Jon's ViparSpectra KS3000 Grow In A 3x3

[Jon]

Hi @Jon, your SH looks great. You don't have to worry about a hermaphrodite if you defol in 41 days of flowering. I am just curious about that? I would be worried about it this late in the bloom. Is that a car or a photo? Thanks for the reply .

Hi @Kanno26. I’m not quite sure I understand the question. Why would a little defoliation on day 41 of flower cause a hermie? I could see maybe if you took so much off that it stressed the plant mightily MAYBE you might have a problem, but I’m not doing anything near that. That pile of cut off green is basically tiny buds and shoots that have come out under the canopy over the 41 days. That’s going to happen all the way till harvest. I pick them as they go. I’m trying to focus as much energy as I can into the buds themselves. The ones that are actually getting light, lol. If it’s not getting light it’s useless to me.

Have you experienced a major defoliation session causing a hermie?

Defoliation is a process for me that occurs from early veg all the way to harvest in one form or another. I am always trying to get whatever I want to grow to have the light it needs. Defoliation and leaf tucking are the ways I accomplish this. To me the day the plant is on is irrelevant. I go by what the plant is telling me, if that makes sense.

Does that help?

Oh, and it’s a photo.

 

[Tokin Roll]

How's it going @Jon

I was just reading up on plants that go hermie, and the causes.
It does hurt to know these thing, too lessen the chances of it happening.

Have you had any light leaks or extra high or low temperature?

Grow well my friend,
Tok..

 

[Jon]

How's it going @Jon

I was just reading up on plants that go hermie, and the causes.
It does hurt to know these thing, too lessen the chances of it happening.

Have you had any light leaks or extra high or low temperature?

Grow well my friend,
Tok..

Nope. I also have no hermies. The ones that did were the outdoor ones. That rarely happens to me in a tent.

 

[Jon]

Nope. I also have no hermies. The ones that did were the outdoor ones. That rarely happens to me in a tent.

But I’ve researched it a lot too, and my feeling is that any undue stress if big enough or for long enough can cause a hermie. I go for consistency.

 

[Kanno26]

Hi @Kanno26. I’m not quite sure I understand the question. Why would a little defoliation on day 41 of flower cause a hermie? I could see maybe if you took so much off that it stressed the plant mightily MAYBE you might have a problem, but I’m not doing anything near that. That pile of cut off green is basically tiny buds and shoots that have come out under the canopy over the 41 days. That’s going to happen all the way till harvest. I pick them as they go. I’m trying to focus as much energy as I can into the buds themselves. The ones that are actually getting light, lol. If it’s not getting light it’s useless to me.

Have you experienced a major defoliation session causing a hermie?

Defoliation is a process for me that occurs from early veg all the way to harvest in one form or another. I am always trying to get whatever I want to grow to have the light it needs. Defoliation and leaf tucking are the ways I accomplish this. To me the day the plant is on is irrelevant. I go by what the plant is telling me, if that makes sense.

Does that help?

Oh, and it’s a photo.

That's exactly what I'm afraid of doing defoliation in flower so that I don't have hermaphrodites, but it hasn't happened to me yet, I usually mixed it with something else and I had them. But I don't cut the leaves in bloom, but I've thought about it many times and haven't dared yet. But I think maybe it will benefit the girls. I'll see maybe in the next round or maybe try one. What do you think about it when you see them?

 

[Jon]

That's exactly what I'm afraid of doing defoliation in flower so that I don't have hermaphrodites, but it hasn't happened to me yet, I usually mixed it with something else and I had them. But I don't cut the leaves in bloom, but I've thought about it many times and haven't dared yet. But I think maybe it will benefit the girls. I'll see maybe in the next round or maybe try one. What do you think about it when you see them?

Hi @Kanno26 - you want my dead honest opinion? When I see your grows I’m jealous as hell, because you’re excellent at this. But I also see that you must get your share of flarfy buds, yes? And do you find that your cola tops are dense as hell but as you get lower the density begins to decrease? Do you ever find moisture between overlapping leaves in the morning? When you harvest do you get some light green, underdeveloped buds underneath?

My honest opinion is that you would get more yield and better overall buds and grows if you defoliated more than you do. It seems to get crowded at the end especially. So not only are the buds not getting as much light as they could be (and as every bud wants) but the air flow is also compromised. More light = bigger buds. More air flow(not overcrowded) = better plant respiration and transpiration = superior outcome. These are immutable truths, same as big roots = big fruits. The odds of bud rot go down dramatically too. Your heat concerns go down dramatically as well. You also may and likely will find that maintaining the correct RH becomes easier.

Another benefit when you expose the buds to more light is that you expose those crappy little branches in the bottom that sprout in abundance and amount to nothing. That gives you the chance to either remove them or selectively keep what you want. It is a way to focus the energy of the plant into the business end of what you’re growing. When she doesn’t have to expend energy on growing little crappy buds, guess what she spends her energy on instead?

I seek the balance between taking too many and not taking enough. It’s hard and I’m still learning. Fortunately we have our crew. You and I have some pretty heavy hitters in our corner.

Btw - commonly held wisdom says to do a defoliation three weeks into flower. I doubt you’ll find a single person here who never defoliates in flower. Just a guess. To me it’s the most important time TO defoliate…in flower. In veg, more leaves = faster growth. In flower, also true to an extent, but just like with flarfy stems and buds, if the plant is expending all it’s energy on maintaining 1000 leaves it’s going to have a lot less energy for the buds.

Again - just my take on it, but it’s all one big balancing act designed to drive us mad.

So there’s my two cents since you directly asked my opinion. I tried to be thorough. Hope any of this is useful!

 

[Jon]

Hi @Kanno26 - you want my dead honest opinion? When I see your grows I’m jealous as hell, because you’re excellent at this. But I also see that you must get your share of flarfy buds, yes? And do you find that your cola tops are dense as hell but as you get lower the density begins to decrease? Do you ever find moisture between overlapping leaves in the morning? When you harvest do you get some light green, underdeveloped buds underneath?

My honest opinion is that you would get more yield and better overall buds and grows if you defoliated more than you do. It seems to get crowded at the end especially. So not only are the buds not getting as much light as they could be (and as every bud wants) but the air flow is also compromised. More light = bigger buds. More air flow(not overcrowded) = better plant respiration and transpiration = superior outcome. These are immutable truths, same as big roots = big fruits. The odds of bud rot go down dramatically too. Your heat concerns go down dramatically as well. You also may and likely will find that maintaining the correct RH becomes easier.

Another benefit when you expose the buds to more light is that you expose those crappy little branches in the bottom that sprout in abundance and amount to nothing. That gives you the chance to either remove them or selectively keep what you want. It is a way to focus the energy of the plant into the business end of what you’re growing. When she doesn’t have to expend energy on growing little crappy buds, guess what she spends her energy on instead?

I seek the balance between taking too many and not taking enough. It’s hard and I’m still learning. Fortunately we have our crew. You and I have some pretty heavy hitters in our corner.

Btw - commonly held wisdom says to do a defoliation three weeks into flower. I doubt you’ll find a single person here who never defoliates in flower. Just a guess. To me it’s the most important time TO defoliate…in flower. In veg, more leaves = faster growth. In flower, also true to an extent, but just like with flarfy stems and buds, if the plant is expending all it’s energy on maintaining 1000 leaves it’s going to have a lot less energy for the buds.

Again - just my take on it, but it’s all one big balancing act designed to drive us mad.

So there’s my two cents since you directly asked my opinion. I tried to be thorough. Hope any of this is useful!

Caveat: I don’t do it all at once and only once!!! That really MIGHT stress the plant too much. Part of my balancing act is pecking away at it consistently over the whole course of flower!!

 

[Braddah Waiheesohai]

There's always this:

"Schwazzing​

From Joshua Haupt’s 2015 book Three a Light, schwazzing takes the idea of defoliation to the next level. According to the book, this practice removes the entire canopy of fan leaves within the first few days of the flowering cycle and then again at the third week.

Joshua Haupt coined the term “schwazzing” to describe the sound of scissors and snipping that takes place during the process. The book’s title refers to getting three pounds of cannabis per light, or about twice as much yield in a harvest or even more.

By the entire canopy, he really does mean every fan leaf below the top two or three nodes. The caveat to this risky maneuver is that the stripped plants must receive proper after-care through a high concentration of nutrients following both defoliations. This is crucial to the recovery process.

By removing the fan leaves on the first day of flowering and again on day 21, the plants will be able to replenish the lost foliage before all of their energy transitions toward bud development. By supplementing with a high-nutrient feeding, the plants should push through any shock they may have undergone.

What’s the Upside to Schwazzing?​

According to the book, the successful implementation of this technique can promote a massive uptick in the yield of a plant. But keep in mind, neither the book itself nor any review of schwazzing—also called heavy pruning or heavy defoliation—has given an exact explanation for why the practice is so successful.

According to the book, the successful implementation of this technique can promote a massive uptick in the yield of a plant.

Some growers suggest that the practice of removing such a large amount of foliage from a plant in this stage of its development may trigger a defense mechanism, tricking the plant into developing more buds as a survival technique.

One possible explanation points to the fact that cannabis is a wind-pollinated species, and the removal of a massive amount of fan leaves may trigger growth hormones to swell buds as a last ditch effort to receive incoming pollen from a nearby male stamen.

Another possible explanation is that the removal of fan leaves promotes airflow throughout the plant and in turn, more vigorous bud growth. However, these hypotheses have not been backed by any study.

The Downsides of Schwazzing​

Despite praise and success stories, there is a high risk of crop failure with this method. When it comes to overall plant health, even the heartiest of cultivars will experience some amount of shock after this process.

Unless the grower has expertly dialed in every other aspect of their growing process—including lights, grow medium, temperature, humidity, airflow, CO2, and more—simply feeding a plant more nutrients won’t suffice.

Even if everything is dialed in and plants are properly cared for, there is still a chance that they will die under this extreme stress. Some genetics might never fare well under such circumstances and some may handle the process better than others.

The bottom line is that although schwazzing may work under ideal circumstances, it’s not a method of defoliation that should be practiced without proper experience. This is not recommended for novice growers or anybody working with sub-par genetics or below-average equipment."

 

[Jon]

There's always this:

"Schwazzing​

From Joshua Haupt’s 2015 book Three a Light, schwazzing takes the idea of defoliation to the next level. According to the book, this practice removes the entire canopy of fan leaves within the first few days of the flowering cycle and then again at the third week.

Joshua Haupt coined the term “schwazzing” to describe the sound of scissors and snipping that takes place during the process. The book’s title refers to getting three pounds of cannabis per light, or about twice as much yield in a harvest or even more.

By the entire canopy, he really does mean every fan leaf below the top two or three nodes. The caveat to this risky maneuver is that the stripped plants must receive proper after-care through a high concentration of nutrients following both defoliations. This is crucial to the recovery process.

By removing the fan leaves on the first day of flowering and again on day 21, the plants will be able to replenish the lost foliage before all of their energy transitions toward bud development. By supplementing with a high-nutrient feeding, the plants should push through any shock they may have undergone.

What’s the Upside to Schwazzing?​

According to the book, the successful implementation of this technique can promote a massive uptick in the yield of a plant. But keep in mind, neither the book itself nor any review of schwazzing—also called heavy pruning or heavy defoliation—has given an exact explanation for why the practice is so successful.


Some growers suggest that the practice of removing such a large amount of foliage from a plant in this stage of its development may trigger a defense mechanism, tricking the plant into developing more buds as a survival technique.

One possible explanation points to the fact that cannabis is a wind-pollinated species, and the removal of a massive amount of fan leaves may trigger growth hormones to swell buds as a last ditch effort to receive incoming pollen from a nearby male stamen.

Another possible explanation is that the removal of fan leaves promotes airflow throughout the plant and in turn, more vigorous bud growth. However, these hypotheses have not been backed by any study.

The Downsides of Schwazzing​

Despite praise and success stories, there is a high risk of crop failure with this method. When it comes to overall plant health, even the heartiest of cultivars will experience some amount of shock after this process.

Unless the grower has expertly dialed in every other aspect of their growing process—including lights, grow medium, temperature, humidity, airflow, CO2, and more—simply feeding a plant more nutrients won’t suffice.

Even if everything is dialed in and plants are properly cared for, there is still a chance that they will die under this extreme stress. Some genetics might never fare well under such circumstances and some may handle the process better than others.

The bottom line is that although schwazzing may work under ideal circumstances, it’s not a method of defoliation that should be practiced without proper experience. This is not recommended for novice growers or anybody working with sub-par genetics or below-average equipment."

Like I said @Kanno26 - heavy hitters. Thanks @Braddah Waiheesohai !!!

 

[Kanno26]

Caveat: I don’t do it all at once and only once!!! That really MIGHT stress the plant too much. Part of my balancing act is pecking away at it consistently over the whole course of flower!!

Thanks @Jon, I really appreciate your comprehensive answer. It's true, when I looked at the girls today, I found light green ones in the center of each plant, which I think take energy from the main branches. And there's also the fact that some of the leaves at the top are covered by the flowers and they don't get as much sun. So you're saying that it's better to take it easy all the time and not take it all at once? I'll probably start removing the leaves a bit over the weekend to let them air out. I think it will benefit them. Thanks for advice.

 

[Jon]

My last thing @Kanno26, then I’ll step aside and let some educated people chime in, lmao….

Here’s a real good example of why. This is the Banana Daddy auto. It’s a short, squat, super dense with super tight nodes, indica. Even if it weren’t a runt it would still grow the same way. If I don’t defoliate this plant it would turn to a pile of mold in the vine. This show you that I try to leave the fans to the outside and below, and exposing the rest to light.

 

[Jon]

Thanks @Jon, I really appreciate your comprehensive answer. It's true, when I looked at the girls today, I found light green ones in the center of each plant, which I think take energy from the main branches. And there's also the fact that some of the leaves at the top are covered by the flowers and they don't get as much sun. So you're saying that it's better to take it easy all the time and not take it all at once? I'll probably start removing the leaves a bit over the weekend to let them air out. I think it will benefit them. Thanks for advice.

Well, I have one more piece of advice, and this is the most important one….

Don’t base whatever you do only on my opinion!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kanno26]

Well, I have one more piece of advice, and this is the most important one….

Don’t base whatever you do only on my opinion!!!!!!!!!

Don't worry @Jon, I'll think about it and I'll ask somewhere else and see what anyone can advise me . But otherwise, thank you.

 

[West Hippie]

Well, I have one more piece of advice, and this is the most important one….

Don’t base whatever you do only on my opinion!!!!!!!!!

You hit it on the head , every 21 days into flower I do it . The larf comes off at least a week before the flip then the defoliation of open air space at 21 days . Back when this old fart was sick I didn’t get it done and the buds will tell you you mucked up . Awesome girls Jon .

 

[Jon]

Strawberry Haze
Flower Day 43

 

[Jon]

SH44

 

[Jon]

SH45

 

[Jon]

SH47

It’s getting fairly serious in here now. What you see is way PRE fattening up phase. These buds are getting fat and chunky. Wow. I’m literally just south of shocked at the quality of these genetics.

Arjan -

 

[Jon]

SH47

It’s getting fairly serious in here now. What you see is way PRE fattening up phase. These buds are getting fat and chunky. Wow. I’m literally just south of shocked at the quality of these genetics.

Arjan -

I sent this picture to my drummer in PA. I have sent him a picture about every two weeks or so. He said something I hadn’t thought of: you can tell how much it’s grown by the @ViparSpectra sign hanging back left. It used to be you could read the whole thing. Heh.

 

[StoneOtter]

That light's fueling her right into it! Good morning Jon!