New Grow Let's See What Happens

[newgrower12]

So I just started a new grow in a computer desk where the tower would go its a stealth grow and I'm only working with an area that's about 2 1/2 foot tall by about. A foot or so wide and maybe a foot and a half back its a bag seed and I wanna keep it as low to the ground as possibly while still allowing t to get nice and bushy not sure whether to tie it down or use the scrog technique its a nice sized pot with my own mix of soil containing compost top soil clay sand small pebbels and crushed coal for drainage I've had plants before with great success except my last one which was doing great until it decided to just die on me I'm decently sure it was a boron deficiency but I can't be 100% on that I'm still new to growing and keep making little mistakes that end up being life or death situations like the boron deficiency

Please leave suggestions/solutions/and advice on how to keep the plant as short and bushy as possible anything will be greatly appreciated

 

[Slye]

I've been trying to keep things short and compact with my current grow too. I'd say I've done pretty well, with one of my plants having 3 nodes within 1 inch! Not bad, right?

To discourage stretching I would recommend:

a) very judicious use of lighting. Not too much, not too hot, not too far away, and get it right from the beginning. An extra 1" or two nearer or farther from the light can make a world of difference (i.e., hormone expression) to a seedling. One a plant thinks it needs to stretch it's difficult to reign it back in.

b) minimize the difference between day/night temperatures. I've gotten my temperature delta down to ~10oF. You definitely don't want day/night to be the same temperature, but you also don't want huge swings.

c) prune, pluck, and train. Read up on defoliation techniques. Pinch off mature fan leaves on branches with fresh growth to promote more bud sites on a smaller plant.

d) flip early. You're not going to be able to grow a monster, obviously. Better to harvest a plant that smaler than it could have been than grow a plant too large and risk losing it all. Quality over quantity.

Anyway, that's my $0.02. Start a journal so we can all follow along!

 

[Slye]

Oh, also, and since you're using bag seed this isn't something you can do anything about, but, some strains are stretchier or bushier than others. If you have a dominantly stretchy strain it'll be a hard uphill battle to keep it tight. Maybe consider getting some fem'd seed from a strain where you know a little bit about the genetic characteristics.

 

[newgrower12]

What techniques are you using to keep it trained down? I've done the scrog technique in a bigger area I ended up with maybe 9 2 foot branches and a lot of smaller ones it came out great but I can't do that in this situation unless I scale it down but I don't know how that will turn out are there any better techniques for smller area so that I can maximize my yield

And 3 nodes per inch is pretty nice but how tall did it get and how many weeks has it been growing for?

 

[jandre2k3]

Subbed. Ask any questions here, and I will get them, here and answer them here.

Have any pics of the grow so far?

As far as shortening techniques, you might try a FIM coupled with supercropping. Lemme know if you need examples of either.

 

[newgrower12]

haven't gotten it quite started yet working on it though and examples of both would be great thanks for the help

 

[jandre2k3]

This is OldMedMan's hands performing FIM

The posts relating to that video are here: OldMedMan Goes Indoors Part 2

Here's the diagram of what and where the actual cut is made to clarify what is going on above

 

[jandre2k3]

As for Super Cropping, there is a very informative thread on just this subject in the FAQ section of this forum.

Supercropping - a tutorial

Supercropping is a term given to a group of techniques that, when used in conjunction, will produce greatly improved yields over untreated plants. Various methods can be used when supercropping, and they are outlined below.
You can use one or all methods of supercropping, modified to your individual needs. The end result is an increased yield.

Crimping
Crimping is an advanced technique whereby you break the inner herd of the plant without damaging the outer, which is where all the plants strength comes from. Break open the stalk of a cannabis plant and you'll notice immediately the hard, outer herd. This is where textiles come from. The soft inner, lighter colored material is pure cellulose - the phloem and xylem.

In vascular plants, phloem is the living tissue that carries organic nutrients, particularly sucrose, a sugar, to all parts of the plant where needed. In trees, the phloem is the innermost layer of the bark, hence the name, derived from the Greek word φλοιος (phloios) for "bark". The phloem is mainly concerned with the transport of glucose and starch made during photosynthesis.

The plant passes water and nutrients cell to cell through this network of cellulose. Breaking the plant's inner walls will cause it to rebuild. But it rebuilds these networks better than they were before; it rebuilds so fast (under good growth conditions) that 24 hours later the plant is using the new highways and it's increased capacity for moving water and nutrients.

This technique can begin as early as the seedling stage. Twisting the plant gently, using both hands so you don't pull on it's roots. Work each of the plants branches every 2", up to once week. Do this by grasping the spot to be treated with two fingers of each hand. Use one hand to stabilize, while the other gently, slowly twists. Or you can twist with both hands in opposite directions, slowly until you feel a slight snap. When the plant's get heartier you will actually be able to hear it.
On smaller branches, you do not need to twist, as firm finger pressure will rupture the herd.

BENDING
Plants naturally bend towards the light. They do this for their benefit, trying to better get into position to receive more light. Why wait for plants to evolve, use your smarts to bend plants into positions that are beneficial. Bending the tip of a branch over into a position where there's no vegetation will speed growth for 2 reasons:

First the branch tip you moved is now getting more unobstructed light by moving it to an area free of vegetation. Second, the area you moved the branch away from is also receiving more light than before. So those parts of the plant also benefit from the move. Potential for growth is increased.

TYING
Forceful confinement or the use of string, twist-ties or a brace of some kind may be required to keep bent branches from simply growing back to their original position. Massage the bending point of the branch with the fingers of one hand while slowly bending -- only intuition will tell you when you've reached the breaking point. Some branches don't have a breaking point, you can tie them in a knot a they'll still grow. Others will snap as soon as you try to bend them. It will take practice and a few broken branches before you learn how far, if at all, any given branch can be manipulated.


TOPPING
Never top an unhealthy plant. Topping is a simple technique of cutting the tip or top of a branch off using sharp scissors. It doesn't matter if it's the main(stem) top or the tip of a side shoot, the resulting effect will be the same. Instead of one top or tip resulting in a single bud, the treated shoot splits and produces 2 or more tips.

It is debatable whether or not this practice will actually increase or decrease the size of buds or overall yield. A healthy plant generally thrives under careful stressing and physical manipulation. This is not something you want to overdue, start slowly and increase the frequency and intensity of your pruning practices over consecutive crop cycles. Gain some experience so you can recognize when you have overdone it.

Super-Cropping: Medical Marijuana Cultivation 102 - YouTube

Dr.Jupiter`s Guide to Marijuana Cultivation part 5 - YouTube

Hope this all helps.

 

[Truth Seeker]

How did this grow turn out?

We would love to be updated with some pictures and info!

How about posting a 420 Strain Review?

If you need any help with posting photos, please read the photo gallery tutorial:
Photo Gallery Guide - How to Resize, Upload & Post Photos

I am moving this to Abandoned Journals until we get updates.

Thanks and hope all is well in your world.

Love and respect from all of us here at 420 Magazine.