The final hours before perfectly dry. 
Happy time.
Happy time.
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Pics of, and notes on growing my cannabis
- Thread starter Crazy Composer
- Start date
Great thread cc. So when you say you use the silica with every watering towards the end. At what strength for plants in soil? And just added into your regular nutrient mix?
O
OGvenom
thnx for the tip ,Quick question do you only add silica a week or two before flush or do you give it during flush?thnx
G
GOOROO
had a question regarding your top dressing of guanos.....
are you using any sort of k supplement such as seaweed powder or potash?
also do you supplement any calcium or magnesium?
Thanks....looking fire as always
are you using any sort of k supplement such as seaweed powder or potash?
also do you supplement any calcium or magnesium?
Thanks....looking fire as always
I just go by what the bottle says, really.
Good question... I do not prefer to use silica during flush, but I will -sometimes- use silica as a pH up solution during flush, but the amount I add during this time is not even close to what the bottle recommends... just enough to adjust pH upward. It seems to me that silica, used during mid-late flower, is the right way to go. This makes even unflushed herb burn better!
Well, GOOROO, I do not use top-dressed guano style any more... not right now anyway. But when I did use this method, I added nothing but the guano. Being a major minimalist, I like to keep my methods bare bones simple. COULD I have used calcium or magnesium, or seaweed powder successfully with this method? Sure, absolutely, but the guanos alone were doing the job for me. When I get back to the top-dressed guano method some day, I will probably expand on the idea more, but add silica this time, of course.
Thanks muchly
G
GOOROO
Well, GOOROO, I do not use top-dressed guano style any more... not right now anyway. But when I did use this method, I added nothing but the guano. Being a major minimalist, I like to keep my methods bare bones simple. COULD I have used calcium or magnesium, or seaweed powder successfully with this method? Sure, absolutely, but the guanos alone were doing the job for me. When I get back to the top-dressed guano method some day, I will probably expand on the idea more, but add silica this time, of course.
Thanks muchly
Cool thanks for the info.
What is your current method?
why'd ya switch again? Guanos have been giving me the best ratio of quality and quantity
also did you use molases or anything to feed the micros?
Notes:
I am often asked to sample different herbs, grown in various ways, organic this, hydro that, etc. I find there is lots of good weed out there, tons of it, but rarely do I find truly outstanding herb. Truth-be-told, I rarely produce what I would call the absolute best of the best... It is not always in the cards to produce at that level. My own opinions about what makes pot perfect are very stringent, strict, exacting. In my opinion, herb must have three things going for it to be called perfectly harvested pot, it must get a score of 10 in each of the three categories.
1) Odor: The odor of dried/cured herb is very, very telling... it will let you know, more or less, how the herb is going to smoke... harsh or smooth, or somewhere in between. It is very difficult to explain to someone how to smell herb for these traits. In the end, this ability is earned, not taught... but years of experience alone is not enough to earn this ability... you must also have a burning, excruciating desire to grow the very best herb, crop after crop, year after year, always adjusting your artillery fire until you get satisfactorily close to the target. Certain smells will emanate from herb that will burn poorly, while a lack of these smells is what usually foretells better-burning herb. I used to think, "well, it's obvious... the stronger the smell of the herb, the better the herb is." WRONG! ...... WRONG! There is a balance which needs to be achieved. Odor/burnability are at odds with each other. If you feed more, the smells will be stronger, but the pot will burn hotter and harsher as a result. If you feed too little, you lose most of the smell of the plant, but the herb will stay lit better. There is a happy medium there somewhere, and this is what I am always trying to achieve... a balance between strength of odor, and cleanliness/pleasure of the smoking experience.
In my opinion, the best herb is very clean, but retains the full flavor of the herb. But the very definition of "the full flavor" is hard to describe. There is full flavor, and there is full flavor PLUS the scent of nitrates... which MANY MANY MANY MANY growers mistake for a good smell. The smell of the resins on a plant that is actively being fertilized, is different from the smells you would ideally want to get from a plant you are about to harvest. The sharp, in-your-face smell of bud that is still being fed is the smell you do not want at harvest time. The smell I look for is... just the essence of the herb, the true character of the herb, and nothing else. Only pure plant smells, not green, nutrient-y smells.
2) Burn quality: This includes the translation of the herb's taste into smoke, as well as the ability of the herb to burn without resistance. Burn resistance is caused, most likely, by fire retardant elements such as nutrients that are left in the herb by not properly flushing (or otherwise stepping down the nutrients sufficiently before harvest). Too much leftover nutrient in the plant material will reduce all qualities of the smoking experience... taste, burn and high. Look for herb that refuses to be extinguished... this is most often the best stuff, and gets you HIGHER than the same plant harvested without being flushed properly, which would burn with much more resistance.
3) Potency/type of high: Some highs are high, some highs are low, most are in between. Everyone likes something different from the next person, when given ample choices, so there is no point in trying to pinpoint which is the best kind of high, that is a personal choice. However, the POTENCY of the herb is subject to review. A plant will have a peak potency potential, that is... if the plant is grown/harvested/dried/cured exactly right, it will provide the highest high potential for that plant. I must say, 90% of the pot I have ever come across is not at the full potential of the plant. The #1 culprit in the reduction of the quality of the herb is the lack of a consistent, long-lasting burn. Most herb is polluted and extinguishes itself quickly, so the cherry (burning end of a joint) is always heating up (with the toke), then cooling down immediately, then heating up, then cooling down. This creates an uneven, inconsistent delivery of THC, CBD, CBN, etc. An example of this is vaporizers. The best vaporizers are so good at getting you high because they are able to maintain a consistent temperature during vapor delivery. Cheaper vapes are not so consistent, and therefore will not get you as high as the good vapes. This same consistency of temperature is achieved with clean, evenly-burning herb, and as a result... gets you higher. Case-in-point... Before using silica, my OG Kush was really nice, burned good, etc, but the high was not really that much more impressive than most other good herbs. However, after adding the silica to the fertilizer routine, the consistency of the burn improved greatly, and the result was that the OG Kush now gets people much higher than it ever did without silica... Not to mention that the entire smoking experience is greatly improved.
Have fun, raise the bar, have more fun.
I am often asked to sample different herbs, grown in various ways, organic this, hydro that, etc. I find there is lots of good weed out there, tons of it, but rarely do I find truly outstanding herb. Truth-be-told, I rarely produce what I would call the absolute best of the best... It is not always in the cards to produce at that level. My own opinions about what makes pot perfect are very stringent, strict, exacting. In my opinion, herb must have three things going for it to be called perfectly harvested pot, it must get a score of 10 in each of the three categories.
1) Odor: The odor of dried/cured herb is very, very telling... it will let you know, more or less, how the herb is going to smoke... harsh or smooth, or somewhere in between. It is very difficult to explain to someone how to smell herb for these traits. In the end, this ability is earned, not taught... but years of experience alone is not enough to earn this ability... you must also have a burning, excruciating desire to grow the very best herb, crop after crop, year after year, always adjusting your artillery fire until you get satisfactorily close to the target. Certain smells will emanate from herb that will burn poorly, while a lack of these smells is what usually foretells better-burning herb. I used to think, "well, it's obvious... the stronger the smell of the herb, the better the herb is." WRONG! ...... WRONG! There is a balance which needs to be achieved. Odor/burnability are at odds with each other. If you feed more, the smells will be stronger, but the pot will burn hotter and harsher as a result. If you feed too little, you lose most of the smell of the plant, but the herb will stay lit better. There is a happy medium there somewhere, and this is what I am always trying to achieve... a balance between strength of odor, and cleanliness/pleasure of the smoking experience.
In my opinion, the best herb is very clean, but retains the full flavor of the herb. But the very definition of "the full flavor" is hard to describe. There is full flavor, and there is full flavor PLUS the scent of nitrates... which MANY MANY MANY MANY growers mistake for a good smell. The smell of the resins on a plant that is actively being fertilized, is different from the smells you would ideally want to get from a plant you are about to harvest. The sharp, in-your-face smell of bud that is still being fed is the smell you do not want at harvest time. The smell I look for is... just the essence of the herb, the true character of the herb, and nothing else. Only pure plant smells, not green, nutrient-y smells.
2) Burn quality: This includes the translation of the herb's taste into smoke, as well as the ability of the herb to burn without resistance. Burn resistance is caused, most likely, by fire retardant elements such as nutrients that are left in the herb by not properly flushing (or otherwise stepping down the nutrients sufficiently before harvest). Too much leftover nutrient in the plant material will reduce all qualities of the smoking experience... taste, burn and high. Look for herb that refuses to be extinguished... this is most often the best stuff, and gets you HIGHER than the same plant harvested without being flushed properly, which would burn with much more resistance.
3) Potency/type of high: Some highs are high, some highs are low, most are in between. Everyone likes something different from the next person, when given ample choices, so there is no point in trying to pinpoint which is the best kind of high, that is a personal choice. However, the POTENCY of the herb is subject to review.
A plant will have a peak potency potential, that is... if the plant is grown/harvested/dried/cured exactly right, it will provide the highest high potential for that plant. I must say, 90% of the pot I have ever come across is not at the full potential of the plant. The #1 culprit in the reduction of the quality of the herb is the lack of a consistent, long-lasting burn. Most herb is polluted and extinguishes itself quickly, so the cherry (burning end of a joint) is always heating up (with the toke), then cooling down immediately, then heating up, then cooling down. This creates an uneven, inconsistent delivery of THC, CBD, CBN, etc. An example of this is vaporizers. The best vaporizers are so good at getting you high because they are able to maintain a consistent temperature during vapor delivery. Cheaper vapes are not so consistent, and therefore will not get you as high as the good vapes. This same consistency of temperature is achieved with clean, evenly-burning herb, and as a result... gets you higher. Case-in-point... Before using silica, my OG Kush was really nice, burned good, etc, but the high was not really that much more impressive than most other good herbs. However, after adding the silica to the fertilizer routine, the consistency of the burn improved greatly, and the result was that the OG Kush now gets people much higher than it ever did without silica... Not to mention that the entire smoking experience is greatly improved.Have fun, raise the bar, have more fun.
Current method is straight coco coir, fed with Pure Blend Pro and silica. I sometimes add humic acid to get an earthier taste. That is all I use. Very simple, very easy to achieve and reproduce, and this simplicity makes it easier for me to judge what is working and what is not.
Why did I switch? I have a habit of getting bored with a method and changing it up... have always been this way, which is probably why I have picked up so much experience in growing cannabis indoors... I have tried just about any method you can imagine for indoor cultivation. Always on the look-out for something new, something better. I NEVER settle on any one method.
Yes, while using the top-feed guano method I would sometimes feed maple syrup, I do not think I used molasses... Maybe once or twice, but mostly maple syrup.
Thanks for the response. I truly value your input on this forum. Your knowledge of the plant speaks volumes and for that reason I always find your threads among the best if not the best threads on Icmag.
Thanks again, and I really think it's time for you to publish a book.
Thanks again, and I really think it's time for you to publish a book.
Hiya CC. Let's say I'm running a 75 day strain in coco on my hydro tables. I flush the last 10 days with plain water. So starting on day 65 I begin the flush. By using you method with the silica, at what point and how long would you use the silica and at what point discontinue its use?
It's nice to know how you feel.
Thanks for the kind words. As for a book... It's hard to write about a topic that won't stop evolving! I might write what I do and what I know right now, only to disagree with myself later! Right now I would tell you to use silica for the last two weeks of feeding, and that's all. Truth is... I am still experimenting with it. All I know about silica at this point is: It makes the buds smoke better than they would without silica. This is the only truth I have wrestled from this topic so far. Well, actually, I also know this about it: poorly-grown herb will always suck, silica or not... but even herb that I would normally not even smoke, has turned out much better because of silica. For example, I had a hermie blow a load in a corner of the garden recently, while using silica. The pollen didn't make fat, well-developed seeds, it just made what I call pepper seeds, which are barely detectable, little, tiny seeds about the size of ground pepper corns. These seeds will ruin a perfect crop. The pot looks pretty much the same, but the taste and the high are disappointing. Well, I smoked herb from the affected buds, and while the pepper seed bud was still well below the quality I like, it burned a lot better than the same bud without silica. But as I said, bad pot is bad pot, and pot with pepper seeds is simply not good pot, silica or not.
By the way, if you want to check for pepper seeds, just grind a bud in a grinder, dump it on the table, and look for what looks like grains of ground pepper... if you identify them, put it between your teeth and bite it... if it's hard and crunchy, it is likely one of these tiny seeds. The bud material, the good stuff, will be softer and chewier than the pepper seeds. You would be surprised at how much bud out there has pepper seeds, but folks just don't know what to look for.
Who was it who said SFV OGKush didn't yield well? I grabbed these two off the rack, and thought, 'who was it who said SFV OGKush didn't yield well?' These plants are top producers if you ask me! One of my personal favorite plants, hands down! Buds like these are breaking branches all over the place! So dense! So heavy! I think maybe people flower this plant a little too short to get optimal results. This plant, Sour Diesel, and other fast, upward-shooting plants with long internodal spacing need to stretch to 12-18", in strong vegetative conditions, in order to perform well in the big show (flower room). One of the major keys to success in the flower room is... a kick ass veg room. Plants need to already be well-established in their final containers before they go to the flower room, in my opinion. The exception to this is sativa-dominant plants, which can be transplanted even after going into the flower room because their root systems will keep on growing after being fully in bloom. Got off topic, sorry.
Here's two fat OG Kush buds for y'all.
These plants are top producers if you ask me! One of my personal favorite plants, hands down! Buds like these are breaking branches all over the place! So dense! So heavy! I think maybe people flower this plant a little too short to get optimal results. This plant, Sour Diesel, and other fast, upward-shooting plants with long internodal spacing need to stretch to 12-18", in strong vegetative conditions, in order to perform well in the big show (flower room). One of the major keys to success in the flower room is... a kick ass veg room. Plants need to already be well-established in their final containers before they go to the flower room, in my opinion. The exception to this is sativa-dominant plants, which can be transplanted even after going into the flower room because their root systems will keep on growing after being fully in bloom. Got off topic, sorry. Here's two fat OG Kush buds for y'all.
B
B. Self Reliant
It's your thread. . . talk about whatever you want! That's some impressive medicine my friend.
Interesting findings with the silica. I'll try it this round as I've been thinking of adding it to the mix for a while but was just lazy. I originally planned on two maybe three doses early in flower, but if your experience is why I love this site. Thanks for sharing.
Just got myself a bottle of silica blast and looking forward to enjoying the results ....thanks for sharing .
I know exactly what your talking about with the pepper seeds , it's actually become a bit of a pet peeve . We used to grow a lot of MSS and after awhile I could barely enjoy it because of all the tiny seeds ...no matter how I tried there they were . It seemed like every single bract / calyx had one .
I know exactly what your talking about with the pepper seeds , it's actually become a bit of a pet peeve . We used to grow a lot of MSS and after awhile I could barely enjoy it because of all the tiny seeds ...no matter how I tried there they were . It seemed like every single bract / calyx had one .
EcstaticErratic
Member
This is some of the best information I have read on the mag in my 3 years of reading.. Great THREAD CC - Keep up the good workChem D production... Well, I do almost all varieties the same, here's the basic routine:
Clone goes into beer cup with LARGE holes at the bottom (not just for water to drain, but large enough for air exchange at the roots)... they stay in the cups until about 6-8 inches tall.
While in the cups, Chem D gets topped once between the 5th and 6th node (some plants may get it at the 4th, depending on variety). After topping, it's just a waiting game until they are 6-8 inches and ready to transplant to their final container. While waiting to achieve this 6-8 inches, the plant should branch out due to the topping at the 5th or 6th node.
Then they go into their final containers and allowed to veg until the appropriate height is achieved for flowering. Things to take seriously about this time are... Make sure the root system has colonized the container very well, not root-bound, but firmly entrenched in the growing medium. Why? Well, most indoor varieties are indica dominant or hybrids thereof, and indicas come from areas where there are very definite growing seasons, spring, summer, fall. During the srping and early summer, the plants are growing new branches, leaves and roots... then, when they begin to bloom, all their growth energy is diverted to flowering. This means that these indica varieties will stop producing new roots after they are firmly in flower stage, so, if the roots have not completely colonized the container they're in, they never will. Problems arise when you are flowering a plant with more growing medium than the roots need. Uncolonized growing medium is a breeding ground for troubles, like bacteria, fungi and pH and toxicity issues caused by adding nutrient to the medium that has no roots there to use it. After a while, these areas devoid of roots can become toxic, and the plants will start to exhibit strange problems that drive growers crazy because they don't know what the hell they did wrong.
The moral of that root colonization story is... make sure you allow the plants' roots to thoroughly use up the space in the container BEFORE setting them to bloom.
There IS an exception to this rule... sativas. Sativas can be transplanted immediately before setting them to flower because they come from places where the growing and flowering seasons are blurred into one long season. Therefore, sativas will grow their roots and their buds at the same time. Longer-term sativas (90-120 days) can even benefit from transplanting DURING the first half of bloom. The general rule with sativas is... the buds will grow as long as there's room for the roots to grow.
You asked about veg time... I can only guess, since I go by eye... when they're ready, they're ready.... whether it takes 2 weeks or 2 months. But I would guess the Chem D gets 3 weeks in the cup, 2-3 weeks in the 3 gallon container, then flowered.
Yields with this method, for me, 4-6 ounces is average, with the occasional plant (probably the odd plant that gets an extra week or two in veg) can go to 7-8 ounces. We have even seen ECSD clones do 8-10 ounces with this method. They were flowered tall, though, maybe two feet tall when they went into the flowering room.
If I had to attribute my yields to a couple of key points, they would be...
1. Making sure the plant is fully rooted in the container it will be flowered in (for most plants, exempting sativas).
2. Keeping all aspects of the garden even-keeled and stable (temps, humidity, pH, ppm). Any fluctuation, even moderate, will decrease potential.
3. Giving each plant as much space to grow as possible, ESPECIALLY during it's first month in flower... after that, they can be packed in a little tighter because bud set has finished.
4. Flood the room with light, don't skimp on light if you don't have to. Every corner of the room should be vibrant and bright. Shadowy corners, even behind plants, is a sign of lack of light potential. Light should be bouncing all around the room. If you can't add more light to achieve this brightness, let me suggest making the grow area smaller around the light you DO have to work with, so as to concentrate it's power on a smaller area. Light intensity is very important to these monster yields, can't be stressed enough.
Hope this helped a little.
EcstaticErratic
Member
Hey CC,
How would a seed run for production differ from the above? Lets just say its indica seeds as well. Their roots would go deeper rather than wider right?... What size containers would you put them in and for how long?
How would a seed run for production differ from the above? Lets just say its indica seeds as well. Their roots would go deeper rather than wider right?... What size containers would you put them in and for how long?
I get excited to try new things and the silica has been on my todo list for a while. Although from what I'm gathering CC you're saying applying during the last couple weeks prior to flush is most beneficial. Unfortunately in the summer main issues are heat and ventilation I feel it stresses them a lot on the few days I do end up going away and aren't around to immediately adjust the temps.
Anywho I dosed them with pro-tek in addition to my 6/9 formula at day 10 of flower. I did this as a prophylactic to any possible not so perfect conditions that may arise for what ever reason. Is it crucial to hold off again until the end? And before you say do whatever works for you, I ask you because you seem to have much more experience in this area than others I could ask. Most use silicas as I did or so I thought as a prophylactic, but what are the pros and cons of using it in the beginning and end as aposed to just the end before flush? I know you said too much was a bad thing, but I was under the impression you were adding to every watering. I'm very interested, when you get some time to respond CrazyC it'd be appreciated. Hope all's well with you and your ladies CC.
Until then...unknown.
Anywho I dosed them with pro-tek in addition to my 6/9 formula at day 10 of flower. I did this as a prophylactic to any possible not so perfect conditions that may arise for what ever reason. Is it crucial to hold off again until the end? And before you say do whatever works for you, I ask you because you seem to have much more experience in this area than others I could ask. Most use silicas as I did or so I thought as a prophylactic, but what are the pros and cons of using it in the beginning and end as aposed to just the end before flush? I know you said too much was a bad thing, but I was under the impression you were adding to every watering. I'm very interested, when you get some time to respond CrazyC it'd be appreciated. Hope all's well with you and your ladies CC.
Until then...unknown.
