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Simple tips to grow excellent cannabis

TickleMyBalls

just don't molest my colas..
Veteran
ICmag is obviously filled with loads and loads of pot snobs. most every experienced grower I know prefers to smoke herb that they have grown, regardless of quality of other people's product. We just seem to all grow accustomed to the flavors and aromas our personal methods bring out in the final smoke.

Many people I know that grow hydro just pass around a formula, and don't experiment too much, but even then each grower leaves their own mark on their herb.

I've said before in other threads that to me cannabis cultivation is a giant exercise in problem solving and the practical application of the solution. As growers our main problem to solve is what the hell does this fuckin' plant need to perform to it's highest potential? That is our adventure, that is our job. We learn our plants in and out, so we know just what to do, and when so they come out exactly perfect for our taste.

I'm sure a lot of people use methods to achieve their perfect smoke. Some of us get to a point where we only take "green hits", or we only smoke joints, or we only smoke concentrate produced from nugs. But I'm sure most of us growers/pot snobs are at the point where they won't hit a random joint passed to them if they don't know what's in it. It may be rude, whatever, I don't give a fuck. Some people don't care what they put in their body. I've definitely offended people in the past for not smoking weed they grew, or bought and thought was great. I know I definitely disappoint friends in my reaction to their product sometimes. But I'm honest, and I take cannabis very seriously. So I'm always looking at it with a critical eye. When someone grows great weed, I give them as much props as I can, and definitely cop some to smoke, to show my appreciation for their effort in producing something to be proud of.

I'd say about 95% of the time I smoke, it is herb that I grew myself, or with partners. I just like my product better, and 9 out of 10 times it is better than anything else around for consumption at the time. There are many tricks and methods that I use that weren't learned on overgrow or ICmag, but talking to older growers or just having deep conversations about plants with my contemporary grower friends. Rarely someone will stumble upon a new method or trick to solve a problem they have, but most are common sense things that humans have learned while cultivating plants for thousands of years.

So I'd like people here that are absolute snobs for their own herb, and feel they have found a groove where they really are pleased with what they do, to chime in here with tips for people on how (to quote a god amongst men in our community DJ short) "Cultivate Exceptional Cannabis."

I'll start with a tip I learned a few years ago and have passed along. Even showed it to a friend that has been growing since before I was born and he got a kick out of it. We're always learning.

The way I make sure my plants are flushing out nutrients properly at the end of flowering is break main fan leaves off of the plant in different areas and put the freshly broken stem in my mouth to taste the juices that are in there. This will give you an indication of the level of nutrients still left in the plant. The goal of flushing is to force the plant to use up all stored nutrients we've been loading them with in this shortened life span. If the leaf tastes bitter, it means the plant still has high levels of salts and stored nutrients left in it.

If you taste your leaves every few days during the flush, you will notice the bitterness start to dissipate, and in the end the juice coming out of the leaves should be completely tasteless.

My intention of this thread isn't to try and say my weed is better than yours or to get some shit talking started. I feel the only way to raise the quality of cannabis across the board is to spread knowledge. Giving out every bomb OG kush or Chem line cut to all growers won't improve the quality, just flood the scene with poor representations of beautiful strains. So this is me doing my part. Lift up your fellow growers and help them grow better herb!

what's your simple tip that gets your ganja just the way you like it?
 
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TickleMyBalls

just don't molest my colas..
Veteran
yes, patience is a virtue in growing cannabis, as it is in life. definitely a simple tip that new growers trying to blow it out and expecting to get great results immediately should take to heart.
 

AOD2012

I have the key, now i need to find the lock..
Veteran
Well, I ventured out of the grow closet a little over a year ago, so I consider myself a little more than a noob. But my biggest thing was just going simple. I tried WAY too many methods at the beginning, and when something went wrong, I never knew which factor it was. I was mixing like 5 different bottles every time I fed, and was spending way too much cash. Anyways, I bumped to a tried a true nute regiment, plants are loving it, and now i can tweak it to my needs.



aod
 

silver hawaiian

Active member
Veteran
Tip: There is such a thing as too-much lovin'. Don't meddle too much. Know when to walk away and leave 'em alone. Keep it simple - once you find what works, you don't need to get sucked into every gadget and gizmo and shiny object at the hydro store.
 

one Q

Quality
Veteran
Every six months or so, or if youre having a problem that you can't nail down, check the pH of your source water.

Only add ONE new product per grow to your nute line. You can see the difference easier and know what did it...

This I think is the most important: Dial in ONE or TWO strains at a time. The act of DIALING is where excellence comes from, IME. The difference between your first and second grow with the same strain will be good. The 5-6 grow from the same strain will be Grand.

I had a problem always lookin for the NEXT best strain. Till I finally just sat down and was like "focus on ONE strain till youre a great grower" Now I think I could tackle most any strain.
 
I agree with dialing in and not trying to find the "next best strain". Pick one strain and learn everything about it. How much nitrogen does it need in veg and the beginning of flower to keep the leaves green until flush? How many days does it need to flower properly (seems like from seed the plant will take a little longer to finish than the clones from that plant will)?

You can always add but you cant subtract

You can have the most perfect buds and then turn them to shit based on what you do after you cut them down. From the second a plant gets cut down, hang it. Dont put it on the floor, dont all your plants in a garbage bag (actually never use plastic bags for anything canna related) for a minute till your ready to trim them. Dont dry your plants to quick but make sure they are dry before you put them into a jar.

Should be a fun thread..... everyone has great points so far!
:smoke out:
 
S

Señor Chang

Knowing your source water is key.
Letting the sexed plant reach maturity before running.
-Especially if you are reviewing the strain.
I play around with the addition of non-essential trace minerals.
 

Rowdy420

Member
Keep a journal so you can review different seasons/ feeding schedules. With every change in the season comes changes in your garden.

The more you know, the better you'll grow

Good luck, peace
 

silver hawaiian

Active member
Veteran
Keep a journal so you can review different seasons/ feeding schedules. With every change in the season comes changes in your garden.

The more you know, the better you'll grow

Good luck, peace

QFT

Keep a log of:

Temps - all times of day, whenever you're in the garden, make a note of the time, temp, & RH

FEEDING - super important - duh

Plant responses - did it respond positively to x- that you did? y- ?

Etc.
 
put everything in the soil and just add water

topdress with 1-2 tbs mexican guano week 3 of flower so they dont yellow out through the strech

only add carbs 1-2 in flower so you dont mess up the taste

keep the light as far away as you can so the tops dont dry out and the plant stays sticky
 

big twinn

Super Member
Veteran
I perfer to use Mollasses every to every other watering from start to finish...my plants seem to really branch and just mass out.

I find that organics are much more rewarding and forgiving then the chemical counterparts

Unless growing SOG with closely packed clones, i ALWAYS begin bending the apical stem horizontal for lsting EARLY...using garden twisties and paper clips to repress them down..the product is dense Branchy bushes with 20-30, ive even had 1 plant with 93 tops.

i keep a log or else i would never be able to keep track of feeding schedules, lighting arrangements, flowering times, and growing characteristics.
1st time growing Sour Bubble and i really think i may have it perfectly dialed in on the first go around...either fast learner or just an example of fine genetics.

Im also a bud critic. around my area EVERYTHING is shit. I only smoke locale when i have none of my own or smoke coming in from friends out west. Nothing is as rewarding as smoking your own. There is a bond that forms between the grower and plant that no other smoker will experience, watching her grow and her characteristic "personality" really add to the experience!

I always test other peoples flushes based on the residual black tar vs chalky white ash left over after combustion.

I really LOVE what i have experienced using Mycorrhizae. The root growth is just flat out jaw dropping and in result, the plants grow SO vigorous!

let the plants tell you what they want, dont try and tell them what you think they need. they will speak to you through there leaves, growth, and posture.

thats all i can think of off the top of my head...im sure there are more that i will chime back in with...i think about these things all the time. cheers
BT
 

FunkBomb

Power Armor rules
Veteran
Lots and lots of patience. Simplicity pays off at harvest time. A two week flush before harvest is essential. If you're using liquid fertilizers go by the directions or do 3/4. If you're using soil then dolomite lime is required. Learn to read the plant and you're set.

-Funk
 

TickleMyBalls

just don't molest my colas..
Veteran
Keep it Simple.

This is a big big thing that people forget when learning to grow. they see people on the internet that list their "perfect soil mix" or "perfect hydro formula". so thats what they follow, exactly that, and nothing else.

These same people then come to threads on IC or other places and try to seek help directly from the source as opposed to experimenting alone. They don't realize that every garden is different, every strain is different, even every run at a fixed spot is different. So no one formula can be just exactly perfect for everything you're running.

Keeping it simple is the way to go at the beginning. Once you're comfortable just guiding the plants through their life cycle, then you can build from there and see what you can add to get the plants to reach their full potential.
 

Donald Mallard

el duck
Moderator
Veteran
pot snob chiming in .. lol ...

dunno how many times guys have dropped around with a sample they are proud of ,
and ive rudely said .. "ohh cool , thanks ill try that later " , and prolly give it to the next guy that drops around . hehehe ...

its often not how its grown , or what variety ,, but moreso was it properly ripe at harvest , and how was it handled after harvest ,,
ie the drying and curing ..
dunno how many lovely looking buds or samples of , ive seen that were spoilt by that ...

i always figure ,, if your going to spend months growing great cannabis ,, spend the extra time at the end to make it properly smokeable and pleasent in the pipe , its worth it ...
and your other pot snob mates will thank you ,, lol ...
 
Lots and lots of patience. Simplicity pays off at harvest time. A two week flush before harvest is essential. If you're using liquid fertilizers go by the directions or do 3/4. If you're using soil then dolomite lime is required. Learn to read the plant and you're set.

-Funk

Ouch.... this isnt really correct.... Full strength or 3/4 strength? Always start with half strength and go from there. You can always add you cant subtract. Dolomite is NOT required.
:2cents:
 
G

Guest3498

Keep good notes. I've got a notebook that I keep track of everything in, couldn't imagine growing without it with my memory!
 

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