Learning what not to do.

The curing bud was a little damp, I think the high temps caused it to become to humid. As a result I let it dry out for about thirty minutes and took the opportunity to trim what leaf was left.

Of course I always seem to miss those one or two leaves, that when looking back I wonder how I could've missed something so blatant.


I couldn't decide what picture to use so I'll post both

Hi-def http://i.imgur.com/gtudV.jpg

And this one, it's just kind of a gooey mess, you can shape it into anything it's so sticky.

Hi-def http://i.imgur.com/fUrCM.jpg

And finally the seeds (WWxCrit+) x (KKxS), since it hermed it's doubtful I will use any in the future, even if it was just the one pollen sac.

So as you may have noticed I've become rather busy as of late and my girls have suffered as a result. The Kandy Kush is really beat up, the Quasar took a decent beating, although the damage likely will not hurt yields or quality at this point, the Kandy Kush might be the exception. Honestly I think it was me playing with the nutes, over doing it then flushing and repeating etc. To the point I really had no clue what they wanted/needed anymore. Also the 12/12 SSOG is showing some ph spotting, as I may have over done the nutes (Fox Farms) as she was showing N deficiency. As this is my first attempt at keeping one in a smaller pot or 12/12 for that matter. I'm still learning how much to put in a small cup, I'm mostly going by ph at the moment, but I used a couple drops of ph up to compensate this time. She got plain water last time and will get plain water next watering as well.

I pulled the EJxGFK and the S47xGFK was a pulled a few days after and is drying now. The EJxGFK is curing now, however doesn't seem as dense as the previous Emerald Jack and possibly any of the current crop with the exception of the KKxS which seems more sativa like. Although the EJxGFK smells awesome, it doesn't seem as potent as it's predecessor, this offspring actually seems like it would make a decent day time smoke.

It possibly could've used more time, but the same thing happened last time. All the hairs just die and stay like that, without receding, maybe I'm too impatient.


Hanging too dry, with the cool tube back in the air flow is more restricted and the tempetures are mild, so it's drying much slower (4-5 days).


If you look towards the base of the leaf, you will see a glob of the good stuff, although that's one of the bigger ones I've seen.

Emerald Jack x GrapeFruit Krush

This one didn't turn out near as well as it's predecessor that was grown out Emerald Jack. The buds are somewhat fluffy, I'm not sure if it was because she was the shortest or it was because she was mostly untrimmed. The others almost self lollipoped with the damage they sustained and the EJ.GFK was left untouched. Something I may have to experiment with in the future. The taste is really good, similar to last time but more fragrant and tasty, if not quite as potent. It's stronger then I first thought, but still suitable for daytime.


Hi-reshttp://i.imgur.com/Uh0Ic.jpg

(Emerald Jack x GrapeFruit Krush) x (Kandy Kush x Skunk)

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(Skunk x AK47) x GrapeFruit Krush

Very compact, I'm very happy with this one considering how much damage it sustained. It actually turned out better then the previous S47.

Hi-res http://i.imgur.com/OBD10.jpg

Some very peculiar variations here. ((Skunk x AK47) x GrapeFruit Krush)) x (Kandy Kush x Skunk) too much?

The KKS is tied up and leaning and against the side of the tent. She has a weaker stem structure making the buds too heavy for the branches to support. The Quasar will be pulled any day now, both have taken a fair amount of damage, as did the S47xGFK, and it turned out all right so my fingers are crossed.

Curing can be brutal, they start nearly full similar to the big jar on the left,
in a week they are half full like the jar in the middle, then in another week they look nearly like the small jar on the right.

I still haven't completely ruled out gremlin's yet, so be cautious!

Here's the SSOG revived. Day 39 (12/12 from seed) Edit: I don't think that's right but it's late, pic taken 4/28, started flowering 3/21


I keep making simple mistakes, slight OD damage seen here.


An older photo, the hairs have been browning for about two weeks now.



I've updated a few older posts, the post with learning material has had some college material added, some of which can possibly lead to collage credits. I have also updated the pollination post, as I've come to realize that I should’ve used a puffier q-tip. This last q-tip was hard and I believe didn't hold the pollen as well resulting with more pollen coming off the q-tip. And me getting 50-60 seeds per plant instead of the usual 15-20.

Another realization is that FF nutes has magnesium so that may be enough with what’s in the tap water (31ppm) if not I’ll use Epsom salts (.5tsp per 5 liters of water) for magnesium. The abundance of calcium (61ppm) may be the cause of soil ph crashing after 2.5-3 months, mimicking salinity build up by locking out magnesium. Something else for me to try, always screwing around, no wonder my ladies are always jacked.

what I have so far:
EJxGFK, same smell and taste as the old Emerald Jack, peppery with a hint of cheese
WWxCrit smell Lemon (country time lemonade?), with occasionally strong hints of that white widow ammonia smell.
S47xGFK –smell banana, mild skunk and a hint of citrus (grapefruit?)
Edit: I'm not sure if I'm getting better at curing or it's the organics, but these taste and smell far superior to anything previously.

SSOGxGFK 1150ppm back on track Ill try scaling back up the nutrients slowly from here. I think it was 5-6 drops per blue plastic cup (.5 liters?), but don't quote me.

A lot going, just not so much with the grow/journal. I've pulled the Quasar and Kandy Kush x Skunk, although I believe the last was pulled a bit too early. Here's a couple quick snaps of the buds.

Quasar, reminds me of the pure afghan, but stronger. Same liquorice/minty smell however, with a much stronger skunky smell.

Hi-Res http://i.imgur.com/BYLws.jpg

Only about 20 seeds from his one so far.

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Kandy Kush x Skunk, I wasn't impressed with the stem thickness, however, it appears to be a producer and it' has that old school skunk smell on exhaled hits.

Hi-Res http://i.imgur.com/VQPgD.jpg

Coloring is off, I tried to correct it and and gave up, this shows the patterns just fine and with flair.


Oh and after tasting them all this batch. I've decided organics is were it's at for taste and smell. I had no idea cannabis could taste and smell so good. The WWxCrit+ smells like lemon sherbert, the EJxGFK tastes like a peppery cheese, the others I haven't pinned down yet, but taste decent "but harsh" right after drying. For my needs as I don't need mass amounts, I'll take the quality over quantity. I do think I may try some pre-mixed ( ratio's) organic nutrients trying to balance the ratios with 3 different brands all requiring vastly different feeding schedules and doses does not seem overly appealing every feeding.

I'll try to get working on write up of each, but it will likely be a few weeks before the cure brings out much smell and taste.These may not perform as well after the cure, as they were over dried. I tried stuffing the jars a little fuller and I'm going to try burping less. I thought about getting some fruit or something for the peels, but the taste/smell seems all right as mentioned, which has me just trying to cure out some harshness. Normally I would want something else with moisture, but the high temps make the jars more humid, so I'm hoping that will help.

Edit: for the seed pics, also the curing method seems to be working fairly decently. I also learned when you use trim for butter, it's best to scrap the bottom, with bud it doesn't seem to matter. I also seem to end up with more butter using bud, with trim I get much more plant matter on the bottom.

So this should be my second to last entry for this journal as I've decided to split them up. As this time I want a photo next each smoke report and I only can put 4 pic per post. Plus I wouldn't mind posting what I have now, as it seems like one less monkey off my back.

Also, I'm not likely to continue these journals any longer as I continue to run short of time to do a proper journal. If I do find the time later I plan on doing it a bit differently. It will just be short little profiles of each strain and a smoke report as to save time. Going from start to finish is just too time consuming. On to what I have, it's jut the first two I'll edit the S47 in next few days then post the other two in the following week. Also I'll likely just use the older pics for now, I'm going to try again and get some macro shots, so cover your ears if you are near, there might be some cursing involved.



White Widow x Critical+ was of medium height and moderate durability “7”. This strain took on characteristic of Critical+ with dense buds and a shorter flowering time of 54 days and yielded 44.2 grams. Very dense buds with almost a spongy texture and a smell of lemon (country time lemonade or sherbet?), with occasionally strong hints of that white widow “sage” smell. It is some of the best tasting/smelling weed I have ever experienced. After curing for over 30 days it’s taking on a really sweet smell and taste of fruity pebbles, it's like taking a hit of candy. The effect is heady, making it easier to control the intense moments while giving it an energetic feeling associated with White Widow without any of the paranoia. Or the relaxation of the Critical+ depending on what the person is doing. This is really nearly the perfect blend with a potency of 8, it’s going hard to top this one.

Hi-res - http://i.imgur.com/tV7MV.jpg

Best I can do for now on the macro images, I'll try a few other things for the others later.

Hi-res http://i.imgur.com/zXuUI.jpg very little difference, however here's another for more perspective. http://i.imgur.com/1yzg2.jpg

Emerald Jack x Grapefruit Krush was shorter and bushier then average with tight node spacing, thick stems and extremely durable “9”. Flowering for 64 days and yielding 38.3 grams. The buds are a fluffier texture on the outside with some density in the center. The smell is very subtle, a hint of earthiness and something I can’t place “cheese?” After curing over 30 days it's taking on a mild chocolate scent. With a taste that is cheesy on exhaled hits with a hint of pepper. What she lacks for in bud density she makes up for in taste. The effect is heady, mildly energetic and can be a little spacey at times with a fair amount of matrixing, (seeing shapes in the clouds or walls etc.) While it’s relaxing, it’s not tiring in the least. It is on the lower potency side, giving it a score a 6.5 in potency. While it’s not the most potent, it’s heady and very mild high make it great for daytime relief.

Hi-res http://i.imgur.com/wRbSH.jpg


Skunk47 x Grapefruit Krush was of an average height, medium node spacing and moderate durability “7”. She flowered for 68 days while yielding of 55.8 grams. Some of the more visually appealing buds I have grown, with the dark red hairs in contrast to the crystally calyxes. The structure of the buds were one of more impressive traits as they grew to near perfect tips, with no little off shoots. The curing bud has a subtle smell of banana, mild skunk and a hint of something similar to sweet tobacco. The taste is sweet and mild, with just a hint of something tangy. The effect is a healthy mix of head and body similar to codeine, giving it a nice calming effect and decent pain relief. It has an uplifting effect on ones mood and leans towards a focus on hearing, making it a social high. Exhaled hits are earthy and smooth with an occasional smell of sweet cloves.

Hi-res http://i.imgur.com/lYKJj.jpg

Edit: for yield seekers, all plants vegged 8 weeks, stunted ruffly 2 weeks, total 6 week veg. Total weight for all five plants was 267.2g or .66 grams per watt, as my green thumb develops hopefully I can get that closer to 1g per watt for efficiencies sake. Also I do still have the SSOG, although I don't see much more then 3/4oz coming off of her, she should be done in another two weeks. Edit 2: Wet weight was 94g for the SSOG, after subtracting 80% for water weight total comes in about .72 grams per watt.

Also I gave up on trying to get macro's, that's the best I can get with my camera at the moment, I have no idea how a couple of them turned out a little better then the others. I'm thinking it may be a lighting issue as I believe the clearer ones were taken around noon. So I'll try the other two around that time if I can manage, but that's it for these. I went through like 20 of each and those were the better ones.

Quasar Started off with a beautiful plant structure, just nice even solid growth all around and a durablity of “8”. Flowering for 81 days and yielding 51.5g might not be the best performance. However they are some very dense buds, the calyxes are like little pebbles, they just break off the main nuggets and are just like little stones. With a smell of liquorice, spearmint and a hint of musk that is similar to the pure Afghan’s. The effect is like a strong muscle relaxant that feels like you have a weight on your head pushing you forward. It’s very strong high "9" and bit over powering as you get the hearing sensation “wahwhawhahwah” creating a very hazy mental capacity making it difficult to think effectively and even more difficult to remember. Exhaled hits have a strong scent of skunk with a hashy taste and a slight a perfume smell.



Kandy Kush x Skunk, the growth was just phenomenal, with an extra, leaf/branch per node, I couldn’t LST her fast enough. She was a little bit sensitive “6”, with stems to thin to hold up the flowers. Flowering for 86 days and yielding 78.4g, she outperformed all others by a long shot. While the visual appearance is nothing to write about as the buds aren’t very uniform and almost appear spindly, the buds are of moderate density “this may be my fault as it was a bit premature”. With a hint of smelling like candy curing now with a hint of cinnamon. The effect on this one is a mixed bag of tricks, I think it may be in part from pulling her early. It’s starts off very energetic and ends up somewhat tiring. It seems to focus more on visual stimuli, leaving the user with a mild dizzy or cross-eyed feeling. It’s very strong high "9", a little too strong as it’s a ampy and confusing high making it difficult to focus. The exhaled hits have a hint of the classic old school skunk scent.



Edit: The high temperatures did help with the humidity in the jars, but it might have been nice to add a little moisture to the Quasar. Which was jarred overly dry requiring burping every 3 days and is remaining slightly harsh masking some of the flavor. I seem to get the best cures having to burp more frequently, preferably every 6-8 hours when starting the cure. The KKxS jarred moister requiring burping daily and is flavoring up nicely, even if though she was harvested prematurely.

A second edit for a moment of vanity, while I quote myself. As it was something I don't recall covering in my journal and it does detail my curing method.

Originally Posted by Shadeslay

From my limited experience.

I find mason jars with a screw on lid work very well. If you use the clamp jars make sure it's a good one as the cheaper ones leak "lesson learned".
When I jar the bud is still fairly moist in the center the leaves and 1/8-1/4" of the buds surface feels dry, with long stems on to slow my drying, I wait until the stem side is on the snapping side, while the bud area stem is slightly cracking
Curing the outside should feel just between dry and damp, when it starts feeling damp-moist you air it out. The inside should still be fairly moist, you'll be bleeding that out slowly. How long you air it out depends on varying factors, temperatures, bud density etc.
A good cure the bud will feel almost silky in texture.

I have the best luck when it's moist enough that it needs to be aired frequently early on, burping 6-8 hours and reducing over a weeks period, after that point they are burped 3-6 more times over the next few weeks. I can never get it go the whole way like it should, but it comes out extremely well.

Edit: when you air it out, be sure to dump it out if its to damp, also shaking up the jars frequently to break up the buds helps.
I forgot you can also go by smell if it starts smelling like mildew air it out, once it starts smelling dank jar it up and shake it up.

Using the jars to control how quickly it cures, when airing it out keeping it in the jar with the lid off slows down the drying processes "shake occasionally". How tightly packed the jar is can help you control the jar humidity as can the ambient temperature. High heat will increase the humidity significantly in the jar, subsequently drying "airing out" in this heat is much more likely to lead to over drying affecting the cure. If it must be aired out, try to re-jar it still somewhat moist.

The easy method using a small hygrometer your jar humidity should start around 70% burping multiple times a day into the low-mid 60's, which will be burped daily easing into burping severally times weekly into high 50's, increasing the length between burping to weekly with a goal around 55% for long term storage.

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While learning to combat my illness "auto-immune" I've taken to researching nutrition. To get an idea of how close I was to a balanced diet, surprisingly I naturally gravitated towards a balanced diet, a real shocker to me as well. I'm just shy on b-12 78%, calcium 97% and vitamin D 31% so I'll be boosting up those, I wouldn't mind getting each to over 200% daily value. As it is I've increased my potassium uptake as I've read it's thought that low potassium may contribute to this auto-immune and I've been getting severe muscle cramps even though I was at 150% of my potassium intake, so hopefully that helps. As for helping I've noticed eating cannabis does wonders with detoxing. The symptoms clear up 2-3 times as quickly using the edibles.

I figured I would edit and add in what I learned researching this as it may help some one else. People behave like plants regarding ph and nutrients, high sodium decreases potassium intake in a human just like a plant. So basically I'll just reduce my salt intake to increase my potassium uptake. Also maybe a few words of wisdom to anyone going through something similar. What I've continued to tell myself when ever it feels like too much. "It's only a thought", that's right only a thought. I may think and feel anything I want at any given time, it's not difficult, "It's only a thought". One thought after another, it's that easy.


This site it allows you to enter you food portions and will give a total of all your daily food nutrition and add it all up to see if you are on track with your diet.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/...2?quantity=2.0



Thanks for your time everyone, grow and smoke safely.

Ok this should be the last post in this journal. I just wanted to add in a warning to anyone with a auto-immune. I recently got a juicer and decided to try juicing raw cannabis. Depending on which type of auto-immune you have, juicing raw can be bad, I have the one with a reduced amount of bacteria in my gut. And while cannabis mostly just targets harmful bacteria "as it is an antibacterial" apparently it may kill some of the good bacteria as well as it caused my symptoms to flare up, although it could have just become agitated . As for edibles I've never really had a problem with them, but they may impede recovery. I think I'll settle for smoking it from now on.

Also my last batch I was trying 12/12 from seed. I wasn't legal to fill up my tent, so I only did the 12 I'm legal for to test out how it would produce in comparison. I had a problem mid way through, same as the last time. But I found what happened last time and this. It's the Jamaican guano, it should only be used in a tea and I was top dressing. These plants just didn't have the leaves or strength to survive the burn. About half of them lost most of their foliage and while I could've salvaged the others. I just scraped them all as it just wasn't worth ti to draw out for another 2 months for 2.5oz. And it gave me an excuse to plant some new strains I've really been wanting to try.

So I started over I'll be going with a 6-8 week veg again. Using Dr. Earth organic fertilizers, I have the bat guano at 10, 3, 1, bud and bloom 4, 10, 7 and I will be getting a all purpose 4, 4, 4 or 6, 6, 6. I'm thinking with those combinations I can get the most versatility on how I can mix them. And it should cover most of their needs, I've read Dr. Earth may be a little weak so I'll use Fox Farms to supplement that if it doesn't need much. If it needs a lot I'll look to the other organics I have and may resort to teas.


The ones I planted are:

LSD
Purple Haze
Hawaiian Snow
Bubba 76
Violator Kush
The Pure (Skunk) Regular seeds - Breeding Stock