It's time to meet my mothers...

Here's some info on the next grow - I plan to flower out all my mother plants (6 in all), as there are a few more bits of data I need to fully comprehend whether my photoperiod manipulation experiments have worked - see earlier thread here - http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=31915

Additionally, most of them are at least a year old, and are getting a bit 'raggedy', after lots of cloning, and my photoperiod experiments, so I've decided to finish them off (after taking lots more clones, obviously).
Most of the plants now show signs of 'sativa-typing' - six months ago most of these plants looked way more 'indica' than they do now. As they're nearly all re-vegging, single-blade leaves predominate. With the exception of the two Flos, most are bonsai and about 14" tall from the soil level. All are on 16/8 veg permanently.

So - in alphabetical order - here we go:

1. CrissCross (guessed spelling) - local clone-only hybrid. Sativa-dominant but very fast flowering - 8 weeks max. Produces very sativa-like buds, long and fluffy with small calyxes. Very speedy, penetrating high - too much for some. Unique feature is that leaves die constantly, shrivel, but stay on the plant. Tends to spread out, rather than up, in a candelabra shape.










2. 'G13' - in quotes as I have no idea if it really is, obviously, but it was clone-only. It doesn't look much like other G13's on this site - it's very sprawling for an indica, with floppy stems and vigorous side-branching. Although it has indica-shaped leaves, everything else (high included) suggests sativa-dominant. Very peppery ginger/citrus smell and taste.








3. Flo (green) - this along with the purple Flo is much younger - six months since the seeds were planted. This was the most vigorous clone I took from the parent. It's much 'shaggier' than the purple version, and has more of the 'twisty' leaves that Blueberry shows. It's also smellier and much denser than the purple Flo, but the high is pretty much the same.






4. Flo (purple) - much more elegant than the green Flo, this one has purple stems and buds. It doesn't want to branch, and just grows straight-up stalks. Took a lot of pinching to get it to this shape! This sorts out the leaf-twist earlier, and the smell and taste are much more subtle - more berries and cream than the apples/ginger/incense of the green one.







5. Mystery strain - I've had this a long time, and it's been grown around here for 14 years or so. It looks like Northern Lights, but it flowers in 7-8 weeks, stinks (nicely!), stretches and generally behaves like a sativa. It could be NL#5, or it could be NL#5 X Haze, but I'm only guessing. Also, the fast flowering suggests not. This looks significantly different (much more sativa) than it did, since I manipulated the photoperiod.







6. Northern Lights X Big Bud - the most affected of the strains - this began flowering at 15 hours, and has steadfastly refused to come out again! After three months of 16/8, it's finally revegging, although mostly at the top. This will get some support as it grows.





I've just repotted the two Flos and the NL X BB in 12-litre pots, and moved them into the main room under 600W. They will get a week to catch up with the other three, which are all bigger, and then I'll repot and add the others.

After that, I plan to give them two more weeks veg, then a new photoperiod. Instead of 8 weeks of 12/12, I plan to give them 9 weeks of the following:

1 week 14/10
1 week 13/11
6 weeks 12/12
1 week 11/13

I know how early and for how long most of these flower, so I'll be looking out for bigger buds, and more of them, as a result of the longer photoperiod. These are all very mature, so they should grow big and fast. Also I'll be checking on the high for a more cerebral effect. But that's a long way away!

But I will produce regular updates on this grow, starting from when I switch to 14/10. Until then - any questions? !

wow right on man lots going on there

Nice job there Elevator.

That NL x BigBud is tough to reveg I lost mine. Just started a new pack of Nrs to find a sativa pheno mom again. This is underated smoke.. I am hopeful of getting a nice girl out of 10.

I won't be beaten by it - it is a great smoke. Mine is fairly indica - not too tall, and bushy, and the high is very mellow, compared to one or two I have. Most of those tips could be taken as clones right now, but I'll wait until I have all six good and bushy before I cut any. I've found that taking cuttings a few days after the switch to 12/12 can often make them root a lot more vigorously too, but that might just be luck so far...

I've found that taking cuttings a few days after the switch to 12/12 can often make them root a lot more vigorously too, but that might just be luck so far...

must be i took cuttings when i cleared under my screen 1wk into 12/12 they took 1 month to revert and root. some didnt even root

what about flowering period? (to be honest i haven't totaly read the other thread about photoperiod manipulation)

when you reach the time period that the plants begin to flower ie. 16/8 is veg, but at 15/9 they flower - if you leave it at 15/9, whats the flowering period like? how long till harvest?..ammount?

I haven't a clue what would happen to be honest - I was trying to figure out the point that they would start flowering, and then get the hell out of there again!
I would imagine that the NL X BB would have enjoyed that regime the most - I can only assume that a flowering photoperiod of, say, 14/10 would massively extend the flowering season, although given my visual results, I reckon they would be very fluffy buds. It does confirm though that an indica plant will go into flowering much more readily than a sativa when exposed to lower (but not 'regular flowering') day-lengths.
That's partly why I want to try the two weeks of 14 and 13 hours - just to see what goes first, and how fast. If I can start them flowering on 14 hours, then it might be possible to get a lot more weight in buds for only one week longer in flower. Has to be worth a try...

Nice collection!

sounds interesting.

looking good.... once our clones have rooted we put them into milk crates... easier than transplanting a bunch. and we tie ours down.

as for NLx Big bud we just confirmed that our order has been shipped and we ordered NLxbig bud we have never grown that. also ordered white rhino. we have also never grown from seed so this is new for us. we've only ever grown from clones.

Keep us informed. specially about the nl/big bud would like to see how that goes!

I'll post images again once something significant has happened in a week or two. The NL X BB has a support frame in the pot to give it something to lean against - all that top growth is from one branch, so it could get a bit top-heavy towards the end

But it's a great smoke - very smooth and very mellow - not too couch-lock, which is fine for me as I much prefer 'up' highs. And it tastes gorgeous - although not as gorgeous as the 'Mystery Mother' - this certainly has similar genes, but it's more floral, more fuely, with a hint of turkish delight or something really exotic. And it's more cerebral than the NL X BB - I wish I could get some feedback, but short of walking round every coffeeshop in A'dam asking 'do you know what this is?', I don't think I'll ever know.
I guess it could just be a particularly sativa-type pheno that kept the fast-flowering (7-8 weeks) trait of the original indica parent. Everyone knows it where I am, but no-one knows what it is...

But that one, the CrissCross and the G13 go under the big lights on Sunday, and then the race is on...

woot! keep us posted....

nice variety you got there, strain I've been growing for a while is also a mystery plant. TOLD it was NL x BB Skunk, no clue if it actually is or not though... Either way its a nice strain : ) Kind of nice not knowing what you're growing just cause it leaves you to first hand opinions and makes you get to know the plants a lot better

Exactly! And there's a lot of elimination possible to get closer to what it is. It's just anomalies like a 7-8 week flower cycle get a bit confusing, if it is a NL variety, especially NL#5 or NL#5 X Haze, as I think they're more in the 9-10 week range. I may have just got a fast pheno of course...

Just a quick update on this grow - I've decided to abandon the 14 and 13-hour weeks of veg, and just go straight into 12/12 - partly as it's the only way I can get reliable flowering times for each strain, and also as I have a little more time pressure than I originally anticipated - I need these all out by mid-October, ideally. Four of the mothers are in the flower room now (on 16/8) - I'm keeping the last two in the mother room a few more days, as they're bigger and bushier, and it will give the others time to catch up a bit.

I've heavily pinched out both Flos again, to produce as many bud sites as posible - that's it for pruning now, and they'll be left to grow as big as possible. I'll probably give the plants another 10 days of veg, by which time they should all be in the 18-20" range, and then put them into flower.
I'll post another set of pics once everything is installed in a few days, but they are looking very good indeed - after a year under fluorescents, they're positively exploding under a 600W HPS...

Hey Elevator- Thought I'd have a look and see what your up to over here.

All Looking great mate and look forward to the updates
All The Best
Guv'nah

nice stain collection of the mother. how the yield on those?

Variable yield - some amazing, some less so, and some I've never flowered before!
Just repotted the G13 tonight and added it to the grow - which was the biggest of the bunch - 16" tall from the soil level, and I wanted to give the othes time to catch up. So that's all 6 in large pots (12" diameter - about 14 litres capacity), under a 600W HPS, with C02.
Four have plant supports, and I'll spend the next week training the branches under and around those to get them nice and solid - given the size of the mothers, they're gonna be big when they finish. I can manage four feet high easily, but three but would be better! I'm aiming for about 6 ounces per plant, ideally.
I'll give them another week of veg (16/8), and then switch to 12/12. I'll post new pics then.

Just a quick update on this grow-out of my mothers. All is well, and the plants are thriving. I've had to seriously tie back my two Flo's to keep the height down and pinched them out severely one last time about 10 days ago - mainly to maximise bud sites, as they tend to grow tall like pokers. This has induced my 'withering leaf' syndrome on the purple pheno - an odd phenomenon I've documented already, but will show pics tomorrow.

They've been on 12/12 for four days today - I brought it forward, due to thriving growth, and I'm taking multiple clones of each mother tomorrow for backup and possible pollination, if I can get some males ready from my other seedgrows in time!
I finally got a decent camera here, and will take a bunch of photos of the whole room tomorrow, and try doing some closeups of each whilst I do the cloning. Watch this space...

Well...I've been kind of busy today. I've taken some photos, but due to the late hour, I don't really have time to sort them out now. Also I had to take them under HID light, due to the time pressures. I also took 24 clones (four of each variety), and they're relaxing in the propagator.
So for now, here's two pics of the whole grow, just to show what's what. In the second, overhead view, the plants are (reading from left to right):

Top row:

'Mystery strain'; Flo (Purple); CrissCross

Bottom row:

Northern Lights#5 X Big Bud; Flo (Green); G13





The purple Flo is shooting up straight stalks everywhere - this one does not like to branch sideways at all - not indoors at least. Tomorrow I'll post some more, including the weird 'shrivelling leaf' trait. I saw a guy posting in the Infirmary about a Blueberry 'shrivelling leaf' problem, and I think it might be the same thing - i.e. a trait, not a problem.

And now, it's bedtime...