White Widow x Big Bud & Hashberry ReVeg to Flower!

[banjobrain]

Welcome to my second grow!

Strain: Hashberry & White Widow x Big Bud
Medium: Air-Pots and soil
Lighting: 250 Watt MHConversion/HPS
Nutrients: General Hydroponics Flora Nova Series
Style: SOG / LST

For some background on my first grow, you can check it out here.

Otherwise, please read on! First of all, let me take care of some business... Ok! Here we go!!! My first grow was pretty successful, considering all the trials and tribulations that are expected during one's first grow. My post-harvest reveg has gone relatively well!

After the initial harvest around 05/24/10, I let the girls grow out for a month. Initially, I had them at 24/7 under 4 15w CFLs. After a while, I changed the schedule to 20/4 while gradually increasing the number of bulbs from 4 to 6. After a month or so under this routine, on 06/28/10, this is what our revegged plants looked like...



Now...here we are, one month after this photo was taken. There's alot of catching up to do! Over the next few days and weeks, I'm going to try and get us up to speed so we can follow this grow better! Time to get to work!

So pull up a chair, light a fatty and enjoy the ride!

 

[SmilinBob]

What do they look like now?

 

[banjobrain]

Making a Pontiac-style wick cloner...

Making a Pontiac-style wick cloner...

What do they look like now?

Woah...we'll get there Bob - we just gotta take it slowly.

Ok, I'm going to ask you to step back in time. That's right...welcome back to 06/28/10. We saw our plants after a month of re-vegetative growth, now it's time to take some clones and get this show on the road!

Before we do that, let's take a second look at our plants below. There are four of them, from left to right: White Widow x Big Bud (1), White Widow x Big Bud (2), Hashberry (H1) and Hashberry (HD1). At this time, it looks like both White Widow x Big Bud girls are looking good. Hashberry (H1) is looking so-so. HD1 looks to be the stronger one out of the two Hashberry girls.



Ok...time to take some clones! After much thought on a way to take my clones due to my busy travel schedule, I decided to make my first cloner based on pontiac's wick cloner how-to thread seen here.

From left to right, you can see the supplies used for the wick cloner (rubbermaid container, a 3 liter water bottle, some nylon 3/8" rope and a couple gro-dan blocks), creating holes in the rubbermaid for the wicks, placement of grodan cubes, laying out of string inside cubes and topping off with perlite and a light seedling mix.



Ok, now that we've got our wick cloner tray ready, let's take some clones and throw them in there! Below are a series of pics with my first cuttings. From left to right, there's a pic to demonstrate the size of the cutting, how I cleaned it up, the different "quadrants" I utilized to test my cloning methods and finally a photo of the fully stocked wick cloner capped off with the 3 liter water bottle serving as my humidity dome!



In this photo, clockwise from the top left are: White Widow x Big Bud 2 (WWxBB 2) with Rooting hormone, WW x BB 2 without Rooting hormone, Hashberry 1 without Rooting hormone and finally, Hashberry (HD1) with Rooting Hormone in the bottom left.



At this point, it appears as though I have two distinct phenotypes from each strain. Without going into much detail, the WW x BB 2 seems to be the much "stronger" of the two, growing a bit more vigorous and upright. The WW x BB 1 is a bit more compact, but there's just something about it that I don't like.

Hashberry 1 (H1) seems to be a bit more "sproutier" with more stretch on the shoots. Hashberry (formerly a "dead" plant) seems to be much more "shrubby" with compact and fat leaves. I like the way that she looks. Check her out in the lower left of the photo above.

Place that dome on and leave them alone for a few days, we'll see what happens!

 

[banjobrain]

07/02/10 - 4 days after taking cuttings...

07/02/10 - 4 days after taking cuttings...

Not much to report here after 4 days inside the wick cloner... However, we had a bit of mold occur on the inside of the plants. Check it out!



Not a major deal, but I unscrewed the top of the 3 litre bottle to let them breathe a little bit overnight. The next day, I loosely placed the lid back on and then let the little girls sit for a few more days.

 

[banjobrain]

07/10/10 - A big day of transplanting and taking more clones!

07/10/10 - A big day of transplanting and taking more clones!

As previously requested, please relax and welcome to my time-warp machine. Sit down, breathe deeply joint and relax. Step back to 07/10/10. We have alot of work to do today! Are you ready?

Primary objectives:

• Evaluate clones after 12 days of growth
• Transplant clones from 06/28/10
• Evaluate intial wick cloner
• Make new wick cloner if necessary

Intially, I decided that 1 week was enough time for these baby's to root. Everything was looking good with my first round of clones, as you can see below, so i decided to mix up some soil, heavy on the perlite and transplant them!



So, after lifting the little plants out with a spoon, you can see that they've established some good roots after 12 days. Time to pot those babies up! Out of the 12 cuttings, I decided to only keep 6 plants, 4 WWxBB 2 and 2 Hashberry (HD1). The Hashberry plants are the two on the bottom right of the group photo on the right hand side below.



Ok...I didn't like lifting the clones out of the gro-dan cubes like that. I felt as though I was tugging off the girls delicate root hairs, and I probably was. However, the wicking action of the cloner made for easy maintenance during my travels...but, there is always a better way!

I decided to expand my mind and take a trip to the local garden center! I picked up some small peat-pellet jiffy seed starting trays, some transplanting solution and some other crap that I didn't really need. The idea begins...so I figured that I could insert clones into the peat pellets at an angle, allowing me to place larger clones under the small dome. I would fill in the remaining areas around the peat pellets with perlite and run a couple wicks through the center of them. The perlite should wick moisture and keep the peat pellets moist in theory. We have some WW x BB (1) clones photographed below outlining the process.



Here's a good top view photo of my best Hashberry girl after a couple weeks of growth and ready for cuttings. Looking good!

And finally, here a photo of the full cab, moms and daughters ready for another unattended week or growth!

Thanks for reading and checking in! We've still got some catching up to do!

 

[banjobrain]

07/17/10 - More cloning, transplanting, mother plant repotting and cab modifications!

07/17/10 - More cloning, transplanting, mother plant repotting and cab modifications!

No need to go into the why's and how's again...it's just safe to say that we're still in time machine mode. Please, sit back, make sure your tray tables are in their upright and locked position, relax and ! Whoa. I'll try and keep this on point, but I may begin rambling, too. At any rate, please keep enjoying the thread!

So...here we are on 07/17/10, one week after clones have been set in the new and improved Jiffy perlite wick cloner. Let's check in on things. Hmm...I wonder if it's time to work on that ventilation like I've been meaning to do?



Let's get a closer look at those clones. WW x BB 1 on the left, Hashberry HD1 on the right. The HD1 is looking good, WW x BB 1 looking ok. Overall health of the plants 1 week under domes in jiffy perlite wick cloner...very good. No sign of decline or failure.



How about the plants that we transplanted last week? Let's take a look at those? The WW x BB 2 are growing vigorously, the Hashberry (HD1) are keeping up and the single WW x BB 1 in the small pot towards the bottom of the photo in the middle is falling behind and not doing very well.



Yep. Things are looking good in the cab and I'm starting to wonder about the intensity of my lighting. I think I'd like to put up my 250w MH again and push some good vegetative growth. However, I'd also like to get my cab up to speed and utilize the mother room for it's intended purpose and make an attempt at a semi perpetual grow here. With temps running high during my first grow, I know I need to do some thinking and take some action regarding ventilation of my cab. This warrants a fat bowl and a trip to Lowe's and Home dePot!

 

[banjobrain]

07/17/10 - More cloning, transplanting, mother plant repotting and cab modifications!

07/17/10 - More cloning, transplanting, mother plant repotting and cab modifications!

Here's my current set up. I had switched out my HID lamp for my DIY flouro light fixture for my babies. I have a well constructed cab that I'm not fully utilizing. Ok...let's see what we can do. Well, part of my ventilation problem is probably the fan and all the bending of the flexible ducting. 90 degrees into the fan from the flower room -> out the side of the cab, 90 degrees before being pushed up into the attic. Hmm. This could use some improvement - the fan needs to be "rearranged."


First of all, let's remove the flexible ducting. Then to have some room to work, let's remove the sliding utility room floor. Props to NOKUY for his design seen here. At any rate, this will make working on the utility room much easier. Now, let's remove the fan and drill a hole in the top of the cab for direct airflow through the top of the cab. The flange that was previously on the side of the cab will be attached directly to the fan itself. Some minor adjustments to the fan and some additional foam rubber for insulating purposes and the fan is good to go for installation back in the utility room. Now you can see that the fan has a more direct line from the HID lamp hood out of the cab. Less resistance = more efficient fan = cooler cab = healthier plants = better harvest!



After all the minor adustments and all my measurements (twice) here's what our utility room looks like now! Install the CFL's in the mother room and hang up the HID fixture in the flower room, we're good to go!



Now those photos may have made it look easy, but because I built my cab for 2 150w cool tube lamps but am only running one 250w lamp, this makes ventilation difficult. It took different ways of assembling pieces, but after a custom flange on the hood, 2 couplers and 2 90 degree elbows Macgyvered together with duct tape, we ended up with a clean ventilation directly to the fan and out from the hood. The air is pushed up and directly out of the cab to the attic. Big improvements! After running the lamp for a couple hours, we're holding steady at low 70s with temps. Now it's time to fully stock that cab and get it operational!



To be continued...

 

[banjobrain]

07/17/10 - More cloning, transplanting, mother plant repotting and cab modifications!

07/17/10 - More cloning, transplanting, mother plant repotting and cab modifications!

Ok! So now we've got the cab running right, let's transplant these moms and see if we can't clean them up a little bit! We've got our soil which is a blend of Miracle Gro Organic, Perlite, Mushroom Compost and Espoma Bio Blend, which is a starter fert designed to encourage mycorrhizea in the soil. I went a little heavier on the mushroom compost to naturally feed my moms. Then I proceeded to cut about 1/2 - 3/4 inch off the sides and bottom of each plant. Fresh soil on each side and boom! That's it!

 

[banjobrain]

07/22/10 - We're getting there...

07/22/10 - We're getting there...

Not much to report here, just a few photos from 07/22/10 - 5 days of growth after the 07/17/10 check-in. Clones have been growing for 12 days successfully...



The plants in the photo second from the right are mislabeled. Those are Hashberry, not WW x BB 2.

 

[banjobrain]

07/24/10 - Time to transplant the clones!

07/24/10 - Time to transplant the clones!

Ok...Everything is looking good here on 07/24/10 - I'm a little unsure about transplanting today, but I have time and I decide to do it. My soil mix is a good blend of Miracle-Gro Organic, Perlite, Espoma Plant Tone and Bone Meal and Mushroom Compost. I don't measure anything out, but never use more than what appears to be on the label. You can still burn plants with the "natural" products.

I will be growing in Air-Pots again, except this time I will have 3-4 plants per pot with a shorter vegetative time. I plan on growing in a SOG style, but my staggered cloning periods may lead to a hybrid SOG / LST / supercropping experimental grow.

All plants will also be outfitted with 4 drip emitters to be used in conjunction with the Oasis system. Based on past experience with this unit and the various settings, 4 emitters should work well and take me through flowering.

Because many of the clones were in the jiffy wick cloner at an angle, they began growing up towards the light. You can see that we will utilize that angle and train each plant to grow "outwards" towards the lip of the pot to maximize available space for our giant budsicle project.



Finally, this is the end result and what we'll potentially bring to harvest! We've got Hashberry (HD1 only) on the left and mostly WW x BB 2 on the right. There may be a few WW x BB 1 plants left in there, but I have settled on these two particular phenos to maintain as mother plants for future grows. The WW x BB 2 in the back right is considerably larger than the others.

 

[banjobrain]

07/29/10 - Oops...I probably could have waited a few days to transplant...

07/29/10 - Oops...I probably could have waited a few days to transplant...

I have a habit of not leaving well enough alone. I have a tendency to rush things and try and force it. Well, I've learned a few lessons and I'm sure I'll continue to learn a few more. Upon transplanting on 07/24/10, I noticed that some plants had more established root systems. We're only talking a couple of days, here but look at the photos below...

Which ones do you think had the more established root systems? :jawdrop:



Well, on a positive note, my mothers are looking real good and need a haircut. From left to right, WW x BB 1, Hashberry (HD1) and WW x BB 2.



WW x BB 2 has proven itself between the two WW x BB plants. HD1 (Hashberry) has proved itself. From 14 total seeds (10 Hashberry, 4 White Widow x Big Bud), I have selected my two mother plants. I wonder if anyone has any thoughts about hanging on to the other WW x BB phenotype...

Hashberry on the bottom, White Widow x Big Bud on top

 

[banjobrain]

07/31/10

07/31/10

And finally, a photo to share from 07/31/10. This should get us up to speed for the most part.



Nothing spectacular at that time, just confirmed suspicions. Two clones died, maybe the little guys in the middle can take their places for 4 Air-Pots filled with 3 plants for a SOG / LST style grow.

I have already supercropped a couple plants, so this should be a fun test of methods!

Thanks for sticking around!

 

[banjobrain]

08/01/10

08/01/10

Ok! We are officially back on track! Below are some photos from about 15 minutes ago...



Temps running good, a solid 77 degrees! There are a few things that I failed to mention earlier. Yesterday, I decided to put a seedling heat mat into the cab, as my temps were 71. My ventilation improvements are working great!

The heat mat has raised temps ever so slightly, giving the young clones a better chance at survival. In addition, once I go into flower, I'll eventually pull the heat, dropping the temps of the cab by 5-6 degrees. The ambient temps will decrease as well as we approach fall, temps cool and I begin running lamps at night.

I have some small guys in the center, 2 Hashberry and 1 WW x BB. They were going to be my new mothers, but I think I may transplant them into the Air-Pots. Maybe I'll just cull the remaining WW x BB 1 clones in the bottom right and start fresh with some healthy clones transplanted.

I'll worry about clones for a mother plant later...



Sp far, my cloning has been 100%. 3 plants were killed due to "user error" after transplanting. Call it what you want, but overall, I would say this has been relatively successful. Over the next few days, I'll probably take some cuttings of the WW x BB 2 plant in an attempt to grow a good and solid new mother plant. Once that gets established, I'll do the same with the Hashberry. For now, I'll just nurse her along.

Maybe with WW x BB 1, rather than just cull her from the bunch, I could clean her up again and bring her to flower, maybe get a good bunch from her. Many things to think about...but for now, that's all I've got!

 

[mellow yellow]

Hello m8 good to see the reveg is going well, good luck with the new grow keep the posts coming.

I have been taking cutting too, yesterday repotted a few few more to shoot.

was happy with my last harvest,ended up with about 6 zips in all and the cheesewreck is proper badboy.

gonna get a 400w hps soon looking forward to that.

catch u soon bud

 

[banjobrain]

Hello m8 good to see the reveg is going well, good luck with the new grow keep the posts coming.

I have been taking cutting too, yesterday repotted a few few more to shoot.

was happy with my last harvest,ended up with about 6 zips in all and the cheesewreck is proper badboy.

gonna get a 400w hps soon looking forward to that.

catch u soon bud

Eh...I decided to shut things down and pack it up for a month or so. I live in a small apartment complex and it is well known that I travel frequently for my job.

My electric meter just got replaced followed by a notice for a routine "16 point inspection" because my lease is ending soon. I'd hate for them to come in to my place, while I'm gone and have them open up my laundry room and find the dreaded marihuana plant!

The inspection, coupled with the inspection in and of themselves are not a big deal...and even with the two events occuring within the same 2 weeks, I'm not overly concerned.

But that, coupled with my increasing workload is leaving me with little time to continue my hobby successfully. I plan on getting things going again soon, but I am also considering moving to a new apartment also...

I recently broke up with my girlfriend, too - and made mistake number 1 - I showed her my grow (I know, I know...no need to tell me how stupid I was). It should be cool and although we ended it reasonably well, it's probably in my best interests to play it safe and be cool until I can get settled into a new place.

So, throughout the past year or so, I've learned alot. The most important thing is that I will never tell another soul, except for you folks out here in IC mag. Even good poon-tang is not worth the peace of mind that comes along with our "little secret."

Thanks for keeping in touch, Mellow Yellow. I'll be sure to check in on your grows!

Until next time ya'll!

 

[mellow yellow]

Good luck mate shame you gotta pack up but stuff happens to us all on the journey

Take it easy hope you get going again soon.