GANJI'S GROW JOURNAL -- Day 168

Trimmed the buds from the branches; packaged, and weighed the harvest earlier this week. Total harvest = 533 grams or 1 pound 3 ounces, nearly a quarter pound more than the last time with 7 less plants. Many more large colas this time and fewer small "popcorn" buds. Storing in plastic bags temporarily until I can find some more glass jars. This is a great example of how less is oftentimes more. Ganji took the time to prune away the smallest growth at the bottom of these plants and concentrated their resources into the main branches, producing several large colas instead of a few colas and many branches full of small nuggets. By putting fewer plants in the garden, he was also able to provide ample lighting to the entire crop. With less shading of the lower branches and more available light to the plants in general, he was able to increase the bud-per-plant ratio dramatically. He should be able to increase that figure even more when he gets the perpetual harvest going full steam. --MAX

Checked the pH and moisture of the plants in each chamber and watered as needed. Replaced two more clones in each tub as well. I think that’s the last of the first batch that was damaged. The clones I’ve taken recently are still looking great. No signs of wilting or yellowing at all. The Sweet Tooth clone mother is putting out pistils everywhere now. Even her clones are showing signs of flowering.

Ganji’s still working the kinks out of his cloning method, but it looks like he’s on the right track. The key to cloning is to keep the moisture levels up until the cutting takes root and can sustain itself. Should the soil around the fresh cut dry out even briefly, the cut can dry as well and close off. Once it does, there’s little chance that it will recover unless the stem is re-cut which may or may not work depending on the severity of the foliage damage.

It seems that the Sweet Tooth plant that Ganji decided to use for cloning stock doesn’t want to remain in the vegetative state. There’s not a lot that can be done in this situation. The lights are on 24 hours a day and still the plant continues to flower. Ganji may have to start from seed again and choose another Sweet Tooth plant as a clone mother. There’s no guarantee that the same thing won’t happen again however. This may be a genetic predisposition of the variety, in which case it will be difficult to find a clone mother that will vegetate indefinitely. --MAX

Picked up a Holmes humidifier at a garage sale this week and installed it in the flowering chamber. It needs a wick filter for it to work properly. Have to look for one this week. Bought an 8-inch personal fan and installed it in the flowering chamber as well for more air circulation. Also bought some new emergency camping blankets to replace the old ones which were tearing and coming apart and a garden hose with hand sprayer that has 5 different settings. Makes watering the garden a snap!

The addition of a humidifier to the garden is long overdue. Though the humidity isn’t extremely low, it would serve the garden better to get it up around 50% if possible. Extra circulation is a good idea as well. It’ll help even out the temperature in the flowering chamber and it may help to strengthen the stems and keep the plants from drooping over when they’re as heavily laden with buds as they have been. It’s good to see that Ganji continues to upgrade and improve his temple. Every little thing one can do to improve conditions in the garden can make a significant difference in the long run. Regular maintenance, such as replacing the worn out emergency blankets in a timely fashion, is also critical to maintaining the efficiency of the garden. --MAX