Just some advice if poss plz

Hi all,
I started a little garden 4 weeks ago with some cuttings (clones?).
Im very happy with results so far, but im now a week into flowering and the amount of growth is starting to deprive the lower leaves of light.
Do i cut anything back?
My grow area is small so im thinking the overgrowing problem will only get worse?
I must mention the lower leaves dont seem to be showing any ill effect at all, im just curious as to the right thing to do? Assuming there is a right thing? :)
If i manage to upload the pics ok, here are a couple of pics. one is the first day the other is today.

Thanks in advance :thumbsup:

don't do much pruning at all during flowering. if you can bounce some light in some how from the lower sides it would promote growth. it can even be cardboard lined with aluminum foil (dull side out). also, if the undergrowth doesn't really look ill, just underdeveloped, you could just wait for your first buds to mature (when half the hairs on the bud have turned dark colored ). some would advise against this, but it's obvious that buds on the same plant mature at different times. so harvest the first buds without uprooting the plant. this will allow light to reach the undergrowth and those flowers will reach their climax in potency. since you're growing indoors, the harvest time is unlimited, so this option is available. and next time you can keep the plant pruned during its vegetative state enough so that when it's time to flower, the secondary bud sites aren't blocked by thick primary growth, then hopefully all the buds will mature simultaneously and you can harvest the traditional way. cloning is sweet, I gotta start it. lates!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by austwelk

don't do much pruning at all during flowering. if you can bounce some light in some how from the lower sides it would promote growth. it can even be cardboard lined with aluminum foil (dull side out). also, if the undergrowth doesn't really look ill, just underdeveloped, you could just wait for your first buds to mature (when half the hairs on the bud have turned dark colored ). some would advise against this, but it's obvious that buds on the same plant mature at different times. so harvest the first buds without uprooting the plant. this will allow light to reach the undergrowth and those flowers will reach their climax in potency. since you're growing indoors, the harvest time is unlimited, so this option is available. and next time you can keep the plant pruned during its vegetative state enough so that when it's time to flower, the secondary bud sites aren't blocked by thick primary growth, then hopefully all the buds will mature simultaneously and you can harvest the traditional way. cloning is sweet, I gotta start it. lates!

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Thank you kindly, i will continue to see whats happening for now and see what happens to the lower areas.
i will definately try to reflect some light to the undersides and am sure i can sort something out.

:rasta:

....lst......

BARREL,,, great looking plants.. looks like a very normal grow.. and actually looks better than most growers!!!

here's the deal...
during the first 2-4 weeks of flowering plants they double and triple in size.. both vertical and horizontal...

because of your growing perdicament (space constraints) you are now going to loose all light to any growth that is 6 inches below the canopy... loosing light means loosing BUDS... BUT DONT take this as bad NEWS!!!!

All of the branches below 6-10 inches from the canopy are now fair game for you to cut and clone... you will notice that the lower branches are small and narrow, weak and pathetic.. those are your clones.. you can probably make 50-100 clones from that garden...

THERE is MORE GOOD NEWS.... if you get your light... as close to your canopy as possible.. you will harvest several 1 ounce colas (if you are using a 1000watt HPS) You will need to increase air flow and get your light within10-16 inches of your canopy... if you do this you will have grown your plants to perfection and harvest many many monster buds...

iloveyou

can you tell us abot your grow system...

what kind?
how much did it cost?
what kind of light?
etc..

cheers

I'd do what KNowm says with any branches that seem to be really crowding.
Other wise try and get some cfls under the canopy.
Otherwise just cut only the branches that are way overcrowded.

First of all...Holy Crap! You have a beautiful-looking garden there, especially for a first time!

Secondly, try researching installing a SCReen Of Green (SCROG). It's been said it can help increase your yield by as much as 100%. do a thread search here or on other weed-related sites for more info as to whether it's right for you.

In any case, you have a great garden and you will do fine. Remember: this is your first grow, so just concentrate of bringing your plants to harvest. Once you harvest, then you can worry about what to do differently next time.

Good luck!:thumbsup:

I do scrog. It solves those problems among others.

it is SOG...

Thank you all very much for your advice and encouragement.

Im using a 600w hps air cooled light with a carbon filter in line.
The plants are in the pebble type grow medium (dont know what its called, lol) in a basket suspended in the lids of the buckets.
In the bottom of the buckets i have air stones connected to 6mm hosing attached to a big air pump from an aquatic shop. The pump i got with the set-up didnt make enough bubbles so i found another one!
I have the water all fed from a water butt outside the tent and im adding canna nutrients according to some paperwork a mate gave me. The ph is being kept very close to 5.8.
Thats about it apart from i have a fan in the tent for the plants, and one outside the tent to keep my air pump and light ballast nice and cool.

I bought some cuttings (clones?), put them in, and apart from getting my water butt nutrients and ph levels right once a week , have left them to it.
The only thing i dont know is what kind of plant it is, but i have some seeds for future tries.

To give an idea, ive spent about a grand, but on reflection i could have done it a lot cheaper. For example, i bought buckets from the hydro shop. In hindsight i could have drilled the holes and put grommets in the buckets myself. And the air pumps are cheaper from aquatic shops, i assume because they sell many more. Surely i cant be the hydro shops ripping us off??


Thanks again everyone, ill keep you posted on how it all goes and im sure ill be back loads for more advice.

GunBarrel :thumbsup:

it is SOG...

No, like I said, I do scrog.

There is SOG, which is sea of green, and there SCROG which is screen of green. I thought most people knew about this.

I bought some cuttings (clones?)

Why the question mark? I wouldn't buy cuttings I wasn't sure were clones of females. Cuttings usually turn into clones, and clones are usually female.

To give an idea, ive spent about a grand, but on reflection i could have done it a lot cheaper.

I started out thinking I would spend a grand. By the time I'm done, to do it right, it will be 3 times that.

Surely i cant be the hydro shops ripping us off??

I hope you are being sarcastic here. The surely do, but they wouldn't be in business long if they didn't sell stuff for a profit.

GunBarrel,

Beautiful grow. Looks perfect. What nutrient levels are you using? How much do you feed and how often? How often do you change your reservoir?

Keep up the good work. I can't wait to see how your grow turns out. Make sure you keep us all updated :)

Thanks,

GrowerXLT

Opie, the question mark was because i called them cuttings, but believe cuttings are clones. I dont actually know the difference if there is one.

If you are spending 3 grand, i guess you are growing a bigger set up? If i had made some of the things myself i could have noticably reduced my costs. BUT if my crop turns out ok, i wont mind the fact i spent more than i needed!

And i wasnt joking about being ripped off by hydro shops.
If i can buy an air pump in an aquatics shop for £40, and the same air pump in a hydro shop is £55 im afraid you ARE being ripped off!
Its like i shoot a shotgun, and i wanted to buy ear defenders. A gun shop sells them for £50, and the health and safety type shop down the road does the same ones for £30. I dunno though, maybe they are not meaning to overcharge, it must just be a mistake??
And just so you know, i never have, and never will begrudge anybody a profit.

GrowerXLT, thanks for your positive comments.
Im following information from a mate. I have a nutrient measuring stick and use that for my levels. It doesnt mean much to me as ive not done this before but this is what ive done-

The water butt feeds the resevoir with a ball valve. I have been topping up the water butt weekly and getting the levels to:-
First week veg growth, nutrients 1.2 (veg nutrients) ph 5.8 light 19/5
2nd week, nutrients 1.2 (veg nutrients) ph 5.8 light 19/5
3rd week, nutrients 1.5 (veg nutrients) ph 5.8 light 19/5
4th week, nutrients 1.8 (flowering nutrients) ph 5.8 light 12/12
5th week, nutrients 1.8 (flowering nutrients) ph 5.8 light 12/12

I dont drain out what is in the plants pots or resevoir in the tent, i literally just adjust the water butt weekly.
Luckily its fairly easy because my water here is ph7.5 and by the time ive added the nutrients, the ph has gone down to nearly where i want it. I have only had to use the ph adjusters twice.

Some pics too for you to look at.. :smokin:

If you are spending 3 grand, i guess you are growing a bigger set up?

I have one walk in closet. On the left is veg and mother. On the right is bloom and clone. I constantly have 16 plants growing, 8 in veg and 8 in flower, not counting anything I'm cloning. This is Sea Of Green, or in my case Screen Of Green. I highly recomend it due to twice as much weed.

Not real big, but I buy a lot of stuff instead of making it. I work a lot of hours and don't have a lot of free time. Also I believe you generally get what you pay for, so I try to buy good stuff, which is of course a little more expensive. Next step, CO2 in the flower section, and home-made automatic PH dosers. That should about do it, coming in at about 3 grand.

I dunno though, maybe they are not meaning to overcharge, it must just be a mistake??

I don't look at it as a mistake or overcharge. They are offering the option of convenience. They bring a bunch of products together that you might be interested in, and they do it close to your home. They have to go out and buy the products just like you do, but of course usually get a better deal when they buy wholesale. You can buy a pack of gum at the supermarket, and spend 10 minutes doing it, or you buy the same thing at a convience store for twice as much, and spend 3 minutes. You don't have to go either place. It's nice to have the choice though.

Hydro shops are the best.
Before being able to go down the street and buy what I need.
I used to have to drive to lA or SF or get it sent threw the internet.
So I'll gl;adly pay a little extra for that convenience.
If your going to do this.
You need to stop that mantality.
Growing and trying save money do not go hand and hand at first.
And it does always cost more then you planned.
I suggest you keep an open mind and save money if you can but don't skimp on your grow.
Like Zandor says.
"If you go cheap ,you grow cheap."

That Zandor phrase is one of the best bits of wisdom I've ever heard in this forum. People should take it to heart.

About the hydro shops,

I paid about 3 times more for my light from a local hydro shop than what I could have if I bought the equipment off the internet.

Here is what you get when you pay hydro-shop prices:
-Immediate delivery
-No paper trail if you pay cash
-Somewhere to return the product if it is faulty or doesn't meet your needs (you DID save the receipt, didn't you?)
-A variety of products from which to choose to best meet your needs
-Instance, direct advice from the salesman to help you pick the correct products for you.

So, it's a tradeoff...spend more time, take a bigger risk (returns, product's suitability, etc.), but spend less cash if buying off internet, versus, spend more money, less time and have a much better chance of getting the right product for you the first time.

So, if you have the cash, I say buy locally. At the very least you are supporting local businesses. And in the age of big-box retailers and international corporations which are destroying the cultures of the world, anything we can do to preserve our culture is a good thing!