RangerDanger
New Member
For new outdoor growers.
The first indication of flowering is a dramatic increase in upward growth. A small plant will increase by a higher percentage than a plant that's already tall.
For instance, a 15" plant may grow to 36" in the first 3 weeks of flowering.
But a plant that is 6' tall may only add on 2 feet in height.
The reason plants have this great increase in height during flowering is because marijuana pollen is wind-borne. It doesn't rely on insects (bee's, etc.) to spread it's pollen. The taller a male plant is, the further his pollen will spread, and the taller a female is the better chance she has of recieving some.
During this time the plant requires 2 extra's.
She needs lots of N, so continue to use flowering nutes through the first 3 weeks of flowering.
They will also require a lot more water. I have a couple of plants going through the stretch, they require twice as much water as 2 weeks ago.
During the first 2 weeks of flowering males will begin to grow balls (pollen sacs). You'll want to get rid of these a.s.a.p. Each pollen sac contains thousands of grains of pollen, so just one opening and releasing it's pollen can cause an entire crop (the ones alongside & downwind at least) to become heavily seeded, and that means less pot to smoke.
All males will have expresses sex by the end of 2 weeks. Buds will begin forming buds during the 3rd week. You'll notice lots of white hairs popping up all over the place, at first on the ends of branches and the top.
Now it's time to switch to a flowering nutrient. The plant requires lots of P for bud production.
Alhough little N is required for the rest of flowering, and there is usually anough residual N left in the soil, I still like my flowering nutrients to contain a small amt of N during the next 2 weeks. At that point I switch to a nutrient that has no N for the last 3 weeks before harvest.
If you're using chem nutes you'll want to run water only (no nutes) during the last 10-14 days before harvest. You want the plant to use it's reserve of nutrients (mainly stored in the fan leaves).
How can you determine when it's 10--14 days until harvest?
As a general rule of thumb, when the hairs first start changing color from clear/milky to red/brown, maximum ripeness (as far as THC content go) is about 10--14 days away.
If you're using organic nutes you can go 5--7 days before harvesting before you have to stop dosing the water with nutes.
During the last 2 weeks especially it's a good idea to feed the mychorrizae in the soil.
Mychorrizae are micro-organisms that live in the soil and attach themselves to the roots and aid the plant in the uptake of nutrients. They LOVE sugar, but don't just add regular sugar. Much easier for the mychorrizae to feed on are natural sugars such as fructose. I add 1/2 cup of unsweetened pineapple juice to 5 gal. water during the last 2 weeks.
General tips:
-When using nutrients, more IS NOT better. Never exceed recommend amt's. In fact, when using chem's, you can usually use less that what's printed on the label.
-Don't worry that your fan leaves begin to yellow, wither and fall off. It's normal. Some strains lose more than others. I've had strains that lose 95% of their fan leaves, as well as some of the medium-sized leaves, by the time they're ready for harvest.
-After the stretch, the plants require a lot less water. Don't waterlog them.
The first indication of flowering is a dramatic increase in upward growth. A small plant will increase by a higher percentage than a plant that's already tall.
For instance, a 15" plant may grow to 36" in the first 3 weeks of flowering.
But a plant that is 6' tall may only add on 2 feet in height.
The reason plants have this great increase in height during flowering is because marijuana pollen is wind-borne. It doesn't rely on insects (bee's, etc.) to spread it's pollen. The taller a male plant is, the further his pollen will spread, and the taller a female is the better chance she has of recieving some.
During this time the plant requires 2 extra's.
She needs lots of N, so continue to use flowering nutes through the first 3 weeks of flowering.
They will also require a lot more water. I have a couple of plants going through the stretch, they require twice as much water as 2 weeks ago.
During the first 2 weeks of flowering males will begin to grow balls (pollen sacs). You'll want to get rid of these a.s.a.p. Each pollen sac contains thousands of grains of pollen, so just one opening and releasing it's pollen can cause an entire crop (the ones alongside & downwind at least) to become heavily seeded, and that means less pot to smoke.
All males will have expresses sex by the end of 2 weeks. Buds will begin forming buds during the 3rd week. You'll notice lots of white hairs popping up all over the place, at first on the ends of branches and the top.
Now it's time to switch to a flowering nutrient. The plant requires lots of P for bud production.
Alhough little N is required for the rest of flowering, and there is usually anough residual N left in the soil, I still like my flowering nutrients to contain a small amt of N during the next 2 weeks. At that point I switch to a nutrient that has no N for the last 3 weeks before harvest.
If you're using chem nutes you'll want to run water only (no nutes) during the last 10-14 days before harvest. You want the plant to use it's reserve of nutrients (mainly stored in the fan leaves).
How can you determine when it's 10--14 days until harvest?
As a general rule of thumb, when the hairs first start changing color from clear/milky to red/brown, maximum ripeness (as far as THC content go) is about 10--14 days away.
If you're using organic nutes you can go 5--7 days before harvesting before you have to stop dosing the water with nutes.
During the last 2 weeks especially it's a good idea to feed the mychorrizae in the soil.
Mychorrizae are micro-organisms that live in the soil and attach themselves to the roots and aid the plant in the uptake of nutrients. They LOVE sugar, but don't just add regular sugar. Much easier for the mychorrizae to feed on are natural sugars such as fructose. I add 1/2 cup of unsweetened pineapple juice to 5 gal. water during the last 2 weeks.
General tips:
-When using nutrients, more IS NOT better. Never exceed recommend amt's. In fact, when using chem's, you can usually use less that what's printed on the label.
-Don't worry that your fan leaves begin to yellow, wither and fall off. It's normal. Some strains lose more than others. I've had strains that lose 95% of their fan leaves, as well as some of the medium-sized leaves, by the time they're ready for harvest.
-After the stretch, the plants require a lot less water. Don't waterlog them.
