Wow, what a read, finally finished all of the Riddleme Madman's links, side references, charts, etc. I've read every post in every thread and can say it was well worth the time and effort. I have been pseudo playing the game with Riddleme through PM's, it's a blast.
Let me introduce myself, I am a Colorado State Licensed MMJ Caregiver, so I grow legally. I have been growing for about 4 years but still consider myself to be a 'noob' if you will. I started following RMMM or RM3 for short, (riddlememadman) as I wanted a simple approach to nutrients and feeding and what better place to start, just like a noob. Anyway, I often tell people, I cannot tell you how to grow the best, but I can tell you how I've screwed things up in the past. You name it, I've done it. I've got some experience under my belt in that area.
Just some quick thoughts and observations.
I see a lot of small plants in great big containers, I think you should let them out grow and up pot
Jonathon, you did an excellent job of lollipopping that tree of yours. You have everything basically the same distance from your light source and nothing below wasting. Don't know how dense you can get her with those lights but you will have a lot of bud to toke !
Ed, if I remember you had a hermie, was it the blueberry? My understanding is that most, if not all, blueberry plants hermie due to the extensive age and over breeding of the genetics behind them. I've had a friend who's did that too. His was from Barney's I believe. Also I think you came up with the cost spread sheet? I couldn't open it after download, but would love to try it out. With the passage of HB10-1284, I as a caregiver am required to only sell my meds to my patients at cost and what a better way to calculate?
I noticed that several people have had plants hermie on them and I just want to give my $.02 on it. One thing we have to keep in mind is that one of if the not the, biggest stress we can place on these plants is not giving them pollen to complete their life cycle. Once they hit a point in flowering they are under constant stress which is why they are growing buds and pistils so heavily. I DO believe light leaks and to a much higher degree, light cycle issues, lead to the hermie trait being brought out. As RM3 has said we are god and mother nature of our plants indoors. And we have the 1st stress in addition to having the additional stress of Force Flowering. Outdoors plants don't go from 18/6 to 12/12 in one day, its very very gradual and the moon, street lights shadows, etc are accounted for by the slowness of the process, IMHO. (as evidenced an obvious here
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=1189&month=6&year=2010&obj=sun&afl=-11&day=1, ( I Know I gotta bring proof to this thread, you guys are too sharp !) I would love to have the ability to change the light cycle indoors by the 2 minute increments to mimick outdoors but thats along experiment !) So that's strike two and they, I believe are related, in that when you add those, and one more photo period problem, they can and often do hermie. I've had a plant hermie when all the others in her set were fine. Eventually narrowed it down to a small red light on a power strip that she was next to. So, I say be careful with light leaks and especially photo period, make sure your timers are set and correct.
And along those lines, I know that we all start with bagseed and thats fine and dandy. So we don't know the genetics behind it or what to expect, very blind if you will. When these plants hermie and produce seeds, many traits can and are passed along, including that hermie trait, sometimes. I actually believe it is always there, just waiting to rear it's ugly head. In breeding programs they don't usually hermie a plant to itself to create feminized seeds. They may use a hermie but they pollinate a plant that is a straight female to increase the odds of supressing the hermie trait and not passing it. I would be careful growing the seeds from the self pollinated hermies as the chances are higher they will too be hermies.
Next point is the contest, which I think kinda ties into all of this. I think we should do a contest where we compare apples to apples. Rather than having everybody growing something different, we should all grow the same strain, from seed, at the same time all using what we have learned from RM3's threads. We pick a date and we all put them in the ground and see what happens. I like this as it would be a nice class/case study of the effects different environment have on a strain and grow. Many times when you are grading MMJ you are grading the grower more so than the genetics, kinda, if that makes sense. We would all be on the same kinda program and nutes, (can't wait to start the Jacks & dynagrow BTW).
Now how do we all get the same strain? I have done some 'pollen chucking' (they are one off crosses not strains, no back crossing...yet, but stable F1's) and have some beans that have been tested by several farmers and they are pretty uniform. I would be willing to send a few beans to each person in the contest. (I've done it and have no problem doing it have nice stealth method) The genetics are mine and called Purple Rain which is my Purple Head Knocker x White Widow. The Purple Head Knocker is the Arcata Cut of Trainwreck x Durban Poison. For me, I would get to see x # of journals with my genetics and as an amateur breeder there is nothing better than seeing someone else grow your shit. Also, there are green phenos and true Purple phenos. Not the leaves turning purple cuz people don't Keep 'em Green (nice mantra) till the end. I mean true Purple genetics where the leaves remain lush and green and the calyx's turn purple. It's a beautiful plant so forgive my fawning on it. Just a thought.
And a picture to wet your appetite.
Am I Norml? you remind me of a good friend from another site, I love your style and the gruff of you ! You mentioned that you, 15 years ago, went on the buying the most expensive shit quest. I'm there now and wanting OUT ! Humboldt's line of 15 products is breaking me down
Ohh, pictures of the puppies ! My Australian Shepard Border Collie mix is named George or Geogialicious, or Porgy Pie. Dog's are the best. He's in my outdoor garden
I like the 'family feel' to these threads, Big, you are the man ! Love how everyone sticks up for the teacher, that's how it should be
I come from a boxing background and I can tell you there are hundreds of ways to train and prepare a fighter, but all that matters is how he performs 'under the bright lights'. I think the same holds true with mary jane. Many ways to do the same thing, find one that works FOR YOU and stick with it and experiment.
Greencrack, love the avatar, and love the TPB's.
RM3, A friend ordered during that same attitude promotion and gave me some of the beans. Let me know when you pop the Cole Train, Motavation and Rocklock and we can run them side by side. Show you what you taught me
I only wish I had found these threads sooner, I had so much to say to everyone along the way ! kiss-ass
