Hey Jack, I trim them as they become fully yellow and lose any green in them. My plants in the green cage have had some problems with premature yellowing and necrosis of the leaves. That is why those plants looks so bareâŚ
Now that PhantomFarmer filled me in on the possibility of the adjacent concrete leaching calcium carbonate into the soil, I think this may have possibly been caused by PH problems and the soil being to alkaline. They are definitely on the small side for outdoor plants that were started in April.
Iâm not an outside grower but thatâs a good pickup by PhantomFarmer because that probably means the nutes are locked out. The lower leaves started to yellow earlier than expected as the plant began to use the stored power in them. Try not to over feed to compensate, see if you can bring the pH under control by lowering your feed.
Google: âph nutrient chartâ (or just look below) and youâll be able to see what gets locked out when youâre too high or low.
*I am a hobbyist, not a pro and like you Iâm always learning. I grow with pro mix in a tent and I like my pH between 6 - 6.3
Thanks Jack! That is a helpful chart in regards to nutrient uptake related to PH. I think I will look into getting a better PH meter to monitor this more accurately. Currently, I only have a cheap one that I bought off Amazon, do you think this is accurate enough? The one I have is in a pic below. Do you have any recommendations on a quality PH tester?
I would get a digital pH meter for like $20 or less.
You can test your feed before you apply and move it up or down before feeding.
-Or some organic growers will throw things on the soil to move the pH up or downâŚthe same way concrete drags it one way, some items will naturally drag pH the other way.
I have one of those things that you stick in soil and I hate it. With a digital pen youâll be able to test your soil by making a slurry. Dig up some soil from your area, mix it with your actual feed blend and test that concoction.
Thanks! Thatâs all very helpful! I will look into picking one of those up. Good idea about making a slurry with the soil, I would not have thought of that! I agree that the one I currently have doesnât feel like it is giving me the most accurate readingâŚ
6.8 would be your max ph. Above that, youâll start getting lockout issues. You just need to get a more precise meter and get the soil ph dialed in.
Thanks Phantom! Any advice on dealing with budworms this late in the game? I found 3 on my most healthy plant this morning when I was inspecting the buds. Is Safer Brand 5163 Caterpillar Killer II Concentrate safe to use at this point? I know it uses BT as the ingredient that basically starves the catapillers after they ingest it once it is sprayed on the plant. I am just worried about damaging my buds somehow or getting bud rot if I saturate them with the stuff at this point. I guesstimate that I am about 2-3 weeks from being finished with flowerâŚ
Iâve never had a caterpillar issue so canât really comment on the products you mention. Others will no doubt chime in. My usual practice is neem oil and Diatomaceous Earth, though not everyone is s fan of those items.
Sorry man. Broke my phone n just got back online. N dont have the blue circle anymore 
Im a superfan of DE. Also ive heard BT is better for in flower⌠but i wouldnt spray anything ON my buds. A horticultural net maybe ur best option
Thanks @PurpNGold74 . I will definitely be considering a net for next years grow as a preventive measure. Figured I would just deal with the minor amount of budworms I have seen at this point and took the suggestion of @HighDesertFarmer to spray BT on the buds since it is safe for organic farming and shouldnât cause any harm to the buds.
So far so good in terms of what I have seen from spraying the buds with BT late last night. It was pretty warm here today, especially for late September, at 91 degrees. That should have dried out my buds pretty good today I would think from any residual moisture that may have remained from the spray. I havenât seen any negative impact on the buds and plan on doing a low concentration peroxide wash (as suggested) once I harvest to clean off any residue and outside baddies that may be there come harvest time.
Is anyone familiar with bud rinsing at harvest and have any suggestions on what the concentration should be of peroxide to water?
Here is a few night shots I took after my regular watering today!
Hey @Buzzy am glad the BT is working for you.
Straight up dip the entire bud branch in a peroxide / water solution, shake them and drip them off, then put em back hanging.
I used like 2 cup to a few gallonsâŚexact recipe is
8oz of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 5 gal water.
Cut branches and then DIP THEM.
Here is a great video.
I wanna warn you your buds will be STICKY after you clean them. We underestimate how much random stuff accumulates. Once you wash your harvest this way and see what comes off and you have been smokingâŚyou will always wash.
It is critical to fling excess water off and get a fan going on em to maintain safe humidity from this point on.
Have all your ducks in a row. A close friend of mine lost 14 pounds after this step due to negligenceâŚ
Thanks for the tip and recipe @HighDesertFarmer! I will heed your warning and be very cautious when attempting. I would feel terrible if all the hard work went to pot (pun intended 
)âŚ.