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Grow Journal - First Grow. part way through

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    Grow Journal - First Grow. part way through

    I'm gonna start a journal, and am going to try using photos from the start, so it will be somewhat complete. Hope this is OK, but this first post I will get wordy so anybody interested will know where I'm coming from. I have previously put other specific questions in other threads to get help, but now realize a journal will be useful. I am now at 7 weeks from planting with my first grow. The plants seem to be doing well.
    I think the actual planting day was 14 Nov.
    This grow was pretty much a snap decision brought on by a second hand purchase of tent, 300W LED light, exhaust fan with variable speed, charcoal filter (used for one grow only) hangers, timer, and a few miscellaneous things for $275 Cdn. Then I started reading up, and decided it would be fun, and at a minimal cost of the seeds, I should just do it, and if it goes bad - I would learn. So - seeds started. Then I found out from a trade show about Sohum Living Soil, that purportedly wouldn't need and nutrients, and being lazy decided to go with that stuff. Pricey - around $40Cdn per bag, and i ended up using 1 .3 bags.

    3 by 3 by 5 ft tent,
    300w LED with 3w diodes (no brand name, but with a flowering switch) used till 7 weeks but now using a metal halide 600W digital set-up which is set at 60% after first day of use.
    4 inch exhaust fan with VFD and filter
    3 gallon fabric pots, Sohum living soil and coco. no nutrients at all (yet)
    used Nebula's method of manifolding
    4 plants from seed. Blueberry, White Rhino, Critical Widow, Cinderella 99.

    I will apologize for the first photos, as i didnt think of using flas till reading later.
    1. The first photo is from 18 Nov. I had started 5 seeds, but the Ob-Wan Kush didn't make it (not sure what happened) . Ends up just as well, since even with four my tent is crowded. Oops.
    2. Second photo is a week later. I had by now decided to use the living soil, but only had some samples to start - so to fill the pots i had, I put coco coir 1 inch thick all around and bottom, then filled with the soil. I had ordered the soil which was expected to take 3 weeks.
    3. Third photo is 1 Dec for the group of 4, and next is a photo from that day. this is where I realized how cold and dry it was in my basement. leaves were not quite right, but soon after adding humidity and an oil heater inside the tent, things went better.
    4. fourth photo is of one of the plants on 1 Dec. they all looked very similar. I also at this point switched to a lower wattage (49w) from the 300W as I read about light damage and got scared it might be causing a little yellowing. I got my soil and re-potted them 2 Dec. I put 1.5 inches coco on the bottom of the pots, and around the sides as well - based on a friend"s recommendation (he has since proven to not be as expert as he claimed)
    5. fifth photo is of the group on Dec 9, so they are just under 4 weeks old, and have been in the 3 gallon pots for a week. I trimmed em back two days earlier on 7 Dec, to follow Nebula's method, as I had been doing quite a bit of research. At this point, from my research, it appears mine are a fair amount behind what many others get - but they look healthy. I did post to another forum and was told i trimmed way to early, but again they look healthy.

    More later. Thanks if you took the time to read.

    Attached Files
    A happy Canuk. this grow will be using Flora Flex nutrients in coco/perlite. 9 plants in 3 by 3 tent and 8 plants in 2 by 4, in 1 or 2 gallon pots (whatevere is there). manual fertigation planned. veg till around 1 ft high. 2 by 4 tent light is Bloom Plus 2500 and 3 by 3 tent has Mar Hydro Ts3000, both of which seem awesome.

    #2
    Plants look good. Your equipment list is good. The led light will be awesome for vegging the plants. Most led lights make sturdy plants, with out much stretch. The 600 will be badass for flower, but the tent may not be tall enough. I had a 400 in a 2x4x5 and heat from the light was sometimes a problem. If that 600 is aircooled you may be fine, if it's adjustable power that's real nice. You are off to a great start.

    Comment


    • Bootsy
      Bootsy commented
      Editing a comment
      yeah, i definitely am worried about height. especially since it will be my wife looking after them. I hope to convince her to use this forum.

    #3
    Next succession. First photo is 15 Dec. the plants seem to be doing well, and i have no real issues except that from looking on-line I am sorta in the middle as far as progress compared to others. By now I have the temperatures pretty good around 26-27 thru day and only a couple degrees lower at night. So far I haven't been using the exhaust fan as there doesn't seem to be a need and there is not much smell.
    Next photo is on Christmas day. By now I have found out I will be leaving town for work for at least three months. Trying to convince my wife to look after them, and from now on will be trying to automate and get things ready for her. I am daily trying to move stuff around to make even spacing as I have read and seen on tutorials.
    Next 5 photos are of each plant on 31 Dec and two of the critical Widow, just to give perspective from top. They are looking healthy to me, but the smell is now noticeable, and i have had to turn on the ventilation. The cold basement air now is chilling the plants, so I had to add a heater to the adjacent room (now even in daytime i have the light, a 35oW heater inside the tent full on, and 750 in the room containing the tent. Some advice from this forum made the decision to change to an HID light obvious. It would give off heat, potentially letting me turn of heaters in the daytime, and likely a better grow light. another cost that I didn't plan for, but I am enjoying this, so it will be something I will use in the future anyway. And the LED has proven to work so might be of use in the future.
    One note - my clamp on circulation fan fell right on Cinderella, and also hit blueberry. they looked pretty damaged, but recovered within hours - BOY - these girls are hardy!
    Attached Files
    A happy Canuk. this grow will be using Flora Flex nutrients in coco/perlite. 9 plants in 3 by 3 tent and 8 plants in 2 by 4, in 1 or 2 gallon pots (whatevere is there). manual fertigation planned. veg till around 1 ft high. 2 by 4 tent light is Bloom Plus 2500 and 3 by 3 tent has Mar Hydro Ts3000, both of which seem awesome.

    Comment


    • Paracelsus
      Paracelsus commented
      Editing a comment
      Looks Good Bootsy, I thought this was a very smart DIY hack for fans in a tent check it out and see if you can make it work for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMOM...Lpe7g&index=30

    • Bootsy
      Bootsy commented
      Editing a comment
      f..n awesome idea on the fan hanging. thanks. I already have the stuff needed.

    • Paracelsus
      Paracelsus commented
      Editing a comment
      Glad it's gonna do the trick

    #4
    So. As i read more, i noticed that the first three weeks of 12:12 include the growing spurt, which will be pretty intensive keeping growth in control. don't want to stress my wife out and have her give up, so I started the process while I am still home - likely for another 3 weeks. With exhaust fan, humidity is now between 20 and 25. I have been doing training and trimming to keep themn somewhat clear. Some concern about White Rhino being so small and bushy, but - it will be what it will be - and she is likely the prettiest of the plants. Now it is becoming obvious that 4 plants in this little tent will require significant monitoring and training. Uh-oh!
    Photos are from 3 Jan. White Rhino on its own, and a crappy shot of the 4. keeping them trained is gonna really challenge this newbie. now glad I started while i am still here. Trimmed em back quite a bit this day. Waiting for my new light.
    Attached Files
    A happy Canuk. this grow will be using Flora Flex nutrients in coco/perlite. 9 plants in 3 by 3 tent and 8 plants in 2 by 4, in 1 or 2 gallon pots (whatevere is there). manual fertigation planned. veg till around 1 ft high. 2 by 4 tent light is Bloom Plus 2500 and 3 by 3 tent has Mar Hydro Ts3000, both of which seem awesome.

    Comment


    • D.A.A.S.69
      D.A.A.S.69 commented
      Editing a comment
      Hey Bootsy, love your journal ,your doing a great job with your plants, Yeah, its gonna get a little crowded in there, some plants get huge even with training, some dont. But that's how you learn. I'm catching hell with the low humidity an young plants too.

    • DingusKhan
      DingusKhan commented
      Editing a comment
      Yeah, and it's a good thing you pre-empted the crowding by starting your flower early. Far better to have a smaller, perfect yield than a possibly bigger yield that ends up in your lights. Especially if you're leaving that in the hands of a less experienced loved-one. Any time I ask my wife to help, I have to reassure her that "if they all fall over dead, it will never be anyone's fault but mine, which is why I love to grow". Luckily, all has gone well.

    • Bootsy
      Bootsy commented
      Editing a comment
      didn't think of that about starting earlier. I wasnt on top of that part. That's exactly what my wife's been told, and basically it's the truth.

    #5
    Next update, which includes photos from yesterday, which was the first day of the new light. I just switched it to new the light system, with the Metal Halide bulb to start, and set it on 50% to start yesterday. The heater (on timer to be on when light is off) kept the tent around 20C last night, and today i put the light to 75%. The tent temp seems to be stabilized around 24.5C (right now. Humiditiy seems to be staying around 25%. I think this is not bad??
    The photos, which i also have in the infirmary forum on another thread, are first a team shot of the ladies. 2nd photo is of the sinister but majestic Cinderella 99 , who seems as if she will be the biggest challenge to keep fitting in the tent. Next photo is the sweet Critical Widow, who took the brunt of my circulating fan falling on her, but came back fast. The next photo shows my actual favourite, the full figured but tiny White Rhino followed by the lovely Miss Blueberry. All seem to be very tolerant of my abuse. Now I'm up to date. Gotta go check on the ladies. More later.
    Attached Files
    A happy Canuk. this grow will be using Flora Flex nutrients in coco/perlite. 9 plants in 3 by 3 tent and 8 plants in 2 by 4, in 1 or 2 gallon pots (whatevere is there). manual fertigation planned. veg till around 1 ft high. 2 by 4 tent light is Bloom Plus 2500 and 3 by 3 tent has Mar Hydro Ts3000, both of which seem awesome.

    Comment


    • Locrian99
      Locrian99 commented
      Editing a comment
      I might have missed it but it sounds like height is a concern for you and only noticed mention of the MH bulb. There is an article on the site by Sirius in ways to limit stretch you might want to check out. One as I recall was leaving the MH bulb in during the first few weeks of flower and not switching to the HPS bulb, the red in it encourages the stretching apparently.

    • Bootsy
      Bootsy commented
      Editing a comment
      oh. thank you. i will look for that one. i cannot imagine i wont be having issues and planning helps

    • Locrian99
      Locrian99 commented
      Editing a comment
      No problem I’m just getting to the end of my first grow if it wasn’t for the site and some very helpful people on here I’m positive I would’ve killed them by now lol

    #6
    Very nice, and nicely written journal. Beautiful!
    Nothing is foolproof for the sufficiently talented fool.

    Comment


      #7
      Another day. I am home sick for the third day, so have time to play with the girls again. Photos dont show much change, but they all look pretty good to me and are a brighter green under the new light. I am daily tying them back and removing leaves that are not seeing light. i will keep training them back, and do believe I have to remove the little side brances (tiny colas) that are coming off the main branches - there just wont be room for everything and I want to make sure the main colas are treated as well as possible. I have noticed that where the tent getsw pulled in by ventilation, that where it touches the leaves, they sort of wilt. under 18 outside the tent at night.
      the temperatures have stabilized at around 25C in day with light on (30% rh), and 20C at night with the little heater on in the tent.
      Three Questions - my clip on fans keep falling off since the tent is so tight to the poles. 1. Has anyone figured out a method of connection to the poles in a tent.?
      2. Should I trim back the "suckers" that i won't be letting bud now, or at three weeks flowering?
      3. I have been looking for article on how to limit stretch as mentioned above by Locrian99, but no luck so far. Looking for suggestions so that I am ready if it is a big problem. ??

      As an aside, I just tried White Rhino from elsewhere - and I now really really want that plant to produce. Yummmmm!
      Attached Files
      A happy Canuk. this grow will be using Flora Flex nutrients in coco/perlite. 9 plants in 3 by 3 tent and 8 plants in 2 by 4, in 1 or 2 gallon pots (whatevere is there). manual fertigation planned. veg till around 1 ft high. 2 by 4 tent light is Bloom Plus 2500 and 3 by 3 tent has Mar Hydro Ts3000, both of which seem awesome.

      Comment


      • D.A.A.S.69
        D.A.A.S.69 commented
        Editing a comment
        Morning Bootsy, those are some pretty colored plants,nice, don't be scared to remove those small tips an branches, they are no good at all. I live down South an our weather has been bad for growing to, especially since mine are young, at least your plants are older an can handle the weather better. Yours look nice.Good job.

      • Bootsy
        Bootsy commented
        Editing a comment
        cool. i am heading down to remove them now.

      #8
      That really is a beautiful shade of green.

      You could wrap a strip of tape around your light clips to the poles, or hang them from the top and let the clips hold the fans still, pointed in the right direction.
      Nothing is foolproof for the sufficiently talented fool.

      Comment


      • Bootsy
        Bootsy commented
        Editing a comment
        thanks. yeah, I think i will try taping it. and i am heading down to trim those little branches. everything i have read indicates i don't want those in my restricted little tent this time.

      • DingusKhan
        DingusKhan commented
        Editing a comment
        You will get much applause and support, and relatively little discouragement about trimming and defoliating from this crowd! I'm getting close to the end a grow that I wish I took more of the smaller, lower branches. There are so many colas that I can't count them (too stoned), that I'm sure if I pruned more, her colas would have filled out much bigger.

      #9
      Wow, once i started looking, there's a lot of information out there about limiting stretch. and some conflicting. Things that seems to make the most sense 1. high levels of light, 2. blue light (such as MH), 3. reducing temperature differential of night and day during stretch period). Now I know why MH was recommended for veg and HPS for flowering. I will see what i can do there regarding night temps. There are also chemicals and additives, but I have avoided everything so far, so that's out. Unless I hear or read otherwise in the next day, I think i will leave the MH for a couple more weeks and have increased it to 100% (prior at 75%) and see if I can still regulate the temperature. I Will also put a heater in the adjacent room tonight to raise the night temp for the next couple of weeks (thus minimizing the night-day differential).

      I should note that this is my first grow, and I am not even sure I will have a problem, but must be as ready as possible for my time away. CURRENT MEASUREMENTS - the highest I can raise the light is another 12 inches, and i can lower any of the plants 1 inch by taking it off the golf balls underneath them. the total height of the biggest plant is (for manifolded plant= height + width) = 15 inches. The height of the light from the upper plant sites is = 15 inches. this is at 8 weeks, after 1 week of 12:12 lighting. More photos tonight, i think.
      A happy Canuk. this grow will be using Flora Flex nutrients in coco/perlite. 9 plants in 3 by 3 tent and 8 plants in 2 by 4, in 1 or 2 gallon pots (whatevere is there). manual fertigation planned. veg till around 1 ft high. 2 by 4 tent light is Bloom Plus 2500 and 3 by 3 tent has Mar Hydro Ts3000, both of which seem awesome.

      Comment


      • Locrian99
        Locrian99 commented
        Editing a comment
        yea it finally made sense to me too (mh vs hps)

      • Locrian99
        Locrian99 commented
        Editing a comment
        Oh and I think this was the article I was talking about. It’s just a short part on controlling it, sounds like you’ve found much more in depth info already though. http://www.growweedeasy.com/flowering-stretch

      • Jibblerjoe
        Jibblerjoe commented
        Editing a comment
        End of week 3 of 12/12 stretch should be over.

      #10
      Ah the name is Bootsy Baby
      My Growing and going full tilt NoTill NTG thread https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum...l-tilt-no-till
      The universities do not teach all things

      Comment


        #11
        Hello again. see below for a photo from tonight. i ties in a few more branches and also removed some of the suckers. I just noticed that the camera date is wrong. at some point i will change it and then there will be a day overlap. I've set the MH tp 100%, and found that temperature was staying around 26C (79F). I was trying to keep ot cooler so we will see tomorrow when i leave the curtain to the room open and also have increased the inlet duct to 6 inch from 4 inch - another duhh, because there is only so much air that passively can go through a 4 inch duct, and as I turned up the fan, the tent just pulled in more. I expect the new 6 inch intake will allow a lot more air tomorrow. Is 26 too warm for this first part of the flowering timing?
        Another oops1 i thought i had picked all shorter types, but hadnt found info on Critical Widow till now. it is a mostly Sativa, and sure enough is the lankiest. i will do my best with everything, and I guess if it's a problem, i just cut off the tops of offenders?
        Attached Files
        A happy Canuk. this grow will be using Flora Flex nutrients in coco/perlite. 9 plants in 3 by 3 tent and 8 plants in 2 by 4, in 1 or 2 gallon pots (whatevere is there). manual fertigation planned. veg till around 1 ft high. 2 by 4 tent light is Bloom Plus 2500 and 3 by 3 tent has Mar Hydro Ts3000, both of which seem awesome.

        Comment


        • Jibblerjoe
          Jibblerjoe commented
          Editing a comment
          I do know if the temps are 75 or lower during beginning of flower it will help reduce stretch. Look on the gwe site, there are tips to control the stretch. Plants look great.

        • Cronk
          Cronk commented
          Editing a comment
          my 6" duct did not change the temps like the vent flap did. too bad I needed to close that for flower. I read in another thread where someone used 2 pieces of carbon filter sheet sewed together with velcro around the edge to replace the flap cover. air in, no light. I may try that one

        • Bootsy
          Bootsy commented
          Editing a comment
          Ok. more advice and more reading. I have now turned back the light to 75%, to hopefully reduce daytime temp. . the plants didnt look as robust when i took them out to do some training last night, so I am a little worried about the light switch. i am now on the road for three days, and will be watching by photos taken by my wife. Keeping fingers crossed. hoping the reduced power will let the daytime temperature down from 26. got nighttime temp up to 24, so - we will see. wish I could have a quick peak before I leave momentarily. thanks folks.

        #12
        Hey. Back for 5 days before my wife takes over. I've shown her PH control and have watering set up pretty convenient. The plants are trained as well as I can do. they will be at 17 days of 12:12 light. While away, I had set the light back to 75%. They really are looking cool now. See the photos - and regarding the colour, I forgot to turn off the MH bulb when taking the photos. I think the Critical Widow and the Cinderella 99 have flowering started, but not sure. the individual photos of the whole plants and the branches are in order 1 Critical Widow, 2 Cinderella 99, 3 Blueberry, 4 White Rhino. I also just did tie down a couple of branches, and raised the White Rhino pot up so it's as close to the lights. The 6 inch inlet duct from 4 helped with daytime temperature, which is now staying pretty much between 24.5 and 25 C (77F) and nighttime at 25, so I have the differential working. I think i am pretty much ready except for getting food ready for midway through blooming as has been suggested - need something i can pick up this weekend, and want to stay organic. a Guano tea was mentioned and i am looking for a recipe. Is this too many photos? i don't know if that's considered a bad thing.
        Attached Files
        A happy Canuk. this grow will be using Flora Flex nutrients in coco/perlite. 9 plants in 3 by 3 tent and 8 plants in 2 by 4, in 1 or 2 gallon pots (whatevere is there). manual fertigation planned. veg till around 1 ft high. 2 by 4 tent light is Bloom Plus 2500 and 3 by 3 tent has Mar Hydro Ts3000, both of which seem awesome.

        Comment


        • D.A.A.S.69
          D.A.A.S.69 commented
          Editing a comment
          Ok, well you can count on them doubling in height or more.

        • Bootsy
          Bootsy commented
          Editing a comment
          Thanks. If they are doubling, I have major messed up. If I count the manifold, they are now 16 inches long now - Oops.
          I have no choice regarding the space and i don't expect much more tying back can happen. I guess I might as well start thinking about what to do for that eventuality. I see where some folks say you can go as close as 12 inches from the lights - what do ya think about that? I started the grow thinking i would use it as a learning exercise for next time, but now I feel very invested and don't want to give up on any of them.

        • Paracelsus
          Paracelsus commented
          Editing a comment
          Don't give up

          How to Prepare for the Flowering Stretch

          by Sirius Fourside

          Right around the time when kids start hitting middle schools, short awkward teenagers go through puberty and turn into taller awkward teenagers...or was that just me? I’m sure you knew of at least one kid who grew so much, they looked almost as if someone grabbed them by their head and feet and just stretched them out.

          When cannabis plants start to mature, they also go through a brief transitional period; a sort of cannabis-puberty if you will. And just as humans undergo a burst of rapid growth, cannabis plants will also create a large portion of their final height in a very short period of time. This explosion of vertical grow this commonly called the cannabis ‘Flowering Stretch’.
          What is the Flowering Stretch?

          The best way to give you an idea is with pictures. http://www.growweedeasy.com/flowering-stretch Here’s a cool animated .gif Nebula made showing the flowering stretch in action.

          Watch as one strain out-races the other!

          This makes for a great example of how small or large a stretch can be. Notice that the plant on the left (818 Headband) gains only a few inches while the plant on the right almost doubles in size! And even this picture is misleading once you realize that by the end of the .gif, the plant on the left is actually raised an extra foot higher off the ground! Note: This was done to keep the plants somewhat equidistant from the lights.

          In short, the flowering stretch is potential burst of rapid growth that happens shortly after switching to the flowering phase. It can be massive, or it can be next to nothing. The important thing is to expect that it might happen and have a plan ready in case it does. Luckily, most strains you buy from a seedbank are stabilized, so it’s known if the plant will stretch a lot or a little. This allows us to not only plan for a stretch, but take advantage of it when it happens!
          What to Expect

          A seedling stretching its heart out!Depending on the strain you’re growing, you can expect a pretty wide range of stretching. Some strains can double their height or more, while some do almost nothing. However, if you know the name of the strain you’re growing, you can look up the breeder recommendations to get a good idea of what might happen. Additionally, there are other factors that can give you insight:

          Sativas - Sativas tend to grow taller, lanky stems even when trained; inch-for-inch they tend to stretch much more than indicas.
          Strain height - Many breeders and seedbanks have the average height of their strains listed. Sometimes it’s as vague as “short - medium - tall”, but even that is enough to give you an idea of its growth characteristics. Expect "tall" strains to stretch!
          Light type - Certain light types are more conducive to stretching than others. You can use the right light color spectrum to help control growth characteristics. More on that later...
          Light distance - Plants also stretch when they're trying to get more light (like this plant to the right). As a result of this type of stretching, plants grow taller, but with fewer bud sites. Note that this is not the same thing as the flowering stretch, rather it's a symptom of too-little light. Most growers want to avoid stretching caused by not enough light as fewer bud sites means less bud.

          One of the main reasons it’s so important to know about stretching is that it can rapidly reduce the amount of space you have in your grow tent/area. If you’re growing in a space with limited height, a good stretch can make it so you no longer have room to raise your lights. This leads to light/heat stress and lost buds.

          I personally had a stretch where there was no longer any room to raise the lights. I used a CFL/LED combination at the time, and the LEDs absolutely cooked the buds underneath it until I got desperate and cut the stuff that was too close. I would handle that situation differently now, but it shows that no one is immune if they’re unaware.
          Planning For the Stretch

          Planning for a stretch is easy to do when you know it’s a possibility. There are two things growers can do that will give a lot of control over planning for a potential stretching situation:

          Research your strain
          If you know what strain you’re going to grow, you can usually find its growth characteristics online. Seedfinder.eu is a pretty good resource for reviews on strains submitted by other growers. While it isn’t necessarily 100% accurate (what is?), it should give you a good range of what to expect. Knowing the strain you’re growing gives you the power to decide how much stretch you’ll deal with. Since stretching is often accompanied by a ‘tall’ final height, you can reduce stretch by getting plants that are characterized as being ‘medium’ or ‘short’.

          Plan for a tall plant
          In my opinion, the best way to be prepared for any stretch is to simply plan out the space as if you know that your plant will double in height by the end of flowering. Don't worry, it's much easier than it sounds! Here's how you do it:

          Take the total amount of vertical (height) growing space you have in inches/cm.
          Take the total from #1, and subtract the height of your lights when it's at its highest point.
          Next, subtract the height of the pot/container your plant will be in.
          Finally, subtract the amount of space you'll need between your light and your plants.
          This varies depending on the lights; CFLs only need about 4", HIDs need 12+".
          When your plants height reaches half of the number you're left with, initiate flowering!

          Not too bad right? It'll seem even easier with an example! Here's how it would work for my tent (math is below the picture):

          This is a visual example of how space gets split up in my tent!

          I have a 7 foot tall tent which comes out to 84 inches. Total: 84 inches
          My lights and the stuff to hold them take up 21 inches. Total: 63 inches
          My container is 13 inches tall. Total: 50 inches
          I'm planning to keep 16 inches between my plants and the light. Total: 34 inches
          I flower my plants when they are about 17 inches tall.

          You don't always need the space when you plan like this, but it allows you to easily deal with the times when your sweet little babies turn into monsters like this:



          Pre-Stretch

          Plants before a stretch...

          Post-Stretch

          The same plants after stretching...
          Reducing the Stretch

          Since we know the factors that can lead to more stretching, reducing how much a plant stretches is just a matter of acting on those factors.

          Genes - Indica plants tend to be shorter, so if you prefer Indicas and would like a short plant, you’re in luck. If you like Sativas and have limited height, there are many strains available that have a shorter finishing height. Again, you can usually find the heights of strains at the websites of breeders and seedbanks.

          Light type - Did you know that HPS (High Pressure Sodium) lights encourage stretching? If you use HID lighting, you can combat this extra stretching by leaving your MH (Metal Halide) bulb in for the first 2-3 weeks of flowering before switching to a HPS bulb.

          This also goes for CFL growers who are utilizing vegetative (6500K) and flowering (2700K) colored bulbs. You can leave the vegetative (6500K) colored bulbs in for the first 2-3 weeks of flowering before switching to your flowering bulbs.

          This kitty knows what I'm talking about!Light Distance - Keeping your lights the right distance away will ensure that your plants don’t have to stretch to get more light. Use the ‘hand test’ to make sure your lights are as close as they can be without harming your cannabis.

          Hand test: Place one of your hands right over your plant with your palms facing downward. If the heat from your CFL or HPS lights is uncomfortably hot or painful to your hand, move the lights away an inch and try again. This test does NOT work for LED lights.

          Some General Rules About Light Distance:

          CFL and fluorescent grow lights should be kept a few inches from your plants.
          For MH/HPS lights it depends on the size of your light.
          For LEDs it's different for each model so you should always check with the manufacturer, but it's generally recommended to keep most LEDs 12-18" away, though some of the most powerful LED grow lights need to be kept even further away.

          Plant Training - Although training itself does nothing to slow down stretching, it does give growers a good way to manage it. For example, if branches are set to grow vertically by low-stress training, a stretch can actually be beneficial since so much of the plant will be receiving light. Plant training can come in the forms of low-stress training, manifolding, topping, fimming, and more. These techniques are used in the vegetative stage to get your plant to grow the way you want in the flowering stage.
          Cannabis plants grow a lot taller right after they start making buds. This is known as the "flowering stretch" and you can use it to your advantage to make longer buds!

        #13
        Thanks for the info and advice. And with some white rhino inspiration, I won't give up. So, it happens that I could have lucked out, and the height calculation matches perfectly, so for any less that doubling the size, and they should be okay. If they more than double, I guess I will find out how close to the light is too close. I will keep the fight up, keeping the night temperatures up and day down for a tiny differential there. I will also leave the MH light in for another week and get my wife to change it to the HPS at that time. I was going to add some molasses this watering, but will wait now till flowering is really in gear. At that time, I was thinking of blackstrap molasses and liquid seaweed applied with water, and top dress with some fossilized bat guano. Any comments on these plans is appreciated, but any suggestions will have to be easy to do. I have contracted out the final stages of the grow, and at the salary I am paying, cannot expect too much dedication. Two of the plants have flowers starting on top, and the smell in the tent is fragrant. Photos tomorrow - I forgot tonight until the lights went out. Really like the Sohum living soil - nothing but water so far, and the ladies seem to be great. with some extra energy I am ending up with an organic grow, which i really didn't think of till recently. I used the living soil out of laziness, and the cost is worth it for me. Cheers folks
        A happy Canuk. this grow will be using Flora Flex nutrients in coco/perlite. 9 plants in 3 by 3 tent and 8 plants in 2 by 4, in 1 or 2 gallon pots (whatevere is there). manual fertigation planned. veg till around 1 ft high. 2 by 4 tent light is Bloom Plus 2500 and 3 by 3 tent has Mar Hydro Ts3000, both of which seem awesome.

        Comment


          #14
          Glad you got someone minding the store for you.
          My Growing and going full tilt NoTill NTG thread https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum...l-tilt-no-till
          The universities do not teach all things

          Comment


            #15
            so - temperature went up to 26 through part of the day yesterday, but i turned the exhaust fan up a little and brought it back to 24.5 yesterday. Oops. gotta get the heater timers re-set. when i went down this morning the temp was 29, since the ventilation pre-heater and the one inside the tent didn't turn off enough before the light came on. it is going down quickly. i didn't realize how much the temperature changes in my basement, as right now it is comfortable and last week i needed a fleece. outdoors we have gone from -20 to +10 in a couple of days. Been that kinda year everywhere in NA, I guess. A question I think i know the answer to - at nighttime, can I just put my exhaust fan on humidity control, since there's no heat source? My thought is that it must be quite odorous when they are flowering so I need the air filter going. attached are a bunch of photos. I am sorry if it is too many, but when I am looking at others, I often am hoping for different perspectives for comparison. the team photo has front left White Rhino, front right Critical Widow, back right Cinderella 99 and back left Blueberry. the individual shots are in the same order. Whie Rhino - wonder if she is stunted by something I did, or a runt. Either way, she looks very tropical and robust on her own. Almost a bonsai version. Till next time.
            Attached Files
            A happy Canuk. this grow will be using Flora Flex nutrients in coco/perlite. 9 plants in 3 by 3 tent and 8 plants in 2 by 4, in 1 or 2 gallon pots (whatevere is there). manual fertigation planned. veg till around 1 ft high. 2 by 4 tent light is Bloom Plus 2500 and 3 by 3 tent has Mar Hydro Ts3000, both of which seem awesome.

            Comment


            • Bootsy
              Bootsy commented
              Editing a comment
              my basement goes to around 18 to 20 in general at night. is this too cool? i was reading that cooler temperatures, especially at night, increase trichrome production.

            • Paracelsus
              Paracelsus commented
              Editing a comment
              I am a farenheit guy as long as it doesnt drop swing back and forth 10 degrees or more, but yes they say cooler temps for some strains promote tric's
              Last edited by Paracelsus; 01-15-2018, 08:31 AM.

            • Bootsy
              Bootsy commented
              Editing a comment
              Cool. I should be around 8 F difference, and will try taking the heaters off line tomorrow. i feel safer as she wouldnt be checking. Otherwise I am depending on $5 tech to protect and direct a large time investment. too exciting - and i think my wife is now feeling good. i told her where we want to be (adjusting as I learn) and we are hitting it. I actually would like the humidity higher, but am taking the chance that 30 to 33% will be okay. it goes a little higher at night. with the ventilation going through, it would take quite a bit to get i tup, and flowering is supposed to be safer at lower temperature. By the way - if I say anything considered wrong or stupid, just tell me. this really is all new to me. I have read so much that I cant remember where i did, but most things and people are pretty close to consistant. I lucked out on the early part of my grow before i got in touch here. those first days at 65 to 70 F. strong plants. I gotta chane the units on the Controller to Fahrenheit !

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