Is this a Ph problem or deficiency?

[Cat]

:smoking:Hey Cat-- sorry mate, my bad on that link! ( https://www.autoflower.org/threads/...-testing-and-ph-estimation.41733/#post-928975 )
....okay, water looks plenty hard (high mineral content= CaCO3), so good pH buffering capacity there... This will help with over acidic soil, by pH'ing to about 7.0 a few times,... looks like you're dialing in the pH and ppm already! These results, if they stay consistent, make the flush unnecessary just now... but if it gets off track again, I suggest doing one, with lower ppm water (like RO or distilled blended into the tap, 50/50), and a rinsing/flushing agent, like Clearex, Sledgehammer will help knock loose bound up excess salts and clear them out more effectively than water alone... do this for pre-harvest flush too,.... not necessary, just better!
.... nothing to do about the N, and you don't have anything to worry about, just make sure to give her a solid flush before going into cleanse period prior to harvest (no nuthin' but water for a week-ish)... just to be sure she taps out those inner resources well, which makes for better smoke! As for the Ca defc., if that hasn't progressed much, just stay the course,.. a little won't hurt things this close to harvest...
...great clean-up job Cat- ... it's good news that you found no mold/mildews; they way things were under there, it was an open invitation for them,... any cool, damp dark period may have caused this to just explode onto the scene,... spores are likely already there, as they are everywhere naturally, they just wait for idea conditions to activate and start growing,...

.... you're getting close Cat, time to start looking at those trichs often! The ladiezz look delish too, very nice buds-- dense and gummy with resins! ...you know the deal with this? Clear trich's= immature (always be a little of them on ripe bud, newer bracts); cloudy = ripe, prime time; amber = past ripe,.... most folks like a mix of cloudy/amber, depending on preferences... amber trichs form from the degradation of THC into CBN, which gives, in part, that sleepy couch-lock effect,... so, consider the strain (Indica-/Sativa- dom.) and it's general buzz nature, and your preferences,... NL is Indi-dom., so unless you want K.O. meds, take her with lower amber %,... I like my Indica's about 15%.... you can always stagger the harvest over several days, taking bud at different stages,...
Nice job Cat!

Thanks @Waira this thread has been so helpful this week. My biggest mistake recently was becoming too complacent, but things seem okay at the moment. I'll do a flush as you say and I'm already watching the trichs. I already spend at least an hour a day admiring them, amazing to see for a newbie. Cheers

 

[Cat]

Great job Cat on the cleanup.That is one giant main cola and should give you a nice yield.

Many thanks Nam, you guys have helped a lot.

 

[jingo]

Thank you Jingo. I've learned so much this week, but I didn't expect growing to take up so much time

Time is the only thing about growing that gives me grief.

 

[Starbreaker]

Many thanks Nam, you guys have helped a lot.

They look great cat you did a wonderful job!

 

[Cat]

Time is the only thing about growing that gives me grief.

This is the longest3mths of my life as I wait on hands and knees willing their progress

 

[Cat]

They look great cat you did a wonderful job!

Many thanks

 

[Oldbie]

:smoking:Hey Cat-- sorry mate, my bad on that link! ( https://www.autoflower.org/threads/...-testing-and-ph-estimation.41733/#post-928975 )
....okay, water looks plenty hard (high mineral content= CaCO3), so good pH buffering capacity there... This will help with over acidic soil, by pH'ing to about 7.0 a few times,... looks like you're dialing in the pH and ppm already! These results, if they stay consistent, make the flush unnecessary just now... but if it gets off track again, I suggest doing one, with lower ppm water (like RO or distilled blended into the tap, 50/50), and a rinsing/flushing agent, like Clearex, Sledgehammer will help knock loose bound up excess salts and clear them out more effectively than water alone... do this for pre-harvest flush too,.... not necessary, just better!
.... nothing to do about the N, and you don't have anything to worry about, just make sure to give her a solid flush before going into cleanse period prior to harvest (no nuthin' but water for a week-ish)... just to be sure she taps out those inner resources well, which makes for better smoke! As for the Ca defc., if that hasn't progressed much, just stay the course,.. a little won't hurt things this close to harvest...
...great clean-up job Cat- ... it's good news that you found no mold/mildews; they way things were under there, it was an open invitation for them,... any cool, damp dark period may have caused this to just explode onto the scene,... spores are likely already there, as they are everywhere naturally, they just wait for idea conditions to activate and start growing,...

.... you're getting close Cat, time to start looking at those trichs often! The ladiezz look delish too, very nice buds-- dense and gummy with resins! ...you know the deal with this? Clear trich's= immature (always be a little of them on ripe bud, newer bracts); cloudy = ripe, prime time; amber = past ripe,.... most folks like a mix of cloudy/amber, depending on preferences... amber trichs form from the degradation of THC into CBN, which gives, in part, that sleepy couch-lock effect,... so, consider the strain (Indica-/Sativa- dom.) and it's general buzz nature, and your preferences,... NL is Indi-dom., so unless you want K.O. meds, take her with lower amber %,... I like my Indica's about 15%.... you can always stagger the harvest over several days, taking bud at different stages,...
Nice job Cat!

Hi @Waira ,
although I have been growing for decades, I did it largely with just basic gardening knowledge.
discovering the AFN and all the experts amazing tips and tricks has been a revelation and a half.
the whole trichome stage thing is only something I have got to grips with in the last year;
like many before me I have always harvested early and certainly never let it go to the amber stage;
my question is this; if amber triches are merely partly degraded THC, whats the difference between
harvesting at milky/cloudy stage when they are in their prime and allowing them to partly degrade in a less than perfect drying environment,
say with a higher temp and perhaps in a brighter situation (if not in full sun for a week or however long it might take).
many thanks to you for all the amazing help you give.

Hi @Cat ,
wow you really did the NLs proud man (apart from the slime thing-never seen anything like that before).
that is some main cola. a very well done to you

 

[Waira]

:smoking: Oldbie, how are ya bud? ...As mentioned, ambering comes from THC degrading into CBN, which give a narcotic sleepy aspect to the buzz (certain terpenes do too), so any degradation is a loss of THC potency technically speaking; some ambering is desired by many, to various degree's,... Now the drying environment is critical! That's a whole lecture there mate, and likely lots of info is in the drying/curing section here; drying them in suboptimal conditions will compromise quality... too fast doesn't allow the final breakdown of various components to occur, making for harsh, "green/minty" tastes,.. too high of temp's will drive out terpenes as well, and low RH makes it dry too fast,.... high RH promotes mold and really slows drying down,.. light especially actual sunlight will cause degradation of trich's, uneven drying, loss of terpenes (UV light is destructive to everything).... basically, the best conditions are 65- low 70'sF, about 50% RH, little to no light, mild air circ.,... takes about a week under these conditions to get to the jarring/curing stage,... find a way my friend, this is where many folks ruin months of work! One cannot treat it like simple herbs drying, this is a more exacting process if you want quality results!... yes, I know in other countries they dry in the sun, or open well light drafty rooms, warm weather, etc.,.. but we aren't making Moroccan hash, are we!

 

[Cat]

Hi @Waira ,
although I have been growing for decades, I did it largely with just basic gardening knowledge.
discovering the AFN and all the experts amazing tips and tricks has been a revelation and a half.
the whole trichome stage thing is only something I have got to grips with in the last year;
like many before me I have always harvested early and certainly never let it go to the amber stage;
my question is this; if amber triches are merely partly degraded THC, whats the difference between
harvesting at milky/cloudy stage when they are in their prime and allowing them to partly degrade in a less than perfect drying environment,
say with a higher temp and perhaps in a brighter situation (if not in full sun for a week or however long it might take).
many thanks to you for all the amazing help you give.

Hi @Cat ,
wow you really did the NLs proud man (apart from the slime thing-never seen anything like that before).
that is some main cola. a very well done to you

Hi @Oldbie thanks for the compliment! I think the plant only looked slimy because of the zoom lens. Here's the same pic without a zoom

I'm just about to harvest and have been a little unsure of the trichs. Interesting what you say about never checking on them through so many harvests. I tried a bud with only milky trichs a few days ago and it seemed really good to me. I looked back on the same plant 2 days later and loads had already turned amber.... mad rush to flush

 

[Waira]

yeah, ripening can take place at unpredictable rates, so that's why you sweat her daily and do your best to make an estimation of harvest date! Be sure to look at the whole plant, not just one spot, as maturity is also variable around the plant... and be sure it's not sugar leaf you're looking at, as the tend to be further ahead than actual individual bracts (what most call "calyxes", not correct botanically- - an error I've made for years! Flower anatomy is anything but simple)... try to take her after a couple days of no water as well, to lower % water content in plant a bit, and dry faster....