Flush and starve plants during flowering??

[Reaspberry Rip]

stihgnobevoli - I'm with you on that man. But I don't tell folks... they already think I'm nuts. LOL

Years ago when I fished commercially on a Western Rigged Stern Trawler we would occasionally haul up a "Bale". Always had a big "X" cut in the plastic bag so it would sink.
Anyways this stuff had been soaking in the net with fish slyme, salt, mud, and who knows what else. I'd take my share home, soak it in the tub, and spread it out in the back room to dry.
Shit was horrible! Terribly horrible. But, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Never had trouble selling it off (I wouldn't smoke it!).
Fire it up and she'd hiss, crackle and pop. Had so much salt it would dry out your innerds by the secon hiut. Smelt & tasted like shit, and burned the throat like a blow torch. Had 3 guys fighting for it each time to sell at the local college. They loved it.
Each time they'd try it,, cough their heads off. I'd ask, You like that? Reply,, "Hell yeah man. You can't get off without the cough"
I felt sorry for them... but still took the money. LOL.

 

[vapor]

I grew up fishing{sardines, lobsters, ground fish etc etc}. And ever once and a while we would get bricks of hash{ton loads came in all over the coast}. Salt water hash. We were teenagers so hot knives, all night lol. SO gross. lol. salty hash is better then no hash when you are a kid on a island.....thanks for the memories........lol^^^

 

[InGhostgrower]

My dad told me about these. Never tried one, looks like a good way to get fogged out though!!

Just for the record, back in the day--glass bongs were super expensive so either you made your own from bamboo or from plastic....or did without. So most of us smoked joints (pinners if it was great) and a simple thing called "Power Hitter" was the rage.

View Image
View Image

"Onward through the fog was" their slogan...lol. This thread has a couple of pics of it "in action". https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=4165965

No fancy glassware, no perculators, no ash catchers, just weed and Zig Zags...and the Power Hitter if you wanted to jump to lulu land.

Not saying it was hard in my days...just saying some of us blazed the paths to make it easier today.

 

[EclipseFour20]

Bag appeal--it is a dynamic moving target. Back in the 60s bag appeal was a 4 finger lid in a new sandwich baggie. Let's just say--in those days the mix of flower, stems & seeds was about 50% flowers and equal amounts of seeds/stems. That was the norm for this time period--seedless was the exception.

When Columbian/Acapulco/Panama were sizzling, the color thing drove the market. Red, gold, dark, dark red/browns were in....green was out. But sensimilla (seedless weed) was still on the horizon so stems & seeds were still in.

I think it was early 80s when I saw my first manicured bud...this Indian friend of mine (American Native variety) showed me this 15" stalk that was perfect and weighed about an ounce. Huge sequence of buds that were the darkest green brown you could imagine. Flavor and potency was there and it had a very sweet flavored smoke. Those 1 oz stalks of goodness were known as Mohawkian Spears.

So for a period of time, colas on a stick (Mohawkian Spears) was the "bag appeal" consumers demanded and gladly paid a premium for. I called them "party sticks"....bring one to a party, and you were the party!...lol.

So...bag appeal went from 3 fingers (50/50 flower/seeds) to 4 finger lids (less seeds), to color, then to colas on a stick, then...to sensimilla (seedless weed).

Fast forward to today--bag appeal is now: buds (seedless) shaped like pine cones, no brown hairs, dense nugs (capable of bouncing off of walls intake), no foxtailing, blinding crystals, sticky, and stinky. Right?

Yep bag appeal is subjective and a dynamic moving target. But to be a top cultivator--you gotta provide what the masses want; as painful as it may sound--we do not decide what "bag appeal" is...they do. As cultivators, we just "do it".

 

[TheCleanGame]

Yep bag appeal is subjective and a dynamic moving target. But to be a top cultivator--you gotta provide what the masses want; as painful as it may sound--we do not decide what "bag appeal" is...they do. As cultivators, we just "do it".

Yeah, commercial and top-quality just don't mesh in the real world yet. The real world still needs an education for that to happen.

Sad, isn't it? lol

 

[stihgnobevoli]

if i grew for profit which i don't. i think the easiest way to make a killing would be to grow some pungent smelling fruity flavored, crystally, high yielding weed. i bet it wouldn't even need to get you high. just have that right mass appeal.

 

[EclipseFour20]

Yeah, commercial and top-quality just don't mesh in the real world yet. The real world still needs an education for that to happen.

Sad, isn't it? lol

Hard to say, I only have top quality around (that complication thing) and in the days when I slung weed, it too was only top quality...or the best around. In the late 70s and throughout the 80s, my clientele were those that shared my tastes (and had money) and the great stuff always came from Northern Cali. Now...please do not get the impression that I was some kind of fast dealing candyman that sold to Hollyweird elite at inflated prices (I despise those people); rather some of the "elite" happened to be my friends and they had friends that liked what I had. And when they wanted something different--I got it.

Now who is driving this car? Consumers (those that consume weed in mass amounts--which I guess we can match "commercial weed" with this group), or connoisseurs (those that demand excellence--"top drawer weed"), or "cultivators" (us--"what I like and fuck everyone else weed")?

Using the car analogy, I say cultivators would be the engine, connoisseurs the driver and consumers are in the backseat crying "are we there yet?" (they are there just for the ride).

Ask a winemaker what he likes and drinks in private...and many will admit their fav it is not their label's "most expensive" wine or the "biggest mover" (most popular); rather it will be an oddball wine. Seldom will their favorite wine be what consumers/customers like the most. So what do they do? Some grow both; they found it is better to have a happy consumer and a happy winemaker--than a happy winemaker and pissed off consumers (winery out of business).

Who is driving this cannabis car?

BTW...the wine industry and cannabis industry have many similarities. IMHO, when exploring/investigating/studying certain cannabis issues, sometimes taking a page from their "lessons learned" is a nice shortcut to a possible answer/outcome, no reason to "reinvent the wheel" if you don't have to.

 

[ThaiBliss]

As much as I hate to admit it, when those green bills come your way, it affects your decision making process... big time. There is nothing more addictive. I did not even notice how much it was affecting me until I stopped, long ago. Keeping money out of the equation changes everything. I've seen it happen to everyone else also. I cannot think of a bigger influence of behavior.

 

[Raziel819]

Ahhh the Power Hitter, never owned one but used em lol

My fav was the fish pump auto bong, put the mask on and just breath. Think it cost me $80 bucks back in the 70's. Freakin thing was awesome at parties

been there and done both and when we had neither we either took the joint reversed it in our mouths and blew the smoke into our friends nose and mouth or took 2 tablespoons heated them on the stove (with gloved hands of course) popped some weed on one and pressed both spoons together all while under a sheet. It didn't take long to stop the world after a few of those hits.

 

[Ras Mason]

The Thrill is gone.....the thrill is gone away from meeeee...
peace
jf ^^

(never felt better than not having to manage 100's of lights.)

 

[Raziel819]

Quick question to any guru out there. This is my 1st "complete" grow without any real noob mistakes (4th try) and my girl is now in week 5. I was wondering if she was at the proper stage of development. The strain is RQ Critical she is supposed to take 7 weeks to harvest, does she look like she's on track?


Thanks guys,

 

[Ras Mason]

Not a Guru by any means, but:
Another good month downward curve feeds to straight water should do her.
peace
rm

 

[Raziel819]

Not a Guru by any means, but:
Another good month downward curve feeds to straight water should do her.
peace
rm

Thanks for the speedy reply Ras,

So you're saying something like a New Years harvest? If so I was hoping it would be before xMas, but had prepared for the new year.

 

[Ras Mason]

Seriously buddy, it's hard to say.
These are two photos and we never grw that pheno.
It ight have a magic gene that controls explosive senescence...
You could just start watering water right now and follow your heart's desire. Find that sweet spot between frsh terpenes and ripe cannabinoids. As you said, you are a seeker on the path at the beginning of your journey. Experience creates Love and Love is the power, ghetto youths, that a di truth!
peace
jf

 

[EclipseFour20]

^^^what they said.

Just remember, if you pull it tooo early, then expect uplifting Sativa effect...and if you pull it "late" then you have "sleep weed". IMHO, the terpenes and aromas become fuller and complex the longer she goes. I had a chocolope I ran 100 days....she was sweet and tasted exactly like "hershey kisses", with no Sativa effect. Had to set her up to go 100 days, but it was fun and I shared most of it, save half a zip.

If you must have Christmas Cheer, chop a few branches early...then save a few buds to compare with the "harvested" ones. You will be surprised of the subtle differences a day or two can make. On testers, I usually run 3-4 plants and whack a branch each day starting around day 60....and continue each day until day 75 or so (2 week interval)...or more if the plant says "not ready yet". Sweet spots can vary--depending on your objective.

IMHO, there is no "wrong way"...just your way and my way (and sometimes we disagree).

 

[Raziel819]

@ Doc, you know, lol, I fought the urge to chop a shoot with a nice size bud just the other day. The internal reasoning that won was... its to early, it won't be a accurate test give it to at least week 6, ask someone that's been there (more successful grows than me) about her development. Well I had 2 of the 3 points met and I just needed to ask someone about that 3rd point.

Like I'd stated, just going by the calendar, the beginning of week 7 is the 15th (from flower development not flip), I was going to start checking tric progress sometime in week 6. I have just started the downward nute curve right now pph is 650, right now she's not showing any deficiencies, (under leds) not even cal/mag problems so taking her down to seedling pph numbers appears to be no problem for her. I was just wondering, seeking advice from more experienced growers, as to whether she was progressing in tune with the "breeder" stated time of harvest. Not having a teacher/mentor to take me through one or two grows who could point me in the right direction (in real time) when things went right or wrong is a lot like learning martial arts from a text book or watching it on TV. I believe I have the patience to wait for her to mature, 2 more weeks or 2 months won't break me, one is Happy xmas day and the other is Happy valentines day. Operative words being Happy day.

You know when I was a kid, my older brother had a 3 in the column 57 Hudson that I learned how to drive by listening to the engine and watching him work the shift, (wish we still had that car) it didn't take me long to learn how to drive a stick because I knew what to look for and when to do it. So all I am asking is/was it time to shift to another gear or just ride it a little longer cause I can't hear the engine.

I hope I didn't offend anyone cause that is/was not my intention, I'm just trying to be the best grower I can be. Especially since they stopped selling 25$ (3 finger sandwich bag) lids, around here in my parts 25$ gets you 2.5 - 3grs.

Thanks for teaching me how to fish,
Stay Frosty My Friends

 

[Raziel819]

@ Ras

yeah I know its just 2 photos, I have a album of this grow under the link at the bottom. I just included those 2 because I didn't want to clutter up this thread with my junk. I didn't start a journal for this grow cause its just, frankly, a PITA to try to put down all your thoughts and what you did and didn't do. My hat goes off to all those who do have the wherewithall to do it. My patience and spelling skills are not on the same level with those who can do it and do it well. Plus my butt always hurt when I get up from the computer when I sit to long.

Thanks, brother for your advice too,
Stay Frosty My Friends

 

[EclipseFour20]

7 weeks is 49 days...hmmm, not saying you have an early bloomer--but for me, early starts with 60 days (which is what...8 1/2 weeks or so)--terpenes is where the fun is (which of course assumes potency is there).

Of course you could chop about half the branches for "testers" (half a branch a day if you want a good sampling) then do the "starve" and/or "water deficit" thing with what's left of the plant--shooting for a specific target date, say day 65 (hah--back on topic now...lol). That would be one way to obtain a "representative" of what she is capable of. Also, if you run long sometimes plants will generate faux seeds--when you see that you have gone too far.

 

[Raziel819]

Well I start flowering time when I see the first little pretty pre-bud and not when I flip to 12/12. If I were to count that time I would be right at 60 days but I only want to chop her when she's at her prime, not early or late but just right. I guess the hardest thing for me to determine is when to start the other procedures, (eg. mild nute water add back, straight water add backs, etc) that will end in harvest.

I'm running in a Bio-bucket Undercurrent hybrid system and trying to get the timing right based on her stage of development has been the problem for me. I haven't taken a leaf to check the tric's because I've read that the tric's on the leaves always matures faster than those on the buds themselves and the scope that I have is a PITA to use with these old eyes without it being on a "supported" flat surface.

So that's why I'm here trying to find some answers. I'm trying to get the mile markers that would let me judge when I need to do x and when I need to do y and when I see some road blocks when to take a detour to get to the destination.

And yeah, I want the terpens, I started a auto with this run and I chopped her based on the calendar and tric's but I guess she could have gone longer cause she didn't have the terpens that I thought would have been there. Very light taste and smell but good medicine over all.

 

[ThaiBliss]

In my opinion...

Flush and starved a little too much:

Flush and starved about right:

Not flushed and starved enough:

ThaiBliss