Day 4
Hell yeah these seedlings are off to a really good start knock on wood I keep domes on them when not taking pics, RH under the dome is 75% and temp 28C. Perfect. For now.
So I double planted in each pot, expecting to cull the less desirable ones but now all but 2 are keepers. So I think I’m going to try to excavate them and separate them later on tonight maybe? Would be a head start on a couple plants at least. Still mulling this over.
The quicker the better my brother!
Cheers
G
Amen to that brother! Time’s a Wastin’
Got it done. Was a little sketchy and broke some roots but I’m sure theyll be okay. Currently just space fillers.
I think if I do this multi-planting thing again I’ll divide them with a piece of plastic so it’s easier to separate them if and when needed.
And domes back on for a few more days.
Day 61
Well I defoliated the plants in the Mars tent yesterday:
Before/After
Today:
They still got another week or so to go which is fine I have the new plants for this tent started in the 2x2 and they’re mostly all a go except this one seedling that had some mold on it that basically took hold yesterday when the seedling first sprouted. Today when I went to deshell its helmet head, I touched it ever so slightly and the head just fell off.
RIP
Bad luck I guess, crazy how quick it came and damaged the seedling.
Still got lots left though lol
Speaking of mold, noticed a considerable amount of white fuzzy mold on my coco surface. Its not necessarily bad mold but it reminds me of the risks of not running sterile and that mold as seen in the example above can certainly have an adverse affect on a plants health.
An interesting thing to note is that I usually notice the surface mold growth on coco mixed with perlite vs straight coco. Seems the surface area of perlite is a vector for fungal growth just a cool observation.
I suppose organic growers would be pretty happy to see this kind of growth especially beneath their mulch layer but hey we are trying to be clean as possible here so for now I just spritzed the surface with some 3% peroxide and will keep an eye on things.
Algae is starting to become an issue as well so it’s even more compelling to start adding some pool shock or H2O2 to the reservoir.
I’m thinking where these last few spoonfuls sit here in between watering cycles is mostly why the algae is happening at all so I soaked it up and sprayed it with peroxide.
I also started planning for the outdoor season. I already started some seeds and I’m trying to source some good quality compost for a few no-till/no-dig beds. I’m thinking I want to try this method of growing this year as it’s easy, doesnt require me to tear up my lawn, and of course with all the craziness in the world right now it will allow me to learn to be more sustainable. More on this in the coming days but I wanted to put my thoughts here as I’m going to be leaning on a lot of the OGers here who have experience in this kind of stuff.
Yeah that’s prob not a good start
I see people doing that so later on will be easier to trim when chopped. Does it affect the plant while producing buds? I’ve got mine in the same schedule (10 - 15 days to chop) and think it may be a good idea to do so, but still with the doubts of the inexperienced, would you advise me to do it? Thanks … 
Everyone seems to have a different opinion on defoliation but my thoughts on it are that you are effectively cutting off body parts of your plant, so there has to be a damn good reason to do it.
(Ordered in priority)
All that above takes 10 minutes or so for me. I’m pretty liberal when I do it. In fact the best harvest I ever had was when I stripped my plants completely bare half way through flower, although I wouldn’t advise that.
I see no harm and only benefit from doing this in late flower (last 1-2 weeks) as you’re going to get more light to the lower half of your plants to help them finish up, as they’re usually a bit behind the top. It also improves airflow and lowers humidity to prevent late flower mold issues.
Just focus on taking off the unhealthy stuff first and dont take off any healthy growth unless it really forces your hand.
Also, in my opinion there’s something to be said about a neatly pruned plant, it’s more pleasing to the eye.
So yeah just my .02 but everyone will likely have a different opinion on it.
Edit: I also wanted to address this:
Because that’s not a valid reason to do defoliate and if doing it solely because of that then dont. I mean yeah sure when you chop there will be less trimming but it’s still the same amount of overall trimming just stretched out over multiple passes. Basically, you should be defoliating to make less work for the plant, not yourself.
That’s interesting. I can’t do much diggin’ these days
If you’re interested I’ve found this channel to be a great resource to get myself up to speed and mentally prepared for the task at hand:
Thanks for that man. I’ve been in raised beds last two years. Just some tomatoes, peppers and raspberries. I’ll check it out. Blessings…
Thanks Trevor, it was very instructive … 
One of my favorite Hunter S. Thompson quotes ever …I’m only half way through and must say I’m loving the pussy Willow…3 tents that’s a lot of hash coins
Probably enough hash coins to get a school jacket that says ‘Ricky’ on one sleeve and ‘GRADE 10’ on the other haha
@TrevorLahey I’ve never really been a big defoliation guy, I always figured the plant was better being kept in its natural state. But I’ve been having ongoing issues with powdery mildew lately so I’ve been defoliating HEAVY once a week or so to allow lots of airflow and light into the plants.
I gotta say the plants really seem to like it. In veg I can hack them down to a few tiny leaves and they happily grow back in a few days with nice lush new growth. I’m really surprised that it doesn’t really seem to harm them or slow them down at all.
I have some flowering plants that are about 3.5 weeks on right now that I’ve been stripping pretty bare and so far they’re looking great, I’m expecting a pretty similar yield from them as usual… surprisingly
Anyways my point is defoliation seems far less detrimental than I thought, and might even be advantageous. If I didn’t have PM I’d try an experiment with one left wild, one mildly defoled and one trimmed heavily to see if there was any big difference.
Hopefully the outdoor comes together so I can re-pave my driveway 
Heres a cool shot from inside the pussy willow:
That’s been my experience as well, although I know there’s a lot that would say we are wrong. In the end it’s a personal decision but I think the negative opinions on the matter come from a place of not understanding the ebbs and flows of growing something indoor that was meant to be grown in the wild.
May your outdoor harvest be bountiful 
I see it more as shaping and helping along the plant to be a better version of what it would be if it was left to its own ability and inputs, we all have that symbiotic or opportunistic relationship that we develop with our plants or them to us…
Just have to be mindful of what your doing to allow the plant to be the best it can be under the situation, while we help progress the ability for them to produce what we like them for.
btw… thinking on it today, even though ive been anti willow trait, maybe its that i don’t have the capacity for that type of plant to truly flourish, but would make a very cool and good looking plant mixed into a flower bed of long grasses and or small bushes and under story plants, just envisioning that morning low level sunshine with maybe even a spring dew or fall frost… pretty cool
I’ll likely have some with that trait outside this year so I’ll get that pic
… like i see it as a plant that if utilized in an artistic way my aunt’s and mom would have them in their garden.
