Seeking advice from the experts

CitrisDiesel

I've only been at this a year so I'm still making new mistakes. If anyone can provide any information it would be much appreciated. I've learned a lot and done respectable from the begining, but theres so much to learn and so far I've done it the hard way.

With my last crop, I accidentally flowered too early experimenting with trying to keep the plants smaller. A bunch got really stunted and a tiny bit hermi and others were okay but didn't get as big as normal and a couple others got regular size. Well, I'm not going to try that again, I'm going to go back to vegging like normal and try to prune better. What brought me to this site is the fact that I also cloned later into the flowering stage than I normally do, about four weeks in. After cloning/vegging under 100w of fluorescents for four weeks, I have decent root growth but no new vegatative growth. Normally four weeks after cloning I would see new veg growth. Will the eventually start to grow? Do you have to prune the already flowering clone in any way, like clipping the flower at the top? I don't want to stunt these again too if I haven't allowed them to veg long enough, or if they are unlikely to go back into a veg cycle. I usually see vegatative growth for three weeks into the flowering stage, so I may begin flowering them in a week or so. They go under a 1000w HID to flower. Any advice or info you have for me would be so much help. Obviously, this is one mistake I hope not to repeat, but in the mean time I'd like to understand what is going to happen this time.

DrGreen

Not sure what the question is? I would use more watts on the veg cycle but then you do not seem to have problems...I have never been able to take clones in the the flower stages, at least not after a couple of weeks.

If would really help if you gave the strain name and type of system you aqre using, I assume its indoors......

Its nice to see you learn as such an early age....go for it!

dez

they're going slow because they were in flower and are now being forced to revert back to veg stage. once new growth finally begins you should see single leaves, then 3 leaf patterns before getting back to the 5-7 + leaf patterns...
and hopefully you won't be taking cuttings off of flowering plants ever again...unless it's your only resort to save something special...but you probably know that now, eh...? lol

good luck...

CitrisDiesel

Hey, thanks for the responses. Definately a big help. I woulda joined sooner if I new this was out here a year ago. So this explains a little more and has a couple more questions if anyone has any anwsers for me.

I've found in the last year that this is quite a bit more difficult than most stoners would think. I've got a 6' x 10' room at my disposal. I'm using a 4x4 flood and drain tray with a 25 gal resevoir. I've gone out and done it right: 1000w HID, air cooled reflector, 6' vortex inline fan, dehumidifier, 50 lb carbon filter, fans, black/white plastic, standing air conditioner for the summer, oil filled heater in the winter, three air pumps and a titanium heater in the resevoir. I flood drain about every 2 to 2 1/2 hours, maintain 85 degrees pretty consistently, 50 percent humidity, 5.8-6.2 on the pH, and so forth. I'm using the pop-clay stuff in 6'' plastic buckets with mesh all around the bottom and sides, but I'm thinking of switching to rockwool or something. Any ideas on mediums to grow in, whats best? I've selected the best strains from the seeds I've had and have propagated. I've got the growing part down mostly through the last year, making mistakes and learning everything I can. I've set up a cloning chamber inside a rubermaid kinda plastic tub. 100w of flourescents, but I could add more and have been considering it. I thought that 20w of flourescents was like 75w of power, or at least thats what the box said, so I was figuring that it was worth more like 350w. Does that make any sense? I'm using flood and drain in here too with a 5 gal resevoir and a small fan with a 4'' intake and exhaust. This is where I veg too, and I flower when there about 6-8'' tall and move them to the flower room, then take clones again a week to two weeks later. I think this is easier than keeping a mother in veg all the time.

My roots in the flowering get massive, but they can also take on a tan or brown, sometimes a piece will look green with alge or something, and the pop-clay will get a white kinda crsytal or almost fungus looking stuff sometimes. I'm looking to improve this maybe with a new growing medium or just fixing the problem if anyone has any ideas. How often you flood I think can make a big difference and I've experimented a little bit with shorter vs longer times between flood but haven't gotten it just right, and now I might try a different medium.

When all is said and done, its goin pretty well without a ton of constant care, as much as I can manage to stay away. I harvest every two months by using the cloning chamber, it use to be three months before I started that, and I get 1 - 1 1/4 pounds dry every two months. I'm trying to get that up to a solid two pounds or at least as close to that as I can get.

CitrisDiesel

Ok, forgot. Dez, is it necesary to wait for the 5-7 leaf pattern to emerge before flowering??? In the past I think I've done it even at the 3 leaf stage, but I can't be sure. I never realized before the difference it made if you flower too early. I do now! They grow for a good three weeks into flowering, so thats why I've tried to veg them earlier. I also realize now that they will flower quicker if I turn the lite off for 36 hrs before I flower instead of just going right to 12/12. Everythings just started to come together, lol.

dez

no, you don't have to wait...once the plant gets out of the flowering and is back on full veg it'll grow normally except for the leaf pattern which doesn't affect the growth. you can also take cuttings that won't be flowering once it has reverted back...

good luck...!

PigSnout

Some people use a short veg cycle when growing from seeds in order to see which plants are female so you can clone from those.

You can take clones from flower. Use a 20/4 light cycle for 2 weeks to lessen the chances for a hermie. I have done this twice successfully, albit with a very hardy strain, Satori from Mandala. First time was 7 weeks into flower, the second time was 4 weeks into flower. Three plants each time with no problems. I am trying it on KC Brains Mango that was 4 weeks into flower and so far so good.

Once you learn about the particular strain you are growing and clone from the same plant you can get the growth exactly where you want it. One more week of veg may have gotten you to the size you wanted. As far as a short veg cycle getting you hermies, I have no idea if that caused the hermie problem but will GUESS the short cycle was not the problem.

H2O2 in the nute mix will help with the algae problem. I use 2 teaspoon per 5 gallons. I do not use organic but believe the H2O2 is not to be used with organic nutes.

btw I'm not an expert but I did stay at a Holiday Inn.

latewood

nice post pigsnout.

I am curious about your 20/4 photoperiod. All the experience and research I have teaches me to never use more than 16-18 hours of light. Short photoperiods are used because, Shorter photoperiods create a higher % of females. Longer photoperiods stress the plant and raise more males. This would be also true of hermie's. whether genetically disposed to be a hermie, or plant was stressed to the point of hermie. longer photoperiods such as 20/4 stress the plant.


Just trying to clarify this. just my $.03. Peace

PigSnout

my mistake 2 days not 2 weeks. I don't know the specifics but the person who mentioned this to me also related this to his revegging a non clone in some way. You might be able to equate this somehow with your knowledge but as I wasn't revegging I didn't pay attention to the specifics he mentioned about revegging.

PigSnout

btw -On my 2nd Hempy method grow, I took your advice and used 16/8 on the lights in veg as well as lowering the ph. I got more females. I use 18/6 on the clones now except the first 2 days

CitrisDiesel

Thanks Pigsnout. I've only experimented with short veg cycles to keep the plants shorter since the sativas get so big and I have a limited cieling. I've tried topping them and it doesn't keep them much shorter, so that's why I'm partial to the indicas. I'm using a mix of indicas and sativas because I've selected the best one of each from the random seeds I've gotten and saved from some different pretty decent bud. I'm in the process of trying to get something better, but I did just get a CitrisDiesel seed, that turned out to be female so I'm hoping that works out well; though it seems like a slow growing sativa.

What concentration of H2O2 do you use??? I'll try the two table spoons in my cloning/veging resevoir cause it is five gallons, just want to make sure I get the right dose. I've even heard of this, but was uncertain to try it. I will now though. Thanks

PigSnout

hydrogen peroxide 3 percent
teaspoons btw

iamcannaclubmember

Nice info...everyone...nice too see u around agian late...

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Veggii

I do believe that when revegging a plant after flower or taking a clone cutting during flower (has to revert back to veg mode for roots) you also need to pick off any left over flowers,then you'll get the new shoots
I think i'm no expert l8trs

HighSeeker

Usually you would take clones in the 2nd or 3 week of flower. The reason for this is that the plant has now shown sex so you know its a female. There are no buds yet, just a few female hairs. You do not need to trim anything off the top. It will do what it needs to do naturally.

Peace

HS

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