[mrgrowit]

Congrats on getting to harvest! Sounds like your drying environment will work well.

[mrgrowit]

You bring up a dilemma that isn’t well clarified in the book. Like @CamZ , I also would use a string to pull the branch over to the side as much as possible. If it was in late veg I’d top the plant (even if it’s an autoflower) in order to help control the height. Yes it would harm the plant by slowing down the growth and could result in less yield, but it would prevent this issue. Other growers may go a different path. Has the plant stopped stretching now?

[mrgrowit]

Is the 900PPM what you are putting into the medium each feeding or is that the runoff measurement? I completely agree with @CamZ reply above.

[mrgrowit]

Sorry for the delayed response as the past few weeks has been hectic. Your plants look great!

General recommendations for HPS, MH, and CMH light distance are as follows:
Seedlings, clones, mother plants: 24″-36″
Veg stage: 18″-24″
Flower stage: 12″-18″
Environment conditions, nutrition, and genetics will influence the amount of light can absorb so that’s why there are ranges.

I’m sure once you do that pruning, you’ll find thin branches that are lagging behind that you’ll end up removing. If you’re trying to max yield and ensure the plants get the support needed in flower, then a trellis net is an excellent option.

[mrgrowit]

Sorry for the delayed response as the past few weeks has been hectic. I can’t recall what the PPM is of just one full dose of CalMag in 1 gallon of water. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s around 250, and can vary depending on the brand. Some growers feed CalMag every watering while others do it only between feedings of base nutrients. Yes, if you “read the plants” and think they could do with a water-only once or twice, go for it. I personally do this once I see the leaves on the verge of becoming too dark.

[mrgrowit]

70/55 is a little off from what it says in the Cannatrol User Manual. In there it recommends:

1. 4 days of drying at 68°F temperature and 54 dew point (61% RH)
2. Then a 4-day cure cycle at 68°F temperature and 52 dew point (57% RH)
3. Then for storage, they go back to 68°F temperature and 54 dew point (61% RH)

I’ve been told there are studies being done by an independent 3rd party comparing 60/60 vs their recommended settings. So we shall see the results soon.

Yes @CamZ you’re right, I meant add Boveda packs into the jars below that threshold.
I completely agree with everything he said in the last reply. Dude knows his stuff!

[mrgrowit]

Got it. Sorry to give such an advanced reply there. For the record, the Cannatrol rep replied and said that study isn’t released yet so we shall wait and see.

Taking a step back and giving a more general answer, in your case I personally would add in the Boveda packs into the jars that are at 58%. In my experience, smoking right after dry (no matter if it was a 5 day or up-to 14 day dry), I can still taste what many refer to as a “chlorophyll taste.” The absolute earliest I will smoke the buds are 2 weeks after dry. At that point I almost always still encounter that chlorophyll taste. When I have a stash, I wait 30 days after dry and by then that chlorophyll taste is always gone.

Hope that helps.

[mrgrowit]

Your question: “Is it best practice to not water unless you have to add 5+% to the pots?”
Answer: That’s debatable. In general, when growing with organic inputs, it’s good to keep a consistent moisture level. Depending on the size of the container and size of the plant, someone could go in and add in a small amount of water every day and maintain that optimal moisture level. Others may need to wait a day or two. I like the 5% rule, which is, if you think water needs to be added but not sure how much, add in 5% of the size of the container. See how the plants react, and then if you need to add more the next day, add another 5%. Some people do 10% instead. There are so many different ways to go about it.

Your question: “how do you feel about risers for airflow vs sitting right on the floor?”
Answer: First, I really admire your detailed approach; You ask some great questions that I’ve never heard anyone ask before. To answer this question, I must admit that I’ve never heard of someone using risers specifically to increase airflow across the bottom of the fabric container. Risers are mostly used to bring the plants up off the floor (which may be too cold and stunt growth), or to help ensure plants aren’t sitting in runoff water. I’m not sure how much of an impact the airflow will have across the bottom of the grow pot to be honest. I imagine not much of a difference (if any) seeing how you are attempting to keep the moisture level in the medium consistent.

[mrgrowit]

Your question: “Is it possible that they are cured since I had a longer dry time or am I just kidding myself?”
Answer: According to some recent studies done on the drying process, a drying environment with stable conditions (temperature & humidity) allow enzymatic processes to happen more consistently than a drying environment where the temperature and humidity fluctuates. Their test results showed less chlorophyll present in the drying environment with stable conditions. I believe the test was done using a Cannatrol for drying vs drying a grow tent. My source is a rep at Cannatrol. I just emailed him to see if he has more info on it. So it really comes down to the stability of the dry if it is cured by now or not.

Your question: “At what point should I start thinking about adding a humidity pack for longer term storage?”
Answer: I agree with @CamZ – “When you see a dip in humidity in the jar of 1-2% below 62% when the jar is closed.” I will add that some people wait until 58% RH before they add it in.

[mrgrowit]

I like yucca for hydrophobic soil. Some might say it’s an overkill for your scenario. Either way it’s optional; you can totally get through the grow successfully without it.

[mrgrowit]

How much training and how you train will depend on which branches dominate. You could easily force down the main 6 and other grow up and be the dominate branches.

Really hard to tell you how much stretch you’ll get since there are so many variables. I could sit here and guess and say since you have more tops your plant will most likely stretch less, but then your plant could end up stretching more due to different pheno and/or better grow conditions. So it’s not really cut and dry as for how much stretch you’ll get.

[mrgrowit]

Yes it looks like you’re on the right track with the training. Keep in mind that the amount of stretch you get not only depends on genetics but many other factors as well such as environment conditions, nutrition, and even training. In general, the more tops you have the less stretch you will get. So if you do go with 20+ tops, they most likely won’t stretch as much as the 12-16 tops you’re also considering. Yes stakes could be beneficial in your case IMO. Depending on how much stretch you get and the thickness of the branches, you might not need any support at all. But if you do need to support the branches and don’t want to use a trellis net, stakes are an option.

Sounds like you gave a appropriate amount of water to begin (10%) and the 5% for second watering also sounds appropriate.

[mrgrowit]

Has the moisture content been consistent in the grow pots? If they dry out, microbes can go dormant and the organic matter breakdown will slow down or even stop. That can certainly result in the plant not being able to absorb the nutrients it needs. Those fabric pots do have benefits but with organics it can be challenging since they can dry out from all sides. The yellowing could be from either a lack of nutrition (my guess is your fresh soil has the nutrients, it just needs to stay moist), or often times the lower leaves that aren’t receiving light will die off.

[mrgrowit]

Hey thanks so much for your positive words! Do you have more info on your grow and some pics?

[mrgrowit]

Your question: “Would under watering affect the nutrient uptake toward the sides of the fabric pot that was always dried out?”
Answer: Dried out soil could absolutely negatively impact nutrient uptake. When the soil is dry, microbes go dormant. When they are dormant, they aren’t actively breaking down organic matter converting it into a form that the plant can uptake.

Your question: “Maybe the middle of the pot was depleted of nutrients from veg and the outer portion of the pot was to dry to contribute?”
Answer: Interesting thought but it’s pretty much impossible to say for sure the middle of the pot was depleted vs the outer sides of the pot.

Your question: “Replaced the old RO with a six stage mid grow. Possible issue?”
Answer: I agree with what @CamZ says in the post above me. To add to that, if you add minerals back into the RO with that 6th stage filter, you may need to adjust the ratio/dosage of the other fertilizer you add in. For example, the 6th stage filter you have says it adds back in calcium, magnesium, and potassium ions. Therefore, you should be cautious when adding in additional inputs that have those elements in them since too much of one element can inhibit the uptake of other elements. Keep in mind that this is general guidance and I’m sure many people have the 6th stage RO and ignore what I just mentioned and their plants turn out fine lol. So I guess it comes down to how much you want to gamble haha… You mentioned on 10/26 you were going to feed; what fertilizer did you use?

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