MrBubbles Perpetual Grow

[mrbubbles87]

Were LED's ever a consideration? I am looking at a 2x4 stealth grow and hoping to find a $300 led that would work.

LEDs are definitely something I've been interested in. For me it was mainly price. Even though there's a lot of LEDs that are getting fairly reasonable for the most part they're still quite a bit more expensive then HID.

In the future I'm considering upgrading to an LED in my second 4x4 section. I've read they're more efficient then HID due to better spectrum but they still get pretty hot.

Heat was a huge issue in my 2x4 I found it was manageable with a good inline fan. In retrospect I'd either go T5's or a couple UFO's.

Check out Sara's lights on google for LEDs especially the Mars. I've read a lot of good reviews on these.

Thanks for dropping by!

 

[mrbubbles87]

Hey guys,

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Sorry I haven’t been posting much lately. Life’s been getting pretty crazy lately with the holidays coming up and the many other issues we’re facing right now. We’re making it though. Not sure how we would be if it wasn’t for the excellent medicine I’ve been able to grow with the help of all of you guys.

My main problem right now is supplying us enough. We are going through insane amounts compared to when we bought our own. We’re averaging about 4oz per mo between my wife, myself, my father in-law and a few other family members who smoke occasionally. We used to go through an ounce a month. Needless to say I need to produce as much as possible especially if I’m going to be able to supply us with our regular meds and her father with RSO.
I’ve been struggling to create a perpetual setup. You’d think having multiple tents running perpetual would be easy but it only makes things more complicated lol. I feel like I’m really starting to get unorganized. I’m struggling to keep track of each plants feedings/waterings/flowering/veg etc. I have so many different plants at different ages plus many different strains which can complicate feedings. On the other hand my plants seem to be doing better now than ever before. I really overfed/over watered before when I tracked each feeding/watering like clockwork. I wish there was an app or something for this lmao. Any suggestions on how you guys track these things?

I think the hardest part about creating a steady perpetual is creating a steady supply of veg plants, so that’s what I’ve been focusing on lately. I now have 11 plants total in flower, 6 plants vegging in 1 gal, 20+ small clones vegging in Dixie cups, and about 9 clones that have already rooted in my cloner.
I’ve also been focusing on growing larger plants. The hardest part about this is vegging them long enough. I’m struggling with this for a few reasons likes limited veg space, slow growth rates (maybe due to T12’s vs MH), strain knowledge, and mainly patience. Its hard not to move a plant into flower when your jars start running empty lol.

In order to grow larger plants I’ve begun transplanting from 1gal to 3gal during veg, and then into 5gal buckets for flower. I tested this with 2 plants recently, a wild thai and agent O. I’m really loving the results so far. Unfortunately I’m running low on soil and I’d rather continue to recycle my current soil until jan/feb when I can afford to build a good high brix or at least super soil and use 7gal smart pots vs 5gal plastic buckets. Plus I really want to move to organics. So in the meantime I’m going to continue to veg in 1 gal and flower in 3 gal. Ironically I’m accidentally doing a 3gal vs 5gal flower pot comparison with my two wild thai’s.

Anyways on to the grow update:

I recently received my seed order from Herbies. I mainly ordered strains to try and help my father in law with his liver cancer. I only ordered 1 feminized seed of each strain because we didn’t have a lot to spend, we wanted to have a good selection for him to try, and my germination/clone rates have been excellent so far. I ordered CBD Crew’s Critical Mass, Medicann Blue Blood, and Medicann Bubba Kush. Mainly I think the Crit Mass or Blue Blood will be best for his cancer. I planted all three of these seeds in Dixie cups last night. Fingers crossed for a quick successful germination. In addition to these seeds I also received a few freebies of course. Those include Northern Lights x Skunk# 1 and Kerala X Skunk. These will have to go in the stash can for now because I’m now up to 9 strains total with these new med strains!

My flower tent is finally starting to fill up. I’ll try to sum up what I’ve got going.

1. Blue OG – About 7 weeks, flushing, took a test branch last night that’s drying now
2. Ultra Sour – Also about 7 weeks, flushing
3. Blue Thai – About 5 weeks
4. Dinachem – About 5 weeks
5. Agent “O” – About 5 weeks
6. Agent “O” – 1 week, 5gal
7. Wild Thai #2 – 1 week, 5gal, still need to sex, clones are showing pistils but not mother
8. Lemon Thai Kush – yesterday
9. Wild Thai #1 – yesterday, still need to sex, clones are showing pistils but not mother
10. Berry Ryder Auto – yesterday, hermie seeds, very small plant that has been flowering in the veg tent for about a week
11. Blue Cheese Auto – yesterday, hermie seeds, very small plant that has been flowering in the veg tent for about a week

https://www.420magazine.com/gallery/data/500/

My veg tent is just a jumble of clones/veg plants of each of these strains. I do plan on building a wooden shelf for my veg tent sometime this week. I’m hoping to divide it into 2 sections, one for large plants/mothers and one for small plants/clones/seedlings. This should help give me more space/time to veg larger plants. Little concerned as I’ll be using treated wood but I think it should be ok.

I’m also still considering moving my veg tent out of the 4x8 flower tent. Then I would use T12’s in one 4x4 flower section and my 600 watt HPS in the other 4x4 section. I would move plants under the HPS after 4 weeks of flowering under the T12’s. I may just wait for Xmas money to buy a new HPS or maybe even an LED J

Well that’s about it for now. Sorry for the HUGE post lol. Works been super slow and there’s so much to tell. Please feel free to comment or make suggestions. Thanks again for all of your guys’ help!

 

[KingJohnC]

I use HERB.IQ to keep track of my plants in vegetative growth and flowering, HERB.IQ can track a plant from seed to harvest including clones. HERB.IQ has many settings that you can add to keep track of different equipment, room and custom information.

https://www.google.ca HERB.IQ

 

[CA215]

Can't wait to see these new genetics break ground bummer on the 6 other strains that didn't make it to ya buddy! Better luck next time no doubt But I can definitely see the breaking point with too many to contain. I have seen people use white boards in their grow rooms to keep track of what is what and what needs what. That is what I would personally opt for, KJC supplied you with that link, looks damn nice and scientific Im sure that would work superb also. At the moment I have my fat 300 page notebook that I plan on having filled up before I leave this earth Definitely finish up with those FF nutes buddy, can't wait to see you get into some high brix organics! Stay well mrbub getting back to your PM today buddy. May the ganja lords be with you

 

[mrbubbles87]

I use HERB.IQ to keep track of my plants in vegetative growth and flowering, HERB.IQ can track a plant from seed to harvest including clones. HERB.IQ has many settings that you can add to keep track of different equipment, room and custom information. https://www.google.ca HERB.IQ

Thanks Kc!

It's really surprising how few apps there are for growing weed. The best one I've found is called grow buddy but it's for android only. I have an iPhone and the best I've found so far is called garden tracker and it looks like windows '99 lmao.

I have a PC but rarely use it. It's a lot more convenient if I'm able to track everything on my phone. I'm tempted to jail break my phone just to get the grow buddy app because it looks phenomenal.

I have seen what appears to be miniature calendars that are tied to plants in medical grows. I'm thinking of just making or printing some homemade miniature calendars and tying them to each plant then I can note each plants individual calendar.

 

[mrbubbles87]

Can't wait to see these new genetics break ground bummer on the 6 other strains that didn't make it to ya buddy! Better luck next time no doubt But I can definitely see the breaking point with too many to contain. I have seen people use white boards in their grow rooms to keep track of what is what and what needs what. That is what I would personally opt for, KJC supplied you with that link, looks damn nice and scientific Im sure that would work superb also. At the moment I have my fat 300 page notebook that I plan on having filled up before I leave this earth Definitely finish up with those FF nutes buddy, can't wait to see you get into some high brix organics! Stay well mrbub getting back to your PM today buddy. May the ganja lords be with you

Me either bro. Just praying to shiva that all 3 make it.

I was super bummed about those strains not making it but as with anything in life I try to look at it positively. I figure maybe your right and I'm reaching a breaking point of too many strains in which case not receiving those other ones is a good thing because I don't have the patience to sit on new seeds

Thinking for tracking purposes I'm gonna go old school and attach a mini calendar to each plant plus keep my notebook.

I really want that damn grow buddy app lol. I never get to use my laptop because it's our official "cable box"

Getting close on the nutes and running low on soil. I'm hoping for lots of cash presents for Xmas so I can invest some more. In the meantime I think I'm starting to dial in on the FF. I cut back to about 1/3 of the feeding schedule and alternate feeding/watering plus stopped Ph'ng. Really can't wait to go high brix though. I'll feel a lot more confident when I know I have a healthy/stable soil.

Hope is all well for you too!

 

[shottafire]

White board in the room is key. I like having a calendar as well.

Too many strains is a lot of work its like juggling 5 balls its not easy. try three its much easier.

 

[mrbubbles87]

White board in the room is key. I like having a calendar as well.

Too many strains is a lot of work its like juggling 5 balls its not easy. try three its much easier.

Juggling too many balls is the story of my life Shotta no pun intended lol. I'm a trial by fire kind of guy. When I first started vegetable gardening I grew 10 different plants. Didn't grow them very well IMO but grew them and continued to grow them each year and I am still slowly learning about each different one. Probably not a good strategy for the plants sake as I'm sure they suffer quite a bit but its a really fast way for me to learn lots of different things at once. I know enough to keep them alive and somewhat healthy. Everything from there is just tweaking the gears

Now for tracking purposes this strategy is a nightmare but I do love a good challenge and growing is pretty much all I ever do except work lol. I'm currently testing out the PC version of Grow Buddy and I really have to say its pretty awesome. Kind of a PITA getting everything setup and filled out but its hands down the best i've found. I'm gonna try to experiment with this and maybe mini calenders attached to each plant. A white board would be great also but not ideal in my current room setup.

Thanks for stopping by! Appreciate the comments and advice as always

 

[shottafire]

I like your style and think your doing a fine job. keep at it.

 

[mrbubbles87]

I like your style and think your doing a fine job. keep at it.

Thanks bro! Really can't wait to get into high brix. I think that'll make keeping track a lot easier or maybe not lol

 

[Doc Bud]

FWIW.....


I get a dry-erase calendar that shows the whole year. Each strain gets a different color pen.

Every time I spray, I write "Brix," "Stress," or whatever I might spray in black.
Each strain is indicated thus:

LP 12/12 Dec. 3rd. Then, I mark off weeks 3 thru 11 of bloom in green pen and repeat the process with other strains using other colors, etc.

I find I can keep track of 4 strains very easily with this simple method. Green is in week 6, red week 4, blue week 9, etc. This way I can time the Cat drench and have a very good idea when things are going to be harvested, etc.

My strategy in the veg room is quite simple: Have more than enough clones and vegging plants than needed at all times. I toss plants in the trash weekly, including clones I won't need. This allows me to always have a plant ready to bloom that replaces the harvested plant immediately upon harvest.

I couldn't do this without the calendar, which tells me weeks ahead of time what I'll need and when.

I find this much easier than a computer program. With a glance I can tell exactly what I'll be doing in the garden in a month, 3 months, or next week.

 

[mrbubbles87]

FWIW..... I get a dry-erase calendar that shows the whole year. Each strain gets a different color pen. Every time I spray, I write "Brix," "Stress," or whatever I might spray in black. Each strain is indicated thus: LP 12/12 Dec. 3rd. Then, I mark off weeks 3 thru 11 of bloom in green pen and repeat the process with other strains using other colors, etc. I find I can keep track of 4 strains very easily with this simple method. Green is in week 6, red week 4, blue week 9, etc. This way I can time the Cat drench and have a very good idea when things are going to be harvested, etc. My strategy in the veg room is quite simple: Have more than enough clones and vegging plants than needed at all times. I toss plants in the trash weekly, including clones I won't need. This allows me to always have a plant ready to bloom that replaces the harvested plant immediately upon harvest. I couldn't do this without the calendar, which tells me weeks ahead of time what I'll need and when. I find this much easier than a computer program. With a glance I can tell exactly what I'll be doing in the garden in a month, 3 months, or next week.

Thanks for the detailed explanation. This is exactly what I was looking for. Just an idea of how the pro's do it

The way I've envisioned it is getting a huge annual calendar white board but I can't find the right one. The biggest I've found online is 48"x32" w/ only 1.6"x1.5" daily squares. I'm looking for something like 4'x8' with the largest daily squares possible. These can get pretty spendy. One option I have run into is a roll of go write dry erase. It's a 18"x6' roll with an adhesive back for only $9. I though of buying 2 rolls and either putting it directly on my wall or attaching it to cardboard and putting it up on the wall or even attaching it to the top of my desk. I would have 12"x18" of space per month. Then I would have plenty of space. Unfortunately the list of supplies is pretty long and even $20 is more than I can afford for awhile so looks like my notebook or my pc program for the time being.

Thanks for the great info! It's appreciated as always. Hopefully in a month I should have the funds for my kit

 

[mrbubbles87]

Update:

It's finally starting to feel like my hard work is paying off. We just ran out of Agent O but I was able to harvest a few branches from the Blue OG to hold us over. I'd really like to be able to harvest an entire plant at once so I can properly weigh it and cure it but we always seem to run out of meds so I always have to start harvesting branch by branch. It does make trimming easier but everything else becomes more touch n feel vs scientific. I guess in some ways that's better but as my grow gets larger and geared more towards cancer medication I feel like I need to start getting back to doing things more organized. Basically I just need to stop being lazy and track sh*t lol.

I've been trying out a free PC program called Grow Buddy and I really like it. It's a lot more work then tracking by calendar or by notebook but the details it tracks could be really valuable for future grows and the advancement of growing cannabis in general. Plus it's a very scientific and comprehensive comparison tool. We'll see how long I stay on the wagon before I get lazy again. In the meantime I'll try to post some screen shots later so you guys can see how it works.

The New Plan

My new plan is to take clones from my aero cloner, veg them in Dixie cups for aprox 2 weeks and then transplant to either 1 gal or 2L containers. Then I'll veg them another 2 weeks and move them into flower.

The only problem is I'll be taking clones from clones vs keeping a large mother due to limited veg space. Do you guys think this will be a big deal?

I figure a small plant SOG is my best bet considering my space and how many strains I'm trying to grow at once. I'll probably have a few medium/large plants going as well. I may build a 2x4 table for the SOG plants and use the remaining 2x4 space for larger plants.

According to josh223 he's able to fit 4 2L hempy pots in a 8.5in x 8.5in square producing 15gram single cola plants. If I could grow 2oz per sq ft I would be ecstatic. My ultimate goal is to get into larger high brix plants but I don't have the money or time to cook soil right now.
I am starting to run low on soil. I've reused it a few times also. I'm considering converting to coco seems how it's cheap to ship. Any thoughts on coco vs getting more cheap soil locally to get by until I can afford my high brix soil kit?

Anyways here's a few updates on the grow.

Flower Tent:

Biggest update here is it appears both my Wild Thai's are female! I'm about 90% sure at this point. What is really weird is the clones in my veg tent showed pistils before the mothers in the flower tent but I'm now seeing small pistils on both the mothers. Also, this should be an interesting comparison as one of them is in a 3gal container and the other is in a 5 gal bucket.

I do have to say the Wild Thai is a very dominate strain. It has the fastest rooting and healthiest clones of all my strains. It bounces back from topping, LST, and transplanting almost instantly. Don't think I've ever seen a plant grow like this strain lol. I'm definitely looking forward to trying this out. Too bad it takes at least 10 weeks to finish.

Other than the update with the Wild Thai's there's not much else to update in the flower tent. My two auto plants, 1 Berry Ryder and 1 Blue Cheese, are both doing really well. Obviously severely stunted due to transplanting but I wasn't looking for quantity. I just wanted to test he seeds to see if I'd get females and also to see if they were crossed because if they were I have hundred of custom crossed auto seeds

Out of the few branches from the Blue OG and Ultra Sour so far we've only been able to test the Blue OG. The potency is definitely there but the flavor isn't yet. Just needs to dry and cure longer probably. I'm sure the flavor will come then because the smell is amazing.

One thing I have noticed is the cashed bowls are completely white ash compared to my last Agent O which was more of a carbon gray. This is exactly what I've been aiming for. I know it'll be even better once I go organic but still a huge improvement over previous harvests. I think the main reason this one turned out better is because I cut back on nutes and flushed throughout the grow.


Here's a few pics and notes on each plant.

Blue OG - just finishing up the flush, missing a few branches lol

Ultra Sour - just finishing up the flush, only missing 1 branch

Dinachem - about 4 weeks left, has lime green leaves with brown spotting. Thinking its a nutrient deficiency seems how it's so much worse then the rest and I've heard chemdawg is a heavy feeder

Blue Thai - about 4 weeks left, best smelling hands down. Smells like a sour fruit. Almost like sour tarts. She is staring to get a little brown on the edges. Thinking maybe a slight def as well because I've been very light on the nutes

Lemon Thai Kush - only about a week into flower, ended up with an interesting shape on her and one of the wild Thai. Almost looks like they'll grow into hanukahs lol.

Agent "O" - my first single cola experiment. Not exactly what I'm hoping to achieve with my SOG but very similiar.

Agent "O" - thinking this girl will be my biggest yet. She's got super thick branches after lots of supercropping plus a nice big 5gal to stretch out it. I hate to say it but my free Agent O seed is topping all of my seedbank ones so far. It can take anything I can throw at it. It thrives under every condition. The only plant that grows faster is the Wild Thai.

Wild Thai #1

Wild Thai #2

Auto Berry Ryder/Mystery Cross and Auto Blue Cheese/Mystery Cross

Veg Tent:
There has been a lot of things going on in my veg tent recently. Mainly topping and transplanting clones from Dixie cups to 1 gal containers. Each time I top or prune one of the vegging clones I put it into the aerocloner. I realize cloning from clones may diminish quality over time but I don't have the space for large mothers right now. Plus I want to try every strain I can get my hands on lol.

Soon I'll move the plants in 1gal containers into my flower tent for the start of my 2x4 SOG table that I plan to build. I also plan on building a small table for my 2x4 tent so I can divide it into 2 sections in order to maximize space. Right now I'm really only using half of the tent. I will be building them as soon as it warms up here. Its -15 degress today!

And the most exciting update I have......2/3 of the recent seeds I planted have sprouted! The Medican Blue Blood and CBD Crew Critical Mass are now displaying 2 lovely green leaves. Expecting the Bubba Kush soon! I hope they veg as fast as possible so I can start getting my SOG clone cancer fighting army going!
I'll post some veg pics up once I get some more work done in there tonight.

Paranoia
Another member and I were discussing paranoia on another forum and I thought I'd share the post with you guys because it ties into my father in law's first experience using cannabis for his liver cancer.

I feel a lot less paranoid now because I'm actually trying to grow medicine to help someone. Granted my wife and I probably need it medicinally as well but more for mental vs physical health. Now that I'm growing for her father who has cancer I feel like it is a cause vs a hobby. I feel in my heart that what I am doing is 100% good. Whereas before I still had lingering doubts because at the end of the day I don't personally need the medicine IMO.

After helping him smoke for the first time and seeing how much it relieved his pain something changed in me. I'd always heard how much it could help but it never hit home until I saw the effects in person. He told me how he hadn't slept in 4 days and was hardly eating. After just a few weeks he had already lost quite a bit of weight and you could see heaviness in his eyes.

The first night he smoked he instantly felt relief. He was smiling and talking. You could see his eyes light up after his first hit. He slept all night long and ate a bunch of food as soon as he woke up. Seeing this first hand was really powerful. Knowing that the seed I had planted truly was a medicine and had the power to heal and relieve pain, possibly even cure severe illnesses, was very emotional.

Before this happened I was always scared of getting busted. I know too many people who have but I now realize that when you truly feel in your heart that you are serving a just cause. That really believe you are helping to make the world a better place. The fear fades. You realize that regardless of what the laws of our government say there is only one law and that is the law of nature. I always used pictured myself standing in front of a judge as a drug dealer and criminal. Feeling like I had done something wrong. Now I see myself as an activist.

"I was called a terrorist yesterday, but when I came out of jail, many people embraced me, including my enemies, and that is what I normally tell other people who say those who are struggling for liberation in their country are terrorists. I tell them that I was also a terrorist yesterday, but, today, I am admired by the very people who said I was one." - RIP Nelson Mandela


We are fighting for our own liberation. One day soon we will no longer be the criminal. Our enemies will come us to for help and guidance. This generation will be the one that changes the world.

The first moment my father in law smoked is something I've been wanting to share for awhile. It was very inspiring to me. I encourage all growers to try and find someone you can help if you aren't already. Trust me it will change your life!

Sorry for the huge entry guys. This is what happens when I use my laptop vs phone lol. Please don't feel obligated to read this entire monster. This is just a place for me to crap shoot ideas, voice opinions, try to keep track of what I'm doing, and to try and plan what I'll do going forward. It's way of inspiring myself and maybe even a few of you.

If anything jumps out at ya I welcome any and all responses. Otherwise enjoy the pictures!

 

[mrbubbles87]

Busy night of transplanting The seven on the left were done tonight. The 8 in the far right were done about a week ago. Going to veg them for approximately 2 weeks depending on size and recovery from topping. I'm not gonna bother naming them all right now lol. Once I move them to flower ill start labeling them on here. Also in the front you can now see all 3 of my beans have sprouted.

 

[mrbubbles87]

Finally remodeled the grow room! My veg tent is now outside of my flower tent with the exhaust going into the flower tent in order to still take advantage of my carbon filter. Now I just need Santa to get me another light! In the meantime I may move them in there under a t12 until more space open up underneath HPS.

I did have to take out my wardrobe dry box. Instead I hung a string in a somewhat dark corner with a fan blowing beneath.

I have terribly low humidity right now. Branches are dry in about 3 days and my meter just says LL%. It's so cold here right now my humidifier can't keep up lol

Here's some pics:

Before

After

 

[GeorgeFoster]

Just stumbled onto your journal...how do you like the tent, I'm thinking of putting one in my flower room for vegging 4x2x6 .

Also, love the look of Blue OG wish I had a clone of it.

 

[CA215]

So much more room for activities Looks great mrbub, fingers crossed on santa coming through on another hid
Definitely think your girls are going to enjoy some more space. Grats on all three of the beans making it through buddy, going to be great seeing what you do with them Stay warm!

 

[mrbubbles87]

Just stumbled onto your journal...how do you like the tent, I'm thinking of putting one in my flower room for vegging 4x2x6 . Also, love the look of Blue OG wish I had a clone of it.

Thanks for stopping!!

TBH I wish it was a 4x4 for veg vs a 2x4. I was using a much smaller space in my first grow. I had planned to get a 4x4 for a flower tent but the 4x8 was nearly the same price.

I did mange about 5oz on my first grow using autos in the 2x4 and mines only 5ft tall. You'll definitely benefit having the extra foot of height because heat was an issue with my HID light. I will be either purchasing a 3rd tent by spring. Probably a 4x4 but possibly another 4x8.

I highly recommend the Blue OG. I've only had fresh dried samples so far. The taste and smell are already amazing. Like grape/blueberry kool-aid. It's still finishing the flush. There will be a pic update of her soon. She looks amazing! The leaves have actually started to turn purple due to low temps during lights out

 

[mrbubbles87]

So much more room for activities Looks great mrbub, fingers crossed on santa coming through on another hid Definitely think your girls are going to enjoy some more space. Grats on all three of the beans making it through buddy, going to be great seeing what you do with them Stay warm!

Yet still never enough room It's like my room is a living jungle and I'm just trying to keep it under control lmao.

Not to worry there's more room in the works. First I've gotta get building some tables. This will double my veg tent capacity and help make a SOG and large plant grow simultaneously a lot easier.

Oh don't worry Santas bringing me a light lol

I was ecstatic on the germination rates as well. Very fast sprouts and looking super health so far.

Hopefully it warms up soon. It's even too cold to snowboard. At least we'll have a white Xmas tho.

Happy Holidays CA!

 

[mrbubbles87]

Blue OG Harvest!

Decided to harvest the Blue OG. The last couple branches we tested from her have been amazing. Sorry I didn't take any pics of her before harvest. Here's the branches of her drying now. Smells like grape/blueberry kool-aid!

Should be harvesting the Ultrasour in the next few days.