Hericules almost done!

[Zord 0]

Hey guys

 

I am quite a newbie grower. I have read up as much as I can about growing but its definitely an art and takes time to learn and be good at. I have had one real harvest and that was about 5 years ago. Havent really grown at all since then. The odd outdoor plant but nothing else really. So I decided I wanted to start growing again and my friend was kind enough to lend me his growing cabinet. It should be used ONLY as SoG or Scrog but since I havent grown in a long time I decided to use just the single plant topped and see how it would do under CFL\'s. The cabinet has a active exhaust and passive intake. 2x Cool 45 Watt CFLs and 2x Warm 20 Watt CFLs.

 

So now that I had the cabinet I had to find good genetics. I found Sannies Shop and ordered myself some Hericules Feminized. I am not really a fan of pure Sativa\'s and the Hericules seemed just right for what I wanted.

 

This post will probably be split up into a few since I have quite a few pics starting from the 2nd week till now.

 

I am using organic soil nothing else in the soil. I used Nitrosol for Vegging. It was vegged for about 4 weeks at 24/0 then switched to 12/12. Fed it Nitrosol up till the end of the first week of flowering. I then switched over to BioBizz Bio-Bloom and some Bat Guano for flowering. I am now 2 weeks till harvest so I am just flushing at the moment.

 

The buds are a nice size for CFL but I think they would be monsters under a 600+ HPS or MH. I should have also probably added some more side lighting to the cabinet. The lower nugs havent really gotten much light.

 

Anyways on with the Pictures! I will try do my best in terms of saying when the pictures were taken as I am not 100% sure of the week. Also all pictures were taken on a cellphone camera, Sony Ericcsson 8.1 Megapixel camera but still on a phone so not that awesome.

 

Vegatative Week 1/2

 

 

Vegatative Week 3/4

 

I didnt take many pictures during this time for some reason.

 

 

 

 

 

Flowering Week 2/3/4/5

 

I forced a bit of stretching here to have a bit more space for the bud sites. I managed to get 6-7 Main Cola\'s from topping it at 5 nodes.

 

 

 

[Zord 0]

Oh and did I mention they're also quite Frosty

 

Flowering Week 6/7

 

 

One of my Favourites:

 

 

 

So what do guys think?

 

Also I have a couple questions.

 

How many weeks does it LOOK like it still has to go ? 2-3 weeks? Less?

 

Any tips and hints to help increase yield/taste? I have heard not watering the last 3-4 days before harvest helps with drying and taste and also keeping them in the dark for 48 hours helps to increase yield just before a harvest. Any tips or tricks would be much appreciated Also with flushing do I need to use luke warm water or will tap water work just fine?

 

Thanks, hope you guys like.

 

Zord

[Oddly_Sober 2]

Beautiful. Simply beautiful. CFL may not be optimal, but not every grow needs to be a record holder. And the results so far are very nice.

 

Flushing and dark periods ...

 

Dark period can be a problem if there is any chance of mildew or mold. It's odd, but sometimes that gives the perfect condition for a bloom to happen. However, even a 24 hour period a day or two after a final flush with water can show a difference. I'd go with 4 days out for flush then a 36 hour dark period. But that's my soil approach. Depends on how much retention you have and your current watering schedule usually. The same time frame for your current watering or future one really, would be the interval to space. Most low temp indoor is not watered as much as others so I'm assuming a longer period of like 4 days or so.

 

Dont make changes to the water being used or use heat in flushing. Changes like that can cause a shock and upset the soil balance as well. Your soil seems to be working. Whatever your water source is should be used just without anything added of course. Only advice there is to make sure of checking on chlorine levels etc in your water sources and potentially letting it air out for a time before the flush.

 

When to chop is going to depend more on trichome preference with most indoor. Not sure if you have something to get in really close, but a jewelers loops etc is recommended for that. My vision has never been good enough to not utilize a scope of some sort. If you are going with a 4 or 5 day flush to harvest approach, you have to consider the fact the plant will continue to progress from that point. Strange balancing act plus the curing process will also turn some into amber depending.

 

It kind of looks like you have about 2 weeks to go. Again, hard to tell from pics. Basing that on calyx coloration being about 75% turned with 25% showing like new growth.

 

I'm sure there will be plenty of other input, that's just mine.

 

 

Be well,

O_S

[a man named truth 24]

Hey Zord,

 

Looks great for some CFLs. If you've got a scope, check the trichs. You'll find a lot of divided information regarding flushing, whether its necessary and whatnot. Looks like the hairs are about 80 Percent red or so, cant tell too well from here. Maybe start feeding them less, then no nutes, just water next week. I wouldn't leave them in the dark, either, plants cant grow anything without light. Dont use warm water, otherwise you will kill those roots, and they are still needed for sure.

[Zord 0]

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

@Oddly_Sober: Yeah I am currently watering every 4 days or so depending when the pot feels light. The last watering was about 2 days ago which was with no nutes. I am probably going to harvest in 2 weeks. My dark period is also pretty dry and where I live humidity isnt really an issue. Ill do the 36 hours of darkness and see how it works out Thanks for the input!

 

@a man named truth: Thanks man Yeah CFL isnt my ideal choice of lighting but I wanted to try it nonetheless. I "lent" my old 600 Watt HPS to a friend and well he "lost" it and well we're not friends anymore as you can imagine About the dark period what I was told is that if you switch the lights off for the last 2 days before harvest it increase Trichome production. I didnt try it on my last harvest because I only found out about it afterwards and I was thinking of trying it. Also about the luke warm water apparently its supposed to help dissolve more minerals that are in the soil to help better flush the minerals out of the soil.

[Oddly_Sober 2]

The solvable rate for most minerals is not effected by a small temp change like that. Some organics maybe, but not really worth the hassle imo. Increasing flush effectiveness by a small margin is not worth the risk to me. Difference is probably not going to be significant enough. The same results can be had with a larger volume of water used in the flush really. Or submersion flushing. Whole idea behind flushing is to remove those extra nutrients to keep the plant from absorbing them. Get too carried away though and you send the plant into a survival mode. Hermi's etc as a potential shock. Even in a short time frame.

 

The roots of your plant however can be affected by temp changes. *shrug* You said luke warm. So I'm assuming temps around 90 degree F. I could be wrong. Maybe your tap water is really cold etc.

 

The temps needed to get most salts to dissolve out of soil are going to be similar to their rates of absorption. Several products on the market basically provide an approach to make the salts attract to the solutions created to help remove them from the various grow mediums. Silly radical ions. Though most people do fine with plain water at room temp or whatever their source temp is.

 

Speaking of flushing, where is that bookmark ... Here is a pictorial of using a bubbler setup to flush a plant. Extreme for sure, but interesting:

 

Chop and flush using a bubbler ...

 

 

Just to clarify, I'm not arguing with whatever the cited sources are for the warm water idea. I just feel that is in the myth zone based on my experiences. I can say equivocally though that I have killed plants with hot water in an outdoor setting. Approximately 120-130 degree water starting into a root mass thanks to losing the shade on the water reservoir was not nice. So maybe I'm just paranoid about it now that I think about it. But I'm still looking at the basic science of absorbtion rates in my head when it comes to the things that will actually "flush" from soil based mediums ...

 

 

Righto, just had that thought while doing dishes and saw your reply, so maybe it will garner a some more input.

 

 

Be well,

O_S

[Zord 0]

Definitely, I love science

 

It is winter where I live so the water from the tap that I am using is probably around 7-8 degrees celcius. When I mean lukewarm I mean more like 25 degrees celcius. I know from a pharmacological stand point that the increase in temperature should help increase the minerals chance to dissolve into the water. Also I am a bit confused on the term Flushing. Are you supposed to use like 10 litres of water to flush a 3 litre pot ?

The same results can be had with a larger volume of water used in the flush really.

So I just increase volume of the water I pass through the pot ? Do I water to the point where the soil is completely saturated with water or just enough to "water" the plant? Also do I wait until its time to water them, pot is light, to flush as well ? Is flushing even worth it ? Do I get a better taste because of flushing ? Higher THC content? Sorry for all the questions but I've never flushed before and I dont want to hurt my baby girl!

[Mr. Whipple 68]

Nice and frosty, but im diggin how dark the folage is.

 

Nice job.

 

Whip

[Hempyfan 4,152]

Fine work for cfl lights.

[Oddly_Sober 2]

Definitely, I love science

 

It is winter where I live so the water from the tap that I am using is probably around 7-8 degrees celcius. When I mean lukewarm I mean more like 25 degrees celcius. I know from a pharmacological stand point that the increase in temperature should help increase the minerals chance to dissolve into the water. Also I am a bit confused on the term Flushing. Are you supposed to use like 10 litres of water to flush a 3 litre pot ?

So I just increase volume of the water I pass through the pot ? Do I water to the point where the soil is completely saturated with water or just enough to "water" the plant? Also do I wait until its time to water them, pot is light, to flush as well ? Is flushing even worth it ? Do I get a better taste because of flushing ? Higher THC content? Sorry for all the questions but I've never flushed before and I dont want to hurt my baby girl!

 

Gotcha, yeah that is enough differential to make a difference probably. I'd go with room temperature to come closer to matching soil temp.

 

Most flush techniques are double to three times the volume of the container and make sure it can drain really well. I usually went light on potted plants. Outdoor I just let nature do its thing and avoided feeding for about three weeks. There was usually enough residuals in the soil where water made the difference. But I never fed my plants as much as most "pros" do.

 

Depending the ferts being used, this can make a marker improvement in taste. Higher THC content? Very debatable. As for the taste factor, some people have more of a "palette" than others. But it really comes down to how heavy a feed they have had as far as how extreme the flush would need to be.

 

I know people who cannot tell after a cure whether or not it has been, and some others that will always find a hint of something. Almost to the point of being able to name your nute approach. I'm somewhere in between. But I like earthy overtones and even uncured plant matter. So maybe I'm just a freak. But I will say, that a good flush and cure can make a difference.

 

One thing that some people find is that it helps with overall "texture." Especially when smoking versus other methods of ingestion.

 

I agree with being cautious on how you treat that little girl. You've done a really nice job and I'd hate to see you wind out this project with damage.

 

One other note is that some people simply consider water for the last 10 days or so to be a flush. Others it means literally ensuring to flush out the soil using an overwatering/pass through approach.

 

End results can vary. One thing I have noticed is that with pure organic and soil approach is there is little need to go crazy with flushing. But again, I dont consider my palette to be as extensive as some.

 

Hope that makes some sense,

O_S

[sannie 3,339]

Very nice

Did I read it right this is under 130 watt fluo?

They are looking very dank

 

greetz sannie

[Psygi.Delic 1]

Man this is an excellent result for CFLs... they look super frosty dankity dank!

 

I was actually speaking with an Agriculturist (with experience of growing medicinal cannabis) the other day about growing methods and it was an eye-opener to have a view from a person who does it for his profession and learnt plant metabolism/breeding/grafting/feeding in University. I will try my best to pass on the knowledge about the subjects mentioned here. :

 

Flushing:

A misconception. There is no point of starving and thus shocking the plants in its very last growing cycle in a very delicate of its metabolism. The best way forward for the plant is to go on a 'diet'

While the idea of having as little nutes/chemicals possible in the buds to improve taste is understandable, the same result can be achieved by cutting down the nutes to about 1/4 strength of what was used before the 'diet' without shocking the plants.

There are 2 main advantages going on 'diet' rather than a complete flush:

1. There are alot of processes going on in the plant system before it dies, and giving it nutes (even if very little) will allow it to finish those processes in a good manner, or age gracefully

2. The fact the nutes are cut down actually signal the plant its time to pack it in and get its ass in gear in terms of resin/terpens production (same as flushing really) but without shocking/confusing the plant because the lack of nutes. Feeding the plant low amounts of N (grow) rather than blasting it with PK will help the exchange of nutes to allow less harsher taste and better burning (which is usually the result of too much P which is also carcinogenic)

 

This was very interesting idea, and after some research I found out the OT1 (yes, same guy with the OT1 Haze) actually supports the same feeding regime.

 

When to chop/Darkness before chop:

It is believed that resin production is at its highest just before sunset/lights on, and it slowly degrades as the day goes on so just before lights on should be the optimal time chopping your plants.

The idea of giving 24/36 hours of darkness before chop is not yet to be proven and the result varies per grower/strains. I can't really remember what we discussed about this so I am not going to comment about the 36hr darkness to prevent any confusion

 

His thoughts are not set in stone and everyone is welcome to chip in and share their knowledge or experience, so please do!

 

Sorry for the hijack!

[carper 403]

nice growing zord,

 

you have got sum green fingers for sure

 

im gonna get an order in with sannie just by the look of your dank plants!

[Zord 0]

@sannie: Thanks so much for your awesome genetics! Yeah its under 2x 45 Watt CFL's (Cool) and 2x 20 Watt CFL's (warm). The 45 Watts are actually BEASTS. You can Veg 4-5 plants under one of those 45 Watts no problem. I kept the plant as close to the lights as I could without burning them. It made it REALLY bushy as you can see in the pictures. The only problem I have with CFL is that it really doesnt penetrate the canopy at all, nothing like an HPS. The whole cabinet is painted with reflective paint but CFL's just dont give off enough light. Its fine if you arent looking for huge yields which I am luckily not looking for. I am all about quality and Sannie your seeds are PURE QUALITY. With an HPS I cant even imagine what Hericules would grow to. I rate I could easily get the 600g/m2 with an HPS and 5-8 plants. Im guessing I should yield about 60-70 grams dry for this plant which is pretty awesome for CFL's. Once again its all about genetics. Sannie your genetics are awesome Next on my list is Killing Fields! I want the purple pheno Also afaik the 45 watts are 2700 Lumens each and the 20 watts are 1100 Lumens each. 7600 Lumens for one plant.

 

@Oddly_Sober: Thanks for your reply again mate. I didnt give it very heavy nute feeds but I definitely think there is residual in the soil. I didnt add any perlite or anything to increase aeration in the soil. I just used stones at the bottom of the pot to increase drainage. To be honest I dont want my plant to go into shock and eat all its leaves. Something doesnt look right about a plant with all yellow curling leaves. I think I will do one "real flush" with loads of water 1 week before harvest but for now I will just use water. And yes it makes sense

 

@Psygi.Delic: Thanks for kind words and all that info! I had kinda guessed the same but its always nice to see science behind stuff. I dont want to shock my baby girl at all, shes too pretty! About the darkness period it has got to do with photosynthesis. When the plant doesnt receive any light for an extended period ie. 36-48 hours, the plant goes into survival mode and its supposed to increase resin production. Once again its not proven but a lot of people say they do notice a difference. Just want feedback from the community on the idea!

 

@carper: Thanks man It took me a long time to get any type of green fingers! A little secret. My first grow ever I didnt read about what lights to use, so I thought you could use Halogen Lamps. Let me just say its the worst mistake I had ever made EVER. Lol. The plants just stretched and stretched. Oh and did i mention these were seed plants from Nirvana that I wasted. Luckily I messed up. I am not the type to fail. After that I read everything about growing. A few weeks later I got myself an HPS and pulled a 400 gram harvest from 8 plants. I was quite happy You should definitely order from Sannie. World Class Genetics at amazing prices. His plants will suprise any and every Grower. This plant was so vigorous and aggressive in its vegatative period I cant even explain. Even within 24 hours of germinating the seed it already had a 1 inch root long enough to plant. It WANTED to grow and it did. I even feel bad for only giving her CFL's, she DESERVES 1000 Watt HPS. Next time!

 

@Mr. Whipple: Thanks man, yeah the leaves are a dark dark green. Its awesome. I am hoping for a bit of purple coming through these last 2 weeks. Its a bit cold where I am.

 

@Hempyfan: Thanks man My next grow will definitely be on an HPS!

[Vap'only 0]

Hi !

Wow

I was looking for some info about Hericules, happy to have find your topic !

Nice buds for fluo light !

 

Could you please tell us about the "smoking report", how is this Hericules ???

[Maverick 278]

Very nice job and it was done under CFL too. Keep up the good work.

[biteme 0]

i just received a pack of these in the mail last week so i want to thank you for the pics! however, these plants are still a very deep green for being that near to finish? is this a natural coloration for this plant or are we looking at nitrogen that needs to be flushed or used up by the plant? other than perhaps time in flowering, i guess i am not seeing signs of ripening i usually look for so any comments are welcome. peace-biteme

[Zord 0]

@Vap'Only: Thanks, CFL's arent to be underestimated. You just need more of them I havent smoked dried buds yet, i have only taken a sample but when its done ill do a smoke report for ya

 

@Maverick: Thanks man I'll try!

 

@biteme: I only started flushing the day I started this post, they still have 2-3 weeks to go. It says 9-10 weeks. It was only week 7! Yes i know you wont be disappointed I promise! I will post more pics in the coming weeks to show how she finishes.

[Grizz 1]

I just wanted to comment on how Sannie has World Class Genetics. If the cannabis cup actually was about good genetics throughout the world, I am fairly confident that Sannie would hold many first place trophies. It's sad to see these othere companies getting recognized when they create a lot of hermi genetics and the real breaders not getting the world wide respect they deserve. Just for the record Sannie has first place genetics in my book.

[And More Again 5]

wow. you have done a fine job on that baby are you using the spring type cfls. the mondo ones? excellent work have fun with rewards.Peace Andmoreagain

[Zord 0]

@And More Again: 3 of the CFL's are regular shaped CFL's and the one is spring shaped. It doesnt matter really. I prefer the spring type because it spreads the light better compared to normal CFL's. Thanks man

 

Time for a little update in pics.

 

 

I want to know, when you flush does the effect show up in the bud leaves first or in the lower leaves of the plant? I am trying to work out of this is light burn or if its just the flushing coming into effect. Looks like light burn to me but the plants are still the same distance from the lights and I turn them regularly 1-2 days. No change in anything really except for pure water no nutes. Thoughts welcome

 

Enjoy

[Oddly_Sober 2]

The one main budsite that apears to be the most afflicted with your concern was showing this in the last update set. Lower right hand corner of the pic. Same one.

 

 

You may have some more now for sure as the plant start to cannibalize its sugar factories.

 

Personally it is rather hard to burn with a strong CFL unless it is touching/extremely close.

 

Doesn't look too bad especially since this budsite was already showing this stress. The other tips, looks normal enough.

 

 

Be well,

O_S

[a man named truth 24]

You'll notice a pretty even amount of discoloration in the leaves starting from the outside edges progressing inwards, mostly at the top buds cause they get more light, thus consume more energy/food stores.

[Zord 0]

Tiny update (its only been 3 days):

 

The buds are still throwing out white pistils and the buds just keep getting fatter and fatter. I am 3 days away from 9 weeks, so about 1 and a half weeks to go. I gave a 1/4 strength Bio-Bloom feed just to make sure it wasnt deficient in anything because I started flushing a bit too soon. This will be the last feed, only water from now on.

 

The pictures:

 

 

Enjoy

[Hempyfan 4,152]

Very nice. They look very tasty.