Update, week 8, day 50
We're finally approaching harvest, as this is my last week before the chop! I'm eagerly awaiting harvest, and the results of this experiment. So far it really does look like the pruned side is gonna win and take the cake home.
I took a picture and counted all the top nodes, control group has 54 main shoots, whilst the pruned side has a total of 72 top nodes, that's a whopping total of 33% increase!! Not to mention that there's a lot healthier small shoots within the lower areas of the foliage :)
So far this experiment has proven, that pruning the fan leaves will result in the lower shoots to stretch out to the top and reach for the light. I would still not call the winner though, as the buds on the control group are quite a lot bigger.
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Resin production has been ramping up wildly in the past couple of days, I'm now flushing with cold water (5 degrees Celsius), I also added 150 watts of hyper blue LED's, and decreased temperatures by 5*C for both day and night in the hopes of increasing resin production. It seems to be working really well, and I have some candy pictures for you :)
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Right now Amber trichs are about 10-20% depending on the plant, and the weirdest thing is happening! I still have only 20% cloudy trichomes, whilst most of em' are clear. Seems like the plants are skipping straight to amber.... Weird!
Before the chop, I'm planning on keeping the girls in the dark for 48-72 hours and simulate a drought. Should force the plants to use whatever last bits of stored energy they have to give for a smooth smoke. I've also decided to give the girls a dry trim, as I was convinced by a couple of guys that it will give a superior smoke, even though I hear it's a pain in the ass and will give me a lot more work... I'm already cringing thinking about that... :D
Thanks for all the support I've got from you guys! This is a fantastic forum, and I'm so happy that I joined and decided to share this experience with you. I will surely be making much more side by sides in the future. It's nice to feel welcome and have a sense of belonging, especially when growing and cannabis use is not very welcome (or legal for that matter) in the country where I live...
Next full update will be the results and my final thoughts on this experiment.
Oh yeah, and here's a pic of the plants without all the scribbling. Hopefully
@MIMedGrower will not be too terrified of the yellowing caused by the 3 week flush... Remember to breathe man, it's all cool ;)