Don't pull just yet but definitely check several times a day. Yank them off once you are 100% sure they aren't just sitting there minding their own business and make sure to keep checking the plant often. GTH is known to throw balls even without stress, but it did probably contribute.
Edit: holy shit you really stripped them...seems bit too much but you try it out lol...One thing to remember stress = defoliation as well. You basically just ate that bitch like a deer in the wild. Very intrigued to see the response...
I never yank quickly unless the nanners are flying out of the buds uncontrollably. The ones on the stems can often be sterile too and at least you know their location. Reason being many times you can pluck and they never return not even in clones. Sometimes it may have actually been stress and you pluck and they don't come back. In large grows where its very hard to manage the risk goes up much, but this is entirely manageable imo as long as u check often.
Hi Saitama,sorry to hear about the balls...I've had this happen to me a few times.I've blamed it on defol to tell you the truth,but overcrowding and a slight possibility of light leak could be also to blame.I've kept every plant that has done this and only once I've had continuing issues (nanas)throughout flowering.Of course some seeds were made but tested them this year in a greenhouse with zero intersex (and all fem,so not really a bad thing to me that I grow for personal use,other people may not be willing to take the risk).Keeping them on the porch will only stress them more,throw 'em in and keep searching every day(if your schedule allows it).
I am not very experienced,but with my grow style I have found it better to prune lower branches than defoliate.Of course I can't look away from great results from guys that know their strains and growing techniques like mushroom (respect!),just found it stressful for some strains .
Your Zams are typical of what I expected from the fem line,I got a thinner leafed specimen but pretty quick,too(at least in 11/13 schedule).Great fat stems,looking they can hold a good yield!
Just food for thought/random knowledge may not apply to this grow at all.
One thing I had to learn on tent growing was being very careful how I ran ventilation tubing in it especially the cheapo kind if lights were to be on in the room the tents were in ever during night time. Light would often leak through it. Like through it physically. Light would also leak through it just from the openings on the outside and travel down the tubes even if it was in a U shape whether up side down or not. I would often make it them into S shapes even though I knew this would stifle air flow it was better than light coming out of the tubes.
And lights on equipment like dehum's end of extension cords.
The whole green light won't cause herms yeah what spectrum is that green light...Probably not the green lights made specifically for when you are forced to go in a grow at lights out and even those I refuse to ever trust.
the light intensity stress alone could have been the cause of stress related hermaphroditism. Now on defoliation. Strain dependent, I do not heavily deleaf while heavy bud set is taking place. Only 10% a day while bud set is occurring. Its much safer to not create a stall during the all important stacking phase of bud set. if I am to do a heavy defoliaton, I do it right before flip, or after heavy bud set has subsided. These are the general safety guidelines I try to follow myself. Just like I don't like to top a plant for a week or two prior to flip for the same stalling reason.
Can't agree here. Removing leaves before the stretch is bad mojo. 21 days into flower the plant has the capacity to releaf. Before or after 21 will lessen results. I run an R&D facility so have tried everything.
Heavy defoliation at day 21 with extra secondaries causes an explosion of flower not a stunt.
Check my thread. No stalls. Explosive flowering here.
And finally to each there own.
I am telling you what I do.
Not telling you what to do!
I personally would not have defoliated at all due to less than perfect plant health. In my experience that can stunt.
Yes 21 days is the sweet spot.
If you must use extremes... Defol when the stretch is almost done. A haze would be better at 4wks.
All 8 -11wks strains do just fine at 21 and 42 days. I leave 3 fans on each tip that's all.
Here is a Platinum OG I just stripped today. (70 day strain)
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=8136369&postcount=683
I do not grow leaves I grow buds.
I love defoliation as another tool to train your plants for more yield indoors, but im not sure its universal. Ive heard experienced growers say that the 21 and 42 day defol method ruined their yields. Not taking away from your experience, maybe its just a difference in genetics, or environment/growth style...
That said, im willing to look at your thread and see if I can learn.
thanks again for explaining in detail.
I would be surprised to hear other growers talking about 21 and 42 because those are my numbers lol!!
I say it over and over only healthy fast growing plants.
I have perfect hydro. So plants don't blink. They bud faster too. I shave a week off most strains. And I got 40 in house. They all benefit.
I am also able to force feed secondaries. As I have absolute control of
the solution. And the humidity. I drop it post defoliation. And increase airflow. Forcing water/nute uptake...bingo!
But drop it too low and they close stomata=stunt. So it's a fine line.
I am not just keeping plants alive. I am growing them at their limit from start to finish. And I really love it which helps I think.