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- #121
Some go to the table, others into pie, some of the pretty apples and pie go to Church. And then, as Carmen suggests, some go to make cider.
Thank you for asking, GDP!
MGM
MicroGrowerMan's Grow Laboratory Journal
- Thread starter MicroGrowerMan
- Start date
Thank you for asking, GDP!
MGM
- Thread starter
- #122
Oh, yes!Stunning pics MGM. Enough there for cider?
You might say I'm in charge of growing, tending and harvesting what is good for the head, while Mrs. MGM does the same for what is good for the belly.
In addition to the apples in the photo we also grow some dedicated "spitters" -- bittersharp and bittersweet apples grown exclusively for cider making.
I ferment with a champagne yeast and end up what some might call an apple wine that tastes like an apple-nuanced chardonnay. I produce about 5 gallons a year using a heavy-duty juicer and filter bags that look like I'm producing bubble hash, lol!
As I mentioned earlier, in the way both cannabis and fruit trees are tended and processed there are a lot of similarities. Maybe that is why I enjoy doing both?
Thank you for asking.
MGM
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- #124
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- #125
A Great Week at the MGM Ranch
November 6, 2023
November 6, 2023
It has been a good week, a very good week.
I harvested Gravel Gertie and hung her out to dry, found a solution to my emitter problem, harvested a couple of bushes of apples from the orchard, and finished installing four new 3’x12’ raised beds in the vegetable garden. Whew!
Back to OEM Emitters.
I think I solved the problem with the clogged emitters.
It involves a change I made when changing to the clear tubing, which grew algae, to black silicon tubing. In that process I changed to emitters that simply did not work with my pump. So I went back to the clear OEM emitter used with the new black silicon tubing and got a lot better flow.
This had caused me to recalibrate the pump times, but that is worth it, because I’m excited about the better flow, and greater ease in maintaining the OEM Emitters.
Just because I have 5-Gallon Nute Buckets …
… doesn’t mean I should mix up five gallons at a time.
Too much chemistry going on over the time five gallons of nutes are used. This is particularly true of PH slide. So why spend all the time monitoring the buckets for PH slide and EC/PPM changes when I can just mix stuff up one or two gallons at a time? It sure saves on carrying heavy jugs of water, at least until I get plumbing installed in the room.
As for vacationing and needing the 5-gallon capacity, I’ve devised a strategy for that, including waiting a critical half hour after mixing the nutes up and making adjustments to take care of the initial PH jump, and then adjusting the PH down to the 5.5 area and letting the remainder of the drift to occur while I’m gone.
White Widow
Two Plants: One Harvested, Another Pollinated
Seeds Dropped July 15, 2023
Day 117
Week 8.1 Since Flip
Two Plants: One Harvested, Another Pollinated
Seeds Dropped July 15, 2023
Day 117
Week 8.1 Since Flip
Gravel Gertie.
Gravel Gertie has been hanging in the grow room now for four days and looks and feels like she is ready to bottle.
The way I dry I’ve found the small stem snap test gives me over-dried weed. I watch for a reduction in size and give the buds a squeeze.
I like a higher humidity dry, around 65% for the first two days and additional 5% reductions down to 55% the following two days until I reach a 55% t0 60% zone in the room. Humid exhaust air from the 4’x2’ grow box is used to ventilate the plants as they hang. The exhaust fan sits about six feet from the drying rack, and the force of the air is mitigated with a towel hanging from the ceiling. It’s a crude system, but it works.
The aim of the higher-humidity dry is to slow down the dry and promote the curing process while the bud is drying. I believe this results in a smooth, flavorful smoke. Which brings me to …
Gravel Gertie Nouveau
Like its namesake, Beaujolais Nouveau, that first taste of cannabis is my version of nouveau, likely yours, too, even though you might not call it that.
Early reports off the drying rack are the pre-cure during the slow dry seems to work again.
The smoke is smooth and flavorful, with a flavor profile close to advertised: piney, earthy, with citrus undertones. I write close because I would substitute a flowery lavender taste in there for what they call earthy with a very strong lemon overtone. I love the pine-to-lemon experience; I could do without the lavender, I think. We’ll see what happens after two weeks.
As for the high, it’s an early-harvest, sativa-dominant shot to the head, which slowly and lightly reveals its indica parentage. Great for writing this journal. “I’m soaking my hands in it, now!” lol.
I will point out, with it’s height, it showed strong sativa instincts. So this was expected, particularly with a harvest date a few days short of what the breeder suggested.
Seed Queen: 9 Days Since Pollination.
Not much new to discuss here, other than the fat, upper buds that were not pollinated are getting fatter.
I’ll take some trichome photos just before harvesting those upper buds either today or tomorrow, I need to bottle Gavel Gertie first to make room on the drying rack.
Nutes: Currently: 1/2-tsp Cal-Mag, 1/2-tsp MGVH, 1/2-tsp MGBB to 1 Gallon water & ph-adjusted.
PPM: 1050
Uptake: TBD after pump and new emitters are calibrated.
Do-Si-Dos by Pyramid seeds,
Sold through current sponsor Seedsman.
Feminized Photoperiod.
Germinated August 23, 2023
Day 78, Week 1.1 Since Flip
Sold through current sponsor Seedsman.
Feminized Photoperiod.
Germinated August 23, 2023
Day 78, Week 1.1 Since Flip
Project Name: Mildred
Mildred is not growing up during stretch as much as she is growing out. She is becoming very bushy and has only grown about 3-inches during the first week of stretch.
Maybe she is saving up to stretch later? Or maybe it is because I gave her a severe pruning at the 10-week mark, and she simply needed to put on some weight? We’ll find out more about growing this strain when I grow her clone sisters in my next grow.
One thing is for sure, she has that nice round shape that works well on my turnable and 2’x2’ footprint.
Her training is keeping her very flat, so if she does not grow much, and continues to fatten I think I will be assured of some fatties for nuggets. Never too soon to think about a Nug O’ the Month entry.
I’ve taken some close-in photos to show you how the “pot extenders” and “seven sisters” manifolding method work.
Mildred is the bell cow for my next featured project that my bud-dee and I call “Chasing Godzilla.” Godzilla yielded 10 ounces from a 2x2 footprint. That is the highest yield I have ever had by far. So my bud-dee, Lawrence, thinks he and I should have a competitive grow with these two clones. I think it will be fun.
Nutes: Currently: 1/2-tsp Cal-Mag, 1/2-tsp MGVH, 1/2-tsp MGBB to 1 Gallon water & ph-adjusted.
PPM: 1050
Uptake: TBD as pump time is dialed in.
Do-Si-Dos Clones of Plant from Pyramid seeds,
Sold through current sponsor Seedsman.
Feminized Photoperiod.
Into Cloner: October 21
Day: 16 in cloner.
Project Name: Little Sisters of Mildred
Sold through current sponsor Seedsman.
Feminized Photoperiod.
Into Cloner: October 21
Day: 16 in cloner.
Project Name: Little Sisters of Mildred
16 days in the cloner and the Little Sisters of Mildred are ready to come out and play.
I'll have more, later in the week as I transplant them.
Amnesia Trance by non-sponsoring breeder.
Feminized Photoperiod.
Germinated October 20, 2023
Day 16
Feminized Photoperiod.
Germinated October 20, 2023
Day 16
All the seeds I’ve gotten from this batch have been weak. Unusual for this breeder. We’ll see if I can nurse this thing to health. Right now it looks like something out of a nuke attack. There is a discussion over at @carmen Ray’s journal on that subject. You might want to check it out.
The failure of these seeds is leading the way for my next journal with the Little Sisters of Mildred, “Chasing Godzilla.”
Nutes: Currently: 1/4-tsp Cal-Mag, 1/4-tsp MGVH, to 1 Gallon water & ph-adjusted.
PPM: 550
Uptake: Hand sprayed as needed.
Whew! That was a long one.
Thank you for following and plowing through!
MGM
- Thread starter
- #126
Gravel Gertie All Bottled Up
November 6, 2023
November 6, 2023
Small crop, but if she won't boogie, her sister will.
I'll have a eulogy for Gravel Gertie soon, covering the ups and downs of the grow, most important what I learned about growing in pure perlite.
Until then, we're clocking the old girl out until she comes out of the bottle in two weeks.
Thank you for following. Much more to come. I still have Seed Queen upper bud to harvest, and need a few more weeks for her seeds to mature.
MGM
That will be too cool for school, if Lawrence and you do a Chasing Godzilla comparative grow on the clone sisters of Mildred. Congrats on getting Gravel Gertie into jars!
You and Lawrence have something in common. I just can't put my finger on it.Yes, Indeed. She is my rock.
Thank you. It has caused such a stir I don't think I've seen anything like it. Win or lose in the voting there are many posters who have already brought great joy with their comments. Including you, Carmen!
He told me he has a very busy weekend, plus I might have owed him some pics for his introduction. He is the driving force behind the next chapter of MGM's grow lab journal, "Chasing Godzilla" or perhaps more appropriately "Chasing Godzilla under ViparSpectra Lights," as I truly believe these lights were behind the most productive and popular grow I've had. I was able to get 10 ounces of Dos-Si-Dos out of a 2x2 space. I know I didn't come close to that with the White Widow, but Lawrence thinks we can do better with the Dos-Si-Dos.
Here are my brother and I chillin'
There are few things more important than friendship!
- Thread starter
- #129
I spoke with Lawrence this morning and he is busy with fall clean up and clean out. Winter is coming. So are the holidays. And so are his relatives.
I think he'll be along sometime this weekend. Until then we're sharing some pics of what we'll be chasing: Godzilla, the 10-ounce, 2x2, @ViparSpectra XS 1500 monster that took over its grow space with great density and fear of bud rot that never came.
We give you Godzilla and my masked grow buddy, Lawrence.
Our hope is that this will give you something worth looking forward to.
Enjoy.
MGM
- Thread starter
- #130
Yes, we do. It goes all the way to our hearts and souls. Uncanny friendship to form so late in life.You and Lawrence have something in common. I just can't put my finger on it.
You have that right GDP.There are few things more important than friendship!
Thank you.
MGM
Scottay
Well-Known Member
They would make killer apple butter!!!! Mmmmm it all sounds great!!
- Thread starter
- #132
Yes, Tangy apples, the ones we harvested. Granny Smith and Gold Rush.
Mrs. MGM does apples like Forrest Gump does shrimp.
MGM
- Thread starter
- #133
Eulogy for Gravel Gertie
November 8, 2023
Day 119
2 Days in the Bottles
November 8, 2023
Day 119
2 Days in the Bottles
Gravel Gertie, like her Dick Tracey namesake sure was homely, but in the end she had a heart of gold, buds full of trichomes, and a taste off the dry rack that was smooth, piney with lemon overtones.
Her high is quite sativa, with a nearly an extra cup of coffee effect only more mellow. She looked like a scrawny sativa in the grow box, and hit like a bullet between the eyes when smoked.
She fell short of yield expectations, but still left me plenty of bud for myself, friends and family, until the Do-Si-Dos grow comes in, not to mention the more imminent harvest of her sister, Seed Queen.
A few mistakes, learnings, and theories:
- Yield was primarily affected by pruning a sativa like an indica. I took too much off at the wrong time.
- I truly believe throwing as much dilute nutes at a plant is the way to go, and that frequent washes of nutes provide good results.
- Transitioning from 1-gallon pitchers to 5-gallon pots confused me. In up-scaling nute measurement, I made mistakes that hurt the grow.
- Having that much solution mixed at one time pH slide was significant. I must maintain awareness of this chemistry in the future.
- I’m adjusting by mixing smaller batches of nutes, and offsetting pH slide for larger batches when I travel out of town.
- I was using the wrong emitters.
- The low-pressure drip pump system I was using could not overcome the pressure resistance in the updated emitters I used when my transferred to black silicon irrigation tubing from clear PVC, which had been growing algae.
- The small ports inside the emitters also clogged easy leaving plants in danger of drying out.
- I’ve gone back to the original emitters which give me much greater flow.
- I operate somewhere between high-frequency drip fertigation, and hempy pot reformed methods of growing.
- Notwithstanding the dosing translation issues I had going to a larger nute pot, it still took time to find the right combination of nutes, and dosages. Current plants look better so I feel like I’m closer.
- This is an issue I’m still getting better at, and am improving. Current nute levels:
- Seedlings and Early Veg
- 1/2-tsp Cal Mag/Gallon
- 1/4-tsp Miracle Gro Vegetable & Herbs/Gallon (18-18-21)
- pH Adjusted
- 650 ppm
- Mature Veg
- 1/2-tsp Cal Mag/Gallon
- 1/2-tsp Miracle Gro Vegetable & Herbs/Gallon (18-18-21)
- pH Adjusted
- 950 ppm
- Early 12/12
- 1/2-tsp Cal Mag/Gallon
- 1/4-tsp Miracle Gro Vegetable & Herbs/Gallon (18-18-21)
- 1/4-tsp Miracle Gro Bloom Booster/Gallon (10-50-10)
- pH Adjusted
- 1050 ppm
- Late 12/12
- 1/4-tsp Cal Mag/Gallon
- 1/4-tsp Miracle Gro Vegetable & Herbs/Gallon (18-18-21)
- pH Adjusted
- 550 ppm
- Seedlings and Early Veg
Any harvest a micro grower brings in that tides the grower, friends, and family over to the next grow and prevents a drive of shame to the dispensary is a good grow.
This was a good grow.
I’ve harvested 3.6 ounces of fine White Widow bud, and another ounce of trim. That will do us all until the next harvest comes in. And that, fellow growers is really all the comfort we need.
Thanks for the teachings, old girl. We will remember ... um forget you well.
And thank you @Grand Daddy Black and @CaptainLucky for your parts in inspiring this eulogy.
Oh, and stand by I still have Seed Queen to harvest and bottle before closing out this journal, and go on to Chasing Godzilla!
MGM
A wonderful eulogy for your WW MGM!
I respectfully observed a moment of silence after reading your post.
Enjoy!
I respectfully observed a moment of silence after reading your post.
Enjoy!
- Thread starter
- #135
A wonderful eulogy for your WW MGM!
I respectfully observed a moment of silence after reading your post.
Enjoy!
Thank you GDB,
I do pray your observed moment of of silence was preceded by a long draw of cannabis. That is usually good for a few moments of silence for me.
MGM
What’s the 7 sisters technique? CLI spoke with Lawrence this morning and he is busy with fall clean up and clean out. Winter is coming. So are the holidays. And so are his relatives.
I think he'll be along sometime this weekend. Until then we're sharing some pics of what we'll be chasing: Godzilla, the 10-ounce, 2x2, @ViparSpectra XS 1500 monster that took over its grow space with great density and fear of bud rot that never came.
We give you Godzilla and my masked grow buddy, Lawrence.
Our hope is that this will give you something worth looking forward to.
Enjoy.
MGM
- Thread starter
- #137
Good question, CLWhat’s the 7 sisters technique? CL
It's how I grow seven colas in 2.7-gallon (10-liter), pots. I find this helps maximize my grows in this size pot.
Three, twelve-inch shish-ke-bob stakes fit through holes drilled into the sides of the pots. Three sets of laterals provide six of the sisters, a strong branch forms the middle seventh.
Six of the laterals are lashed along the stakes to form a six-cola star pattern, with a seventh in the middle.
The future colas start to fill in.
This gives you the understory view with garden tie wire managing height and diameter of plant.
Individual view of how one of the pot extenders is used to train the lateral outside the pot.
MGM
Interesting system, I use similar techniques with toppings and supercropping contingent on the plants growth. CLGood question, CL
It's how I grow seven colas in 2.7-gallon (10-liter), pots. I find this helps maximize my grows in this size pot.
Three, twelve-inch shish-ke-bob stakes fit through holes drilled into the sides of the pots. Three sets of laterals provide six of the sisters, a strong branch forms the middle seventh.
Six of the laterals are lashed along the stakes to form a six-cola star pattern, with a seventh in the middle.
The future colas start to fill in.
This gives you the understory view with garden tie wire managing height and diameter of plant.
Individual view of how one of the pot extenders is used to train the lateral outside the pot.
MGM
Scottay
Well-Known Member
That's just awesome!! Well done Growmie!!Eulogy for Gravel Gertie
November 8, 2023
Day 119
2 Days in the Bottles
Gravel Gertie, like her Dick Tracey namesake sure was homely, but in the end she had a heart of gold, buds full of trichomes, and a taste off the dry rack that was smooth, piney with lemon overtones.
Her high is quite sativa, with a nearly an extra cup of coffee effect only more mellow. She looked like a scrawny sativa in the grow box, and hit like a bullet between the eyes when smoked.
She fell short of yield expectations, but still left me plenty of bud for myself, friends and family, until the Do-Si-Dos grow comes in, not to mention the more imminent harvest of her sister, Seed Queen.
A few mistakes, learnings, and theories:
- Yield was primarily affected by pruning a sativa like an indica. I took too much off at the wrong time.
- I truly believe throwing as much dilute nutes at a plant is the way to go, and that frequent washes of nutes provide good results.
- Transitioning from 1-gallon pitchers to 5-gallon pots confused me. In up-scaling nute measurement, I made mistakes that hurt the grow.
- Having that much solution mixed at one time pH slide was significant. I must maintain awareness of this chemistry in the future.
- I’m adjusting by mixing smaller batches of nutes, and offsetting pH slide for larger batches when I travel out of town.
- I was using the wrong emitters.
- The low-pressure drip pump system I was using could not overcome the pressure resistance in the updated emitters I used when my transferred to black silicon irrigation tubing from clear PVC, which had been growing algae.
- The small ports inside the emitters also clogged easy leaving plants in danger of drying out.
- I’ve gone back to the original emitters which give me much greater flow.
- I operate somewhere between high-frequency drip fertigation, and hempy pot reformed methods of growing.
- Notwithstanding the dosing translation issues I had going to a larger nute pot, it still took time to find the right combination of nutes, and dosages. Current plants look better so I feel like I’m closer.
- This is an issue I’m still getting better at, and am improving. Current nute levels:
- Seedlings and Early Veg
- 1/2-tsp Cal Mag/Gallon
- 1/4-tsp Miracle Gro Vegetable & Herbs/Gallon (18-18-21)
- pH Adjusted
- 650 ppm
- Mature Veg
- 1/2-tsp Cal Mag/Gallon
- 1/2-tsp Miracle Gro Vegetable & Herbs/Gallon (18-18-21)
- pH Adjusted
- 950 ppm
- Early 12/12
- 1/2-tsp Cal Mag/Gallon
- 1/4-tsp Miracle Gro Vegetable & Herbs/Gallon (18-18-21)
- 1/4-tsp Miracle Gro Bloom Booster/Gallon (10-50-10)
- pH Adjusted
- 1050 ppm
- Late 12/12
- 1/4-tsp Cal Mag/Gallon
- 1/4-tsp Miracle Gro Vegetable & Herbs/Gallon (18-18-21)
- pH Adjusted
- 550 ppm
Any harvest a micro grower brings in that tides the grower, friends, and family over to the next grow and prevents a drive of shame to the dispensary is a good grow.
This was a good grow.
I’ve harvested 3.6 ounces of fine White Widow bud, and another ounce of trim. That will do us all until the next harvest comes in. And that, fellow growers is really all the comfort we need.
Thanks for the teachings, old girl. We will remember ... um forget you well.
And thank you @Grand Daddy Black and @CaptainLucky for your parts in inspiring this eulogy.
Oh, and stand by I still have Seed Queen to harvest and bottle before closing out this journal, and go on to Chasing Godzilla!
MGM
- Thread starter
- #140
Thank you, Scottay!That's just awesome!! Well done Growmie!!