1st time putting in-ground; Question-

Northern Cali, near coast (shoutout if you recognize where/who I am), and it’s my second summer growing (though I’ve had multiple harvests), and it’s my first time actually putting a plant in the ground.

I am torn on whether I should prune this beauty up or not, and if/how much I should defoliate.

The sun is still passing close to directly overhead with a slight dipping to the South.
Probably close to 100degrees of light with blockage in the mid morning and evening due to Redwoods.

Strain is a lone seed I found in some littles from an indoor friend; Viper Cookies.
I’ve been really lucky with the “ladies” this year and she’s probably about 3-4 weeks into flower, which, being as outdoor light cycling gradually shifts into a 12/12, is still somewhat early in her flowering stage, methinks.

So, wisened Veteran Outdoor Grower’s (preferably of similar latitude)-
Prune or not, and what kind of defoliation if any?

I can smell it from here. Leave well alone. I only pick off old yellowing leaves that are getting in the way.

Depends on what kind of weather you're going to get from now til harvest. Here in the Northeast we are ramping up for hurricane season( already had a few storms) that can bring heavy winds and rain. I plan on cleaning up the lower section of all my plants for increased airflow to hopefully curb pm or budrot. I am also coastal so even a cloudless night there will be dew on my plants every morning. Defol is a heated debate but I think it all depends on specific environments and it might be helpful in certain situations as a preventative measure.
This summer has been my first real go outdoors in a few years. I had forgotten how much work outdoor grows are if you're trying to stay vigilant against mildew/mold/insects and pests. Gl

You might consider gently “opening up” your plant where the branches are tightly packed, then support the branches with some mesh trellis.

I would clean up around the bottom and do very little defoliation.. Just some of the older stuff..

Thanks for the suggestions, all.
I’m going to check the Farmer’s Almanac but I feel it will probably be a so-called “Indian Summer” and warm through September. ‘Round here we call August “Fog-ust” and it usually brightens up in September, but also, there is a lot of moisture and dew in the morning.
So, I think I will prune up the bottom some and lightly defol some of the inner area, and/or spread it open with bamboo, stakes.
I could blackout tent it in the eve to hurry along the flowering but don’t really want to bother with that this year.

Anyone ever grow Viper Cookies outdoor or in a high RH environment? No problems yet and I do preventative spraying once a week with different solutions at a whim.

I wouldn't touch it at all. I would spray it down with some Southern Ag Biological Fungicide before the buds really take off as a preventive measure-totally safe and organic and cheap. Dose the roots with it every few weeks too.

I fert with a homemade “fish-beer”; fish seems to be an active ingredient in some organic pest-control/fungicides, and I imagine it’s helping to keep the gophers away.
I’ve been spraying with rosemary water (that’s steeped for days in the sun) mixed with half&half, and a little baking soda, as of lately.
I like to find affordable homemade remedies so going to look up the active ingredient of your suggestion.
Thanks for the advice and another vote for no-touchy. I kinda do want to just let it go au naturale to compare against my other heavily-pruned up outdoor plants.

I definitely 100% would not prune anything off of that. And I wouldn’t even defoliate at all with it being that small, it’s going too pretty much have good light throughout its entirety

707mend said:

I definitely 100% would not prune anything off of that. And I wouldn’t even defoliate at all with it being that small, it’s going too pretty much have good light throughout its entirety

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Thanks, 707.
Hey, if you want a cut or a few, I’m happy to give them. DM if you do.
I’m still thinking of doing some lower-branch pruning (which I’d use for clones) then cover wound with something helpful. I’ve seen on cannabis, tomatoes, and peppers how it can really help to prevent soil moisture from molding the plant, but, I am newer to canna than other plants.
Bottom-line is I want to treat this one as naturally as possible but still get good medicine, and maybe some clones, or X with the Kwazulu pollen I have in my freezer.

Just out of curiosity since you brought it up (and definitely don’t answer if you don’t want too) which of these towns are you closest too, Gualala, fort Bragg, legget, eureka. Just curious since I’m only an hour from fort Bragg myself. Or better yet which station is npr where your at? I’m 91.5. Luckily I’m inland enough that I don’t have too deal with the fog, it’s nice not having mold or pm, I have some friends closer too the coast though and it can get rough for their outdoor/greenhouse, being so overcast, cold and wet all the time

707mend said:

Just out of curiosity since you brought it up (and definitely don’t answer if you don’t want too) which of these towns are you closest too, Gualala, fort Bragg, legget, eureka. Just curious since I’m only an hour from fort Bragg myself. Or better yet which station is npr where your at? I’m 91.5. Luckily I’m inland enough that I don’t have too deal with the fog, it’s nice not having mold or pm, I have some friends closer too the coast though and it can get rough for their outdoor/greenhouse, being so overcast, cold and wet all the time

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Haha, KMUD is my fav, and I’m 90.3, FB.
Yeah, inland and higher elevation is where all the famous “NorCal/Emerald Tri” weed is grown. I’ve started breeding a couple strains that are said to be pretty mold-resistant. Namely- Durban Poison and Kwazulu (which, the latter, apparently NOBODY grows…seriously- try to look it up; I like it’s terpenes and stickiness a lot).
I’m not worried about folks/authorities knowing my details, but also not advertising them directly.
I would actually love to know some coastal growers who will grow out my DPKZ seeds for testing.

Rurumo said:

I wouldn't touch it at all. I would spray it down with some Southern Ag Biological Fungicide before the buds really take off as a preventive measure-totally safe and organic and cheap. Dose the roots with it every few weeks too.

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Is there a reason you wouldn't prune the inner shoots that are shaded and will make larf? I have a plant that is getting botrytis on the inner twiggy branches because of dense foliage. I'm also coastal and my humidity does hit 95-100% overnight and I spray southern ag garden friendly fungicide.

I'm mostly asking because I have 4 plants that are similar size to OP and I just got back from defoliating the dense inner twiggy branches. Now I'm second guessing myself.


@MAGpie81 we're pretty much in the same climate, I'm down in SF. You probably have better weather than me up north. Might be interested in a bean swap

Nice man that’s awesome, how stable is it? I got some cool Afghan cross strains this year and then a couple different gak strains that I’m super excited about. Yeah I’d be super interested too see how that’s turn out, sounds dope

For anyone out there who wants to hear what it’s like to have non-advertisement-funded radio in the heart of the Emerald-Triangle Redwoods, please check out KMUD.org
They are radio-with-Soul, meaning no monied-interests affect their programming, and their music is diverse, from folk, to reggae, to country, to electronic, and punk, blah blah…

sirtalis said:

Is there a reason you wouldn't prune the inner shoots that are shaded and will make larf? I have a plant that is getting botrytis on the inner twiggy branches because of dense foliage. I'm also coastal and my humidity does hit 95-100% overnight and I spray southern ag garden friendly fungicide.

I'm mostly asking because I have 4 plants that are similar size to OP and I just got back from defoliating the dense inner twiggy branches. Now I'm second guessing myself.


@MAGpie81 we're pretty much in the same climate, I'm down in SF. You probably have better weather than me up north. Might be interested in a bean swap

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Yeah, I’m in FB- I think you folks get more wind-chill than us farther North, for whatever reason.
I’d be down for a bean trade or even to just send you some. Working on some autos (i crossed a BananaKush Auto w/ BlueberryOG Photo, and have seeds plus some sprouted) as a Winter-Spring option, though I’ll still greenhouse them and use some lights.
Coolcool! Happy to discuss stuff with ya.

707mend said:

Luckily I’m inland enough that I don’t have too deal with the fog, it’s nice not having mold or pm, I have some friends closer too the coast though and it can get rough for their outdoor/greenhouse, being so overcast, cold and wet all the time

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That's why removing some leaves can be helpful. Open up the inside a bit so it allows more airflow.

sirtalis said:

Is there a reason you wouldn't prune the inner shoots that are shaded and will make larf? I have a plant that is getting botrytis on the inner twiggy branches because of dense foliage. I'm also coastal and my humidity does hit 95-100% overnight and I spray southern ag garden friendly fungicide.

I'm mostly asking because I have 4 plants that are similar size to OP and I just got back from defoliating the dense inner twiggy branches. Now I'm second guessing myself.


@MAGpie81 we're pretty much in the same climate, I'm down in SF. You probably have better weather than me up north. Might be interested in a bean swap

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Im coastal northeast and my plants have been wet every morning this summer. That's going to be tough come October with under 50° mornings. Defol is almost a must in my location.

natureboygrower said:

That's why removing some leaves can be helpful. Open up the inside a bit so it allows more airflow.

Im coastal northeast and my plants have been wet every morning this summer. That's going to be tough come October with under 50° mornings. Defol is almost a must in my location.

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natureboygrower said:

That's why removing some leaves can be helpful. Open up the inside a bit so it allows more airflow.

Im coastal northeast and my plants have been wet every morning this summer. That's going to be tough come October with under 50° mornings. Defol is almost a must in my location.

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Totally, I just don’t see it being big enough or bushy enough for it too be a problem, if it was really big there’s so much more plant material that’s isolated inside, but on this there isint really anything that’s not getting sun or a breeze

natureboygrower said:

That's why removing some leaves can be helpful. Open up the inside a bit so it allows more airflow.

Im coastal northeast and my plants have been wet every morning this summer. That's going to be tough come October with under 50° mornings. Defol is almost a must in my location.

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One option is to create a blackout tent, and daily, remove/replace to create an even and absolute dark-out period that will speed up the flowering process.
4 tall wit

707mend said:

Nice man that’s awesome, how stable is it? I got some cool Afghan cross strains this year and then a couple different gak strains that I’m super excited about. Yeah I’d be super interested too see how that’s turn out, sounds dope

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Well, I know it comes from market-bound flower, and the product has always been one of my favorites. By name it’s a heavy-medical (pain-relieving and relaxant) strain, but my experience with it is being super motivated yet hella stoned. I think I just tend to want to do things while high, though.
I’m going to have to take some cuts to save- very nice structure and doing well as an outdoor. My friend who grew the seed-mother didn’t think it would do well as an outdoor as they’ve bred it indoor for so long, but they are pleasantly surprised and happy I grew out this one, too

MAGpie81 said:

Yeah, I’m in FB- I think you folks get more wind-chill than us farther North, for whatever reason.
I’d be down for a bean trade or even to just send you some. Working on some autos (i crossed a BananaKush Auto w/ BlueberryOG Photo, and have seeds plus some sprouted) as a Winter-Spring option, though I’ll still greenhouse them and use some lights.
Coolcool! Happy to discuss stuff with ya.

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Yea the central valley heat pulls all the cold air through the city, making it windy and foggy.

That sounds like an awesome auto cross. Is it the first generation? It will take 2 more until you can get to the recessive auto gene. Happy to help you get there.

First gen: AA (photo) x aa (auto) = all seeds are Aa (photo)
Second gen: Aa x Aa = 1/4 of them will be aa
Third gen: aa x aa = all seeds are now autos

I was going to try to start a similar project with Mephisto Forum Stomper crossed to CSI T-1000 x Bubba Kush. Unfortunately I started the Forum Stomper too late and I don't think it will throw pollen in the next 3 weeks.