Hello, everyone, this whole experience is awesome. I have had a couple of decent harvests, but just not the Dispensary quality. This time I believe I have eliminated all of the problems.
Im presently sprouting a Girl Scout Cookie Extreme, a off brand GG4, and a Sour Diesal. Fox Farm soil with Bat Gano and worm casting added, nutrients, CO2 bags, TS 1000 light 2x2 tent. Im going take it easy 18-6 light cycle. I have tried to educate myself and hopefully I get some awesome Despensarie type buds this time around. I will take photos soon. And I will appreciate any advise and comments.
9 Likes
You will get once of those top shelf buds! Continue learning from each grow. I was proud when my husband gave out samples. One of his friends said your wife’s weed rivals top shelf.
6 Likes
Oldbud buy you a hlg 200 Diablo $125 call and buy you a refurb it’ll make you look like a pro
2 Likes
My best advice is getting a heavier duty light. It puts out 150 watts max. The TS1000 will definitely grow you weed, as you know, but more quality light (more wattage or a more efficient fixture) will make for denser buds than less light.
4 Likes
Don’t sell yourself short @oldbud1 the dispensary weed is not all its cracked up to be. As artisan growers I think most of what is grown/shown on here is probably better than what comes from many of the dispensaries.
4 Likes
Do you have a solid grasp on dli , nothing is more important to autos then optimizing light i have a single runtz auto under a mars hydro 1000 and its vegging just as well ( better then some) as the 5 under a couple of hlg lights because i made sure to maximize light intake early. I also agree with vf our buds are far better then mass produced farms because we can adjust and pamper and perfectly harvest each plant for our favorite high. Oh and co2 bags are garbage your far off better investing in a strong ducting style exhaust fan
4 Likes
Hey, thanks for all the support. A MarsHydro TS1000 is the biggest light I can fit in my 2"x2"x4" tent. Even then I have had issues with the heat. I moved everything indoors, ( 74° 50% humidity) should solve my temperature issue. I plan on ruining the filter exhaust and the lights 18x6, with a circulation fan running all the time. I figure the Co2 would be beneficial when light and exhaust are off/night. Going to feed light Foxfarm trio, Cal mag. A 50/50 mix of Ff Ocean and Happy Frog with layers of Bat gauno and worm casting in 3 gallon cloth pots.
Well that the plan. Pictures soon
That’s kind of a low bar haha. My homegrown is so far superior to dispensary weed it might almost be a different species.
Not really a good idea unless you are buffering the medium into cannabis range for PH.
Ditch the gas bags: complete waste of time.
CO2 is a highly technical growing style: requires insane light levels, a sealed environment, active temp and humidity control and high nutrient load. Typically done in a hydroponic environment to push high salt levels to the roots.
Better to invest in decent air flow.
This will be enough to veg one plant but inadequate to produce dense flower.
Light is the engine that drives all processes within the plant. Cannabis likes a LOT of light. This is where a grower should invest their money: that and decent meters.
2 Likes
I disagree about my light. It is the strongest that will fit in my tent and not burn up the plants.
This the equipment I have the money to invest in. I have a job and a real life. I need people to tell me their advise on how to get the best possible results with it. I know Co2 is a Despensarie thing but i figure it wouldnt hurt. I do have and exhaust system. I just want to get some decent weed, thats all. Top shelf weed is just common place these legal days. Seems alot of people have somewhat of an Ego trip going. This is just growing good weed not F$%^&ing rocket science.
1 Like
Best advice I can give is using what you have to manage the temps and the airflow. The more you can draw air from the rest of your house into your tent - we breathe out CO2 and the plants make use of it, so your household CO2 production is the easiest method of increasing without having to worry about creating a sealed environment. If you already have CO2 bags, setting them near the intake into the tent is probably the best way to introduce it into the environment without it immediately leaving via the exhaust.
I totally sympathize with high temps - I have to run everything at night to avoid daytime heat stacking with my light heat. 8pm to 8am, which means my own schedule gets real weird to make time to water everything during lights on. 
The other thing is running your light at full power for the longest time you possibly can throughout the grow, after the seedling phase I start to slowly crank it up til it’s preflower/transition time, then it rides at 100% til a couple of weeks before harvest. Then curbing the intensity toward the end so the buds don’t foxtail or get fried.
Training your plants is the other thing to maximize what you get and the quality of the bud - if you can top her one to three times, each cola you make out of the original main will produce better quality bud (fewer larf/popcorn buds and more larger dense nugs). It doesn’t take a change of equipment or lighting/exhausting habits at all, just more training.
Photoperiods take best to that type of training since you can veg til recovered, and are more prone to having nice dense bud structures generally.
3 Likes
As I now learn the cure requires more than dry and smoke, my harvested is more pleasant and looking better buds. I believe my current cure method (slowely) may produce better than the old days chop dry smoke, in a day. How are you dry & curing your buds? Wet trim looks better on dry buds.
2 Likes
Thank you Very much for the advise. I had to move the tent inside, the outdoor temperature was just getting to hard to get down. I setup the exhaust to pull the heat off of the light.
1 Like
I cured everything last year in glass jars, over a month and it made a huge difference. I got some grove bags for this year but I’ll probably dry my best colas in the glass, burping them everyday. I like the smells, it also forces me to have some patience I currently lack.
My drying still needs some work as my little ole lady don’t like most strains smells. I think she likes the Jack H enough I’ll use my spare bathroom, it really is a sweet piney/sage type smell. Told my son and he said “thats no good, its supposed to smell like weed.” Kids.
The super skunk, and Big bud are non starters. They won’t be coming in the house. ever.
2 Likes
Im hoping to keep the smell down with the charcoal filters, while its growing and drying in the tent.
1 Like
hey , fellow Budsters, my seedling are staring to pop. I have them in a little Mars Hydro Hydroponics unit for seedlings and clones. Works great. I have used FF Ocean and Happy Frog mixed 50/50 with light layers of Bat guano and worm casting as a extra. I end up spending $70 on the soil. Is there a cheaper ( comparable) substitute? Maybe FF Ocean and Miracle-Gro??
Avoid the Miracle Gro imo, it’s heavy in nutrients that aren’t canna friendly.
I personally mixed a bag of FFOF and a bag of mushroom compost ($4 at Home Depot) with worm castings and blood meal. My biggest complaint was it didn’t have very good drainage, I’d probably revisit that blend with some wood chips or pumice rock to increase drainage and reduce the amount of compacting it will do over time.
1 Like
Well, My grow is up and running, looks like only one plant. GSCE auto. I like this part. you can actually see the plant double in size everyday. !8/6 100% Marshydro TS1000
2 Likes
Good luck my friend 
Hey, hey. week 7 budding and even smells good. 1 and 1/2 weeks left feeding Beasty Bloom/ calmag then 4 full weeks of Cha-Ching/calmag. Im trying to go light on nutes 1/2 recommended ( straight RO water /calmag every other feed), my soil is primo. I need thick crystal pretty buds.
1 Like