what creates tight nugs?

[shifty]

For the most part, I've been pretty satisfied with my growing results (mega-props to ICMAG and OG and to all of the contributors too many to name!), but I seem to lack that elusive quality of the tight, dense nug. I mean, I've come closer at times, but I have never achieved that ultimate bag-appeal quality. I'm sorry if I seem very nebulous, but I know some of you guys know what I mean...

Anyway, for this thread, please give your thoughts/info/experiences on what makes tight nugs. Is it a function of one or a combo of things? Please name

1. strains - what strains are more prone to exhibiting this tight nug quality? Especially those that would work where temps can be somewhat variant..

2. additives/amendments that have worked

3. techniques/other things that have worked.

If this subject has been beaten to death, I apologize and ask to be re-directed to the appropriate thread.

 

[acidnI_livE]

tight nugs........well for one you must use bulbs that are halfway decent in the light spectrum, genreally a hps enhanced inthe blue spectrum will make denser nugs than your basic ge/phillips/sylvania hps bulbs. as that goes a MH during flower will tighten up the nugs and bring out better colors, but at the same time the mh bulb sacrificess a lot of lumens that are lost by using a mh bulb only during flower. this is one aspect of tight nugs = Light Spectrum.........but alot of us growers use HPS only to flower and still get tight nugs. which brings me to this next factor that influences nugget density.

Genetics, mostly sativas have more fluffy airy nugs, as indica have more compact denser nuggets of bud. but this is not such a drastic difference where a sativa is going to have no bag appeal becaseu of the airy nugs, no they are just more sparsly located on the plant. you can still have a 100% indica and get runny loose airy nuggets of bud.

i thinkwhat you are having trouble keeping the temperature in the acceptable range when flowering. i never let my flowering room get hotter than 78 degrees (and that with co2) but never the less they should stay below 78 in flower. this is THE #1 thing that creates runny loose "see-thru" buds. high flowering temps are the culprit.

also you got to get feeding right and all that but you should have a feed regimine already.

get back to me and let me know what your average tmeperature was during flower that made the "Not-So-Tight" nugs. bet they were above 80 degrees.

and of course some type of foliar spray like colossal bud blast or liquid light help, but they dont make up for lax gardening or improper plant care or high temps. they are somthing that once you get all other variables under controll, then these sprays/additives will have effect on the budding. but got to get your environment under controll first or no matter what you use or spray on the plant, it will not fix the environmetn.

 

[bongorilla]

I agree with the above post. a lot of it is genetics but temps play an important role. i use c02 in a sealed room and rarely go above 79f.

young plants in the first few weeks of flower I raise the temps up to 85f(with c02) if i want stretch. once buds are pliable and growing then I never go over 79f and always use c02.

ripening is were I start to drop the temps gradually begining after week 5 I stay at 75f days and gradually drop for the remainder if the grow. dropping the temps in the end triggers the plant to defend itself as it senses winter aproaching.

at the end of the grow week 7 the daytime temps usually hover about 72f and below. and night time temps fall down in the lower 60's.

cold shocking the plant usually tightens the calyx's and boost the trichome output a little and brings out autum colors.

hi temps usually trigger the opposite effect and the plant usually spreads open its calyx's and stretch in an attempt to cool itself off.

I'd say dropping the temps in the end makes the buds a little tighter and the trichs a little bigger and brings out more color.

I used to grow stretchy airy NYC diesel and the only way to make it a little tighter was to drop the temps way down on it.

a lot of the urkle crosses i have grown just genetically produce tight boulder type nugs.

 

[Cannabean]

light intensity plays a big role too.

 

[cocktail frank]

you need skills.
better light, great air movement and keep em healthy!
this all will help you achieve what you want.
when i first started growing, i had the same problems.
time and experience will help you.
not implying your a noob.

 

[Dr Dog]

I agree with the above post. a lot of it is genetics but temps play an important role. i use c02 in a sealed room and rarely go above 79f.

young plants in the first few weeks of flower I raise the temps up to 85f(with c02) if i want stretch. once buds are pliable and growing then I never go over 79f and always use c02.

ripening is were I start to drop the temps gradually begining after week 5 I stay at 75f days and gradually drop for the remainder if the grow. dropping the temps in the end triggers the plant to defend itself as it senses winter aproaching.

at the end of the grow week 7 the daytime temps usually hover about 72f and below. and night time temps fall down in the lower 60's.

cold shocking the plant usually tightens the calyx's and boost the trichome output a little and brings out autum colors.

hi temps usually trigger the opposite effect and the plant usually spreads open its calyx's and stretch in an attempt to cool itself off.

I'd say dropping the temps in the end makes the buds a little tighter and the trichs a little bigger and brings out more color.

I used to grow stretchy airy NYC diesel and the only way to make it a little tighter was to drop the temps way down on it.

a lot of the urkle crosses i have grown just genetically produce tight boulder type nugs.

makes sense to me, but I don't think 72 is needed anything under 80 with good air movement should keep plants comfortable

 

[00420]

light intensity plays a big role too.

intensity don't mean 50+watts per sqft either
me and smurfin'herb where just talking about "intensity" on this thread http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=92874

keep em healthy!

this is the biggest role
temp,hum,nute's,ph,airflow everything must be 100% for healthy plants. and each plant is not the same so if you run multi strains you might get 2-3 that do good and 2-3 that lick ball's then next grow run the same 6 and it be the other way around do to less nute's, higher ph, new a/c to keep it cooler in the room ect.....

strain has a lot to do with it as well, mostly any inda dom plant with be nice tight nuggy's to name a few.... grape ape, NL x big bud , purple urkle, big fatty A-4, ATF.....

 

[smokeymacpot]

CMH
more blue light = denser

 

[petemoss]

I read that you should have a small differential between daytime temps and night temps in order to keep the spaces between nodes small. If there is a big jump in temp when lights are on, your plant will stretch more.

 

[inflorescence]

I read that you should have a small differential between daytime temps and night temps in order to keep the spaces between nodes small. If there is a big jump in temp when lights are on, your plant will stretch more.

Yup, DIF (difference between high day and high night temp) is big for internodal stretch but I guess I'm still just a noob in the sense that I don't believe internodal distance is the same as calyx "stacking" distance.

In other words who here believes the calaxy distance is the same as internodal distance.

Similar, yes, but the same, i just don't see it.

 

[Greens]

Light intensity and other factors influence the tightness of the buds, but it is mostly determined by genetics.

You do know that the tightest buds don't necessarily make them the best buds, right? The trippiest and possibly the most potent buds I ever grew were very fluffy Super Silver Haze buds that took 16 weeks to flower. They were not tight at all. However, I've also grown some super tight nugged indicas that were very potent too.

 

[Shady Smoka]

Im having the same problem. I have NYCD and it is soo airy.

 

[TheOneWill]

It's so hard to keep the temps down here in the South.

 

[charliemurphy]

The Purple Urkle or a cross with it is definitely one way to go. Last fall we had a connect getting some that was organically grown in Southern California, and an 8th was a nug hardly as a big as a 50 cent piece

 

[alpinestar]

no big secret, two things: environment and genetics

more indica dominant genetics are often those with the densest nugs. white rhino and northern lights are great examples

environmental concerns involve growing medium, nutrition, lighting schedule, and lighting intensity

adding hours to the light period at certain times in flowering has been shown to increase yield

plant hormones can also be added to increase yield and density

highly aerated mediums tend to favor faster root growth which allows for more bud growth

higher potassium also increases yield

you also want to make sure not to skimp on nitrogen or any other nutrient for that matter

lastly sugar based additives help bulk up buds significantly

 

[inflorescence]

no big secret, two things: environment and genetics

hehe, wouldn't that pretty much be EVERYTHING, not just two things (considering you listed all this as environmental:environmental concerns involve growing medium, nutrition, lighting schedule, and lighting intensity)?

 

[DIGITALHIPPY]

i dont care what these guys say but i HATE dense-ass nugs... they dont burn right, dont get me as high, and i always feel riped off when buying them, looking bad on 'my-boy'...so make your goals higher yield or more resin, but dont look for "tight nugs" to be the answer to your prayers. "FLUFFY" bud is another issue, dont run too hot.


people actualy like getting a decent size bag...dont forget that.

 

[superuber]

You nailed it Hippe i hate dense ass nugs period. I remember a friend had some lemon kush which these days fuck the names i don't believe it. To the point he gave me this small ass chunk which i thought was about a gram weighed was 1.9g and hard as a rock. Burned like shit, tasted like shit and an ounce looks like a quarter.

Alot has to do with the genetics and spectrum at least from my experience. I remember reading a post hear that a mixture of cmh and sodium is the way to go for dense but not to dense nugs.

 

[Gangabiss]

If you want fat, dense buds then you need 2 main things:

1. Strong light source (at least a 600w HID lamp and at least 50w per square feet))
2. Good genetics known for producing those rock-hard buds

If all your environmental factors are optimal and you have those 2 elements in your grow then you'll be rolling in buds you could knock someone out with given a well placed bat to the head. lol

However, for the grower at least, tight, dense nugs are hugely overrated IMO. As long as you're getting a good consistent yield from your setup you shouldn't worry too much about having the tightest, rock-hard buds around.
Besides, if you're the person growing it you're going to have a much more difficult time keeping the mould at bay that WILL try to spread into your crop. This risk increases dramatically along with the density of your nuggets.
Mould in your buds is no fun. Trust me.

 

[Danger Mouse]

lastly sugar based additives help bulk up buds significantly

Quick question...

Should sugar-based additives be added during final flush?

Thanks,

DM