HELP! No Problem Growing, Nice Cola's BUT it has no strength, average at best ?

[Miniestate]

I started just about 2 years ago with seeds from BC Bud Depot, a grow box about 3 x 3 x 5, LED Grow Light. By my 3rd grow I was able to get nice plants with 6 to 9 " cola's 2" wide and very sticky. I had also moved the plants out into the closet as the box was to small to really grow much quantity. I was still getting seeds from BC Bud Depot and the plants although they looked good just had no potency. I tried another seed vendor with the same results, I just got done trying seeds from True North and the same. I check PH and adjust to around 6, I have a PPM Meter and measure the nutrients to be sure they are correct. Finally I have 2 small microscopes to check the buds for browning as to when to harvest. If anyone has clue what it is I am missing please help. If anything I might not harvest as fast as it says 8 week s or so. I have found it to be more like 10 to 12 weeks.

Jim

[Locrian99]

I’m pretty new myself. I’ll throw my 2 cents in though. If your plants look great and you’ve tried different strains I would look at what is going on post harvest. How are you drying, are you giving your buds a good cure. There’s a great page on increasing potency on the page to check

[alltatup]

Miniestate, which seeds are you buying? Who is the breeder? Which nutrients are you using? Finally, IF (and this is a big if) you're waiting until week 12 for and 8-week plant, you may be over-doing the flowering period... Although it sounds like you're staying on top of the state of your trichomes...

[abadtrip]

I noticed u say u are checking the buds for Browning. I think tat might be onto somthing my best weed I harvested with some clear mostly hazy I look for a solid mushroom head trics with close to no amber more clear. U might be cooking the thc out of the plant.

[Potted]

A good possibility, ABT

[DoctorJohnson]

If you're getting big and especially sticky buds, you're doing things right. Crop King seeds (and others for all I know) rates their strains for potency, so you might want to try a maximally potent strain. My other thought would be to try more light.

[PRIMO]

I tend to agree with L-99, If you grew healthy plants up through sticky to some amber trichs and did the proper dry-cure with different sources and strains maybe you've set the expectation bar to high. When you say average strength, do you mean average from the guy down the street or top shelf from the store downtown? I have grown well past the due date on the package going for the laid backness of "the couch lock" and it'll still knock your socks off. Have you gotten any second opinions on your smoke?

[GreenhouseEffect]

How's your temperature during flowering, high heat can remove a lot of THC during the end of flowering. All good things to check that have been posted above. Nebula has posted some really good info for maximizing THC as well, I would post a link for ya if I was better at it, should be able to get there from the "when to Harvest" Icon at the top of the page, might be able to find the missing key in there somewhere.
Also could make some Dry Ice Hash out of the buds you already have, so it is stronger, and you don't have to smoke so much to get a good high.
Best of luck!

[Blazed227]

u ever think ur tolerance is just to high... An maybe its some fire n u just don't realize it .. Happend to me.. I thought it wasn't very strong then let some friends try it and they were like damn that's good shit.. Im like wtf really.. Went an bought some from my buddy that always is too shelf an I got the same buzz that I got from mine.. I had just been smoking waaaay to much an my tolerance went thru the roof cause I had so much... Smoke a quarter in 1.5 - 2 days cut back a little or smoke more maybe lol

[RosettaStoned]

I also, am my biggest critic.
Blazed, samething here....my first harvest looks pretty spectacular for my first. I smoked it and was like, hhmm. My wife and friends smoke it, and they love it! I smoke bowls and blunts to her bats, haha

[Blazed227]

Thats exactly what it is , cause I do the same shit..

[Dutchman1]

Agreed, two days without weed resets your tolerance. Try that.

[Miniestate]

Thank You all for your Feedback.

Let me add how I am growing in more detail, I am doing Hydro Ponic with a large Air Bubbler, 4 to 5 gallon Bin / Bins. I am using General Hydroponics Flora Micro, Flora Grow, Flora Bloom per there chart and using the PPM meter. After the 2nd Grow I began to use the 3' x 3' by 5' tall grow box with 2 exhaust fans and 1 180 Watt LED Grow Lamp from Mars Hydro I bought online as starter grow house until the plants ( 6 ) at a time begins to get crowded I then move into the general closet area 5 x 6 area. There I have full time 1 300 Watt LED Lamp & 600 Watt LED Lamp and if I am not using the grow box I pull the 180 Watt LED Lamp and hang it low pointing up through or across the low stack area. That is any where from 900 Watts to 1080 Watts of LED Grow Light. I the closet area I use one 5 Gallon Bin for each 3 Plants, never more than 9 plants, It has an AC vent if the door is closed to the closet but I generally leave it open part way to cool.
I will go into more detail here and reply to each suggestion starting with

L - 99 the 1st reply;

* I can't recall exactly what I bought from each vendor but I was generally looking for Feminized seeds so as to not waste time on the male plants, sometimes auto flower also.
The 1st 3 grows I bought seeds from BC Bud Depot, I also bought from Crop King & True North.
* Here are the names of some of the strains I bought: Cream Manderine XL Auto SWS, White Widow Fem, AK 47 Auto, Berry Blue Auto, Green Poison, Purple Star, LowRider #2.
Post Grow I have been cutting off the root system and pulling from the plastic grow cup (I use dried peat plug in the cup, water and it expands and I place the germinated seed into the Peat) I tie a string around the bottom and hang it upside down for 10 days to 2 weeks.

Alltup;

I think the above answered most of your comments other than the grow time. I started out doing it exactly at 8 or 10 weeks or what is recommended. After the 1st 2 grows and it was not potent is when I got the small hand microscope and started looking at the Tricombs and silla/hair color that I got from reading.

BadTrip;

I have been all over with the color thing. What I read is to look for the silla to just begin to brown and Trics hazy. I tried that.

Doctor J, and Primo
what I want to get to is the 1st Hawaiian Senismaila back in late 60's early 70's. It was like 3 or 4 hits at most or your going to bed. The smell was incredible. Yes at one time I was the POTHEAD. 1985 I had a child and got married (Yes in the order) and gave all that stuff up. Until 2 years ago I had not been high for 30 + years. I am divorced now and my daughter is married and I have a Grand Child. It is her turn to be straight and time for me to enjoy my retirement plan. Of which this is part of it, So me being stuck on HIGH, not yet. Primo you asked if I got any 2nd opinions, I have taken some of the BUDS a cross the street and left them. I asked and he did not seem to be like, Where did you get that pot, or can you more of this. I got just it was OK. The BUDS look and smell like it would be good.

GreenHouse:

Like I said above the grow box has 2 4" exhaust fans. I do not use for the long term grow now as it is too small and it can get hot in that box. I leave it open if I can so the closet AC can get to it.

Blaz227;

I wish it was me then it would a fix, not easy but a fix. I had not been high pretty much for 30 years until 2015 when around October I began my 1st grow.

I think I have answered the comments and thank you all for them. I have 7 seeds left (Auto Berry Blue) from True North (I would not buy there again as they way to stuffy, I know they need to be careful as it is not really legal but they way beyond being protective, at least to me they were rude when I sent an email to ask something about the seeds I had bought. For the folks at BC BUD DEPOT have been the best to work with.

Here are some pics how I germinate and a few poor Bud Pics.

[PRIMO]

WOW----- good answer Mini

[alltatup]

Mini, one suggestion: buy top strains with solid reputations from the best breeders. These articles may assist: http://www.growweedeasy.com/trusted-breeders

https://greenparrotseeds.com/en/blog/321-top10-breeders-2017

[Mr.furley]

Miniestate, sure are some nice looking plant so sorry to hear that they aren't smoking well.
from the pictures Iv got two thing, 1 is how far are your lights from your plants? I'm not a LED guy but you may be burning off your Terps/THC/Cbd..... with them lights, Light stress?
and the 2nd is burnt tips, dark green, and "the clawing" is a sign of nitrogen toxicity. It's hard to tell color under unnatural light and both comments are just thoughts
Of mine.

[GreenhouseEffect]

You pretty much got me so far.
The only thing that caught my attention is how long you hang, I have never needed more than a couple days to a week, but I do live in a fairly arid climate, if it is humid where you live, then you would need more time to hang plants.
Good to hear your feedback on Seed company's, have dealt with MSNL and Seedsman so far, both have been good. More likely to order from Seedsman in the future though, just cause there selection is HUGE.

[Blazed227]

The only thing I can think of is 1, like I said before ur tolerance e is to high.. An can easily be enough time from 2015.. What can it hurt to try an stop for a few days an then smoke less then normally, 2, like stated above how close are ur lights cause u could be burning the buds or 3, ur chopping them 2 early... Thats the only thing I can think of unless they were just trash seeds.. Only things I can think of... I will tell u this I just started smoking again just before I started growing an I'm on my 5th grow now so hasn't been that long.. 2-3 years maybe an my tolerance is thru the roof.. I have to to a few days to a week without to lower it back down all the time... What can it hurt to try if its nothing else? Anyways happy growing hope u figure it out

[D.A.A.S.69]

Morning Mini, I sure hate your plants don't get you high, especially the way you say you are growing it.
I'm probably older than you are, and remember all that killer from back in the day, we smoked it all, Thai stick, Oaxaca, Red-Gold Bud columbian,,Jamaican, an I will quarantee you that the Afghan Kush that we just grew is lot,lots better, than the old days smoke.
Dont know what's going on with your smoke, but I sure wouldn't stop trying to find some that will get you high.
GoodLuck, that's got to suck, not being able to get high on your own smoke.