Jonny in distress - Why does my good pot burn like shit?

bolognafingers420 said:

Sounds like you need to flush better. The fan leaves on most strains should be pretty yellowed out before harvest. I did not read the 4 pages of comments but did you mention what kind of nutes you were running? How long did you flush for? How did you flush? Typically bud that is not flushed properly especially when grown with chemicals (non organic) nutes burns poorly. Ash stays dark gray and black. Burns out easy and sometimes even crackles when its burns....all indications of improperly flushing.

Click to expand...

jonnynobody said:

I have to do some more research on this topic as well as plant biology to properly figure this out on my own. This does NOT burn like my last batch even after extensive drying. It's chronic and sticky, but something is off. This is my first time with hydro and I am a good sport so I intend to do my next run with the same water to waste hydro but I'm eliminating the PK booster and the additive I added into the mix that had not been included in my previous grows. We will then see what happens next harvest. I think the bullshit products I used caused this, not my drying situation. I'll very honestly report back my findings in this little controlled experiment and I will let ya know straight from the horses mouth what happens. Again, I need a better understanding of plant biology to properly assess this, so give me time and I will offer an accurate answer as to why this occurs.

BTW, dry time is completely dependent upon ambient humidity (i.e. time of year and region you're growing in), so there is no hard and fast rule to dry time as there are too many variables at play.

At this point, I absolutely do NOT believe this is a drying or curing issue. Something else is at play and I will find out what it is.

Click to expand...

This won't be a popular statement, but I'll throw it out there anyway. When using synthetics, especially in a hydro set up, it's very easy to over feed. Someone that has been running hydro for a while likely has it dialed in pretty well, but most people that are new to it, or following a manufacturers feeding chart are just throwing mud at the wall. Guessing what the plant needs, and when it needs it.

This is one of the main reasons I like organics. You put the plant and the microbes in charge, and let them figure out what is needed. This has been perfected over millions of years of evolution and I prefer not to pretend that I know better.

I'm always telling people less is more, but I don't think many are buying it.

Those PK boosters are kinda ridiculous...even though I use them, lol.

There is no way that giving your plant extra P and K would have the effect that these products do. Plants uptake what they need and leave behind what they don't. Blasting them with P and K at the end of their cycle doesn't even really make sense - plants use way less nutrients once the buds become almost mature, than during the middle of flower.

What makes those bloom boosters/pk boosters effective is their 'unlisted' ingredients. I can almost gaurentee that products like shooting powder and dry koolbloom have some type of PGR in them. When I use these type of products too aggressively, they cause extensive fox tailing. I've actually INCREAED my flower time abusing these products, as the plants got some of that PGR and decided they weren't done flowering yet. Makes for extra weight, but IMO hasrh and ugly looking buds.

I also think that the PGRs/unlisted ingredients are what causes the harshness - which always get's blamed on the PK boost.

If your use to soil, than hydro may taste very harsh, especially if it's a strain that you are use to being grown in soil.

Of course RH has an impact on drying, that is why your drying area should be controlled, just like your grow room. If your constantly drying in a different environment, how the heck are you going to have a consistent product and fine tune your drying/curing method? The dry and cure are super crucial to the overall quality of the finished product. If your buds take less than a week to dry, your drying too quickly and I would do what ever it takes to get your drying environment dialed in.