Jump to content

Topping The Fall Harvest


Blkwlf

Recommended Posts

Hey everyone!!! It's been a while since I've been back here and I hope you're all having a good summer with nice outdoor grows. This year's been strange. The temp.'s hardly gotten to the 90's and it's been so very dry until recently. If I'd known how dry this summer would be I wouldn't have sold off my 1st cut of hay so fast or so cheap. At least it looks like I'll be getting my 2nd cut soon. As for my other crop..;-), it's been doing GREAT!! Has everyone been doing better this year outside? I've had to water a lot more but the plants just shot up. I have some Green Crack, 2 different strains, which are nearly ready to harvest but I was thinking of trying something new and tell me what ya'll think. The top buds are thick and long ( like those rock candy sticks ) but the inside and bottom definately look a good 2 weeks behind. Normally I would strip the entire plant of fan leaves about a week before harvest then cut down the entire plant. However, I was thinking of just taking the top buds when they're mature and leaving the rest of the plant for a few more weeks to give the other buds a chance to mature.

Had a bit of trouble early on this year. First, my entire indoor stock got wiped out by spider mites...Still fighting mad just thinking about it. Got that cleared up, got some real nice babies but not until April so they were small when I put them outside. Second, rabbits got under my fence and began feating on my little plants. Some I had to bring inside and others I was able to wrap in fencing until I got rid of the rabbits. Third, I got leaf cutters...grrrr. I got rid of those, nursed the ones inside back to health and replanted them outside again. A few of my plants were either damaged or stunted from the rabbits and transplant shock from multiple plantings. I left a few in their bags because I didn't put them outside until last month. I'll have to watch the frost forcast since they're 4 weeks behind. At least I can bring them inside to finish if I have to.

Question: When taking clones from a plant which is in bud, from the bottom, inside portion of the stalk, do you nip the little bud off before putting it in the cloner or leave it? I left it on one set of cuttings and they didn't seem to take very well. They had a daisy like look to them with all but the leaves surrounding the bud dying off. I nipped off just the tiny bud part this time in hopes that they'll root better. I'm using both cube and hydo cloners. I began with hydro but decided to try the cubes. I'm not sure which one I like better since they both have their pros and cons.

Hope everyone is having a great summer. Blkwlf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lol what a season of plagues, blk.

Not really, you just need to know how to deal with nature.

 

It's not like he was trying to pass MiLegalize

 

First indoor grows are incubators for spider mites and other vermin and disease.

That's why corp grows must use chemicals to abate that scale of scourge

 

Healthy outdoor grows are rarely infested and usually only the sick or damaged plants are.

It's in everyone's interest to maintain small independent grows to isolate and limit disease and infestation

Look what happened to the Cavandish Banana.

 

Weather you top your kola or if it breaks off, cover the stub with Vaseline

This will help keep vermin away and will keep the plant living long enough for the lower flowers to develop.

Albeit at a slower rate. An 8 ft plant less a 20 kola will exsrpess vigorous flower growth for 2-3 weeks barring any other stresses

Edited by beourbud
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm very interested in "best practices" for those who maintain both indoor and outdoor crops. Do you guys take cuttings of indoor plants for your outdoor grows? Or do you use totally separate strains?

No such thing as an indoor strain. Don't believe the hype

 

Cannabis has evolved over the millennia to thrive under he sun

Artificial lighting , even sounds subpar and will never be as good as the sun , will never be as cheap as the sun and will never be as reliable as the sun.

 

There is a lot of hype surrounding the commercialization of this plant

Edited by beourbud
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

No such thing as an indoor strain. Don't believe the hype

 

Cannabis has evolved over the millennia to thrive under he sun

Artificial lighting , even sounds subpar and will never be as good as the sun , will never be as cheap as the sun and will never be as reliable as the sun.

 

There is a lot of hype surrounding the commercialization of this plant

One thing I do know is that some varieties do much better outdoors( such as Blue Dream) than other varieties such as Hindu Kush, bud mold being my issue.

Farmer Brown 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL T-Pain, been through the mill this year but getting a good crop anyhow. Dilligence and fast action has been important.

mishigami bear: I had plans of using the indoor plants for our outdoor grow until spider mites totally wiped me out just before time for picking which ones to put outside. The cuttings I've been taking are from our outdoor grow to start up our indoor. Hopefully I'll be able to keep them clean and growing well throughout the winter, taking more cuttings and choosing which ones I want to put outside again in the spring. If I lose some of my better strains for outside, I'll simply get more babies from the growers I know who've been at this longer and are better at fighting off those tiny killers.

I haven't had any issue with bud mold and last year had entire 7' branches breaking off 1-2 weeks before harvest from wind and weight. I simply tied and taped them back up and added additional support. I have had powder mold indoors on the inner part of plants but learned how to deal with that early on.

I'll try that trick with the vasoline when cutting off the top buds. Many of my outdoor plants, no mattter the strain, have 10-14 large tops on them from early trimming/fimming. I just wanted to know if anyone else had done that. All of my plants are from 7-12' high depending on strain and early damage from squirrels excdept the ones which were recently put back outside. Mites may not like the outdoors but aphids sure do. They dont seem to hurt the bigger outdoor plants but can be an issue with the younger indoor ones if brought indoors. TY everyone, Hi again t-pain and always welcome comments, questions, etc. Blkwlf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do believe such strains as Acapulco Gold and other straight sativas tend not to like indoor as much as outdoor which is probably why they're slowly dissapearing. Many hybrids which are high in Indica seem to do better inside and more resistant to the mites. My outdoor kushes are doing great against the aphids but are the first attacked and the worst attacked when inside. Critical Sensi Star, though not the easiest to clone, seems to be very resistant to mites. It was the ONLY plant left over from my mite dissaster last spring and was eventally moved outside. That one was a cutting from my 2015 outdoor grow which made it out into my 2016 outdoor grow. It was damaged by squirrels but is still doing very well. I was hoping Death Star, being a direct descendant of Critical Sensi Star would have that same resistance but the mites seems to like it as much as the kush. Starting to begin a 3 part pest plan for my indoor with fingers crossed. Has anyone ever used a fogger method either indoor or out?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In addition to the Vaseline solution you might want to consider using string or fishing line to tie-off the stalk just below where you will cut the top cola. Tie it tightly to close off the hole in the middle of the stalk. Then bend the stalk over at the tie-off point and let it sit a couple a days before you cut the cola so the wound can heal some. I killed a few plants after topping from a big stalk. I'm not sure, but my guess is that leaving a gaping hole in the main stalk reduces the plant's ability to take up water. After using the string method I've never had a plant die after topping off a big cola.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Highlander: Thank you for the advice. I'll definately attempt both the vaseline and tie off method. It makes sense. leaving an "open wound" can cause a variety of issues including allowing pests to invade, rot to start up and just added stress. I just thought it a big waste to cut down te whole plant when there is still alot of it left with potential to be much better. Even if the inner and bottom buds are much sparcer and smaller, they're still weight and have the potential for quality.

critinew: Only my Green Crack is showing signs of being ready (the hairs are 60-70% amber on the main & secondary colas). My Cuvee, Larry OG and a few others still have at least 1-2 weeks minimum and others are at least 4 weeks away. I've been keeping a close eye out for bud mold, tobacco worms and related which make cocoons in the buds and bud leaves. I experienced a little of this in last year's grow but not enough to hurt me too bad. I've considered using a fogger for pests but am worried about how it will affect the growth of the plants as well as the final product.

Last year I had 2 Critical Sensi Stars and an Apricot Cush which actually split down the length of the main stalk a good 10-14 days prior to optimum harvest. Though they did split all the way to about a foot from the base of the plants, I tied them all back together tightly but not so tight as to cut off the water/nutrient uptake through the stalk, added more support and crossed my fingers. I was ready to cut and harvest if I had to but they all made it through without even losing a single branch. I did lose my Apricot Cush strain this spring when spider mites wiped me out and wish I could have gotten it back. It was a very good producer and I put it on my premium list because of it's sought after effects and my limited supply.

I know the person who created Apricot cush is on this web site and read some of his posts from when he was first giving it to specific growers to reproduce it. The buds were more airy than they looked on the plant but that could have been from harvesting a little early. The plant itself was HUGE considering my limited experience in growing and it was hardy. Thank you for your input. I'll let ya'll know how it goes. Blkwlf

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing I do know is that some varieties do much better outdoors( such as Blue Dream) than other varieties such as Hindu Kush, bud mold being my issue.Farmer Brown

 

Kush is strong indica dominant.

 

Sativas are indigenous to equatorial regions. The sunlight is at a different angle and more direct then it is here near the 45th.

They thrive on intense sunlight and high humidity. They are slow growers and may require twice the time to fully flower.

None of these characteristics are desirable to indoor grows.

That's why so many run indicas or hybrids , they are easier and faster to grow.

 

Right now the Sativas are just starting to fill out and the trichs are just starting to develop.

They are Airy enough to fend off mold unlike the thick buds of indicas. That's why you will see some Sativas that are airy and fluffy, they are immature.

 

You can let Sativas grow thru November if the weather permits.

 

It takes an experienced and patient grower to grow Sativas here, unfortunately many are in it for fast turn around so you see premature product and unhappy newbie growers.

Sativas are worth the wait , they are very flavorful, aromatic and their medicinal properties differ than indicas.

 

Thanks to hybrids, we northern pharmers are able to produce Meds with Sativa like qualities and benefits.

Edited by beourbud
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last year I wasn't as educated about the various strains and had a mentor who didn't seem to care about maturity. Basically, I was told "when you harvest, you harvest everything". I've since learned the mass variations of different strains and know to leave my Sativas in longer. I have an Acapulco Gold and Bruce Banner which will need at lot more time than some of my others. Even with my Green Cracks I know they're 2 diff strains ( 1 high Indica, 1 high Sativa ) and know not to harvest all of my plants at the same time. I definately believe my Apricot Cush wasn't quite ready last year when harvested and the same with my Liberty Haze and a few others. Even without looking them up on the computer I've learned how to tell by the leaves whether they have a lot of Sativa or Indica in them. Thankfully my grow is in an area which gets TONS of natural sunlight without the hinderance of trees or buildings but I do have many which won't be ready until late October and into November. As long as I can keep the frost off of them, they should do fine. As for the mold, I've been keeping an eye out for it on those which are currently peaking since I did run into a little of it last year. TY everyone and a good harvest to you all! Blkwlf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...