Vancouver Island 2022 Organic Grow

[Danishoes21]

I wanted to share a training/pruning method I use a lot so I doodled a little something , pinching lower nodes or sucker branches. Just like you would do a indeterminate tomtato. They idea behind removing the suckers at the lower nodes is to redistribute the bulk of energy collected by the fan leaf at that node and sending up to the next available node.

When this method is applied X amount of times on the same branch the bulk of energy collected by the fan leaves at each node is sent upwards adding up and delivered to the next available node.

The new tops will enjoy the extra energy collected by the leaves and the nutrients that come with it.

A link that examples the process with tomatos:

Tomato Suckers: What Should You Really Do With Them?​

To prune, or not to prune? That is the question. Like many gardening tips on the internet, there is a heated debate around tomato suckers. Should you keep them? Should you get rid of them?
www.tomatobible.com

Hand by hand I use a second method to train my plants, thats selective bending or breaking. By doing this Im promoting the production of growth hormones naturally occuring in the plant such as Auxins.

Here is a link that better explains Auxins:
Difference Between Auxin and Gibberellin (with Comparison Chart and Similarities) - Bio Differences

Here is a link on Gravitropic bending or gravitropism:

Gravitropic bending and plant hormones - PubMed​

Gravitropism is a complex multistep process that redirects the growth of roots and various above-ground organs in response to changes in the direction of the gravity vector. The anatomy and morphology of these graviresponding organs indicates a certain spatial separation between the sensing...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov


Here a Link on Phototropim:

Phototropism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I prefer to pass this and If you have the time to read it you will have the facts, rather than me trying to explain it.

My doodle on bending.

If you feel this is method that applies to your grow, I highly suggest it. Results are there you just have to start pinching and bending. Information accesible for everyone.

 

[Danishoes21]

I have documented lots of things, some I share here because I learned tons from this comunity and I can give someting back this way.

This one result of the training method applied to one pheno grown organically outdoors in a greenhouse setting using not more than living soil, compost teas and training. A cultivar I named black widow, It was my personal experiment for long time (creating that cross and later developing the training).

 

[Danishoes21]

How Cannabis Training and Pruning Can Affect Quality - Greenhouse Grower

 

[ReservoirDog]

I prepared a big big pot for that special pheno. They way I layer the content is an experiment.
Dry Bambo
Dry Cut Grass
Dry Cedar branches
Sawdust
Organic Composted soil
Fermented seaweed
Bone meal
bio char
Worm casting

Photo of the Compost tea. Big pond Seaweed smaller pot Nitrogen rich.

This how the inside looks after 4 hrs of detail work.

I'm still catching up, as you can see, but loving the serious commitments to HST! Amazing how, to me, once you've added 'knuckles' the plants look at little bit more like fauna than flora than before.

If the Van Isle permaculturing doesn't work out for you you might make it as a mob enforcer. Knuckles... breaking knuckles... yeah, off-colour, sorry.

Anyway, loving the local content, I'm in Victoria now but lived around, farther north in the stix, since 94 - think it was. I did most of my post-high school distance-ed. I hope the weather this year isn't too much of a hardship, glad I'm mostly inside this year. Any wider shots of the place you're comfortable with sharing will be beautiful I'm sure.

Love the 'tea-pond'. Nice in-pot layering job too, def. Island classic there. Maybe the palm tree will make the Asian strain happier, anything we can do to make a visitor feel welcome. Beautiful place, and important work, thanks for sharing it.

 

[ReservoirDog]

Also safers doesnt seem to work on them yes I just sprayed the shit out of an ant

Doitamacious earth, 25$ amazon.5 pound bags. Works a treat on roaches and all exeskeleton bugs because microscopically it is rick hard unltrs sharp needles that evecirate the bus and they deessicate away, all moisture lost. Really work for fungal gnats too. Need a couple other choices for for full IPM but that is a cornerstone. Best part of my IPM. Sprinkle in their trails, doorways, windowsills, place they're going for the sugar indoors.t It's made of ancient microscopic sea creatures and milled to a fine dust with no toxicity or any issues for plants, pet's, humans. People eat it to kill parasites, and Some for pet and livestock foods for parasite potential provide, and important source of minerals.

 

[ReservoirDog]

Are you at all concerned, threadstarter, that the very cloudy, lowlight spring/summer thus far is limiting light to the plants, and has triggered their early switch to flowering? Issue being, if we swtch into long summer days with extra sun soon (I hear the heatdome is in our future again) that the plants might try to reveg when these crossed signals switch to long/high light?

 

[Danishoes21]

I'm still catching up, as you can see, but loving the serious commitments to HST! Amazing how, to me, once you've added 'knuckles' the plants look at little bit more like fauna than flora than before.

If the Van Isle permaculturing doesn't work out for you you might make it as a mob enforcer. Knuckles... breaking knuckles... yeah, off-colour, sorry.

Anyway, loving the local content, I'm in Victoria now but lived around, farther north in the stix, since 94 - think it was. I did most of my post-high school distance-ed. I hope the weather this year isn't too much of a hardship, glad I'm mostly inside this year. Any wider shots of the place you're comfortable with sharing will be beautiful I'm sure.

Love the 'tea-pond'. Nice in-pot layering job too, def. Island classic there. Maybe the palm tree will make the Asian strain happier, anything we can do to make a visitor feel welcome. Beautiful place, and important work, thanks for sharing it

Thanks for stopping by RD, and glad to hear from another brother on VanIsle, Victoria lovely sunshine there most of the time makes it a ideal place for growing at least better than mid island or north. I dont know how they do it in Texada island for example to grow the legendery Texada timewarp strain (sativa dominant), Im assuming its rainy all the time and humidity must be high.
Anyway for long been fascinated with BC since high rep canadian breeding is coming mostly from here, subconsciously I must have moved from Montreal (the land of Jean Guy strain another Sativa dominant canadian strain) to Nanaimo wanting to be somewhere on the province that has the rep for canadian cannabis

Hey the tought crossed my mind wanting to work for the mob LOL, not as a enforcer but as a grower... glad I never materilized any of that. They wouldnt let me do any training or breeding it would have been just old school cash crop turning...
I yet to find a Licensed Producer that is willing to hire me as their grower, my dreams of making a living as a canadian cannabis grower might have to wait a little longer.

Thank you for the feedback on the tea pond, its a crucial component for my grows (when I can do it, takes time and space and it smells). Teas are the way I make nutrients available for all my garden needs, I was teached by a permaculture sensei here on Vancouver Island and boy was he strict on all his teachings...

The layer job was a small improv, the place where the grow is at is sourrounded by well stablished bamboo so I gave it a shot, put it in the bottom thinking the tap roots will hit it and benifit for the air pockets and then if the feel brave enough they will have to break thru the cedar bucket and go in to the soil (if they do that, the plant could explode even more). Since seaweed is everywhere I wanted to added for "the terrior" and as a soil enhancer/food.

The origins of the cultivar in that pot is unkown to me. The story behind it pretty cool. Have time? I will give a short version;
Fall 2019 just before Covid- Wife and I traveled to Philippines, island of Palawan. As you may Know Duterte (president) declared a bloody war on drugs on that contry for years now... So smoking weed is like a real life threat. Still we found some locals that defy the state and hooked us up with there local source. Of course Im after the seeds not the bud, and golden when I get the herb its full of seeds and Im loving it. Locals there didnt know any name or genetics they just grow weed as a cash crop for tourist and themselfs.
Anyway got away with smoking herb in Palawan and then prepared a small "gift" for myself, sent it by mail all the way back to the homeland.
Fast forward to now, and it is what you see on that pot.

Ive done my fair share of strain hunting several times. Did it in Mexico with brick weed or cartel weed that had seed, did it in Jamaica with some Montego Bay bud on a stick, I have picture of that here on my early grows like 2013-2014 I guess. I love having seeds from anywhere

 

[Danishoes21]

Are you at all concerned, threadstarter, that the very cloudy, lowlight spring/summer thus far is limiting light to the plants, and has triggered their early switch to flowering? Issue being, if we swtch into long summer days with extra sun soon (I hear the heatdome is in our future again) that the plants might try to reveg when these crossed signals switch to long/high light?

I got a couple of ideas/hypothesis:

I used a photoperiod while I had them vegging indoors during feb,march,april that was 14on-10off, when they hit maturity they started to show some sign already of preflower... I got concern and started to put them outside. I tried to synch the already in place photoperiod with the one to be in Nanaimo using this tool;

Sunrise and sunset times in Nanaimo, April 2022

Calculations of sunrise and sunset in Nanaimo – British Columbia – Canada for April 2022. Generic astronomy calculator to calculate times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset for many cities, with daylight saving time and time zones taken in account.

www.timeanddate.com

By the time they went in the ground was end of april (too soon I end up thinking now). The photoperiod according to the site was 14:30 hrs of light give or take, less than 10 hours of dark... NO WAY they can preflower. Wrong, the Durban has been the most affected by that, It preflowered and then reveged and now hypersensitive due to all the hormones and training.

I also calculated the summer solstice June 21, pretty soon Im happy about that. Photoperiod will be at 16:13 hrs of light thats the longest DAY, so after this its diminishing light effect for Cannabis. Technically diminishing light effect will trigger preflowering and eventually flowering. So Im crossing my fingers that they will hit their sweetspot and start to flower anytime around July where photoperiod is at 15:30 hrs of light giving a 10:30 hrs of "dark".

Now this is all a test.

My second Idea/hypothesis:
They have been bulking up on so much hormones due to the on going training that I feel they just want to flower, and they will only flower early if the genotype background will allow them to. Sativas arent they? they should be able to flower by themselfs at any time in a photoperiod avg 12-13 hrs of light (thats the photoperiod in any given place close to the equatorial line).

After that I ran out of ideas lol

 

[ReservoirDog]

Understand your logic , which looks sound from here. However outdoors or in, light, of course, isn't measured in hours. It's measured in the particular photon flux showering the plant over a m2 or what-have-you X time.

Meaning there's been far fewer photons hitting that spot in your garden this year than the same time period last year, if you're weather's been as cold and rainy as it has down here.

This stuff is foundational and you no doubt know this so I appreciate your entertaining my thoughts so politely and hope you don't find it patronizing.

My understanding is that at the core of photoperiodism is that every plant at every maturity stage has its minimum/maximum Daily Light Integral requirements, specifically the number of photons it needs per light period to do its business before the next dark cycle. Every light-on cycle starts from scratch, nothing carries over from the days previous. Often there isn't much point giving them much over the DLI, esp. if you have strain-specific data to work from. Also they need their rest to accomplish other processes.

We can't account for light cumulatively beyond one light period, as I understand it.

I've always wondered if you vegged a plant with lights on 24hrs/day at 100% PPF, then flipped by keeping 24hr light but PPF reduced to 60%, would the plant flower? Not an ideal method for quality buds no doubt, but a thought experiment -- the solution to which is no doubt out there on the interwebs.

We were only starting to use outdoor light deprivation when I stopped growing after 8 seasons outdoor, not too far from you, so I don't have much there as a foundation for me or anecdotes for you.

I always planted quite large clones high up on mountain tops to stay out of valley shadow and meet my DLIs, and in hopes of snagging a few cosmic rays for boosting my resin. There's a good gas mix up there too (air I mean), more water than you think, much lower %rh, uncontested garden space, and our strains were designed for these locales. Was very stealthy too keeping away and above clear-cuts.

It was, of course, a backbreaker, until the last couple of years of my involvement when one of us started dating a helicopter pilot. Talk about fighting fire with fire, am I right? In the Kootenays my friends drag all their supplies and building materials, tools, etc, up high with snowmobiles 4 months before they'll be used. Kootenay Bud... Mmmmmm

 

[Danishoes21]

Understand your logic , which looks sound from here. However outdoors or in, light, of course, isn't measured in hours. It's measured in the particular photon flux showering the plant over a m2 or what-have-you X time.

Meaning there's been far fewer photons hitting that spot in your garden this year than the same time period last year, if you're weather's been as cold and rainy as it has down here.

This stuff is foundational and you no doubt know this so I appreciate your entertaining my thoughts so politely and hope you don't find it patronizing.

My understanding is that at the core of photoperiodism is that every plant at every maturity stage has its minimum/maximum Daily Light Integral requirements, specifically the number of photons it needs per light period to do its business before the next dark cycle. Every light-on cycle starts from scratch, nothing carries over from the days previous. Often there isn't much point giving them much over the DLI, esp. if you have strain-specific data to work from. Also they need their rest to accomplish other processes.

We can't account for light cumulatively beyond one light period, as I understand it.

I've always wondered if you vegged a plant with lights on 24hrs/day at 100% PPF, then flipped by keeping 24hr light but PPF reduced to 60%, would the plant flower? Not an ideal method for quality buds no doubt, but a thought experiment -- the solution to which is no doubt out there on the interwebs.

We were only starting to use outdoor light deprivation when I stopped growing after 8 seasons outdoor, not too far from you, so I don't have much there as a foundation for me or anecdotes for you.

I always planted quite large clones high up on mountain tops to stay out of valley shadow and meet my DLIs, and in hopes of snagging a few cosmic rays for boosting my resin. There's a good gas mix up there too (air I mean), more water than you think, much lower %rh, uncontested garden space, and our strains were designed for these locales. Was very stealthy too keeping away and above clear-cuts.

It was, of course, a backbreaker, until the last couple of years of my involvement when one of us started dating a helicopter pilot. Talk about fighting fire with fire, am I right? In the Kootenays my friends drag all their supplies and building materials, tools, etc, up high with snowmobiles 4 months before they'll be used. Kootenay Bud... Mmmmmm

This is amazing, Respect.

And thanks for sharing.

Not much room back then (prohibition years) to experiment. Its was dialed up plans with specific goals and deadlines. No time to play around specially in the back country. Kootenays BUD wow top quality stuff.

I gotta think a little more and find some answer for what have said there.

 

[Danishoes21]

Understand your logic , which looks sound from here. However outdoors or in, light, of course, isn't measured in hours. It's measured in the particular photon flux showering the plant over a m2 or what-have-you X time.

Meaning there's been far fewer photons hitting that spot in your garden this year than the same time period last year, if you're weather's been as cold and rainy as it has down here.

This stuff is foundational and you no doubt know this so I appreciate your entertaining my thoughts so politely and hope you don't find it patronizing.

My understanding is that at the core of photoperiodism is that every plant at every maturity stage has its minimum/maximum Daily Light Integral requirements, specifically the number of photons it needs per light period to do its business before the next dark cycle. Every light-on cycle starts from scratch, nothing carries over from the days previous. Often there isn't much point giving them much over the DLI, esp. if you have strain-specific data to work from. Also they need their rest to accomplish other processes.

We can't account for light cumulatively beyond one light period, as I understand it.

I've always wondered if you vegged a plant with lights on 24hrs/day at 100% PPF, then flipped by keeping 24hr light but PPF reduced to 60%, would the plant flower? Not an ideal method for quality buds no doubt, but a thought experiment -- the solution to which is no doubt out there on the interwebs.

We were only starting to use outdoor light deprivation when I stopped growing after 8 seasons outdoor, not too far from you, so I don't have much there as a foundation for me or anecdotes for you.

I always planted quite large clones high up on mountain tops to stay out of valley shadow and meet my DLIs, and in hopes of snagging a few cosmic rays for boosting my resin. There's a good gas mix up there too (air I mean), more water than you think, much lower %rh, uncontested garden space, and our strains were designed for these locales. Was very stealthy too keeping away and above clear-cuts.

It was, of course, a backbreaker, until the last couple of years of my involvement when one of us started dating a helicopter pilot. Talk about fighting fire with fire, am I right? In the Kootenays my friends drag all their supplies and building materials, tools, etc, up high with snowmobiles 4 months before they'll be used. Kootenay Bud... Mmmmmm

Hi RD hope everything is well for you, I gave it some thought to what you have said and I do appreciate that you got me thinking about the layout and setting of where my plants are.

My indoor habits control my overall knowledge of growing so I could make assumptions based on my indoor experience which in most cases doesnt apply when growing outdoors.

Photoperiod would the lenght in time of the light waves hitting the surface of lets say the fan leaves. Photon flux like you said the amount of photons (light waves) per seconds per square m.

here my thoughts:

I might have selected the spot for the plants a little off from full sun expousure for more than a 12-13 hr period, adding to that our not so clear seasson its cold, wet, cloudy, and there is a tree on what seems the north west of the location of the plants. This is probably affecting the photon flux like you have mentioned, I might even go as far as some parts of the visible light of the spectrum is been filtered. There could be more Red

Red

620-750 nm

400-484 THz

than there is blue

Blue

450-495 nm

606-668 THz

because it is been mostly absorbed by the big tree.

Wild guessing here.

Now the positive side of all this is, early harvest?? I would love the early harvest. Plants beeing forced to flower by natural occuring shade? this is a first one for me. Makes me think total darkness? Myth? a partially shaded plant can be triggered to flower, hence no need for total darkness?

Quote: "I've always wondered if you vegged a plant with lights on 24hrs/day at 100% PPF, then flipped by keeping 24hr light but PPF reduced to 60%, would the plant flower? Not an ideal method for quality buds no doubt, but a thought experiment -- the solution to which is no doubt out there on the interwebs."

By leaving a light on 24 hrs that is not in the visible spectrum

Are we in darkness?
You might be hitting something here RD.

I fully understand setting is crucial, for the future I would have to study even more the location of a plant that goes in the ground.

All this gets me thinking that I know nothing about photoperiod, photon flux and flower triggering.

 

[Danishoes21]

This is a long update. 48 pictures... Couldnt help myself.

Chunky Skunk

JUST SHY OF 2 FT TALL

30 " wide give or take.

This is the main top with all the side shoots. I've bent it so many times it just dont hold.

AFTER DEFOL + TRAINING

SAWDUST as mulch.

went hard on both sides.

BIRDS-EYE VIEW result of new training.

 

[Danishoes21]

Personal Sat.

She is at 2 ft tall and not far from 4 ft wide. Considering a Sativa dominant she isnt tall at all.

After DEFOL but before training...

Top photo is a mistake while bending, the plant fiber got broken badly but not enough to kill that shoot, bottom photo is the shoot at the end, looking healthy.

AFTER DEFOL + TRAINING

This is the Main cola bent and serving as a channel for all the side branches to develop.

 

[Danishoes21]

Durban Poison aka Vecna

She is the tallest just over 2 ft and 30inch wide.

2 little shy pistils

after DEFOL + TRAINING

 

[Danishoes21]

Sweet Zombie

She a shorty at 18 Inches tall and 25 inches wide.

Bending the fiber and the life juice coming out.

After DEFOL + TRAINING

THE CLONES

They had a good life indoors, I put them outside. Time to experience real weather now.

Transplanted 2 more clones that looked good.

 

[Danishoes21]

Sativa Pheno

This is an example of the elongation hormone acting gibberellins and auxins.

2 very small pistils as well.

After DEFOL + TRAINING

 

[scottreid1966]

I wanted to share a training/pruning method I use a lot so I doodled a little something , pinching lower nodes or sucker branches. Just like you would do a indeterminate tomtato. They idea behind removing the suckers at the lower nodes is to redistribute the bulk of energy collected by the fan leaf at that node and sending up to the next available node.

When this method is applied X amount of times on the same branch the bulk of energy collected by the fan leaves at each node is sent upwards adding up and delivered to the next available node.

The new tops will enjoy the extra energy collected by the leaves and the nutrients that come with it.

A link that examples the process with tomatos:

Tomato Suckers: What Should You Really Do With Them?​

To prune, or not to prune? That is the question. Like many gardening tips on the internet, there is a heated debate around tomato suckers. Should you keep them? Should you get rid of them?
www.tomatobible.com

Hand by hand I use a second method to train my plants, thats selective bending or breaking. By doing this Im promoting the production of growth hormones naturally occuring in the plant such as Auxins.

Here is a link that better explains Auxins:
Difference Between Auxin and Gibberellin (with Comparison Chart and Similarities) - Bio Differences

Here is a link on Gravitropic bending or gravitropism:

Gravitropic bending and plant hormones - PubMed​

Gravitropism is a complex multistep process that redirects the growth of roots and various above-ground organs in response to changes in the direction of the gravity vector. The anatomy and morphology of these graviresponding organs indicates a certain spatial separation between the sensing...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov


Here a Link on Phototropim:

Phototropism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I prefer to pass this and If you have the time to read it you will have the facts, rather than me trying to explain it.

My doodle on bending.

If you feel this is method that applies to your grow, I highly suggest it. Results are there you just have to start pinching and bending. Information accesible for everyone.

Love the illustrations, Bro! Now if only someone would make a thread about the terminology. Learning but have a way to go. I expect alot of pinching and bending to do as my quads stretch. Again, nice job!
So many abbr. for a newcomer. Especially when it comes time to lighting. We could use a thread that explains this stuff for a reference. I would, but I need another 2 years of education before I can do it, at least.

Kudo's bro, for the extra "edumacation" ! lol

 

[ReservoirDog]

danishoes21 Xenomorph strain:

I'm just sayin'.... be careful is all!
She grows an ovipositor one night and you go out for an admiration session the next morning.....and thwap! We'll be chasing kief-covered chest-bursters until they're big enough to be chasing us.

Sorry, but, I've been seeing that since the first photo, amazing I held out this long!

 

[TwelveCoffee]

danishoes21 Xenomorph strain:

I'm just sayin'.... be careful is all!
She grows an ovipositor one night and you go out for an admiration session the next morning.....and thwap! We'll be chasing kief-covered chest-bursters until they're big enough to be chasing us.

Sorry, but, I've been seeing that since the first photo, amazing I held out this long!

Holy shit your right wow @danishoes21 what are you creating?!

 

[ReservoirDog]

I know, right? The plant even has the, er, labia, of the face-hugger's ventral (under)side.