How to grow Dense Nugs

[Neptune]

Seems like the best place for this question...

Is this primarily a Strain thing, or a technique?

I've grown a lot of strains, a lot of herb... and I have yet to grow something that is rockhard dense. Most of my erb has a lot of hairs, and is always on the lighter side.

Even my Pot of Gold is not compact and dense. Do growers commonly Squash thier buds to achieve this? What's the deal?

 

[Guest]

How many watts you running?

 

[GOATNUTS]

is your temp high

 

[Guest]

High temps will make em fluffy too... forgot about that thanks GOATNUTS

 

[m.steelers]

Genetics are the first factor, intense light psf is next... another little snippet is that if you keep your nightime temps closer to your daytime temps, it will help result in shorter internode length. do this during the devlopmental flowering stage and then go back to dropping the nightime temps during maturation/ripening so you get more resin production.

 

[motaco]

yeah there are a few things that attribute to that. namely as steelers said is genes. but if your growing a variety that is dense the next two things is heat and light intensity as well as grow style.

trimming lower growth properly, fresh air. But yeah most buds you buy are dense like that from vaccum sealing, not growth. Or especially outdoor harvesters that shove wet buds into garbage bags and they smush before they are dried.

even dense strains usually have spaces between the internodes or you can see how the bud spirals more obviously.

 

[{Lotus}]

Fluffyness and all those are still some nice buds...

 

[Guest]

You gotta get some certified clone onlys in there..

Is that cut tried and true with other people growing it or is it more or less an untested cut?

Not every POG cut is a huge yielder.

 

[Brastaman]

i concur; genetics seem to be the first step (not saying that any of your strains are subpar by anymeans, great photos) then the amount of watts or lumens per square foot ;another thing I have noticed is augmenting with CO2 allows for denser buds all around.
Some kats say that growing in hydroponics rather than soil will allow for denser buds. To some degree I must agree but do not prefer this method.

I have seen people try different drying techniques that allowed the fruit to dry compressed and dense. Things like wrapping the stocks up with rope, similar to thai sticks technique, then allowing it to dry. I have also seen a practice where the gardener used 'fish net' stockings and pulled them tightly over the fruit to gain some compression.
IMO, these practices may damage precious trichromes.

Hey I like that tip m.steelers; I have heard that before just never took the time to experiment with critical temperature differences.

 

[Guest423]

most my buds are dense and rockhard indoor and outdoor.

genetics is #1 no doubt, intense light is #2.

if you grow dense rockhard genetics under intense light your gonna get dense rockhard buds. exact same thing for outdoors...you need the right genetics and alot of sunlight so your buds aren't loose and wispy

 

[Closet Funk]

I'd say genetics are the main factor. I grew some bagseed under a 250 and it had rock hard dense nugs. Most people say that a 250 can't produce dense nugs. Alot of Indicas will have the rock hard density to them. Throw them under a nice light and you should be set. Strange I though Pot Of Gold had dense nugs.

 

[m.steelers]

it comes down to watts psf. i also use a 250 and if you prune correctly, make an even canopy and have the right footprint they will be dense. my 250 is giving me about 67 watts psf which is more than sufficient for tight nugz.... they say the minimum is 35 but i think more like 50 to get something decent. I personally wouldnt go under 60 (i use CO2 too)

 

[Albert Walker]

50w PSF and lots of phos!

 

[SEEDYNONO]

i've been working at this.. i grow in a c22. used to run 400w hortilux hps without air cooled hood or a big fan (mine was 180cfm activeair). this go i'm using a 600w hortilux hps, a big 440+cfm inline vortex fan and an air cooled hood with a glass lens.

i'm keeping my fingers crossed i get a nice yield and nice dense finished product with the better airflow and lower temps. i run my 12/12 backwards with lights on at night to help with temp fluctuation to.

i don't think the soil itself has anything to do with it as i've seen organic soil nugs that were harder than what i could produce with my old setup.

just hope i don't have low humidity or co2 problems now since i'm moving so much air so fast to keep it cool.

 

[Closet Funk]

it comes down to watts psf. i also use a 250 and if you prune correctly, make an even canopy and have the right footprint they will be dense. my 250 is giving me about 67 watts psf which is more than sufficient for tight nugz.... they say the minimum is 35 but i think more like 50 to get something decent. I personally wouldnt go under 60 (i use CO2 too)

Yes indeed! if you keep the buds close enough then you will get dense nugs with a 250 for sure. I'm going to be running at 62.5 watts psf so that should be enough for some plump nugs.

 

[Guest]

1. Genetics. You OBVIOUSLY have good genetics with the Golden Skush. I run 1 or 2 GS crop in and crop out cause it simply kicks ass. I will post pics of the next one.

2. At least 40 wpsf; more does help, but you also have to keep the light close to the canopy. I run 1kw less than 12 inches off the top with just a fan blowing across.

3. Dial in your feedings. Recently I started using an old bottle of Hydrofarm Hydroponic Bloom Fertilizer 10-30-18 to my regular regimen (Pure Blend + Sensizyme) as a sort of "bloom enhancer". I have always been pro-organic, but just wanted to use up this bottle and not throw away the cash spent on it. It almost doubled my crop weight with some of the biggest, hardest nugs ever. It didn't seem to hurt the smells or tastes either. I'm not quite sure of the effect on soil life, but the results are fantastic (I haven't been reusing very much of my dirt anyway). Make sure your ph is between 5.5 and 6.2 in soil, etc...

4. Temps should be no more than 85. Try to keep the differential less than 10 degrees.

5. Build a decent root mass. More roots = more bud.

Good luck!

 

[Guest423]

alot of fresh air or co2 is also key....plants just don't grow as fast or as plump with old stagnant air.

 

[Chiefsmokingbud]

I would say genetics is #1 for rock buds. Other factors that make fluffy and not rock hard are: high humidity, high heat, and low watts.

I've been growing TGA'a Astroboy for a few grows and no matter what i do they are fluffy but extremely potent so i've kept it. 50% RH, massive air flow, 100 watts psf (overkill), DWC, 80-85* daytime, 70* night time. Seems to lean more to the sativa side.

Two different strains side by side




Spongy astroboy:

 

[Guest]

na not only genetics but watts a square foot my friends . you need lots of light for dense nuggies. strain is also a thing but to be honest i think its more of a watts and lumens a square foot and fresh air circulation type thing...

 

[- ezra -]

Here it is:

- Genetics yes you want the right genetics to produce tight nugs. Typically indicas will obviously produce denser nugs as previously stated.

- Ligh intensity again as previously stated optimum of 50 wpsf (more works too providing tems are not high, but less will result in less dense bud) Keeping in mind that once the chlorophil reaches saturation more light will only go to waste.

- Temps. Basically it works like this: lower temps = denser bud, higher temps = sparser bud. Of course keeping in mind that if temps are too low the chemical processes within the plants cells will slow down, meaning slower growth and lower yield.

- Nutrients. Def one on the main factors in dense bud growth in my observation. To produce dense buds, plants require the right ration of nutrients. Namely P and K. This is probably one of the most important considerations.

I personally prefer lighter bud for personal and dont mind it which is why I mostly stick to organics. But unfortunately most people who buy weed are mostly interested in weight, so if you want dense nugs probably the easiest way to increase the density/weight is through the use of chemical P and K flower additives. An example of a good one is Canna's PK 13 14. Other solid additives to try are Advanced Nutrients Big Bud and Overdrive. All of these are based on boosting levels of Phosphate and Potassium which directly stimulate heavy flower set. Such products have long been used extensively amongst pretty much all commertial agricultural growers and of course a cornerstone MJ cash croppers.

This will IMO decrease the quality of the finished product to a variable degree (dependant on exact dosages and techniques such as flushing).

- Ez