[TickleMyBalls]

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?

[Oldmans_Herbs]

patients, its very hard to learn. (for me anyway)

[TickleMyBalls]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[nickman]

i agree with u 100% on that there my friend ...

[JohnnyHopkins]

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!

[urbanfog]

Thanks for a great thead!

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.