Cfl Dwc Grow (stealth Dresser Recon Mission) - Page 3 - GreenPassion.org - Dedicated to Medicinal Cannabis Cultivation and Education

four two zero · #41 (**permalink**) 09-06-2008, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott06

I sure no one is bored with your well documented grow...quite the opposite, it is very interesting following your process and congrats on your rapid success

I appreciate that. I just don't want to be someone who posts pictures of the same thing you saw the other day. Obviously everyone on here has seen a plant flowering millions of times so some amateur first time grow won't impress anyone I'm sure but I guess some people just get too excited and want people to see every step of the way. One thing I noticed though is that even though these seeds that I used are supposed to be low quality bag seeds it seems to me like this bud is denser, thicker, and more potent looking then some of the supposed 'exotic' fluffy stuff that I've seen and also bought. Dealers around here charge double the price for stuff that's supposed to be a better 'exotic' strain meanwhile it's never anything special compared to what used to just be regular hydro. Although all strains come in different shapes and sizes I can already see the crystals caking on all the tops and the amount of bud is way way more then I could ever imagined myself growing. I think this will be a good experiment to compare random bag seed to supposed exotic strain grows especially if both are done with CFLs.

You've guys seen basically what the buds are looking like on a few of the tops. I unfortunately can't get the entire plant in a picture which I want to do so badly to show how many tops these bad girls have! I counted 20 tops on Big Lady and 14 on Shorty which are all budding very nicely. I'd say about 2/3 of the tops are identical to the main colas of both plants which leads me to believe it's going to be quite a nice yield.

For the next week or two I'll probably be keeping you guys updated on the outdoor and my vegging haze plants until these big girls start to REALLY show off what they got. There's supposed to be a hurricane passing through here so I'm hoping it doesn't damage my girl outdoors. We shall see. I'm also in a constant search for a camera to borrow to bring you guys the quality pictures these plants deserve. Stay tuned.

four two zero · #42 (**permalink**) 09-08-2008, 12:20 PM

Update
Got some shots of the outdoor today which survived the supposed 'hurricane' that the weather people screamed about for so long. It turned out to be just half-assed rain that made a puddle in the street for a few hours which quickly drained away. Is it me or do the weather people have no idea what they're talking about with their expensive doppler radar bullshit? Anyway as you can see the outdoor is starting to bud up pretty nicely. For the most part it looks like it's just going to be one huge cola seeing as the inner growth hasn't really came out too far but if that's an extra half oz or so to throw into my entire stash I could care less. The more the better. I got two other shots also which looked cool.

Also the Haze plant that I topped is looking awesome! Somehow from just topping it once the plant is growing six tops in place of the one that I cut off and they are all developing evenly. I topped the other plant also because it worked so well and I wish I experimented with this earlier I would of done it to all my plants.

Pappy · #43 (**permalink**) 09-08-2008, 12:39 PM

Hey two four zero,

Don't think that just because it's bagseed, it won't be as good as a "purchased strain".

I have been growing clones from bagseed, for about 3 years. It is about as tasty and potent as any "commercial" out there. The only complaint I have, is that it doesn't produce the yield I'd like. But, it is a sativa dominant, so I shouldn't expect a great yield. Nice work. Keep it up.

Pappy

four two zero · #44 (**permalink**) 09-09-2008, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pappy

Hey two four zero,

Don't think that just because it's bagseed, it won't be as good as a "purchased strain".

I have been growing clones from bagseed, for about 3 years. It is about as tasty and potent as any "commercial" out there. The only complaint I have, is that it doesn't produce the yield I'd like. But, it is a sativa dominant, so I shouldn't expect a great yield. Nice work. Keep it up.

Pappy

Yea I slowly learned that throughout the process of growing these first plants that if you just take really good care of your plants and give them a lot of attention it really seems to pay off in the end. Although a lot of people don't deal with height restrictions or the need for stealth and so in that situation a bag seed could be even better because you get the full growth and yield from the plant.

In my case, due to my situation, a low yield and smaller plant in general like mine to me is like a big score for me. I'm just amazed at how you can make a decent compact plant that provides you free fresh and potent smoke that you created yourself and got to watch grow. Even if I got an ounce per plant I would be satisfied but I'm staying positive along with the way things are looking it could be a much bigger yield.

But, I also factored in the amount of water weight that the buds lose during the drying and curing process. I'm not too sure because I'd figure you lose at least half the size & weight based on what I've heard.

Does anybody know the average percentage of weight loss?

four two zero · #45 (**permalink**) 09-09-2008, 11:14 PM

Update
Some pictures of the topped haze plant. Looking good

four two zero · #46 (**permalink**) 09-10-2008, 06:02 PM

Update
I had to take some pictures of the ladies today because they seduced me into it. I think I did a little bit better of a job of making the pictures more clear so you can kinda see the nice layer of crystals on the bud sites. The hardest pictures to take is getting Big Lady's entire main cola in the shot either because a CFL is in the way or the fact that her main cola has a lot of leaves blocking her nice buds.

Shorty's main cola is RIDICULOUS. I'm guessing because it has less tops there is more energy focused in that main area because it's thick as hell and over a foot high. It looks like whatever strain this is likes to grow fat sticky buds!! Big Lady's main cola spans down to about the 4th or 5th node from the bottom and is a couple of inches longer then Shorty's main cola. The other pictures are just random tops throughout the plant. They are growing so well you could almost mistake them for the main top so if an image file name has a "maincola" in it then it's a shot of the main cola of either Big Lady or Shorty which I also labeled. I really think these plants benefited from the Hydro lifestyle they were vegging in and now is their chance to express it. I pretty much took a shot of most of the best looking buds but there is plenty more to go around.

Enjoy this plethora of beautiful nuggets and try not to drool

4kaan4 · #47 (**permalink**) 09-10-2008, 08:04 PM

Hey FTZ,

(pant, pant drool, drool!)

I'll bet you could throw those against the wall and they would stick (which in this instance would be a VERY good thing)!!

Nice looking results. These have done very well for you, indeed.

Later,
4kaan4

four two zero · #48 (**permalink**) 09-10-2008, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4kaan4

Hey FTZ,

(pant, pant drool, drool!)

I'll bet you could throw those against the wall and they would stick (which in this instance would be a VERY good thing)!!

Nice looking results. These have done very well for you, indeed.

Later,
4kaan4

Why thank you sir. I am very excited and surprised at how much bud I'm getting at the same time. I didn't expect this much at all but I think all the obsession over the plants is a good reason why they came out well.

I'm going to purchase a mag lens tomorrow so I can get some close up shots of the buds and see if it improves the ability to see crystals in the pictures. I also might have someone to borrow a digital camera from which should be even better.

Either way I think the most impressive shots are going to be when I cut these babies down and finally get to show the finished product in it's entirety. Plus pictures of the buds all trimmed and hanging out to dry will be awesome. I'm thinking ahead too much! The anxiety is kicking back in!

Stay tuned. Check back tomorrow for some pictures.

four two zero · #49 (**permalink**) 09-17-2008, 09:50 PM

Hey guys I apologize for not really updating recently. I started a new job so I've been kind of busy. Unfortunately I didn't get a hold of a digital camera yet but I took some shots anyways. These girls are looking awesome and very frosty!! The main colas of both plants are so thick I don't even believe it and the smell is amazing. When I squeeze a bud and smell its a very sweet and potent ganja smell.

I took about one hit worth of bud off and left it to dry in the dry box I made for this past week. I took the sample hit earlier today and it's more then I could ever wish for. Granted it's too early to judge the final product I was still amazed at how tasty the smoke was and how high I actually got from just one big hit from an early bud. I was blasted for a good hour and I can't wait to see what the actual result will be.

As far as harvesting goes, I honestly feel that Big Lady will be an earlier harvest then Shorty mostly because the trich formation on Big Lady surpasses it by a lot. Big Lady's buds are just caked with layers of crystals and a few of the hairs are turning brown. I got a closer look and about 1/3 of the trichs are kind of milky looking but not quite there yet.

I started setting up lighting towards the bottom of the plant to induce internode growth on each shoot. Basically the bud formation starts on the lowest node of each shoot but a few of them are not getting enough light in order to make them stretch upwards to meet the rest of the buds. I got four CFLs set up on the bottom for each plant which should solve that problem and really benefit the final yield.

The pics aren't that great but you get the idea. More to come soon.

sentravapor · #50 (**permalink**) 09-17-2008, 10:02 PM

the stuff looks really good man congrats.

four two zero · #51 (**permalink**) 09-21-2008, 10:37 PM

Hey guys I got a few shots of the buds a little closer and clearer then usual so it's quite exciting. They are looking really good and from closer inspection I'd say the trichs are not quite there yet and still need a few more weeks to finish off. The lower lighting that I set up really had some good benefits in the short time they have been there and I look forward to seeing more bud production before harvest!

Enjoy.

Also, don't the buds in the first three pictures look like a pineapple or a coconut with the gold stem on top of it? I noticed that when I was high and thought about how there's supposed to be a pineapple express strain and that it looked like that but then I saw in the new High Times that someone already submitted photos of pineapple express right after and my dreams were crushed. haha

four two zero · #52 (**permalink**) 09-23-2008, 08:31 PM

More bud closeups...they are looking real nice and frosty...

also check out shorty's main cola....it keeps getting thicker its ridiculous

sentravapor · #53 (**permalink**) 09-23-2008, 10:36 PM

looking good man. those buds look pretty coated in crystals.

four two zero · #54 (**permalink**) 09-24-2008, 07:07 PM

here's some more pics...indoor and a few of the outdoor slowly moving along

#1 - A shot of one of the biggest 'lower' buds on big lady filling in nicely
#2 - the top of my girl outdoors looking frosty in the earlier stages
#3 - side view of the top of the outdoor (small but smelling potent as hell!)
#4 - the lowest node on the outdoor (look at those crystals caking on!)

I'd say the outdoor plant is probably going to take another month to fill in nicely. There is a benefit to this I can tell because the trich formation is way ahead of what my indoors looked like at the same point and also the smell is so potent and strong and it's not even halfway done yet!

scott06 · #55 (**permalink**) 09-24-2008, 07:11 PM

420 do you realize that people have looked at your grow journal almost 2,000 times already....obviously you are doing something that people want to learn from....congrats on those beautiful budz

four two zero · #56 (**permalink**) 09-24-2008, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott06

420 do you realize that people have looked at your grow journal almost 2,000 times already....obviously you are doing something that people want to learn from....congrats on those beautiful budz

I am very happy that there are this many views!!! I think this journal and sentravapor's journal should be inspirations to people who either have never grown before or think it's too expensive. It's awesome to let you guys experience my first grow alongside me and see that you can get GREAT results using cheap CFLs and random FREE bag seeds.

Get yourself off the black market and start growing fresh bud!! No more dealers, no more empty wallets, no more driving all over to get your bud!!! NO MORE WASTED GAS!!!! haha

I had never attempted to grow a plant before or even so much as consider harvesting one even when I started these. With the combination of what I've learned from these forums and the internet I have learned more things then I know what to do with. The marijuana plant is a beautiful thing and a very educational and FUN experience. You might even take some of the knowledge gained while growing this plant into your life and use it in the future for more then just growing weed.

The benefit to this plant is that instead of the flowers being a visual gift you get the addition of FEELING and EXPERIENCING the plant. It's amazing how different every high is and how each plant has it's own personality. You grow very attached to your plants and feel the need to over-care for them because you appreciate them. I don't think I have paid this enough attention to my girlfriend either haha.

I've also learned a great deal of patience. I dealt with so much anxiety about when the plants would be done, emergency transplants, nutrient problems, and various other small annoyances. But I stuck through everything and realized how great the plants were doing because of all the hard work and attention I gave them. I became a lot more patient from when I started these plants up until now just seeing that they are almost finished and the samples were great. I will probably tear up a little bit when I finally cut the plants down. Followed by me lighting up the cured product and having the biggest smile on my face ever!

Thanks for the support guys!!!

Happy Growing!

P.S. I noticed that all of the pictures from the beginning of my grow journal that I used to EMBED into the post were not working and that might of affecting those trying to see the entire grow and I apologize!! I fixed it! ENJOY!

four two zero · #57 (**permalink**) 09-25-2008, 05:19 PM

Update
Flowering Day 51 (Day 80 from Seed)
Sunrise: 6:47am
Sunset: 6:47pm

Starting today the actual light hours for outdoors in New York is exactly 12/12 but my plant still has been flowering since a month ago when it was about 13/11. But it's been moving along slowly and at the same time it has benefited from the long flowering process. Just look at all those crystals packing on! I caught up with the actual exact day that I'm up to with these plants and figured I'd share that with you along with some nice pictures of the outdoor. Enjoy!

#1 - overall shot of the lady outdoors
#2 - a closeup side shot of her sexy top
#3 - another shot with her top off! woo
#4 - look at those crystals!! even more caked then last time!! YUM

four two zero · #58 (**permalink**) 09-26-2008, 09:14 PM

Update
Flowering Day 52 (Day 81 from seed)

Took the plants out of the dresser last night to clean up the dresser and upgrade it a little bit to make room for the haze crossbreed that is ready to start flowering. Let us hope for another beautiful girl! These seeds came from a friend that successfully grew some pretty dank haze which he got from a seed bank off the net so this will be my first bank seed plant.

I can already see the difference in quality of seed just from the rapid speed of growth it has been showing me. I topped the plant to induce some new shoots to develop in hopes for the final product to be a plethora of nice and big main colas. ;) We shall see! I will keep you posted.

four two zero · #59 (**permalink**) 09-27-2008, 01:35 AM

I decided to take the very last sample before harvest and document the drying & curing process and fill you in on the taste and smoothness of the smoke. I made a simple drying box out of these post office shippers that I have. I cut two openings on each side for airflow and left the box topless only because I slide it under my couch which blocks the light from above.

Drying & Curing

Day 1

I started the process by snipping off one of the smallest of the most mature shoots and began to trim and manicure it. Some people like to keep the fan leaves on for the beginning of the process but I chose to remove all of them and trimmed off some of the bud leaves to give the buds a uniform look.

Next I wrapped the end of the stem around one of the strings inside the drying box and used a paper clip to secure it. For the first day I chose to have minimal airflow by allowing only free moving air to enter the drying box. I'm sure you can get away with putting indirect airflow on the buds from the very first moment but I am going to introduce the airflow slowly starting the second day.

Starting today and soon to be a daily routine, I pulled out the dryer box and turn the bud 180 degrees just to keep the drying process even. I will continue to do this once a day for each day of the drying process.

I have attached day one's photographs.

The bud straight freshly cut off the plant
Overall shot of the shoot trimmed
After the manicure
Overall shot of the dryer box
Close-up of the secured baby
Hanging out to dry
My custom lid for the glass jar I converted into my curing jar (i was high and bored, leave me alone! haha. it was too perfect to pass up and i had paint markers to waste)
The jar itself

I will document each day of the process along with pictures and info in case anybody cares to see the first sample cured and smoked! Thanks for looking.

sentravapor · #60 (**permalink**) 09-27-2008, 01:54 AM

hahah great jar lid! and nice little dryer box