There is sooooo much information on how to improve yields… but what about growing for quality?
Once I have more space to work with I’ll be able to use different approaches to experiment using the same clones in different tents, but I figured I would ask the community this question…
What are some tips to improving the quality of the harvest?
(This can include environment, soil(less), nutes, harvest-drying-curing, or any other factors that have improved the quality of weed you grow.)
Get good genetics
Quality and yield tend to go hand in hand. But not always.
I remember back in the day hunting and growing things and always wondering why my weed wasn’t stinky and crazy looking no matter what i did. Turns out growing my uncles bag seed was not the same as getting some worked lines by people making fire. Got some proper genetics and the quality same along with it. Obviously other factors but you aren’t turning something that isnt very quality into quality if it isn’t there to begin with.
You’re maxing out genetics, you can’t push any harder than ideal. It’s like diminishing returns, etc. It’s all about the sweet spot
If I have a beautiful Bodhi bred plant and take clones of it. Put one in a hydro medium and another in coco and another in organic living soil, while all being fed/watered correctly, will there be different expressions at harvest?
Or using the same hypothetical, placing them in the same medium (say organic living soil) using different amendments or different environments (more/less heat, humidity, airflow).
All opinions are welcomed! Just curious what ya’ll find is the best way to give the plant its best chance to express itself fully.
My plants ‘perked up’, improved when I began doing ‘teas’ every 3 days.
Could be bullshit, but I believe it.
People put too much emphasis on heat/humidity/airflow. As long as they are reasonable they are fine.
I suggest you grow as many big plants from as many different genetics as you can.
Man, i will get different expressions of same clone with same everything but on a different side of the room that is closer to an outside wall and cooler. But the quality is still top notch because its in the genetics
Dial your feed so you are feeding exactly what the plant needs. No more, no less. Less means a drop in quality. More means you are pushing the plant for yield.
IMO
Obviously this is easier said than done. People spend years learning how.
Watch the leaf tips they’ll tell you
I’ve also noticed this with teas, and that what got me thinking about this question. I know plants are not people but we are very similar, and our diet/exercise quality has an effect on our expression…
But I also know a human born with a certain DNA is unable (at this point in time) to change their genetic coding. They can, though, harm it…or not allow it to express itself fully.
It all comes down to grow preference. I find salts and promix are what works best for me and my space and what I am looking for. If i grew organically it would be different and same goes with straight hydro but its a matter of figuring out what works best for your grow and needs. For me its ease of grow and work put in. I find organics really nice smoke but tbh i can never get the smoke as clean as i do with salts and find it much more time consuming and difficult to dial in.
I have three expressions of freakshow going in different size pots, and they all are showing a little different, same cut, I 100 agree with @GreenHighland
I would love to ask what is quality to you
what is the good quality and not, I think depends on that I can throw my 2 cents!
What allows the plant to express itself fully (Cannabinoids and Terpenes).
If Tiger Woods was never given a golf club, or grew up in a snowy/cold environment, he would never be able to express what he has in him.
This question is best for anyone that has tried various approaches and methods… noticing subtle things that seem to work best for the plant itself (not the yields we want out of it).
I have had personal experience smoking organic and noticed more flavor,“cleaner” heady high, but it could just be the strain.
Or a tranquilizer
These exist but I don’t think it’s a quality issue as it is a different thing issue.
Environment can massively effect phenotype, in my opinion. You may find something you like more in one environment than another, but it doesn’t make it better in my opinion. Quality is so subjective this conversation really only applies to what you like. How you grow best is the best way to grow, in my opinion.
All that aside, my hot take is whole plant drying knocks the socks off stuff that’s bucked down and dried. Regardless of how it was grown or where. Post harvest treatment matters. Also water/nutrient timing matters for me.