New England outdoors 2018

Black-Thumb

Well-Known Member
Man...I'm thinking about harvesting all these plants, and even worse drying and curing them. I wish someone had a business where they would come and get the plants, trim them, dry them, cure them, and bring the finished product back. Obviously they would get to keep 25% of the total dry weight (or whatever we negotiate).

I'd love to have no stress about doing it myself, as there is no task to do with the plants that I dont LOVE and look forward to doing myself, but with last years experience I am concerned for their wellbeing. I feel like I'm going to have to take a week off work to do it right and monitor RH non stop. Hahaha
 

too larry

Well-Known Member
From what I've read (no experience) pollen can travel...FAR. Like, further then you could ever accommodate for reasonably. What I've read/heard of people doing is moving the male as far away as possible, and waiting for the first sac to open. Then chopping the whole top and putting it in a jar. All the other sacs will open in the jar, allowing you to get all the pollen you need for the females. With limited risk of contaminating this years virgins.

Not sure if that helps with what you are trying to do (or if it would even work in theory. I've never tried) but that's something I read that other people supposedly do successfully to get the seeds they want without hurting harvest elsewhere.
I will cut the shoots off a male two to three times. Just catch it right before the balls open. If you have a spot with no fan at home, lay down black construction paper, and put the shoots in a glass of water over the paper. They will open up and dump their pollen.

My plants are in the ground, so I can't move the males. I try to leave some good spacing between plants, but if they are close, I will spray down the females with water before touching the male. And always wash your hands afterward. But pollen can hitchhike on your clothes too. One of my Poly Shunk 1 f2's melted down, and I was only able to save half an ounce. Last night I found a seed in a bud. It looked like it was about 3 weeks in, like it might sprout. Looking back at my notes, the only males I had flowering at the time were {Skunk X Shit/Skunk} X Poly Shunk 1 and Poly Shunk 1.5 X (GdR X {Powernap X Sinmint Cookies}). I have been thinking about going back to see if I can find where I threw the rotten plant so I can look for more seeds.
 

Black-Thumb

Well-Known Member
I will cut the shoots off a male two to three times. Just catch it right before the balls open. If you have a spot with no fan at home, lay down black construction paper, and put the shoots in a glass of water over the paper. They will open up and dump their pollen.

My plants are in the ground, so I can't move the males. I try to leave some good spacing between plants, but if they are close, I will spray down the females with water before touching the male. And always wash your hands afterward. But pollen can hitchhike on your clothes too. One of my Poly Shunk 1 f2's melted down, and I was only able to save half an ounce. Last night I found a seed in a bud. It looked like it was about 3 weeks in, like it might sprout. Looking back at my notes, the only males I had flowering at the time were {Skunk X Shit/Skunk} X Poly Shunk 1 and Poly Shunk 1.5 X (GdR X {Powernap X Sinmint Cookies}). I have been thinking about going back to see if I can find where I threw the rotten plant so I can look for more seeds.
I cant wait until I am ready to get into making some new strains of my own. It sounds pretty awesome.
 

McLovinVT

Well-Known Member
Well, 10 weeks old, and they are growing like crazy. Topping as much as I date. They have changed some in the way they are growing. Earlier, the growth was symmetrical, and much easier to see where to top. Now, the growth is asymmetric. This is my first grow, so read as much as I can, but definitely a rookie.A848427D-DDAE-4556-8501-E63946EA5685.jpeg
 

too larry

Well-Known Member
Well, 10 weeks old, and they are growing like crazy. Topping as much as I date. They have changed some in the way they are growing. Earlier, the growth was symmetrical, and much easier to see where to top. Now, the growth is asymmetric. This is my first grow, so read as much as I can, but definitely a rookie.View attachment 4165602
In that situation, I would just pinch the taller tops to let the others catch up.

Plants are looking great.
 

thumper60

Well-Known Member
Well, 10 weeks old, and they are growing like crazy. Topping as much as I date. They have changed some in the way they are growing. Earlier, the growth was symmetrical, and much easier to see where to top. Now, the growth is asymmetric. This is my first grow, so read as much as I can, but definitely a rookie.View attachment 4165602
its getting border line time wise to be topping in new England,i would be bending at this point every thing should be budding in 2 weeks if not ya in for a late harvest:bigjoint:
 

Chief Chieferton

Well-Known Member
Man...I'm thinking about harvesting all these plants, and even worse drying and curing them. I wish someone had a business where they would come and get the plants, trim them, dry them, cure them, and bring the finished product back. Obviously they would get to keep 25% of the total dry weight (or whatever we negotiate).

I'd love to have no stress about doing it myself, as there is no task to do with the plants that I dont LOVE and look forward to doing myself, but with last years experience I am concerned for their wellbeing. I feel like I'm going to have to take a week off work to do it right and monitor RH non stop. Hahaha
I hear that bro! Last fall was a challenge till the end. Had to Macgyver my way to harvest. Haha definitely no more pure sativa out here. By the end of it i was i was doing some things that most people would consider insanity. Save yourself some stress and aggravation. If you have the means enclose them in plastic by 9/1 have a small ac and dehumidifier in there at canopy height. Only really need to control humidity. What saved the whole thing is when i started heating at night with small wood stove or metal bucket filled with coals from my house stove. Game changer. Fire sucks the moisture out of the air very efficiently along with keeping the gals toasty. GL N.E. outdoor friends!
 

Chief Chieferton

Well-Known Member
its getting border line time wise to be topping in new England,i would be bending at this point every thing should be budding in 2 weeks if not ya in for a late harvest:bigjoint:
37 days till flower starts here. 5 weeks is plenty of time for mature plant to recover. I stop the top at preflower always.
 

Black-Thumb

Well-Known Member
Well, 10 weeks old, and they are growing like crazy. Topping as much as I date. They have changed some in the way they are growing. Earlier, the growth was symmetrical, and much easier to see where to top. Now, the growth is asymmetric. This is my first grow, so read as much as I can, but definitely a rookie.View attachment 4165602
They look awesome. Very very bushy and healthy. Whatever you are doing, keep up the good work.
 

Chief Chieferton

Well-Known Member
I was only able to top some of mine twice. Most all my strains are flowering now.
I don't bother with top anymore. I go for the FIM early around 4th 5th node. Multiple things happen here. You will stunt the plant, everything is a tradeoff in this world. If it takes whatever growth you lost will be made up in short order. If it doesn't take it's effectively a topping anyway. Almost always get at least a third cola at least. While growth is stunted plant is still building and storing energy which will be obvious in her stalk just below FIM. Explosive growth at recovery. Technique is everything on this. I always do it at night and never use a blade of anykind. Btw topping stunts also just a few days shorter recovery. I did this to 12 plants this year with only 1 complete fail. Even that plant is still outpacing last years growth. Some variables affecting this but all in all I'll do it everytime barring autos and a tree grow.
 

Chief Chieferton

Well-Known Member
I don't bother with top anymore. I go for the FIM early around 4th 5th node. Multiple things happen here. You will stunt the plant, everything is a tradeoff in this world. If it takes whatever growth you lost will be made up in short order. If it doesn't take it's effectively a topping anyway. Almost always get at least a third cola at least. While growth is stunted plant is still building and storing energy which will be obvious in her stalk just below FIM. Explosive growth at recovery. Technique is everything on this. I always do it at night and never use a blade of anykind. Btw topping stunts also just a few days shorter recovery. I did this to 12 plants this year with only 1 complete fail. Even that plant is still outpacing last years growth. Some variables affecting this but all in all I'll do it everytime barring autos and a tree grow.
7 main cola at 30". 7 weeks old with 5 more before flower. Probably will get to 5-6 ft. and stacked. LST these before they crowd each other.20180715_142207.jpg 20180715_142139.jpg
 

too larry

Well-Known Member
I don't bother with top anymore. I go for the FIM early around 4th 5th node. Multiple things happen here. You will stunt the plant, everything is a tradeoff in this world. If it takes whatever growth you lost will be made up in short order. If it doesn't take it's effectively a topping anyway. Almost always get at least a third cola at least. While growth is stunted plant is still building and storing energy which will be obvious in her stalk just below FIM. Explosive growth at recovery. Technique is everything on this. I always do it at night and never use a blade of anykind. Btw topping stunts also just a few days shorter recovery. I did this to 12 plants this year with only 1 complete fail. Even that plant is still outpacing last years growth. Some variables affecting this but all in all I'll do it everytime barring autos and a tree grow.
Once in a while I will FIM the old fashioned way. Not meaning too.

How plants respond to topping will vary quite a bit from strain to strain. Almost all my Poly Shunk crosses had weird and retarded growth from the new tops. Some of them did grow 3-4 tops, but they didn't all grow the same rate.
 

too larry

Well-Known Member
37 days till flower starts here. 5 weeks is plenty of time for mature plant to recover. I stop the top at preflower always.
That is a precise number. Have you grown these strains long enough to know to the day when they start? Hell, it seems the longer I grow a strain, the more it will change.
 

McLovinVT

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the feed back everyone! Much appreciated. The LA Con pistils are becoming more numerous and a bit longer. Will not top anymore. At what point should you shift their diet to less nitrogen?
 

too larry

Well-Known Member
What I do is veg food first three weeks. 50/50 veg and flower food next three weeks, then flower food the rest of the way.
Thanks for the feed back everyone! Much appreciated. The LA Con pistils are becoming more numerous and a bit longer. Will not top anymore. At what point should you shift their diet to less nitrogen?
 

DCcan

Well-Known Member
Hey,
You guys running Getaway, which one or two of these will keep me off the couch and smiling all day? No straight up R2 seeds right now, I'll get those in spring:leaf:
Okay.. guess were all too busy growing today for a smoke report...Checked the calendar and can get 2 runs indoor before mid March 2019, so the Downeast skunk is germinating now. I had 2 males that the wife was hissing at every day, wait till she meets the sisters:weed:
 
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