Wecome to the jungle

hey buddy!!!

lookin great man!

coming along nice, soo srry for your burn

stupid HID's!! lol

skunkman98536 said:

hey buddy!!!

lookin great man!

coming along nice, soo srry for your burn

stupid HID's!! lol

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Thanks Skunkman,

At least it was 1 one top, and I caught it early enough... I really want these lights close so I don't get much stretch, but HID is a dangerous toy lol

I'll have to visit your journal today and see how your girls like the new HPS bulbs. I'm going to be using HPS in flowering (weeks 3 - on) this time, to compare bud density, etc., and I think it may be worth using a bud builder (nute), but I may wait until the k-train grow, for the bud builder, just so I don't skew the results of the side by side bulb comparison.

Growing has become more of a science since my last grow, but in general it's like rising a bike

I finally got my ghetto warming tray finished. I just couldn't see spending $40 on a heating pad, so here's what I came up with, as a cheap alternative.

Materials:
1. Metal box - I used an old ammo box, but a cookie-tin would do.
2. Extension cord
3. Bulb adapter
4. 5 - 18w light bulb

Here she is - box temp near 89 - tray temp near 79 - ideal soil temp for cuttings 75

Hole drilled for the extension cord should really have strain relief - for safety reasons - but I guess I like to live dangerously lol but maybe I'll add strain relief later on.


Here's a nice shot of this vintage ammo-box which also just happened to see action in Vietnam - the box was a little warm so I placed a tray on top... will also catch any spilled water.


Sure the humidity is low, but the temperature is just right


Now let's see what's going on inside... a green 18w floro ensures any possible light leaks won't be a problem


I used a hot glue gun to secure the plug end to the bottom of the box, but a 2 part epoxy (glue) would also work


Is there an electrician in the house?!! lol


This is the sativa mother I saved and put in the fridge 3+ weeks ago. She was transplanted yesterday, watered with 1 drop super thrive per gal, and 1/4 strength bloom nutes. Gentle heat should encourage the roots to grow, and hopefully she'll push some new vegetative growth within a week or 2. Timer is set to 18 hrs, but very little light is needed at this point.


No flash used in this pic - just for comparison


Let's see what else is going on in the veg cab:
BMS clone was double topped, last week, and as soon as she starts putting out new growth, she'll go into the flowering room. She's already tall enough to reach the HID lights - 16" tall - 25"+ (with the container)


This gigabud is stunted - due to the small container she was in, but hopefully she'll catch up to the others now.


Here's what's going on in the flowering room:
What's left of BMS (purple pheno) @ 14 weeks - still waiting for male flowers


Same BMS top - looks pretty tasty


Left canopy


Right canopy




Bulbs will be switched to HPS next week

All Comments welcome

Looking fantastic GC! Keep up the great work my friend! I'm loving that ammo box heat pad!

Burn on!

i hope that one re-veg's i wanna see how sweet thats going to look...

Twils said:

Looking fantastic GC! Keep up the great work my friend! I'm loving that ammo box heat pad!

Burn on!

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Thanks for noticing Twils

fishindog said:

i hope that one re-veg's i wanna see how sweet that's going to look...

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Well, we didn't have to wait very long; It only took 3 days to see new growth. The ammo-box heater is a success lol

The re-FIMMED/topped clone is also ready to go into flower. Wait until you see all the new branching (new pic coming)

And the gigabud runt spends the day under HID and then goes back into the veg cab before lights out. She'll hopefully grow 10" this week and be able to join the others, in flower.

I have some fungus gnats - due to wet soil - but the nice thing is, I only have to water those large containers about every 10 days or so. One the plants get bigger they'll probably dry out much quicker.

I've been slacking on re-mixing my CO2 bottles - for the past several weeks - and noticed much slower growth, so I"m back to running DIY CO2 again.

That things gonna be a beast! I can't wait to see how she turns out!

Burn on!

Twils said:

That things gonna be a beast! I can't wait to see how she turns out!

Burn on!

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Thanks twils, I guess I'll just let her grow into a mother, and then chop her up into clones for a spring, sativa, grow, as long as I can keep her contained lol ...I may have to put up a new 400w MH tent for her lol You're new mother and cloning project looks great by the way

I updated the "FIM Tutorial (taking the guesswork out)" so I figured it would be good to spam er I mean post the results here too.
Updated: Here we are a week later - 3 new tops on one side


and 2 new tops on the other


, but the number of tops created is only secondary to the natural branching this pinching technique achieves.

As you can see in the pics; by using this technique, you usually don't lose the dominant main top cola, you only add a lot of natural looking branching, and 1 or 2 secondary top colas, rather than 2 or 4 equal tops that look about the same. Hope that makes sense

After trying all other topping/fimming methods I think I prefer this one, and I'll be using this technique exclusively, on a future K-train grow in Dec. - you'll find the link to my grow in my sig.

Strain: G-13 Gigabud

Growth: Easy to grow, very hearty, and fast, stocky, growth. Grew to 42 inches - lollipopped. Flowering 75 - 80 days

Nutes: In veg: Alaska fish 5-1-1, and silica-blast. In flower: Rainbow mix bloom, earth juice bloom, high phosphorus guano, and molasses

Yield: 1 oz of tightly trimmed bud

Bag Appeal: Looks alright, nothing extraordinary, but I'll give it a 7 out of 10

Smell: Smells dank and piney and skunky but nothing really stands out.

Taste: Heavy smoke, complex, pine undertones

The High: Prone to coughing, but not harsh... heavy, with expansion. Complex pine/skunk flavors. Couch lock, but not narcotic. At times you may think your coming down, but then 15 minutes later you realize just how stoned you are; almost like alternating from a clear high to a more stoned feeling. A creeper that keeps creeping up on you? It's A nice mix anyhow

Potency 7 out of 10

Comments: Not much else to add, but G-13 labs calls this one an early finisher - 5 -6 weeks - and that's plain, not true.

I'm growing this one again, but future garden space will be reserved for better strains

I was only able to get 1 close-up pick, and it's not that great, but I'll try again in a day or 2.

what up chicagoin good to see your still on point!!!!!

chitownsmoking said:

what up chicagoin good to see your still on point!!!!!

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Nice report!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

chitownsmoking said:

what up chicagoin good to see your still on point!!!!!

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newbieneedshelp said:

Nice report!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Thanks guys lol I just re-read the report I posted last night... can you tell I was baked and rambling on the keyboard? LMAO Where "high" is I kept going on about the taste... lol

Computer problems have been keeping me busy again today. My rig froze (which is really unusual) so I rebooted, but somehow bios confused the drive windoze is on, and was trying to boot the wrong drive. It took me a an hour to figure that out, and still have to tweak bios after setting defaults..

I think my fans filters are clogged, so heat may be the culprit.

Green Cross said:

Thanks guys lol I just re-read the report I posted last night... can you tell I was baked and rambling on the keyboard? LMAO Where "high" is I kept going on about the taste... lol

Computer problems have been keeping me busy again today. My rig froze (which is really unusual) so I rebooted, but somehow bios confused the drive windoze is on, and was trying to boot the wrong drive. It took me a an hour to figure that out, and still have to tweak bios after setting defaults..

I think my fans filters are clogged, so heat may be the culprit.

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I wasn't going to say anything... about the rambling...

Damn man I hate PC probs! Heat + Computers just don't mix

Burn on!

Twils said:

I wasn't going to say anything... about the rambling...

Damn man I hate PC probs! Heat + Computers just don't mix

Burn on!

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yeah it seems like heat is the biggest enemy, in growing and electronics lol

Green Cross said:

yeah it seems like heat is the biggest enemy, in growing and electronics lol

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Aint that the truth! Heat!

Burn on!

Twils said:

Aint that the truth! Heat!

Burn on!

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Yeah, fuck heat! lol

speaking of heat: Solarmax HPS bulbs replace the CMH tomorrow. Lots of red spectrum in these, and 55,000 lumens

From what I've seen in other grows, bud density should be improved, using HPS in flower (weeks 3 - on), but the quality may be slightly reduced. We'll shall see

Green Cross said:

Yeah, fuck heat! lol

speaking of heat: Solarmax HPS bulbs replace the CMH tomorrow. Lots of red spectrum in these, and 55,000 lumens

From what I've seen in other grows, bud density should be improved, using HPS in flower (weeks 3 - on), but the quality may be slightly reduced. We'll shall see

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Woo nice bulb!

I'm starting to be a believer in both MH and HPS for flowering!

Burn on!

Twils said:

Woo nice bulb!

I'm starting to be a believer in both MH and HPS for flowering!

Burn on!

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Thanks Twils,
Mixed spectrum is great, but metal halide in veg, and HPS in flower, has been the standard for decades, because it works.

I'll start the update in the next post. Lots going on now, and plenty of pics...

Green Cross said:

Thanks Twils,
Mixed spectrum is great, but metal halide in veg, and HPS in flower, has been the standard for decades, because it works.

I'll start the update in the next post. Lots going on now, and plenty of pics...

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I totally agree MH Veg, HPS flower..

But.. I also think that having a 2:1 ratio of HPS to MH for flowering is rather nice too.. I can say from seeing with my own eyes the difference of HPS to both spectrums to MH currently right inside my tent, and the buds that are looking the best are getting both spectrums.

To each their own though!

Burn on!

Green Cross said:

I promissed someone I'd document the technique for keeping clones in the fridge. It's not my inventoin, and instructions can be found here

"Clones in Stasis
Cuttings in bagKeeping your clones in stasis by using your fridge is a handy way to both store them for future use or keep backups should there be some failure with your original cuttings. I have personally kept cuttings up to eight weeks using this method.

Simply put:
1) Take cuttings as you normally would, but with the one addition of leaving a longer stem, as you will be trimming this down further by at least half an inch when it is time to root them.

put in with Grey Poupon2) Place cuttings in a Ziploc bag (Tupperware can be used also.)There should be enough water in the bottom of the bag so that the stems are submerged. RO or good quality tap water should be fine. An inch or two should be in the bottom of the bag, keeping the stems wet.

Breathe some air into the bag, mainly so as not to crush the leaves and provide some cushion as they may get bumped about in the crisper drawer.

**Another variation on this is to simply put the cuttings in a water glass or jar (an ice cream bucket works well too -> basically, wide and shallow containers) and have them sit on the shelf in the fridge (stems also in water). This may or may not be convenient or stealthy for you.

3) I would recommend that you replace the air and water in the bag once a week. I have typically not bothered to replace the air or water at all for up to four weeks, but I continually come across this information and it seems like it cant hurt.

4) When you decide it is time to use your cuttings, remove them from the fridge and let them sit with their stems in a glass of water for half an hour or so to warm up as you prepare your cloning materials.

5) Cut half an inch or more off the stem to make a fresh end that you will dip in your favorite rooting hormome or rooting medium. I have found that fridge clones, if let to sit longer than a few weeks, will take longer to root.

This is fine for most since many are buying time with this method anyway. Clones older than 2 weeks will usually begin to root in 10 days and are mostly established by 14 days.

*Be sure that your fridge does not have a tendency to freeze your food. It should be stable. If your clones freeze, they will die. Happy Cloning. "

I'm thinking about re-cloning some clones some time in the future, to "bide time".

1. Take cuttings.

2. let them grow to the desired height, or when your clone box starts to get too crowded.

3. Chop the desired clones.

4. Refrigerate up to 2 months.

5. Re-root them.

Why waste so much energy keeping mothers, when you have a steady supply of cuttings in your crisper drawer?

I decided to use tupperware (type) containers, and some styrofoam, to keep the leaves out of the water and the stems in the water.

I'll try rooting these 2 my 2 in 1 - 4 week intervals. I'll be changing the water every 1 - 2 weeks - so it doesn't get slimy. You can keep lettuce fresh the same way by the way.

Replacing the air isn't necessary in my opinion, because these clones aren't transpiring, but changing the water is crucial. You may also want to experiment, by adding a couple drops of hydrogen peroxide to the water - may help keep it fresh?

Make sure you're refrigerator doesn't get above* freezing, especially this time of year when the weather cools off. It's worth buying an accurate thermometer - to check the temp - if you don't already have one.

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I found a typo - above - "Make sure your fridge doesn't get below* freezing", or your cuttings wont survive...

I changed the cutting's water a couple days ago, and plan to clone a couple of these shortly

They've been in stasis since 10/5 (11 days)