Off-Grid Spring-Fed Hillbilly CBD Greenhouse

[Simon Limon]

...pruning for ventilation is definitely a big help. Start at the bottom. Depending on the strain, I'll also take out weaker stems. I try to train so that buds don't touch each other during flowering, but that's not necessary--I just get a bit zealous.

Given that the vegetation is so thick should I be thinning now? I'm not seeing any sign of distress or unusual yellowing but man, these plants are a serious mass of leaves and stems. I know this must seem simple to an experienced grower but I still can't visualize which of these stems is a potentially valuable bud -- and there are so many of them. If these were tomatoes it would be easy!

Is your "cbd lebanese x nepalese pheno" a specific strain -- I don't know what a "pheno" is.

Thanks again, I really appreciate your advice.

 

[andIhalped]

Given that the vegetation is so thick should I be thinning now? I'm not seeing any sign of distress or unusual yellowing but man, these plants are a serious mass of leaves and stems. I know this must seem simple to an experienced grower but I still can't visualize which of these stems is a potentially valuable bud -- and there are so many of them. If these were tomatoes it would be easy!

Is your "cbd lebanese x nepalese pheno" a specific strain -- I don't know what a "pheno" is.

Thanks again, I really appreciate your advice.

Yep it was a strain, of sorts, created by local pollen chucker who crossed Lebanese & Nepalese landraces with a Grape Ape (for reasons that I can't fathom, though the result was pretty cool). Some of the phenotypes have high CBD, like mine did (& it rocks, BTW). Just as the revolution will not be televised, that strain’ll never show up in a dispensary (lots more detail on it & my other grows in my completed journal link below in my sig)

phenotypes: (1) The physical appearance or biochemical characteristic of an organism as a result of the interaction of its genotype [genetics] and the environment

Trimming for ventilation: Start at the bottom, take off leaves that are yellowing or not getting much light. You can also take out small stemmed shoots that are well below the dominant top of your canopy. Fairly easy to see which ones are not doing much/being overshadowed by the canopy. It's not necessary to prune those stems, either.

There’s LOTS of very well-done trimming/pruning/lollipopping tutorials & photos on this site, so I’ll let you ferret them out, for more guidance.

BTW, I think pruning cannabis has improved my tomato pruning technique. It’s all just gardening.

I usually start trimming around now & do it incrementally (sometimes just a coupla leaves per day).

Remember: 1) if your not sure about a stem, leave it & decide later; 2) if you cut something off that you regret, don't--you're going to have more weed than you'll know what to do with. Bygones

No need to be in a hurry…wet weather’s still quite a ways off. Remember to enjoy the process.

Happy to supply some experience, but you're doing fantastic, all those plants look great!

 

[One Of These Days]

Simon

Really looks awesome. Im so happy for you. youve got this.

Andihalped
Thanks for sharing, and helping and you got the pics to back it up all those strains in your sig

I have some cbd on its way supposed to be min thc and very high cbd says up to 14% factoring how well it is grown of coarse. Looking for more options for my wife. Her insides dont like her very much. Their has been some strains that she said helped alot. Right now my only fortune is i can get really good buds but $$ and im sure its all high thc minimal if any cbd.

 

[Alafornia]

Awesome work, @Simon Limon !

 

[andIhalped]

@Simon Limon This link has an illustration that's fairly helpful for pruning:
How to Prune Cannabis Plants for Maximum Yields
Although it focuses on doing so for yield, principles are the same for improving airflow to reduce bud rot risk.

Again, no reason to be in a hurry, it's not going to be any sort of issue until the buds get big & the weather gets wet. But if you start in & take it easy, it should become more comfortable as you go along.

Grow on!

 

[Simon Limon]

@Simon Limon This link has an illustration that's fairly helpful for pruning:
How to Prune Cannabis Plants for Maximum Yields
Although it focuses on doing so for yield, principles are the same for improving airflow to reduce bud rot risk.

Again, no reason to be in a hurry, it's not going to be any sort of issue until the buds get big & the weather gets wet. But if you start in & take it easy, it should become more comfortable as you go along.

Grow on!

You were probably writing this comment while I was in the clone house doing my first thinning. While watering this morning I decided to treat the plants as if they are blueberry bushes (we're picking our berries now). That means opening the middle and removing weak branches.

I left one Critical Mass untouched, just to see how it compares to the thinned plants in a day or two. The two images that follow are before/after on a Critical Mass and then examples of what I removed.

Can't make out the 20 gallon pot because of the foliage and I usually end up watering and fertilizing my feet along with the plants. After trimming:

It doesn't look that different but most of the trims were below the canopy, fan leaves and stems like this:

I took this pile off of 5 plants:

I really appreciate the advice and encouragement I've been getting here. I've been using the internet heavily since it first became available to ordinary citizens -- 420Magazine is one of the most positive sites I've encountered!

Onward through the fog....

 

[Alafornia]

420 Mag members are great, @Simon Limon . Great job on the trim.

 

[greenjeans]

Hey Simon - I've enjoyed your journey - If those sativa's are anything like mine - one has hit 10' and it was topped at about 6' - I am now bending those branches over and around. I only have one in my greenhouse now just so I can manipulate her all over the place.
Looks like you have it all under control.

 

[andIhalped]

You were probably writing this comment while I was in the clone house doing my first thinning. While watering this morning I decided to treat the plants as if they are blueberry bushes (we're picking our berries now). That means opening the middle and removing weak branches.

I left one Critical Mass untouched, just to see how it compares to the thinned plants in a day or two. The two images that follow are before/after on a Critical Mass and then examples of what I removed.

Can't make out the 20 gallon pot because of the foliage and I usually end up watering and fertilizing my feet along with the plants. After trimming:

It doesn't look that different but most of the trims were below the canopy, fan leaves and stems like this:

I took this pile off of 5 plants:

I really appreciate the advice and encouragement I've been getting here. I've been using the internet heavily since it first became available to ordinary citizens -- 420Magazine is one of the most positive sites I've encountered!

Onward through the fog....

Yep, you got it! Nice work!

 

[One Of These Days]

Good idea on letting the one go. Alot of good info can come out of that for future grows.

 

[Simon Limon]

As I expected the plants I trimmed yesterday have smoothed their ruffled leaves and don't look that much different when compared to the plant I didn't trim. I was surprised, however, to find that they needed another drink after being watered yesterday.

I watered in about 40ml of a powdered 3-2-2, assuming that they are in the stretch phase and would appreciate an extra snack.

{I keep thinking that if I do a grow next year that I'll lose half the fun of this -- wondering if I'm doing the right thing and having no idea really of what comes next!}

I think I saw a few white pistils but I'm not claiming these are in flower, though the suspense is killing me.

I gave a bottom trim to the Critical Mass and Dutch Hawaiian planted in the ground next to the greenhouse. I took off some weak stems in addition to fan leaves and just for the heck of it I have them in water with willow bark, to see if they will root. I don't need more clones so this is just another experiment.

 

[Simon Limon]

Sound the trumpets!

I have just one question: now what????

 

[greenjeans]

Oh, just look at those beautiful little white stigmas!!!! We wait, and wait, and wait.....and then YES!!!!

 

[One Of These Days]

Puff on this and try to get some sleep........

 

[One Of These Days]

Lol not in that chair either!

Ok i have a question.
Does a cbd plant have or get the clear tricomes then cloudy then amber? Im sure since it has some thc in it would.

 

[Simon Limon]

Perhaps someone else can reply to One Of These Days as anything to do with tricomes is beyond my experience.

I called the friend who gave me the two Dutch Hawaiian sativas to compare notes. His DH plant and a Critical Mass clone I gave him are both in the ground, in his very fertile vegetable garden. He reports that the Dutch is about seven feet tall and very bushy, the CM about five feet tall with a shape "like a Christmas tree".

My "Insiders", the 5 CM and 1 DH I had heavily trained, are now 2 feet tall, having grown 10 inches in the past week. Outside, both the CM and DH are 4 feet and widely spread. In fact, the CM was pinched when young and now has one central stem quite a bit taller than the others. There are five side stems and their weight is beginning to break them away from the central trunk. To prevent that I've put 4 stakes and wrapped twine around the plant to support it.

As they begin blooming I'd appreciate suggestions for nutes that aren't too expensive. I also wonder if I can't just continue with what I have on hand and have been giving them to date: fish fertilizer and MaxiCrop kelp? Unless I deliberately starve or abuse these plants I do expect to have more of a harvest than I can use.

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

I'd cut back on N at least. If you want big flowers, kick up P&K in a couple of weeks. There are bloom boosters like Kool Bloom.

 

[greenjeans]

I have some "Tomato Fertilizer" that is high in P and K. You work it into the soil but when I tried that last time all hell broke loose. I may try mixing it with water and apply it that way - any thoughts?? Try it on one to see what happens??

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

I have some "Tomato Fertilizer" that is high in P and K. You work it into the soil but when I tried that last time all hell broke loose. I may try mixing it with water and apply it that way - any thoughts?? Try it on one to see what happens??

I'd follow the directions. Did you over do it last time?

 

[greenjeans]

I may have. I just thought that if I dissolved it in water first I'd have a bit more control.