Trifoliates

[GhostToker]

So what's the deal with trifoliate plants? Are they superior (yield or otherwise) to regular plants? And is it possible to breed plants to carry on the trifoliate gene so that the offspring are true breeding for that trait? Are there any linked traits associated with trifoliate plants?

 

[Mr. Greengenes]

None that I've noticed, other than they're usually males. The few females don't necessarily yield more even if they keep form through flowering. Reason I say 'keep form' is, some trifoliar plants 'change their minds' during veg.

 

[kopite]

I have only ever noticed one tri female that show above normal yield from a LSD plant, she would not reveg but hermied


I think this the pic

 

[~fvk~]

Yeah, the trifoliates I've gotten were males, so I don't know about a flowering female trifoliate. I'm pretty sure you can breed them selectively for the trifoliate trait, just like the ducksfoot trait. Might take awhile though before you'd see consistency in the offspring though.

I've noticed that they also have less vigor compared to normal plants. It's funny though because the one time that I revegged, I had an otherwise normal plant put out trifoliate clones.

 

[Mickymouse]

Yea all the tri I had are males even had one quad that I had was male.

 

[AinSophAur]

So what's the deal with trifoliate plants? Are they superior (yield or otherwise) to regular plants?

Nope.

And is it possible to breed plants to carry on the trifoliate gene so that the offspring are true breeding for that trait?

Yes.

Are there any linked traits associated with trifoliate plants?

Nope.

 

[GhostToker]

Damn that sucks about the male thing. Although it might be good if you're going to use it to breed for the trifoliate trait. I figured trifoliates would yeild more because of more bud sites being present compared to another plant.

 

[GMT]

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=53476

 

[shaunmulok]

Here are 2 tri girls the first yielded just over 4oz and the second was a little less from a 4 week veg compared to most other plants that yielded about 2.5 oz so i found yield was higher with my tri's from the extra bud site at every node
GMT's thread is a great show and full of info

 

[guest123]

It is energy management, displaced growth, not extra growth. Can GMT corroborate this by now? 3 branches instead of 2 = 3 branches with less growth than 2 - it's a wash, at best. Plants exhibiting whorled phyllotaxy do not equal more yield on average than those with opposite or alternating phyllotaxy.

 

[Mr. Greengenes]

hehe, cannafriend said whorled phyllotaxy! No, it's true though. I've seen probably 10-15 female trifoliar plants over the years, and every one was stretchy sort of male looking with small buds.

 

[GMT]

Since I was asked....

When you top a plant, each new top is smaller than the single cola that would have grown had it not been topped. The total production of the 2 however is greater than that of the one. Therefore production has been increased. Its true that the photobility of each of these smaller tops is reduced, but the mass of smokability is increased. Now, a trifoliar plant gives 50% more branches than a bifoliar one, simple maths, has 50% more growing sites than regular plants to begin with. So if you top one, you will get 50% more tops each time. So its true that there is an element of growth displacement going on in each case listed, however that growth displacement does not (in my observationally based but admittedly biased opinion) completely negate any benefit from the additional growth sites whether the chosen method of growing is to top, or not to top.

 

[guest123]

Maybe allow for deeper consideration and bring more growth parameters into account. The topped plant, is less top heavy, and has no reason to increase stock and root matter at the same rate as an untopped/regular phyllotaxy plant, and therefore doesn't, what then follows and how might that affect the outcome? You know, .999 (add bar) = 1 I can't believe you've spent that kind of time with this growth anomaly and have come to that hypothesis.

 

[GMT]

I'm wrestling with what to say, I dissagree with you but don't want to start an arguement about it. I know the trifoliar being a better producer than the bifoliar argument has raged for a while, but I haven't heard anyone say they didn't feel that a topped plant out produced an untopped plant before. I could perhaps introduce the caveat: when growing from seed; as that would remove the possability that you are talking about a sog clone grow where it may not be the case.

 

[guest123]

Hi again GMT, big respect bro and please don't take what I say any other way than shooting the shit and talking shop. You are encouraged to disagree with me I only hope that you can manage to take my comments into account while doing so.

Clarke called it back in '79, to wit, "left alone to do its thing, the cannabis plant produces the most" or some such comment. What I have attempted above is touching on why. Seed or clone does not matter, the plant reaches it utmost potential regarding yield in a finite amount of time left alone. I know that this is not popular theory here, but there it is.

 

[GMT]

cannafred, that's cool mate, in that case I'll wade in lol. I believe that Clarke was studying the growth in outdoor conditions. Another caveat I should have considered adding. I believe that outdoor that may well be true, however where there are limiting factors such as height, restricted access to light lower down, competition for light among side branches etc, in the average indoor grow, the same could never be said to be true.

 

[GMT]

^ with the exception of the previous caveat of course

 

[guest123]

Oh, then you won't mind spending some time with me in the outdoor forums informing those folks that they are spinning their wheels with all of this ridiculous "super cropping" while the clock is ticking?

Yeah, if you have more time, plant shaping/pruning/isolating slower growing but branchier cultivars indoors will produce a higher yield per sq x - but I can fill the same space with a longer (branch inducing) photoperiod too..

 

[GMT]

and if you can start off with 3 branches where 2 are normally, can you see any advantages under such conditions?

 

[guest123]

Naw man, I can argue successfully via pics that your 3 are trapped under the shadow of your 3 fans longer while my two are our there making a run for the money. I can argue many flaws in this. There is no advantage, imo.