Topping/Cloning/General Advice

[kiksroks]

I have some rooted clones that were put into 6" pots 7 days ago. I am planning on topping them and then rooting the trimmed tops. They each have 8 nodes at this time. I am planning at topping above the 5th node then removing the bottom 2 leaves/growth from the cutting and rooting them in rockwool cubes.

Should I wait another week before the surgery or will the donor plants be Ok?

I guess I'm just worried about shocking the poor little guys so soon after putting them in the soil. The cuttings taken would just be a bonus if they survived. They are Blue Dream.

Another question; I am topping to help keep the Sativa dominant plants from getting to tall. Will removing the main top only be enough or should I plan on topping some of the side growth as well in the future? (once it is actually there). I will be flowering as soon as my current crop is done, and would like to keep these under 12".

I also have some sour diesel that will be getting the same treatment when they are big enough.

Does 3 of the topped blue dream and 3 topped sour diesel in an approximate 3x4x8growing area under a 1kw HPS flowered at 12" sound like a good plan?

Let me know what you all thinK!


Peace

 

[leafminer]

I have some rooted clones that were put into 6" pots 7 days ago. I am planning on topping them and then rooting the trimmed tops. They each have 8 nodes at this time. I am planning at topping above the 5th node then removing the bottom 2 leaves/growth from the cutting and rooting them in rockwool cubes.

Should I wait another week before the surgery or will the donor plants be Ok?

I guess I'm just worried about shocking the poor little guys so soon after putting them in the soil. The cuttings taken would just be a bonus if they survived. They are Blue Dream.

Another question; I am topping to help keep the Sativa dominant plants from getting to tall. Will removing the main top only be enough or should I plan on topping some of the side growth as well in the future? (once it is actually there). I will be flowering as soon as my current crop is done, and would like to keep these under 12".

I also have some sour diesel that will be getting the same treatment when they are big enough.

Does 3 of the topped blue dream and 3 topped sour diesel in an approximate 3x4x8growing area under a 1kw HPS flowered at 12" sound like a good plan?

Let me know what you all thinK!


Peace

If the plants look vigorous then I'd go ahead and top them.

Never heard of Blue Dream. Mind, I'm allergic to Blue anything at the moment (if you check my threads you will find out why) - who's the breeder / seedbank?

Top sidegrowth? This is a strain thing. Impossible to say without experience of growing the strain. For example one of my own crosses, the branches are horizontal so it's a sideways thing. But the Black Domina I'm growing is like an ice cream cone with the branches nearly vertical.

I don't know why you would want to flower at 1ft when you have 8ft of height. Yield is proportional to veg size. I'd veg them to at least 30".

Your grow area is 12 sq ft so you will need at least 60K lumens. I'm guessing that lamp will provide a lot more than that so your grow should be pretty good . . . I'd be aiming for upwards of a pound dry weight.

Nice to see you on MP

 

[kiksroks]

If the plants look vigorous then I'd go ahead and top them.

Never heard of Blue Dream. Mind, I'm allergic to Blue anything at the moment (if you check my threads you will find out why) - who's the breeder / seedbank?

Top sidegrowth? This is a strain thing. Impossible to say without experience of growing the strain. For example one of my own crosses, the branches are horizontal so it's a sideways thing. But the Black Domina I'm growing is like an ice cream cone with the branches nearly vertical.

I don't know why you would want to flower at 1ft when you have 8ft of height. Yield is proportional to veg size. I'd veg them to at least 30".

Your grow area is 12 sq ft so you will need at least 60K lumens. I'm guessing that lamp will provide a lot more than that so your grow should be pretty good . . . I'd be aiming for upwards of a pound dry weight.

Nice to see you on MP

Blue Dream seems to be a Northern Cali sativa strain. It appears to be blueberry x haze. It's been going around the dispensaries and is one of the wife's favs. I got clones so I'm not sure about seed banks.

I'm a little wary about them getting too tall and falling over everywhere.

After the Bubblegum i have at almost 6 ft tall (flowered at 18") after 9 weeks of flowering. These are all screwed up at this point and I think I'll be lucky to get an oz./plant if they ever finish. They seem to be stretching again with new growth popping up out of the tops:confused2:. i will have to bend and tie again this weekend. This after actually putting on some nice flowers. All but one anyways which is almost ready to pull. I wonder if they were to tightly packed and that contributed to their over screwyness.

I pretty much have a whole bedroom to grow in but am limited to 6 mature plants. How much area will the 1kw light effectively cover?

How would you set it up using the 1kw hps and 5 gal pots w/soil? I've found that the light needs to be no closer than 18" or it will burn the leaves. Could it really cover 20-30 sq.ft. efectively? I would love to see a lb. every 8 weeks or so!

I would like to avoid the problems I am haveing with my first grow. the second time around. I know I have alot to learn...

peace
:ccc:

 

[kiksroks]

the 1000 watt should cover 36 sq feet, probably fit 6 plants in 5 gallons nicely in a 6x6.

At 2 feet over the canopy?

tHANKS

 

[kiksroks]

So veg them to 2ft., put them in a 6x6 area, and let nature/nurture take care of the rest?

Then potentially harvest a lb.?

yah?

sounds good to me...:ccc:

 

[Hick]

1k hps = 130,000 L
130,000L by 36 sq ft = 3,600 lumen per sq ft...NOT quite the recommended 'optimal' for that space.
5,000 L/per/sq/ft is the 'recommended' level to be sought for flowering.
a 1k hps will attain that in a 5'x5' area(25 sq ft).

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Are you just growing in the bedroom? Do you have any kind of enclosure around your space? If you just have your 1000W light in a bedroom without any reflective enclosure around, the light is being disbursed throughout the room and you are wasting huge amounts of light.

 

[Mokey1]

I'm pretty new here. Done a couple of greenhouse grows but now am forced to grow under 600watt HPS. What I'm doing is putting an oscillating fan blowing on the top of the plants in order to allow me to get the light closer. Naturally, it's no 1000 watter so may not work for you. Only slight negative is that the light it self moves slightly.

 

[kiksroks]

1k hps = 130,000 L
130,000L by 36 sq ft = 3,600 lumen per sq ft...NOT quite the recommended 'optimal' for that space.
5,000 L/per/sq/ft is the 'recommended' level to be sought for flowering.
a 1k hps will attain that in a 5'x5' area(25 sq ft).

so max area is about 25 sq ft.

Thanks Hick

 

[kiksroks]

Are you just growing in the bedroom? Do you have any kind of enclosure around your space? If you just have your 1000W light in a bedroom without any reflective enclosure around, the light is being disbursed throughout the room and you are wasting huge amounts of light.

As of now, yes it is just inside the bedroom w/o any type of enclosure or surround. So If i put it in a corner with white walls (leaving enough room to walk between) what would work to enclose the other two sides? Or would it be better to have it away from the walls and have a reflective enclosure all the way around?

I'm off to the grow room design area...

Thanks for pointing me in the right dierection.

edit: great avatar btw!

 

[legalize_freedom]

you could hang a panda film curtain to enclose the other 2 sides, and you will need some sort of ventilation system to exchange the air.

 

[DonJones]

There is one problem with trying to figure light requirement by square footage and that is penetration and dispersal. As the plants get taller, you need more light/square foot because the light intensity decreases by the square of the distance. I.e. 5000 lumens at 1 foot is only a fourth of that at 2 feet and a 16th at 4 feet. So as the plants get taller and the lights must be raised, the amount of light available for the lower part of the plant decreases drastically, even the outer part of the plant. And as the light source is raised the light diffuses over an ever increasing area which further reduces the intensity available for a given leave on a given plant.

Then you get into the issue of shading of the lower parts of the plants by the upper parts. As you can see, the 5K lumens is only a very general guideline.

I have never found any one who could tell me at what point you can have too much light, except of course once you start burning the plants, then you have too much for that particular situation but usually that can be alleviated by improved ventilation and temperature control. If you have any doubts about having enough light, I would advise adding more light to just be safe.


As to your concerns about the plants falling over from the weight, why not just put stakes into th ebuckets and tie them up to the stakes to support the branches? Also, unless you are stressing them someway to weaken the branches/stems, why would a plant that grows 7' tall normally outdoors without falling over, suddenly not be able to support its own weight just because you are growing it indoors? A suggestion on that issue is to introduce varying side breezes like from an oscillating fan to simulate the outdoor breezes that the plants normally grow in and that encourages stem and branch strength.

Personally, I'd wait another few days before topping, but that is just my opinion. Incidentally I always veg to at least 18" before switching, and taller with a stativa dominate variety.

Good luck and great smoking.

 

[kiksroks]

you could hang a panda film curtain to enclose the other 2 sides, and you will need some sort of ventilation system to exchange the air.

I'm working on a ventilation upgrade. I'm thinking a 6" fan pulling from the light hood into the attic or all the way outside. I live outside of town on a couple of acres so the smell isn't an issue. I will probably "y" in a 4" line from my veg. locker as well. Along with blowing a fan directly on the plants.

The first thing i thought of was a shower curtain when it came to an enclosure. Where could I find this Panda film in an appropriate size. Like 12x8 or so?

Thanks for the advice!:ccc:

edit: googled panda film and found 10x10 for like 12 dollars...

 

[legalize_freedom]

yeah...sounds like you are working out the system. I've never used the panda, but I know alot of people do. I have a box that I built. I have air cooled reflectors to, and pull fresh air through a carbon filter, through my lights, and then out of the box. Your going to want an exhaust fan thats big enough to exchange the air in your room 3 to 5 times a minute. so if your space is 5x5x8 you have 200 cubic ft, so you will need a fan 600cfm or bigger.

 

[kiksroks]

I found a sliding flexible ceiling mount curtain rail to hang the panda from. Should be pretty slick.

looking for a cheap exhaust fan now...

 

[Bowl Destroyer]

I have never tried taking a clone from the main stalk, but I do top my plants in this fashion:

I just nip away the "newest" leafs to be formed; Usually I will have to push away the second newest leaves to get to it, then I just nip that little end off

the plant is shorter and has more main colas, versus 1 huge cola with a bunch of minis


good luck!
destroyer

ps i think my technique is called FIM, "f, i missed" lol but it works great, lest 1 branch take on the role of main cola