Grow Diary Update: Week 5 - Pre-Flowering and LST Evaluation
Entering Pre-Flowering Stage
At the end of last week, the first pistils appeared, marking the beginning of the pre-flowering stage for my plants 🙌 There's much to manage now. To support optimal stretching, I've adjusted the nutrients following 2/3 of the Terra Aquatica feeding schedule:
CalMag: 2 ml/l (Starting EC before adding nutrients: 0.45 mS/cm)
Grow: 1.33 ml/l
Bloom: 1.0 ml/l
Micro: 1.33 ml/l
The nutrient solution now has an EC of 1.3 mS/cm (638 ppm PPM-500/TDS) with a pH of 6.1. These adjustments aim to promote vigorous growth and prepare the plants for flowering.
Weather and Growth
With significant weather improvements, my plants are thriving at full speed. Every centimeter gained now counts towards maximizing the final yield, turning around from the challenging weeks prior.
Pest Management
I'm fortunate not to have encountered pests like spider mites, aphids, or thrips. However, the persistent snail issue remains. Nightly patrols with a flashlight have been effective, and placing old lettuce leaves away from the plants has helped trap and remove snails, ensuring the plants remain undisturbed.
LST Experiment Results
The two plants I trained with LST have responded admirably, showing healthy adaptation to the bending and vigorous growth. Yet, I'm at a crossroads regarding the upcoming stretch phase: should I continue to tie down branches to maintain an even canopy or allow natural upward growth to potentially boost vertical yield?
Your Feedback Matters
I value your insights on this critical decision. Should I proceed with low-stress training to control canopy height, or should I let the plants stretch upwards for increased productivity? Your experiences and advice are invaluable to me as I navigate this stage of my grow. Share your thoughts below!
Stay tuned as I continue to document the pre-flowering stage and learn from the ongoing LST experiment in my grow diary!
@ChefDan420,
Thanks mate, first time trying LST. I'm satisfied how they look. Also i'm curious if there's a big difference in the yield of the trained and untrained plants.
@RasendeRollo92,
Danke mein Bester, macht mir auch tierisch Spaß mit der Community hier.
Wenn jetzt ab morgen auch noch das Wetter besser wird, kann ja nichts mehr schief gehen.
Die Ladies gehen in die Vorblüten und einige Anpassungen sind von nöten.
Ab morgen beginnt meine 5.Woche, also schau mal wieder rein 🏼
Sehr interessanter und detaillierter Report. Ich setze meine Damen auch tagsüber aus dem Gewächshaus heraus; gestern ging das, heute war zu viel Regen, aber nächste Woche wird noch einmal einen Schub geben.
@Sejanus21, danke für dein Feedback.
Ich lasse momentan die Damen komplett im Gewächshaus, da die Temperaturen dort höher sind. Ist bis jetzt ein armseeliger Sommer. Die nächste Woche zählt, meine Babes zeigen erste Pistils. Wenn das Wetter passt, hoffe ich auf einen satten Stretch. Dir auch viel Erfolg Growmie 🍀🥦
From my experience, doing some easy LST like bending the shoots away from the plant does no harm nor slow growth. Especially outside this will prevent other stressors. Due to the width you will have better airflow later and can prevent mold etc. .. additionally you will also get a much better canopy and therefore an improved harvest.
If you want to strengthen your plants further, you could add something like SiCaMag by Plantboom.
Last, you could consider getting a solar fan for around 40€, to further prevent mold and strengthen your stems.
@DayDream07,
You guys convinced me to give LST a shot 😉. I thought about adding silicate or mycorrhizae, but I’m sticking with the Tripart series and Calmag for now. Let's see how far I can get with these.
Thanks for the fan tip, but unless it's raining, they're outside catching some wind. I want those stems to be gym-level strong!
Honestly I see where you’re coming from with not wanting to stress the plant
But LST and spreading the plant will only help you in the end. 95% of the time I’m willing to bet. Other 5% is other environmental/genetical problems
@CuriosityWebster,
Thank you for your opinion. You convinced me to start an LST experiment on one of my plants. No risk no fun. Can you give me a tip on when is the best time to begin?
sehr hübsch! Wie läuft es mit dem Gewächshaus und der Belüftung / Luftfeuchtigkeit? Das könnte ja besonders in ein paar Wochen interessant sein. Happy Growing!
@DayDream07,
Hi Daydream07, bis jetzt sieht alles soweit gut aus.
Ich hatte anfangs die Zugänge komplett geschlossen, da die Temperaturen nicht so hoch waren. Da die Luftfeuchtigkeit aber zu stark gesteigen ist, musste ich die Eingänge zumindest halb öffnen. Abends schließe ich wieder alles. Bist jetzt klappts gut. Im Hochsommer kommt alles auf und das Gewächshaus dient nur noch als Regenschutz.
Dir auch Happy growing 🍀🥦
@DutchJardinero,
Thanks Growmie, the weather will get better. For the flowering time, my ladies will move to the greenhouse. So no worries here 😉
Wish you also happy growing my friend 🥦🍀
Looks pretty good!
Im roughly in the same stage as you. I testet LST and within 2 days they adjusted well to it, allowing the plants to intake more sunlight.