Bubbler DWC Tutorial - PART 14

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Bubbler DWC Tutorial - Part 14

The following tutorial has been copied and pasted from 420magazine.com

Everyday, I am asked
WOULDN'T YOU DO BETTER WITH LARGER TANKS OR LESS PLANTS IN THE TANK?

On the SH website it says about the 8 gallon tank:


Keeping Size in Perspective
This system was not designed to grow six 6-foot tall Christmas Trees. (Although we have grown 4 plants, 3, 4 and 5 feet tall in one tank.) We have heard a few growers tell us "I just realized that the 6 plants are going to get very crowded after they get 3 or 4 feet tall". This system was not designed for 6 giant plants. There is a reason that the tank is 21 and a half inches long. There is a reason it is called a STARTER KIT.
When this system was originally designed, many factors went into deciding what size tank and size pumps to use. The main factors were economy, simplicity, stealthness, and making sure the tank would fit into the end of a small closet, out of the way and out of sight. We've heard of a few growers that try to change to a much larger tank, and realize how much more work and trouble is involved in using a larger tank and moving larger quantities of water. Draining and replenishing the water can be a major task in a much larger tank. Not only are more larger and expensive air and water pumps needed for a larger tank, but larger pumps make more noise. Draining and cleaning a larger tank is a ton of work and trouble too. If you want to go with a bigger system, then connect two tanks together. And if you want to grow large plants, then start them in the Deep Water Culture System, then transfer them into the Bucketeer Large Bucket DWC system. Or do like most growers do and just grow 2 or 3 large plants in one tank by selecting and keeping the more desirable three plants and disposing of the other three.

I would like to repeat, this is a STARTER KIT.

That being said, if you read the Tutorial or study the pics, there are 5 plants in one tank to the left of the closet and 3 plants in the tank to the far right. Of the 5 in one tank, one is a runt about 18 inches tall, and one giant is 54 inchs tall. he other three average 38 to 42 inches tall. The walls of the closet help support them and hold them up.

Allow me to show you a friend's grow, a friend and a grower I truely admire and respect. His name is Jonnybtreed and he has 5 plants in this one 8 gallon tank. Ask yourself would you like to have that grow, or do you desire less???

What MORE does anyone want from an 8 gallon tank???

This is what we dream about and want and desire so bad!!!!

Everyone likes to show thier TOPS, so I thought I would show some undergrowth.

The first pic is my giant and largest plant. The pic does not really show how thick the bottom trunk is. It grows sideways two inches, then turns upward some, but still grows sideways, because of some training.





The pics of the undergrowth also show the affects of the extra nitrogen. NOT one leaf has fell off or yellowed.

The buds nearest the 6500k bulbs showed trichs first and faster.

The buds in between two bulbs, one 2700k and one 6500k are the largest and more fat and happier and are the fastest growing buds.

The buds in between two bulbs, one 2700k and one 6500k also have the most trichs.


These are some FREAKY looking buds, growing stems out the sides with flowers on them.
I am holding a bud about 8 inches long, and normal in the 8 inches, but there are two stems about 3 or 4 inches long, growing out of the tip of the bud.
Behind it is a giant bud about 12 or 14 inches long and very thick too.








The one tank to the far right and the bucket are showing yellowing and even reddish pistals.
One tank is still almost all white pistals.

I know that HARVEST TIME is comig soon, like in 3 or 4 weeks, so it is time to start gathering up empty boxes and box lids.

Well, I was just studying the very thick undergrowth and looking at all those popcorn buds I have when I found this!

So far, I can not find any other buds like this. The very little branch was blocking my entrance into an empty cup when I noticed, HEY, THERE ARE NO HAIRS ON THAT BUD! Then I realized, IT IS SEEDS!

It means I have a HERMIE somewhere that impregnated that bud, and that closet is so crowded, I dare not try to pull the tank out to search all of the growth. The walls of the closet are supporting some very long tall branches! I am fairly sure judging by the maturity of the seeds that the hermie has long since shot it's pollen and probably impregnated other buds. Well, on the bright side, I will probably find some more seeds at harvest.

If I was younger and did not have this bad back, I would pull that tank out and give it a good searching today.

I don't know what to do next!!

Well, this at least gives you an idea what a fertilized female bud looks like after it has started making seeds.

I have looked and looked and I can not find any males or any other fertilized flowers.

I sugggest you look at every bud and make sure it still has pistals. (the hairs

I started 12/12 Flowering Cycle on a Thursday 10-8-09.
Thursday, 11-26-09 will complete 7 weeks of Flowering.

Most Indica strains normally takes more than 8 and less than 9 weeks to Flower to maturity. Being my 8th grow with this Northern Lights strain, I expect to Flower two more weeks, to more than 8 weeks and less than 9 weeks.

And a side note,
I am going to naturally dry that fertilized bud that i just found and cut off, and smoke it this weekend! It will be my first taste sample!

I have several giants like this one, full and about 18 inches long. I am trying LIGHTS ON ande LIGHTS OFF to see how a pic looks the best here.



I have two very large FOX TAIL BUDS. FOX TAIL BUDS are deformalties, created by using extra Nitrogen in Flowering.

Here is one, 20 inches long! It is nothing but those side stems with flowers.



This FOX TAIL bud is 20 inches long and has 18 to 20 stems growing off the sides of it with flowers on it and it is the freakiest bud I have ever seen. It is so long and lanky and heavy, it leans against the wall and will not stand up on its on. It is near impossible to get a good pic of it, and this is all I could show you after several attempts to get a good pic of it. I can not get to it, to take a better pic.

This is not a normal bud, but a very filled out FOX TAIL BUD.




This bud has FINGERS, or caylxes stacked on top of each other. This happens when a bud is becomig VERY MATURE and did not get fertilized with male pollen.

I forgot to mention that FoxTail buds are the product of
a Sativa-Indica mix of strains.

This is a discussion of HARVEST TIME of Indica, Hydroponically grown indoors. Determining Sativa Harvest Time is much different.

WHEN DO I HARVEST?
From experience of growing the same two Indica strains many times, I know more than 8 weeks and a day less than 9 weeks of Flowering will be a great time to harvest my Indica as well as most other Indicas. I start counting Flowering Time the day I change the Light Cycle to 12/12.
But what if I did not have any experience?

In the old days of growing outdoors, we harvested when the weather man told us the first frost was coming. What we were really doing is harvesting when the plant and buds became FULLY MATURE. But how do you determine that? How do you know the buds are RIPE AND FULLY MATURE? How do you actually determine the right time to harvest?

Some growers say go by the calendar and count the weeks of 12/12. That will work OK, but it is not an exact science. Some growers buy seeds and harvest by the suggested Flowering Time on the seed packet. That is a good
2nd rule of thumb.

And then there are those that harvest by the color of the so-called hairs, or pistils, or stigmas. For the first 7 or 8 weeks of the Flowering Cycle, we see white pistils. Then, just overnight it seems, we see a darkening of them, a reddening, or some say a browning of the hairs. They do change from white to red to a very dark near brownish-red color. Many growers harvest by waiting until the majority of the pistils on the upper growth of the plant turn about 75% red, and then they harvest. That will work too, although still not very scientific.

The most scientific logical practical time to harvest is determined by the trichome color.
Trichomes (the trichs) are what we used to call the "crystals" or "diamonds" or "sparkles" that we see on the trim leaves very near the buds. In Europe, they are called the resin glands.
Trichomes are very sticky, almost like fresh model airplane glue. They stand tall, looking like a phallic symbol. Some have large heads like a tall skinny mushroom, and some do not. Some appear like a golf ball sitting on a T.
They are easily viewed with a cheap magnifying glass.

Let me show you a few pics of trichs taken with a microscope.

Here you see some trichs on some swollen calyxes:



You can also see the pistils changing from white to red and reddish-brown.

Other than the Trichome color and counting the weeks in 12/12, you should also determine harvest time by:

When the Calyxes are fat, swollen and plump, looking like they contain seeds.

When about 80% of the pistils have turned reddish brown.

And Very Important, when the new pistil development has come to a crawl suggesting the plant is at the end of its life cycle.

Why does the plant have trichomes?

Trichomes are on the plant's flowers to deter insects.

They are there to hold moisture in, to collect humidity, and to warm the plant from the cold.
(Suggestion: Chill the plant or grow-area to increase the trichomes)

Trichomes are there on the flowers and young trim leaves to prevent mold and fungus.

Trichomes are supposed to taste bad to animals, although most cats loves them.

Being sticky, the Trichomes catch the male pollen.

And best of all, Trichomes are where the THC is stored and concentrated.


This is the most popular trichome chart available for determining Harvest time.


You can easily tell by the chart, that you do not want to harvest while the trichs are still clear.

Trichomes begin CLEAR, then get CLOUDY or MILKY, then they get AMBER colored.

When the trichs are the color of male semen, a milky cloudy color, the buds will give a HEAD HIGH, similar to a HASH High.

When the trichs are the color of Heineken Light Beer, or what we jokingly call BUD LIGHT , the High will be a couch lock high, a sleepy high, or a numb high, the one most desired for medical reasons.

And when the trichs are half and half, the High is both half heady and half body high too.

I had to ask someone what the color amber looked like. The answer is its the colro of Bud Light!

So how do you look at the trichs up close?

I spoke to a grower today who uses a telescope turned upside down to look at them. Some growers use a large magnifying glass.

A good Magnifying glass works great.

This is a jeweler's loupe, for looking at precious stones, and it works great for looking at trichs.




And this loupe is used to look at 35 mm film or photo slides.

The magnifying glasses and the loupes are excellent for looking at trichomes and pre-flowers, while still on the plant. The microscope is best used on a sample removed from the plant and taken to the kitchen table to look at.

I bought this battery lighted microscope at Radio Shack three years ago, for $11.00. I think it is $13.00 now. I like it best.

And this one is easily found on the Internet for twice the price.



With the smaller microscope, it is easy to cut a sample of a trim leaf off, just snip the tip off. Then you take it to the kitchen table, holding it with tweezers, laying it on a white dinner plate to examine it. To learn how, seek the edge of the leaf. After you get the hang of it, and get some practice in focusing the microscope, it will get much easier to do.

Growers discuss harvesting in parts. In other words, taking some of the bigger buds, or upper buds and waiting until later to harvest the smaller buds, allowing them to get larger.

I attempted a Partial Harvest two years ago, and I was not satisfied with the results.

I harvested the top third of 6 plants, leaving the lower 2/3s. I stayed on BLOOM nutes and maybe I should have switched back to VEG nutes, but I only wanted my popcorn buds and smaller buds to mature.
I harvested the top 1/3 larger colas on a Saturday and two weeks later, on a Saturday, NOTHING had changed. NOTHING. They stayed in SHOCK for two full weeks. They barely drank half as much as previously and ate nothing. I waited two more weeks and very few buds got any larger. None of the popcorn buds showed any increase in size. I could have spent that 4 weeks on a full new grow. I lost patience after 4 weeks and took them. I feel like it was a wasted 4 weeks.

Link to Part 15 - http://www.strainhunters.com/portal/forum/bubbler-dwc-tutorial-part-15

[Guest Da-Collie-Man]

nice closeups