Grow Journal Reports

I have been experimenting with some training systems like one node and flip popularized by the Jungle Boys and leaf stripping and want to compare results with these defoliation techniques.

Above are 4 plants trained using the one node and flip technique on day 9 and day 14.

Below are 4 plants that received a total leaf stripping on day 19, now at day 25.

One Node And Flip Vs Leaf Stripping – Which Is Better?

Here is a video comparing my grow closets and the two techniques.

It is too early to make a full comparison between the 2 methods and one grow is all Wedding Cake while the other is Wedding Cake and 3 other strains. They are also 10 days apart. But there are a few important take aways from both.

There are obviously many more leaves in the one node and flip closet and it is likely some will be removed later. The canopy is not as deep with this method so more light will get to all the buds. There are no lower buds so there will be no larf and less smaller buds.

The closet that was leaf stripped has a much deeper canopy and therefore less light getting to the lower buds. I feel pretty sure there will be more small buds with this system.

Implementing this training system is much easier because it is done just before flowering. With a leaf strip most growers wait until day 21, but one I know does it on day 14. Either way, all this has to be done with the trellis already up so it is much more difficult to do. If you have ever used this technique you know it is very labor intensive and time consuming.

I have had problems leaf stripping. It sets the plants back and has resulted in smaller buds for me. The plants appear stunted to me. There were some other factors that may have led to stunting like light levels that were too high for plants to use without additional CO2. I wrote an article about this on my sister site and you can view it here: http://420grower.org/how-much-led-light-for-weed-and-is-750-w-cob-led-lighting-too-much/

Many successful growers use leaf stripping with great success but they are also running CO2 and I think this makes recovery easier and faster.

I would not recommend leaf stripping unless you also have CO2. I think you can get the same or better results using one node and flip and it is faster and easier to implement.

Right now I think the closet with one node and flip training looks better and I think yield and bud size will be better. The closet that was leaf stripped still looks a bit stunted but with lowered light levels I am seeing the buds start to size up and grow new white hairs. I will update the results as time goes on. Can’t decide? Here is a detailed comparison:

Defoliating Cannabis Explained In Detail

I want to leave you with 2 videos from 2 different master growers showing these 2 different defoliation techniques in more detail.

The first video is from Grand Master Level and shows him doing a complete leaf strip on his Death Bubba girls. It’s long but definitely worth watching.

The second is much shorter and from HiGrowGroup and explains the one node and flip technique. Interestingly enough, he used to do a total leaf strip in flower like Grand Master Level does , but now he is using the one node and flip technique and explains why.

A Look At My One Node And Flip Plants On Day 21

My plants are looking much better than the ones that received a full leaf stripping. They look healthier and more robust.

The biggest advantage I see to the one node and flip technique is that it does not slow plant growth down in any way. My plants that were defoliated always took at least 3 days to start recovering and growing again.

Since the one node technique is done just before flower the plants do not slow down at all. I was not sure how much these girls would stretch so I did not use any N.M. Decision at transition to flower. Once they started getting tall I did give them some around day 16 hoping it would slow stretch down a bit. Not really sure if it had much effect.

I don’t know if stretch is over at day 21 or if they will stretch a bit longer. Some colas are much taller than others and close to the light. The problem is worse with multiple strains too because they have different growth rates.

In the end I think some fine tuning is needed. For example the GG4 did not stretch upwards as much as the rest. Instead it got wider. The canopy is dense and may need some stripping or branch thinning. So on a strain like that, in a 2 foot wide closet, 4 nodes may be too much.

So I am going to wait until day 28 at least before I do anything. One option might be to leave everything until day 42 and then do some leaf stripping.

ONE NODE AND FLIP DAY 28

Everything is looking really good and I just finished doing some training on day 28. Some plants have grown thick canopies that needed training.

This was mostly true on the GG4 and the Wedding Cake. I did remove some fan leaves but most of the training was removing smaller bud sites and low branches. Some strains make a lot of side branches and they can quickly create tops that are too dense for good light and air penetration.

By removing them I was able to open up the canopies and hopefully send more energy to the larger top buds. Trimming buds is tedious work especially if there are a lot of small buds. My goal is to eliminate as many as I can even if it means a slightly lower yield.

So far the one node and flip technique has worked well. It does not stall my plants out like full leaf stripping did. I need to refine it a bit though. Either by leaving less branches or less nodes on strains like GG4 that like to get tall and bush out. If I do it right I should need to do much less training after going into flower.

Here is a video showing how things are going. I also share a bit of info about my next grow and about dealing with powdery mildew in flower. Watch it. You will enjoy it.

ONE NODE AND FLIP TECHNIQUE DAY 35

So after comparing the one node and flip technique with a total leaf strip I definitely prefer one node and flip. It doesn’t set the plants back at all which could result in an earlier harvest. Over all the plants look healthier to me. Here is my day 35 video:

Here are pictures from both closets. The first two were taken of plants that received a total leaf strip. They are on day 46 and the next two were taken on day 35 and trained with the one node and flip technique.

Not a true side by side but same cuts and nutes and same lighting.  Although they will produce some nice buds the day 46 plants don’t look that happy to me.

Also the 2nd picture appears to be a different pheno even though they came from the same mom. Stress induced? I don’t know but it was not set back as hard as the other plants. It is already starting to fade and is taller than the others. Bud structure shows more cookie influence and finer less spikey pistils.

Now compare these plants to the ones trained with one node and flip. They are 10 days earlier and honestly I think the buds have better trichome development and are the dame size or maybe even a bit larger. See for yourself and then you decide if I am being biased.

Here are some shots of the rest of the closet taken on day 35

ONE NODE AND FLIP TECHNIQUE DAY 42

Today is day 42 and these ladies are coming along nicely. I have seen some significant bulking up this week and buds are gaining frost and starting to look way more mature.

I think the Tropicana cookies have made the most impressive gains this week. I dont think it will be a big yielder but the tangerine smell these girls put out is amazing.

The Pink Lemonade is getting heavy and branches are starting to lean from the weight. She is an earlier finisher than the others and is starting to show brown hairs now.

Wedding Cake and GG4 are also chunking up and getting frosty. The GG4 surprised me because it is the shortest plant in the closet. It has been taller before but this time it really went wide instead. It needed the most training after the one node and flip because it was so crowded. I think if trained this way it needs less branches than the others.

Day 42 One Node And Flip Pictures

Day 49 Time To Start Flushing

Everything is coming along nicely and at this point I really like the results from using the one node and flip technique. I dont know if I will ever do a total leaf strip again unless I have CO2.

I noticed that there are a lot of pistils going brown so it is time to flush. I want to flush while plants still are making white hairs and actively growing so they can use up the nutrients stored in the plant.

Just flushing the grow media alone wont do a proper job because plants store about a 2 week food supply inside them. Some say you dont need to flush but I can tell the difference between a properly flushed plant and one that is not. It definitely makes a big difference in quality.

Day 49 Pictures

One Node And Flip Day 56 And Lots Of Changes

A lot happened this week and most of it was unexpected and unplanned. All plants have been harvested except for the Tropicana Cookies.

The Pink Lemonade was done ahead of the others and while I was getting ready to chop her down I noticed what looked like powdery mildew on a few of the leaves. I was surprised to say the least because the plant sits right next to a fan and humidity in the closet was in the low 40s but there it was.

I dont like to spray anything in flower but I dont like losing a crop either. Especially so close to harvest. Everything got sprayed down with Serenade. It is a special strain of Bacillus Subtilis that prevents mold and other plant diseases from reproducing. It is certified organic and can be used right up to the day of harvest.

The Pink Lemonade came out the next day, then got 2 days of darkness in another closet and was chopped. I think it yielded pretty well because the plant seemed really heavy.

The Wedding Cake was showing signs of bud rot on 2 nugs and I think the spray may have kept it from spreading. It is a very hard plant to clone and I had planned on doing a reveg with it. So I chopped it a bit earlier than I would have liked but I was afraid it would be harder to reveg if it went much longer.

The GG4 was ready and starting to foxtail so it was harvested too. Neither the Glue or the Tropicana Cookies showed any signs of mold or anything else.

So the Tropicana is the last one standing and she is a stunner that is showing more and more purple by the day. She smells like tangerines and is very frosty and will be very easy to trim from the looks of things. Anyway here is a quick video from the aftermath on day 56.

Tropicana Cookies On Day 56

Tropicanna Cookies Ready For Harvest

Wedding Cake Ready For Harvest

The Wedding Cake trained with the one node and flip technique was harvested earlier than I would have liked but this video shows the ones that were leaf stripped.

Final Thoughts

I prefer one node and flip to leaf stripping at this point. It is less labor intensive and doesn’t set the plants back like stripping does.

If I could only run one of these strains the Tropicanna would win hands down. Yield is about the same as the Wedding Cake but the quality is much better IMHO. Very easy to trim and lots of purple hues. Plus Wedding Cake is an absolute bitch to clone.

Starting a new grow journal with Wedding Cake, Tropicanna Cookies, Pink Lemonade and GG4. These are big plants vegged for about 2 months. They were started in 3 gallon smart pots but later these were dropped into 5 gallon nursery pots. Lighting is 750w of Cree COB LEDs.

I am running the full New Millenium Nutrient line and these girls just recieved their first dose of New Millenium Decision which helps slow stretch and initiate earlier flowering. They will be flipped later today so stay tuned for updates.

Wedding Cake Genetics

There is some confusion about the genetics of Wedding Cake. Some sources say it’s a Girl Scout Cookies and Cherry Pie cross but this is not totally correct. My cut is from JBeezy  the breeder of this strain and he says it is Triangle Kush X Animal Mints. (Animal Cookies X thin mint GSC)

Wedding Cake is on the far left.

The Tropicanna Cookies is hard to find much information on. Some say it’s GSC crossed with Clementine and others say it’s GSC x Tangie. All  I really know is it is supposed to be purple so it will be fun to grow it.

Pink Lemonade is another strain with uncertain genetics. Supposedly a purple kush x lemon skunk and a mystery plant. So again it will be fun to grow it out and see how it does.

By now everyone is familiar with GG4 so I wont go into the genetics. All I can say is this plant is huge going into flower and should yield really well. Potent is an understatement.

Wedding Cake, Tropicanna Cookies, Pink Lemonade, GG4 Day 7

My plants are doing well and the top feed drip system I built is working like a charm. I am feeding New Millenium Nutrients and using rockwool croutons for a medium.

Right now I feed once a day for about 15 minutes and am running about 800 ppm and pH 5.8, as the plants continue to grow I will probably add a second feeding.

If you have used regular rockwool you know how much water it can hold, but the mini cubes are nothing like that. They wet fast and also drain fast because of all the air space between them.

More importantly with the long top feed I am using there is no salt build up in the pots. Everything gets fully fed and flushed when I feed. What is in the cubes is exactly what is in my reservoir. No surprises and no lockouts. My pH has stayed stable.

For the first time feeding and watering is working as it should. Every feeding the ppms drop and the pH rises a bit.

Currently I have just fed New Millenium Decision again at the start of week 2. It definitely helps keep stretch down and helps plants set flowers instead of growing stems. These plants are really large and keeping size in check is important. As it is I need to stand on a 5 gallon bucket to get to the tops. There are 2 more weeks of stretch and I only have about another 18 inches of headroom. I would prefer to not have to super crop if I can avoid it.

Here are some day 7 pictures:

Day 10 Leaf Strip

I did a leaf strip on day 10. Normally I wait until days 14-21 to do this. I have a huge GG4 and it has over 50 tops. This led to crowding and some tops were not getting much light at all. I could also feel moisture when I put my hand into that jungle. So there was no putting it off.

I removed all uprights that had not made it to the screen or that were unlikely to. That helped but it was obvious more was needed. So everything got defoliated a bit earlier than usual.

I dont play at leaf stripping either. When I do it I remove every leaf that has a stem except 2 or 3 on the very top of the branches. For some reason I forgot to take before and after pictures but I am happy with the results and have pictures taken 4 days later.

Leaf Stripping Recovery Day 15

Leaf Stripping will always set your plants back a few days while they recover but the results are worth it. You can see the plants in this video at https://youtu.be/R79BTVtXiA8 if you want and if you go there please subscribe to my new channel.

Here is a video showing the defoliation:

Meanwhile here are some pics taken on the start of day 15:

Day 21 Full Leaf Stripping Recovery And Flowering Nicely

It’s day 21 and about 10 days after a total leaf strip. The girls are fully recovered from their defoliation and are all showing nice flower development and good stacking with tight node spacing. In fact it’s hard to tell they were ever stripped.

The Pink Lemonade has really nice flowers and good frost coverage already. It has the largest flowers right now and thick upright pistils.

The Wedding Cake is a later maturing strain and the flowers are smaller but the trichome coverage at this early stage is amazing.

Next week I will begin adding [amazon_textlink asin=’B01EQDJ8WM’ text=’Plagron Green Sensation’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’f7575844-76fd-11e8-99bf-05ecde589166′] which is a 3 in 1 bloom booster designed to be used starting in week 4.

Here are some day 21 bud shots:

Powdery Mildew Rears Its Ugly Head Day 28

Everything is going well except for the fact that I spotted powdery mildew starting on a few fan leaves. It seemed to be limited to just the Tropicanna Cookies. At this time of year spores are present everywhere.

The weather here has been ideal for it as we have had a cloudy stretch with fairly high humidity. Since it’s summer the heater is off and humidity inside is 58%. It is lower in my grow closet low to mid 40s but when the sun is out the humidity is usually mid 30s. I like to keep it drier not only to control mildew but because lower humidity increases resin production.

I was very fortunate to catch it just as it was starting because it can spread fast. I added another fan to increase airflow and also did some leaf stripping to allow more air movement through the canopy.

PM can show and spread fast. When I checked my plants in the morning it wasnt there but 4 or 5 hours later it was showing on a couple of fan leaves.

I know there are lots of remedies to control powdery mildew like spraying plants with milk or h2o2 and I do use Greencure in veg but it can cause burning and leaves a residue so I don’t want it on my flowers.

[amazon_link asins=’B01KB9WQT2′ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’6d3843ad-7ca2-11e8-aec5-972747ce6008′] I heard about another product called [amazon_textlink asin=’B000FOMRUC’ text=’Serenade’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’bbce848d-7ca2-11e8-92a6-1d7fc8f681e5′] that uses a special strain of bacteria to stop PM and it is certified organic. So I am going to give it a try. I hope I caught it in time and I don’t see any signs of it today but I want to be ready if it does show up again.

So the buds are beginning to size up and the leaves are really sticky. Really liking the looks of the Wedding Cake too. Here’s some pics:

Wedding Cake, Tropicanna Cookies, Pink Lemonade, GG4 Day 35

Day 35 is here and the buds are sizing up nicely. I have been runni

ng bloom boosters for almost a week and the buds seem larger every time I look at them. Also seeing some tip burn and yellowing especially on the Wedding Cake. The high potasium in the boosters can be hard on leaves.

I am running the New Millenium line with their booster[amazon_textlink asin=’B06X9M143R’ text=’ PK Apatite’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b5ea6ed8-8204-11e8-bcbc-39025134dfbb’] along with [amazon_textlink asin=’B01EQDJ8WM’ text=’Plagron Green Sensation’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’cb894129-8204-11e8-a7de-67c6f85f64b3′]. Currently running at 1200 ppms but I will probably cut this back to about 900 this week.

Well It Might Be An Early Finish For These Ladies Day 44

So today is day 44 and I think things will be finishing earlier than expected. The signs I look for when a plant is just about done are all there.

When a plant is finishing its water intake goes way down. They just dont drink as much. The hairs starting to turn brown is another sign of maturity. Along with that very few new white hairs are being produced. That means it is just about time to start flushing.

The water temperature has risen at this time and right now my water is 70 right out the tap. Inside the res it has gotten up to 79. With temps that high there is very little disolved oxygen in the water and overall this is a bad scenario for plants. Anything over 72 is asking for trouble in hydro.

I started hand watering this past week and for the last few days I have been feeding [amazon_textlink asin=’B06X9Z7BZP’ text=’New Millenium Decision’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’976f2f0f-87b0-11e8-9f47-295f603a1074′].

I will run it for about a week and then start to flush. It tricks plants into thinking winter is coming so they increase resin production and bud size and it brings out those fall colors too.

The Wedding Cake began turning even before I started adding it. It had stopped drinking but I did not catch it right away so it ended up being over watered which I think is what triggered the color change.

The GG4 is still drinking quite a bit, but the Pink Lemonade and Tropicanna Cookies have really slowed down and the Wedding Cake has all but stopped. At this point I am waiting for the Glue to finish before I start to flush. So these girls will probably be done right around 60 days.

Day 49 Starting To Flush

Today is day 49 and I have started to flush. I have been running [amazon_textlink asin=’B06XB3LN2M’ text=’New Millenium Winter Frost’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4a465aa2-8b71-11e8-a3cb-71f032ba4251′] as per directions at 10 ml per gallon.

It is meant to be run 7-10 days before flush. I didn’t see a dramatic color change in my plants but it definitely increased the smell which translates into more essential oil production as it claims. Some plants are at different stages of growth but they all appear to be finishing early.

The Wedding Cake actually started to show fall colors around day 40. The GG4 is still going strong and is the only plant drinking much anymore. It and the Tropicanna Cookies look like the latest to finish. The Pink Lemonade from what I understand is an earlier finisher than the others.

So all plants have decreased water intake and a lot of brown hairs. There are only a few white pistils left on these ladies. I was told you should start flushing while there still are some white hairs being made. I decided to start flushing now while that is still happening. It will probably take about 3-4 days for them to dry out and then I will flush again. I am aiming for a harvest at about 60 days dependent on how the plants fade. Here are some pics from day 48:

Chopped on day 51

These plants were chopped on day 51. They are going to hang and dry for about a week and then go into glass jars. It does not look like the yield is going to be that good however the quality is excellent.

Here is my GG4, Peanut Butter Breath, Space Goo OG, and Bruce Banner Mixed Grow. I have 10 plants in my 2 x 4 flood tray all in 1 gallon root maker pots. Some are in coco and some in rockwool croutons.

There are 6 GG4, 2 Bruce Banner and one each of the Peanut Butter Breath and Space Goo OG. They are under 700 watts of COB LED lighting. Actually it’s a bit more like 750 because the Pacific light Concept COBS pull more than the rated 250w from the wall.

The girls are currently in veg and will probably be flipped within a week. I’m just waiting for the Glue to size up a bit more. They are being fed on V+B nutes, the RO formulation. It’s nice to be able to use the same nutrients all the way through the grow. And I like the fact of not having to keep a bunch of different bottles around. So far they have worked pretty good for me and I definitely like the simplicity of use.

Here is some background info on these strains:

Bruce Banner

These are my 2 keeper  phenos from my Bruce Banner grow Lots of info on this strain in my grow. One is an OG leaner with beautiful purple buds and the other leans towards the diesel side.

Peanut Butter Breath

Genetics: DoSiDos x Mendo Breath f2 (Studly Spewright)

Peanut Butter Breath is a pretty new strain from Thug Pug Genetics. It is supposed to be a 50/50 sativa indica hybrid that finishes in about 60 days. And it does not smell like peanut butter I am told. Genetic info available at: http://en.seedfinder.eu/strain-info/Peanut_Butter_Breath/ThugPug_Genetics/

Space Goo OG

Not much info available on this girl. I was told it was a Jilly Bean Jesus crossed to 9 Pound Hammer. Been around the Seattle area thanks to Artizen but seems they no longer have it on their site.

GG4 Formerly Known As Gorilla Glue #4

Plenty of info on this girl online so you can Google her and also find a really long thread on IC Mag here. Possibly the largest thread on the site, it was so big they had to split it into an old and new thread.

You can watch her grow here too of course.

I am really looking forward to growing this girl out, especially after receiving a fake glue cut.

I have been assured this cut is the real deal.

Fingers crossed because she is half my grow and I don’t like being duped.

Cannabis Girls Gone Wild

These ladies have been vegging this past week and I am just about to flip them.

Growth has been good and I am feeding Veg + Bloom at 900 ppms and pH has ranged from 5.6 to 6.0

That’s pretty high for me but I wanted to push the glue a bit because the other plants are quite a bit taller. I hear she is a big, stretchy and vigorous plant so I think she will catch up if not even overtake the others.

Hope to get some pics up before flip but unfortunately my camera just died. No one locally had what I wanted so had to order one. So pics soon and also a YouTube video coming asap.

Mixed Grow On Day 7 – Screen Goes In And Making A Few Environmental Tweaks

So today is day 7 for my mixed grow. I just put in a 2 x 4 screen because the Bruce Banner was getting tall and soon it would be difficult to get a screen on. As it was I broke a couple of branches.

The Space Goo and Peanut Butter Breath are also starting to get tall. The GG4 is still below the screen but hopefully will stretch above it this week.

I made a few environmental tweaks as well. Humidity is low in my closet because its passive air source is a room with gas heat where the humidity is usually low to mid twenties. The humidifier adds about 10% so my room humidity is 24% and the grow is at 35% which is still low but better. When the weather is rainier(often in Washington) humidity is about 45-50%.

The other change I made was lowering my fan speed to pull less dry air in and allow the temperature to climb. I will be adding an article on the other LST which is leaf surface temperature to explain more.

Day 14 Leaf Stripping

Day 14 is when I like to do my leaf stripping. Some people like to do it on day 21 and some people think it’s crazy to do it at all.

Leaf stripping or schwazzing wont hurt your plants. Yes they look pathetic but they will recover fast. I can already see new growth several hours later.

If you strip off everything with a stem the leaves will come back with trichomes so you wont have useless water leaves to deal with. Do it now or do it later but at some point you will be dealing with fan leaves.

I cant explain exactly what happens or why but it throws the plants into extreme bud mode. It also lets light and air get to the lower buds that would just be larf if the plants are left alone. Here are some before pictures and after pics of the defoliation.

Mixed Grow On Day 21 – 6 Days After Defoliation

It has been 6 days since my plants were leaf stripped. They have been recovering, although not as fast as I thought. I think this was due to a change in my watering schedule. Normally I feed multiple times a day but this past few weeks I have been feeding once a day. I think these girls needed more food for recovery.

I know leaf stripping is controversial and some think it harms a plant but it doesn’t. Go check out Grand Master Level or HiGrowGroup on YouTube if you doubt me. They have some of the best grows I have seen and both leaf strip.

Here are a few pics from day 21, this is 6 days after I defoliated these girls:

Day 28 The Frost Is Coming

It’s day 28 and the room is starting to smell and the GG4 is starting to show frost. The plants seem to have recovered from the leaf stripping and everything is good.

Ran out of the V+B so decided to run Canna Aqua Flores and the rest of the line because I had it here. I also decided to add some Canna Boost. Still too early to tell if there is a difference but smells and frost started picking up right after use.

The Aqua Flores is made for recirculating systems so I went with that rather than their Coco nutes. I like how stable the pH stays in my reservoir when I use it.

[amazon_link asins=’B01N2YRWRL,B000BPBAPS,B000G24ZIU’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’feb1f928-2002-11e8-a8b4-893d728f318f’]

[amazon_link asins=’B000BPBERC,B000EJT8LY,B000G24ZHQ’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’feb1f928-2002-11e8-a8b4-893d728f318f’]

Here are some day 28 pics of mostly the glue:

Day 35 Bruce Banner Space Goo OG GG4 Mixed Grow

Day 35 is here and with it comes some increased trichome production and calyx swelling too. For the most part everything is doing well.

The Bruce Banner is starting to put on some frost and the buds are continuing to size up. The Space Goo probably has the most trichomes showing at this point and nice large buds developing.

The Glue is looking good and I can see the calyxes swelling nicely and a few plants look zuzzy because of the thick trichome growth going on.

I think they are behind a bit from where they should be though. I flowered them small expecting a lot of stretch from them. I think because of their smaller size the leaf strip may have stunted them a bit. They took about a week to recover whereas larger more vigorous plants recover much faster, usually in about 3 days. Here are some day 35 pics of the ladies:

Mixed Strain Grow Day 42 Starting Flush-Air Pruning

Day 42 is here and I have started to flush. I am not running straight water yet but I have cut my nutes in half. So running about 320 ppms.

The buds are very nice but they are small. Since the calyxes are still swelling I didn’t want to cut all nutes off cold turkey but around day 45 they will go on a full flush.

I think leaf stripping works but it is meant for larger plants. I know it set these girls back and took almost a week for them to recover and it should not take that long.

I also noticed the plants are not drinking as fast as they should. I inspected the PBB that I pulled and it had nice white healthy roots but they were mostly on the bottom half of the pot. In order for a multi feed system to work they need to completely fill the pot so they can drink a lot. Otherwise they will be over watered.

So I started looking into air pruning the roots before they get potted up. I am going to experiment with letting more of the roots get air pruned at the start so they will develop a fuller root system.

When a root gets air pruned like coming out of a smart pot the tip dies. But it creates branching on the rest of the root which helps fill the medium with roots.

One way to do this is to transplant your plugs into 3 inch rockwool blocks kept on a rack so the bottom roots can be air pruned too. You can flood them or hand water but is important for the bottom to be elevated once the water is gone.

Here are some pics from day 42:

Day 49 Starting To Fade

These girls are starting to fade on day 49 so they wont be going much longer. The trichomes are about 80% cloudy right now.

The Bruce Banner is starting to show some purple and the GG4 is starting to go yellow. At this point the Bruce Banner looks closer to finishing than the glue. I thought it would be the opposite. However the BB doesn’t seem to be callyxing the way it did before and they look like they need more time to swell up.

They have been fed at about 250 ppm this past week with[amazon_textlink asin=’B01L32CE20′ text=’ Flower Fuel ‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’789d0a3a-304e-11e8-954e-cf688742380b’]which is 1-34-32. I think it’s a pretty good bloom booster and it’s pretty cheap too. I am sure the high P and K along with the low N has started the fade. Here are some pics from day 49:

Terpinator Does It Work?

This week I am going to be testing out some[amazon_textlink asin=’B018WM6WZ4′ text=’ Terpinator’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’12d7b99a-304e-11e8-abab-c93e6edb2a21′] to see if I can increase trichomes and terpines. This nutrient has had mixed reviews. Some love it and others say it’s snake oil. What I noticed is using it at higher levels seems to work. 15 – 30 ml per gallon is recommended in flower. Those using it at 10 ml had mixed results. [amazon_link asins=’B018WM6WZ4′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e7c4a878-304d-11e8-a508-c14d98b9104b’]

Since it is pretty dilute it can get pricey to use. What I am going to do is mix it at 30 ml a gallon in a bucket and top feed it to my plants so I shouldn’t need to use more than 2 gallons on this test. My girls are pretty far along and I will only be using it for a week so I am not sure if I will get the results I am hoping for.

Speeding Up harvest

Things are progressing much faster than I thought and it looks like I will be harvesting earlier than expected. Most likely at 56 days.

Everything is fading hard. The purples are really coming out as well as the yellows. Some leaves are drying up too especially on the Bruce Banner.

Today I turned my screen into a free floating one using light hangers. My arms were bare and the resin stuck the hairs on them together. Good thing I didn’t need to go out because I smell very dank. A few pics of the Bruce Banner from day 52 just before harvest.

The Truth is a classic old school elite the Triangle Kush crossed with SFV OG Kush x Chemdog D which won 2nd place in Indica category at 2014 HTCC Amsterdam. It was bred by True Canna Genetics.

This is not the same strain as the cup winning True OG strain from Elemental Seeds which I have a grow journal about here.

Some Background Info On The Truth

There is a full description of the strain at http://en.seedfinder.eu/strain-info/The_Truth/True_Canna_Genetics/ but there is a misprint, they used SPV instead of SFV.

Also Triangle Kush, SFV OG and Chemdog D are all clone only strains. So I began wondering what male was introduced and where. After digging around I found out the Chem D was from Reservoir Seeds and they list the male used to make this in seed form as Hindu Kush.

Hindu Kush is a pure indica strain named after the mountain range stretching 500 miles between Pakistan and Afghanistan where it originated. The harsh climate of its homeland has conditioned this strain to express a thick, protective coat of crystal trichomes cherished by hash makers worldwide. With a subtle sweet and earthy sandalwood aroma, Hindu Kush induces a deep sense of calm that helps bring relief to those suffering pain, nausea, and stress disorders. https://www.leafly.com/indica/hindu-kush

I managed to find a few grow shots and they looked pretty impressive. The creator took 2nd place Indica at the High Times Cup in Amsterdam with a plant straight from a single pack of seeds so I am hoping this strain lives up to its hype. Here are some pics from IC Mag.

I have a pack of The Truth and decided it’s time to pop them. I have been hanging on to it for 3 years and was afraid germination would suffer if I held it much longer.

Popping The Truth

So these seeds come 15 to a pack and I soaked them all in a shot glass with some H2O2 to help them along. It has been about 24 hours and 10 have cracked and have tails. So I guess they didn’t lose too much in my fridge. At 48 hours all 15 seeds had tails.

The seedlings were planted into straight coco in a 50 cell 2″x2″ cell tray and now it is a waiting game to see how many make it up and shed their husks. Sometimes older seeds crack and even get a tail showing but lack the vigor to fully sprout and I am hoping that wont be the case here.

So I have 14 seedlings. One had issues, it threw its husk but somehow couldn’t get its roots out and looks like it’s a goner. Here they are 5 days later:

My plan is to put these seedlings directly under 12/12 lighting. This will let me sex them and once the males are gone I will reveg them in larger pots. This will provide me with monster cropped type seedlings with lots of branches to choose from.

It can take a month for plants to totally reveg, sometimes even a bit longer. I am not in a big hurry to flower these and would rather spend some extra time getting rid of the males and growing a larger multibranched plant.

Almost Ready To Sex The Truth

So a few weeks have passed. I kind of lost track of the days. There are still 14 plants and they are all showing the 3 leaf pattern that OG Kush is known for.

I decided to run them 12/12 from seed so I could sex them faster. Then I will dump the males and reveg the girls.

They are in my flower closet along side the Cookies and Cream and should start to show sex in about a week. So here are a couple of pictures of The Truth:

Sexing The Truth

Another two weeks has passed and all plants have been sexed and topped and placed back into 24/0 lighting to reveg. There were 9 girls and 3 males Another 2 were almost definitely male. They were the smallest of the bunch too so they were culled. Here are the remaining 9 females:

Of these, there are 4 or 5 that are larger than the others and are most likely to be cloned and then flowered. Triangle Kush is a vigorous upright strain and so is SFV OG and my feeling is that the smaller ones most likely are not what I am looking for. At any rate I would only run 8 maximum so at least one has to go.

Final Veg Phase For The Triangle Kush Cross

So about a month has passed since this TK hybrid was sexed. It has been busy and I kind of lost track. The Truth has been in the same 3 1/2″ square x 3″  deep pots and definitely needs repotting.

They were crowded under 200w of [amazon_textlink asin=’B019QAZX9C’ text=’aquarium LEDs’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’f26944e0-1e67-11e8-a36f-678defea8fc9′] which have a customizeable blue and white spectrum which helps keep stretch down and makes stockier plants.

[amazon_link asins=’B019QAZX9C’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’1cd67970-1e68-11e8-8e90-c35b496461b4′]Great veg lights.
Cheap, work great and have been very reliable.

One light will cover about a 2×2 area. Perfect for clones or sprouting seeds or vegging a few plants.

I highly recommend giving these lights a try.

The girls were put in 1 gallon pots and went under a 250W COB LED on an 18/6 lighting schedule to veg for another 4 or 5 weeks. They have gotten 18″ to 24″ tall in spite of multiple toppings. Some plants have over a dozen branches.

They have a very upright OG growth style and I think they will stretch like crazy in flower. Showing a lot of 3 blade leaves which is also typical for a true OG plant. They have a stink to them already. I am looking forward to flowering these ladies. Here are a few pics right after transplanting:

So here’s a bit of an update taken a couple of weeks later. These plants are easily 2 feet tall and have at least 8 main branches. I have topped multiple times and thinned some lower branches out. I am still about a month away from getting them into flower. So they should yield well.

Baby Gets New Shoes

Here are the girls again with new shoes. They just went in to 2 gallon smart pots with coco. They will probably have to go another 2 weeks before the flower room is ready for them.

Definitely outgrowing their space and there are 2 more plants in another tray. Lots of tops to flower!

So here is another update on the ladies. They still have another 2 weeks until I can flower them. Click the image to view the update video on my YouTube channel.

So I have not watered these girls in a week. They went from 1 gallon plastic rootmaker pots to 2 gallon smart pots. I want to encourage the roots to spread out and search for water. Hoping to keep the size down a bit as these ladies are already getting close to 36 inches tall even with multiple toppings. Should be a great harvest as all of them have at least 8 arms ready to flower.

In a few days I will water them with some recharge to further build up the root mass. Once they are ready to go into flower I will begin regular feedings again.