Ok, my method is pretty simple, you could probably get better results with more effort, espeically if employing longer than average veg times.
My rooted clones are stuck into 4" pots of coco/perlite 9Botanicare Readygro Aeration mix) and put under T-5 fixtures. They arewatered along with the plants in veg, which oddly enough, doesn't burn them. In fact, the small plants seem hungrier! They do probably get more water overall then veg so that contributes to the lighter leaf colors.
After 3-6 weeks of this (longer than it should be, but I take way more plants than I need so I get to select the best of the best.) the plants get transplanted into 2 gallon pots of the same Botamicare coco mix, and put into the main veg room with 2 1KW MH bare bulbs. The room is tiered to maximize the footprint like a short stadium. The plants stay in here for 4-5 weeks on average. Diring this time they will go from 1 to 3 feet tall.
I don't really prune in veg, though I'm thinking of starting. For efficiencys sake, I transplant into 5g smartpots of the same mix and put them into flower on the same night. A few days later I go in and take tons of clones off the newly flipped plants, before they have a chance to grow buds The flowering nutes really do help with my stick rates.
After I have all the clones I want, I have a worker come in a few days later to prune.
Generally speaking, we clear off the main stem of all branches on the bottom third of the plant. If it's a small plant it will get less than this ratio, if a very large plant it will have more (up to about half the plant can be stripped.)
I try to keep the total number of budsites in mind, as well as airflow and light penetration. Very bushy plants will need to have the inside of the canopy thinned, so branches will often have 75% of their "inside" leaves and stems removed. This leaves a long skinny branch with 1-4 nodes on the end. If too tall, plants are topped (supercropped) but I try to avoid overpruning as it does reduce yields.
Those are my rough guidelines, but every plant is different. Each strain will need special consideration, but I judge from my last harvest if that strain had too much popcorn or not. If it did, prune more! If it was just right, prune the same. if the yield went to shit, prune less!
My rooted clones are stuck into 4" pots of coco/perlite 9Botanicare Readygro Aeration mix) and put under T-5 fixtures. They arewatered along with the plants in veg, which oddly enough, doesn't burn them. In fact, the small plants seem hungrier! They do probably get more water overall then veg so that contributes to the lighter leaf colors.
After 3-6 weeks of this (longer than it should be, but I take way more plants than I need so I get to select the best of the best.) the plants get transplanted into 2 gallon pots of the same Botamicare coco mix, and put into the main veg room with 2 1KW MH bare bulbs. The room is tiered to maximize the footprint like a short stadium. The plants stay in here for 4-5 weeks on average. Diring this time they will go from 1 to 3 feet tall.
I don't really prune in veg, though I'm thinking of starting. For efficiencys sake, I transplant into 5g smartpots of the same mix and put them into flower on the same night. A few days later I go in and take tons of clones off the newly flipped plants, before they have a chance to grow buds The flowering nutes really do help with my stick rates.
After I have all the clones I want, I have a worker come in a few days later to prune.
Generally speaking, we clear off the main stem of all branches on the bottom third of the plant. If it's a small plant it will get less than this ratio, if a very large plant it will have more (up to about half the plant can be stripped.)
I try to keep the total number of budsites in mind, as well as airflow and light penetration. Very bushy plants will need to have the inside of the canopy thinned, so branches will often have 75% of their "inside" leaves and stems removed. This leaves a long skinny branch with 1-4 nodes on the end. If too tall, plants are topped (supercropped) but I try to avoid overpruning as it does reduce yields.
Those are my rough guidelines, but every plant is different. Each strain will need special consideration, but I judge from my last harvest if that strain had too much popcorn or not. If it did, prune more! If it was just right, prune the same. if the yield went to shit, prune less!
