Does soluble seaweed extract 'harden' your buds?

[Mars_Barz]

What are your goals? There are many ways to skin a cat.

Hardness? Growth? Terps and flavonoids?

Hmm, well all of those mentioned are "goals" so as to speak lol. I'm a newer-ish grower so you'll have to pardon my ignorance.

I've done a lot of research on these forums about how to grow plants, what to add to them, etc. and a lot of that research has indicated (from others) that 'bud hardeners' 'bloom boosters' etc. are unnecessary products that produce negligible, if otherwise unnoticeable results. Therefore I found it interesting that my local hydro shop is making the claim that the seaweed product hardens the bud.

At days end though, I'm trying to create a fantastic product, not so interested in size/yield of the bud. I'm planning to invest in a bigger & better space once I get accustomed to the basics here.

 

[CannaGranny]

Hmm, well all of those mentioned are "goals" so as to speak lol. I'm a newer-ish grower so you'll have to pardon my ignorance.

I've done a lot of research on these forums about how to grow plants, what to add to them, etc. and a lot of that research has indicated (from others) that 'bud hardeners' 'bloom boosters' etc. are unnecessary products that produce negligible, if otherwise unnoticeable results. Therefore I found it interesting that my local hydro shop is making the claim that the seaweed product hardens the bud.

At days end though, I'm trying to create a fantastic product, not so interested in size/yield of the bud. I'm planning to invest in a bigger & better space once I get accustomed to the basics here.

Always remember, be it the local hydro shop or a pool company they are in the business of selling chemicals.

 

[Aqua Man]

Hmm, well all of those mentioned are "goals" so as to speak lol. I'm a newer-ish grower so you'll have to pardon my ignorance.

I've done a lot of research on these forums about how to grow plants, what to add to them, etc. and a lot of that research has indicated (from others) that 'bud hardeners' 'bloom boosters' etc. are unnecessary products that produce negligible, if otherwise unnoticeable results. Therefore I found it interesting that my local hydro shop is making the claim that the seaweed product hardens the bud.

At days end though, I'm trying to create a fantastic product, not so interested in size/yield of the bud. I'm planning to invest in a bigger & better space once I get accustomed to the basics here.

It used to be a running joke to say “hydro shop guy says what?” Now there are some good ones out there but IME far and few between. As @CannaGranny said they are there to sell. Just like car salesman.

From someone that has no benefit to lie to you, this is my suggestion. The more things you add the more likely you are to mess up your grow. Further to that i feel like you should keep it simple and establish a baseline so you know what that looks like. Otherwise you will not know what products are benefiting you and which are not.

There are so many magic snake oils in a bottle it will make your head spin. Many of them contain the same things in slightly different ratio and imho you will have the most success with a simple compete base nutrient.

Terps and flavonoids biggest impact is a proper dry and cure. No additive will do more than that.

What are you using right now?

 

[Aqua Man]

Silica will make hard buds but you add that and it can have effects on nutrient profiles and pH depending on the source used in the additives.

But honestly the more things you add the more complex the grow becomes and greatly increases you chances if creating issues.

If you want some help walking through your nutrients and what additives may actually benefit you in what ratios then i can help with that but simple is best and the first goal of growing is to successfully complete a good grow. Thats the honest truth

 

[Max]

I’m starting to think the silica I use isn’t doing the job.a couple years back I was running a different strain same silica and they were hard as but with Jeff’s gear I havnt had it ,and I have to stake too .it’s not falling out with no jell at bottom of container mixing it first.i don’t start with it till week 4 veg then up to week 7-8 flower..I basically only use it to make the cell walls harder to stop mold grabbing hold…oh and as a buffer

 

[Aqua Man]

I’m starting to think the silica I use isn’t doing the job.a couple years back I was running a different strain same silica and they were hard as but with Jeff’s gear I havnt had it ,and I have to stake too .it’s not falling out with no jell at bottom of container mixing it first.i don’t start with it till week 4 veg then up to week 7-8 flower..I basically only use it to make the cell walls harder to stop mold grabbing hold…oh and as a buffer

Your observations are bang on and genetics does play a big role also. Some strains just produced denser buds. We need to remember that these plants produce their own PGRs that are responsible for the structure of the plants. All we are doing is manipulating them when we add our own.

Temp differential, light spectrum are also a couple ways we can manipulate plant and bud structure.

Now in order to manipulate things to oir benefit we should know what a baseline is on that plants to know what we want to manipulate in the first place. Thats just my opinion

 

[Max]

I use to use the plants own stimulant in auxins for a very long time growing outside ,just basically bending and training the plant to grow horizontal .the auxins go to the dark side of the branch and the branch would elongate on that dark side.it actually sped up growth…so auxins would b a pgr aqua.

 

[Aqua Man]

I use to use the plants own stimulant in auxins for a very long time growing outside ,just basically bending and training the plant to grow horizontal .the auxins would go to the dark side of the branch and the branch would elongate on that dark side.it actually sped up growth…so auxins would b a pgr aqua.

Yup they are. Thats promotes what called shade avoidance and that how a plant competes against other plants in nature. So the parts in the shade elongate to grow taller than the other plants around it competing for sunlight

 

[Aqua Man]

Its actually a ratio of red and far red the plant receives. That how a plant can tell and respond to survive. As growers we try to take advantage of plant responses for our benefit. You can manipulate many many things. But not always beneficial to do so even if we can and timing is everything.

The plants produce PGRs based off n drought, light, physical damage, temp, humidity, etc etc etc. when we add PGRs essentially we are fooling the plant into thinking a stress is in play that may not be and it responds accordingly to the chemical signals among others

Some info here.

The Shade Avoidance Syndrome in Arabidopsis: The Antagonistic Role of Phytochrome A and B Differentiates Vegetation Proximity and Canopy Shade

Light limitation caused by dense vegetation is one of the greatest threats to plant survival in natural environments. Plants detect such neighboring vegetation as a reduction in the red to far-red ratio (R:FR) of the incoming light. The low R:FR signal, perceived by phytochromes, initiates a set...

journals.plos.org

 

[CannaGranny]

Silica will make hard buds but you add that and it can have effects on nutrient profiles and pH depending on the source used in the additives.

But honestly the more things you add the more complex the grow becomes and greatly increases you chances if creating issues.

If you want some help walking through your nutrients and what additives may actually benefit you in what ratios then i can help with that but simple is best and the first goal of growing is to successfully complete a good grow. Thats the honest truth

Already he has come out swinging! I mean look at his first time grow, definitely blessed with a green thumb. His leaves show zero deficiencies and I think until they tell him they need something..well sometimes things are best left alone.
I understand his need to learn and the feeling that he needs to feed. The way he is growing he needs to accept that the soil is feeding his plants. Keep feeding the soil with organic amendments and teas and rock on!

 

[CannaGranny]

It used to be a running joke to say “hydro shop guy says what?” Now there are some good ones out there but IME far and few between. As @CannaGranny said they are there to sell. Just like car salesman.

From someone that has no benefit to lie to you, this is my suggestion. The more things you add the more likely you are to mess up your grow. Further to that i feel like you should keep it simple and establish a baseline so you know what that looks like. Otherwise you will not know what products are benefiting you and which are not.

There are so many magic snake oils in a bottle it will make your head spin. Many of them contain the same things in slightly different ratio and imho you will have the most success with a simple compete base nutrient.

Terps and flavonoids biggest impact is a proper dry and cure. No additive will do more than that.

What are you using right now?

P.S. The “hydro guy says what” is STILL a joke around here!

 

[Aqua Man]

Already he has come out swinging! I mean look at his first time grow, definitely blessed with a green thumb. His leaves show zero deficiencies and I think until they tell him they need something..well sometimes things are best left alone.
I understand his need to learn and the feeling that he needs to feed. The way he is growing he needs to accept that the soil is feeding his plants. Keep feeding the soil with organic amendments and teas and rock on!

I very much agree. Of it ain’t broke don’t fix it. If during or after the grow you see something you don Like then make an adjustment at that time or next grow

 

[Mars_Barz]

It used to be a running joke to say “hydro shop guy says what?” Now there are some good ones out there but IME far and few between. As @CannaGranny said they are there to sell. Just like car salesman.

From someone that has no benefit to lie to you, this is my suggestion. The more things you add the more likely you are to mess up your grow. Further to that i feel like you should keep it simple and establish a baseline so you know what that looks like. Otherwise you will not know what products are benefiting you and which are not.

There are so many magic snake oils in a bottle it will make your head spin. Many of them contain the same things in slightly different ratio and imho you will have the most success with a simple compete base nutrient.

Terps and flavonoids biggest impact is a proper dry and cure. No additive will do more than that.

What are you using right now?

I thought the hydro shops would have had extra incentive to tell the truth, seeing how as they're poised to (potentially) go out of business with the advent of online shopping.

I'm not using anything at the moment. I up potted that plant about a week ago and it seems to be liking its new home. Gave it water once four days ago, hasn't looked like its needed anything since. I will wait for the roots to expand before adding fertilizer.

I agree with everything that you've said. That 'keep it simple' principle has been expressed ad nauseum on these forums. I made this post because I was curious about the hydro shop claims and I'm also living in the future getting excited about my future grows lol. I have some good seeds from a reputable breeder that I plan to pop into a higher quality media, but I'm not gonna do that until I get a little bit better behind the wheel, so as to speak.

Right now I need to get this fan/tent combo dialed in. Because this 4" inline fan is a BEAST! I'm pretty sure it could suck start a Harley, tent looks ready to collapse under all this suc

 

[Aqua Man]

I thought the hydro shops would have had extra incentive to tell the truth, seeing how as they're poised to (potentially) go out of business with the advent of online shopping.

I'm not using anything at the moment. I up potted that plant about a week ago and it seems to be liking its new home. Gave it water once four days ago, hasn't looked like its needed anything since. I will wait for the roots to expand before adding fertilizer.

I agree with everything that you've said. That 'keep it simple' principle has been expressed ad nauseum on these forums. I made this post because I was curious about the hydro shop claims and I'm also living in the future getting excited about my future grows lol. I have some good seeds from a reputable breeder that I plan to pop into a higher quality media, but I'm not gonna do that until I get a little bit better behind the wheel, so as to speak.

Right now I need to get this fan/tent combo dialed in. Because this 4" inline fan is a BEAST! I'm pretty sure it could suck start a Harley, tent looks ready to collapse under all this suc

Do you have the bottom intake vents opened up?

 

[Mars_Barz]

Do you have the bottom intake vents opened up?

I had one opened up, furthest from the fan. I'm gonna go on a whim and say all three need to be opened at some point, eh?

Also -

Silica will make hard buds but you add that and it can have effects on nutrient profiles and pH depending on the source used in the additives.

But honestly the more things you add the more complex the grow becomes and greatly increases you chances if creating issues.

If you want some help walking through your nutrients and what additives may actually benefit you in what ratios then i can help with that but simple is best and the first goal of growing is to successfully complete a good grow. Thats the honest truth

What kind of silica are we talking about here? I have some food grade diatomaceous earth I was planning to add to my top soil to act as a bug preventer, as last grow there were little micro worms crawling on my sugar leaves and buds.

This stuff is comprised of silicon dioxide (100%) plus two food grade insect baits. Is this the stuff in question that can 'harden' buds? Because the buds of my last grow didn't render the most optimal results, airy, almost foxtailed buds being one of the culprits. That stuff can potentially solve two of my issues in one go!!

 

[Aqua Man]

I had one opened up, furthest from the fan. I'm gonna go on a whim and say all three need to be opened at some point, eh?

Also -

What kind of silica are we talking about here? I have some food grade diatomaceous earth I was planning to add to my top soil to act as a bug preventer, as last grow there were little micro worms crawling on my sugar leaves and buds.

This stuff is comprised of silicon dioxide (100%) plus two food grade insect baits. Is this the stuff in question that can 'harden' buds? Because the buds of my last grow didn't render the most optimal results, airy, almost foxtailed buds being one of the culprits. That stuff can potentially solve two of my issues in one go!!

Yup all 3 open.

Yes that will work as a silica to harden buds