SOIL How to increase trichome production? Outdoor auto soil grower

[dakini9]

I'm on about my 3rd outdoor grow in sunny souther Florida and one of my Super Skunk autos (ILGM) is not very frosty. Another Super Skunk, same batch of seeds from ILGM, is frosty.

Is there something I should be doing or not doing that would impact trichome production?

I've also read on GWE that the visual presence of trichomes doesn't necessarily affect the potency or effect of the smoke.

It's also a little hard to know when to harvest this lightly frosted plant.

Looking for any and all wisdom on this topic. Thanks!

Here's a pic of the lightly frosted Super Skunk...you can see that the sugar leaves are sparsely coated. She's about 2 weeks from harvest in this pic.

[MeEasy]

I think you might be getting ahead of the plant the bud looks good I'll bet in a month or so it will have double the trichomes and size it just looks like a very immature plant. If that's not it I'd try a different strain...because it could be the strain not liking the light schedule of southern Florida I live in Southern part of the US prolly not as far south as you and had issues with some indica strains the sativa strains seem to do much better here.

[alltatup]

Hi dakini, I agree with what MeEasy wrote; your buds look immature, from what I can see in that small picture. I don't know where you read that on GWE about trichomes not affecting the potency of a plant: trichomes ARE the potency!! If a plant doesn't have a lot of triches, there isn't going to be a lot of THC, etc.

I have repeatedly discovered how different two seeds of the same strain can be, so don't be surprised if one is strong and the other isn't. I only grow photoperiod plants: in general they are more potent than autos because there is no Ruderalis in the mix. I know that many autos have gotten much stronger, but I like having control over the whole photoperiod process, and making the decision about when to flip them to flower. Of course, I can't have as many grows per year as an auto grower, because my grows take longer. But I'm very happy with my results (see photos).

In my book, the three keys to high trichome production are 1. plant genetics; 2. environmental conditions; 3. grower knowledge/skill level. In no particular order; all 3 are crucial for growing good bud. I grow indoors, so I have total control over #2. I purchase a lot of cup-winning seeds because they are proven to have great genetics. I've been growing for almost 5 years, and my skills have definitely improved as I have learned more and accumulated more experience. My motto is, Keep learning!!!!

[SoOrbudgal]

I second that and agree with the above. Just experienced that with GG#4 clones from same seed mom.