Crystals on Leaves During Veg Stage?

[durtvandutch]

Hello all,

I am noticing on several "sites" of my plant that there are crystals forming on small leaves as well pistil looking hairs. I've read that pre-flower happens naturally and can help with figuring out the gender so it's not a bad thing. Yet with some of the stresses she has been through, I wonder if there could be something else happening. Should I be worried?

Background:
This is my first grow. Soil. CFLxLED = 416watt. DIY Box.
Light schedule stays at ~18-20 hours on / ~4-6 hours off.
Using nutrients mentioned in GWE tutorials.
She has been through quite a bit.This experiment has lasted over 10 months and still going. She has survived a super cold winter (possible purp phenotype displayed), too much pruning, some ph imbalance and two nute burns. She has had to regrow SEVERAL sets of new leaves during this process. You could say She has lived multiple lives

[DoctorJohnson]

There's nothing like learning by doing, and it sounds like you're learning a lot!

That photo is too small to be very helpful, but that plant looks like it is blooming, and "crystals" on the leaves, as you probably know, are trichomes a.k.a. resin glands.

I'm guessing that your plant is just tired of vegetating and stress after 10 months and ready to bloom, so the best thing would be to switch to 12/12 so she can do that properly.

Good luck and happy harvest!

[durtvandutch]

Thanks. I am thinking along those lines as well. I am worried that I don't have enough fan leaves to really support any bud growth. I guess it would not kill me to switch her and see what happens. This is for learning purposes. I'll try and post a better pic as well.

[IGH]

did you say 10 MONTHS in veg? dude, in a single growspace you should have harvested twice by now.
This may sound harsh, but you need to start over.
Unless for some reason this IS just some kind of an experiment where you dont care about how much light or supplies are endlessly poured in without ever actually getting the candy.
Even if you had more experience, the cost of time and money to rehab those plants back to a proper veg would cost you another grow.
If you are willing to chalk it up and start over, make a grow journal here, and many folks here including myself would be happy to walk you through from seed to harvest every 4 to 6 months in your space.
Find a tutorial that fits your system and media choice and stick to it. There are very good ones at the GWE website to choose from.
Dont even use that word EXPERIMENT again til after AT LEAST your 3rd successful harvest! How can you properly experiment without a basis for making comparisons? That shit only comes with time and experience.
I only speak this plainly from my own experience. I was that guy, first time (and 2nd time) grower determined to find what makes these plants tick and find that hack that would make my shit better than anyone else anywhere.
Sure i got great harvest weights, but what it cost me to get there was a FAIL FROM HELL.
3rd grow i cut back to the barest basics and got a dry pound of very high quality big nugs in 30% less time than the previous 2 grows, used less equipment and supplies, and saved hundreds of dollars in electricity.

Sucks hearing it, I know. My best advice and why.
Good luck, whatever path you choose.

[DoctorJohnson]

Dude. Harsh!

[KingKush]

Along the lines of what I was thinking. Speak the truth in love,
and love won't let another grower suffer for 10 months without some 'candy' to show for it.
IGH well said

[durtvandutch]

Thanks. I don't mind at all. It's bag seed so I'm not really invested beyond the lights, usage, and materials. I'm kind of torn on wanting to see how far I can go with this one or moving on. What I've learned has been just as valuable as the cost incurred so far too. In the end, I wanna smoke.. and learn

But what I am hearing is she has been in veg too long? Or is that the cost of getting her back to a flippable point potentially too much? I will find a better picture to post. I really appreciate the responses!

[IGH]

I know im sorry, i just dont know how to soften the logic.
im still kicking myself for my newbie mistakes, i was hoping to save another new guy from just digging the same hole deeper and deeper.
the time n money i wasted could have went FAR with both productivity and upgrades.
this guy has amazingly hung on to these plants for nearly a year indoors, and like me tried to kill them many times. so props they still stand on thier own for sure!
I can understand WHY people who know just dont say, because people are gonna do whatever they gonna do just like hard headed me. But even understanding that i wish there was more support or guidance out there that included basic logic for beginners, instead of endless possibilities. someone to let me make my mistakes, BUT grab me when i go too far! and be straight about it.
Say this was still 5 or 6 months in for DVDs veg, I wouldnt have said anything to that end, but 10 months. Harsh not to say something.
Besides, maybe they could go outside to finish while he starts a fresh run indoors?

[IGH]

Yo Durt,
veg time is growers preference and style.
i have learned that i prefer bigger, mature plants, so i will veg 4 plants for 8 weeks in hydro to FILL 25 sq feet.
In coco it takes me 6 plants for 8 weeks or 4 plants for 10 weeks to get the 25 sq ft canopy.
If i wanted to be truly efficient in hydro in the same space, i would run 12 plants and veg 4 weeks.

[DoctorJohnson]

But what I am hearing is she has been in veg too long?

Bizarro long. I understand the desire to take a grow to its conclusion, good or bad, but you're about there in either case it looks like. Again, I'd say that if you want to see it finish up, switch to 12/12, let it finish blooming, and then figure out what to do next.

Frankly, I'm curious about what exactly happened during her 10 month life. When you say she survived a super cold winter, do you mean she was outside?

In any case, next time I'd strongly suggest trying to replicate other peoples' successful grows: Premium soil, big pot, premium nutes, standard dosing schedule, warm room in a tent with known good lights...

All that said, I made tons of mistakes over the years, still do, and have learned from every one of them...

[durtvandutch]

Frankly, I'm curious about what exactly happened during her 10 month life. When you say she survived a super cold winter, do you mean she was outside?

Not outside but outside adjacent?

Aug 17 - She started out in my garage.

Mid Sep 17 - she got nute burned really bad lost a lot but not all of her foliage. I flushed and waited and she came back strong.

Nov 17 - the temp dropped enough at night that I started keeping her box covered with thick blankets to help keep the warmth. Could not bring her inside as this was a stealth project.

Dec 17 - we had a severe drop in temps that practically froze her to death. I happened to have been moving so was able to get her into the new place ahead of anything else and save her. Still lost a large chunk of leaves and potential budsites/colas (?).

Mar 18 - she is "back" again and flourishing with new growth after the freeze. Retrained her. I get a little to cocky over having been able to "save" her and end up nute burning her again

May 18 - Small bits of growth and signs of bouncing back but the crystals start appearing

At this point, I have flipped her to 12/12 just to see what the results are. I don't expect there to be much but since it was bagseed and a learning experiment, I'm ok with any gains. New box being designed. 5 more seeds have popped and the best part is I was able to show my spouse and regardless of the results, they were impressed enough with what I'd done that they are willing to allocate more funds to create a more permanent environment.

I used the GWE site for help during all of this! Super helpful! One of the basic premises that I pulled out was that a plant cannot really finish flowering with out enough foliage to soak up light. So all this time, my mind is thinking I need to just be patient and wait for more foliage to grow. Reading the help and suggestions above, I can understand dumping the plant and moving on after so many mistakes but I guess pride has me wanting to see her finish or try at least.