Abby's Bud Shack

[sunnyside]

Good to hear you will be hanging around...at least for one more grow!!

One question I have is about lighting...what type of lighting i.e. halogen, incandesent, etc....gives the best effect? How do you dull the light down so the shiny buds don't reflect that light into the camera...example below..

any other suggestions would help as well...

 

[Guest]

dRbreiT0r - Thanks for stopping by! I pretty much do my own thing with the plants, but I do believe in what I call the "momentum principle"; basically it means laying a foundation so solid that the plant is put into flower at the moment of peak growth, which is not based upon age or strain, but rather the individual plant's stage of development. I cannot stress root development enough, big roots = big buds! Allow the plant to veg in the container you will use for flowering for at least a week if not two before switching the light cycle. I use Superthrive throughout veg, and start using either Fox Farm Grow Big or Pure Blend Pro Grow formula when I think the plant is ready... usually after about 2 - 3 weeks. Less is more... so I alternate feedings with plain water unless the plant wants more. Once the light cycle goes to flower mode I like to do one last veg feeding, then swith toeither Fox Farm's Big Bloom or Pure Blend Bloom formula throughout flower. The first feeding I give the seedlings is of Pure Blend Pro Fruit and Flower, then once again in middle of veg, and twice more during flower. I switch to plain water at the first sign of amber, and harvest at about 20-25% amber trichs. Then again, what the heck do I know?

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Hey sunnyside - Yes sir, you all will have to put up with me for at least one more grow! :smile: The Soma are doing well, the oldest gal is about 1-2 weeks away from harvest as she is just turning amber, the other has about 3-4 weeks to go. I can see a faint orange color under the green, but none of the coloration that was advertised has happened for me. But the buds are very pretty and heavily coated with trichs.

As to your question about lighting when photographing, it really depends upon what you are trying to accomplish. For example, some people like to shoot their plants while under the HPS. You can tell which ones they are by the reddish tinge to the photo. If you look back to the post I made on 7/28, you can see a photo done under the HPS light, as well as one using only the camera's flash. I personally prefer turning off the lights to shoot the plants, only leaving on a small incandescant light that allows me to focus and meter read. It is the only way to accurately portray the plant without taking it outside and shooting in natural light. Proper metering is very important, for example; in the photo you posted the bud is too bright because your camera was looking at the background, instead of compensating for the bud in the foreground. On really heavily crystallized buds, you may have to take your exposure down a step to compensate for the trichs reflection from the flash.

Hope that helps a bit!
Abby

 

[sunnyside]

ABBY IS THE MAN!!! thanks for the tidbit... I have the option of moving my plants out of the room to snap some shots....so NOOO HPS for me. Just regular old incandesant lights then, huh. What is this meter you are talkin about?

 

[dRbreiT0r]

sounds very good, and even LOOKS nicer hehe

thx for your quick answer

greetz

 

[Guest]

Thanks a lot for the reply Abby! White Rhino is on my to grow list for sure!!!! I hope JLP does something with a rhino mommy

I was also taken by the BOG hype by buying LS i was a newbie at the time, I've learned my lessons, never buy seeds really unless its NIrvana

peace, thanks

 

[sunnyside]

Bongsmoke...BOG is the 'master of hype' but LS is a really nice strain...worth every penny!!

 

[Guest]

Hey sunnyside - Almost every digital camera today has a built-in light meter, which is normally triggered by pressing halfway down on the shutter button. Of course, the higher end cameras give you more metering options and controls for things such as white balance or compensating for different types of light conditions.

Greets dRbreiT0r - just remember to do what works for you! And the only way to find that out is to try some different things. Personally, I love to experiment.


BongSmoke - There is a pretty fair amount of hype surrounding many different breeders and strains, but as sunnyside has mentioned good old BOG has an edge on most folks. Now, that doesn't mean that BOG seeds aren't any good, I will state here and now that I found BOG's strains to be very good indeed, and some of his strains are amongst my favorite smoke. The Lifesaver I grew was a bit of a letdown as far as aroma, taste and stone, as it was not what I had expected from the stories surrounding it, but that doesn't mean it's not good smoke... it is. Not great... but definitely good!

Soma Lavender

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Today was harvest day for a Soma Lavender and Sweet Cindy, and of course I have some harvest shots to share. I had the opportunity to smoke some of the Lavender I have in cure, it is also some very good smoke, having an unusual smell and taste that reminds me of peanut butter, giving a nice, mellow stone that lasts for a bit over an hour.

Soma Lavender with shade leaves removed







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Up next is my last Sweet Cindy, which I think is one of BOG's best strains. She smells sweet and fruity, and is loaded with crystals. The buds are dense and can get quite large, although it is quite a bit leafier than the pure c99 that I have grown. It's potent smoke, and I did cross some with the Lavender, which should make for an interesting mix! Here's some Sweet Cindy eye candy for you:

BOG's Sweet Cindy








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Enjoy!
Abby

 

[Guest]

Well, the harvested Soma Lavender and BOG Sweet Cindy are now in their cure jars, and the small amounts I have sampled indicate another successful grow has resulted in some killer smoke. Only one small Lavender is still in flower, and I will be harvesting her in about a week or two. At that time I will clean and prep the room for changeover to veg production, which is so easy with the switchable ballasts I have. I just throw in an MH bulb, flip the switch and Voila!... my 1K light is ready for a month's worth of vegetative growth. Then I'll throw in a new Hortilux bulb, flip the switch and flower them all together. What is the next grow? Well some of you may recall the peat pellets I used didn't perform as well as I had hoped, and now I know why. I didn't think about squeezing the excess water from the pellets after first "inflating" them, and the seeds were basically too damn wet before. Live and learn!

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As you can see from the pic above, a new crop is now in the early stages of development. The larger plants are from the inital peat pellet attempt, and consist of BMR, and two SB crosses from my buddy Weeweeman, a BGxBCBBxSB he calls The Big Sour, and a SBxBG he calls Sour Gum. Here's a closer look:

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I did another germination using the tried and true paper towel method with more seeds, and had great results, with only one seed not popping out a tail. This last germ was made up of my own crosses: a couple of Lifesaver x Sour Bubble 1BX, a few SB F2's, several BGxBCBBxc99 I call Big Cindy, and some Heaven's Horn x Ice. Should make for a real interesting grow!

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Abby

 

[Guest]

Hey Gang,
Just going through some of the earlier harvest containers and thought I would share a shot of this nice little c99 bud harvested back in May. The c99 strain is perhaps my most favorite strain as far as yield, and, as you can see, she sure makes some fine looking little buds.

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Did I say little?

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Abby

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

What a cola! Almost looks like a cake of hash!

 

[Guest]

What a very nice cola. I was just in the process of picking the strains for my next run. I got 4 C99 seeds and this was the last nail in the coffin. They are definately first in line with some other undecided ones

 

[Guest]

You Fuckin ROCK ABBEY!!!!Man your pic's are awe inspiring as are your grow's,alway's a pleasure to click on your threads!!!

 

[Guest]

God I love football! Even if it's just preseason ball it's still wonderful, and with my Tivo and DirecTV there's always a game on at the Bud Shack. There's just something special about football on a big screen tv with a cold beverage in one hand, and a nice smoke in the other, especially with dinner starting on the grill. That's why they make commercials... so you can go check the grill and refresh that beverage or snack tray!

Today's smoke of choice was some of BOG's Sweet Cindy recently harvested and placed in cure. I love the Sweet Cindy, it's a mind and body stone, perfect for watching the game, but definitely not a wise choice for playing the game! It packs a pretty good punch, and a few inhales is all it takes for me to be very comfortable and relaxed. Life is good!

Hey Mr GreenJeans - The c99 that I had produced very dense buds that were firm but light in both weight and makeup. They are not rock hard, but they are very compact. I have a gallon container full of some nice c99 buds which you can see from the pic below. The bud from the previous post is the one across the top, and the bottom green bud in the shot is some WR.

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Hi Salakavala - you should enjoy the c99, it makes a fine addition to anyones garden. The c99 I had, from all the multiple grows I've done of it, was from a single seed of the Capricon Seed Company's c99 F2 stock, which I then cloned for subsequent grows. The plant was the runt of the litter at first, a true ugly duckling. However, she finished as perhaps the nicest plant of that grow, with even more yield than the Heaven's Horn. Here's a pic from my gallery of the c99 mom in all her glory:

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Howdy RED145 - Thanks for stopping by the shack, always a pleasure to hear from folks that they like their visit to the Bud Shack. I'm so happy that you find my photos inspirational, that is really the whole purpose behind what I do and why I am here. All of us are in this "hobby" for our own reasons, some grow for the medicinal value, some for stash, for others it's a business, for me it's the art, as well as the personal satisfaction of watching something grow and evolve. That, and I just love taking pictures! :wink:

Speaking of pictures, since I really don't have anything to shoot except some babies and a last Lavender in flower... here's a little shot I took while on a recent expedition. Might make a nice mascot for the Bud Shack!

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Abby

 

[dRbreiT0r]

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Abby - how about a small balloon to the right of the beak saying "Soma Lavender... 'nuf said"

Amazing c99 buds - haven't seen any like this around here. Looks to be a very strong girl!

Awesome pics....

 

[sunnyside]

Enjoy!
Abby

Stunning abby...simply gorgeous!!! Do you take your babies outside for the pics? I love the sky background...like the heaven's horn pic from a while back.

 

[Guest]

OUTSTANDING pics that eagle is amazing how clear that is oh great one teach us your skills.
amazing pics as always Abbynormal

 

[Guest]

abby, all i have to say is... WOW... what is your setup?

 

[guest3854]

Bog's sweet cindy looks like it did real nice for ya !

 

[Guest]

Howdy All!

I see I've had a few visitors to the shack past few days, but before I get to the meet and greet, let me make note of what's going on here at the Bud Shack. I have a lot of youngsters here, with new babies popping their heads up daily. My veg area has been moved into the flower room, and the 1000W HPS has been switched over to MH, with the remaining Soma Lavender moved to a spare bathroom to finish out her remaining few days. The new kids are loving the big light, and I have noticed a lot of new growth since the move yesterday. Here's a pic of the new kids taken just after their move:

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This is my 7th major grow since starting up last year, and I am dedicating this grow to everyone here at International Cannagraphic, as this month marks my one year anniversary of joining the site. I originally started at Overgrow, but OG became just too slow after they moved their servers, and now ICM is the only site I use. What's in the garden you ask? Well, suffice it to say you will see some crosses that, to my knowledge, have never been done or posted before. The main ingredient in this run will be BOG's Sour Bubble 1BX, as I used a choice male SB to propogate several females from some mixed strains. Here's what's cooking now:

Sour Bubble 1BX F2's
Lifesaver x Sour Bubble
Sweet Cindy x Sour Bubble
Jock Horror x Sour Bubble
Bubblegum x Sour Bubble (Sour Gum - courtesy of Weeweeman)
BubblegumxBCBigBud x Sour Bubble (The Big Sour - courtesy of Weeweeman)
Heaven's Horn x Ice
c99 x Ice
Blue Moon Rocks

How does that lineup sound? I think it's Bogalicious myself! :wink: As for my last Soma Lavender in flower, she hasn't done anything as far as color, but even the lower buds are totally covered with trichs as you can see:

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Special thanks to sunnyside for his wonderful gift of the Soma Lavender seeds! While they didn't give me color, they did give me a nice buzz! Now, on to the guest list...

dRbreiT0r - Thanks, glad you're enjoying the show!

Mr GreenJeans - Not a bad idea, although I think it would be more like: Soma Lavender... Where's the Color? As for the c99, I was very lucky to get a wonderful girl, and while I don't have any clones left, I do have some c99 x Ice seeds from her in this current grow.

sunnyside - Thanks sunny, I'm still bummed about the lack of color, but the Soma Lavender did turn out great otherwise. I do like to use the sky as a backdrop for a lot of my harvest pics, it's sort of my signature style. Actually that "little" c99 bud was shot against an early evening sky which appears black in the finished shots.

southernsmoker - Thanks, glad you liked the eagle. I'm really into nature photography, and unlike most of the "pros", I handhold all my shots as a tripod doesn't allow me the freedom of movement I need. All of my budshots are handheld as well. Here's another "nature" pic taken recently, he's actually my new guard cat at the Bud Shack! :smile:

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wang chung - Greetings and salutations. I use a combination of CFL's for the earliest stages, and I have a couple of 1000W switchable lights I can use for flowering or veg depending upon need. I use a mix of Fox Farm's Ocean Forest and Jungle Grow, and am currently using Pure Blend's line of nutes with Superthrive added during veg. Basically, I just do my own thing!

steel savage - I'm a big fan of the Sweet Cindy, as a matter of fact I'm rolling some up as soon as I finish this post! Can't wait to see how the Sweet Cindy x Sour Bubble cross turns out!

Well gang... time to order a pizza and watch some FOOTBALL!
Abby