Hey Y’all! 😎

[CannaGranny]

ty as well and stay strong, we got this
I think more likely that sometimes we can't really tell how much they are changing because we look so often that it is very gradual. I think we will really start to notice the frost coming on and continued bud site swelling. I could be wrong but I have heard that late in flower, if your daytime and nightime temps differ a good 10ish degrees or more, that they like it and if you have genetics that are colorful it can help make them be more pronounced. Also like @CannaGranny says if we can drop RH and temps gradually but consistently, the plants trichomes act in defense and really increase

Yup, if ya like those really frosty nugs If it don’t feel like kinetic sand between my fingers then Im slacking.

 

[Shaded_One]

That

That’s exactly what I do. I bend and break branches

meanie

 

[CannaGranny]

meanie

You bet, but ya can’t help but love me.. Sweet lil ole Granny an all…

 

[J.dub]

Yeah, as these kind folks said, you should focus the training on what you want your plants to develop like, and fill your grow space. LST is used to "hold back" apical growth, sending plant hormones to ancillary branches, causing shorter, bushier plants with more of a main "header" for branches than the typical Christmas tree growth. This can also be accomplished with sprouted seed and kelp teas that contain cytokinins, which hormonally drives the plant for stout, bushy growth. Topping and FIM also do this, but are best for plants that you're trying to grow BIG, imo, due the recovery and veg time that it takes to really maximize the effects, at least from seed, anyway. I'm pretty much always a fan of schwazzing and supercropping.

For example, I have a specific footprint in my grow tent that I can fill, and I only grow photoperiod seeds, so assuming a 50/50 female ratio, I can train the plants based on how many females I have after culling the males. If I end up with more than expected, it will be taller plants that I will flower ASAP, and if I end up with less than expected, I'll train and veg a little more to fill out the space. The yield you strive for is based on the height and width of canopy and your lamp strength, rather than the number of plants.

You know, I once heard an old baseball saying, that a good manager never wins any games for the team; they just prevent as many losses as possible. I feel like this is a good way to look at growing cannabis plants once they start flowering. Getting too handsy or extra usually does more harm than good. Give the plants what they need, no more, no less, and keep a close eye and a distant hand.

 

[PerfecTrader]

Yeah, as these kind folks said, you should focus the training on what you want your plants to develop like, and fill your grow space. LST is used to "hold back" apical growth, sending plant hormones to ancillary branches, causing shorter, bushier plants with more of a main "header" for branches than the typical Christmas tree growth. This can also be accomplished with sprouted seed and kelp teas that contain cytokinins, which hormonally drives the plant for stout, bushy growth. Topping and FIM also do this, but are best for plants that you're trying to grow BIG, imo, due the recovery and veg time that it takes to really maximize the effects, at least from seed, anyway. I'm pretty much always a fan of schwazzing and supercropping.

For example, I have a specific footprint in my grow tent that I can fill, and I only grow photoperiod seeds, so assuming a 50/50 female ratio, I can train the plants based on how many females I have after culling the males. If I end up with more than expected, it will be taller plants that I will flower ASAP, and if I end up with less than expected, I'll train and veg a little more to fill out the space. The yield you strive for is based on the height and width of canopy and your lamp strength, rather than the number of plants.

You know, I once heard an old baseball saying, that a good manager never wins any games for the team; they just prevent as many losses as possible. I feel like this is a good way to look at growing cannabis plants once they start flowering. Getting too handsy or extra usually does more harm than good. Give the plants what they need, no more, no less, and keep a close eye and a distant hand.

That is ridiculously great advice. And now I must stalk you because I see that you for sure contain the knowledge to the current dilemma I have

 

[Kingamb]

Thanks everyone for all that Awesome Information!

 

[Kingamb]

Speaking of Christmas Trees!!!….. my girl is about 4.5 feet tall. It’s hard to tell from the pics but it’s huge! It was way bigger to before I defoliated to get some air and light through the foliage.
If I have another one of my clones get this big then I’m going to throw some ornaments and tinsel on it come time for the holidays and set it in my living room!

 

[J.dub]

Yeah, that opened it up nicely, looking real good. Now it's time to stack some medicine!

 

[Kingamb]

Yeah, that opened it up nicely, looking real good. Now it's time to stack some medicine!

Thank you! What type of meds are you referring to… ones for me? or my girl?…. Lol. I can’t wait to see what great meds she gives me!! I haven’t smoked in two months because I want to feel the full affect of my first grow. I’m so EXCITED!
The days just keep getting longer in this phase….lol

 

[RootsRuler]

Those look really good!

Oh so you only bend the branches to LST? Not the whole main stem?

Thank You! If you plan ahead this is not difficult.

When you top the main stem in early training it slows growth at the top where it was initially targeting, the apical dominance part!, and uses that energy to fuel the other sites. The reason I suggested topping a 1/2"or so above node is because the two branches below the cut you just made are going to develop very quickly so you want to get them to 90* as soon as you can before they get woody and inflexible. If you cut to close to the node the branch will split off the main stem if you aren't careful. You do this as gradually but as forecefully as you can. This is the first step in developing a table top canopy. The branches that develop will be the top branches of your plant. You want to get them as level as you can so that you can keep the canopy low and cut down on your veg time. Whatever level these branches reach will be your canopy line.

LSTing them back will also allow time for the lower branches to grow to the height of the main branches I mentioned. I'm lazy so I just use whatever I have laying around to do LSTing. This time I used a box of paper clips. If you really want to be anal when you are ready to change your light schedule to flip to flower if you're running a photoperiod seed you can adjust the height of each branch so that you have as many bud sites as level to the light source. This will keep as many of the bud sites getting the same amount of light energy and will all grow to relatively the same size.

Much of this applies more to a tent environment where you will be netting the canopy(Screen of Green Method) but is good practice and will yield good results with just one plant like you have out in the open.

From the pics it looks like your plant is of a sativa or sativa dominant strain. Indica strains are usually more bushy and broadleafed.

 

[Kingamb]

Thank You! If you plan ahead this is not difficult.

When you top the main stem in early training it slows growth at the top where it was initially targeting, the apical dominance part!, and uses that energy to fuel the other sites. The reason I suggested topping a 1/2"or so above node is because the two branches below the cut you just made are going to develop very quickly so you want to get them to 90* as soon as you can before they get woody and inflexible. If you cut to close to the node the branch will split off the main stem if you aren't careful. You do this as gradually but as forecefully as you can. This is the first step in developing a table top canopy. The branches that develop will be the top branches of your plant. You want to get them as level as you can so that you can keep the canopy low and cut down on your veg time. Whatever level these branches reach will be your canopy line.

LSTing them back will also allow time for the lower branches to grow to the height of the main branches I mentioned. I'm lazy so I just use whatever I have laying around to do LSTing. This time I used a box of paper clips. If you really want to be anal when you are ready to change your light schedule to flip to flower if you're running a photoperiod seed you can adjust the height of each branch so that you have as many bud sites as level to the light source. This will keep as many of the bud sites getting the same amount of light energy and will all grow to relatively the same size.

Much of this applies more to a tent environment where you will be netting the canopy(Screen of Green Method) but is good practice and will yield good results with just one plant like you have out in the open.

From the pics it looks like your plant is of a sativa or sativa dominant strain. Indica strains are usually more bushy and broadleafed.

Man thank you for breaking that all down for me!
I will definitely start putting that to practice with these clones.

I would like to do the scrog with them too!
For that reason I just ordered me a AC infinity setup…
@PerfecTrader was right! I’m spending way more then lunch money now on this hobby! It’s all suppose to come this weekend. So I’ll get it set up and move everything in there. I got a 4x8 tent. That way I could section it in half somehow. One side for veg and one side for flower.
Thanks again!

 

[RootsRuler]

Nice and Roomy! Great choice. I wish I had gone with ACI's entire set up. I like their product. Well made and intuitive. I have a 5 x 5 I'm running 2 girls in. I have ACI's T6 setup in it.

The pic I showed you was when they were pre sexed. 4 showed up as males!

Hopefully I caught them before they're pollen sacs opened.

12 days on 12/12.

 

[Kingamb]

Nice and Roomy! Great choice. I wish I had gone with ACI's entire set up. I like their product. Well made and intuitive. I have a 5 x 5 I'm running 2 girls in. I have ACI's T6 setup in it.

The pic I showed you was when they were pre sexed. 4 showed up as males!

Hopefully I caught them before they're pollen sacs opened.

12 days on 12/12.

View attachment 1282750

Yeah out of all the tents and stuff I looked at theirs looked the best and more sturdy. I also like how clean and sleek everything looked when put together. The reviews were better on them as well. I was going to try to make my own but I just do not have the time right now. I am however looking into making my own freeze dryer though before harvest. I like to try to figure out how to do that with perfection in the future. So I figured I buy the tent setup and devote my spare time to that process.
I’ve been reading a lot and I do not think it will be that difficult.
You two plants look AMAZING! They are perfect table tops

 

[RootsRuler]

Yeah out of all the tents and stuff I looked at theirs looked the best and more sturdy. I also like how clean and sleek everything looked when put together. The reviews were better on them as well. I was going to try to make my own but I just do not have the time right now. I am however looking into making my own freeze dryer though before harvest. I like to try to figure out how to do that with perfection in the future. So I figured I buy the tent setup and devote my spare time to that process.
I’ve been reading a lot and I do not think it will be that difficult.
You two plants look AMAZING! They are perfect table tops

Thank You! Training really doesn't take all that much effort. I think what hinders most people is not knowing if cutting your plants will be detrimental to them or not but once you've done it enough times you realize how resilient these plants are. What I like is once you've set them up correctly in veg you're pretty much hands off during flower other than checking for pests and disease.

Freeze dryer? To preserve your harvest?

 

[Kingamb]

Thank You! Training really doesn't take all that much effort. I think what hinders most people is not knowing if cutting your plants will be detrimental to them or not but once you've done it enough times you realize how resilient these plants are. What I like is once you've set them up correctly in veg you're pretty much hands off during flower other than checking for pests and disease.

Freeze dryer? To preserve your harvest?

Yeah so instead of drying your harvest you can freeze dry instead. That’s why at dispensaries bud looks so perfect and from what I read it preserves at the peak of freshness. Preserved cannabinoids, terpenes enhanced, and trichomes intact.. while in “live resin” state. Idk if that’s 100% correct until I try it but that’s how all the commercial growers do it for medical bud. I’m going to dry regularly and freeze dry to see the difference.
The machine I’m going to make freezes to sub zero temps then has a pump that pulls the water out in vapor form.
It will probably be a lot of trial and error but I’m up for the challenge

 

[RootsRuler]

Yeah so instead of drying your harvest you can freeze dry instead. That’s why at dispensaries bud looks so perfect and from what I read it preserves at the peak of freshness. Preserved cannabinoids, terpenes enhanced, and trichomes intact.. while in “live resin” state. Idk if that’s 100% correct until I try it but that’s how all the commercial growers do it for medical bud. I’m going to dry regularly and freeze dry to see the difference.
The machine I’m going to make freezes to sub zero temps then has a pump that pulls the water out in vapor form.
It will probably be a lot of trial and error but I’m up for the challenge

I've worked in various commercial grows and none of them employed freezers that I know of but then again it was being sold faster than we could grow it!!! LOL!

Curious to see what you come up with. Do you have experience in HVAC or freezer systems?

 

[Kingamb]

I've worked in various commercial grows and none of them employed freezers that I know of but then again it was being sold faster than we could grow it!!! LOL!

Curious to see what you come up with. Do you have experience in HVAC or freezer systems?

I do not but my husband does. I have a science background so we are going to put our heads together.
Scientifically it makes total sense. But, of course, that doesn’t mean that it will turn out that way when applied.…. I made freeze dried ice cream in college and it was pretty awesome!… My professor did all his foods and herbs…So we will see how it comes out. When I start, I plan to log the whole process on here for everyone to see.

 

[RootsRuler]

I do not but my husband does. I have a science background so we are going to put our heads together.
Scientifically it makes total sense. But, of course, that doesn’t mean that it will turn out that way when applied.…. I made freeze dried ice cream in college and it was pretty awesome!… My professor did all his foods and herbs…So we will see how it comes out. When I start, I plan to log the whole process on here for everyone to see.

Sweet! Looking forward to seeing the results!!!

 

[Kingamb]

Sweet! Looking forward to seeing the results!!!

I started following you. So I will keep you posted for sure! Have an AWESOME day Friend!

 

[RootsRuler]

BTW You're going to have a hard time dividing that 8 x 4 for the purposes you are thinking of. Flower needs almost complete darkness. You're going to have some pretty high powered lights in there. It's going to be difficult to seal out all the light from the bloom side at 12/12 if your veg side is still blazing at 18/6.

I would reserve the 4 x 8 for bloom only and purchase a 4 x 4 for veg only. You can start by vegging your first run in the 4 x 4 then move them into the 4 x 8. If you time it correctly you can clone and veg within 8 - 10 weeks which should be around the time your flowers are getting ready to be harvested. Rinse and repeat. This type of process will give you an almost continual supply of weed.