HELP! New grow help

[YoungJ]

Hey everyone. Super new to growing and it has been crazy just getting to this point. Never grown any sort of plant. Wondering what my next steps should be. Just repotted these ladies in the 5 gallon bags of happy frog soil. They struggled a few days but are seeming to root again and continue growing. I have no idea what to do next. Looking at it I’m just now getting that 4th node of full leaves I believe. Should I tie them over and then top them once that 5th node comes out? Wait until I top it and then tie it over? On one of my little ladies is all those tiny leaves down there. Guessing cause they aren’t getting much light. Do I just leave all of that down there? When do I clean it up? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[shadycon]

Do your homework; This site has just about every thing you need to know! "READ"

[YoungJ]

Thanks bro. Keep up the good work.

[Gator]

YoungJ, we're here to help shadyconis correct , he's just busting your balls, don't do anything to her yet, study how to low stress train, wait a little bit before you top, and don't bend her,, you'll be bending the branches after you top

[Gator]

I see 4 branch nodes, your going to want at least 6-7, you may have to cut 1-2 off the bottom of the plants

[golfnrl]

Hey YoungJ Not trying to be a smart@$$ or anything but there is a tab at the top of this page called Growing Basics that will answer just about every basic question there is about growing weed.

If you look at growweedeasy.com and type anything in the search bar you will get a search of the website using google, it's awesome. I typed in 'when to top' and got a list of articles. This one was at the top of the page. https://www.growweedeasy.com/topping...op-your-plants

But lets pump the brakes a bit. Tell us about your grow set up. Do you grow in a tent? In a lung room? What light are you using? Tell us your grow environment particulars temps, RH, PH range, when your seeds sprouted, and that kind of stuff. Happy Frog soil will most likely require some amendments as your plants mature. What nutrients are you using? More details = better feedback for you. Relax, welcome aboard, you are in the right place.

[YoungJ]

Sorry about being grumpy. I have thought I’ve killed these ladies numerous times and it gives me anxiety ahahaha. I have tried reading a lot and I just keep coming across conflicting things which is why I decided on making a post. I have a VIVOSUN set up 3x3 grow tent with the lumalight 200w led light. My temps average 75 and humidity 56. Only bottom water with 6.5 ph with a light water around the top edge of the bag. One seed sprouted quick at 3 days. The other struggled at 6 with a helmet that wasn’t easy to remove. I got the fox farm fertilizer soil trio pack but haven’t used any of it because I read you won’t need any nutrients for the first 3 or 4 weeks after repotting them into it.

[golfnrl]

So I take that your Vivosun setup includes their self watering bases? That's cool. I think Nebula did a side by side comparison grow recently using that system. I use the autopot system. It's a self watering bottom feed system as well. You are correct about conflicting information. That's a good reason why I don't go anywhere else for grow advice but GWE, and if I have questions they get posted here.

I like this quote from that article about topping. "Wait Until Plant Has At Least 4-5+ Nodes – Topping a Too-Young Seedling Can Slow Down Growth. Waiting a Few More Days to Cut Can Result in a Much Faster Recovery." I top when the plant has grown 6 nodes and then make the cut at the 5th node. I let that 6th node grow until their is enough space from the 5th node to leave about a 1/4" stub after the cut. That helps the plant heal faster and stronger at the point of the cut.

Yes, if it were me I'd leave the smaller lower leaves alone for the time being. Let it grow out a little bit. You can defoliate it later.

Are your plants an autoflowering or a photo sensitive strain? Your grow environment looks sounds good. The PH is in the middle of the range for soil, that's good. https://www.growweedeasy.com/ph. I like the graphic about soil and at what point in the PH range plants are able to take up particular nutrients. It's helpful. I use the one for hydro.

One question about PH is your water. Tap, RO, or distilled? Is is hard or soft? If it's soft you want a lower starting PH. PH issues are responsible for the large majority of cannabis plant problems. Always start there.

Do you check the EC of your watering solution? If not you might think about it. EC tells you how much stuff is in your water. If you live in the USA your local city, town or water district can give you an analysis of your tap water. It's a good number to know.

If you haven't already, invest in a quality PH pen and EC pen. Aspera gets good reviews. I use BlueLab equipment.

You've got good nutrients. Follow their recommendations but start at about 1/2 strength.

[Gator]

Well said, that would have taken me 3 days to type lol