Diary The Further Adventures of Mr VerdantGreen

[VerdantGreen]

Here is a cab shot today at 5.5 weeks (lights on)

I had to remove one of the Contra D buds today as i noticed it had some budrot! not good news.. there was some heavy rain whilst the garage roof was off and it left puddles in the garage for a day which wouldn't have helped... hopefully i won't see any more. All watertight now so better going forward.
VG

 

[GMT]

Right, makes sense. It sounds like you're set on that complicated route for feeding, and I'd never knock it, but if you ever throw the towel in and want a bottled solution for cal mag and a bunch of trace stuff, I can't recommend hesi boost enough. Under led I consider it essential now.

 

[VerdantGreen]

@GMT i'll check that hesi out. i do use extra liquid feeds. The soil i use atm is kind of a simplification for me, coming from recyled soil, re-amending, and 'built from components' type mixes... but yes there are probably easier ways lol. Organics is kind of all i have ever done or wanted to do, but i must say in recent years, with the advancement of LEDS, i wonder sometimes if organic soil can keep up! , the grows with coco coir that dots does have made me consider trying something similar.
That said i don't usually have many problems so i'll do a few rounds in this cab and see how much i can turn that light up. So far 80% is the max, but the tops are a bit close... about 6 inches, and i would prefer a foot really.
VG

 

[GMT]

I've got pretty much the same light, the fc version. 6 inches, trying to remember my old school ruler, nah man, yeah you're right, raise that thing to a foot and turn it full blast. But just one thing, if your compost is leaving trace salts in the pots, you're not organic, and there are plenty of bottle ferts. that are. I know the temptation to reuse compost is strong, but at about a fiver per £6-700 quids worth of product, is it worth it? Saying all that, you seem to be on top off your game, so I guess if it aint broke ey. I only bother because saying nice pics all the time gets boring for everyone.

 

[VerdantGreen]

Thanks @GMT , i would have to modify the cab to raise the light.. but i should be fine after this round... i just happened to be away whilst everything grew like crazy, got away with it on the BDB and Chem Zhuzh but the Contra D grew bigger and is probably rootbound.
Urea is classed as organic but is not great.. i think they use it in commercial organic potting mixes.
I stopped recycling soil because of fungus gnat problems.
VG

 

[VerdantGreen]

Hi all, we are at 6 weeks today and here are some pics.
The Chem Zhuzh is starting to fade a little and smells quite strong in a musky/chemmy way

 

[VerdantGreen]

I didn't dare remove the Contra D 's from the cab but here they both are in the back half with the front two plants removed.

 

[VerdantGreen]

And the BlueDigiBerry. Smells like the most amazing candy blueberry that is really in your face but also a hint of burnt rubber/shitty smell like something has taken a sh!t in the corner of the room. The two smells are quite incongruous together and it really smells like the rubber smell is coming from somewhere else !

VG

 

[revegeta666]

Over veggerd plants usually pay off with a nice harvest and it is clear that's what you will get haha

 

[numide]

Nice show @VerdantGreen!!!

 

[VerdantGreen]

Thanks @numide !
Hey @revegeta666 , hopefully it will be a good pull if i can get them through the next 2-3 weeks without any more budrot. The weather looks settled for the next week or two after a couple weeks of thundery showers so that might help... Its been fun running bigger plants but i'll be better prepared next time.
VG

 

[exploziv]

Plants look great!
One thing I notice is how you keep the pc vent with the side it draws air from almost resting on the wall. That vent will be highly inefficent (almost as not having it running at all), as it can't move too much air if air is not allowed to freely come into it's blades. I usually put some distancing sticks (usually bamboo skewer sticks) into the screw holes of the vents, just enaugh to keep them away from walls so they can draw air.

 

[VerdantGreen]

Thanks @exploziv that's a good tip! - i installed them in a hurry but i did check that i could feel the airflow from the other side of the cab.
Its always a balance (for me) between giving the fan space behind it and avoiding them taking up too much room in the cab!
what i could also do is run them a bit faster.. i just used any spare old power adaptors i could find to power them - and i would be better to get some switchable voltage ones that give you some speed control
VG

 

[VerdantGreen]

Hi all, Cab shot at 6.5 weeks: getting chunky in there... Chem Zhuzh front left stacking well, BDB on the right, and the 2 contra D across the back still putting on weight by the looks of it.

VG

 

[VerdantGreen]

Hi all, we are at just over 7 weeks. There has been a bit more budrot which is not great... but the plants are looking quite ripe which bodes well for this MARS FC-E-3000, the IR spectrum must help. Also i think vegging these plants on 16/8 may have knocked a few days off the flowering time... i will probably take them very soon after 8 weeks.
As for the rot.. i hope that this is just a one-off problem caused by the water that got into the garage (heavy rain whilst the roof was being replaced) - because although i often run pretty crowded cabs it is something that i have almost never had a problem with. Other factors may be the increased bud size from the more powerful light.. and the fact that the BDB and the Chem Zhuzh had just 3 very large top colas. Time will tell.
Anyway, Here is the Chem Zhuzh, just over 7 weeks. as you can see one of the top colas has dried out (there as a little bit of rot further down that must have killed the stem) so i have harvested that bud which isn't so bad for me as i am running out of weed lol. Most of the bud is still there and not effected by rot... just dried out. I picked a little rot off another top cola and the third one is fine.
It has a sweet musky chem smell that is lovely! i will definitely run this again.

and at least i still have a nice cola for the pics lol.

 

[VerdantGreen]

The BDB has also suffered a little bit as you can see...
Smelling wonderful.. the background burnt rubber type smell has evolved a little and now the funk is more like smelling the great candy berry smell whilst your neighbour is having a bonfire in his garden !

You can see that i have lost the tip of one bud and a lower section of the other... again most of it had died back and dried out rather than rotted so some more early smoke. you can see that the trics are already all milky and a few going brownish

Still a nice photogenic bud though :

 

[VerdantGreen]

Lastly, the Contra D's have been absolute troopers ! after going hungry early on they have held up amazingly well and looking at these plants, it makes me wonder how good they would look if they were run to their optimum! - and remember this plant is one of two identical 'big' females i got in my test grow! Here they are in the back half of the cab. Seem resistant to the rot as well after having lost one bud early on...
first pic lights on, second pic lights off.

 

[VerdantGreen]

And some more Contra D pics.
They smell similar to the Chem D clone, but with the Pine (that is background in the D) cranked right up.. and the Cabbagy/sweaty socks smells turned down.

 

[VerdantGreen]

Looking ahead, this is a sneak preview of the next round.. I'll be testing the last of the crosses i've recently made with the 80's White Rhino clone ive had for a while (sometimes called the 'North London White Rhino')
i will veg 16 plants and hopefully flower 9.

BlueDigiRhino - this is BlueDigiBerry x White Rhino (dots started testing these and they looked amazing.. but then he disappeared in mid flower)

Gorilla vs. Rhino - this is Gorilla Bubble x White Rhino and is as yet completely untested.

got 100% germination 9/9 and 10/10
these should be potted up and ready to go when the present run is harvested probably next week

VG

 

[VerdantGreen]

Been smoking on some of the BlueDigiBerry from the bud that got harvested early.. it had dried out on the plant.
Already smokes nicely.. and leaves a sweet mouth coating aftertaste similar to jelly babies ! (i don't think you get them in the USA and i'm told there is no direct equivalent.. jelly beans would be the closest.
The high is strong and clear but balanced by a slight blissful fuzzyness ... heightened awareness and 'third eye open' feelings .. long lasting with a smooth comedown.
Next up is the Chem Zhuzh for a taste...