My First Grow: DWC in Grow Box w/ 250 HID Bulb (Open Thread)

[neversummer28]

Heeding jigfresh's advice, I figured out a way to remount the CFLs. It involved cutting some additional holes in the growbox and "disassembling" (aka, cutting) two pieces of my ghetto-fabulous light hood. I'm back to having all the bulbs up and running again.

 

[neversummer28]

It's been business as usual... the girls are doing fine. I ended clipping a small sample from Lois Lane (AK-4 and also from Jean Grey (Master Kush) and tried them both out the other day. They're both still very very weak, good feeling high, but definitely not potent yet. Surprisingly, they taste pretty good even though they're still be fed nutes. Expected flowering period should be up in 2-4 weeks, so hopefully, the potency starts going up soon.

Some branches, I'm seeing significant amount of red hairs (maybe 1/4 max) while others are still all white. From what I understand, the color of hairs is not as accurate of a guage of maturity as looking at the trichomes. So, I plan on going to Radio Shack next week to pick up the $10 microscope I keep reading about.

They say to flush plants with nothing but pure water for the last two weeks to minimize any bad tastes. My question is... do you start this when you anticipate for it to be ready to harvest? Or are you waiting for half the trichomes to look amber before flushing?

 

[jigfresh]

They say to flush plants with nothing but pure water for the last two weeks to minimize any bad tastes. My question is... do you start this when you anticipate for it to be ready to harvest? Or are you waiting for half the trichomes to look amber before flushing?

This part was so hard for me the first time. I had no idea how to tell when to start as I had no idea when the plants would finish. Some people don't flush at all, others flush a week. I guess most do 2 weeks. Not so much 3 weeks. So what I'm saying is, I think it is better to wait as long as you can kinda thing. Not like last possible second or anything, but don't jump the gun. If you are going for full potency like 90% Amber trichs then I would start flushing when the trichs are around 40-50% Amber trichs... and that 40-50% will take a while so the patience will come into play. If you are going for say 60% amber at the chop start flushing with around 25-30% amber trichs.

Another thing that got me is I was looking for trichomes that were absolutely pure amber... but when things finished on mine many of the trichs were cloudy throughout excpect for a bit of the head that was burnt amber. You will see what I mean with the microscope.

This whole 'when to flush', 'when to harvest', is sooooo much easier the 2nd time. You know what you are looking for... it's almost impossible to really get what to look for until you do it.

Patience will pay. And when they are really ready they glow golden brown with all the amber trichs. It's a nice sight.

Good luck and how about some pics.

 

[neversummer28]

Alright, first off... the count for the number of days is f'ed. The correct count is day 89 for today. Not sure where I went wrong with this journal.

Jigs... awesome feedback and really helpful. I guess I just won't know til I go out and get that microscope. And your wish is my command. Some pics below.

I'm going away for business for a few days, so briefly interrupted the light cycle this morning for a couple mins to fill up the reservoir and to tie back any branches that are too close to the lights. It's nerve wracking to leave for a few days when you've got a grow going on. It's not like you can go into your yellow pages for a "pot sitter" like how you could for a dog sitter. Guess I'll cross my fingers and hope all is well when I get back on Tuesday.

Pics:
1. The box
2. Jean Grey (Master Kush) - the largest, fullest bud so far
3. Mary Jane (MJ) - check out the twins on MJ. My hand is back there to help give an idea how big they are
4. Lois Lane (LL) - so frosty

 

[jigfresh]

What happened to your sweet little girls. They are giant monsters now. Your room has been swallowed. I love it.

Funny thing about the pot sitter. We have cats, so when we go away we need a pet sitter. Ours is this really cool girl our age (young 30's)... and wouldn't you know she smokes and has grown before.

So yeah... if we ever need to leave, she's got our back... and the best part is I don't have to pay her more to watch the plants... since I've been growing I haven't had to pay her at all.

Gotta love the herb.

 

[neversummer28]

What happened to your sweet little girls. They are giant monsters now. Your room has been swallowed. I love it.

Funny thing about the pot sitter. We have cats, so when we go away we need a pet sitter. Ours is this really cool girl our age (young 30's)... and wouldn't you know she smokes and has grown before.

So yeah... if we ever need to leave, she's got our back... and the best part is I don't have to pay her more to watch the plants... since I've been growing I haven't had to pay her at all.

Gotta love the herb.

hahaha... my sweet lil girls have grown into some beautiful, seductive women. i'm not sure what's sexier... the buds or a half-dressed model. okay, who am i kidding, half-dressed model would win anyday of the week.

i'm totally envious of your cat & pot sitter. wish i had a similar hook up. she seriously has it made... i would cat sit and pot sit for free pot any day of the week.

 

[jigfresh]

hahaha... my sweet lil girls have grown into some beautiful, seductive women. i'm not sure what's sexier... the buds or a half-dressed model. okay, who am i kidding, half-dressed model would win anyday of the week.

i'm totally envious of your cat & pot sitter. wish i had a similar hook up. she seriously has it made... i would cat sit and pot sit for free pot any day of the week.

Things are so tough up here in the mountains.

I love your big sexy ladies.

 

[neversummer28]

Well, back from my trip and my girls are all still alive! But holy crap my condo STANK when I walked in. Guess my ghetto carbon filter isn't working all that well. But hey, almost done so it'll just have to do.

I stopped by Radio Shack on my way home from work today and picked me up the $12 lighted microscope. Now just anxiously waiting for the lights to turn on so I can see what this trichs business is all about.

I'll update again in a few hours.

 

[jigfresh]

I am eagerly awaiting the report.

 

[neversummer28]

Alright, so I never did update last night... but I'm at a complete loss and looking for some direction.

I got that 60-100x $12 microscope from radioshack and I'm having a hard time with it. I can't hold it steady enough to be able to look at the trichs. The only way I was able to look at it was by taking a clipping and then placing the clipping on the table.

When I did... I don't know if it's because of the lighting or what, but I think a lot of the trichs seem to have a hazy amber haze already. It probably would have helped if I had this microscope earlier to see how the trichs change. But again, I still can't hold it steady enough to tell cleary.

Are you supposed to look at the trichs on the bud or on the leaves?

I ended up smoking the clipping and it's a good high, but still not all that potent. Does potency also go up during curing?

Btw, tomorrow, it will be 7 weeks since the first hairs started showing. According to Nirvana-shop, both the AK-48 and Master Kush mature at around 9-11 weeks.

 

[jigfresh]

Alright, so I never did update last night... but I'm at a complete loss and looking for some direction.

I got that 60-100x $12 microscope from radioshack and I'm having a hard time with it. I can't hold it steady enough to be able to look at the trichs. The only way I was able to look at it was by taking a clipping and then placing the clipping on the table.

When I did... I don't know if it's because of the lighting or what, but I think a lot of the trichs seem to have a hazy amber haze already. It probably would have helped if I had this microscope earlier to see how the trichs change. But again, I still can't hold it steady enough to tell cleary.

Are you supposed to look at the trichs on the bud or on the leaves?

I ended up smoking the clipping and it's a good high, but still not all that potent. Does potency also go up during curing?

Btw, tomorrow, it will be 7 weeks since the first hairs started showing. According to Nirvana-shop, both the AK-48 and Master Kush mature at around 9-11 weeks.

Haha... I remember that feeling. You'll figure it out. There is no way in hell I can hold that thing on the plant. I just cut a little leaf and put it on the table.

You should be able to lay the microscope down, so you aren't really touching it, just looking. The amber (in my experience) usually starts at the top... like the light beating on the top has rusted it. It is better to look at the buds instead of the leaf... but like I said, I can't do it.

The potency does go up a bit in curing. Goes up a lot the final week before cutting. If they are supposed to go 9-11 I would think 10 complete weeks 70 days would be the earliest you would cut, but just keep watching. You'll see them change now that you have the scope. You are confused now, but you will figure it out soon enough.

 

[neversummer28]

Haha... I remember that feeling. You'll figure it out. There is no way in hell I can hold that thing on the plant. I just cut a little leaf and put it on the table.

You should be able to lay the microscope down, so you aren't really touching it, just looking. The amber (in my experience) usually starts at the top... like the light beating on the top has rusted it. It is better to look at the buds instead of the leaf... but like I said, I can't do it.

The potency does go up a bit in curing. Goes up a lot the final week before cutting. If they are supposed to go 9-11 I would think 10 complete weeks 70 days would be the earliest you would cut, but just keep watching. You'll see them change now that you have the scope. You are confused now, but you will figure it out soon enough.

so jigs, if i do go with your recommended 10 weeks... and it's not week 7. this should be the last seek i'm filling the reservoir with nutes, right? to give it 2 weeks of flushing.

 

[jigfresh]

so jigs, if i do go with your recommended 10 weeks... and it's not week 7. this should be the last seek i'm filling the reservoir with nutes, right? to give it 2 weeks of flushing.

Sounds about right. You could give them a little next time too, see how things are progressing, might take longer.

 

[neversummer28]

Sounds about right. You could give them a little next time too, see how things are progressing, might take longer.

i'm thinking i'll make two more reservoir changes. i'll do one tonight or tomorrow with GH's "ripen" program. then in a week or so, i will go with just plain ol' h2o.

should be harvesting the weekend of august 8. if we actually knew each other in person, you would be invited to smoke the first bowl with me. really appreciate all the help through my first grow.

 

[tom__420]

Got any new pics?

 

[neversummer28]

Got any new pics?

yo tom, i'll take some tonight when i change the res. been a while since i took any.

check back tonight or tomorrow and i'll have 'em up.

 

[tom__420]

Sounds good man

 

[neversummer28]

Alright, we're almost at the 100 day mark. Can't believe how fast it went. I'm about 3 weeks away from harvesting. Few big things these last couple of days.

I took jigfresh's suggestion and cut off a small leaf, actually went a little further and cut a small piece of bud off. I rested my microscope on the tabe with the leaf in between and WOW... now I see what these trichs are all about. Fucking A! It's such a crazy sight. I totally see how some heads are amber while others are still clear. My guess for what I saw was about 30% amber.

I also changed the res today, going with GH's "ripen" mix. I'll keep topping off this mix until next Sunday or Monday and then go with straight h2o.

As of right now, I plan on harvesting the weekend of August 8. Now that I know what to look for in the trichs, I'll try my best to adjust the harvest time.

I just took the bud that I clipped from 2 days ago and smoked it. Wow this is a REALLY good high right now (hence the novel)... can't imagine what the final product will be like.

Alright, check out these pics.

1. The family getting fed their very last nutrients. The cords up top are actually tied together really neatly and safely. The angle of the shot just makes it look like an extreme fire hazard.

2. Two of Jean Grey's (Master Kush) stems. Some of the yellow tips are from burning from the CFL. Some of the other yellowing I believe is from chlorine burn (anyone verify?)

3. The lone AK-48, Ms. Lois Lane. Every single one of LL's buds are just as frosty as this one. There are 2 other main branches and many smaller ones.

4. Mary Jane (Master Kush) has a nice set of twins... and she doesn't talk back... the perfect woman. Okay, seriously, check out the length and girth of The Twins.

5. Another shot of The Twins. There's even more bud all the way down. Gonna yield a whole lot from Mary Jane just from these two.

 

[jigfresh]

They are monsters. I love it bro. Don't know about the yellowing.. looks like things should pretty much.

Great job... home stretch.

The trichomes are just insane huh... what an amazing plant this is. Not to mention the phsycoactive effects.

Awesome.

 

[neversummer28]

They are monsters. I love it bro. Don't know about the yellowing.. looks like things should pretty much.

Great job... home stretch.

The trichomes are just insane huh... what an amazing plant this is. Not to mention the phsycoactive effects.

Awesome.

yeah, i wasn't too sure about the yellowing and if maybe it's just part of the natural cycle (autumn foliage). but i know for a fact some of the yellowing is definitely light burn. oops.

the trichomes are absolutely insane. i'm planning on taking clippings (leaves, not bud) every few days from this point on just to see how it progresses. i wonder if using GH's "ripening" mixture actually speeds up the ummm.... "ripening."