Pruning œrror...best way to recover?

[webwiller]

Hi guys!

I tent to like geometry so for my 2nd growth I decided to try the manifold technique. I really like the idea of having an even canopy...plus the geometry...

The problem arises when, obviously AFTER I did the first pruning session to establish my mainline, I read (& realized) that in order to complete an 8 colas manifold I should veg for a loooong period of time.

The issue is that I have a mandatory date for harvest....which I can move 3-4 days if necessary but no more than that. This means these girls will be switched to flower in 7 days time:

This is what I have now. These plants are 5 weeks old:

Do you believe I pruned far too much being so close to flower switch?

I have this feeling...and is not a nice feeling.

I'd need:

• Reassurance that with 1 more week in veg plants will be fine and growth (and thus the buds) won't be negatively affected
• Ideas about how would you continue pruning. Should I stop pruning and do just some light defoliation when necessary and LST...or ?

Would you prune the two main branches (to create 4 main stems) anyway, as you were continuing the manifold or from now on you'd leave it with GOD (and LST...)?

(OT: When I was taking these pics just now I noticed that they seem like "praying", the plants. The leaves I mean...pointing upwards, can it be light stress? Or they look fine to you?!)

Thanks in advance folks! I avidly wait for your inputs...
Ciao!

 

[TychoMonolyth]

There's no recovery from that other than taking it as a learning experience. Sorry.

No offense intended but with such a specific harvest schedule, you shouldn't be experimenting with advanced training techniques unless they're test plants.

 

[webwiller]

There's no recovery from that other than taking it as a learning experience. Sorry.

No offense intended but with such a specific harvest schedule, you shouldn't be experimenting with advanced training techniques unless they're test plants.

I totally catch your point. But I have to disagree with the "it's all lost" attitude. There's always the BEST option. And there's (nearly) always something you CAN do to make things better.

Obviously I'm not asking for miracles, just ideas about the best way to proceed from now onwards.

Maybe is absolutely advisable to give it 2 weeks instead of 1. Maybe it won't change much. I have no clue but someone more experienced maybe has an idea...this is what I asked.

I wish I could go back...obviously I should have known better. But crying won't help innit?!

 

[Vash]

What is that on your leaves?

 

[I'mback]

Why did you wait so long? Mine were topped at 2 weeks old. The again I count funny Until I have 4 serrated leaves, they are seedlings. From 4 leaves on, that is where veg starts.

 

[TychoMonolyth]

Then the best you can do is make sure they have enough bloom ferts to max the buds out.

 

[buzzmobile]

The biggest mistake was removing all of the nodes below the top. Leaving at least one node below the top will produce two branches that will emerge perpendicular to the direction of growth of the top node.

I topped the seedling pictured above at the fifth node. I have noticed that most all Cannabis seedlings have the 4th, 5th, and 6th nodes spaced close together. The 4th node is emerging perpendicular to the 5th node and the geometry is established.

Now, what is the white stuff on your leaves?

 

[TychoMonolyth]

He took them off because he wanted to mainline. I don't blame him for trying. A mainlined plant is nice. Kinda bonsai like.

 

[AgentPothead]

I don't think those are big enough to put into flower if you expect to get anything to smoke. 5 weeks growth should be a little more I would think. Also what is the white stuff

 

[webwiller]

What is that on your leaves?

Sorry for answering so late....the white stuff is Diatomaceous Earth used as a foliar spray.

It is supposed to kill Gnats and much more. Every insect is sensible to this strange powder in which molecules are so tiny but incredibly sharp that they cause any small insect to cut and essentially dry to death.

Well, I write supposedly...'cause I laid a layer of this D.Earth on the soil, plus sprayed it but Gnats kept growing in number.

Then I read that perlite would do the trick. A thick layer of perlite on the top of the soil pots. Well, D.E. did NOT work but hey, Perlite worked a wonder!

 

[webwiller]

The biggest mistake was removing all of the nodes below the top. Leaving at least one node below the top will produce two branches that will emerge perpendicular to the direction of growth of the top node.

View Image

I topped the seedling pictured above at the fifth node. I have noticed that most all Cannabis seedlings have the 4th, 5th, and 6th nodes spaced close together. The 4th node is emerging perpendicular to the 5th node and the geometry is established.

Now, what is the white stuff on your leaves?

As you read the "white stuff" is not cocaine that I spread by mistake LOL, it is D.E.

It's not a "mistake" tha way I pruned them, the mistake I made is not considering that I had to complete the whole manifold in veg, I somewhat believed that I could flower and keep on doing the manifold during the pre-flowering stretch but obviously this is not how it works...but I just ignored it before pruning.

Anyway...I left the girls vegging 'till yesterday and from today they're 12/12, they're now 15" and look like this:

They're roughly 15", I believe they're still somewhat small, if I had let 'em grow without trying the manifold they would be beasts by now! Well, nothing I can do really...and my tent is also quite crowded therefore maybe they're just the right size by the time they all fully mature.

Thank-y'all!