1st Grow; Pre Harvest, "N" content too HIGH!!

Fellow Farmers,

I could not have ever imagined that my first grow would turn out looking/smelling this good, but I see a potential problem on the horizon and I am looking for some guidance.

First of all I have two strains that are going into pre-harvest, Blueberry Kush and an unknown that I am calling Cali Skunk. 5 total plants about to be harvested; I had for-casted "The Big 3" to be harvested on 10-23, and "The Other 2" due on 10-30. Upon close inspections on 10-10 noticed that the Trichomes were all mostly cloudy on the big 3, with some now turning amber at that the top. I flushed them with Clearex on 10-10 and watered them a couple more times. THE LEAVES ARE DARKER THAN PINE NEEDLES! I cut them off from Nitrogen about 3 weeks into flower and the leaves never faded. I am concerned that I am going to have some primo herb that crackles like a sparkler and taste like hell due to the N content still in the plants. I put the big 3 into 24 hours of darkness today, but can put them back on 12/12 tomorrow if there is anything I can do to better the situation.

The other two are nearly in the same stage as the big 3 and I have not used Clearex on them yet. Is there anything I can do, or do these look normal and do the look ready to harvest? Any help is much appreciated, see attached photos and thanks in advance!!











 

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depending on the strain they could be as close to 100%indica as an Afghan or a distant cross. It look awesome and the dark is just the plant pulling all the energy into the buds one last time.
 
Thanks for the info Jesus, I had not heard this theory before. Looking closer at the photos, the leaves have a "purplish" look to them. Have you ever heard this theory that I heard from an experienced grower...

I currently have the big 3's pots wrapped in electric blankets during the 24 hr lights out cycle prior to harvest, which will end up being 36 hours(maybe 48 even) before harvest. I started them on low heat and have increased it gradually over the course of the past 24 hours. The theory is that E blankets assist with the last resin push, but I would expand on this saying that it helps evaporate any remaining moisture from the soil which I need for sure. He swears by this so much that he advised me not to go w/o the E blankets on any of the pots.
 

Mother's Finest

Well-Known Member
Phosphorus deficiency can cause plant reddening. JoC is right, though. The dark color is at least mostly from genetics. What have you been feeding them?
 

NorthBayStoner

Well-Known Member
Phosphorus deficiency can cause plant reddening. JoC is right, though. The dark color is at least mostly from genetics. What have you been feeding them?
You may have a good theory there man. I had a very large increase in heat in my grow tent well over 100 degrees at some points and my resin production was off the hook. I always wondered if that could have been the reason. Here's a pic of my Platinum Bubba Kush still very much green like yours right before harvestPlatinum Bubba Kush 081.jpgPlatinum Bubba Kush 093.jpgPlatinum Bubba Kush 036.jpg
It tasted awesome afterward after a two week flush and I never had any yellowing of leaves from the flush
 
I put the ladies outside in 50 degree temps for the second phase of the 48 hours lights out(for the evening anyways), with the E blankets now on high. There is a chance of temperatures getting down to 37 degrees which I has now got me theorizing some more, puff puff... An ole rule of thumb for outside crops is to harvest just after the first frost, I am hoping to capitalize on this tonight with my indoor crop. TALK ABOUT PANIC MODE FOR A LADY!! Her root ball is blazing warm and the foliage is experiencing temperatures under 60 degrees for the first time in their life. It just seems to me like the plants would force all of it last energy in this chaotic environment towards "resin push". I guess we'll have to wait and see, tomorrow is my first harvest day.

NB Stoner- I used the Botanicare soil calendar, but with some major exceptions. I use a Seabird Guano Tea at a certain point into the flowering stage and then cut them off from N completely. If the leaf edges don't burn three days after the first dose, I give them a second smaller dose. Always use an H2O chaser! I have also used lots of molasses during the flowering stage, starting small and increasing gradually, so as not to sugar shock the plant. I also had a few other tricks up my sleeve going into this that I believe made all the difference in the world, maybe I'll share them the more I get to know ppl here.
 
Don't a lot of Kush strains stay dark green all the way through flower, then possibly drying to a purple color? The strain on the right in the above photo is a Blueberry Kush, 2nd generation. The one on the left I have no idea but the buds are HUGE, dense, and smell like a skunks asshole. I have two of these and 3 BBK's...
 
You may have a good theory there man. I had a very large increase in heat in my grow tent well over 100 degrees at some points and my resin production was off the hook. I always wondered if that could have been the reason. Here's a pic of my Platinum Bubba Kush still very much green like yours right before harvestView attachment 1220057View attachment 1220059View attachment 1220060
It tasted awesome afterward after a two week flush and I never had any yellowing of leaves from the flush
NB Stoner- What are doing to get so many trichomes? That looks frikin amazing!
 
Nothing, its supposed to trip them out. Theoretically the plant panics and produces more THC because it knows the end is near. I have had them in 30 hours of darkness now and am leaving them outside to chill for the evening in hopes that this will shock the plant in a third direction. Rootball Heat, 48 hours of darkness, chilling plants for last 12 hours of darkness before harvest; I'm simulating natural extreme events so the plant knows its dying in hopes to get a maximum resin push. All in theory, but after the first 24 hours I notice more snow on the buds/leaf.
 

NorthBayStoner

Well-Known Member
NB Stoner- What are doing to get so many trichomes? That looks frikin amazing![/QUOTE
The last few days I cut the lights 2 hours shorter each day from 12 to 10 to 8, then 24 hours of darkness. I had some heat problems in the last week also which may have helped it out?? All of these clones were from a flowering mother also and were very badly burned at about a week old so maybe all of the stress in the beginning? but I did feed them very well and brought them back to life. I used Cutting Edge Solutions whole line of nutrients and additives, Rhizotonic rooting hormones by Cann all the way to 6 th week of flower, Bloombastic, Kool Bloom, I also used Fox Farms 3 part powdered flowering nutes, and some General Hydroponic sweeteners. I feed the shit out of them over double what the directions tell me to use. I also use Floralicious Plus by GH as well and that is straight Nitrogen thats why my plants stayed green all the way through. This was my first grow so It could have all been good luck. I got some Strawberry Cough going now hopefully I can duplicate my first one
 
Hot Phyre- Thanks for the props! Your shiz is looking good too.
NB Stoner- I too watered with fertilizer & nutes almost every time during the first few weeks of flower, but didn't give them double and did not use fertilizer EVERY time. I used the Botanicare Bloom in the early phases of flower, Sea Bird Guano tea at three weeks, Bat Guano at 6 weeks and no more fertilizer unless the plant asks for it. YES PLANTS TALK, you just have to listen to them and look at the leaves of course. I continue increasing molasses, using cal mag, sweet, Liquid Karma, and a couple of other things that are my trade secrets. I am growing in 3 gallon pots so I used Aquashield & Silica Blast most of the way through and think that it kept the plants from getting root bound. That shit is great for all stages, but wouldn't use it in the last few weeks in fear of taste conflicts. I'm digging the heat concept, maybe start using a medium setting on the plants I had to emergency flush because they are wrapping up this weekend. If the soil is warmed, naturally some moisture will evaporate. I think you may have stumbled on to the heat theory and confirmed it accidentally. Let's keep in touch on progress, looks like both of our first harvests are coming along nicely. The next round I am going to try for more trich's.
 
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