HOW TO MANAGE SATIVAS INDOORS:
HOW TO MANAGE SATIVAS INDOORS:
I read this somewhere online before and edited the typos as best as I can and figured you people who want to try growing pure sativas would really enjoy.
The following is not my text. But I wish it was. I'm also not affiliated with any seed banks mentioned, etc. in this text.
As a matter of fact I've never to this day even grown an african landrace. Not even the Malawi Gold that lots of people
are going Gaga with right now.
HOW TO MANAGE SATIVAS INDOORS:
The method I use for the 100% sativas such as any of the African Seeds strains, South East Asians-etc, is similar,
whether I grow them indoors completely or start them indoors and then take them out. Chris from African Seeds a
few years ago told me that it was near impossible to get a good harvest from his strains if grown under a HID
environment using only soil as a medium due to their excessive stretching and high light power requirements.
Making it open wide and tall and not keeping it compact. I have informed him since that this is not the
case. He sent me a sample of all his strains to try out and give him my opinion on them (which btw: I loved
so much that 2 years later I ordered 3 packs of each one off him that I gladly paid for). All except for his
Tanzanian as it was not on his list of strains back then. After the first go, I realized the only problem
with growing them indoors was, as he said, their stretch. But to eliminate that, I merely grew them from
the beginning under 12/12 regime AND all in small pots till they showed sex (at 5 weeks) prior to
transplanting into a slightly larger pot, but not too large (I'll explain this). This is how I do it:
Start them at 12/12 (no vegging at all) in a small milkshake sized pot, and crop the top when they "first show
sex (around the 6th node - around 1 foot tall)", at the 3rd true node (the cut that is). Then transplant into
6-8 inch pots, they'll finish stretching at 3-4 feet tall and very bushy with 2 main colas and a lot of lower
branching that end just passed mid-way up the 2 main colas...thereby making them very indoor friendly due to
their low height. Now having controlled their height, the only other thing one need do is assure a good yield.
To maximize the yield, transplant again at 4weeks flower (after 2 weeks of pre-flower/showing-sex) into a large pot
for mega yield indoors 2 to 2.5 months after that...or..in the case of Rooi Bart, harvesting can occur
1.5 months/6 weeks after the final transplant.
The trick to successfully growing 100% sativa indoors so that they yield more than a good hybrid
(ie compact with many many bud sites) is:
a. Never veg from seed - 12/12 from start to finish. This does not increase male rates in Africans dramatically,
as it does in many other gene pools.
b. Never transplant the first time (upon showing sex) into a pot that is LARGER than 8 inches in diameter
(6 inch diameter pot is better for grows under 600W) - or they'll stretch to the moon.
c. Once they've finished stretching (5-6 weeks after the first transplant), and NOT BEFORE, transplant into as
large a pot as possible for scrog type grow till finished. They'll then grow out and fill with compact internodes
even though they won't use all the new soil in the larger new pot that they've been put into(they won't finish
root bound, but they'll finish with an excellent yield given their size). Also given that the plant will NOT
root bound itself in this last pot, they breath well till harvest and fan leaves find it easier to remain green
even after the buds amber up. So beware of this...do not wait for yellowing fan leaves as a sign of maturity if
using this method.
I have also grown 2 types of Durban Poison indoors - African Seeds's and Dutch Passion's. DP's is a hybrid so I
vegged it as normal for 5-6 weeks before 12/12 for a good yield. BUT... using the above pre-mentioned IBL
method, African Seeds's Durban Poison yields twice what Dutch Passion's does when both strains finish at the same height.
About 4 foot tall and cropped once giving 2 main colas. The difference is amazing. The Dutch Passion 4 foot tall
finished under one 600W HPS yielded 4 ounces. The African Seeds Durban Poison 4 foot tall yielded just over 8 ounces
and was much more aromatic (fruity aniseed) and about twice as potent. Outdoors, when I transplant the
African Seeds into a large pot (40 litres) for its final resting pot, it can yield up to 1lb before our
Summer Equinox - and the resin is more activated due to the sun's more intense UVB rays
at that time of the year.
So the secret/trick to regulating the stretch of the 100% sativas is not vegging them at all from seed, but more
importantly, restricting their root system's growing volume from the beginning of stretch, till the end. After
that, transplant them into as big a volume of soil as you wish and NO further stretching occurs - so long as they
stay in flower. The larger the volume of soil that they have after their stretch has finished, the bigger the
yield - not the stretch.
You will always get very little stretch from any strain that is allowed to veg for a good time in the same pot
that flowering is induced under(weeks after vegging has occurred). The same applies to anyone who has ever tried
to revegetate and flower an already finished plant in the SAME pot that its' first harvest was taken in. People
should be aware that the only time real stretching can occur with cannabis, especially in pre-flower, is when a
good volume of NEW/virgin soil is introduced or is allowed to surround the already WELL established root-ball.
It is only then, that the plant can provide us with a sudden and spectacular 'final reach' upwards as flowering
commences. This is why 'stretch factors' that are quoted by good growers and seed suppliers can only be had as
such IF the plant is vegged in its' 2nd largest pot and then transplanted into its' largest pot 1-2 weeks PRIOR
to initiating a 12/12 regime. As this gives the plant just enough time to grow into the soil and realize that
there is plenty of NEW soil with which it can suddenly grow new roots to compliment its' final stretch. Also
keeping in mind that MOST of these quoted stretch factors are 'true' when a plant of NOT cropped/clipped and
has only one main shoot. The more the main shoots it has, the lesser the stretch factor 'provided' as it has to
be dispersed into more than one main stem.
So this is why I outline that one do their LAST transplant into the plants largest/final pot AFTER all pre-flower
stretching has occurred...as it has ALREADY been restricted by using a small pot during pre-flower and 2-3 weeks
after, for if it wasn't then instead of ending up between 3-5foot tall at most, it would've stretched to an
easy 8 foot tall and much more(with Sativa IBLs and Landraces). So, it is this restriction of roots at just
the right time that can be used to opposite effect to maximize the size and yield of lesser stretching plants
like indicas and the like with MINIMAL vegging period. You'd be amazed how heavily internoded and yielding a 3-4
foot tall IBL sativa can become when grown using the method I outlined above that restricts stretching by root
restriction of the right proportion. That way one NEED NOT veg the plant for a long time and trim back twice to
then hopefully end up with a reasonably sized indoor sativa. The vegging period with an IBL/Landrace sativa with
an UNCLIPPED main shoot can be effectively reduced to the minimal period required for the plant to show 'sex'
when started under 10-11 hours day from sprout or a few days after sprouting under an 18hour light
regime...which can trigger sexing in IBL's a little faster than had they been sprouted under a flowering
photoperiod, but NOT with landrace sativas. The only thing that gets pure landrace sativas into flowering
quicker lots of darkness and flowering fertilizers in the soil from day one. But not too much fertilizer as this can also
increase hermaphrodite and male rates with landraces. It's all a balancing act that can be easier won with patience
rather than eagerness.
So if you try the method I outlined above, it's success will lay in the TIMING of the last pot transplant into
the largest/finishing pot. If you do it too early, the plant will go into a state of flowering-stretch/vegging-
flowering and end up stretching excessively...as do landrace South East Asians when provided with lots
of spare soil that the roots can continue growing in. They'll stretch to the moon if transplanted into a larger
soil volume at anytime after vegging. Be they in pre-flower of flower they don't care...if they sense more soil,
a stretching they will go. So to grow them successfully and restrain their height while still getting an excellent yield
without clipping the main stem requires a COMPLETELY different strategy to the one I outlined for the Africanas
(or most IBL sativas that are NOT landraces). I should also point out that most African strains available
including those from African Seeds, are NOT true pure landrace sativas. They are more an IBL sativa heavily
acclimatized to the region they came from, but where originally a blending/crossing of other pure sativas that
where available long ago. This is why NONE of them have pre-flowering stretch factors in excess of 20 to 1...as
does the DALAT Nam which can easily go 25 to 1 even in a 20 Litre pot. From a couple of inches tall to over 5
foot tall finished with 10/14 from day one and flowering commenced from the time the clone has set-root and been
placed into the 20L odd pot. I had Shantis Nevilles Haze do me a 9 to 1 stretch that seem considerable, till I tried
the Nam and other South East Asian landraces. They stretch so much that they need no vegging to become huge.
HOW TO MANAGE SATIVAS INDOORS:
I read this somewhere online before and edited the typos as best as I can and figured you people who want to try growing pure sativas would really enjoy.
The following is not my text. But I wish it was. I'm also not affiliated with any seed banks mentioned, etc. in this text.
As a matter of fact I've never to this day even grown an african landrace. Not even the Malawi Gold that lots of people
are going Gaga with right now.
The method I use for the 100% sativas such as any of the African Seeds strains, South East Asians-etc, is similar,
whether I grow them indoors completely or start them indoors and then take them out. Chris from African Seeds a
few years ago told me that it was near impossible to get a good harvest from his strains if grown under a HID
environment using only soil as a medium due to their excessive stretching and high light power requirements.
Making it open wide and tall and not keeping it compact. I have informed him since that this is not the
case. He sent me a sample of all his strains to try out and give him my opinion on them (which btw: I loved
so much that 2 years later I ordered 3 packs of each one off him that I gladly paid for). All except for his
Tanzanian as it was not on his list of strains back then. After the first go, I realized the only problem
with growing them indoors was, as he said, their stretch. But to eliminate that, I merely grew them from
the beginning under 12/12 regime AND all in small pots till they showed sex (at 5 weeks) prior to
transplanting into a slightly larger pot, but not too large (I'll explain this). This is how I do it:
Start them at 12/12 (no vegging at all) in a small milkshake sized pot, and crop the top when they "first show
sex (around the 6th node - around 1 foot tall)", at the 3rd true node (the cut that is). Then transplant into
6-8 inch pots, they'll finish stretching at 3-4 feet tall and very bushy with 2 main colas and a lot of lower
branching that end just passed mid-way up the 2 main colas...thereby making them very indoor friendly due to
their low height. Now having controlled their height, the only other thing one need do is assure a good yield.
To maximize the yield, transplant again at 4weeks flower (after 2 weeks of pre-flower/showing-sex) into a large pot
for mega yield indoors 2 to 2.5 months after that...or..in the case of Rooi Bart, harvesting can occur
1.5 months/6 weeks after the final transplant.
The trick to successfully growing 100% sativa indoors so that they yield more than a good hybrid
(ie compact with many many bud sites) is:
a. Never veg from seed - 12/12 from start to finish. This does not increase male rates in Africans dramatically,
as it does in many other gene pools.
b. Never transplant the first time (upon showing sex) into a pot that is LARGER than 8 inches in diameter
(6 inch diameter pot is better for grows under 600W) - or they'll stretch to the moon.
c. Once they've finished stretching (5-6 weeks after the first transplant), and NOT BEFORE, transplant into as
large a pot as possible for scrog type grow till finished. They'll then grow out and fill with compact internodes
even though they won't use all the new soil in the larger new pot that they've been put into(they won't finish
root bound, but they'll finish with an excellent yield given their size). Also given that the plant will NOT
root bound itself in this last pot, they breath well till harvest and fan leaves find it easier to remain green
even after the buds amber up. So beware of this...do not wait for yellowing fan leaves as a sign of maturity if
using this method.
I have also grown 2 types of Durban Poison indoors - African Seeds's and Dutch Passion's. DP's is a hybrid so I
vegged it as normal for 5-6 weeks before 12/12 for a good yield. BUT... using the above pre-mentioned IBL
method, African Seeds's Durban Poison yields twice what Dutch Passion's does when both strains finish at the same height.
About 4 foot tall and cropped once giving 2 main colas. The difference is amazing. The Dutch Passion 4 foot tall
finished under one 600W HPS yielded 4 ounces. The African Seeds Durban Poison 4 foot tall yielded just over 8 ounces
and was much more aromatic (fruity aniseed) and about twice as potent. Outdoors, when I transplant the
African Seeds into a large pot (40 litres) for its final resting pot, it can yield up to 1lb before our
Summer Equinox - and the resin is more activated due to the sun's more intense UVB rays
at that time of the year.
So the secret/trick to regulating the stretch of the 100% sativas is not vegging them at all from seed, but more
importantly, restricting their root system's growing volume from the beginning of stretch, till the end. After
that, transplant them into as big a volume of soil as you wish and NO further stretching occurs - so long as they
stay in flower. The larger the volume of soil that they have after their stretch has finished, the bigger the
yield - not the stretch.
You will always get very little stretch from any strain that is allowed to veg for a good time in the same pot
that flowering is induced under(weeks after vegging has occurred). The same applies to anyone who has ever tried
to revegetate and flower an already finished plant in the SAME pot that its' first harvest was taken in. People
should be aware that the only time real stretching can occur with cannabis, especially in pre-flower, is when a
good volume of NEW/virgin soil is introduced or is allowed to surround the already WELL established root-ball.
It is only then, that the plant can provide us with a sudden and spectacular 'final reach' upwards as flowering
commences. This is why 'stretch factors' that are quoted by good growers and seed suppliers can only be had as
such IF the plant is vegged in its' 2nd largest pot and then transplanted into its' largest pot 1-2 weeks PRIOR
to initiating a 12/12 regime. As this gives the plant just enough time to grow into the soil and realize that
there is plenty of NEW soil with which it can suddenly grow new roots to compliment its' final stretch. Also
keeping in mind that MOST of these quoted stretch factors are 'true' when a plant of NOT cropped/clipped and
has only one main shoot. The more the main shoots it has, the lesser the stretch factor 'provided' as it has to
be dispersed into more than one main stem.
So this is why I outline that one do their LAST transplant into the plants largest/final pot AFTER all pre-flower
stretching has occurred...as it has ALREADY been restricted by using a small pot during pre-flower and 2-3 weeks
after, for if it wasn't then instead of ending up between 3-5foot tall at most, it would've stretched to an
easy 8 foot tall and much more(with Sativa IBLs and Landraces). So, it is this restriction of roots at just
the right time that can be used to opposite effect to maximize the size and yield of lesser stretching plants
like indicas and the like with MINIMAL vegging period. You'd be amazed how heavily internoded and yielding a 3-4
foot tall IBL sativa can become when grown using the method I outlined above that restricts stretching by root
restriction of the right proportion. That way one NEED NOT veg the plant for a long time and trim back twice to
then hopefully end up with a reasonably sized indoor sativa. The vegging period with an IBL/Landrace sativa with
an UNCLIPPED main shoot can be effectively reduced to the minimal period required for the plant to show 'sex'
when started under 10-11 hours day from sprout or a few days after sprouting under an 18hour light
regime...which can trigger sexing in IBL's a little faster than had they been sprouted under a flowering
photoperiod, but NOT with landrace sativas. The only thing that gets pure landrace sativas into flowering
quicker lots of darkness and flowering fertilizers in the soil from day one. But not too much fertilizer as this can also
increase hermaphrodite and male rates with landraces. It's all a balancing act that can be easier won with patience
rather than eagerness.
So if you try the method I outlined above, it's success will lay in the TIMING of the last pot transplant into
the largest/finishing pot. If you do it too early, the plant will go into a state of flowering-stretch/vegging-
flowering and end up stretching excessively...as do landrace South East Asians when provided with lots
of spare soil that the roots can continue growing in. They'll stretch to the moon if transplanted into a larger
soil volume at anytime after vegging. Be they in pre-flower of flower they don't care...if they sense more soil,
a stretching they will go. So to grow them successfully and restrain their height while still getting an excellent yield
without clipping the main stem requires a COMPLETELY different strategy to the one I outlined for the Africanas
(or most IBL sativas that are NOT landraces). I should also point out that most African strains available
including those from African Seeds, are NOT true pure landrace sativas. They are more an IBL sativa heavily
acclimatized to the region they came from, but where originally a blending/crossing of other pure sativas that
where available long ago. This is why NONE of them have pre-flowering stretch factors in excess of 20 to 1...as
does the DALAT Nam which can easily go 25 to 1 even in a 20 Litre pot. From a couple of inches tall to over 5
foot tall finished with 10/14 from day one and flowering commenced from the time the clone has set-root and been
placed into the 20L odd pot. I had Shantis Nevilles Haze do me a 9 to 1 stretch that seem considerable, till I tried
the Nam and other South East Asian landraces. They stretch so much that they need no vegging to become huge.
