Terminal bud
New Member
I have a small, discreet growing chamber in my basement. I’m lucky that I can grow plants in the open under 4-foot fluorescent tubes in the vegetative stage, and use the chamber only for flowering. I also don’t need to worry about the smell. I produce plenty for my personal enjoyment.
My wooden box is 36 inches tall, 30 inches wide and 16 inches deep. The floor and ceiling are 3/4-inch pine. The front, sides and door are quarter-inch plywood, with quarter-round molding reinforcement glued inside.
It has two 3-inch computer fans blowing out the top, with a cardboard-box chimney to keep light out and provide a little camouflage. It has a row of 1-inch ventilation holes along the rear bottom and a 3-inch intake on the bottom left side with a PVC elbow on the outside. The openings are covered with nylon mesh to exclude insects.
The interior is painted with white satin paint. A homemade wooden tray fits in the bottom. The door is sealed with weather stripping. The door is the entire front panel, hinged on the left. Clasps and magnets hold it tightly closed. The box has a 1-inch port in the back bottom left for electric cords.
It has seven 42-watt CFL bulbs in porcelain fixtures, each producing about 2,600 lumens, for a total of about 18,200 lumens. Five are 6,500 Kelvin, like bright sunlight. Two are 3,200 Kelvin, redder light that favors flowering. Two pairs of lights are mounted on the back wall on tracks to be raised and lowered. Two lights on the sides are on chains and hooks. One is in the middle of the door on a hook and chain. Another computer fan can be set or hung anywhere inside to keep a breeze going. The fans run constantly. The lights are controlled by a timer outside the box.
It stands on a sturdy table in the corner of the basement, which I keep between 40 and 50 percent relative humidity with a dehumidifier on the other side of the basement.
I make my own mix. For eight gallons, plenty for one grow, I mix 2 gallons of high-porosity ProMix, 2 gallons of Perlite, 2 gallons of screened compost from my bins, 2 gallons of coconut-husk “coir,” a half cup of well-pestled lime, and nutrients – a cup of blackstrap molasses, a cup of greensand, a cup of Job’s 4-4-4organic general-purpose fertilizer. I add water so it’s moist and mix it in a 16-gallon plastic container with my hands a week or two before it’s needed.
I put five plump, dark seeds in a tiny box lined with fine sandpaper and shake them to scuff the seed coats. I soak them overnight in distilled water. I start them in a 4-inch pot in Pro-Mix or high-grade seed-starter mix with bottom heat from a reptile-tank warmer. I set the pot in a dish and bottom-water, mist the top thoroughly and cover with a clean plastic bag.
The seeds usually all germinate within two days. As soon as I see signs of any germination, I take the plastic bag off and put them under two 4-foot 6,500 Kelvin T8 fluorescent bulbs to start the vegetative stage. These lights stay on 18 hours a day.
In a few days, when the seedlings are standing upright and the first set of true leaves has appeared, I transplant them into 1-gallon pots filled with the growing mix. I get the five bigger pots ready and carefully dump the seedlings onto a small tray. The roots will be long, maybe out of the holes in the first pot. Working quickly and carefully, so roots suffer and dry out as little as possible, I tease the roots apart and plant the seedlings in the new pots. This took me a bit of practice.
I gently pack the mix around the stem and water very carefully. The idea is to keep the soil very light and fluffy and wet. I put my nose six inches from the seedling to make sure the mix is at the same level as it had been in the first pot.
I keep them under the 4-foot lights for about 30 days. After two weeks or so, after five sets of leaves have appeared, I remove the growing tip from the central branch to promote branching.
I keep a fan blowing softly and obliquely in the room, and rustle the plants gently with my finger at least once a day to create sturdy stems. I put sticks or pipe cleaners under the big fan leaves to keep them off the mix.
The plants will generally grow very short and wide. When I see roots through the holes at the bottom of the 1-gallon pots, I transplant the biggest, bushiest two into 12-inch-wide pots. They almost always become females, but I keep the others under the 18-hour lights as backups.
I water generously to keep the mix moist, probably every other day. I keep about 10 gallons of water in jugs so the water is room temperature and has a chance to outgas chlorine. I water with a small gentle stream, slowly and carefully. If the mix is very dry, I get the surface moist and then wait a few minutes before thoroughly watering the entire container. With fans and lights and thriving weeds, I’m surprised by how much water they use. The best way to check if the mix is moist or dry is by lifting the pots. I have learned when they are too light or heavy enough. With this porous mix and proper drainage holes in the pots, I water slowly until water comes from the bottom – but I make sure the plants don’t sit in the puddle for long.
After 30 days or so, I put the two biggest plants in the cabinet, where the lights are on 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., suiting my schedule. I position the lights about 2 inches above the growing tips. This starts the flowering phase.
It is vital to make sure no light hits the plants during their dark period. I make sure I don’t open the doors by mistake too early or late, and check to make sure the openings are light tight. I check the timer often to make sure it is showing the correct time in case of power outages or mishandling.
The plants will typically “stretch” with quick growth when the light is reduced, so I check often to make sure they don’t get too close to the lights. I also check every day for the first flowers, which usually appear 10-14 days from when I reduced the light. This takes careful observation and experience but is very exciting. Usually male buds form first. The first female flowers will be individual bracts where a leaf joins a stem. Two dainty white hairs -- the pistils - are a sure sign.
I disbud by cutting off smaller branches at the main stem to produce a plant with six to 12 main branches. The idea is to make a flat layer of buds at the top of the plant getting plenty of close light and air circulation. As needed, I tie them with pipe cleaners to clips on the rims of the pots to bend them lower, and use wire and wooden spreaders to arrange the branches. I adjust the lights and buds frequently to make sure they are at the best distance from the lights.
The lower fan leaves will get yellow, wilt and even fall off. I let the plant decide when to cut them loose, but I tuck them down away from the buds and remove very loose or fallen leaves. It’s common to have very few leaves remaining when the buds are ready to cut.
With my house strain, all sorts of now-hybridized bagseed, I cut them after about 60 days from reducing the lights. Most of the pistil “hairs” will be brown, and the calyxes will be plump and covered with trichomes. I use a 10x magnifier, and when I see trichomes start to turn amber, I harvest.
I clip off each branch, manicure the buds of all the leaves, trimming down to the calyxes, and hang them on a string in a dim part of the basement. The relative humidity stays between 40 and 50 percent and the room fan keeps the air circulating gently.
When the stems snap rather than bend and the buds feel dry to the gentlest touch, I cut the buds from the stems and put them into clean glass jars.
Curing is an art I have not mastered, but I get good smoke by opening the jars every day or so and dumping them into a large clean bowl and then putting them back in the jars.
The biggest risk is mold if the buds are not properly dried. A lesser risk is harsh smoke from an improper cure.
About once a year, usually in summer, I make sure I have a male growing, usually hiding out in my garden. It can be pruned down to a very small plant. I use a tiny paintbrush to transport a bit of yellow pollen to one or two buds in the chamber. The tiniest bit will produce plenty of seeds.
My wooden box is 36 inches tall, 30 inches wide and 16 inches deep. The floor and ceiling are 3/4-inch pine. The front, sides and door are quarter-inch plywood, with quarter-round molding reinforcement glued inside.
It has two 3-inch computer fans blowing out the top, with a cardboard-box chimney to keep light out and provide a little camouflage. It has a row of 1-inch ventilation holes along the rear bottom and a 3-inch intake on the bottom left side with a PVC elbow on the outside. The openings are covered with nylon mesh to exclude insects.
The interior is painted with white satin paint. A homemade wooden tray fits in the bottom. The door is sealed with weather stripping. The door is the entire front panel, hinged on the left. Clasps and magnets hold it tightly closed. The box has a 1-inch port in the back bottom left for electric cords.
It has seven 42-watt CFL bulbs in porcelain fixtures, each producing about 2,600 lumens, for a total of about 18,200 lumens. Five are 6,500 Kelvin, like bright sunlight. Two are 3,200 Kelvin, redder light that favors flowering. Two pairs of lights are mounted on the back wall on tracks to be raised and lowered. Two lights on the sides are on chains and hooks. One is in the middle of the door on a hook and chain. Another computer fan can be set or hung anywhere inside to keep a breeze going. The fans run constantly. The lights are controlled by a timer outside the box.
It stands on a sturdy table in the corner of the basement, which I keep between 40 and 50 percent relative humidity with a dehumidifier on the other side of the basement.
I make my own mix. For eight gallons, plenty for one grow, I mix 2 gallons of high-porosity ProMix, 2 gallons of Perlite, 2 gallons of screened compost from my bins, 2 gallons of coconut-husk “coir,” a half cup of well-pestled lime, and nutrients – a cup of blackstrap molasses, a cup of greensand, a cup of Job’s 4-4-4organic general-purpose fertilizer. I add water so it’s moist and mix it in a 16-gallon plastic container with my hands a week or two before it’s needed.
I put five plump, dark seeds in a tiny box lined with fine sandpaper and shake them to scuff the seed coats. I soak them overnight in distilled water. I start them in a 4-inch pot in Pro-Mix or high-grade seed-starter mix with bottom heat from a reptile-tank warmer. I set the pot in a dish and bottom-water, mist the top thoroughly and cover with a clean plastic bag.
The seeds usually all germinate within two days. As soon as I see signs of any germination, I take the plastic bag off and put them under two 4-foot 6,500 Kelvin T8 fluorescent bulbs to start the vegetative stage. These lights stay on 18 hours a day.
In a few days, when the seedlings are standing upright and the first set of true leaves has appeared, I transplant them into 1-gallon pots filled with the growing mix. I get the five bigger pots ready and carefully dump the seedlings onto a small tray. The roots will be long, maybe out of the holes in the first pot. Working quickly and carefully, so roots suffer and dry out as little as possible, I tease the roots apart and plant the seedlings in the new pots. This took me a bit of practice.
I gently pack the mix around the stem and water very carefully. The idea is to keep the soil very light and fluffy and wet. I put my nose six inches from the seedling to make sure the mix is at the same level as it had been in the first pot.
I keep them under the 4-foot lights for about 30 days. After two weeks or so, after five sets of leaves have appeared, I remove the growing tip from the central branch to promote branching.
I keep a fan blowing softly and obliquely in the room, and rustle the plants gently with my finger at least once a day to create sturdy stems. I put sticks or pipe cleaners under the big fan leaves to keep them off the mix.
The plants will generally grow very short and wide. When I see roots through the holes at the bottom of the 1-gallon pots, I transplant the biggest, bushiest two into 12-inch-wide pots. They almost always become females, but I keep the others under the 18-hour lights as backups.
I water generously to keep the mix moist, probably every other day. I keep about 10 gallons of water in jugs so the water is room temperature and has a chance to outgas chlorine. I water with a small gentle stream, slowly and carefully. If the mix is very dry, I get the surface moist and then wait a few minutes before thoroughly watering the entire container. With fans and lights and thriving weeds, I’m surprised by how much water they use. The best way to check if the mix is moist or dry is by lifting the pots. I have learned when they are too light or heavy enough. With this porous mix and proper drainage holes in the pots, I water slowly until water comes from the bottom – but I make sure the plants don’t sit in the puddle for long.
After 30 days or so, I put the two biggest plants in the cabinet, where the lights are on 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., suiting my schedule. I position the lights about 2 inches above the growing tips. This starts the flowering phase.
It is vital to make sure no light hits the plants during their dark period. I make sure I don’t open the doors by mistake too early or late, and check to make sure the openings are light tight. I check the timer often to make sure it is showing the correct time in case of power outages or mishandling.
The plants will typically “stretch” with quick growth when the light is reduced, so I check often to make sure they don’t get too close to the lights. I also check every day for the first flowers, which usually appear 10-14 days from when I reduced the light. This takes careful observation and experience but is very exciting. Usually male buds form first. The first female flowers will be individual bracts where a leaf joins a stem. Two dainty white hairs -- the pistils - are a sure sign.
I disbud by cutting off smaller branches at the main stem to produce a plant with six to 12 main branches. The idea is to make a flat layer of buds at the top of the plant getting plenty of close light and air circulation. As needed, I tie them with pipe cleaners to clips on the rims of the pots to bend them lower, and use wire and wooden spreaders to arrange the branches. I adjust the lights and buds frequently to make sure they are at the best distance from the lights.
The lower fan leaves will get yellow, wilt and even fall off. I let the plant decide when to cut them loose, but I tuck them down away from the buds and remove very loose or fallen leaves. It’s common to have very few leaves remaining when the buds are ready to cut.
With my house strain, all sorts of now-hybridized bagseed, I cut them after about 60 days from reducing the lights. Most of the pistil “hairs” will be brown, and the calyxes will be plump and covered with trichomes. I use a 10x magnifier, and when I see trichomes start to turn amber, I harvest.
I clip off each branch, manicure the buds of all the leaves, trimming down to the calyxes, and hang them on a string in a dim part of the basement. The relative humidity stays between 40 and 50 percent and the room fan keeps the air circulating gently.
When the stems snap rather than bend and the buds feel dry to the gentlest touch, I cut the buds from the stems and put them into clean glass jars.
Curing is an art I have not mastered, but I get good smoke by opening the jars every day or so and dumping them into a large clean bowl and then putting them back in the jars.
The biggest risk is mold if the buds are not properly dried. A lesser risk is harsh smoke from an improper cure.
About once a year, usually in summer, I make sure I have a male growing, usually hiding out in my garden. It can be pruned down to a very small plant. I use a tiny paintbrush to transport a bit of yellow pollen to one or two buds in the chamber. The tiniest bit will produce plenty of seeds.
