hello all, I have a question, im bout to try super cropping for the first time.

mellow j said:

Sweet! Hell bro, nothing wrong with that plant. She looks healthy as a mofo! Im anxious to see your results of the side by side comparison. Thats an experiment that I need to see! Im with you on scroging In the aspect of not being able to move the ladies if we need to. I might just not top them or maybe just once, and super crop the side branches. Somewhere around the 3rd node sounds about right? Im just not sure exactly where on the branches to pinch. Right above, or right below a node. I don't know.
If you don't mind me asking, what strains are in those pics? Are they from clone or seed?

And bro, could you maybe, if you will, tell me what worked for you, as far as exactly where on the branch to pinch and bend is optimal, or does it mattet?

Did you lst when they where young, then super crop em, or did you just let em veg a few weeks without training, then super crop?
Thanks so much man! I feel so green having to ask these questions, but I highly respect accomplished growers and there wisdom and appreciate sharing experiences. Thank you!

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I'm a "sis" but that's not important

I pinch in the middle of the node. Usually half way up the main stem... I usually let them get 6 or 7 nodes then pinch somewhere between 2 and 3 or 3 and 4... depends. I then have to bend again in and maybe a third time depending on how much sativa is in the plant (the tall ones get cropped more obviously but they make the biggest adn best end result)

The plant in that pic is a Sour Diesel at four weeks from the flip to 12/12 and I grew from seed. I only vegged for about three weeks (literally 30 days after they popped out of the ground).

LST is 'low stress training' supercropping falls into that category but goes a little further. Usually in straight LST you dont actually crimp the main stem, you just bend and tie it. I find the crimp slows down the main stem growth enough for some real side branching action. When I just bend, i still get side branching for sure, just not as 'vigorous'. I still have to tie it, crimp or not, they will recover quickly and shoot back up. As far as recovery.... LST involved almost none, within hours the tops will turn back up toward the light. With Supercropping it takes a day or two to recover and with topping... more like three or four days for me. I keep bending a few weeks into flower if its necessary. My canopy is even except for the four main colas that I may need to tie down one more time if they get any taller.... they seem to have stopped growing like a weed for now.

They just woke up and the smell caught me so.... here's a pic at 35 days flower (same plant, week later)

In this pic you can see where I made the bends. Looking at it now, I would have bent in another direction besides the same as the first bend to keep the plant more... round or square... this is why mine is oddly shaped. You can see the string from the second bend as well.



A few more plus a current bud shot =)

GrowPops said:

I resemble that remark.
Cant say I'm accomplished nor highly respected and as far as wisdom......

I am also in similar size space, I have always topped at least once and supercrop and then LST all the way through the stretch during flower.
if plants outside I am not apposed to a little more heavy handedness with forced shaping .... as in they usually have me come by in the middle of the night and just stake the crap out of them as camouflage as they get out of hand in the flower beds. I was taught many years ago that the plant will actually then force more bud sites trying to increase its own reproductive chances. I can't say I ever tried to confirm this scientifically and am really interested in @cannibisdreams side by side comparison. I have snapped 1 inch thick main stems below the first branch and had the plant lay on the ground for a week wilted and thought dead. just to walk by a week later after a rain and have the dang thing try to stand back up.
I found these when setting up my current mock/scrog. I paid 5 bucks apiece but they allow for spinning in the cab and can be removed to outside (until they wont fit out the door) View attachment 3415093

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LOL... your plants look so much more.... 'professional' than mine! I want those screens! I need those screens! Where did you find them?

I'm betting topping+super cropping is the best way to go but... I still can't cut that main cola. My side by side is only two weeks into veg and they started out suffocating in my too small veg box, but things are moving along right now. Both look good but the topped plant has taller side branches..... too early but .. I'll keep us posted =)

Awesome guys! Thanks, and bong rips to you all! I can't wait to see the end result on your experiment Cannabisdreams! I'm totally invested in that comparison that your doing... Sour D must train super awesome, being sativa dominant and all.

I have some pretty heavy indicas atm, but promised my wife, a super lemon haze and a blue dream for my next run. I'll bet those are gonna train better thanbbubba, and northern lights... I'm already planning for it. Lol

The lemon haze will not only train well but its almost required in a small setup. I have some kind of lemony hazy female flowering with the three diesels... sour d does have lemon something in its genetics somewhere so maybe its just a different pheno, either way its a lot leggier and about a week behind the others in bud formation, it will definitely take longer to flower. It has extra long super white pistils.

I think Sour D and I will be together for a long time. I'll post something on my super cropping vs. topping experiment once they start flowering and things look more interesting. as of now, the goal is to keep the tops of both plants even with each other. I'm getting side branching on both but the topped plant's branches are more developed.

cannabisdreams said:

LOL... your plants look so much more.... 'professional' than mine! I want those screens! I need those screens! Where did you find them?

I'm betting topping+super cropping is the best way to go but... I still can't cut that main cola. My side by side is only two weeks into veg and they started out suffocating in my too small veg box, but things are moving along right now. Both look good but the topped plant has taller side branches..... too early but .. I'll keep us posted =)

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I found the grids out of the corner of my eye . Man am I glad I did. They are perfect fit for my cab. The ring is 16" and the legs 24 I believe and I cut them six inches shorter. I did end up having to tape them to the sides of the pot to keep them from lifting.
They are made by Luster Leaf, Link-Ups Grow Through Grid
I got mine at our local Menards but couldn't remember when I read the post so I did a search (starting with Menards) and they seem to be available at Farm and Fleet and Sears , and of coarse Amazon. But Menards now has a rebate offer and its final price.....$3.99. I Like the heavy gauge steel and vinyl coating much better than some of my past prototypes. Chicken wire looks cool but is a pita on several levels - I saved my very first scrog screen as a souvenir of what not to do again. I will dig it up and take a picture.
This screen gave me room to come up the outside and around when the main branches are stretching, and being round they allowed for spinning while I did it. Here is a couple shots. Check out the stem split on our little PK-2. She never even whimpered. I'm not sure if I did it or the force she was exerting during stretch.
32 days after flip.

Our Lemon Ice also appears to be a little longer grow cycle, they were the last to show sex and are a little bit longer in the node spacing. The stalks and branches are nice and thick and the leaves are fat, lush and.....exquisite..... would be a good word. (as I exhale and cough until I almost drewl from my ears......**^ck me , Medical my ass..)
.I'm guessing 5 more weeks and I hope to be done with bunk junk! produced by some bottle of chemical crap and a water pump with nothing other than profit in mind) Nice body buzz and very energetic head though.

Gotta hate that harsh lung killer smoke.. I just got a couple of dense, frosted to hell and back, dank flowers from a buddy that grows as well. He usrs bottled nutes too, but dude! I don'tthink he flushed at all, bbecause it was like inhaling shards of glass! Killer stone, really heavy body, but left me with a massive headache, and chared lungs. I had to stick to the bong. He says he flushed it, but dude, there's no way.
I grew all white rhinos last grow, and used molasses up until the flush. Then flushed for two weeks, andthe smoke was fairly smooth.. Could be better though. Always can be better..

I can't wait to start a couple of super lemon haze girls.

What would happen if you started germinating a couple seeds with the paper towel method, and when the seeds popped, instead of waiting for a half inch radical, you take it from there and plant it? I've always waited until there was a little bit of tap roots poking out. Im approaching 65 hours germing, and my NL fem has a little tap root, and my bubba is only split, no radical yet. I'll bet it would continue to germ in the soil, since the hormonal process has already began.
I've never had to germ this long. All previous times, I had a nice tap root in two and a half days. It's got me freaking out that if I leave them in the paper towel too long, it will harm them.. I REALLY DON'T WANNA LOSE THESE GENETICS!
Am I being too paranoid?

i usually just stick em in the dirt to begin with... but there's that wait.. not knowing whats going on under the soil. I think I killed at least one of my temple kush babies... trying to transplant it too soon... sigh...we'll see tomorrow.

the plants are looking awesome growpops... how long do you think they'll go. I'm thinking at least two of mine will be closer to the 8 week mark then 10.. .the lemony one will probably go 12.

Something I noticed. I pollinated one branch of my best plant. The buds on that plant are not as fat as the unpollinated plant. within days of pollinating she got super frosty everywhere but bud development seems a bit slower. I hope she'll just take a little longer and I haven't lost that much yield. we'll see I guess. I would have done it either way... I can't wait for these seeds.

LOL i wish i had my first screen ... it was a chicken wire mess .. i built a frame for it out of 2x1s but it was all mangled and terrible looking. I will definitely be finding those grow grids!

I am a drop a dry seed in a wet hole guy myself. I never liked the idea of exposed/touching the tap root. I will say that I never waited to place in soil once I saw the seed actually open and a tail even showed at all. and I feel the longer the root was before planting the less chance I had for survival. Mother nature has her shit together. There is only a certain amount of energy she can store in every seed to be used for that rooting process. And I decided that spouted seeds that fail when planted was my fault. If all of that energy gets used in repairing the damage caused by touching/planting/root rerouting before the cotyledons can supply more then ..... well you see my old hippy logic.
Its about helping her out not reinventing the process. Ever see the old Butter commercial "its not nice... to fool mother nature."
Notice I said "Drop" in my first statement. Well mother nature "Drops" her seeds. The heavier end of the seed will usually land down and works its way down heavy end down. By design the seed spouts the root pointing up, then genetics by design turn the root to grow down, (root is smooth and turns and works through soil easily). As the root builds pressure pushing down it starts forcing the seed pod up which helps pull the seed hull open and off the cotyledons.

cannabisdreams said:

i usually just stick em in the dirt to begin with... but there's that wait.. not knowing whats going on under the soil. I think I killed at least one of my temple kush babies... trying to transplant it too soon... sigh...we'll see tomorrow.

the plants are looking awesome growpops... how long do you think they'll go. I'm thinking at least two of mine will be closer to the 8 week mark then 10.. .the lemony one will probably go 12.

Something I noticed. I pollinated one branch of my best plant. The buds on that plant are not as fat as the unpollinated plant. within days of pollinating she got super frosty everywhere but bud development seems a bit slower. I hope she'll just take a little longer and I haven't lost that much yield. we'll see I guess. I would have done it either way... I can't wait for these seeds.

LOL i wish i had my first screen ... it was a chicken wire mess .. i built a frame for it out of 2x1s but it was all mangled and terrible looking. I will definitely be finding those grow grids!

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Im thinking 4 weeks minimum but should be close to the original breeder estimate of 7-8 weeks. Im thinking nine total. Counting on it actually. Im a little late pollinating and need probably 5-6 weeks for seed production. I will have room with two smaller pots going in the flower cabinet beside the big ones ( im running 7 gallon squat pots) if I get to cut the harvest before the seeds are ripe. Ive spent too much time outside getting a good jump on the vegetables. Neighbors thought I was nuts until the weather broke and all my plants are in and already 6 inches tall. You gotta see my tomato trellis experiment. (it will double as a greenhouse late season and camouflage for a couple gorilla buckets that I plan on trying to flower and harvest mid summer outside between cabinet harvests. Light manipulation outdoors never crossed my mind back in the day. But in a different euphoric moment of clarity it dawned on me that I can get them out in the sun (4 week indoor veg) 4 week outdoor veg, 8 week outdoor finish, and harvest before the copters and planes start flying around late summer/early fall. Then I only have two plants in the actual ground to camo up.

mellow j said:

Damn, that's some wicked looking branching Cannabisdreams!
I thought long and hard about scroging. Not ready for it yet, ya know..
I thank you for all of this knowledge sir.
So, since im going to be training her, your saying DONT top the main shoot?
Ok, that changes things upffor me. I was going to top( pinch off the top of the main shoot ) then top those new, two shoots to have four, then super crop and keep them tied from popping back up, along with all of the side branching.
If I'm gonna super crop, I don't see the need to lst before super cropping. I'll probably have to veg longer no dought, but wouldn't they both be accomplishing the same things? Level canopy, more tops, but super cropping, from what I understand, like you said, promotes more branching as its the plants response to being injured.
Also, with my mix I have at the moment, happy frog, light warrior, perlite, d lime,,,, do I have to add worm casting if I'm using Grow Big, Tiger Bloom, and Big Bloom bottled nutes?
I real familiar with the trio, and pretty good at reading the plant and using these nutes... Is it better to leave my little mix alone and put the ladies on the bottle?

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I put worm castings on every plant I have. Not just cannabis. When you add castings you will see a very visible difference.

That was the most elegant explanation about germination I have ever heard Growpops! Right after I posted yesterday, I went ahead and prepped some started soil and dropped them.
I'll be doing an imitation of ol mother nature next time.
Thanks brother

Thanks a bunch Caherbgrower! I was going to add earth worm casting to my mix. Taking half of my current mix aside, and enriching the other. That way I can pot with the hotter, enriched soil at the bottom half of my pots, and the top layer with the less hot soil at the top. So that the roots won't hit the hotter soil until the plants ready for it.

Only thing I'm concerned about is, how will enriching with earth worm casting will affect the ph?

mellow j said:

Thanks a bunch Caherbgrower! I was going to add earth worm casting to my mix. Taking half of my current mix aside, and enriching the other. That way I can pot with the hotter, enriched soil at the bottom half of my pots, and the top layer with the less hot soil at the top. So that the roots won't hit the hotter soil until the plants ready for it.

Only thing I'm concerned about is, how will enriching with earth worm casting will affect the ph?

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I'm not sure what it will do to the soil ph. Luckily I live in an area where my tap is at 7.0 regularly. A 20$ home Depot filter brings it down to mid 6's. So I don't really worry about ph at all. I've also never had any issues with the soil being too hot or plant burn as a result of amending my soil with castings
As long as it's castings only and not a casting mix. Some companies sell castings blended with other ingredients that I steer clear of.

Hey you guy's,
I need some advice.
I planted my bubba and northern lights this morning.
They are in red solo cups, in happy frog soil.
I went to check on them this afternoon, and gave the soil surface a little mist, and I'll be damn,
Fungus gnats again!
I have some mosquito dunks, and diatimaceous earth, but, my babies haven't even popped out of the soil yet.
I wanna kill these bastards but I don't wanna hurt my just planted seeds...

Any suggestions please?

QUOTE="caherbgrower, post: 11581512, member: 898763"]I'm not sure what it will do to the soil ph. Luckily I live in an area where my tap is at 7.0 regularly. A 20$ home Depot filter brings it down to mid 6's. So I don't really worry about ph at all. I've also never had any issues with the soil being too hot or plant burn as a result of amending my soil with castings
As long as it's castings only and not a casting mix. Some companies sell castings blended with other ingredients that I steer clear of.[/QUOTE]
Thanks bro. Im going to look for worm casting without any added ingredients

Those yellow sticky traps are the ticket for sure. Cheap,they work, and you get to see those little bastards suffer!!

I went to pick some yellow cards up last week, but theone place that has them where out. They were ggetting more the next day so they have them now.

Man this sucks. I am qp0% sure they came in the soil.
Getting ready for this grow, I bombed the house, and sterilized grow room with bleach as well as everything in my grow room.

I don't wanna freak and make a fatal mistake. I have some of thos ribbon like, stick fly tape hanging in there, but I know the yellow sticky cards are the best.
Shoul I leave it be, with sticky cards till they sprout, then treat them with mosquito dunks and d. earth?
Or will the gnats have killed my seeds by then?

Or, should I use dunks, and or D earth now, or will that kill my seeds?

Shit man. I don't know what to do!

My seeds are in the middle of germinating, in soil, riddled with fungus gnats.
Im getting sticky cards tomarrow.

I have mosquito dunks, and diatimaceous earth.

Can anyone help me out so my beans dont die?

Researching but can't find the answer for this specific scenario...

So I found all I could on this fungus gnat situation. First, I took a bottle cap, and covered right over where I planted seed,
I crushed up half a mosquito dunk, and spread it on the soil surfaces. Gave it a light mist to activate it. Then , I dusted over that with diatimaceous earth. Removed the cap covering where I dropped the seeds. That diameter is not touched with anything.

I didn't know what else to do y'all

Don't worry yourself too much. Gnats are more of a nuisance than a real danger to your plants health. Get the traps and rid the garden of them but don't lose sleep.