Alien Rift By Ocean Grown Seeds

Alien Rift is one of the hottest strains to come from the Ocean Grown Seeds breeding program. This  grow will be in ebb and flow coco smart pots under 700w of  COB LED lighting.

Really nice job on packaging these Alien Rift seeds. They come in a cotton packed vial to keep them safe.

I received 12 seeds and they all germinated so I am happy about the 100% germination rate.

Now I am hoping for a good female/male ratio.

Here are my Alien Rift seedlings. They are about 14 days from transplanting sprouted seeds in coco.

Grow Details And Products I Use

Seedlings were sprouted and planted directly into solo cups filled with coco. Growth has been good and they are just starting to get some nutes. I am using Canna Coco A & B  nutes with added CaliMagic at about 600 ppm.

Roots are poking out the bottom so it is time to transplant into the Smart Pots before they start to become root bound.

I am growing in Canna Coco Bricks and I prefer the bricks. They are easy to hydrate and a lot less bulky to move and store than the bags. I also feel because they are dry there is less likelihood of them coming with fungus gnats.

Also I’m using their Rhizotonic and Canazyme and later their PK Booster. I may add their Boost later.

I have a 2×4 Botanicare flood table and fittings

I am going to be using 15 2 gallon Smart Pots to help keep the coco in place and because of their great wicking ability and root pruning effects too. I got some 3 gallon  pots but they seemed too large for the strains I grow. I don’t do long veg times so I don’t feel I need the larger sized pots.

Alien Rift Strain Info

Here is what Vader, the breeder says about the strain:

Lineage – Alien Abduction™ x Alien Dawg (Ether) x Alien OG

Flowering Time – 56 – 70 Days (~64 Days)

Stretch – up to 80 percent, phenotype dependent

Yield / Quantity – The crop of this strain should be expected to be topped and vegged.

General Impression -Expect dense frosty flowers, requires training.

Description – Alien Rift is an ‘enhanced’ Alien Abduction phenotype, specifically selected and back-crossed for increased hash production.Growers can expect to crop pungent ‘lemon and spice’ flowers densely covered in trichomes with an array of finishing colors. Yields are increased with topping and extra vegetative time. We generally look for phenotypes that stack tight nodes and flower quickly.

http://www.oceangrownseeds.com/strain-guide/true-breed/alien-rift/

Hope mine end up like that. Looks like they have a ways to go.

Alien Rift Pacific Light Concepts Grow Day 53

These plants were grown by Greengenes who also runs Pacific Light Concepts. He did a great job on them. I am using his COB LEDS on my grow also and I highly recommend these lights.

I was a bit skeptical at first but now I am a true believer and all my HPS lighting is gone. They grow awesome plants without all the heat build up and are much cheaper to run. I could go on but I think the video makes my point.

About My COB LED Setup

I am using 2 of Greengenes CXP 250 lights at 1750ma and one homemade unit at 1400ma. All fixtures are 3500k and all COBS are Cree cxb 3590. There are 12 cobs running about 700 – 750w. They are spaced roughly on a 10″ x 12″ grid over the grow area which is roughly 2×4 in a 2.5 x 5 area.

 

If I were to do it over I would use 2 CXP 420’s over the area but they were not available when the grow closet was set up. I wanted more light because I was replacing 1200w of HPS and could not fit in another 250 so I built the homemade 4 cob kit.

I figured building from  scratch would be a good learning experience. It took some time, mostly building the frame. It is a pretty easy DIY project which is something I really like, with a COB DIY it is almost like a plug and play system because there’s no soldering.

At 31 inches above the plants my par readings are mostly 600-700 umols with a few lower in the 550 range along the outside edges. That is full on but all fixtures have dimmers which is nice.

That is plenty of light as 1000 umols  is about all a plant can use without adding CO2 to the grow. So I don’t think I will be lowering the lights, if anything I will be raising them.

Transplanting Alien Rift To Smart Pots

After 2 weeks in solo cups all the plants have roots coming out the bottom. I decided it was time to transplant before they get root bound.

Plants were placed in 2 gallon smart pots inside my 2 x 4 flood and drain tray. There are 15 plants total. 12 are Alien Rift and there are 3 Hells Angel OG feminized seeds on the far left back that I made to fill the tray up.

I have 9 more HA OG waiting in the wings to replace any Alien Rift males I get. I am thinking about saving an Alien Rift male for breeding, assuming that I like the strain.

Week 3 Alien Rift Coco Ebb And Flow

So it’s week 3 for my Alien Rift coco grow. The plants have made some good growth this week and look super healthy.

I am enjoying the simplicity of ebb & flow and the smart pots are great in that set up. I am running straight Canna coco and their nutrient line at about 650 ppm including the cal/mag.

Getting very even light levels throughout the grow and loving these PLC COBS. Getting 650-700 par readings at top of the plants. Lighting right now is on 24/7 but will change soon to 16/8 because I will probably flip these in the next 2 weeks. Temps have been in the mid 70s and a few degrees cooler at night.

There have been some cal/mag issues with the Hells Angel though. It is a heavy cal/mag feeder and can be kind of pissy in early veg even in aeroponics.

Coco tends to bind calcium and magnesium so I am going to increase the dose from 5 ml gallon up to 7 for a week or two. So far the Alien Rift has shown no signs of deficiencies.

The Rift has some strange gnarly, twisty crinkled leaves but according to Vader that is normal for this strain. So no worries, it’s not a virus or anything like that.

All in all very happy with the way this grow is going so far. Here are some week 3 pics:

My COB LED light setup below. Hells Angel will probably be taller and are under a 4 cob diy light.

Crazy leaves on the Alien Rift. Some rolling, crinkling but normal for the strain.

Here are the Hells Angel OG. You can see some cal/mag deficiency showing up on some of the leaves but these girls are doing fine and will out grow it.

Week 4 Growth Explosion

Everything is doing really well and growth has been good. Plants look extremely healthy and happy.

I had some Cal/Mag issues with the Hells Angel early on but the Rift has had no issues at all. I normally go 5ml gallon on the Cal/Mag but that was in aeroponics. Coco eats cal/mag almost as much as my HA. So I needed to compensate and will go 7 mg from now on.

The Canna nutes are working well and pH barely needs adjusting when I mix my nutes. I also added some additional trichoderma. I had issues with pythium or something like it earlier and wanted to add some more even though Canna adds it to their coco.

Trichoderma is a predatory fungus that eats pythium and other bad boys for lunch. I think one of the advantages for me is that I may be able to use it in an aeroponic reservoir because it colonizes roots in a way that wont wash off.

I am also testing Humboldts Secret Golden Tree and I think there’s something to it. It is black and I am guessing contains kelp extracts and maybe humic or fulvic acids.Turns my nute water turd brown.

Don’t know what’s in it because that’s why its secret ha ha. But plants definitely look healthy and have a sheen and glow to them that I have never seen before. So I plan to keep using it and at 1-2ml in veg and 2-5 in flower its pretty economical to use.

Alien Rift After Stripping Fan Leaves End Of  Week 4

On day 28 I stripped off most of the fan leaves. I need to get light to some of the lower branches and also increase airflow around the plants. So far the Rift is very compact with tight nodes and needs to be opened up.

The plants may look a bit ragged today but they will recover quickly. The crazy leaf structure on this strain is even more evident without all the fan leaves. Actually I think it’s kind of cool.

I took clones of all the Alien Rift yesterday and I think these are very close to showing preflowers. I saw 1 definite male but no females yet, but males usually flower first anyway.

So now I need to drain and refill the reservoir and flip them in to flower. Roots are coming out the sides of the smart pots too and are starting to prune themselves.

Alien Rift Day 7 Of Flower

May AR has been in 12/12 lighting for 7 days today. A few plants have started to show preflowers but most will need another week or so to show sex.

Growth has been good with no deficiency symptoms and these plants have produced an abundance of very large fan leaves again.

Pics are from day 6 before and after defoliation. All large fan leaves were removed to allow air circulation through the canopy again. They might look a little rough but they will bounce back in a day or two.

Day 14 Flowers Are Showing

On day 14 my Alien Rift began to flower. So far I have 6 males and 5 females with one still undetermined, but most likely it’s a girl.

The Hells Angel is doing great and is about 8 inches taller than the Rift. I fimmed the tops to help control height and get some more branching.

I have removed most of the fan leaves again from all plants. I have not removed any branches from the Alien Rift except a few for clones. I did remove a few scraggly side branches on the HA.

The Rift has very thick sturdy branches and fairly tight internode spacing while the HA is pretty much a typical OG.

I think things will start to get really interesting in a week.

Day 21 Alien Rift And Hells Angel OG

Week 3 has been a busy week for my Alien Rift And Hells Angel OG.

They started with some heavy defoliation on day 15 which was badly needed because the canopy was too dense for light and air to penetrate.

This also allowed me to finally get a good look at the plants and their buds.  I  have found six Alien Rift girls and two of them look like they have real promise as keepers. I also selected a male for future breeding projects.

I have been happily surprised by one of my 3 Hells Angel back cross girls. She is huge and will be a monster. She is also flowering well ahead of any of the other girls. I am actually seeing her start to stack buds. She is supposed to be a 10 weeker and the Rift about 8 weeks and I have a feeling she is going to out yield everyone else.

Alien Rift And Hells Angel OG Pics Day 21

Week 4 Screen Goes In 2 Males Go Out

I found 2 more Alien Rift males this week. One was the smallest plant of the bunch so no loss there. The other was late to show sex so I thought it would be a girl.

So I have 4 Alien Rift girls now. One looks like a definite keeper and is the largest of the group. It is the furthest along and has the most flowers. Another is not too far behind. There are 2 that appear to be later flowering also.

I had to do a major branch thinning on the Hells Angel girls and I also put in my screen because they are getting tall. The Rift has some catching up to do. Huge height difference between these 2 strains so far.

These plants are not quite 28 days old but I am calling it week 4.

Week 4 Alien Rift and Hells Angel OG Pictures

Week 5 Starting To Get Interesting And Taking Shape

So week 5 is about to end and things are starting to take shape and get interesting. There are 2 girls that seem to be ahead of the pack.

One is a Hells Angel OG I made from seed. Not sure if you would call it an S1 or a BX but it is a really nice plant and first to start flowering.

The other is Alien Rift #4 who is stacking really nicely. #12 is not far behind though. I have 2 smaller phenos of the Rift that seem to be later flowering phenos.

Smells on all are incredible and while my nose is not my strong point the Rift seem to have a lemony, spicy smell to them that is just delicious.

I am continuing with the full Canna line and CaliMagic at about 900-1000 ppm plus the Humboldts Secret Golden Tree which I really like. I have seen a big difference in my plants over just the Canna Coco.

 

ALIEN RIFT VIDEO DAY 40

Just a quick update. The Rift is very leafy and needs its fan leaves removed to get light and air to the middle of the plant. Here is what I found on Day 40 after cleaning these girls up.

The Alien Rift has turned out to be much shorter than expected and probably wont make it to the screen. They are covered with buds from top to bottom and smell incredible. Hopefully the branches wont need a lot of tying up and they seem pretty strong.

I have not grown this strain before. I am not sure if they would be taller from clones or if the Golden Tree has a natural PGR like effect like Bushmaster. At any rate these are some of the healthiest plants I have ever seen. No leaf burn,discoloration or anything just robustly healthy plants.

I have noticed plants are shorter under COBs. My Hells Angel, which I have grown multiple times is about a foot shorter than when grown under HPS lighting.

Alien Rift Day 49

So week 7 is over and things are going well. Still using Canna nutes and Golden Tree at about 900 ppm. I am no longer using any of Canna’s additives except for Cannazyme. Golden tree is at 5 ml gallon as a Canna Boost replacement. Ph has been very stable with the Canna nutes and I haven’t had to adjust it at all, which is nice.

The Alien Rift is chunking up nicely and smells like lemon and spice. There are 2 that are a bit later maturing but I think they will all be done around 64 days.

The Hells Angel looks like it will go a full 10 weeks maybe a bit more. There is the one outlier that could actually be chopped now. Excited about that girl. The rest are more like mama. They are a bit later maturing but finish fast.

Check out my Week 7 video on my Youtube channel or here at https://420dotcom.com/alien-rift-hells-angel-og-week-7.html

Here are some pics:

Alien Rift- Hells Angel OG – Dark Plasma Day 56

Day 56 for the Alien Rift and Hells Angel OG is here and Dark Plasma clones are ready to go in. Everything was moved to my other closet to make room for 8 Dark Plasma ladies and two Jawa Kush girls.

The Rift got a heavy flush on day 55 and should be done in the next week or so. Trichomes are cloudy and pistils are turning brown so she is close.

They are small plants, only about 28-30 inches tall. They wont yield much this time around but I have seen them grown from clone and they are monsters. You never really know what you have with a seed run until you clone it and run it a few times.

The early Hells Angel OG that I call Outlier OG is done and will be harvested tomorrow. She really was done at about 50-55 days. Large rock hard nugs, sticky and stinky, but it remains to be seen how she clones.

The other 2 Hells Angels will definitely go a full 70 days and maybe a bit more. They are super sticky and smell great. The S1 cut they came from was a heavy yielder but late finisher so these will probably be the same.

I was able to reveg my Dark Plasma and Jawa Kush after it got pythium during early flower. They are not all totally revegged yet and some still throw a gnarly leaf here and there. But overall they look pretty good considering what they went through.

The Jawa Kush came through my disaster much better but unfortunately they all turned out to be males except for one. But they look really good to me.

Here are some pics for you:

Alien Rift Day 64 Harvest Time

Today is day 64 for my Alien Rift. Hairs are turning brown and trichs are cloudy. I did not see any amber and these plants have not started to fade even after flushing and a week of reduced light.

To be honest at this point these girls are taking up valuable space and I will harvest them this week. Plants smell great and have a lot of frost. The buds are not large and some are not as dense as I would like. I don’t think they will yield much either.

I have heard these are much different from clones. Right now I think #4 is the clear winner but if they are that different I will probably run them all again with the exception of #3.

If they don’t perform better from clone I wont be keeping them around. Here are day 64 pics:

Alien Rift Post Harvest Update And Op Error

Well all the Alien Rift has been chopped. Trimming turned out to be much easier than I thought. Still drying so no weights yet. Yield wont be that great because of operator error.

These are great plants and low yield is entirely my fault and not in any way because of the breeder’s genetics.

I made a transition from high pressure aeroponics to coco and there is a bit of a learning curve. These ladies were overfed which is why ripening was later and buds were not as well developed as I would like.

I always say less is more but in this case I did not follow my own advice! I did not take into account that coco stores nutes, and not just K. In aeroponics or hydro plants get what you give them. Take it away and its gone. But coco keeps pumping out the nutes.

So my plants were overfed nitrogen. Even though there was no tip burn and levels never really went above 1000 ppms these plants probably got close to 2 times the nutes they needed. The result was extremely thick leaves and lots of them. Looser flowers and delayed maturity too.

So I will be growing the Alien Rift again for sure only this time it will be at about 650 ppm peak and dropping lower after week 5 or 6.

Smoking Alien Rift

So now that the Rift is dry and cured a bit I decided it was time to smoke some. I have to say it was very enjoyable smoke.

The taste was lemony and a bit metallic and the exhale taste reminded me of sandalwood. I have only experienced that taste once before with some Jack Herer. The smoke was very smooth.

The high is almost totally indica maybe 20/80 but not super heavy. Mostly a nice relaxed body high with just enough head to enjoy the float.

It was not the most potent weed but it was one of the most enjoyable to me. If I had to paraphrase the high I would call it relaxing fun.

I did not get much yield, only about an ounce per plant with #4 being the best pheno. It yielded a bit more than the others and the buds were more refined and less hairy than the other phenos.

The buds were not as hard as I would expect from such an indica leaning plant but that may be due to op error too.

I am going to run #4 from clone to see if it performs better. I really enjoy smoking Alien Rift but it will have to do a whole lot better to earn a place in my line up.