March 2016 - Daveabides The Quantum Kush Quest For 30% - Soil - T5/HPS

[thedaveabides]

4/30/16 - Day 60

Let me start this update by saying:



WE'RE BACK BABY!

These pictures actually have one less plant in them than all of the previous pictures. There was so much new growth and plumping over the 48 hours after that last feeding that I had to pull one out of there to accommodate. Color is looking good, stems are looking acceptable (little bit of striping but too bad), everything is upright....I'm happy. There is still a little bit of claw throughout but I'm not sure that that always goes away fully, even after the issue that caused it is corrected. I'm gonna let myself chill out about that particular issue. Time for some earned rest...and by rest, I mean stoned

 

[Canna Montana]

I'm glad I jumped in here when I did. Great updates! And you have an overcrowding issue? That seems like a good problem to have. Lol

 

[thedaveabides]

5/03/16 - Day 62

Earlier on in this journal I mentioned that I was setting up another tent to house a 1 plant pet project under different light than I have been using. That tent is a 4x4 with a 8 lamp 4' T5 fixture in it. I've never grown under T5 before but visiting a brother's wharehouse with nothing but T5 over the veggies inspired me to give it a whirl.

At the same time, I was going to end up one plant over limit (if I didn't get any males) so I decided to get all rough and tumble with one plant - if I kill it, whatever. I'm pleased to say that my secret side project has not only lived but thrived in this environment. A little more on the difference between the tents - what you've been seeing is in the garage. Because it's a garage, it sees some wild temp swings which ends up being our largest problem each grow. It's outfitted with a 600w digital ballast and SunSystem air cooled hood (MH for veg, HPS for flower), as well as a Hydrofarm 430cfm exhaust fan, an oscillating tower fan and small ceramic heater and thermostat.

The second tent is in the house, in my office. Different outer environment, different light, different air source, etc. At first, I couldn't get my humidity out of the 20's without it being hotter than the blazes of hell in there but eventually, I managed a balance of the home A/C system, water bowl inside and a cracked door.....viola! I'm 77-83 F and 40-50% RH all day, every day The plant in there, I topped, re-topped and topped again super aggressively as well as tied down like thai snuff......nevermind. Suffice it say, I was not nice to this plant (the one on the left in the pictures).

Here's what I've observed: the victim plant, as I like to call it, has grown more aggressively, drinks more water and shows fewer problems (by leaps and bounds) than every plant in the other tent. Is it the temp swings? The humidity? Does it just love the T5? I hypothesize all of the above. With the recovery of the plants out in the other tent and the overcrowding that came with it, I decided to move one plant from out there into the T5 tent along with our victim. That plant has been there for about 24 hours and now looks more like the victim and less like the others. This is pleasing.

Another development - while choosing a plant to move inside, I found a male. Big, bouncy balls all over him =(
The others seem not to be showing sex while this guy is ALL MAN. I yanked him outside with a quickness but I'm considering taking him and a couple female clones outside somewhere and making some babies. These seeds came from a 31.5% parent and cost $50/10 so it seems like time well spent. Thoughts on that?

Going forward, I will include pics from both tents and do my best to label them in a meaningful way so that you can tell what's what. From here out, there are 4 plants in the HID tent and 2 in the T5 tent. All of them are ready to flower (in terms of the typical time frame) but not quite at the size I'd like to flower them at. I'd love to hear from the community your thoughts on super elongated veg periods. Thanks folks!

T5 Tent

HID Tent
I noticed the stalks are all green again - no streaking

 

[thedaveabides]

Another note on the T5 - I have to switch 4 of the lamps off for at least half of the day (this tent is under 24 light, the other 20/4) in order to keep the temp under 90F during the warmer part of the day. Could only 4 of the lamps be enough? They seem to be doing great under them, although I'm wondering if I shouldn't have a little more bulk by this age.....am I overthinking this?

 

[Stinky Snid]

The t5 plants are growing great, I found that if they are at the right distance it creates tighter nodes spacing throughout the grow phase compared to my LEDs, and I've heard the same about MH. Will they flower under the t5's aswell or be moved into hps tent? As for extra long veg periods, it only a matter of space. You may run into some root problems over the extra time but if you can deal with that you'll be making monsters in stated extra time. I've begged m6 widows for 70 days and they aren't much bigger 3 weeks into flower as my 40 day vegged plants. I don't think I'll veg for more than 6 weeks unless I'm Making monster plants. Hope my opinion helps your thought processes for deciding the switch. Goodluck and...

KiG

 

[David Bowman]

Hope all is well in your world.

Is this grow still alive?

We would love to be updated with some pictures and info.

How about posting a 420 Strain Review?

If you need any help with posting photos, please read our Photo Gallery Tutorial.

I am moving this to Abandoned Journals until we get updates.

Sending you lots of love and positive energy.

 

[thedaveabides]

This grow is alive and well; the journal, not so much =P

I apologize to the few people following this - we moved a couple of weeks ago and, as you all know, the move busies things up for some time before and after actually moving. This has certainly been the case for us this time around. Moving a grow.....whew! What a job! And now the grow is in a temporary location in the house from whence it will move yet again. We also inherited 7 plants from another grow that had to move abruptly

So....that is the cause for my internet absence and poor show here. I'm snapping some fresh pics tonight as well as uploading a few I took over the last couple of weeks and we'll see if I can get this train back on the tracks. Stay tuned.

 

[thedaveabides]

Some Backstory​

Long story short, we had to move in fairly short order and the grow had to be broken down and moved. At the same time, a friends grow was shutting down and needed homes for plants - enter expansion. Soooooo, the 4x4 came down and the 8x4 went up and we gained 4 Blackberry Kush, 3 Jacks and 1 big ass Afi. The Jacks went out to the yard and the rest went into the tent with the Quantums.

Beyond that, we also added a 55gallon reservoir, autofeed, a room A/C and dehu. We scored a couple 1,000w ballasts, lamps and reflectors as well as a couple of 1,000 cfm fans too! Haven't installed them yet but I can't wait to do so.

Anyhow, here are some pictures from last night=)

 

[Light Addict]

Having abusy stressful time my friend! Chill and smoke one up! Best of buds and glad were still a growing in here!

 

[thedaveabides]

Thanks, LA. I'm gonna enjoy a little of this and relax for the night tonight. There are plenty of hours in the day for working tomorrow

 

[thedaveabides]

Back in May this happened.....​

So, naturally, he was taken out.​

Down 3 plants​

 

[thedaveabides]

Gardener Porn - Flower Week 5​

 

[thedaveabides]

My new cloning box ​

Itty bitty, gentle fluorescents and heat mat above for the fresh cuts in the dome and a 2ft 4 lamp T5 below for rooted clones.​

 

[Canna Montana]

That's a sweet clone setup you have there!! Well done! Sorry to hear about the move, I'm sure it will all work out in the end.

 

[thedaveabides]

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[Light Addict]

Looks like to much N

 

[thedaveabides]

Well, no more Afghani. I chopped her down. She had a bad ass mildew that was just kickin my ass and I couldn't watch her suffer anymore. Down to 3 quantums and 4 blackberry in there.
A moment of silence please

 

[thedaveabides]

Quantum Kush Wk 6/Blackberry Kush Wk 4​

Blackberry​

Quantum​

Quantum​

Quantum​

Yes, I sure did notice that spot of PM on that leaf to the left. I punched it in the face with a rag full of Green Cleaner (didn't want to spray my bud)​

 

[thedaveabides]

 

[thedaveabides]

These are different levels of zoom on the same top