Week 9 - Training review
So, this is how our smiling baby looks right now --
This is my ideal of where Desert should be before/at flip --
I don't think I can achieve that shape precisely, but I'm sure I can get closer.
The strategy, of course, being that I maximise all the vertical space in my cabinet.
1. I'm not sure if keeping 3 nodes (nodes 3, 5 and 7) after topping is necessary or even ideal
As can be observed with Desert, node 7 is too high and I doubt the lower branches will be able to catch up.
Perhaps more importantly, the plant is distributing more to node 7 than the lower ones. The top 2 branches are quite a bit thicker than the lower two. I feel if I were to have only kept nodes 3 and 5, the branches would be more symmetrical in thickness.
Lastly, I feel like waiting for node 8 to pop before topping simply cost too much time. My sense is that the secondary growth would be further along now had I topped earlier.
2. Secondary branches lagging behind
Following on from that last point, I would like the secondary growth to be further along by this point of the grow.
Apart from waiting for node 8 to top, I think the other mistake I made was removing all the fan leaves from the secondary growth sites. I thought this would be speeding up their growth by exposing them to the light. But ironically by removing the fan leaves that were supplying those sites, I think I stunted them a little. Would love for someone to weigh in on this?
Perhaps the ideal would have been to let the secondary branches develop a couple of nodes before removing their fan leaves?
3. The espalier/"powerline" training plan is largely coherent
I think overall I can say that the design "works", i.e. is achieving what I want it to.
4. The bamboo frame is great for setting up the base shape, but can get in the way later on
At the beginning, especially with having to tie down 6 branches, all along the same axis, the training frame came in very handy. It would have been a mess to try anchoring/tying down the conventional way, whether to a staple in the soil or to the edge of the pot.
However, later on, especially when the "vertical growth" stage of the training kicked in, the frame started to constrain the growth in annoying ways. Fan leaves got pushed up against it, and later I struggled with the verticals getting in the way of horizontal growth.
If I decide to only keep 2 primary nodes next grow, the bamboo frame may not be necessary.
The cool thing about it is that I can easily put it back!
5. Supercropping could have started earlier
I put this off way too long because I was a little scared!
Now I have a much better feel for it. And the duct-taped pliers really help too.
I think the lower branches especially could be more muscly by this point had I been pinching them more!
Predictions for this grow, preparations for the next
So I predict that I the two top branches will form the biggest colas - they are the thickest and are going to get the most light. I imagine it follows from common sense that the lower branch tips will form the next biggest colas.
Perhaps an open question is just how far the secondary branches can develop between now and the flowering stretch!
For my next grow in this cabinet, as mentioned, I think I will only try to keep 2 primary nodes. I would almost consider keeping just the one! We'll see.
If anyone has any further suggestions, questions, tips - I'm all ears!
Thanks for following along, everyone. I appreciate that this journal is not one you follow to see giant yields!
No - following this journal is like watching an ill-fated escape attempt unfold in slow motion. Luckily for me and for you - I'm a sadist!
