Well peeps, time ran out today. I am heading onto the road in a day or two for 10 days or so. So, the decision was whether to chop now, or chop a week and a half from now. I chose now. A bit of amber had shown up gradually, but there was still a bit more clear than I wanted. So be it, the buds are now bagged, and will go in the freezer as we head out the door. It is CBD only, and destined for extract/tinctures, so the freezer treatment will have to do. When we get back, I will continue the dry, with some very careful initial care to make sure that the potential extra moisture from the freezing does not cause mischief.
So, on with a few pics and then my conclusions on this Rotblock test.
Here is the cross between Dinamed Auto CBD Kush, and Dinamed Auto CBD at 79 days:
And here is her main cola:
She is reasonably frosty, and very, shall we say, aromatic. When the better half got back home after I had been trimming downstairs, she mentioned that it was "pretty plain that a certain something was going on". Understatement. Strong, pleasant spice, no hint of diesel. Not really fruity, but kind of hinting a bit in that direction. That is about all this elder nose can do with it, other than note that I love it.
Speaking of the bud, here is the harvest from the big girl:
This is wet of course, dry weight may happen later.
Onward to the runts. Here is the biggest of a poor lot:
And the next best:
And the runtiest:
And here is one of the best colas on the runts:
And the last pic, the harvest combined from the three runts, wet as noted earlier:
The aroma of the runts is similar to that of the cross, strong, pleasant, and all spice, no fuel, and only subtle hints of fruit.
Ok peeps, bottom line on the grow is that I got a bit of bud, but nothing to be proud of. The soil mix that I knocked together was a bust. It caused, I think, serious stunting on the three CBD Kush girls, and likely limited the growth of the cross. The Jobe's spikes did not do the job at all, I had to start feeding MCII at ~900EC not that far into the grow. Maybe the spikes do not dissolve and become available soon enough for autos. Whatever, it was a one off, and will not be repeated. I threw it together with the time I had in order to do the Rotblock test in my grow shelter. Later with more prep was not an option. This grow was about throwing some plants into the evil grow shelter to test Rotblock, not about dialing in a productive grow.
Here is my take on my Rotblock results. I have done two previous summer grows in this grow shelter, and every plant in both grows was hit in mid-late bloom by serious enough Botrytis to shut me down early. I had, prior to this grow, given up on the idea of growing outdoors at all as a result of the bugs, slugs, and mold. I managed to deal with the bugs and slugs, but the mold pretty much finished my interest in outdoor where I live. A small indoor winter grow suffices for my needs, so I have little interest in fighting to get a grow through the outdoor pestilence.
Enter the generous opportunity to test Rotblock. I had considered the product, but the price for a small container put me off given that I did not know whether it would work for me. Given Phyter's generous offer of a sample to try, I dove in, and here we are.
While I trimmed the bud from these four test plants, I fastidiously searched for any sign of mold or mildew. I found NADA. Not one hint. Not one unhealthy sugar leaf. In short, not a hint of problems for the first time in this grow shelter in spite of repeated sessions of ~99% RH, regular guttation in the morning, and huge variation in temperatures. Rotblock prevailed, and this grow was totally mold free. I am impressed. Rotblock has re-ignited my interest in outdoor growing where I live.
In fairness though I have to note two complicating factors in interpretation of my results. First, I did not suffer a fan screwup, as far as I know anyway, so this grow probably (power interruptions? who knows, I wasn't home) had fan circulation throughout the grow unlike my second attempt. Second, due presumably to the soil, but possibly to genetics or excessive heat, the buds from this grow are on the airy side, so may not be subject to the highest level of mold risk. However, all of the plants in my first grow down there also had light-ish colas, and they were hit hard. On balance, I conclude that the Rotblock saved me from a repeat performance with mold regardless of bud density and regardless of the change in fan operation.
Happy growing Peeps, I recommend that you try Rotblock if you have experienced mold problems. The small container (50g? can't remember) goes a hell of a long way, so don't let the price discourage you. For ~$50 or so as I recall, you could do multiple 4x4 grows with heavy weekly application to all plants. If you are selling the stuff, which I do not, a couple colas saved would more than pay for the product for multiple grows. Even if you are not in the business, saving yourself the disappointment and hassle of trying to save what you can at the end of a single grow would be worth the price for me.
Thanks sincerely to
@Phyter for generously providing me with chance to try their product.
concord grape dessert! ..... Almost there OF, watch those trich's like a fiend and don't be too picky about harvest times -
wow, super milky trich's OF! Yup, they close, and I'll bet some amber forms after harvest too... The Red Mandarine and the Bloody Skunk did that, taken at <10% amber.... Most importantly, no mold!
... Goes a long way too! I still have 1/4 bag left after 2 seasons of outdoor photo's and tent autos. Reg bag was about 6qt, with good soil use a bit over 1c/10gal; cook a couple few weeks and done!
