In the Lab with Doc Bud

Doc Bud;1637241 said:

Watering Technique for Vegetative Growth

Vegetative growth is all about preparing the plant to bloom. Isn't that what it's all about, the bloom? Who cares how nice they look in veg....we want the finished product, period.

Having said that, the single most important thing to achieve prior to blooming is a robust, very large root system. I want a gallon sized rootball, nearly rootbound, when I transplant and bloom. Here's how I do it:

We'll assume the reader is using proper soil, good water, and is in a proper environment.

Back in my Hempy days, I learned very fast that it takes a week or so for the roots to grow about 10 inches down to the bottom of the pot. The plants really took off once those roots hit the moist reservoir at the bottom of the pot.

It's the same deal with soil. Most of the moisture is in the "perched water table" at the bottom of the pot.

1.)Soak the medium at the first transplanting of fresh, rooted clones into soil. Water very light again a few days later, just to moisten the top of the medium. Do not soak it again.

2.)Do not water again until the plants look like they're starting to droop. Give them a good watering at this point.

3.)Again, wait until they're starting to droop for lack of water (probably now a good 8-10 days after transplant) and this time place the pots in a tub of water and really soak the roots. As they drain, tilt the pots this way and that to try to pour off as much of the perched water table as possible.

4.)Again wait till they droop and this time give them a good feeding, making sure to add beneficials being careful to soak them.

By letting them dry out we're forcing the roots to really work at finding moisture and they'll quickly fill the pots, which is what we want. The growth you see up top will be far less spectacular, but there will be one important gain that experienced growers will appreciate:

The plants will be smaller with tighter internodes. This is because all the energy has been put into the roots, not the foliage.

At this point, the leaves will really take off, but the plant will be root bound pretty bad, so if you're trying to do a 2 plants SCOG or grow montrous trees, a second veg transplant will be needed. I like to prune up these small plants, take cuttings and put them into bloom pretty fast.

One of the worst problems you can have is a great big mass of green leaves with a substandard root system. Plants like that simply can't keep up with the demands of flowering their roots aren't up to the task.

On the other hand, having great roots and not so much foliage (you'll still have lovely leaves, just not as many) means the plant isn't wasting energy just trying to feed what's already there, or desperately trying to grow roots....it has all kinds of spare energy to concentrate on blooming!

Instead of doubling in size, my plants quadruple in size sometimes. The leaf to calyx ratio is better.....fewer leaves, more buds.

And best of all, there are so many roots that it makes it very hard to overwater and drown the roots.

Roots! That's the most important thing to accomplish for a vigorous bloom. These simple techniques aren't the ONLY way; they may not even be the best way....but they certainly work consistently.

Next up: watering techinique in bloom.

Click to expand...