Grow#3 - Black Jack by BigBlonde

[BigBlonde]

Today is flip-to-flower day for these ladies. One week ago, they were top dressed with 3 tbsp per gallon of Gaia Green AP and PB mixed in a 1:1 ratio, per @Shaded_One's method. It's day 137 of vegetation, but who's counting? I gave up on worrying about the number of days after they started so slowly. I'll be glad when I can start another grow in the tent, though. Hopefully, the next grow will begin better than this one did. They're looking healthy now, though. I've decided I like this organic method of growing. It's not fool proof, but does seem to be fool tolerant, which is why it works for me.

 

[Itscheese94]

Love organic nice Plants

 

[BigBlonde]

Love organic nice Plants

Thanks! Organic growing works well for me and my lifestyle. The weed is great, too. These began poorly but are finishing well. As with sports, it's how we finish that matters most.

 

[BigBlonde]

It has been eight days since the flip to 12/12. I decided to let them grow without doing much in the way of pruning or defoliating. Only the right plant was topped. I let the left one grow naturally because it was weird from the beginning. They've both done some stretching, but not much. The highest top on the right one is 5 inches from the light. The left one has plenty of room to grow. I hope to see the beginning of bud formation in a week or so.

 

[BigBlonde]

17 days since the flip. They're done stretching and flowering has begun. I expect to harvest in mid to late July.

 

[Oldchucky]

Looks good! Are you gonna do anything with the tall ones? Or just let them ride?

 

[BigBlonde]

Looks good! Are you gonna do anything with the tall ones? Or just let them ride?

IDK... I've been thinking about super cropping them. They seem to have stopped stretching, though, and are tolerating the light okay. So, maybe I don't need to do anything with them. I've never super cropped, so I'm wary of trying it for the first time if I don't need to do it. Then again, the plant is healthy enough to try it. What do you think?

These two plants are from the same batch of seeds, and yet they're so different. They've been different since they sprouted.

 

[Harpua88]

I was wondering where this grow/thread went. Very good. Wicked name for a strain.

17 days. 90 to go.....I'm just kidding. ;)

Yeah those tall ones really stretched. All the same variety? I would tie them down, you're already 2+ weeks into flowering, and there's not a lot of window left for new growth to fill in. If you tie them down/horizontal, you'll be able to train some branches and make the canopy more even.

 

[Oldchucky]

I was just curious. I only grow outdoors. Just thought the buds might react differently being so close to the light. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Maybe some indoor opinions will show up.

 

[BigBlonde]

I was wondering where this grow/thread went. Very good. Wicked name for a strain.

There wasn't much to say about it for a while.

17 days. 90 to go.....I'm just kidding. ;)

I'm guessing these will take about eight weeks. So, I'm hoping to harvest them in late July.

Yeah those tall ones really stretched. All the same variety? I would tie them down, you're already 2+ weeks into flowering, and there's not a lot of window left for new growth to fill in. If you tie them down/horizontal, you'll be able to train some branches and make the canopy more even.

Yep! They're from the same batch of seeds left over from last summer's grow. I sprouted three, but one didn't make it. The tall one is 48 inches from the soil to the top. The short one is 24 inches.

@GNick55 recommended tying them down, too. I'm not sure how to do that. They seem to be done stretching. The tallest stem is moving away from the light on its own. So, maybe I could tie it off to the side in the direction it's already headed.

 

[BigBlonde]

I was just curious. I only grow outdoors. Just thought the buds might react differently being so close to the light. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Maybe some indoor opinions will show up.

We're good. I appreciate your interest.

I don't see any problems with it--yet. I don't run my lights at high intensity. I'm sure if I were to boost up the light, there could be some burn. For the most part, though, the plants seem happy as they are.

 

[Harpua88]

There wasn't much to say about it for a while.


I'm guessing these will take about eight weeks. So, I'm hoping to harvest them in late July.


Yep! They're from the same batch of seeds left over from last summer's grow. I sprouted three, but one didn't make it. The tall one is 48 inches from the soil to the top. The short one is 24 inches.

@GNick55 recommended tying them down, too. I'm not sure how to do that. They seem to be done stretching. The tallest stem is moving away from the light on its own. So, maybe I could tie it off to the side in the direction it's already headed.

Tying down is pretty easy......you gotta be a little gentle, you're essentially taking a string, corraling the top of the plant and pulling/bending it down so that the main stem, or most of it, half of it, is now horizontal. Different varieties are stiffer or more malleable.......obviously don't be rough and snap it, but all you need to do is tie it down, if you have any holes in the top of the pots, or handles, you can tie it through them and the string will hold the stem horizontal. You'll find the right upper node, and be careful of the delicate new branch growth, use a soft yarn not string that could cut. You're just grabbing, bending down, tie it.

It evens out the canopy, brings more branches into light, can help you decide if maybe you'd like to cut a leaf......

But most important, it trains more branches to fill in space and grow upward.

 

[Oldchucky]

And you don’t have to bend it all at once. You can take it down a little more each day. I do it outdoors.

 

[Harpua88]

I'm psyched about your grow. Our setups are similar, soil.....you're about 2 weeks ahead of me, so I'll be looking ahead and following behind you.... :)

And let's see if we can get a handle on why your plants were so small for way too long. Maybe it's the genetics, so next time maybe go for a photoperiod F1 hybrid and let's get that growth rate much faster.

And talk about slow......I started before you did!

My plants are so old, they played Dick Van Dyke's Dad in a movie.......

 

[BillyBanchan]

A strange and interesting journey!

 

[BigBlonde]

It is watering day for the smaller plant. So, while all of you were writing helpful posts, I was tying down the stems. I didn't see your posts till after I finished. Here are some pictures so you can see what I did. I think I mostly did what you recommended.

I used cotton string with a Bowline loop in the end to connect to pipe cleaners to make the bend. I tied the strings to opposite corners of the tent to open the middle of the plant and balance it. This, I figured, would be easy to adjust, because as was said, it might be better not to do all the bending all at once.

I also noticed that the taller stems are starting to show signs of light stress. This should help. The stem on the right didn't want to bend, so I only fastened it at one point. I'll let it adjust and add another pipe cleaner in a day or two. (I didn't change the light.)

I used velcro to fasten the cotton string to the tent pole. The figure-eight knot is secure. It seems I'm using Velcro and zip ties more often lately.

 

[BigBlonde]

And let's see if we can get a handle on why your plants were so small for way too long. Maybe it's the genetics, so next time maybe go for a photoperiod F1 hybrid and let's get that growth rate much faster.

My thinking is the initial soil was the problem. It probably didn't promote root growth. This Black Jack grow and the one after it, Amnesia Haze, were terribly slow until I was able to coax better rooting. I used different starter soils, but I believe both were lousy.

The Amnesia Haze was growing so slowly that they were basically miniature plants. After several weeks of nurturing them, I decided there was nothing to lose and removed them from their pots. It was clear then that I chose bad soil from the shelf at Lowe's. Even though I had been watering carefully, the soil below the plant was dry and hard. It wasn't absorbing water. So, I pulled as much of it away from the roots and planted them in my soil mix. The plants quickly found the new soil and grew well, till they developed a calcium deficiency.

Now, I have them in the best soil I've mixed so far and am supplementing with Epsom Salts, Gypsum and Azomite. They look healthy now. I ordered Great White root stimulant and inoculant and will use it the next time they're watered. After a week or two, I'll flip them. For a while, I'll have two tents in flower mode at the same time.