Brown thumb grow

[Gingerbeard]

Brwnthmb The idea is to let the bottom get air. If the plastic saucers are preventing air from getting to your bag either by direct contact or allowing the bag to sit in water for more than a couple hours, yes, get rid of the saucers.
This is a picture of what I use. These sit in saucers to catch runoff. Search your own brand if you are interested.

[Brwnthmb]

I like this idea.
Thanks!

[Bluey]

I sit my black plastic pots on some timber spacers that sit in saucer. I suck up the runoff, which I give once or twice a week with a syringe. My wet & dry vacuum is too noisy for my plants sensitive ears.

[Brwnthmb]

This plant is not officially part of my grow, but it is maturing under the same lights, and is in the same potting soil; ie same general growing environment. With all that being said, what is your opinion on harvesting?
Going from the advice provided, I’d say it’s too early, that is there are less than 80% of the pistils have turned brown. On the other hand, a lot of the leaves are pale so I am afraid that most photosynthesis is over.
I included the closeup hoping to learn about trichomes (and browning pistils) also.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks in advance.

[Brwnthmb]

Yes I’m giving the plants bloom nutrients. Are burp jars covered in the drop down?

[Bluey]

Yes. Under drying & curing

[Brwnthmb]

Thanks

[Brwnthmb]

the bag is too heavy, and leaves are yellowing, as you can see. I watered it last on 11-5, 7 days ago, and added superthrive foliage pro nutrients. This was after repotting the plant (same day, just before watering). So the soil around the root ball is fresh. I also placed the bag on “pot risers” (two pieces of wood) for aeration.
Until I hear back, I’m punching holes in the root ball for aeration. Advice is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
edit: ph=5.43; 5.38; I measured the ph of the water that poured out of the bottom after 3000ml of tap water was poured through the soil, mostly at the stem.

[Bluey]

What pH are your inputs?

Likely that yellowing occurred as a result of transplant shock. Best not to transplant to avoid that.

Your roots need to re-establish themselves so less watering during that period. I don't use fabric pots as I grow in coco so no need.

[Brwnthmb]

Bluey- I messed up then, but I didn’t know another way to measure ph (other than pouring enough water through the bag to get a sample) but it did require 3 liters.
Do you think the low ph is causing (or helping cause) the yellowing?
I didn’t measure the input water ph, but in times past it has been around 7.

[Brwnthmb]

Is this yellowing of leaves normal in the late bloom phase?

[dirtymike]

That's been my experience so far. It thinks its Autumn.

[Brwnthmb]

Thank you!

[Gingerbeard]

Another fine article by Miss Nebula.
The Cannabis Autumn Color Effect (Get Colorful Leaves!) | Grow Weed Easy

[Gingerbeard]

Brwnthmb about your post 43.4. That is a good question and the answer is no, I have not checked pH in that order.
Someone might remember this moment a few years ago when someone corrected me when I was pH'ing water before adding nutes. I was not having issues but it made sense that the nutrient solution is what got pH'd because the nutrients could make a difference.
This is just my opinion but based on a little experience.
Your contrary results may be because of the water you use. Unless you are using the same water as the information you are reading, count on differences. Notice people say to adjust pH. They do not tell you how much pH up or down to use at a time. I know a drop of pH down in a gallon of water from the vending machine is almost too much so when I used VM water, I always pH'd 5 gallons at a time. Tap water takes many teaspoons.
In the end, the important number is what you finally pour onto your soil. If bloom nutes are dropping your pH to an acceptable level, go with it. If you begin to see an issue, you know where you might look for a solution.
Google a little about your nutrients. You may find they do, in fact, adjust pH.

[Brwnthmb]

I did, just now, correct the ph in my pitcher of tap water. Again it initially measured 7.38. 1/2ml of bloom nutrients dropped the ph to 5.76. I found that 0.1 ml of ph up brought the 750ml solution up to 6.5.
One challenge I had was measuring 0.1ml. I need a smaller syringe.
In case someone is interested I also found that I could fine tune the ph by adding water (if I had overshot the mark). For example I dropped the ph 0.3 by adding 250ml of water.

Edit: for reference 1ml/750ml=1tsp/1gallon. I find that it is much easier to work with metric units and besides my tools are graduated that way.

[Brwnthmb]

These two plants are at different stages of readiness, and the more mature one has many more trichomes. (The first picture is obviously the more mature bud.) Do buds acquire more trichomes as they mature or do the trichomes themselves only turn from clear to milky?
Here’s the second, labeled #1

[Brwnthmb]

That’s interesting.
The two plants shown are both OG Kush. The main difference is that the first spent it’s vegetative stage outside. A minor difference could be that the first plant is much smaller, and it is in an 8” clay pot. The other is in a 3 gallon fabric. [and of course the reason for the question. The first bud (with the most trichomes) has been maturing for about twice as long.]

[Bluey]

What I've noticed is stress can bring on trichomes early and stop or retard bud development. There comes a time in the flowers growth that buds slow and stop producing trichomes. When that is exactly probably varies a bit to a lot depending on lots of factors. Trichomes on Lower sugar leaves can start ambering up very early in flower. What it all means I don't know but I know when my buds are ready to go.

[Bluey]

Did you know there are 3 different types of trichomes on cannabis flowers? We really have little idea what 2 of them do or their function. We guess one of them is to deter pests. I'm just happy I have some good smoke.

[Brwnthmb]

The plant on the left was last watered 4 days ago, the one on the right 18 days ago. The bags are equal weight. What are the things which make a plant more thirsty than another?

The plant on the left shows other ways it is healthier, such as rapid growth and consuming the soil faster. In fact I topped the plant twice so that it would not get too tall for its living space. The plant on the left is kush cake, the right is OG kush.
The plant on the right is just a representative of the others. The abnormality is the rapid growth of the plant on the left. I’ve been aerating the soil (of the slower growing plants) as best I can thinking that was it but my results are inconclusive. Are there any ideas? Have any of you had a real fast grower and did you find out why it was so?
Thanks in advance.

[Brwnthmb]

when the soil level has dropped like in the photo, is it necessarily time for repotting?
Should you add soil to the top as the level drops, or do you use the level as an indicator for time to replace the soil?
thanks

[Bluey]

How on earth do you transplant out of a fabric pot without stressing the plant?

Reason I ask is I don't use fabric

Keep your roots covered

[Brwnthmb]

@Bluey
It is very easy to transplant out of fabric pot. You roll the top to the outside and peel it down. I set it on a clay pot turned upside down and the fabric pot just turns inside out. (It leaves all the soil intact. There’s no stress.)
Edit (added): I water the plant the day before and have so far always run a tool around the outside before trying to peel the fabric pot down.

[Brwnthmb]

I’m calling this ready.
?
another bud same plant
edit; this is my first try at identifying a white trichome. These can look clear to cloudy under a jeweler’s loupe, but white in a picture. I don’t know how “white” trichomes get. I see some trichomes on plants that are less mature with some amber trichomes, and these pistils are mostly all brown and curled. My only hesitation is not knowing how white trichomes get.
When trichomes have changed from clear to white, are they completely opaque? Or are they still a little clear, and you can see through one if you look at it up close?

[Gingerbeard]

And don't let anyone try to convince you otherwise! Congratulations!! You made it!!!
Bag it, tag it. Sell it to the butcher in the store... as it were...
We can talk about the errant non-cannabis hairs later.

[Brwnthmb]

Thank you!!!
Since I wasn’t sure, I cut off one branch with a couple of buds that were the furthest along and hung it up. I planned to compare these with those still on the plant, in case I didn’t get an ok.
Buds that are lower down are a little less mature (of course). Do you normally just call it close enough and hang up the whole plant? (I always did before but I hadn’t heard of a trichome either.)

[Gingerbeard]

Don't look to us for the go-ahead. 10 people will give you 11 opinions. Any opinion is as good as another.
A staged harvest is when you harvest buds/stems you think are ready and leave buds you think have some time, yet. Cutting and hanging the whole plant at once is also fine. Remember what you can about this harvest and what colors you see.
Now comes a whole other kind of waiting. Your next question will be about how long it takes to dry. Consider a week before checking. Completely opposite to growing, do not aim fans at drying buds. You just want to circulate and keep the air changing. If you want to speed up the process, don't unless you want to ruin your weed or buy a big-ol' bud drying machine. Y'aint yet got enough dope for a big-ol' bud drying machine.
If you post a picture asking if your dope looks dry enough, I'll poke you in the eye.

[Rwise]

I still pull and hang mine roots and all, if I dont they dry way to fast. I dont think it makes them any stronger, just take longer to dry.

[Bluey]

Always hang them upside down, whole plant or just buds.

The dry & cure is just as important as the grow. Too fast and it'll be terrible. Over dried same.

Aim for starting the dry around 60⁰F and 60% RH. If you can get your dry room to there youd be wet trimming and hanging whole branches individually for 6 to 9 days depending on size and moisture content.
They appear to be ideal numbers. If you can't get close alter your harvest and trim to aim for a 7 day dry so if it's too hot or humidity too low perhaps dry trim instead or hang more of the plant to slow the dry down, ie. Whole plant with roots.

You're aiming for no lower than about 58% to no higher than 63% in the jars after 24hrs of being in a sealed mason jar.

Keep air movement to a minimum. The less the better but not none.

Good luck.

[Brwnthmb]

Bluey, Gingerbeard, @Rwise
Thanks

[Brwnthmb]

I pulled the plant up this morning. This is the top bloom. I cut off the previously shown bud individually.
is that a “banana” in the middle of the photo?
I remember reading about a banana but can’t find it now.
What is the significance of a banana (on a bud, not on cereal)?
edit: nevermind. I found it. It says heat or light stress, but I think it must be that I let the soil dry out during flowering phase. It was in a clay pot.

[Brwnthmb]

this plant gets this wilted look no more than 2 days after watering. (It looked this way yesterday and was watered 12-4. Today is 12-7.) I gave it 750ml on 12-4.
The time before, 11-30, I gave it 1500ml (then waited 4 days until 12-4, before the 750 ml watering). And it was wilted no more than 2 days after watering.
The problem is that the pot still feels heavy when the plant is wilted. I’ve been trying to ignore the wilting and give the plant time to absorb the water, assuming that the (heavy) water is void of oxygen. (The plant always perks up when I water it, but then is wilted again in 2 days or less.) And my other plants don’t wilt nearly as fast.
Any ideas as to what is causing this paradox? Remedies?

[Brwnthmb]

Are you saying to ignore that the pot feels too heavy and just water more often or do you think that a more frequent watering with less water will correct the problem?
Edit: do you think that the plant will still pull water through itself when wilted or does it need to be turgid for that?
Edit 2; I gave the plant 500ml this morning, 12-8, 4 days since the last watering, very wilted. The pot felt no lighter than yesterday. My guess is that the transpiration slows down a lot when the leaves wilt; that wilting is the plant’s way to conserve water.

[Bluey]

Well it appears to be under watered but it could be over watered, but I doubt it.

Read up on watering. Air pots make it a bit harder sometimes, I don't use them for that reason.

[Brwnthmb]

@Bluey
Im trying your idea on several plants that feel too heavy for there “state of wilt”. I’ll let you know.