Maat Aatack
Well-Known Member
Just returning to the grow scene, I chose an "easy to cultivate" strain. My question is: what makes a strain more difficult to grow than others?
Difficult Strains?
- Thread starter Maat Aatack
- Start date
King Arthur
Well-Known Member
Good question with many possible answers, I will list some traits that would make a strain difficult to grow.
-Hemie Prone (Even though it has a high chance of hermie doesn't mean it always will, a master grower might get through with 0 seeds)
-Low immunity to plant diseases or mold: Some plants are more hardy than others and can survive in high humidity without getting covered in mold.
-Attracts Insects: you don't really want a plant that attracts insects right? BUT some of my favorite strains attract insects, especially GDP.
-Thin Stems: might not seem like a problem but if you have a plant with twig stems and huge nugs it becomes harder to keep everything together without breaking off a branch and even just up into the light. When the plants fall over you are losing out on that light that they were getting with straight up colas.
-Nutrient Fickle: There are some plants that can take a huge dose of nutrients and come out beautiful. Other plants can't take that and have adapted to have their own needs that may not be what your other plants in the garden need. For instance GSC and OG kush ae both strains known to be complete bad ass smokes but are harder to keep nice and healthy throughout the grow. Another example would be easy to burn the leaves.
This definitely isn't a huge list for you but it is a start.
-Hemie Prone (Even though it has a high chance of hermie doesn't mean it always will, a master grower might get through with 0 seeds)
-Low immunity to plant diseases or mold: Some plants are more hardy than others and can survive in high humidity without getting covered in mold.
-Attracts Insects: you don't really want a plant that attracts insects right? BUT some of my favorite strains attract insects, especially GDP.
-Thin Stems: might not seem like a problem but if you have a plant with twig stems and huge nugs it becomes harder to keep everything together without breaking off a branch and even just up into the light. When the plants fall over you are losing out on that light that they were getting with straight up colas.
-Nutrient Fickle: There are some plants that can take a huge dose of nutrients and come out beautiful. Other plants can't take that and have adapted to have their own needs that may not be what your other plants in the garden need. For instance GSC and OG kush ae both strains known to be complete bad ass smokes but are harder to keep nice and healthy throughout the grow. Another example would be easy to burn the leaves.
This definitely isn't a huge list for you but it is a start.
King Arthur
Well-Known Member
Oh and the longer the lifespan of the plant the longer a person must maintain the plant and the chance of messing up is up there. Longer sativas are definitely not beginner plants.
Maat Aatack
Well-Known Member
First off, love the avatar... In my top 3 favorite movies of all time.
Second, thank you for the info. Would seem like an interesting project to put it all down on paper. If we know why they are difficult we should be able mitigate the difficulty no?
Second, thank you for the info. Would seem like an interesting project to put it all down on paper. If we know why they are difficult we should be able mitigate the difficulty no?
King Arthur
Well-Known Member
It depends, it would take someone who knows more about genetics to help us out. We would be trying to isolate specific traits and I have 0 clue how to do that. Not sure how hard it is to tame a wild beast but I have plenty going on right now. Just here for laughs and good times.
I am hiiiiiiigh as a motha fucka!!!!
707humboldt
Well-Known Member
^Yup
Maat Aatack
Well-Known Member
Defo a good list and something's to keep in mind. As I write this though, im just reflecting on the importance of knowing what environment we are able to provide to the plants. Choosing strains to grow should be done in congruence with the environment it is to be grown and finished in agreed?
bigskymtnguy
Well-Known Member
Your question regards strains. Only have found one to be challenging and have finally abandoned attempts simply because it is not congruent with all of my other strains and requires very individualized attention.
Personally, I have found East Coast Sour Diesel to be nutrient fickle. ECSD does not like my normal Botanicare Pure Blend Pro/Liquid Karma - Coir/Perlite regimen.
Personally, I have found East Coast Sour Diesel to be nutrient fickle. ECSD does not like my normal Botanicare Pure Blend Pro/Liquid Karma - Coir/Perlite regimen.
Maat Aatack
Well-Known Member
Just nutes it's picky with huh? What's the climate you grow in? Indoor or out?
Maat Aatack
Well-Known Member
16week flowering duration? Never heard of such a thing! That would be rather testing I'd say!
THE KONASSURE
Well-Known Member
Yeah seen a few land race sativa`s that people have had in flower for over 6 months some people go one step above that and use lots of blues and cool whites instead or red heavy light to slow the flowering even but the bud grows totally different to the point where anyone growing for yield would never bother
I hear Dr GreenSpoon can be a bit of a challenge ?
Some plants are very very hard to clone so for people that like to grow a mum and clone it that can be hard
Also original cuttings of some very old strains can be a bitch to keep alive just because people have had them for so long they seem to get particular plus maybe its just odds if you have a plant for a long time sooner or later bad luck will strike
and plants that hermi late into flower can be tricky as you have to make a choice to pick off the male parts or scrap the whole plant and sometimes when its half your plants its a very tricky and risky choice to make
but I`d say plants that suffer from mold and root rot easy are harder to grow indoors and plants that shock easy are a bitch too
Train wreck can also be a bitch as it`s pretty fast but its buds get so fat it can snap itself pretty fast if you don`t support it
I hear Dr GreenSpoon can be a bit of a challenge ?
Some plants are very very hard to clone so for people that like to grow a mum and clone it that can be hard
Also original cuttings of some very old strains can be a bitch to keep alive just because people have had them for so long they seem to get particular plus maybe its just odds if you have a plant for a long time sooner or later bad luck will strike
and plants that hermi late into flower can be tricky as you have to make a choice to pick off the male parts or scrap the whole plant and sometimes when its half your plants its a very tricky and risky choice to make
but I`d say plants that suffer from mold and root rot easy are harder to grow indoors and plants that shock easy are a bitch too
Train wreck can also be a bitch as it`s pretty fast but its buds get so fat it can snap itself pretty fast if you don`t support it
Darth Vapour
Well-Known Member
No such thing as a difficult strain ??? give a plant proper lighting ,environment and proper amounts of food ...
It will reward you
It will reward you
Maat Aatack
Well-Known Member
I think I'm hearing proper environment is relative depending on the needs/special considerations.
bf80255
Well-Known Member
spoken like a true beginner
bf80255
Well-Known Member
oh hell yeah bro! lots of strains run past 16 weeks, some haze lines can be 14-28 weekers, as stated by the konnasure grinspoon is supposed to be finicky, landrace populations have lots of varying phenotypes so sometimes youll get stuck with a " never ending flowerer" ive never had 1 but ive seen a fgew grows where people just gave up after 20+ weeks because the buds werent filling out properly or the plant hermied super late into flower and still didnt have time to finish. Its also really hard feeding these types of plants.
bigskymtnguy
Well-Known Member
My ECSD has only been tried indoors. 1000w HPS, 15 gallon soft fabric pot filled with coir/perlite. CO2 enhancement. I've given up on the ECSD strain as my Blue Dream is SOOOOOO easy to grow, potent and is such a big yielder. I used to try at least one new strain with each indoor cycle, but I'm getting such good results with the core strains I've wondered why I waste the space on uncertain results.
Maat Aatack
Well-Known Member
Yes, I'd have to have lots more space, money to burn and a commitment to the challenge. I'm currently growing an "easy" strain. Being first grow back in a while I'm taking it slowly. Frankly it's kepping me busy enough and I'm not sure how i would deal with differing strain needs, I'm having hard enough time figuring out the needs of differing phenos
torontoke
Well-Known Member
This is what breeders do and why they do back crosses and hybridization of certain strains to others.
They try to get out the undesirable traits while promoting the good.
Some are sucessfull others not so much.
Best bet is stick to known strains that are easier to grow
Big Trees
Well-Known Member
Ya, you just have to be very observant and react when the plants need you to. Sometimes that isn't even enough, it usually takes a couple grows of a pheno to get it dialed in.I'm not sure how i would deal with differing strain needs, I'm having hard enough time figuring out the needs of differing phenos