Big plants - how to? Need your thoughts!

[BCrocker]

Hello All,

I have been a lurker here for some months and have searched and read a ton of info. Need advice on growing big plants as they aren't working out so well.

Medi grow
49 plants PK
They are vegged for 8 weeks up to 5gal pots. Topped once in veg.

Put into flowering room, transplanted into 15gal pots, kicked after five days.

Flowering room is 20x1000's. Lots of room, co2, plenty of cooling. All lights are hung vertically. Good air flow.

Nutrients are 3 part GH, Massive, Procal, carbo

Plants are on a feed feed flush schedule. This schedule has done well to very well in other rooms.

The bad part is we only ended up with 16lbs from 20x1000

Both have been growing for some years but this is first time trying large plants.

When we harvested the plants don't have impressive roots in the 15gals.

The problems that I can see now.

8 week veg in 5 gallon pots. Too small of pots. This is because of a lack of room. The veg room is only 9x15.

Also, how to pinch to shape big wide plants?

What are your thoughts guys?

 

[motherlode]

Im thinking 5 days was not enough in that flower room for them to get used to the light let alone give you the root mass your looking for

I have never done tree grows but one factor that I see in most of the successful ones is that they veg and flower in the same room - in other words they start out as small plants in big containers with a shit ton of light

Im sure some tree guys will comment - good luck next time mang

peace

 

[Confuten1]

Im thinking 5 days was not enough in that flower room for them to get used to the light let alone give you the root mass your looking for

I have never done tree grows but one factor that I see in most of the successful ones is that they veg and flower in the same room - in other words they start out as small plants in big containers with a shit ton of light

Im sure some tree guys will comment - good luck next time mang

peace

i def agree with ML bout 5 days not being enuff time. to go frm 5 gal to 15 gals, i would have gave them a couple weeks and at the same time the get used to the bigboy room. i go frm veg to flower room with trees because i have to. i also think you should top and train more than once, you want as many budsites as possible. what strain were u growing, were u running vert bulbs?

Confu...

 

[Confuten1]

some pixs would really help, and also what growing medium were u in?

Confu...

jus saw u run vert blubs, what were u centers(how far apart were lights), and how big were plants at flip?

 

[ProdigyGrower]

I deff agree with them 5 days isn't enough also if you want big plants topping one time isn't enough I top my plants multiple multiple times prolly 20 times minimum but with an 8 week vegg that should be achieved easy the thing to remember is to stop topping your plants a week or 2 b4 u flip them in to flower if u DNT it will not produce big colas that's just my advise ur good with the 15g pots but maybe try transplanting them sooner into the 15 gals and I'd give them 10 days to 2 weeks to stretch there leg and hit them hard with bennies after each transplant and make sure to feed those bennies with the use of bud candy or liquid carboload I use both and have amazing a root mass I would also grow in pure coco the growth rates smash on soil coco just out performs soil imop and it aslo kills in developing a big root mass you need a big root mass to grow big plants so make sure to spend the moNey and time in getting your root mass as big as you can b4 u flip to 12/12 hop his helps any way stay up peace
P.G.

 

[BCrocker]

Thanks for the replies! Awesome.

Im thinking 5 days was not enough in that flower room for them to get used to the light let alone give you the root mass your looking for

I have never done tree grows but one factor that I see in most of the successful ones is that they veg and flower in the same room - in other words they start out as small plants in big containers with a shit ton of light

Im sure some tree guys will comment - good luck next time mang

peace

Yes, I agree with this. Will have to leave them in flowering room longer. Or transplant into 15gals sooner, into flowering room.

i def agree with ML bout 5 days not being enuff time. to go frm 5 gal to 15 gals, i would have gave them a couple weeks and at the same time the get used to the bigboy room. i go frm veg to flower room with trees because i have to. i also think you should top and train more than once, you want as many budsites as possible. what strain were u growing, were u running vert bulbs?

Confu...

Thanks for the reply. I agree with the 5 days not enough from 5 to 15's. Will have to change the system up. Verticle bulbs, and PK strain.

some pixs would really help, and also what growing medium were u in?

Confu...

jus saw u run vert blubs, what were u centers(how far apart were lights), and how big were plants at flip?

Will have pics up soon! Lights are about 3 to 4 feet apart. Growing media is soil, Pro-Mix HP.

I deff agree with them 5 days isn't enough also if you want big plants topping one time isn't enough I top my plants multiple multiple times prolly 20 times minimum but with an 8 week vegg that should be achieved easy the thing to remember is to stop topping your plants a week or 2 b4 u flip them in to flower if u DNT it will not produce big colas that's just my advise ur good with the 15g pots but maybe try transplanting them sooner into the 15 gals and I'd give them 10 days to 2 weeks to stretch there leg and hit them hard with bennies after each transplant and make sure to feed those bennies with the use of bud candy or liquid carboload I use both and have amazing a root mass I would also grow in pure coco the growth rates smash on soil coco just out performs soil imop and it aslo kills in developing a big root mass you need a big root mass to grow big plants so make sure to spend the moNey and time in getting your root mass as big as you can b4 u flip to 12/12 hop his helps any way stay up peace
P.G.

Thanks for the info. I need clarification on topping these plants. Are you just cutting from the main or from each arm?

We have two flowering rooms and one veg room. The veg room is about 9x15 with 8x 600w bulbs. We were planning on harvesting every 4 weeks.

Although, the max size we have gone in the veg room is to 5gallons, with only one or two tops in 8 weeks. There are two stages of plants in the veg room at all times.

I agree with the need to get more roots, they were brutal when they came out of these pots!

How tall do you guys reckon these plants should be before I put in 12/12?

The first round they were about 6.5 to 7 feet. Although small buds, and soft. Next one the arms were pretty thick, buds were way thicker but they never hardened up. The plants only ended up being about 5 feet from the floor (including pot) and not very wide, maybe 2.5 to 3 feet wide.

I will get some pics up of the ones that are currently rolling.

 

[delae632]

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[motherlode]

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[ProdigyGrower]

I top each seem and then I top each top of top I start when they are seedlings or as soon sat the clone roots and what ever u seen two branches and the middle comung out u pop the middle and every time u do that 2 come out and then u do that to each one if the 2 so the the first time u top the 2 come out and as soon as u can pop the middle of of the 2 new branches then u get 4 and then 8 and so on I try to jam as many branches as I can to create multiple bud positions I try to have a minimum of 20 to 30 tops on each plant and there usally 4 to 5 ft tall and wide by the time I'm ready to flip and I Lolly pop them reallY good and I continue to cut any feeder branches that I see through the 6th week I want all the energy going to my tops not supplying small bullshit feeders hope this helps bro

 

[organicfreak]

dd's system,but vegged longer and double stack the lights

imho

o

 

[BCrocker]

I top each seem and then I top each top of top I start when they are seedlings or as soon sat the clone roots and what ever u seen two branches and the middle comung out u pop the middle and every time u do that 2 come out and then u do that to each one if the 2 so the the first time u top the 2 come out and as soon as u can pop the middle of of the 2 new branches then u get 4 and then 8 and so on I try to jam as many branches as I can to create multiple bud positions I try to have a minimum of 20 to 30 tops on each plant and there usally 4 to 5 ft tall and wide by the time I'm ready to flip and I Lolly pop them reallY good and I continue to cut any feeder branches that I see through the 6th week I want all the energy going to my tops not supplying small bullshit feeders hope this helps bro

Thanks! Will try this on the plants vegging now.

dd's system,but vegged longer and double stack the lights

imho

o

I would love to set up the buckets for dwc. Only thing standing in the way is the bills that don't stop! Double stack the lights, meaning one above the other? One hitting the middles, and one hitting the tops? Or one horizontal over the tops and one verticle for the middles? I have enough cooling in the bigger room for 20x1000

 

[delae632]

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[budfriend]

You gotta veg about 2 weeks or untill they go so high. I get them about 28in then flip for the strains i run. You gotta figure out the strain. Takes some runs but then you have peace of mind

good luck

 

[catdawg]

Wide Pots

I'd suggest using as wide a pot as possible, following the dripline idea post by DDs awhile back. And use the big pots the whole time, if you wait 'til the roots are all wound up and transfer'em there's gonna be stress and recovery time. Make the soil REALLY airy, use lots of perlite or something, let's the roots grow fast and make sure the drainage is good.

Each time you top'em, they need to recover, so I think that may extend the growing time. According to dripline theory, the plants should grow wide as long as the roots can grow wide, that's why I say wide pots, from the start. You might be able to avoid topping.

I currently have some trees growing in 28 gallon buckets, there about 4 1/2 - 5 feet tall and ~ 3ft diameter, no topping. And I've got'em tied to the wall, so they would be wider...And, vertical light, and there's no way I can get stacked lights, I had to add horizontal above and between them instead!

 

[Dr. Detroit]

For height the industrial hemp guys always planted in close rows. This forces the plants to compete for light by growing ever taller, while simultaneously supporting each other with their close-knit roots. Thirty feet of growth in a season was not uncommon at one time. Even now in Manitoba they plant this way:


Genetics of course play an integral role in overall size. Those strains descended from industrial hemp strains (Jamaican, etc.) will get incredibly large if you let them. Here's a photo of two landrace types:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ncnu02/images/hemp04.jpg

 

[Axias]

Trees i've seen use those giant coco pots (like 4 fit on a pickup), filled up with a super yummy organic mix, dropped into a pre-dug hole and drip staked. usually 2-8 weeks grown indoors, continues to grow outdoors into mega trees. Strain selection is key.

 

[motherlode]

Trees i've seen use those giant coco pots (like 4 fit on a pickup), filled up with a super yummy organic mix, dropped into a pre-dug hole and drip staked. usually 2-8 weeks grown indoors, continues to grow outdoors into mega trees. Strain selection is key.

you do know your breaking the rules by posting links to your website in your sig right?

 

[BCrocker]

Thanks for the replies and info guys. I think I might have to re-do these rooms to be mostly horizontal lights and grow smaller plants. That is, if I stay with the pk strain. Was going to try masterkush, but apparently it doesn't do well as trees either. See my other thread for what the pk's look like after 4 weeks veg in 5 gals.

 

[SLO Grown]

Hmmm.....pictures

 

[BCrocker]

Some pics... Middle of Week6. PK. Looks awfully small again. :s