Colorado High - Soilless - LED/CFL - Dutch Dope - 2014

[k0ncept]

They are looking great!! in for the long haul

 

[David Bowman]

Day 48 since the start of germination and the kids are progressing well, much better than earlier when they appeared to be stalled. They all look to be healthy with no apparent deficiencies or nutrient burns, a first for me! The tallest is 8" in height and the other two are around 5" in height. Starting at the first true (3-bladed) fan leaf node, all of the kids have at least 8 nodes, with the tallest working on its 10th node. Their tops are between 12" and 15" away from the LEDs, right in the target zone for these 3-watt diodes. The environment has cooled a little, now ranging between 65° and 80° with an RH around 60% with brief dips below 50% during lights on and/or when the exhaust fan is running, which has become quite infrequent now that the ambient temperatures are dropping as we head further into autumn.

Group shot of the kids on day 48 since the start of germination -

Profile shot of the kids on day 48 since the start of germination -

Single shot of the B/L kid on day 48 since the start of germination -

Single shot of the B/R kid on day 48 since the start of germination -

Single shot of the F/C kid on day 48 since the start of germination -

They are still being fed the same standard nutrient solution containing Growology Step 2, SNS 604A and Molasses (all at 1 Tbsp/gallon) and Cal-Mag Plus at ~1 tsp/gallon. I'm curious to see if these kids will start showing gender within the next couple of weeks, as has been the case in my previous grows, or if the stalling has lengthened their vegetation stage. My next update should be right before the Thanksgiving holiday with another one shortly afterwards with close attention being paid to any signs of impending maturity.

 

[k0ncept]

I also have Growology, I will def be doing the same on my next watering, I was wondering if it was too early to give them some, but it appears not Those girls look SEXY! like they are dressed for a date! Very Pretty! I cant wait to see them grow up a little more and mine to catch up.. Maybe they will all go out together hehe..

 

[David Bowman]

Thanks k0ncept!

 

[Colesdad]

Colesdad all up in this journal!

 

[David Bowman]

Welcome Colesdad!

 

[David Bowman]

Day 57 since the start of germination and all is well with the kids. While they've grown another 1" or 2", they are still within 10" to 15" inches of the LEDs and are starting to fill out nicely. They are becoming quite dense little bushes as the side shoots continue to develop. The environment has remained stable with temperatures between 60° and 80° throughout the day and with the RH typically hovering around 60% the vast majority of the day. There are no signs of sexual maturity yet so it may be a little while before they show their gender.

Group shot of the kids on day 57 since the start of germination -

Profile shot of the kids on day 57 since the start of germination -

Single shot of the B/L kid on day 57 since the start of germination -

Single shot of the B/R kid on day 57 since the start of germination -

Single shot of the F/C kid on day 57 since the start of germination -

The kids are demanding more frequent feedings as they were quite droopy last night prior to giving them a total of one-half gallon of the standard nutrient solution. They were last fed 5 days prior to last night so it looks like they are ready for twice a week feedings now. I hope everyone has a good holiday weekend and I'll see you all on the flip side with another update, hopefully one with more information on the kids' genders.

 

[closetorganic]

Looking great Colorado High. They could be some respectful ladies holding on not giving up sex this early.

 

[b.real]

looking good! great job my dude. did you mention when you'll switch to 12/12?

 

[PeytonManning]

Girls look good and green. They're gonna bush up awesome when you flip

 

[David Bowman]

Looking great Colorado High. They could be some respectful ladies holding on not giving up sex this early.

Thanks closetorganic! I sure hope you're right and they're not just shy dudes not giving up gender this early! ::

looking good! great job my dude. did you mention when you'll switch to 12/12?

Thanks b.real! I will switch to 12/12 at the first female pre-flower, which typically forms on the second from top node. Typically that occurs around the 8th or 9th week of vegging under GLR. Although it might be a little longer this grow due to the slow start these kids experienced. They are already starting to emit that familiar aroma I so enjoy so it shouldn't be too long now.

Girls look good and green. They're gonna bush up awesome when you flip

Thanks Peyton! I'm looking forward to the stretch phase as well. The stems/stalks on these kids are much larger in girth, as well as stonger, compared to my last grow, so it would appear that the root structure is forming well and should support healthy growth during early flowering. Something that was an issue last time due to a fungus gnat infestation.

 

[b.real]

8th or 9th week? that's a long time. can you get preflowers quicker on a 18/6 or 16/8 schedule?

 

[David Bowman]

I've only ever used the GLR light schedule during the vegging of all of my grows, to save energy mostly. I let the kids grow at their own pace and let them tell me when to switch to flowering. I've yet to force a single plant to flower and I've found that GLR is the fastest and most economical way to veg until the plants naturally reach sexual maturity. You will get better growth under 18/6 or 16/8 but the plants won't start to show gender until sometime after the flip to 12/12. There is no 2-3 week wait for pre-flowers to really show when switching from GLR to 12/12, more like a few days to a week at most. In addition, the switch from GLR to 12/12 results is less stretching than occurs when switching from other veg light schedules to 12/12.

 

[b.real]

that's understandable. I don't even know how the GLR schedule works so I can't say whether I like it or not, but I know growers who get preflowers quicker running 18/6. I followed one journal where the guy would consistently see preflowers around the same time every run at 18/6 so I wrote down how many weeks it took, but I forget where I wrote it. I think it was like 4-6 weeks. personally I would run 16/8 for best growth and savings in energy. how does the GLR schedule work?

 

[David Bowman]

12 hours lights on, 5.5 hours lights off, 1 hour lights on, 5.5 hours lights off. An energy savings of ~19% from 16/8 and ~28% from 18/6. The 12 hours on builds up flowering hormones, like 12/12 from seed. The 1 hour interruption of night breaks down some of those hormones, slowing the plants progression towards flowering and enabling it to veg longer and grow bigger than if it was simply at 12/12.

 

[Colesdad]

Okay, I think I understand the glr technique. I have a single seed that hopefully breaks ground soon.

It is my understanding that using glr I "should" see sex around 8-9 weeks, correct? I asked b.real in his journal how long it takes to see sex in 12 12 from seed. Once I see sex with glr, can I continue glr until I'm ready to flip to flower, or is it best to flip once I see sex?

I'm getting a tent middle December, but I don't want to waste my time with veg if my plant is male.

 

[David Bowman]

Yes, Colesdad, that has been my experience using GLR, the kids naturally enter flowering on their own and the timing for me, with indica-dominant strains, has been around 8-9 weeks. Yes, you can continue with GLR until you are ready to switch to flower. The progression into flower will be slower under GLR as the 1 hour of light interruption during the night will breakdown down some, but not all, of the flowering hormones. Once you switch to 12/12, you should see an explosion of pre-flowers as the plant surges into flowering already stocked with flowering hormones.

FWIW, 12/12 is the fastest way to go from seed to flower, faster than GLR. GLR is the next fastest and allows the plant to stay in veg a little longer which helps with maximizing the plant's growth during veg while still letting it prepare itself for flowering. Any other light schedule, 24/0, 18/6, 16/8, etc. will allow for maximum and sustained vegetation until the switch to flower. However, since there have been no buildup of flowering hormones under these light schedules, it takes longer for the plant to fully switch to flowering and allows for more stretching and growth until flowering truly starts. There is no best way to veg your plants, it all depends on what you want to get from your plants. I like to get my kids to sexual maturity as fast as possible with maximum plant growth using the least amount of energy.

 

[David Bowman]

Day 61 since the start of germination and it appears that the kids are getting ready to express themselves. The tallest kid, the B/L kid, has a tiny asexual nub starting to form. I tried to take a photo of it but it is too small and the camera isn't made for extreme close-ups. Given the initial shape and the fact that in my experience females express themselves before males, I'm pretty sure I'm looking at a female. The other two kids have no such nubs at this point in time. Once I'm sure that it is a calyx, I will make the switch to 12/12 which should speed up the flip for the other kids and get everyone on board for flowering.

 

[Colesdad]

Um, excuse me. An update with no pictures. Not fair!

 

[David Bowman]

LOL! I tried Colesdad, but it is a very tiny nub. I'm getting better at finding them as I get more grows under my belt. I will post a photo as soon as I can get a recognizable image rather than a teenie tiny blob in the middle of the picture.