Very early preflower... Need help...

[canacanna]

They are in their fourth week from putting them into soil and they've started to develop these little funny things. I guess these are preflowers. Can we say anything about the sex? Please enlighten me:)

[BobBong]

Not preflowers...

secondary branching... but you're looking in the right spot.. that's where you'll see preflowers eventually.. probably about 2/3 up the plant or closer to the top.

[Perp]

Ya, what Bob said. Just let them grow. You'll know them when you see them.

[canacanna]

Thank you. As you both advised, I waited (switched to 12/12 also) and took a couple of photos. Here they are...

[denial102]

those pistols look female, :D


Peace,
Denial

[gainesvillegreen]

Yes, definitely female from the last picture you posted. Are you completely flowering your plants now? If you moved to 12/12 just to sex, you're going to lose about a month of total grow time to re-veg it.

[canacanna]

no, not for just sexing... I'll continue growing them in 12/12. They are not big though. A little taller than a foot. This is my first experience, I wonder how small the yeild will be...:rasta:

[canacanna]

Now I have those two ladies and they started to smell like hell. I have installed a manually made carbon scrubber near the top of my grow cabin and it works ok.

I have an active intake at the bottom. The fans run 24/7. My question is that should I place a carbon sheet on the active intake as well? Cause the odor is not completely gone (though it's not that irritating)...

[Mr. Clandestine]

I have an active intake at the bottom. The fans run 24/7. My question is that should I place a carbon sheet on the active intake as well? Cause the odor is not completely gone (though it's not that irritating)...

Is it possible to seal the room completely? Filtering the air coming into the room doesn't seem like it would make much difference if the odor is still able to escape the room. If it's not possible to seal the room entirely, you may eventually want to think about using an exhaust with a slightly higher cfm rating.

Or you could look into masking the smell, which is a cheaper alternative, but may add an unwanted scent to your buds. Or take away the scent altogether.

[canacanna]

My bad, sorry. I explained it wrongly.

I'm using a wardrobe as a grow room. So the exhaust fan filters the air and gives it into the room again. And the intake also takes air from within the room.

In other words, there's no fresh air entering the room from outside unless the room's window is open... :D

I have sealed the closet entirely except there's no carbon stuff on the intake opening. (Is it possible that some air can flow through the intake fan to the opposite direction?)

[Mr. Clandestine]

Ah, I gotcha now. It'll be tough to clear up the smell of the room without some ionizers, or something to cover up the smell. You really need to be exhausting outdoors, or at least into an attic, to pretty much neutralize the smell from your room. But I guess it's safe to assume that if it were possible, you'd have done it by now.

Well, there's always incense... in the end you could have a bountiful harvest of patchouli & jasmine scented buds! :thumbsup:

[canacanna]

So there's no point using a carbon scrubber on the intake fan, right? Right now the smell is not that bad (10 days of flowering). I hope it won't increase much in the following weeks.

Thank you... :thumbsup:

[Mr. Clandestine]

So there's no point using a carbon scrubber on the intake fan, right? Right now the smell is not that bad (10 days of flowering). I hope it won't increase much in the following weeks.

Well, if you have the means to put one in there, it'll probably make a small difference in the smell outside the wardrobe... but again, as long as you're venting directly into a closed room, there'll likely still be a lingering smell.

Here's a cool post for you to check out if you haven't already done so: DIY- Inexpensive odour neutraliser (http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-faqs/59316-diy-inexpensive-odour-neutraliser.html) Inexpensive, easy to build, and it's supposed to work well... it also won't totally make the room (or the buds) reek of air-freshener. Some strains are absolutely pungent during flowering, especially towards the end. Others aren't nearly as bad. Make adjustments based on your circumstances and remember what works best, it'll make it that much easier for you next time. Take care.

[canacanna]

@Mr. Clandestine.. thank u very much... :rasta:

I have put another carbon screen inside the closet. Now the air is being sucked in through the carbon screen and exits through another carbon screen.

I have also put a carbon screen on the active intake and sealed all the edges as much as I could. The smell is completely gone now... :thumbsup:

I also used two screens (one for intake, one for exhaust) to collect dust before it reaches the carbon filters. That way I hope them to last longer. (There was no dust filter before, and the carbon screen only lasted ten days or so)

[Mr. Clandestine]

@Mr. Clandestine.. thank u very much... :rasta:

I have put another carbon screen inside the closet. Now the air is being sucked in through the carbon screen and exits through another carbon screen.

I have also put a carbon screen on the active intake and sealed all the edges as much as I could. The smell is completely gone now... :thumbsup:

I also used two screens (one for intake, one for exhaust) to collect dust before it reaches the carbon filters. That way I hope them to last longer. (There was no dust filter before, and the carbon screen only lasted ten days or so)

Good deal, man... glad to hear it's working out for ya. Looks like you're starting to get just a slight bit of leaf curl on one of those plants, but aside from that, they're looking really healthy! Take care, and best of luck to ya throughout the rest of your grow.

[Backpacker420]

Good looking grow, can't wait to see how it ends!

By the way - How many watts is your HPS?

[canacanna]

Only 70 watts...:rastasmoke:

[wordsandwich]

looking good...please continue to post with pictues, i want to see how this turns out

[canacanna]

Some pictures...15th day of flowering...

[gainesvillegreen]

Looking nice!

[canacanna]

Some of the very bottom leaves started dying and the end of some leaves (near top of the plant) started turning brown. What's the problem here? As far as I understand it's nuteburn or heatburn. :confused:

They are in the sixth week of flowering. Should I be worried?

Thanks in advance...

[stinkyattic]

Those plants are the picture of health.
You're seeing the problem with a small HPS- the low leaves don't get a lot of light, and will eventually die off. But at week 6 with the tops looking that healthy, you are FINE. Better than fine. Yer golden.

[canacanna]

Thanks @stinkyattic .... :)

How much time till harvest? Can we guess by looking at those pictures?

[FireTheft]

impossible to tell by those pics, but if I were to guess probably another 2-3 weeks....your pistils still look very white and fresh.
the tips will start to turn brown soon.

you also need to infest in a 30x or higher magnifier so you can look at the trich's that's the only surefire way to determine harvest time.

you're plants are looking SO sweet, don't wait on getting a magnifier!

one question...where did you buy that HPS lamp? it looks kind of small, I'm needing a small one but I can't find anything small

[canacanna]

It's a 70w hps. I found it in an electronic store.

Question: I haven't got a 30x or better magnifier but I do have a normal microscope (up to 300x). Can I take a very small sample so that I can use the microscope? And where should I take the sample from? The pistils or the leaves?

[canacanna]

I've thought of another way to see the trichs. I've used my digital camera to take some shots and cropped the pictures.

Can we tell by those photos?

[Mr. Clandestine]

The trichs still look pretty clear in these most recent shots. When to harvest depends on what kind of high your looking to get from them. More clear to slightly milky colored trichs will give you more of a heady high, while more cloudy to amber trichs will produce a narcotic, couch lock type high. I like to wait until about 15% of the trichs have turned amber, but will harvest a little earlier if the plant is taking forever to mature. (11th week on up...)

[canacanna]

They are in the 7th week of flowering and almost all of the pistils are still white. About that trichome method... Where should I look? The top, middle or bottom part of the main cola? Do they all advance at the same speed?

[Mr. Clandestine]

They are in the 7th week of flowering and almost all of the pistils are still white. About that trichome method... Where should I look? The top, middle or bottom part of the main cola? Do they all advance with the same speed?

You may have a strain that needs more than 8 weeks to finish its flowering cycle. Several of mine take 10 weeks, or sometimes longer. And when you're looking at trichomes, I'd check the top of the colas first, and then compare them to the lower buds that aren't receiving as much light. The colas themselves generally mature at the same rate, but the lower growth ("popcorn buds" - I hate that term for some reason) can take longer to mature. Since the tops sometimes do mature faster than the lower growth, so do a side-by-side analysis to determine when to harvest. And you can harvest just the tops, and leave the rest of the plant in flowering a while longer if you need to. With some of the tops and side branching removed, you're able to get more light to those areas that didn't used to have it.

[canacanna]

Thanks @Mr. Clandestine...

You've been very helpful...

:)

[Mr. Clandestine]

Glad I could help & best of luck with your harvest! :jointsmile:

[FireTheft]

while I look at trichs in all areas, I tend not to rely on the ones on the leaves as you've showed.

the best places to look are the spots you'll be smoking :)

[canacanna]

Update...

50th day of flowering...

How many weeks to go? And what kind of changes should I be expecting in following weeks? Any experts opinions?

[stinkyattic]

They look wonderful. I see some tip scorch but nothing to be concerned about at this time. I think 2-3 weeks to go. You are starting to see some browning of the pistils. In another week and a half you will probably be ready to flush, and then start checking the trichs more closely to determine chop time. You will see a lot of additional 'bulk' between now and harvest, on top of what already is a respectable bud mass you have now.

[canacanna]

I appreciate your help @stinkyattic. I got all the answers thanks to you. But I have another question :)

For some reasons, tomorrow I'll have to give them 20 hours of darkness. As I mentioned before, they are in the 7th week of flowering and there's not much to go. Might this 20 hours of uninterrupted darkness affect the process in a bad way that I can't undo?

P.S. They are doing just fine, and now I can see some false seed pods on the buds... :thumbsup:

[stinkyattic]

Don't give them 20 hours of darkness. Give 12 or 36. Simply wait until the lights go out, unplug the light from the timer while still leaving the timer plugged in (turning), and do not plug back in until you are completely ready to go back on your original schedule. Basically, just SKIP an entire lights-on period and don't shift the schedule unless that was your intent.

[canacanna]

I don't have an automatic timer. I was thinking that giving them 4 hours of light is better than nothing. So, I'm giving them 36 hours of darkness and then go on with 12-12 schedule. As I know, some people use that 36 hours darkness just before harvest. I have about 2 weeks more, since you said that I guess that won't matter.

[canacanna]

I've got one more request from you @stinkyattic... :jointsmile:

Why not giving them four hours of light and instead keeping them in 36 hours of darkness? Poor things won't get any light tomorrow... :(

I'd appreciate if you explain that...

I'm a kind of guy who likes to learn... nothing more...


Thanks again...

[hotchi]

i havnt grown since last season, but if i remember right, the dark is the time they use for maturing and "growing". were the light is the time when they get all there energy.

so if that is correct, the 4 hours might shock them.

were the 36 hours of darkness will just let them mature a littlemore.

((also, dont forget to flush a week or 2 before. you look very close to harvest )) :hippy:

[stinkyattic]

The only reason I suggested the longer dark period is for convenience, assuming that you need some time to do whatever you need to do. But given the choice between a less than 12 'day' and a long 'night, I'd pick the long night. It's just instinct; I can't really explain it, but I feel that the shock would be less EXTENDING a day or night than CURTAILING it.

[rhizome]

given the choice between a less than 12 'day' and a long 'night, I'd pick the long night. It's just instinct; I can't really explain it, but I feel that the shock would be less EXTENDING a day or night than CURTAILING it.

DO NOT EXTEND DAY LENGTH BEYOND 12 HOURS DURING FLOWER.
Just don't.
'Nanners a-go-go.

Long night's not gonna hurt em at all, long as it doesn't get too cold in there for too long.

[canacanna]

Thanks for the explanations. I've changed the light schedule. Now they get light between 8 p.m and 8 a.m. That way I'll stick to the time schedule more easily.

Some photos...

[canacanna]

Just finished 8th week of flowering and they've fatten up especially in the last week.

I took some shots of lower buds today to capture the trichs. Can you help me interpret them if possible?

[stinkyattic]

It's kinda hard to tell from pics, but they still look 'sparkly' meaning that there is a significant % still clear, so give them some more time. I'll guess you have 1-2 weeks yet for full ripeness.

[canacanna]

Thanks @stinkyattic

I've been giving them pure water for about 15 days. A friend of mine told me that the plant would use its stored nutrients located in those green leaves. Should I give any nutrients in the next watering? Or continue what I have been doing and give them water only...

[stinkyattic]

This close to harvest, just water or water with some molasses in it is fine. You started flushing a little too early- now that you know how long this plant takes in your specific grow setup, you can time it better next time. Flush should be no more than the last 2 weeks. Your plants look great though.

[canacanna]

I guess there's something wrong with my plants. They are close to 10 weeks flowering and still not ready. Maybe these signs the leaves have been showing have to do with slow bud formation?

I'd appreciate any help on what to do...

[Mr. Clandestine]

Your leaves are a pretty dark green.. what is the NPK on your bloom fertilizer? Forgive me if this was already mentioned. Having high amounts of Nitrogen in flowering can delay the speed at which the plant produces flowers. If that's not it, then you've probably just got yourself a slow blooming strain. Some of them require loads of nail-biting patience! :jointsmile:

[canacanna]

I haven't given them any nutes for more than three weeks.

What are those brown spots on the leaves? Especially near top of the plant... I've just lifted up the hps, in case it's heat stress.

[Mr. Clandestine]

It's probably a problem (or problems) with deficient nutrients from lack of fertilizers. I know you weren't thinking it would have taken this long, but they definitely should have been getting more Phosphorus and Potassium over the past three weeks. It's up to you whether or not to give another bloom feeding... I probably wouldn't since you're this close to harvest, and you don't want to leave the buds tasting like chemicals. If your pH is in a good range, you might think about throwing in some blackstrap molasses. About a tablespoon or two per gallon will do just fine. The plants really seem to tolerate and actually enjoy these feedings right up until the chop.

[canacanna]

New photos...

[canacanna]

Yesterday I detected some spider mites on the leaves and tried to take some measures. I sprayed some water+nicotine solution and when I checked them a few minutes ago I saw some but not in great numbers. I wiped as much leaves as possible by using soft and wet sponges to get rid of the remaining mites. Even though I cannot see any of them for now, I know that they'll come back.

I'm just trying to buy some time to make them more potent buds. If I lose the battle against those creatures, will I also lose the buds? If so, I can think about immediate harvest... I mean, do they harm the buds directly? Can the buds become worse than they are now in a short period of time?

I'm really confused right now...