Old Dog learning new tricks

LoveGrowingIt · Aug 4, 2024

IamAlan said:
Cali and Washington state as well as municipalities have raised taxes to the point folks is going back underground for their needs. Of course, the gummint is airing cautions because they’re only ones providing “safe” product.

I live in Washington State and the prices are reasonable here. We just went to a store yesterday and my wife bought lots of weed. The prices seemed good to me. Then again, the store had a 30% off sale for everything in the store.

OldGorillaFarmer said:
Something helped. Getting the VPD straightened out didn't hurt either.

Using VPD as a guide is helpful. It's the first thing I look at on my controllers. I keep mine below 1.3 during flowering. Keep in mind that the optimal VPD varies by life stage of the plant. Seedlings should be 0.8 to 1.0. As the plants age, they can sustain higher VPD levels.

OldGorillaFarmer said:
I don't intend to add more lighting at this time.

Good. You don't really need more than what you have. I run ViparSpectra XS2000s (240W) and seldom have them above 50%. I'm flowering at 120W in a 2x4 tent right now. I tend to believe light power is over-sold. Many folks use 30W/sq ft as a rule of thumb. 24W/sq ft is probably more than adequate. At the end of the day, what matters most is what's best for the plants. So, the key to growing is to figure out what the plants want and need and then give it to them. If growing for personal use, it isn't a competition. Grow for the joy of growing and the pure pleasure of smoking your own home-grown weed.

OldGorillaFarmer said:
Anyone have a guess how close to harvest I am?

Post a good picture or two of the colas and I'll give it a good guess.

About autos vs. photos: I agree with @Oldchucky. Autos are best for growers with some experience. They grow so fast it's hard to make corrections. Photos are more forgiving. The seed sellers tend to say the opposite and I don't know why.

Also... At 72, I thought I was the oldest here. I grew my first plants in the 60s. I can't remember the year. I did some guerilla grows, too, but got ripped one year and couldn't get motivated after that. It is a lot of work and going out to tend the crops only to find they'd all been torn up by the roots still makes me sad. They hadn't even flowered yet.

Oldchucky · Aug 4, 2024

If you have a chance, take a look at his leaves, and maybe offer up a guess as to what his problem is! Shouldn’t have to back up more than a page or two! Any help is welcome! Take it easy, brother! My neighbor to the north! L O L!

LoveGrowingIt · Aug 4, 2024

Galgrows said:
I think you did right by turning down the light. All things considered it's not rot nor mold like someone mentioned. It's just the tight area and fresh air not getting to the pots. Your real close to harvest, don't worry just allow air flow to get to those fabric pots. I personally would not feed anymore if those were mine.

I agree. Mold and root rot are unlikely, especially at a VPD of 1.3.

I also would stop feeding the plant. Just keep them watered and let them finish. They will finish.

Galgrows said:
Next grow you do in the tent try to not allow plants to go longer than 6wk veg flip them earlier that's what i do if i grow 3 photos in 3gal fabric pots. I know by the way mine have grown and those plants look like grows i've had. My buds turned out fine and yours will too.

When to know when to flip? Well... There's a lot of flexibility. I generally do mine by the height of the plant--1/3 the distance from the soil to the light, or thereabouts. I read the plant as much as I can and make my best guess about how much it will stretch. They're all individuals if grown from seed.

Oldchucky · Aug 4, 2024

He is getting close to the finish line and things are going a little south! He is starting to pucker! L O L! Think you’re gonna be able to handle it Magilla?

LoveGrowingIt · Aug 4, 2024

Oldchucky said:
If you have a chance, take a look at his leaves, and maybe offer up a guess as to what his problem is! Shouldn’t have to back up more than a page or two! Any help is welcome! Take it easy, brother! My neighbor to the north! L O L!

Well... It looks like a darn good first grow to me. I read through the thread, but didn't retain it all. At this point, I'd just nurse them till harvest and prepare for the next one. (I'm always thinking about my next grow.) @OldGorillaFarmer might have received more advice than was helpful. When I started growing in a tent, I eventually started following one grower who had a style I liked. That led to successful grows and an increase in my confidence. Now, I have my own style, but there are still echoes of what that very helpful friend taught me.

Some of the flowers look like they're very close to harvest time. There are still a lot of white pistils on some of the other flowers, though. I start thinking about harvest when they are only a few--10% to 20%, maybe. Did anyone mention using a loupe to check the trichomes on the buds? Look for mostly cloudy with a few that are amber in color. After a few grows, it gets easier to know when to harvest, keeping in mind that each strain will have its own uniqueness. There's actually a rather wide window for harvesting.

I did see signs of some deficiencies. Some of the spots look like phosphorous or calcium, or possibly over watering. I don't recall seeing a mention of how burnt tips can be caused by excessively high VPD. Chlorotic (yellow) leaflet tips are an excellent early indicator of problems.

OldGorillaFarmer · Aug 4, 2024

LoveGrowingIt said:
I live in Washington State and the prices are reasonable here. We just went to a store yesterday and my wife bought lots of weed. The prices seemed good to me. Then again, the store had a 30% off sale for everything in the store.

Using VPD as a guide is helpful. It's the first thing I look at on my controllers. I keep mine below 1.3 during flowering. Keep in mind that the optimal VPD varies by life stage of the plant. Seedlings should be 0.8 to 1.0. As the plants age, they can sustain higher VPD levels.

Good. You don't really need more than what you have. I run ViparSpectra XS2000s (240W) and seldom have them above 50%. I'm flowering at 120W in a 2x4 tent right now. I tend to believe light power is over-sold. Many folks use 30W/sq ft as a rule of thumb. 24W/sq ft is probably more than adequate. At the end of the day, what matters most is what's best for the plants. So, the key to growing is to figure out what the plants want and need and then give it to them. If growing for personal use, it isn't a competition. Grow for the joy of growing and the pure pleasure of smoking your own home-grown weed.

Post a good picture or two of the colas and I'll give it a good guess.

About autos vs. photos: I agree with @Oldchucky. Autos are best for growers with some experience. They grow so fast it's hard to make corrections. Photos are more forgiving. The seed sellers tend to say the opposite and I don't know why.

Also... At 72, I thought I was the oldest here. I grew my first plants in the 60s. I can't remember the year. I did some guerilla grows, too, but got ripped one year and couldn't get motivated after that. It is a lot of work and going out to tend the crops only to find they'd all been torn up by the roots still makes me sad. They hadn't even flowered yet.

First thank you for your reply.

Someone said that growing cannabis is not rocket science, no it wasn't in the past but now it's rocket science and complicated.

I am embarrassed to say that even after many hours reading and deciding on what I needed to do this project VPD went right over my head at 30,000 feet. For some reason I got it in my head that VPD was related to photos and not autos. I will admit my stupidity but I will also add that the Internet is full of rabbit holes that suck you into a world of confusion. At one point I thought the PPM and EC were an important part of growing in soil. Only to learn uhm, nope. forget about it.

I farmed my own 42 acres of posted land so nobody came on my property, they knew better.. Yes I had a reputation, lol. Having them ripped out is heart breaking, the work and time lost. I understand your feelings of loss. My enemies were horse shoe rabbits and deer. Along with ducking helicopters.

Attached are yesterdays photos. Let me know if you need better shots and I will do my best.

OldGorillaFarmer · Aug 4, 2024

LoveGrowingIt said:
Well... It looks like a darn good first grow to me. I read through the thread, but didn't retain it all. At this point, I'd just nurse them till harvest and prepare for the next one. (I'm always thinking about my next grow.) @OldGorillaFarmer might have received more advice than was helpful. When I started growing in a tent, I eventually started following one grower who had a style I liked. That led to successful grows and an increase in my confidence. Now, I have my own style, but there are still echoes of what that very helpful friend taught me.

Some of the flowers look like they're very close to harvest time. There are still a lot of white pistils on some of the other flowers, though. I start thinking about harvest when they are only a few--10% to 20%, maybe. Did anyone mention using a loupe to check the trichomes on the buds? Look for mostly cloudy with a few that are amber in color. After a few grows, it gets easier to know when to harvest, keeping in mind that each strain will have its own uniqueness. There's actually a rather wide window for harvesting.

I did see signs of some deficiencies. Some of the spots look like phosphorous or calcium, or possibly over watering. I don't recall seeing a mention of how burnt tips can be caused by excessively high VPD. Chlorotic (yellow) leaflet tips are an excellent early indicator of problems.

For some reason beyond me the plants seem to be at two different ages. Plant 1 was the second one to pop but plant 2 lagged behind in the veg state. I think is was a pH issue as my pH pen was giving me bad readings, by a lot. Perhaps that altered the growth of plant 2 I'm at a loss as usual. I ordered a loupe a week or so ago it's joined the land of the lost in the post office so I have to order another.

OldGorillaFarmer · Aug 4, 2024

Oldchucky said:
He is getting close to the finish line and things are going a little south! He is starting to pucker! L O L! Think you’re gonna be able to handle it Magilla?

What do you mean I'm starting to "pucker?"lol

OldGorillaFarmer · Aug 4, 2024

LoveGrowingIt said:
Well... It looks like a darn good first grow to me.

You made my day, thanks

LoveGrowingIt · Aug 5, 2024

OldGorillaFarmer said:
First thank you for your reply.

You're welcome.

OldGorillaFarmer said:
Someone said that growing cannabis is not rocket science, no it wasn't in the past but now it's rocket science and complicated.

It can be complicated, especially for those who grow for high yield. I mostly grow for the joy of growing and knowing what's in the weed. I only grow for personal use, so I don't worry about yield very much. So, it doesn't need to be extremely complicated. That said, growing in a tent means the grower has total control and responsibility for what happens in the tent (the growth factors, such as light, heat, moisture, nutrients, etc.) Mother Nature doesn't get involved like she does for outside growing, but I doubt the plants know that.

OldGorillaFarmer said:
For some reason I got it in my head that VPD was related to photos and not autos.

VPD probably relates to most plants. It basically indicates how rapidly water and nutrients move from the soil to the leaves. It's the difference between the moisture in the leaves and the moisture in the air. It essentially measures diffusion: The process of a fluid moving from an area of high concentration (the leaves) to an area of low concentration (the air). The larger the difference, i.e., the higher the VPD, the more rapid the movement.

OldGorillaFarmer said:
Attached are yesterday's photos. Let me know if you need better shots and I will do my best.

They're fine. I'll have a closer look tomorrow morning.

OldGorillaFarmer said:
For some reason beyond me the plants seem to be at two different ages.

That can happen for various reasons. They're all individuals, i.e., phenotypes, just like how children from the same parents can be very different. The environment can affect them, too. The placement in the tent, for example, can affect the plants differently due to variations in air flow, light intensity, etc. It's nothing to worry about. Just harvest each one when it's ready.

OldGorillaFarmer · Aug 5, 2024

LoveGrowingIt said:
You're welcome.

It can be complicated, especially for those who grow for high yield. I mostly grow for the joy of growing and knowing what's in the weed. I only grow for personal use, so I don't worry about yield very much. So, it doesn't need to be extremely complicated. That said, growing in a tent means the grower has total control and responsibility for what happens in the tent (the growth factors, such as light, heat, moisture, nutrients, etc.) Mother Nature doesn't get involved like she does for outside growing, but I doubt the plants know that.

VPD probably relates to most plants. It basically indicates how rapidly water and nutrients move from the soil to the leaves. It's the difference between the moisture in the leaves and the moisture in the air. It essentially measures diffusion: The process of a fluid moving from an area of high concentration (the leaves) to an area of low concentration (the air). The larger the difference, i.e., the higher the VPD, the more rapid the movement.

They're fine. I'll have a closer look tomorrow morning.

That can happen for various reasons. They're all individuals, i.e., phenotypes, just like how children from the same parents can be very different. The environment can affect them, too. The placement in the tent, for example, can affect the plants differently due to variations in air flow, light intensity, etc. It's nothing to worry about. Just harvest each one when it's ready.

Wow that's quite the reply. Very informative and answers many questions I didn't know I had. I printed it for future reference to include in my grow log.

Your explanation of VPD is one of the clearest I have ever read. I do believe that this was my biggest down falls of the grow and has done the most damage. I have difficulty controlling it with the high temperature and fighting it with RH to keep it down. It can get out of control really quick and has been all over the scale. I've taken measures to more closely monitor it for the balance of this grow at 1.0/1.3. My next grow will be in the September. Never again in the summer.

My replacement loupe will arrive Wednesday and I am anxious to get up close and personal with my plants. I hope I can reduce some of the guess work to determine the best harvest time. I'm having a tough time figuring out where the lagging plant is in the cycle. I have noticed the difference in how it has developed. The buds look to be similar to week 7 on the other plant but much fatter. Could it possibly be 2 weeks behind? That seems like a long time.

Thanks again for your effort and time. Please know it is greatly appreciated.

LoveGrowingIt · Aug 5, 2024

OldGorillaFarmer said:
Attached are yesterday's photos. Let me know if you need better shots and I will do my best.

Using the pistils as a guide, one plant does look like it's ripening sooner. That's nothing to worry about. They both look good.

OldGorillaFarmer said:
Never again in the summer.

Some folks run their lights at night during the summer. The plants don't know the difference.

Metalman1 · Aug 5, 2024

LoveGrowingIt said:
Using the pistils as a guide, one plant does look like it's ripening sooner. That's nothing to worry about. They both look good.

Some folks run their lights at night during the summer. The plants don't know the difference.

The only problem with that is heat. When the lights are off, it should be cooler. When there flip flopped, in my opinion, then you have double problems. Lights off you'll have unwanted heat. Lights on you won't have heat except the LED.
My opinion, fight the heat in the daytime, let the plants be cooler when there sleeping.

Metalman1 · Aug 5, 2024

Oldchucky said:
OK! But in my opinion, you have it backwards! You should hone your craft on Photos, and then mess around with autos! Autos are far less forgiving! But go for it! At least you’re growing! And being the cynical bastard that I am, I think the , Autos are easier for beginners. Crap, is the marketing coup of the decade! I don’t think anything could be farther from the truth! There! I feel better!

Exactly

OldGorillaFarmer · Aug 5, 2024

LoveGrowingIt said:
Using the pistils as a guide, one plant does look like it's ripening sooner. That's nothing to worry about. They both look good.

Some folks run their lights at night during the summer. The plants don't know the difference.

Should I really stop feeding both of them as was earlier suggested?

The light is off from noon to 6 pm, hottest part of the day and most expensive for electric.

Thanks for taking a closer look.

OldGorillaFarmer · Aug 6, 2024

It would seem that my first grow is drawing to a close as is this thread. I'm really happy that I'm actually going to get something out of this grow besides an education, however the education was all I was expecting. So to me my first grow turned into a great success and I walk away encouraged to continue.

I'm already looking forward to and planning my next grow in mid September. Gorilla Glue auto is on the menu, I like the name. Weather will not be a issue and with at least the basics of how this works in my head it will make this next grow more relaxing and fun to say nothing of less desperate.

To everyone who participated in my thread please accept my heart filled thanks for your help and advice. I'm not sure what would have happened without it. I completely enjoyed the conversations and laughs we had along the way, Thank you.

I will be hanging out in the forum to continue learning as much as I can. Be well and may everything you grow be a huge success.

Oldchucky · Aug 6, 2024

Where the hell Do you think you’re going? It’s not in the jar yet! Good job!

OldGorillaFarmer · Aug 6, 2024

Oldchucky said:
Where the hell Do you think you’re going? It’s not in the jar yet! Good job!

I'm going to go someplace and sit down and "pucker" Whatever that means.

Oldchucky · Aug 6, 2024

Well, at least give us a smoke report when you get a chance! Happy trails!

Sunin · Aug 6, 2024

OldGorillaFarmer said:
I'm going to go someplace and sit down and "pucker"

It's really not bad. Good job, lessons learned, you almost at the end.
Don't pucker between your eyebrows Now you need to cut soon and dry them properly. From project to project.
I'm interested what will be under loupe, some of them look like they might want a day or two more
greetings

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