First ever grow. Promix HP THC bomb auto 600w hps.

Only have a moto G and S4 :( we is po' folk. Lol but yea I don't like to go to sleep either. I prefer a nice head high so I'll probably follow those above instructions.... I was debating on whether to trim it while standing in the soil still, or to hang full. I can b pretty patient so I think I might dry full with leaves and all on as you do and preserve the smells and flavors.... I prefer smoked meat over grilled so I understand that one lol. I can keep those temps and RH I can get close to fifty, 46-49 RH. Completely dark I got that.... And I'll grab some jars and cheap reptile hygrometers for some of the jars and I was thinking about getting some boveda packs as well. I need to keep a small jar curing till about valentines day for my wife, baby is due January 27th so anytime after her recovery from birth is like her to try out very first grow ever :) the rest just needs a normal 30 day cure.... How's long do you cure for?
 
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Trim the plants standing, you don't want to deal with trimming once they are dry. It is a PITA. If you like, leave the sugar leaves on the buds but for sure get the majority of the big stuff out of the way. I generally trim completely then hang but have left the sugar leaves on when in a rush. There is absolutely no noticeable difference in flavor but the bag appeal is pretty horrible. If you are growing personal stash, bag appeal isn't important and the sugar leaves will increase the potency of course, because they do carry a good amount of THC that would otherwise get thrown to the side for hash making.

Cure is pretty strain dependent. Some strains really need a month or longer to bring out the aromas and some not as much. If you are already getting good aromas then it is probably safe to guess that it won't need as long. For the most part, the longer the cure, the better the flavor. There are some exceptions but generally speaking that is correct. The biggest thing with the cure is to allow plenty of drying time. If they go in the jars moist then it becomes very difficult to get the moisture out without making the flowers look like hell. They will brown up pretty quickly, which won't affect the psychoactive properties but will make them look pitiful and has a possibility of creating mold.

When you put them in the jar with your hygrometer and seal them up, let them sit for about 5 minutes. If your hygrometer goes over 70% get them out immediately and spread them on a drying rack of some sort in a single layer and let them dry another day. What I like to shoot for when they go in the jar is about 60%. Granted, after an hour or two they will begin gassing off and the RH will rise. That isn't a big deal, just open the jars until it drops back down to 60 or lower. Even at 50, once you put the lids on, in an hour or two they will raise back up again. The first day or two, keep a real close eye on them. You may have to open the jars several times a day or even leave the lids off the first few days. No big deal. If you can keep the RH around 60 with the lids off then leave them off until you start to see it dropping into the 50s pretty steady then start closing them back up again. Once they can keep mid 50s steady then I keep them closed throughout the day and open for 5 or 10 minutes once a day. My wife likes her flowers a little on the dry side so I shoot for 55-60. I like mine low 60s, 62 or 63 is perfect for me. I like mine to burn a little slower where the THC vaporizes some before the flower begins burning. I am not a smoker though and she is, so I don't care much for actual combustion. Yes, I have used a vaporizer but a glass bowl is perfect for me because I can't judge intake with a vaporizer like I can a bowl.

So yeah, just keep an eye on moisture content and let your nose tell you when it is happy with the cure. Your nose knows. I have no problems with a couple of day cure to test the waters but the aromas and flavors really begin getting nice after a couple of weeks. You will notice a lot of different flavor profiles and nuances that you wouldn't have otherwise smelled with the longer cures. Especially with the haze varieties. An absolute must for long cures.
 
hey dude, im doin the comparative grow too! when you thinkin about droppin your seeds, after you dry these plant?
 
Yup I'm hoping as soon as I jar up I can get started!!! I'm pretty excited to hopefully have my next strain figured out so I don't have to rack my brain thinking about it lol
 
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So I've got my first coloring of the pistols!!!! I'm almost have real buds!!! Ha-ha few more weeks!!! I will try using a better phone to take pictures with from here on out as mine.... Well u see it... Sucks. Lol but here ya go folks.... I fed straight RO water today as well. About 2.5 liters each. They seem to b liking that amount every other day or so.... Hopefully it helps with the nute burn as I've been giving them alot of nutes lately to get on track from deficiencies. Debating if I should do full strength bloom again or just half. They are still kind of deficient so maybe I'll see how they look in 24 hours and decide then.
 

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:meds:The ideal harvest time is when the plant gives you the effect you want. If you are a recreational user, then yes maybe the clear to slightly amber may give you the enjoyment you want. On the other hand, if you are a medical user and want relief from pain, particularly nerve pain, you want to let them go until you have at least 10-15 percent amber, many growers let them go way more than that for pain relief. True, amber trichs are the result of breakdown of THC. However, it degrades into other active components, CBD etc., which is what gives you the pain relief you are looking for. Nobody can or should say that another grower has let harvest go too long, because they do not know what effect is desired. The 100 plus days my grow took was very carefully monitored by viewing trichs with a digital microscope, then vaping the sample to see the effect. Some autos never do amber up much at all, but will give you an amber like effect, hence the actual sampling along the way. Recreational users tend to favor the heady sativa type high, while medical users tend to favor the amber indica high. Beings you chose a prodominantly indica strain and stated you wanted meds, I think you are going to be looking at the longer time period. I am no rookie grower by any means, and almost all of my grows go at least 2 weeks and usually 3-4 weeks longer than the breeder claims. Keep in mind the breeders list harvest times based on perfect growing conditions usually with hydroponics. Everybodys grow techniques will give a slightly different result and can dramaticly affect length to harvest. You will dial in your techniques that work best for you in your environment and then you will better know what to expect when comparing breeder times to harvest to what you can actually expect from your grow. You have done a great job so far, don't let someone else tell you when is the best time to harvest. You have to determine that yourself based on the goal of your growing. Sampling along the way is the only way to know if is going to give you what you are looking for. It would be a shame to have gone this far, then end up harvesting on someone elses advise and not getting the meds you are wanting. And yes, you will have to support nearly every stalk. I put a dowl into the pot and use pipe cleaners to support the branches to the dowl. Keep up the great grow, take in and mull around everyones advise, then make your own decisions on how to proceed. Best of luck.
 
Thanks @Heavily Medicated !!!! Well said and much appreciated my friend. I'm not quite fully sure what I want at this point so my only option is to sample until I like what I'm trying and maybe pull them at different times to get different effects. I was speaking with my brother and I'm also curious if sometimes the recommended harvest time given by companies, give or take a week, is actually relative to the high that the strain was bred for originally? If that makes sense
 
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