Hey, so I’m more used to tomatoes and peppers than cannabis. I’m on my first grow and I’ve got my little guys up to 4-5 branch sets. From what I’ve read, I should be pruning these somehow to create a fuller canopy? (Truthfully - I’ve never seen a cannbis plant in person, so I don’t understand why the wide canopy is important). I’ve only ever “topped” my tomato and pepper plants to create a stronger stalk and to create stronger side branches. Is this a similar idea - by pruning off the top to halt progress, so the sides can grow outwards?
Oh! And - do I fertilize them before pruning or after?
Oh, wow what a long answer for that question. I would recomend reading the FAQ’s here while growing your plant naturally.
How do you know you need to train. Are you indoors, outdoors, or greenhouse. Are you going to choose to low stress train, top, or super crop. Are you feeding salts, or organics. I have more questions to ask before answers can be given because you leave me too many variables.
LOL. Right, I’ve read a lot of the FAQ’s, but it doesn’t say if I have to train. I would train cannabis for the same reason as tomatoes - to get a stronger, larger crop.
I am indoors, with only flourescent grow light for now, I have a “blue” light for later (for flowering I read), I would like it to be trained so that its not going to just crop it and die, hopefully be able to stalk it into grafts or new shoots. I’m soil growin in a 1/3 mix of sheep compost/peat moss/vermiculite and I’ve fertilized once at the two-branch point with a REALLY mild mix of liquid fish that I use for my tomatoes. I just today found some 10-15-10 for a reasonable price so I’m hoping that will work with my cannabis?
Does that help narrow it down? Lol. Lots of info, I agree. Just curious as to what the recommend is for training and pruning for a decent crop. I’m new to cannabis but not new to horticulture so I’m hoping to lean on my skills to get a good solid amount harvested.
When i train i am trying to get as many shoots into as many spots of light as i can. I also train to get strong stable branches to hold my buds by cropping. If you veg a long time you might have to train to control height. There is no have to, it is subjective.
You feed and water at anytime the plant needs it regardless of training. Save the high phosphorous nute for second week of bloom and three to four weeks before harvest unless you see deficiency.
If you have direct questions i will gladly answer. Do you understand what cropping and lst mean?
Just learning as I go. Okay, so 10-15-10 too strong for now (veg state) but ok for flowering at two weeks (but not two weeks before harvest right). Don’t know what cropping or lst is. The fish fertilizer is weak - a 5-1-1, so I’m ok with that then right?
At two weeks in you start to get your bud sites. When you give bloom ferts (phosphorous) it assists with this. At the end the plant wants to make seeds so you have another flush of calyx’s so the bloom fert assist’s again. This is not considered organic methods, but i assume you are ok with that using a 10-15-10. Fish emulsion is fine also during flower.
LST is low stress training basically tying your plant so the tip of a branch is lower than the lowest node redirecting hormones.
Cropping is crushing the stem forcing the plant to reinforce its integrity.
Supercropping is the same except you break the stem over so it hangs down.
This with the compost depending on pot size is probably fine for a short veg. If you see yellowing or a slow down in growth you may need more fish emulsion. Your a gardener so if you have kelp and crabmeal you could top dress once a week and maybe not have to supplement much at all.
I wish i knew how big her pots are. She gardens so she probably has a good idea of what to do. She just needs to jump in and make a few mistakes to come back from and gain some confidence.
My pots are 650g yogurt tubs, drilled through the bottom and inserted into another tub. Lets me bottom water, but ai just noticed tonight the roots are poking theough the holes already so I may have to slice the pots off and go bigger. My peppers usually do well in these right until transplant outside but I may need to improvise.
Whats with the molasses I keep reading about? What does that do??
Your plants look good. Molasses is a “tonic.” Basically potassium, magnesium, micro’s, and sugar’s for the beneficial bacteria and fungus. The fungus part is debated. I use it or turbinado. You can google the nutrient profile of each. It is a easy way to not have to buy hydrostore nutrients.
After you get a test kit you will want to PH test the water you use. Then PH the water that run out of your pot. Collect the run off after about 25 % of what you pour in the pot comes out of the bottom of the pot. Your 5-1-1 mix should be around 6.5 PH when you feed.
Fish 5-1-1 is very hot. It will need some PH adjustments to use.
