Hi Folks, I just suffered cracked trunks (central stem) on 2 Lemon Ice plants that were 8-9 ft. They were fully flowering with clear trichomes on the buds, but not yet on the leaves. What should I do to save the branches above the cracked trunk (still attached)? Should I try to clone each main branch (use root hormone and plant them in the soil? Please help!!
Nah. Just take some electrical tape and tape them back together again. They'll be fine. We've done that numerous times without any problems. Next time, you might think about taking something and running it up along the stem of the plant for central structural support. When the buds start to get heavy with resin, it is quite easy for a gust of wind to screw up your world. These things are pretty tough and will try their best to grow under the most awful of conditions. Also, if you have trichomes on the buds, you most definitely have them on the leaves. They don't get on one and not the other. Do you have a loupe or some form of heavy magnification to look at them with? Without it, you have no idea what you're looking at. And are you positive you're looking at trichomes and not something else? That question was in no way directed as an insult to your skill level or knowledge, but just run into people all the time who are confused about what they should be looking at. Good luck with them. TWW
I guess I'll try what you suggest. About the trichomes - I have another plant (Yoruba Nigeria) that has trichomes on both buds & leaves clearly visible with the naked eye and I do have a digital microscope. Thing is my previous years Lemon Ice plants at this time of year also had abundant trichomes on leaves & buds that were visible to the naked eye also??
Boy....she sure split on you didn't she. That tells me that you are LOADED UP with resin...and that's a very good thing. LOL I understand that you can see trichomes on a plant, but to be able to really see them (as far as the percentage of amber you've got, etc.) you have to have the magnification. That's all. I don't think I've ever seen one that didn't have any on the leaves, but that doesn't mean they don't exist...just that I've not seen it. Like I said, I didn't mean to insult you in any way. There are just so many people that come through here who don't have a clue what a trichome really is. LOL I would still bind that plant back together if it were me just to see if I could get it to harvest. Too much good stuff there to let go to waste. I lost probably 70% of 4 I had put out on the deck to clear out my veg space, to bud rot this year. First time I've ever seen it on a plant that I've grown outside and I've been messing around with outdoor growing for years. By the time I realized it was there and knew what it was, it was too late. Chalk it up to stupidity on my part! LOL I prefer plants that are grown outside, but there are just so many danged variables with outdoor growing that make it so "iffy." I bet I lost 4 pounds from that bud rot. On the up side, I did discover that one of the strains I had planned to cull from my indoor grow was a killer producer in the natural environment. So I kept a pot of it for next spring. I'm going to try again and be much more aware of what's up next time. But yes, as soon as I put a plant in the ground I go ahead and stake it with something right next to the center stalk. We have an abundance of cane or what most people call bamboo here and those work well since I can cut them at any length. I let the plant grow up beside the stake and tie it as it grows. If it's an exceptionally large and heavy plant toward the end, I'll come back with more stakes along the way. The bird netting would've worked for you too I think, but you've got to think about that with these super large growing plants. Just try to get her to harvest and do better next time. TWW
Next time cage them with cement reinforcement mesh (remesh) I use two cages 1 about 6' in diameter and another around 8'. Remesh provides support and a place to tie off to for training. You only need the second when your branches exceed the first by a foot or so. Trellis netting over the top of the cage protects vertical colas. As far as keeping her alive cloning in flower is hard and the buds will not be producing. If you can't harvest now you can try taping it up but that's a lot of damage. I wouldn't expect much gain.
I say drive taller stakes, splint the fracture and stabilize the plant with more jute. I had some broken limbs after the first heavy rain. I just wired the whole plant together with plastic coated wire and then used the T posts to string bailing twine in every direction. We had some very strong winds and they held together pretty well. splinting works, just use something that wont ring the tree(plant) and stop fluid from flowing. Not too tight. I know one guy that intentionally broke limbs, he said it made the bud bigger?
Thanks for all the input - I'd had branches break before - but the plants weren't 8-9 ft. tall - so my "success" in growing a couple of mothers of a plant came back to bite my ass off. Thanks for all of your input again. Nice folks out there!
Do you secure the remesh with rebar or galvanized pipe or...? And do you make a gate so you can get in to maintain your girls?
No once you make a round cage around the plant it's really rigid. All of your tying is done to the remesh as it grows. For sprinkler adjusting you can get one of those old people "reaching tools" I made openings on a few for reaching once and lost branches at that spot. It's not worth it or required. You can see the plastic trellis drooping over the sides. I left the excess and in those spots I haven't had to tie up. once you get a foot or so out you need to tie up to the cage for support. The second cage diameter is around 8' not 10'.
Nice plant! I'll try something support earlier next year. It's hard to think ahead when I'm looking at a 5 gallon plant. We had 42 mph winds last week, and my girls got some major wind rock. I tamped them back in place and staked all around them so now they look like hostages.