DEATH BUBBA GROW JOURNAL
Death Bubba is a strain from B.C. Canada. The genetics are uncertain but it is a Bubba Kush most likely crossed to an OG. It was chosen from a group of seedlings and named Death Bubba by Grand Master Level. It is his signature strain and he grows it to perfection.
Needless to say there are a lot of fakes currently in circulation at B.C. dispensaries even though it was never released to them. My cut of Death Bubba is 100% verified the original cut and I am looking forward to flowering her. I only hope I can do her justice.
Death Bubba Late In Veg
Death Bubba is not a fast vegger and grows with very tight node spacing and she is more bushy than tall and looks like a true indica. However once she goes into 12/12 lighting she takes on a much more OG form of growth.
My plant has been in veg about 3 months from a small clone. She started out slowly but she has gotten large and now is about 28 inches tall. She was quickly outgrowing her space and I was forced to make changes in my veg tent to accommodate her. A few top leaves were touching the COBs and have a bit of burn.
My veg lights are PLC 250 COBS and they are now wired to the ceiling of my grow tent. I had to remove my reservoir and set my tray on the floor of the tent. This gained me about 12 more inches of height.
There is a SFV OG and a GG4 on either side of her and I will likely flower all 3 together. This probably wont happen for another 3 weeks so it is a good thing everything has more headroom now.
Death Bubba, GG4 And SFV OG Day 1
I finally got the Death Bubba, GG4 and SFV OG into my flower closet and guess what? They were too big! The Death Bubba was the smallest plant at 30 inches. That’s not counting the pot. The GG4 and SFV OG were both at least 6 inches taller than that.
Leaf Stripping Day 1 Of Flower
I only have 30 inches above the plants to play with and they need to be at least 12, preferably 18 inches from my HLG 550. So at most I have about 18 inches of head room which is not enough for plants that will at least double in size.
The only 2 options were topping them which would remove a lot of growth, or leaf stripping them on day 1. I decided to strip and hopefully with that and a lot of bending and spreading will work. Just did not want to cut tops back a foot.
Leaf stripping can set plants back a week while they recover. That should keep them smaller at least through the first week of stretch. Done this early most leaves will grow back as the plants really are still in veg the first 2 weeks. When done later leaves on the bud sites grow but fan leaves dont really come back as the plants have moved into flowering mode.
Death Bubba GG4 SFV OG Day 7
The day 1 leaf strip definitely worked. I have only had 2-3″ of stretch this week and my Death Bubba is just barely through my screen. The plants have recovered and are doing great.
You can see the Death Bubba happily praying and very leafy. I am seeing some white hairs showing on some plants. I expect to see some flowers showing by week 2.
As you can see from the video leaf stripping stopped stretch and the plants have recovered. I knew they would, but people who were self professed experts were telling me I killed them LOL. So many people down on leaf stripping and most have never tried it. They just repeat what they read in old books or forum posts.
Day 14 And Some Stretching Going On
There has been some stretching this past week but everything is still very manageable and canopy height is pretty even especially considering there are 3 different strains. The Death Bubba is the shortest but only by a few inches.
The day 1 leaf stripping definitely helped control stretch and I dont think plant height will become an issue. Stretch should be just about over. Plants are very close to flowers showing and there is a nice full canopy. This looks like a really good grow just waiting to happen. I have been pleased with regrowth from the strip and the Green Planet nutes are working really well at this point.
Day 21 And Another Leaf Stripping
Stripping on day 1 is not something I usually do but it did help control stretch. Heading into week 2 the girls began a more normal stretch and regrowth was excellent.
Now it is week 3. Flowers are forming and starting to size up and the lower area of the plants needs to be leaf stripped and excess shoots below the first screen need to be removed. My day 21 video shows Death Bubba, GG4 and SFV OG before and after defoliation.
Death Bubba,GG4,SFV OG With HLG 550 And Green Planet Nutrients Day 28
I was able to gain a few inches of precious height by attaching my HLG 550 to the ceiling with wire instead of hangers. Par readings were way too high before in the 2500 range now down to 15-1800 mostly.
After looking at the canopy and doing some measuring I realized the middles would be getting very low light levels now that the top screen is more than 24 inches below the light. Lights really cant penetrate much further through a canopy. Sure there is some light but not enough to mature buds properly.
So I did a massive branch removal and another leaf strip and opened up the canopy nicely. Seems radical but weed plants can set far more buds than they can ever ripen properly. Those dim lit thin side shoots steal energy and nutrients from the branches they are attached to that are getting good light. Watch the video and you will see what I mean!
Stretch Is Finally Over – Time To Fatten Buds
Controlling height and getting light and airflow through this canopy has been an uphill battle. But the battle is now over and it is time for these girls to fatten their buds.
Day 42 Looking For Trichomes
Trichome development seems to be a bit behind what it should be. Take a look and see for yourself.
I think all the stripping done to control size has delayed trichome production but after a closer look it seems they are coming now. To me these buds look like they are on day 35 and not 42 in terms of trich development.
Death Bubba,GG4,SFV OG Day 49
Trichome development is still a bit behind. But it is not far off. The room is beginning to smell and the plants are eating and drinking like pigs. The next few weeks should be really interesting.
I think these girls will probably go 70 days. The SFV is normally a 10 week strain and so is the Death Bubba but the GG4 is usually a week earlier.
Day 56 Time To Start Flushing
It’s time to start flushing these ladies. It is day 56 and there are white hairs everywhere. The plants are going strong but I have seen the start of a few hairs starting to brown. They are still drinking and eating a lot.
I think all the leaf stripping they went through has delayed maturity a bit and they are making up for it now. Because they are so active I did not want to run just water so instead I reduced the nutes by half. I will run that way for a few days and gradually keep reducing them by adding more water every day.
Last week I reduced light to 11 1/2 hours to simulate fall and this week I will reduce it again. I will run 11 on and 13 off until they are done. I am hoping they will be ready to harvest by day 70 but it is possible they could go a bit longer depending on how the flush goes.
Death Bubba,GG4,SFV OG Day 63 Flushing Continues
I am still flushing and it looks like my plants will go 70 days before chopping them. There are still a lot of white hairs on them. The GG4 is showing signs of fading and some hairs are just starting to go brown. The Death Bubba has not even begun to ripen.
The girls are still pretty active and still drinking a fair amount. Right now they are being flushed with water at 30 ppm and it has only risen to 50 so all nutrients are gone except for what is left inside the plants.
Harvest Day 70
Everything was harvested on day 70. I think the Death Bubba could have gone longer but the others were done. Plants can get over ripe and lose quality if held too long. The THC levels start to drop and the CBD levels start to rise. Great if you are into couchlock but I am not.
Everything is very frosty and the Green Planet nutrients did a great job on these girls. I was worried about frost production because it seemed off but after looking at harvest pictures there was no need to worry.
Death Bubba,GG4,SFV OG Day 71 Pictures
Taken about 18 hours after chopping and there are plenty of trichomes. Glad this grow is over though. Plants were way too big for my space and the whole grow was a battle to keep stretch down and tops from getting too close to the light.
Death Bubba GG4 SFV OG Bud Shots
Harvest is over and I am pretty happy with the results. The GG4 produced 10 ounces and after final trim there were still over 8. I think that’s pretty good for a single plant in a 3 gallon pot. The Death Bubba and SFV were 3 zips each. I feel both of those strains are capable of more but it was not a perfect grow for them. Still I am not complaining!
1 COMMENT
She will be flowered in 2 weeks. I just can t hold her any longer. She shares her grow space with Tropicanna Cookies which is a very tall plant. It is 24 inches tall and ready to flower while the Death Bubba is only about 16 inches tall.