Grand Daddy Purple - Hydro

GodSpeed said:
Welcome back to the world of growing not sure how much has changed I have only been growing 2-3 years picking it peice by peice this forum has been the rise were I have failed.

There are some fantastic growers here with priceless experience and knowledge willing to help those who are willing to learn thank you for adding to that list.

Good luck I'll be following.
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As far as the fantastic growers, I'm not sure how much I add to that, but thank you. I do have some experience, majority being soil growing, but experience in growing is just that. I do have a LOT more to learn about the various hydro systems out there, I am currently enthralled with DWC, but I'm too far into Drip for veg and E&F for flower to turn back on this one. Maybe next go 'round I'll do some DWC.

I also saw an **OH MY GAWD** DIY Multi-tiered Recirculating DWC PVC Tube from Mr. Smith that is very inspiring, although I don't have the space for an 8' system like this, I may merge something like this with a Bonsai Sultan variant for breeding. Seems easier to control nutrients throughout the grow process.
 
Just a pic update. About ready to start a few more cuttings I think. Maybe bonsai. I dunno. All I know is that I want her around for a long time.

I had to hold back the fans from the SourD to get this pic.

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Photo Update:

For those that are wondering if T5 can provide Full growth. Here is photographic proof of an emphatic "YES".

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--WARNING----WARNING----WARNING----WARNING----WARNING----WARNING--
The following may seem severe, but I can assure no plants were harmed in the making of this journal.

She was growing SO fast and wild, that I needed to prune her to keep her in line with what I have planned for her. That is to be a tree... A mother plant dedicated to giving clones... this particular plant will never see the light of a flower room. Bulk, bushy, and many dense branches with lots of undergrowth is not the best for this use. Thus, I will keep her well groomed and healthy. Too bushy of a plant for this purpose loses very many inside leaves, which if left unchecked can lead to health problems. I pulled no less than 8 dead and brown leaves that I could not seen because undergrowth was so dense. This very thing may have been the cause of the Powder Mold I had earlier. THANK YOU SNS: 244 for a most superior fungicide.

Now that the danger of damage from pruning/cutting back an infested plant is passed, what I am shooting for here is three or four sturdy wood branches that give very long and straight chutes that I can take as clones. It seems puppymill-like, but, plants do not suffer in the same way animals do when used for root, or breeding stock. Keep in mind that this plant started out thousands of years ago as a wild growing weed that was later cultivated for various ritual and healing uses. The SOLE PURPOSE of these plants, as far as they are concerned is to breed and multiply by producing seeds, then die. True, I am cheating a bit, but the benefits are far greater that the risks involved here. Not only that, but she will have a much longer life this way.

Below you will see the beginnings of that realization. I have left some of the lower young growth in hopes that one of those little branches will begin the "Y" at the base that I want.

I give you phase 1: Pruning with a plan in mind toward Perennialization.

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Here is the cast-off from a long overdue pruning:

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ganjatoker8 said:
Nice! I'm growing some GDP myself got about 20 seeds but i took the fattest one to grow. My grow is way less complicated just soil and two cfls but i got a green thumb if i do say so myself... will be checking out your grow from time to time.
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Heh, it's no more complicated that growing in soil, it just looks that way. Hydro, for the most part is the same as soil, with one major difference: No soil. I know that sounds like a simplified answer, but it really is no harder. Yes there is a little more to keep track of, but I would dare say that my soil daze were MUCH more complicated than this. Yeast CO2 generator, rainwater collector and distiller, nutrient schedule, runoff monitor, natural additives and soil amendments, complicated venting and fresh air supply, timing when was just the right time that I could go to check on my grow unobserved.... The list goes on.

This is just a simple DIY Drip hydro setup made from bus tubs, a light stand, and a pond pump. The calculations of nutrients have been made available, and I follow them. I used to have to pay careful attention to runoff, and for signs of distress in each of several plants to determine what I needed to add or remove from the feeding regimen. It was a constant cat-and-mouse asking my ladies what they needed and trying to decipher what they were telling me. Now, if something goes wrong, I flush them with 3-4x plain water and start a new nutrient solution- easy. No salt buildup that can't be flushed from the soil, no soil-borne illness or problems. I find hydro a much cleaner way to grow, that's what attracted me to this type of system. Well, that and watching some of the masters on here before I joined... they know who they are.

At any rate, feel free to ask any questions you want about hydro. If I have the answer, I will gladly give it. If I don't, I know a few people that will and I'll definitely point you to the journals that will help answer the question. If you'd like to start a hydro experiment to try it out on your next go 'round, I'd be happy to help with that as well. It can be daunting when looking at everything as a whole, but when broken down to its parts, or systems, it's quite simple.
 
Hi Jandre

Just read back and noticed you was toying with the idea of having a RO system unfortanutly Reverse osmosis is a VERY slow process and the end product is made at a dribble there are a few options you have. High pressure storage tank this alows a facet to be attached to allow you to empty it, this will refill as soon as the ball valve is released. Or you can rig up a water bud like Xlr8 has this can run all through the night and day filling up ready for you to use when needed.

There is no way of getting the amount of RO water you need with just a RO system you need to hook a res up.

Grows looking very nice bro just wanted to ask in this picture do you know what was causing damage to your leaves?

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Xlr8 said:
Looking good, Jandre, looks like you're on your way to developing a nice bushy mom. :thumb:
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Hey, there X, thanks for the encouragement! I was beginning to think I took it too far, but she put on some weight in the remaining branches, and that's what I wanted. Will be snipping some roots for the bonsai effect, wish me luck with that one!
 
GodSpeed said:
Hi Jandre

Just read back and noticed you was toying with the idea of having a RO system unfortanutly Reverse osmosis is a VERY slow process and the end product is made at a dribble there are a few options you have. High pressure storage tank this alows a facet to be attached to allow you to empty it, this will refill as soon as the ball valve is released. Or you can rig up a water bud like Xlr8 has this can run all through the night and day filling up ready for you to use when needed.

There is no way of getting the amount of RO water you need with just a RO system you need to hook a res up.
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Hehe, RO... I have a commercial RO system at the end of my building... didn't think it was true till the maintenance guy showed me. Didn't think was working till I tested my water. He said that the filters and membrane needed changing. I have 40ppm out of the kitchen sink. so yeah, no RO system for me.


GodSpeed said:
Grows looking very nice bro just wanted to ask in this picture do you know what was causing damage to your leaves?
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Yeah, the damage... I forgot how mobile fan leaves can be throughout the day. That's from them reaching up to the light and getting singed with 95degree tube.
 
Haircut and shape training day! As you can see from the pic below, she's had a pretty full day. There was so much dense undergrowth, the inner leaves got insufficient light and just died and browned on the stems. Not good. So, I decided to train her to grow more like a tree than I had originally planned. I, using bonsai artform knowledge, shaped her branches, trimmed, pruned, thinned as much as I dared. Again, it looks a little harsh, but the end result will be a much more sturdy and healthy mother than she was going for naturally. of course I will be cleaning up the rough edges in a week or so after her recovery from being reworked. I really should have taken a "Before" pic, but there was so much dense undergrowth choking neighbors for light, I had to do something right then, before my med mind slipped onto another subject.

Keep in mind, "Tree." Strong, arboreal branches, long chutes, perfect for taking clones, no dead inside growth causing health problems.
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its looking really good in here, im inspired and excited, now if my dang seeds would show up!! lol :thumb:
 
bigirishdoode said:
its looking really good in here, im inspired and excited, now if my dang seeds would show up!! lol :thumb:
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Thanks, B.I.D. I wasn't sure how people would react to my "Hacking up" a gift from the earth, but I'm glad it was well received in the community. I'm glad that it is understood, that while it may not look pretty now, the end result will be a highly controllable shape and size, and will ultimately be a much healthier and therefore beautiful plant...
 
GodSpeed said:
I got some of Seira's products i feel like i have the best back up if anything was to attack.

:Namaste:
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GodSpeed~ SNS -244 am gud stuff! You'll like the results; I did.

The PM is gone again, much easier this time as the underbush isn't as thick this time as it was when it hit the first time.
 
Started Branch Training:

As I stated before in this journal, I am training her to be a tree. Thus, I have started to train her branches to make the best use of available light for each main branch. The blue in this pic is floral training wire. It is very pliable and soft, but rigid enough to hold the shape in which I form it. The wire will be removed once the branches have formed completely and will hold the form. This is a type of bonsai training I learned several years ago and I've used it for a very long time on several trees and shrubs for the artform and have seen no ill effects from any type of plant trained in this way so I figured it would work here as well since this one is very woody. I just did not have the tape to hide the wire.
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I started training about a week ago, but got busy and forgot to post pics. so this is the growth, returned after 1 week. It will, in effect, have six strong main branches from which I will have donor sites that give three or four clones each. If done correctly, I should be able to take 6 clones a week from this 1 plant alone; not that I'll need that many, but that's the potential for this mother plant. And remember I am trying to keep it small for my grows, as I am trying not to over grow and have waste. All the collectives close to me are closed now, so this is simply for personal use, but this gives me a choice of the strongest clones for my small personal use. I'm only allowed 12 immature plants and 6 mature so I'm sort-of pushing my limits but once I get the rotation down it should flow nicely.
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that is awesome i want some of that wire! :peace::adore:
 
bigirishdoode said:
that is awesome i want some of that wire! :peace::adore:
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It's not the best wire job I've done, but I didn't want to risk damaging the plant any further than bending it as much as I did. Training wire can be found at you local bonsai shop or sometimes at nurseries around town. Alternatively, you can order it online. Just search "Bonsai Wire" at that site that shares its name with a huge rainforest in South America
 
i shall have a look lol! great clue!!:thumb:
 
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