StinkBud's How to Harvest Four Pounds

Hey everyone! Many of you may know me from my other thread "Harvest a Pound Every Three Weeks". Some of you may be familiar with my aeroponic cloner design featured in High Times magazine. Many may have thought I was strictly a hardcore hydro guy but actually I've always been open minded about different methods of growing. I grew in soil for 20 years before I started experimenting with hydro. I've always felt each method has it's pros and cons and want to talk about some of the advantages and disadvantages between the different methods.

So it's no surprise that I started this thread so that I can continue to "Spread the Love". Only this time we are going Old School! There is really nothing new being used here. I plan on trying every method of soil growing and comparing them using side-by-side testing. The first thing I'm testing is genetics.

I could have started with cuttings but I've seen too much Powdery Mildew up here in the NW. Once you get PM it's really hard to get rid of. You can also bring all kinds of other bad things into your grow room like mites, gnats, etc... Seeds are the safest way to start up disease and pest free.

Time to get started...
The first thing you need to think about is quality. Picking the right strain is one of the most important decisions you will make. Let me explain, if you start with seeds from a bag of Mexican dirt weed you will grow Mexican dirt weed. Sure you may grow a lot of it and it may be the best Mexican dirt weed anyone has ever smoked but it's still Mexican dirt weed. At the same time you can go order some killer seeds online and have some of the best genetics on earth within two weeks. Think about it.

Shit in, shit out.
You have to start somewhere so why not start with the most import subject first, genetics. Your success is 100% dependent on finding the right strain. Never underestimate the importance of finding good genetics to start with. You could easily fill an entire book on the subject of genetics, but I’ll try to keep it simple.

Military radiomen have a saying. Shit in, Shit out. The same applies to growing marijuana. The most important aspect of your grow is choosing a good strain to start with. The best system in the world will grow crappy buds if you start with crappy seeds. Now granted they will be BIG crappy buds but crappy none the less. I’m not going to go into every detail about genetics as there are entire books written on the subject. I just want to cover the basics of genetics in regards to my own personnel experience. Please understand that Genetics are constantly evolving. The top strains today will be replaced by better, stronger varieties tomorrow. Sure there will always be classic strains like Blueberry and AK47 but most likely you will be smoking whatever the flavor of the day is.

So let’s break it down. There are two main types of plants, Indicas and Sativas. Some people group Afghan as a separate type but for this discussion we will group Afghan with Indica. There are also strains from the Ruderalis family but let’s not deal with them in this book because you can’t clone them.

Indicas:
Plants are short, stocky and the buds are dense. Since Indica strains were bred for Hashish production, many varieties end up covered in resin. Smell and taste goes from sweet and spicy to hash like. Smoke is dense and tends to make you cough. Load small hits or be prepared for the coughing frenzy of death. Indicas also finish in a shorter time span as compared to Sativa strains. It’s common for an Indica to finish within eight weeks. The stone is usually thought of as heavy and physical. Think couch lock. The best thing about Indicas is the medicinal value. The plants are known to help cancer patient restore their appetite and reduce nausea and vomiting. Indicas also work well for insomnia and pain relief. My favorite Indica is LA Confidential from DNA Genetics. It tastes fantastic with a real strong high. Warning! Too many hits and it’s time for a nap.

Sativas:
Plants grow tall and lanky. Buds grow light and airy indoors. Taste can be mild and sweet, sometimes even fruity. Asian varieties may be spicy or even chocolate tasting. Smoke is usually light and smooth. You can load hero hits and be the man about town. Pure Sativas take forever to finish, sometimes longer. You will be setting around for months saying “what the fuck”? It’s not uncommon for Sativa strains to take twelve weeks to finish. The stone is energetic and cerebral, a real creative high. The more you smoke, the higher you get. Be careful though, if you smoke too much you might end up getting paranoid. My favorite Sativas are anything with Haze in them. Silver Haze is unreal! The first time I smoked it I got so fucking paranoid I just about shit myself! Think Speed Weed. I wish I had the space and time to grow pure Sativas. Good thing that there are mixes that gives you the best of both worlds.


Indica/Sativa mix:
This is pretty much all I grow. Anyone can find a strain that suits them best. Finish times can be between 8-10 weeks depending on the strain. The size can vary. Cropping may have to be used on taller strains. Some strains have more Indica in them. My favorite is the OG Kush SFV cutting. Technically it’s classified as a pure Sativa but the short flowering times and dense buds make it grow more like an Indica. OG Kush also has a knockout stone that will set you down in your seat. It’s great for movies and gaming. It is by far the tastiest weed I have ever smoked. You have to grow OG Kush at least once! Trust me on this. Strains with an Indica/Sativa mix are my main day smoke. Headband Kush, Blueberry, Granddaddy Purple, Purple Silver all fall into this category. They have an energetic high like a pure Sativa buy also have a nice mild body stone like an Indica. Balance is the key. You can’t go wrong with some of the classic Skunk strains around. I love that classic skunk taste and smell. If you love stinky bud, you will love Sour Diesel. It has that old school road-kill smell that I named myself after, StinkBud! So there you go, StinkBud’s condensed version of genetics.

Next, order your seeds...

Seeds - A new beginning
The first thing you need to do is get something to grow silly. You may have a line on some killer clones and that's cool but if you're from Bumfuck, Washington then that might be a little harder to do. Not to mention when you get clones you take the risk of bringing all kinds of nasty stuff into the room. If you're starting out with a virgin room you might be better off just buying seeds. You can get some amazing strains online. Just be careful where you have the seeds shipped to.

So here's the list that we are starting out with. This isn't everything but it's a good start. I have some unique strains that are yet to be named so those just have numbers and letters at this time.

Holy Grail Kush
Cataract Kush
LA Confidential
Sour Diesel
Headband
Skywalker Kush
OG Kush
Kandy Kush
Tahoe OG
Vintage 2006
Yumboldt x Vintage 2006
P.O.W. 33
Purple Wreck
LA Woman
OG Kush #18
Silver LA
Stacked Kush
Assorted StinkBud

So the process starts out kind of slow. I'll be keeping everyone updated on the progress when there is something worth seeing.

So how are the girls doing? All the genetics I ordered are doing great! The Sour D, Headband and Cataract Kush are doing the best. The other strains aren't far behind. I have a bunch of Stinky Pinky crossed strains from my own seed collection that are also doing great.

Many of you may be wondering why I chose soil for my growing method this time. Here in the NW there are thousands of guys setting on hundreds of pounds of outdoor grown bud. There are also a lot of guys growing hydro with synthetic nutes indoors. None of my patients want it! Shit that people would die for in NYC, you just about have to give it away here! So unless you have indoor 100% organically grown bud, you're fucked.

I grow what my patients want. I don't do this for money, in fact everything is non-profit and dedicated to helping those in need. There is no reason people should have to suffer when medicine is readily available. After watching my father and many close family members die of cancer I realized that someone has to step up and help these families. My father puked his guts up 10 times a day when he was going through chemo and radiation treatments. How many of you know exactly what I'm talking about? If you don't step up to help, who will? This thread is dedicated to those trying to "Spread the Love" anyway they can.

Girls are coming along great...

So check out the photos and see for yourself. I have yet to find another method that can produce better tasting bud than old school organic soil. It is a real pain in the ass though. Aeroponics is a million times easier!

Dirt is fucking heavy!

So here are the latest photos. Have a great day!

I wish I had some kind of exciting news but it's pretty much business as usual. That means transplanting to larger pots and a whole hell of a lot of work!

I did get my cloner up and running and I'd have to say it's filled with some the finest strains you could ever want. Most of my strains are related in some way or another. The classic OG Kush leads the pack with L.A. Confidential and Trainwreck mixes backing it up. It looks like I'll be able to find a number of good phenotypes to keep going. I'm really looking forward to the Purple Wreck, Tahoe OG and Kataract Kush. The Skywalker OG is growing huge and the Sour Diesel is looking to be one of the best of the whole bunch. I took 4 clones of the Sour D!

Here are some photos. I know, boring but what do you expect to see during veg? A fucking bud? haha. Oh well, just wait a few weeks and the flower side will be done and ready for these plants. Then the fun starts!

I’ll be back!
What are clones or as some like to call them, cuttings? Clones are genetically exact copies of the parent plant. Over millions of years plants have evolved different ways to reproduce. The most common way is sexually through seeds but they can also spread through the root system or through vines like Ivey. Some plants have the ability to produce new roots from a broken off stem if the conditions are perfect. This is the concept behind the aero cloner. We can create the perfect environment for the plants by misting the cut-off stems with water. With clones we can keep an exact copy going forever. It’s kind of cool when you think about it. Someday a thousand years from now some guy will be setting around watching reruns of “That 2070’s Show” smoking some vintage OG Kush.

Facts and myths about clones are numerous. Some of you may have heard that the genetics somehow change over time. That maybe the plant isn’t quite as potent after a few years. What usually happens is the user slowly develops a tolerance to the certain type of strain. This is very common and a good reason to mix up your verities every once in a while. A little new blood is good for you anyway. Shop around and try different strains. You can always go back to your staples if you want. Some breeders like DJ Short take medical tolerance into account when they pick different strains for breeding. They purposely stay with known genetics that have lasting power over many years. DJ Short’s Blueberry clone will get you just as high three years from now as it does today.

So what are the real advantages of clones over seeds? Well, there are a number of good things about clones. The first is you already know the sex of the plant. You don’t have to waste your time growing a plant for two months only to find out it is a male and you have to kill it. Nowadays people are trying to keep their plant count low. The police look at a male plant the same as they do a female plant even though it won’t produce shit for medicine! So not only are you taking up the space that a female plant could have been you are also taking on extra risks with no future benefits.
The biggest positive factor of using clones has to do with the genetics. Let me explain it so it makes sense. Think of the world famous basketball player named Michel Jordon. The greatest of all time, right? How many other exact copies of Michel will we ever see again? What about his brothers and sisters? They came from the same parent’s right? What about Michel’s kids? They’ll be just as good as their daddy right? Sadly it doesn’t work like that. There will never be another Michel Jordon just like there will never be another OG Kush SFV plant. The good news is we can clone the OG Kush!

We can keep the exact genetics going forever. Imagine being able to clone Michel the basketball player. We’d have the entire NBA made up of thousands of versions of the same guy! Walk into any modern grow room today and that’s basically what you’re seeing. Now of course some people would rather have Michel the singer vs. Michel the player but that’s where your personal choice comes into play. No one can tell you what you like best. You may like Strawberry Cough and hate Blueberry. Are you wrong? No, whatever works for you is what’s best.

Keep hunting down clones until you find the right strain and make sure to “Spread the Love”. The only way you can make sure your prized strain will survive is to give it away. If for some reason you lose everything to pests you can always get back up and running again by getting your original strains back. Sharing also promotes trading. You scratch my butt and I’ll scratch yours. Help your friends out when they need it because you never know when you might need the return favor some day.

Seeds? We don’t need no stinkin’ seeds!

The StinkBud cloner is amazing! Some people say you can stick a pencil in and later on pull out a tree! My cloner is an aeroponic system built inside of a 27-gallon Strong Box container. Each cutting is placed in a 2” net pot in the lid of the container. The cutting’s roots are misted with water at intervals of 1 minute on, 4 minutes off. An interval timer is used to control this automatically. Appendix 1 contains a complete parts list, photos, and assembly instructions for building the clone unit. All the parts are readily available at your local building supply and/or hydroponic shop. It is a simple DIY project: Cost is approximately $50.

Getting Started With Clones

If you can’t find some good disease and pest free clones you’ll have to start from seed the first time. No matter how you start, eventually you’ll be using cuttings, so let’s start there.

First thing you want to do is get your materials ready. Use a new single edged razor blade to take cuttings. Fill a bowl with cold water. Select a lower branch from one of your vegetative plants. It’s way better to use a stem from the lower branches than from the top. The lower branches contain more of the hormones that it takes to start roots. There are times when you take cuttings from the top though. If you need to keep your veg plant to within a certain size, you can use the plant material you trimmed off for your cuttings.

Use the razor blade to take a 2-4 inch cutting but don’t get hung up on getting it exact. Remember plants don’t have rulers. Put the cutting into the bowl of water and keep repeating the same steps. Take twice as many clones as you think you’ll need. Some clones will root faster than others. Even cuttings from the same plant can root at different times. If you end up with more cuttings then you need, give them away to other providers or just trash them.

After you have all the cuttings it’s time to put them into the cloner. Take the cuttings and place them in the foam sleeves and then into the 2” net pots. No spraying or dipping is needed. Just stick the net pots in the cloner and you’re done. Set your timer for 1 minute on and 4 minutes off. If your room is cold go ahead and run the pump 24/7. This will help keep the water warm and promote rapid root growth.

Well, that’s all there is too it. Within a few weeks your clones will develop a nice root system. After your cuttings pop roots it’s time to start feeding them nutrients and let them grow big. This is called the Vegetative stage. You will also learn how to crop and train the plants during this stage of development.

You can watch my video here on how to take cuttings:
[video=youtube;ksTYss7Pt6Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksTYss7Pt6Q[/video]

What up buddies! Things are going bonkers around here. The plants are going off big time now. It's funny how slow the plants grow when they are small but as soon as they pack on some weight, look out!

So I got the flower room set up. Everything was painted bright white including the floor. All the ducting has been installed and we are ready to go. I have a couple more lights coming any day now so I'll be running 4- 1000W light in flower and 2-1000W lights in veg. I'm planning on adding 4 more lights over time.

All I can say is HOLY SHIT!

good shit man!!!

Thanks man keep it coming.

Thanks bro.

subbed up. Looking great

did it work?

Wtf happened to this grow?