Hello, first post, first seeds. Kali China and Orient Express

[Common Sense]

On the 10th you said, quantity and not quality
A few days after,today,quality till mid March?
What exactly is your question?

Hello DNM1,
I will be out of town for two weeks starting March 14.
I guess leaving the plants alone for two weeks during their final stage of flowering is probably not such a good idea, despite that I think longer veg times and stronger plants are cool and more fun.

If I harvest, e.g. March 1 (9 weeks of 12/12 if I switch Dec 30), the buds will be mostly dry by March 14, but I am afraid they will still rot of mold if put in jars at that time and go away. If I leave them out to dry further, they might get too dry.


So actually two questions: when to switch, dependent on the method of drying and curing in such a situation.


Range has already outlined a possible plan and I guess that makes a lot of sense, especially since I do not need to harvest many grams.

But maybe there are alternative versions of storing/drying/curing, that would allow me to give more vegetative time?

 

[Common Sense]

Well if it were me I'd want it cured down to 62% in the jar and stable at that humidity before I went away for the two weeks. This is my personal preference. That way I know it's going to be the best quality smoke and no need to complicate things by freezing etc.

Working on a deadline of 16th March and counting back, without knowing your setup such as room temps and humidity, I would plan on:

- Three weeks minimum for a dry and cure. Let's say 7 - 10 days to hang the plant and 10 - 14 to cure it in the jar burping once or twice daily ...

Hello Range,

thanks a lot for the very detailed plan and explanations, this makes a lot of sense!
Cheers

 

[DNM1]

Hello DNM1,
I will be out of town for two weeks starting March 14.
I guess leaving the plants alone for two weeks during their final stage of flowering is probably not such a good idea, despite that I think longer veg times and stronger plants are cool and more fun.

If I harvest, e.g. March 1 (9 weeks of 12/12 if I switch Dec 30), the buds will be mostly dry by March 14, but I am afraid they will still rot of mold if put in jars at that time and go away. If I leave them out to dry further, they might get too dry.


So actually two questions: when to switch, dependent on the method of drying and curing in such a situation.


Range has already outlined a possible plan and I guess that makes a lot of sense, especially since I do not need to harvest many grams.

But maybe there are alternative versions of storing/drying/curing, that would allow me to give more vegetative time?

C.S switch to 12/12 now.Trust me, some of the stress, your stress, will go.Plants look healthy, and,it's time for them to work and give something you can cure,before the middle of March.Switch now you gain 13 days ,two week
Do that, and then we talk about the rest

 

[Common Sense]

C.S switch to 12/12 now.Trust me, some of the stress, your stress, will go.Plants look healthy, and,it's time for them to work and give something you can cure,before the middle of March.Switch now you gain 13 days ,two week
Do that, and then we talk about the rest

Clear statement, same as Range's. I follow your advices and have now switched the timer to 12/12. We note 2 weeks vegetative time.

Let the show begin

 

[DNM1]

Clear statement, same as Range's. I follow your advices and have now switched the timer to 12/12. We note 2 weeks vegetative time.

Let the show begin

Range's grow you should follow.He has OE,KC as we'll as some other beauties.Observe plant growth,techniques(topping),watering,the people that respond to his efforts etc.Neat,clean set up
He's not doing anything different from you.Yours is a scaled down "version"
You have to contain your excitement.Two people are involved!Your secret passion.Illegal.Be careful

 

[Common Sense]

Range's grow you should follow.He has OE,KC as we'll as some other beauties.Observe plant growth,techniques(topping),watering,the people that respond to his efforts etc.Neat,clean set up
He's not doing anything different from you.Yours is a scaled down "version"
You have to contain your excitement.Two people are involved!Your secret passion.Illegal.Be careful

Absolutely! But I have just discovered how much fun this is and it makes me very happy to be able to share it here with you all.
Compliment's to Range's grow.


I have noticed that my plants are growing with no stretch at all and look a bit different from Range's grow. Like they are squatting to the ground. I have read this before from people using LED with a high color temperature. They appear very strong, though and the stems are getting quite thick.

 

[DNM1]

Absolutely! But I have just discovered how much fun this is and it makes me very happy to be able to share it here with you all.
Compliment's to Range's grow.


I have noticed that my plants are growing with no stretch at all and look a bit different from Range's grow. Like they are squatting to the ground. I have read this before from people using LED with a high color temperature. They appear very strong, though and the stems are getting quite thick.

 

[Ur Humbl Nr8tor]

Good luck, Common Sense. Keeping an eye on this.

 

[Range]

I have noticed that my plants are growing with no stretch at all and look a bit different from Range's grow. Like they are squatting to the ground. I have read this before from people using LED with a high color temperature. They appear very strong, though and the stems are getting quite thick.

Interesting, so you think it's more to do with the colour spectrum than how close the lights are to the canopy? I used to veg with a Mars Hydro reflector and found my plants looked similar to what they do now under the CFLs. Perhaps I just keep my lights a little higher?

Over the past few years of growing indoors I have developed a preference for having plants a little lankier as I feel when I put them into flower it allows the light to penetrate better to some of the lower bud sites. Not only that, but I find them more pleasing from an aesthetic point of view and they are also easier to work on when training them. It does depend on how much headroom you have in your growing area though, I'm lucky enough to have 200cm.

 

[troutman]

Don't overfeed and you'll have it easy.

 

[Common Sense]

5 days later

5 days later

Here we are today, 19 days old. 5 days with 12/12.
I have now added the sixth and seventh light. What I like about the fixture is the ability to direct six of the seven arms in any direction, so I can really focus the light to where it is needed. Maybe overkill at this stage (175W), it makes you think about sunglasses.


Pictures later

 

[Common Sense]

Pictures day 19

Pictures day 19

The lettuce. Kali China on the left, Orient Express on the right.

7 LED bulbs, 4 x cool white, 3 x warm white

 

[SolarLogos]

Greetings my friend

Greetings my friend

I've personally been quite busy so I'm just catching up on some interesting threads.
I often go on vacation for 1-2 weeks 2-3 times per year and I have almost a perpetual harvest. When I go away, I put a container filled with about 3-4" of perlite under each pot and fill the container with water until it almost comes to the top of the perlite. Make sure your medium in your pots are wet, so it can wick up the water as needed. Mind your RH in your tent as this could change it. I've never had problems doing this. I also like to topdress the plants before I go to be sure there are no deficiencies during my absence. Don't wait until the day before you leave to do this though if it's your first time. Test it a few weeks before you go at least, to determine if the water will last that long; if not, just use a bigger container under the pot, more perlite and more volume of water.

If you are worried about flowers molding in the jar, just vacuum seal the lids on and they won't mold. You might get some fermentation, like in Tangwena's cobs, which changes the taste and smell a little, but really smooths out the smoke. I intentionally do this to some strains, especially Mexican; its the only way to bring out the spiciness that I was accustomed to in my earlier years. It was not uncommon back then to cure cannabis the way they did tobacco, a big pile of fresh weed, when the center reached about 150F, they turn the pile and continue this until dry and cured. Of course, after you return, you can open the jars and let them dry out some more. It won't change much in just 2 weeks, but I think you might actually be happy with the smoke.

These may not be ideal growing and curing conditions that you are looking for, but they work and to me, is better than harvesting early or trying to push the plant into flowering faster.
Put aside any worries my friend you're doing a great job and you've done your research.
Wish you a bountiful harvest my friend.
SL

 

[Common Sense]

Good to know that the perlite reservoir wick method works. I am currently testing a very simple drip system that seems to do it as well.
How do you vacuum seal a jar? I have seen machines that vacuum seal meat in plastic wrap, but a jar?

 

[SolarLogos]

Good to know that the perlite reservoir wick method works. I am currently testing a very simple drip system that seems to do it as well.
How do you vacuum seal a jar? I have seen machines that vacuum seal meat in plastic wrap, but a jar?

Here you go my friend. The hose fits onto a food saver vacuum sealer so you can use this attachment. My food saver came with the hose, however the attachment that fits on jars is about $20 US extra.
https://smile.amazon.com/FoodSaver-...9&sprefix=food+saver+quart+jar,aps,205&sr=8-2


I love mine, takes all the worries out curing as I have a tendency to put them in a little moister than normal, rather than too dry. Of course, the correct way is to use a hygrometer in the jar so it cures at the right humidity but I don't trust the accuracy with the one's I have. Also, if you do a lot of different strains, it's easy for me to forget to check the jars often enough, or even forget about some so this takes the worries out of it.
Hope this helps
SL

 

[Common Sense]

Something learned again! Sounds like a pretty good idea to me, not just for curing, but also for long term keeping.

The ladies are definitely starting to produce a whiff of skunk. If I look at the pictures from yesterday, there is a noticeable growth from day to day. Amazing weed. The growth structure of both strains is very similar, both have very thick, compact stems. If you look closely at the leaves, the KC leaves are a bit broader and less pointed than the OE leaves. I guess the stronger sativa influence in OE shows.
I have been killing 2-3 fungus gnats daily, seems to be no serious problem so far. May put in more yellow stickers.

Merry Christmas!

 

[DNM1]

Something learned again! Sounds like a pretty good idea to me, not just for curing, but also for long term keeping.

The ladies are definitely starting to produce a whiff of skunk. If I look at the pictures from yesterday, there is a noticeable growth from day to day. Amazing weed. The growth structure of both strains is very similar, both have very thick, compact stems. If you look closely at the leaves, the KC leaves are a bit broader and less pointed than the OE leaves. I guess the stronger sativa influence in OE shows.
I have been killing 2-3 fungus gnats daily, seems to be no serious problem so far. May put in more yellow stickers.

Merry Christmas!

C.S get the yellow stickers, and,keep an eye on bugs,constant.Checking leaves,underneath, with a lens,make it part of your routine.You feel "uncomfortable" with the amount of fungus gnats you kill daily, then you take appropriate measures/actions
Earlier detected, easier to deal with, especially when it comes to bugs

 

[Common Sense]

Day 29 (33 from seed) 15 days in 12/12

Day 29 (33 from seed) 15 days in 12/12

No signs of flowering yet, but Kali China decided she wants to become a tree. Grew into the light and burned a leaf. She is now 45 cm high, making many new leaves and strong branches. Orient Express is putting out lots of leaves but does not stretch yet. I raised the lights a lot today, maybe that will change her mind.
KC left OE right




into the light




many of the KC lower leaves are 6 cm wide or more






I may have overwatered KC a bit. Some leaves look wrinkled




KC 45° top view






Almost no fungus gnat activity any more

 

[Common Sense]

Day 29, 15 in 12/12

Day 29, 15 in 12/12

Orient Express

 

[DNM1]

No signs of flowering yet, but Kali China decided she wants to become a tree. Grew into the light and burned a leaf. She is now 45 cm high, making many new leaves and strong branches. Orient Express is putting out lots of leaves but does not stretch yet. I raised the lights a lot today, maybe that will change her mind.
KC left OE right

[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=81844&pictureid=1999772&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]


into the light
[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=81844&pictureid=1999771&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]



many of the KC lower leaves are 6 cm wide or more

[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=81844&pictureid=1999773&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]




I may have overwatered KC a bit. Some leaves look wrinkled

[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=81844&pictureid=1999774&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]


KC 45° top view


[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=81844&pictureid=1999775&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]



Almost no fungus gnat activity any more

Check soil surface for gnat activity!Especially now you've overwatered,and provided them with a nice shade from those leaves.They lay eggs, die,wake up and fly again
How does new growth see the light?