Bud Sweetman's Barn: Cheese by Barney's Farm

[navy66]

Home movies of my two girls, germinated on Dec 13. March 13 was day 43 since 12/12 flip.
Smell is very strong, but cheese isn’t the first thing that hits for me. Maybe an exceptionally stinky soft one. Trichomes really coming out now finally! I had to be very careful working on this plant. A long time ago (first grow), I was too rough, and probably the best highs from that weed ended up stuck all over my arm hair.

I got rid of my net a week ago. It was in the way. I’ll try again next grow. For now, the lower parts of each cola are a little too green and tender for my tastes. So today, I put stakes into the soil and tied off the branches, so they each have their own space, more or less. I’m ensuring sure air flow is very good. Humidity is at 40-45% right now and I’ll drop it a bit more soon.The lower parts of too thin, green and fresh – I need them to fatten up! They are only about a foot away from 1000w HPS. Temps are fine. PPFD is about 1000 at max, 800 at low end. I’m starting to wonder if no reflector was a good idea, because I’ve had shadow problems all grow. (There is a CoolTube installed.) I’m going to supplement the periphery by hanging up the 4 somewhat cheap LEDs around the fringes of the plants tomorrow. Feeding them 1-32-34 Flower Fuel right now, every other watering.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jabbx7Ox3YI

[navy66]

Today we’re checking in on the two Cheese plants on Day 44 since the 12/12. Barney’s Farm says it takes about 56 days. I’m estimating a harvest on around April 6-8, and then a long, slow dry of about 3 weeks. Flyover video included today.

Report on the last few weeks:

Growth mgmt: Got rid of the net because it wasn’t working for me and I needed a little more flexibility in terms of moving plants. Will try SCROG again next time. After that, I staked the major colas with 16 inch stakes, trying to distribute their spacing for good light and air flow. I don’t think these buds are gonna get heavy enough to worry about that. I really am brainstorming better ways to manage growth for me.

Trimming: Which is growth management, yes, but a specific area of it. I’ve been trimming a lot this cycle – a more traditional lollipopping than I normally do. The shadows cast by this big light are keeping the lower parts of each cola a little too green and tender, so I am starting to carefully trim away much of the leftover fan leaves. There are little bunches where leaves mush together, and I’m creating some separation there. My biggest focus now is: trimming the fan leaves back hard without killing growth. (In today’s video, only the front plant (closest to camera) has been cut back. I have to do the second one, in the back.)

Feeding: I’ve been staying with my basic all-purpose ferts but also a) Dropping pH a bit with apple cider vinegar b) adding about a tablespoon of BSM c) adding Flower Fuel 1-32-34 as a PK supplement. (I pre-treat my tap water with a Brita filter and ascorbic acid to remove chloramines. It is pH out of the tap and I usually don’t worry about pH at all.)

Lights: Getting about 900 - 1000 PPFD from this 1000W. I still need to hang these 4 extra cheapy LED blurples to supplement. Probably today.

Heat/Humidity: Running around 78F/50% humidity right now. Top of canopy is warm but not hot. Dropping both now, using an external AC unit to pump in cool area. Heat at the canopy top is around 79-80F but. My goal is to have the plants at ~65F/30 - 35% by the end of growth.

Next Grow Plan: I run my 4x5 tent in a garage in Oregon. After I use my tent to dry this crop, we’ll be coming into the 2 hottest months of the year, when I have to REALLY manage heat, humidity, etc. As a result, I’ve engineered a new growing schedule that occupies the tent for ~5 months per grow – so, two grows per year.

So, in the future, I will germinate Crop 1 on January 1, and run it through mid-June. I’ll germinate Crop 2 on September 1 through late Dec/January. In July and August, the tent and growing operation will temporarily close for cleaning, re-set, re-stocking etc.

Two crops per year x 4 plants per crop x 400 g/harvest: 7 lbs/year. That’s the plan.

September 1 germination is likely to be. . .either Barney’s Farms’ Acapulco Gold or an as-yet-unnamed Gary Payton.

Cheers all and thank you for your continued help with these and my many questions.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3IHe5QjuETk

[rasterman]

@navy66

Barney’s Farm says it takes about 56 days.

Fantastic. Really interested in how well it hits that target and what you think of the smoke.

@navy66

. I really am brainstorming better ways to manage growth for me.

Tomato cages work so well, I bet they were imported to tomatoes from cannabis! I have one set up with a jerry-rigged screen using string. The first grow was fantastic. I’m still just out of seedling stage on the second grow, but I’m really liking tomato cages.

[rasterman]

You might have already seen these. If so apologies. I don’t have space or style for a scrog, so this is my compromise.

[navy66]

WATERING QUESTION: I try to follow are the normal protocols (testing dampness, etc.). These two plants are maybe 18-20 inches high (see videos). Each in a fabric 5 gal pot in ~78F temps. I water every other day, about 3/4 (three-quarters) of a gallon each. This SEEMS fine. The crop never seems thirsty.

Sometimes, if they seem to need it, I’ll give them maybe 1 to 1.5 gallons EACH in one day, divided doses. If I give each plant a gallon, half in am half in pm, there is no run off.

There is NEVER any significant runoff when I water. Almost ever. I actually try to avoid it (I am not an over-fertilizer type). Everything seems normal. I will water if, about 1.5 inches down, it seems fairly dry. If it is damp, I assume it’s even MORE damp lower down, and I think, “Roots are built to SEEK water,” so slightly UNDERdoing it can’t hurt. But. . .

Am I quietly killing my yield? Or am I cleverly avoiding root rot? I have no clue. And that balance is key. (I don’t want to have to go buy some moisture meter, if possible. I’m just trying to do a rough check-in with the group here to see if I’m way off.)

[rasterman]

I like to run water through to runoff, squeegee it out and keep running it through until I’m sure the entire pot is saturated. That’s my way and it works for me.

But your plants that I’ve seen are in great shape. So it doesn’t seem like anything needs to change. It seems like your way is good too.

After harvest you can see how rootbound it is and maybe learn more about how well your watering is working. But as they say, if it ain’t broke…

[navy66]

Thank you. I feel strangely compelled to rinse the damn thing. It’s like, I know I’ve been basically force-feeding it a lot of stuff. My tap water is hard, and even though I filter using a Brita, I’m sure it still is. So at this stage, I have this mental image of a delicate root system at the periphery, coated in crunchy, salty crunchy crystals – and literally, I want to run lukewarm water through the plant to wash it all off. lol (I know it sounds like a rinse – and I guess it would be, which I think is a bit bro science – but this feeling I have is overwhelming. Like, maybe just once, I should saturate them totally. . .

[rasterman]

I used to worry about salt buildup too. But even with the way I water (to runoff), eventually all the water ends up in plants. Nothing goes down the drain. I’ve reused pots and soil several times and haven’t noticed any buildup, though I would think it’s inevitable.

I usually only flush when I overdo it with nutes.

[navy66]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vzA9QNEbHb4

Here’s a nighttime reconnaissance flight over my two Cheese last night. Roughly 15 colas per plant? Probably a little less than I could’ve, since I’m learning, but I’m not sure if that is a respectable output. I’m pretty happy with it. I think there’s tiny bit of burn – I think it’s either mild nutrient burn, or that I spiked my water with too much apple cider vinegar, using a little over 1 tbl./gallon when lately I’ve been using only 2 tsp (using it as an experiment to lower pH). Guessing these are about 2 weeks away. . .

[rasterman]

It looks like the right number of colas to me! I’m not sure what the right number is, just that if you surpass it you’ll know. I shoot for eight most of the time but if i find there are only four, or twelve, those work for me too. Depends on what the plant wants to grow with the least amount of effort.

But for me, normally, 3 and fewer aren’t enough.

[navy66]

Oh wow. So I did REALLY well? (Not bragging, just learning lol)

[rasterman]

I would definitely say so. That looks like a pretty good yield!

[navy66]

I’ll be curious about the final dry weight. For fun, I’ll take a stab at it right now: 120 dry g on one, 95 on the other. EDIT: After mulling on this for a few hours, I’m gonna say that’s optimistic. I think I’ll yield 165 g of flower. It’ll be quality, but I still can do a lot better. I’d be happy.

[navy66]

Barney’s Farm estimate says 56-63 for flowering. Today is Day 56 since 12/12 flip.

Photo lighting is HPD bad, my apologies.

Biggest environmental change: nighttime temps are 58 - 62 now, daytime 74ish, and average RH is 32% during day and 25 - 30 at night. The lower humidity might be helping.

Trichomes look to be 70% cloudy and 30% still clear, to me.

Scent is powerful: definitely a darker, smokier, cheesier scent. That’s been solid for weeks. I am SORT OF on the look out for a change in smell – another one of the shaman-like things I think help you old guys.

I’ll lean toward harvesting early, because I prefer a headier high.

But with this guy, he feels like he needs to bulk up. Also, buds still feel and look a bit too soft and airy.

I’m thinking another week or so. Today, I will remove these guys from the tent, set them at the top of my driveway, and run about 15 gallons through each of the two 5 gal.

It’s possible I only do ONE of the two plants, to do a bit of comparison later.

Yes, I’m trying a basic flush – however, probably a poor man’s flush. A single big flush with regular tap water, let drain in driveway, then back into tent, heavy and wet. Probably not gonna water them again after that (they normally go 2 - 3 days w/o water).

My flush theory is not that I’ll get better taste. . .I’m operating on the theory that autumn rains cause a marked and sudden depletion of certain soil chemicals, and the plant – sensing a change – races toward harvest by fattening, more resin, more everything it needs to do save itself. (The other light, air, etc., parameters often help to do the same thing).

FYI: For better light penetration and air flow, I’ve essentially gotten close to lollipopping, I think. Even the bigger sugar leaves that I’ve trimmed back? The half-leaves I leave continue to grow back. I’m wondering if the defoliating simply slowed the bulking phase.

Also, I’m thinking I have a bit of bleaching near the tops. It probably cost me some bud quality, but we’re see.

Moron here has smooshed some of the trichs by not being as careful as moron needs to be.

Crop size guess: Quality more important than quantity, but I’ve been guessing around 250 dry grams max for these two plants total, but I may do better, esp if these bulk up. (In a year, my goal is about 500 - 800 dry grams per plant.

[rasterman]

It sounds like it’s going to take longer than that. It could be a couple of weeks before you get full amber. I wish they would at least TRY to be honest about finishing times.

[navy66]

Hey Rasterman, a couple of weeks more is fine by me. Do you really think so? (FYI, I am aiming for roughly 100 percent cloudy – no more than about 80% cloudy/20% amber. Does that seem doable to you?

This harvest timing is critical for me. I am out of town between April 9 and April 19. One week away.

I am pretty confident in my girlfriend: she has a green thumb overall and can probably use a loupe and, over the phone, give me a pretty decent idea whether she should cut it.

Harvest plan is a simple chop and hang upside down in 65F/60RH environment.

If I chop before 4/9, probably no problem, but I’l be away for the dry. If she chops after 4/9, that’s ok too. Finally, might it take 17 more days? Maybe. If so, that’s ok.

[Til_Valhalla]

@navy66

But with this guy, he feels like he needs to bulk up. Also, buds still feel and look a bit too soft and airy.
I’m thinking another week or so

some cultivars just have light and airy flowers. and even some phenotypes you get out of the same seed pack. when you run into something like that (light / ariy / whispy looking flower) is when you want to pull the loupe out and check trichs. it may be a cultivar/phenotype issue or it could also be like you said - requiring some more time to finish up. looks like this may be the case. more time.

i think most of those cheese strains lean more sativa so may take 10 weeks or more.
i have noticed a LOT of the flower timeframes on the seed packs aren’t correct. in some cases not even close to being correct. take those numbers with a grain of salt… (and then add a few weeks)
the biggest factor in the disparity of time is environment. your space is nothing like the greenhouse/labs/etc barney’s farm has at their disposal.

trust yourself. trust your eyes. trust what the plant is telling you.
you got this.

ps: flowers look nice. good job dude.

[rasterman]

@navy66

a couple of weeks more is fine by me. Do you really think so? (FYI, I am aiming for roughly 100 percent cloudy – no more than about 80% cloudy/20% amber. Does that seem doable to you?

That’s a firm maybe. What I’d probably do (because I almost always do) is chop a couple of good buds and dry them out. If it’s not 100% wonderful, wait a week. I never wait longer than a week, but I’ve waited several one week periods. I’m calling that defoliation.

From your description, I bet it goes past 4/9 though.

[navy66]

FYI, since I rarely watered to run off while they were growing, I tried it on Day 56. Took my two 5 gallon fabric pots out to driveway, hung yellow sticky paper all over them, and stuck the hose into the medium. Ran it until the brown water was pretty clear. Drip dried and back into the tent. That was Tuesday. I haven’t watered since. Not sure if I will, we’ll see. Rinse was Tuesday. A more complete update/pics comes later today. Finger crossed.

[navy66]

Well, thank you – for now, I’d like to trust your eyes too. Update coming soon.