Getting airy, "popcorn" buds

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GregoryOR

New Member
My first blueberry grow looks like it's ready to harvest (50% of the trichomes are amber), but it's a pretty disappointing plant. Trichomes are small and sparse, and there is no density to the flower. I don't know if you can see from the attached picture. but there's lots of empty space on the main colas. I grew bubblegum before, and it was slightly better than this, but still not dank or dense. So I guess I'm doing something wrong, but am not sure what. I set it to flower about 5 weeks ago, which is way less than the recommended 9 weeks, but if my trichomes are going amber, aren't I done?
Any thoughts on how to improve my grows? Let me know if you need more info - I appreciate the help!
 

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Boatguy

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
GregoryOR said:
My first blueberry grow looks like it's ready to harvest (50% of the trichomes are amber), but it's a pretty disappointing plant. Trichomes are small and sparse, and there is no density to the flower. I don't know if you can see from the attached picture. but there's lots of empty space on the main colas. I grew bubblegum before, and it was slightly better than this, but still not dank or dense. So I guess I'm doing something wrong, but am not sure what. I set it to flower about 5 weeks ago, which is way less than the recommended 9 weeks, but if my trichomes are going amber, aren't I done?
Any thoughts on how to improve my grows? Let me know if you need more info - I appreciate the help!
Click to expand...
5 weeks is barely into flower. And dont even bother checking trich's till you get close to harvest time. Early ambers arent uncommon, and not a sign of doneness.
Blueberry can be a long flowering plant so you will likely be beyond 9 weeks before its ready.
 
StareCase

StareCase

Well-Known Member
GregoryOR said:
... MarsHydro Mars300 LED Grow Light Full Spectrum for Hydroponic Indoor Greenhouse / Garden Plants Growing, 132W True Watt Panel ...
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Well ... methinks that be your cause of fluffy bud. I used two (2) 260 true watt Viparspectra blurples in a 2 x 4 flower tent for a total of 520 watts that I kept at 18" above the canopy. The bud you get is effective enough but it doesn't feel hard and dense like bud flowered with a good sized HID bulb.

Anything below that first 3" on any cola or anything not directly under the blurple diodes was rather LARF like. Pruning or lollipopping or selective defoliation helped a bit but not that much. And from what I have read - the best way to fix that blurple LARF is ...

... the QB or COB route. I'm doing that later this year.
 
ilovetoskiatalta

ilovetoskiatalta

Well-Known Member
GregoryOR said:
My first blueberry grow looks like it's ready to harvest (50% of the trichomes are amber), but it's a pretty disappointing plant. Trichomes are small and sparse, and there is no density to the flower. I don't know if you can see from the attached picture. but there's lots of empty space on the main colas. I grew bubblegum before, and it was slightly better than this, but still not dank or dense. So I guess I'm doing something wrong, but am not sure what. I set it to flower about 5 weeks ago, which is way less than the recommended 9 weeks, but if my trichomes are going amber, aren't I done?
Any thoughts on how to improve my grows? Let me know if you need more info - I appreciate the help!
Click to expand...
show us the lower part of the plant.
 
G

GregoryOR

New Member
Wow! Excellent information in such fast, thoughtful replies! Thanks everyone!

@Boatguy I thought trichomes were the ONLY indicator for doneness. I've added some pics of trichomes. These aren't amber, but they are all cloudy. You'll have to trust me that the other leaves I looked at had amber trichomes. But they were about the same size and density as the sad ones in these pics. I was worried that by flowering too long, I would lose all the THC in the plants. Happy to go another month or so if the trichomes were a false alarm.

@ilovetoskiatalta straight to the nether regions, huh? No drink first? Pic attached. It's only 40 inches from the floor, so, while I think it looks very healthy, there's definitely room to grow. Is that why you are asking?

@StareCase Thanks for making me look up 15 acronyms. You should work for the government! I now am well-versed on COB, QB and LARF. I will assume that blurples are an LED light with lots of blue, pink and purple tones. I just bought an $85 260w (1500w-equivalent) COB LED grow light on Amazon. I know, I went with the cheapest option, so it's probably not as good as others I could have bought, but, money.

Two more questions:
  1. I know I should be trimming leaves to let light penetrate deep into the plant, but not sure how much to trim, since enough leaves need to be left to actually take advantage of the light, right? Should I be trimming now, and somewhat aggressively?
  2. With my new light, I can rebalance wattage between my grow tent and flower tent. Who should get more light? Veg or Flower?
Thanks all!
BlueberryWholePlant.jpgBlueberryWeek5.jpgBlueberryWeek5b.jpg
 
Thundercat

Thundercat

Well-Known Member
That plant is no where near done. Still looking at 5+ more weeks depending on your grow and a few variables. Your plant is still right in the middle of flower and producing fresh new buds for you.

trichomes are the final indicator of ripeness. You shouldn’t even look at the trichomes until atleast 90% of the stigma have turned redish and shrunk back towards the buds, AND the bracts have swollen up and are really fattening. None of that will happen until many more weeks have passed.

On the plus side if you listen and keep your plant healthy you will have some lovely buds you get to enjoy. They will get thicker and denser, and they will get more trichomes, but they need to actually finish growing.
 
Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
How much area are you trying to cover with that light? a 2x2 foot area is maxing that thing out hard at 33 watts per sqft when I would want more like 40 with that light in flower.
 
StareCase

StareCase

Well-Known Member
GregoryOR said:
... @StareCase Thanks for making me look up 15 acronyms. You should work for the government! I now am well-versed on COB, QB and LARF. ...
Click to expand...
LOL!! I did work for an arm of the Provincial government - in the server management field no less. Three Letter Acronyms are my thang!! And with knowing those acronyms - you have been officially welcomed to the Roll It Up community.
 
ilovetoskiatalta

ilovetoskiatalta

Well-Known Member
GregoryOR said:
Wow! Excellent information in such fast, thoughtful replies! Thanks everyone!

@Boatguy I thought trichomes were the ONLY indicator for doneness. I've added some pics of trichomes. These aren't amber, but they are all cloudy. You'll have to trust me that the other leaves I looked at had amber trichomes. But they were about the same size and density as the sad ones in these pics. I was worried that by flowering too long, I would lose all the THC in the plants. Happy to go another month or so if the trichomes were a false alarm.

@ilovetoskiatalta straight to the nether regions, huh? No drink first? Pic attached. It's only 40 inches from the floor, so, while I think it looks very healthy, there's definitely room to grow. Is that why you are asking?

@StareCase Thanks for making me look up 15 acronyms. You should work for the government! I now am well-versed on COB, QB and LARF. I will assume that blurples are an LED light with lots of blue, pink and purple tones. I just bought an $85 260w (1500w-equivalent) COB LED grow light on Amazon. I know, I went with the cheapest option, so it's probably not as good as others I could have bought, but, money.

Two more questions:
  1. I know I should be trimming leaves to let light penetrate deep into the plant, but not sure how much to trim, since enough leaves need to be left to actually take advantage of the light, right? Should I be trimming now, and somewhat aggressively?
  2. With my new light, I can rebalance wattage between my grow tent and flower tent. Who should get more light? Veg or Flower?
Thanks all!
View attachment 4508843View attachment 4508844View attachment 4508845
Click to expand...
The lower part of the plant could be thinned out. Your light is only penetrating to a certain point(you have to determine that). Also some of those lower suckers could be cut and then your energy will focus on the upper bud sites. Just my .02
 
P

P10p

Well-Known Member
GregoryOR said:
My first blueberry grow looks like it's ready to harvest (50% of the trichomes are amber), but it's a pretty disappointing plant. Trichomes are small and sparse, and there is no density to the flower. I don't know if you can see from the attached picture. but there's lots of empty space on the main colas. I grew bubblegum before, and it was slightly better than this, but still not dank or dense. So I guess I'm doing something wrong, but am not sure what. I set it to flower about 5 weeks ago, which is way less than the recommended 9 weeks, but if my trichomes are going amber, aren't I done?
Any thoughts on how to improve my grows? Let me know if you need more info - I appreciate the help!
Click to expand...
Plants not close to done, still LOTSS of time left. Good luck m8.
 
nl5xsk1

nl5xsk1

Well-Known Member
You can try bending over all the tops so you have an even canopy. this will really help increase yields
 
G

GregoryOR

New Member
Renfro said:
How much area are you trying to cover with that light? a 2x2 foot area is maxing that thing out hard at 33 watts per sqft when I would want more like 40 with that light in flower.
Click to expand...
Just the one plant. But I'm pretty sure that my tent is 2x2, and you're saying that's not really enough light even for that space. I am replacing it with a much stronger light as soon as it arrives next week. Thanks for the tip!
 
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GregoryOR

New Member
ilovetoskiatalta said:
The lower part of the plant could be thinned out. Your light is only penetrating to a certain point(you have to determine that). Also some of those lower suckers could be cut and then your energy will focus on the upper bud sites. Just my .02
Click to expand...
If it results in bigger buds, it's worth way more than $0.02! I will do that today. Quarantine makes it much easier to spend time with my garden!
 
G

GregoryOR

New Member
PoopyMcPooper said:
does that bucket have drainage holes?
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Yep. It's one of those "self-watering" planters with the holes and attachable tray/dish. They've been working really well for me. I usually wait for the first signs of drooping before I water. The theory is it makes for much stronger root system, and eliminates risk of overwatering.
 
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