Ah ok. thanks. I was thinking to open up some spots to let in more light, but worried about stress. But now in mid flower you say that I should stop bugging them. They seem happy, so I resist bugging them. A couple here and there, as you've said, shouldn't hurt.
The moment of the flip is not as important to me as when flowering actually begins. The flip is a signal to the plant to begin a process, the act of transitioning from the vegetative mode to the blooming mode. So as to make sure my plants got the "signal" this time, I put them into darkness for 72 hours. The transition period was shortened because of this, and taking advantage of the darkness, the stretch began. They transitioned rapidly and within 7 days from the flip, I was able to document that the growth tips were throwing out pistils and new caylxes, instead of green leaf. Flowering had commenced.
No problem shottafire, and that method should work pretty well and end up being more accurate than most folks do things, but I have seen some varieties go as long as 11 days from the flip before they actually start to flower. I have found that by doing it this way, actually looking for the flowering to begin, I get a VERY accurate determination as to when harvest will be... almost always within days of the breeder suggestions.
Hey @Emilya ,
I am noticing that GLR products are really high in Nitrogen (N) and Potassium (K) - especially the K!
Cal+Mag Pro 0-0-16, Sea-Kelp 0-0-15, and their Bud Explosion is no exception at NPK 0-19-37!
Even their BE ratio deviates from the classic 12 nutrient ratio that has been proven to be the standard for blossom enhancers during flowering.
I have no idea what the GLN feeding schedule is for all their products, but I am convinced, after only one day of research, that if anyone tries to combine their products into a feeding schedule like Fox Farm and Advanced Nutrients do - disaster will likely strike.
Basically, IMO, GLN products are not scientifically engineered to play nicely together in the same sandbox! I bought BE and Cal Mag Pro already and need to figure out how to use them safely with MC - so I don't get Potassium toxicity!
I am confident I will be able to use the Fox Farm flowering trio successfully with MC, but I will need to investigate further who is using MC and BE together successfully - I think maybe it was @Dutchman1990 .
I was going to buy the SC and the SK - but I am going to hold off on those because they don't seem to be balanced - and their is no other product I can think of to combine with them to balance the NPK properly.
Alright, thanks for verifying that GLN products don't play nicely together - and let's finish up those lovely plants in style!
Mid-Flower, Day 14
Being an even numbered day, it is time to water. The plants surprised me a little by taking almost the full 3 gallons I have been giving them every 3 or 4 days. This is good... the perfect time to change watering strategies.
The straight MC seems to be sorting things out with the plant and at least for this watering I have continued that strategy and have given the MC at 6g/g. Unless the plant shows signs of needing more, I am now at the peak dosage of MC for this run. If all is still well when I water again on the 16th, I plan on reintroducing the sweet candy to the mix and sometime around week 4 (two more weeks) I will bring back BE.
@Dutchman1990 , I really like your feeding schedule! It kicks in the heavy nutes right when they are needed and backs off a little at the end. I now believe that following your lead with the BE is exactly the proper way to use that supplement.
Things are looking great in here, and I want to center in on one of these main kolas and show you where my foot long bud is going to come from... this one is building fast.
Here is the canopy, looking very happy about life at this moment.
I use a little digital postal scale
Mid Flower, Day 11
We call this mid flower because stretch has stopped. Now suddenly the plant's needs have changed. Now all of a sudden the plants have a need for additional P and K and the need for N is being reduced.
By giving Sea-K up to this point I have given the plants a secondary source of N and they have taken full advantage of it until now. At this point, the plant is using less N and the excess is building up in the soil.
Let's consult Mulder and see what happens when N builds up.
We can see that there is a negative interaction between N and K. Excess Nitrogen in the soil will start to lock out Potassium!
Now let's look at the symptoms that have developed over the last 48 hours, or since the last watering.
Isn't that a head scratcher? Every chart will tell you that I am having a potassium deficiency, yet I have been giving BE, a whole lot of extra K. There should not be a deficiency, but there is.
Not everything is what it seems when it comes to these plants. Lockouts can be tricky to diagnose as it requires you to know what the plant's needs are at that moment, and oftentimes what is going on is not obvious just by looking at a symptom chart.
Although it is a great additive during veg, I will be discontinuing the use of Sea-K from now on as we go into stretch... the extra N is no longer needed or appreciated by the plant. I believe that by eliminating this secondary source of N coming in, the plants will stabilize on the next watering. I will also be increasing the MC up to 6g/g.
Hi Canny... thanks for joining us!
Does your MC have the little White balls in it?
