Why my 8wk strain going 12+ wk's?

[heatherlonglee]

Not my first grow, never seem that the buds are finished early compared to what others are getting as 8wk results?

My setup.

400w hps
room temp day 82-88deg
room temp night 80 deg
Pro mix hp 5 gal pots
RO water
Scrog 3 plant setup

Strain: Super Critical, Green House Seeds 8wk strain

Maxi grow & bloom/Koolbloom
Diamond Nectar
Diamond Black
Flora Blend
Flora Nectar
Silica Blast
ZHO

I ran a modified version of Lucas method. I only used additives on every 2nd watering. I only watered when the pot had dried a bit, I waited 4-6 days between waterings. Started Koolbloom wk 7, not my first run with this strain. I Started Koolbloom late expecting a late harvest. I did the 7 grams Maxi Lucas, still 7 grams Maxi with additives. I did flush with pure RO water 4 times total in 12 wk's. I didn't ph RO water, plant doesn't seem to like that. 1st flush around wk 3, flush twice in a row around week 7, and once around week 10 still pure RO water. Weeks 11 and 12 I've been watering at 1/5 strength or less. I feel I've hit close to everything on this grow the buds looks nice juicy ect... Why still a late harvest it seems? The plants are from 3 different seeds and all finish same times also. I stopped the 2 Diamond products around wk 7, Flora Blend and the Silica I stopped around wk 10. Still using Flora Nectar full strength and Maxi Bloom at 1/5 strength every watering till finished.

 

[señorsloth]

because there are no 8 week strains...everybody i know pretty much is agreed that indica's and hybrids are 10-12 weeks and sativas are 13-22 weeks, you show me any strain out there ready at 8 weeks and i'll show you a strain that could be much better if you were to wait 2-3 more weeks, ripe is 25-50% amber...fully swolen calyxes, almost 95+% hairs brown, withered, and sucked back into calyxes.

the problem is so many people pick early and don't even realize it, so many people have NEVER seen a truelly ripe bud, smoked a bowl of 50% amber...they haven't even come close so they post things like yay this was ready at 8 weeks...they had no idea that a month later their pot would have gone from pretty good, to the best pot they have ever smoked...

of course you have seed companies to blame as well, but most people know better than to believe their harvest recommendations (which are universally 2-3 weeks short of actual time)

anyways keep at it, be patient, and when it is finally truly ready, you will be so glad you did! maybe next time try the 12-1 lighting schedule, i find it takes about 7 to 10 days off my flowering times while increasing my yield and smell/flavor!

 

[Relentless]

i agree, i havent seen many that are ready at 8 weeks.

 

[heatherlonglee]

I would agree from my experience also, with multiple strains. Only my second grow with several of the same strain from different seeds, instead of clones. If all 3 finish at same time seems like thats probably the norm. Thanks for the response I'm on my last day of week 12. This is my best grow yet so very happy, no lockout and ending week 12! I'm holding out to ripen for a while longer.

 

[Hammerhead]

4-6 days with no water ?? my girls need water after 2 days max

 

[supermanlives]

i generally add 2 weeks to advertised finish times. very few strains are really ready when stated

 

[Relentless]

I go 4 days in a 5gal. In a 7gal sometimes a week.. i letem dryyyyyy out

 

[Hammerhead]

I cant do that that in 5 and 8g pots there dry in 2-3 days.

 

[señorsloth]

I go 4 days in a 5gal. In a 7gal sometimes a week.. i letem dryyyyyy out

see i used to do that, i would wait till the lower leaves started to droop, but then i found that the next day there was a bit of a growth explosion, telling me that growth probably slowly dropped off as the water became more and more scarce, then jumped back to regular growth when i watered, i don't want to possibly stunt my girls so i don't let em get that dry, 1 week between waterings keep mine from getting too dry, my grow beds can go 2 weeks without water before the plants really suffer, but bed growing is different, you don't let the soil get completely soaked or completely dry...flushing takes 4-5 weeks for me, not that i'm complaining, it makes the best buds i've ever grown.

and to the OP, why all the additives? you state your using the lucas formula, which is just straight maxi bloom(i use it too, love it!),but then you mentioned about half a dozen other ferts like maxi grow and nectars... you also seemed surprised that you had gotten through 12 weeks without a lockout...you should try using maxi-bloom exclusively, that would simplify that a lot. maxi bloom has EVERYTHING your plants need, less is truly more, you can spend a thousand dollars on snake oils and you will still get outgrown by experience and good old fashioned know-how...it's a LOT easier to get really dialed into the needs of your specific plants, as well as to get a strong feel for any plants needs, when using just one, all-encompassing fertilizer like maxibloom. after all, even if you get your plants perfectly dialed in for an entire session, it can be almost impossible to recreate that exactly the next time when you have 8 different additives and ferts to keep track of.

and the thing a lot of people don't seem to get is, all of these fertilizers, the hundreds of colorful and expensive bottles, they don't do anything for your plants potency! not a single one! potency, like happiness, comes from within! the genetics of the individual plant dictate the highest amount of active chemicals in your pot. NO BOTTLE OF ANYTHING WILL INCREASE THAT! there is only one secret to getting the highest potency possible out of ANY plant. KEEP IT HEALTHY AND HAPPY! the closer you get to giving your plant the exact amount of everything it wants, the more healthy it will be, it's not about pumping unnaturally high amounts of chemicals into it, tricking it into pumping out more thc than it wants too...less is more, and the more healthy a plant is the more potent it is, as far as genetics allow. that's pretty much universally true of all plants, the best fruits, flowers, roots and tubers, seeds, nuts and berries all come from the healthiest plants. a plant is not healthy because it has more fertilizer than it could ever want, it's healthy when it has exactly the right amount, usually it's on the low side compared to what most people are feeding their plants(they think more must be more).once you know exactly how much of everything your plant likes through every week of it's life untill harvest, you will get the most potency possible. there are no bottles that unlock secret doors, if your plants don't ask for bud candies don't give it to them(and i promise they wont)! personally ive been pushing the limits of my strains more and more every grow, and the only thing i have to deal with is whether to give half a scoop of maxi or a full scoop, i would be fighting one deficiency after another if i were trying a 3-6 part nutrient regime!

 

[softyellowlight]

Your light schedule can also force them to live in a limbo between best flowering and best vegetation. I assume you've never tried anything but 12/12.

 

[heatherlonglee]

Thanks Senorsloth, you gave some sound ideas, and made me laugh! I've had lockout problems due to variations of soil quality and water quality, this grow with no lockout confirms I've eliminated those variables. I truly intended to use just the Lucas Formula? Most of my additives are of the cheaper variety and I use them sparingly so they will last several harvests, I couldn't stop myself the bottles are cheep!

Honestly though, things like humic and fulvic acids aren't useful?
Silica not useful?
Some kind of compost tea not useful?
Some kind of molasses sweetener not useful?
Simple bloom booster not useful?
Some micro organisms for the soil not useful?

I'll agree that plants will be fine without. I wanted to not get sucked in by marketing hype! If the products are cheep, and I can use them at a less than recommended rate and make them last for a long time? I may end up throwing out some of these before I could ever finish them. I sometimes think to myself the additives are just for me to have some fun with =)