Serapis
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone...
This grow is a bit weird, as it doesn't start with pictures of seedlings or cuttings. Most of us have subscribed to plenty of grow threads that have started there, and those are OK, but this one begins in the Flowering phase.
I had wanted to get the plants under the screen during veg, but I had some plants finishing up flowering. I chopped them down this past Saturday and decided to set up the screen, even though the plants were already beginning to stretch in flower. I pinched the main stems about 3-4 nodes down and laid them down and let the plant support the bent over tops. You can see them in the pics as the pale leaf undersides. Within 12 hours, the plant righted all of the leaves and began to curve the tops back up.
Pinching encourages branching. Just like topping, it causes the plant to release hormones that promote branching, in an attempt to recover the lost top. However unlike topping, we don't actually lose the top. The pinched area heals, and all the nodes of the affected main stems begin to grow new branch tops (future colas). These plants were topped previously, and the subsequent tops pinched.
My goal is to promote new growth that will become colas. I am late in the stage of the plants life to do this, however I am hoping that pinching the tops and encouraging a bunch of new tops will prolong the flowering period by a couple of weeks, and add to the stretching time as the plant recovers. Any tips or feedback on this is greatly appreciated.
About the grow: Secret Jardin 4' x 4' x 7' tent, 600 W HPS Plus HTG bulb and European air cooled hood, 440 CFM vortex and 12" carbon scrubber on a variable switch. This is my last soil grow before going hydro. I'm using the full line of Fox Farms nutes, except Sledgehammer. I have the liquids and the solubles and feed every other watering. I monitor PH and PPM with Milwaukee meters. The plants are in 3 gallon square pots. The pots are deep, probably intended for bulbs or orchids, but work great for allowing a MJ tap root to explore.
Some pictures......
This grow is a bit weird, as it doesn't start with pictures of seedlings or cuttings. Most of us have subscribed to plenty of grow threads that have started there, and those are OK, but this one begins in the Flowering phase.
I had wanted to get the plants under the screen during veg, but I had some plants finishing up flowering. I chopped them down this past Saturday and decided to set up the screen, even though the plants were already beginning to stretch in flower. I pinched the main stems about 3-4 nodes down and laid them down and let the plant support the bent over tops. You can see them in the pics as the pale leaf undersides. Within 12 hours, the plant righted all of the leaves and began to curve the tops back up.
Pinching encourages branching. Just like topping, it causes the plant to release hormones that promote branching, in an attempt to recover the lost top. However unlike topping, we don't actually lose the top. The pinched area heals, and all the nodes of the affected main stems begin to grow new branch tops (future colas). These plants were topped previously, and the subsequent tops pinched.
My goal is to promote new growth that will become colas. I am late in the stage of the plants life to do this, however I am hoping that pinching the tops and encouraging a bunch of new tops will prolong the flowering period by a couple of weeks, and add to the stretching time as the plant recovers. Any tips or feedback on this is greatly appreciated.
About the grow: Secret Jardin 4' x 4' x 7' tent, 600 W HPS Plus HTG bulb and European air cooled hood, 440 CFM vortex and 12" carbon scrubber on a variable switch. This is my last soil grow before going hydro. I'm using the full line of Fox Farms nutes, except Sledgehammer. I have the liquids and the solubles and feed every other watering. I monitor PH and PPM with Milwaukee meters. The plants are in 3 gallon square pots. The pots are deep, probably intended for bulbs or orchids, but work great for allowing a MJ tap root to explore.
Some pictures......
