drknmstatiga
Active Member
I remember encountering ROLLITUP.org many years back as a newbie myself.
From this site i was able to obtain lots of growing information that i found to be helpful throughout the years and some unsatisfactory.
I had finished my last grow in the current place I reside and I plan to quit until I move to MMJ state and decided that It is necessary to give it back to the community that taught me so much throughout my life as a grower.
Many of us spend countless of hours researching the subject of HOW TO GROW. and to Subcategories of To grow with Ease, to Advanced techniques and so on and I hope that whatever I list here will be able to save you some time as well as help you as much as others previously helped me become a better grower.
These things I list are things I learned from experiences and feel free to ask questions about it anytime.
To start I like to start with "MYTH"s around MMJ Growing.
Few myths to cannabis growing that I heard on Rollitup were these. (I can't really remember them all from top of my head so plz feel free to add on )
"to Clone a plant, you must obtain the clone while the original plant is in vegetation phase because it is impossible to clone after it starts flowering or budding."
- This statement is FALSE.
I dont know if you guys heard of "re-vegging" a flowered plant. It is a process where after you flower a plant and harvest, you leave few branches at the bottom. Return the light schedule from 12/12 to 18/6 and start adding light amount of Veg (High Nitrogen) nutrient for about 10~14 days usually to revert the plant back to its Vegetative state.
With cloning, its a same process as regular cloning. cut the branch dip in a cloning agent put it into a cube(or something like it) and put it into a dome to create high humidity environment . (if you have questions about cloning in general. feel free to ask and i will put it into greater detail). But usually a clone from a flowered plant takes few days longer to root, but also depends on the genetic as well.
"To flower cannabis You must set your timer to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness for it to fully activate it's photo-period."
-this state is true but not always.
12/12 light schedule is just basic guideline in which for growers ( mainly new ones ) are to follow that are not accustomed to tuning your environment according to w/e genetics you possess. Many times I ran genetics under 13 hours of lights and 11 hours of darkness or 11 hours of light and 13 hours of darkness to see comparison in terms of yield and potency. Even though it wasn't tested under 100% controlled environment to give the perfect comparison, I believe 13/11 is optimal light schedule for first 5~6 weeks of flowering and eventually reduced to 11/13 schedule. For me I noticed a increase density as well as size when I ran same genetic about 3 times. in different situations.
"soil growing is easier and hydroponic is harder"
False. If you knew the basics of Organic growing. and easiness of hydroponics. no one would ever say this.
I know there are some out there who are ridiculously good at soil growing. When I mean soil growing, I refer to organic. Chemical fertilizer in Soil do not work well. I repeat... CHEMICAL FERTILIZER IN SOIL DO NOT WORK WELL. However, You will be able to grow with chemical fertilizer in soil and push to finish and harvest but you will never be able to reach 100% of that genetic's potential. A cannabis grown on soil cannot 100% optimize the chemical fertilizers applied because soil is not "MADE" for such applications.
Soil works different than Hydroponic. To really utilize soil growing you need to understand the Organic concept of Microbial growth and use of Earth worm casting Teas, fungal teas, use of myco fungis and the lists go on. Or you can use a Soil recipe like SUBCOOLS SUPER SOIL that is seemingly easy but in my own experience, working with soil (in terms of 3~4 month from veg to harvest) in overall was way more work than Hydroponics.
However, Soil is cheaper in term of initial start up fee as well as nutrients goes in terms of organic. But I found it to be messier and found no difference in the outcome of the product when it was properly cured vs a hydroponically grown product. (ALSO I noticed it was harder to control humidity level in soil growing vs hydroponic)
Hydroponic is more expansive in initial set up. The essential things to the "optimal" hydroponic system I ran were
(it was modified versions of Recirculating Deep Water Culture system RDWC and Undercurrent System)
1) water chiller 2) 5 gal buckets 3) fittings 4) tubes 5) water pump 6) air pumps/ stones 7) ph/ppm meters
misc parts. (grow stones, bucket cover, etc) of about $1000 plus the ac unit and carbon filter/fan comes out around $1500 ish not including stuffs like drills that i needed to construct my system.
However after the initial set-up. It was far easier to monitor and maintain as well as grow.
Before changing to Hydroponic. I use to grow organic for 5 years. but I can clearly say, Hydroponic will yield anything from 30% and higher compared to soil growing in a contained environment. So if you are looking to grow commercially, I would say to do it hydroponically. It would save you a lots of time when it comes to maintenance as well as greater yield. And DO NOT OgrVERLOOK AN WATER CHILLER WHEN GROWING HYDROPONICALLY. Dissolved Oxygen play heavy role in hydroponic systems and lower water temperature is crucial key component to ensure 1) low temp water ensuring greater amount of oxygen dissolved into water 2) keeps pathogen in check. (Not always but without it. it would b harder to control root rots and slimes that build up around roots.)
Also when it comes to growing. Focus on root Growth more than the exterior. Great root = great yield. (more in detail if needed)
"you need to trim the leaves right after harvest..."
well... this is controversial. But I say NOT THE BEST WAY unless you are looking to get some frozen trims for water hash or something. other than that. I believe DRY trimming has better final product vs Wet trimming.
This is very controversial. I would like for you guys to try this if you can at the time of harvest.
Before going into detail I would like to point out that.
DRYING AND CURING is critically important period in the plants life that will determine the final product of your harvested materials.
In a controlled environment. After I would wet trim. (Trimming the sugar leaves and fan leaves right after the CHOP or harvest) it would take about 4~5 days for my material to dry and put into jar. In the same environment if I dry trim (removing all the fan leaves but leaving all the sugar leaves on as well as leaving the whole plant on its main stem) it would atleast take about 9~14 days for my products to properly dry to be put into jar. So you would ask me. Why the heck would I wait 9~14 days to dry the material when It can be done in 3~4 days?
For those that are going to wet trim some time soon. You will notice almost like grass cut smell during the first few days of your materials drying phase as well as when its done drying after 3~4 days requiring you to jar it for at least 2~3 weeks before the scent that you smelled during flowering to come back. and the returned smell will not be as strong as it was during its flower phase. This "Hay" like scent comes from plants natural ability to fight off predator bugs when it feels like its endangered, it throws off that "Hay" smell because it repels bugs. Same reason it smells like your cut grass after you mow your lawn because your "Grass" feels endangered when you cut em etc. (Sry can't really remember the scientific term for it)
However when you dry trim(letting the materials completely dry before manicuring) the hay smell is non-existence, flavor stays, requires less cure time . (i noticed it to hit its perfect cure state around 2 weeks) and you don't lose large numbers of THC becuz you were rubbing your hand against a wet plant materials.
"You don't need to cure Bud after you dry them as long as you dry them correctly"
If you want to bring that genetic to its 100% potential. U NEED TO CURE THEM. Its like drinking a freshly made wine. It will get you drunk but it sucks.
it took me many years to realize that to be a great grower, you must pay attention to every detail you encounter and Properly cured bud will make your Ganja from just regular Good stuff to Total FIRE in regards to improved look, taste, and smokability.
Through curing you are reducing water content that is left in your cannabis after it "dries" properly. Perfect time to estimate when to start stacking your cannabis in a jar is when the stems of the Ganja begin to "SNAP" when you start to bend them.
Using products like Caliber III Hygrometer can really help you diagnose what stage your plant is in. and how to cure perfectly everytime.
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=156237
(this post about curing helped me throughout and hopefully it will help u guys as it did for me.)
By reducing water content in your Cannabis, you are making sure that your cannabis is MATURING properly.
There is a chemical change that occur during the Curing period. changing of non psycho-active component of THC to psycho-active component THC (sorry forgot the scientific terms for it as well.
) as well as maturing and changes in terpenoids.
Also for obvious reasons. less water content in your cannabis will ensure that it will BURN PROPERLY.
Thats about all the topics I can think of my Head that doesnt really float around the forum much i Think. Please If you have any questions regarding the listed "FACTS" or anything else, I will try to answer your question to the best of my abilities.
Happy tokin and God Bless ~
From this site i was able to obtain lots of growing information that i found to be helpful throughout the years and some unsatisfactory.
I had finished my last grow in the current place I reside and I plan to quit until I move to MMJ state and decided that It is necessary to give it back to the community that taught me so much throughout my life as a grower.
Many of us spend countless of hours researching the subject of HOW TO GROW. and to Subcategories of To grow with Ease, to Advanced techniques and so on and I hope that whatever I list here will be able to save you some time as well as help you as much as others previously helped me become a better grower.
These things I list are things I learned from experiences and feel free to ask questions about it anytime.
To start I like to start with "MYTH"s around MMJ Growing.
Few myths to cannabis growing that I heard on Rollitup were these. (I can't really remember them all from top of my head so plz feel free to add on )
"to Clone a plant, you must obtain the clone while the original plant is in vegetation phase because it is impossible to clone after it starts flowering or budding."
- This statement is FALSE.
I dont know if you guys heard of "re-vegging" a flowered plant. It is a process where after you flower a plant and harvest, you leave few branches at the bottom. Return the light schedule from 12/12 to 18/6 and start adding light amount of Veg (High Nitrogen) nutrient for about 10~14 days usually to revert the plant back to its Vegetative state.
With cloning, its a same process as regular cloning. cut the branch dip in a cloning agent put it into a cube(or something like it) and put it into a dome to create high humidity environment . (if you have questions about cloning in general. feel free to ask and i will put it into greater detail). But usually a clone from a flowered plant takes few days longer to root, but also depends on the genetic as well.
"To flower cannabis You must set your timer to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness for it to fully activate it's photo-period."
-this state is true but not always.
12/12 light schedule is just basic guideline in which for growers ( mainly new ones ) are to follow that are not accustomed to tuning your environment according to w/e genetics you possess. Many times I ran genetics under 13 hours of lights and 11 hours of darkness or 11 hours of light and 13 hours of darkness to see comparison in terms of yield and potency. Even though it wasn't tested under 100% controlled environment to give the perfect comparison, I believe 13/11 is optimal light schedule for first 5~6 weeks of flowering and eventually reduced to 11/13 schedule. For me I noticed a increase density as well as size when I ran same genetic about 3 times. in different situations.
"soil growing is easier and hydroponic is harder"
False. If you knew the basics of Organic growing. and easiness of hydroponics. no one would ever say this.
I know there are some out there who are ridiculously good at soil growing. When I mean soil growing, I refer to organic. Chemical fertilizer in Soil do not work well. I repeat... CHEMICAL FERTILIZER IN SOIL DO NOT WORK WELL. However, You will be able to grow with chemical fertilizer in soil and push to finish and harvest but you will never be able to reach 100% of that genetic's potential. A cannabis grown on soil cannot 100% optimize the chemical fertilizers applied because soil is not "MADE" for such applications.
Soil works different than Hydroponic. To really utilize soil growing you need to understand the Organic concept of Microbial growth and use of Earth worm casting Teas, fungal teas, use of myco fungis and the lists go on. Or you can use a Soil recipe like SUBCOOLS SUPER SOIL that is seemingly easy but in my own experience, working with soil (in terms of 3~4 month from veg to harvest) in overall was way more work than Hydroponics.
However, Soil is cheaper in term of initial start up fee as well as nutrients goes in terms of organic. But I found it to be messier and found no difference in the outcome of the product when it was properly cured vs a hydroponically grown product. (ALSO I noticed it was harder to control humidity level in soil growing vs hydroponic)
Hydroponic is more expansive in initial set up. The essential things to the "optimal" hydroponic system I ran were
(it was modified versions of Recirculating Deep Water Culture system RDWC and Undercurrent System)
1) water chiller 2) 5 gal buckets 3) fittings 4) tubes 5) water pump 6) air pumps/ stones 7) ph/ppm meters
misc parts. (grow stones, bucket cover, etc) of about $1000 plus the ac unit and carbon filter/fan comes out around $1500 ish not including stuffs like drills that i needed to construct my system.However after the initial set-up. It was far easier to monitor and maintain as well as grow.
Before changing to Hydroponic. I use to grow organic for 5 years. but I can clearly say, Hydroponic will yield anything from 30% and higher compared to soil growing in a contained environment. So if you are looking to grow commercially, I would say to do it hydroponically. It would save you a lots of time when it comes to maintenance as well as greater yield. And DO NOT OgrVERLOOK AN WATER CHILLER WHEN GROWING HYDROPONICALLY. Dissolved Oxygen play heavy role in hydroponic systems and lower water temperature is crucial key component to ensure 1) low temp water ensuring greater amount of oxygen dissolved into water 2) keeps pathogen in check. (Not always but without it. it would b harder to control root rots and slimes that build up around roots.)
Also when it comes to growing. Focus on root Growth more than the exterior. Great root = great yield. (more in detail if needed)
"you need to trim the leaves right after harvest..."
well... this is controversial. But I say NOT THE BEST WAY unless you are looking to get some frozen trims for water hash or something. other than that. I believe DRY trimming has better final product vs Wet trimming.
This is very controversial. I would like for you guys to try this if you can at the time of harvest.
Before going into detail I would like to point out that.
DRYING AND CURING is critically important period in the plants life that will determine the final product of your harvested materials.
In a controlled environment. After I would wet trim. (Trimming the sugar leaves and fan leaves right after the CHOP or harvest) it would take about 4~5 days for my material to dry and put into jar. In the same environment if I dry trim (removing all the fan leaves but leaving all the sugar leaves on as well as leaving the whole plant on its main stem) it would atleast take about 9~14 days for my products to properly dry to be put into jar. So you would ask me. Why the heck would I wait 9~14 days to dry the material when It can be done in 3~4 days?
For those that are going to wet trim some time soon. You will notice almost like grass cut smell during the first few days of your materials drying phase as well as when its done drying after 3~4 days requiring you to jar it for at least 2~3 weeks before the scent that you smelled during flowering to come back. and the returned smell will not be as strong as it was during its flower phase. This "Hay" like scent comes from plants natural ability to fight off predator bugs when it feels like its endangered, it throws off that "Hay" smell because it repels bugs. Same reason it smells like your cut grass after you mow your lawn because your "Grass" feels endangered when you cut em etc. (Sry can't really remember the scientific term for it)
However when you dry trim(letting the materials completely dry before manicuring) the hay smell is non-existence, flavor stays, requires less cure time . (i noticed it to hit its perfect cure state around 2 weeks) and you don't lose large numbers of THC becuz you were rubbing your hand against a wet plant materials.
"You don't need to cure Bud after you dry them as long as you dry them correctly"
If you want to bring that genetic to its 100% potential. U NEED TO CURE THEM. Its like drinking a freshly made wine. It will get you drunk but it sucks.
it took me many years to realize that to be a great grower, you must pay attention to every detail you encounter and Properly cured bud will make your Ganja from just regular Good stuff to Total FIRE in regards to improved look, taste, and smokability.
Through curing you are reducing water content that is left in your cannabis after it "dries" properly. Perfect time to estimate when to start stacking your cannabis in a jar is when the stems of the Ganja begin to "SNAP" when you start to bend them.
Using products like Caliber III Hygrometer can really help you diagnose what stage your plant is in. and how to cure perfectly everytime.
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=156237
(this post about curing helped me throughout and hopefully it will help u guys as it did for me.)
By reducing water content in your Cannabis, you are making sure that your cannabis is MATURING properly.
There is a chemical change that occur during the Curing period. changing of non psycho-active component of THC to psycho-active component THC (sorry forgot the scientific terms for it as well.
) as well as maturing and changes in terpenoids.Also for obvious reasons. less water content in your cannabis will ensure that it will BURN PROPERLY.
Thats about all the topics I can think of my Head that doesnt really float around the forum much i Think. Please If you have any questions regarding the listed "FACTS" or anything else, I will try to answer your question to the best of my abilities.
Happy tokin and God Bless ~