Not the whole grow - just the flower

[billyboy]

Discovered this place a little late in the game. Thanks for the views and advice so far. I just wanted to have a place to share the rest of my first grow. Hopefully it will be of interest. All comments and thoughts welcome and appreciated.


From Seed - 1/19/19 germination
600 Watt MH lights for Veg
42 day Veg. (The answer to the Ultimate Question - HHGTTG fans?)
FFOF soil
some 3 gal, some 5 gal - fabric (stoned Amazon clicking)
Feed - Water - Water (1/2 strength, Technaflora)
Bergman's Gold Leaf (seed order was easy - worked)
Avg temps: High 79 Low 71 RH 30
600 W HPS Since Day 42
4x4x8
8 plants this grow

[billyboy]

Here we are: DAY 57 Grow / DAY 15 Flower


They are wicked short

[Colombo]

Real pretty grow you have going billyboy ! A sea of green for Patty, couldn't ask for more ! Well, maybe some corn beef and cabbage ! LOL ! Good Job ! Good Growing !!

[billyboy]

Thanks Columbo. It has been fun :-) (We did shepherd's pie and soda bread)

[Colombo]

My Grandmother used to make it rest her soul and the soda bread lightly toasted with butter never lasted long. Always a great day !

[billyboy]

DAY 61 Grow / DAY 19 Flower

Quick couple of pics. Happy to see that I have 20-ish, 3-5in buds (bud sites, future buds?) poking above the screen. I seem to recall reading that is about right for this timing in the grow (right?). The Bergman Gold says it is a 63 day flower so about 1/3 of the way there. If I read Nebula's advice correctly some time around this weekend I should be getting out the snips and defoliating for this upcoming phase. They are bushy little suckers that is for sure! Looking forward to seeing if I can contort and bend my body around the screen to get it done. Maybe I will stretch and do yoga first :-)

[alltatup]

Welcome billy: It would be nice if they were to stretch a bit more before you defoliated them, but if that's all they are gonna stretch... I learned on my current grow how defol can really stunt growth.

[billyboy]

I think another week maybe the the right thing too. They didn't react well tot eh first trim they got.

[PhantomSulker]

Welcome to the Forum, you will find almost everything you need to know with this group. Been very helpful I am finishing my first grow now, and have learned so much from where I started. Your plants look great. I had 5 plants in my 4 x 4 and that was tight, unfortunately 3 of them were naughty boys. Look forward to watching your finish.

[billyboy]

8 is too much for my space for sure. 4 and doing the manifold thing is what I have already been thinking for the next grow. I have Silver Haze and Blue Cheese magic beans dying to be sprouted.

[billyboy]

Happy Friday

[alltatup]

Have they stretched from a week ago? It looks like it!!

[billyboy]

Yes ! They just took off. It was amazing. Not sure I want to defoliate. Maybe just let them grow

[alltatup]

I agree with you, let em stretch. I stunted some of mine by defoliating the wrong way.

[billyboy]

DAY 70 Grow / DAY 28 Flower


It has been a good week. Everything seems on track. Some pictures to share. Around 5 weeks left to go

[alltatup]

Wow, billy, those are gonna be some phat ass buds in five weeks cuz they look big now!!!!!!

[billyboy]

I hope so! This whole thing started off as a Christmas present for my GF. So it will be Christmas in May :-)

[billyboy]

One of the weekend chores was to defoliate, or at least give a good trim.

Week 4 - B4 the trim

[billyboy]

Week 4 - After the trim

[Colombo]

Things are looking real sweet billyboy, real nice grow. Good Job ! Look forward to the finish!

[billyboy]

DAY 78 Grow / DAY 36 Flower


Still looking great. I gave the buds a bit of a squeeze and they feel tight :-) Hoping I am in the 5oz zone but first grow so who the hell knows?

One or two more feedings and I think the switch to plain water is going to happen. Should be about four-ish weeks out at this point.

[alltatup]

Really nice colas!!

[Colombo]

Great grow billyboy ! How many plants ? They look really sweat . The colas are Bad Ass !!

[billyboy]

8 plants. Intended a ScrOG but it turned into a Sea of Green.

[Spidermite]

Beautiful for a first or 20th grow. Are you going to use unsulphered molasses for the flush? 2 weeks flush is enough. How often do you water? But molasses will bulk them up in my experience the last couple weeks.

[billyboy]

Thanks!

[billyboy]

I water every day. Each girl gets 20-22oz. Every other day they get nutes. 14-16 oz at 1/3 to 1/2 strength of the Techniflora starter kit I have and another 8-ish oz of water. I PH the water to around 6.

Funny you asked about the molasses! I was going to start a thread last night asking for advice on that and just spaced. Been reading a lot about the positive effects of unsulphured molasses in the flower/later flower. From what I read the girls don't use it but it gives the life in the spoil a burst and those little microbes having a party makes the right environment for the girls to boost buds and tighten them up.

So my regular nutes mix has "Sugar Daddy" in it. They had me start that after going to 12/12. I am guessing that the intention Techniflora is that it is doing what the molasses would do? Are you thinking that I would stop the feeding and switch to just water and molasses for the remainder of the grow? Does the "flush" include molasses water? They say to be "aggressive" and use 40ML of Sugar Daddy per gal in late flower and mix it with the MagicCal fo the 'Late Flower Formula". Maybe do molasses instead? Is there any conventional wisdom about cal/mag in late flower because Techniflora is big on it in their formulas.

Any counsel, advice and guidance welcomed and appreciated on this topic! I want to finish strong :-) (And then I will be on here asking for help with the cut, dry and cure)

[billyboy]

Thanks for the information. I am still undecided. Technaflora got me this far so I am leaning towards staying with their regimine. Has anyone out there used their products and tried the Sugar Daddy Flush?

[Spidermite]

You have it so may as well try it. Its the only way to know what you like best in your grows.

I think you stop using it the last 3 to 5 days if I read right earlier. But stick with the line and see if you like the results. What I like and what works for memay not be what you like or whats best for you.

[billyboy]

I ordered more Sugar D and they screwed up the order. It is a sign "try molasses" :-)

[billyboy]

Got the first few amber hairs this week - ! Made my whole day when I saw them I was on the road and my GF was left to tend the crop (as she has had to do many weeks) and when she sent some pics you could see them. So I busted out the USB microscope tonight for some pics. I am trying to be disciplined and not cut them down too early. She wants sedate high - not couch lock - but a relaxing high. So I belive that means 80% amber red hairs and amber trichomes? Here are some pix. They look clear and "plastic" to me so still early I think

[billyboy]

Got a little trouble in paradise. Sudden onset of yellow in my Sea of Green has me singing the blues

I guess it is hard to see the yellow under the HDS. But this one shows some brown spots :-(

A few sugar leaves right under the light seem the most impacted.

[alltatup]

Not too close to the light are they? If not, give them a flush?

[billyboy]

Spot on with the light. 600W HPS and according to GWE ~ Sunlight is @16". They had grown into the 10"-12" (or a bit less) zone. I was letting them get closer deliberately but a tape measure is your friend :-) I am trusting that some of the lower canopy yellowing is just normal. Raised up the light and expect this will correct it (hopeful anyay)

Thank you

[alltatup]

You're welcome. If you see more brown spots on leaves, or any symptoms, give them a good flushing; it may be nutrient lockout.

[billyboy]

DAY 88 Grow / DAY 46 Flower

Wanted to try my hand at trimming and wanted to get a feel for the girls and these genetics and if the high is any good and well . . . it as been 88 days and I want to smoke something I grew!! LOL

So selected a lower smaller branch and trimmed it up and have it drying. Are there any tips for a "quick dry" so I can smoke it tomorrow?

[PhantomSulker]

I just ended up chopping my first plant at 13 weeks in flower she was looking sick from a PH problem, I ended up cutting a few branches each night after work and hung in closet till the branches snapped and then final trim and in mason jars. I still have my other plant from my first grow in week 15 of flower and hope it finishes before I run out of the first one. As for drying quick I found after lots of playing around with timing and power on my microwave, after a few days hanging a bud at 25 seconds at 70% power would dry it out almost perfect but a bit crispy on outside. One benefit was I had a lot more tricomes in my screen in my grinder than normal. But it smoked ok and keeps getting better. Hope you enjoy smoking your first grow as much as I did!