Hi All I've been through several grows now and I'm at a point where I don't have deficiencies, my nutrient lineup has been very pleasing, my buds have gotten complimented on every handout. So I'm wondering what could help make a difference to get my results to a level that could be comparable to profession/medical... Whatever you want to call it. Basically I want to grow the tastiest best buds I can and I'm running out of things I can improve. Line up as follows: 1000 watt hps (runs @70%) 4x4 tent 5 gallon buckets Readygro mix (soiless) Advanced nutes - sensi Additives- cal mag, big bud, bud blood, bud candy, overdrive Hygrozyme for enzymes Voodoo juice for roots Flush. 2 weeks minimum most of the time 3 weeks. In the last grow I grew LSD, red dragon and green poison . About 3.5-4 oz per plant Trichs were about 15% amber but I couldn't wait for 25% I needed the space. I always consider the color of the plant and I listen to my plants. I'll flush whenever leaves are too dark and even though I have a heavy AN lineup I rarely, of ever, go full strength with everything So what separates the hobbyists from the professionals? Is it all in the curing of the bud? Are there other factors I should look at?
Star messing with different nute line ups. Not necessary, but some side by sides never hurt. Could always try full organic. In all reality even though you are pretty much there. You know your doing good with 3.5-4 oz. per plant, and starting to be able to read your plants. Until you get through like 7-10 successful grows I still consider that pretty green. Man I have been told tons of times that I just have a green thumb. Vegetables, flowers, weed, whatever. My first grow went great, and pretty much every grow since. And in all honesty I wasn't truly pleased with the product until after like 2-3 years growing. Even though everyone I gave it too was just blown away. I totally know where you are coming from. Trust me in 2 years you will look back at now, and be like damn man I was green behind the ears. Now I am rambling. Had a long day, and am now super baked. But seriously start doing side by sides with different tecniques, and even feeding schedules. Start straying from the set feeding charts. Good luck man. Sound slike you are well on your way. I would also say try soil less, but your already there
Thanks toddler. I'm right at about a year and a half of growing. I'll have to start mixing things up like you said. Before my last grow I never used enzymes and before that grow I usually went full strength on nutes. I'm wondering where my next breakthrough change will come from. Right now I'd say curing could be better but it's not bad as it is. Thanks anyways. Lol I don't think you have to worry about rambling, my first post could be turned in for a report in highschool
Have you thought about trying AACT's? Its on my list of things to do, and people seem to really like the results they get from that and making their own compost mixes. Or maybe a breeding project, to make your own personalized strain? Its a cool little project imo You could try adding supplemental LED, CFL, or UV light. UV light supposedly increases resin production, although I can't speak from personal experience.
Cool man. Yeah man curing can be tricky. I think that was one of the hardest for me to get right. It's different for everyone. You know depending on where you live dictates your relative humidity. So like when I lived in the mountains in CO. it was dry as hell, and hang drying would take like 2 days. At 3 days they were too dry. Now where I live it takes like 4-5 days. Which is much better.
I could tell you what I do and you can take it or leave it. 1. Coco Hempy Bucket style growing. 2. Root's Organics Soilless Coco mix (really similar to the ReadyGro Moisture Mix) as the upper part. 3. GrowStones to replace perlite in the lower half of the hempy bucket. 4. Three gallon maximum size on the buckets. 5. General Organics nutrient system, more or less by the manual. Nutrients and media only get a person so far. The other part of the equation is the environment. 1. Temperature held at 75.6 to 76.5f every minute, every day, lights on or off. 2. Humidity held at 50% to 60% - Or - 1. Enriched CO2 environment to 1200ppm 2. Temperature held at 82f to 84f I think that if you have your nutrients dialed, and you like your media, then there is no need to really fix something that isn't broken. I have really found a use for a few products though and they might work for you as well. 1. Humboldt Nutrients FlavorFul: Fulvic Acid. pH down replacement. Organic flavor enhancer. 2. Dyna-Gro Pro-Tekt: Silicon supplement. Aids in cell health and adds structure. Seems to improve everything above ground. pH up replacement. 3. Cutting Edge Solutions Uncle John's Blend: Outrageously effective resin enhancer. Also provides some Potassium. 4. General Organics BioWeed:Seaweed Extract that has a tremendous effect on root growth and health. 2.5ml/gal is more than enough. When drying and curing: 1. Cut plants at the base of the stem and remove any large fan leaves (with a stem). 2. Hang dry at 75 degrees and 50% humidity (or close) for 4 to 6 days, or until the sugar leaves begin to show signs of crispyness. 3. Trim plants of sugar leaves, remove buds from stems, and place in a single layer in a paper grocery bag. Fold the bag to reduce air flow. 4. Turn the buds every day in the bags and check for dryness. 5. After 5 or 6 days in the paper bags they should be almost dry enough to smoke... but still with some moisture in the stems (the buds should not snap when you break into them). 6. Jar the buds for 15 days, burping daily, before injesting. 30 days is better, 3 months is ideal. Keep them in a dark, cool, dry place. And that's about it. The Hempy buckets help build massive root systems, the organic nutrients provide the best flavors, the additives assist plant health and resin production, and the curing process fulfills the maximum potential of your buds. If you are looking for some CRAZY shit, like some other worldly advanced growing techniques... Look here : Electrical stimulation of plant growth - International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums I read of a guy that used the solar panels for those garden lights to provide a small current of electricity through his containers. He did a side-by-side with plants that got no current and after 2 weeks of life the electrified plants were 2x the size. Wild shit.
Scmc/dissec Thanks for the tips guys, resin production could probably use some improvements. I wondered what the appeal of UV lights where. SCMC - I've heard of Hempy buckets but I've never checked them out... What's the difference with those vs regular pots. I'll have to try that curing method. Usually I trim the leaves and cut the branches and hang those individually. Once the branches bent but not break, I cut the buds, jar, and burp for weeks. Should I wait to trim? Should I leave the plant in tact when hanging? I make sure the process is not rushed. I have a 4 week LSD stash that is curing beautifully.