heath inspired test prototype (aero)

[heath robinson]

Hey farmhouse cat, it looks like this time around you are getting things dialed in, looks great from here! thanks for the regular updates.

Heath

 

[farmhouse cat]

Hey farmhouse cat, it looks like this time around you are getting things dialed in, looks great from here! thanks for the regular updates.

Heath

Thanks Heath. That means alot coming from you. I feel as if i know you personaly after all the studying ive done on your projects.

Cheers! and i hope i wont dissapoint.

FC

 

[bobblehead]

Hey guys i believe its time to do some major defoliating, would you agree? Ive always been skeptical about cutting too much, and stunting the plants. ?? just do it or what? DHF...bobble? Marlo?

Also, Ive been thinking about something and hope i can get some feedback.

We all agree less is more right? nutrientwise. I think the general idea is to feed just enough to prevent deficiencies..right?

So if the plants are looking healthy, and growing vigorously at a certain strength, then why fix it?

But would the plants benefit more and grow bigger buds if one upped the nute strength?

In my situtation the plants are looking very healthy. I have been starting a new reservoir every 10 days. I mix up the res to about 650 ppm. After only 3 days the ppms will drop to about 450ppm. At 450ppm they still have a week to go before the next res change. During that last week the ppms will slowly fall from 450 but (not as fast).

Its this week of low strength that concerns me?

Ive stayed away on this grow from adding nutrients to the res between changes, in fear of creating inbalances and salt buildups.
This is the first grow i have not added, and my PH has never been so ROCK SOLID. I have to assume its beacuse the plants are eating what they need and are not being overloaded with too much of this or that.


Thoughts?

defoliation is controversial... but once you learn about how the plants physiology works, you won't feel so bad about cutting out all those fan leaves. During the stretch, the plants are storing carbohydrates in their roots. This is when the fan leaves are needed most. After the stretch is over, the plant begins using up it's stored nutrients, along with producing it's own. The plant's metabolism can't keep up in late flowering, that's why it has to store food in it's roots. The leaves hold thylakoids that are energized when they're hit by light... Thylakoids are in all the leaves, not just the fan leaves. So, long story short, you don't need the fans come late flower. Hack em off.

Whether or not you have big fat flowers is dependent on how healthy the plants are in the first weeks while the plants are stretching. Think about it in terms of a human. If you eat 6x a day, 500 calorie meals, then you're eating 3k calories. If you eat the right balance of protein, carbs, and fat, then you will have a nice physique and a healthy build. Now, take that same body, and slam it with 4-5k calories every day, and you'll just get fat... it's weight, but it's sloppy weight. The same thing happens with plants. Slam them with food, and they will go into a food coma like most everyone did on Thanksgiving day. Keep them hungry, and they'll want to eat all the time.

A study was done on corn... and after 700ppms, the corn didn't grow any better... It's not 100% relevant to cannabis... but just give the plant what it needs for the new growth to be generated. You can't make it do anything freaky without some genetic engineering.

 

[farmhouse cat]

defoliation is controversial... but once you learn about how the plants physiology works, you won't feel so bad about cutting out all those fan leaves. During the stretch, the plants are storing carbohydrates in their roots. This is when the fan leaves are needed most. After the stretch is over, the plant begins using up it's stored nutrients, along with producing it's own. The plant's metabolism can't keep up in late flowering, that's why it has to store food in it's roots. The leaves hold thylakoids that are energized when they're hit by light... Thylakoids are in all the leaves, not just the fan leaves. So, long story short, you don't need the fans come late flower. Hack em off.

Whether or not you have big fat flowers is dependent on how healthy the plants are in the first weeks while the plants are stretching. Think about it in terms of a human. If you eat 6x a day, 500 calorie meals, then you're eating 3k calories. If you eat the right balance of protein, carbs, and fat, then you will have a nice physique and a healthy build. Now, take that same body, and slam it with 4-5k calories every day, and you'll just get fat... it's weight, but it's sloppy weight. The same thing happens with plants. Slam them with food, and they will go into a food coma like most everyone did on Thanksgiving day. Keep them hungry, and they'll want to eat all the time.

A study was done on corn... and after 700ppms, the corn didn't grow any better... It's not 100% relevant to cannabis... but just give the plant what it needs for the new growth to be generated. You can't make it do anything freaky without some genetic engineering.

Thx Bobble I like that! makes complete sense!

 

[AlexTrebek]

I read through this thread when it was only a couple pages long a while ago.

I just read through it completely just now and... my god... farmhousecat... you killed it.

Keep those awesome updates coming and grow on!

 

[esteboatan]

Glad I keep checking in here, Birdman, it really is looking top notch mate. Great stuff!!
I've always been running my res at 1000ppm. I went through my last round with a lowered ppm at 600 and the end result was very similar results. Needless to say I'm going lower from now on to save those extra trips to the shops.

Bobblehead - what you said about the defoliation has helped clear my mind too. Just like to ask - Is the start of budding the sign the stretch is over?

 

[DHF]

I see the pics Bro......and not a minute too soon.....Every fan leaf at the bottom of a budsite or even coming directly out of a cola IF it`s a fan leaf attached to a stem needsta go.......

Not all at once so yas won`t freak em out or stunt em , but I find it hard to believe they could stunt at all in a fast hydro setup like aero where roots are constantly sprayed with juice......

Get em all gone except for the smaller leaves growin out of the colas over the next several days where nothin`s hangin but colas/lateral limbs......

Hardta tell from the pics but they look more bushy and indica-ish to me hybrid wise with lots of limbs and sucker branches but not ableta tell at this point.......anyways.....

Heathie !!......how`s fam my buddy........Hope all`s well with you and yours Bro........Where`s your new "aero contraption" ?............been missin yas.....

FC....For the last decade I grew thanks to Heathie I never ran over 750 ppms with ZERO deficiences with top shelf plant health and it was SO much easier to dwindle said ppms late in flower till end of cycle so the plants could cannibalize themselves of their stored nutrients ......Never flushed a plant in my life.....dropped ppm`s down to below 200 and let proper dry and cure take care of the rest.....

SO many folks have been taught to shove juice up their plants ass till they see tip burn and then back off , and that`s such bullshit cuz the plant`s already damaged and stunted once tip burn`s noticed and then there`s a recovery period where the plant does NOTHING but sit dormant and not eat , and if it`s not eating then it`s transpiring all the built up moisture and nutrients stored for even MORE imbalance to fuck with and get back under control.......

Bobbles can prolly give a better scientific explanation of what I`m screamin , but it is what it is.......Your plants are WAY healthy and green so you can slack off gradually till end of cycle on any nitrogen source be it micro , cal/mag , or whatever regimen you`re using....and....

You can up the phosphorous for swellage to equal out the ppms just don`t go crazy.....Less is more.....and.....

Plants do NOT grow bigger buds/swell more just by shovin more juice up their ass.......so.....that said......

My goal for every plant I grew was to run lower controlled ppms across the board , have definite cleaned out lateral limbs with no sucker branches growing out of em with straight end colas for optimum energy expended and max swellage on every limb and.....NO FLARF/POPCORN/wasted plant energy.......

Everything looks good......but ....now`s the time ta make sure each nug/cola can be all it can be till harvey.....

You know what ta do.....Handle it....

Peace...DHF.........

 

[farmhouse cat]

DHF right on man! Yes tonight is the night im going to get serious with the trimming. I just needed that push! This strain is a sativa dominant hybrid know as green crack. Its been my favorite ever since i picked it up over a year ago. Its super easy to clone, 7-8 weeker and grows fast and the buds are always nice and frosty.

thanks again my friends!!

 

[Grizz]

I see the pics Bro......and not a minute too soon.....Every fan leaf at the bottom of a budsite or even coming directly out of a cola IF it`s a fan leaf attached to a stem needsta go.......

Not all at once so yas won`t freak em out or stunt em , but I find it hard to believe they could stunt at all in a fast hydro setup like aero where roots are constantly sprayed with juice......

Get em all gone except for the smaller leaves growin out of the colas over the next several days where nothin`s hangin but colas/lateral limbs......

Hardta tell from the pics but they look more bushy and indica-ish to me hybrid wise with lots of limbs and sucker branches but not ableta tell at this point.......anyways.....

Heathie !!......how`s fam my buddy........Hope all`s well with you and yours Bro........Where`s your new "aero contraption" ?............been missin yas.....

FC....For the last decade I grew thanks to Heathie I never ran over 750 ppms with ZERO deficiences with top shelf plant health and it was SO much easier to dwindle said ppms late in flower till end of cycle so the plants could cannibalize themselves of their stored nutrients ......Never flushed a plant in my life.....dropped ppm`s down to below 200 and let proper dry and cure take care of the rest.....

SO many folks have been taught to shove juice up their plants ass till they see tip burn and then back off , and that`s such bullshit cuz the plant`s already damaged and stunted once tip burn`s noticed and then there`s a recovery period where the plant does NOTHING but sit dormant and not eat , and if it`s not eating then it`s transpiring all the built up moisture and nutrients stored for even MORE imbalance to fuck with and get back under control.......

Bobbles can prolly give a better scientific explanation of what I`m screamin , but it is what it is.......Your plants are WAY healthy and green so you can slack off gradually till end of cycle on any nitrogen source be it micro , cal/mag , or whatever regimen you`re using....and....

You can up the phosphorous for swellage to equal out the ppms just don`t go crazy.....Less is more.....and.....

Plants do NOT grow bigger buds/swell more just by shovin more juice up their ass.......so.....that said......

My goal for every plant I grew was to run lower controlled ppms across the board , have definite cleaned out lateral limbs with no sucker branches growing out of em with straight end colas for optimum energy expended and max swellage on every limb and.....NO FLARF/POPCORN/wasted plant energy.......

Everything looks good......but ....now`s the time ta make sure each nug/cola can be all it can be till harvey.....

You know what ta do.....Handle it....

Peace...DHF.........

EXACTLY RIGHT.

 

[DHF]

Bobbles hit the nail on the head as to when to start gettin shed of fan leaves after stretch is completely done and no more foliage is being generated and no more roots are being grown.......THEN...

It`s cool ta start gettin rid of the fans once the plants hormones cause em ta start suckin juice and swellin nugs instead of growin roots and foliage..........but.....the reason defoliation is so controversial is because folks talk about doin it constantly and that`ll fuck a plants world up quick , but if yas do it when foliage isn`t needed as much for photosynthesis since the plants are in more swellage mode at night , then the plants don`t stunt and need recovery periods as long as yas don`t rape and pillage em in 1 setting.....

Never heard Green Crack called sativa dominant Bro .....got grow bros all up and down Cali that run it for production regular and folks like it...not total couchlock but`ll get yas there if over medicated.....

Matters not what type hybrid it is , only that you dial her ass in and squeeze every gram possible out of her.......

Plants just looked bushy with buncha limbs and that`s why I called indica-ish.....

Git er done Bro....DHF...........

 

[farmhouse cat]

I hear ya man...its interesting about the green crack.

I googled it and got different answers, one site says sativa,,another said indica..so who knows. Either way its good stuff.

I cant wait for the next run with the 4th wall and the top row filled. My clones are lookin good. Speaking of clones would you recommend anything ? pruning, bending or toppingwise for the future in the wall ?As of right now they are 4-6 inches, but are gonna get 4 more weeks under the t-5s. I knew they were gonna get big..i took the clones 5 days into flower to shorten the lead time but there growin quick.

 

[Grizz]

dhf are you saying not to take big fans untill streatch is over ? personally i remove them all through flower and never noticed any slow done or stunting, my goal is to let as much light into the middle of the plant as possible,

 

[bobblehead]

dhf are you saying not to take big fans untill streatch is over ? personally i remove them all through flower and never noticed any slow done or stunting, my goal is to let as much light into the middle of the plant as possible,

In late flower, the plants have developed bud leaves that they didn't have when they were stretching. Energy production shifts to those leaves as the fan leaves die naturally. You're just speeding up the process...

Joesy, imo, you would benefit from leaving the fans alone the first 4 weeks... But if you defoliate constantly, the plant will adapt... You would need a side by side to see the difference, and some strains will react differently than others... So it comes down to you, your garden, and your plants.

 

[silver hawaiian]

So it comes down to you, your garden, and your plants.

Worst. Answer. Ever.

And most common!

Just give me a silver bullet, dammit!

 

[farmhouse cat]

I went a little crazy..but hows that for a good leaf plucking?

First pic is before.

 

[megayields]

FC killing it IN DAH HOWSZE...and with a guest appearence by the great HR wow!

 

[DHF]

Hey Joesy....as Bobbles said most plants will adapt , but after stretch is completely over`s when they`re not necessary IME anymore.........

I stripped my Chem D`s back yrs ago after gettin talked into it at day 21 and it stunted the plants at LEAST 2 weeks so it`s strain dependent and it was also before stretch was over so take it for what it`s worth.........

Your plants.....your garden......Get ta know em.....they`ll make yas happy.....

Lookin good FC.....Persistence pays off in late flower.....

Peace....Freds..........

Edit: Keep takin those big fans stickin out Bro......pics finally loaded and yas could stand bunch more pluckin.....

 

[Grizz]

trying a side by side as i just put 8 more in flower, wont touch them till week 5 and see if they look better, gracias amigo's

 

[Arminius]

You sure can see the colas much better now, but DHF is right on, more plucking needed for sure.
Looks fantastic so far! I concur on the nute strength being less is more. Last time I "shoved juice up their ass" as DHF so eloquently put it, and I had all kinds of PH issues, among other things. I have been running half strength this time, and the difference is night and day. I wouldn't go below 400 though until you are approaching flush. My juice got down to 200 in my veg system, and it only took a couple of days for the plants to almost die.

 

[farmhouse cat]

update time!

2 more weeks to go.....the veg room is fillin quick..and ive started the 4th wall.