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BlueCollarBob- Bumbling Through My First Grow

BlueCollarBob said:
I think it's getting close to harvest time for Butter Waves. I took some photos with the cheapo bluetooth microscope after work. I was surprised to see more amber trichomes near the top of the plant than at the bottom. I guess the top gets more light and matures faster?
Click to expand...

G$ reminds me to check the lowers for amber before deciding to chop.👍
 
Zen_seeker said:
G$ reminds me to check the lowers for amber before deciding to chop.👍
Click to expand...
First grow. With no personal experience, I'm looking at a ton of different opinions from all over the place. I'm sure a lot of it is bad info. I even saw a video where a guy harvests the top of the plant and leaves the bottom to mature for another week or two. I plan the harvest the whole plant. I should have a couple (maybe three) more plants ready to harvest at the same time after this first plant is out of the dry tent and curing in grove bags. Hoping to learn enough from drying the first plant to make the next batch a little easier.

Tent and inline fan/carbon filter arrived yesterday 👏🏻. The drying racks and trim bin made it in a few days ago. Looking forward to setting that stuff up this evening. The tent is 2X4. I'll probably ask for some help picking a decent light and try a couple indoor plants after drying is complete. FWIW, I went with the new Gorilla tent and the fan is AC Infinity with the smart controller. Since the fan already has a smart controller, I need to learn if there are automation advantages to staying with AC Infinity for a grow light or is it no big deal to go with a different brand light.
 
BlueCollarBob said:
First grow. With no personal experience, I'm looking at a ton of different opinions from all over the place. I'm sure a lot of it is bad info. I even saw a video where a guy harvests the top of the plant and leaves the bottom to mature for another week or two. I plan the harvest the whole plant. I should have a couple (maybe three) more plants ready to harvest at the same time after this first plant is out of the dry tent and curing in grove bags. Hoping to learn enough from drying the first plant to make the next batch a little easier.

Tent and inline fan/carbon filter arrived yesterday 👏🏻. The drying racks and trim bin made it in a few days ago. Looking forward to setting that stuff up this evening. The tent is 2X4. I'll probably ask for some help picking a decent light and try a couple indoor plants after drying is complete. FWIW, I went with the new Gorilla tent and the fan is AC Infinity with the smart controller. Since the fan already has a smart controller, I need to learn if there are automation advantages to staying with AC Infinity for a grow light or is it no big deal to go with a different brand light.
Click to expand...
Dual harvesting has its advantages if you are inclined to do it. I always found it more of a time hindrance and pita although there is a benefit to it
 
BlueCollarBob said:
When I first learned of it my inherent laziness senses tingled, lol. Might make sense for someone with more energy.
Click to expand...
I had to do it once a year or two ago. Twice if you count my large outdoor plant. Just to big to hang the whole plant or even chunks. So we harvest over a few days/week. The indoor one was ready up top but still not ready on the lowers. So I cut and hung what was ready to go.

I’m only allowed a few plants so I have to try and make them all count. Yield is important but I’ll scrog if I think in need more weight from a plant.
 
Zen_seeker said:
I had to do it once a year or two ago. Twice if you count my large outdoor plant. Just to big to hang the whole plant or even chunks. So we harvest over a few days/week. The indoor one was ready up top but still not ready on the lowers. So I cut and hung what was ready to go.

I’m only allowed a few plants so I have to try and make them all count. Yield is important but I’ll scrog if I think in need more weight from a plant.
Click to expand...
I said I'm lazy, but I'll do work that has a clear value and I'm not above experimenting. I'm limited on plants, too. If there's still a striking amount of difference between the top and the bottom when I harvest, I'll dry and cure them separately, so I can see if I can tell a difference in flavor and/or high. If they are significantly different, I would willingly stagger the harvest. I'll take top and bottom trichome photos and share when I harvest. If there's a substantial difference, I'll hang the top and bottom on separate drying racks and cure separately, as well.
 
While it was back in the 80's when I grew outdoors enforce, we did 2-3 harvest per spot.
Many plants were topped and the lowers given another 2 weeks if possible.
I am considering the multiple harvest with my Sirius Black outdoors.
What is this limit you all speak of? :oops:
 
steamroller said:
While it was back in the 80's when I grew outdoors enforce, we did 2-3 harvest per spot.
Many plants were topped and the lowers given another 2 weeks if possible.
I am considering the multiple harvest with my Sirius Black outdoors.
What is this limit you all speak of? :oops:
Click to expand...
Four plants per household in Virginia.
 
GoodShit97 said:
Haha don't worryyoure nit alone, I rag on @Zen_seeker about it too 😂 🤣
what people dont know doesnt hurt them right lol.
Click to expand...
Oh, I love messing with people. I work with some of the quickest wits around. You have to give as good as you get or have thick skin, lol. If I don't get a good "Fuck you, Bob" in the first 15mins of work, someone is mad at me 🤣
 
BlueCollarBob said:
Four plants per household in Virginia.
Click to expand...
Yea I would stop inviting them over for dinner~! 😁
The official number was ZERO legally when I started back in the 80's
I got busted and said no more.
Then NY became legal.
It's all fine print after to me.
I grow however many I can fit and survive.
I think I have 22 this run.
 
BlueCollarBob said:
Since the fan already has a smart controller, I need to learn if there are automation advantages to staying with AC Infinity for a grow light or is it no big deal to go with a different brand light.
Click to expand...
AC Infinity makes a dongle to control other brands of lights. Your controller should do the job unless you go with something with an adjustable spectrum. I'm not sure that the ACI controller has the capability of manipulating the spectrum.
 
Zen_seeker said:
G$ reminds me to check the lowers for amber before deciding to chop.👍
Click to expand...
I gave up on that, anytime after 10 weeks they are done and I start to harvest, it takes me almost a week to harvest 6 plants so the last plant will get the longest run but I can't tell the difference between them once they are harvested and dried.

When we smoke the weed we never say oh that should have gone another day or 2. Young weed at 7 weeks flowered we can tell its immature but after10 weeks. Unless its a sativa they are done..imho
 
Pipecarver said:
I gave up on that, anytime after 10 weeks they are done and I start to harvest, it takes me almost a week to harvest 6 plants so the last plant will get the longest run but I can't tell the difference between them once they are harvested and dried.

When we smoke the weed we never say oh that should have gone another day or 2. Young weed at 7 weeks flowered we can tell its immature but after10 weeks. Unless its a sativa they are done..imho
Click to expand...
That's some good info! Thanks for sharing your experience.
 
GrumpAzz said:
AC Infinity makes a dongle to control other brands of lights. Your controller should do the job unless you go with something with an adjustable spectrum. I'm not sure that the ACI controller has the capability of manipulating the spectrum.
Click to expand...
I assembled the tent and started hanging the fan/filter last night. I decided that I can provide better hangers and make a better connection between the fan and filter using something other than what they supply with the kit. So, I haven't played with controller capabilities, yet. A quick look points to you being correct about the controller not being capable of adjusting the spectrum. Their Iongrid lights are full spectrum, but I haven't dug into whether they allow much opportunity for customization.
 
steamroller said:
I think I am known to cut 'early'.
You may find this video interesting.

When to harvest for highest THC video.

Worth the watch.
budbuilders.org budbuilders.org
Click to expand...
That video is really informative. I like how it explains peak thc, but also points to some positives for harvesting after thc levels begin to decline. I think I have a better idea of what I'm looking for in trichome development, now. Butter Waves is definitely past-peak thc. I can hardly wait to finish up work tomorrow. I'll take more photos, but I think she gets chopped Saturday morning or Sunday morning. Thanks @steamroller
 
Zen_seeker said:
I had to do it once a year or two ago. Twice if you count my large outdoor plant. Just to big to hang the whole plant or even chunks. So we harvest over a few days/week. The indoor one was ready up top but still not ready on the lowers. So I cut and hung what was ready to go.

I’m only allowed a few plants so I have to try and make them all count. Yield is important but I’ll scrog if I think in need more weight from a plant.
Click to expand...
I grow Tejas size plants with a trellis for support, and generally "Top' harvest the larger cola's 1st. two weeks of cherry picking the other stems as I finish off the harvest slowly. SS
 
Just back from visiting some friends. We chatted a little about getting close to harvesting my first grow. I mentioned buying a tent and etc. to dry in. Also, said I might get a light and try a small indoor grow when I'm done using the tent for drying. My buddy gets up, goes to the basement and brings this HPS light up. He told me to take it and and use it if I can. If not, no foul. He said it has a newish bulb. I haven't studied lights much and the little nosing around I have done has been LEDs. So, time to study up.

IMG_7597.pngIMG_7596.pngIMG_7595.png
 
BlueCollarBob said:
Just back from visiting some friends. We chatted a little about getting close to harvesting my first grow. I mentioned buying a tent and etc. to dry in. Also, said I might get a light and try a small indoor grow when I'm done using the tent for drying. My buddy gets up, goes to the basement and brings this HPS light up. He told me to take it and and use it if I can. If not, no foul. He said it has a newish bulb. I haven't studied lights much and the little nosing around I have done has been LEDs. So, time to study up.

View attachment 72667View attachment 72668View attachment 72669
Click to expand...

Nice score Bob!
You have a solid and well cared for 14 year old HPS/MH all in one light. These have been discontinued but inside parts like the ignitor which is what usually breaks down can be bought and swapped out if it ever stops working but these ballasts are workhorses and can accrue a lot of hours before that happens.
You can use a 400 watt MH lamp for veg then a 400 watt HPS for flower. In the final two weeks before harvest you can switch back to the MH for a ripening blue spectrum that can enhance resin production.

The caveat to these lights are they need to run hot to get to full brilliance. You'll have help with the glass between lamp and canopy acting as a heat shield so it won't burn up the plants and on the exhaust you'll need an inline fan to pull heat out.
What you don't want to do is have cool air go thru one side of the vent, passing over the lamp, and cooling it down reducing it's effectiveness. So ya figure a way to remove heat but not cool the lamp if that makes any sense.
It will cover a footprint for flowering around 3.5'x3.5' and you'll want it around 12-20" above canopy during flower. For seedlings and veg, much higher at 30"-40". It will easily grow plants up to around 3-4' tall
 
Bandit420 said:
Nice score Bob!
You have a solid and well cared for 14 year old HPS/MH all in one light. These have been discontinued but inside parts like the ignitor which is what usually breaks down can be bought and swapped out if it ever stops working but these ballasts are workhorses and can accrue a lot of hours before that happens.
You can use a 400 watt MH lamp for veg then a 400 watt HPS for flower. In the final two weeks before harvest you can switch back to the MH for a ripening blue spectrum that can enhance resin production.

The caveat to these lights are they need to run hot to get to full brilliance. You'll have help with the glass between lamp and canopy acting as a heat shield so it won't burn up the plants and on the exhaust you'll need an inline fan to pull heat out.
What you don't want to do is have cool air go thru one side of the vent, passing over the lamp, and cooling it down reducing it's effectiveness. So ya figure a way to remove heat but not cool the lamp if that makes any sense.
It will cover a footprint for flowering around 3.5'x3.5' and you'll want it around 12-20" above canopy during flower. For seedlings and veg, much higher at 30"-40". It will easily grow plants up to around 3-4' tall
Click to expand...
Thanks for the good info Bandit! I was wondering what the switch labeled MH was for. I've poked around a little bit on venting excess heat off of the lamp. Of course the inline filter I bought for the tent is 4" and the shroud is set up for 6". I could probably reduce it, if the fan itself is sufficient. Over the Winter, I may be in a situation where I'll want to retain some of that heat. Guess I'll find out.

Lot of unplanned stuff happening here, lol. I like building things and was thinking that I would make a project out of building a grow room and maybe a hydro system down the road. Then I decided I wanted to dry these outdoor plants in a tent. That got me to thinking, I might as well research and get input from you guys for an LED light and try growing a couple plants in the 2X4 tent when I'm done drying the outdoor stuff. Try to get a little experience while I figure out what I really want to do. Then this light drops in my lap. I still might end up buying a decent LED. Decisions, decisions...
 
GrumpAzz said:
Just click "watch on youtube"

I don't have an account and am able to watch it.
Click to expand...

How do you think they know your old enough? When you installed the app it made your account. No thanks. Nothing I need to see that bad. 🤷‍♂️
 
Butter Waves is drying in the tent. Daughter and her friend helped trim :) They sampled the scissor hash and both think this is going to be a good smoke.

Trimming seemed to take forever, lol. I need to look up an electric trimmer like recently mentioned in @Stoneyluv's thread. Guess I could dry trim and get a trim bowl. Not sure, yet.

IMG_7613.pngIMG_7615.pngI think I'll look up the electric trimmers recently mentioned in @Stoneyluv's thread. Or, I might go dry trim and get a bowl trimmer. Not sure which way to go, yet.

IMG_7611.png
IMG_7616.pngIMG_7617.png
 
Last edited:
I have the inline fan set to switch on at 62% RH and off at 59% RH. The fan ran all night and RH was only getting down to 54%. I lowered RH on basement thermostat this morning and everything lined up pretty quickly. Now, I just need to figure out the right high/low RH targets and max fan speed to slow the curve. I suspect I may raise the RH set point on the basement dehumidifier when the moisture content in the buds drops low enough. We'll see...

I'm not running inline fan to temp. Temp is pretty close. So, I'll just tweak RH if dew point swings significantly. Sorta hoping I'm running "close enough" for good drying conditions.

6" fan is aimed at the top left corner of the tent. I just manually entered a low set point of "2" for fan speed. "2" was just a guess. Sounds like we only want light air circulation and not directly on the buds to prevent drying too fast.

Current situation in the dry tent:

IMG_7619.png
 
Bandit420 said:
Nice score Bob!
You have a solid and well cared for 14 year old HPS/MH all in one light. These have been discontinued but inside parts like the ignitor which is what usually breaks down can be bought and swapped out if it ever stops working but these ballasts are workhorses and can accrue a lot of hours before that happens.
You can use a 400 watt MH lamp for veg then a 400 watt HPS for flower. In the final two weeks before harvest you can switch back to the MH for a ripening blue spectrum that can enhance resin production.

The caveat to these lights are they need to run hot to get to full brilliance. You'll have help with the glass between lamp and canopy acting as a heat shield so it won't burn up the plants and on the exhaust you'll need an inline fan to pull heat out.
What you don't want to do is have cool air go thru one side of the vent, passing over the lamp, and cooling it down reducing it's effectiveness. So ya figure a way to remove heat but not cool the lamp if that makes any sense.
It will cover a footprint for flowering around 3.5'x3.5' and you'll want it around 12-20" above canopy during flower. For seedlings and veg, much higher at 30"-40". It will easily grow plants up to around 3-4' tall
Click to expand...
"ripening blue spectrum that can enhance resin production." ah ha there is a good use for blue lights. maybe switch out reds for blues the last 2 weeks or add through the day & leave reds alone....good talk....Blues eh?
 
So, major fail on my part. I procrastinated trellising the plants and paid the price. Can't chalk this up to a rookie mistake. I knew better and just didn't get it done. Got home from work and checked on the plants about an hour before dark. We had some pretty heavy rain and some wind. I found varying amounts of damage to the plants.

IMG_7666.png

I gathered up the broken limbs and taped some up, that looked like they might make it, hoping to buy some time. I also jammed in some stakes and ran some garden twine around to provide some support against further damage. I just did as much as I could until dark and the rain starting back up shut me down.

Next I pulled Butter Waves out of the dry tent to make room for incoming casualties. Luckily she'd been in there for 9 days and was ready for cure. I knocked the buds off the stems, weighed her and put her in grove bags. I decarboxylated the dried trim from Butter Waves and put that in a grove bag while trimming the damaged limbs I had collected. 15.1oz flower plus 5.3oz of trim. Everything was in a rush and I'm a noob, so not claiming I did a great job. I know I didn't. Here are some photos:

IMG_7667.png

IMG_7668.png

IMG_7669.png

A high tolerance buddy who only smokes concentrates dropped by and sampled Butter Waves. I love feedback, good or bad, from others. He made a couple comments that were encouraging. "Are you saying this can actually improve with some cure time?" and "Whoa, I think I hit that [bong] too hard!"

I set about a rushed and loose trim job of the busted branches. I consoled myself by saying I'll try the bowl trim when it's done drying. Wrapped up the night close to 2:00am. Hung the new stuff in the dry tent.

IMG_7673.png

My original plan was to chop Slurty3 and Sour Diesel this weekend. They are both ahead of the Indica-leaning Jet Fuel Odder Popz. I didn't take photos, but I did look at her under the wifi microscope. She is just barely showing some amber. It's supposed to clear up Saturday. I hope to chop whatever is necessary before daylight and before the rain resumes Sunday. I wish I had bought a 4X4 to dry in. No way I'll get it all in this 2X4. With luck I'll be able to save what is left of Jet Fuel until Slurty and Diesel are finished drying. A positive is there's no sign of bud rot or pm (that I can see), so far.

No matter how it pans out, I've already exceeded my expectations from when I started. I was imagining 3' plants that I hoped would produce a few ounces of smokeable weed. There's so much bad shit happening in the world that I won't whimper too much. I'm having a blast, looking forward to a first indoor grow over the Winter and I have learned a lot to improve outdoors next year :) Just today I learned that I oughta be washing this stuff 😬

PS- Slurty and Sour D look like they have higher yield than Butter. Hard for me to guess on Jet Fuel. She's shorter and a lot wider with smaller buds.
 
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