Concord Dawn
Well-Known Member
My 4th CFL grow using Jungle Growth Pro Soil Mix
Well, here we go again. Most of this is from the last grow, but updated for this new grow. I started germinating the 2 of the 4 seeds I ordered that came today later tonight for my 4th soil grow. The veg box is setup and will be ready to go by tomorrow with lights, fans, pots and trays, and a 2nd gravity fed watering system I made using another 1 gallon milk jug with veg nutes. I use the veg box for a drying cabinet at the end of the grows and so far it has worked out well. I think after the last few grows, things will be better this time with all the upgrades I've made in supplies and seeds.
　
VEG BOX (I had some of this from the last grow, but just to show the amount I have spent)
U-HAUL X-LARGE BOX 4.00
2 - 80mm DC FANS *1 Broke 5.00
JIFFY-7 PEAT PELLETS 2.00
GE MANUAL 24 HOUR TIMER 4.00
4 - BULBS, 3 - Y's, 1 - PLUG TO SOCKET ADAPTER, EXT CORD 19.00
34.00
FLOWERING BOX (I had all of this from the last grow, but just to show the amount I have spent)
　
LIGHT SETUP: BULBS, FIXTURE, SPLITTERS 37.00
1 - RECTANGLE ALUMINUM TURKEY PAN FOR BUCKETS 3.00
THERMOMETER W/ HYGROMETER 8.00
U-HAUL GRAND WARDROBE BOX 13.00
HYPONIX POTTING SOIL W/ PERLITE 3-8LB BAGS 4.00
MYLAR BLANKET THING 3.00
5" ROUND FAN 2.00
3-80mm DC FANS 9.00
1-90mm DC FAN*FROM BURNED UP UNIT 0.00
SOIL PH METER 8.12
10" FAN 5.35
USED 12 VOLT DC POWER SUPPLY* (BURNED UP) 11.00
NEW 12 VOLT DC POWER SUPPLY 12.00
2-1/4" ON/OFF VALVES 2.00
THINGS I HAD:
TIMER 0.00
2 - 2 1/2 GALLON SQUARE BUCKETS 0.00
2 - 6" POTS FOR SOIL AND PIE PANS FOR VEGGING 0.00
POWER STRIP 0.00
1/4" HOSE, T's, HOSE HOLDER SPIKES 0.00
STRING FOR LST 0.00
80mm DC FAN 0.00
2 - WOODEN SHELVES FOR FLOOR AND TOP 0.00
EXTENSION CORD 0.00
CHAIN 0.00
TACKS 0.00
DUCT TAPE 0.00
FRESH WATER PH KIT 0.00
0.00
　
Things I just bought.
*1 - 80mm 12v FAN Replacement For Veg Box Ebay 3.75
1 - BAG OF JUNGLE GROWTH SOIL MIX Lowes 5.00
1 - TIMER MANUAL GE 24 HOUR HD 6.00
6 - 23 WATT BULBS 2 - 6500K, 4 - 2700K HD 14.00
3 - Y's HD 8.00
37.75
I still need the nutes and will get at a later date from Ebay.
1 - 3 PART NUTES FOX FARM SERIES Ebay 50.00
SEEDS:
I have used bag seeds the other grows, I wanted to get more a few grows in before I order some good seeds. The stuff I've grown has been pretty good, so I'm happy with the way thing have turned out. I ordered 4 seeds, 1 each of different strains, all of which are femmed. I will only grow 2 at a time though.
　
1 Seeds Per Pack 1 £5.40 (1x $8.5
KAN12-F-5-10-1 Blue Mataro, Blue Moonshine x White Widow x La Blanca
1 Seeds Per Pack 1 £9.20 (1x $14.62) DNA034-F-6-1 Kandy Kush, OG Kush x Train Wreck (T4)
1 Seeds Per Pack 1 £7.38 (1x $11.73) WFS92-F-1 Medical Collection Afghan Kush x White Widow
1 Seeds Per Pack 1 £6.70 (1x $10.65)DNA035-F-1 RockLock, Warlock x Rockstar
£6.75 - (International Delivery) $10.24 for shipping Total: $55.82
GERMINATING: 　
I put the seeds in a wet paper towel (with warm rain water and a few drops of Ortho seed starter) and then put them in a clear cake dome in the dark for 24 to 48 hours. I set mine on top of my VCR to keep them warm. This way has worked very well for me in the past. When they crack and the tap root is about 3/8" long, they will go right into the Jungle Growth soil. Make sure they don't dry up. Not to wet, not to dry, just moist. You just poke a small hole in the soil and put the seed with the tap root facing down into the hole and cover lightly. In another day or 2, they pop up and your way to some killer plants.
When germinating marijuana seeds:
Most seeds will germinate at 70-75 degrees F.
Nearly all seeds do best at about 78-80 degrees F.
Some seeds require up to 85 degrees F.
Never exceed 90 degrees F when germinating.
VEG BOX:
My new veg box is an extra lage U-Haul moving box which is 24" x 21" x 24", costs $4 and I use 4- 23 watt bulbs in it, 2 - 6500k and 2 - 2700k. I use 2 - 80mm fans for the exhaust, and 6" x 3" a passive intake, but I do have the 10" fan just in case it needs some extre air flow and cooling. The new spouts will only be in there for about 3 to 4 weeks, at which sometime I will top both plants, give them a couple more days to recover before moving them into the flowering box. Temps run about 84/86 in there. They'll stay in there about 30 days this time.
POTS:
I will use the same 2 - 6" pots I was growing with from the last grow for the veg cycle. Then I will transplant into the 2 - 2 1/2 gallon buckets, 1 for each plant. The buckets will have drainage holes in the bottom of them and will sit up of the pan with some small flat wooden spacers.
SOIL:
This grow, I will be using Jungle Growth pro mix potting soil, $4.97 at Lowes. The bag is 1 cubic foot. I will start them in the 6" pots. These are plenty big enough to start them in. I will be using the 2 - 2 1/2 gallon buckets to finish them in. The buckets will be sitting in a rectangle aluminum turkey pan to catch the drainage water.
FLOWER BOX:
Yep, it's the same ghetto ass leaning U-haul Grand Wardrobe Box I've been using. The size is 48" H-24" W-21" D. For a small grow, it seems to be the perfect size. I have 2 white shelfs from an old grow cabinet that worked out great. I used 1 for a floor in the box and the other 1, I put on top of the box for all my supplies to sit on, the box is very sturdy. For the door, I just taped up the top of the box where it drops down in the front, then cut the door on the other side. Plus, this box comes with a metal bar you can hang your light from all for $13. Also, being cardboard, it is very easy to cut out holes for fans and vents and such. I know it is a carboard grow room, but I have no concerns about it being a fire hazard. Everything is wired right and hardly no water is involved, it is very safe if you just do everything right.
LIGHTS:
　
I made the my lights from a 3 bulb chrome light fixture, an extension cord, and 7-Y blub splitters for a total of 10 bulbs. I screwed the fixture from the inside to a piece of 1" x 2" x 18" wood, which also gave me a place to hook the chains to with 2 eye screws, works great.
9 - 23 watt 2700k and 1 - 23 watt 6500k bulbs for a total of 230 watts and 16000 lumens. I used 1 6500k bulb just mix in the light spectrum*.
* about the spectrums, you want mostly blue for veg, and mostly yellow/red for flower. in nature the sun is much stronger in the summer, with mostly blue PAR (photosythiclly active radiation) which is what plants use from light (not lummens, LUX, watts etc..) and mostly yellow/red/far red PAR in the winter. so to follow "mother nature" you would want **example** 6 5600k cfls and 2 2700k for veg, and 6 2700k, 2 5600k cfls for flowering. seems sketchy to drop power when starting flowering, but actually increases yeild and potency, increases the productivity of photoperiods because the plant actually "feels" like its becoming fall/winter.
I will go with a 18/6 light schedule for the first 4 weeks in the veg box and then 12/12 in the flower box for the rest of the grow which should be about 7 to 8 weeks, so about 10 to 12 weeks total.
I plan on doing 24 hours of darkness at the time of switching to 12/12 and make sure its the same am hour that the light turns on at, so either do 24 or 36 hours. The theory is, it's suppose to put the plant into "super bloom" during the flowering period, we'll see.
FANS:
I'm using a computer power source to use as a DC convertor for running the 12v computer fans, works great and was only $12 on Ebay. I also have 2 80mm fans it runs that are in the veg box with a passive intake. A 5" table fan is now used as an intake fan along with a 90mm 12v fan and the 10" passive hole. The exhaust fans are 3 - 80 mm 12v and a 10"elec. fan at the top left side of the box, the 3 12v fans are staggered up the same side at different heights.
TEMPS:
I use the Acturite digital temp/humidity gauge I got from Wal-Mart that was $8, and it works very well.
The lowest I got the temps in the last grow was 82/84 degrees with peaks to 86/88 with the lights on and about 75/79 degrees in the dark period.
HUMIDITY:
Humidity will run between 30% to 45% so I'm good with that.
SOIL PH:
HoldAll Moisture, Light and PH Meter
Scientifically accurate No batteries required Measures moisture, light and soil PH. Promotes healthy plants.
It was only $8 and it worked good for keeping track of my ph.
I checked the ph every couple days during the last grow. The ph stayed around 6.5 to 6.8 which is great for a soil grow. That was after watering with nutes. I also use a fresh water PH kit to test the water.
WATER:
Pure water from one of those machines, or rain water if it ever rains here again.
NUTES:
MOST LIKELY THE FOX FARM TRIO.
I will start vegging using the Jacks Classic 20-20-20
TOPPING OR FIM:
I am going to cut the very top of each plant at about 8 to12 days this time. This will give me 4 or more main colas on each plant.
By the time your plants are a about 6 inches high and the 4th or 5th set of leaves comes up you can cut the two new leaves starting to just come in at the top, this will split the plant up in 4 or more branches, you can repeat this process a few times but give the plant time to grow and recover in between. This technique will increase your yield dramatically but cutting to much will slow the plant down very much since it needs energy to close it's wounds.
I will use this type of topping/fim as it worked well with the last grow.
#1 Locate the very top of the new growth. #2 With clean, sterilized scissors, Fold the fan leafs over and cut approximately 80% of the new growth off the plant. #3 This is what it should look like after the cut has been made. #4 View of the Cut section after 2 days growth, showing the 4 new growth shoots (branches).
CLONES:
I don't think I will clone on these first 2 girls. Maybe from the next 2. When I do, I will use a clear cake dome with holes it. I might try to get 1 or 2 clones from each strain. You just take the cutting, about 5 to 8 inches long, cut at a 45 degree angle, dip it in clone powder, place it in pre-soaked 30mm Jiffy peat pellet, stick it inside the "clone box" and place them in the veg box. Wait for the roots to shoot out the bottom of the Jiffy peat pellet and then transfer to a 6" or bigger pot filled with fresh potting soil and place it in the veg grow box. You need to spray/mist the clones a few times a day so they don't dry out till they root.
　
WHEN TO HARVEST
Trichomes are small appendages that look like hairs. They are produced by marijuana, and other plants. Female marijuana plants produce certain trichomes that are a rich source of THC. These trichomes can be found in their largest concentration on the buds. They start out clear, turn a milky color, then turn amber (light brown).
The trichomes in picture 1 are clear. After the plant has flowered for a few weeks, the trichomes start to turn a milky color (picture 2). After a few more weeks, they will be totally milky in color. In the later stages of flowering, trichomes will turn to a light brown color (picture 3). The amount of time required to get to this point depends on the marijuana strain and the growing conditions.
In picture 2 you can see the stems have started to turn from a clear color to a milky translucent color. For maximum THC content and a more cerebral and energetic high, harvest your plants when a majority of the trichomes on the plants in your garden are a fully milky translucent color.
You can wait until most of the trichomes have started to turn amber, but the resulting marijuana will produce more of a sleepy body stone than it would if plants were harvested earlier. The trichome in picture 3 is about 90% amber, with just a trace of the milky translucent color it previously possessed.
After the trichome is fully amber in color, the THC starts to degrade. This makes it very important to harvest marijuana at the time before a majority of the trichomes have attained a total amber color. If not, the marijuana will not be as potent as it could have been.
Based on that information once trichomes have turned milky white maximum THC levels have been reached and remain at that level until fully amber. So any time between filly milky white and fully amber is the peak THC level and when each person needs to decide when to harvest in that period of time is solely based on each individuals personal preference in high or stone of combination of each.
In short the prime time to harvest is variable based on personal preference as long as it is between when the trichomes have turned fully milky white and when they are fully amber.
Pure sativas and highly predominant sativas reach maximum THC potency when the trichomes are still clear. It will max out just before clouding occurs so it is best to harvest them at the first signs of clouding. But many people call any cross that is over 50% sativa a sativa and unless a strain is upwards of 80% sativa or higher you would want to wait until you see mostly cloudy trichomes with some amber trichomes and possibly with a few clear trichomes left.
HARVEST AND CURING:
When I harvest, I will use the veg box to hang the buds in and dry. Cut the buds off, anything over one and half inches long, and manicure them right then and there. Then, using cheap masking tape, I will make rows 3 or 4 inches apart, across the box and hang them from the tape. Then run an oscillating fan on low, blowing OVER but not on them, just to keep air moving. Do not allow the buds to touch each other. By drying just the buds alone, you can dry them in 3 to 5 days. The big buds are 5 days, the small buds in 3 days, till you can snap the stems. then put the small popcorn buds in shoe boxes, not piled up or touching each other, and stir them around daily too. What you want to do is dry the buds first, and then CURE them, by placing them in jars, and opening the jars daily for a few minutes, to smell them, for up to 30 days. If they smell funky, take them out of the jar and dry them again two more days, then back in the jars. You have to watch those big colas close to make sure you don't get mold.
Also, I want to use the trim leaves close to the buds, the stocks and stems and the larger green fan leaves to make some hash. I will keep them separate in a shoe boxes with a fan blowing over them too. These will be used to make the hash using a hash press. I plan on getting a grinder and press on Ebay for $16. I didn't do this with any of my other grows, but might try it this time.
Well, there you have it, the plans for my 4th time growing in soil, I've have learn alot and had alot of good advice from some great people here on the R.I.U. site. Thanks to all!! I will keep this thread updated as much as I can with pics and information of the grow's progress. Hope everyone comes back and grabs a seat for the ride again, this one will be better!!
Well, here we go again. Most of this is from the last grow, but updated for this new grow. I started germinating the 2 of the 4 seeds I ordered that came today later tonight for my 4th soil grow. The veg box is setup and will be ready to go by tomorrow with lights, fans, pots and trays, and a 2nd gravity fed watering system I made using another 1 gallon milk jug with veg nutes. I use the veg box for a drying cabinet at the end of the grows and so far it has worked out well. I think after the last few grows, things will be better this time with all the upgrades I've made in supplies and seeds.
　
VEG BOX (I had some of this from the last grow, but just to show the amount I have spent)
U-HAUL X-LARGE BOX 4.00
2 - 80mm DC FANS *1 Broke 5.00
JIFFY-7 PEAT PELLETS 2.00
GE MANUAL 24 HOUR TIMER 4.00
4 - BULBS, 3 - Y's, 1 - PLUG TO SOCKET ADAPTER, EXT CORD 19.00
34.00
FLOWERING BOX (I had all of this from the last grow, but just to show the amount I have spent)
　
LIGHT SETUP: BULBS, FIXTURE, SPLITTERS 37.00
1 - RECTANGLE ALUMINUM TURKEY PAN FOR BUCKETS 3.00
THERMOMETER W/ HYGROMETER 8.00
U-HAUL GRAND WARDROBE BOX 13.00
HYPONIX POTTING SOIL W/ PERLITE 3-8LB BAGS 4.00
MYLAR BLANKET THING 3.00
5" ROUND FAN 2.00
3-80mm DC FANS 9.00
1-90mm DC FAN*FROM BURNED UP UNIT 0.00
SOIL PH METER 8.12
10" FAN 5.35
USED 12 VOLT DC POWER SUPPLY* (BURNED UP) 11.00
NEW 12 VOLT DC POWER SUPPLY 12.00
2-1/4" ON/OFF VALVES 2.00
THINGS I HAD:
TIMER 0.00
2 - 2 1/2 GALLON SQUARE BUCKETS 0.00
2 - 6" POTS FOR SOIL AND PIE PANS FOR VEGGING 0.00
POWER STRIP 0.00
1/4" HOSE, T's, HOSE HOLDER SPIKES 0.00
STRING FOR LST 0.00
80mm DC FAN 0.00
2 - WOODEN SHELVES FOR FLOOR AND TOP 0.00
EXTENSION CORD 0.00
CHAIN 0.00
TACKS 0.00
DUCT TAPE 0.00
FRESH WATER PH KIT 0.00
0.00
　
Things I just bought.
*1 - 80mm 12v FAN Replacement For Veg Box Ebay 3.75
1 - BAG OF JUNGLE GROWTH SOIL MIX Lowes 5.00
1 - TIMER MANUAL GE 24 HOUR HD 6.00
6 - 23 WATT BULBS 2 - 6500K, 4 - 2700K HD 14.00
3 - Y's HD 8.00
37.75
I still need the nutes and will get at a later date from Ebay.
1 - 3 PART NUTES FOX FARM SERIES Ebay 50.00
SEEDS:
I have used bag seeds the other grows, I wanted to get more a few grows in before I order some good seeds. The stuff I've grown has been pretty good, so I'm happy with the way thing have turned out. I ordered 4 seeds, 1 each of different strains, all of which are femmed. I will only grow 2 at a time though.
　
1 Seeds Per Pack 1 £5.40 (1x $8.5
KAN12-F-5-10-1 Blue Mataro, Blue Moonshine x White Widow x La Blanca1 Seeds Per Pack 1 £9.20 (1x $14.62) DNA034-F-6-1 Kandy Kush, OG Kush x Train Wreck (T4)
1 Seeds Per Pack 1 £7.38 (1x $11.73) WFS92-F-1 Medical Collection Afghan Kush x White Widow
1 Seeds Per Pack 1 £6.70 (1x $10.65)DNA035-F-1 RockLock, Warlock x Rockstar
£6.75 - (International Delivery) $10.24 for shipping Total: $55.82
GERMINATING: 　
I put the seeds in a wet paper towel (with warm rain water and a few drops of Ortho seed starter) and then put them in a clear cake dome in the dark for 24 to 48 hours. I set mine on top of my VCR to keep them warm. This way has worked very well for me in the past. When they crack and the tap root is about 3/8" long, they will go right into the Jungle Growth soil. Make sure they don't dry up. Not to wet, not to dry, just moist. You just poke a small hole in the soil and put the seed with the tap root facing down into the hole and cover lightly. In another day or 2, they pop up and your way to some killer plants.
When germinating marijuana seeds:
Most seeds will germinate at 70-75 degrees F.
Nearly all seeds do best at about 78-80 degrees F.
Some seeds require up to 85 degrees F.
Never exceed 90 degrees F when germinating.
VEG BOX:
My new veg box is an extra lage U-Haul moving box which is 24" x 21" x 24", costs $4 and I use 4- 23 watt bulbs in it, 2 - 6500k and 2 - 2700k. I use 2 - 80mm fans for the exhaust, and 6" x 3" a passive intake, but I do have the 10" fan just in case it needs some extre air flow and cooling. The new spouts will only be in there for about 3 to 4 weeks, at which sometime I will top both plants, give them a couple more days to recover before moving them into the flowering box. Temps run about 84/86 in there. They'll stay in there about 30 days this time.
POTS:
I will use the same 2 - 6" pots I was growing with from the last grow for the veg cycle. Then I will transplant into the 2 - 2 1/2 gallon buckets, 1 for each plant. The buckets will have drainage holes in the bottom of them and will sit up of the pan with some small flat wooden spacers.
SOIL:
This grow, I will be using Jungle Growth pro mix potting soil, $4.97 at Lowes. The bag is 1 cubic foot. I will start them in the 6" pots. These are plenty big enough to start them in. I will be using the 2 - 2 1/2 gallon buckets to finish them in. The buckets will be sitting in a rectangle aluminum turkey pan to catch the drainage water.
FLOWER BOX:
Yep, it's the same ghetto ass leaning U-haul Grand Wardrobe Box I've been using. The size is 48" H-24" W-21" D. For a small grow, it seems to be the perfect size. I have 2 white shelfs from an old grow cabinet that worked out great. I used 1 for a floor in the box and the other 1, I put on top of the box for all my supplies to sit on, the box is very sturdy. For the door, I just taped up the top of the box where it drops down in the front, then cut the door on the other side. Plus, this box comes with a metal bar you can hang your light from all for $13. Also, being cardboard, it is very easy to cut out holes for fans and vents and such. I know it is a carboard grow room, but I have no concerns about it being a fire hazard. Everything is wired right and hardly no water is involved, it is very safe if you just do everything right.
LIGHTS:
　
I made the my lights from a 3 bulb chrome light fixture, an extension cord, and 7-Y blub splitters for a total of 10 bulbs. I screwed the fixture from the inside to a piece of 1" x 2" x 18" wood, which also gave me a place to hook the chains to with 2 eye screws, works great.
9 - 23 watt 2700k and 1 - 23 watt 6500k bulbs for a total of 230 watts and 16000 lumens. I used 1 6500k bulb just mix in the light spectrum*.
* about the spectrums, you want mostly blue for veg, and mostly yellow/red for flower. in nature the sun is much stronger in the summer, with mostly blue PAR (photosythiclly active radiation) which is what plants use from light (not lummens, LUX, watts etc..) and mostly yellow/red/far red PAR in the winter. so to follow "mother nature" you would want **example** 6 5600k cfls and 2 2700k for veg, and 6 2700k, 2 5600k cfls for flowering. seems sketchy to drop power when starting flowering, but actually increases yeild and potency, increases the productivity of photoperiods because the plant actually "feels" like its becoming fall/winter.
I will go with a 18/6 light schedule for the first 4 weeks in the veg box and then 12/12 in the flower box for the rest of the grow which should be about 7 to 8 weeks, so about 10 to 12 weeks total.
I plan on doing 24 hours of darkness at the time of switching to 12/12 and make sure its the same am hour that the light turns on at, so either do 24 or 36 hours. The theory is, it's suppose to put the plant into "super bloom" during the flowering period, we'll see.
FANS:
I'm using a computer power source to use as a DC convertor for running the 12v computer fans, works great and was only $12 on Ebay. I also have 2 80mm fans it runs that are in the veg box with a passive intake. A 5" table fan is now used as an intake fan along with a 90mm 12v fan and the 10" passive hole. The exhaust fans are 3 - 80 mm 12v and a 10"elec. fan at the top left side of the box, the 3 12v fans are staggered up the same side at different heights.
TEMPS:
I use the Acturite digital temp/humidity gauge I got from Wal-Mart that was $8, and it works very well.
The lowest I got the temps in the last grow was 82/84 degrees with peaks to 86/88 with the lights on and about 75/79 degrees in the dark period.
HUMIDITY:
Humidity will run between 30% to 45% so I'm good with that.
SOIL PH:
HoldAll Moisture, Light and PH Meter
Scientifically accurate No batteries required Measures moisture, light and soil PH. Promotes healthy plants.
It was only $8 and it worked good for keeping track of my ph.
I checked the ph every couple days during the last grow. The ph stayed around 6.5 to 6.8 which is great for a soil grow. That was after watering with nutes. I also use a fresh water PH kit to test the water.
WATER:
Pure water from one of those machines, or rain water if it ever rains here again.
NUTES:
MOST LIKELY THE FOX FARM TRIO.
I will start vegging using the Jacks Classic 20-20-20
TOPPING OR FIM:
I am going to cut the very top of each plant at about 8 to12 days this time. This will give me 4 or more main colas on each plant.
By the time your plants are a about 6 inches high and the 4th or 5th set of leaves comes up you can cut the two new leaves starting to just come in at the top, this will split the plant up in 4 or more branches, you can repeat this process a few times but give the plant time to grow and recover in between. This technique will increase your yield dramatically but cutting to much will slow the plant down very much since it needs energy to close it's wounds.
I will use this type of topping/fim as it worked well with the last grow.
#1 Locate the very top of the new growth. #2 With clean, sterilized scissors, Fold the fan leafs over and cut approximately 80% of the new growth off the plant. #3 This is what it should look like after the cut has been made. #4 View of the Cut section after 2 days growth, showing the 4 new growth shoots (branches).
CLONES:
I don't think I will clone on these first 2 girls. Maybe from the next 2. When I do, I will use a clear cake dome with holes it. I might try to get 1 or 2 clones from each strain. You just take the cutting, about 5 to 8 inches long, cut at a 45 degree angle, dip it in clone powder, place it in pre-soaked 30mm Jiffy peat pellet, stick it inside the "clone box" and place them in the veg box. Wait for the roots to shoot out the bottom of the Jiffy peat pellet and then transfer to a 6" or bigger pot filled with fresh potting soil and place it in the veg grow box. You need to spray/mist the clones a few times a day so they don't dry out till they root.
　
WHEN TO HARVEST
Trichomes are small appendages that look like hairs. They are produced by marijuana, and other plants. Female marijuana plants produce certain trichomes that are a rich source of THC. These trichomes can be found in their largest concentration on the buds. They start out clear, turn a milky color, then turn amber (light brown).
The trichomes in picture 1 are clear. After the plant has flowered for a few weeks, the trichomes start to turn a milky color (picture 2). After a few more weeks, they will be totally milky in color. In the later stages of flowering, trichomes will turn to a light brown color (picture 3). The amount of time required to get to this point depends on the marijuana strain and the growing conditions.
In picture 2 you can see the stems have started to turn from a clear color to a milky translucent color. For maximum THC content and a more cerebral and energetic high, harvest your plants when a majority of the trichomes on the plants in your garden are a fully milky translucent color.
You can wait until most of the trichomes have started to turn amber, but the resulting marijuana will produce more of a sleepy body stone than it would if plants were harvested earlier. The trichome in picture 3 is about 90% amber, with just a trace of the milky translucent color it previously possessed.
After the trichome is fully amber in color, the THC starts to degrade. This makes it very important to harvest marijuana at the time before a majority of the trichomes have attained a total amber color. If not, the marijuana will not be as potent as it could have been.
Based on that information once trichomes have turned milky white maximum THC levels have been reached and remain at that level until fully amber. So any time between filly milky white and fully amber is the peak THC level and when each person needs to decide when to harvest in that period of time is solely based on each individuals personal preference in high or stone of combination of each.
In short the prime time to harvest is variable based on personal preference as long as it is between when the trichomes have turned fully milky white and when they are fully amber.
Pure sativas and highly predominant sativas reach maximum THC potency when the trichomes are still clear. It will max out just before clouding occurs so it is best to harvest them at the first signs of clouding. But many people call any cross that is over 50% sativa a sativa and unless a strain is upwards of 80% sativa or higher you would want to wait until you see mostly cloudy trichomes with some amber trichomes and possibly with a few clear trichomes left.
HARVEST AND CURING:
When I harvest, I will use the veg box to hang the buds in and dry. Cut the buds off, anything over one and half inches long, and manicure them right then and there. Then, using cheap masking tape, I will make rows 3 or 4 inches apart, across the box and hang them from the tape. Then run an oscillating fan on low, blowing OVER but not on them, just to keep air moving. Do not allow the buds to touch each other. By drying just the buds alone, you can dry them in 3 to 5 days. The big buds are 5 days, the small buds in 3 days, till you can snap the stems. then put the small popcorn buds in shoe boxes, not piled up or touching each other, and stir them around daily too. What you want to do is dry the buds first, and then CURE them, by placing them in jars, and opening the jars daily for a few minutes, to smell them, for up to 30 days. If they smell funky, take them out of the jar and dry them again two more days, then back in the jars. You have to watch those big colas close to make sure you don't get mold.
Also, I want to use the trim leaves close to the buds, the stocks and stems and the larger green fan leaves to make some hash. I will keep them separate in a shoe boxes with a fan blowing over them too. These will be used to make the hash using a hash press. I plan on getting a grinder and press on Ebay for $16. I didn't do this with any of my other grows, but might try it this time.
Well, there you have it, the plans for my 4th time growing in soil, I've have learn alot and had alot of good advice from some great people here on the R.I.U. site. Thanks to all!! I will keep this thread updated as much as I can with pics and information of the grow's progress. Hope everyone comes back and grabs a seat for the ride again, this one will be better!!
for your girls to germ quick and healthy!!
too bad im a lil late but mi deya!
