4 Crosses of Slapz - All al's Tech Here
- Thread starter als_weed
- Start date
Let's do a lil timelapse to catch up to where we are:
At 16 days the girls got skirt trim
And this is where we are. I'll pick up the narrative from here.
The seedlings have grown to 8 sets of leaves. It's time for their first skirt trim.
I skirt trim for several reasons. First is exposing the side branches to maximum light and transpiration. The side branches are what we will be harvesting from these plants.
Second is to avoid pests and litter. The leaves we are taking are normally the first target for problems, and first to die off and make a mess.
The first trim takes out the first set of single bladed leaves and then the next two sets leaves. Leave the cotyledons on, they are still helpful.
Thanks for your attention, and as always, your questions are welcome.
-al
At 16 days the girls got skirt trim
And this is where we are. I'll pick up the narrative from here.
The seedlings have grown to 8 sets of leaves. It's time for their first skirt trim.
I skirt trim for several reasons. First is exposing the side branches to maximum light and transpiration. The side branches are what we will be harvesting from these plants.
Second is to avoid pests and litter. The leaves we are taking are normally the first target for problems, and first to die off and make a mess.
The first trim takes out the first set of single bladed leaves and then the next two sets leaves. Leave the cotyledons on, they are still helpful.
Thanks for your attention, and as always, your questions are welcome.
-al
Attachments
Seedlings Day 21
I have removed another 2 sets of bottom leaves and you can see now that the bottom branches have greatly benefited.
Here is a Gran Dawgy Purps Contestant:
Pure Michigan's Turn:
And lovely Lava Cake:
We will continue to remove bottom leaves as they grow. This gives them an hourglass profile for now, that will eventually turn into a cone of perfectly snippable side branches.
Here's a group shot:
The pruning we are doing now is setting up every girl to be a productive mother plant. If their clone sister proves to be a star in the bloom room, you will literally be able to pop her in a 5 gallon, and fill up cloners in a couple weeks.
Some plants are showing a slight bit of tip burn. This is a critical clue that the roots have reached the confining edges of the cup, and its time for their first full saturation watering. We need to flush out any waste and calm down the biota before we add our own. If this were a hot mix problem, the burn would be apparent from the start, and the remedy would to flush asap.
Till now they have been lightly perimeter watered. This lets the roots develop without getting washed out. Now is the time for a full saturation watering. We are still using only RO(reverse osmosis) water. We want to water to the point it streams out the drain holes.
This takes a little heat out of the soil mix, and gives them a good flush. We will be supplimenting them soon enough, but for now they will coast on the nutes from the mix.
As always, your questions and comments are welcome, and thank you for your attention.
-al
I have removed another 2 sets of bottom leaves and you can see now that the bottom branches have greatly benefited.
Here is a Gran Dawgy Purps Contestant:
Pure Michigan's Turn:
And lovely Lava Cake:
We will continue to remove bottom leaves as they grow. This gives them an hourglass profile for now, that will eventually turn into a cone of perfectly snippable side branches.
Here's a group shot:
The pruning we are doing now is setting up every girl to be a productive mother plant. If their clone sister proves to be a star in the bloom room, you will literally be able to pop her in a 5 gallon, and fill up cloners in a couple weeks.
Some plants are showing a slight bit of tip burn. This is a critical clue that the roots have reached the confining edges of the cup, and its time for their first full saturation watering. We need to flush out any waste and calm down the biota before we add our own. If this were a hot mix problem, the burn would be apparent from the start, and the remedy would to flush asap.
Till now they have been lightly perimeter watered. This lets the roots develop without getting washed out. Now is the time for a full saturation watering. We are still using only RO(reverse osmosis) water. We want to water to the point it streams out the drain holes.
This takes a little heat out of the soil mix, and gives them a good flush. We will be supplimenting them soon enough, but for now they will coast on the nutes from the mix.
As always, your questions and comments are welcome, and thank you for your attention.
-al
Pure Michigan is Mendo Breath x Oreoz. The resultant plant is far better than its parents. It has a deep "old tymey" flavor, a good buzz, and just beautiful bud. It definitely had an impact on the scene here and was crossed with everything interesting. One of the best daughters is Black Truffle. She is Pure Michigan x White Truffle, and is the subject of my next project. Michigan has become the hotspot for breeders and strain development of late.
The name Pure Michigan comes from the State's ubiquitous nearly obnoxious tourist campaign. Living here, I'm sure the naming of this spectacular weed was both a stroke of genius and a little bit of cheeky trolling.
Thanks for your interest!
-al
Not my creation. 3rd Coast gen made them. They released limited packs and this clone surfaced about 2 years ago I believe.
I love this plant, but not a big fan of her parent Oreoz. Think lil colorful nugs of doom that have no flavor or smell.
I would have called it wrong for sure.
Thanks for your interest.
-al
I love this plant, but not a big fan of her parent Oreoz. Think lil colorful nugs of doom that have no flavor or smell.
I would have called it wrong for sure.
Thanks for your interest.
-al
Time to Brew!
I try to give seedlings 3 successive flushes and 28 days before supplementing with any nutrition. It's getting close, so the time to prepare their food has arrived!
Recipe Number 1: als Dirt Plant Delight Tea
Disclaimer first: I have refined this recipe over 20 years. This what I use, your mileage may vary. It will most definitely if you alter ingredients or dosage levels. You can flat kill things. Less is better until you are familiar its use.
Into a 5 gallon bucket of reverse osmosis water, with a large vigorous airstone add:
1 tspn Great White
1 tblspn Ancient Forest
2 tblspn Worm Castings
3 tblspn Peruvian Seabird Guano
2 cubes compressed alfala
4 tspn Molasses
Here's a pic:
The goals of this mix: To maximize the number of beneficial and commensalistic bacteria and fungi, provide organic based macro and micro nutrients, and allow the use of smaller containers by reducing salt content.
Brew for a minimum of 48 hours. We are letting our little friends multiply and break the food down. Don't strain it, just make sure it is vigorously stirred before pouring. Those particulates help sustain and reinvigorate the soil.
Dosage: % Tea/ RO water
Seedlings - 10%
Young Plants - 25%
Moms - 50%
Use every third watering.
I love teas. I will share more recipes as we get through the process. You can even flower with this recipe - just substitute the PSG with a nice Jamaican bat guano and a tspn of Epson Salts.
As always, your questions and comments are welcome.
-al
Seedlings day 28
I have continued to 'skirt trim' the girls and our 'cone of shoots' continues to develop.
Profile Shot:
Some of the plants have started to lighten up, a clue that they are ready for some Nitrogen. So today, they get their first taste of tea. At 10% tea / 90 % RO water, the plants were saturation watered. I'll give them a couple days and then hit them up again with poop soup. I will slowly increase to ratio of Tea/RO water until they match up with the older plants at 50%.
I will also begin supplementing with foliar feeding in the next few days. Another recipe coming soon!
Here's a Group Shot:
As always, thank you for your attention, and your comments and questions are always welcome.
-al
Perfect looking grow al, but why the extra foliar feeding?
............ spoiling 'em rotten?
............ spoiling 'em rotten?
It's kind of an ounce of prevention. My foliar spray adds minerals and oils that provides micronutrients and sugars, while preventing mold and mites. Learned a lot from giant pumpkin growers about formulating sprays and will present results soon.
Thank you for your interest.
-al
I'll be following along, thanks, it's an interesting concept I've been playing around with myself.Foliar Spray
The seedlings are now old enough for a little boost - foliar spray.
At this stage in their development, the growth tip has put out at least a dozen rounds of shoots, and the cuticle is tough enough to handle some oils. The plants are lightening from explosive growth and tea limited nutrition, so some extra food through direct absorption is in order.
Disclaimer First: This is what I use. Your mileage may vary. You can harm your plants if made, used, or dosed incorrectly.
als Super Feed N Kill Foliar Spray Recipe
Into 1 Gallon of Reverse Osmosis Water add:
30 ml Plant Therapy Concentrate(peppermint oil)
30 ml Heavy 16 Foliar mix
5 ml Heavy 16 Fire
5 ml Super Thrive
Spray lightly. You do not need to drench the plants. Spray no more than every 3 days, you can damage the cuticle with a higher frequency. Spray the bottoms of the leaves first, and then lightly mist over the tops. Keep your fans and modern lights on. Do not spray just before any lights out period.
Looks like this:
I used to have a more complicated recipe, but this one is the result of many years of paring and testing. It will feed your plants raw sugars, micronutrients, Cal/Mag/Sulphur, the Vitamin B spectrum, and strengthen the cuticle and cell walls. All the while protecting against mites and powdery mildew.
The plant therapy concentrate is for the peppermint oil. It desiccates Spider mites and other critters, while altering the surface pH of the leaves to prevent mildew, and finally softening the cuticle to allow easier absorption of minerals and nutrients.
I have tried several commercial and home brews, and I was surprised how well the Heavy 16 mix duplicated the results of the best more complicated mixes. It obviously has some form of molasses brew in it that I have found universally effective.
The Fire adds MG/Cal/S complex.
The Super Thrive adds more kelp, vitamins, and minerals.
I use this spray pretty much everywhere. From seedlings to, in some cases, up to a week from harvest. You have to stay tuned to find out more secrets! This one is pretty significant. I'd say it's worth an easy 10% yield increase overall - for just pennies and a few minutes effort. Your plants will visibly love it.
Thank you for your attention, and as always, your comments and questions are welcome.
-al
Thanks, glad to see you're using Super Thrive, me too!
Best bang for your buck for sure! Cheapest bottle in the pic. Won the World's Fair Gold Medal in 1940 and still kicking. You will see it again in other recipes. I removed it once from my mix, took only a week to see something was missing. Old tech is still tech.
Thank you for your interest.
-al
......... but the thing is, a lot of growers consider it to be snake oil. 
I always use it to germ seeds and recently germed abt 50 seeds that had been stored at room temp and fridge for 15 yrs., they just sprang to life.
I always use it to germ seeds and recently germed abt 50 seeds that had been stored at room temp and fridge for 15 yrs., they just sprang to life.
It has B1, malted kelp, and Ironite in it. I put what I do out for everyone to see what happens. So they can judge for themselves. I'm only about results.......... but the thing is, a lot of growers consider it to be snake oil.
I always use it to germ seeds and recently germed abt 50 seeds that had been stored at room temp and fridge for 15 yrs., they just sprang to life.
Meanwhile I will continue to attempt to control my eye roll when someone wants to synchronize some activity to moon phases. I understand.
I also have it in my problem seed recipe. Might do some old holy grail popping mixed in somewhere. It shows up in my aerocloner startup recipe as well.
You are not alone!
- Superthrive Support Group lol
Thankyou for your interest
-al
Seedlings Day 35
The seedlings are getting close to harvest. Remember we have 2 objectives with these plants: Generate side branches for cloning, and keep everyone alive while those branches grow roots, veg out, and bloom out. They are going to be some ugly, pissed off girls by the end of this.
Here are some of the plants getting trained to great moms:
The shoots are close to ready. They have gotten 3 doses of tea and foliar sprays. We have to wait until everyone has at least 3 quality branches to harvest before we are ready to go the cloner.
My old method was to grow out the seedlings just long enough to lop off the top, to then clone and bloom out. This is a couple weeks faster than what we are doing here, but has several problems.
First is that the top growth tip has all the wrong hormones for growing roots and can stall out and rot. Since it is the only one of its kind, it's then out of the running.
Second is having 3 side shoots to make clones gives you better odds, with better hormones, of getting all participants in the run together. The method here is head to head competition, and spreading the plants over different runs doesn't give us the information we need to make the best decisions. This also leaves us with extra copies that allows us flexibility to replace the mom, or double down with more copies ready to make even more clones.
And finally, we are preparing these plants to be clone mothers. The old method left plants unprepared for fast branch production. More columnar plants like Pure Michigan need this training to produce any usable shoots quickly. This can save you weeks of time.
These ugly moms will be ready to transform into lush clone producers within a month of transplant, if their clone daughter blooms into a winner.
A group shot of our girls already looking a touch raggedy:
As always, your comments and questions are welcome.
-al
mikeandnaomi
Active member
Looks off the charts nice. What consderations are giving for potency via mom plants.
