Diary PCBuds mini-grow

[Mr. J]

Just keep an eye on them. 6 days on the line is on the short side of things and those buds do look dense. They pack a bit tight in that jar just because of that.

I'm going on the assumption that the buds are on the moist side. If they're already crispy all the way through then none of what I said really matters. You want to get them slightly crispy on the outside, then let them sweat it out in the jar, then let them breathe some more, then sweat them again. After a few weeks the buds really start to develop an aroma and the color changes.

I have never used those humidity pack things or anything like that. I always try to get the buds in the jars a bit moist in the middle, and then use only the moisture already inside the buds to control things going by feel, smell, and look. Admittedly it takes a lot of attention and maybe there are easier ways to do it but that's how I've always done it. Also, you need a bit of air exchange to keep things from going anaerobic so I think the sweat/breathe (burping the jars) cycles are important. At some point, after a few weeks if you've done things correctly, you won't need to burp anymore.

 

[PCBuds]

I guess opening the jar isn't a big deal but the Bodeva packs let me be lazy and forgetful.

 

[Mr. J]

This is how I do it. It's not the easiest way, and definitely not the most high tech but it works for me. I do most things by feel. I don't have a lot of fancy gadgets and stuff like that. I grow for myself so it's all about the quality and I get the best results when I really live with my plants. If I pay attention they tell me exactly what they want.

I carefully harvest the buds trying not to touch them. Throughout the entire growing and harvesting/curing process I'm very careful to preserve as many resin glands as possible, so I handle my buds very carefully and gently at all times. I'll take off the big leaves while the plant is still alive and in the growing medium. Then I cut off branches that I can trim at once, one at a time. I leave most of the small leaves on at this point. I grow for me so perfectly manicured buds aren't important. Those leaves curl around the flowers and protect them. If they're not covered in resin and I don't want to smoke them, I just take them off right before I stick it in the bong.

After the trim I hang them and let them dry for anywhere from 5 days to 3 weeks depending on things like the density of the buds and the relative humidity/weather. A bit of air movement is okay but you don't want a fan blowing right at them. I check them a few times a day giving buds a light squeeze, and looking at the color of the buds and the stems. Something as simple as a rainy day can make a big difference in the time they spend on the line. If you let the buds get too dry the whole curing process is halted permanently so it's critical that you monitor things closely.

When the buds are a bit crispy on the outside I take them off the line. At this point they're still moist inside, and the stems are still mostly greenish and moist. I cut the buds off of the bigger stems and then I put them in jars. I pack the jars loosely and I only fill the jars about half way. That way I can gently shake the jars a bit to redistribute the buds when they naturally settle under their own weight. I open the jars very regularly and smell/feel the buds. I leave the jar open for hours sometimes, until the buds at the top get a little bit crispy on the outside. Occasionally I even have to take them right out of the jar for a little while if I think things feel a little too moist.

After about a week or two, when the buds have cured a little and the stems are a bit snappy, I fill the jars to the top. At this point they're still slightly moist but dry enough that the risk of mold or fermentation has mostly passed. I continue to check a couple of times a day. If they're a bit too moist I open the jar for a little while.

At some point they stop sweating and I can stop checking the jars. The buds have settled at a good moisture (don't ask me about numbers) and I can leave them to age a bit in the jars. I find that about three months after harvest the buds have stabilized and the smoke is nice. One of the keys to buds that smoke smoothe and hold on to their smell and taste over time is a good, slow cure. It can't be rushed. The curing process is just as important as anything I did while growing the plants, so I take as much care in it as I do every other part of the grow. I'm not saying this is the only way to cure your weed but I've been doing this for a long time and it's the method I've settled on.

 

[PCBuds]

That was a good read, thanks.
I will refer back to it when my next plant is ready for harvest.
There are lots of simple things I can do to improve, like harvesting a branch at a time.

My problem is that the plant speaks a foreign language that I don't understand.
I need my gizmos to translate for me.

If I go by feel, I tend to kill stuff.

I change things every grow but at least I found this site to help me keep track of things.



Right now my plant doesn't look happy.

I don't know if it is transplant shock or I overwatered yet again or I've got too much light again.
Probably all three.

I asked her why she's looking so unhappy and all I heard was silence. lol

 

[Mr. J]

I hear ya man. That comes with experience. You seem to be doing alright so far, so just keep on growing. Your plant looks pretty happy to me. If it's the leaves not being super perky that has you worried then I wouldn't worry too much. They do that sometimes after they've had a good drink. They do that at night too when they're "sleeping".

 

[PCBuds]

Hey, Look!!

She's happy again!!

It only took an hour!!

I asked her to tell what was wrong, and all she said was "Well if you don't know then I'm not going to tell you!!"

Fricken women Eh?!! lol

(I used my PH meter, PPM meter, light meter, hygrometer and thermometer to translate for me)

 

[Mr. J]

Something I would recommend to anyone who wants to grow better would be to sprout seeds. Lots of them. Grow as many plants as you can. Here's the secret though: they don't have to be weed plants.

They're really all pretty much the same and if you understand the fundamentals then you can probably grow orchids or tomatoes or whatever just as well as you can grow weed.

I suggest going to Canadian Tire and picking up one or two of the basic fluorescent shoplight fixtures. The cheapest one is like $15-$20, the basic 4 foot double tube fixture. They're great for seedlings and cuttings and I have about 20 of them laying around because they're so convenient. If I need to set up a really quick and simple seedling or clone area I prop up one or two in between a couple of milk crates and it's perfect.

You just need a bit of space to dedicate to it. That way you can get some growing experience and experiment a bit without worrying about killing your only plant. You can play around with some pepper plants or flowers or something, try different things. If things go bad, scrap and start again. You can stick to the basics with the weed plant while you learn on the other stuff that you don't care about as much.

Of course you could do it all with weed plants but I'm assuming that you want to be legal.

 

[PCBuds]

...They do that at night too when they're "sleeping".

That's what I thought too but now I'm not sure?

And I've got lights on 24/7 for veg.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=363179

 

[Mr. J]

Actually I think Home Depot is where they have those cheapo fluorescent fixtures.

 

[PCBuds]

I have a lot of faith in the LED bulbs.

They put out 9 times more light per watt than fluorescent.

I found this site after Googling led bulbs.

blynx did a great job and is starting a trend.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=314806

 

[Mr. J]

I'm sure they're good. I just have so much stuff laying around from over the years that it's easy to just grab one. The thing that I like about them is the form factor and the intensity of the light. Just the nature of the shape means that you have roughly 4 feet by 1 feet of growing space underneath two fixtures, perfect for 2 standard trays, and the intensity of the light is perfect for seedlings and cuttings. I'm really old school though. Any light will work though as long as the spectrum is good.

 

[PCBuds]

I know what you mean.
I still have my four-foot fluoro in my closet.



The guys on the LED thread say it's time to get rid of the dinosaur.







But I still like the four-foot fluoro.
The colas rub right up against the bulbs and soak in the sunshine.

I had one cola wrap right around the bulb and she seemed to like it.
The bigger leaves dried up and fell off but it seems to work.

The 40 Watt bulbs have a huge surface area compared to a screw-in bulb so there's less heat and doesn't burn the colas.


The only reason I installed the fixture vertically was because that's the only way it would fit in my closet.

I'm liking it. The plant grows up with it and there's light from top to bottom of the plant.

I may swap over to SIL's once my 4' fluoros burn out but I'm not sure.

 

[Mr. J]

Ya man, those are the ones I'm talking about. Sure they're old tech but they still have their place in my garden. I didn't realize that you had incorporated one into your closet setup.

Fluoro and HID 4eva, I'll never give up my Hortilux 1000W HPS. They'll need to pry those from my cold, dead hands.

 

[PCBuds]

I just noticed this yesterday.



She must have melted some trichs when she wrapped around the bulb.

 

[PCBuds]

... I'll never give up my Hortilux 1000W HPS. They'll need to pry those from my cold, dead hands.

If you had 1000 Watts of Sil's you could kick some serious @$$ !!

 

[PCBuds]

I'm running 300 watts and got 5.3 ounces from one $10 seed.
(160 Watts for the fluoro.)

 

[PCBuds]

My seedling is looking all droopy again.



As far as I know, she can droop from overwatering or under-watering but I think the lights being so low and to the sides that she's reaching for the light.

I gave it some water and I'll see if she perks up.



She looks really happy and healthy otherwise.
I'm gonna try to not worry too much.

 

[PCBuds]

My buds seem to be curing nicely.
It's stabilized at 60% and smells great!
I'll open the jar once a day to let oxygen in and the Boveda packs should take care of the moisture.

 

[PCBuds]

My outdoor plants are doing well.





The bigger plant has some weird purple leaves and buds??







I'm thinking I gave it too much Miracle Grow??

 

[PCBuds]

My plant is looking happy again.





She kept getting droopy and I think I figured it out.

When I transplanted the seedling, the soil in the cooler was powder dry.

I dug a hole in the middle, planted the seedling, poured a half-liter of water on the stem then poured 2 L to the bottom.

I thought the water would saturate the soil.

I ended up digging up the soil a few days later to the left and right of the plant to find it still bone dry.

I dug to the bottom and churned about 2 L of water in then drained a liter of water off the bottom.



That's when the plant perked up and stayed that way.


It's been a few days now with no water and I'm not going to water until my moisture meter says to.