Rifleman's Roost Open 24/7: Perpetually Perplexed

[SweetSue]

I was looking over my wardrobe with an eye for paradise and came across the stack of shirts I won in the last MOTY contest. I'd packed them away because they were uncomfortably snug. Well....... turns out two of them fit me now.

My favorite. You see the closet in the corner where I indulge in my obsession with their enticing Dark Devil Auto.

By the time I take off for Paradise the others will fit me too. I love Callanetics.

 

[Hyena Merica]

Guess I need invest in a ppm meter now,, more gadgets, yippeee

Sue,, last time I asked opinions on adding vermiculite to the perlite, I was advised that that makes the medium too wet,, too dry,, too wet,, a happy medium in there somewhere, ha,, karma sent sue,,
Oh, and rif,, karma sent friend,,

Yes you DO need a PH pen but don't sweat PPM so much...PH is ten times as important. Reason is, in hydro the plant will generally uptake just what it needs from the solution even if there's more nutes than needed, within a fairly broad range of PPM concentration (up to 2000...really)...BUT, if the PH is not between 5.5 to 6.4 the plant CAN'T uptake certain nutrients and that's bad. I never worry about PPM because it ALWAYS creeps up and up in hydro because the salts accumulate and condense out of the solution into a crystalline mush that you will notice on the bottom of the nute reservoir after a time. This high PPM is solved when you change the nute solution, which I do twice a grow.

Again, 6 parts perlite to one part vermiculite is ideal. Perlite is a great medium but it drains too fast so a small amount of vermiculite gives the perlite just enough water retention without mushiness. It's like a recipe that took grandpa years to figure out. What it does is allow the roots to use more of the medium because they will only go where there's a little moisture. Trust me.

You are totally on the right track. Keep it up.

Peace, Hyena

 

[Hyena Merica]

Sorry to chat on your thread, Rifleman...I tend to just blurt stuff out and forget where I am occasionally.

Peace, Hyena

 

[Rifleman]

Always nice to take a stroll around the roost and see what going on. Lots of catching up for me to do, I only read the last few pages, but it's safe to say... Good Work Rifleman!
Those tall ass plants look phenomenonal, they've got such long Colas full of bud. And the dark devils are in a hurry it seems, looking super healthy too. Are those from your stash of seeds you made? Keep up the hard/good work over there, I'll be back sooner than later... I hope
KiG Brother Cheers

Snid ! Glad you stopped in. Those are in fact my own S1 DDAs. Unless #1 & 2 take off soon I may have two different phenotypes this run.

Perlite to vermiculite 6/1. A little vermiculite goes a long way you don't want to use too much but incorporating a little adds a water-retentive element which supports and encourages root growth throughout the perlite medium. I have found that pure perlite doesn't hold enough moisture generally and so without something more absorbent in the mix you get a compacted root ball and the plant doesn't use the whole medium.
Peace, Hyena

Thanks for the ratio Hyena. I don't have Tead's humidity so if I were to try a hempy it'd have to be with the added vermiculite.

 

[Rifleman]

Ok pa,, i have officially entered the mean green dwc scene,, ha, that was fun,,
Mickey and i,, you know mickey, I thino,, mickey mouse? Well he and dutty and dutty too too helped take a newish clone from soil to dwc ing in straight perlite,
This is a test,, this is only a test,, do not adjust your hearing aids,, this is only a test
There she be tho,, mickey worked overtime on this one,, we managed to get it to here but where it goes next?????? Who the heck knows
Guess I need invest in a ppm meter now,, more gadgets, yippeee
Sue,, last time I asked opinions on adding vermiculite to the perlite, I was advised that that makes the medium too wet,, too dry,, too wet,, a happy medium in there somewhere, ha,, karma sent sue,,
Oh, and rif,, karma sent friend,,

Nivek rocking the DIY dwc ! Love it. The giant river site has ppm meters for around $20US.

 

[Rifleman]

I was looking over my wardrobe with an eye for paradise and came across the stack of shirts I won in the last MOTY contest. I'd packed them away because they were uncomfortably snug. Well....... turns out two of them fit me now.
My favorite. You see the closet in the corner where I indulge in my obsession with their enticing Dark Devil Auto.
By the time I take off for Paradise the others will fit me too. I love Callanetics.

Don't forget your 420Mag shirt, gotta represent. I envy you making the trip. It just wasn't in the cards for me this time. How cool would a annual, or semi annual escape be ?

 

[Rifleman]

Yes you DO need a PH pen but don't sweat PPM so much...PH is ten times as important. Reason is, in hydro the plant will generally uptake just what it needs from the solution even if there's more nutes than needed, within a fairly broad range of PPM concentration (up to 2000...really)...BUT, if the PH is not between 5.5 to 6.4 the plant CAN'T uptake certain nutrients and that's bad. I never worry about PPM because it ALWAYS creeps up and up in hydro because the salts accumulate and condense out of the solution into a crystalline mush that you will notice on the bottom of the nute reservoir after a time. This high PPM is solved when you change the nute solution, which I do twice a grow.

Again, 6 parts perlite to one part vermiculite is ideal. Perlite is a great medium but it drains too fast so a small amount of vermiculite gives the perlite just enough water retention without mushiness. It's like a recipe that took grandpa years to figure out. What it does is allow the roots to use more of the medium because they will only go where there's a little moisture. Trust me.

You are totally on the right track. Keep it up.

Peace, Hyena

Sorry to chat on your thread, Rifleman...I tend to just blurt stuff out and forget where I am occasionally.

Peace, Hyena

Don't worry a bit about dispensing good info in my threads Hyena, it's always welcome. I will add that optimum pH in hydro(close to a hempy) is 5.8, but the drift is necessary to uptake all nutrients.

 

[Hyena Merica]

Don't worry a bit about dispensing good info in my threads Hyena, it's always welcome. I will add that optimum pH in hydro(close to a hempy) is 5.8, but the drift is necessary to uptake all nutrients.

You are spot on Rifle. Let me expand that important point for others. The science of nutrient uptake reveals that, like the natural soil environment they evolved in, cannabis plants benefit from the PH varying slightly but regularly within that 5.5 to 6.3 range. Some necessary nutrients are better absorbed at the low end, others at the mid-to-higher end. Hydro is best because you get a natural swing in the PH as the reservoir is used and replenished and that gives Mary Jane the chance to benefit at both ends of the ideal range regularly and get everything she needs.

How does one know they are doing it right? The 2/3 of a plant that would be considered the "newest growth" tells the tale. If those leaves and tips look good everything is okay. Any true nutrient issues will be revealed in discoloration of the top 2/3 of a plant. The lower fan leaves are a latent indicator and more often reveal stress or root damage from a transplant, etc., or most commonly just natural aging. I have found it counterproductive to use lower fan leaf indications to judge the overall health of a plant since they seem to evolve somewhat separately from the "core" plant, and often look like shit as they age, even on a totally healthy plant.

God I love talking about cannabis. Somebody stop me!

Peace, Hyena

 

[Rifleman]

Good Friday Morning my 420Mag Family ! As most of the US settles into a Wintery rut that will drag on much too long, here at The Roost we are...TOASTY ! Beautiful morning, fire in the stove, snow flurries, and a solid nine hours of sleep My candle must have been burning at both ends and I didn't even realize it.

Nothing new to report about in the tents. The big girls are rolling along getting fat. Just not fast, nor fat enough for me. I like them big, nobody wants to snuggle with a stick.

The DDs are reaching upward, last night's heights listed below. Today is day 30 for them so only two months to go.

I'll check back with y'all later on, I've got to go throw feed out for the animals. I can't have my deer and turkey going hungry.

DD1 - 6"
DD2 - 5.75"
DD3 - 9.5"
DD4 - 10.75"

Peace and Love Y'all,

 

[nivek]

Yes you DO need a PH pen but don't sweat PPM so much...PH is ten times as important. Reason is, in hydro the plant will generally uptake just what it needs from the solution even if there's more nutes than needed, within a fairly broad range of PPM concentration (up to 2000...really)...BUT, if the PH is not between 5.5 to 6.4 the plant CAN'T uptake certain nutrients and that's bad. I never worry about PPM because it ALWAYS creeps up and up in hydro because the salts accumulate and condense out of the solution into a crystalline mush that you will notice on the bottom of the nute reservoir after a time. This high PPM is solved when you change the nute solution, which I do twice a grow.

Again, 6 parts perlite to one part vermiculite is ideal. Perlite is a great medium but it drains too fast so a small amount of vermiculite gives the perlite just enough water retention without mushiness. It's like a recipe that took grandpa years to figure out. What it does is allow the roots to use more of the medium because they will only go where there's a little moisture. Trust me.

You are totally on the right track. Keep it up.

Peace, Hyena

Thanks so much for the added info and semi confirmation of my thinking,, i do have a quality ph meter that I have been using diligently,, my ph now is in the 5.7 range,, and holding steady

I was thinking similar about the ppm meter,, no panic, but i will look into it. I have become adept at keeping nutes to a minimum, so i will see iffin I can stay on that path

So you only fully change the solution twice a grow?? I have been readimg about changing solution weekly,, hmmmm, more research needed here for sure

The solution changing has me stumped right now,, not why or when, but how,, not an issue whilst in veg, but when put to flower,, i really don't know how I am going to do it. I will have to come up with a better system by them,, for nkw,, can I keep this plant alive is all I want to know,,

Cheers for the great advice

 

[Rifleman]

You are spot on Rifle. Let me expand that important point for others. The science of nutrient uptake reveals that, like the natural soil environment they evolved in, cannabis plants benefit from the PH varying slightly but regularly within that 5.5 to 6.3 range. Some necessary nutrients are better absorbed at the low end, others at the mid-to-higher end. Hydro is best because you get a natural swing in the PH as the reservoir is used and replenished and that gives Mary Jane the chance to benefit at both ends of the ideal range regularly and get everything she needs.

How does one know they are doing it right? The 2/3 of a plant that would be considered the "newest growth" tells the tale. If those leaves and tips look good everything is okay. Any true nutrient issues will be revealed in discoloration of the top 2/3 of a plant. The lower fan leaves are a latent indicator and more often reveal stress or root damage from a transplant, etc., or most commonly just natural aging. I have found it counterproductive to use lower fan leaf indications to judge the overall health of a plant since they seem to evolve somewhat separately from the "core" plant, and often look like shit as they age, even on a totally healthy plant.

God I love talking about cannabis. Somebody stop me!

Peace, Hyena

Dead on. Plus reps for that. I was looking at some of the AU's lower fans this morning. Had to reach in and remove a couple. They were toast. Just tells me the plant is pulling what it needs from its reserves. It's going to be a good harvest.

Thanks so much for the added info and semi confirmation of my thinking,, i do have a quality ph meter that I have been using diligently,, my ph now is in the 5.7 range,, and holding steady

I was thinking similar about the ppm meter,, no panic, but i will look into it. I have become adept at keeping nutes to a minimum, so i will see iffin I can stay on that path

So you only fully change the solution twice a grow?? I have been readimg about changing solution weekly,, hmmmm, more research needed here for sure

The solution changing has me stumped right now,, not why or when, but how,, not an issue whilst in veg, but when put to flower,, i really don't know how I am going to do it. I will have to come up with a better system by them,, for nkw,, can I keep this plant alive is all I want to know,,

Cheers for the great advice

I change the buckets each week but bloomed my last sativa in the heavy tote reservoir with only one change in 204 days total. It's easier for me to just change the buckets once a week instead of dedicating the attention needed for a no change grow.

 

[SweetSue]

I was looking over my wardrobe with an eye for paradise and came across the stack of shirts I won in the last MOTY contest. I'd packed them away because they were uncomfortably snug. Well....... turns out two of them fit me now.

My favorite. You see the closet in the corner where I indulge in my obsession with their enticing Dark Devil Auto.

By the time I take off for Paradise the others will fit me too. I love Callanetics.

This must have confused the hell out of you Lucas. I wondered where I left this post.

I thought maybe I dreamed leaving it, but then I wasn't so certain. Lol! Sorry Mr. McCain. If you'd like I can have Mr. Teddy remove it. I'd meant to leave it in my own yard.

 

[Stinky Snid]

Snid ! Glad you stopped in. Those are in fact my own S1 DDAs. Unless #1 & 2 take off soon I may have two different phenotypes this run.

That's a sweet deal, out of the thousands of seeds you made I'm sure you'll have a few phenotypes to discover and augment their potential. I've got to try out my stink Widow and Stink Special seeds this summer. I'd love to see how they do. Mine will be regular autos since I pollinated with male pollen, but still an adventure all to itself. Glad the animals are being well cared after, you're surely a hard working man out there...As always,

KIG Brother Cheers

 

[SweetSue]

Sorry to chat on your thread, Rifleman...I tend to just blurt stuff out and forget where I am occasionally.

Peace, Hyena

A man after my own heart. It always tickles me to find someone in one of the yards I visit regularly apologize for being long-winded. we're here to share Hyena, and all this sharing you did here flipped some light switches on I my brain, so I thank you for feeling so comfortable here and dropping all that brilliant thought where I could make use of it.

You guys get me so excited about the possibilities. You're also a serious distraction. Coffee woman, get to it! Lol!

 

[Rifleman]

What a day ! The Roost hasn't seen this much chatter in six months. Never let it be said I'm not a grateful person. It's y'all who make this what it is, I just grow the plants. So with that in mind, here are some photos from the big tent this morning.

Everyone !


I say this every other time or so, but don't forget the images are clickable for larger views.

 

[Hyena Merica]

Plants are looking really good Rifle. The last few weeks are such fun.

Experiment: Try snipping the top 1/2 inch off about 10 colas and mark each with a little string around the stem or a pipe cleaner. See if you think they plump up more than the others in the last 2-3-4 weeks.

I did this and in the end wasn't sure. The "topped" colas DID look fatter than others but I can't be sure if they were fatter or just looked fatter because I clipped the tip. But it was sweet to have a nice mini-pre-harvest, it really got me stoked to be able to thoroughly try my next crop nearly a month early. I would be interested in knowing for sure if the cola-trim has a positive effect on final density/girth which is why I'd like your opinion.

Also, I saved some of those cola tips (pre-flush) and compared their taste and burn to the final "flushed" buds to hopefully once and for all determine the real value of flushing plants...I swear they both taste fantastic to me and even as a self-described connoisseur I can't tell any difference in the aroma or flavor. Again, I'm a half-nute guy so maybe my budz just never get as much chem in them as other people's...or as I suspect, it's a perceptual thing in a lot of cases where we are simply tasting what we expect to taste. Again, I like science so maybe you'll try it too and see what you think.

Keep it up.

Peace, Hyena

 

[Rifleman]

I've snipped the tips like that before Hyena. It's called back building. Light Addict has a thread on it. I do believe it builds fatter buds, and usually do it, just haven't this time for some reason. <shrug>

The only advantage I've found with a week flush at the end is, the final product smokes smoother. I get very little cough from it, where the non flushed sometimes burns the throat ending in coughs. No difference in aroma of flavor that I can tell, just a more pleasurable smoke with my lungs *inside* my chest.

 

[SweetSue]

Plants are looking really good Rifle. The last few weeks are such fun.

Experiment: Try snipping the top 1/2 inch off about 10 colas and mark each with a little string around the stem or a pipe cleaner. See if you think they plump up more than the others in the last 2-3-4 weeks.

I did this and in the end wasn't sure. The "topped" colas DID look fatter than others but I can't be sure if they were fatter or just looked fatter because I clipped the tip. But it was sweet to have a nice mini-pre-harvest, it really got me stoked to be able to thoroughly try my next crop nearly a month early. I would be interested in knowing for sure if the cola-trim has a positive effect on final density/girth which is why I'd like your opinion.

Also, I saved some of those cola tips (pre-flush) and compared their taste and burn to the final "flushed" buds to hopefully once and for all determine the real value of flushing plants...I swear they both taste fantastic to me and even as a self-described connoisseur I can't tell any difference in the aroma or flavor. Again, I'm a half-nute guy so maybe my budz just never get as much chem in them as other people's...or as I suspect, it's a perceptual thing in a lot of cases where we are simply tasting what we expect to taste. Again, I like science so maybe you'll try it too and see what you think.

Keep it up.

Peace, Hyena

This one will do, thank you Lucas. We'll talk. She's a foxtailing vixen, isn't she? My favorite floral expression.

Hyena, are you referring to backbuilding the buds? If so, 1/2" is too much to trim off. You're only snipping off the very tips of the apical pistils. I'd say mine were all within 1/4". Timed properly it will effect the structure of your buds, and it makes them a little more dense than the ones not trimmed. There's no evidence I've uncovered that it increases yield, and that wasn't the intent of the development of this technique. It's used to improve the bag appeal, and that it does, without question. Done correctly it will markedly change the appearance of the buds.

For the home grower, one has to ask why bag appeal would be of any concern?

I'm into my second experience with a hempy, and recently had my first exploration with bottled nutes and the flush. I'd come into the cannabis cultivation world completely green with a family background in organic gardening, so I bought the message against bottled nutrients and how soil was superior.

Then I harvested my first plant grown in a hydro set-up with bottled nutes. Of the four DDAs I grew, in different mediums and under different lights to see how they stacked up against each other, this one had the biggest, heaviest buds, the deepest color, and the richest aroma of the three, and a flavor that took me by completely by surprise. The flowers burned clean and smooth, leaving behind a white ash that demonstrated how clean she was.

It not only matched what I'd grown in soil, it exceeded many other strains I'd grown over the past two years.

Made me consider the value of learning through experience and remind myself to avoid making absolute statements about things I personally had no experience in. Then it reinforced my playful nature and I started another one right behind it.

 

[Rifleman]

It appears everything I grow foxtails at some point Sue. I don't understand why, my temps and humidity are all within acceptable standards. It doesn't seem to be limited to just sativa, OR indica, instead getting them both and the hybrids I've grown too. Looks kind of cool, dries quicker, fits in a bowl... but I'd still rather they wouldn't.

 

[Hyena Merica]

I've snipped the tips like that before Hyena. It's called back building. Light Addict has a thread on it. I do believe it builds fatter buds, and usually do it, just haven't this time for some reason.

Thanks for that I'll check it out. I didn't really trim enough to have an adequate sample, looking back I only trimmed the very tips on most colas maybe a quarter inch and it didn't make more than a joint total dry but it was good.

The only advantage I've found with a week flush at the end is, the final product smokes smoother. I get very little cough from it, where the non flushed sometimes burns the throat ending in coughs. No difference in aroma of flavor that I can tell, just a more pleasurable smoke with my lungs *inside* my chest.

I'm witcha on that. Cough.