Keffkas Seedsman Comparative: Purple Ghost Candy

[Keffka]

Started manifolding the tallest plant.. I removed the first node branches and left the leaves. I tied the 2nd and 3rd node branches down horizontally and will run them out that way until their third node. Since the branches are still young and pliable the tie downs aren’t too secured

 

[Keffka]

Day 28

 

[JiggiLotus]

keffka's house of torture

"Let the training..BEGIN!"

 

[Keffka]

Posting for reference

 

[Keffka]

I will be dropping the plants to the floor today and turning the light intensity up. They will temporarily have a little less light than they get now but this will quickly change as they get taller

 

[SOG001]

I will be dropping the plants to the floor today and turning the light intensity up. They will temporarily have a little less light than they get now but this will quickly change as they get taller

I just read thru most of your journal you are very knowledgeable and you girls are doin great I'm a coco grower so most of what you do does not mean much to me but I to have a ROI 720 and I didn't use the lower settings as I should of this grow but for the next grow I'll use the diffrent settings thanks for the info keep 'em green

 

[Keffka]

I just read thru most of your journal you are very knowledgeable and you girls are doin great I'm a coco grower so most of what you do does not mean much to me but I to have a ROI 720 and I didn't use the lower settings as I should of this grow but for the next grow I'll use the diffrent settings thanks for the info keep 'em green

Thank you, and thank you for stopping by and engaging!

The 720 is a beast of a light. It’s a commercial grade fixture that the manufacturer recommends you do NOT use a tent with. I of course ignore this. Especially because one of the places they recommend you purchase it from, packages it with a 5x5 tent lol.

So with that in mind, it hits hard. At 25% you could get 1000 ppfd in the right spot. It wouldn’t be wide spread but it can happen. At 50% you could do a whole 4x4 area with ease. At 100% you could flower a 5x5 area with ease. Especially if you get in close, 15-18 inches being optimal for spread and intensity.

You can also purchase a controller and use increments on the light. 10%, 40%, etc. I’ll probably do this one day if I get to seal up the grow.

It’s definitely not a limiting factor, great choice!

 

[Keffka]

Here’s a side shot of the training

I will cover this process a few times as I get more images as it progresses. It can get a bit confusing so don’t worry if you can’t envision it just yet.

First things first, I topped the plants a few days ago, we saw that. I top above the third node. I want the third node branches, those are my prize winning branches. Using the third node allows the plant to quickly distribute resources evenly across each cola. We’ll be shooting for 8 even colas.

One of the main reasons for 8 colas is calcium efficiency. The more growing tips a plant has, the lower its calcium efficiency. The lower its calcium efficiency, the lower its end quality, plant health, and per cola yield will be. If I were to grow out 16 colas in my situation, they would wind up being very close in yield to 8 colas, but the quality drop would be noticeable. For scale growers, most already know, you can get more profit by growing more, smaller plants instead of fewer, larger plants. This is related to calcium efficiency but also canopy management.

Now that I went off on that tangent, back to the training. I took off the first node branches. I did it as close to the stem as I could to prevent any new growth or branching. I left the leaves. The plant will take resources from those leaves once they no longer photosynthesize. I won’t be flowering out the 2nd node but I will be growing it out for its fan leaves and possible clone taking. The 2nd node gets tied down to run horizontally just like the third node. We do this so that we have a nice flat base spread evenly for our 8 colas.

On our third node branches we are going to be keeping the first and third nodes while removing the second and growing tips. Each node on each side will produce two colas, so four on one side and four on the other.

Once we have those, we will aggressively tie them down to keep each cola tip even across the canopy. Due to the way hormones work in apical plants, if any single cola rises higher than the others, it will automatically begin receiving extra resources. Couple the extra resources with increased auxins and you have a cola that will explode in size, and hog all the resources for itself. This will defeat the purpose of the manifold.

When tying the branches down I am very careful with the first node. I don’t want my garden wire covering it or damaging the growing tips. However, as soon as the second node appears we can get a bit more aggressive since we won’t be keeping it. Just make sure the plant can still keep growing to the third node and you can be pretty violent with the second.

Like I said, it’s a bit confusing written out but once you see it, it’s simple. Here’s an example of what it should look like when done properly:

 

[StoneOtter]

On the ridge itself? The roof has multiple vents on the slopes about 2 feet from the ridge. I don’t recall a vent on the ridge itself but I’ll double check tonight

I'm not a pro at that but I think that's the way it should go. There's lot of heat to deal with and if it gets insulated it traps it between the roof and insulation with nowhere to go. Check it out.

Good gardening brother!

 

[Keffka]

I'm not a pro at that but I think that's the way it should go. There's lot of heat to deal with and if it gets insulated it traps it between the roof and insulation with nowhere to go. Check it out.

Good gardening brother!

Interesting.. I’ll look into it, thanks for the heads up!

 

[Preston9mm]

I'm not a pro at that but I think that's the way it should go. There's lot of heat to deal with and if it gets insulated it traps it between the roof and insulation with nowhere to go. Check it out.

Good gardening brother!

Some roofs have ridge vents that literally vent through the ridgeline of the roof, other roofs will vent through roof penetration vents (turtle backs) about 2-3 feet lower than the ridge, spaced about 12' apart.

Biggest concern with insulating between roof rafters is mold. If that area cannot breathe properly, moisture can accumulate in that insulation & turn to black mold

If the only option is to Insulate those rafters between the roof deck and inside sheeting, I'd highly recommend using rockwool insulation.
Best recommendation I have is to just build a room inside the space; leaving an air gap between your insulated space and the roof.

 

[MochaBud]

Looking good in there Keffka I'll pop in from time to time if you don't mind

 

[Preston9mm]

Sorry @Keffka ... I should have directed that to you...


I grew in an attic for many years and am familiar with the challenges. I also build homes for a living, and am familiar in that realm.

Hit me up if you ever need help, I'll try my best to give an accurate answer.

 

[Keffka]

Some roofs have ridge vents that literally vent through the ridgeline of the roof, other roofs will vent through roof penetration vents (turtle backs) about 2-3 feet lower than the ridge, spaced about 12' apart.

Biggest concern with insulating between roof rafters is mold. If that area cannot breathe properly, moisture can accumulate in that insulation & turn to black mold

If the only option is to Insulate those rafters between the roof deck and inside sheeting, I'd highly recommend using rockwool insulation.
Best recommendation I have is to just build a room inside the space; leaving an air gap between your insulated space and the roof.

Sorry @Keffka ... I should have directed that to you...


I grew in an attic for many years and am familiar with the challenges. I also build homes for a living, and am familiar in that realm.

Hit me up if you ever need help, I'll try my best to give an accurate answer.

Awesome info! The roof penetration vents are the system setup in my attic.

Currently the way it’s setup is a bungalow. The attic is a room on the second floor. That attic room has only the roof deck and rafters, no sheeting or dry wall.

I’ll snap a picture of it later today and see what your opinion is of the options I’m looking at. Thank you for the info and offer!

 

[Keffka]

Looking good in there Keffka I'll pop in from time to time if you don't mind

Welcome MB!

Of course I don’t mind, the more the merrier!

 

[Keffka]

Day 29. They shrugged off the new light intensity like it was nothing. They’re growing a bit faster than I anticipated. I may not make the full 30 days in these containers. They’re already showing me signs that they want a bigger space. I’ll be top dressing tonight.

Also, the tallest PGC lost its third node fans. While this isn’t a big deal, since those fans usually get taken, I prefer to bend them back so the plant can take resources from it. I was attempting to bend it out of the way and it snapped off so I just took the other sides fan myself for symmetry.

Day 29

• Keffka
• Mar 30, 2024

Seedsman Purple Ghost Candy topped for manifold

Day 29

• Keffka
• Mar 30, 2024

Seedsman Purple Ghost Candy

Day 29

• Keffka
• Mar 30, 2024

Seedsman Purple Ghost Candy topped and tied down for manifold

Day 29

• Keffka
• Mar 30, 2024

Seedsman Purple Ghost Candy

 

[Azimuth]

I was attempting to bend it out of the way and it snapped off so I just took the other sides fan myself for symmetry.

Have I mentioned Supercropping?. Oh, never mind....

 

[Keffka]

Have I mentioned Supercropping?. Oh, never mind....

You did and now my plant has two less fan leaves because of your wizardry! I super cropped them right into the dirt

 

[Azimuth]

I supercrop leaf stems too, especially in flower. Any leaf that's blocking a top bud gets bent over rather than removed. I know lots of growers do tucking but they always seem to spring back for me and bending them over is a more permanent tactic.

And I start training the plant that way also. After topping, I let the top two nodes grow out a bit and then get to work. I press the tissue around a round object like a pen or marker rather than manipulating them with just my fingers. I've snapped too many branches with my fingers and have way more success with the new way.

And pressing them around an object allows me to be as gentle as I want which is important when the stems are super young and small.

Just chalk yours up to a rookie mistake and try again. Once you get a feel for it it goes quick and easy and  safely.

 

[Keffka]

I got my days confused, yesterday’s Day 29 images were just Day 28 the next morning. Running the lights at 1900-1300 throws off my internal tracking. Here’s the official Day 29 shots, Day 30 will be when the lights go on this evening:

Day 29

• Keffka
• Mar 31, 2024

Seedsman Purple Ghost Candy

Day 29

• Keffka
• Mar 31, 2024

Seedsman Purple Ghost Candy

Day 29

• Keffka
• Mar 31, 2024

Seedsman Purple Ghost Candy

Day 29

• Keffka
• Mar 31, 2024

Seedsman Purple Ghost Candy

Will be doing another round of cleaning this evening in preparation for the next transplant and bloom.