CFL Closet Growbox.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

So i'm starting a new grow in a new box with some new seeds. i'm sure ima need help and advice so i'm starting the thread now. i realized shortly after i posted this (http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-growing/158044-2nd-grow-few-questions.html) that i would have been better off just to start my grow thread and ask that question within, buuuuut i can't erase it so here we are. on to the important stuff.

i'll post pics of the box later when i can, right now i've got my seeds in there germinating. IT was built by cutting down cardboard boxes and putting them back together in the shape i want, so dimensions aren't real exact. It is light-proof however, i checked by sitting and noticing that i couldn't see sheeeeiiittt. ahh, but i digress again. the box itself is about 6sq' and a little over 5 feet tall. three of the inside walls are painted white, with the inside of the top being lined with aluminum foil and the fourth wall, my entryway being a white curtain...ok, old tablecloth, but you get the idea. the whole thing tales up the left half of my closet (big closet) i'm going to be growing plants two at a time, one "power skunk" and the other some white widow. both plants will be sharing 4 bulbs with one Ott-Lite (more on that in a second) and one 6500k cfl over each, which will make more sense when i can post some pics of my full setup tomorrow. i plan to transplant my plants twice, one form peat moss to the red pot you see in the pic below i did take before my box went dark, and then again from the red one to the bigger white one for final and blooming.

ok, the ott-lite. these fuckin things. i bought them from home depot on my last grow because they were the only lights i could find designated specifically for plant growth. information beyond that is... like... nonexistant. if i remember correctly they are 17w each, although i did see a place that said 20...i dunno. as far as spectrum i did find something that said they are 5400-5700k in spectrum. yeah, that's right, the best i could find was a range and i'm not even sure how accurate it is. they did grow my plants really well last time though... anyways, so i figured adding some 6500k's would give me a good spectrum for light for my plants to grow.

and in case it comes up over the course of my grow: yes, i AM growing in my parents house, yes they DO know about it, and yes, they DON'T care. let's move on, shall we?

[ToKAlot]

Well Looks like you got a plan so keep it up and keep us posted and it all sound good!!!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

yeah, so i talked about the pic in the post, but forgot to actually add the pic to it, my bad. also, my box is 3sq', not 6. and i think we all know how i managed to forget the pic completely and write 3sq' as (3x2)sq'


so yeah, here's that pic and i'll have some better ones up as soon as i can take my seeds out of dark time. also, they're each getting their own pot, i just have the one set in the pic.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

and here we go, a pic of my complete setup. not sure why the picture came out so dark but i assure it's frickin bright in that box.
the little fan you see in the middle will be raised up in accordance with the plant's height throughout my grow. that gray box you see sticking out of the left is an air purifier, use it for exhaust and to clean up the smell somewhat. (just because my parents are cool with me growing "doesn't mean (they) want the whole house to smell like weed") the holes in the back are for ventilation and are up against the back wall so there's no light getting in through there. the air purifier also has it's own, custom fitted slot cut into the side, which is sealed up with several flaps -- taped on with the extra area of tape folded over on itself to make a non-sticky seal -- of duct tape (white duct tape on the inside) that prevent light from getting in.

and while i'm here...
on my last grow i did 24/0 for my veg light schedule. i was just going for the fastest grow last time so i could sex them as soon as possible. since i know my seeds are female this time, is there real any advantage, other than energy or heat, to doing a different cycle? (18/6 or 20/4, etc.)

[GeddaLiddleHI]

quick update. i decided to change the how things are arranged inside the box, i turned the tray and the lights lengthwise. i think this should make it easier to put the extra lamps in on the sides when i do that, a was also able to put my fan right up to one of the vents, and i think i'm going to leave it there and just adjust it's angle rather than have to raise it up with the plants. and i may be talking out of my ass here, but i think it will make better use of the light since the orientation of the lighting matches up better with the shape of the box (lengthwise)

edit: feel i should mention, i'm planning to just use that big plastic tray you see them both sitting in rather than individual drip trays for each pot, that seems like a good idea...right?

[AmericanPsycho]

Sweet, I like those little two socket light fixture things. I am going to have to pick up a couple of those for my little grow box.

Nice set up, good luck and keep the updates coming:thumbsup:

[AmericanPsycho]

Could you give me a measurement from bulb to bulb, like in the diagram?

:jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

i decided to go ahead and add the lamps since i had rearranged everything inside, so there's a pic of what it looks like now. i plan to keep 6500k's in those lamps and keep them on the lower part when the plant's get big and flower, that way the lower part should continue to grow (hopefully thickness-wise on the stem)and remain sturdy enough to support the weight of the buds growing up top. sounds like a good idea anyway...anyone tried it?

and Psycho, it measure's approx 18" that way, and 8" the other way. i say approx because i can't be sure it's exact but it won't be off by more than 1/16". also, that's a sweet movie; "is that a raincoat?" "why, yes it is!"

[Dyranty]

Not to get off subject sorry, but what is the name of the red piece that you hooked your Y connectors too. How much did it cost at home depot too?

Looking good, got plenty of more room for other plants if you wanted.

Nice setup let us know how it goes.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

it was just called 3-way adapter at walmart and it was like 3 something, because it's the "heavy duty shop" adapter or something. i did find later, when going back for some more shit, they have another one that costs half as much, it's just lighter and yellow

[McDanger]

I would grab the elec cord and see how hot that is b4 adding more bulbs to the fixture, you don't want a fire

[GeddaLiddleHI]

uhhh, what? anyways, if you're referring to my setup, those two lamps i added are running off a different cord and outlet; hanging lamps coming from long extension cord in my room outside the closet, other two lamps and small fan are running from an extension cord in an outlet in my closet

[McDanger]

I meant the hanging light. If you have a receptacle that says 60w max and you start to put 150w worth of bulbs in it(with splitters) that cord will get hot

[McDanger]

After looking at it again, I see what you mean, that cord looks heavy duty enough, but touch those plug in adapters once to see how hot they are. Those are usually not rated for a very high wattage. Just be careful.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

the adapter i got is supposed to be a "heavy duty" workshop type, and i've only got 74watts worth of bulbs in it, (with another 40watts worth in the other lamps and outlet, for a total of somewhere in between 6000 and 7000 lumens) but i did check to see how hot it and all the cords are and they're cold, so i should be good. thanks for the tip though, def wouldn't have thought to check the temp on that stuff if you hadn't said anything

[GeddaLiddleHI]

both my babies have now broken soil, woo! the white widow actually broke through yesterday, but the skunk is juuuust peaking it's head out now. i'll post some pics when there's enough plant above ground to make a worthwhile picture. i was also thinking of trying to get some feminized seeds off a mother plant at some point (got 6 more seeds to work with after these 2) and maybe seeing if i can crossbreed the skunk and the widow using two hermie plants (most likely made from cuttings, psh seedin up a whole bud-producing plant). call it white skunk or something. anyone have experience doing stuff like that? tips?

edit: ok, i guess POWER skunk is actually a slightly different strain (higher potency/yield, less smell. or so i'm told) so yeah, i'll try and remember to mention that it's actually p skunk from now on

[GeddaLiddleHI]

ok, as promised, here are the pics of my now above-soil plants. White Widow on the left, Power Skunk on the right.

yeah, i know it's crazy overexposed, but that was as best i could get it without spending 10 mins on my camera's settings. yeah...it's bright in there

[GeddaLiddleHI]

soooo, i seem to have ountstandingly bad luck when it comes to growing. last night at some point after i last checked them my lights fell down onto my plants. they weren't resting completely on them, the plants weren't crushed, but it def was a bad thing. i got the lights back up off them, and secured better, but i'm not sure if they're beyond saving now. i've got some pics here of the damage.

the first one is the power skunk, which i'm actually slightly more worried about as i only have one of those seeds left. the second two are the white widow. def the more valuable plant, but i've got 4 more seeds to work with on that. anyways, just wanted some general knowledge, or at least some opinion here so i can decide whether to put in the time and effort to save them, or jsut pull up the seedlings and germinate some new seeds. i've already gotten the fans going higher in the box to keep the temp down, moved the lights slightly farther away and have been keeping them moist so far.

[joedirte]

you might be able to LST that one one the left, though you may want to wait for another node or two. i hate to have to kill plants but do what you gotta do. if theyre just taking up space time and energy, replace them with plants that will give results. also, your medium looks a little wet for your little seedlings

[GeddaLiddleHI]

so yeah, those two were goners. pulled em out of the soil this morning and dropped two new seeds into germination. hopefully those'll have popped by tomorrow afternoon and i cen get started again. this power skunk better turn out well so i can get some good clones as i dont' have anymore seeds left. i could always turn it into a mother plant i guess...but that involves buidling a sparate grow room. ahhhh...to much digressing for a single post. updates on teh new ones when it's worthwhile

[joedirte]

so yeah, those two were goners. pulled em out of the soil this morning and dropped two new seeds into germination. hopefully those'll have popped by tomorrow afternoon and i cen get started again. this power skunk better turn out well so i can get some good clones as i dont' have anymore seeds left. i could always turn it into a mother plant i guess...but that involves buidling a sparate grow room. ahhhh...to much digressing for a single post. updates on teh new ones when it's worthwhile

ugh that sucks, sorry to hear that. i hate killing plants. but the only way to move is foward. try, try again.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

yeah, it's always a very sad time when that happens, i said a few words for my seedlings. but all is not bad, my new white widow seed is already popped and in soil. the power skunk wasn't cracked open yet, but it was swollen and had sunk to the bottom in the water so it can't be far off. should be some new seedlings in a couple days!

[joedirte]

sweet...

[Aspire420]

Most every expert agrees,

6000 for veg and 3000 for bloom.

Flat white paint is more reflective than foil and mylar is the best. You might want to make a homemade reflector and fill that thing up with as many CFL's you can. Surge protectors and connectors whatever as many lumens as you can. Hope you got nutes but at your local hardware stores you should be able to find seaweed and molasses. If there are no nurseries or Amazon is not an option then you can always use Fish Fert which smells like ---- but works great. I highly recommend using seaweed throughout the whole process. You might be able to get away with using a flower bloom fert like orchid or rose. Not sure about that so check the N P K. High in P (10) and around 1-3 in N and about 5-8 in K. Peace.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

yeah, i have 4 6500k bulbs and 2 5400-5600k (just to give it a nice spread throughout) right now and will be replacing the 6500 with 2700 when i start bloom. the whole inside of the box is painted flat white, only the top is (dull-side out) aluminum foil, which you can't even tell is foil unless you look close as it's reflecting all the white from the inside of the box. that's really as many cfl's as i wanna have in there, my computer, tv and PS3 all eat up a ton of wattage already and i gotta compensate the rents for the rise in electricity (fair enough). i do have fert with plenty of nutes for when i need it, which i talked about in an old thread here (http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-growing/158044-2nd-grow-few-questions.html). i also have a bloomd fert for later that changes up the nute concentration to the correct dose (all the fert is left form my last grow, and still very much good).

all of this stuff is in my first post in this thread, but i appreciate the advice. now i know one person to bug when i have questions.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

actually, i do have a question. both my seeds have broken soil now and the white widow is further along, once again.

however, the white widow seed casing is still attached as far up as it is. should i help the plant out and flick it off, or is it like the butterfly emerging thing where if i help i'm actually gonna fuck it over? here's some pics of what i'm talking about to explain. (i figured out that if i use manual mode i can get much nicer pictures)

[mitchy30]

You can take the seed casing off. Only use surgeon like fingers, and fine tipped tweezers. Just don't hurt the leaves!. If it doesn't come off easy, leave it be for another day or two. You don't want to rip the leaf. With that said the seed will prolly come off on its own.
Looking at the pic again...That casing should come off quite easy if you do it yourself.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

alright, thanks man. i popped it off last night. i mean popped, it made an audible popping noise when it came off and the leaves just exploded outwards. anyway, here's pics of my new seedlings. white widow on the left, power skunk on the right.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

alright, so here's an update on what the plants look like, PS on the left, WW on the right. also included is a pic of my newly attached not-quite-reflect-or. as you can see it's actually a piece of white styrofoam. the opposite side of the styrofoam is flat and even. i decided to try this because, as i've been told, flat white is better than foil, so it seemed to make sense. anyway, here it is:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

Alright, so i haven't updated in awhile. I was having some problems, and at the time i was looking for advice, the forums were down for maintenance. Just my luck, psh! Anyways, my plants were suffering from heat stress, and some of the leaves had really yellowed and dried out. I had the lights way too close, and probly too many lights anyway (my temps were hitting 86-90, depending on the ambient temp of my room). I added in another fan and moved the metal circular one over to get airflow over both sets of lights. I also turned off the secondary lamps (with the 5500k lights in them) and now my temps rarely go above 80, especially with the lights on a timer with 4 hours of darkness during the hottest part of the day. I also wrapped the bottom of my reflector in aluminum foil to make it more...reflective.

so here's some pics of how the box looks now, the circular fan is right behind that lamp on the right.

WW on the left, PS on the right. You can clearly see the damaged leaves from when i was overheating them, looks like ima have to do some pruning when they get bigger. ..or should i do that now...i hadn't thought of that until just now.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

just a quick update; i've switched my lighting back to 24/0 since i've got the temps under control with the supplemental lights off and the extra fan.

[Dyranty]

I'd let the leaves stay, they'll fall off when they are ready.

I was working a lot last week and missed a scheduled watering which caused my plants to droop and sucked the life out of some lower leaves.

They have all mostly fallen off already. I try not to stress my babies any more then needed. Kinda like picking a scab ............. You want too, but you know it's not good!

I hope your lil plants come through good.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, tryin to keep more regular updates now that i have real plants.

ww on the two left, ps on the two right

you can see pretty clearly the leaves that were out taking damage from heat and the leaves that have sprouted since then. kinda makes me sad that i fucked em up so early, but at least they're doin good now.

[cannaninja]

Wow sorry friend but i thought my grow was a cheap setup haha. I even made my own carbon scrubber tho and I'm running t8's and t12's. And again sorry but your grow reminds of the baby box I made for clones and seedlings. But hey on my first grow I started with less so good luck to you and if it all works out more power to you. Oh and really, safety first not just for the babys but you and your familia(family) last thing you want after all the hard work is a burnt down house and no crop. Keep learning and stay positive its not lookin too bad for a first time. Happy growing! :smokin:

:wtf:-cannaninja

[xxxdout]

Looks good to me, just keep on keepin' on.:weedpoke:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

cannaninja...what are you talking about? There's nothing overtly cheap about my setup, especially the carbon scrubbing air purifier (do people really buy these things for other purposes, sheesh!) i've got heavy duty extension cords and outlet adapters, for safety reasons, obviously, i'm running a lot of electricity and heat through there. Also, i only used styrofoam for my reflector because it's a) white, and b) light, i don't wanna make my box support any more weight than it already is. And i dont' know what you mean by baby box, but if you look at some of my first posts, the box is a square meter and a little over 5 feet tall, since i'm only growing 2 at a time, this is plenty of room. Not sure what your concern was for safety either, like i said i'm using heavy duty cords and adapters, i've got the plants sitting in a big plastic tray so any water is isolated from all the electrical stuff, i have a thermometer in there at all times to check the temps and i make sure that nothing at all comes into contact with the lights. i even have a plastic shield (transparent white and reflective) that i put in between the curtain and the rest of the box, the negative pressure inside the box tends to pull the curtain inwards when its down. I appreciate your concern, but this isn't my first grow. my FIRST grow gave me back one male (hence the feminized seeds), and then my cat pissed on and killed my lone female, which is why i wasn't real enthusiastic about going through all that effort again for so long. it's nice that you prefaced your post with "sorry" but i found it kind of condescending and insulting, maybe that wasn't in purpose but...still.


aaaanyways. i'm thinking about going LST on these plants to maximize my yield under cfl's. i plan to look around the forums for tips on this, but any advice anyone can offer right here in my own thread would be much appreciated.

[GetBaked]

Hey man, I'm not sure if they have a sticky bout it here. But go check out the How To LST thread on grasscity. Ur plants are lookin good, I'm bout to get a shit load more light tomorrow (or today). Ill let ya know what I end up with. Oh shit, sorry I'm talkin bout my shit, but seriously check out that thread, it's good shit. Pce, Get High!!

[GeddaLiddleHI]

there appears to be something wrong with my white widow...and only my white widow. i don't understand why as both plants have identical set-ups but...whatever. even the new leaves are starting to get this reddish purple color on them, which i believe suggests a nutrient burn of some kind, i think excess potassium. since i'm not adding nutes yet...i don't understand what's going on. i'm using filtered tap water to water them, which also sits for approx 24hrs before it's used. anyway, here's a pic of the damage, hopefully someone can help me...and soon.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

so i looked around at some sick plant help sections, and it looks like it's also possible my plant could be nutrient deficient...is that really possible at such an early stage? i need to get this corrected soon, but i don't want to make things worse by changing the wrong thing (adding nutrients, switching my water source, etc.)

[GeddaLiddleHI]

so...i dont' know why no one wants to post in this thread, or answer any of the questions i ask, but anyways...

i mixed up some (very) weak fertilizer to water the white widow with. watered it using the nutes last night and today it's perked right up. some of the leaves that were really turned purple are still pretty sickly looking, but i think i've solved my problem. should be helpful to anyone else that has a similar problem. whoda thunk plants could need nutes so young...?

[BeFree]

I thought nute burn at the beginning, but since you watered with light nutes and it seems to help. You're going to have to update. =)

I'm growing under CFL's too. Just bagseed. But none-the-less. I'm interested, and subscribed. :D


Be Safe:jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

fair enough. here's the white widow after my nute solution. much improved, yes?

[BeFree]

o0o, much indeed. :thumbsup:

Good call. =)

I got some plants logged too. >.>
http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-growing/160148-tri-nodeular-growth-seed-please-correct-me-stinky.html

Have a good one.:jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, time for another update. both plants have really been exploding in growth since i started with my nutes. the WW is more noticeable as it was sick, but the PS was yellowing around the leaf edges a little (Nitrogen deficiency, i believe) so i started mixing 1 part of my solution to 2 parts water and using that...and it's been doing fantastic since. so here's some pics. the left 2 are White Widow, the one on the right is the Power Skunk

[BeFree]

Glad to see the kids on their feet again.:thumbsup:

Keep it up and Be Safe:jointsmile:

[drater]

can u tell me how many watts u are pulling cause i need to change my set up to release some head hight

[GeddaLiddleHI]

well, right now i'm just using 2 23watt cfls at 6500k, and one 17w at 5500k. i have two more 23w and one more 17w for when the plants get bigger and need more light, though. if you go back to my first page you can see a good shot of what my main light (the 6500k's) setup looks like without the reflector on it.

and as long as i'm posting. i'm thinking it's about time to transplant to a bigger pot and start tyin' the girls down for LST. opinions? as a reminder, they're in jiffy-pots, so i wont' be taking the actual plant out of the pot, just sticking the pot right in the soil of the new container.


(awww, i was at 69 posts before this, giggle, too bad i ruined it. that's right, i still find that funny at 22, hahaha.)

[GeddaLiddleHI]

sorry, it was too late to edit. they're actually 20watt bulbs, it's my 2700k spectrum lights i picked up for blooming (not being used yet, obviously) that are the 23watt. my bad.

[veggii]

GeddilittleHi
Hi nice compact grow ! the reason they were starving , remember you said you filter out your tap water it must also took out lot of nutes, so remember next time if you filter tap water that much might add 1/4 or 1/8 strength nutes to it.
so back on track know !! and I find the $7.88 4 pks 2700k @ wallyworld attractive too!! goodluck on your project :cool:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

hahaha, that's funny, that's exactly what i bought. same price and everything

[GeddaLiddleHI]

so i did my first transplant today, the pots seem a little big for the plants, but they were def gettin big for the jiffy-pots, soooo...

i'll be doing one more transplant to a larger size before the grow is over, but the volume discrepancy won't be quite as obvious. i may not even post about it and see if anyone notices, hahaha. i haven't LST'd em yet because after the transplant there really wasn't enough stem above soil for it, so i guess i gotta wait a little longer for that. could still use some tips on LST too...

so yeah, here's pics. PS on the left in the red and WW on the right in green.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

thought i'd show you this little thing i rigged up on my last grow and decided to use again. it's really just a cut pepsi bottle, but it's o so much more. there's baking soda sitting at the bottom, with vents cut all around the lower part (above the level of soda, of course) in the top you put some plastic wrap or aluminum foil and poke a TINY hole in it at the very point. you then dump some vinegar in the top and voila, you've got a slow-release source of CO2 for your plants... assuming you made the hole small enough. every couple minutes a little drop of vinegar will come through, like a leaky faucet, land on the baking soda and react to make carbon dioxide. neato, eh?

[Haro bmx 420]

Very creative idea there gedda, how many of those co2 producers do you create per plant to get the right ppm?

[hydrocannabis]

ok this is so badass.

so I got a few Q's about this thing U built.

what size of bottel did U use.
and do U leave it in the grow room /box all the time or do U take it out some times.
can I use it in my big flowering box or it is ment for a whole grow room.
how much did it help ur plants.

thanks for the info. it is for sure neato.

[BeFree]

o0o, they are lookin' comphy in the new pots. =)

I normally (as only my second grow) examine the plant to find where some already triggered side growth is, then lightly start pushing it over to get a good idea how it will work out. then depending on the container and personal opinion whether to make a large 'U' shaped coat hanger to probe into the dirt or use twine to 'tie' it down to the side of your mutilated container. =P I've used both in this grow so far. including some topping and even a successful FIM. :yippee:



Sorry to ramble. But that's just my little bit on LST. I'm sure others will shoot ya links and pictures and diagrams and helpful tips and blah blah. =)

Have a good one, and Be Safe:jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

well i just stick one CO2 bottle in there for my two plants, i don't have any kind of measurements on it, i just wanted a source to release CO2 into my box, no real need to be very exact. i leave it in there...whenever i feel like doing the work to get it ready and set it in the box, lol. And it's just a 20oz bottle. as for how much it helps the plants, i don't know on these two yet, just had it in there today for the first time, and those plants are kinda stunted due to nutrient starvation early on (still don't fully understand that one) but it helped out the solitary plant in my first grow a lot (at least i think, it was my first grow) it got real tall and bushy when i started pruning it. It's the same bottle, btw, i just found it sitting in my kitchen and was like "i didn't throw that out? sha-weet!" I have been thinking of an improvement on the design (it can get messy and frustrating trying to get the hole the right size) where you'd put some yarn, or something similar, in the hole with a not tied on top. This thing would soak up the vinegar and, again, just let little drops fall down onto the soda every once in a while...in theory anyway. If anyone wants to try it, feel free, and if you mention it's based on my design...w007! to you, sir. hahaha.

I still haven't decided if i'm really gonna go LST either. Mostly i'm just looking for a way to increase my yields, but i've got the room to grow both plants 4-5 feet tall, so i don't really need to compact them for any reason...i dunno

[BeFree]

I still haven't decided if i'm really gonna go LST either. Mostly i'm just looking for a way to increase my yields, but i've got the room to grow both plants 4-5 feet tall, so i don't really need to compact them for any reason...i dunno


4 to 5 feet...hmmm... I'd say 1 good LST at the 7'th or so node. And they should result in 8 or more good sized tops at all reasonable lengths. Try out Jerry Garcia's Blue Widow/Apollo grow log and see his incredible results with 1 swift pin to the dirt. =P

Be Good and keep us updated. :jointsmile:.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

will do, sir, and thank you for your input

[BeFree]

will do, sir, and thank you for your input


I just like to help. Makes me feel as though I'm of use. =)

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, time for another update. the ladies have been doing much better now that they're not being starved of nutrients. I did notice a bigger growth spurt after i did my little CO2...thing...but that could just be optimism on my part. anyway, i'll keep refining the design on that and let you know. here's pics. White Widow left, Power Skunk right.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, so i went ahead and did mine refinement to the CO2 bottle design, and it works a helluva a lot more consistently. you gotta use plastic wrap for this way though, i just used aluminum foil around the top to hold the plastic wrap in place. Anyways, what i did was cut a little strand of fabric and tie a knot in one end. i just threaded the fabric through the hole in the saran wrap and the rest is just the same. The fabric absorbs the vinegar and let's a little drop...drop down onto the baking soda. Mine releases a little faster than i'd like, but that can be easily remedied by just using thicker fabric. I'v got a pic down there so you can see the little knot of fabric on the inside. I've been thinking about the size thing too, if you wanted to use a bigger bottle (as i may do for reasons i'm about to explain) it wouldn't really increase the amount of CO2 released, since it's still mixing drop by drop, but it would release for a longer period of time.
So anyway, i just posted pics of what my plants look like, tomorrow, after they've had this CO2 treatment i'll post some more and you can judge for yourselves how much my little gadget helps.

edit: it also helps if you make the baking soda on the bottom into a little crater, that way as the level of vinegar in the bottom rises it mixes with the soda on the sides, getting you a more consistent reaction. ...i think, hahaha.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

as pomised, pics of my plants progress after a day...ok, a few hours, with the CO2 treatment. i took the pics as close to the angle and distance of the comparison pics as i could, but i rotate the pots a lot so they may be facing a slightly different way, and one of the PS leaves seems to be pointing up for some reason... if you can't tell em apart by now; White Widow left, Power Skunk right

[godzilla63]

:thumbsup:

I like your CO2 gizmo. Pretty cool. I'm thinking of giving that a try myself.

How often do you plan on fertilizing when they get bigger? I usually do it with a weak solution once a week. I switched to a higher phosphorous content now that they started to flower. I have 2 girls, but these aren't indoor plants- what I mean is, I have them in pots, but I put them out during sunny days and bring them in at night, so the light they get is limited to sunny days, unfortunately. My next try will be strictly indoor, since the fall season is nearly upon us here.

I'll also go with a cfl set-up and I enjoy reading threads like yours for ideas and just to see how well you progress.

Best of luck and keep us posted!

:dance:

[godzilla63]

Harvest time soon :) :rastasmoke:

I forgot to ask this. I see people writing LST, but I don't know what that stands for. I'm assuming it refers to either topping or tying down the plants? Can someone spell it out for me pls?


Thank you.

[LuciferN]

LST is for Low Stress Strainning, tying the plant down so it stay shorter, this is good for people with limited space.

[godzilla63]

Thanks for the definition, bud.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

i actually had to start fertilizing them when they were really small. i dunno if i just have mutant plants or there's somethign terribly deficient abotu my filtered tap water, but yeah, they needed nutes WAAAAAAY earlier than they're supposed to. I was usign a really weak solution for the first week or so of that (check out page 3 to really see what i'm talking about) but now i'm using som more concentrated stuff and am using it for every other watering to see how that goes. i'll try and remember to post some pics tomorrow and show you all how it's going

[GeddaLiddleHI]

so i had to go into my box for something anyway, and decided to snap some pics to post while i was in there. WW left, PS right

[godzilla63]

In only 8 days your plants have made tremendous progress. Must be those nutes and the C02 bottle. Very impressive!

joe~:yippee:

[dooobster]

Ahhh... glad to see they're looking much better!! Very nice.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, time for another update on their growth. i haven't done the CO2 bottle thing in awhile (been workin third shift, kinda messes up my scheduling for...everything, hahaha) so the growth isn't quite as dramatic as it has been, but they're def still bigger. I'm kinda worried about the skunk, it seems a little too stretched, but i know it's not because the light's too far away. it actually got too tall too fast at one point and bumped into the light, which is where the burn marks on the closest leaf in that pic came from (d'oh!) soooo...i dunno, hopefully it doesn't topple over. As you can probly tell, i added my supplemental 5500k lights back in to the box as well. should help stimulate side growth and my temps still don't breach 80, since the weather's getting cooler and i got air circulating through the box much better now. It looks like the lights really close to the White Widow in that pic, but it's really not, that's just due to the angle of the picture, you can get a better idea of how it's oriented from looking at the Power Skunk's picture. anyways, here they are; WW left, PS right:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

so, like the title says, i did the final transplant into the biggest size pots they're gonna get. i also started the late LST on the Power Skunk. Mostly because it's height was significantly higher than the White Widow and i had to move the lights farther up than i'd like. So i bent the top of the plant over and tied it down, and i accidentally topped it as well. I was trying to bend the top of the plant around the side of the pot (in a circular shape) and i snapped it, so i just cut it off and stuck it in some rooting solution, so hopefully i'll have another little PS in a short time. I haven't put the CO2 bottle in there since the last time i mentioned it on here, and i've definitely noticed that they don't grow as quickly, so i'm gonna start doing that again. anyways, here's pics, WW left, PS right

[want2beagrower]

Great grow GeddaLiddleHI :thumbsup: ur plants look good , have u restarted with ur co2 bottle ? did u keep the bottle in there during flowering of ur last grow ? how bout with ur lights out ? just wondering am thinking bout using in my next grow :rasta:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

yeah, i just started doing the CO2 bottle again yesterday. I odn' tremember if i was still using it during flowering (i hadn't quite perfected it yet and it wasn't as consistent as it is now) but plants need CO2 all the time so i don't see why not. Not with the lights off though, but only because i don't want to be going in there when it's supposed to be dark time.

[want2beagrower]

Hey GeddaLiddleHI :thumbsup: how r ur ladies doin since thier transplant ? how long r u goin 2 veg them ? they look bout 9-10 inches right now , thinking bout flowering soon ?:smokin:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

Been doin pretty good since the transplant. Especially since i got the bend in the skunk for my LST situated better and i've been doing the CO2 bottle daily. I plan to let them get a LOT bigger before i start to flower. I've got a pic of the entire inside of my box included with my regular plant updates today. I want them to be just a few inches shy of hitting the top before i flower them. So, as you can see, i've got a ways to go.


edit: while i'm posting, i was thinking of crossbreeding these two strains at some point (i was planning on making clones anyway so i'll have the extra tree to do it with) but my question is this: what would i call it? I haven't seen any strains that are White Widow + Power Skunk but i dunno, it may have a name already. I was thinking White Power, but i could see how that would be offensive (i just thought it was funny, personally) Maybe White Skunk or Power Widow, i think Albino Skunk popped into my head at one point. Any ideas?

[want2beagrower]

hey GeddaLiddleHI becareful ur ladies will grow during flowering !! i've grown ww before & it grew almost 10 12 inches after i started flowering :thumbsup: i like white power LOL 4 ur name but like u said it's kind of offessive like albino skunk 2 but u should wait 2 see which strain will be dommient before choosing ur name 4 it . i've never seen a ww & ps cross before , u might be on 2 something there . stinky would know though , she's grown alot of strains acordding 2 this fourm , u might ask her if there is such a strain already. ur ladies look great :thumbsup: keep it up & u r goin 2 be happy in the end :jointsmile: keep us posted !! want2beagrower :stoned:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

so this talk of flowering made me think of something else; has anyone ever tried changing the lighting gradually? I mean, instead of going from 24/0 straight to 12/12 doing it 24/0, then 20/4, then 18/6, etc until you get to 12/12 and just stay there. Would there be any advantages to bud development? Id' jsut go search if anyone else has tried this...but i couldn't think of how to label it so that i could search for it somewhere.

[want2beagrower]

hey GeddaLiddleHI :thumbsup: never tried turning the lights down slowly but i don't see how it could hurt it . i've always used a 600watt mh for veggin at a 18-6 light cycle & a 600watt hps for flowering at a 12-12 light cycle . kind of spoiled :thumbsup: i'm using a

[want2beagrower]

Lumatek Digital Ballast , which can use both mh & hps blubs . sorry for the double post , kind of stoned & hit the wrong button :thumbsup: never tried runnin my lights for 24-0 , always felt like they needed some dark time for recovery & growth but ur grow is goin great :thumbsup: keep up the good work :thumbsup: want2beagrower :stoned:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, just a pictorial update today. i don't have anything clever to present or any new questions, so here ya go.

WW on the left, PS on the right, and a pic of the both of em to give a better idea of size and such

[godzilla63]

Hi,

If I could offer one word of advice, it would be to snip the tops of the power skunk as soon as possible. I think if you don't do that now, in around a week you're going to have a tall, unwieldy girl on your hands. At least it'll bush out a bit when you do that too.

The plants look awesome though. I'm impressed as hell.

:jointsmile:

Joe~

[GeddaLiddleHI]

i actually have clipped the top once, and didn't really want to start pruning it regularly for fear of stressing it out. But i had been thinking something needed to be done about the skunk's height, your advice just prompted me to finally do something about it.
as i've mentioned, i did LST the skunk (the first pic) in order to help with the height issue, and improve yields. So it's actually the side branches that are reaching up so high, one in particular (the second pic). What i decided to do was kind of LST that side branch also back along the length of the main stem, taking the height down and preventing it from blocking off most of the leaves of the other side branches. You can see top and side views of this in the 3rd and 4th pics. The final pic shows ho much this has reduced the height of the skunk compared to the last pic i posted of it inside the box, as you can see it's significantly further away form the lights after having that lone branch tied down.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

ok, right after that last post i decided to do something about the further sideways stretching branches too. you can see in the pics from the 23rd a second branch that looks like it's reaching up almost as high as the one i just tied down, however it's actually reaching towards the back of the box. So i got some more string and tied those branches back towards the main stem around the curve of the pot (no pun intended). you can see the outcome of this new tying in this pic:

[want2beagrower]

hey GeddaLiddleHI , plants look great :thumbsup: have they shown thier sex yet ? hopefully u will have all ladies :D if u don't alrighty know. want2beagrower:jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

well they're feminized seeds, so they BETTER both be ladies, hahaha. But yeah, the white widow is showing female preflowers, nothin on the skunk yet though.

[want2beagrower]

hey GI , using feminized seeds that's great :thumbsup: but becareful !!! i've read in a couple of threads here of grower's using feminized seeds & they turning hermie on them from heat stress & other reasons so becareful !! r u planning on cloning ur ladies ? want2beagrower:jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

yeah, i've heard of that stuff abotu feminized seeds as well. comes from teh fact that they're created from hermie parents. That lack of a Y chromosome is how they get fiminized in the first place. But yeah, that's why i've been trying to reduce stress on them as much as possible, and why i was avoiding clipping the skunk for so long. I think going with that LST bend instead is gonna work out better anyway. And, as i think i've mentioned, i use a different fert method than most other growers. Rather than mix up some normal strength nutes and alternating between that and plain water i make especially weak fert and use that every watering, similar to the nutrient content and conditions of rain and groundwater...been workin pretty well so far. Of course my plants are some kind of mutants and needed nutrients way before most other growers would say to start on nutes anyway. (see the earlier pages for THAT fun) I am planning on cloning them actually, moslty because i only have this one power skunk plant... i've got 3 more WW seeds, but i'd rather start froma clone anyway since this one's been looking so good. I actually have a clone started on the skunk from when i accidentally brok of the top of the main stem when attempting my initial LSt bend. I know it's generally practice to clone from a lower branch, but why waste a good section of cannabis, right? I'm not sure how this actually affects the clone, but it hasn't died since being treated with rooting hormone and going into the medium, soooo...

[want2beagrower]

hey gi :jointsmile: trial & error is the best , isn't it ? that's the only way 2 learn 2 grow better :thumbsup: would have never thought 2 clone the main cola though if i broke it off accidently :thumbsup: does she / he (don't know skunk's sex yet ) have roots yet & r u still using the co2 bottle ? want2beagrower :jointsmile:

[want2beagrower]

:rastasmoke:

[godzilla63]

I hink you did a goos job bringing the height down on he skunk. I imagine when she begins producing some big buds, you'll have some staking to do in order to support the weight of the colas.

That's the only bummer of growing Sativa strains inside, they like to grow high. You can only do the best you can.

Keep up the nice work,

joe~

[GeddaLiddleHI]

K, time for another pic update. Two on the left are White Widow, two on the right are Power Skunk. gonna start flowering as soon as i use up the last of the veg fert i've got mixed.

[want2beagrower]

hey gi , hope u have a carbon scrubber 4 ur ladies , cause it's going smell up a storm with the skunk , when u start flowering them . doin a great job :thumbsup: ladies look great :thumbsup: want2beagrower :jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

i do have one. if you look at the third pic from my last post, that gray box sticking out on the left side is a carbon scrubber...well air purifier with carbon filter and ionizer...but it cleanes up the smell pretty well. i'm thinking of getting another small one to put right in the box. that's oen of the benefits of Power Skunk though, higher yield and less smell than regular Skunk.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

actually, i'm planning on just using one of these things:
http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-growing/59152-how-build-your-own-inexpensive-odour-neutraliser.html

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, so while i was out getting the supplies to make the odor neutralizer mentioned in my last post...i found an easier solution that does basically the same thing, and has done a FANTASTIC job of taking care of the smell so far. the air purifier i've got in there was doing a fairly good job, but the sweet stink of cannabis was def still noticeable. but i'm digressing a little. anways, what i got was one of these (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10323584) as well as one of these (http://www.amazon.com/Febreze-04530F-Odor-Removal-Appliance/dp/B000H0Y4XM/ref=pd_sim_hpc_3) but they both came from wal-mart and the febreze thing was only $15. i've got the smaller carbon filter in the far end of my pox, filtering the air then blowing it towards the bigger air purifier. and since putting those tings in i haven't noticed any marijuana smell, just a faint hint of orange. i even left for awhile and then came back to make sure i wasn't just oblivious to the smell. but anyway, included with my update pics of the plants, i've got some pics showing how my new odor eliminating system is situated. first 2 pics are just the new stink-o-matics, next one's the skunk, followed by the white widow.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

forgot to mention, and it was too late to edit, i started flowering today too.:smokin:

[want2beagrower]

Hey gi , ladies look great ! can't wait 2 c some bud's ! :thumbsup: want2beagrower :jointsmile:

[HazzeyB]

bet your glad you tied down the skunk, both plants seem to be doing well , good luck in the flowering stage mate ! :rasta:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, time for a pictorial update. the PS is the big, spread out one shown in the box. the other two are of the widow, shown from different angles so you can see the bend i put it in as kind of minor training. i only put the bend in the widow so that the side of the plant facing the rear wall of the box could get better light, with my lights on the sides of the box the rest of it already gets plenty of light.

[jayhlc]

hi
i'm newbie
can u tell me about soil mix and u nutrition how using

[want2beagrower]

hey gi , how r the ladies doin ? showing buds yet ? r u still using ur co2 bottle ? want2beagrower :jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

sorry jay, can't tell you a whole lot about soil mix. i use expert gardener bag soil. it was reccomended by someone on these forums (rootdoctor) my first grow and it's been workin pretty well so i still use it.

yeah, the widow's showin the start of some buds, especially the main cola. had some slight overfert probs with the skunk, which i didn't notice right away because the widow was still doing just perfect, but i caught it and flushed before there was even any noticeable burn on the leaves. just overly dark green and starting to curl under. not much in the way of bud production on the skunk, but i'm hopin it starts up soon. haven't been able to get pics cuz i've been workin 3rd shift again (at a hotel front desk...yeah it's kinda weird) and i'm usually working or sleeping when my lights are on. and oddly enough i just did the co2 bottle today for the first time in awhile. right before i got on here and read your post.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, some updates, including a shot of what will be the main cola on my widow. the big, spread-out, bushy bitch is the skunk.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, didn't really like that shot of the widow's bud. so here's a better one:

[want2beagrower]

lookin good gi :thumbsup: are u rotating ur ladies ? i've learned that if u rotate them a 1/4 turn eveyday , u will give even light to all the bud sites , increasing your yield .how bad is te smell ? they r lookin great :thumbsup: keep it up & all ur hard work will be paying off soon :thumbsup: want2beagrower:jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

yeah, i've been rotating the widow about 1/4 every day, but i can't really do that so much with the skunk because of how bushy and spread out it is, so i rotate it every couple days when i can figure out how to make it fit and not overshadow the white widow. the white widow hasn't been "shooting upwards" during flowering so far, but i hope it does as i left about 2 feet of clearance overhead for it to do so and i'd hate to think i wasted all that space that could have housed a bigger plant. aaaanyway, here's some new pics. got a pretty good one of the widow's main cola as well as a couple of its more visible budsites. also got a pretty all-encompassing shot of the skunk (still a spindly, spread out sativa bitch;)) as well as a close-up of one of the areas of preflowers. enjoy...

[jguttagetbent]

google FOXFARM POTTING MEDIUM and go to the site, this shit is dank and provides serious results this one is thai and just a lil bit farther along but i have been playing with my lighting and lst alot, check it out give me some feedback brotha.

http://boards.cannabis.com/plant-problems/164124-please-help-training-young-one.html[/url]

word:jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

this one is thai and just a lil bit farther along but i have been playing with my lighting and lst alot, check it out give me some feedback brotha.

http://boards.cannabis.com/plant-problems/164124-please-help-training-young-one.html[/url]

word:jointsmile:

no offense, but i don't really understand any of that. what one is thai? and what's farther along? what do you want me to give you feedback about?

[GeddaLiddleHI]

figured it's about time i updated you guys. first up is a shot of both ladies sittin pretty in the growbox. You can see there's a light engulfed in the Power Skunk's bushy ass, but i assure you with the heat shield i put around the bulb there's no way of damaging the plant. The thing is cool to the touch (seriously...cool) and it's been in there for over a week with no probs. next is a shot of just the skunk...looks pretty much the same if you don't look close. Next is an up-close shot of one of the skunk's budsites...comin along slower than the widow, but still looks very promising. Last is a full shot of the White Widow, i'll have some close-ups of that sexy lady in the following post.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, time for the White Widow's photoshoot. first a shot of the upper part of the plant, where the budsites are the most dense, they get pretty spread out in the lower part. Next is a top-down shot of the widow's main cola, followed by a side shot. Lastly is a shot of that same cola with the flash on, so you can see just how well she's earnin her name. ...man i can't wait to smoke this bitch!

[closetgrown]

Yuummy! Your grow is awesome man, working with such little space and CFLs. I had 2 plants but they both went hermie on me due to stress. Overall it was a learning experience though :) Can't wait to see you harvest this beauty.

[want2beagrower]

awsome dude :thumbsup: lookin great ! what week r u in ( 4 or 5 ) of flowering ? still have some time yet 2 go but u r doin a great job dude :thumbsup: can't wait 2 see those skunk buds start fattening up ! have they stretched any ? sexy ladies:jointsmile: want2beagrower :jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

hells yeah, never underestimate the power of cfl's! like i say, WNH? (Who Needs HID's?) hahaha. this saturday will be the end of the 4th week of flowering. yeah, i'm excited for the skunk buds to start ripenin too! since it's so spread out, especially compared to the widow, it's lookin like it'll have the higher yield by far...so we'll see what happens if i manage to crossbreed these two succsessfully. the widow hasn't really been stretchin up as much as i thought it would...but i really couldn't have waited to start flowering any longer the way the skunk was goin anyway. the skunk's kinda stretchin but the way i keep it trained it doesn't get TOO high. i look at it like the widow's my well-behaved daughter and the skunk's the unruly one, lol. and anyone got any more thoughts on what to call a White Widow/Power Skunk crossbreed? White Skunk's pretty good, but it leaves out any mention of the power aspect (higher yield, less smell compared to normal skunk) too bad racist douchebags had to ruin White Power for me...
Albino Power SKunk maybe...? that's kind of a mouthful. oh well, i got plenty of time to think.

[GetBaked]

Hey man those babies are lookin real nice, I can't wait to get a toke of that white smoke. Great idea with the bulb cover to put the light inside of the PSkunk, could you tell a difference in the lower/interior growth of the plant after stickin it in there? Also, when you put em into flowering did you just give em normal time off and then switch right to 12-12 or did you do the 36 hours of dark before turning the lights back on? One more thing, when they were in veg how much of what combination fert were you feeding the PSkunk? I finally got mine growin again and I'm tryin to find a nute schedule that will keep her growin steady without any more interruptions. But yeah they're lookin great, keep up the good work.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

oh man, i completely forgot about the 36hours of darkness (dankness...? lol) thing, i just did it the regular way. well i was feedin em both 1/8 strength fert every watering, but that didn't seem to be workin for you. i'd say try 1/4 strength every other and see how that goes before deciding how to move on. your first grows is almost always a bitch...

[want2beagrower]

hey gi , 36hrs of darkness ? never heard of that , but interested explain ? where did u order ur beans from ? ever try buydutchseeds before ? want2beagrower :jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

the 36 hours of darkness i guess makes the plants think they're dying and push all their efforts into producing buds, it's kind like giving them a headstart before you go into flowering. since i forgot to do it before switching over, i'm gonna try doing it right before harvest, i've heard of that giving the buds one final burst of growth before harvest.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

oh yeah, completely forgot to answer the Q about the bulb cover. yeah, i def noticed increased growth on the lower inside part of the skunk once i did that. speaking of which, the skunk's buds are startin to fill out, and here's some pics to prove it. also a question, i'm pretty sure my Skunk's become rootbound, but i really don't want it any bigger than it already is and i don't want to encourage it to get any bigger by transplanting it to a larger pot (plus i'd rather not stress it by transferring during flower) is there anything special i should be doing, or just be careful and keep an eye on it?

[want2beagrower]

hey gi , sounds interesting , the 36hrs of darkness . have u tried it before ? would it cause hermies from light stress ? how much does it increase ur yield ? ur ladies r lookin yummy :thumbsup: bet u can't wait 2 smoke those buds :D want2beagrower :jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

nope haven't tried it before. and i don't see how it could cause light stress since it's only a brief period right before the switch or right before harvest. esp right before harvest there isn't really time to turn hermie. and yes, it's freakin killin me to see those juicy white widow buds and know i can't smoke em yet.
but anyway, new pics for today.
first up is the white widow. a farther away shot than i usually do, and next to a gallon milk jug to give you a better idea of the plant's scale. next is a closeup to give you a better view of the buds. and last is a closeup of that nice main cola.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

next up is the Power Skunk. it's almost definitely rootbound since it needs to be watered at least twice a day and doesn't seem to be developing buds anywhere near as fast as the white widow. but, again, i don't want it getting any bigger than it already is so i don't want to move it to a bigger pot...while the widow's still in there anyways. depending on how far along the skunk is when i harvest the widow i may just fill up the whole tray they're sitting in with soil and transfer it to that, but we'll see...
anyways, the pics. first just a reg shot of the skunk. then a side view so you can see how much denser the leaves are around the light i put right in there. and last is a closeup of some of the budsites so you can see how they're comin along.

[want2beagrower]

hey gi , ladies look lovely:thumbsup: i'm going to try the 36hrs of darkness right before havest for my next crop:thumbsup: see if it makes a difference . sounds like u r going 2 have 2 do something with the ps though , cause if she gets rootbound , it going 2 affect ur yield , so i would repot her :thumbsup: i know u don't want her 2 get any bigger , but if u do nothing at all , it will stress her & she will strech upward cause she can no longer grow outward . i don't know much about soil grows dude :( sorry ! i'm a hydro person myself :thumbsup: want2beagrower:jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

alright, so i broke down and got a bigger pot for the skunk. since it's winter time now all the gardening supplies have been more or less replaced with christams stuff, so i had to get a slightly different kind of soil, but the new stuff is lighter and should hopefully help with allowing root growth. i'll post some picks when i do my regular postings to show bud development. and hopefully the skunk will spend most of it's effort with the newfound room in the soil developing bigger, better buds and not getting bigger overall...

[GeddaLiddleHI]

uuuhhhh, title says it all...

[GeddaLiddleHI]

k, the first pic is of the new pot i've got the skunk in now. kinda hard to tell the difference without a direct comparison, but there's no room to stick the old one in there with the new soooo just trust me that it's bigger i guess. and the last image is a closeup of the bud you see in the center of pic numero dos. there isn't really any main cola on the skunk nor does any bud seem to be developing significantly more than another, so i just picked one in the middle...

[want2beagrower]

f****en awsome dude :thumbsup: soon the ps will look the same :thumbsup: want2beagrower :jointsmile:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

Question...well first a statement, then a question.
So i had one branch on the skunk that was just way too tall...again. My only choices were to raise the lights up higher than they should be in order to benefit the lower branches, and more importantly; the widow. I had been raising the lights little by little, but they got to be just too far, at least 6 inches above the top of the widow. So i decided to tie this rogue branch down...again. Unfortunately in the process i bent it too far and it, i guess folded would be the best description. Since it was already pretty f^@*ed i just clipped it off. Rather than waste what buds it had on there i hung it up to dry out. Now i know people will clip of buds during flowering for taste testing, but not usually whole branches, and i know pruning your plant during flowering is bad. So my question is whether or not this is going to stress my plant out to much and cause it to start going hermie on me.

[want2beagrower]

i would use some vit-b or superthrive to help the plant cope with her problem . just keep an eye out for hermies in the next couple of weeks . want2beagrower:jointsmile:

[dooobster]

Question...well first a statement, then a question.
So i had one branch on the skunk that was just way too tall...again. My only choices were to raise the lights up higher than they should be in order to benefit the lower branches, and more importantly; the widow. I had been raising the lights little by little, but they got to be just too far, at least 6 inches above the top of the widow. So i decided to tie this rogue branch down...again. Unfortunately in the process i bent it too far and it, i guess folded would be the best description. Since it was already pretty f^@*ed i just clipped it off. Rather than waste what buds it had on there i hung it up to dry out. Now i know people will clip of buds during flowering for taste testing, but not usually whole branches, and i know pruning your plant during flowering is bad. So my question is whether or not this is going to stress my plant out to much and cause it to start going hermie on me.

Actually, you could have left the broken branch on there & wrapped the break with a little masking tape, and it would have been fine in a couple days.
Being that you clipped it, it's all good... I don't think it'll cause any problems. Don't make a habit of it though. :cool:

Grow on Gedda! :rastasmoke::hippy:

[GeddaLiddleHI]

Actually, you could have left the broken branch on there & wrapped the break with a little masking tape, and it would have been fine in a couple days.
Being that you clipped it, it's all good... I don't think it'll cause any problems. Don't make a habit of it though. :cool:

Grow on Gedda! :rastasmoke::hippy:

o forking seriously!? i mean, i'm glad it's gonna be ok, but now i'm just pissed i clipped it off when it coulda been saved to produce much juicier buds. :(

well i'll have to remember that after i cut these beyotches down and start growing my next set of (hopefully) Albino Power Skunk (working title; White Widow x Power Skunk)

[GeddaLiddleHI]

so i decided to smoek some of that skunk that i harvested early and i must say: holy crap! Not that it was particularly strong bud, but the fact that i got preeetty baked of the stuff was just amazing. I wasn't expecting to get high at all, so i was quite surprised at just how f*@#ed up i was all of a sudden. and if that's what she does when so premature... well i can't wait for the fully formed buds. And that's just the skunk!
I've had the widow on a regimen of just plain water for a little over a week now, shootin for a harvest date of the 29th, but that depends on where she's at. Maybe even longer, as the leaves still don't look yellow at all, plus none of the trichomes are amber yet; all still pretty cloudy. i prob won't do any more pics until right before i harvest. Or just some showing why i haven't harvested yet, we'll see...

[temujin8]

looking good, especially that widow!

[GeddaLiddleHI]

so i went and got a mason jar for curing my widow when it comes down. which will hopefully be in the next day or two, as soon as it starts showing signs of N starvation. and the little packet inside made me wonder: what would drying (or even curing) some cannabis with one of those desicant packets in the container do? Make it dry faster? more evenly? or jsut fork it up completely?

[GeddaLiddleHI]

ok, so i think it's time i gave you an update on what the skunk looks like, esp since she's really startin to take off on the bud production.
first is just a pic of the whole plant. then one of the main branches on the left that's got kind of a fork bud goinh on. third is one of the oldest branches, just under the pushpins i was using to keep it bent down without tying it. last are some buds that have bunched up around that lower light.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

and now for a quickie on the widow. i didn't feel like pulling her out of hte box so i only got some minimalist pics. first the top of the main cola then a bud just under the main cola. As you can see the leaves haven't started yellowing and the trichomes are still very much white. I'm not worried about getting the trichomes to turn all that amber, cause i'm goin for a more cerebral high with the widow, but i still want the leaves to be showing some nitrogen deficiency before i cut her down. i want that taste to be smooth, no reason to half-ass it at the end.

[temujin8]

amazing!

[GeddaLiddleHI]

alright, so this makes me feel dumb but i still felt i should share this with all of you. This REALLY simplifies the whole CO2 pop bottle process, which is really what you want in such a solution, right? Cut out the whole plastic wrap part, just clog up the mouth of the bottle with an absorbant material of your choice. I used 3 cottonballs jammed together side by side (i though stacked up might allow them to fall out) which fills up the whole neck of the bottle. This makes setting the thing up a whole lot easier and you aren't going to get a little stream of vinegar instead of a drip-drip because you messed something up in the plastic wrap stage. Got it in there with my plants right now, and now i present some pics of Gedda's CO2 Bottle Mark III.

[Mr.GoodMorning02]

hey gedda, just cruising around the forums and saw your thread. Just a few thoughts. shame you didn't tape that branch back together but we all learn from our mistakes. Her buds seem a bit light still so imo, keep her going a while longer, but that's your call. besides that, very nice job. that widow is looking tasty, makes me want to give her another go around :jointsmile:

keep up the good work, I'll stumble back to check on the progress.

mgm

[GeddaLiddleHI]

oh yeah, i plan on keepin that skunk goin for quite a while longer yet. just lookin at all those buds is MAD tempting though, so i'm glad the widow's just about ready to come down. On that note, i was reading here (http://weedfarmer.com/growing_guide/harvesting_and_drying.php) (fifth paragraph down) about taking some buds from the top early and letting the lower ones mature, esp with the increased light they get from the upper foliage being gone. So i was thinkin of cuttin off the main cola (the most mature/ripe part of the widow at the moment) tomorrow after my lights come back on since it has some trichomes turning amber around the edges of the leaves now. And since i was going for the more heady, cerebral high of early - still milky white - harvested ganj it seemed appropriate. Especially in an attempt to avoid harvesting too early or too late as the article warns about. Since this is my first grow to make it to harvest (my second overall) it seemed relevant advice.

[GeddaLiddleHI]

so i havent' been keepin up with my promise to keep you all psoted on my harvest-time goings on...my bad. anyway, i still havent' harvested the widow. not really anyway. i decided to cut off the main cola nad dry it out, jsut to see what it's like. And it's...weeelll...AWESOME! wow. It's still not dried and cured to the extent it should be, but i used a technique to quick dry it in the microwave one night when me and my friends couldn't get any other bud and it is potent. I mean...wooo! Anyway, i've had it curing for a few days now in a mason jar, and i decided to toss in a little packet of clay desiccant as well, and i actually think it's helping. I smoked a little bit of it this am when i got home from work and it actually seemed stronger, i could only hit the Janitor (my favoritest bong) once before i said "ooook, i'm done." My theory is that the desiccant absorbs water, so more of the water leaves the bud sooner than were it allowed to go on naturally, so that no resin evaporites out along with the water. But that coudl jsut be my high hopes for my first harvest. Either way, i'm gonna be happy with the crop. And the taste was surpriseing as well, i was expecting it to be VERY harsh havign been quck dried in a paper bag in the microwave, but it was actually pretty tasty. Still haven't harvested the rest of the plant, i'm waiting for the other buds to develop a little more. Slowly choppin my way down the plant, takin the most mature buds and workin my way down. And if it's stressed out and goes hermie by the time i reach the bottom; good! then i'll have more seeds! Skunk's still...skunk. Buds have gotten much fatter, but nothin to write home...or on a forum, about. Probly got another month at least before i can think abotu harvesting her. Not sure what's makin my flower times run so long, but whatev, at least now i know i'm gonna have some NICE buddingtons when i'm done.

[Mr.GoodMorning02]

hey gedda...yea i had a sknkman's orignal hazexskunk and it flowered for 8 weeks...def could have gone to 10-12 maybe longer. but me and my partner got impatient and chopped it early. but man does she smell nice. im sure yours can go much longer as well so stay with it. glad to hear ya had a successful (complete) grow so far :thumbsup: maybe get some pics of dried nugs later? take it easy


mgm