Humboldt Seed Organization Autotron does HSO UK Cheese - Hydro, COB

[Olde School Player]

Here she is today at day 100! It's kind of hard for me to get a good gauge on where is she because she looks so different from the other plants I've grown. Since she's so stretchy and has such wide internodal distance, the buds are less like long solid colas and are more individually spaced out and not running into each other. I feel like she's getting close though. I think she's less focused on building bigger buds and more focused on ripening and swelling up. I took a look at the trichomes with a 30x/60x jewelers' loupe tonight and I don't see any amber yet, but I do see what looks like a lot of cloudy trichomes. Most of the pistils have browned and the calyxes are swelling a bit. The largest fan leaves throughout the plant are starting to fade a bit on their own, so it feels like she is getting to the end. I don't think it's for lack of nitrogen. I guess I was just expecting bigger buds, but either I'm wrong and she's not there yet or I didn't introduce the HPS light soon enough!

She's been on a heavy diet of 3/4 strength late bloom formula. To four gallons of water I added 22.5ml of Micro and 45ml of Bloom along with all the other supplements the GH schedule recommends for this stage, at the levels recommended by @Olde School Player. The PPMs have risen from about 1,000 to 1,350 tonight. I've been topping off with more leftover solution instead of plain water.

@Olde School Player how much longer do you think she has left? My gut is telling me to give her a 2-3 more weeks. I was thinking that the next mix of nutrients would be the "ripen" phase(see link below) of the GH schedule with dry Kool Bloom, then a week of flush(I know this is a controversial topic for many growers, but I feel like it's better to not have nutrient solution running through the plants veins when you chop it and the chlorosis that happens during flush helps concentrate the essential flavor more than bright green weed with a lot of chlorophyll). I don't want to let her go any longer than I have to because I hate when they start fox tailing(which looks to be happening a tiny bit).

http://gh.growgh.com/docs/Feedcharts/GH_FloraSeries-REC_03216am.pdf

Hey AT, sorry to abandon you at the end but looked like you were in a good place when I last checked in so figured you had it under control. From my view today, looks like you did, good job my Friend!!! Was intending to head North for my U.P. backpacking adventure, spent the last couple of weeks prepping, only to have the weather rain me out. Oh well, it's not THAT bad being me, therre's always next Spring.

Some observations to your latest posts. The general structure of this plant is a bit unique, especially sativa dominant. That's where the longer internodes and slimmer calyxes come from. Like you, I'm used to longer fatter buds with a shorter internodal space. But this Girl still has some surprises for ya!!! Mine finished drying and started the cure last week, and this just might be the tastiest strain I've ever grown!!!
As to recommendations, I think you're working a great plan. As long as the calyxes keep swelling, let her ride. But if the trich's are cloudy / some amber, and the buds start to foxtail, go ahead and take them.
One recommendation I would make - DO leave the buds on their branch, and take at least half the branch at a time. You can leave the bottom half of the plant a while longer & sometimes they will get a bit better color. But your plant is fairly open so if the lower buds look as good as the top, take the whole branch. Crop the fan leaves by hand (or like you say, trim them in advance), then trim the sugar leaves (& keep them!!!). Hang to dry in a cool dark place with the least humidity possible. The tent is fine, lights out though. Drying on-the-stem seems to allow a slightly slower drying time that gives all the chlorophyll time to evaporate & get rid of that fresh cut lawn grass smell.
To flush or not to flush??? Whatever makes you happy. I've done it both ways & honestly can't tell a difference. It won't hurt to flush.
FloraNectar? I use the stuff but not sure what it does at this late stage. This may be one of those things that I think might help, and I know it won't hurt, so I do it rather than risk losing a little extra here & there. Just keep your aeration on high & go for it!
Stink? Yeah Buddy, don't you just love it??? If I already haven't done this, by the last week of harvest I'm running my carbon filter 24 X 7 and that controls the odor from a security standpoint. Going to be interesting to see your final pic's & smoke report, keep me posted.

I still have to go back to my light intensity thread to publish my final results too. I'll tag you in when I get it done. But a little spoiler alert - 10.4 oz dried and curing.
I'm smiling.

 

[Autotron]

Hey AT, sorry to abandon you at the end but looked like you were in a good place when I last checked in so figured you had it under control. From my view today, looks like you did, good job my Friend!!! Was intending to head North for my U.P. backpacking adventure, spent the last couple of weeks prepping, only to have the weather rain me out. Oh well, it's not THAT bad being me, therre's always next Spring.

Some observations to your latest posts. The general structure of this plant is a bit unique, especially sativa dominant. That's where the longer internodes and slimmer calyxes come from. Like you, I'm used to longer fatter buds with a shorter internodal space. But this Girl still has some surprises for ya!!! Mine finished drying and started the cure last week, and this just might be the tastiest strain I've ever grown!!!
As to recommendations, I think you're working a great plan. As long as the calyxes keep swelling, let her ride. But if the trich's are cloudy / some amber, and the buds start to foxtail, go ahead and take them.
One recommendation I would make - DO leave the buds on their branch, and take at least half the branch at a time. You can leave the bottom half of the plant a while longer & sometimes they will get a bit better color. But your plant is fairly open so if the lower buds look as good as the top, take the whole branch. Crop the fan leaves by hand (or like you say, trim them in advance), then trim the sugar leaves (& keep them!!!). Hang to dry in a cool dark place with the least humidity possible. The tent is fine, lights out though. Drying on-the-stem seems to allow a slightly slower drying time that gives all the chlorophyll time to evaporate & get rid of that fresh cut lawn grass smell.
To flush or not to flush??? Whatever makes you happy. I've done it both ways & honestly can't tell a difference. It won't hurt to flush.
FloraNectar? I use the stuff but not sure what it does at this late stage. This may be one of those things that I think might help, and I know it won't hurt, so I do it rather than risk losing a little extra here & there. Just keep your aeration on high & go for it!
Stink? Yeah Buddy, don't you just love it??? If I already haven't done this, by the last week of harvest I'm running my carbon filter 24 X 7 and that controls the odor from a security standpoint. Going to be interesting to see your final pic's & smoke report, keep me posted.

I still have to go back to my light intensity thread to publish my final results too. I'll tag you in when I get it done. But a little spoiler alert - 10.4 oz dried and curing.
I'm smiling.

@Olde School Player, for starters, I can't thank you enough for all your diligent, detailed and effective tutelage during this grow! This was my first hydro grow and I'm happy with how it's gonna turn out and so thankful for your mentorship. I was really lucky that you tagged along on this grow. UP sounds awesome! I'm a few states over from you. This is my favorite time of year by far. Good fishing, good hunting, good local produce. I went to college in Hawaii and I always missed fall on the East Coast. I love every minute of it. I used to tell my friends from tropical countries how it was like living in four different places for the price of one here. Different weather, sports and activities throughout a year.

The buds on the bottom are smaller obviously, but I actually got some decent uniformity throughout the plant as far as bud size. Once I brought the HPS into the mix, I focused the COB at an angle without the reflector towards the middle and bottom. I like to think it helped out in pumping her up throughout, but like you saw, she's a weird one.

I actually took the day off from work tomorrow to bring this bad girl down(and to go salmon fishing, not gonna lie). She'll have had a three day flush. My plan is I'll clip all the fan leaves off first, cut her at the base and hang her from the top of the tent(lights off while drying, obviously). Then I'm going to put some garbage bags on the bottom of the tent to catch the small buds and clippings from the sugar leaves(I save these for extracts, edibles and joints) and let it dry slowly before I cut the buds off and jar them for the cure.

Awesome hear about your sweet yield and quality! I hope this fine lady turns out well after a solid cure. I'll continue to update this thread with the results and put up a final review.

 

[Olde School Player]

@Autotron you're so welcome. When I started growing, weed was still a taboo that could not be written about, and the Internet was not even a gleam in Al Gore's eyes. So it was years of experimentation and quite honestly, just following good gardening principles that I learned from Grandma. She was organic before organic was even a label. Fast forward to the 21st Century, if I can help another grower get along with a good product, that's what it's all about. Feed the need.
Don't know how much trimming you've done, and your plans in this area were unclear to me. I could read into what you wrote that you're planning to hang the whole plant to dry then trim the sugar leaves? Maybe I mis-read. If you trim a single branch at a time, as soon as it's removed from the main plant, it's 1,000 times easier to trim. As the plant begins to dry & the sugar leaves wilt it becomes an order of magnitude more difficult to get the scissors in there for a good trim. Plus with one branch (or even a half of one) you can sit on the couch with a trim pan in your lap & work away. Beats standing in front of the tent. And when you're finished all your trim leaves are nice & clean & ready to dry for extracts. I got 70 grams dried of sugar trim from my girl, and based upon my few attempts with ISO quick-wash hash, that should yield anywhere from 10 to 14 grams of concentrate for smoke or food. But I have to spend some quality time picking @HemjiSync 's brain on an Everclear wash & distilling technique, he has a better plan. New area for me, and the wife is hooked on edibles now, so got to get busy soon.

One of my Pals I met on here when I joined AFN has recently written the definitive guide to drying and curing. I need to look that up & send you the link, it's posted on here somewhere. Years of experience went into his work, I'm sure it will bring out some good points for you.

Was looking forward to some native brook trout fishing in the U.P., a bit disappointed I'll miss it this Fall. But the river I was going to fish runs all the way to Lake Michigan, uninhibited by dams, so maybe there's a salmon run there as well for the Spring. Wouldn't hurt my feelings at all if a fresh steelhead or salmon interrupted my native trout moments. So good luck with your Salmon adventure tomorrow! If you catch one or two, I have an awesome recipe for salmon and cherry tomatoes on the grille. Even people who don't like fish love it!!!
OK Bro, be watching for final pic's and a smoke report. And be sure to give me a heads up before you start your next grow - I have a couple of ideas that I think will make your like much easier for your next grow.

 

[Olde School Player]

@Autotron here's the link to @912GreenSkell 's most fine, wonderful & definitive work on drying and curing. He put a ton of time into this & to the best of my knowledge he's covered it all! https://www.autoflower.org/threads/...uring-a-guide-to-finishing-quality-bud.66025/

 

[Autotron]

@Autotron here's the link to @912GreenSkell 's most fine, wonderful & definitive work on drying and curing. He put a ton of time into this & to the best of my knowledge he's covered it all! https://www.autoflower.org/threads/...uring-a-guide-to-finishing-quality-bud.66025/

Thanks, this is the best guide I've seen written on the topic anywhere, bar none. Thanks for putting this together @912GreenSkell !

I just got done trimming most of the fan leaves off and have decided to scrap the plan of hanging it whole. I don't usually dry that way, but I thought it would be an interesting change of pace that would allow for a slower dry. I'm also trying to keep smell to a minimum in the house, and thought that doing all the trimming in the tent would help with that. I think it's just too big for that though and I really couldn't hang it from the top and spin it around to trim it with the limited space.

I usually just cut the buds off, hand trim them with pruning scissors and let them dry in paper bags clipped to the top of the tent. I've always gotten good results this way. One thing to mention is that I HATE trimming! Many people relish the opportunity to get up close and personal with their buds after a long grow, but I find it tedious and boring. Given the volume here, I may resort to using my manual bowl trimmer. It's a crank operated type deal that looks like a huge salad spinner. Silicone fingers turn the buds across a grate with a rotating blade underneath that cuts off anything that gets in it's way. It doesn't work well with buds that have foxtailed, but makes quick work of most standard buds and doesn't usually trim too much off. This should cut my time in half at least.

 

[Autotron]

Here's some pics of her after trim of most of the fan leaves:

 

[G.Leave]

Here's some pics of her after trim of most of the fan leaves:

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Beautiful plant bud!!

 

[G.Leave]

If you hate wet trimming, then I bet you would despise dry trimming!! I know I do!

 

[Olde School Player]

If you hate wet trimming, then I bet you would despise dry trimming!! I know I do!

What Skelly said.... I seem to recall something about me wanting to beat people with a stick if they dry trimmed???/ But then I'm old and grumpy and allowed.

 

[Autotron]

Finally completed the chop today and vaped a bit of the treasured UK Cheese I have left over from last year to celebrate. I ended up switching my mind a third time and chopping the top half first a week ago and leaving the bottom half for today. I clipped each branch halfway and trimmed the buds and left them on the branches. I then hung the branches from the top of the tent with twist ties and just left the AutoCOB on about six inches above what was left. Those just finished drying yesterday, and have been in quart-sized wide mouth Mason jars for the past day. Looks like I jarred them just in the nick of time. The humidity in the jars is reading 58% at 64F. I brought them upstairs where it's a little warmer to see if that helps bring the RH up a tad. If they're not a bit higher before I go to bed tonight, I'll stick a Boveda 62 packet in each jar. From the top half, I got four Mason jars full to the brim and I think I'll get another 4-6 jars from the bottom half once it's done drying.

The buds themselves smell wicked already and are pretty sticky and sparkling. They are definitely not dense though. They're a bit airy and spread out. Not a huge deal for me. As long as it's good and I get enough, I'm OK with that, even though I prefer dense buds. Cheese is said to be a pheno or variation of the original Skunk [HASHTAG]#1[/HASHTAG], I believe. To that end, this UK Cheese grew similar in some ways to other Skunk derivatives I've grown. When I grew Mephisto Sour Livers(Livers is said to be a special cut of Skunk or Cheese from Northern England), it grew lanky with many thin stems and spindly looser buds too. I also grew Euphoria(another different Skunk pheno) by Dutch Passion, a plant that puts out many big long colas, which is one of my all time favorite plants and smokes in every respect. Both the Sour Livers and Euphoria had low nutrient requirements and lankier Sativa-leaning hybrid structure. They also both took a bit longer to finish than most others, like this plant.

I'm going to give these a couple weeks to cure before I take a first taste of this UK Cheese. I want to be patient and give her a chance to show me her best, so I have a good first impression. This grow was fun and I'm so glad I have hydro a chance. I'm going to be sticking with it from now on. It's just totally my style. More fun than soil and nutes or super soil. This grow was also a bit bittersweet because it's going to be my last for a little while. The wife and I have the "ultimate grow" going on right now and are expecting our first child in January. So, until I get settled in there and make sure I can hold it all together and attend to my family duties, the grow room will stay dormant. I'll still be on here enjoying everyone's grows vicariously though!

I'll update this thread around Halloween with some pics of the bud(and the 15-20lb salmon I caught last week), a smoke report and total weight. Thanks to everyone here for making this grow a success, especially @Olde School Player !