Harvesting and Curing

Actions:
-Water
-Fungicide everything
-Replaced water in clone trays

VEG
Water
pH 5.9
Late feed

The older Phantom clones are starting to show more roots, but most of the roots are coming from the Abusive and GSC. Some leaves on the Phantom are yellowing, but there seems to be enough rooted for T5 to be on schedule for a more than adequate rotation. There are also roots appearing on the stem above the rooting cubes, which is a definite sign of improvement compared to previous trays. Mildew has infected the Bubba tray as expected despite heavy saturation of fungicide. I am considering not using Bubba at all for upcoming rotations. A gel-like substance has formed at the bottom of the cubes as well, which I can only explain as waste product from plant development, although this could also be attributed to lack of aeration between the cubes; this type of thing wasn't a concern with the plugs.

HPS Veg wasn't as wilted again. New heads are sprouting from branches after topping, which is a good indicator of steady growth. I'm a little concerned about the lower branches not getting enough light, so I'll either have to clone a few more or just throw them away. I'll observe their growth more closely over the weekend to determine what I need to do next week.

MH Veg is growing well despite my concerns about overwatering. I'm tempted to top some of them, but I have to wait until the Master is cut down.

MASTER
Water
pH 5.9
Early feed

More white pistils and a slight increase in the underdeveloped colas, which is a strong indicator of a recovery from whatever happened to this room over the last two weeks. I still suspect an underwhelming yield.

MIDDLE
Water
pH 5.9
Dark feed

Humidity seems to be lower at this stage of flowering. AC condenser collected about 2-3 gallons over the past two days, while the dehumidifier ran almost a full day after the last feed. Vertical growth hasn't fully stopped yet, while calyxes are starting to form colas.

It's not certain if SCROG was a mistake here. In the plants that were bent over, more of the canopy seems filled and lush, with at least two heads per square in the trellis. Vertical growth almost surpassed the second level trellis as well. The trees that weren't SCROG'd seem to be more spaced out, and perhaps may even yield less considering their proximity to the lights. SCROG'd colas are slightly smaller than their un-SCROG'd counterparts, so it's difficult to say which method worked better. There also seems to be overgrowth underneath the canopy. I've refrained from trimming until vertical growth completely stops.

HARVESTING AND CURING
The Master is scheduled to be harvested in a couple of weeks, so it's important to review proper trimming and curing techniques. After years of experimenting with different methods of trimming and drying, I've opted to cut off as many leaves as possible at harvest rather than at point of sale. It's said that chlorophyll from the leaves is fed back into the colas during the drying process, which affects smell, taste and potency. It also adds moisture to the buds, which would explain why the last harvest, during which the buds were trimmed bare of any leaves, dried up faster than previous harvests.

Buds should have below 15% moisture to prevent fungal growth, and about 10-12% moisture for optimum quality. Finished product tends to actually increase in quality over time as moisture becomes uniform throughout the jar, although this also involves airing out the jars over the course of a week or two to "sweat" out excess moisture. As moisture gravitates towards the bottom of the jars, the product needs to be poured out and "fluffed" for a period of time and then placed back into the jars for a uniform look and feel to the buds.

Some of this can be tricky when faced with strict sale deadlines and looming overhead expenses, and proper techniques sometimes have to be compromised for sales. My current schedule gives me two full weeks from harvest to sale. Drying the buds usually takes anywhere between 4-7 days, while I'll have about another week to sell at least two pounds to cover overhead expenses. I've been fortunate enough to sell an adequate amount of product within the first two days of curing to cover those expenses, but without proper curing with low yields, lower quality product, or saturated markets, I need to be very cautious about curing.

Preserving weight while maintaining proper moisture levels hasn't been too much of a challenge, but storage, even if only for a couple of days, can have dramatic effects on the product if done improperly, as was the case with the True OG from the 4.5 harvest. Jars have to be cleaned thoroughly and buds have to be aired out sufficiently while awaiting sale. Daily maintenance should include a fluffing routine during pre-sale periods.