Jon's Final Florida Journal For Real

[Jon]

It definitely explains your environmental controls, but I was confused when you said this:

I'm not sure how you measure "effective" RH. Isn't the RH whatever it says on your hygrometer? Moving 65% RH air around with fans doesn't lower the humidity to a different "effective" number. That's why I asked if the fans were bringing in lower RH from outside the tent.

Well, I understand that going just by the number on the hygrometer. It may not lower the number you see, but “in essence” or “effectively” it creates a situation where the 65% RH comes off to the plant as a lower number. The RH number is a measure of the air RH and temp. The leaf temps are a different story with moving air. That’s why I said effectively. Maybe not the clearest word I could have used, and this is just a theory. I can’t prove what I say, although as soon as my IR thermometer arrives I can try to show you what I mean, and frankly confirm my theory or discount it. But the idea is that just as the wind outside will push wetter air off the leaves and replace it with less humid moving air, effectively lowering the RH on the plant even as the air around it may measure heavier, same idea. Feel free to tell me why I’m completely off base.

 

[Jon]

Blackberry Moonrocks

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually going to hold this auto up as an example of an auto that is maybe better left UNtrained.

I haven’t touched this plant. Not one cut, not one bend, not even one branch pull out or twist. And look how she looks. I took this picture right after watering on purpose so her fans would be down and you can see how she’s growing better.

The main cola is basically the same height as the side branches. The side branches have grown length pretty quickly and the sum of the plant has formed this sort of domed canopy entirely on her own. It is clear that the main is not going to tower over the rest, even given the stretch. I’ve had autos like this, most recently the Pink Rozay. There’s a good chance the two branches from the node below the main will grow taller than the main! This is a little rare-ish, generally an untrained auto will grow just like an untrained photo and form a Christmas tree shape. But once in a while, I find it’s always with indica leaning hybrids which aren’t super tight, you get this type growth.

When I get this shape of auto, anymore, I leave them go untrained. Try it sometime. You’ll be pleasantly surprised and when you look back at the complete simplicity of doing zero training, you may even smile. I do.

 

[Gee64]

Wow! Self-inflating canopy

 

[Jon]

Wow! Self-inflating canopy

Why can’t they all do this? I fricking love it. Lol. I didn’t go as far as to predict her stretch behavior, but once in a while with autos like this, you get almost more side branching than vertical growth. When that happens you win big, ie, the 11+ ounce Pink Rozay. Every cola gets fat and dense. You just gotta dig a little on the defol down low because the colas end up so close together, and you can get a lot of moisture down there if you’re not attentive and don’t have enough moving air.

 

[Gee64]

Call it Blackberry Parosol. Not only is it an auto-flower, its an auto-canopy.

 

[Jon]

Strawberry Gorilla
Dominance and Training Decisions

The first picture below shows the top ring of colas on the SG. If you remember, these all started out at the same height. I made a choice, and in terms of working towards a goal of better colas and less flarf, it’s kind of an important choice that is elemental to ring training.

If you train to a ring with your mains and make the choice to keep some or all of your center growth, as I have here on the SG, it is my opinion that one is better served to let dominance take hold and not worry about keeping all your mains at the same height. There will always be more dominant branches and colas, it’s a fact of life. So you have two options:

1. Let the mains go as I have. This keeps your center buds just the center buds and doesn’t add more smaller center buds. It also, I’d say more importantly, allows your mains to grow as tall as they’re going to, thus you get more main cola buds that extend lower in the branch. The result is you max your mains and you max your center at the same time.

2. Pull the mains out as you go to keep them at the same height. This also works, but every time you widen out and lower a branch, you create more center growth down low. So imo, to do that lessens the results on your mains and increases your flarf.

Again, all that is assuming you decided to keep some middles.

Now if you are going to go with option 2, it is my opinion that you may as well then pull the colas all the way out all around and lower them all, to try and match their height to your center buds. Then, in effect, you create a flat canopy or something close to it, and you can treat the plant as such relative to light placement. The problem there for me is that then everything is smaller. More, but smaller. And, to pull the colas down to match this late would mean you get hardly any growth out of any new shoots, so all you can do is chop them as they come or live with the flarf.

Bottom line for me is, anytime the situation allows, I believe it’s a good idea to try to get length and stem under your mains, and either sacrifice the center or pare it to the best tops. Let the plant’s natural dominance run its course.

Two cents for the two cents two cents is worth.



Here’s her tops, then a shot of the whole plant where you can really see the dominance, and lastly a shot of a middle that needs defoliating. Lol. Note the fan frost. Tomorrow we engage reds. There should be a visible increase in frosty trichomes shortly thereafter.

 

[Jon]

If you grow photos using an AC unit, you would be wise to do something like this:

Tomorrow is flip day for the 5x5. That means the tent must be 100% light sealed during lights out. Ok no problem. But if you use an AC unit as I do, you better light seal it. I never thought of it until I hermied a plant, but the AC unit is NOT light proof. Light goes in every exterior vent, and exits out the slot into your tent. You absolutely MUST light block your AC unit, however it’s done. Maybe your room is such that you can position the tent to minimize the light into the unit. Maybe you can minimize it with choosing appropriate day/night hours. But regardless, at 12/12 and assuming you’re not in a closed room, as is the case with many AC unit users, you’re gonna have light on that unit. Light seal it.

Here’s my light seal setup. It looks silly, I know. But look closer and see the genius. (Lmao, that’s a joke). We have solid black crates blocking 90% of possible light, with a loose folding tabletop on the one side. We have the gaps between the crates filled in with black cloth pots. And we have bricks and plant stands forming a support for the large piece of cardboard that goes over top at lights out. Lights out is 6pm. That’s two hours of sunlight shining directly on this unit the way my house is situated to sundown. Gotta block the light. To reiterate. Lmao.

What this does besides block the light is way important. Notice how I have left space all around for the unit to exhaust. In the past I have sealed it too close at times, and sometimes it’ll cause the unit to overheat and shut down, or blow a fuse depending on the load. Can’t have that. So leave space all around, including above. That’s what the brick riser pieces are.

Idk how many are in my position, but I know there are some. If you’re one, don’t let a lousy light leak wreck your grow.

 

[Kanno26]

Hi @Jon, you know what it's called. If the mountain doesn't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must come to the mountain and that's why I'm here to show you my Paradox girls adjustment and the new flower setting the girls are in their third week of flowering so I wanted to show you

 

[Jon]

Hi @Jon, you know what it's called. If the mountain doesn't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must come to the mountain and that's why I'm here to show you my Paradox girls adjustment and the new flower setting the girls are in their third week of flowering so I wanted to show you

Damnit @Kanno26, I’m sorry man. I’ve been so goddamn busy I haven’t been keeping up as much as I should be on other journals. My apologies, I’ll be back around consistently soon enough as some of this moving pressure is about to ease. Your grow looks amazing. I’ll be over to check it out and catch up.

 

[Kanno26]

Damnit @Kanno26, I’m sorry man. I’ve been so goddamn busy I haven’t been keeping up as much as I should be on other journals. My apologies, I’ll be back around consistently soon enough as some of this moving pressure is about to ease. Your grow looks amazing. I’ll be over to check it out and catch up.

Cool @Jon I thought you were busy when you have time so stop by just wanted to show you

 

[ReservoirDog]

This hasn't won GOTY yet? Sorry, what are sponsors for again?

This badass inspired me to grow with cancer.

 

[Jon]

This hasn't won GOTY yet? Sorry, what are sponsors for again?

This badass inspired me to grow with cancer.

@ReservoirDog - this almost sounds like you are referring to me, and brother if you are - I don’t even know what to say. I’m speechless.

But just in case you are - FUCK having disabilities, FUCK being wheelchair bound, and FUCK cancer.

Every time we grow, we win.

 

[Jon]

Double Grape

Cleanup in aisle three! Took out her undercarriage this morning. As predicted, what a PITA. Especially getting to the back wall under the lowish screen. It would have been a PITA for anyone. That was enough for me. From now on I keep up as she grows. Christ, Shed has only displayed it like 100 times, you’d think at some point I’d learn. But she looks way happier, certainly has better air flow through her, and the canopy I kept now has a chance to show us what it’s all about.

 

[Jon]

Cherry Pie

This plant is still not showing budlets. We are into the upper 40s in days old. Whoa. I gotta grow this one and let her go. I have a feeling, and based on what she’s shown me here, that this plant has the potential to get monstrous. 40+ days before budlets is usually a pretty good indicator that an auto can be a monster. I’ve done nothing here but force her into a scrog that is clearly against her nature. Just look at how sweet and orderly and basically perfect the canopy is on the Double Grape, that’s a plant that is enjoying being scrogged. The Cherry Pie hates it. Fighting all the way, thick, difficult to work with stems, and leafy as a mofo. I’ve had to defol her up top every morning for the last week, she leafs up so fast in her stretch. But it’s pretty easy to extrapolate what she’d be if she weren’t constrained, and other than being a Nitrogen hog, this plant is definitely a winner in the size category. If all this stretch, which you can’t tell cuz she’s scrogged but has been massive, were allowed to go up, she’ll get big.

Needs some Nitrogen again. I’ve given her two blasts so far of my CalMag plus Pro Formula from Blue Planet. I simply use it in place of my regular CalMag plus iron from Humboldt’s Secret for the feeding. It works very well and seems to last about a week or so before I need to spike her again. That’s my only way to affect it sticking to Remo by the book, per me and Shed’s half-experiment/curiosity. Otherwise I’d be adding other stuff for N that isn’t as scary to use as the Blue Planet cal mag pro.

 

[StoneOtter]

Double Grape

Cleanup in aisle three! Took out her undercarriage this morning. As predicted, what a PITA. Especially getting to the back wall under the lowish screen. It would have been a PITA for anyone. That was enough for me. From now on I keep up as she grows. Christ, Shed has only displayed it like 100 times, you’d think at some point I’d learn. But she looks way happier, certainly has better air flow through her, and the canopy I kept now has a chance to show us what it’s all about.

I'm lucky and can get it done before I put a screen up so I sit and turn the pot. Then it's time for the net. I try for that. It mostly works.

 

[Jon]

I'm lucky and can get it done before I put a screen up so I sit and turn the pot. Then it's time for the net. I try for that. It mostly works.

Thanks @StoneOtter! I can do that sometimes and get away with it, but usually because of the chair thing I have to set the screen and leave it static ahead of time as you see me do. But yeah, that’s way better. Thing is, if I did it that way, I’d probably bypass the screen anyway. They’d already be staked, there would be no need for the screen. I remain convinced that I can beat scrog yields and have better buds without a screen. Heh.

 

[Jon]

Garden

I have decided to wait one more day to flip the Geo girls. I want them one more day drier before I soak them on a feeding. One way I can tell is by seeing how long the leaves take to come up in the morning. Today it’s still taking too long. 4 of 5 are where I want them, the clone needs another day. So we flip tomorrow.

 

[con]

Double Grape

Cleanup in aisle three! Took out her undercarriage this morning. As predicted, what a PITA. Especially getting to the back wall under the lowish screen. It would have been a PITA for anyone. That was enough for me. From now on I keep up as she grows. Christ, Shed has only displayed it like 100 times, you’d think at some point I’d learn. But she looks way happier, certainly has better air flow through her, and the canopy I kept now has a chance to show us what it’s all about.

holy shat @Jon! that DG looks like its going to be a monster, nice work how wide is it at the top ?

 

[Jon]

holy shat @Jon! that DG looks like its going to be a monster, nice work how wide is it at the top ?

Thanks @con, yeah she has turned out to be quite the little plant. Very surprising. I had every expectation after two weeks that mine would be short and tight just like yours is now. But around late veg and then through her stretch she really expanded nicely. That’s the other thing with autos vs photos. In every regard photos are more predictable. Autos is almost always a crap shoot - how many veg days will she give me, is this one a good one to top or if I do is she gonna flip on me and leave me with super short mains, etc…point being (for me): if you’re going to play the auto game, don’t leave before the miracle happens. Sometimes they go nuts in the stretch in ways you don’t expect. Watch the Blackberry Moonrocks in the closet. I can tell she’s one that is going to go crazy in the stretch shortly. I’ve seen it enough now that I can pretend to be able to predict their behavior accurately. Lmao!!

 

[Jon]

Thanks @con, yeah she has turned out to be quite the little plant. Very surprising. I had every expectation after two weeks that mine would be short and tight just like yours is now. But around late veg and then through her stretch she really expanded nicely. That’s the other thing with autos vs photos. In every regard photos are more predictable. Autos is almost always a crap shoot - how many veg days will she give me, is this one a good one to top or if I do is she gonna flip on me and leave me with super short mains, etc…point being (for me): if you’re going to play the auto game, don’t leave before the miracle happens. Sometimes they go nuts in the stretch in ways you don’t expect. Watch the Blackberry Moonrocks in the closet. I can tell she’s one that is going to go crazy in the stretch shortly. I’ve seen it enough now that I can pretend to be able to predict their behavior accurately. Lmao!!

Sorry forgot - I haven’t measured, but the space in the tent is 2x4, and they’re close to 50/50. So she’s what, maybe almost two feet across? Not quite?