A few lessons I've learned

[BR2K]

I am getting close to harvesting my fifth crop, after growing for a year and some change. I have come to a few conclusions, I'd like to share:

1. I have consistently rushed my curing. I found that my efforts seem much more potent, the older it gets. My solution - Although I ABHOR dispensaries, I will be making a visit the day after I harvest. I ran out back in early January. The purchase will last me through the curing process. I may have to factor in these purchases, we'll see.
2. I have found pure lemon juice not only a suitable substitute for PH Down but extremely helpful to get my PH EXACTLY where I want it. General Hydroponics PH down is very potent. I find it difficult to get it exactly where I want it. My solution - Utilize GH PH down to get in the ballpark and finish up with the much more forgiving pure lemon juice.
3. Plumber's putty is a lazy grower's LST. Just make sure you don't leave any on, once your plant is firmly shaped.
4. For me, the simple act of taking the chance to grow my own cannabis has proven as rewarding as the harvest itself.
5. The kind growing community here is an AWESOME resource!

That is all!

[Farmbuck]

It's like a very good wine and I mean "a very good wine" when age properly you want more...

How's your GTXP ?

[BR2K]

She's doing better than I deserve, with the light burn I subjected her to. She smells divine. I doubt I'll get very much bud but I'm enjoying her beauty and aroma.

[MaesterSeymour]

I never thought about applying lemon juice to lower PH levels. It seems obvious since it's acidic, but we tend to overlook it.

[Rik]

Howdy BR2K! Question about the lemon juice as a pH down: do you mix your water or nutes in advance? Or right before you water/feed? I’m curious if the pH will drift back up if you pH correct water a few days in advance and let it sit?

[BR2K]

I mix my water right before I use it. I have two gallon smart pots and 5 gallon smart pots...and three different strains...and three different ages, although they're all at 40 days of flower. It's just less confusing for me to do it that way.

[Rwise]

Rik I find that in 12 hours the PH does indeed drift back up on my tap water. So I use the lemon or lime juice to kill chloramine (also chlorine), let it set for 12 hours and then PH with Black Strap Molasses (also acidic). After another 12 hours the PH is still where I set it. I am in soil BTW. My concern with just PHing and tossing the water in is, what are the chemicals doing in the medium? My bet is on that change taking place in the soil/medium as the buffers in my tap water work on the acid.

[Rik]

Thanks Rwise for that info. I think you also clued me in on that approach in another post, it’s a cool approach. I’m not sure I have the patience necessary to do all that for all of my water, as I’m trying to obtain a more balanced approach concerning work spent on growing vs enjoyment taken from it. I’m afraid if I work as hard on every grow as I did on my first, I might get burnt out. But your point is completely valid about what would happen in the soil if you just adjusted and fed immediately. I’m also considering just buying drinking water that’s already at a good pH, as my next grow will be in FFOF/Nature’s Living Soil.

[Rwise]

Rik Check the drinking water, what I got here was RO, everything stripped out and slightly acidic like distilled water. Works in a pinch

[Catfish22]

Rik ,hey there, I use the Walmart store brand spring water @ 62 cents a gallon. It pHs at 6.0 every time and conveniently comes in gallon jugs ready for mixing.

Also a lot easier on this 3 surgery back than 5 gallon bottles, of which I have a few!

[Rik]

Thanks Catfish22 for letting me know, that’s a great price! Think I could just add that as-is to the FFOF/Nature’s Living Soil blend I’m planning for my OG Kush auto coming up, without having to adjust anything first?

[Catfish22]

Soil is what 6-7? I guess so you don't really want to be at the lowest or highest ends of your range all the time. There are nutrients that get taken up at various points between the ranges.
I use coco so I don't use plain water too often. I still pH it before I use it. You should always pH any water or nutrient solution before you use it.
Just so you know in case something goes wrong.
The more info the better when those symptoms show up.

[TheKieftan]

I use flattened rubberized plastic lanyard string from dollar general and gorilla glue duck tape to LST I cut some string and loop it over a branch then pull gently down when I get the angle I want I tape the two ends to the outside of the pot it’s super fast and easy and since the string is plastic it’s durable and reusable and doesn’t have the chance to leave fibers that could be smoked later (or whatever chemicals are in plumbers putty that could leech into the plant) I also find the texture fantastic almost Teflon like so they’re easy to remove

[BR2K]

Nice, thanks for sharing!