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On another note that i forgot to mention earlier (stoned?) I soaked the rest of my LR2 seeds last night and put them in Jiffy cubes this morning. Hopefully they'll all pop up in the next few days. I'll post something on those when there's something to post.
Peace!
i would top right when you switch to 12/12....IMO
WT
Lol, thanks SNS, i will follow that strategy when i start growing inside, and i'm sure that would work great if i was controlling the light cycle. Since the kids are outside, i can't do that.Quote:
Originally Posted by SnSstealth
I have looked around and read up a little, and i'm trying to decide between the method where you take off the top 2 or 3 full nodes and the method where you snip off the top 90% of the growing top (FIM i think it's called). If i took off the top 2 or 3 nodes, i would probably have to wait until there are 6 or 7 nodes to make sure i don't mess anything up. If i did the other strategy, i could probably do it now.
Any thoughts or suggestions? I'll prob snip a few and leave a few to grow naturally. Who knows though. I tend to change my mind a lot...
:jointsmile:
Hmmm, thoughts or suggestions. I think you make your own luck, and I suggest you buy stock in LED lighting development.
Also, your bugs are aphids. They are undesirable, but they don't really cause much damage. I wouldn't worry. Pest damage is a fact of life when growing outdoors and the sooner that's accepted the better. As far as topping, I do all mine well in the veg stage only, and most all methods produce about the same yield. FIMing seems to work fine for me, but doesn't produce the 8 bud sites talked about, maybe one or two more than regular snipping. You don't have to take off 2 or 3 nodes when topping unless you just want a cutting for clones or something, or you want your plant smaller. I recommend topping once or twice so the outdoor plants will grow bushier instead of taller. Better for stealth and strength, and probably yield.
Whenever I water my outdoor grows I mix up some of my usual hydro nutes at about half hydro strength. Another approach is to use Miracle Grow soil that has time release nutes in it. Yeah, I said that. It actually works very well for producing huge healthy plants with very little effort.
I would invest in some Liquid Fence rather than an actual fence. I believe it really works, and if you have a problem with a large omnivore I would try that before a real fence. Just don't get any on you. Also blood meal hung in nylon stockings is supposed to work. I've tried a combination of the two and that seems to work very well.
What else? I don't know, any questions?
Liquid fence? I've never heard of it. What exactly is it and where can i buy it? It's strange, because i see rabits around my patch almost every time i go out there, but they never seem to chew on my plants. There are deer in the area too, but they don't seem to do anything either.
When would you recommend topping? Should i wait for there to be 5-7+ nodes or can i do it now? I'm not really that worried about security beacuse the plants are well hidden in an obscure location, but i AM worried about yield. Since this is my first outdoor grow, i'm trying not to have too high expectations, but i still wanna do the best i can.
I just started 5 new LR2's in the closet and i'll probably plant them in organic top soil when i move them outside.
If you can think of anything else or any general tips for outdoor growing, i'd love to hear them!
Thanks for the advice!
hey hows it going,looking nice. first off i was wondering how you sexed them plants so early if you can get pics of the ones your removing they dont look that mature i dont see the nodes alternating.
outdoors i usually fim at the fifth node or set of leves it doesnt always work for five main colas though or for me anyway somtimes i just get two it takes practice to get that cut right.
outdoors your plant will notice the summer solstice and show flowers about a month later they dont need 12/12 to flower they start flowering the day the notice that 1 minute less of sunlight or really about two weeks after solstice and natural light spectrum change thus you end up with flowering days 17,16,15 hours long cause you generally lose about 1-5 minutes a day. long days of flower result in a larger yeild
an idea for an indoor experiment.
beware some sativas ive had to take into the second week of november and ive had indicas that are ready mid to late september.
also
Quote:
Originally Posted by dgsgandalf
IMO LF (Liquid Fence) is a great product that smells like shit. Iâ??ve got deer and rabbit all over the place and they leave my plants alone. Iâ??ve always used LF, and I know that if I didnâ??t my plants would be eaten to nearly nothing. Thatâ??s what happens to all tender shoots around here, even ones right up close to our house. I wouldnâ??t consider an outdoor grow in a forest without the stuff. Itâ??s guaranteed to work and itâ??s rain repellent, so you donâ??t have to apply it every time it rains. I think they recommend at least once a month or something.Quote:
Originally Posted by dgsgandalf
They make a few different kinds, but youâ??re probably after the deer and rabbit one like in the pictures. I first bought the pre mixed version and quickly ran out, so I bought the concentrate which makes it pretty economical.
If youâ??re seeing signs of rabbit and deer you are tempting fate if you donâ??t take measures to prevent your plants from being eaten or trampled. Oh yeah, my very first outdoor grow in this area was started without any pest deterrent, and the deer ended up making a trail right through the middle of the grow. They didnâ??t eat anything, but they trampled a few plants to death. Thatâ??s when I discovered LF.
You can buy it at any farm store, and probably a lot of garden stores. Around here the big farm stores are Coastal and Wilco. Itâ??s also available all over the internet. One thing to consider however, an actual fence can also serve as something to tie the branches to when the get heavy with bud. Iâ??ve had more than a few break on me once they get wet.
I top once the plants are strong and healthy, like after a month of good growth, then maybe again in 3 weeks, but not always. You can do it any time you think a plant can take it, but Iâ??d let it have at least 3 or 4 good nodes first. I think itâ??s kinda important for outdoor plants because it makes more buds and smaller buds. If you just have a few big colas they may be more likely to break then a bunch of smaller ones. If youâ??re somehow supporting everything then it doesnâ??t matter. Topping, FIMing, LSTing, not topping, whatever, all produce about the same yield. Theyâ??re just different roads to the same destination. In general, I try to leave my plants alone as much as possible, and definitely donâ??t cut on them once they go to flower.
Iâ??ve often thought of trying LR2. Looking forward to seeing what happens with yours. As far as anything else I can think of for you, you might this interesting: http://boards.cannabis.com/outdoor-growing/154446-growing-ethics.html
I hope that helps. Anything else let me know.
animals generally stay away from weed especially when foliage is abundant but im not saying that they wont eat it but it less likely when leaves fall and the only food is some weed though also bugs start to dissappear in the summer atleast where i live most prob sre in early spring and early fall especially catapillars for me which need to be dug out of the buds lil fuckers but i get finger hash so there is a bright side
If you don't want to read that whole thing, this is what I thought you might find interesting:
When I'm growing outdoors I:
- have several entry points to the grow to help eliminate paths.
- sweep away foot prints and remove incriminating evidence.
- compromise between camouflaged and full sun plants so they are harder to see from the air.
- spread out plant positions to look natural instead of like a crop.
- duck under some brush and hold completely still if an aircraft approaches.
- use liquid fence. It really seems to keep away rabbits and deer.
- try to grow inside a brier patch or some difficult brush, with a small tunnel for entry.
Thanks for the response Phat! The only plants that i have sexed are the Low Rider's. They are an auto-flowering variety that shows sex in the third week after germination. You can check out any of the recent pics to see the white hairs.Quote:
Originally Posted by phatsesh101
I actually topped my plants today. I chose 1 of each of my strains that seemed to have the most nodes. Pics below...
Very interesting about the summer solstice. I did know about the shorter flowering cycle, but i was unaware that plants can tell a difference in a few minutes. Amazing!
I haven't had much problem with animals yet. One of my plants today looked like an animal had him for lunch, but it's still alive and hopefully will still grow and flower. I can only expect to lose a few to animals and i'm not too worried about it just yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by phatsesh101
Catarpillars would ruin my day though...
I do have several entry points to the patch, but i'm not taking many other precautions. I feel pretty damn good about my patch location, and i'd be very surprised if anyone accidentally came across it. I think i will invest in liquid fence. It seems like a worth while purchase considering the forest location. Any suggestions where to find it cheap? eBay?Quote:
Originally Posted by Opie Yutts
Thanks for the input guys! I'll def think about all this stuff as the year goes on.
Pics below...