TrailBlazer

I use 5 gal smart pots as well.

Really looking forward to this one Toby. Nice brother! Some interesting genetics as well. Babies all look nice and healthy.

LOL! Might as well make an event of it.

Do yourself a favour bud, and smoke a sample. You might be surprised.

Thanks guys! Toby, with the bud washing, the buds are good to smoke after just a few days in the jar and the smell and taste are strong. The high does become a little better over about 5 or 6 weeks though. I'm 100% convinced though, that the bud washing somehow improves drying and curing times. Did you notice the same thing? That is actually the main reason I do it now as there was no PM this round as well as no pests either.

HARVEST UPDATE Lemon OG Kush #1 (the big girl) It took me a whopping 10 hours to trim and bud wash this beast. Easily the largest yielding plant I've ever had, and there are 3 more girls in the tent that might rival her. She fills almost 3 tiers of the drying rack. Never had a plant go more than 2 tiers. Not even the big Exodus Kushes from the last grow which came in at 110g and 105g respectively. So I'm guessing this girl is about 130g. While trimming her, she really stank up the room. An extremely harsh citrus, fuel, menthol smell. Smells almost exactly like citronella. Luckily that smell will settle down in the cure. On to the pics...

This should be an interesting journal. Subbed.

LOL! My bad. Yes. that was also a Blue Venom. I see G13 Labs has it listed as a 55 day strain. I had the same problem with popcorn on the BV I just harvested. Should have done a heavier defol on her. Oh well... live and learn. I prefer plants with a more open structure though. Like the Lemon OGK's. I can highly recommend that strain. I'm in love with both of the ones I'm growing now. A very easy strain. They are dirty girls for sure.

Thanks Cheese! Are you referring to the plant I harvested or the first plant in the group of 5 remaining plants? I assume you mean the latter, and yes, that is the second blue venom. You can see she is quite a bit shorter and stockier than the other girls. She will probably be harvested on sunday. Hopefully she swells a bit more. I usually defol twice in a grow. Once in veg about 7 - 10 days before the flip. Then again about 3 weeks after flip or when the stretch has stopped. This time round, I'm doing 3 defols. The last one is really just to pretty them up before the harvest, as I like to take quite a few pics before they go to cannabis heaven. (by the way, anyone else feel a little sad when you harvest? Crazy, I know. LOL!) So only really 2 defols. First defol, I start from the bottom and basically remove everything about a 1/4 way up. I'm just trying to minimise popcorn and focus the energy into the bigger bud sites. Then looking down at the plant, I will remove the big fan leaves in the centre of the plant, working down into the plant so that light can penetrate further in. Then I will make sure there are no fan leaves blocking any bud sites. That's about it. Second defol in flower I do pretty much the same except of course removing anything from the bottom 1/4 of the plant. I'm always amazed at how quickly the plants bounce back from this. I often think I have gone too far, and then a few days later I wonder if I should have taken more.

UPDATE Day 60 of 12/12 ...and then there were 5. Not much to report. Next harvest should be on friday.

Harvest update Took down the smallest plant in the group. Looks like she will yield a bit better than I expected from her. Happy with her all things considered. Can't wait to harvest the bigger girls. Took some pics... Hollow stems All washed and laid out, before going on to the racks.

No worries bud. No offense taken, but I did feel I needed to defend my position. Discussion like this is good.

Beautiful Cheese!

One last thing... bud washing is not just to remove foliar spray residue or bug shit. It removes excess cholorphyll and also aids the drying/curing process. It's a tough one to wrap your head around, but it works. If you're up for it, give it a try.

Thanks for your input. Just bare in mind, I remove all fan leaves when I trim. Combine this with the bud washing, and I just don't see why it is necessary to have yellow plants come harvest time. If I were getting sparking, or a bitter taste when smoking, then I would definitely look at increasing flush time. I just don't have those issues. What I end up with is: Dense buds; great yield (0.75g/watt on my last run); excellent expression of terpenes and extremely potent smoke. As for the calmag... My plants have an extra need of it with the LED lights. Even with plenty of supplemental calmag, I still see minor calmag deficiency in the plants. Not enough to cause problems, but you can bet that will change drastically if I reduce calmag supplementation. Having said that, I don't give calmag in the last 7 - 10 days leading up to harvest. Also, I do charge my medium with calmag. I'm not trying to mimic nature 100%. It simply isn't possible, and I don't think it's optimal for indoor growing either. Let me clarify. First, there is no light that has the power or spectrum of the sun. So that refers to my first point. Second, lollipopping and heavy defoliation is not a natural process but it sure as hell improves yield as well as minimises popcorn bud. Hydro/soilless growing is not natural, yet I don't think anyone here can argue it's merits. I'm not knocking the way you grow, or trying to start an argument bud. If you prefer more of a fade at the end, and you are happy with the results you get then more power to you. You sound like you have aspirations of being a purist when it comes to growing. My thinking is completely different in this regard, and I don't think we will ever see eye to eye in that area. If I am ever able to grow outdoor, I guarantee I will adopt a vastly different style of growing, more inline with your thinking. I hope my reply didn't come across as hostile of combative.

Looks like more than 60g to me, but photos can be deceiving. Throw some of those photos up in SOTM.

Epic brother! Some super frosty nug shots there. Looks like you got a decent yield as well. What are you hoping to yield from her bud? Congrats on the harvest. I would give reps if I could.

Thanks bud! Look forward to your update.

Flush for 5 weeks? Wow. In coco with salt nutes or organic grow? I use bud washing, which washes out quite a bit of chlorophyll and makes the smoke quite smooth. I get decent yields, and the taste and smell are good to. Why is it so important for the plants to fade? Even with a 2 week flush I barely get any fade. It is just something I've grown accustomed to.

Thanks Abider I use the GThydro calmag. It is listed on their site. I give calmag every 3 to 4 days, from about 2 weeks in veg, right up to about a week before harvest. I also charge my medium with calmag. I've noticed seedlings progress faster when I do this. I've only been using calmag this prolifically for the last 2 grows, but I always seem to get very little fade in flowering. Even before using this much calmag.

Thanks broheim!

UPDATE Day 58 of 12/12 Decided not to harvest the Blue Venom last night. I did give her a proper defol though. More of a glamour thing, than actually trying to yield more. Might take her down tonight or tomorrow night. Saw a hint (might be imagination) of amber on her this morning. All the plants are pretty much done. I could harvest all of them now, and it would be good smoke. I will stagger it over the next 8 or 9 days though. That room absolutely honks though. This is the dankest grow I've ever done. For the first time, I am worried that the neighbours might be able to smell it. It reeks! There is an ammonia smell coming through quite strong now. Mixed with the rotten fruit, lemon curd, sour milk and petrol it is an assault on the senses. Last 6 photos are all of the smaller Lost Coast. The one with the single seed. I love her shape. Next 6 are all Lost Coast

Second entry: Blue Venom bud

Thanks broheim! Coffee and burnt caramel when you walk into the room. Fruit, sour milk and BO when you take a big whiff in the tent. Most of the strains smell fruity. If you touch the LC-OG buds, its all skunk, petrol and pine, but if you just the smell the buds then it is quite fruity.