PeeJay's Perpetual Organic Homebrewed Soil - Stealth Cabinet And Greenhouse Grow

[PeeJay]

I like the pics. ;-) Sorry if I missed it, but what percent of amber did you wait for....if you use that as a deciding factor at all.

I watched tricomes and wanted a sedative effect, Canna. I didn't really harvest based on trichome ratios, though. The test bud taken four days and sampled one day before the chop did more to influence the decision to chop than trichome colors. Also, there was a big brix jump from ~14.25 to 17.25 that made me think, "chop that sucker down, it ain't ever going to be better than it is right now." The brix jump was very dramatic. I wonder if it had anything to do with the cold temperatures overnight the last several days when I left her out in the greenhouse?

 

[Graytail]

I watched tricomes and wanted a sedative effect, Canna. I didn't really harvest based on trichome ratios, though. The test bud taken four days and sampled one day before the chop did more to influence the decision to chop than trichome colors. Also, there was a big brix jump from ~14.25 to 17.25 that made me think, "chop that sucker down, it ain't ever going to be better than it is right now." The brix jump was very dramatic. I wonder if it had anything to do with the cold temperatures overnight the last several days when I left her out in the greenhouse?

Thanks for that information, PeeJay - food for thought. +reps

 

[mcloadie]

Nice work peejay! That looks like some indicas I have grown, I like how you left those juicy sugar leaves on....it really is pretty bud!

 

[Lady Cannafan]

lol Mr. Green. I see some not completely developed trics on the topmost sugar leaves. I don't see anything that can't be accounted for by damage done from the shears during the trim - damage that resulted in a nice ball of brown scissor hash. Beyond that, the buds went into and out of a jar a couple of times while it was drying. In the low humidity the buds where drying very quickly and spent an hour or so in a sealed environment, twice, to equalize the RH of the drying buds before they were returned to the screen where they dry. The screen probably roughed some trics up too. They also got dumped out of a jar into a different container to weigh. What else... Oh, how about handling them with gloved hands while trimming?

I welcome anyone who has pictures of a trimmed, unwashed, dry bud with nothing but pristine round headed tricomes to post up pictures here so we can compare. I didn't leave any unwashed so there is no way to ascribe any tric degradation or damage to washing and there is a veritable laundry-list of other things that always rough-up some of the outer tricomes.

There certainly has to be a reason that your hands, whether gloved or not are a sticky mess after you're done trimming. SOMETHING is coming off those buds onto your hands. LOL

 

[ProperGreen]

Right On My Brother! & I Wonder What You Think About This???

lol Mr. Green. I see some not completely developed trics on the topmost sugar leaves. I don't see anything that can't be accounted for by damage done from the shears during the trim - damage that resulted in a nice ball of brown scissor hash. Beyond that, the buds went into and out of a jar a couple of times while it was drying. In the low humidity the buds where drying very quickly and spent an hour or so in a sealed environment, twice, to equalize the RH of the drying buds before they were returned to the screen where they dry. The screen probably roughed some trics up too. They also got dumped out of a jar into a different container to weigh. What else... Oh, how about handling them with gloved hands while trimming?

I welcome anyone who has pictures of a trimmed, unwashed, dry bud with nothing but pristine round headed tricomes to post up pictures here so we can compare. I didn't leave any unwashed so there is no way to ascribe any tric degradation or damage to washing and there is a veritable laundry-list of other things that always rough-up some of the outer tricomes.

Right on brother,

Don't want you to think I was nitpicking or something like that again! Just speaking from my POV that's all.
But your response makes since to me, that in all you've done to the buds, you've probably lost more trichs doing all the other things versus washing them!

I don't have anything to compare to it right now lol, and I won't for a while here, but you can bet that I'll post some pics of some nice washed, and unwashed herb when I get the chance lol. I'm 100% sure that I'll try it with a few buds at this point. But thanks again for the photos and help in regards to easing my mind about the decision.

Also, in a conversation a brother and I were having, something came up..
Is it even possible to rinse dust and other minuscule matter off of the trichs, given how absolutely sticky they are? Doesn't seem logical on first thought..
So maybe in the end, you're just washing what you can off of some of the plant matter?
What are your thought on this brother?!

& Blessings

 

[B A R]

Re: Right On My Brother! & I Wonder What You Think About This???

Also, in a conversation a brother and I were having, something came up..
Is it even possible to rinse dust and other minuscule matter off of the trichs, given how absolutely sticky they are? Doesn't seem logical on first thought..
So maybe in the end, you're just washing what you can off of some of the plant matter?
What are your thought on this brother?!

Good point. Another tilt towards not washing.

 

[Christine Green]

Re: Right On My Brother! & I Wonder What You Think About This???

Good point. Another tilt towards not washing.

That is a tough one for me too. I am right in the middle and can't wait to see more information about it.
Beautiful buds PeeJay!

 

[PeeJay]

The cleaning process relies on foaming agents to lift and remove what is stuck to the hydrophobic resins and waxy cuticle of the leaves. Both the lemon/baking soda and the H2O2 are foaming agents.

 

[PeeJay]

I noticed the other day that the cut where I topped the OG last weekend was very shiny and hard. If you tap it with a fingernail it sounds like tapping on rock. It's almost like it is amber. No woody scab. Thought I'd post a picture of it.

 

[B A R]

What I started doing is whenever I top or accidentally break or snap a branch I put rooting compound in the wound. I'm not sure exactly why it works but it speeds up the growth in the spot I topped at & heals the breaks quicker.
I might as well make some use of it with my negative cloning rate. LOL

 

[Calyx Hunter]

PeeJay,
Good stuff man. Sometimes I get my self worked up on something. Truth be told my personal opinion is not "don't ever wash your buds".
It's way more like, "why wash buds that don't have PM, don't get foliar fed, are relatively clean of debris"

I speak too quick sometimes. Thanks for letting me comment on your thread and glad I didn't piss ya off.

I'm going to try washing some of my buds after harvest and see if the smoke is noticeably different in anyway. I also want to see the water left over and see how dirty it is. Something that is "relatively" clean is not clean enough for me. We've all seen how dust builds up on any open surface in our homes. The buds are no different. They are just collecting all kinds of nastiness like skin particles, hair and possibly mold spores. If using H202 in the wash kills mold spores then the drying process after washing seems like there would be less chance for botrytis and bud rot. Bud washing seems like a great idea to me. Especially since I live in a Low Humidity area. If you live in Florida adding any water to anything is just asking for mold.

 

[Graytail]

They are just collecting all kinds of nastiness like skin particles, hair and possibly mold spores. ... Bud washing seems like a great idea to me. Especially since I live in a Low Humidity area. If you live in Florida adding any water to anything is just asking for mold.

... and in my case, dead whiteflies, bug poop, fibers ...

I'm in a low humidity climate too, so no real mold/fungus concerns.

I was impressed with your 17.25 brix. Nicely done!

 

[ProperGreen]

The cleaning process relies on foaming agents to lift and remove what is stuck to the hydrophobic resins and waxy cuticle of the leaves. Both the lemon/baking soda and the H2O2 are foaming agents.

Hmm, so you think that the foaming agents are capable of lifting the dust/dander off of the trichs?

Ps, if you want me to move this conversation away from your thread, and to the bud washing thread I will no problem brother!
Just trying to pick your brain a little that's all!

& Blessings

 

[CronicHempHog]

Chronic Weekend to you Pj

 

[Buddy Ebsen]

Looks like I can learn a little here also PeeJay. Subscribed!

 

[GardenFaerie]

I was recently watching a documentary on MMJ and one of the pro-growers came into a dispensary with a very light case of mold on the buds and the dispensary could not buy them. I don't know how old the show was, but how long has this method of washing been a way to remove mold from the buds? Or is it even a viable way to remove it? I live in the deep dry 30, so not too concerned about it, but if someone else every asks I'd like to know.

 

[PeeJay]

Hmm, so you think that the foaming agents are capable of lifting the dust/dander off of the trichs?

Ps, if you want me to move this conversation away from your thread, and to the bud washing thread I will no problem brother!
Just trying to pick your brain a little that's all!

& Blessings

I don't mind talking about it here, but I will say that I'm no expert on it and everyone has the access to the same information I had prior to deciding to wash via the washing thread. I've never grown and harvested any weed that wasn't washed and it'll be around ten weeks before I can do a side by side comparison. Things I know are that the washing/foaming action easily removed all the stuff I could visibly see on the buds like stray hairs, bits of potting soil, gnats that had landed on sticky trichomes and found themselves stuck until they died... I know it removed all those things. If I'd known that this discussion was going to take place I could've documented it with pictures easy enough.

Looks like I can learn a little here also PeeJay. Subscribed!

Welcome SABO. Your plants are looking fantastic!

I was recently watching a documentary on MMJ and one of the pro-growers came into a dispensary with a very light case of mold on the buds and the dispensary could not buy them. I don't know how old the show was, but how long has this method of washing been a way to remove mold from the buds? Or is it even a viable way to remove it? I live in the deep dry 30, so not too concerned about it, but if someone else every asks I'd like to know.

I don't know how effective the washing would be at removing minor mold already on plants, GF. If you trimmed out the mold and then washed it might disinfect the buds to the point that it wouldn't spread while drying and curing. It will certainly remove a % of mold spores on buds. I hope I never have to find out! Molds don't only grow in damp environments but botrytis likes damp. Powdery mildew is an example of fungus that will thrive in lower humidity conditions.

... and in my case, dead whiteflies, bug poop, fibers ...

I'm in a low humidity climate too, so no real mold/fungus concerns.

I was impressed with your 17.25 brix. Nicely done!

I was shocked by those brix readings Graytail. Plants really seem to hook up the soil I'm making. That hard, almost crystalline scar from topping the OG is another indicator of how resinous the sap is. I'll mess around with the foliar I'm brewing a little, but my gut tells me not to mess around much. The Darkstar is insanely potent smoke.

The funny thing is that even as I sit here typing the biota in the bins of unused soil as well as the overall composition of the dirt is changing from microbial and fungal activity. When a plant is growing in a container it alters the dirt even more. What I really want is to grow in a medium where I don't have to spend time constantly scrutinizing plants for changes and trying to decide how to improve them by making "best guess" adjustments to feeding routines. Taking brix readings is a great way to get an overall idea of how healthy the plant is. Trying to increase the brix by manipulating what is available for the plant is super complex and problematic. I'm not sure where I would even start...

Brix is sort of a way of measuring the PPM - everything that is not water - in the plant sap/juice. If you take a PPM reading on a solution the reading doesn't tell you exactly what is in the solution, it only tells you how much stuff is in the solution that isn't water. You don't get any information about how much calcium, or magnesium, or iron, or potassium or nitrogen; just how much stuff is in the solution all together.

What's interesting is there are a huge number of processes and factors that alter and change brix. Certain nutrients are more available to the plant at certain pH. Mineral cofactor levels effect enzyme activity. The amount of light influences sugar production via photosynthesis. Each chemical reaction has a temperature where it will run the fastest, and each reaction has a different temperature. Finally, each plant's unique genetics play a role. No matter how well a person eats and how hard they train genetic make-up will have a huge influence on athletic performance, for example.

I may never see brix that high again, ever!

 

[mcloadie]

I never heard of a process used for removing mold.........very small creature. There are some steps you can take........if you have an enclosed room; like filtering the air........ionic filters do work, but you've got to get a pretty good one, the cheap ones break down quickly. These steps are suggesting creating a cleaner environment to start with. If one could get a room certified as a hypoallergenic environment, there should be patients that would prefer products produced under these conditions. Indoor weed is way cleaner than outdoor weed......and sneezes, ect. are not uncommon for me........and I know it's the weed.

 

[Lady Cannafan]

I just have to say this.
For the benefit of any cancer patients or patients with weakened immune systems/zero immune systems that you may be offering "treatment" to with cannabis. I know this danger first hand, with cancer patients whom I was taking care of in my home. The Doctors and Surgeons stressed repeatedly to stay away from mold of any kind. Don't garden....don't mow the lawn...and keep a clean non humid environment where mold could thrive. When your immune system is weakened, your chance of infections goes very high. Imagine someone without an immune system, that can occur during transplants (bone marrow transplants is what I have experience with on patients)
Mold is a microscopic living organism. Despite how hard we would try to remove the mold that is visible, you are going to have remaining microscopic mold on that bud.
Here is some information from the Center for Disease Control on Mold and the dangers to people suffering the above conditions:
CDC - What People with Weakened Immune Systems Need to Know About Mold

I am posting this because I want to stress the dangers of supplying a patient with anything that has been identified as having mold.
I believe the reason the dispensaries are not allowed to purchase it, would be this very issue. It's a health risk.
I shall step off my soap box now.
Please be easy on me, I post this because I care.

 

[PeeJay]

Thank you Canna for that relevant and very wise input. Anyone who attempts to eliminate known mold with a bud washing process is making a personal decision only if they are the sole individual smoking or consuming the product.

Mold spores are everywhere. Only a very tiny fraction of them grow into visible mold. Think of a cottonwood tree that blankets the surrounding area with a blanket of fuzzy seeds. Very few grow into a tree. Any visible mold is an indicator that there are a TON of spores on the plant. A TON! Millions and millions.