Thanks Moeb.Happy to contribute.
The resulting 2 branches from a topping,are bent over,and away from each other.The shift in gravity to the horizontal branch creates more shoot sites,and opens inner canopy to more light.
Cool beans for the 100% spidermite kill.Those strips do work.
The white stuff is a severe case of PM.
How to use Polyfil as a medium in a Hempy cup.
Seed
Take a 6,12,or 24oz cup,and make about a 1/4" (.6 cm) hole,2" (5cm) up from bottom of cup.Fill cup with Polyfill to
about 1/2" (1.3cm) from top.Take previously prepped,seeded Rockwool starter cube,and put on top of Polyfil.Add extra Polyfill to center,and make cube stabil.If Rockwool is in danger of drying out quickly,just place a Ziplock baggie over cup for moisture retension.Remember to keep Rockwool moist not saturated.Keep ph'ed water or 1/16-1/8th strength nutrient solution in res till plant establishes with visible growth.
Clone
For clones with at least 3-4" (8-10cm) roots.Take cup,and fill with medium to bottom of drain hole.Take clone,and wrap with polyfil for a snug fit in cup.Make sure to leave at least 1/4-1/2" (.6-1.3cm) of roots exposed from bottom of wrap.Place wrap
with roots resting on res (RRR),and fill around to make stabil if needed.Give clone lite feed,light intensity,and work up slowly.
Transplant
Tilt drain cup.Pop out plant,and place in (previously filled to bottom of drain hole) bigger cup with RRR method (roots resting on res.Fill around to center and stabilise.Plant should take normal feed and light,reduce when in doubt.
*If plant gets heavy,and compacts polyfil pushing taproot closer to res?This is unhealthy for the plant,but easily resolved.
Tilt drain/pop out.Fill cup with new medium to bottom of drain hole then RRR (rest roots on res).It is very important to keep an airzone between top of res to bottom of taproot,or plant will drown,or become susceptable to disease.
Polyfill can be harvested from a throw away couch.Wear gloves,and watch for discoloration (an elderly pet may have lost it's bladder control or something worse).Put in sturdy trash bags,push out most air,and close airtight for a week(starve potential bugs of oxygen).Before initial use,soak in a mild bleach solution for about an hr or 2.Polyfil is ready when the bleach is completely rinsed out.Any pocket concentrations of bleach will kill your plant,so wring out and plainwater soak till no more bleach smell.I throw away any Polyfill with roots in it when done.Throw away couches are free.
It will take extra ingenuity to use for larger plants,so not recommended.
Polyfil is highly resistant to insect attack (Root Aphid larvae expend alot of energy trying to move thru medium).
Polyfill gives more airflow to the air zone (area between top of res to bottom of taproot) than Perlite.
Couch harvested Polyfil gets repurposed before landfill.
I never had any complications with 6-8 mo old mothers before clone replacement.
Watch out for debris dropped in from the manufacturer (ie rusty staples/nails etc).
Polyfill can be bought from craft stores,or taken from pillows,stuffed animals etc.
For an experiment fill to bottom of drain hole with your favorite medium,and air zone with Polyfill.
For an experiment take your favorite medium,and amend with,or make Polyfill layers.
For an experiment transplant established Polyfil medium plant into soil.
For an experiment replace net pot Hydroton with Polyfil (may have to make plant stabil with string as it gets bigger?).
Polyfil is ph inert,and easily flushes out build up of nutrient chem salts.
