-==GROW FAQ SUBMISSIONS==-

[Jnugg]

How dark does the dark cycle need to be?

How dark does the dark cycle need to be?

Consider that Cannabis can flower outdoors under the light of the full moon, so if your grow room is that dark, you should be OK. Having said that, it's best to make it as dark as possible. Plug all light leaks and be liberal with the black plastic.

Be sure to let your eyes adjust to the darkened room for at least two minutes before you try and identify how "truly dark" it is. If you can hold your hand out at arm's length and see your fingers, it is probably too bright. Light leaks are common triggers for hermaphroditism.

 

[Jnugg]

What do I do if my plants are growing too tall after flowering?

What do I do if my plants are growing too tall after flowering?

Regardless of strain, the growth or stretch after switching to 12/12 will continue for about 1/3rd the entire length of the flowering cycle. So if they finish in 8 weeks, you have at least 2 and a half weeks of vertical growth to contend with after flowering.

Tie the top shoots down now! You don't have any other option if the plants are too tall for your space and you're already flowering... it's too late to trim them back and if you can't raise the light or lower the plants you have to tie them back.

Get some good staking points either on the plant containers or in the tray and pull down the tallest shoots until they are at a managable canopy level. They will revert back to top growth and be pointing up a few hours after tying them down. You won't get the big huge top colas but you will likely increase your yield.

 

[Jnugg]

What is an hermaphrodite?

What is an hermaphrodite?

An hermaphrodite, or hermie, is a plant of one sex that develops the sexual organs of the other sex. Most commonly, a flowering female plant will develop staminate flowers, though the reverse is also true. Primarily male hermaphrodites are not as well recognized only because few growers let their males reach a point of flowering where the pistillate would be expressed.

Hermaphrodites are generally viewed with disfavor. First, they will release pollen and ruin a sinsemelia crop, pollinating themselves and all of the other females in the room. Second, the resulting seeds are worthless, because hermaphrodite parents tend to pass on the tendency to their offspring.

Please note that occassionally specious staminate flowers will appear in the last days of flowering of a female plant. These do not drop pollen and their appearance is not considered evidence of deleterious hermaphroditism.

 

[Jnugg]

How can I manage a tall lanky sativa indoors?

How can I manage a tall lanky sativa indoors?

Firstly you do need enough height. If you have that they will need supporting and the best way is with a devise we call a yo-yo. This is a sprung loaded reel with about 2 meters of line in it. It has a plastic hook on the end. The Yo Yo’s one for each tall type plant are hung at the top of the grow room and the hook on the line is pulled down and hooked round the the plant stem as soon as it starts getting tall enough to be floppy. As the plant grows it is wound round the line and the spring tension keeps the plant growing upright and straight.

 

[Jnugg]

Growing Consensus Synopsis Paper: Should Fan Leaves be Trimmed?

Growing Consensus Synopsis Paper: Should Fan Leaves be Trimmed?

There are a number of theories why fan leaves should or should not be removed. The purpose of this paper is to analyze cannabis cultivation techniques that advocate for and against fan leaf removal. A summary of each theory is presented, followed by a review of fan leaf function. The different theories advocating for and against the removal of fan leaves are then discussed in the context of fan leaf function and cultivation techniques.


THEORIES WHY TO TRIM FAN LEAVES
Increase Lower Bud Development
The fan leaves shade lower buds and that these buds do not develop to there full potential because of a reduction in lighting intensity due to shading from upper fan leaves.

To conserve energy for upper bud development
Trimming fan leaves and lower, shaded branches focuses the plant’s development on main top buds (Che Bleu, 03.13.2002). A plant wastes precious energy several ways. A tall plant needs to use energy to build extra stem, and then use extra energy to move water up higher, this is why I believe "scrog" methods are productive. An untrimmed bushy plant causes the plant to expend energy to build elaborate branches and leaves, and then has to use excess energy to supply all these structures. Careful trimming to remove unnecessary branches (which wont produce nice buds) and unproductive suckers will leave more energy for a larger yield. Suckers do exactly as their name suggests, they suck needless energy from the plant which can be put to better use, towards yield (Leaf, 03.13.2002).

Reduce the Stretch
If fan leaves are trimmed during the early flowering stage, the stretch is reduced (Che Bleu, 03.13.2002). Reducing the stretch might be advantageous in certain cultivation conditions.

Speeding Up The Flushing Process
Remove some of the fan leaves 14 days before harvest. It helps speed up the flushing process and or makes flushing unnecessary (Homemadepot, 03.13.2002).

Reduce The Chance of Mould
Removal of dead fan leaves is necessary to reduce the risk of mould. Failing to "clear the airway" can lead to development of mould in the "crowded" areas of the plant (Jeast, 03.13.2002).

Scrog growers may also reduce the chance of mould by removing fan leaves due to reduce the level of transpiration. This is because many scrog grows are in a confined space where humidity is a serious problem (DoctorDangerous, 09.04.2002). However with better ventilation it may be necessary to avoid the mould problem (Nietzsche, 09.04.2002).

Increase root development on Clones
Fan leaves on clones should have their blades cut in half, to make the clone grow slowly while a root system develops (Weezil, 03.12.2002).

HOW DO FAN LEAVES FUNCTION
The large fan leaves have a definite function in the growth and development of cannabis. Large leaves serve as photosynthetic factories for the production of sugars and other necessary growth substances. Most cannabis plants begin to lose their larger leaves when they enter the flowering stage and this trend continues on until senescence (death of the plant).

Fan leaves account for the greatest area for the reception of photons on a plant, thus they account for the majority of photosynthesis which occurs within a plant. Cells in the plant's leaves, called chloroplasts, contain a green pigment called chlorophyll which interacts with sunlight to split the water in the plant into its basic components. Leaves only absorb about 15% of the solar energy that hits them, the other 85% passes through-- but they reflect all the green light, which means it looks darker below the leaf to a human than it does to the plant because our eyes are most sensitive to the green spectrum (Shipperke, 03.15.2002).

Photosynthesis occurs in all green parts of plants. The process has two stages, the light reactions and the Calvin cycle, that convert water and carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen. These sugars are later used to power all the processes in the plant, including the synthesis of THC and other cannabinoids (Shipperke, 04.02.2002; Ca, 03.13.2002). Fan leaves possess the greatest number of stomata, which are small pores or valves on the underside of the leaf which water vapor and carbon dioxide diffuse during transpiration and photosynthesis (carbon fixation). Carbon dioxide first enters the leaf through the stomata and combines with the stored energy in the chloroplasts through a chemical reaction (the Calvin cycle) to produce a simple sugar. This sugar is unloaded into the tissues and transported through tubes in the leaf to supply the synthesized food to other plant parts such as growing or respiring tissues like young leaves, roots, and flowers of the plant. meristems (UK Tricky Knome, 03.14.2002).

Removal of fan leaves will not only slow growth, but it will also hinder the plants ability to rid itself of toxic gases, and also hinder the regulation of the plants temperature via stomata. Changes in the plants chemical metabolism caused by fan leave removal causes the plant to work overtime to rid ‘toxins’ with less leaves, as a result the pant may allocate more growth hormones into growing more leaves to make up for what has been lost(Equator, 03.15.2002). Removing large amounts of fan leaves may also interfere with the metabolic balance of the plant. Leaf removal may also cause sex reversal resulting from a metabolic imbalance.

There is a relationship regarding the amount of carbohydrates a leaf produces and CO2 intake relative to outside forces. When you have a situation whereby the leaf is no longer productive for the plant for whatever reason that may be - low light, old age, disease, insect attack etc, the plant will discard it. (Thunderbunny as citied, by Nietzsche, 03.13.2002.

Plants have two different kinds of vessels in their stems to move stuff around, xylem and phloem. Xylem runs from the roots up the stem carrying water and nutrients. Phloem runs both up and down to move sugars hormones, proteins, etc but mostly sugars. Each part of the plant can be either a sugar source or a sugar sink (Shipperke, 03.15.2002). Phloem moves from sources (areas of supply) to sinks (areas of metabolism or storage). Granted that the flowers can produce some photosynthate, but they are no where near as effective as fan leaves (resin glands significantly reduce light to the tissue they are found on). Flowers are sink tissues, leaves are source tissues. Sinks do not produce enough photosynthate, and are importers. Sources give photosynthate to sinks in closest proximity. Upper leaves bring sucrose to shoot apical meristem and young leaves while lower leaves bring goodies to roots (UK Tricky Knome, 03.17.2002). Remove the source and the sink will be affected (Diels Alder, 03.15.2002).

The leaves at the top of a plant tend to supply the top growing shoots. The leaves at the bottom of the plant tend to supply the roots. The middle leaves can go either way as the demand changes. During flowering and fruiting, only the very bottom leaves supply the roots and the rest of the leaves try to get as much energy as possible to the flowers of fruits. For this reason, the more leaves are unshaded and in good light, the more chance the plant has of creating extra storage of energy that will ultimately go into yield (Leaf, 03.13.2002). However Jeast (03.13.02) believes that the rich green leaves emerging from the bud are a sufficient energy source of solar energy for the plant's floral development. Therefore the old fan leaves are once again rendered useless and only drain energy from the developing part of the plant (Jeast, 03.13.02).

Fan leaves store mobile nutrients, these stored nutrients are essential in the later stages of flowering. When flushing a plant the fan leaves will lose their color quickly. This is because the nutrients are being mobilized to the atypical meristem (grow tip, bud site). Draining your fan leaves with a flushing period will increase floral development (Ca, 13.03.2002). Fan leaves therefore serve as a nutrient deficiency buffer zone for the plant (Higstar, 03.13.2002).
Nutrient burn usually causes bottom leaves begin to die however DaGnome (03.15.2002) observed that if you do not remove the leaves then they will absorb damage as premature removal generally results in more leaf loss. However if growing hydroponically under ideal conditions it could be argued that fan leaves serve as a nutrient buffer is a moot point.


WHEN AND WHAT TO TRIM IF AT ALL
To trim or not to trim that is the question. Try everything for yourself. Try it all ways. (The Crazy Composer, 13.03.2002). Simply put there is no universal answer it depends on how your are growing when where and what you trim (Cardboardbill, 03.13.2002)

Genetic Variance
Cannabis phenotypes play a large part. A strain with very few leaves and long internodes will need a lot less trimming - if a trimming technique is even adopted. A strain with a surplus of leaves and short internodes would require more thinning to get the same amount of light to the lower buds (The Crazy Composer, 13.03.2002). Cannabis varieties from high sunshine equatorial areas like thai sativa have thin leaves most likely due to more light than say a indicia plant from afghan regions have wider fan leaves due to less light intensity in their natural environment (Lebman, 03.20.2002).

Remove non productive ‘dead’ leaf material
Here are some signs to look for when removing foliage. Leaves that have reached their final size and are ageing will stop producing chlorophyll and start changing to a lighter color, often yellowing and showing purple petioles (leaf stems). This is when the leaves' capacity to produce sugars starts to diminish, so they are the ones to take out of the way to allow Sunlight to fall on the younger leaves that are producing at a higher rate. The older leaves, even though larger, are no longer very productive once they are not dark green anymore. By the time they start looking pale or discolored, they are not contributing anything to the plant at all. Obviously, the lower leaves are the oldest and the first to age. Old leaves can be removed at any time they are shading younger ones, but try to never remove a leaf in its expanding stage because it is producing at full power (Leaf, 03.13.2002.

Outdoors, fan leaves serve an additional and very important purpose of protecting the buds from the elements and predators. These leaves often become damaged in the course of doing their duty, and will then wither or break off (Jeast, 03.13.02). However depending on the humidity of the growing climate Leaf (03.13.2002) suggests to trim most leaves that show signs of age, are dull in color, yellowing, and obviously any brown or spotted leaves that have bugs or bug damage to prevent mould.

To Increase Lower Bud Development
Light efficiency decreases with distance. The inverse squared light rule states that illuminance is inversely proportionate to the square of the distance from the light source.
Removing the largest area of photosynthesis that is closest to the light source simply to benefit smaller leaves growing out of the but sites that are further away is not logical when growing indoors"(Smokinrav, 03.15.2002). Cultivating outdoors under the sun, the fan leaves don't create nearly as much shade as they do indoors (~shabang~, 03.13.2002). This is consistent with the inverse squared light rule; the sun is 149,597,890 km away so a few feet has no real effect on intensity. This suggests that a trimming benefit could be achieved outdoors as opposed to indoors however leaves only absorb about 15% of the solar energy that hits them, the other 85% passes through except for green light which is reflected, therefore removal of fan leaves would only provide a 15% increase light transmission outdoors (Shipperke, 03.15.2002).

Jeast (03.12.2002) removes fan leaves that are yellowing or starting to yellow (these are usually on the lower stems) and also mid-stem fan leaves that are shading buds. He always try to retain the upper 2 - 3 sets of fan leaves indoors as he believe they are the ones that are truly "working". The concept of the upper fan leaves doing all the work is consistent with effect of the inverse square rule on lighting intensity indoors and the flow on effect for photosynthesis. In support for trimming HyGradeChronic (03.25.2002) states selective trimming benefits lower floral development, allowing the buds to fill out and tighten up better. However he does mention that humidity must be kept to a minimum as leftover stems from the leaf can develop mould unless kept at optimum humidity. Another flow on effect to leaf trimming mentioned by HydradeChronic is that it takes seven to ten days longer for floral development to finish, but the resulting florescence is at it’s peak from top to bottom.

An alternative to trimming to increase light to lower floral clusters is to use a light mover on a single plant the results are better thanks to the better penetration of light at different angles. Even simple under lighting and side lighting works well to counter fan leaves by adding extra light where it would not normally get (Vapour, 03/13.2002).

Increase upper bud development
What folks need to focus on is the causes of premature leaf drop as that negatively affects yields. If you've read my posts over the years, I try to pound that issue home whenever given a chance. After a good root development, the most important element in floral production is the retention of healthy leaves (Thunderbunny as citied, by Nietzsche, 03.13.2002).

Green Reaper (03.12.2002) suggests that large leaves actually take more energy to maintain than they produce. In contrast Thunderbunny (as citied, by Nietzsche, 03.13.2002) states that when a leaf no longer serves a productive purpose, the plant will remove the leftover metabolites from the leaf, which causes the old spotty, yellowing, necrotic image and then the leaf drops. Once that leaf is gone, a percentage of what would be available carbohydrates for future plant growth is diminished in direct relationship to the loss. The mobility of plants sugars and nutrients suggests that fully developed fan leaves are sources not sinks. Whether developing fan leaves are a sink or a source however is not as clear. An actively growing leaf may be a sink, using energy from the other parts of the plant to fuel their development (George, 03.20.2002). Older developed leaves and that are sources. However there is no evidence to support that during the plants life cycle the development of fan leaves takes more energy then a fully developed fan leave provides, that is to say sink phase is greater than the source phase (Nietzsche). It would also seem illogical from an evolutionary point of view that a plant would evolve to produce leaves that take more energy to sustain then they produce (~shabang~, 03.13.2002).

Trim fan leaves in the last 14 days to help speed up flushing
It helps speed up the flushing process and or makes flushing unnecessary (Homemadepot, 03.13.2002). However the leaves should naturally yellow, too much green in the leaves translates to too much "green" taste in the leaves in my opinion (Bigislandbud, 03.14.2002).

Reducing the Stretch
If trimming fan leaves reduced the stretch it is likely that this occurred because it takes away from the plant's available energy stores and energy generators (~Shabang~, 03.13.2002). This method of reducing the stretch should only be used if absolutely necessary, other options include chemical treatment may be a more viable option.


HOW TO TRIM IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO SO
If you decide to trim your fan leaves, one should always do it by clipping the petiole about halfway between the base of the fan leaf and the stem/branch. Allow the remainder of the petiole to dry up and fall off on its own. This will help protect the plant from risks of infections. They should never be stripped or broken off at the base of the petiole as that would be expose more chance of infecting the plant. Petiole is the he foot stalk of a leaf (10k, 03.16.2002)

Leaf (03.13.2002) believes that excessive leaf trimming and branch pruning will cause the plant to use extra energy to repair itself. However, trimming must be done from time to time, for the longer a plant is left untrimmed, the more material must be removed at one time, therefore the greater the damage that the plant will need to repair. Do not trim fan leaves during veg either, unless they turn yellow. The first real pruning starts when going into 12/12 (Jeast, 03.13.2002). When trimming and pruning, I try to ensure that I do not cause the plant to 'bleed'. Leaf tries to pinch off shoots and leaves with my fingernails as opposed to leaving a clean cut. One thing to remember is every time you cut into any part of a plant, you are exposing the inside of the plant to fungus and bacteria (Leaf, 03.13.2002).

Tuck instead of trimming
Another method is to tuck your fans leaves under to expose the buds, don't forget that even though they wont be getting as much light they are still photosynthesizing and more importantly exchanging gases storing nutrients, and building sugars which the bud then converts into THC and other cannibinoids (Ca, 13.03.2002)

 

[Jnugg]

How do I convert watts to amps and amps to watts?

How do I convert watts to amps and amps to watts?

The formula for converting Watts to Amps is : Watts = Amps * Volts

The formula for converting Amps to Watts is : Amps = Watts / Volts

SAFTEY WARNING : Only use 80% of the circuit breaker capacity!

Common Conversions North American and other 110 volt countries

Lights :
1000W / 110V = 9.1A
600W / 110V = 5.4A
400W / 110V = 3.6A
250W / 110V = 2.3A

Circuits :
10A * 110V = 1100W and 80% safe usage is 880W
15A * 110V = 1650W and 80% safe usage is 1320W
25A * 110V = 2750W and 80% safe usage is 2200W
30A * 110V = 3300W and 80% safe usage is 2640W

Common Conversions British Commonwealth and other 240 volt countries

Lights :
1000W / 240V = 4.1A
600W / 240V = 2.5A
400W / 240V = 1.7A
250W / 240V = 1.1A

Circuits :
10A * 240V = 2400W and 80% safe usage is 1920W
15A * 240V = 3600W and 80% safe usage is 2880W
25A * 240V = 6000W and 80% safe usage is 4800W
30A * 240V = 7200W and 80% safe usage is 5760W

Remember that a circuit services more than one power outlet.
A two outlet wall plug will use only one circuit.
There will be more outlets on 240V systems per circuit than there will be in 110V systems.

 

[Jnugg]

How to turn a PC fan into an exhaust or intake fan?

How to turn a PC fan into an exhaust or intake fan?

ust for fun, I wanted to show how easy it is to turn a PC fan into an intake, or into an exhaust fan. The fan I am using is quite small, but the objective is still the same. The first step is to find or buy a 12v DC plug adapter. This fan here is rated at 80cfm, which will work for a small box set-up.

Here's is some info on the 12v DC adapter: (Model 420A4141)

Output (DC) 12.0V @ 500mA
Output Voltage VDC(1)
Input 108VAC
Output Volts @ 100% Load 10.20
Input 132VAC
Output Volts @ 100% Load 13.60
Input 132VAC
Output Volts @ 10% Load 17.40
UL(2) UL*
CSA(3) L
Plug(4) 1



Simply cut the wires at the end, and strip down about a ¼ inch of bare wire is showing.

If you don’t know which wire to wire up, for instance they’re all black wires, don’t worry, it will only work one way, and if wired wrong, will simply not work at all. But the idea is, black to black, red to red. This one here that I used, had one black and one red coming from the fan, and from the adapter, one black and one black and white. The black and white wire from the adapter got wired to the all black wire from the fan. And the all black wire from the adapter, gets wired to the all red wire from the fan.

To add another fan, just connect the wires of the same together. All black goes with black, all red goes with red. So you would still only use 2 connectors all together. Here’s a few more pictures. But for the most part, I just wanted to show how simple it is. Make sure you get an adapter which is rated DC for the output.



Finished


Testing


Also a worthwhile consideration is places like radio shack and grainger also have nice 4" muffin fans that move as much as 200 cfm and more, which run on 110 vac. They come with a handy power cord that has a special connector on one end for the fan and a plug on the other end for plugging into the wall socket or humistat / thermostat.

 

[Jnugg]

Basic electrical safety guidelines

Basic electrical safety guidelines

1. Safety glasses or goggles should be worn whenever power tools are used, especially if you wear contact lenses.

2. Make sure the power is off at the breaker box before doing any electrical work.

3. Always work in a dean, dry area free from anything wet.

4. Wires should only be connected at accessible junction boxes. Never splice wires together and conceal them within a wall without a junction box.

5. Never attempt to strip wires with a knife. Aside from endangering your fingers, you will nick the wire metal, which will create an electrical hazard.

6. Ground fault circuit interrupter out- lets should be used under damp conditions (basements, bathrooms, out- doors, etc.), as required by the National Electric Code.

7. Don't create fire hazards by over- loading an outlet or an extension cord.

8. Avoid electrical shock by mapping and marking your switch and outlet boxes. Put the map on the door of the main power service panel.

9. Leave a warning message that you are working on the circuit at the service panel, and tape the circuit breaker in the off position. With a fuse box, take the fuse out

10. Never change the size of a fuse or breaker in a circuit.

11. Be certain your connector is CO/ALR rated when you splice aluminium wire. If it is marked CU/ALR, use only copper wire. Do not use aluminium wire with push terminals; use only copper or copper-dad aluminium wire.

12. Always correct the problem that caused a fuse or circuit breaker to blow before replacing the fuse or circuit breaker.

13. Replace wiring that shows signs of fraying or deterioration.

14. Avoid breaking your knuckles by bracing the powerful right-angle drill so that it cannot spin around if it gets stuck while drilling.

15. Before working with wires or electrical connections, check them with a voltage tester to be sure they are dead.

16. Plumbing and gas pipes are often used to ground electrical systems. Never touch them while working with electricity.

17. Don't use metal ladders with over- head electricity.

18. Use the proper protection, take precautions, and plan ahead.
Never ignore safety to save money or to rush a project.

 

[Jnugg]

How do I wire and connect an in-line duct fan?

How do I wire and connect an in-line duct fan?

Your In-Line Duct Fan must be connected to a 110/120 Volt AC, 60Hz fuse or protected by at least a 15amps circuit breaker. Never connect your In-Line Duct Fan to a 240 Volt AC blower motor or other 240 Volt systems. When you remove the fan from its box, there will be no cover box for the wires, as that is only used when connecting the fan to a switch. For all purposes we’re going to connect it to a heavy-duty extension cord. A pretty simple procedure, most fans come with either, 1 black wire, 1 green wire (ground), and 1 white wire. To begin, simply slice the extension cord wire. Make sure it has a ground plug (3 connector pins). Then merely match up the wires, green goes to green, this is your ground wire, white goes to white ,and black goes to black. You might run into a situation where you have 2 black wires, and 1 green wire. Simply attach the green to the green wire, and attach one black to black, and the other black wire to the white wire.



SAFE WIRING:
This is a wire-stripper-crimper:



Point A (the white arrow) is used for cutting the wire ends off, just like a pair of pliers. More than likely you will not have to do this, most are pre-cut coming from the manufacturer (On the fan, and on the extension cord). Point B is used for stripping the wire, put the wire end in the proper gauge hole (Marked on the tool), and pull. Point C is used for crimping. In this assembly, I have used wire nuts instead of crimped butt splice connectors.



You’ll need 3 wire nut connectors, 1 for the white wire which is your common, 1 for the black wire which is your hot wire, and 1 for the green wire which is your ground. After all wires firmly connected with the wire nuts, it is a good electrical safety practice to tape over the nuts using electrical tape or duct tape. After each connector is taped, bundle all three together and tape it over as one bundle.

You must never have any bare wires showing!



Now all you have to do is plug it into the outlet. And if hanging In-Line Duct Fans, make sure you have them adequately supported, If you’re fitting the fan inside a wall, wrap rubber around it to reduce the noise level and stop vibration.

NEVER EXPOSE YOUR IN-LINE DUCT FAN TO TEMPERATURES OVER 140° F (60° C)!

 

[Jnugg]

What are common mistakes made by first time growers?

What are common mistakes made by first time growers?

First time growers frequently:

Overwater their medium based plants. When you pot your plant, judge its weight dry by hefting. Then, water the plant thoroughly, until water runs through the drain holes. Heft it again. When your pot feels as nearly as light as it did dry, its time to water again.

Overfeed their plants. As MrSoul says, beginners rarely under do anything. When all else fails, follow the directions on the fertilizer bottle. [Editor's note: dont follow GH's instructions! Use @ 1/4 their recommended strength, or follow recipes in the FAQ]

Overanalyze their grow. A first grow is like a first born child: you pay attention to every little thing that happens. Further, you worry at the first sign something may be wrong. Pay attention to what happens in your grow, but do not try and find a remedy for every yellow leaf. Frequently, the remedy of flushing your medium causes more problems than it solves. Be responsive when things go wrong, but be conservative in your remedies.

Overspend on grow supplies. New growers frequently commit themselves to unrealistic and expensive first grows. It is much more efficient to learn to grow and then invest in high end equipment rather than the other way around. Most experienced growers don't have room for all of the grow paraphernalia they aren't using. As you will see throughout this FAQ: K-I-S-S.

Overpost. Try the search engine first. Chances are good that any question you can think of has been asked and answered before.

Talk about their grow. Don't tell anybody that does not have to know. How can you expect anybody else to keep a secret that you cannot.

Part 2:
Contributed by: Bush_Grower

1. Don't Overwater
Overwatering kills marijuana plants. Water once the top few inches of the soil dries out.

Hydroponics is harder to over-water than soil, due to the abundance of water roots.

2. Don't Tell People
Why? They will only be jealous. People love to feel important and that is why they will tell other people; because others will listen to them.
Keep it to yourself.

3. Touch/kill Germinating Seeds
It can take up to 10 days for a seed to sprout. The paper towel method is not recommended because you must handle the seeds when transferring them from the paper towel to your growing medium.

4. Grow seeds from seeded marijuana (hermaphrodite seeds)
Unless you are prepared for possible disappointments don’t use "unknown" seeds. This is why people buy seeds from seedbanks.

Self-seeding MJ is produced from hermaphrodite plants or a very stunted and late flowering male the grower did not notice. Flowered hermi seeds will produce tall late flowering females coupled with early flowering males.

5. Don't Over-fertilize
Fertilize after first 2 spiked leaves appear.

Start with 25% of recommended label strengths and work your way up. If the leaves suddenly twist or fold under, Leach and Spray with pure water for several days!

Don’t fertilize your plants every time you water! (Soil)
A common watering schedule is to fertilize at full strength, then water at half or quarter strength. This prevents excess salt buildup, leaf and root burn. In addition, don’t water at full strength if the medium is too dry – root burn can occur.

As a precaution, leach the plants with lots of pure water every 2-4 weeks.

6. Don't Under-fertilize
Under-fertilizing is less common. If you prefer to give the plant ‘just enough nutrients’, use a organic soil mixture with blood meal and bone meal or some slow release fertilizer with micro nutrients.

7. Don't Start with Clones
Start with seeds. Bugs are a pain, as are plant diseases. Many growers are able to grow indoors without pest problems for years. Another grower’s cuttings are almost guaranteed to have diseases &/or pests.

8. Don't Provide A Bad Environment
Always provide air circulation and fresh air even during the night cycle. All the air indoors should be replaced every 5-10 minutes.
Humidity between 30-70% temp aim for around 75-85' Even seedlings need a gentle fan to strengthen the stems.

9. Don't Harvest Too Early
25% of the weight will form in the last 2 weeks. Begin flushing with 100% pH’d water when the pistil are 25% brown. Harvest when the plants have totally stopped growing and the white pistils are at least 50-75% brown.

*NOTE: Outdoors if security is a factor make your own call on when to sacrifice the fields. Also take buds continuously in case of thieves.

Common questions:

Q. Can marijuana grow in a northern climate?
Marijuana plants can grow anywhere corn can grow. All it needs is three growing months - seed to harvest. 2 if started indoors!

Q. Why do I have to buy seeds? Why can't I use my own that I picked from my own stash?
Most people desire, and want to be guaranteed, certain characteristics in their mature female plants. The seeds from any weed will all grow into something different. This is unprofitable and inefficient. As opposed to knowing the single set of requirements for your entire crop, you must provide a different set of requirements for each of your plants.

Q. What is better for a new grower - hydroponics or soil?
I believe the all around "better", more convenient setup is soil. Hydro makes plants grow faster, but won't make your buds more potent than soil. Hydro should be attempted after you have a few successful soil crops under your belt.

If you are starting from seed and growing for personal, soil is the practical growing medium. If the crop is started with clones and is commercial, a hydroponics setup is more practical.

Q. Why are my seedlings stretching?
Low light conditions. They also need a gentle wind. Plants will also stretch when subjected to conditions of high humidity.

Q. What kind of lights should I use?
Cheap 4 ft. cool white fluorescent tubes : for germination/seedlings

400 watt Metal halide/HPS : for personal home growers
1000 watt Metal halide/HPS : for some personal growers and commercial growers.
*Use at least 40 watts per sq. foot of grow space.

Q. How far should the lights be from the plants?

Fluorescent: tips of leaves almost touching bulbs
400 watt halide : two feet away from seedlings and one foot away from grown plants
1000 watt halide: four feet away from seedlings and two feet away from grown plants

Q. How often should you water?
Once a week or once every two week for soil and twice a day with a hydroponic flood and drain system.
*When top 2 inches of the soil dry out.* Occasionally provide periods of extra dry and wet soil.
*Allow 10% extra water to drain out of the bottom of the tray.* This will prevent toxic fertilizer build up.

Q. How long do your seeds last? What's the best way to keep them?
Seeds can last over 5 years if kept cool and dry. They may last up to 10 years if sealed and frozen, but fewer will germinate.

 

[Jnugg]

How much will i yeild?

How much will i yeild?

How much will I yield?


"I have XXX watts...how much will I yield?" or "How can I get bigger yields?"



A common inquiry. From ambitious new gardeners and for good reason too. But, this is really a loaded question that doesn't have a definite answer. It seems one of the first assumptions by new gardeners is that loads of light automatically equals loads of buds. Unfortunately, it's just not that simple. Yield is equally contingent on a number of factors; light, temperature, humidity, water, nutrients, CO2/ventilation, genetics, etc. Think of it as an engine, with each factor of cultivation representing a single piston, sure the engine will run if some of the cylinders are misfiring or not firing at all, but to yield the most power from that engine, all cylinders must be firing in sync and at maximum capacity.



Temperature. Most cannabis plants will slow or cease growth when temp's get above 85F, or below 65f. Optimal lights-on temp for most strains is about 72-78F, with 5-10 degrees cooler during the dark period being a good rule of thumb.



Humidity. Cannabis does best around 45%-55% RH (relative humidity).
During veg and late flower, however letting it drop lower during the final two weeks of flower is advised, as it will help prevent mould problems.



Water/moisture. Cannabis generally doesn't like "wet feet", or a soggy environment, so it's very important to have a fast draining soil/soil-less mix (or well aerated solution in a hydro garden). Wet or damp conditions can also lead to mould problems during flowering.



Nutrients. Cannabis will require a variety of nutrients at varying NPK ratios during its existence. NPK stand for; nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)-the three major nutrients used by plants. Simply put, your plants will need a fertilizer with more N than P and K during vegetative growth and fertilizer with more P than N and K during flowering. Using any well-known quality fertilizer applied per instruction @ ½ strength is a good place to start. Organic, chemical, or somewhere in-between is another choice to be made and is a totally personal one. There is a plethora of fertilizers on the market, but the best fertilizer is the one that's used properly.



CO2/ventilation. Plants require CO2. There is sufficient CO2 in our atmosphere to support massive bud growth, but when growing inside you must either have adequate ventilation (the volume of the room exhausted at least once/5 minutes) to ensure that there is a constant supply of fresh, CO2 enriched air or one must have supplemental CO2, which requires higher temp's and more nutrients to be utilized effectively.



Light. Typically, the more the merrier, but more light will create stronger water, nutrient, and CO2 demands on the plants. You must also have the proper spectrum of lighting as well as a means of efficiently reflecting as much of the light as possible into the garden\'s canopy. The norm is to use more bluish light (Metal Halide, cool-white fluorescents) for vegetative growth and more reddish (High Pressure sodium, warm fluoro's) light for flowering. Though it's possible to grow great buds under fluorescent lighting and a few will even argue their superiority to HID's, most indoor growers use High Intensity Discharge lights such as MH and HPS, and many use fluoro's for vegetative growth and HPS for flowering. It's very important to have the light as physically close to the canopy as possible without burning the foliage and still allowing for even coverage.Many new growers believe that "Droppin the light" closer to the plant will be beneficial. Besides heat stress, the bulb puts out radiant energy that causes leaf burn (Note it is possible to complete a grow using just HPS or MH)



Genetics. Its an easily overlooked factor. Some strains simply have the potential to yield more than others. Having a heavy-yielding strain doesn't automatically equal big yields, either. It only means that the potential for heavy yields is there. The grower must provide the optimum environment for that particular strain in order for it to be able to reach it's yield potential, and each strain has slightly unique requirements. Also, within a strain there are usually several phenotypes, each of which will exhibit unique characteristics which is to say that some pheno\'s of a particular strain will weigh more than others.



Plant/root/container size. Obviously, the longer a plant is veg'd, the bigger it will get and the more it will yield. Almost always overlooked because they're unseen are the roots. Root mass is directly related to bud production. Simply put, the more roots you have the more bud you will (potentially) have. Be sure to always allow plenty of space for the roots to grow and spread out, even more-so in soil A general rule of thumb is 1 gallon of soil for every foot of plant height.



System.
Scrog/Sog/Vertical gardens
These systems have a higher g/w/time yield than comparable large plant system over the same time period.



Grower's skill. Growers can add yield by: using additives (like B1, kelp, enzymes), foliar feeding, and topping/FIM/



In addition. Tricks like keeping nutrients and the air temps warm during night cycle can help final yield. Although it's a topic of hot debate, it's generally thought that any system that supplies the roots with maximum oxygen (aeroponics) would outperform a system that restricts 02 input such as (soil).

So, as you can see there's much more to yield than throwing some plants under tons of light with tons of nutes. Before one becomes too concerned with yield, one must first learn how to grow plants well, learn how to "listen" to the plants and give them just what they need. It's best to start with simpler methods, in fact, I think the simpler method is always the better one. Learn how to grow strong, healthy, fast-growing plants and the yields will come.

 

[Jnugg]

What range should I maintain for my growroom humidity and temperature?

What range should I maintain for my growroom humidity and temperature?

A humidity and temperature gauge are essential in any growroom. Daytime conditions should be 70-80 degrees without co2, 80-90 degrees with co2 until the last two weeks when daytime temps should be kept between 70-80 and co2 can be reduced to adjust for the lower metabolism. Night temperatures should be kept above 60 degrees to prevent stress. It is preferrable during flowering to have a night temperature drop of 10-20 degrees to stimulate flowering hormones and reduce stem elongation.

I find that low humidity causes stress on plants. I recommend 50-60% humidity until the final 2 weeks of flowering. At this point, the humidity should be lowered as much as possible to encourage the plant to seal and protect itself with additional resin. (I am able to get the humidity to go as low as 31%) I have been able to frost things up considerably this way. The higher humidity levels prior to final ripening reduce salt levels within the plant tissue and encourage healthy, more lush growth.

 

[Jnugg]

What are the different growth characteristics associated with Indica, Sativa and hybr

What are the different growth characteristics associated with Indica, Sativa and hybr

Indica plants are short, bushy, mature early, have more chlorophyll and less accessory pigments (accessory pigments protect the plant from excessive sunlight).
As Indica strains have more chlorophyll than sativa they grow and mature faster.

Sativa plants are taller, take longer to mature, have less chlorophyll and more accessory pigments (accessory pigments protect the plant from excessive sunlight).
As Sativa strains have less chlorophyll than Indica they take longer to grow, mature, and require more light.

Hybrid plants have a combination of both Indica and Sativa growth characteristics which are relative to strain ratio.

 

[Jnugg]

Organic Growing Primer

Organic Growing Primer

A Newbie's Guide to Organic Based Growing

The following is intended to assist growers, new to the organic method, with the answers to frequently asked questions. I’ve tried to attribute the thoughts and words of others to them. If I have failed, please let me know, and I will give credit where it is due. Clearly, this is an ongoing project, please post follow ups or pm me if I have made errors or omissions.


What is organic growing?

Depends on who you ask. Around here, it generally describes the use of organic fertilizers and soil amendments, as opposed to their chemical counter parts. That is the general meaning employed in this FAQ.

On a more global scale, organic agriculture is to farm/garden in rhythm with nature\'s laws in a sustainable manner that provides a healthy eco system for all beings involved. How this philosophy is played out in practice varies greatly from individual to individual, organization to organization.

(definition from http://www.groworganic.com/ )


What are the advantages of growing organically?

Answer First, organics is simpler than chemical nutrition. When there is too much chemical fertilizer, plants will burn, whereas organics is generally much gentler. ~shabang~ likens the difference between the two methods as essentially the same as the difference between making soup and baking:

Organic feeding is a lot like cooking a soup. You go easy on the seasoning at first, adding your base ingredients to see where that gets you. You can mix and match many types of ingredients and at many different proportions and it will usually work just fine. That’s because the plant can take what it needs, leave the rest, and isn't force fed into anything.

Chemical feeding is like baking. You better damn well be accurate with your measurements or you *will* screw it up. With baking you can\'t just throw stuff in, add more of this or that.. cooking a soup.. and feeding organics can be much less precise. Blueberry is a touchy feeder but if you are successful with GH (General Hydroponics) you should have no problems with EJ (Earth Juice).

Second, many people believe that organically grown smoke tastes and smells better than chemically fed plants, what ~shabang~ refers to as "an earthy dankness" It has also been suggested that chemical fertilizers reduce bud quality.

Finally, organics is much more environmentally friendly than chemical fertilizers. Hydroponic growers frequently have to change their nute solution every couple of days, and are left with gallons and gallons of used hydroponic solution, which is full of chemicals, to dispose. It goes into the ground, our rivers and our blood streams.


How are plants grown organically?

Generally, organic growers do so in soil or a soilless mix. Occasionally, a hydroponics grower will use an organic nutrient solution, but most believe this is an invitation for root and pH problems (please see a more careful examination of hydro-organics and aquaponics below). ~shabang~ suggests that growers go one way or another:

”If you want the best yield, bar none, go with an aero or flow hydro table. Your bud won't smoke as well and won't have that earthy dankness after curing...if you want the best quality, use those organic ferts in a medium based on worm castings...You can use mostly GH {General Hydroponics Flora Series nutrients} and then supplement on the side with EJ {EarthJuice} Catalyst but know that its just a supplement, you are relying on the GH for the majority of the nutrients. If those chem ferts are present, they really inhibit the beneficial microbes that are needed to breakdown the organics.”


How many different organic growing methods are there?

There are as many different methods of organic growing as there are dedicated organic growers. However, generally organic growers rely upon either organic fertilizers or soil amendments, or a combination of both, to provide nutrition for their plants. The following are some examples of different successful growers’ organic techniques:

~shabang~‘s mix:

The mix that I recommend is basically nothing but castings and drainage. I used to cut it with all sorts of things, including soilless peat-based mixes like pro-mix.. but then you're introducing a source for pH problems-- especially when others try and duplicate it but can't find the right brands then substitute with a peat-mix that is too acidic. So down to the bare basics of a mix:

40% castings
30% perlite
30% vermiculite

There is no need to measure exactly, for my friend I've found that one bag of each works great - using the 8 dry quart perlite and vermiculite bags and then the slightly larger bags of castings {20-25 lbs}. Also we add in a little agricultural lime {1 cup} and some water crystals to give them some reserves, both optional. Also we are trying out some Hi-Phos Jamaican Bat Guano this round and I think it is an improvement so far, using it at about 2 / 3 cup per 3 gallon bucket, but the mix works great without the guano since you should be using good complete organic ferts.

What they want:

Earth Juice,
1 tablespoon bloom per gallon of clean water
1 teaspoon grow per gallon (for the first couple of weeks, only if it’s a long flowering strain)
1 tablespoon maxi crop per gallon

If you don't/can't get Earth Juice, you can use a tea made of bat guano / castings as a fine substitute.

Let this mix in the reservoir at least 24 hours, and feed. This time top it up with plain water till it's full. It will still have some flavor of course since it's in the same container and you shouldn't drain it all the way. Keep it mixing at all times. Next time add fert... alternate with water, cut out the grow half way through, harvest, cure, smoke, get high!

The circulating reservoir is the key to using those indoor organics efficiently. I don't use Fox Farm anymore, silly to pay 4 times as much as the EJ. When mixed straight into water, the Earth Juice bloom drops the pH to the mid 4's. The solution is to let it circulate and aerate for at least 24 hours. The best way to do it is with a permanent reservoir-- a large bucket or trough that is always filled with water. There should be one large pump in there that is always on and circulating the solution. I also throw in some air wands on a pump, but thats not a big deal. As long as its mixing it will work. Hook the pump up with a Y so that one branch is always mixing the tank and then the other branch can be a long hose for your watering wand. You don't re-use the drained water, just toss it on your backyard garden.

As the reservoir circulates, it starts the breakdown of the nutrients and the pH will rise. Like I said previously, with this system there is no need to check the pH ever - just keep the reservoir circulating and the mix has loads of buffering capacity. You only need to add liquid ferts every other or every third watering.


Mr. Soul, (Brothers Grimm), recommends the following mix:

1. My soil mix is (by volume) 50% worm castings, 25% Pro-Mix, and 25% perlite. Simple as that.

2. I feed with tea at EVERY watering of my plants & since they're flowered in 2-gallon containers - that\'s usually every day!

3. The teas I use are made by soaking a "tea bag" (got mine at Worm's Way) in a 5-gallon bucket of pH = 6.2 water. Agitate and manipulate the bag a LOT to release as much of the "goodies" as possible - the water looks like it came from a mud puddle when you've got it right. I do one thing I've never heard other growers mention doing - I measure the ppm of my tea.

Here are the contents of the tea bag, depending on growth stage:
Vegetative => 1/2 cup each of PSG & worm castings. I also add a 1/2 cup of Maxi-Crop liquid seaweed, plus two Tablespoons of Alaska fish emulsion to the water. (I shoot for a ppm = 1000)

Flowering (weeks 0-4)=> 1/2 cup each of PSG & High Phosphorus bat guano. I also add a 1/2 cup of Maxi-Crop to the water. (ppm 1250 - 1500 )

Flowering (weeks 4-7)=> 1/2 cup each High Phosphorus bat guano and worm castings. (shifting ppm from 1500 -> 1000)

During the final week of flowering, many folks choose to use plain, pH-adjusted water for "clearing" but I don't. I haven't noticed any difference between when I have & when I haven't "cleared". This seems reasonable when growing organically - why clear? Clear WHAT? They're living in the medium in which they've evolved for millions of years!

A few other hints:

SOAK the pots thoroughly when watering, then allow them to become "light" when lifted before watering again...the plants LOVE a short drying out period. The amount of time it takes for the plants to dry out is constantly getting SHORTER as they grow...be AWARE!

Water BY HAND! At least get an accurate feel for how much the average plant needs by hand-watering before setting up a drip system or whatever.
Transplant you clones into the container you plan to flower them in & veg them until their roots systems are FULLY established before flowering them - this will MINIMIZE stretching...check this out for yourself, it works!


Vic High (BCGA) suggests his Super Soil mix:

Original recipe:

1 Bale sunshine mix #2 or promix
2 L Bone Meal - phosphorus source
1L Blood Meal - nitrogen source
1 1/3 cups Epsom salts - magnesium source
3-4 cups dolomite lime -calcium source & pH buffering
1 tsp fritted trace elements
1/2 - 1 bag chicken manure (steer, mushroom, etc) - nitrogen & trace elements
Mix thoroughly, moisten, and let sit 1-2 weeks before use.

Revised recipe - after several failures due to bad manure sources, I now use the following recipe. Results have been excellent and the clones seem to take off right away instead of having a slow growing settling in period.

1 Bale sunshine mix #2 or promix (3.8 cu ft)
8 cups Bone Meal - phosphorus source
4 cups Blood Meal - nitrogen source
1 1/3 cups Epsom salts - magnesium source
3-4 cups dolmite lime -calcium source & pH buffering
1 tsp fritted trace elements
4 cups kelp meal.
9kg (25 lbs) bag pure worm castings

Mix thoroughly, moisten, and let sit 1-2 weeks before use.

Substitutions - The original recipe was a success, but I simply needed to experiment. In addition, sometimes not all ingredients were always available. Therefore, here are some possible additions and/or substitutions.

Descriptions to follow:

Blood & Bone Meal - when trying to cut costs
Kelp Meal - contains over 62 trace minerals. Good supplement for manure or for reducing the manure content to speed up availability of soil.
Worm castings - excellent source of micro nutrients
Bat guano - excellent for top dressing a week into flowering
Seabird guano

Bugs

On a couple of occasions, I've ended up with fungus gnats with this soil mix. They are more of an irritation than anything but may harm weak or young plants. Some have said that putting a layer of sand on top of the soil in the pots stops the gnats from reproducing. Others can get rid of them by doing a soil drench with diazinon or malathion.

Personally, I prefer to simply introduce fungus gnat predators (Hypoaspis miles). Once established, they not only control fungus gnats, but also thrips and mites. When there is no insect food available, they survive on dead plant material, so remain even after pests are gone to prevent future infestations. Actually, since they have been introduced, I've had no pest problems in over a year and I don't filter my intake. I got mine from Westgro (1-800-663-2552) and they have sales offices in Delta, Victoria, and Kelowna.


I can’t find all of the ingredients mentioned, what should I do?

Improvise. The only essential ingredient appears to be worm castings. Note its use in every recipe. Castings are a great source of nitrogen and certain micro nutrients. ~shabang~ says his mix is really all castings, the perlite and vermiculite are added only for drainage. You ought to include worm castings in your soilless mix, if possible.

 

[Jnugg]

How do I accurately measure my Grow Room Efficiency?

How do I accurately measure my Grow Room Efficiency?

GARDEN EFFICIENCY RATING - Online Calculator

or
How much juice you burn to grow a gram..

Standard methods of reporting garden yields are imprecise and don't take the factor of time into account. This is a summary after discussion on a new standard formula for reporting yields and efficiency.

The GE Rating is based on the amount of kilowatt hours used to produce one gram. This factors in how long your strains flower and the resulting number makes it simple to compare 4000 watt gardens with 400 watt gardens. The calculations are easy, here is an example:

2000 watt flowering area
60 days of flowering
12 hours on light cycle
total yield: 49.5 ounces

1) Divide the total wattage of your lamps by 1000 to determine the kilowatts per hour:

2000 / 1000 = 2 kw/h

2) Multiply the previous result by the hours of the light cycle (usually 12):

2 x 12 = 24

3) Multiply the previous result by total days in flowering to determine how many kilowatt hours you used:

24 x 60 = 1440

4) Make sure your yield is in grams, so:

28.4 x 49.5 ounces = 1405.8 grams

5) Now simply divide grams by kilowatts:

1405.8 / 1440 =

0.97 grams per kilowatt hour, or a GE Rating of 0.97! Good job to the hypothetical grower, approaching a GE of 1 is the first plateau to be reached and is a sign of an experienced grower.

The secondary additions to the GE formula would be for the "Whole Garden GE Rating" which must include time spent in cloning and in veg. Figure it out the same way, with days spent under cloning lights, hours per day, and add those totals to the watt usage before dividing. This will give you a much lower rating than the standard Bloom GE Rating, but is more accurate for SCROG gardens, and anyone who is involved with extra vegetation time.

We have had a few contributors that have posted their monstrous GE Ratings..

OT1 - average 1.43, high of 1.89
Cobber - 1.75
Sharrina - 1.63
Quimik - 1.58

 

[Jnugg]

How do I measure temperature correctly?

How do I measure temperature correctly?

In order to know you are providing the right thermal environment for you plants through ventilation, oscillating fans etc. you need to understand the physical nature of the 'heat' in grow spaces, how it should be measured, and the mistakes that can easily be made.

Essentially there are two aspects to the thermal environment that you need to be aware of:

1. The AIR temperature
2. The RADIANT temperature

Although obviously related, these are 2 distinctly separate phenomena and your plants have different tolerances for each.

1. Air temperature
Your standard mercury/alcohol-bulb or digital thermometer is designed to measure the temperature of the air (But not radiant heat). This is what is being referred to in the usual growers 'rules of thumb' such as maintaining your grow above 16degC and below 30degC.

Most thermometers are only designed to measure air temperature – growers often mistakenly place their thermometer in direct light; radiant energy will warm your thermometer and give a higher than actual reading.

*Assuming your air is well mixed up by oscillating fans, it doesn’t really matter where you locate your thermometer. The best spot is probably about half the way up a wall, with a piece of cardboard over it (To shade it from radiant heat), exposed to the mixed air in the grow room.

2. Radiant temperature
Radiant temperature is the result of heat transfer bewteen objects at different temperatures without whats inbetween i.e. the air, being effected. In our case the plants are naturally at a lower temperature that the light and reflector so heat is transferred to the plants foliage from the light/refecltor through radiation. This causes the leaves to heat up. The plants can withstand much higher radiant temperatures (around 40-50degC) than they can air temperatures but if this is too high the plants can 'burn'.

The plants can withstand much higher radiant temperatures than they can air temperatures, but if this is too high the plants can “burn”.

'The hand test': Place your hand in a comfortable position for some time at the tips of your plants should be. If your hand feels “hot”, then the lights are too close, the radiant energy is too intense, and light burn may result. Do this test and raise your HID lights/reflectors periodically to keep light burn to a minimum.

Finally, monitor the conditions in your grow regularly as things are changing all the time, and you will soon get to understand the thermal dynamics of your particular grow space so you can get the most from it.

Editor’s note:
[Cannabis loves high light levels/high radiant energy levels, but exceeding their tolerance for light can result in light burn and chlorophyll leaching out of the leaves. 600's & 1000’s put out a lot of light, and light burn can easily damage clones and young plants.

Light burn damage: initially the leaves look pale green (the edges may turn upwards, mimicking a Mg deficiency), then they turn yellow and finally yellow/brown as the leaves scorch.

Often you can see a circular pattern of intense light where the reflector has focused the light onto the plants. If plants outside of this intense light zone look greener and healthier, consider raising your lights.]

 

[Jnugg]

How can I offset the energy usage of my grow room?

How can I offset the energy usage of my grow room?

There are a number of people who worry about their grow room power usage attracting LEO. Rather than worrying about it, do something about it - offset that usage with savings from around the house. I know, it's been stipulated around here numerous times that a small power jump will not bring LEO to your door - I agree with this philosophy. However, for those who do not agree with this - how much effort is your peace of mind worth?

Do you have to be paranoid to want to perform these steps? No. As I've previously stated, I don't worry about LEO visiting due to my power bill, but I do like to save money. I like the idea of "free weed" too (my highest grow cost is power; I suspect yours is too). If you work at it, there are a lot of places around your house where you can conserve electricity usage - often times enough to offset what you're using in the grow room. If you can't completely offset it (net zero), you can make a big dent in it.

# Replace as many incandescent bulbs as you can with compact fluorescents - twenty or thirty watts times 10 lights adds up quick. Compact fluorescents use about 75% less energy than incandescent lamps, and emit 90% less heat for the same amount of light.


# Turn off lights when you leave the room! I know I sound like my Dad, but, for Christ's sake - my wife and kids must think I'm the damn electric company! Seriously though, when you start to pay attention to it, it's weird how often you see this one simple rule ignored (me included). Prior to changing to CF's, my kitchen used a total of 440 watts with all lights on - you really don't want to waste that kind of wattage.


# Add a timer to your hot water heater; they are available at all home improvement centers - installation info is readily available (or have an electrician do it - it's a common request).


# Check the temperature your hot water heater is running (a small dial right usually behind that small cover on the front) - some factory settings are ridiculously high (close to dangerous at times).


# Add a water heater "blanket" - available at any home improvement center. Insulate the hot pipes running out of the water heater while you're at it.


# Check the caulking on all your windows - leaks here add up to extra heating/cooling costs. If you can afford it, consider replacing old windows with newer, energy efficient models.


# If you live in a hot climate, consider tinting windows that get a lot of heat during the day (east, west and south windows), or at least install some blinds and keep them closed.


# Check the weather stripping on all exterior doors - leaks here add up to extra heating and cooling costs (and bugs - yuk!).


# If you have an attic, install an attic fan - It will save your overall cooling costs big time in the summer months. Better yet, get the convective heat rise powered type (turbine).


# Install (or have installed) a programmable thermostat. No need to keep the house too cool or warm when no one is home.


# Ceiling fans - Add them where you don't have them. The effect is equivalent to lowering the air temperature by about 4 degrees F.


# Add insulation to your attic. If your house is older and you (or someone else) have been up there crawling or walking around on for years, your current insulation may be compacted (that's a bad thing). Check your local yellow pages to have someone come out and blow in some more insulation. It's not cheap, but not as bad as you might think. And it will save you money on heating/cooling.

 

[Jnugg]

How do I prune to increase production?

How do I prune to increase production?

I start by pruning a leaf from each node in a staircase pattern, as soon as the first 5 bladed leaf appears. This will stimulate lateral growth and open the plant to more light.

I top around the 4-5 node, using the FIM technique, leaving about 20% of the growth tip intact. Topping will create at least 2 new budding sites, and with proper use of the FIM technique I have had as many as 5, and have heard of as many as 8. Topping will allow bottom branches time to grow and catch up, making them closer to the lights.

With proper training and manipulation, you can get these giant plants to grow horizontal, effectivly reducing the overall height of your garden as much as 50%. This way you can lower the lights as close as possible to all budding sites. With many budding sites very close to the light, you will get a better yeild of grade "A" bud. As opposed to having smaller shaded buds trapped under an untrained canopy, which will never fully develop.

 

[Jnugg]

How do I supplement my area with carbon dioxide?

How do I supplement my area with carbon dioxide?

There are several economical delivery methods available to indoor growers. Carbon dioxide generators burn natural gas or compressed propane to produce carbon dioxide and water vapor. Carbon dioxide is also available at welding supply stores in compressed 5, 20, 35 and 50 pound tanks for refill. A tank regulator, infrared sensor and/or sequntial timer are necessary to release the carbon dioxide at proper intervals to maintain consistent levels.

Recommended carbon dioxide supplementation is between 1000 and 2000ppm, depending on light intensity, from germination or during the rooting of cuttings through final maturation. The leaves will develop larger stomata when undergoing development within a carbon dioxide supplemented atmosphere, increasing their ability to photosynthesize when fully developed. Suplementation delays maturation by keeping the plant's metabolism producing additional growth, instead of ripening. Use it throughout to the final moment and run it during the curing and drying process to further assist additional metabolization. This is accomplished using a Green Air Products digital ppm carbon dioxide controller connected to dual aluminum tanks. This system is the most accurate and flexible monitoring system.

Higher levels of carbon dioxide can be utilized under higher light conditions (above 50 watts/sqare foot), especially during vegetative growth when ambient temperatuires can be allowed to increase to 90 degrees. Carbon dioxide levels are maintained between 1600-2000ppm during vegetative and early flowering. When the buds begin to fill in, I lower ambient temperatures below 80 degrees and lower carbon dioxide levels to 1000-1200 ppm. Higher temperatures are necessary for the plant metabolism to increase and fully utilize higher levels of carbon dioxide, but will deteriorate cannabinoids in the resin glands.

 

[Jnugg]

How do I manipulate the photoperiod for larger yields on Planet Ito?

How do I manipulate the photoperiod for larger yields on Planet Ito?

[DISCLAIMER]: This information is provided as experimental data and not fact.

The only photoperiod manipulation from years of experiments that offered discernible improvements was this adjustment made for 1 or 2 calendar weeks at the point of maximum flowering rate: Daylength of 21 hours, 36 minutes with a dark period of 12 hours. To accomplish this, you need a 7 day, 24 hour digital timer. During a 7 day calendar week on Earth, the "sun" only cycles 5 times. This permits easily switching back to the regular 12/12 at your discretion. You may want to only alter during peak flower production to stimulate the plant's metabolism. Using this photoperiod throughout the flowering cycle will cause this:

A variety that takes 49 days of 12/12 to mature, won't see 49 - 12 hour dark periods under 21:36/12 until almost 10 calendar weeks have passed.

The total increase in light energy is almost 80%, which will produce larger yields, if all of your other enviromental conditions are kept optimal.

The total increase in flowering period is only 40%, half the potential room for improvement. This means you don't have to be perfect to win out.

Selective application of the 21:36/12 photperiod for only 1 or 2 weeks extends the wait only 2 to 4 Earth days, which makes up the missing 2 complete day and night cycles each week on Planet Ito. This permits the additional light energy to be provided without purchasing additional equipment or overloading existing circuits, which maximizes the existing system's capabilities. The main advantage is that matched with co2 and optimal nutrition, the plants metabolism will increase dramatically. I have only successfully tested this photoperiod for two weeks. The potential for a net increase of 40% over the entire cycle (80% increase in light energy vs. 40% longer wait) is worthwhile. Don't be afraid!

Day 1 - Sunday, 6:00am til Monday, 3:36am
Day 2 - Monday, 3:36pm til Tuesday, 1:12pm
Day 3 - Wednesday, 1:12am til Wednesday, 10:48pm
Day 4 - Thursday, 10:48am til Friday 8:24am
Day 5 - Friday, 8:24pm til Saturday 6:00pm