Lot’s I can improve. Climate control, different nutes, VPD balance, uptake of nutes and why. There is a world full of knowledge out there and I do my part to learn what I can. Since I certainly don’t know it all, I could never say I have the best setup. I just do what I can and try to keep learning with an open mind. 
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Yes environment is challenging 
to say the least
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100%. I got decent gear and an open mind. We all saw the shit show my latest bud run took, lol. I still have been loving it. Learning lots, which is always a plus in my mind. Appreciated your help with it as well @Papalag.
EDIT: Ha ha, the system gave me a like back, lol.
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@DirtySlowToes im definitely the one who looks dumb there. Say everyone thinks they got the best setup and immediately get 2 posts saying otherwise 🤦🤣
You are absolutely right with how you described it. It is subjective and thats what I should’ve said, we’ve all got our own favorite styles and tricks and we use them because we believe its the best choice for the space and style we grow.
Maximizing doesn’t have to mean maximizing biomass. I am happy with lower yields as long as the smell and flavor is there. I think our grow systems and how we maximize them are incredibly interesting and shows how creative growers are and how adaptable the plant is
Edit to add: 3 posts now!
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@ThePotanist sorry bud I don’t think my grow is best it’s just what I’ve arrived at, as a matter of fact I know there’s room for improvement in my tent, it’s financial.
Taking care of humidity is a nightmare it constantly drags down the temps.
More often than not I don’t see under 60% for the whole grow.
I’ve not had bud rot for years, close to a decade.
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I dono, I get the desire to improve but it seems like a “you can never be too rich or too thin” situation. I think your dedication to learning and improving is awesome!
When you harvest do you take time to appreciate the job you did or do you just go to what could’ve been better? Legitimate question so I hope it doesn’t sound bad. When I was a chef, no matter how well a service went I still nitpicking shit all night in my mind. With cannabis I mostly just find happiness and contentment with my finished flower.
This could be very well be that im just a hobbyist cannabis grower and don’t have to sell anything. Curious to hear what you have to say!
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I dont think its fair to yourself to be upset about something you can’t change. If you can’t afford to change you try to do the best you can within the confines of your limitations.
Itd be nice if we were all rich and could get great equipment, but I’d argue given your constraints you probably killing it
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Both really. I always appreciate what I end up with but do think of what I can improve come the next run. To me, these are separate things. My being critical of things that could be better helps me grow my knowledge but does not take away from my happiness of getting to a harvest or enjoying my bud.
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Thats awesome. When I was critical of myself in kitchen services it really took a toll on my mental health. I never did what you just said, appreciate what you have done but also look towards improving the next run. I was too young to know better in kitchen’s, but I am glad I learned to be more appreciative and less critical of my work and others now.
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I am always critical of myself, almost to a fault some times. But I really do try to separate that from the joy I get from growing. Self criticism is healthy and useful IMO as long as you treat it like a learning tool. Be happy with that you have done but embrace what you can do better.
A good example of that is my latest run. I have been running it here in a grow thread and the run started out as a complete train wreck. This was my first attempt at trying Jacks nutes. I knew going in that there would be issues and I found them all, lol. But I embraced them and kept moving forward. That tent of ugly yellow plants is now a large lush garden. Its been a fun experience and I look forward to seeing it to it’s end.
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Again, apples and oranges and totally off topic when it comes to cannabis.
Rule of thumb - it takes 13 - 15 leaves to properly mature a cluster of grapes. But, lots of factors come into play here regarding canopy management. Here in Texas where it’s hot days and warm nights leafing around the fruiting zone is a practice I never follow and my grapes are excellent with wines winning awards. Some vineyards leaf on the cooler east side of the vines but there is enough wind to expose the clusters to light. Maybe in the cooler Napa valley, Chile, Washington state, yes. Me, no.
Like with cannabis or growing a tomato, the quality comes in when you have a good drop in day to night temps, Grapes - say 100F in Sept. to 70F come morning. For cannabis, days around 85F with a drop to 65 - 70F come lights on. Why? Because excessive night time heat supports carbos going to excessive respiration vs support for flower or fruit production.
Where you sit is what you see. Some of my stuff…
Vernentino, excellent Italian varietal that excels in the heat:
Tannat
Mouvedre
Aglianico, a S. Italy varietal.
Alicante Bouschet
Some of my other stuff. Notice crowded conditions, no leafing, heavy production top down.
Again, we have the usual wannabe’s who are cherry picking internet links with too much time on their hands.
Uncle Ben
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Wow, yiu seem to have an ego and shall be going straight to the ignore list as you apparently need to be right and do not like conversation… I posted links that literally prove that defoliating grapes is a good thing because somebody asked what other plants benefit from defoliation and people all around the world do it, it’s a common practise. It’s not cherry picking anything.I can post loads more as well as it’s been studied for years.I work at a winery, we defoliate. End of story. You say I am basing it on my feelings when I post scientific data as to why it’s happening. I make wine as well, I am an executive chef of a winery. You should probably tone your ego down.
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Used Jack’s since the 70’s. Easiest and cheapest food is Osmocote Indoor-Outdoor Plus.
I upcanned 4 more plants yesterday to MicroKote painted pots. I add about 1 round TB. for a 2 gallon pot. I swear those have grown an inch in 12 hours.
I break up the spin out on the bottom. These 4 (lighter colored leaves in the second row and one on the first row, right) did NOT receive a mychorrizae drench like the indicas in the back. Just Osmocote upcanned to the treated pots. The white germ pots got only Osmocote prills too. Everything is healthy and growing like a “weed”.
Uncle Ben
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What is YOUR experience big shot. A monkey can C/P a link.
Pix or it doesn’t exist.
UB
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Lol I don’t have to prove shit to you but here some shots of the vineyard and our bottling area.
This is the spot.
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Bottling out barn red.
Any way, like I said I do t have to prove myself to some old grump online lol
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Same bottler? That’s hilarious . This thread is so spicy I love it
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Haha, all it takes to get some old growers going off is talk of defoliation and the the good old LED battle lol. People get big mad.
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@OldUncleBen those grapes look awesome! I’d be interested in how the Italian varietals wine out compared to wines made with the same grapes in Italy. You got anything you can add on that part??
I think its awesome you have methods that work well for you. I think the discussion is hoping to point our pros and cons of defoliating and pruning. There absolutely pros and there are absolutely cons, but there isn’t one best answer. Context is always important and so is the end goal of the grower.
I know for me to meet my goals, defoliation helps and thats ok because it allows me to produce a better flower in my set up. I think we can agree that at the end of the day we all want to see each other succeed and do well, that makes the cannabis community stronger.
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