AKGramma's Perpetual Grow

[TorturedSoul]

TS: My cat lives completely indoors under a constant temperature and, yet, twice a year, he sheds his seasonal coat and his color tips lighten or darken accordingly.

Aha! I knew those SOBs could understand calendars .

Playing the (other) DA for a moment, I'll type:

Not all animals' evolved responses are appropriate in modern times / domesticated settings.

Any success I had cloning occurred in late Spring to early Summer, even tho they were not exposed to true sunshine, but under artificial light and even temps. Cloning in winter was always a complete failure, regardless of method.

I do remember that you have regularly had issues with rooting clones. I always suspected you(r cuttings) were suffering under the different temperature/humidity conditions during part of the year.

Those of us who make tinctures, regardless of herb, start them at the new moon, so that as the moon waxes, the more of the essence of the herb is drawn out into the carrier oil/alcohol.

The woman I once lived with who... seemed to be a bit of a witch (RiP, C.) would have agreed with you.

Countless witches, "witches," herb gatherers, et cetera over the centuries would have, too. On the other hand, when one's activities are considered to be evidence and could get one burned at the stake - and in times before street lights and other electrical lighting, when nighttime travel during the dark of the moon was minimal due to the fact that a person could easily lose one's horse from it stepping into a pothole in an unpaved road or path (or one's life to highwaymen) - it was, undoubtedly, the safest time of the month to practice one's craft, since far fewer eyes would have seen such things.

During the winter, I notice that the ladies in veg grow slower, even tho they are under controlled lighting.

This, again, could be explained due to differing temperature/humidity conditions. A person would have to have day/night monitoring (preferably constantly) of both greenery and root zone conditions - and, if you do not run your lights through a UPS, monitoring your electrical system (for brownouts and the like) might be helpful as well.

I could go on, but I won't.

Oh, please do. I love to argue debate about things. Especially with someone who has sense enough not to immediately fly off into a rage simply because a person disagrees with them. I, for my part, do not get upset if/when I end up getting schooled. After all, that will have meant that I shall have learned something - which means I'll have come out ahead of the point I started from.

So, I do believe there is more happening in the atmosphere than we can scientifically explain, that affects all living things.

I prefer scientific answers, actually. But modern scientific theories do not automatically render ages of "common(?) knowledge" invalid. Back in junior high school, our gifted studies instructor was known to be "a wee bit off," as they say. He was known to erupt in Middle & Low English (Early Scots, et cetera) epitaphs so frequently that some people might have assumed that he was afflicted with Tourette Syndrome - and the cannabis that he often kept hidden behind one of his desk drawers wasn't the best - but he was a pretty smart duck. He liked to bring in information from centuries ago that turned out to be accurate (or, alternatively, wildly inaccurate but followed as if it were Gospel). The memories are getting vague now. But one thing I remember was something from 1,000 years or so ago about how people forced to live "amongst rapidly-cycling forces" might well be risking their health. 60 hertz (cycles) was mentioned. I still remember wondering just HtH these people would have even come up with this kind of theory, let alone tested it. BUT... Today, some people living along the pathways of those extreme-voltage high tension power lines that carry electricity great distances feel the same way - and there seems to be at least a grain of truth to it.

So IDK, lol.

I went through a rough patch a while back during which I couldn't seem to get a single seed to germinate. I often claim not to be overly prideful - but things like this prove me wrong, because they're a hit to the ol' pride . Anyway, I briefly considered trying to chart my successes/failures against the phases of Luna. After all, it's enough to effect the tides, right? In the Bay of Fundy, at certain times during the year, the difference between high and low tide is greater than the height of a three-story building (don't fall asleep during low tide, LOL). And our planet's moon is the only significant mass within close proximity to the planet.

But then I got to thinking about it. Gravity. Hmm... A significant difference could, in theory, cause effects in more than just tidal forces, right? But just how much difference is there?

Not much, as it turns out, lol. I sort of forgot that we live at the bottom of a gravity well . The effective difference, in the average human being, between new and full moon works out to a fraction of a fraction of a gram. If the amount was dropped onto your hat from ten feet overhead... you'd never even notice.

Which is probably why one's full cup... does not actually runneth over.

However: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy" and suchlike.

 

[AKgramma]

Things I learned in the last 12 months:

1) too much training kills the plant. All my attempts at mainlining young plants weakened them, both clones and seeded, so that they never did get back their vigour and slowly dried up (over 4 months). The only success I had was 2 years ago with a revegged lady.

2) Cut as few as possible of the large sun leaves the plant started out with. What is left never gets as big as the first sun leaves, and I ended up with miniaturized bushes of miniature leaves, and a poor harvest.

3) Keep the seedlings out of the cat's reach! He'll not only eat them, but barf them up where you are sure to step on them on your way to the potty in the middle of the night.

4) AKGramma has no business trying to clone ANYTHING!

5) Don't let auto seedlings stay in the solo cups longer than 7 days, or they stop growing and go to flower. Twice I've gotten 7" plants with buds all the way to the bottom, less than 1/2 gram dried.

6) Use the wet paper towel method of sprouting, so you don't stress out waiting for a seed that may never sprout in soil. (or go digging in the soil, looking for a dead seed)

7) Never, ever accept clones from your grandson!

8) Never, ever give any plants you lavished love and care on, to your grandson!

9) Live with the fact that you aren't getting 8 inch colas or a full ounce dried from a sativa grown indoors.

10) Live with the fact that you won't get big yields in a 3' x 3' grow space, even under 600 true watts of combined LED's and CFLs.

Things I may try in the future

1) Grow one 36" x 36" x 60" mother in a 10 - 20 gallon pot, sitting on a big turntable.

2) Do nothing more drastic than tie down wayward tips

3) Increase the perlite in the soil mix to above 50%

4) Keep it Simple!

 

[Weaselcracker]

Good points all- except maybe #4 but that’s your call.
After years of training and scrogging I’ve finally come around to thinking that untopped plants are where it’s at. Less work and way prettier. Somehow I ended up in the habit of topping all my plants. I lose the beautiful natural shape of the plant, slow it down, cause a lot of undergrowth which I then have to trim out -slowing it down more, and don’t seem to gain anything much in terms of yield.

 

[AKgramma]

Well, I already fimmed them once to slow their phenomenal growth. I do have headroom limits. But there wont be any more trimming, except to open up the inner parts of the plants to light.

But I'm coming to the same conclusions as you, WC. TY!

 

[Pennywise]

I go easy on the training part and I’m not big on defol in veg.

 

[AKgramma]

Less is more if one wants more than mini-buds and weak-stemmed plants with small yields. Since I quit mothering the grow so much, it looks much healthier. I've also identified which strains are too prone to mites, too inbred, or the product of too many generations of clones to be worth my time.

It's best, in my experience to be less heavy-handed, and not stress them out so much.

 

[Pennywise]

The big problem with poly hybrids today

 

[AKgramma]

The big problem with poly hybrids today

True that! Some strains I have grown had ancestries a mile long! Altho I got a small harvest from them, they looked like sticks with buds by the end. Hardly enough vigour to make it to harvest, and certainly no chance of revegging them.

 

[Pennywise]

They’re giving up stability and vigor for potency and terps

 

[AKgramma]

They’re giving up stability and vigor for potency and terps

Hmmm. I guess we can't have it all. I would rather have a vigorous, long-lived, healthy plant than high THC and dank odor. But then, I'm not growing for the market.

 

[Pennywise]

DJ Short said he breeds for vigorous plants with great taste and specific effects. He said potency is secondary.

 

[Pjs420]

huh ... Thats interesting, where did you find your info on dj short, penny? I would be interested to read/listen.... I think i would be looking for best of both worlds if i was breeding... Health/vigour/taste to a potent but not so great grower....hopes would be to get a pheno combining all 4... I dunno i have much to learn, but i have enjoyed the conversations in here muchly over last couple days!

 

[Pennywise]

Go to YouTube and search DJ Short. Basically what he said was potency is genetic, if you cross 2 potent parents then you’ll have potent offspring. So taste and aroma tends to be traits you have to pheno hunt for.

 

[Pjs420]

that makes sense. Thanks penny, ill be doing some listening from the man himself

 

[Pennywise]

There’s not a lot but some good interviews with him.

 

[AKgramma]

Today, I decided to switch the grow. It's only been about 7 -1/2 weeks in veg for some and 10-1/2 weeks for the others, but they are all well-grown, and I am anxious to get this harvest over with. I know the harvest will be smaller, but I need a break from growing.

As it is, the Sativas will take 10 - 12 weeks to mature, and the Indicas will mature at 7-8 weeks. I dont think I have ever grown a pure Indica (Afghani). So hoping for a male and female for the Indica, and a mated pair for the ATFs.

 

[Pennywise]

I wish you good luck on your pairs Gramma!

 

[AKgramma]

In just 4 days under 12/12, the plants filled out and are reaching for the lights. Even the poor, worn out clone-of-many-generations is showing some response.

I often plan way ahead, for future grows. Since, after my break from growing, I want to grow one big mother, how big of a pot will I need to fill a 3' x 3' x 5' tall grow unit with ONE well-nourished Lady?

 

[AKgramma]

In just 4 days under 12/12, the plants filled out and are reaching for the lights. Even the poor, worn out clone-of-many-generations is showing some response.

I often plan way ahead, for future grows. Since, after my break from growing, I want to grow one big mother, how big of a pot will I need to fill a 3' x 3' x 5' tall grow unit with ONE well-nourished Lady?

I found a chart on another site:

A general guide is to have up to 2 gallons per 12 inch of height. This isn’t perfect, since plants often grow differently, and some plants are short and wide instead of tall, but this is a good rule of thumb.

So if your final (desired) plant size is…

12" ~ 2-3 gallon container

24" ~ 3-5 gallon container

36" ~ 6-8 gallon container

48" ~ 8-10 gallon container

60" ~ 12+ gallon container

 

[TheMadDabber]

Soil? As big as you can go gramma! Sorry I havent been by in a bit. You know how it is summer rolls around and you spend more time out in the great green Alaskan wilderness than inside. Been great getting our little girl out on the lake and camping. Shes a nature baby for sure.

Hope all has been well for you. Glad to hear the plants are doing well for you this round.