'Do Si Dos' by i49

Howdy and welcome to end of Week 6, Bloom, w/ Do-Si-Dos (The Hobbit House). The deets: The Good: -DSD had a great week just plugging along. Didn't require any interference or special care, just feeding the schedule she has been happy with and accustom too. -Main colas are stacking incredibly well and I'm very pleased to see such mass on each, single top. I really wanted to see this after my first grow. Internodal spacing and bud sites were spread out and sporadic. I didn't mind but it is a lot of work to trim, manicure and prep for cure. I wanted a more manageable and thick specimen and DSD has proven to be that girl (NL #1 is a close second). -Terpene profile intensified this week but is still not nearly as pungent as the others. She is pure earth with an herbal kick and I can see this being a very good therapeutic strain for me. -Have not needed to brace DSD even close to as much as the others. She's a very tight, strongly rooted and firm girl. I give her little shakes multiple times a day to shore her up...but I don't think she needs it. She holds very well and does not splay, even as the weight begins to stack on. -Trichomes are CAKED on this girl and it just keeps coming. According to my jewelers loop, she looks 50/50, milky to clear. Expecting to see majority milky be end of week 7 and prep for the chop when I hit 80%-ish The Bad: -Plants had a great week, human me did not. Caught the flu early in the week and I've been a total wreck. Haven't had the flu for 18-ish years and I forgot how bad this can be. I tried very hard to keep the girls going and they were taken care of, but they did not receive everything that they needed. I had to postpone my actual nutrient feedings day, over day, over day and just kept giving balanced tap to hold them until I was capable of carrying water ( I could not walk straight, let alone carry 4 gallons of water) down the stairs. Sickness is tapering off...Thank. Frigging. God. The 'Meh': -As mentioned, nutrients feeds were postponed, which is not ideal at this stage of the game (especially with my PK booster needed) but I managed and DSD received her full meal deal yesterday when I finally had the strength to do so and actual give the care and attention she needed from me. They essentially all lost a feed due to my illness and coming into late flower, this was not super optimal. It is what it is and we should be back on track here. -Weather swung back upwards again, now in the positive digits... A 30 degree swing in a couple days. Unbelievable. -Trich pics are hard😟. I'm so shakey and it takes about 50 pictures for just one to actually turn out Okay. Anywho, I got a couple! No where near perfect but I hope they're servicable👍 Notes of the Week: -All girls may actually line up with one another when it comes to harvest, but I won't bank on it. The NL's are a 7-8 week w/ DSD and Blue Cookies @ 8-9 week. However, according to all trich pics they seem to be at the same pace and ripeness (for the time being). If it works out, that'd be cool... but I wouldn't put money on it. -Was concerned about drying my NL's and where. They are at the same pace as BC and DSD but I do expect that they will need an earlier chop to acquire an optimal product. I wasn't sure where to put them, even though I came into this grow KNOWING that they would wrap up early. I plan ahead a lot, but not for this one... Anywho, I had my solution staring me right in the face. I will be taking my 2x2x3' germination/seedling/sapling tent and flipping it on it's head to be 3' tall, not wide. Going to jury rig all my circulation and create an optimal environment as a test, before the chop occurs. The longest lateral that needs to be hung is 22 inches, with the tent at 36 inches. More then enough room to dry these two girls while the others have a chance to wrap themselves up in the big tent. Again, it was right in front of my the whole time and I just didn't see it. No need to build a DIY drying unit anymore👍. -Dropped temps by 1-2 degrees in day and night cycle. It's time for a show, I feel, and these girls have a good promise of one. I greatly look forward to seeing their character and form in late flower. I've been waiting for this...! -Allowed BC and NL #2 to purposely splay a little bit, while loosely braced. There was a lot of tops that needed exposure to light and air so this was my way of allowing them to get it. Now that growth has officially ended (no movement, 2 weeks) and those tops have reached further through the canopy, it was time to tighten them both back up. Good timing, as they were starting to interfere with one another and needed to be re-braced. Nothing is pulling, only leaning and supporting. Movement of plants is much easier with the two biggest girls and tops are no longer getting hung up. After the re-brace, all the tops have access to the light and air they need to flourish👍. There was a reason why BC and NL#2 looked a little unkempt, compared to the others. This is the reason why (never explained myself in the past updates). Updated photos do show a much nicer form on both ladies and they aren't so "wild" anymore. -I'm very reluctant in listening to flushing advice anymore. I'm starting to truly believe this is another form of stoner logic... The most educated and intelligible master growers in the world have stated that there is no need to flush... (Example: Greg Green). I didn't believe or trust that when I first read it because everywhere I looked said "Flush or else". Now, after even further research, articles and practical proof from highly competent/master growers (personal and Micro LP) flushing seems to be largely false and I'm not sure why or how this became a mandatory rule of thumb. I'm not ballsy enough to go with no flush at all, even with my convictions, but I will not be starving my plants for 10-14 days. This is a quarter of my NL's flowering time. Completely counter-intuitive to me. I will be running a 5-7 day flush, max, with both NL's. Flawless Finish will be used on one 5-7 day flush and only tap flush for the other NL. I want to see if there is a difference, if at all. After the flush, chop and dry of the NL's, if all flavor and taste is present without acrid smoke, BC and DSD will be receiving the same 5-7 day flush with FF. Next grow, I will be experimenting with a 0-3 day flush cycle to see if that even makes a difference...or are we starving our girls for no reason? -I'd wager my talk on the flush may not sit well with some people, and that's cool, but this is my belief and it is a belief held by many influential growers. The more I read, the more this notion of mandatory flushing seems wrong and we are willfully harming the full potential of our plants, their quality, quantity and potency. I'll report back if I'm wrong, but this is the course of action I am taking. Thanks for reading this weeks addition of DSD! I hope you all have a good week and take care of yourselves. Wash those hands people! A lot going on out there right now in terms of physical sicknesses and I really don't want any of you to feel the way I felt this week. No one needs that! Cheers!😉✊ **Update: My cola shots are all glared from the flash of my phone... I took out BC and NL #2 today to take non-flash photos to actually showcase their color and build. The other pictures simply don't do the girls justice. DSD and NL #1 will also be getting an update of cola shots during this week, next time I have access to them without being cumbersome (Feb 25th?)***