can I thin out in the early stages of flowering?

[alltatup]

Greenpassion You're going to have to post for the soil growers with those questions, because I'm hydro.

[Greenpassion]

alltatup, I have since I posted last, used my yo-yos and some stakes. I also need to address something that I think could be a part of what's going on. I watered her today using the usual nutrients, and several hours later I noticed that some of the weaker stems, or I should say the actual flowering buds themselves, stood up a little bit. Which leads me to another issue. Has anyone, using cloth pots and a soilless mix, had an issue with when you water, if you water other than a few ounces at a time, the water will find a ravine or travel whatever and run out through the bottom and the sides before any of the routes are actually getting moisture? I have to tell you that I'm dealing with compacted soilless promix, and 2 water one single plant takes close to 45 minutes. Because the soil is so compacted I guess. I'm wondering if this has something to do with what's going on. In future I have a binn downstairs in the basement, that has coast of Maine potting soil mix in with the promix, and an additional vermiculite in there. I really wish I was wealthy enough to fly some of you out here and spend one day a week for a full month and help me out with this. Wouldn't that be something?! As it is I can't even get the siding replaced on part of my house...

[alltatup]

Greenpassion I feel you!! My girls are at day 10 of 12/12, and I have been forced to remove some leaves because they are sweating and so thick. There's no way I could have waited until day 21.

On my last grow, I was removing leaves throughout the first 3 weeks, and while it didn't seem to bother the taller plants, I think it stunted some of the shorter plants, so I've been very careful not to remove too many leaves. However, they have to be removed when they're lying on top of each other and sweating!

I don't see how defoliation could cause weak stems; it's either genetics or... ??? Not enough nutrients? Can you post some pictures of the weak stems?

AND GIVE THEM SOME SUPPORT!! It may just be the way that strain or phenotype grows.

[Greenpassion]

you know the one that is in week 5 I did follow what nebula said in the tutorial and defoliated and took branches out when it was in week 3 into 1212. I wonder if that's what made it so weak? Maybe I took too much out? The other one that is in week 2 is so bushy and I was going to do the same thing. I don't have the room to pull it out anymore. If I did that, too many branches in bed sites would not get any light.

[alltatup]

I asked because of what you wrote about the stems....

[Greenpassion]

I have 7. 450w viparspectra LEDs over a 4.5ft x 7ft space. Distance average 18 to 24 inches above them. These plants are so wide that I can only fit 4 under the lights at a time without having them all intertwined. I had to keep them in veg so long (5 months) because I had plants taking up the available space in the flowering room.

[alltatup]

I'd trim the week 2 plant, but as for the week 4 plant, I wonder if you would really stress or shock her by removing branches at this point in flower. Growth is over and done with; all the energy goes into the flowers now.

If your stems are very spindley, are you sure they're getting enough light?

[Greenpassion]

I think defoliating and taking out the Lesser buds is supposed to make the stem stronger but that hasn't seemed to happen for me.

[9fingerleafs]

then i think you could veg less time and flower smaller plants, but i cant imagine too many buds being a problem haha

[PRIMO]

Defoliate and chop off the lesser buds in flower

[Scarletwhitewidow]

you probably over nut them in veg its still growing and flower same time.Saturated the medium even if you flush in between veg and flower still loads in there and the plant body and then bloomer.Maybe next grow remember if you over-nut and burn how staurated it is gowing into flower.

[Greenpassion]

Thank you. The flowering room is where I seem to do the worst with these plants. I just can't seem to get it how to get just a few strong branches. I list and top in veg, and then end up with so many Bud sites. I create problems for myself. But it seems to me that when I pull the branches out in veg more Bud sites pop up. I can read the tutorials till I'm blue in the face. Maybe I have a learning disability? LOL sort of...

[9fingerleafs]

i would remove branches and leaves from the week 2 plant, but the others are too far into flowering in my opinion, you gonna need to tie them and support them

[Greenpassion]

It seems that I did a very poor job of thinning out several of my plants before I put them into 12 12. They are extremely bushy. One of them is finishing its second week of flowering the other one is in its fourth week of flowering. Can I take out branches as well as leaves? And one of them that is in the 5th week of flowering looked really beautiful but now all the buds are flopped over on themselves. It is as though the stems are way too weak. And it's not that the buds are so heavy because it's only in the middle of its 5th week of flowering. For some reason the stems have become floppy. Very upsetting.