Shifting from flower to veg question.

[Groundtop]

So my buddy has been growing a couple of plants at his house outside and come to find out they are both ladies. They are both in the flowering stage and have been for about a month. I really think his light cycle has been screwed up because he is constantly forgetting to put them outside or to water them. I asked if I could take one of his female and grow it hydroponically. Would it be possible to take the plant that is in flower mode, top it down, and then stick it back into veg mode to beef it up?

 

[vyserage]

yes, but i believe there is a certain no going back point. If the buds are clearly visible and begenning to get thick, id say its too late. If they are still pre-flowers and just showing some pistols, i'd say you're in the clear. Also, if they are thick flowers up top and showing bud but tiny flowers at the very bottom that are clearly underdevloped, those are your pics.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Sure. It's not a 100% given. It is likely, however, lol. Assuming it's not an auto-flowering strain, it should be possible to "reveg" it.

I'd switch to a 24/0 light schedule for a week or so, then drop to the usual 18/6 lights-on/-off (possibly in a couple of steps if I was feeling paranoid). Or else I'd just leave it in flower, but take several cuttings and root them (also under the initial 24/0 light schedule) so as to have those plus whatever I got from continuing to flower the original plant.

You can use the forum's search function (that magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen) to do a search for the term "reveg." Note that this is generally something that is done after harvest in order to "save a plant," or to save the genetics of one that the grower did not think to keep a mother plant of, have extra clones on hand of, et cetera - but this need not be the case. In fact, it should be a surer thing in your case, since you're not starting from the post-harvest state, when the vast majority of the plant's reserves are already harvested/depleted.

I'd probably still take cuttings, root them, and grow them out, though. Each and every one is one more chance for success. And you did mention "topping it down," .

Good luck. In addition to using the forum's search function to learn more about this thing, you can also use the opportunity this presents you, by creating your very own grow journal thread here if you like. That's likely to give you some benefit, by way of having lots of extra pairs of eyes (and extra minds). It might also provide you with some encouragement because we have no few members who are far more "positive" than I am about... <SHRUGS> life.

EDIT: By the way, if the concept of taking cuttings now, while the prospective mother is in the flowering stage, you can search for information about that, too. When doing more than a simple one-word search, I prefer to use a web search engine's more powerful search routine, even when I wish to search one specific website (such as this forum). For example, you can copy the following, exactly, and paste it into a general Internet search engine:

site:https://www.420magazine.com taking clones in flower

This is called a "site-search," for reasons that should be self-explanatory.

 

[Groundtop]

Sure. It's not a 100% given. It is likely, however, lol. Assuming it's not an auto-flowering strain, it should be possible to "reveg" it.

I'd switch to a 24/0 light schedule for a week or so, then drop to the usual 18/6 lights-on/-off (possibly in a couple of steps if I was feeling paranoid). Or else I'd just leave it in flower, but take several cuttings and root them (also under the initial 24/0 light schedule) so as to have those plus whatever I got from continuing to flower the original plant.

You can use the forum's search function (that magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen) to do a search for the term "reveg." Note that this is generally something that is done after harvest in order to "save a plant," or to save the genetics of one that the grower did not think to keep a mother plant of, have extra clones on hand of, et cetera - but this need not be the case. In fact, it should be a surer thing in your case, since you're not starting from the post-harvest state, when the vast majority of the plant's reserves are already harvested/depleted.

I'd probably still take cuttings, root them, and grow them out, though. Each and every one is one more chance for success. And you did mention "topping it down," .

Good luck. In addition to using the forum's search function to learn more about this thing, you can also use the opportunity this presents you, by creating your very own grow journal thread here if you like. That's likely to give you some benefit, by way of having lots of extra pairs of eyes (and extra minds). It might also provide you with some encouragement because we have no few members who are far more "positive" than I am about... <SHRUGS>.

Thank you so much for the insight. The plant's flowers are merely just white hairs at this point. It is about 2.5 to 3 feet tall and very leggy.

 

[Groundtop]

I've never used rooting hormone before and I have taken millions of cuttings, never from cannabis though. I usually just stick the cut into a glass of water and let it sit. Does the plant need to be in the blooming stage in order to take a successful cut? I do have a grow journal and at the moment my main objective is a very compact grow.

 

[Groundtop]

My First Time Grow Journal: Pictures, Descriptions, Timelines

 

[TorturedSoul]

I've never used rooting hormone before and I have taken millions of cuttings, never from cannabis though. I usually just stick the cut into a glass of water and let it sit.

Well, here's a big secret: Cannabis is just a plant, lol - so it turns out that great-grandma's method generally works on it, too. But it's slow, and doesn't always work (although I assume your past experience has shown you that it usually does). Since we receive far more from our plants than a mere bushel basket full of tomatoes, we do like to stack the deck in our favor whenever possible.

There are lots (and lots) of threads here on cloning. Some people can get real anal about the whole thing. I used to swear by Olivia's Cloning Gel (and Olivia's Cloning Solution nutrient, which I'd use at 25% to 50% recommended strength). And I'll still use it if I have some on hand because, well, why not .

But over the years... Experiences such as taking a dozen cuts, then having the doorbell ring and wrapping them loosely in a damp paper towel and throwing them into the refrigerator when I ended up leaving with company for a while, finding one poor neglected cutting in between the arm of the couch and the cushion the next day, et cetera... and still ending up with nearly all of them eventually growing roots has caused me to not worry about it too much. Especially since I've hardly ever found myself taking just one cutting at a time.

Take a bunch of cuts. No special considerations other than "Mama always said washing your hands never hurts." But cut them longer than you think you'll need. That way, when you get ready to deal with them (which should be soon, of course), you can make a fresh cut. Do that at a nice angle, so as to increase the surface area of the cut (as opposed to straight across the stem). Use a clean/sterile razor blade; scissors tend to press the wound shut a bit. I like double-edged razor blades, but that's because I always have some on hand in the medicine cabinet. You can then gently scrape the stem just upwards from the cut if you like. This is supposed to make it easier for the plant to grow roots from the area. <SHRUGS> It probably does, but it's not really necessary, IMHO. I mean... I've seen branches grow roots because they were so heavy they sagged down to the ground and I didn't get back out to the hidden site for a week or two to boost it back up in the air.

So, anyway, you have a few, a dozen, whatever number of cuttings. Fresh, angled cuts at the bottom of the stem. If you have Olivia's Cloning Gel, dip them (I like to get some out of the bottle so as not to contaminate it, instead of just dipping them straight into the bottle, but I've seen people do that, too). If you have something else, like Rootone antifungal/hormone powder, you can dust them with that. If you have nothing, well, throw a big handful of that on them . Then get your get your little baby plant daycare centers ready, water the medium enough that it's all thoroughly dampened, make a hole with some kind of tool (finger works), drop a cutting in each, gently smush the media so as to close up the hole both above and below (things need to be in contact with something besides air), water them again for good luck, and stick them somewhere that has many hours of gentle lighting, isn't too cold, isn't a 0% humidity desert, doesn't have a fan blowing directly at them (after all, their ability to uptake moisture has been severely handicapped), and don't let the cat turn them into a tiny pile of green vomit on the floor.

That's about all you need. Or you can get a little fancier, set up a "bubbler" (bucket of water with sufficient air stones to ensure a high rate of aeration) and figure out a way to float your cuttings in it with just a little bit of the stem in the water, or even go nuts with some kind of "fog chamber." That can speed up the process. But there's no real need for any of that. Save the money and buy some extra seeds next time, lol. I like to feed my cuttings a mild nutrient mix; after all, the things are alive and (hopefully) growing.

Again, cannabis is just a plant (for purposes of this discussion, at least). Some people like to do things such as trimming individual leaves. IDK... That's where the plant's resources are stored, right? And with a root system that is effectively nonexistent, this seems comparable to going to the grocery store, coming home... and leaving half of your frozen food on the counter. But use your own judgment (or take LOTS of cuttings and experiment).

If it's too cold - and it gets that way here in the Winter, because I'm "thrifty" (can't afford to run the furnace, and know what a sweater is for) - I'll use a propagation mat. Which is my heating pad, lol, set on low and positioned so only a portion of the container(s) end up on the mat. We're not making soup, after all. If the humidity is pretty low, I might - might - rig up some sort of humidity dome. For a very short time. Because, while I don't want them to dry out, I don't want them to ROT, either. Plus, I figure "just enough" moisture means the things are suitably encouraged to get on with the rooting process. as the plant seeks water and nutrients. And, as you have no doubt already learned, cuttings can uptake moisture through their cut-ends to a degree. So... Start with nicely wet(+/-) media, don't let it dry completely, but gradually lower its moisture level until you end up with business as usual (and a well-rooted clone).

I've stuck them in dimmer corners of the regular grow room. I've stuck them on top of the medicine cabinet and just left the fixture directly above turned on (little Suzie Homemaker CFL bulbs in it). And, yes, the kitchen windowsill.

I've used 100% perlite (tends to dry a little faster than I prefer, but that's no big deal if I don't get lazy). I've used mostly that with a bit of vermiculite mixed in for its ability to help the mix hold water. I've used 100% vermiculite (but this ends up being too damp for my taste, although it works, too). I've used about a 11 mix of perlite, vermiculite, and peat moss (because I had just a little bit of each, and a lot of cuttings). I've used whatever soil I had on hand that wasn't too hot. And I've used... a glass of water (which I changed regularly).

For containers... Whatever is handy. I don't, as a rule, like clear containers for all the obvious reasons. But I'll say one thing for them: They sure do make it easy to notice when roots have reached the container's walls, lol. I like green (colored) soda pop bottles. Seem to mostly prevent algal growth, but still allow me to observe things. And I can generally get all I need by taking a walk on trash night (or, if I've had a really good week, from my own trash can).

Are you... IDK... Starting to get the suspicion that the process of rooting cannabis cuttings isn't exactly a dark art, LMFAO?

Have fun! Use common sense and your own judgment.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Oh, and here's a tip:

Go HERE. Copy the following bit of text (exactly), and paste it into the box you'll find at the end of that link. Err... Embellish as you see fit. Then click on the "Save" button. The link to your grow journal will then appear at the bottom of all of your posts.

[URL='https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/my-first-time-grow-journal-pictures-descriptions-timelines.451965/']My First Time Grow Journal: Pictures, Descriptions, Timelines[/URL]

You're welcome .

 

[Groundtop]

A gold mine of information. Thanks so much. My first grow is actually a DWC with 2 bubble stones. I'm trying to learn about low stress training. I would love to have a super micro crop.