� Continued from page 41
plant when you water . Throughout this process , keep the bulb at least three feet from the plants .
As I said , you can flower your plants at any time , but for your first crop , let them get about two feet tall . It should take around two months . Some techniques , such as pinching and tying the plants down , will produce bushier plants with more buds , but start with basics . Let the plants grow naturally , pulling off the leaves as they die . The flower period will take eight to ten weeks , and as your buds reach maturity , the leaves will turn yellow , much like the trees in autumn , which is perfectly natural and nothing to be too concerned about .
The easiest way to know that the buds are ripe is to watch the hairs on your flowers , starting out white and slowly turning orange or red . When the hairs ( called pistils ) have turned , it is time to harvest . The easiest way is to cut the entire plant down and hang it in a cool dark place for two or three weeks . When you can bend a branch and hear it snap , the buds are cured . You can now trim them and smoke them .
Perhaps we ’ ll cover the many ways to store your buds in a future issue . Stay tuned for that .
When you reduce the light cycle to 12 hours , start feeding with Dyna- Gro Bloom food . Follow the same procedure you have been using : check the pots by picking them up and watering as needed . Also , continue to use only pH-balanced water on every fourth watering or if you get nitrogen curl . When you water with Dyna-Gro products , don ’ t worry about pH : it will take care of it for you . In the first couple of weeks after you begin to flower , your plants will grow much faster than they have . They will add several inches of height very quickly . During this time , your first little puffs of bud will form , provided you used feminized seeds , which I always recommend . If you used regular seeds , you need to remove the males , because if they pollinate your females , your crop will be full of seeds and pretty much ruined .
After about six weeks , the plants will stop adding height , and the buds will start to look like the finished product . The smell of terpenes will start to be enticing , and the sparkle of the kief , or trichomes , will be amazing . The next two or three weeks of final ripening will finish our long journey .
The methods I have outlined are basic , and something to get you started , but all the photos of plants and buds you ’ ve seen in this growing series were grown with the light , food , and soil I mentioned throughout this series .
As I mentioned , I have my Bobo ’ s Botanicals videos demonstrating my techniques and some comedy stuff you may or may not care for . If you don ’ t like my comedy , skip it , but check out the grow videos — they may help you produce dispensary-quality marijuana in the comfort of your home . You will find a QR code at the end of the article . Enjoy your buds , and I will see you next month .
Jay Richardson is a highly experienced home cultivator adept at producing top-quality edibles in a home environment . You can find his growing tips and cannaeducational information monthly in The EVOLUTION Magazine and on his youtube . com /@ bobosbotanicals / featured channel , where he also adds a humorous touch . His sense of humor is displayed on his new novelty tee shirts , available at www . ThatBadassShirt . com .
42 May 2023