. I stuck one of my rings into a bucket and measured how much water was pumped in 30 minutes. It was exactly a 1/2g. I think the plants are using ~1g each per day, so I can just use 2 pins on a typical timer. I want the 7day type of timer as it will let me program shorter watering times and/or spread them out. I might even want to water alternate days, and I can't do that with a basic timer.
Sara is going to help me get my order shipped this Friday, so it will arrive at my house on Thursday. I've been spending the last couple days defoliating, topping, bending, tieing, and basically abusing the beg ladies to get them ready to go into flower. I have more plants than I need in the veg trays, and they are growing fast, so I might cull a couple tonight to make more room. Either way, as soon as I get back, the next batch (a hydro batch) will go into flower.
After I finish the harvest, I will be closing this journal and starting a new one. I'm no longer searching for a mother. In fact, I'm not even going to keep any mothers for a few months. Since I'm also switching to LED, and the whole basement is pretty much built out, it's time.
I'm pretty excited about what it's going to allow me to do. Since I will have one side hydro and one side soil, I hope to run lots of interesting experiments. If anyone has an idea they would like to see tested, let me know. I have a couple things I want to try: supersoil, doc's kit, and a couple other of my own ideas. I've been thinking about trying some different nutrient lines, but GH has served me well, so I'll stick with it for now.This journal isn't done just yet, but it IS winding down. I anticipate one or two more posts. Thanks everyone for hiking down the trail with me!
I like where your headed with your room hiker. Im taking notes.
Make sure you drop an invite on 2.0 Your threads are part of my learning curves.
More importantly, how are you and your family holding up?
More importantly, how are you and your family holding up?
- Thread starter
- #807
Mom sounds good on the phone. Haven't actually talked to anyone else.
I feel guilty that I'm not there for her, but I can't be away from home that long.
The one thing this has really done, is make my wife and I want to move closer to our parents. We've both lost one, so we want to spend more time with the one we have left.
It won't happen in the next year, but I bet we're in CA within 2-3 years. At least I can keep growing there. 
Cool
ronnie6690
Well-Known Member
Mom sounds good on the phone. Haven't actually talked to anyone else.
I feel guilty that I'm not there for her, but I can't be away from home that long.
The one thing this has really done, is make my wife and I want to move closer to our parents. We've both lost one, so we want to spend more time with the one we have left.
We'll be neighbors
If your mom needs anything dont hesitate to ask.
- Thread starter
- #812
I'm back. Plants look great!
The veg area has grown up into the T5s. A few tops are a little burnt, but that's not a bad thing. It will help promote branching same as if I topped it.
Flowering ladies matured up nicely while I was away. There is at least one more ready to get cut this weekend. The ones that are behind are developing nicely. Maybe another week or so for them.
My irrigation system did OK. Not exactly what happened, but there were some weird signs when I got home at 1:30AM last night. Two of the plants, only two, had a lot of water in their drip trays and what looked like a puddle next to them. (Basement is concrete, so no worries about spills) My interpretation is the drip trays overflowed, and the plants had absorbed the rest. One other plant had an empty drip tray, but had the puddle. When the lights come on tonight, I'll sit there and watch a cycle to figure out what's going on. I can't recall who I saw using these 8 port manifolds (I think it was Sl1ng), but they are pretty nice. I think it will just require a little adjustment to dial in all the flow rates.
Thanks everyone for the warm wishes. My father was laid to rest on Monday. It was an honor guard ceremony (dad is ex-Navy). My brother in law is getting the shell casings engraved and Mom will distribute. I plan to put mine in a frame with one of the bookmarks Mom made to give out to loved ones. It was a sad day, but it was wonderful to be surrounded by so much love. I got to see some family and friends I had not seen for many years.
This has done nothing but strengthen our resolve to move closer to our parents. It's killing me that I can't be there more for my Mom. We're already looking for property in case we find 'the one'. Realistically, it will take us at least a year to be ready to relocate. I'd really like to run the basement for at least a year now that it's almost finished!
CA is at the top of the list, but CO is a close second. My youngest brother's fiance is from CO. They were talking about moving out there, and we discussed getting Mom to go with us. I didn't flat out ask her, but I felt her out a little on the issue and it didn't sound like moving was something she would really consider. Anyway, my wife and I have been coming up with ways to speed up our exit.
Maybe... I did read a listing I liked in Lytle Creek. I even called one of the contacts, but we didn't have time to get out there. We're more inclined to look towards the north. We would like to maintain our rural lifestyle, ie I want at least an acre, but rather have 40. We also don't really want to be in the desert. We like trees or the ocean. We'll see. I haven't ruled out socal. There are a few spots I would consider, but it's cheaper if I look in the more rural northern part of the state
Thanks Shotta. My youngest brother is still down there. He's pretty busy as an electrician working on his EE degree 4 nights a week, but I take some comfort knowing he is close. It's folks like you that make this such an awesome community!
Thanks again to everyone here at
that sent warm wishes. This really is a wonderful community, and I'm honored to be a part of it. 
The veg area has grown up into the T5s. A few tops are a little burnt, but that's not a bad thing. It will help promote branching same as if I topped it.
Flowering ladies matured up nicely while I was away. There is at least one more ready to get cut this weekend. The ones that are behind are developing nicely. Maybe another week or so for them.
My irrigation system did OK. Not exactly what happened, but there were some weird signs when I got home at 1:30AM last night. Two of the plants, only two, had a lot of water in their drip trays and what looked like a puddle next to them. (Basement is concrete, so no worries about spills) My interpretation is the drip trays overflowed, and the plants had absorbed the rest. One other plant had an empty drip tray, but had the puddle. When the lights come on tonight, I'll sit there and watch a cycle to figure out what's going on. I can't recall who I saw using these 8 port manifolds (I think it was Sl1ng), but they are pretty nice. I think it will just require a little adjustment to dial in all the flow rates.
Thanks everyone for the warm wishes. My father was laid to rest on Monday.
It was an honor guard ceremony (dad is ex-Navy). My brother in law is getting the shell casings engraved and Mom will distribute. I plan to put mine in a frame with one of the bookmarks Mom made to give out to loved ones. It was a sad day, but it was wonderful to be surrounded by so much love. I got to see some family and friends I had not seen for many years.This has done nothing but strengthen our resolve to move closer to our parents. It's killing me that I can't be there more for my Mom. We're already looking for property in case we find 'the one'. Realistically, it will take us at least a year to be ready to relocate. I'd really like to run the basement for at least a year now that it's almost finished!
CA is at the top of the list, but CO is a close second. My youngest brother's fiance is from CO. They were talking about moving out there, and we discussed getting Mom to go with us. I didn't flat out ask her, but I felt her out a little on the issue and it didn't sound like moving was something she would really consider. Anyway, my wife and I have been coming up with ways to speed up our exit. We'll be neighbors
Maybe... I did read a listing I liked in Lytle Creek. I even called one of the contacts, but we didn't have time to get out there. We're more inclined to look towards the north. We would like to maintain our rural lifestyle, ie I want at least an acre, but rather have 40. We also don't really want to be in the desert. We like trees or the ocean. We'll see. I haven't ruled out socal. There are a few spots I would consider, but it's cheaper if I look in the more rural northern part of the state
Thanks Shotta. My youngest brother is still down there. He's pretty busy as an electrician working on his EE degree 4 nights a week, but I take some comfort knowing he is close. It's folks like you that make this such an awesome community!
Thanks again to everyone here at
that sent warm wishes. This really is a wonderful community, and I'm honored to be a part of it.
ronnie6690
Well-Known Member
glad your trip went well , Lytle creek is 15mins away from me and beautiful.
- Thread starter
- #814
This poor neglected thread...
I've found 5-6 strains I'm working with. With a possible move coming, I'm trying to resist popping more beans for now, so my mother search is over for now. Heck, I'm not even keeping mothers now that I'm perpetual. I clone the clones just as they go into flower. Those veg for the next batch, and repeat. I've never liked this as sop since you run the risk of potentially losing a strain, but I've always gotten good results cloning.
The flowering of the old moms is complete. I yielded less than 2 pounds. I wanted more, but I knew the drought incident was going to hurt yield. Sorry I don't have exact numbers. I've been super busy getting the new stuff going. There have been changes in the flowering room.
I'll be creating a new journal for the new stuff pretty soon. Other than to post a link to the new journal, this will be my last post on this thread. Thank you everyone who followed along on my journey.
I'm gonna close this one up.
Mods, please move this thread to the finished journals area. Thank You.
I've found 5-6 strains I'm working with. With a possible move coming, I'm trying to resist popping more beans for now, so my mother search is over for now. Heck, I'm not even keeping mothers now that I'm perpetual. I clone the clones just as they go into flower. Those veg for the next batch, and repeat. I've never liked this as sop since you run the risk of potentially losing a strain, but I've always gotten good results cloning.
The flowering of the old moms is complete. I yielded less than 2 pounds. I wanted more, but I knew the drought incident was going to hurt yield. Sorry I don't have exact numbers. I've been super busy getting the new stuff going. There have been changes in the flowering room.
I'll be creating a new journal for the new stuff pretty soon. Other than to post a link to the new journal, this will be my last post on this thread. Thank you everyone who followed along on my journey.
I'm gonna close this one up.
Mods, please move this thread to the finished journals area. Thank You.
ronnie6690
Well-Known Member
Great journal +reps brother
can't wait for the next one.
+reps brothercan't wait for the next one.
David Bowman
New Member
Thanks for sharing your grow with us.
Please head over to the 420 Strain Reviews forum and post your smoke report there too.
I’m moving this to Completed Journals now.
Have you started a new grow you would like to share with us?
If so, please feel free to start a new journal here: Journals in Progress
In the future, whenever you complete a journal, please use the Report Post feature found at the bottom left of every post, so we can be alerted to move it for you.
Hope all is well in your world.
Love and respect from all of us here at 420 Magazine.
Please head over to the 420 Strain Reviews forum and post your smoke report there too.
I’m moving this to Completed Journals now.
Have you started a new grow you would like to share with us?
If so, please feel free to start a new journal here: Journals in Progress
In the future, whenever you complete a journal, please use the Report Post feature found at the bottom left of every post, so we can be alerted to move it for you.
Hope all is well in your world.
Love and respect from all of us here at 420 Magazine.