B
Bud Grauer
- 3
- 1
After three grows now, I have learned several unforgettable lessons the hard way. (Oh how I have so earnestly yearned for some neighbourly old Yoda-like hippie who could have taught me ...and saved me $$$ ....)
"Mistake" means "things the grower did to cause low thc buds" .
In other words, growing errors that result in medium-stoney herb are not discussed here. For example, failing to use CO2 enhancement correctly might significantly diminish crop yeild, but an otherwise talented grower could still grow plenty of perfectly stoney cannabis. However, positioning the HID lights too close to the blooming buds vaporizes away the resin faster than the plant can produce it thereby yeilding insipid buds Note also that some mistakes, for example "getting busted", result in zero buds and zero thc.
Here are the lessons I have learnt the hard way:
1. letting the HPS bulb get too close to the flowering top (see above)
2. failing to anticipate that although the grow room was the perfect temperature when the plants sprouted and vegged, by the time the plants were in late flower, it got so hot in there (a unused boathouse), that photosynthesis halted for two full months - the plants just kind of entered a state of suspended animation;
3. failing to understand that with modern internet purchased hybrids, subjecting the plants to stress (transplant shock and heat stress) can cause many of the plants to become makes; for me, this was especially a problem when I used European-produced hybrid seeds: one time 100% of the plants (all ten; $80 wasted) turned out to be males!!! (albeit there were a couple of surprisingly stony hermaphrodites in there); this prob never happened using Columbian bag seeds; now, I plant the seeds in five gallon pots and never transplant - failure to germinante is not really a problem because I have plenty of room for seedlings so even a 50% failure to germinate still produces more than enough plants for 1200w of hps HID lighting in the gro room;
4. SOIL: do not fail to get your mind around this principal (passed on to me by an Old Hippie that I met at the Hydro Shop): "All the good weed you have ever smoked has been grown in excellent soil - you cannot grow good pot in poor soil." Excellent soil is actually REALLY EASY once you figure it out. BUY THE GOOD STUFF AND USE ALOT OF It;two points: (a) soil is far more forgiving of mistakes than a hydro set-up, and (b) expecting a small container with just one gallon of soil to last thru a 17 week grow is a challenging task for a new grower; why not make it easy on yourself and just use a nice big volume of good dirt? Big containers are MUCH easier to water and nutrify and do not get exhausted (there are lots of ways to inhibit plant height if necessary)
5. Never ever use any ruderalis hybrid - if you want insipid buds, then grow ruderalis.
6. Use chains to hang HID lights; heat stress and age can cause nylon cord to weaken and break: this actually happened to me - it was pure luck that I happened to be in the grow room when it happened other wise I could have had a fire; chains don't break and it is wonderfully simple to adjust height with hooks and chains.
7. Do not try grow outdoors - waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many things tend to go wrong: heat, cold, dought, bunnies, spider mites, roving bands of pot-theiving teenagers, utility company employees who consider themselves to be amateur narcs, bad karma, ... the list is endless.
Here is another (good) lesson I learned: you do not need to grow very many plants to end up with much more weed than you can possibly ever smoke. Now, shee-it, three good sativas yields more herb than I can inhale or give away.
One last observation (from the Old Hippie at the Hydro Shop) "Consider all the people you know who have ever been busted and then got in truly serious trouble: almost always they were selling pot; the best way to avoid getting busted is to never sell your weed - if you are not selling it, than you either have to be unlucky or stupid (or just plain bad karma I might add) to get caught".
Ever notice that you never hear about anybody getting busted for GIVING AWAY cannabis or TRADING grams of frosty buds for goods and services?? (I'm lovin' my free locksmith services - all the free key copies I can possibly use - and I got a hook up for free baked goods, free oil changes, free dog-walking too! Probably could have more sex too but ... no need to go there right now).
"Mistake" means "things the grower did to cause low thc buds" .
In other words, growing errors that result in medium-stoney herb are not discussed here. For example, failing to use CO2 enhancement correctly might significantly diminish crop yeild, but an otherwise talented grower could still grow plenty of perfectly stoney cannabis. However, positioning the HID lights too close to the blooming buds vaporizes away the resin faster than the plant can produce it thereby yeilding insipid buds Note also that some mistakes, for example "getting busted", result in zero buds and zero thc.
Here are the lessons I have learnt the hard way:
1. letting the HPS bulb get too close to the flowering top (see above)
2. failing to anticipate that although the grow room was the perfect temperature when the plants sprouted and vegged, by the time the plants were in late flower, it got so hot in there (a unused boathouse), that photosynthesis halted for two full months - the plants just kind of entered a state of suspended animation;
3. failing to understand that with modern internet purchased hybrids, subjecting the plants to stress (transplant shock and heat stress) can cause many of the plants to become makes; for me, this was especially a problem when I used European-produced hybrid seeds: one time 100% of the plants (all ten; $80 wasted) turned out to be males!!! (albeit there were a couple of surprisingly stony hermaphrodites in there); this prob never happened using Columbian bag seeds; now, I plant the seeds in five gallon pots and never transplant - failure to germinante is not really a problem because I have plenty of room for seedlings so even a 50% failure to germinate still produces more than enough plants for 1200w of hps HID lighting in the gro room;
4. SOIL: do not fail to get your mind around this principal (passed on to me by an Old Hippie that I met at the Hydro Shop): "All the good weed you have ever smoked has been grown in excellent soil - you cannot grow good pot in poor soil." Excellent soil is actually REALLY EASY once you figure it out. BUY THE GOOD STUFF AND USE ALOT OF It;two points: (a) soil is far more forgiving of mistakes than a hydro set-up, and (b) expecting a small container with just one gallon of soil to last thru a 17 week grow is a challenging task for a new grower; why not make it easy on yourself and just use a nice big volume of good dirt? Big containers are MUCH easier to water and nutrify and do not get exhausted (there are lots of ways to inhibit plant height if necessary)
5. Never ever use any ruderalis hybrid - if you want insipid buds, then grow ruderalis.
6. Use chains to hang HID lights; heat stress and age can cause nylon cord to weaken and break: this actually happened to me - it was pure luck that I happened to be in the grow room when it happened other wise I could have had a fire; chains don't break and it is wonderfully simple to adjust height with hooks and chains.
7. Do not try grow outdoors - waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many things tend to go wrong: heat, cold, dought, bunnies, spider mites, roving bands of pot-theiving teenagers, utility company employees who consider themselves to be amateur narcs, bad karma, ... the list is endless.
Here is another (good) lesson I learned: you do not need to grow very many plants to end up with much more weed than you can possibly ever smoke. Now, shee-it, three good sativas yields more herb than I can inhale or give away.
One last observation (from the Old Hippie at the Hydro Shop) "Consider all the people you know who have ever been busted and then got in truly serious trouble: almost always they were selling pot; the best way to avoid getting busted is to never sell your weed - if you are not selling it, than you either have to be unlucky or stupid (or just plain bad karma I might add) to get caught".
Ever notice that you never hear about anybody getting busted for GIVING AWAY cannabis or TRADING grams of frosty buds for goods and services?? (I'm lovin' my free locksmith services - all the free key copies I can possibly use - and I got a hook up for free baked goods, free oil changes, free dog-walking too! Probably could have more sex too but ... no need to go there right now).
