2025 fall/winter grow

[TomH]

This girl is growing fast.
I adjusted the rh down 5%, dropped light cycle from 19:5 to 16:6 in preparation for flipping at the end of the month.
I’ll drop two more hours off before flipping next week. That puts the plants at 14:10 which is about where my outdoor plants begin flowering.

I still need to support the branches before flip.

 

[TomH]

My math was off above

Light is 16:8 not 16:6 (unless I invented my own solar system )

 

[steamroller]

*maff...

 

[steamroller]

That puts the plants at 14:10 which is about where my outdoor plants begin flowering.

I agree and find at around 14 hours flowering does begin.
Be interesting to not go lower than 14 and see how flowering progresses.

 

[TomH]

Ca-mag requirements for oganics in flower?
I did put some dolomite into the soil mixture, that was built about 3 months ago and lived through some good rains.

Do I need to add anything at this stage (2 weeks prior to flip) to prepare for the calcium requirements in flower?

Oyster shell? Gypsum? Dolomite? I don’t want to have a calcium lockout, but don‘t want the plants to suffer from a shortage of some required nutrient.

Any organic soothsayers out there?

 

[TomH]

I agree and find at around 14 hours flowering does begin.
Be interesting to not go lower than 14 and see how flowering progresses.

I have wondered that as well? Easier to hit the DLI without overpowering the plants, but I don’t want to stress her out either.

 

[steamroller]

I will need to cycle out males and will probably try it at 14 hours as I want to turn the females back after sorting the males..
That won't count for much though.

 

[TomH]

Getting “under the hood” on organics leads me to believe I am good on available Ca material in the mix.

All the ocean based nutrients seem to have available Ca as does bone meal and rock phosphate.

In addition to the Ca, ocean based nutes also seem chocked full of required micro nutes. That stuff seems like gold standard!

 

[TomH]

Time to fish or cut bait.

Been vegging a little over three weeks in the tent.

I think it needs a good defoliation and flip.

I’ll top dress tomorrow with a 50:50 mix of flower girl and a 4-4-4 organic.

Plan is to drop to 14:10 tomorrow and 12:12 shortly thereafter (about three or f days).

 

[TomH]

When I arrived in the foothills. Grown significantly in just a few weeks.
Time to thin things out.
This is what I started with:



As soon as I arrived, I checked the soil (dry as a bone) so it was watered and then defoliated.

It seems to have responded by saying screw you, I’m going limp! And it did!



24 hours later, absolutely praying happy!



8 to 10 weeks is what all the docs say about B Banner strain

watching and waiting!

 

[TomH]

Mid morning, 80 degrees, 50% RH, I think that’s a VPD around 1.4 to 1.5 (depending upon actual leaf temp.
The chart I’m using is calculating a 2 degree leaf temp drop. I need to get my thermometer out there as I’ve seen leaf temps easily 10 degrees cooler than air temp before. But that was during manic type growth.

 

[TomH]

This is one of two of my favorite times when dealing with cannabis.

I love the flip look. Bright, light green apexes, looks bigger each day.

The other favorite is, of course, the smoking part

This does, obviously begin the stressful part, especially for organic growth.

To date, I’ve never finished a fully organic grow without depending upon chemicals to correct my lack of preparation.

So far so good, but will it stay this way? Time will tell.

Happy Monday all.
If you’re in the blizzard, stay safe. That thing looks horrible. To everyone else, enjoy your day.

 

[TomH]

Plant is looking very happy in its third day in flower.
Temps are maintaining around 79 to 81, RH in the 50% - 53% ranges.
The VPD chart I have assumes a -2 leaf temp (relative to air temp).
This plant is actually maintaining -4 degrees relative to air.

I believe this effectively reduces the VPD (less stressful) or perhaps a better way to look at it is more efficiency at the leaf surface.

At any rate, the VPD is around the 1.3 to 1.5 range, perhaps a but high but the plant looks thrilled with it.

The irrigation system is set to perform 2 waterings on Sat morn (one hour apart) and two on Tues morn (also one hour apart). Due to stretch, I’m expecting a temporary increase in water requirements. I’ve added a single irrigation on thurs. morn. That will be eliminated once the stretch is complete Or the runoff says enough!

When I defoliated it this past weekend, my GF said she could smell the plant on me, strongly.
I don’t think I’ve had a plant before that was that aromatic in the veg stage.
I might be in for a reeker!

 

[TomH]

Interesting observation from this morning during the irrigation cycle.

In the past, every time I water this plant, it goes limp. In veg, it would remain limp until the next morning.

This was just before the first irrigation since flip.



This is five minutes after first irrigation




By second irrigation, it had already recovered a little, but wept again with the second cycle.

But by two hours after irrigation:



I also was recording temperatures and rh hourly.

All morning around 79 degrees and rh around 50 to 53 percent.

Suddenly temperature is up one degree (solar heating of the lung room), but rh in the sixties percent range.

My hypothesis is that following irrigation, the sudden uptake of hydration overwhelms the leaf ability to expel moisture. It takes time for the leaves to respire at a rate that will support the additional water weight.

Just a guess, but it’s always shock to see it droop