Week 3 was mostly about continuing to LST the plant - identifying its N,S,E and W branches and starting to guide them in those directions. Why this was slightly more difficult this time was discussed in Week 2.
The other key thing that happened was the first defoliation which happened on Day 15. I removed one large fan leaf that was blocking light from the undergrowth that would eventually become the other 3 of 4 main branches. This is an important step in my process as it marks the first moment when the plant in its final desired form finally really starts to take shape unabated. A couple other big leaves would be removed during the week in order to help light get underneath to smaller developing branches.
Another key thing is that I started going 24 hours with the lamp on Day 18. It's only a 65 watt lamp at this stage, so the investment seems worth it. But what it really does for me is that it allows me 24 hour access to the plant - freeing up my personal schedule. I see no harm in doing this 24 hour thing to an auto during vegetative stage. I don't consider the veg stage to be a highly sensitive time for any good reason when using coco and a feed schedule you trust to work properly. You can even skip a few feedings at this stage. There's usually enough food for 24 hours in the pot.
Have a great grow day!
Are there any obvious reasons NOT to harvest this plant right now? Like, do you look at this picture and think, "No way, you shouldn't harvest that yet, because..." Whatever that reason is, if there is one, please tell me. Thanks so much.
Looking at just the picture there are no obvious reasons not to harvest. I always use a loupe to harvest. If you don't have a loupe and you think she is ready to harvest give the plant 4-5 days.
@Legendaryseedthumb, hey buddy! Thank you so much! Glad you like it. There's more to come! It's fun and nice to be back with a diary. Didn't pop one up sooner because I was deciding kinda big things about my life and just wasnt sure how this or any grow would fit in it. I at least know now things promise to be the same at least til the end of this grow... so I came back with a new one.
I've been testing some things during this one, and I am coming to at least one kinda exciting conclusion about growing a plant in my setup that you'll see when I discuss weeks 5 and/or 6. Can't wait to write about it.
Prolly in a few days.. Come back! 😀👍
Awesome grow! I did one resently (before I joined here) I had a bit less yield but I messed up on the PH with that grow. Still some super frosted buds!!
Hope you enjoy the smoke!!
@BudzyMcbudzerson,
The good thing about coco I suppose is that you get less volatility around the results. It's basically a sponge that holds nutes. So if your nutes schedule works, you shouldn't have to care about toxicities and deficiencies as much.
But...
You have to feed/water coco a ton! Twice a day for my 2 gallon pot. I hear you can do once a day with bigger pots, but still.. there's more work to do. But the benefit of this is that you are more frequently in front of the pot, so you get more chances to look after her and do whatever you have to do - LST, defoliation, tucking under trellis, etc.
If you do go to coco next, try cocoforcannabis.com. Great advice there. Feed schedule too!
Good luck!
@TinyTenter, Glad to hear its going well!!! I have a few of the clips on mine Its a love hate thing. I broke a Zkittle branch once with one. I was so devastated! But when they work good, they work great. I have moved to Velcro ties like you said. Using binder clips and the lower branches i can just Velcro to the felt pots. And with the Velcro its reusable which is big for me. i may have done 5 or 6 grows before starting on here, and hated chucking the ties ( bit of a hippy when it comes to waste if I can)
I totally get being busy. I tried so hard to get a pic everyday but seems lately I've been swamped. and even replying is tough sometimes, I've considered doing the late grow / harvest pic dump. I Maybe ill do weekly since daily is near impossible lately haha!
Ill be interested to see how it turns out! It is a bit of time and planning I totally get that! Its nice to see how others grow, from beginners to experts. Gives me an idea how mine are doing in comparison. The breeders tend to give you best case scenario. Ive been debating moving to coco from soil. Fox Farms soil gets expensive lately haha! Well good luck and cannot wait to see the final product😁
@BudzyMcbudzerson, Hey, thanks! She's doing pretty good now. LST is well underway. I learned that I needed to officially retire the idea of the LST clip from my production. Maybe someday, when I'm growing big long sativas, those things will be useful. But for now, they are out of the rotation. If I had done it the "right" way, I would have just used velcro ties and garden wire to make hooks. You get more precise placement and control as long a you bend the wire the right way around the stems of the leaves - better on a small seedling. LST clips can work, but you have to be lucky to have the plant growing a certain way or the clips could do a little damage, or just fail to properly bend the girl over, which is thankfully all that happened in my case.
Thanks for following! I don't have a diary for this grow I'm talking about yet. I'm a busy guy, so I don't start the diary until like week 10 or 11 when the management of the plant is fairly easy and I have time to write.
But right now, the LST phase takes time and planning and I just don't have time to be going back and forth talking online about what is going on. I'm not even sure it's all that interesting to an experienced grower anyway, especially in coco (you follow the feed schedule that works and it just works). So I'll be out here with a new diary in like a month and a half most likely. Good luck with yours! I'll be watching!
@DrCicci,
Well.. I do wish you the best with your grow of this strain. She's a pretty girl, certainly.
Even though she was a smaller yield than my first and only other grow, I kinda have a crush on this grow instead. LOL. I like how she has a certain pastel like coloration to her. And the smell is great.
I'm doing a second grow of her now. It's a different grow this time. Weird 2nd node leaves. Branches aren't as flexible. Gotta be careful with LST cuz the branches can easily break. But I'll really know what I got here when I install the flowering stage lamp in a few days. I've noticed that that is when you really see how big she will grow. I don't know if I'm gonna start a diary for this grow yet, but I'm collecting data and pictures as if I will... So follow me if you want to see how this one is going. I'll prolly start one in about a month or so if it's going to happen.
Good luck with your grows!
@Benasquella, Thanks! Yeah, I got to try some a few months ago. I'm definitely a fan of the strain. I like limonene dominant strains, in general, but there's something special about Wedding Cake. Certainly.