[mrgrowit]

Sorry for the delayed response as I was out of town. Your plants look fantastic! Really good job there so far. You made several posts with questions and I’m not sure which ones you’ve figured out, so I’m guessing. Below is what I think you may still be wondering:

Your question: defoliate daily? Defoliate all at once at day 10, day 14, day 18, day 21? Lillipop separately or with defoliation? Lollipop on day 18, day 21? If separately, lolly  on 18, then defoliate on day 21? Lolly on day 18 OR 21, but defoliate on day 10, 14, 16?
Answer: I typically like to lollipop and defoliate right before flipping to flower and then I’ll evaluate again on days 7, 14, and 21.

Your question: During the stretch and before flower set, do you treat that stage as you would veg with respect to VPD?
Answer: Once I’m on a flowering light cycle, I like to utilize the Bloom VPD chart

Your question: Do you have any advice about how high the colas should come up past the screen, optimally?
Answer: I aim for them to be 8-10” above the screen when done stretching.

Your question: What are your thoughts about how deep to prune off bud sites and branches that are underneath the canopy?
Answer: I remove all growth under the net, including branches that don’t make it up to the net.

Your question: How deep does HPS penetrate and actually create good buds?
Answer: This is debatable. Also, depends on what you mean by “good” buds. Some genetics have what I call good buds all the way down the plant. But generally, if the canopy isn’t too thick, you should get what many consider “good buds” 10-15” down from the top of the canopy; this answer will probably vary depending on who you ask though.

Your question: If I did decide to heavily defoliate at around day 21 to allow for a significantly deeper light penetration below the canopy, would the smaller fan leaves that are developing just grow out to a large size again and block all the lower light that I attempted to create?
Answer: No, after the plant is done stretching, it’s focusing on flower development so you shouldn’t have that issue.

Your question: How many minimum HPS lumens would you want at an actual bud site to be happy with the quality, density of those buds?
Answer: I personally don’t use lumens as a measurement so I don’t have an answer for you on this one.

 

Ah you think they are all male plants? Can you submit pics so we can confirm? Sometimes it’s best to wait several days to ensure they are actually pollen sacs since it can be a bit tricky to identify right away. You can safely let the pollen sacs grow for a solid 10 days or so without risk of them opening up. They usually open up 14-21 days into flowering.

[mrgrowit]

Your question: “What might you do with these 100 or so tops on 4 plants?”
Answer: It’s almost entirely full so I personally would add the net in now and start working the tops into it. A flip to flower would come within a week after probably. That’s just what I’d do; others may take a different route.

[mrgrowit]

Your question: “Git some silica today. Do you have any recommendation on how much to use and how often? Is it cool to mix it with calmag?”
Answer: Full dose or some prefer a half dose. Mix silica in water first, then CalMag.

Your question: “How much do you think would be a good amount to bottom water them to moisten the bottom couple of inches of soil?”
Answer: I’d do 5% and see how it goes. If it absorbs up quickly then another 5% may be good.

Your question: If I decide to do a runoff test, I guess to do that I should let the pots dry out “completely” and water until runoff? Basically break the living soil rule once to get a runoff reading? Is that best done when not adding nutrients during a watering?
Answer: Most growers using organic inputs will only do a runoff test if they are seeing problems. You don’t need to let it dry out. Just run water through and collect. Alternatively, you could do a slurry test instead.

I personally haven’t used Agsil so I don’t have any guidance for you there. I recommend reaching out to KIS Organics with that question since they sell that product.

[mrgrowit]

Hard to tell you for sure since the growth rate is impacted by many things within the grow and the genetics. Many people will add the net late in veg right before flipping to flower and then the first weeks into flower it grows into the SCROG nicely during the stretch phase. Other people will add the net in the beginning weeks of flower.

I’ve continued to bend branches into the net for the first 7-14 days of flower and unfortunately they didn’t stretch up beyond the net after that and I wasn’t happy with the result. So it can be a gamble.

[mrgrowit]

Possibly in 2024 but it’s not confirmed. I’m working on a different project right now.

[mrgrowit]

Hey! The audio book is complete within the audio files alone. It’s actually not possible to include PDF files with the audio book on Audible. The cheat sheets are spoken word-for-word in the audio book so people are simply writing them down if they want to.

[mrgrowit]

Well many brands of CalMag actually have some Nitrogen in it as well. So that’s what could be darkening the leaves in the scenario I was mentioning.

The only way you can know for sure is tissue and soil testing, which isn’t feasible for many due to cost. So the cheaper route is to check the EC/PPM of the runoff to get a general idea of the amount of nutrients in the medium and then make adjustments from there. Some prefer a slurry test instead. Also, some growers are against runoff measurements for one reason or another but imo it’s better to have and use that measurement than nothing at all.

[mrgrowit]

You filled up that space nicely 👏

[mrgrowit]

Coming along beautifully! 👏

[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!

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