Third time's the charm - femmed white widow in hydro

[gonejah17]

shit looks dope man, GREAT JOB!!

[Help_Needed]

Not a whole lot to report really. The buds are continuing to mature. They're getting nice and fat and frosty. The hairs are finally starting to turn color just a bit. It's not a dramatic change, though, so you have to look pretty close to see the difference. I thought about taking pictures, but doubt it would show up.

I've started checking the trichs about every 2-3 days. As of Wednesday night, they were running about 70% cloudy, 30% clear, with a very small number that are just starting to turn amber. My "official" harvest window opens on Monday, and from the looks of it, I'm going to be pretty close to that date.

I took some time to discuss the odor situation with one of the guys at my local grow store. He felt that the scrubber I was using was just too small for the growing operation I have. They've come to realize that those compact scrubbers are really for light use applications, and don't do well in situations where heavy odor control is necessary. He also felt that the squirrel cage fan that I'm using probably isn't moving enough air to be effective for odor control. Yes, it's rated at 265cfm, but it doesn't have the suction power to pull air through a scrubber. So, the end result is, I ended up coming home with a new Canfan and a new Can-filter. The grow store guy did give me a substantial discount on them, though - almost as much as I paid for the other filter - so it wasn't a total loss.

That said, I've yet to actually hook the damned thing up. The flange attachment that's supposed to be put on the filter is not predrilled (neither is the filter lol) and I've now broken two different drill bits. The bit goes through the metal just fine, but as soon as they hit the fabric they seize up.

There's also the problem of removing the old fan and filter. You know those little metal collars that tighten around the ducting so it holds secure to the flange? Well, I made the mistake of buying some that use little plastic keys to turn them, instead of a screwdriver. And, Murphy's Law, I've lost the stupid keys. So I'm making my 4th trip to Home Depot today for another drill bit (will probably buy 2, just in case lol) and another package of those stupid collars.

And then this morning as I was checking on the plants, I noticed that the closet was smelling kinda...planty....and the fabric of the hut was warm to the touch. It turns out that while I was working on the fan yesterday, I unplugged it and forgot to plug it back in when I decided to postpone installing the new equipment. Fortunately, it was fairly cold last night so the ambient temps only got up to 84, but still........

[IMgreen]

*sigh* It never really ends, does it? lol

It NEVER does!

looking forward to a smoke report!

[Help_Needed]

No, the plant's not done yet. Trichs are about 90% cloudy, now, with a smattering of amber. I'm guessing we *might* be ready by Friday.

I finally got off my ass and hooked up the new fan and filter. The difference is amazing. My exhaust is now completely odor free, although the new fan is noisier than the last one. Well, actually it's not the fan per se, it's the fact that the fan is moving a lot more air than the other one.

I've have to honestly say that I'm really impressed with the new filter. It seems to be superior to any of the others I've seen, both commercial and homemade. Its got a hepa prefilter around the outside, to trap any large airborne particles, like pet hair, pollen and dust. And then the sheer volume of charcoal in it is pretty astounding. The filter must weigh about 15 lbs by itself. So, yeah, despite the extra cost, I'm happy with the new setup.

Pics:

#1 - The new filter. I had originally planned on putting it in the back, but changed my mind. Having it up front will make it easier to change out when it's time to replace it.

#2 - The new fan.

#3 - Bud shot. I've yet to get a really good macro shot of the bud, but this one will give you an idea of how frosty they're getting. I can't wait for harvest.

[IMgreen]

Nice bud!

the new filter looks legit even WITH the clothesline!!

[Help_Needed]

Originally Posted by IMgreen

the new filter looks legit even WITH the clothesline!!

HAHA! Yeah, the clothesline *is* sort of ghetto, isn't it? But to be honest, I couldn't really come up with a better idea for hanging it up. Yeah, there are duct braces that you can buy, but you're still left with having to tie it up to the top of the hut. And it works, so I'm happy.

At least it'll be easy to take down, when I have to replace it .

[IMgreen]

dude you are preaching to the choir here when it comes to riggin shit up!

I used a bottom part of a crutch to push my light out away from the wall for MONTHS instead of just moving the light hangers!

Your stuff's crafty and inventive!

[gonejah17]

Originally Posted by IMgreen

dude you are preaching to the choir here when it comes to riggin shit up!

I used a bottom part of a crutch to push my light out away from the wall for MONTHS instead of just moving the light hangers!

Your stuff's crafty and inventive!

AHAH that WAS a crutch in that pic I saw!! lol awesome

Yeah doob buds are looking good man way to go on your flowering!! I posted some WW info on my journal in response to ur ? It's straight from Rumple so u can pretty much take it as gospel

Looks like your almost ready to chop them bitches!!!!

good shit man

[Help_Needed]

Originally Posted by gonejah17

I posted some WW info on my journal in response to ur ? It's straight from Rumple so u can pretty much take it as gospel

Looks like your almost ready to chop them bitches!!!!

good shit man

Yeah I saw. Thanks for the heads up. I've been waiting patiently for them to turn, and they haven't been.

I'm just going to plan on chopping them on Saturday. The roommate usually sleeps in, so if I start working when the dog wakes me up at 7, I'll have plenty of time to get them down, trimmed and hung back up before she wakes .

I guess I didn't need to take a sample, then today, did I? lol

[Help_Needed]

Well, with gonejah's warning in mind (about the trich's on WW plants not turning the way most strains to) I took a "small" sample on Wednesday morning. By small I mean I removed one of the smallest bud clusters I could easily remove. My plan was to oven dry it and smoke it that evening. However while I was waiting for it to dry I decided to make brownies and well....the brownies did me in and I never tried my smoking sample .

So I tried it last night, instead. All I can say is HOLY SHIT!!!

Now, mind you, I'm still a total light-weight when it comes to weed. Not that being a light-weight's a bad thing. Like I told my friend I can get totally stoned on a tenth of what it takes him to get high. Very economical lol. But still........

Three hits...three measly little hits....left me incapacitated. As in laying on the bed watching the ceiling turn pretty colors. The body stone was much more intense than my last strain too, which is something I was actually looking for. At one point I was imagining that my legs were see-through. It felt like they weren't there lol.

So....based on that, I decided it was ready. I wanted to harvest last night, but I couldn't find the energy or coordination to do it. Instead I got up early this morning and chopped the plants before work. I was going to hang them up in the hydrohut to dry, but couldn't find any string. Coulda sworn I had some. But for now, they're now spread out on the floor of the hydrohut to dry. I'm gonna pick up some string on the way home and hang them this afternoon.

The yield on this plant was amazing compared to last grow. I just love what the HPS did for my garden. I can't wait for my next grow to get started - gonna do 6 plants in a semi-SoG style grow. I only wish I'd gotten both plants to harvest. Oh well.

It looks like some of the buds are definitely seeded as a result of the hermies. I might just keep some of these seeds and grow this strain again in the fall. Yeah, I know they'll probably hermie, but hey, free seeds are free seeds, and I have some Reverse and know how to use it .

Pics -

#1 - The poor naked stump. It looks so forlorn lol.

#2 - The four main colas. Yes, that's a full sized lighter - 2 1/4 inches long. That gives you an idea of how friggen massive these colas are.

#3 - A close up of one of the main colas.

#4 - The "small" stuff. Most of these clusters are bigger than my main cola was on my last grow.

[IMgreen]

great to hear help_needed! I am so looking forward to meeting the widow myself!

Save them seeds, you get a good female ratio outta them.

I had hermies in my very first grow and used them seeds for a year with 80% females and I prolly caused the hermies I grew

(I stressed the shit out of them trimming, was way to aggressive)

and I am pretty sure femmed seeds come from a hermie parent

[Help_Needed]

Originally Posted by IMgreen

(I stressed the shit out of them trimming, was way to aggressive)

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if the early heat problems - both ambient and res temps - cause the hermies.

and I am pretty sure femmed seeds come from a hermie parent

Partially true. A hermie that self-pollinates will produce feminized seeds, however they will have a very strong tendency to hermie.

Commercial feminized seeds are made by using a product similar to Reverse to force an otherwise strong, healthy female plant to produce male flowers. I understand that they usually only do this to one or two of the plant's branches and then manually pollinate the other branches to get the seeds. This process will produce femmed seeds that are much less likely to hermie than those that come from plants that hermie because of genetics or stress.

[IMgreen]

so if I wanted to breed better seeds

reverse will give me femmed seeds if I apply it to a female and let it flower alone?

interesting...

how much is that reverse stuff and is it usually available locally at a hydro store?

[Help_Needed]

Originally Posted by IMgreen

reverse will give me femmed seeds if I apply it to a female and let it flower alone?

No. Reverse contains female hormones. It supresses male flowers and *stops* a female from turning hermie. It *might* make a male develop female flowers though, but I'm not so sure about that lol.

You need another product like Reverse, but with male hormones, to force a female to develop male flowers. Don't know what it's called of if a standard hydro store would have it.