Bandit on a Safari and I'm Hunting Unicorns

[Stoneyluv]

I was concerned.
You seemed late to the party Saturday.
Consider this like presidential pardon~!

i was kinda offline saturday at my buddies garage and man i'm still trying to catch up on my new posts list!!

been a minutes since i smoked a bong.. i was smoking a bunch of flower on saturday so hopefully my tastebuds are still tainted!!

 

[Bandit420]

I must confess the “smoke outside” rule has been ignored the last few bong and pipe hits.

I am NOT going outside in this shit!! My DNA is not made for this crap. 24*F is a bunch of bullshit!

now ya know what my fish feel like!!! hahahaha

View attachment 87346



SWEET!!!! i'll clean some up and have snow bongs!!



aaaahhhtt!!! can't say you don't smoke in the house anymore!!! J/K!!

Rumor has it we might have an inch of accumulation overnight and I'm pissed off about it for sure.
After tonight's sesh maybe I stick the glycerin chamber out there to freeze over but any snow we get might be dirty and unusable IDK. We'll see.




Got a little curious to see what's what.....
All were dropped point side down. Just sayin'




How 'bout this purty stuff?
Slab life!!!!

 

[Stoneyluv]

I am NOT going outside in this shit!! My DNA is not made for this crap. 24*F is a bunch of bullshit!

hahahaha thats t shirt weather!!! maybe a loose flannel over top. 8pm here and we're flirting with single digits. i got a couple small chores i need to do and then i'm in the house for the night!!!

Rumor has it we might have an inch of accumulation overnight and I'm pissed off about it for sure.
After tonight's sesh maybe I stick the glycerin chamber out there to freeze over but any snow we get might be dirty and unusable IDK. We'll see.

DAMN!!!!!! you guys might even have a 48hours winter this year!!! hehe

How 'bout this purty stuff?
Slab life!!!!

 

[Observer]

Got a little curious to see what's what.....
All were dropped point side down. Just sayin'

View attachment 87355


How 'bout this purty stuff?
Slab life!!!!

View attachment 87353

View attachment 87354

Pointy side down, butt side up.
I noticed this some time back that the tap root usually goes down/breaks out from the point.

Looks like there's room to double up too, at the end of the first rows tap roots

That's some slick extract, bandit.

 

[steamroller]

What are you doing with that?
Not as bad as vapes but still a crusher.

 

[Observer]

View attachment 87369
What are you doing with that?
Not as bad as vapes but still a crusher.

Straight to the dab rig

 

[Zen_seeker]

SWEET!!!! i'll clean some up and have snow bongs!!

Haven’t done that in a long time. Rarely remember ice is an option. Only tried different liquids two or three times.

aaaahhhtt!!! can't say you don't smoke in the house anymore!!! J/K!!

No, you’re right. It’s usually in the small mud room. With our heads and bong out the door but this time it was further in but door open.

Suiting up for a few puffs just didn’t seem worth it…but we had to try out the new gear with just hash this time.

 

[Stoneyluv]

Haven’t done that in a long time. Rarely remember ice is an option. Only tried different liquids two or three times.


No, you’re right. It’s usually in the small mud room. With our heads and bong out the door but this time it was further in but door open.

Suiting up for a few puffs just didn’t seem worth it…but we had to try out the new gear with just hash this time.

just messin with ya.. i'm kinda the same here man, i'll at least try to crack a window.. my lucks thats the window the cold air is blowing ibnto though!! sometimes i run the ozone gen for ten minutes and ya can't even tell. shhh... haha

bong rips don't stink nearly as much i let those rip with just a candle burning!! got this one right now.. smells awesome!!!



i've never tried it but i was once told ripping a bong with hot water is more smoothing on the throat than cold... like i said, never tried it.

 

[Stoneyluv]

i hope blowie bongs still count!!!



best rip of this year so far!!!!!!!


and ya know since Steamroller extended out this toyotathon event i decided to get the big boy toys out!!!



if the small one don't do ya in go ahead rip the big one!!!!

 

[Observer]

i hope blowie bongs still count!!!

View attachment 87386

best rip of this year so far!!!!!!!


and ya know since Steamroller extended out this toyotathon event i decided to get the big boy toys out!!!

View attachment 87388

if the small one don't do ya in go ahead rip the big one!!!!

Me and you need to chill sometime brother.

I'll out-smoke ya

Some of yall, are the coolest mother fuckers I've had the Honor to Speak with.

Words from A Drunk Observer.

Lol


Learn, and Teach, Spread the Love, (stoneyluv).

 

[Zen_seeker]

just messin with ya.. i'm kinda the same here man, i'll at least try to crack a window.. my lucks thats the window the cold air is blowing ibnto though!! sometimes i run the ozone gen for ten minutes and ya can't even tell. shhh... haha

bong rips don't stink nearly as much i let those rip with just a candle burning!! got this one right now.. smells awesome!!!

View attachment 87375

i've never tried it but i was once told ripping a bong with hot water is more smoothing on the throat than cold... like i said, never tried it.

My solution.


We tried hot, cold, a juice, ice, etc.

Water from the tap is what we use. Ice would be a far second. But it has to be clean or it tastes like crap.

 

[steamroller]

Well now. This is new

https://imgur.com/a/zlr0Sbd

I hope you left your water dripping last night~!
Got snow on the ground today?

 

[Bandit420]

Pointy side down, butt side up.
I noticed this some time back that the tap root usually goes down/breaks out from the point.

Looks like there's room to double up too, at the end of the first rows tap roots

That's some slick extract, bandit.

Yep that's a double side VG. It has 19 or 20 seeds loaded but not as user friendly as the single side you're using.


Looking at the seed with point side down, it's hard to tell which side, but your infant cotyledon and point of the tap root inside will look like a horseshoe in this position



The end that is the tap will want to drive straight down by natural instinct and get an assist from gravity.
The other end being the cotyledon is driven upwards by light.
Germination is not really about nutes but a useful direction of energy that's released when the seed is introduced to water. This is why the VG excels at directing and getting the most out of that explosive energy released when life begins.
Planting them sideways or upside down redirects energy to orientate the seed decreasing the efficiency of using that energy.
So yeah...Point side down, always.

View attachment 87369
What are you doing with that?
Not as bad as vapes but still a crusher.

I'm not a fan of the time or the process in making a distillate shatter but I am a fan of the results

i hope blowie bongs still count!!!

View attachment 87386

best rip of this year so far!!!!!!!


and ya know since Steamroller extended out this toyotathon event i decided to get the big boy toys out!!!

View attachment 87388

if the small one don't do ya in go ahead rip the big one!!!!

As long as Proxy rigs count too!



Y'all might make me break out "The Collection"
Ehh fuck it. I'm too lazy today

I hope you left your water dripping last night~!
Got snow on the ground today?

We will rebuild #TexasStrong







Yesterday was my first day back at work and everybody gave me one of those



Moments.

This was on my desk along with a get well card



This morning I also swagged up for the season.

Still no flags available yet though

 

[steamroller]

 

[Bandit420]

Scored more UV on a best offer!





Only caveat is this kit is minus the driver but I have 3 spares and lots of xtra cables

 

[Stoneyluv]

Me and you need to chill sometime brother.

i'd love to party with all the budbuilders!!!

I'll out-smoke ya

ha, this made me chuckle a bit.. you can try, i'd pants ya though!! haha

Y'all might make me break out "The Collection"
Ehh fuck it. I'm too lazy today

i thought about gathering them all up for a photo, then thought yeah then i gotta put em all back away then too!! haha

We will rebuild #TexasStrong

hehehe... i feel for ya, a little.. nothing a leaf blower couldn't fix though.... it's more like #texascold!! hahaha

.
.

seriously though man, glad to hear you got back into work and hope they were easy on ya!! i gotta imagine when it snows in tx baseball practice is closed, yeah? where'd the white ball go??? hahahaha anybody find it?!?! haha

do you have any restrictions or anything at first?

and dammit if they cater in brisket you only get a 1" x 1" piece!!!!!! and it better come from the flat!!!! hahahahaha

 

[Observer]

Well this is interesting


It started out a male, I chopped it down, stressed the fuck out of it, and now these mutated hermie like looking sacks with pistils?

Not seen this before.

 

[GrumpAzz]

Well this is interesting


It started out a male, I chopped it down, stressed the fuck out of it, and now these mutated hermie like looking sacks with pistils?

Not seen this before.

Both of my hermie-plucking adventures found pollen sacs with pistils. I broke them open to be sure. They absolutely had nanners and hairs so I plucked em all.

 

[GrumpAzz]

Well this is interesting


It started out a male, I chopped it down, stressed the fuck out of it, and now these mutated hermie like looking sacks with pistils?

Not seen this before.

You can see a few of these ballsacks had pistils.

 

[Observer]

.

 

[Bandit420]

i'd love to party with all the budbuilders!!!



ha, this made me chuckle a bit.. you can try, i'd pants ya though!! haha



i thought about gathering them all up for a photo, then thought yeah then i gotta put em all back away then too!! haha



hehehe... i feel for ya, a little.. nothing a leaf blower couldn't fix though.... it's more like #texascold!! hahaha

.
.

seriously though man, glad to hear you got back into work and hope they were easy on ya!! i gotta imagine when it snows in tx baseball practice is closed, yeah? where'd the white ball go??? hahahaha anybody find it?!?! haha

do you have any restrictions or anything at first?

and dammit if they cater in brisket you only get a 1" x 1" piece!!!!!! and it better come from the flat!!!! hahahahaha

Didn't even need a leaf blower!
By 2:30 pm the great blizzard of 2025 had melted away!
That's how I like my snow. Don't mind the visit but don't overstay the welcome either and especially don't bring your plus one, ice. Otherwise we're gonna have to throw hands.

Ahh no worries when it's cold or snowy for baseball. We just go indoors!

Well this is interesting


It started out a male, I chopped it down, stressed the fuck out of it, and now these mutated hermie like looking sacks with pistils?

Not seen this before.

You should call that Bangkok Lady Boy Kush

You can see a few of these ballsacks had pistils.
View attachment 87486

The trichs on the sacks are what I look for when choosing a male for breeding

.

Now take it to another level

These get planted today






The stage is set.

Retractable trellis net is squared away and trays are in
The aero is cleaned up and ready to go. New jets and collars are in.
Water tank is full and at room temp.
New soils have been brought in from storage to warm up and get to room temp as well.
Only problem is I forgot to label and map the seeds so they're already mixed up. Ehh...no biggie. We'll just call this pot farming and fuck the names relying on experience to separate indis and haze as they grow up



Gonna try something out with my root wrangler design. Manually root pruning with snips and hopefully a guide to encourage branching with the helix coils for an improved transfer from aero to soil




Light is set to 27" above target and dimmed to 8. Result is a 15.3 DLI for seedlings.
15 is ideal and right in the wheelhouse of where the intensity should be for seedlings.

I love the blue UV creeping in on this ACI spectra.
Will likely add a couple UV strips once this gets going.

I'm using UVa which between it and UVb, is a ton more user friendly and from the engineers at Blackdog, Fluence, Eye Hortilux and a few others, seems to be just as beneficial as UVb for cannabis.
Both work great for what we're trying to accomplish but I'd put it like this.
All results being equal, UVb is a far more dangerous and a harder to use source of UV compared to UVa. UVb requires limited exposure so that's where the limited times on as well as eye and skin protection is needed when using it. And being that it's floro only, very hard to apply to indoor gardening and more suited for reptiles and aquariums.
UVa however can be used from veg to bloom, run full cycle, is far less dangerous and much easier to use. So those are the reasons why when you see some hi-end LED fixtures with UV included or offered as a supplement, it's always UVa.



It's time to rock!

 

[Observer]

Didn't even need a leaf blower!
By 2:30 pm the great blizzard of 2025 had melted away!
That's how I like my snow. Don't mind the visit but don't overstay the welcome either and especially don't bring your plus one, ice. Otherwise we're gonna have to throw hands.

Ahh no worries when it's cold or snowy for baseball. We just go indoors!

You should call that Bangkok Lady Boy Kush



The trichs on the sacks are what I look for when choosing a male for breeding




Now take it to another level

These get planted today

View attachment 87590




The stage is set.

Retractable trellis net is squared away and trays are in
The aero is cleaned up and ready to go. New jets and collars are in.
Water tank is full and at room temp.
New soils have been brought in from storage to warm up and get to room temp as well.
Only problem is I forgot to label and map the seeds so they're already mixed up. Ehh...no biggie. We'll just call this pot farming and fuck the names relying on experience to separate indis and haze as they grow up

View attachment 87591

Gonna try something out with my root wrangler design. Manually root pruning with snips and hopefully a guide to encourage branching with the helix coils for an improved transfer from aero to soil

View attachment 87589


Light is set to 27" above target and dimmed to 8. Result is a 15.3 DLI for seedlings.
15 is ideal and right in the wheelhouse of where the intensity should be for seedlings.

I love the blue UV creeping in on this ACI spectra.
Will likely add a couple UV strips once this gets going.

I'm using UVa which between it and UVb, is a ton more user friendly and from the engineers at Blackdog, Fluence, Eye Hortilux and a few others, seems to be just as beneficial as UVb for cannabis.
Both work great for what we're trying to accomplish but I'd put it like this.
All results being equal, UVb is a far more dangerous and a harder to use source of UV compared to UVa. UVb requires limited exposure so that's where the limited times on as well as eye and skin protection is needed when using it. And being that it's floro only, very hard to apply to indoor gardening and more suited for reptiles and aquariums.
UVa however can be used from veg to bloom, run full cycle, is far less dangerous and much easier to use. So those are the reasons why when you see some hi-end LED fixtures with UV included or offered as a supplement, it's always UVa.

Always agreed with UV, works better with genes that evolved at higher elevations too.

Yet to play around with any uv leds though.

View attachment 87592

It's time to rock!

Love the helix.

I've thought about something similar for the same thing, aero or dwc, providing some type of structure for the roots.

 

[Bandit420]

Always agreed with UV, works better with genes that evolved at higher elevations too.

Yet to play around with any uv leds though.

Love the helix.

I've thought about something similar for the same thing, aero or dwc, providing some type of structure for the roots.

Main thing I wanna do with the helix is create a root structure that is shorter in length and more branches out. Typicaly the roots grow in a long braid then pool up into a birds nest in the water which makes it hard to transplant all that into soil. If I can get them in the shape of like an upside down Xmas tree or similar I'll be very happy.




Locked and loaded!

Front and backside shots of the VG work





@Costanza Jabba's Stash are already hyper aggressive sprouts. They're the 3 on the right





All the grow stuffs I'm using at this stage. Light is an ACI Ionframe EVO3

 

[Stoneyluv]

you always get nice fish bones in the VG.. i'm afraid i'll tear them so i always take them out before that point. i also wonder if your towels are different from mine. i always seem to get at least one tap root that grows right through the middle of the towel making it tough to remove.

i love the hybrid areo/soil thing man!!! what PPM's of the Nova are you starting with? i run the nova too so it will be nice to compare.. wat kind of water temps do you have?

i'm starting with 250ppm (500 scale) nova and 70°

 

[Bandit420]

you always get nice fish bones in the VG.. i'm afraid i'll tear them so i always take them out before that point. i also wonder if your towels are different from mine. i always seem to get at least one tap root that grows right through the middle of the towel making it tough to remove.

i love the hybrid areo/soil thing man!!! what PPM's of the Nova are you starting with? i run the nova too so it will be nice to compare.. wat kind of water temps do you have?

i'm starting with 250ppm (500 scale) nova and 70°

I use Costco's Kirkland brand paper towels. I think the name brand comparison would be either Brawny or Scott select-a-size.
They're kinda tuff and hard for roots to punch thru but also absorbent enough to wick well.
Back when I was using toilet paper I'd get the same snagging issue you're talking about so maybe a tougher type of paper towel does best IDK. I've just used those two and have always have good results with the Costco paper towels.

So with the 'Nova I go solely by bottle instructions and just check ppm as a baseline reference.
My rez is around 9 gallons so I mixed up a batch set for 8 gallons plus 1/2 strength K4L Cloning powder and max strength King Crab.
Fill the rez then top off to the bottom of the sprayers with another 1 gallon of water just to make sure the nutes are more on the diluted side rather than potent and hot.

Here's the before numbers on my water in the tank:
pH 8.9 / ppm 200 or EC .5
The mystery ppm is made up mostly of calcium, nitrates, and trace amounts of heavy metals common in city tap water.

After adding 'Nova @ 4tsp/8gallons and using Foop pH down:
pH 6.7 /ppm 500 or EC 1

After about 10 days or so I'll start introducing Liquid Squid and Liquid Crab and Lobster while at the same time going very minimal and reducing the amount of Nova in the mix until it's near transplant time where the soup should be at or near 100% organic.

And it's no secret I run a warm room even when it's cold out so water temp is 80.
Temps in the VG range from 77-82 and room is around 87-88



The heater I use to turn Winter into Mid-Spring

 

[Stoneyluv]

wow man, you still didn't get your bong???? damn that sucks, i hate waiting for shipping!! even worse when it's a mistake like that!! hope they get it straightened out soon!

i use bounty paper towels, who knows that might be the difference right there.

and yeah i guess i should have known you kept it way warmer than me!! haha.. our EC is real close though.

right now my VG is like 80-90 inside and i will turn up the air temp a bit once the seedlings get moved. the way i have both setups at the same stage will be fun to watch this time. it will be side x side but with each side separate.

 

[Observer]

That higher temp makes a difference.

 

[Bandit420]

wow man, you still didn't get your bong???? damn that sucks, i hate waiting for shipping!! even worse when it's a mistake like that!! hope they get it straightened out soon!

i use bounty paper towels, who knows that might be the difference right there.

and yeah i guess i should have known you kept it way warmer than me!! haha.. our EC is real close though.

right now my VG is like 80-90 inside and i will turn up the air temp a bit once the seedlings get moved. the way i have both setups at the same stage will be fun to watch this time. it will be side x side but with each side separate.

It finally got here today and it's a purrty one!!!!



Pics don't do any justice on it at all. It changes color depending on light so it can either be amber, red, blue, or purple. The etchings appear and disappear, and the base can either look white or chrome with and without etchings. The jellyfish are crazy intricate as well.

A lot of other cool loot came today too. Got the NASCAR swag, light showed up yesterday, and my new flashlight is here.
Couldn't really find anything I liked at cabelas to blow my gift card on so I ended up ordering a rechargeable flashlight and an electric kitchen knife sharpener. Couple things I've been needing for a while but didn't wanna buy so nice they had those for me to scoop up.

I put the last few sprouts in the aero today. Pretty happy I don't have any in soil and get to go all in on an aero start.
I got 100% germination but tossed 3 slow sprouters and one can't get right. Still left with 20 in the aero but I was thinking max capacity would only be around 12. So there may be some over crowding later if things don't cull themselves.
Or...I may just need another aero cloner

The plan is working though. The whole herd of youngins have hit the ground or water I should say, running.

Are you still interested in the Gen 2 550 I have here? I also have a controller to spare.
I get the sense from the email this morning about 550 price drop that they're either about to change or maybe even be discontinued. Good time to buy a 550 new.
The 275 is already off the market and with the new smaller version of spectramax and the other new COB rail style light our beloved blurple lights are probably on the way out.
The local hydroshop wanted no part of them since buyers are wanting white lights in rail style models. And my first auction on a 2017 gen 1 is getting very little action but I think still may get around $100 for it. I can't even give away the 2016 so I'll list it and just be happy with whatever as long as fees and shipping are covered.

But yeah with these new Ionframe lights I'm comfortable letting go of the Gen 2 now. If you want it, I'll take trade too. Cover me in the pool again and a bit of sugar thrown my way and it's yours man.

That higher temp makes a difference.

With warmer than average or recommended temps I always find metabolism and speedy growth rates so I'll pretty much die on that hill.
I also think maybe natural climate has something to do with it since warmth is naturally occurring it's almost like my plants know it should be warmer.

I have some concern about the super low RH but rains and warmer ambient temps may change that by next week especially if I can turn off the heater.

 

[Stoneyluv]

that is one cool ass looking bong right there man!!!! hows she hit man? from here it looks like she hits like a cannon!!!!!

what kind of flashlight did ya get? i'm a collector of flashlights man!! i just got a new headlight last week, 120K lumens!!

and hell yeah i want your gen2!!! we'll work out a deal for sure man!!! but keep in mind i was already gonna send you nascar entry in with mine anyway!!!! haha i'll pay Steam's way in too if he decides to play!!

 

[steamroller]

The notion of picking someone because you haven't yet is what puts me off.
I appreciate the offer but choosing someone other than who I want to win is not my bag.

Flashlights huh?