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- #61
SAMtheAPman
New Member
I've got this one already, thanks B.
But this one's new. Thanks. Good info there.
Still not sure what it is after looking at the post, maybe a pH problem.
SAM's DRZ Aquaponics Mixed Strain Grow Journal - 2014
- Thread starter SAMtheAPman
- Start date
I've got this one already, thanks B.
But this one's new. Thanks. Good info there.
Still not sure what it is after looking at the post, maybe a pH problem.
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- #62
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Had a quick search around and one thing it could possibly be is heat stress.... We have had a few 95 degree F days, and maybe this little auto is a bit more sensitive than the others (and maybe the new growth coincided with the hot days).
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- #63
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Could be a magnesium deficiency... have added some epsom salts to the guano feed I just gave her:
Got a bit of a "Claw" happening on one of the Northern Lights Autos as well. Could be nitrogen excess but funny thing is I didn't use blood meal on this plant, like I have with most of the others:
The MED GOM Autos are looking good:
So is the Sleestack Skunk with the LST. Seems to like what I've done:
Can't wait to get my microscope to start looking at the trichs!
Got a bit of a "Claw" happening on one of the Northern Lights Autos as well. Could be nitrogen excess but funny thing is I didn't use blood meal on this plant, like I have with most of the others:
The MED GOM Autos are looking good:
So is the Sleestack Skunk with the LST. Seems to like what I've done:
Can't wait to get my microscope to start looking at the trichs!
ClanCannabis
New Member
Where do the fish live? Can we see a pic of that.
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- #65
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Hey ClanCannabis. Here's the fiberglass tank, approx 1250L / 330 gallons, and that's a fingerling (baby fish) header tank on top:
The fish are a bit hard to photograph in the murky depths:
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- #66
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Whoa! Had a LOT of wind last night (still going now) and it pushed over a bunch of the corn onto some of the plants. Luckily no broken branches/trunks! Have kind of tied them back up (together) as a temporary fix. Might need to tie them up to the roof in the future.
And then, in the same grow bed, there were roots blocking the outlet and it flooded to a much higher level than it should have (probably 3 inches higher) and stayed like that for a period of time - only saw it when I checked everything this morning so it could have been like that for 12hrs. Hopefully the plants won't have minded wet feet for this period of time... This could also cause water issues for the fish, as the idea behind the DRZ pots is to keep certain nutrients out of the water. This is down to my poor maintenance. I usually spin the outlet every few weeks to break up any roots but I hadn't done it on this bed for a while (think it was my cucumber plant's roots).
Will have to keep an eye on the nitrate and ammonia readings, fish health and algae levels, and do a water change if required.... hopefully not though.
And then, in the same grow bed, there were roots blocking the outlet and it flooded to a much higher level than it should have (probably 3 inches higher) and stayed like that for a period of time - only saw it when I checked everything this morning so it could have been like that for 12hrs. Hopefully the plants won't have minded wet feet for this period of time... This could also cause water issues for the fish, as the idea behind the DRZ pots is to keep certain nutrients out of the water. This is down to my poor maintenance. I usually spin the outlet every few weeks to break up any roots but I hadn't done it on this bed for a while (think it was my cucumber plant's roots).
Will have to keep an eye on the nitrate and ammonia readings, fish health and algae levels, and do a water change if required.... hopefully not though.
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- #67
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Time for an update...
Today is the 60 day mark for the miniature Northern Lights Auto, so it "should" be harvest time but I don't think it's quite ready. The pistils are turning red but the trichomes are still clear (as best I can tell anyway). Here's how she's looking (having been been removed from the grow bed to help with air flow):
The MED GOM Autos are about 2 weeks of their maturity date, and are looking great. The photos don't really do them justice. They have just been defoliated, which I know is generally a no-no for autos, but I was worried about powdery mildew so took off the fan leaves, as well as removing the DRZ pots from the AP beds. They are now out and about, getting more sun (the corn was shading a bit) and more air flow:
With three pots removed from one of the grow beds, the remaining Northern Lights and AK49 now have more room to grow. The AK49 has been defoliated as well:
Before removing pots:
After removing pots:
The Afghan Kush is already getting pre-flowers. It's about 44 days old but it's the middles of summer. Tomorrow is the solstice (longest day of the year). I assume that the pre-flowers will just hang around for the next few months and turn into proper flowers as the days get shorter.... we'll see... I wouldn't mind if it started budding now though:
And my biggest plant, the Strain Hunters Money Maker, just going nuts. It's a bush alright! Definitely going to need to defoliate this one in the future. All of the seed banks say "up to 1kg" from this strain, which I thought was just marketing, but I could see how this could happen if this plant was in a larger pot/in the ground and looked after:
Today is the 60 day mark for the miniature Northern Lights Auto, so it "should" be harvest time but I don't think it's quite ready. The pistils are turning red but the trichomes are still clear (as best I can tell anyway). Here's how she's looking (having been been removed from the grow bed to help with air flow):
The MED GOM Autos are about 2 weeks of their maturity date, and are looking great. The photos don't really do them justice. They have just been defoliated, which I know is generally a no-no for autos, but I was worried about powdery mildew so took off the fan leaves, as well as removing the DRZ pots from the AP beds. They are now out and about, getting more sun (the corn was shading a bit) and more air flow:
With three pots removed from one of the grow beds, the remaining Northern Lights and AK49 now have more room to grow. The AK49 has been defoliated as well:
Before removing pots:
After removing pots:
The Afghan Kush is already getting pre-flowers. It's about 44 days old but it's the middles of summer. Tomorrow is the solstice (longest day of the year). I assume that the pre-flowers will just hang around for the next few months and turn into proper flowers as the days get shorter.... we'll see... I wouldn't mind if it started budding now though:
And my biggest plant, the Strain Hunters Money Maker, just going nuts. It's a bush alright! Definitely going to need to defoliate this one in the future. All of the seed banks say "up to 1kg" from this strain, which I thought was just marketing, but I could see how this could happen if this plant was in a larger pot/in the ground and looked after:
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- #69
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Decided to remove a few more pots from the grow beds yesterday. I did think when I was originally putting them in that they mights have been a bit close to each other. Turns out they are/were.
Took out the AK49 that was looking strange (see pics a few posts back), and the NL that looked like it had a nitrogen toxicity. Am flushing both of these for a couple of days and then will dose again with flowering ferts (guano, rock dust as well as some CA + Mg for good measure). Hopefully this will sort them out and get a better yield. The buds on the AK49 are looking ok, but there is a definite lack of pistils and trichomes.
Also removed one of the Money Makers as it was too close to my big girl. And took the Afghan Kush that has started budding and put it into my homemade bubble bucket (it's kind of like a DWC).
The remaining plants in the grow beds now have a decent amount of room so shouldn't need to be moved.
They're drooping over in the photos as they've just had a shower.
Took out the AK49 that was looking strange (see pics a few posts back), and the NL that looked like it had a nitrogen toxicity. Am flushing both of these for a couple of days and then will dose again with flowering ferts (guano, rock dust as well as some CA + Mg for good measure). Hopefully this will sort them out and get a better yield. The buds on the AK49 are looking ok, but there is a definite lack of pistils and trichomes.
Also removed one of the Money Makers as it was too close to my big girl. And took the Afghan Kush that has started budding and put it into my homemade bubble bucket (it's kind of like a DWC).
The remaining plants in the grow beds now have a decent amount of room so shouldn't need to be moved.
They're drooping over in the photos as they've just had a shower.
Beautiful! 
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- #71
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Thanks Lester! I like them too
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- #72
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Decided that it is time to harvest the first autoflower... my little lollipop Northern Lights:
It's 8 days over the recommended flowering time, but this one's had problems from the beginning so thought an extra week would do it good. I can see all three coloured trichomes: clear, amber and cloudy.
I'm feeling kind of sentimental about this plant. The harvest will be in the morning, have left her out under the moon for one last night and I find myself reflecting on how I don't really want to end this plants life.... funny thoughts... haven't felt this way about a plant before.
But... that's what she was planted for, and I'm nearly out of smoke
It's 8 days over the recommended flowering time, but this one's had problems from the beginning so thought an extra week would do it good. I can see all three coloured trichomes: clear, amber and cloudy.
I'm feeling kind of sentimental about this plant. The harvest will be in the morning, have left her out under the moon for one last night and I find myself reflecting on how I don't really want to end this plants life.... funny thoughts... haven't felt this way about a plant before.
But... that's what she was planted for, and I'm nearly out of smoke
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- #73
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Well it has been a stressful start to 2015! The fridge/freezer died so have lost a bit of food and no one is open to look at/repair it. Just have to live out of eskys for a few more days. Got a smaller fridge outside so was lucky really, saved the most important stuff (cannabutter included!).
And, to add to this, my big Money Maker started to show signs of overwatering:
This is a bad thing in aquaponics because it probably means that there is a problem with the grow bed (there was) and the roots are waterlogged and probably rotting (they were). Here's about a third of the roots that broke off when I removed the DRZ pot form the grow bed.
Basically, it was a combination of the MM pot being too close to the water intake, and the corn roots hampering water at the outflow of the grow bed. The bed wasn't draining properly and water stayed in it for too long.
The other problem was that the roots right at the bottom of the MM plant had come out through the holes in the bottom of the pot and were right down the bottom of the grow bed. There is an inch or so there that doesn't ever drain so they were always sitting in water. Maybe for big plants like this a deeper grow bed is required...
So I've now moved the MM into a different bed, and raised the pot slightly so hopefully this will give the roots some space to move. It is still looking a bit wilted, and I've had to remove a lot of yellow fan leaves:
I'm really hoping that this won't impact on the final yield, and more importantly, I hope that I actually get there!
Apart from this, the other plants are all looking fairly good. The AK49 autoflower is almost ready to harvest. Got a few amber trichomes in there and did a smoke/vape test which floored me (in a good way):
I reckon another week or so and it'll be done. Would definitely say that you're going to have fun growing this strain BEATEO (and this plant was stressed from the beginning so I think you'll have a better outcome with all of the knowledge you've gained).
My other Norther Lights auto is still a bit weird/slow. It's flowering, but they're very airy and there are literally no trichomes:
It's already about 13 days overdue so I don't know if leaving it longer is going to do much. But that's what I'm going to do. Hopefully it will continue to mature, even though it is an autoflower....
And, to add to this, my big Money Maker started to show signs of overwatering:
This is a bad thing in aquaponics because it probably means that there is a problem with the grow bed (there was) and the roots are waterlogged and probably rotting (they were). Here's about a third of the roots that broke off when I removed the DRZ pot form the grow bed.
Basically, it was a combination of the MM pot being too close to the water intake, and the corn roots hampering water at the outflow of the grow bed. The bed wasn't draining properly and water stayed in it for too long.
The other problem was that the roots right at the bottom of the MM plant had come out through the holes in the bottom of the pot and were right down the bottom of the grow bed. There is an inch or so there that doesn't ever drain so they were always sitting in water. Maybe for big plants like this a deeper grow bed is required...
So I've now moved the MM into a different bed, and raised the pot slightly so hopefully this will give the roots some space to move. It is still looking a bit wilted, and I've had to remove a lot of yellow fan leaves:
I'm really hoping that this won't impact on the final yield, and more importantly, I hope that I actually get there!
Apart from this, the other plants are all looking fairly good. The AK49 autoflower is almost ready to harvest. Got a few amber trichomes in there and did a smoke/vape test which floored me (in a good way):
I reckon another week or so and it'll be done. Would definitely say that you're going to have fun growing this strain BEATEO (and this plant was stressed from the beginning so I think you'll have a better outcome with all of the knowledge you've gained).
My other Norther Lights auto is still a bit weird/slow. It's flowering, but they're very airy and there are literally no trichomes:
It's already about 13 days overdue so I don't know if leaving it longer is going to do much. But that's what I'm going to do. Hopefully it will continue to mature, even though it is an autoflower....
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- #74
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Sprouted Seed Tea (SST)
Just found out about this over on Sweetsue's journal (Sweetsue's First Grow - Stealthy Trio of Autos Under CFLs).
I'm all for natural/homemade soil tonics and already sprout wheat berries for my birds so decided to give this a go.
Soaked wheat berries for ~12hrs in RO water. Drained and rinsed. Rinsed and drained several times over 1.5 days until tails/roots were as long as the seed. Blended with a little water. Added to 5 gallons of water and watered onto all plants.
I think I used a bit too much water when blending as the seeds didn't all blend up completely. Will use less next time.
Here's how the garden is looking (pretty much everything is starting to flower, even the wilting Money Maker that is still having trouble on hot days - most days at the moment):
The Amnesia is getting big, had to tie her down:
3 x Sleestack Skunk are looking good (not flowering yet):
And my recent harvest 2 x MED GOM and 1 x AK49 (all autos):
Just found out about this over on Sweetsue's journal (Sweetsue's First Grow - Stealthy Trio of Autos Under CFLs).
I'm all for natural/homemade soil tonics and already sprout wheat berries for my birds so decided to give this a go.
Soaked wheat berries for ~12hrs in RO water. Drained and rinsed. Rinsed and drained several times over 1.5 days until tails/roots were as long as the seed. Blended with a little water. Added to 5 gallons of water and watered onto all plants.
I think I used a bit too much water when blending as the seeds didn't all blend up completely. Will use less next time.
Here's how the garden is looking (pretty much everything is starting to flower, even the wilting Money Maker that is still having trouble on hot days - most days at the moment):
The Amnesia is getting big, had to tie her down:
3 x Sleestack Skunk are looking good (not flowering yet):
And my recent harvest 2 x MED GOM and 1 x AK49 (all autos):
Nice!! What is it that the SST actually does? I've never even heard of that... sounds interesting.
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- #76
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Sprouting seeds activates enzymes. These enzymes give the seeds the energy to actually grow. By sprouting the seeds, and then blending and mixing with water, we harness the enzymes for our evil purposes...
Sweet stuff man! 
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- #78
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Everything is growing quite nicely. I did snap a large-ish branch off one of the smaller Money Makers (a day after I tied it down), but I'm seeing if I can get about 10 clones out of my mistake.....
Been giving guano for phosphorus, SST for enzymes (just wheat berries so far, but am trying popcorn now) plus rock minerals, calcium and magnesium (as liquid dolomite). Theses all just go into the DRZ pots. The grow beds themselves are still getting some iron, hydrated lime (calcium), epsom salts (magnesium) and potassium bicarbonate once a month.
Here's how it's looking:
Afghan Kush Special (supposed to be 2-3 weeks until harvest):
Money Maker (the one that almost died):
CBD Blue Shark:
The rest of the DRZ garden:
It's a bit difficult to differentiate in the photos but looking at the bottom photo, the plant at the bottom is Amnesia (tied down). To the left of that is a CBD Critical Cure. Just behind that is a Vanilla Kush. To the right of that (and behind the Amnesia) are two smallish Money Makers. And off to the right and up the back is the large Money Maker (just tied up the branches as the buds are starting to get heavy, quick).
The rest:
The large plants are Sleestack Skunk.
The small budding one that doesn't look too healthy is a Norther Lights Auto that is a month past the finish date as per the breeder. It wasn't any where near ready back in December so I'm just leaving it go. It has been putting on weight and some frost, and now the fan leaves are starting to yellow so will probably be harvesting soon.
And the Afghan Kush Special is just behind this.
The small plants that are all tied down are the plants that will be going into my inside tent once the weather cools down a bit (still too hot to run the light - even at night).
Barring any major problems it's looking like it will be a nice harvest..... and I'm already thinking about the next crop.... less plants, but trained properly (like I've done with the Amnesia). Have taken some cuttings to make male plants for pollen so I don't have to buy any seeds. I've read up on breeding and to do it properly (stable strains for multiple generations) is a bit too difficult in the current legal climate, but as long as I can get some seeds out of this crop I'll be happy for quite a while....
Been giving guano for phosphorus, SST for enzymes (just wheat berries so far, but am trying popcorn now) plus rock minerals, calcium and magnesium (as liquid dolomite). Theses all just go into the DRZ pots. The grow beds themselves are still getting some iron, hydrated lime (calcium), epsom salts (magnesium) and potassium bicarbonate once a month.
Here's how it's looking:
Afghan Kush Special (supposed to be 2-3 weeks until harvest):
Money Maker (the one that almost died):
CBD Blue Shark:
The rest of the DRZ garden:
It's a bit difficult to differentiate in the photos but looking at the bottom photo, the plant at the bottom is Amnesia (tied down). To the left of that is a CBD Critical Cure. Just behind that is a Vanilla Kush. To the right of that (and behind the Amnesia) are two smallish Money Makers. And off to the right and up the back is the large Money Maker (just tied up the branches as the buds are starting to get heavy, quick).
The rest:
The large plants are Sleestack Skunk.
The small budding one that doesn't look too healthy is a Norther Lights Auto that is a month past the finish date as per the breeder. It wasn't any where near ready back in December so I'm just leaving it go. It has been putting on weight and some frost, and now the fan leaves are starting to yellow so will probably be harvesting soon.
And the Afghan Kush Special is just behind this.
The small plants that are all tied down are the plants that will be going into my inside tent once the weather cools down a bit (still too hot to run the light - even at night).
Barring any major problems it's looking like it will be a nice harvest..... and I'm already thinking about the next crop.... less plants, but trained properly (like I've done with the Amnesia). Have taken some cuttings to make male plants for pollen so I don't have to buy any seeds. I've read up on breeding and to do it properly (stable strains for multiple generations) is a bit too difficult in the current legal climate, but as long as I can get some seeds out of this crop I'll be happy for quite a while....
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- #80
SAMtheAPman
New Member
Oh man does that look nice.... and, OUTSIDE with no snow!
Cheers B. Yep, no snow here ever. Last week or so has been super hot, around 95 degrees F. Cooled off now we've got a bit of rain.
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