Time for some serious Picture Update Therapy! Welcome to my little CannaBaby family.
Top view of plant #2. The seedling with the curly pig tail is still the runt of the litter but is still growing a second node although tiny is making an appearance. Two more are stretching out to meet the full spectrum LED flame.
I found a great read read on the @BU2B Pound Per Plant (PPP) training technique and I’ll dive deeper into it today during hockey viewing and between songs on guitar. I’ve been advised to maximize the airflow through these plants to lower the chance of mold & rot. It gets a little humid here sometimes! LoL
By for now,
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Great article and a fun read, comments even more fun!
I will be adding this to the arsenal. Over the few years I have been here, and the limited regular food crops I have tried to, and succeeded in growing here the PWM attacked the nightshade and tomato crops hard. Tried all the regimes that an internet search suggested to no avail, I am all in for this during vegetative state. As with most everything time will give me a clearer picture as the grow.
Micronized sulfur spray or dust for control of fungal diseases on fruits, vegetables and ornamentals Super fine particle size gives better coverage, adhesion and disease control Contains Sulfur (90%)
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The little plants look fine today. Visibly larger each day.
And here’s how @BU2B does it, reduced to the essentials, and adapted for Autoflower plants :
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK - part three
There are really only two exceptions to my standard method. • Plants are grown out as quads • Plants are only topped once
I top between nodes 3 and 4.
** cotyledon*
** single fingered leaf and growth - removed .node 1*
** tri - fingered leaf .node 2 set*
** three-5 fingered leaf .node 3 set*
** allow to grow out as needed then remove .node 4 upward*
As soon as your plant has 4 nodes; not including cotyledon get prepared for your first and ONLY topping. Once your plant grows out enough and the sooner the better - top your plant between nodes 3 and 4.
Nodes 2 and 3 will become your 4 main branches Plant structure to start should look like a + when viewed from the top.
24 flowering growth tips in 28 days using my PPP Method adopted for Autos. By the time the girls end Week 5 they should have about 48 flowering growth tips and be about 12 inches in diameter - with only 1 topping.
With permission from @bu2b, here’s a link to the PPP method PDF file. Please respect his download conditions:
> ••BEFORE•• you click the link to download the file you should be aware of the following:
*> * > * The PDF was compiled from my postings on another grow site - > * IF that is an issue or a problem DO NOT download the file > * The PDF DOES contain links to another grow site > * AGAIN - IF this is an issue or problem DO NOT download the file
*> * > With that out of the way; the info is released into the Public Domain and ALL requirements for distribution are contained within the document itself.
"A couple days ago I topped the HBMS plant [at the 5th node] and she took to it beautifully. This evening I did some leaf tucking together with some rerouting of a couple branches. Here are a couple few pics. Of course like I usually do I forgot to take a before picture. Now typically the bottom branches would be gone if I were just growing the plant to grow the plant for flowers. But since I am growing it to make some seeds I leave all the bottom branches on and will hope to make most of my seeds from those bottom branches leaving the top of the plant to produce usable flowers.
This next picture I think is more of a closeup of the plant showing how the branches are redirected to try to give them space / room as the plant gets larger.
To restrain the branches I use regular wooden skewers you can buy at Walmart or the grocery store. The green is that bendable wire with the rubber coating on the outside of it. If you use smaller pots that aren’t as doop you have to cut the skewers shorter. They hold very well and do a great job. "
Aloha,
Great closeups and info on the training programs. Skewers and coated wire will be added to my list of items to procure.
It seems my plants are putting a lot of energy into rooting out.
The 3rd node is just now peeking out. I will grab photos this evening and share for tomorrow morning. I have been reading and noting and thinking about all I have to do.
Everyone has their own way of making the critical transplant into a final pot, since you asked, here’s my technique.
You are using 3 gallon plastic pots right? Here’s a hard sided pot prepared for a run. The extra holes add a little more air to reach the roots and help avoid over watering. The small holes around the top rim are used for training tie downs as the plant grows.
I’d suggest you prepare your pots something like this, Fill it up with good soil amended with nutes and lightened up with a little extra perlite if needed. .
Then you should use @Jetdro’s Turbo Transplant method to give your roots a head start. First bury an empty cup with lots of drain holes as a place holder in your soil. The cup should be same size as your plant is currently in.
The day before transplanting, you fill the placeholder cup with water + mild nutes and let it drain straight down through the soil. Also very lightly water the plastic cup with your plant in it. Just enough to hold the soil together.
On transplant day, remove the empty cup then tamp down the soil around your plant to compress it a bit. Put the stem between your fingers, press the soil down and turn the whole thing upside down. Squeeze the sides of the cup and press the bottom, until the soil releases the entire plant & soil from the cup into your hand.
In one smooth and confident Kung Fu move turn the root ball over and slide it into the hole. Don’t panic if it falls apart a bit, just get it into the hole and tamp down the soil around it ensuring there are no air pockets.
Water a bit around a circle at the leaf tips, tamp the dampened soil a bit more.… And, You’re Done!
Well here is what I have for plant health. The sulfur was recommended by Kekai at the Hilo grow shop as a preventative measure against powdery mildew, the same as the regime recommended by @JoeCrowe.
I mentioned this is my first grow with help from some experienced growers. He was helpful and encouraged me to get a quality ph meter. He mentioned that once you start adding chemistry the colors of the h2o change, so mo betta to have a meter than color coded testing kits.
Bonus good news: I ordered a second ViparSpectra XS 1500 Pro and they say the light has shipped. That should give great coverage as these plants stretch out.
So I asked Grouchy how he kept track of his grow scheduling and he sent me a spreadsheet filled in with the details and estimated dates for my grow!
“I started the countdown on 1/14/23 with the first sign of green leaves. I also tweaked a couple of the formulas near harvest. That leaves us with this timeline and a projected late March harvest:”
Soaked for 24 hours in water, then into Rapid Rooters under a misted dome. No heat mat necessary.
Broke Ground
1/14/2024
Seeds popped and the first cotyldon leaves above ground.
Transplant
1/16/24
0.3
Roots appear out of the rooter cubes, transplant into 6oz clear cups with potting soil. Bottom watered under LED, 100-200 PPFD 18/6 lighting from seed.
Transplant to final
1/26/24
1.7
3 gal w FFOF soil, no amendments.
PPP 1st top & trim
2/6/24
3.3
Top two plants at the fourth node for PPP training, top the other two at the sixth node for mainlining. #2 first topping PPP
At the first sign of pistilation, we’ll defoliate to increase airflow. Three styles: PPP, LoveDaAutos & Au Natural. Careful monitoring for nute deficiencies, pH, and pests
Post Stretch Defoliation
2/25/24
6.0
Once the stretch is over we’ll defoliate a 2nd time.
Flowering
2/28/24
6.4
Emphasize nutrients and supplements beneficial for fat frosty bud.
Nearing Harvest
3/17/24
9.0
Patience is a virtue, no bud before its time! Trichome Watch in progress.
Harvest
3/27/24
10.4
Bid a tearful farewell then chop em!
Dry & Curing (early)
4/10/24
12.4
10 days hanging in the dark at 60/60, then buck and bud trim before burping in Ball Jars with Boveda 62.
JOY?
Maybe, probably, but at least a whole shit load of learning.
Learn to make tincture, collect keif, and plan the next grow.
I don’t have a problem with color, my issues are just being diligent enough in my go slow, things don’t need to be so complicated in my retired life. After running my own business for most of my working life I am glad to KIS. I have heard about some dry product that through some sort of voodoo is “supposed to be” self PH balancing. Mmmmmm
we scored with our place here it was all built out and ready to inhabit
