Absolute Beginner Questions for 1st Grow

[GGOGZin]

7/24/23 – In an attempt at LST, I bent the stems down a bit. Haven’t tied any of them down. Should I?

Also, I’ve seen a lot of vids / articles on lollipopping. Should I trim any of the lower branches off? Which leads me to wonder if I can try using the cuttings to clone new plants. Or is this just crazy talk?

Yes, yes and yes!

 

[GGOGZin]

Yes, yes and yes!

LST can dramatically increase yield. Lollipopping helps the plant focus its energy on the more potent and larger yielding “tops” of the plants. Look into SCROG, SOG, Topping and fimming and see what interests you, there are a number of ways to increase yield and these I mentioned are very effective

 

[socks4free]

7/23/23 – Sprayed both plants w. Captain Jack’s. Wondering when I need to reapply (or if the one spraying wiped them out). Looked all over online and the label itself and still couldn’t figure it out.

What is the active ingredient in your captain jacks? Is that potassium salts of fatty acids, spinosad or something else entirely?

Also just a quick warning, you don't want to spray your plants in the sun light. It's advised to do it either at sun up or sun down. This is due to the fact water droplets work as a sort of magnifying lense which works just like when kids would use a magnifying glass to burn bugs or start a fire, concentrating the sunlight into a small area causing it to burn the leaves.

 

[Novaracer69]

7/24/23 – In an attempt at LST, I bent the stems down a bit. Haven’t tied any of them down. Should I?

Also, I’ve seen a lot of vids / articles on lollipopping. Should I trim any of the lower branches off? Which leads me to wonder if I can try using the cuttings to clone new plants. Or is this just crazy talk?

Hell yeah I would tie the tops to the handle. You might have to do a little bit every day to avoid breaking the main stem. The difference can be massive at the end. Train train train until they start flower.

 

[chronic2]

Takes a man to puff insect feces and spider webs. Man made chemicals are more dangerous than worm poop.

 

[GNick55]

What is the active ingredient in your captain jacks? Is that potassium salts of fatty acids, spinosad or something else entirely?

Also just a quick warning, you don't want to spray your plants in the sun light. It's advised to do it either at sun up or sun down. This is due to the fact water droplets work as a sort of magnifying lense which works just like when kids would use a magnifying glass to burn bugs or start a fire, concentrating the sunlight into a small area causing it to burn the leaves.

ok basically.. the droplet magnifying thing is not true, only on plants with hairs on their leaves as to hold the water droplet above the leaf than creating a focal point for the sun to shine through.. water droplets on leafs do not create a focal point..

 

[Hawk518]

Wondering about the switch from Veg to Bloom in an outdoor grow. Since it’s outdoors, I have no control over when the flip occurs, right? Just need to wait til there is less than 12 hours of sunlight. Looking at charts for N. VA, it looks like we’re not under 12 hours of sunlight til late September. So, just stay the course for another month or am I missing something?

 

[GNick55]

Wondering about the switch from Veg to Bloom in an outdoor grow. Since it’s outdoors, I have no control over when the flip occurs, right? Just need to wait til there is less than 12 hours of sunlight. Looking at charts for N. VA, it looks like we’re not under 12 hours of sunlight til late September. So, just stay the course for another month or am I missing something?

southern ontario, just started today/tomorrow

 

[socks4free]

Wondering about the switch from Veg to Bloom in an outdoor grow. Since it’s outdoors, I have no control over when the flip occurs, right? Just need to wait til there is less than 12 hours of sunlight. Looking at charts for N. VA, it looks like we’re not under 12 hours of sunlight til late September. So, just stay the course for another month or am I missing something?

Well it's kinda hard to tell but the last pic almost looks like that plant is starting to flower now. Just pay close attention to the plants and.youll notice the growth change and.the begining of buds.

 

[socks4free]

southern ontario, just started today/tomorrow

Interesting I'm in Massachusetts I have some photos that just started to flower within the last few days and some others that havent.

 

[GNick55]

Interesting I'm in Massachusetts I have some photos that just started to flower within the last few days and some others that havent.

Interesting I'm in Massachusetts I have some photos that just started to flower within the last few days and some others that havent.

14 hours of light will initiate the start of flowering..

 

[Hawk518]

8/31/23 - Been having issues w. a few leaves on my outdoor grow plants. Any idea on what's causing this? Guessing some sort of deficiency. But of what? I've been giving them GeoFlora Veg and now Bloom. Starting to worry about the discoloration - pruned off the problem leaves yesterday and there are a couple more today.

Also, thoughts on using really strong black tea as a spray for insects? I've been told it works well and that the caffeine is deadly to the bugs.

Any help / advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[hoobastank_enthusiast]

organic potting soil mixed w. coco coir

I never thought this was a good mix. For soil there's other supplemental media I'd look to first, perlite being one. Coco introduces a whole new section of considerations and problems that soil growers generally don't want to think about.

 

[Hawk518]

I never thought this was a good mix. For soil there's other supplemental media I'd look to first, perlite being one. Coco introduces a whole new section of considerations and problems that soil growers generally don't want to think about.

Totally agree. When I transplanted them into the 7 gallon grow pots, I switched to a mix of Fox Farm Ocean Forest soil and perlite.

Any insight into what's going on w. the leaves? Nitrogen deficiency? If so, any product to recommend? OR is it something else?
Also, black tea as an insect killer?

Thanks!!

 

[hoobastank_enthusiast]

Trimming off leaves like that is not a good idea, not only does it not solve the nutrient issues you're facing but you're robbing the plant of what is still a partially photosynthetic leaf. As you said other leaves started to show the same problem so keep doing that and eventually you'll have no leaves left.

Beyond that there are an infinite number of question marks...
How much are you feeding? In what concentrations and how often?
Is that 2-part actually a complete spectrum of nutrients? Because I personally don't see a lot of 2-parts that are. Most are designed with the assumption that you're introducing a micronutrient supplement at some point.
What does your wet/dry cycle look like at this point?
How much coco coir is actually still in the media? Because my guess is there's a ton of salts stuck in there from never being flushed properly too.

 

[dreamnfox]

That is very normal outside. Might want to up you feed a bit. The plant is pulling nutrients from lower leaves to feed the new growth. What size are those pots. Outdoor i like a min of 15 gallon, but i prefer 25 gallon pots

 

[Derbudd420]

Totally agree. When I transplanted them into the 7 gallon grow pots, I switched to a mix of Fox Farm Ocean Forest soil and perlite.

Any insight into what's going on w. the leaves? Nitrogen deficiency? If so, any product to recommend? OR is it something else?
Also, black tea as an insect killer?

Thanks!!

I wouldn't spray anything on your buds . Just my opinion

 

[Hawk518]

Trimming off leaves like that is not a good idea, not only does it not solve the nutrient issues you're facing but you're robbing the plant of what is still a partially photosynthetic leaf. As you said other leaves started to show the same problem so keep doing that and eventually you'll have no leaves left.

Thanks @hoobastank_enthusiast !! When I clipped them yesterday, I thought that might end the problem for a while. WRONG! Very surprised that leaves that were fine yesterday are having the same issues today.

Beyond that there are an infinite number of question marks...
How much are you feeding? In what concentrations and how often?
Is that 2-part actually a complete spectrum of nutrients? Because I personally don't see a lot of 2-parts that are. Most are designed with the assumption that you're introducing a micronutrient supplement at some point.
What does your wet/dry cycle look like at this point?
How much coco coir is actually still in the media? Because my guess is there's a ton of salts stuck in there from never being flushed properly too.

I've been feeding the GeoFlora Bloom every two weeks. 2/3 of a cup (recommended amount).
No idea if this is a complete spectrum of nutes. How to find out?
Wet/Dry cycle - It's been pretty hot the last couple weeks, so use a water meter to determine if wet or dry. Watering every 3-4 days.
Zero coco coir in these pots. Totally got rid of it when transplanted them.

 

[Hawk518]

That is very normal outside. Might want to up you feed a bit. The plant is pulling nutrients from lower leaves to feed the new growth. What size are those pots. Outdoor i like a min of 15 gallon, but i prefer 25 gallon pots

Next grow I'll use much bigger pots. For right now, my outdoor plants are only in 7 gallon pots.
I've been giving it GeoFlora Bloom the last couple weeks. Should I give it some of the GeoFlora Veg as well? More nitrogen in it.
Want to give it something quickly to try to reverse the leaf issues.
Thanks @dreamnfox !!

 

[Hawk518]

I wouldn't spray anything on your buds . Just my opinion

Thanks @Derbudd420 ! IF the plant was in Veg, would you ever consider using strong black tea as an insect spray?