Apparently poor yield...first grow...so many questions!

[ReeferMom]

High all,

Need the input and advice of experienced growers. First time, and I'll admit I experimented a lot. Therefore I have a lot of plants. I somehow deluded myself into thinking I was going to manage a half ounce to an ounce from every plant, but they are in week 8 of 12-12 and are getting close to ready, and there are no big fat colas. There are bunches of good sized buds and lots of single stupid farty buds down below. I probably butchered these girls toward the end of veg and throughout flower. I trimmed big fan leaves thinking I was going to let more light hit each bud site directly. Not quite defoliation, but sometimes I'd stand back and feel bad for them after I'd finished. Many of the buds are... loose looking. They all have lots of white hairs that are just turning amber, maybe 15%.

A friend came by tonight and was like, "what happened?" I was confused because I thought they looked pretty good, except for one that is putting out a shitload of leaves where there should be buds. I was hoping/believing they'd put on weight over the next few weeks, but my friend says they are going to be ready within a week or so (some of them). He thinks I'll be lucky to pull 1.5oz from the whole thing dry.

I know the light situation isn't the best and now think it's the reason I am not seeing the bulk I hoped for. I have three hps. two are 600, one is 400. One has a nice big white hood and everything under that looks pretty happy. The other two just have those shitty reflector things that project out. The wall behind them is yellow. This is probably the worst part. Then there's empty space in front of them. I turn the plants several times a day. It's basement temp. I sporadically gave them extra heat by running a big heater but that was sporadic.

Next grow will be in a different house, nicer basement, within a tent. So I'm certain the light situation will be better and they will most likely be warmer too. I guess I'm wondering a couple of things...

* Is my current crop going to "fatten up" any, between now and ready time? I was going to let the sativas (sour d) go another few weeks but some of them are starting to show amber hairs. Not much sugary leaf either, I mean it's there but not like some others I've seen
* Is light and/or temperature most probably the reason for my problems?

I should add that I screwed up their light this week and left lights on for 36-40 hours. Resumed normal 12-12 right away today.

Friend was also surprised they aren't taller. I trimmed and pruned and experimented a lot thinking I was going to create bushier plants with more bud sites.

Been feeding organic nutes. Should I give them anything at this point to help the buds, or am I right to just be giving them plain water from here on out?

I know this is rambly. This was my first attempt and I pretty much knew nothing going into it but have learned a lot and had tons of fun. So I've got that goin for me. Just wish I was looking at a more impressive yield.

I appreciate any experiences or input you guys might have

 

[JavaCo]

You got any pictures? How long did you veg? whats your grow space? Did you veg with the hps's? That stuff might help you get answers. 1600 watts of HSP should get you a hell of a lot more then 1 and a half ounces. \

Edit: forgot to ask how many plants you growing? Whats your medium? Soil or soil-less .

 

[vostok]

This is a nice HONEST post that I think should be a sticky .....? as it says so many things that is happening on RIU.org at the moment, pics would be nice, but the urge to try and experiment when you have no experience to base your experiments on is just silly, YOU ain't the only one ...every 2nd post on RIU. is like this ...some nooby knows nothing but want to experiment on his plants,....is silly , get some grows under you belt first then you can play!

Worse is you allowed yourself to trim/defoliate perhaps cause they "LOOK" better ...as you have found out that is plain wrong ...nag nag nag : https://www.rollitup.org/blogs/blog33046-de-leaf-not.html

Worse is you are about to relocate to a basement, yet another unknown territory for growing, caution, study some more, you have the lights, the ventilation the nutes,


SO WHAT WENT WRONG....?

ps pics please

 

[Jus Naturale]

Live and learn! As for fattening up, they might, but from what you describe, they're not near done enough either. The diesels I've grown take around 10 weeks or more, for example. Not only should you judge by your pistils, but also by the trichs. As for light/heat, you have plenty of light. From your mention of fluffy buds and added heat, I'm wondering what your temps were. Fluffy buds are often the result of high heat. But, to echo others, pics would be super helpful, as well as strains, growing medium, etc.

Cheers!

 

[WDIK]

Worse is you are about to relocate to a basement, yet another unknown territory for growing, caution, study some more, you have the lights, the ventilation the nutes,

I've read quite a few of your posts lately and wonder where you come up with this stuff? It's killing me. lmao lmao

 

[ReeferMom]

You got any pictures? How long did you veg? whats your grow space? Did you veg with the hps's? That stuff might help you get answers. 1600 watts of HSP should get you a hell of a lot more then 1 and a half ounces. \

Edit: forgot to ask how many plants you growing? Whats your medium? Soil or soil-less .

I'll try to get some pics up real soon to share with you guys. To answer some questions:

I vegged for about 8 weeks I think. Started from seeds. There are now 13 plants in all. Most are sour diesel, a few are bag seeds that look indica dominant. They are in soil. I vegged with a cfl for a while but as things grew I ended up finishing veg under hps for probably half of their veg time. Plants are on a 9' long table in my basement. So temps are cool. In the 60s at most. They aren't enclosed, they're just out on the table with the lights suspended over them and fans blowing around them. I used pure blend nutrients for veg and switched to the bloom formula after I changed them over to 12-12. Not currently giving nutes because they seem so close to harvest, think I should keep going a bit longer before flush? I know it's hard to say without pics.

 

[Dr Smith]

I'll try to get some pics up real soon to share with you guys. To answer some questions:

I vegged for about 8 weeks I think. Started from seeds. There are now 13 plants in all. Most are sour diesel, a few are bag seeds that look indica dominant. They are in soil. I vegged with a cfl for a while but as things grew I ended up finishing veg under hps for probably half of their veg time. Plants are on a 9' long table in my basement. So temps are cool. In the 60s at most. They aren't enclosed, they're just out on the table with the lights suspended over them and fans blowing around them. I used pure blend nutrients for veg and switched to the bloom formula after I changed them over to 12-12. Not currently giving nutes because they seem so close to harvest, think I should keep going a bit longer before flush? I know it's hard to say without pics.

Airflow could have been a problem.. Do you have an exhaust and at least a passive intake?

 

[ReeferMom]

Airflow could have been a problem.. Do you have an exhaust and at least a passive intake?

Neither. It's a large airy room. : /

 

[ReeferMom]

Well wait. I don't mean to sound dumb but when you say passive intake what do you mean?

 

[Dr Smith]

Neither. It's a large airy room. : /

You'll want to do some research on airflow before your next grow.

I also recommend letting a plant or two grow naturally so you can see exactly how they behave. Each time I get a new strain that's how I run the first one.

 

[ReeferMom]

You'll want to do some research on airflow before your next grow.

I also recommend letting a plant or two grow naturally so you can see exactly how they behave. Each time I get a new strain that's how I run the first one.

I agree there's plenty still for me to research. But I figured since they aren't in a sealed room, a couple of fans keeping the air moving around them would be okay. Can you elaborate on what you mean by air flow and passive intake? Next grow will be in a sealed space.

 

[Dr Smith]

I agree there's plenty still for me to research. But I figured since they aren't in a sealed room, a couple of fans keeping the air moving around them would be okay. Can you elaborate on what you mean by air flow and passive intake? Next grow will be in a sealed space.

Sure... You need to create a closed loop. If your sealed space has windows get a piece of plywood cut to the size of the window and put two 6 inch holes in it (there is a drill bit you can use for that which makes things stupid easy). One hole is for Exhaust and one is for Intake. You'll also need ducting and a fan. You may as well get a carbon filter to help clean up the smell that you'll be pumping outside too.

Basically you want the fan to be pulling air from your light (assuming you have an HID) and pushing that air out through one of the holes. The carbon filter goes in between the fan and the hole. I use a 30 gallon trash container for this purpose... Connect some soft ducting to the other hole in your window and let the passive air go across the floor.

Sorry if that's a tough read. When I started I drew a picture and it cleared things up for me. Just think about creating a closed loop. Because it's a sealed space and you're pushing air out of the space the Intake hole will pull air from outside.

There is probably an easy to read guide somewhere on here. Good Luck.

 

[kryptoniteglo]

OP - post some pics of your set up and of the plants.

And if just 15% of the pistils are starting to turn red, you probably have about 3 more weeks to go, maybe a little more…and you don't want to judge just by the pistils, you also want to look at the trichomes. That said, if you post a pic people can tell you how close you might be.

 

[Dr Smith]

OP - post some pics of your set up and of the plants.

And if just 15% of the pistils are starting to turn red, you probably have about 3 more weeks to go, maybe a little more…and you don't want to judge just by the pistils, you also want to look at the trichomes. That said, if you post a pic people can tell you how close you might be.

Also, the pistils on the buds should recede. In other words they will stop reaching for pollen. Some leaves may start to yellow as well.

 

[RockyMtnMan]

Most plants go through what's called a rejuvenation phase.
When they are near finished, (around two weeks to go) they will push out a few more white pistils in a last ditch effort to reach pollen.
Often these appear in small clusters on your colas, but not as much on the lower branches.
When most or all of my pistils have browned and receded, the plant will make a last push.
The buds will also swell and gain weight during this phase.
In other words, you should refer to your trichomes for harvest time.
Often when all your pistils have browned, you are still a couple weeks out.

 

[lilroach]

Most plants go through what's called a rejuvenation phase.
When they are near finished, (around two weeks to go) they will push out a few more white pistils in a last ditch effort to reach pollen.
Often these appear in small clusters on your colas, but not as much on the lower branches.
When most or all of my pistils have browned and receded, the plant will make a last push.
The buds will also swell and gain weight during this phase.
In other words, you should refer to your trichomes for harvest time.
Often when all your pistils have browned, you are still a couple weeks out.

When you mentioned the rejuvenation of pistils on another thread I wondered if you were crazy as I watch my plants like they're movies and never noticed this happening. Well, right on cue one of my karamelo's started doing just that....adding new white pistils and fox-tailing new buds. I haven't noticed the same thing with other plants, but will certainly keep an eye open from here on in.

 

[snoyl]

Ok mate for a start we need pics-no-one,no matter how experienced,can advise on a plant they cant see.
Reading your op was like a deja vu.I just harvested some of my first plants and I made the exact mistakes youre talking about,removing fan leafs thinking I was being clever and letting light in.Thats a big no no,your buds need these leafs.
You say youre growing 12 plants with 2 600s and a 400.Thats madness.You could possibly get the lot under one 600,but a 1000w would be ideal and would allow you plenty space to work with too.Another thing is the heat.That amount of light gives off a hell of alot of it,ideally youd want to use an air cooled hood,or at least have a carbon filter up and running to pull all that hot air out.
My recommendation for your next grow is this.Get a grow tent with the correct size carbon filter etc and an air cooled hood.Say a 600w hps,youd want a 120x120 tent with a 6 inch carbon filter and fan running through an air cooled hood.
Sorry I meant to say,I notice you mentioned using a heater now and again too.Thats another big mistake as running the amount of lights youre running would create too much heat on their own without the correct air flow.
But look,dont listen to bullshit know alls.I bet most people experimented on their first grows.So

 

[snoyl]

(cont.)
as long as you learn from your mistakes its all good.Sometimes its better to learn the hard way yourself,the lesson sticks that way!
But yeah,some pics would be good.Oh and I meant to say,I know they say you can never have too much light,but 1600w for 12 plants breaks that rule big time!You could easily grow 3 pounds of grade a ganja with that little lot!
Best of luck man,peace

 

[Sweeve]

you know everyone messes with their first, second and even third grows....shit took me till like the 5th for anything real to come outta it.....and i have to say that im super suprised i havent seen one mention of magnification of the trich's, absolutely amazed....if someone did mention it and i missed it my bad bit spacey (cough cough .......so first problem, u cut most ur fan leaves, what? how else is the plant supposed to take in light energy, im sure u learned ur lesson on that one. Second is the temp.....60's is WAYYYY to cold, they have probably been in a shocked state for most their flower.....third is just plain and simple fucking with them lol......your killing them with kindness, let em grow, its called weed for a reason.....no to delve a little into the subject of knowing when its time to harvest and not time to harvest....i think i even read a post where someone said they saw brown pistils and said it was still two weeks out.....bad information right there, period, not trying to act all preachy but that was just insane whoever said that....here is what u do to determine whether its time to cut.....first you look to see the yellowing of leaves around the entire plant, this will ensure that the plant is almost fully mature and even decreasing possibly in potentcy....second thing u need, is a simple 420 scope or anything that u can magnify the leaves of the bud with substantial trich's on them......look at the actual trich's under magnifiation, they should look like upside down bongs.....if they mostly all appear clear in color, u def still have some time left....if they mostly appear clear to milky white or all milky white, your done IMO, some ppl will even let them get to be amber or a slight brown, then ur def done, cut them before potency is comprimised .....that is how how u tell if they are ready to cut, not just by looking at the pistils with ur naked eye....and btw if onl 15% have changed color, u prob still have quite the way to go.........so in summation lol, stop cutting fanleaves, raise the temp, get some ventilation, and get a magnification device......oh and also big bloom is great, but by itself wont really have an effect on ur buds....if u want to use FF get some tiger bloom (2-8-4) if im not mistaken.....it will beef ur babies up......for ur next grow def use the tent and a simple suggestion that gave my yield a huge increase, switch to pure organic Nectar for the Gods, tripled my yield.....happy growing

 

[Yodaweed]

DONT TRIM PLANTS IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING! Such a novice mistake but easily cured, don't trim anymore.