[Douglas.Curtis]

What stress tests do you use for your potential breeding stock? Which ones cause you the most hermis? Beyond the obvious light schedule changes, are there any specific tricks or techniques you use to force out any hermies hiding in the gene pool?

In the search for true females, the elimination of hermi prone genetics is essential. Efficiency is greatly appreciated.

Thank You

[Douglas.Curtis]

What other stresses would go along with hermi stressors?

For instance, were I breeding for colder climates it would make sense to breed with candidates which sprouted healthily and heartily at lower temps and wetter conditions... no?

Taking clones and putting them in containers too small ( root binding conditions ), then throwing them in flower. Would you pH/heat/drought stress or other stress on the small containers or would you use separate cuts for other stress tests?

The goal is to find super stable genetics for breeding. Everyone appreciates seeds which sprout explosively... no?

[Natural high]

Originally Posted by Douglas.Curtis

What stress tests do you use for your potential breeding stock? Which ones cause you the most hermis? Beyond the obvious light schedule changes, are there any specific tricks or techniques you use to force out any hermies hiding in the gene pool?

In the search for true females, the elimination of hermi prone genetics is essential. Efficiency is greatly appreciated.

Thank You

I believe sustained high growing temperatures during flower would be the most effective method short of using STS.

Why? I have grown a clone for 15 years and it has never made a male flower until a recent grow where summer temperatures were consistently above 30deg C (85 degrees) and often above 40deg C (105 degrees). Grow room temps were a good deal hotter than that when the light was on. It made the odd banana and a few seeds.

This same clone is very resistant to STS and it is a definite struggle to get any viable pollen from it. This suggests that STS may be the best test of all.. if it doesn't reverse then it is very stable genetically.

[Douglas.Curtis]

Oi, good points

I guess I should have specified, I'm looking for strains which you *must* use STS for reversing. So, in a way you're still correct. I would end up culling the phenos which were not stable under the high temps.


Were there any other stressors you can remember which may have occurred during the same time period, anything which may have contributed?

[Fuel]

In fact, you have to known first the primordial needs (hierarchized) of the specimen that you test. Then you create your specific test for this specimen. The reverse will only lead to fool you.

[Natural high]

Originally Posted by Douglas.Curtis

Oi, good points I would end up culling the phenos which were not stable under the high temps.

Were there any other stressors you can remember which may have occurred during the same time period, anything which may have contributed?

This heatwave was a once in a lifetime event which broke all previous records. Most growers I know had their plants die altogether. If you culled any that made a banana then there wouldn't be any still standing.

There were no other changes apart from the heat. I believe the clone in question (Jack Herer) would be in the top 1% as far as stability and hardiness goes. All female plants have the potential for intersex if pushed to their limits. Cheers

[Douglas.Curtis]

Awesome, appreciate the additional information. Sorry to hear of so much destruction.

[PoweredByLove]

I take a strong survive approach to all my growing. I let them get too dry leading up to flower a couple times, I give them too much food leading up to mid flower i keep the Temps above 80 (85~95 is what plants love imho) the whole grow, i super crop, i pluck leaves, go into the flower room during lights out for 15~20 minutes at a time at random to do maintenance. Flower, reveg then resume flower is a big one. Basically whatever can go wrong does and if they don't make it they don't deserve to be in the nightmare difficulty brigade.

None of my keepers has ever hermed for years during all this cept the straw diesel. That's when I learned about the over feeding trigger.