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How do you dial a plant in?
- Thread starter houndog
- Start date
abellguy
Member
For me dialing a plant in means about 5 runs with a mono crop set of it. The first will generally be too low EC with the second being too high EC. While watching those runs progress I will take note of additives that are liked and disliked by the plants and work on perfecting the amounts of those and the proper EC level for the last 3 of the 5 runs. By the end of the 5th run I will have a pretty solid nutrient regiem that could be written down and given to someone who knows nothing about growing as long as they can read the bottles and put the ml per gallon I have written down they will have my same results, as long as the room is still set up the same of course. I wouldn't expect them to be able to reset air exchanges or fan placements and such. Other factors will include size of pot or container as well as media compatibility, amount of water given throughout the different stages of plant growth from cut to harvest, temperature at leaf hight, hight of lights above canopy, amount of air exchange needed and watching for preventable things such as gnats, thrips, mites and other preventable bugs. Hope this helps with your situation 
itsanewday
New member
id personally look at how my first run grew, depending on what i noticed would depend on what id do to dial her in. ie.....
if it needed more veg time, or less, this i would judge depending on the finish size of my first run.
id see if i needed to feed more N further into flower or less. obviously sativas like less N but its all bout finding whats gonna work best for your op.
id also do the same with my flower nutes.
id learn from my first run weather my plant liked having lots of water or if it prefered having a little less.
if it would benifit from training. like lsting or nipping the tops out.
theres lots of stuff that can be done its all about finding what techniques work best for your strain and your enviroment. hope this helps
if it needed more veg time, or less, this i would judge depending on the finish size of my first run.
id see if i needed to feed more N further into flower or less. obviously sativas like less N but its all bout finding whats gonna work best for your op.
id also do the same with my flower nutes.
id learn from my first run weather my plant liked having lots of water or if it prefered having a little less.
if it would benifit from training. like lsting or nipping the tops out.
theres lots of stuff that can be done its all about finding what techniques work best for your strain and your enviroment. hope this helps
Mantas
Member
The process of dialing in a plant can vary from grower to grower but in general it requires starting from seed or fresh clones and watching the plants very closely each day as they grow documenting them with detailed notes in a journal writing every descriptive factor you can think of from environment to growth characteristics to smell to nutrient levels, watering, time, etc. Essentially keep a neat but comprehensive log of every plant that you have an interest in.
After the first grow with a certain variety, then repeat the process five more times challenging yourself to see what you can do better an improve. Usually to dial in a plant it is necessary to select a variety that really interests you in a profound way and then grow it, breed it, clone it, for several years keeping an elaborate journal including pictures. Also keep back up cuttings in a separate location.
Dialing in is, paying attention to what you are doing while trying to improve your skills and efficacy. Dialing in is a dedication to one variety for a substantial amount of time. Dialing in is learning about the variety you are working with in a scientific manner.
After the first grow with a certain variety, then repeat the process five more times challenging yourself to see what you can do better an improve. Usually to dial in a plant it is necessary to select a variety that really interests you in a profound way and then grow it, breed it, clone it, for several years keeping an elaborate journal including pictures. Also keep back up cuttings in a separate location.
Dialing in is, paying attention to what you are doing while trying to improve your skills and efficacy. Dialing in is a dedication to one variety for a substantial amount of time. Dialing in is learning about the variety you are working with in a scientific manner.
It is a just a very general reference to learning what a specific strain likes - or rather needs - in order to make it perform "better"...
With any plant you have a genetic predisposition for survival. That is PRIMARY. A plant simply responds to the given environmental stimuli it is presented with - and allows for whatever genetic information it possesses to "surface" and be "expressed" to allow the plant to thrive best under the given stimuli...
So, what we as growers attempt to do - is provide the very best SIMULATED stimuli possible to the two different environmental areas - the environment surrounding the foliage - and the environment surrounding the root zone.
This simple concept when applied means - WE - do not TECHNICALLY grow the plant. It does that all on it's own. (again, we only provide the stimuli that trigger a genetic event)
Understanding the plants as a tool for evaluation of variable stimuli - and you are now ready to "dial" in your plant...
All the things above mentioned by abellguy are correct examples of various inputs that can have affect on what I'll simply refer to as gene expression...ie "phenotype" perhaps... as the phenotype is the genotype given environmental stimuli, yes...
When looking at the root zone, specifically:
Hydroponics - attempt to "dial" in via control of various liquid nutrient profiles and pH balance, temperature, etc...
Organic Soil - attempt to "dial" in via processes of the living micro organisms in the soil and properly amending with various "raw" ingredients from the world around us...
If you give the best possible environmental stimuli - you get the best possible genetic response from the plant...aka "dialed".
It is my personal belief - to get accurate genetic representation - you have to remove the influence placed on plants as a result of various feeding inputs. I think a fully amended diversified organic soil, that you simply water - will allow the plant to dictate what is best for it - and thus represent a more accurate "phenotype".
When some growers keep a plant because someone else got it to look better using a different brand of nutrients - this is an example of how environmental influences play a factor in expressions of phenotype - and in poly-hybrid plants - that can give rise to many various expressions from one single plant - given different stimuli.
I truly believe any plant can be grown to near perfection in a single run - in a PROPERLY DIALED ENVIRONMENT.
dank.Frank
With any plant you have a genetic predisposition for survival. That is PRIMARY. A plant simply responds to the given environmental stimuli it is presented with - and allows for whatever genetic information it possesses to "surface" and be "expressed" to allow the plant to thrive best under the given stimuli...
So, what we as growers attempt to do - is provide the very best SIMULATED stimuli possible to the two different environmental areas - the environment surrounding the foliage - and the environment surrounding the root zone.
This simple concept when applied means - WE - do not TECHNICALLY grow the plant. It does that all on it's own. (again, we only provide the stimuli that trigger a genetic event)
Understanding the plants as a tool for evaluation of variable stimuli - and you are now ready to "dial" in your plant...
All the things above mentioned by abellguy are correct examples of various inputs that can have affect on what I'll simply refer to as gene expression...ie "phenotype" perhaps... as the phenotype is the genotype given environmental stimuli, yes...
When looking at the root zone, specifically:
Hydroponics - attempt to "dial" in via control of various liquid nutrient profiles and pH balance, temperature, etc...
Organic Soil - attempt to "dial" in via processes of the living micro organisms in the soil and properly amending with various "raw" ingredients from the world around us...
If you give the best possible environmental stimuli - you get the best possible genetic response from the plant...aka "dialed".
It is my personal belief - to get accurate genetic representation - you have to remove the influence placed on plants as a result of various feeding inputs. I think a fully amended diversified organic soil, that you simply water - will allow the plant to dictate what is best for it - and thus represent a more accurate "phenotype".
When some growers keep a plant because someone else got it to look better using a different brand of nutrients - this is an example of how environmental influences play a factor in expressions of phenotype - and in poly-hybrid plants - that can give rise to many various expressions from one single plant - given different stimuli.
I truly believe any plant can be grown to near perfection in a single run - in a PROPERLY DIALED ENVIRONMENT.
dank.Frank
itsanewday
New member
if you were given 2 seeds frank and you didnt know what they were and you planted them, 1 turned out to be a long flowering stretchy sativa and the other a short flowering indica. even with the perfect enviroment you not gonna know that the sativa will over grow you room untill youve grown it. its only then that you can next time give it less N and slightly less veg time. does this make sense im pretty high.
a plant will grow perfect in the perfect enviroment first time if you know what your growing, but most of the time i dont know if im gonna get a sativa leaning phenotype or indica, so its essencial for me to dial in. if i fed all my plants the same id end up with real nice ones and vastly overgrown ones.
your blues looks lush frank just had to say
a plant will grow perfect in the perfect enviroment first time if you know what your growing, but most of the time i dont know if im gonna get a sativa leaning phenotype or indica, so its essencial for me to dial in. if i fed all my plants the same id end up with real nice ones and vastly overgrown ones.
your blues looks lush frank just had to say
Why would you give a sativa LESS N - see I disagree...
I would ensure that the base medium was amended in a way that allowed for a long term slow release source of N for longer flowering plants as opposed to a heavy fast quick release fertilizer for faster flowering plants...
And IF these things are in place - the plant can and WILL pick and choose how and when best to utilize whatever it sees fit.
The PLANT is in charge in my garden...
If the one sativa is all lanky and tall and stretchy and airy flowers - the last thing I am going to do is find some product to make the buds denser or some spray to make the plant to stop stretching..
All that stuff is insane to me...I'll let the plant be exactly what it is. And given ENOUGH SEED...I'll find the plant that fits me. As opposed to forcing something to being something it simply isn't....
dank.Frank
I would ensure that the base medium was amended in a way that allowed for a long term slow release source of N for longer flowering plants as opposed to a heavy fast quick release fertilizer for faster flowering plants...
And IF these things are in place - the plant can and WILL pick and choose how and when best to utilize whatever it sees fit.
The PLANT is in charge in my garden...
If the one sativa is all lanky and tall and stretchy and airy flowers - the last thing I am going to do is find some product to make the buds denser or some spray to make the plant to stop stretching..
All that stuff is insane to me...I'll let the plant be exactly what it is. And given ENOUGH SEED...I'll find the plant that fits me. As opposed to forcing something to being something it simply isn't....
dank.Frank
I usually start with the area code first........
Exept for OB who should get a well deserved "LOL" from ppl who are into word jokes, you are ALL right on your own way and without contradiction from one post to another.
Aparently it is a "phase" related thingy on how to go about it.
Though after having went through all the fore mentioned phases myself during younger years, by now I will settle mostly for the one proposed by Dank.frank.
Lemme add one more thing though; Make a growunit, fill it for half with high N soil and the other half with low N soil. I mean not in layers but more like in vertical halves.
Like when I dig a hole in 'poor soil' and fill it with 'rich soil'.
Now put your sativa on "the fence" and the little critter will dial herselves in all by herselves. ^^
(Now I am waiting for OB to tell me that if I fill my growunit for 2 x half with soil, there will be no room anylonger for plants nor lamps, duh, eheheh
)
Aparently it is a "phase" related thingy on how to go about it.
Though after having went through all the fore mentioned phases myself during younger years, by now I will settle mostly for the one proposed by Dank.frank.
Lemme add one more thing though; Make a growunit, fill it for half with high N soil and the other half with low N soil. I mean not in layers but more like in vertical halves.
Like when I dig a hole in 'poor soil' and fill it with 'rich soil'.
Now put your sativa on "the fence" and the little critter will dial herselves in all by herselves. ^^
(Now I am waiting for OB to tell me that if I fill my growunit for 2 x half with soil, there will be no room anylonger for plants nor lamps, duh, eheheh
T
TribalSeeds
Im running a Sour Kush for the first time that is pissing me off. The plants didnt want to start growing much until I got them over 1000 ppm, they didnt really darken up until I hit them at 1200. For the first couple of weeks they went from 600-1000. Right now they are sucking down 1500 ppms and look like they want more. I usually feed at 1000 ppm -2.0 5.8-6ph.
These plants dont have much of a root mass at all. Ive hit them with tea and mycos, plus my coco is amended with EWC. I even added some roots organic coco into my botanicare coco.
Im not sure what to do next, the plants are pretty big and now look healthier than any plants Ive ever grown, but I dont really want to flower until I have a good root mass. They had some stress from a Safer Brand 3-1 spray burn when I first got the plants, but they have recovered from that and all the leaf is lush. I did have an issue with a hot spot from my reflector. Ive never noticed a problem with it before these plants, but I was in a different room.
The stems are super thick but there isnt much root to support a lot of bud. If I wait too much longer for root growth I will outgrow my space.
Im not sure where to go with this strain
These plants dont have much of a root mass at all. Ive hit them with tea and mycos, plus my coco is amended with EWC. I even added some roots organic coco into my botanicare coco.
Im not sure what to do next, the plants are pretty big and now look healthier than any plants Ive ever grown, but I dont really want to flower until I have a good root mass. They had some stress from a Safer Brand 3-1 spray burn when I first got the plants, but they have recovered from that and all the leaf is lush. I did have an issue with a hot spot from my reflector. Ive never noticed a problem with it before these plants, but I was in a different room.
The stems are super thick but there isnt much root to support a lot of bud. If I wait too much longer for root growth I will outgrow my space.
Im not sure where to go with this strain
To me it takes about 2-3 runs to get a strain dialed in good. There will usually always be improvements seen from the first round to the second even with no conscious input, just from the things you learned growing it the first time.
A change in fertilizer balance (ratios between the elements) most certainly can have a significant effect on the plant. For instance you can make the buds denser and tighter, or leafier and airier, depending in part on how you fertilize it.
A change in fertilizer balance (ratios between the elements) most certainly can have a significant effect on the plant. For instance you can make the buds denser and tighter, or leafier and airier, depending in part on how you fertilize it.
T
TribalSeeds
I started them out every other day until they started sucking down the water, then I hit them everyday until I up potted. The Blumats are turned off...
Ive grown plants before, just never such a slow rooting pot plant, especially for their size. However since being put into their new pots Im noticing a lot of roots coming out of the top of the pots.
simple as lots of records, labeling and weighing. record ferts used ,when and what amount. keep detailed records as stoners forget alot LOL. this next year i am dialing in sour b. i will keep track of everything. soil temps,air temps,diff mediums , container size, ferts ect.
Can you go into a bit more detail? What fertilizer factors affect bud density and leafiness?
Thanks
