TDubs tiny tent

[T_Dub]

Good Morning…..I’ve been an absentee grower lately. I knew I wouldn’t have much free time when I started this GroBucket test, which was one reason for using the GroBucket. Now that I have more time to dedicate to this, I figured a quick update on the GroBuckets was in order. Here is the start of week 6 of flower for Gorilla GG4 and Lemonade Haze by Ganja Farmer seeds.

So far, it’s proving to be the easiest watering system that I could imagine. No vacuuming runoff, minimal wasted nutrients (no runoff), and a feed tube that prevents overwatering. It’s almost boring. One downside is that they’re more difficult to move around a grow room, especially when full of water. They also only hold 4 gallons of soil, so if you like to grow monsters you might be better off with a larger fiber pot. (Or get an Octopot).

I’m running with coco loco medium, so I’m also adapting my grow from soil to coco. I’m not doing any top-watering at all…..it all feeds from the one gallon reservoir in the bottom of the bucket. And since it’s dry coco on top, there’s no gnats so far.

I will snap a photo of the rootball after this experiment. Could be interesting since the moist medium is all at the bottom of the bucket.

I have noticed what appears to be a potassium deficiency on both strains while using GroBuckets. I’m feeding plenty of potassium by using the Lucas formula (8ml Micro/16ml bloom per gallon) plus 4ml/g of Liquid KoolBloom (0-10-10), so I’m trying to lower my ph from 6.3 to 6.0 to see if that helps absorption. The other possibility is salt buildup in the medium, in which case I can’t figure out any possible way to flush these plants in their Gro Buckets. That could be a downside to these buckets if it proves to be a salt buildup, because there is no flushing mechanism. I will know in 1-2 weeks if the condition worsens.

Here are the photos from the first day of week 6 since flip. I haven’t trained these at all….and I think I’m going to go back to Quadlining which allowed me to keep the plants a lot shorter. They have reached the upper limits of this tent and within 5 inches of the LEDs on the Lemonade Haze (right). The Lemonade Haze truly doubled in height from 18” before flip to 36+ inches. I might need to add stakes as these colas put on weight.

 

[user 60570]

Looking good Amigo

how many more weeks until harvest?

 

[pute]

Nice clean and well maintained grow. Gonna be good smoke.

 

[T_Dub]

Looking good Amigo

how many more weeks until harvest?

Hi BigSur,
I’m starting week 6. The GG4 says 8-10 weeks and the Lemonade Haze says 9-10 weeks. Sooooooo……I’ll probably go 12!

 

[T_Dub]

Nice clean and well maintained grow. Gonna be good smoke.

Thank you Pute.

 

[Lesso]

Ph in coco should be 5.8 all the way through that's why the deficiency

 

[T_Dub]

Ph in coco should be 5.8 all the way through that's why the deficiency

Well there it is….there’s my problem! I’ll adjust it lower tomorrow down to 5.8. Thanks Lesso! I’ve had a deficiency through the entire grow…..that could explain it. I’m using Coco Loco, and I thought the instructions were to treat it like soil.

 

[Lesso]

Well there it is….there’s my problem! I’ll adjust it lower tomorrow down to 5.8. Thanks Lesso! I’ve had a deficiency through the entire grow…..that could explain it. I’m using Coco Loco, and I thought the instructions were to treat it like soil.

Yeah that'll fix it up. As far as watering schedule I think that's true to treat it like soil. I'm glad to help. I had my own bouts with finding the right way to do coco, but now I love it.

 

[T_Dub]

Good Day! A quick update with trichome photos as I near harvest. I think I’m almost ready (next week) to harvest the Gorilla GG4 (left side of tent). The breeder (Ganja Farmer) estimated 8-10 weeks for this strain. It’s been 8.5 weeks since I flipped to 12/12 lighting, so their projection looks very accurate. I’m having problems holding up the colas due to excess weight. The other strain on the right is Lemonade Haze….a 9-10 week strain that needs another 1-2 weeks.

This grow has been extremely easy using the commercial Gro Buckets and Coco Loco soil, but there were leaf issues on both plants (brown edges and tips on the leaves). I ran using a ph at 6.3 during most of the grow and it was pointed out that I should have lowered my ph to 5.8 in coco. So that could be the cause. I’m also suspicious that there could be an excessive salt buildup in the coco from the nutrients. I could not determine any easy way to flush this system. I’m definitely planning to try Gro Buckets again, but I will train my plants to stay short.

This is my first time using grow buckets, so it’s interesting that two different strains both experienced the same leaf symptoms.

Also getting a little foxtailing on the buds….they grew into my lights and it’s stressing them out.

 

[Hippie420]

I'm smelling a possible BOTM winner!

 

[SubmarineGirl]

Very nice TD

 

[user 60570]

enjoy the harvest!

 

[oldfogey8]

Nice work

 

[Flower]

Very nice. I love the colas on the Lemonade.

 

[T_Dub]

I'm smelling a possible BOTM winner!

I wish Hippie! LOL. This grow has turned really ugly with the crusty brown leaves towards the end. I wouldn’t even consider entering this one…..especially seeing the beauties that get submitted each month. I’ll keep trying though.

I don’t understand why the leaves are turning so crispy. I truly think they needed to be flushed. Either I need to find a way to flush these GroBuckets, or I need to research nutrient lines for coco that won’t leave behind so many excess salts.

Very nice. I love the colas on the Lemonade.

Thanks Flower. The lemonade is definitely growing some big colas. I wish they hadn’t grown into the LEDs….they’d be more attractive without the foxtails. I’ll grab better photos when I harvest in a few weeks. Trichomes are still cloudy with zero amber, so a couple more weeks before I post a harvest photo.

 

[oldfogey8]

Trim those buds up and nobody will see any crispy leaves. Ya gotta be in it to win it, right?

 

[Hippie420]

Nobody says you can't trim off the brown leaves before you take the pic. I'll bet even money that most everybody else does.

 

[T_Dub]

Good Day,
I expected to be entering harvest week for the Gorilla GG4 this week….but it is now being pushed back a week. Trichomes are all becoming cloudy and a few amber showing up on the Gorilla GG4. Leaves are still a little crunchy from needing a flush, but looking good otherwise. I don’t like too many amber, but I don’t want to harvest too early either. The Lemonade Haze is also looking cloudy and almost ready. I’ve stopped feeding nutrients and just straight water now.

I was impressed with the simplicity of the GroBuckets. Can’t overwater and they are simple maintenance. However, I found the inability to flush the plants a big downside to these GroBucket grow systems. I was using a lot of nutes with this coco, so there might be better nutes to use. I think the AC Infinity self watering wick system works better since it allows a good flush mid-grow.

I’m going to take a summer grow break due to heat and humidity challenges here.

I’ll miss growing this summer….but that’s more time to try learn guitar! ( @Flower, thanks again for the Positive Grid amp advice. I love it so much that I bought the portable 5 watt Positive Grid Go and the foot switch. Too cool!)

Guitar update: still practicing 7 chords over, and over, and over. Plus 3-finger power chords on the low E string. Slow but steady progress with my classes….but I can now attempt to play rhythm for a few simple tunes.

Here is the Gorilla Glue:

LEMONADE HAZE

 

[user 60570]

yeah another week or two will do wonders….

you can always nip a bud or two now to experience the difference two weeks can make

pretty flowers Amigo!

 

[Flower]

The flowers look great TDub, and I am glad to hear that you are still in love with the Spark. Everyone I have talked into buying one has remained very happy with it.
Just keep plugging away at those chords, and you will be playing a little lead along with those backing tracks before you know it.