Think I may have a nutrient lockup PH issue maybe?

[Xearoveg]

Thanks! I cannot get these buds to continue maturing at a good pace. It's been weeks after it was scheduled to be harvested and I don't think I can find any amber trichomes yet :/. My dad wants me to cut them back to 10-14 light as he says 10 hours of light will help it mature faster. I'm thinking with the few problems I have had with the plant (maybe some light leakage making it revert to veg and back, some temps slightly above 85 which is known to cause a plant to stop growing altogether till temps lower, or so I hear. And some other things) I think that it slowed it down but they still seem like they are progressing incredibly slow or not at all.

The less light doesn't make sense to me. Less nutrients for them to intake so how could that help maturity. Just looking for some input I have pretty much documented everything I've done to them in this thread if you read back. Will be willing to repost it if need be.

Since the last time I documented what has happened I have fed them with water right after the water and molasses only. But this was feeding time so I mixed in 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/4 tsp Cha Ching and some ph up to about 6.5. (I have not been using ph adjusting this whole time and FF is known to be acidic so based on that and the fact that my soil ph kit (not so accurate I've heard) shows me around 6.0 in the soil.

Will it be important to also know the PPM as a new grower? Or can I expect that mixing the correct amounts here will keep me where I need to be?

Assuming I'm using the foxfarms lineup and I start at 1/4th strength of this chart below and move forward will I be ok with my future Afghan Kush OUTDOOR this season? On my indoor setup I only used FF Grow Big for veg and maybe too much every feed. Also used JUST tiger bloom for most of the bloom, also probably too much. They turned out worse than my last grow as I didn't think I needed the other FF nutes.

How will I know if I can feed these little outdoor plants more, or need to feed them less?

As such a new grower problems appear throughout the leaves for many reasons, temp, etc and it's hard even with these problem solver guides you have here to figure out if it's a nute burn or temps are locking out or something else.

"Sprouting and week 1--BigBloom 2TBS
week 2-- 2tsp Grow Big + 2TBS Big Bloom
Week 3--3tsp Grow Big + 2TBS Big Bloom
Week 4--JUST 3 tspGrow Big + 1/4 tsp Open Sesame
Week 5 same as week 4 unless going 12/12--

Week 5- OR--day 1 of 12/12-- 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/2 tsp Open Sesame
Week 6--same as above
Week 7-- 2 Tsp Grow Big + 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/4 tsp Beastie Bloom
Week 8-- 2Tsp Grow Big + 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/2 tsp Beastie Bloom
Week 9-- 2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/4 tsp Cha Ching
week 10-- Same as above
Week 11--2 tsp Tiger Bloom +1TBS Big Bloom + 1/2 tsp Cha Ching "

 

[CaliPho3niX]

You said you want to 'cut them back' to 10-14 hours light? Hopefully you're running 12/12 already, which would make 14 hours of light an addition, not a cut back. How many weeks/days are you into flower now? In theory it makes some sense to cut back the light an extra hour or two toward the end to simulate the onset of winter, just like the 2-3 days of darkness prior to harvest is supposed to bump up final resin production. I definitely wouldn't drop below 10 hours a day, the plants still need a healthy light period to grow and develop.

My plants actually seem to thrive in slightly warmer temps, at least in veg phase, haven't seen too much of a negative effect in flower but then my plants are nocturnal so their night period can creep up as high as 90, but by "sun up" (8pm) it usually starts around 85 and drops back to 70-75 by morning. Part of me thinks that would confuse the hell out of the plants but then the average temperature is a lot more stable than hitting 100+ during the day and dropping to 60 at night, so it seems to work out.

 

[BWC BayArea]

As a newb bro, I think it wise to follow the manufacturers feeding recommendation. Here's a link u can D/L them from here >FoxFarm Soil & Fertilizer Company
I'm currently using Fox Farms outdoors and I'm not PHing or worrying about PPMs and haven't had any issues yet. U can check my gallery and see for urself.

 

[Xearoveg]

Okay so yeah they are on 12/12 right now. So cutting the light back to 10 hours will help? Should I do it one hour at a time 1 day at a time or wait a few days before taking another hour off? Or do it all at once? Below 10 hours of light is ok?

Also I think that text version is the same as their manufacturers feeding just in a text form. Maybe it is already cut back for mj plants as I got it off some forum post. I didn't quite compare them exactly haha. But I'll do that to make sure.

So go by those doses and just cut back if it looks like I get some nute burn? Should I worry about losing some yield by not increasing some nutes when they can handle it?

 

[CaliPho3niX]

*MIGHT* help... gotta stress that. Cutting back on the light beyond 12 hours is another still-fairly-experimental practice. It won't speed up flowering even if you started a 10/14 cycle from the beginning (if anything it will slow bud growth and lessen overall yield), but for a plant that's already been @ 12/12 for a while, it might help bring on the final ripening just a hair quicker, as should a final 3-day dark period (uninterrupted) just before harvest.

If you do decide to try the 10/14 cycle, don't go below 10 hours of light a day, that's really the bare minimum the plants will need to still grow and produce until the end.

I'll leave all the nutrient advice to BWC on this one but just thought I'd throw this in, I noticed that when I mix up a good full-strength batch of nutes (including FF TB/BB) into one gallon water, then dilute the mix between 3 gallons, I no longer have to adjust the pH up from 4.5, things seem to balance out right around 6-6.5 as-is. Even at 1/3 strength one or two of my plants still show some burn tho, but the majority seem to eat it up.

Oh yeah, you never mentioned how many weeks/days @ 12/12 you're at currently..?

 

[Xearoveg]

Just fed the girls the usual and same as last time.


It was manufacturer recommendations I've been using, it was just off a forum in text form.

Gonna use these abbreviations for my nute journalism from now on.
Tiger Bloom:TB
Big Bloom:BB
Cha-Ching:CC

2 tsp TB
1 tbs BB (3 tsp)
1/2 tsp CC

I diluted with 3 more gallons of water.

I have cut them back slowly to 10 hours of light. Here are some pics! No real changes in several weeks. Although I think I spot very few amber tricomes!

 

[Xearoveg]

So I've been pulling samples trying to get my drying method down. I've been able to keep them in darkness with just enough circulation to dry them so there a bit crisp on the outside in about 3-4 days. But at about the 3rd or 4th day they start to lose their good smell for a weird kinda veggy smell. I don't know how to explain it. But it's not ideal. The humidity is 70%.

Is that too high humidity?
Should I try to shoot for a longer dry period to the 'crisp' feel? (Note: The twigs are not snapping so not completely dry, but I was told to put in a paper bag and roll up at this stage. Let breath a couple times a day till completely dry then jar for curing.

Also I have pulled another sample and will try to manicure it up all the way, more than just taking fan leaves off as I did before. See if it will make a difference.

 

[Cloudblood]

Okay you gave the best comment one could receive.....5 foot Kush will lose a ton of leaves, FACT. That plant is giant and the roots alone can't support the flowering....leaves will do their part in your grow during the bud stretches so of course the leaves are shifting and such.

It will display yellowing at times....2nd and 3rd week of flower as well as 5th week onward on yellowing will occur. Stop yanking the growth you dislike, your plant is spending too much energy fixing itself and wants to kill those leaves itself. Yellow leaves in a Kush simply mean it is yanking nutes out the leaves for the stretch. Kush also has a tendency not to produce the most buds, but more potent smoke. It is a trait to the strain so don't expect the giant yield just due to plant size.

What you call one ounce may or may not be at the end of your grow....I have two Kush growing now, all the same symptoms and issues you call trouble I expect.... (My uploaded pics are available, compare. 5 foot monsters under 1000 watts so super similar to your grow.)

Check PH it is prolly high near 7...and if possible yank it down occasionally with a low batch of a 6 ph water....try to hit the mid 6's in PH if possible....

First-Your next Kush grow if you let the plant grow that large keep the lights away...I can tell by the camera shots your black lines means it is super hot and bright. That means tie it down if she is too tall the plant doesn't mind one bit.

Second-Your pruning like your in the last two weeks of budding, it is hurting the plant health to be 5 foot and have no energy stored in leaves or leaves to rip nutes out of when needed. You have it pruned like you had a small two foot lollipop plant....plants that large can't be overpruned they grew those leaves because it needs them....perhaps nipping leaf tips is your best method next time for pruning so leaves stop growing but remain with their stored energy.

LASTLY-Add in the molasses as told, a little at a time to start and unsulfured is a must....you think it is yellow now you hit it with sulfur your done....so unsulfured molasses will add the needed sugars to the grow and will help the root zone without hurting or harming a thing.

Do not fret, I bet the smoke will be every bit as Kushly as you desire. you could be 4 weeks off so there is time for that plant to fill out. 8 weeks flowering isn't a rule of thumb with Kush especially at your size....try a lower tier popcorn bud, dry it three days and toke just once....if you feel it hit you then your on the right track... and

 

[Xearoveg]

Thanks for all your input! Makes me feel a lot better about it but I was already kind of thinking it would be pretty good but lower yields than I'm used to for sure!

Anyone have any info on why I could be having trouble drying it?

 

[Cloudblood]

The buds might be super dense and make up for your visual yield. Frustrating as it is that it dries slow that is a good indicator it has denseness and weight to it....My Kush dries slow...I can cure it for weeks and it is super worthwhile...Kush has a high THC percentage....that means the buds are extra syrupy and sticky and will take longer to dry. I often can take the container I dried in and run my finger along it collecting THC crystals....if your having the issues I have then your just waiting on all that THC to absorb.....it can't absorb until the plant loses the h2o weight and then it seeps in making the bud still seem 'wet'....it is a step by step process....higher THC strains do this to me a lot.

 

[Cloudblood]

Harvesting & Drying

....here is a drying post to help out.

 

[Xearoveg]

Thank you! Will take everything into consideration.