In our previous articles on Kush, we talked about its origins, its market value ($375-500 USD per ounce) and its blockbuster Indica high.
We interviewed King of Kush Bret Bogue, who gave us insight into where Kush came from, what it is, and how it relates to hydroponics marijuana strains like ChemDawg.
We also mentioned the only strain-specific bloom booster, Kushie Kush, that came from Kush-specific research.
In this article, we look at more ways for you to get your biggest Kush harvests ever:
- Kush loves DWC, NFT, and aeroponics systems. Why? My feeling is that it’s because Kush can suck in a ton of nutrients, way more than Sativa strains, without overloading. In aeroponics and similar systems, roots can develop without having to push through solid media like soil or rockwool, and I think they like it better.
- What do I mean by a ton of nutrients? Using a cautious, incremental approach, try feeding 650-1100 ppm of quality grow phase base nutrients starting a week after your Kush clones or seedlings have well-established roots. Of course watch for signs of overfeeding.
- Especially if you’re using reverse osmosis water or rainwater, add in 90-160 ppm of Sensi Cal Grow to every new batch of nutrients water in grow phase.
- Keep your nutrients water around 66°-67°F, and make sure it’s well-aerated.
- Kush loves C02 during lights-on in grow and bloom. Top your ambient C02 at 1550.
- Kush loves light. Give them good spacing and consider Chameleon Plasma or Baddass Bulbs to provide specific light wavelengths that marijuana loves.
- Make your bloom phase lights-off temperatures at least six degrees Fahrenheit cooler than your day temperatures, and keep your day temps around 74°F. This makes your nugs harder and denser.
- Use supercropping and training to create dense, bushy plants with many budding heads on them. The less plants you have, and the more yield per plant, the safer and easier your garden is.
- Do a flush with pure water during your lights-on cycle the day before you transition from grow to bloom phase.
- Kush seems to be sensitive to phosphorus early in bloom phase. Some varieties of Kush (probably the hybrids that have more Sativa influence) are sensitive to high doses of base nutrients and bloom boosters in bloom phase, so watch for over-fertilization. On the other hand, the phatter-leaved more pure Indica versions of Kush will eat vast amounts of bloom base nutrients, Sensi Cal Bloom and potassium-rich bloom boosters…and reward you with bigger, stickier, harder nugs.
- Use Overdrive during final two weeks before flushing to pack on weight and THC.
- Flush before harvest.
- Be patient when deciding when to harvest. Watch your trichomes. Some varieties of Kush are ready in 52-63 days. Other Kush marijuana strains go longer and can add lots of weight and THC in the last few days before flushing so you should harvest at 63-75 days. Let the trichomes guide you.
- Beware of over-watering and high humidity. Both can cause gray mold.
Please help your hydroponics Kush community by using our comments column to share your advice about Kush strains and growing techniques. I am embedding this rather Kush controversial video (the guy definitely needed to use a spell-checker) for you to critique as well.
The bottom line is that Kush marijuana is here to say, whether it’s OG Kush, Purple Kush or any of the other Kush we love to grow and inhale. Let’s all grow the heaviest, hardest, most THC sparkling Kush nugs we can grow right now!
