Gettin the Hands Dirty: Mother Search 2021

[swapmeet]

They just arrived today.

Actually, my second order arrived first. So, it was just 6 strains, though ww and skunk #1 were also included, so were NL and Blue Cheese from expert seeds, Prple Strawberry Bliss from pheno finder seeds, and seedsman bruce banger... I am now very anxiously waiting for the big order...

 

[member 505892]

Nice little expedition in here
Hope you find something worth keeping, and show it off too.

 

[swapmeet]

Nice little expedition in here
Hope you find something worth keeping, and show it off too.

Thanks bro,
I know there will be a few keepers in here. I'm actually quite excited about gigabud. It flowers in 5-6 weeks and should be nice and frosty. NL x Big Bud. I'll show everything. This will be a fun journey.

 

[swapmeet]

So here is an update....
The Expert seeds germed at 100%, and in about 24 hours or so in a cup of water.

They also all sprouted first. That is 3 x NL and 2 x Blue Cheese.

Also, as I have defoliated a couple of times, the young mothers are bushing out a bit...

I am getting ready to top some of these young mothers and root the tops. Several already have good side shoots that could be good clones, but I will leave them for now and let them grow.

I'll update after the topping session... That last one there is a blueberry... she looks like a producer!

 

[swapmeet]

After the toppings and plantings, I think there are about 12 clones rooting in the soil mix...


​

These are the young mothers. I let a few continue to grow a bit more before the initial topping.... several are bushing out crazy style from the defoliation... gelato loves it...

 

[Guest]

fun to watch this! nice close ups .

 

[swapmeet]

fun to watch this! nice close ups .

Right on, welcome aboard, and thanks.

 

[swapmeet]

They have already perked back up and started growing again after the topping.

Back to front:

Front to Back

 

[swapmeet]

Moving right along....

Here are the seedlings, 2 bruce banger, 3 x expert seeds NL, 3 x Blue Cheese from expert (I got high and planted two beans in the same cup and they both sprouted).

You can see the clones rooting in the background, but here is one head-on:

And here are the young mothers, some of which are now ready to give a clone:

from the front:

Now from the back:

And here are the Autos on the balcony:

 

[swapmeet]

So I started thinking about how I should handle large-scale cloning as efficiently as possible. I read about people cloning straight into water, straight perlite, straight soil, aero cloner, grow plugs...etc.
I have never tried straight into water or perlite before, but I have had good experiences in the rest of them. I remembered back in primary school, we took cuttings and rooted them in straight tap water... I read that it takes 2-3 weeks that way, but it would certainly be the simplest way to just put clones in a plastic bin with water and just pull out and plant as I see roots form. If I take clones weekly, then even if it took 3 weeks to root, but at 100%, it really only takes 3 weeks once. Because once the first ones root, the next wave is only a week away.

So I started thinking more about this water strategy. I figured I could likely improve efficiency if I used dip and grow as usual, when I take the cutting. Then use a plastic bin for my rooting solution. That will consist of light nutrients, around 300ppm, hormex rooting hormone at 1ml/l, a couple tsps of H202, 3-4 drops of bleach to keep it clean, and a slightly low PH, like under 6 for these soil plants, and low light to promote root focus. I figured I'd give that a shot with a couple of fresh cuts. So here is what it looks like on day 1.

We will see how it goes. I also have about 16 cuts rooting in straight soil with the same rooting solution (minus the bleach) going simultaneously. I'll keep it updated. 2 x Blueberry #2, and 2 x Sour Diesel #2.

 

[swapmeet]

Since I am new to growing in this area, I am trying several different cloning techniques. I will go with whichever works the best here. So far I have straight in soil, straight in water, now, peat pellets soaked with rooting solution, and later will be straight perlite... here's the peat pellets: Gelato #2.

 

[swapmeet]

Just a little group shot this evening. It is a pretty even canopy.... clones in front, seedlings in back...

 

[benjuanman]

Looks like you got plenty to choose from mate. Hopefully you get some fire from this lot

 

[swapmeet]

Looks like you got plenty to choose from mate. Hopefully you get some fire from this lot

Thanks Ben,

This is a pretty good selection of good genetics, so I know that there will be a few keepers in here. I hate growing from seed...soooo sloooow.

 

[swapmeet]

Just a quick update: not much to say, just 3 pictures. The mothers, the clones and seedlings, then the autoflowers outside.

 

[DunHav`nFun]

Well damn bro........Saw a while back you made some posts in Vertville but didnt go in to see ya had a thread goin as well.....my bad......also , not on much these days as retirement has me fishin more and growin only as a hobby for headies so , glad to see you still strokin and lickin your wounds but movin forward.....builds character.....Completely missed this 1 as well so I`ll be sittin over here on my bucket watchin and glad to help with any hiccups that may arise.....now......

Just a few tidbits that I`ve noticed since the thread began , and not tryin to be critical but rather give a lil intuition from all those yrs of doin this shit , so first off when dealin with beans , always store sealed in a freezer.....I found some sent to me from Heath Robinson over 20 + yrs ago in my barn chest freezer a yr or so back and when I soaked em in shot glasses , I had damn near 100% germ rate plus all us old heads learned many many yrs ago that freezin em puts em in stasis and good as gold when pulled out and busted , so there ya go......next.... in dirt which is smart with mom plants, get a cheap moisture probe meter online for like 12 bucks and let them babies dry out just not all the way cuz they`re growin legs for support and beans grow taproots that grow straight down ALWAYS huntin for moisture while stabilizing and anchoring the plant long before any lateral roots develop , so just another addage to move things along faster since poppin beans make watchin paint dry look fast , while rooting cuts don`t grow taproots only laterals to put things in perspective aight ?.......and next and all important with bustin beans.........once they pop their heads above dirt , ALWAYS put the lights directly down on their ass and keep a lil muffin fan blowin above em at the light to keep heat dissipating......Stops the stretch in its tracks , stacks nodes , helps build laterals , and once exposed to the big lights , they explode..... I always vegged under 8 bulb T-5` s once up potted from solo cups......and next......

Defoliation even lightly on babies will stunt their ass if not watched carefully , and for the record to grow laterals that will branch out underneath and catch the top main lead , wait till the top main lead `s starting to get woodier and pinch underneath it kinda crushin said stem but not killin it and watchin it fall over , and while it`s healin , everything underneath will take over in survival mode and branch out accordingly.....and then......nutrients......Be careful raisin ppm`s/ec too fast cuz in dirt residual salt buildup can occur since folks rarely flush dirt grows and the worst thing that can happen is when shit goes sideways and they start lookin like shit and not growin well , so thoughts to ponder.......I always kept my ppm`s as close to 600 as possible thoughout the life of my plants with dialed success , although there are exceptions to the rule as I found out first hand with my clone only Chem D that turned into a Cal/Mag whore and required the extra juice up to 750 to dial her ass but that`s my experience and hey.....some folks swear by puttin em a glass of water and sittin in a window sill and all but forgettin about em , so your mileage may vary, and there ya go......IOW.....don`t raise ppm`s up much till you get some growth under em or you`ll end up with the plantlets shuttin down and haveta be flushed out and then deal with recovery time that absolutely fucks with perpetual rotations .....and lastly.....takin and rootin cuts.....

My best success came at the beginning of my days when a Krazy ass Kanadian Klown nicked Krusty that taught me to root in solo cups of vermiculite and perlite 50/50 which I did away with the verm after a few cycles cuz it wasn`t necessary and perlite was far easier to access down here in Hell.....Just get that cheap moisture meter I made reference to above and add ph`d water with light nutrients as they set legs and take off....When I graduated to coco , I found clear cups with it showed the fastest rooting and helped get em under the T-5 `s faster , and once up potted to bigger containers take the ppm`s up to 600 and hold till or rather IF they exhibit faded leaves that indicates nitrogen deficiency , BUT.....faded leaves can also mean heat stress and or overwatering....especially growin in dirt , so that`s where your lil moisture probe once again comes in handy to help diagnose which hiccup you`re deailn with.....and the ending of my always long winded posts is.....rootin in water works SOMETIMES with dope cultivars but you haveta change out the water regularly like every 4-5 days or algae and nasties form and might still anyways while under light and heat exposure so caveat aight ?.....especially with all that shit you got added to the water ....So remember....less is more and KISS works well with raisin dope plantlets please believe that....rootin hormones are fine in some type substrate , but in my experience tryin water only took at least a solid month with a whole bunch of em gettin mushy and croakin ,, and with that......Nuff outta my old ass this day , so take care and keep strokin my buddy........

Peace.....DHF............

 

[swapmeet]

Well damn bro........Saw a while back you made some posts in Vertville but didnt go in to see ya had a thread goin as well.....my bad......also , not on much these days as retirement has me fishin more and growin only as a hobby for headies so , glad to see you still strokin and lickin your wounds but movin forward.....builds character.....Completely missed this 1 as well so I`ll be sittin over here on my bucket watchin and glad to help with any hiccups that may arise.....now......

Just a few tidbits that I`ve noticed since the thread began , and not tryin to be critical but rather give a lil intuition from all those yrs of doin this shit , so first off when dealin with beans , always store sealed in a freezer.....I found some sent to me from Heath Robinson over 20 + yrs ago in my barn chest freezer a yr or so back and when I soaked em in shot glasses , I had damn near 100% germ rate plus all us old heads learned many many yrs ago that freezin em puts em in stasis and good as gold when pulled out and busted , so there ya go......next.... in dirt which is smart with mom plants, get a cheap moisture probe meter online for like 12 bucks and let them babies dry out just not all the way cuz they`re growin legs for support and beans grow taproots that grow straight down ALWAYS huntin for moisture while stabilizing and anchoring the plant long before any lateral roots develop , so just another addage to move things along faster since poppin beans make watchin paint dry look fast , while rooting cuts don`t grow taproots only laterals to put things in perspective aight ?.......and next and all important with bustin beans.........once they pop their heads above dirt , ALWAYS put the lights directly down on their ass and keep a lil muffin fan blowin above em at the light to keep heat dissipating......Stops the stretch in its tracks , stacks nodes , helps build laterals , and once exposed to the big lights , they explode..... I always vegged under 8 bulb T-5` s once up potted from solo cups......and next......

Defoliation even lightly on babies will stunt their ass if not watched carefully , and for the record to grow laterals that will branch out underneath and catch the top main lead , wait till the top main lead `s starting to get woodier and pinch underneath it kinda crushin said stem but not killin it and watchin it fall over , and while it`s healin , everything underneath will take over in survival mode and branch out accordingly.....and then......nutrients......Be careful raisin ppm`s/ec too fast cuz in dirt residual salt buildup can occur since folks rarely flush dirt grows and the worst thing that can happen is when shit goes sideways and they start lookin like shit and not growin well , so thoughts to ponder.......I always kept my ppm`s as close to 600 as possible thoughout the life of my plants with dialed success , although there are exceptions to the rule as I found out first hand with my clone only Chem D that turned into a Cal/Mag whore and required the extra juice up to 750 to dial her ass but that`s my experience and hey.....some folks swear by puttin em a glass of water and sittin in a window sill and all but forgettin about em , so your mileage may vary, and there ya go......IOW.....don`t raise ppm`s up much till you get some growth under em or you`ll end up with the plantlets shuttin down and haveta be flushed out and then deal with recovery time that absolutely fucks with perpetual rotations .....and lastly.....takin and rootin cuts.....

My best success came at the beginning of my days when a Krazy ass Kanadian Klown nicked Krusty that taught me to root in solo cups of vermiculite and perlite 50/50 which I did away with the verm after a few cycles cuz it wasn`t necessary and perlite was far easier to access down here in Hell.....Just get that cheap moisture meter I made reference to above and add ph`d water with light nutrients as they set legs and take off....When I graduated to coco , I found clear cups with it showed the fastest rooting and helped get em under the T-5 `s faster , and once up potted to bigger containers take the ppm`s up to 600 and hold till or rather IF they exhibit faded leaves that indicates nitrogen deficiency , BUT.....faded leaves can also mean heat stress and or overwatering....especially growin in dirt , so that`s where your lil moisture probe once again comes in handy to help diagnose which hiccup you`re deailn with.....and the ending of my always long winded posts is.....rootin in water works SOMETIMES with dope cultivars but you haveta change out the water regularly like every 4-5 days or algae and nasties form and might still anyways while under light and heat exposure so caveat aight ?.....especially with all that shit you got added to the water ....So remember....less is more and KISS works well with raisin dope plantlets please believe that....rootin hormones are fine in some type substrate , but in my experience tryin water only took at least a solid month with a whole bunch of em gettin mushy and croakin ,, and with that......Nuff outta my old ass this day , so take care and keep strokin my buddy........

Peace.....DHF............

Hey buddy,

Thanks for stopping by. when I decided to keep the moms in dirt, I got one of those 3-in-1 2-pronged probes with pH, moisture, and something useless, like light meter. Moving to the mountains has certainly changed everything. Instead of day temps in the 90s everyday, and night temps in the mid-80s where I was before, now day time temps rarely break 80 and night time temps get down to the 60s, sometimes top end of the 50s.

Livin in socal, I very rarely used seeds because I had access to any cut I wanted. I had really only used seeds for maybe my first 4 grows, back in about 2000 or '01. Once I saw the germ problems, I immediately suspected storing in the upper 80s-low 90s was the culprit. So, I did two things. First, I ordered fresh seeds. Secondly, I started reading about proper seed storage. I learned exactly what you said....freezer. So that is the new normal, so to speak....though I don't plan on poppin very many more beans once the ones from my latest order are here and popped. I will find my producers like you found your chem d producer.

As you and Heath Nasty have taught over the years, I too keep low ppm (under 700) throughout the grow cycle....less is more. When I was first growing (probably my first 6 or 7 years, I used to raise ppm every watering a bit, until they burned a little, then I would leave it there for a feeding or 2, then raise it again. I would end up with ppm over 1,200 a lot of times (sometimes well above that), and I thought all these different strains had major different nute requirements....Then I learned that just because some plants can take more nute abuse, doesn't mean they "need" more. It just means they can handle more abuse. Less is more.

As you also have suggested to me in the past, I have a 9 bulb t5 to veg rooted cuts under in order to promote branching and stacking. I can root cuts and keep moms under the 9 bulb t8 until the moms get a little bit taller, then it will be something else--either vertical cmh, t5, or something else.

As far as taking clones, I figured that since I have a bit of altitude (5k ft.), I should try multiple cloning techniques and see which one works best in this environment. I have an aero cloner, I put some in water, which I won't be doing again, I have the jiffy peat pellets, the rapid rooters, and I wanted to try the perlite only, but haven't yet because I needed some more growth before I could take more cuts. I have the little 8 oz clear cups for cuts, then the 22 oz to preveg in, both clear, so I put a few drops of bleach to keep them that way after I had a bit of algae. So, perlite is readily available here and I have a big sack of it. I can take more cuts as early as today, but I'll wait for your response to the next line:

I assume that you used a lower ph in your phed water with light nutrients. What ph did you use, and how much perlite and solution in each cup, maybe an inch or so of solution in the bottom of a full 8oz cup full of perlite? Also, how deep into the cup do you put the end of the cut?

That is definitely the simplest and cheapest way to clone, but I can get jiffy peat pellets for dirt cheap, and rapid rooter-type of plugs for about 15 cents each. So, it is all about speed and efficiency. I like the perlite idea the best, though it takes up more footprint per cut, I've got the space under the 9-bulb t8... and I can reuse the perlite over and over again (until it crumbles away). I also keep cuts a little bit away from the light, say about 18" in order to promote root growth.

I had planned on not growing big, just headies when I moved to the nicer climate, which took several months due to covid restrictions. I got the perfect spot to grow in, with 5 bedrooms and two little apartments in the back.... not many neighbors. My real estate investments are more than enough to grow on their own, but there is a severe drought for top shelf here, and with wholesale prices on par with street retail back home (3g/elbow), and my grow bro, L, connected with the big dawgs who are desperate for the bomb, I felt obligated to help supply that demand for maybe the next two years. Plus, I'm building a nice little mountain cabin with a view which will take some cash. So, here we are.

The setup that we were talking through in the vert section is another thing. The coco quad racks have been stuck in my mind, and I really feel like I need to get that dialed in and see if we can get those pumping, which I know we can, but I am a visual learner, so I want to see it haha. I don't like leaving experiments incomplete.

I started this thread here because it won't really be a true vert grow until I get the clone factory hoonin. Also, the light cycle here outside is 12/12 all year around. So I will have a perpetual flower greenhouse in which I flower bushes that are vegged vertically indoors once they reach the height I'm looking for under the t5. My indoor component will be flip rooms like you ran back in the day. The good part is that the apartments in back are on separate electric meters, so there won't be one spot with super high electricity, and with flip rooms, there will be no 12-hour spikes in power usage.

I already designed my little cabin and the architect is drawing up the plans as we speak. It will have a rooftop greenhouse that is about 20'x20' - 20' x 30' as well as a full basement with fresh air intake and a vacuum system to keep good circulation. Also, deep sink and drains in the floor. This will be for my indoor growing fun. So, it will be exciting. But, I won't be fucking around with much experimenting for a while. I am focused on finding my strains, dialin, and growing... good times. Those plants on the balcony are autos that were freebies with an order. Once I transplanted them to their final homes, they took up too much space so I put em outside...they seem to love it there.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by brother, your experience, wisdom, and ideas are gold to me, so I appreciate you. Here's to the good life

Swap

 

[swapmeet]

A quick update.... took some cuts and fed the moms at 695 ppm, 6.35 ph. I also transplanted the rooted clones to the 22 oz big cups. Here is the proof:

seedlings are up front freshly transplanted the big cups. fresh clones in the rapid rooters... rooting next will be the peat pellets, and the rooted clones on the far left.... The picture above from the front, below from the back... then with the mothers back, a group shot at the bottom...

 

[DunHav`nFun]

Hey bro......Not many folks know lower ph promotes vigorous root growth , and I`ve been told 5.2 is the best but 5.5 was my sweet spot and the next time I added ph`ed solution I`d raise it after a week to 6.2-3.....Now.....I always put holes in the bottoms of my cups and sat em in trays for the runoff , but I think what`s best for you is makin some lil Hempy cups with a hole in the side 3/4-1" above the bottoms and have a small rez in the bottoms of each 1 in case evaporation from the perlite moves too fast to keep the substrate "moist" for perfect root formation......then.....keep lights AWAY from em so they don`t wanna grow foliage instead of roots....Hell.....snip the leaves in half on what was left to root for insurance.....I was taught that way and did what I was told....LOL.....

Fill cups close to the top with perlite and put your finger over the holes and fill em up with ph`ed light solution , and make sure to set cut stems right above the drain hole like 1/4", then let em drain out..........you should see laterals formin after a week , but for some odd reason these days the elite polyhybrids ALWAYS take longer like at least 2 weeks , so basically your mileage WILL vary from strain to strain.......aight......now... ..Last yr I lost some rental revenue from my beach house due to beaches bein closed from the bullshit pandemic , but this yr it`s been rented by the week since mid-March and won`t stop till end of October , so since my property`s on both sides and at the end of a dead end rd , I`ve decided to put a gooseneck trailer hitch on my F-350 dually and buy a RV to put on the side that my pier and boat launch on the intracoastal waterway`s on so the `ol lady and I don`t haveta move either back to the lake house or back to the farm during off season.......

My son`s back from Afghanistan for good now that all troops are being brought home Thank the Good Lord , so he`s been stayin at the lake pretty regular and will takeover the rental homes along with the property mgmt co. , plus I`ve got an old man that lives down the road from the farm that tends the animals and the veggie garden so that cuts me loose to stay at the beach pretty much yr round ...... but .......I`ve gotta haul my bobcat skid steer down there and clear off the whole lot for the RV so I can stay there while I dig a foundation and build a small 2 BR house for me , the `ol lady , and son when they wanna come down.....Oughta be done by spring break next yr , then all we`ve gotta do is move across the road ,and stay there till Turkey Day , Xmas , and New Yrs , then move back from the farm when it gets too cold for my old ass.....Jan. and Feb. are the worst , also there`ll be room for #1 son and his new `ol lady to be.....lookin for some grandbabies in a cpl yrs , so I might haveta bite the bullet and add another bedroom just in case......Fuuuuuck....it`s only money.....anyways.....

Swap....get ta work and make shit happen.....I`ll be over here on my bucket so......

Peace.....DHF..............

 

[swapmeet]

Hey bro......Not many folks know lower ph promotes vigorous root growth , and I`ve been told 5.2 is the best but 5.5 was my sweet spot and the next time I added ph`ed solution I`d raise it after a week to 6.2-3.....Now.....I always put holes in the bottoms of my cups and sat em in trays for the runoff , but I think what`s best for you is makin some lil Hempy cups with a hole in the side 3/4-1" above the bottoms and have a small rez in the bottoms of each 1 in case evaporation from the perlite moves too fast to keep the substrate "moist" for perfect root formation......then.....keep lights AWAY from em so they don`t wanna grow foliage instead of roots....Hell.....snip the leaves in half on what was left to root for insurance.....I was taught that way and did what I was told....LOL.....

Fill cups close to the top with perlite and put your finger over the holes and fill em up with ph`ed light solution , and make sure to set cut stems right above the drain hole like 1/4", then let em drain out..........you should see laterals formin after a week , but for some odd reason these days the elite polyhybrids ALWAYS take longer like at least 2 weeks , so basically your mileage WILL vary from strain to strain.......aight......now... ..Last yr I lost some rental revenue from my beach house due to beaches bein closed from the bullshit pandemic , but this yr it`s been rented by the week since mid-March and won`t stop till end of October , so since my property`s on both sides and at the end of a dead end rd , I`ve decided to put a gooseneck trailer hitch on my F-350 dually and buy a RV to put on the side that my pier and boat launch on the intracoastal waterway`s on so the `ol lady and I don`t haveta move either back to the lake house or back to the farm during off season.......

My son`s back from Afghanistan for good now that all troops are being brought home Thank the Good Lord , so he`s been stayin at the lake pretty regular and will takeover the rental homes along with the property mgmt co. , plus I`ve got an old man that lives down the road from the farm that tends the animals and the veggie garden so that cuts me loose to stay at the beach pretty much yr round ...... but .......I`ve gotta haul my bobcat skid steer down there and clear off the whole lot for the RV so I can stay there while I dig a foundation and build a small 2 BR house for me , the `ol lady , and son when they wanna come down.....Oughta be done by spring break next yr , then all we`ve gotta do is move across the road ,and stay there till Turkey Day , Xmas , and New Yrs , then move back from the farm when it gets too cold for my old ass.....Jan. and Feb. are the worst , also there`ll be room for #1 son and his new `ol lady to be.....lookin for some grandbabies in a cpl yrs , so I might haveta bite the bullet and add another bedroom just in case......Fuuuuuck....it`s only money.....anyways.....

Swap....get ta work and make shit happen.....I`ll be over here on my bucket so......

Peace.....DHF..............

Wow brother,
I am really glad your son is back home finally--safe and sound. I come from a military family and have the utmost respect for our military, and I hate to see the current political bs affecting them. So I am proud of him and grateful. We both have rental units and property management companies....coincidence? hahaha I have had mine in southern California since I sold my mobile home park in TN back in 2008, right before the market crash really took effect. It was just lucky timing. I was already selling it and moving back to Cali. I am starting up the exact same situation here. I already have some rental units and I am going through the red tape to start the company. Great minds think alike, as they say.

I also have a little ranch in progress here with a family on the property to take care of the animals/veggies. They are willing to tend to the garden and animals in exchange for living in the farmhouse for free, including utilities and internet, and a cut of profit from selling the excess at the local farmer's market. It is not a big ranch, but it's 20 acres. We are just getting it going now... Final stages of buying it. It has the farmhouse already built, but I would need to build the main house...Which won't be until after my cabin is done, up, and going.

Did you use any gel, powder, or hormone, or just 45 degree cut, straight into water after the cut to keep air bubbles out, then into the perlite cups? And for nute strength in the all perlite hempies, we talking 350-400ppm, or what?

Thanks bro. I am glad to see everything is going well with you and yours. Add that bedroom! You've got the cash, and we both know you won't be swinging the ole hammer, so get to it and make room for those grandbabies.

Swap