I am back with some seeds from a recent raffle that I won, T-Dubs Shrubs Pepe Le Pez. I have sprouted 2 and we’ll call this day 1.
I am doing something different this time, a little experiment.
I’ve grown using Fox Farms fertilizer for the last 3 or so years. I get good results, 4 or 5 ounces a plant, but the buds taste very similar and don’t carry any of the flavors that are listed on the sites out there. No skunk, no diesel, no berry, no citrus…just the same flavor.
It may be the curing process, most likely is, but I wanted to see if the fertilizer affects the flavor.
So for this run, I am doing T-Dubs Shrubs Pepe Le Pez, A and B. A will get feed as I normally do and B will get water. Other than food, everything else is constant.
Soil is Sunshine Mix #4 from Menard’s
Light is a 450watt SideKing
Light schedule is 24/0
Fabric pots
Water is 6.2-6.5 pH
Temp is 72-73°F
Fertilizer is Fox Farms Cultivation Nation Veggie for veg and Fox Farms Cultivation Nation Flower for flower
So Plant A is getting fed once a week with Fox Farms Cultivation Nation Veggie and Plant B is just getting water. I noticed some discoloration with the tips of the leaves on Plant A, so I gave them both some Epsom salt, thinking I have a Mag lockout. They both enjoyed it and it seems like the discoloration is not getting worse
But, what has me scratching my head is WHY is plant A showing signs of distress but B is good.
Both are branching out nicely and starting to show sex. I have ran out of room to tie them down any further, so it will be a defol or two to go, but other than that just letting them do their thing.
Man I did not read carefully the first time. I didn’t realize you are doing an experiment too!
I think B is doing fine because there is enough nutrients in the soil to get you through all of veg and probably into early flower. I bet that B starts to look needy once it’s in full flowering mode.
So you keep getting flat weed too huh? I’ve had a couple with some of the interesting stuff going on but not like I think it should be. I do get differences between strains but its mostly just green weed flavor to me. So I think the growing is fine but like you said, the dry/cure is the fuckup point.
I’m gonna invest in one of those cannatrol units when I can. Something that will be able to show me if I’m growing good enough or if it’s my lack of skill in the post harvest.
Those cannatrols are nice. I’m trying something different at my next harvest. I have a 2x4 that I’m not using right now and it would make a good dry tent. So I am going to toss the plant in there with a small clip on fan on low, and do a nice slow dry to see if it is the environment. Right now I just hang them in my basement with a small clip on fan moving the air in the room. Temps and humidity are on point in that room though, always about 67° and 65 rH.
Even though I am not using fertilizer in B, I did water with some Epsom salt and added a little bit of worm castings. Trying to keep it as organic as I can. I may add a banana peel to some water and let it soak for a day or two and then give it B….or is that cheating the experiment?
Plant A is doing alright. She was showing some signs of light stress (you can see it in the top down photo - one side is a nice shade of green, the other is a lot lighter)
But interestingly, the buds are starting to get some purple to the leaf tips…not sure if it’s a sign of sickness or stress, or if I am going to get some colorful buds.
You answered your own question maybe. Lockout. Just a guess here. Plant A having nutes added caused some kind of imbalance and in plant B there is nothing throwing it off
My overall thought on the experiment is that you shouldve used 2 different nutrient lines/plans. Instead of no nutes maybe used some dry slow release organics. Or even another line of liquid nutes. Growing in containers and not feeding is never going to be a winner imo.
I’m more or less chasing flavors, seeing if the nutes impact it. I know B will be much smaller, but if I can get her to finish, I would think the true flavor would come out.
I think true flavor is unlocked with organic growing as well as a good dry and cure. Cannabis doesn’t grow naturally without nutrients. Mother nature always provides and we have do the same indoors. If a plant doesnt have its needs met then it will struggle to produce the chemical compounds that make up the flavor.
I thought sunshine#4 was pretty Inert meaning it has almost no nutrients. The fact it’s carried you this far kind of amazes me. I would definitely top dress with some kind of flowering nutes with a little N in it to carry you to the finish line. You should check out @Farmer.HatBeard ! He grows in organic soil that are pre amended and uses water only. Has amazing results and has won awards for highest testing flowers etc. dudes an upcoming legend
DD - You are growing all the stuff I’ve had an eye on. T-dubs and Twisted Tree. I’m really wanting to know how the T-dubs lines are. I dang messed up my TT grows but the nugs I got off the Stargazer were excellent.
