HH pruning not to look like MJ for outdoors

[Hash Hound]

My WW clones normally only have 3 fingered leaves, so it almost blends in outside among other plants and does not really look like weed.

I'm sure heavy pruning like this might not be great for a plant, but plenty of times I take the whole leaf off, so leaving some of it on might be OK. It might even be a good way indoors to let more light to the lower buds instead of defoliating.

This got me to thinking about pruning the leaves of plants to only show one leaf, two, three, or even four and not look like the normal leaf.

I started this about 3 weeks ago on a few other clones with normal 5 and 7 finger leaves I have and the plants don't seem to show any adverse reactions.

examples
this is a normal leaf

and this is what my WW clones normally look like

I think pruning like the 3 leaf so people think "leaves of three let it be" mentality might leave it alone, or like some of these that would not look like weed to an average person.

Photos by Muhammad Quresh
Source Marijuana Leaf | Nature, Cultural, and Travel Photography Blog

 

[Hash Hound]

this is what I did to a WW clone I just put outside last week

before

after

 

[Hash Hound]

9 days outside and she is budding like crazy

 

[Doc Bud]

Berry interesting HH! Hand some bright red Christmas ornaments or some purple ones and you know have a tomato or eggplant!

 

[Lester Freeman]

More surface area (yet well ventilated) = more glucose production = more cannabinoid production

My hypothesis is that by decreasing the surface area during a stage where sex cells require a lot of ATP (energy), it is possible the potency of the final end result could be affected.

 

[Hash Hound]

4 weeks out door, daylight about 11hr 45m

buds are looking pretty good considering the pruning I did.

 

[Lester Freeman]

Nice they are looking good - I guess it wasn't as affected as I thought

 

[Hash Hound]

Well Relaxed, I'm sure it is affecting it to some degree, but the buds are forming up nice.

This plant is getting almost full sun (even though the days are way shorter) as compared to my garden plants this year.

After all it is an experiment to see if it will grow and bud when heavy trimmed to disguise it.

I think stand alone, it would only be recognized by another grower. I am hoping a trimmed plant will blend in with a veggie garden a little better than a normal MJ plant.

 

[OG13]

Hey HH, just found this thread today. I never thought about trimming the leaves.......I like the concept.

 

[Hash Hound]

6 weeks out doors and she is still growing fine. Survived a few low 30's at night. Probably slowing growth with those low temps, and getting less light per day with the sun being lower in the sky.

Yet, frosting up nice and real strong smell. Sticky too.

 

[Hash Hound]

10 weeks outside last Saturday.

Temps have been really cold lately and very little sun, but it is an experiment, so I let it stay outside instead of pulling it. I'm pretty sure she would have done even better if I had put her outside before Sept 1st. After all most outdoor strains around here should finish late Sept early Oct.

Cold temps starting to bring out some purple in the leaves, but not the buds them selves.

Probably pull her next week. Supposed to be high in the low 60's this weekend, so I'll give her a few more days even though it is going down to 28 tonight. I did cover her to play it safe.

Overall the experiment is successful in that a plant survives heavily leaf pruned as I did to this one. I am surprised it did not cause a stressed hermie.

I am sure the buds would have been bigger with more leaf, but this is in a 2 qt pot with a dash of OC+ and that's it. Just water and wait. And this WW is normally so potent, if I get a qtr oz off her I will be pleased.

Of course I will try to give a wrap up smoke report soon as she is ready to smoke. Her mother which was a WW 5th gen clone was also grown outside, but put outside late June. She was top notch smoke.

 

[Lester Freeman]

Nice update. Looks like it had a pretty good turnout too. Looks frosty, and I'm sure sticky with resins. There are a lot of different opinions on defoliation, but that method is not my cup of tea. I agree, that I think the buds would have been bigger, and possibly better had not defoliated. However I know BassMan, and others may disagree.

Cool lil grow dude!

 

[Hash Hound]

Well defoliation was not what I was going after as much as partial defoliating leaving at least one finger of each leaf.

Not as frosty as her mom was, but like I said, 2 qrt pot and a dash of OC+ as compared to in dirt with a healthy dose of OC+ and a few tea waterings.

She was a clone I just didn't know what to do with. No room in the grow room and a little late for serious out doors, so she went the route of experimentation.

And I must emphasize. This WW strain is far above the rest. Everyone who smokes some is in shock.

I don't know if it was a freak pheno, or are all seeds of Dutch Passion WW this good? And other breeders WW for that matter. I will find out some day. I am going to get a few more DP WW's and a few from another breeder. Time will tell.

 

[Hash Hound]

chop chop snip snip, shes hanging to dry

 

[Hash Hound]

Yield was about 6g's

It is some of the stickiest stinkiest weed I grew this summer.

However the buds were a little on the small side.

But I do think my experiment is a success in the way that you can manipulate a plant just about any way you want and still get some good smoke instead of relying on Juan Valdez's cousin to grow it for you.

Also the few other small plants I grew outdoors this summer were not exactly huge rock hard buds either.

 

[joetherag42]

You also could get a green mesh net and put it over some plants. I made an outside green house out of a carport frame. The top roof supports are curved. I screwed a 1x2 board along each side about half way up the sides. I then got some 6mil plastic sheet and put it over the entire top. I later thought that may be a little obvious to the Eye In the Sky, so I then got a Net Mesh screen and put it over the Plastic. It does not seem to have affected the Kola/Bud production of the last ten GDP plants. After I take some photos of it, I will come back and post them to this thread.