My mums always start out as seed, and I prefer to top earlier that way I can get my main branching established. I also tend to use more red light during this period to get some extra stretch. After I am happy with the general layout of the branching kick it back to blue and will use pruning and pinching to try and fatten up the branching I keep as a base for the plant. I try to start out with usually 4-6 main branches but I in the end only keep 3. As of lately been cloning mums to move them to smaller containers because I have a limited space for them and I also have decided to use my home made airpots. Also will using my former mums to experiment with phytochrome manipulation and perfecting time cycle.
I LST'd this Blue Diesel...kinda looks like a bonsai. it was also cut down in half 5 weeks ago to get side branching and ready for a scrog after a batch of clones.
Would the mother plant need to be kept in an 18-24 hour light a day schedule to keep her in veg or after a certain period does flowerin just not happen?
Flowering is induced regardless of age due to photo period with the exception being auto flower seeds, of which you would not have mother plants. As for going with 18,20,24 hours of light there has been many different answer to that and many different justifications for the cycle choice. My self for simplicity have all my mums under 24h light. Although I veg at 20/4 but it is done in a separate location from mums. Reasons I like 24 on is no need for timers and in the event of power loss I have a bigger window of time before potently triggering flowering and the end result of stressing. Additionally when I have excess clones I can pull them out when ever and not have to worry about how much dark time they have had before transporting them.
WHATS THE ANSWER!!!? (i think yes btw, i had a small diy 1 gallon bubbler bucket and i accidently cut the sh!t out of half the roots and it was fine.... i was thinking you could make two set ups: each would be... 1. take a milk jug and cut the top off to the size a net pot will slide in. 3inch pot 2. cut a hole for an air tube just below the net pot. 3. line the milk jug with duct tape 4. slide air tube through the hole and plug into airstone(pref. small round) 5. place airstone at bottom of jug and air pump ABOVE the milk jug you can buy a gallon of r/o water every 5 days and mix your nutes in it, shake it and when you want to do reservoir changes that is why you'd have the second one(since its $1.50) to quickly and hassle free(also stress/strain free) switch reservoirs and nutrient solutions. with the combination of these growing tactics which are god-like btw.... why wouldnt this work....right?
I used to root prune my bubble buckets that way I would get more lateral roots instead of the long ones you normally get. Also found at least where I am at when I would make my initial res I would go 50/50 RO/Tap after that add backs with RO, the buffers in the tap water allowed me to keep my res for a month at a time. Once you get you it dialed in it easy to keep -/+ 100 EC and the buffers kept my PH for the most part stable, would have to adjust it up about every 3 days and even then it was a small amount. I got a plant in this thread that I pretty much feed like hydro, and is only occupy about 1.25 oz of medium. Looking at scaling the idea up for my mums. All I have to do is cut around the edges (literally 30 seconds) and then drop it back into container. http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/750990-3oz-container-grows-13.html
I use a kind of similar version of "bonsai" keeping in that all my vegging plants are kept fairly small and short via lst and using these "rooting" cups, basically either 20 oz or 32 oz styrofoam cups with 3/16" holes drilled thru them like swiss cheese, then inserted into another cup for watering and when I initially plant seeds or take cuttings, helps keep the soil moist longer when left in the cups. I can veg plants for over 60 days in 32oz cups or 1 gal nursery pots with 2 1/8" holes drilled in them and either landscaping fabric, metal door screen, or hardware cloth inserted to allow the soil to breath like a smart pot, kind of. I call them okie pots, no offense anybody! anyway, usually after around 14 to 30 days I transplant from 20oz cups to either the gallon "okiepots" or up to the 32oz rooting cups. My germination/veg area is only about 3' x 2.5 ft. x 4 ft., I have 2 2lamp t-5 2 foot lights mounted on plywood with a mylar backing, 2 4" fans for air circulation, it stays around 76-78 with about 55%rh all by itself, I have a heat pad for seed germination, pretty much just leave it on as I think it helps stabilize heat when lights are off (temp drop of 4 degrees). Once I up-pot to 3 or 5 gallon smartpots, I put them in to flower at the edge and let them adjust to the new pot for a week or so then move them more directly under the light, a BD700 black dog led that draws around 662 watts, 3watt leds drawing 2.12 watts each, 15 spectrums including uv/ir, extreme flower series of 2010. the flowering plants are chemmando ((mendo purps x grape fruit) x chemd/og) and the other is one cola of a purple passion bx1 (topped for 4) that is hopefully in its last week right now (slowed down the finish with a late dose of kelp - DOH!) Also, my plants in veg suffered from my attempt at chloramine removal with some crap I found at wallyworld - pays to research first!! Later, folks, sorry for the ramble, I don't post pics here often, been thinking about a journal but kind of chicken.
I've always wanted to get into bonsai and love weed so... this naturally makes sense. I must try this soon.
i am sooo happy i read the first two post of this thread...thanks op...great info and sounds like much fun to try..can't wait to put the new knowledge into action.
This shit is GREAT! Someone, anyone... PLEASE SMOKE OUT MY SKULL WHEN I DIE! .... PERMISSION GRANTED! LOL!
Very nice thread. I see the op reccomends organic soil. And I see where you guys asked about hydro and bubble buckets are best used for mums but what about hempy buckets/passive hydro? Me and my partner just picked 3 girls we want make mums but they r already in 3gal hempy buckets. Would be impossible to root prune so I would think we need do something different for mums. Anybody ever had mums in hempy buckets??