# A Time to Harvest?



## Volcano Buds (Aug 1, 2019)

This is my 1st grow & it’s been a blast! I’m now into week 9 of flower & believe I’m real close to harvest, but I have doubts & don’t want to jump the gun. I have 2 plants, grown indoors with my own RDWC design utilizing both topping and Scrogging techniques. It’s a hybrid strain called Chemodo Dragon, a 60/40 Sativa dominant hybrid strain combining Chemdawg #4 & Gupta Kush. 

They’re in a 3’ x 4’ tent with four 1000w LEDs (I started with 2 until mid-flower) and have a double vent set-up (1 in the tent & another just outside the tent in the same storeroom). I made a few rookie mistakes along the way, but I’m learning quickly. I had to sacrifice 2 hermaphrodites a few weeks into flower, because of an auto-timer error (the lights were turning on for 1 hour each night during dark period) For some reason, two survived and are thriving! Lots of colas, sticky as hell and they smell incredible!

I’m growing in my basement in Colorado, so it’s been fairly easy to keep cool, but I added a portable A/C for added protection and to help control humidity & water temps. I also have a 3’x 3’ veg tent in the same room for a perpetual grow & they’re now ready to flower. I feel like I’ve got a killer set-up now! 

I’m posting several pics of my girls & 1 pic of my RDWC System and would appreciate any advice, but most importantly, are they ready for harvest? I already began the flush last week so if they’re not ready, what next???


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## drcree (Aug 1, 2019)

those look great vb!  congratulations on your first grow.
personally, i'd wait a wee bit before harvesting, but there are others here much more experienced who could tell you for certain.


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## hollowpoint (Aug 1, 2019)

Hi VB....Welcome to Mp....Those buds are looking great. Good luck on your harvest!


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 1, 2019)

drcree said:


> those look great vb!  congratulations on your first grow.
> personally, i'd wait a wee bit before harvesting, but there are others here much more experienced who could tell you for certain.


I’m in no rush and I agree it’s a bit early, so I’m re-adding nutes today for 1 more week, than I’ll Re-flush & harvest in 10-12 days. That will be nearly 11 weeks in flower phase, but regardless, the leaves have barely yellowed & the trichomes have little to no amber. I made a few mistakes along the way that likely slowed their progression.
Thanks for your input!


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## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 1, 2019)

You are just going to _guess_ as to when there are ready?!?  A magnifier or loupe is an essential tool that needs to be in every growers equipment.  If you do no have one, please do yourself a favor and get one before you harvest.  Examining the trichs with at least 30x magnification is the only real way to know if the plants are ready.


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 1, 2019)

Hi Hemp Goddess! 
I really appreciate your advice as I’ve seen several of your other posts & your knowledge is quite impressive! I have a jewelers loop & a 30x microscope, but since it’s my 1st run I still needed an expert opinion because I am far from it! 
I thought they still looked premature for harvest, but the timing is what threw me off. They’re now at 9 weeks into flower and based on my set-up (hi-flow RDWC + 4000w total LEDs), I thought for sure they’d be done by now, but I was also expecting to see more amber trichomes & yellow leaves by now. I already started the flush a week ago, but I’m adding nutes back this morning to complete the cycle. Thanks a lot for your input!


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## stepheneking (Aug 1, 2019)

Welcome! Your plants are looking great, you have given them lots of TLC! Congratulation on the success so far! I also am new and have my first grow going. I think the newbie mistakes are there for a reason, so we can learn as I know I have made a few myself. I'll be following!


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 1, 2019)

stepheneking said:


> Welcome! Your plants are looking great, you have given them lots of TLC! Congratulation on the success so far! I also am new and have my first grow going. I think the newbie mistakes are there for a reason, so we can learn as I know I have made a few myself. I'll be following!


Thanks! I’m going  another week or so til harvest & cant wait to see how they turn out! I’ve got a 2 tent perpetual harvest set up and my new batch is ready to flower, so the timing was perfect! 
Are you using soil, cocoa or hydro?


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## stepheneking (Aug 2, 2019)

Sounds like a good little setup! I have anther batch in my box, not ready yet, as I had a late start with them. I am currently growing in soil. It wasn't the best soil for my first however, its worked out well. I am working on a organic soil for my next grow mixing up my own super soil. This will leave me, hopefully, not having to use nutrients for my next grow ;-)

A lot of my stuff is DIY, including my tent however, its all working out well. I still have work to be done on my setup that I am hoping to have ready for the next batch when moving to flower


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## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 2, 2019)

I wouldn't flush the plants.  The main reason is because of your exact scenario.  You have flushed your plant and now decided that it needs more time.  So, ultimately, you have deprived your plant of food when it needs it most.  I have found that I had better results with not flushing and just stop feeding them.  If you do not flush, but only give them water the last week or 10 days, they generally use up all residual nutrients without the starving that happens when you flush them.  In hydro, I would just top up the res with plain pH'd water.

Even though you have posted up some beautiful pics, they are still not close enough for us to tell if they are ready.  This is probably something that you are going to have to decide for yourself after examination.  I also think that it is okay to take a test bud and try it.  While something that is "quick dried" is not going to have the taste and smell of a slow dried cured bud, it should give you an idea of the high you are gong to get.  Remember that the more amber, the more couch lock it will be.  I generally do not let my sativas go to amber, but harvest when trichs are mostly clear and cloudy.  Indicas, I let go a bit longer to amber.

You might try it next time without the screen, as you are not really doing a scrog.


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## SmokeRich211 (Aug 5, 2019)

Congratulations! V B, they look so great, I will keep following and learning. I 'm also going to begin my first, but haven't decided which seed will be better for a beginner, do you guys have any advice? thank you.


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## TasWeedHead (Aug 5, 2019)

Congrats mate they looks DOPE


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## QBCrocket (Aug 5, 2019)

bonza job VB , bud look nice and sticky I always run straight water for last 10 days make the buds taste a lot better and much smoother smoke , enjoy your harvest , hope you got some clones from them lovely ladies


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 5, 2019)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I wouldn't flush the plants.  The main reason is because of your exact scenario.  You have flushed your plant and now decided that it needs more time.  So, ultimately, you have deprived your plant of food when it needs it most.  I have found that I had better results with not flushing and just stop feeding them.  If you do not flush, but only give them water the last week or 10 days, they generally use up all residual nutrients without the starving that happens when you flush them.  In hydro, I would just top up the res with plain pH'd water.
> 
> Even though you have posted up some beautiful pics, they are still not close enough for us to tell if they are ready.  This is probably something that you are going to have to decide for yourself after examination.  I also think that it is okay to take a test bud and try it.  While something that is "quick dried" is not going to have the taste and smell of a slow dried cured bud, it should give you an idea of the high you are gong to get.  Remember that the more amber, the more couch lock it will be.  I generally do not let my sativas go to amber, but harvest when trichs are mostly clear and cloudy.  Indicas, I let go a bit longer to amber.
> 
> You might try it next time without the screen, as you are not really doing a scrog.


HG,
Thanks!  You raise some really good input about flushing and your right about the SCROG. I ordered those heavy duty screens early on Amazon, but I got hosed and they never came. I got a refund & re-ordered a second time, but by the time they arrived, I was 2 weeks behind my SCROG schedule and had to make due & raise the screen height by 4 inches so I didn’t destroy the mature plants. I was still able to control vertical growth which was essential because my tent is only 6ft tall. I added nutes back in this last Wednesday morning & the colas are freaking exploding in size now!


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 5, 2019)

SmokeRich211 said:


> Congratulations! V B, they look so great, I will keep following and learning. I 'm also going to begin my first, but haven't decided which seed will be better for a beginner, do you guys have any advice? thank you.


Thanks Rich! As far as seeds go, I’m far from expert so hopefully the advanced members chime in. My 1st batch of seeds were a Sativa dominant hybrid called Chemodo Dragon I bought at a dispensary in Denver & I couldn’t be happier in the way they’re turning out! I started a new crop in my 2nd tent about 6 weeks ago for a perpetual grow and they’ve exploded and ready to switch over to flower. This batch is an Indica dominant strain called Krishna Kush. They’re in an Ebb & Flow in my smaller veg tent and almost out of room so I’m moving them to RDWC and SCROGGING this week...I’ll add a picture


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## SmokeRich211 (Aug 6, 2019)

Thank you, they grow so well, I'm still looking for, choice phobia


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 17, 2019)

Just harvested my 1st Just harvested 1st grow and I feel pretty good about the results...
2 plants - Chemodo Dragon - Hybrid strain combo - Chemdawg#4 & Gupta Kush 
Scrogged in my own RDWC design
No clue on yield weight yet, but it’s more than I was expecting 
Pictures attached...
One of the heavy cola branches broke in my hand as my wife was snapping the photo


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## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 18, 2019)

Congratulations!  Great looking buds!  You'll be toking for a while.  Very impressive for a first grow...I do believe you have a green thumb.

Can you tell me more about your RDWC?  I have decided that I am going to do an inside grow this winter.  And I think I want to make up some kind of RDWC similar to what you have.  Did you buy this commercially or did you make it?  Is the piping 1-1/2"?  After much looking at RDWC systems, I think I am going to make mine up myself, so I can configure it like I want.  LOL--I can see that yours worked very well for you!


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 18, 2019)

Hi HG
I really appreciate the kind words! I researched MJ growing like a mad man over the last 6 months and learned a ton from this forum as well. I built my own RWDC system after doing tons of research on that as well. For some reason that concept really appealed to me and it’s been a ton of fun! I used 5 gallon rectangular buckets, so the bulkheads get much better seals than the round buckets. The undercurrent piping is a 1-1/2” system with a 1000 GPH in-line pump. 
I also divert circulation to an uppercurrent 1/2” piping for a waterfall system to each grow bucket for added oxygen, plus it lowers the flow in the undercurrent just enough so the roots don’t get sucked into the pipes. Then I added hi-flow jet propulsion to the control station for a geyser or fluming effect, which adds a ton of more dissolved oxygen; that way, if my air stones fail, which they always do at some point, the other 2 oxygenation sources will more than suffice to keep the plants thriving. I even turned off my air pump for a week to test it out and the plants did great. 

The control station is also only 5 gallons and is located inside the tent, which some people won’t love, but it’s still easy to access and its fed by a 25 gallon reservoir that’s located outside the tent. I live in Colorado & my setup’s in the basement on concrete, so water temps have stayed below  68°F, but I also have a nice portable A/C unit that’s vented into the tent and blows right on one of the buckets...it’s perfect because it keeps the water cool, the tent cool, plus it dehumidifies as well, which would otherwise be an issue in mid to late flower when humidity sky rockets in the tent.

I created 3 different RDWC designs for smaller grow set-ups that will fit in smaller tents: 3’ x 3’, 3’x 4’ or 4’ x 4’. I have a 2 tent setup in my basement storeroom for a perpetual grow and it’s worked out great. I already replaced the 2 plants I just harvested Friday with 4 more plants that have been in veg for 6 or 7 weeks and are ready to flower. The 3 different designs are to accommodate either 2 plant, 3 plant or 4 plant setups. As you already know, with topping, fimming and scrogging techniques, I’m hoping I can get over a pound with just 2 plants once I get it fully dialed in. 

I’ll send you a few pics of my system and if you’re interested I can help you with the build because there are a bunch of parts that the pictures won’t really reveal. I even have a complete list of parts for each design. The pics I’ve uploaded are for a 4 plant system, but I removed the covers & mesh pots on the front 2 grow buckets to see the internal parts, but that didn’t really work out do to poor lighting.

How many plants are you planning on growing at a time?


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 18, 2019)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> Congratulations!  Great looking buds!  You'll be toking for a while.  Very impressive for a first grow...I do believe you have a green thumb.
> 
> Can you tell me more about your RDWC?  I have decided that I am going to do an inside grow this winter.  And I think I want to make up some kind of RDWC similar to what you have.  Did you buy this commercially or did you make it?  Is the piping 1-1/2"?  After much looking at RDWC systems, I think I am going to make mine up myself, so I can configure it like I want.  LOL--I can see that yours worked very well for you!



Here’s a few more pics of the RDWC in use in the grow tent...and by the way, that system cost me about $300 to build, including pumps and the collapsible 25gal reservoir. There are cheaper systems on the eBay and Amazon, but most are just DWC, crap designs, low flow with poor reviews...


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## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 18, 2019)

Still trying to decide on how many buckets.  Largely depend on where I end up growing.  I have a 5 x 5 tent (but not sure I got all the connectors when I moved, may have to construct a frame), a 4 x 4, and a 32" x 32".  But I am considering  using a bedroom.  The bedroom is about 9 x 11.  When I used a bedroom before, I made up moveable "walls" with PVC and panda film to keep the light contained and provide a reflective surface around the plants.  I am thinking of a system with 6-9 buckets, plus the control bucket and res.  I have done a lot of DWC, but no RDWC as I always did a perpetual harvest and had plants going in and out of the flowering room at different times.  Then when I moved to Oregon and could grow outdoors, I started growing organic.  I do have a love of water culture though and decided that I want to try a RDWC for my indoor winter grow.  Dealing with individual buckets can be a PITA and I'm getting old, so looking to a good recircing system.

I am interested in hearing more about the uppercurrent and the hi-flow jet propulsion.  Although I have seen systems with the waterfall effect, they looked different than what you have.   Yeah, I am not interested in any of the cheaper systems on E-Bay or Amazon.   I'm pretty handy, a retired master plumber, and I'd far rather construct a system myself.  I figured that I can build something for  around $400 or $500.  I certainly welcome any advice and help you can give me.


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 18, 2019)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> Still trying to decide on how many buckets.  Largely depend on where I end up growing.  I have a 5 x 5 tent (but not sure I got all the connectors when I moved, may have to construct a frame), a 4 x 4, and a 32" x 32".  But I am considering  using a bedroom.  The bedroom is about 9 x 11.  When I used a bedroom before, I made up moveable "walls" with PVC and panda film to keep the light contained and provide a reflective surface around the plants.  I am thinking of a system with 6-9 buckets, plus the control bucket and res.  I have done a lot of DWC, but no RDWC as I always did a perpetual harvest and had plants going in and out of the flowering room at different times.  Then when I moved to Oregon and could grow outdoors, I started growing organic.  I do have a love of water culture though and decided that I want to try a RDWC for my indoor winter grow.  Dealing with individual buckets can be a PITA and I'm getting old, so looking to a good recircing system.
> 
> I am interested in hearing more about the uppercurrent and the hi-flow jet propulsion.  Although I have seen systems with the waterfall effect, they looked different than what you have.   Yeah, I am not interested in any of the cheaper systems on E-Bay or Amazon.   I'm pretty handy, a retired master plumber, and I'd far rather construct a system myself.  I figured that I can build something for  around $400 or $500.  I certainly welcome any advice and help you can give me.


Wow HG, you’re not messing around and that’s a lot of work! I’m about to pull my boat out of the lake and clean it so I’ll be back in a few hours to follow up


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## Aksarben (Aug 19, 2019)

Welcome!!  Great lo0oking buds!!


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 19, 2019)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> Still trying to decide on how many buckets.  Largely depend on where I end up growing.  I have a 5 x 5 tent (but not sure I got all the connectors when I moved, may have to construct a frame), a 4 x 4, and a 32" x 32".  But I am considering  using a bedroom.  The bedroom is about 9 x 11.  When I used a bedroom before, I made up moveable "walls" with PVC and panda film to keep the light contained and provide a reflective surface around the plants.  I am thinking of a system with 6-9 buckets, plus the control bucket and res.  I have done a lot of DWC, but no RDWC as I always did a perpetual harvest and had plants going in and out of the flowering room at different times.  Then when I moved to Oregon and could grow outdoors, I started growing organic.  I do have a love of water culture though and decided that I want to try a RDWC for my indoor winter grow.  Dealing with individual buckets can be a PITA and I'm getting old, so looking to a good recircing system.
> 
> I am interested in hearing more about the uppercurrent and the hi-flow jet propulsion.  Although I have seen systems with the waterfall effect, they looked different than what you have.   Yeah, I am not interested in any of the cheaper systems on E-Bay or Amazon.   I'm pretty handy, a retired master plumber, and I'd far rather construct a system myself.  I figured that I can build something for  around $400 or $500.  I certainly welcome any advice and help you can give me.



Well this should be a piece of cake with your background! I haven’t built anything bigger than a 5 bucket RDWC system, including the control station, but my guess is, it’s probably a little easier to maintain and Scrog compared to DWC. Plus, I travel a lot for work & I spend most summer weekends boating, so I built my system to be fail-safe and low maintenance. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still requires a fair amount of work, but I enjoy it...except for harvest time! It just took me 2 full days of not just trimming, but I disassembled both tents and everything inside them including lights, vent systems, both hydro systems, cleaned everything thoroughly and reassembled. Now I’ve already got 4 more plants scrogged and ready to transition to flower.

I’m more than happy to help with your new RDWC! I’ve saved info on almost every part I bought, mostly on Amazon. With your plumbing background, I bet we can also make some improvements and build one every bit as good as Current Culture or Alien. A friend of mine is a patent attorney and he just filed patents on my current designs because I’ve already had over a dozen requests from friends to build more.


Aksarben said:


> Welcome!!  Great lo0oking buds!!


Thank you Arsarben! I just weighed my dry harvest and it came out to 13oz total for 2 plants...I was hoping to get at least a pound, but I also likely over trimmed and manicured. Still a rookie so I guess I shouldn’t be too disappointed


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## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 19, 2019)

You should be very proud of yourself--that is an amazing yield for a first grow.  And I personally like my bud to be super manicured.  You can save all those little sugary leaves you trim for edibles, tinctures, salves, etc.  Leaf material smokes harsh.


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## NENugs420 (Aug 19, 2019)

Congrats man, looks great, love that you built your system yourself for your first grow and looks like you nailed it.  I would love to learn more about RDWC, I currently grow in promix HPCC in a 4x4x8 gorilla tent but I just acquired more room so I'm going to go to a 5x9 for flower and use the 4x4 for  veg.  I'll follow along on this thread and learn all I can.  Thanks!


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 20, 2019)

NENugs420 said:


> Congrats man, looks great, love that you built your system yourself for your first grow and looks like you nailed it.  I would love to learn more about RDWC, I currently grow in promix HPCC in a 4x4x8 gorilla tent but I just acquired more room so I'm going to go to a 5x9 for flower and use the 4x4 for  veg.  I'll follow along on this thread and learn all I can.  Thanks!


Thanks NENugs,
I’ve got a perpetual set-up as well, but on a smaller scale. I grow 4 plants in Veg and 4 in flower. I actually just moved my veg plants over to my flower tent yesterday after just finishing my 1st harvest. It’s kinda crazy how some of you diehards are growing twice that amount and even more! I’m sure I’ll end up gradually up-sizing as well, now that I’m hooked on growing!

I’d be more than happy to help you with an RDWC build. I’ve never grown any other way, so I can’t say it’s superior to other methods, but with my back-up reservoir providing a constant water level, plus a good SCROG set-up, I can leave town for nearly a week before I start to worry about pH levels. And I just have to re-tuck the plants under the SCROG net & raise the lights by about 6-8 inches to avoid light burn while I’m gone.

Here’s a few pics of my second round grow setup I just move over to my flower tent yesterday. They’re growing so fast I could barely get them under the SCROG net and had to defoliate like a mo-fo! They’re an Indica dominant hybrid strain called Krishna Kush.


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## NENugs420 (Aug 20, 2019)

What is SCROG?


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## Volcano Buds (Aug 20, 2019)

SCROG stands for screen of green. It’s a heavy duty net that goes across the entire canopy which is allows the grower to manually manipulate the plants growth outward or laterally as opposed to straight up. As the plants grow, I’ll move the branches and leaves around about twice a week to perfectly even out the canopy to maximize exposure to light.  Combining SGROGGING with topping or fimming the plants can increase the number of cola sites and the overall yield substantially.


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## NENugs420 (Aug 20, 2019)

Word, that's cool, I've only used netting and hoped they don't grow into my lights.  I'll have to try that out.


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## SmokeRich211 (Aug 21, 2019)

Sound great, get new skills, I also will try it my second growing.


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