Hi peeps, I've got a ton of info from your forums for my first grow. To be honest I've been kinda winging it and may have went a bit OTT. I have a bit of a problem with growth and need some advice. Here is the setup I went for .... 1.4*1.4*2M Tent 8 Pot Wilma System 600w Dual Spectrum Lamp (with reflector) Clay Pebble growing medium Vitalink hydroponic feed My grow started off not too good as I started with clones I got from a friend, there were eight to start with but two were dead when they got to me (they spent a few days in a cold dark garage). They were in rockwool cubes then in small pots with soil. I washed off the soil and got them into my hydro setup. Oh yeah and they had thrips when they got here. I've got the bugs under control now (they be gone). When they started they were a few inches tall. I vegged them for a few weeks until they were about 1' 6" (give or take). There were a couple that were the 'runts', they were really small but I wasnt giving up on them. Now they are growing super rapid and are becoming super big. They are on about day three of flowering now and I'm getting a bit worried about them. The branches from one plant is covering branches from another, to the point where I'm wondering if the others are getting enough light. They do all look healthy enough, excusing the odd bit of scar tissue from the thrips. I've been trying to absorb as much info as I can over the past few weeks. When it came to trimming them I always found that 'it was a matter of opinion' on when and how to make your cuts so I went with letting them do their own thing lol. Can anyone give me any tips on what I should or should not do concerning their size. All information is welcome. I'm am a complete growing virgin. I've been keeping the numbers in check, ie. ph, ec etc. Getting them growing doesnt seem to be an issue, its getting them to stop I'm having probs with lol. Thanks P.S. Apologies if this should've went into the noob section. Being a hydro setup I have, I thought this would be a more suitable place.
I allways prune the bottem stuff off of my plants to clone and also ,,,that stuff does not yield anything anyway. You can train the plants i.e. prune them to fit your space. Anywhere there is a sucker leaf that blocks a bud site is a good rule of thumb. As far as branchs go? the top branchs are going to be the highest yielders of a plant so,,anywhere on the bottem really isn't worth trying to grow indoors with overhead lighting. Some guys like to supliment their lighting with T5 cfl's around the sides but,,I don't think its worth it. As far a grow? I feel that I am the gardener and a gardener prunes plants to meet his needs. A little thining will get your plants better light dispersion in the canopy. Hope my amatuar opinion helps some,,good luck!
Thanks BigbudGbud2ubud, your input is appreciated. You have gave me a bit more to go reading up on. I need to get it clear in my head where bud sites are and where are good places to make cuts. All a part of the learning process
Was just wondering how you got rid of your thrip infestation? I have the same problem (came with some clones), and cant seem to rid myself of em?
Yeah they were a bit of a pain in the ass. I made a basic ciyrus insecticide from limes. I grated the peel of two limes into a small pot, added some water and brought it to the boil for a while. Then left it to stand in the pot for 24 hours. I then used a coffee filter to strain out the lime bits and popped it into a litre spray bottle. I did add some extra water to spray bottle, just to fill it and gave it a good shake. I ended up with a hazy liquid with a faint lime aroma. When spraying the plants I would totally drench them, not forgetting the underside of the leaves where the thrips like to hang out. I repeated the treatment for about two weeks although I think they were done for after a week. From what I understand the citrus insecticide doesnt kill them but breaks their lifecycle instead, stopping the thrips from feeding and reproducing so they die off. You repeat the treatment every few days because the thrips larvae embed into the underside of the leaves and mature within a few days. After a few soakings all was good and my plants seemed to be quite happy getting a juicy shower every few days. I cant smell any citrus at all from my plants. I went and bought the biggest orange I could find today to make some more insect juice. I'm going to give them another few spraying sessions over the next week or so. Not because its needed, just as a deterrent. Stay diligent and you'll get them. Keep spraying them for a bit even after there is no sign of the beasties anymore.
Thanx for the advice, have boiled my lime peel, just waiting the 24 now. Hope this is as effective for me as it was for you. Damned things are anoying as hell, seems to be getting worse, cant wait to blast em with citrus. Thnx again.