The Flattop Treatment

PencilHead · Jan 31, 2010

Going for total canopy control here. Took out the top 4 or 5 nodes and lollipopped crap outta everything else. Left the longest suckers on the top 2 nodes so I've got doubles on those 4 branches. Planning on stretching the lowers up toward the top crown--if they wimp out and don't make it, I'll chop them. That leaves me with maybe 20 bud sites, all of which should get decent light. Shooting for a 30-36" diameter plant at about 4-5 feet high--I want monsters.

Think they're ready to go 12/12? They're only 3 of them and they're about 2 months old and in 18 gallon chum buckets. WW from seed/Organicare Pure Earth Aeration (coco coir formula)/all 6 FF nutes/a dash of Gramdma's and a dash of Epsomes as needed.

I'm experimenting here since I've gotta break my grow down this summer to go assume my alternate identity. Does anyone see any problems I may have with this foolishness?

nouvellechef · Jan 31, 2010

They look very healthy. No probs at all, they are gonna produce alot of goodness man. You got the height in there it looks like to let her go. You prob already know her strain. So have idea of stretch. Look like plenty of light, so that will keep her down to minimum. Nice work.

umbra · Jan 31, 2010

nice. the more budding sites the better. so much depends on how the plants react and canopy management.

legalize_freedom · Feb 1, 2010

Looks good PH! Can't wait to watch you flower these girls out!

diablo_cannabis · Feb 1, 2010

those things are gonna be the monsters you want for sure! So you have three plants each in its own 18 gal bucket? How many lights and what wattage are you running? I cannot wait to see what you come up with! It is gonna be amazing.

I grow in 5 gal buckets 4 to 5 plants per 1000W mondo hoods and by harvest time my plants are 6' tall and I can expect 1lb to 1.25lbs per light. I trim away all the lower larf crap and concentrate only only on big buds. I have trellis netting set up to pull the branches out as they grow.

PencilHead · Feb 1, 2010

Diablo, that's amazing. Nice to see someone trying different things.

Right now, I'm running 2 600w MH conversions, and will flip over to HPS bulbs when I go 12/12 of course. I'm contemplating picking up another 400 watts since I think I can keep the room cool with a bit more light. I rotate and reposition every day so I get good penetration anyway, but like you said, these girls are going for the ceiling when I hit flower.

Home Depot had these buckets for like $6 so I grabbed a few, popped holes in the bottom, picked up some 20" water heater drip pans. I've always grown in 5 gallon buckets as well but always noticed how totally root bound my end product was when I broke the buckets down. I know I'll have watering and nute adjusting issues until I get it dialed in correctly--that's the big reason I went with the coco coir this go.

I'm a big proponent of lollipopping, but as DOS warns, watch out for mold on those big old colas living in the South. But I do get some massive buds that way, I just have to keep the wind on them constantly.

Thanks to everyone for checking in.

PencilHead · Feb 7, 2010

Pulled the top ones down more, pulling the bottoms up--really flattening out the tops now. We'll see. I'm having fun anyway. They're 22" from the dirt and about 28" in diameter today. Two weeks into flower.

I've got to edit in here and say I got this idea from DirtyOlSouth. Thanks, bro.

dirtyolsouth · Feb 7, 2010

:headbang2: :yay: :clap: :yay: :dancing: :dancing: :yay: :clap: :yay: :headbang2:

Hellz yah!

Ya can't tell I like it can ya? Very cool bro... that's a winning profile for sure... awesome pruning and training... Talk about a very even bud site profile for lots of medium large buds with more light getting to MORE bud surface.... Much better than bottle-necking all those auxins into a few tops and your botrytis risk I'll bet dropped a ton vs lollipopping too... I'm gonna pull up a chair for this one fo sho!

legalize_freedom · Feb 8, 2010

I'm really liking it to man! I tried my hand at LST this grow, and I'm sold on it! I have yet to harvest it yet, to see if the yeild is any better doing it this way, but it definately uses the space better than a single cola grow. My canopy didn't stay as even as what you have there, but it was pretty even non the less. A few stray buds decided they wanted to grow long and thinner, than others that decided to be short and dense.

I was a little nervous around 5 weeks into my grow just seeing what looked like was going to turn into a bunch of popcorn, but they all ended up filling in and fattening up. It's just a little nerve wracking at first, casue I'm used to seeing one main huge cola, with a little bit of smaller stuff.

I can't wait to see how this turns out for you man! I think, like me, you'll be a changed man...lol...I'll let you know how yeild was once drying and everything is done.

PencilHead · Feb 11, 2010

legalize_freedom said:
I'm really liking it to man! I tried my hand at LST this grow, and I'm sold on it! I have yet to harvest it yet, to see if the yeild is any better doing it this way, but it definately uses the space better than a single cola grow. My canopy didn't stay as even as what you have there, but it was pretty even non the less. A few stray buds decided they wanted to grow long and thinner, than others that decided to be short and dense.

I was a little nervous around 5 weeks into my grow just seeing what looked like was going to turn into a bunch of popcorn, but they all ended up filling in and fattening up. It's just a little nerve wracking at first, casue I'm used to seeing one main huge cola, with a little bit of smaller stuff.

I can't wait to see how this turns out for you man! I think, like me, you'll be a changed man...lol...I'll let you know how yeild was once drying and everything is done.

I've got Purple Maxx--my grow guy doesn't cary Snow Storm U--and Gravity to toss at them this grow. I'm going with the Maxx for the first time with this feed today. I'm hoping to see the results I keep reading about from you guys who have tried it.

LF, didn't you say you started with half strength on the Snow Storm initially?

legalize_freedom · Feb 12, 2010

Hey man I sent ya a PM but I thought I'd better answer it here to just incase someone rfrences this in the future. I fed the SSU at full strength, at the flip to 12/12 just following the directions. I did cut my nutes and the SSU back to 2/3 of what I had been feeding when I fed the 2 applications of Gravity per the directions.....my plants were varocious eaters, and I never did hit max nutes with these throughout the grow, I think I was very close at 1 1/2 strength when I had to cut back for the Gravity feedings. I will find the max with the clones though, once I flip them to bud, my very first feeding is going to start at 1 1/4 strength and then I'll work up from there until I get that slight tip burn.

PencilHead · Feb 12, 2010

Thanks for hitting me back on the PM.

Dropped the Maxx on them yesterday. Using these huge buckets and going into coco at the same time, I'm still moving very slowly on my dial in.

The switch to coco's odd--never seems to dry out and the plants don't droop when they need water. But on the upside, I'm feeding the crap out of them and they're growing in a mad sick fashion. My room's 4.5' X 8' and these 3 plants may push me out of there completely. They're so broad now--30" to 36"--that I can't LST them anymore; no place left to go but up.

Nothing to do now but kick back and look cute while I wait out the stretch.

PencilHead · Feb 22, 2010

Threw the Purple Maxx to them feeding before last. This is at 3 weeks 12/12 today. The buds you see are all there are, no pop-corn, no air bud, no nothing. I've only got the three though.

This experiment may contain some fatal error I'm not educated enough to foresee, but I'm having so much fun right now that my teeth may start photosynthesising.

monkeybusiness · Feb 22, 2010

Wow Pencilhead, awesome! looks great

loolagigi · Feb 22, 2010

super, super super, nice training, mojo at cha

dman1234 · Feb 22, 2010

these are awesome pics, does anyone ever use or hear of using
tomatoe cages?

dirtyolsouth · Feb 23, 2010

Dude...

Wow & wow...:hubba: Look at those bangin canopies! You know me... I love the lazy lollipop, flat-top!:aok: They are really gettin cola-tized too. Nice, nice, nice... I really look forward to the final stretch, bro.

Peace!

PencilHead · Feb 23, 2010

dman1234 said:
these are awesome pics, does anyone ever use or hear of using
tomatoe cages?

Thanks, D. I've seen pics of tomato cages around MJ and even thought about it. Maybe if I was outside.

PencilHead · Feb 23, 2010

I can't believe how these things are eating--I'm doing 3 gallons, full strength FF full line plus the Maxx, every 6 or seven days and looks like I'm about to go to every 5 days.

ishnish · Feb 23, 2010

:aok:
looks awesome!
got my chair..
:watchplant:

The Flattop Treatment

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