Winter Grow 2017

November 26 - December 2 Switched lights over to flowering on Monday. In preparation I removed all my plants from my tent, vacuumed it out with a canister vacuum then sprayed it down, inside and out with hydrogen peroxide. This works to sanitize and sterilize the grow area. When using sprayers with liquids make sure that all electronic devises are off and unplugged until they have dried completely. Liquids and electricity don't mix. Expensive equipment can be destroyed and shocks can be lethal. 👉The easiest way to deal with pests and mildew is to avoid getting them in the first place and the best way to do this is to keep your grow area clean always. I did a significantly more thorough cleaning to my entire garage immediately before starting my plants. Don't forget that cuttings sitting in a wastebasket are an invitation to pests and mildew. I am now running a 315 watt ceramic metal halide from 10:00 till 6:00 and a 600 watt HPS from 1:00 till 10:00. This gives a 5 hour overlap with both lights. I am running lights at night since my grow is in the garage and I prefer to avoid running the heat out there if possible. I continue to remove all new side growth and will continue to do so until plants have started the stretch. I get tired of trimming and try to avoid getting a bunch of larfy popcorn buds. Since I grow as a hobby and not for profit I don't mind a little loss in yield if it makes my life a lot easier at trim time. 😎 I also use LST on branches that grow significantly higher than others to try to maintain a relatively even canopy. I do this for each plant individually and put shorter plants near the center and taller plants to the outside. Be careful when tying branches back It is easy to forget the branch you tied down on the other side of the plant and the combined pressure can be enough to split the stem of your plant. On the first day of the flowering light cycle I watered each plant with a quart of solution mixed: 1 gallon water - 13 ml Botanicare Pro Bloom Soil - 1/2 tsp unsulphered Molasses. If using Molasses for the first time be aware that it MUST be UNSULPHERED BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES. Plantation is the brand of choice. I get mine on Amazon. I expect to do one or two more waterings this week with 1/2 gallon of plain water per plant per watering. Happy growing. 😀