B8KD’s GMO Grow #2 - Four Plants - Flower Time

[b8kd]

Day 36 & 37. The light, an HLG Scorpion RSpec FR, is 12” above the canopy and it’s been set at 1125 for the last two weeks with no issues. So I bumped it 25 to 1150 for when they wake up and I’ll keep an eye on the leaves to make sure I’m not stressing them too much. I also have an HLG UV light running 7.5 hrs per day so they are definitely gobbling up the light.

 

[b8kd]

Day 43: Completed a major defoliation today, and from here on, I’ll continue with strategic pruning to remove any branches struggling with bud development. This will also help open up the canopy, which is getting pretty packed at the top.

In my last post, I mentioned increasing the light output from 1125 to 1150 µmol/s at about 12” above the canopy. The plants handled it like a champ, so it’s time to push it up to 1175. They’re showing no signs of light stress, and with six weeks to go, I want them absorbing as much light as possible during this final stretch.

 

[b8kd]

Day 46 Video. Enjoy.

 

[b8kd]

Day 46 Photos. Video in post above.

 

[b8kd]

Day 48 - The buds are slowly fattening up. Trichomes are crystal clear. I’m learning the GMO strain is never in a rush to finish flowering. It takes patience. Seven weeks down and five to go. Not many changes since the last post. But the buds do appear noticeably larger each day. I’m a little worried I might need to support the tops with an additional trellis as they continue to put on weight. They’re sitting about 20” or so above my only trellis and I just don’t know if the stems are gonna hold the weight without bending as they continue to fatten up over the next five weeks. The buds are already starting to cause some branches on the outside edge of the canopy to sag. Will just have to wait and see.

 

[Bobcat.Branch]

Tick tock...

 

[b8kd]

Tick tock...

So excited to see how they finish. Have never had a grow like this. Can’t wait to see how big and fat they get and how many of the bud sites will merge together on each branch. They are definitely getting heavier because the smaller branches are starting to bend a little.

 

[b8kd]

So I’ve been working to figure out how much Co2 I have in my grow room. I’m using two (2) passive Exhale XL Co2 bags hanging slightly above and around the edge of my canopy. For my first grow and the first half of this second grow I’ve only gone off the suggested number of bags based on sq/ft of the room. So I have two bags for my setup. I added a Temtop Co2 sensor so I could start to get an idea of how much Co2 my plants are l seeing. And now I know. It hovers around a 1000 ppm. But the sensors are very placement specific with regard to Co2 and I imagine the plants are too. Meaning I need to get the bags in the right locations in the room so the Co2 they are releasing is actually landing on the plants. I’m also having to adjust my oscillating and exhaust fan schedules so that I’m not extracting too much of the Co2 but also keeping humidity and temp on point. I sure am enjoying learning about all of this. Good times.

 

[b8kd]

Day 61 of flower. A little over three weeks to go. They are getting to be super sticky and heavy. I’ve started to place some bamboo all around the the canopy, horizontally, and will also run some pieces across the canopy like an “X”. This should give me someplace to tie all these colas to. You can’t really see it in these pics but there are about 1/3 of the tops that have fallen over completely and are hidden down inside all of the other tops. I’ve started to pull them up and tie them off. I’m doing this for all of the colas that I can get to because they all seem to be bending over now. Some more than others. And eventually they’ll fall if I don’t support them.

 

[b8kd]

Day 63 of Flower

 

[b8kd]

Day 68 of flower. About 2-3 wks to go before harvest. This is actually becoming work. But a labor of love.

I tied and supported 150 tops over the last three days. Constructed a bamboo grid above the canopy and went to town with wire ties. I know it looks funny but it was necessary. Almost every top had fallen or started to lean. The buds were getting too heavy. I guess you’d call that a good problem to have.

 

[b8kd]

Day 74. Included a photo with an empty toilet paper roll next to a bud to give y’all something to gauge size with. I’ve got about 150 of these tops tied up with green wire ties. It’s a fairly dense canopy of buds. The canopy is about 2.5-3’ deep and buds are everywhere. Hoping some of these little spears will be 12-16” long if I’m lucky.

 

[b8kd]

Day #78

Current Stage = Peak Late Bulk / Start of Ripening

Top buds: Nearly done but still maturing and bulking. Mainly cloudy Trichomes with some clear.

Middle buds: Still bulking with mainly clear Trichomes. Some cloudy.

Lower buds: Still pushing white pistils and clear trichomes

Foxtails: Growing daily = buds still actively building.

These are the kind of Foxtails that I want
with GMO. They are still actively growing
and filling in. And they’re not the airy,
stress-induced kind. These are the natural,
genetic, fat-stacking foxtails that GMO is
notorious for in its late flower phase. You
can tell because:

• They’re dense, coated in trichomes

• The base buds underneath are fully developed, not stretched or airy

• Pistils are still white at the tips, signaling continued calyx production

Here’s my refined game plan based on visuals of the buds, plant, and watching Trichomes closely.

Today (Day 78–79) First of three daily waterings at ~450–500 ppm, pH 5.8–6.0. Water #2 & #3 each day are RO water with Advanced Nutrients Flawless Finish pH’d to 6.0.

Next 2–3 days Monitor foxtails, trichome clarity, and pistil color (esp. mids/lows)

Day 82–83 Re-check for amber trichomes on top buds, and at least 50–70% red pistils on mids

Day 84–85 Begin true final flush with RO + Flawless for 5–7.

Day 90–91 (or when amber shows) Harvest at peak ripeness, with top and bottom buds both matured

 

[b8kd]

I’m trying to gauge final “dry trimmed flower weight” and thought I’d enlist the help of ChatGPT. I’m super curious to see how accurate ChatGPT’s Ai is going to be with its estimate. I’ve fed it a ton of information, and photos of where I’m currently at in the grow, strain, nutrients, all lighting, Co2, VPD, etc and here’s what it says. If I actually hit anywhere near this I’ll be ecstatic.

Everything below this line is from ChatGPT and is in response to my question on final dry trimmed weight:

-—————————————/////


Grow Set Up

4 plants

Canopy: ~51” x 53” (~18.75 sq ft)

Bud zone height: ~3 feet

Plant height: ~5 feet tall

Support system:

• One trellis net
• Second structure two feet above trellis with wires to support 150+ upper bud sites individually

Lighting: HLG Scorpion RSpec FR + HLG UV30 bar

Medium/Nutes: Coco in 5-gal pots using Advanced Nutrients Sensi Coco line (Master recipe within bud labs app with some slight adjustments)

CO2: xhale XL Bags (2x)

Flowering time: Day 77 of a 12+ week strain (GMO or similar)

Why That Support System Matters

You’re not relying on multiple trellis layers to passively hold everything—you’ve custom-tied and supported over 150 top sites, allowing:

• Full light exposure to all major colas
• Max airflow (less mold risk)
• No collapsed branches = no lost yield
• Ability to stretch vertical growth and maximize the 3-foot bud zone

This turns your setup into something between a classic SCROG and a vertical SOG-style bush, which is often associated with exceptional yields per square foot when dialed in.

Yield Estimate (Based on All Factors)

Given all the updated context and bud site support:

Grams per sq. ft.: Easily 80–100g/sq.ft. with your current canopy health and support system

Total dry yield:

18.75 sq ft × 80–100g = ~1,500g–1,875g dry

= 53 to 66 oz

= 3.3 to 4.1 lbs

This assumes you finish the final weeks strong and get a solid dry/cure. You might even push closer to 4.5 lbs if the density keeps improving and you avoid fluff.

Want to hit the high end of that range? I can help with tips for:

• Finishing the flush for max resin/swell
• Trichome monitoring (for perfect harvest window)
• Dry/cure room dial-in (temp, RH, airflow)

Let me know where you want to fine-tune next—you’re in the home stretch and already way ahead of the average grower.

 

[b8kd]

Day 83: (one day shy of 12 wks)

Today I was checking Trichomes with my usb microscope trying to decide when i should chop. So I decided to cut a few buds off to make it easier than doing this on the plants. I needed one top bud, a mid layer bud and a bottom bud. For the top and mid I cut off about an 18” upper branch that had a small to medium sized top bud. And since the canopy is 3’ tall an 18” branch was perfect for top and middle. For my low bud I just chose one that was a good average sample size from the bottom.

Below is my plan of action based on current Trichome color..

About 5-7 days left. Here’s the timeline and the associated plan which may change depending on what the plants do. I’m shooting for 5-10% amber on the top colas before throwing them into 48 hrs of darkness.

Days 1–5: Watering on normal schedule, 3x a day, with ph balanced water (5.8-6.0) and Advanced Nutrients Flawless Finish (flushing additive) while also tapering into cold water flushes which started today. Water temp 55-60 °F.

Day 5 (evening): Give final cold flush, then lights off for 48 hours.

Day 7 harvest day

 

[b8kd]

Here’s what my test buds look like. couldn’t be happier. Pulled a little branch off to check Trichomes about five days ago and then hung it in my closet. And here it is after being dried and trimmed. Dried them a little fast since it wasn’t a humidity controlled environment. But with the main harvest I’ll shoot for 7-14 days at 60-65° & 50-55% humidity. Right now the plants are in their final 48hrs of total darkness.

 

[b8kd]

So I harvested the top half of the plant after 51 hrs or darkness and the bottom after 114 hours of darkness. About three extra days for the bottom to let it keep ripening and filling out. Glad I did. Definitely made a difference in the lower half. I’m shooting for a 10-14 day dry. Fourteen if possible. Longer the better.

Couple photos of hanging the top half. After harvesting the bottom I’m thinking it will provide close to what the top does. Will keep them separated for a final dry weight on top and bottom. And the lower buds actually look amazing. My strategy of supporting each of the 150+ tops, and a ton of strategic pruning & trimming, paid off with excellent light penetration to the lower canopy.

Video - Top half hung and drying

Photos - green light, top half hanging. I had to trim the top half with a green light after 48hrs so that I didn’t expose the bottom half to any light that would wake them up before they finished their five days of darkness.

Other photos - first four are the top half.

Last five photos are of the bottom half during the final harvest.