First grow almost done!

[bcherb2]

Hi guys, thanks to alot of reading and researching Im close to finishing my first grow, the plants arent in PERFECT health, but arent exactly dead either.


2 questions, is there anything I should do in the last couple weeks? And how long before I should cut them down exactly? Is it when the hairs turn brown?

Thanks!


There are 4 plants, each plant has 2 pics, first is a wide shot second is a macro. Sorry about the quality of some pics.

 

[Maj.PotHead]

how long have they been flowering honestly they look like few more wks for sure. going by the percentage of red hairs isnt the best way to gauge when to harvest, but the pic posted above is i good referanceon when to harvest. as for what to do the last 2 wks before harvest this would depend on what type if any ferts used.

organic based { fox farm} ferts i do regular PH'd watering's for the last 10 days of plants life

for chem mirical grow and peters and such min 14 day

but to know when properly flushed take a large fan leave and chew the stem, if its bitter more time on flush if it tastes like water then tis ready for the chop.

 

[Guest]

Hey major pothead that seems like a good idea. did u invent this technique? seems like a good way to tell if u need to flush more or not. I will definately try this method. Good tips pothead.

 

[bcherb2]

I use organic nutes, with molasses in tap water. So the last week or so just put straight water in there? Do I still need to flush if im not using chem ferts?


Also, what power magnifying glass do I need to see the trichomes clearly enough?


Thanks guys!

 

[Guest]

yea, you are only like 1/2 way through flower IMO.

 

[rule35sub1]

even with organics, flush em the last 10 days or so.
go get a magnifying glass or a jewelers loop to see your trichs, it's the best way to see them.

 

[Guest]

Not to mention a microscope... Trichome forests

Wait a while.. You will know when they are ready.. it shows

Happy Smoking

 

[VanGrow]

looks like they are over fertilized they are too darkand and shiny...try bigger pots during flowering..
good growing for 1st time

 

[bcherb2]

looks like they are over fertilized they are too darkand and shiny...try bigger pots during flowering..
good growing for 1st time

Thats what I've figured, yeah, is there anyway to "un-fert" organic plants? Or should I just bake/throw away the soil and start over?

And why you say bigger pots?



Thanks for the info guys, building a carbon scrubber this weekend and getting a mag glass looks like! Powershot SD450 cant take close enough macros to see clear tric's

 

[Maj.PotHead]

Hey major pothead that seems like a good idea. did u invent this technique? seems like a good way to tell if u need to flush more or not. I will definately try this method. Good tips pothead.

no didnt invent the chew on leaf stem read it here srry cant prop the right member or even thread i read it in i'm stoned now lol

for tric inspection i use this http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...e&kw=illuminated+microscope&parentPage=search
to inspect i'll take the very tip of a tric covered leaf just the end snipit, take snipit from top mid and bottom of nug in question. place these on a white peice of paper i zoom to 100 power and focus on the world of trichromes . i'll check more then 1 bud per plant the uppers mostly allways finish farther along then the lowers something to keep in mind if not pressed for time . let lowers go another wk after tops harvested

shot of some of my sugar shack trics with the radioshack scope

 

[Maj.PotHead]

Thats what I've figured, yeah, is there anyway to "un-fert" organic plants? Or should I just bake/throw away the soil and start over?

And why you say bigger pots?



Thanks for the info guys, building a carbon scrubber this weekend and getting a mag glass looks like! Powershot SD450 cant take close enough macros to see clear tric's

you can flush PH'd water 6.5 PH through the container you want to use 3x in water to soil {1 gal soil = 3 gal water } and maybe on the last 1/4 gal of water add 2 tsp/gal soil dolimite lime to soils top and finish watering. but them plants dont look bad heck i'm slaming 3 of my plants right now with high P guano's lmao my larger fans are startn to show the abuse lmao but chop chop for them is jan 7-10th

 

[smokeymacpot]

your big plants looks like they have a while to go cos they have loads and loads of fresh pistils still, the smaller one looks like its not far off.

 

[Guest]

Maj.Pothead : This will be my first harvest ever bro. So u cut the tops buds down first and let the lower branch buds continue to mature before cutting them down? Please elaborate on this process. And if so, the top buds that are cut first will be hung dryed and then put into jars for further curing before the other lower branch buds? Im sry im noob still pothead but i would like to learn from the gifted growers like urself. Also my plants are at day 31 of flower. When should i stop feeding with ferts and just water with plain old h2o. Here they are.

how much longer would u give them before feeding only water?

 

[ChaoticEntity]

organics can be a challenge to be sure, I'd be willing to bet you ammended the soil a bit too much in the beginning and as the plants matured they "grew" into the mix.

Your plants look good for the most part with no huge issues. looks like there using up the N that's present so thats a good sign, imho a plant that finishes with no yellowing needs a longer cure time to get the chlorophyll to break down. What I would suggest is adding a bag or 2 of good soil to the mix at the end of harvest, add perlite as needed, slightly wet down and let it sit in a warm area for 2-4 weeks then use it again.

next time don't amend the soil with so much N at the beginning and use more teas or commercial organics. Personally I use(or reuse) the equivilent of 6-8 bags of soil so roughly 50 cubic feet. I amend with perlite, about 2 cups of blood meal, then kelp/bone/greensand as needed and judged by the previous grow, pretty much 3LB stuff. I also feed Pure Blend Bloom(not the pro formula the regular pure blend) and fox farm big bloom several times during flower. My system is a mix from BOG and 3LB and has worked wonderfully, but if there's too much N present then the leaf curl thing happens. When the curl happens the leaves will not go back to normal and it makes judging feeding schedules a bit harder.

As much as I'd like to be 100% organic I find that 1-2 feedings of a hydro micro fert( I use a micro product form a company called dynagrow), one in early flower one about 3 weeks in, keeps the plants in great shape and fills in any nute gaps that organics has. After several times of using the soil there is enough micro nutes in there to last for the next 3-4 grows, but your plants may vary. I also use the micro nutes once in veg. I have found that most organic mixes are weak in zinc, this seriously inhibits growth.

I also recommend using blackstrap mollass once or twice in veg and every 10-14 days in flower, it is a great carb source as well as containing much needed sulphur, don't forget sulphur in mho it's as necessary as NPK.

overall your doing well, remember to change one variable at a time and keep track of things if your going to change them, no sense in changing too many things and not knowing why the plants are doing good/bad. Keep up the good grow, after 2-3 of them you'll have your setup dialed in and you'll be growing with the best of them, your well on your way!!




As far as harvesting, well do yourself a favor and get a radioshack pocket microscope(like 15$) or a 30x jewelers loop(price really varies 10$ for a cheapie to 400$+ for top end glass) and look at the trichromes, mostly cloudy with ~15-20% amber is a great starting point to harvest, if you like a more uppity high than couchy then harvest 3-7 days earlier(~90%cloudy ~5% amber ~5% clear, if you want to be sedated then harvest when 50% of the trichromes are amber, that'll put you to sleep for sure! Just harvest over a 7-10 day period and figure out what stone suits you the best.

The buds that are at the bottom will mature slower than the top buds, so if you have the space/time then you can harvest the top buds then leave the plant under the lights and harvest the lower buds 3-7 days after you harvest the top ones. Personally I feel that with most of the weight being in the main buds it's not worthwhile as I'm ready to get my next set of plants going ASAP, waiting around another week for 10% of your harvest seems like a waste of time to me( I make the lower buds into oil anyhow) but others perfer to harvest in stages. it's all up to you and what you have for time/space. Hope that helps.

 

[Guest]

yeah i wish i knew how to make oil or hash out of the trim. im as new to growing as they come.

 

[Deft]

My advice, being that this is your first grow, is to cut the bud in different stages, cut a little once the trichs are mostly cloudy/clear, then some when they are half amber half cloudy and cure and see what YOU like more so you know for next time!

 

[jasonk]

I have a 30X jewelers loupe and it's pretty hard to see the color of the trichs. Am I using it improperly? Ive played with it for a while and thats all I can get. Is it an obvious change to amber? or is it somethign I can miss with 30X?

 

[Guest]

I have a 60x and it is still hard for me... just get a big magnifying glass...

The change wll be pretty noticable and they are more brown when they start to become super maybe overly ripe... wait for a very few to go brown to pull for intense potency. Other wise half (amber) and half (cloudy/clear) is always a good rule o fthumb when your just not sure.