Wispy, wimpy, buds. WTF?

I've been using a 6-8 week flowering cycle, and have just stepped up to a 400 HPS, and 4, 2x40w Fluorescents, with grow light tubes, about 3 months ago, but I have wispy, airy buds.

I use Miracle Grow garden soil, and for Vegetative Growth, I've been using Miracle Grow plant food (24-8-16) when I water. Although, I have ordered fish emulsion, and plan to switch over to it.

For flowering, I've been using Miracle Grow "Bloom Boost" (10-61-10), and have recently added Bat Guano (0-15-0) to the mix.

My last two crops have had ultra healthy vegetative growth, but the flowering has been another story. The buds have been light, airy, and haven't really resulted in much 'product'.

The first crop was just a dry run, while I got my setup up and running, and got equipment as funds became available.
I got 7 females, and 4 males that first time, and about an OUNCE of bud, from 7, 3ft tall plants.
I blamed it on the lights I had at the time, a 70w hps, and 12, 23w cfl's. this setup put out about 41,000 lumens.

I added 4, 2x40w Fluorescents the next time around, and eventually replaced the homemade setup with a 400w hps, (although I have kept the homemade setup for maintaing my mother stock plants) and started another nine under my 6, 2x40 Fluorescents I use for vegging. I took clones from these at about 6 weeks. My clones took FOREVER (about 3 weeks) to take off. I budded the clones out, to find the sex of the plants. Unfortunately, 7 of the 9 were male . It left me with two mothers to take cuttings from. But, I hooked up on 3 known female clones from another grower that were "Lamb's Bread", so I've been vegging them out to become mothers themselves.
The remaining 2 clones were budded out, but early on, they had a lighting mishap, and the tops got burned pretty badly, and they produced about a 1/4 oz between the 2 of them.

Since I came across the Lamb's Bread, and it's a much better strain than the "seeds from a good sack", I decided to just bud out one of my mothers, and rely more on the Lamb's Bread for cuttings.
I've added the Bat Guano fertilizer this time around, and I hope the buds will have some actual weight to them.

Any thoughts? Tips?

The "from seed" mother, and the three Lamb's Bread mothers.

My current batch of clones. these all came from the 'from seed' plants.

Let's try this again.

My current batch of clones. these all came from the 'from seed' plants.

Maudib said:

Let's try this again.

My current batch of clones. these all came from the 'from seed' plants.

Click to expand...

Maybe a case of bad genetics?

your temperature too hi mate, needs to be at 80f(27c) if its to hot airy buds, plus you leaves r burning got to be that.

Well your using all bad growing materials. The MG nutes are just bad bad bad and wont yield dick. You can use MG soil but only Moisture Control soil and you have to water with ph 7 water no higher no lowwer. Keep that 400 watt light close as can be. Place your hand on the top of the plant and lower the light til the back of your hand is uncomfortabbly hot but not forced to remove it.And I prefer temps between 70-85 without co2 and with correct co2 85 ish F

I think your problem is not enough lighting. While your setup is doing good for veg.,
it's not enough for flower.
Here is a very detailed post on lighting that you may find very useful.
Lumens, lux, and adding it all up.

Those plants look healthy enough, but small yield you say.
Could be a number of things:
Temperature- too hot or too cold and bud growth will slow right down.
Roots- looks like you're using 2 gallon pots, which can be sufficiant, but if they're root bound that will hurt your yields.
Genetics- somtimes you just get a bad batch, but if you've got some of the actual lambs bread then that is taken care of.
Light leaks- will really fuck up you plants, get right on top of them.
Flowering time-This is usually the culprit. Despite breeders claims otherwise, i have never encountered a strain that was actually finished in under 8 weeks. The fact of the matter is, 95% of the growers on this site are chopping too early and not giving their buds time to fill in and swell to the full potential. Never go by the calender, go by what your buds are telling you.

Theres alot of growers who will tell you MG nutes are no good, but they are fine.
I used em for months and grow dank nugs.

rockman2 said:

your temperature too hi mate, needs to be at 80f(27c) if its to hot airy buds, plus you leaves r burning got to be that.

Click to expand...

It's actually been pretty cold. I don't have 'regular' heat in my house, and have been relying on a kerosene space heater to heat the room i live in, and letting the heat from the lights keep the room warm. It's gotten as cold as 50*f in there, when the budding light was off at night. the temp in the tent usually stays well under 80*f, as long as I leave the flap partially open.

Thanks for the input.

The pics I've put up are from the current batch.
I haven't got pics of the bud from the last 2 crops. It was pretty sad, though...

I'm hoping for better results this time around, and I was planning on taking longer with the flowering cycle like you suggested.

thanks.

Try trimming most of the lower branches on your plant next time you flower...

ya, lolliop them.
I do it with 1000w bulbs and still I Top and Lollipop them.

Sure Shot said:

ya, lolliop them.
I do it with 1000w bulbs and still I Top and Lollipop them.

Click to expand...

the best of the best tonight for riu

I trimmed the largest one of the lower half of it's branches.

I'm thinking it's genetics with this batch , because I used seeds from mid-grade commercial. I'm hoping that when I start the cuttings from the Lamb's Bread clones I have, the buds will be much healthier.
I've also switched over to Fish Emulsion (5-1-1), and Bat Guano (0-15-0), and will be using them exclusively on the Lamb's Bread.

Thanks for the advise. Wish me luck.