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Holiday Treats -(here we grow again)-
Time to start now for tasty Holiday treats. Chocolate Mint OG and Banana Kush started germination today.
The Plan:
* Start Seeds with the moon - X
* Have seedlings in tubs by 8.1.21 - X (actual date 7.26.21)
* Start bloom by 10.1.21 -X (actual first day of flowering 10.4.21)
* Harvest by 12.3.21 - X (actual harvest date 11.27.21)
* Have Holiday Tree Treats for gifts by 12.24.21
I'll be showing the BU2B's PPP Method with two different strains. I'm not planning anything special or extraordinary. Hoping for a 'quiet' grow without incident and some nice buds in time for the Holidays. Interested parties are more than welcome along for the ride.
Ok I'm in. Are either of those Sativa leaning? I'm hoping to make my fall start in late August with Acapulco Gold and Panama strains. Old school strains with hybridization but close to original levels of cannabinoids, terpenes and effects. My grow cabinet is on the screen porch so I'm not gonna battle the heat but I do want to watch you do your thing so I can apply it to that grow. Happy Growing with no stress and great rewards!
Update 1: 7.25.21
Sorry TOKABIGONE both seeds are Indica dominant hybrids. I loves me some couch lock
Growing with the moon... Here's why I say it works; started the seeds yesterday about 2pm currently 24 hours later AND I just checked the seeds- the Cholate Mint OG seed (7 years old) has a tail and the Banana Kush (5 years old) is swollen to twice it's size and will have a tail before morning. Both seeds should be ready to go in net pots by tomorrow.
Update 2: 7.26.21
Time to get the babies in their net pots ... And they're off! For future reference the Banana Kush is in the tub with the orange ring around the air intake tube
Net pots are a sandwich of ceramic stones, jiffy pod with germinated seed, ceramic stones.
The tubs contain: water, hydroguard, ph down, two cheap and cheerful 2 dollar aerator stones and are filled to just below the net pots.
Bubbles from the aerator stones break and wet the ceramic stones, which in turn keeps the jiffy pod damp but not wet. Stones on top, keep light from entering the tub.
The light is currently at 36 inches above the top of the buckets.
Twenty hours in their net pots and heads are above the soil
7.27.21
As these girls grow they will be trained out as in the diagram below (top down) to produce 40-60 flowering branches per plant
If you would like a PDF copy of BU2B's PPP Method (graciously edited and compiled by grouchyoldman ) you can get a copy of it here -> PPP_123120.pdf
Update 4: 7.28.21
First Official Day of the grow starts today. Everything up to this point has been in preparation of starting vegetation mode. I do note the date I start germination, the date they have germinated and been put in net pots, even how long it is until they pop their heads up after being 'placed' in the net pot; however I don't call it the start of the grow until the girls have kicked their caps. Now that the girls are 'seedlings' as opposed to just germinated seeds, vegetation mode can begin and the growing starts.
I've got to hit up the local lumber store at some point soon as I noticed this morning that both of my tub lids have splits starting from the center. The girls will weigh in at 8 - 10 lbs each when nearing maturity and that much pressure on a two inch hole that already has a crack is just begging for trouble. If all goes well 3lbs+ of that weight on each plant will be buds [wet weight] and that doesn't include weight from the stalk, branches, stems or leaves.
TIP: Should you ever find yourself in a similar situation where you need to replace a damaged tub lid, the earlier in your grow that you do so the better as soon root growth will make removing or replacing a 2 inch net pot from a 2 inch hole nearly impossible.
some may notice there's no update 3: I figured you were all smart enough to know it's the one between 2 and 4
Banana Kush - Day One
Chocolate Mint OG - Day One I probably won't do another update until the girls are at least a week old or until roots hit the water.
Have a good one folks... and Happy Pharming!
Both babies have started on leaf set #2 and now have roots emerging from the net pots (root photos 7.31.21)
A few photo's from my last Banana Kush and Chocolate Mint OG Grow from 4 years ago (harvested the first part of December)
hmmmm... same strains, same time, it's like Deja Vu all over again!
Pretty sure I can do better (I say that every time). My GOAL is always 1 kilo of dried and cured flower for every 2 plants. And the Banana Kush + Chocolate Mint OG 2021 grow as of 8.1.21
Update 6: 8.4.21
Not much to report really, however; the girls are 1 week old today. Here’s a few baby pictures.
and a rare photo of them in their natural habitat!
TIP: If you're just starting to grow in HYDRO and using DWC like I am, from this point you want to let the water level in your tubs go down naturally by about 4 inches. The roots should be well established by now and will follow the water. Within the next few weeks you want to try and stabilize your tub levels so that the water/nutrients is 4 inches below the net pot. This will leave the roots exposed to open air for the first 4 inches before reaching the liquid level in your tubs. It may not seem like much of a change but this 4 inch gap of roots being open to the air can make all the difference to your success.
Hey BU2B put that bong away....they're too young yet, lol ! I know the little white specks are't trichomes but they look like it or am I seeing things?
Haven't heard of the 4 inch gap. Best I could come up with was 1/2 below the net pot from all the reading about it before i started. I want my plants to look just like the beautiful plants that you have posted picts of your grows! I will drop the level tonight for sure! Going to be watching your every move as I am a week ahead of you and trying the PPP method.
Smoklahoma The last thing I want to do is be giving you wrong information so I just checked my watering stick and did some measuring. I have it marked in the good to best zone from 3-5 inches from the top of the lid. As you can see by the state of the stick - I've used these measurements for quite some time.
First line (Blue) is 3 inches below the top T (bottom side of the T)
3-4 inches below the lid GOOD zone
4-5 inches below the lid BEST zone
More than 5 inches from the top - add a little bit to keep it in the BEST zone
Please note: this IS a slight adjustment to the TIP given in the last update
Random Ramblings: Why I use a measuring stick. Once your plant's get established they can be rather heavy, as I mentioned before your plant when nearing completion can weigh close to 10 lbs and this is NOT including the roots - unless you have a growing partner or a partner who grows getting that lid lifted to check on roots and nutrient/water levels can be iffy at best. This is even more true as you are likely using tie-down wire to spread her out, all of which have to be removed every time you remove the lid. It is however; ALWAYS a good idea to know the water level in your tubs and if its looking questionable address the level and quality as needed. A stick with a T bar comes in very handy. It won't slip into my watering hole and the T bar gives me a good consistent marker so I know my measurements are always correct. Just don't paint or mark on your stick on one side or else just use permanent marker. You need one side not treated if you paint it so that you can SEE where the water level is on one side and compare it to where it should be on the other.
Okay, I've got a good buzz on and rambling seems appropriate (at the moment), so here are a few RANDOM thoughts on how and what I actually do when it comes to a grow. To be quite honest I've grown the way I do long enough now that even I have to stop and think sometimes before making a list for others. I find I just 'do them' without ever making note of them. If you find that to be the case during this grow, please let me know and I'll do my best to fill in the blanks.
I know the DWC 'standard' protocol calls for a tub flush every 10 days. I haven't done this for years and find that being consistent with water temperatures, keeping a GAP between the roots and water levels, ph and nutrients as balanced as possible and GREAT not good or okay dissolved O2 can cut this down to requiring full tub changes ONLY 4 times during your grow. 1 on start, 1 when you first add nutrients (this will be once your plant has developed two sets of 'real' leaves - usually week 2 of your grow.), 1 when you change from veg to 'transition to bloom' or from veg to bloom if you don't do a transition and 1 final tub change when within the last 10-20 days and are adding Flawless Finish, Molasses or other finishing agent.
This doesn't mean that if you have an issue with your plants you should not immediately do a tub flush and start from fresh, but I'd say for 20 out of 21 grows you'll find that four complete RESET and RESTART tub changes are all that are actually 'needed'
If Growing DWC Hydro, it's my personal opinion that a good high quality, high output air pump that isn't going to batter your roots to death is tied with keeping water temps between 70-80*. If at all possible you want GREAT O2 saturation in your tubs, not just good. I use a minimum of two aerator stones per 5 gallon tub and have been known to use up to 4.
If using 5 gallon tubs and NOT doing RDWD Insulating your dark tub with a lighter one can help regulate tub volume temps.
Have a few spare 5 gallon buckets and an aquarium siphon pump (electric or manual) to help fill and drain your tubs. A short stool or riser also comes in handy as the tub being emptied will need to be higher than the one being filled.
For me, I find DWC Hydro as opposed RDWC hydro preferable for many reasons: I don't really have the room for a reservoir. I find it easier to deal with 1 issue at a time as opposed to a RDWC system which can spread the issue over several plants and to varying degrees. Different strains often like slightly different nutrients, I find I can easily accommodate them individually with a DWC system. If you pay close enough attention and can catch issues in time, practically every issue can be dealt with - with a tub flush and restart. Turning off the O2 and not noticing for a week, just for reference; NOT a good thing.
*Please note optimal liquid tub temps are somewhere between 65-70 degrees farenheit - I live in the southwest and can honestly only get and maintain temp to around 68 if we have a cold winter or once the girls have started drinking a lot so I can add more cold water. As long as you keep your temps 80 or below you’ll have minimum to no problem with your grow IF you have great O2 saturation and use hydroguard regularly.
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