23 Strain Cross with Reversed Black Truffle

[als_weed]

I am reconstructing this thread for the forum. I will note when it is current.
-al

23 Strain Cross of Reversed Black Truffle

Here’s a guide to the participants:

ANTR - Animal Tree Lemon Tree x Animal Mints Bx1 Seed Junky

APBN - Apples and Bananas Blue Power, Grand Daddy Purple, Platinum Cookies

BBRD - Big Brad A pheno of YaHemi that’s a tribute to Brad

BRLC- Black Rock Lava Cake Thin Mints x Grape Pie Ver12 Best Potent Cake

BSCT - Biscotti Gelato 25 x South Florida OG

BTFL - Black Truffle Pure Michigan x White Truffle breeders cut

CHTN - Chocolatina Mint Chocolate Chip x Tina dank chocolate gas Exotic Genetics

GBTH - Gorilla Breath GG4 x OGKB

GDGP - Gran Dawgy Purps Grand Daddy Purple x Chemdog al’s cut

LMIC - Lemon Icee Lemon Mints x Icee Sherbert by TikiMadMan

PBRV - Pablo’s Revenge Animal Mints x Sherbert Cake TikiMadMan

PLCG - Platinum Lemon Cherry Gelato Cannatique cut

PTBK - Point Break Tropicana Cookies x Trophy Wife June 2022 HT Centerfold by Phat Panda

PTCK - Platinum Cake Platinum OG x Wedding Cake

SBCK - Sherb Cake Sunset Sherbert x Ice Cream Cake Chromatic Cultivation cut

SBCP - Sherb Cream Pie Chromatic Cultivation cut

SBRZ - Strawberry Runtz Strawberry Gelato x Runtz GRF strain

SKBY - Skunk Berry odiferous old time sativa

SOAP - The Soap Animal Mints x Kush Mints

TPCH - Tropical Cherry Tropicana Cookies x Cherry Cookies Relentless Genetics

WAGL - White Angel Hell’s Angel’s Kush x The White al’s cut

WDGP - Wedding Pie Wedding Cake x Grape Pie

WTFL - White Truffle GG4xPeanut Butter Breath BeLeaf cut

YAH4 - YaHemi #4 Project 4561 x Melonatta Grandiflora Unicorn pheno

So our plan is to cross all of these with a reversed Black Truffle. Combining BTFL’s superior buzz and distinctive flavor with any of these winners will produce some spectacular daughters.

And we intend to go find them!

But first, we have to make some seeds.

Let’s go back 2 weeks in time and look at our she-male going into the Transition Chamber. Or otherwise known as a cheap panda plastic tent with direct exit air ducting. This lets us grow a big tall plant to produce a lot of pollen over time.

Here’s our BTFL in soil getting ready to see her first darkness:

First spray of STS:

We have a huge amount of work ahead that depends on this plant producing viable pollen, so I’m using every trick to make sure of it.

That is the reason for the cotton balls. It increases the contact time and helps with plants that resist reversal. Dunno about BTFL, but I’m not taking any chances.

We will feed her our organic brewed teas and keep her closeted until she transitions in the next 30 days.

Current pic of BTFL trans:

Let’s get on to the bloom room.

-al

[als_weed]

The Bloom Boom Room

We are going to bloom out all participants spread across 2 aero units a week apart. Our plan is to pollenate several times up to 2 weeks from finish.

Here’s Our Layout:

Bloom Day 0 Unit 1

Group shot:

The plants are different sizes and ages to try and get them to all finish under the light. Pruning, pinching, and trellis tech will be employed to control this jungle.

We are using a generic nutrition profile that will be a compromise to some, but everyone should make it to the finish.

This is going to be a fun challenge!

As always, your comments and questions are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

Bloom Day 2 Unit 1

Trellis Time.

Unit Shot:

Since we have plants of different ages and sizes, the trellis will be used to help control this jungle. I have bottom pruned everyone and removed any damaged leaves. I have aggressively shoot pruned the shortest and slowest plants, while leaving most side branches intact on taller or faster plants.

Strain Cards:

I gather data on all the strains I work with, and record it on cards. This lets me calculate stretch ratios, rooting timing, and best prune strategies. Sometimes simple is most effective. Once this run is complete, this data will be boiled down into a strain digest table, available for everyone to help plan their garden.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

Bloom Day 7, Unit 1

Unit:

The plants have settled into their trellis. A few are unhappy with the nutes, but most are starting to thrive.

Data:

The reservoir started a little hot because many of our clones had large root masses that drug nutes over from the cloner.

A circled s indicates foliar spray was applied. I have also documented when different pruning methods are used.

Canopy:

Mostly perky plants. We will start pinching taller plants to keep them out of the light.

We will be starting the second aero unit with another 18 plants in the next couple days. It will have the rest of the participants and some backups.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

Bloom Day 0, Unit 4

Unit:

Layout:

The second unit with participants for our cross has launched. Everyone has survived the transplant and once again we have plants of different ages and sizes.

An initial bottom prune was given to all. Each plant will get its own custom prune from now on.

We got male flowers!

Our She-Male:

Reversing a plant is never a sure thing. So seeing such a strong response and so many male clusters is a breath of relief.

The discoloration is from the Silver doing its thing.

Time to break out the pollen collector!

As always, your comments and questions are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

She-Male Update

When making seeds, obviously generating pollen and at the right time, is critical. So I’m pretty pumped that our Black Truffle has balled up right on schedule.

The flowers are due to start opening in the next few days and we need to prep for the momentous occasion.

Pollen Collection Tray:

A big drip tray modified with a Skill saw does the trick. It’s sturdy, smooth, and black. Makes it easy to see and scoop out the pollen.

Ready to Drop Pollen:

I’ve removed all the large fan leaves. They were silver-burned and get in the way of the falling pollen. The oscillating fan is unplugged and the exit fan is turned down.

Now we just wait for the purple speckled flowers to open!

-al

[als_weed]

Bloom Day 14, Unit 1

Unit:

Data:

The plants have started eating regularly and growing steadily. WTFL is the only participant looking unhappy. Thankfully we have 2 looking good in the backup unit.

I did a couple swaps before the roots get locked in.

Swaps:

The next week or so is when we get maximum growth rates. So it’s time to pinch and prune like a madman!

As always, your comments and questions are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

Bloom Day 7, Unit 4

Unit:

Data:

The plants have started to eat and I have done one shoot prune beyond their initial bottom prune. Everyone has perked, and there are no obvious laggards.

The trellis is coming soon!

-al

[als_weed]

A study in White Truffle

Here are 2 clones of the same age that started bloom one week apart. They were both vibrant and healthy at the beginning, but here’s what they look like today:

Sickly:

Healthy:

The sickly version in unit 1 locked out within days of transplant to bloom. I left the damaged leaves on because those were the only fans the plant had left! I treated the plant with aero tea dribbled into the netpot, directly onto the rootmass. This helps the plant recover with fresh soldiers and nutes. The plant still has issues, but will survive.

So when I put TWO of these plants in unit 4 a week later, you can imagine my trepidation. However they both are thriving with no difference in care.

The difference in the data shows that unit 1 started with a ppm of right around 400, while unit 4 started around 380. The unit 1 plant suffered root damage from getting burned and starting a spiral of disfunction. It appears that WTFL is sensitive to high ppms and will require a little extra observation.

The root cause of the problem is the large root masses that were transplanted into the bloom room drug considerable nutes from the cloner to the res. My solution is to do a lite nute rinse on any substantial root masses on clones going to bloom.

The lesson is that shit will still happen, no matter how much you think you have it together. However if you view it as an opportunity, poop soup is a lot like lemonaid in our quest for beautiful buds.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

She-Male Update

We have Pollen!

The first flowers have opened and we have pollen! Right on schedule, we can begin collecting pollen in the next few days.

I will be storing and freezing it until we will be ready to start using it in a couple weeks.

Just happy to hit this milestone. A whole lot of effort and resources went into getting to this point. So seeing that tiny bit of magic dust gave me a smile I’m still wearing.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

Bloom Day 21, Unit 1

Unit:

Data:

We have happy plants everywhere except for WTFL, who is still lagging behind. The plants have continued to eat steadily, and I did their final prune. I will be taking out the intermediate bud zone leaves soon, in preparation for the first pollination.

Big Brad:

BBRD had some extra veg time to give her a larger base. That investment is about to pay off with an explosive bloom stalk.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

First Pollen Collected!

Here’s our first collection results. I will leave the flowers in the bag for now. They will get sifted out before we do any long term storage.

For now, we will collect every day at the end of the day, and store in the freezer.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

-al’s Mail Bag

Occasionally I will repost questions asked in other forums or mail that seem relevant.

Love yer work and what you are doing! I see you have experience in germing problem seeds. What was your most interesting pop and what’s your best advise? -m

Several years ago a Vet gifted me a cache of seeds from Viet Nam circa 1971. At the time, they were over 35 years old and had never been properly refrigerated. According to him, they came from the best weed he had in country.

I couldn’t refuse this gift that over the years had become one of his most precious memento of the time that forged him into the human being he became.

Those 60 seeds turned into 7 sprouts using all my trix. Those sprouts turned into 2 solid rangy females that I put into bloom with just a little trepidation. I knew they were a tropical sativa, and man they were that! 140 days and never finished or stopped stretching. All were hermaphroditic and destroyed my entire production bloom room.

It was worth it when I delivered the ugliest, most expensive ounce I’ve ever produced. That smile on his face when he tasted the licorice flavored electric weed was priceless.

The best advise I have is to refrigerate your seeds in airtight containers, and use sterile technique whenever working with them.

I’ve been watching you do awesome grows for a while. So what’s with Green Rush Farms? Is that you or what? -b

I’ve recently joined forces with Green Rush Farms. I’m doing crosses and pheno hunts that GRF will then produce seed packs and clones that will be added to their excellent catalog, and available to the public. All my work is done in real time, with honesty and openness, right here for you to see. If you see something you like, you can get it, no sales pressure or hype involved.

They have 2 facilities in the state dedicated to producing and shipping high quality clones across the country. Meanwhile I get to stay in my lab and create the beautiful strains of my dreams. I no longer have to manage production operations. Instead I get to pop seeds that I would have never gotten to, and have access to dozens of the best strains in the world to breed with.

Go to GreenRushFarms.net or check them out on Instagram.

Is this just about pushing overpriced unknown crap on the masses? -j

Absolutely not. It’s true there are expensive clones available, but there are plenty of cheap ones as well. In fact one of the cheapest is Chocolatina. The clone was phenohunted by GRF and produces a medium tall bush of dank chocolate gassy buds. I’ve included it in this project because of its results, not its price.

If you want the new hotness, its available. But with a little patience and training, you can make that bargain look like this:

Thank you for your interest.

-al

[als_weed]

Bloom Day 14, Unit 4

Unit:

The trellis is in, and just in time. We have few that were leaning a lil hard.

Everyone is thriving and looking lush. YAH4 is tallest and stretching. It’s max growth time, so pinch to stop an inch on our tallest girls.

Data:

The plants have started to eat every other day. A sign of excellent health at this age. I continue to struggle with a high pH. pH swings are normal, and required for the plants to have a chance at optimally acquiring all the nutes they need.

Ya Hemi #4:

YAH4 is the sister of BBRD. You wouldn’t know it by looking at the plants. YAH4 is the slim tall sister to BBRD’s width and chunk. They share dark exotic leaves, that still look different from each other.

The Cycle of Life:

A look behind the scenes in the bloom boom room.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

Bloom Day 28, Unit 1

Unit:

Data:

Side:

The plants are eating heavy after the first res change. The stretch is slowing and it’s time to stack!

I have started to remove fan leaves in the bud zone. I leave the very top ones and take out any that shade buds. The leaves beneath the bud zone are left on until the plant drops them. We use them to help foliar feed throughout the bloom cycle.

It’s almost pollination time! I want the buds to get a little larger before the first pollen flies. I plan to keep hitting them until around day 50 to ensure fully developed seeds.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

She-Male Update

Some Breeder Humor:

The pollen collection continues. Dunno if the pinup girl helps pollen production, but I’ll try bout anything!

Closeup:

Sorta side by side:

I bet most readers have never seen a full blown male next to a female for comparison purposes. Here’s your chance - sort of!

As always, your comments and questions are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

-al’s Mail Bag

Occasionally I will repost questions asked in other forums or mail that seem relevant.

Lookin good. How did you attach the bamboo sticks to the wooden planks, drill and glue? Pretty neat how you can attach them to the Aeroflo like that.-g

Here’s the Secret:

These are my trellis bases made out of strap with holes to accept a standard dowel and a bungie cord. This allows for maximum adjustability that makes a pretty strong trellis as long as you lash properly.

Stole this tech from some commercial pepper growers.

Thank you for your interest.

-al

[als_weed]

Bloom Day 21, Unit 4

Unit:

Still stretching and reaching for the light. Happy plants all around as I’m done with pruning, but continue to pinch tall and aggressive plants like PLCG.

Data:

The plants continue to eat normally.

Sherb Cake:

Just a lovely and elegant plant. Leaves dark and perfect, signaling their pleasure with a touchdown!

White Truffle:

Giant waxy leaves and thick stems immediately draws your eye to the queen in the middle, White Truffle. She’s simply radiate.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

Bloom Day 35, Unit 1

Unit:

Data:

The plants are eating steadily as we get ready to transition into PK boosting.

Side:

The stretch is about done, tho PLCG continues to vine out. Some of the lower leaves are getting ugly, but I’m leaving them until the plant decides its done.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome.

-al

[als_weed]

Pollen Flies!

Spot pollenated everyone by brush. A light touch ensures that new flower development will continue, albeit at a slower rate. We will pollenate 2 more times over the next couple weeks to fully maximize seed production.

BBRD getting the business!

Now we look for pistol browning tomorrow. This will tell us the pollen has started the seed production process.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome.

-al