Random Thoughts: Plants & Genetics

[vtwin906]

Wow brother 44yrs is a hell of an accomplishment!! Hell 13yrs in the Army is no easy task either. I was done after 6yrs and 3 deployments, I was a scout sniper attached to the 75th Ranger Regiment on my last deployment. Those mfers were a whole different breed of soldier, straight crazy with absolutely no fear of death. I mean I didnt either but it was almost like dying in combat was their dream or something. I finished that deployment alive thankfully and ran my ass home to be a husband and father to my wife and kids. I love meeting vets on here that have a passion for this plant we love so much, it has helped me more than anything a dr has given me.

Really great to hear from another vet. I made 10 moves in my 13 yrs which was one of the reasons I quit, but also I was facing the 'up-or-out' policy.... if I didn't take a promotion I had to take a discharge and I did not want to graduate into the upper paygrades and responsibilities. I never intended to stay so long but I kept getting really great assignments ... my last tour in Rotterdam was a civilian clothes job at the deep water port and I lived in a high rise an hour from Amsterdam. Prior to that I was in Virginia Beach working at tiny amphibian training school right on the beach and could see the ocean out of my upstairs apartment window. In Saigon I got to live in a downtown hotel, all MACV staff were spread around different hotels for security.... parties every night in the lounges omg. I re-enlisted while I was in Thailand and got a fresh 1 yr extension of that tour.... anyway I'm glad I got out when I did. I got a data processing degree on my gi-bill and was able to remain a self-employed software developer for 30yrs.

 

[Jackalope]

vtwin906 You are right about flower and tolerance. I only grow a strain once a year just because of this. That is why I am looking for 10 different strains to run. Rotate them around and tolerance would never be a issue. As of now I never smoke the same strain twice in a row. Daytime weed, to midday weed to nighttime weed. I have a variety of all of them to rotate. Next grow will have none of those strains. By doing this I rarely see tolerance show its ugly head. I does still happen. Some strains tolerance builds faster.

All of my overseas travel was in the Navy. Never got a chance to see the pot culture anywhere else. Except the Philippines that is. Came home with a pound of weed from there LMAO. Drug laws and the military scared me to much to try it anywhere else.

Ended up flunking a piss test when I went back to duty. Having a whole pound to smoke in 20 days was a bit much LMAO. Still great weed at $85 a pound.

 

[Jackalope]

It's moving day! I plan to combine all flowering plants to the big tent. Repotting all the starts to 1 gallon pots so they can go under the HID lights.

I can just fit it all in one tent. They don't really need anything other than time now. Space is not the issue it once was. Everything is maturing just not on the rate I thought they would. Most are still packing on buds so I know they are not ready. I always end up with longer flower time then they suggest. I don't know if it is how I do things or not. I am not going to worry about it. They finish when they finish. Finishing they are. No matter when they say a plant is supposed to be done. You can only harvest them when they ARE done.

I keep forgetting to mention. The big flush on the Tangilope worked. Sugar leaves had started to burn when I noticed that I had added the Cal/Mag twice. I have seen this and never been able to stop it. I was wrong when I said you can't flush it out. I guess you can. Or in this situation I was anyway. The plant is back to budding and sucking down the water. Only 4 days after a 2 gallon flush it was thirsty again. Good thing as both the Tangilope are covered in trichomes. Type of high would have been affected to much if I had taken it early. One big thing to remember. You can take a plant one or 2 weeks early and ruin all your hard work. So much happens at the very end. Smell, size and THC can all increase immensely in the last week or so.

This is not the same as a harvest window. Once a plant gets to at least 3/4 cloudy you can start to consider taking them. It matters the strain though. Some strains could take a month or more to finish from this point like the Tangilope. If that is the case then a early harvest on it would probably affect the outcome. It all matters how fast they turn cloudy after they start.

Sativas with heady highs are the biggest problem. You don't need to harvest early for less body when they may not have it to begin with. Taking them early only lowers your THC. To me the high comes out incomplete. A Indica at this same point could go from 3/4 cloudy to all cloudy in just a few days. These can be taken early for a more head type high without losing too much. Each strain has its own harvest window. Some are longer than others.

 

[SamSmith]

You just justified your first paragraph stating that "your plants seem to take longer" with the following paragraphs stating why you don't take them early.

You are spot on. Too many growers, new ones especially think that cannabis grows/matures on a specific time frame and it doesn't. They take there plants at 8 weeks because that is what the breeder states. If you compare it to regular garden variety crop plants it is the same. You walk out there and can see tomatoes that are ripe and some that aren't. You wait to harvest them until they are ripe. The problem with cannabis is that the fruit (so to speak) is so small you need magnification to tell how ripe it is.

I am with you regarding plant maturity. I have yet to have one finish early. Most are at the high side of the breeders window if not longer. The more sativa in them and the more deviation from the breeders estimate you can expect.

 

[Orlando Scout]

$85 a pound i'd be failing drug test left and right at those prices lol. I only dropped dirty once while in the Army. I was deployed to Patika Providence Afghan right on the border of Pakistan. It was well worth the loss of a pay grade some of the best bud ive smoked. Glad to hear you were able to flush away your issues away bro. What's your Tangilope smelling like?

 

[Jackalope]

Very true Sam. I like it when people agree with me LMAO.

I am amazed that I ever harvested good weed without a scope. I know I am maturing most plants a lot longer now. Lots more different strain so that changes a lot. My older stuff was easier to harvest at the right time. I was only growing 1 or 2 strains at a time back then. Plus I grew those strains over and over so I knew them well.

I find it best to be surprised by them. Watching them daily drives you nuts. They usually don't go from close to overdone all that fast. I find it is better not to hover over them it is much to stressful LOL.

One interesting point on harvest time. One of the strains from the Blueberry project that D.J. Short did. I think it is Flo or F-13 that can be harvested over a long period of time. That the top of the plant is harvested first then the lower branches grow up replace them and mature later. Not sure how long this process can last as I have never tried it. I grew the F-13 so I don't thinkit is that one. Must be Flo. The F-13 was a very tasteful strain quite unique.

 

[Dankman_420]

My wife got me a USB microscope for my Droid phone. It's going to make it easier for me to see the trichs. I normally use a jewlers loupe. But this thing is way better. Especially for the price, 25$ here's a nug from jarred buds

 

[Jackalope]

Both Tanilope have the same light lemon smell as of now. I really expected more smell with the Tangy genetics. Another reason I wanted this plant to finish right. With such a little smell the Chocolate flavor may have a better chance of coming out. At least we will be able to tell now.

Yeah 85 was cheaper than I could say no too. I bought the cheap seeded weed because it had less seeds then the unseeded LMAO.

Leave was in Northern Cal. in the middle of the summer so what I didn't smoke funded my leave. The Navy had just started a new rule of Drug tests on every duty change. Didn't know that. Not only did I flunk I did it in a spectacular way LMAO.

 

[Jackalope]

I had one similar camera that hooked up to my computer. First time I used it it crashed my computer. Got all kinds of unwanted stuff on the install. Haven't used it again. The scopes I use now only cost a couple bucks. By the time the battery dies the lens is covered in resin so I just throw them out and get new ones for the next crop LOL.

 

[Dankman_420]

I always struggled with my loupe. Mine is a 30x60. The 60 lens is really tiny. Probably size of a pencil eraser. I'm digging this thing. Lol

 

[SamSmith]

I always struggled with my loupe. Mine is a 30x60. The 60 lens is really tiny. Probably size of a pencil eraser. I'm digging this thing. Lol

Same here. Plus I have a astigmatism and glasses make the loupe hard to deal with. The scope is way easier to get in focus and get close ups on the computer. Mine only came with a basic interface software that didn't contain any bloat ware thank god. It's getting harder and harder to get software that isn't loaded with adds and trying to get you to pay to remove them.

 

[Dankman_420]

Same here. Plus I have a astigmatism and glasses make the loupe hard to deal with. The scope is way easier to get in focus and get close ups on the computer. Mine only came with a basic interface software that didn't contain any bloat ware thank god. It's getting harder and harder to get software that isn't loaded with adds and trying to get you to pay to remove them.

I had to load a free app on my phone. But this thing works great! Uses power from phone. No batteries. The little stand that comes with it is flimsy. But camera seems solid

 

[SamSmith]

Yeah they are not the most durable products in the world but for what they cost they are well worth it.
This is the one I got last year or the year before. They have gone up a little though.

Plugable USB Digital Microscope with Flexible Arm

 

[Dankman_420]

This is the one I have Jiusion 40 to 1000x Magnification Endoscope, 8 LED USB 2.0 Digital Microscope, Mini Camera with OTG Adapter and Metal Stand, Compatible with Mac Window 7 8 10 Android Linux

 

[SamSmith]

They are both real similar. The nice thing is with the image capture you can file the trich pics in with your grow pics for future reference.

 

[Ganjagrowergu]

Sativas with heady highs are the biggest problem. You don't need to harvest early for less body when they may not have it to begin with. Taking them early only lowers your THC. To me the high comes out incomplete.

The worst part is that some sativas dont get very cloudy at all. I am getting used to mine and have the harvests dialed in pretty well. I watch the bud swell, leaf conditions, and of course the pistils. They can still be tricky to get the timing just right, but it is so worth it when I do. I have a loupe, but my wife has an eye for harvest times that works better.

that can be harvested over a long period of time. That the top of the plant is harvested first then the lower branch

I do this with all of my larger plants. Chop down the main stem, put a little tape on it, move up closer to the light, resume feeding for a few days then start the second flush session. The extra frost on the lowers after that really makes up for the general lack of density. Two part harvests work great in my world. I never have a plant that is ripe all at the same time.

 

[Jackalope]

I have been wondering about the never cloudy thing. While I use the scope to look I still harvest by feel. I tend to know when to harvest the day I harvest LOL.

Mostly now I am seeing some changes. When changes stop I will harvest them. As long as I am not losing THC it is no big deal to let it go.

One thing you tend to notice in late flower is bursting trichomes. This is when Harvest time is close. If they are not clouding up but have lots of bursting trichomes they may be ready.

I can't wait for the day I can just dial in a few strains and go to town LMAO.

 

[Jackalope]

Re-pot went well. Great thing. It gave me something to do. All roads out of town were closed and the damn cat was sick. Had to wait 8 hours to get her to a vet.

Yeah Yeah make your jokes LMAO. Them cats mean more to me than most humans LOL. All is well as of now. Plants have a new home I was stressed a lot less and the cat is still alive. Not a bad day in my world LMAO.

Not to worry it looks to be just a inner ear infection for the cat. At around 7 pounds full grown this cat can jump. During play time she regularly lands 6ft high jumps with toy in her mouth. I almost panicked when I saw her wobbling around the house with no balance.... OK I did panic at first LMAO.

I don't know why I insist on loving only things that can't communicate with me. PLants, Cats, Fish, None can tell me what is wrong or what they want. You just have to guess LOL.

 

[SamSmith]

Nothing wrong with liking animals more than humans. I am the same way as are quite a few people here. I talk to my dogs in sentences and they understand.

 

[Orlando Scout]

My pup just had one of those inner ear infections 2weeks ago. Its scary as hell to watch one of your fur babies wobble around the house un anle to tell us whats wrong. Gave him some antibiotics and a week later he is back to his spastic self!! I take it you guys got hit by a storm to? It rained all day here yesterday then snowed 2in per hr all night. Now my car is stuck at the end of the driveway, no point in trying to shovel myself out there's a good 3in of ice under the snow. Glad to hear your cat is ok brother!!