SuperSkunk Manifold

Afternoon! Today was a "don't screw with anything" day. I'll get some pics when the lights come on, but after further consideration, I will probably ditch Broke-dick. I have a GDP clone that should produce a few ounces in mid to late April. The 2 skunks left are on different paths, one to flip asap which will harvest mid-May, and the other to go for bulk that may get it's own room to thrive in.

This is "Lefty". I think I got to her in time to keep her alive, but the combination of transplant and this makes it not worth the effort for a late disappointment.
In the next few days (new filter) the other room switches to 12/12 and will have the GDP, the veggies, and maybe the small-pot skunk just for giggles.

Learning time. I yanked this one because of the aforementioned reasons, and because I don't know if this weird stuff is normal on monster clones or if it is hermied already. Gone.

BUT the learning it about those limbs that are pruned off. All of those places where stuff was trying to grow! The thing I would do different next time would be to just snip off what I could get to once it got to this size but then leave it and let stiff either die or grow, then snip more.

One reason I think that is normal and not hermied is that every sprout that grew came out of a weird cupped leaf that started out like those. You can see at the base of each sprout. So each of those is probably a shoot that didn't happen.

GDP got her 3rd flower feed. With the 2 gallon pot it drinks/dries quick, but I am sticking with the feed-water-feed schedule and lowering the strength of the nutes. did 25% for 1, 50% for 2, and 75% for this feed. Probably sticking with the 75% unless it looks bad.

This is getting odd since I no longer have a Superskunk Manifold. I guess I'll have 4 come contest time, but now that I am familiar with the site I'll start a new page when the contest starts, but it won't be a "contest" page, just my grow page.

Saw this when I fed her, so I got to work pruning. First I snipped every red stem. Handy because all of the older growth leaves had them. After that I snipped a few more shoots off near the base, and some others that were growing out from a bottom node.
this is the other before

and after

These are still in veg, and as of today are "different" plants. I gave the bigger one her first feed today but just watered the small one. No way it could have used up what's in the soil and still be that small. Yeah! I get to keep yet another separate journal! LOL

Only change on the GDP is a few pistils on the tops. looks like the growth spurt passed, but she was light and I fed her again. So far is has been a 2 day cycle of feed-water-feed-water etc. since I flipped her. She is drinking plenty, and feeding her only 75% I'm not getting any disturbing run-off ppm.I've been busy re-potting veggies. I have another hard freeze in my area, and that is supposed to be the last one. Then all these can play outside.

For giggles I set up a blurple tent in my dining room. It has overflow tomatoes. Even in the 1 gallon pots they take a lot of room in the closet. I have 4 more tomatoes and a pepper that have to be repotted now, and every day a few more have been showing bulk roots. I ordered a dozen of those 1 gallon transplant-pots to take care of some of them, but as soon as they can go outside most will be in 2-3 gallon and I get to fight bugs and critters... Thinking about a greenhouse

I got to thinking about the journal/log thing. What does everyone else use to keep track of what's what? Especially if you have multiple plants going?

I came up with this (excel) and have a different one for each nute schedule I'll be using for the contest. I have a page behind that for specific notes, what I did between feedings etc. With one for each plant, and them eating on different days, I also have a big desk calendar and write future plans in pencil. Like today I fed the GDP. Next time is just water, so 2 days out on the calendar I made that note with a question mark. I'll check then, and either water, or wait, and make another note...

I have 2 columns so I know what is recommended, then I figure out how much I'll actually use based on the % and how much water I'm using.

Monster clone tip. Wait to prune LOL Look what I found. There are several regular spouts that look like they are from a regular node, but there are also a few of these limbs looking to stretch that have a sprout every half inch left and right. Some of those nubs below it produced little junk that was crowded together, and some did nothing. This could get interesting. I think I see what I need to prune, and what I need to encourage with flower-clones, some of those single cola in the back may go next feeding if they don't fatten up and start marching.

What I noticed is that just like with a seedling, where the limbs off the 1st 2 nodes are usually crap, you can see how the lower shoots with the red (gone!) arrows are still skinny. The yellow is a maybe, just because I am not vegging this one long but the one with the green arrow is younger, and fatter.

@Justinsbudzzz when you use those nutrients, do you just use the drain-to-waste schedule? I figure that is the closest to feeding in soil.

Also, do you use their recommendation to feed 3 times, then plain water? I just bought the 3-pack with the extra bloom-stuff (it was prime and will be here tomorrow, the 2-pack was only $10 cheaper, and extra for shipping if you want it this year.

I have a clone that is due to get her first feeding in a few and figured I'd go ahead and try it.

17 days from flip, and she has top pistils but not a lot. Temps have been cold at night, but that is over in the next few days, then all my other plants can go outside

Still vegging on these and hoping to flip the small one OOA the 15th.

Soil talk
I no longer buy the FFOF. I think it is too hot to use as is, that it has way less of the microbes (if any) and mico's than the Happy Frog and the Lucky Dog do. I also think that because it is such a staple for many customers, they can't change it to make it better, so they did the new soils.

I ordered that FF Lucky Dog to try it a while back, and the 2 GDP I grew were to test them, one in each soil. The FFLD was much better in early to mid veg, but either I added nutes too soon (same on both) or something, because by flip the FFHF was taking the lead and finished strong. I unfortunately broke half the FFLD plant off, so it wasn't a true test, but it gave me ideas that worked last grow.

Here's the 2 side by side.

The FFLD is the high%perlite one, the FFHF is brand new, so it is still moist throughout. The brown parts on the right turn dark when wet I am mixing them to get ready for the next grow.

FFLD is more airy, drains better and is better for roots that are growing.
Once those roots are established, I think those same properties might be the issue.

So for seedlings (solo-cup) I use mostly FFLD, with a little of the other one mixed in
Depending on if I do multiple transplants, or go right to the final pot, the end result I want is about a 1-gallon-pot size area around the plant that is mostly FFLD with high perlite, maybe 75/25
Around that and the top half of the pot is about 50/50,
The bottom half of the pot is all FFHF

Philosophical talk LOL -
I have been outside playing, trying to figure gardening stuff and whatnot. I'd love to just throw plants in the ground, but I have chipmunks, possums, and all the regular forest critters like squirrels and birds.

I often ponder the fact that I am only 52, and retired, and don't want to waste away since I have 30+ years left to knock out. I am divorced, single, kids visit but don't over-stay, etc. Basically, I can do whatever the hell I want. Here's a few pointers to get you to this point if that is your goal.

Even suck jobs count if they have benefits. Invest in our future early and embrace the suck - if there are benefits. Then military helped with this because of the "20 years and you get a small pension" thing. The trick is to figure out your goals. For me having a decent fixed income that covers all my necessary expenses and leaves me play money is the ticket. And the thing about most suck jobs is that they suck less the longer you do them - both due to advancement and numbness LOL

What brings this to mind was that I was talking to @diggs99 about the dyna-gro contest. For me, it is just another thing with a "purpose", a schedule, check-points along the way, etc. it just keeps me busy with something I was going to do anyway.

Been less than 2 weeks since I had any flower pics. Harvested last Monday, baby-flowers today. Yesterday it was still "praying hands" top leaves with pistils poking out. This was part of my goal with the rotation, to not have long periods with no flowers growing. Looking at 6-8 weeks to harvest this.

I lolli-popped all the little shoots, and pruned about 3 big fan leaves, but I haven't touched the 4 main cola. I only snipped 2 shoots off, they were small hidden and both on the same limb, so I just cleaned that limb up for the hell of it.

Got my gen-hydro nutes in yesterday so I figured that was a sign. I needed to start pulling on the little clone on the right so I went ahead and transplanted to a 3gal, the roots were well established, and I gave her the equivalent of a seedling feed with the new stuff to water her in. I can say that if this stuff works, it should last a while.

This one gets the LST next, but it has warmed up and all my veges are going outside, damn the consequences! LOL