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REGENERATION
Dear
Ed,
I
am growing 15 plants from seed. I would like to regenerate the plants
with the best buds into mother plants. How does regeneration work? Do
the plants have to be a certain size?
El
Toro,
Seattle, WA
Marijuana
plants respond in a predictable manner to changes in the lighting
regimen. Given 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness each day, the plants
change from vegetative growth to flowering. Inversely, plants which have
been under the flowering regimen of 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness
each evening, can be forced back into vegetative cycle using continuous
lighting.
To
force plants from flowering to vegetative growth, cycled light is
replaced by continuous lighting. When the ripe buds are pruned from the
plant, some vegetation, the
lower portion of the bud, is saved. New growth will emerge from this
vegetation within a few weeks of forcing.
The
plants can be any size, but they must retain some leaf matter to
regenerate.
FRUIT
FLIES
Dear
Ed,
I
have fruit flies in my garden. How can I get rid of them? I have drained my plant's soil and changed the water, but
that didn't work. Please advise.
Mr.
Choker,
Internet
Fruit
flies and sand flies are about a 1/16 of an inch long, and look like
tiny black gnats. They usually hang out towards the lower part of the
plant and near the planting medium. Both are vectors for disease. They
and their pupae, which live in the planting medium, eat decaying organic
matter. In their travels they are likely to pick up pathogens from an
infected plant and transfer it to the next one.
The
insects are attracted to the color yellow. One way to determine whether
the garden is infected is to hang a
yellow sticky card. If the garden is infected, some of the pests will
stick to it. Pyrethrum, an organic insecticide completely safe to
mammals, is effective at eliminating the insects. It can be sprayed or
used as a soak. The soak will kill the pupae.
Biological
control is an even more
effective method of eliminating the pests. Beneficial nematodes are
microscopic worms which attack all kinds of soil dwelling insects. They
are available at many nurseries and by mail order. They are inoculated
into the medium by adding them to the irrigation water just before it is
to be used. The nematodes search out the pupae and then invade and eat
them from the inside out. Then they reproduce and the cycle repeats.
Within a week or so the mature flies die, and virtually no pupae emerge
from the inoculated medium.
SEEDS
IN CONTAINER
Dear
Ed,
How
many seeds should I plant in each container? I plan to grow in 20 liter
pots.
Stevie,
Internet
Start
each seed in an individual container. Rather than germinating the seeds
in the large containers, use two to four inch pots so that many seeds
can be sown. Then the best plants can be selected to grow in the large
pot
STAYING
ALIVE
Dear
Ed,
We
want to keep about 20 plants alive for a month without supervision. We
don't need great growth or vigorous plants when we return, but don't
want to have dead plants.
Closet
Cultivator,
Internet
First,
air circulation and temperature must be managed. Automatic ventilation
and thermostat controlled cooling can take care of that. The very high
intensity lighting should be placed (20-30 inches) 50-70 centimeters
higher than normal.
There
are many ways to deal with water. Plants growing in soilless mix can be
watered passively using a wick system. Wick systems are easy to make.
Before planting mix is added, several pieces of 3/8th inch woven nylon
rope is placed up the side of the container and through the bottom
holes, and hanging out about 20 centimeters (7 inches). After planting,
the container is placed in a tray with sides 15 cm (5 in.) high. The
container is raised using a pallet, blocks of wood, styrofoam blocks
or other inert pieces. Water is added to the tray and the
container is watered. Once the wicks are wetted, they draw water to the
container using capillary action, the same way a tissue draws up a
puddle. The wicks replace moisture in the pots as it is used, as long as
there is water in the tray.
A
ball valve, can be used to replenish water in the tray from an overhead
reservoir such as a working toilet tank. The valve keeps a stable water
level, opening only to replenish water as it is used.
Hydroponic
system reservoirs can be re-supplied with water from an additional
reservoir using a ball valve. Watering is controlled using timers or
computer.
LIGHT
TRACKS
Dear
Ed,
I
am using a 1000w HPS lamp in a 42sq ft. space. I am thinking of getting
a light track that moves the light back and forth to better distribute
the light. What should I expect to gain from this.?
Pman,
Los Angeles, CA
The
garden has an electric light input of about 24 watts per square foot.
This is inadequate for producing high yields in flowering plants. If the
light is now stationary in the middle of the garden, the plants at the
edges of the garden receive considerably less light than the ones
closest to the center. A light mover would help to even out light
distribution so plant growth would be more even.
The
garden really requires at least one more 1000 w lamp, increasing light,
input to 47 watts psf. Plants are living factories, using light energy
to convertcarbon dioxide and water to sugar. The amount of light plants
receivedetermines the amount of sugar they produce and thus their growth
rate. Adding more light will increase growth rate and bud yield
AIR
COOLING
Dear
Ed,
I'm
going to be growing in a 7'x 13' room on a 4'x6' table with two 600 w
HPS lamps. I am going to supplement the room with CO2. The room has a
window 1.5 x 2.5 ft. How can I control the heat under the lights that is
going directly on my garden? With enriched air can I bring in fresh air
from outside constantly or should I have air brought cyclically? If I
bring in fresh air do I need to vent out the old air? 1.5'x2.5' window?
Mad
scientist,
Minnesota
Air-cooled
lights are used to control the heat directly under the lamps. These
lamps have a glass plate at the bottom of the reflector so light can get
through but the heat is enclosed. Two 4" flexible air tubes, one on
either side of the reflector respectively push unheated air in and
exhaust out the lamp heated air. A small fan installed inside the tubes
pushes the air through. This eliminates much of the heat under the
plants and in the room. The heated air, which is odorless because it was
never in the grow room, is exhausted into a space which needs heating or
to a vent.
In
gardens in which the air is enriched with CO2, it is best to keep the
same air in the room to preserve the high levels of CO2. Even with air
cooled lamps the room heats up. If the room is ventilated, the new air
must be enriched.
One
way to solve this problem is by using window mounted or a portable air
conditioner. These units cool the air in the room but do not replace it.
As long as the air is enriched, cool and not too humid there is no need
to ventilate more than once an hour.
POTASSIUM
DEFICIENCY
Hi,
I
grow Jack Flash and Original Misty in Canna coco mats (coir in plastic
bags) using a run to waste dripper system. I follow the instructions on
the Canna coco fertilizer and everything seems fine up until the third
or fourth week of flowering. Then the lower fan leaves start to go
blotchy all over while the top leaves become very dark green. The
splotchy appearance spreads up the leaves eventually reaching the newer
ones. By harvest time there is little green leaf remaining.
I
feed the plants three times a day and flush with fresh water once a week
The pH is kept between 5.2-5.8. I also use a b.cuzz booster designed for
coco. I have tried adding epsom salts but it made no difference.
dazdon2001,
Internet
The
plants are suffering from potassium deficiency as well as other possible
deficiencies including nitrogen and phosphorous. The reason is that the
salts in the fertilizer are insoluble and unavailable to the roots in
the highly acid, low pH water. Adjust the water's pH from 5.2-5.8 as it
is now, to 6.2-6.5. The minerals in the fertilizer will become soluble
and available to the roots. New growth on the plant will not be affected
by the deficiencies, but the damage to the old growth will remain.
One
way to get needed nutrients to the deficient tissue quickly is to make a
foliar spray using a liquid kelp extract containing a high percentage
(3%) of potassium. The spray will provide micro-nutrients and plant
stimulants, too.
KNOWLEDGE
IS POWER
Dear
Ed,
I
am very poor and have spent too much money on chronic. I recently
cleaned out my closet, and am motivated to start growing.
I've saved up about 200 dollars already, (I cut back, and went to
the dirt weed), and I am ready to start my own grow room. I haven't a
clue on where to start. I try to read the stuff on the net, but
everything seems so complicated. Is there anything that gives exact
directions on what to buy, from where, and the process it going to take
to do it. I need something reasonably cheap and easy to follow.
Please help me out!!! I'm starting from scratch.
Gabe,
Los Angeles, CA
Buy
a good book on marijuana cultivation. They are advertised on the Net and
available in many bookstores. Even a simple guide will send you in the
right direction. Information is the most inexpensive of tools to
acquire. Make sure to read the book and plan your garden before buying
any other equipment. This will save you both time and money.
RIPENING
TIME
Dear
Ed,
How
long does it take for the plants to actually start getting buds on them?
Sonoma58,
Knoxville, TN
The
first signs of budding usually occurs about two weeks after the plants
are forced to flower. Marijuana
is forced by cutting the number of hours of light per day from 24,
continuous light, to 12, giving the plants 12 hours of uninterrupted
darkness each day.
Stigmas
start to appear at the node where the leaf joins the stem. They also
grow all along the tops of the plant. Plants usually mature 6-10 weeks
after the first flowers.
INEFFICIENT
FLUORESCENTS
Ed,
High
Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Metal Halide (MH) lights might be good for
some growers but for me I like to save my money and use fluorescents. I
have two four foot lights in a 4'x3' grow space. Is this enough light?
(5 plants total) How tall should I grow the plants before flowering?
Yello
Thumb,
Las Vegas, Nevada
Fluorescent
lights do not save you money. Although they are cheaper to buy, they are
much less efficient at converting electricity to light. The full amount
that you spend on light is the total of the cost of the equipment plus
the cost of power. On this basis, fluorescent lights are much more
expensive than HPS or MH lamps.
Fluorescents
can be used to grow a crop, but they don't produce a good yield because
the plants don't receive intense light. Not only are fluorescents
inefficient as compared with HPS lamps, but they are low wattage. Four 4
ft. fluorescents use a total of 160 watts. This is only 40% of the
electricity of a 400 w. HPS. Years ago, I recommended a minimum of 20
watts of fluorescent per square foot (psf) for budding. Later, I said,
30 watts fluorescent or 20 watts HPS psf. Now I recommend 40-60 watts
HPS psf. The more intense the light, the more energy it delivers. Plants
are fueled by light energy, which they use for photosynthesis. With more
light, the plant is able to produce more sugar, which it uses both for
energy and tissue building.
If
the garden is to be lit by fluorescents, for results which are
considered adequate in the twenty-first century, it will need two more 4
tube fluorescents fixtures. The lights will have a total input of 40
watts psf. Since there are only five plants in the garden, they should
be encouraged to bush a bit, so they have a wider canopy. On the other
hand, too much branching produces spindly buds. The lights are kept
about 12 inches from the top of the canopy. This can be a little awkward
if plants are different heights. One way to solve the problem is to
raise the containers of the shorter plants.
NITROGEN
DEFICIENCY
Dear
Ed,
I
have ten plants in my garden. They are all in enriched potting soil in
6" pots and are about a foot tall and bushy. This week the leaves
on the bottom of the plants started turning yellow and it is progressing
Should the plants be doing this?
Sunny,
Burnaby, BC
The
plants are suffering from a nitrogen deficiency and may be in too small
a container. They should be fertilized with a high nitrogen (N)
fertilizer. Check to see if the roots are girding the container. If they
are, they can be transplanted to a 10"-12" diameter container.
IDEAL
FERTILIZER
Dear
Ed,
We
have tried different variations of N-P-K ratios in nutrient solutions.
Is there an ideal N-P-K ratio for vegging and flowering?
Greengenes,
Internet
There
is no ideal fertilizer for several reasons. First, the quality of water
varies and fertilizer requirements vary with the mineral content of the
water. Secondly, different varieties of marijuana have different
fertilizer requirements. Third, nutritional needs change with
environmental changes. Light and temperature conditions have a
tremendous effect on plant needs. Fourth, marijuana's nutritional needs
change. Early and late vegetative, early, mid and late flowering each
have unique nutritional needs.
HARD
TO RIPEN
Ed,
I
have a plant that is taking a long time to ripen. What is the best way
to get the plant to ripen?
Batybo,
Internet
Equatorial
varieties, which receive 12 hours of darkness all year,
use other cues as well as light regime to determine flowering and
ripening time. They seem to respond to increasing dryness and cooler
temperatures as well.
Increase
the number of hours of uninterrupted darkness to 14 and lower the
temperature about 3 degrees Celsius, (5F.).
Some
varieties never seem to ripen. For instance, ruderalis and ruderalis
hybrids, which start producing flowers early, never develop big buds and
the flowers never ripen. Instead, the stigmas die but the ovaries never
develop. Some equatorial varieties also produce flowers as they grow,
but never develop flower heads under indoor conditions.
FLOWERING
EARLY
Dear
Ed,
My
garden has 14 plants which I grew from seeds. I'm in 3rd week of
vegetative growth under 24 hours of light. The babies are 5" tall
and are healthy. I am using the sea of green method. Now I'm planning to
begin flowering and sexing. Is that a good idea?
SMEF
Yes.
However, the yield will increase substantially if you allow the plants
to grow another two or three inches. This first crop you might also
think about branching the plants out a little since approximately half
of them are going to be tossed as they are sexed as males. This will
leave a lot of space available in the garden. Figure that each branch or
lead requires a space approximately 6" x 6", each square foot
can hold approximately 4 staked leads.
EARLY
FLOWERING
Ed,
I
am growing plants indoors from seed. When my plants get about 4 weeks
old can I take clones from them?
Cola
Dude,
Cincinnati, Ohio
Yes.
Then either the clone or the plant can be forced to flower. The clone
and the plant will have the exact same genetics and will react similarly
to the environment. Eventually they will yield the same type of bud.
REFLOWERING
Dear
Ed,
I
have a female plant that went through the flowering cycle. I left a lot
of flower material on the plant. I forced her back into a vegetative
cycle. How many days should I keep her in vegetative before forcing her
back into flower cycle again. How many times can I do this?
S.
Los Angeles, CA
The
plant can be forced to flower as soon as it has developed large enough
new leads to support large buds. You may have to prune the plant, too,
since revegetated plants have lots of branching.
The
plant can continue to switch cycles for a long time as long as it is not
attacked by bacteria or virus. One garden was using the same plants for
two years.
PASSIVE
OR ACTIVE HYDRO
Ed,
I
am planning my first home garden and am confused by contradictory
information contained in several books I've purchased. The garden will
be constructed in a 2'x2'x5' cabinet, using a "sea of green" approach. I can't decide whether I should use a reservoir system or an
active flow system. Some sources say an aerated reservoir is good for a
simple system, while other sources say the plant roots should not sit in
the water. Also, for a flow system, some kits come with submersible
pumps, while other authors say never use a submersible pump because the
pump will heat the nutrient solution and burn the roots.
Gerry
Columbia MD
Both
passive and active systems will work in the garden. Roots should never
sit in water that is not oxygenated. The roots require oxygen and will
die if they are sitting water without it.. An inexpensive air pump will
supply the reservoir with oxygen by circulating the water. As the water
comes in contact with air, it releases carbon dioxide and picks up
oxygen.
Small
submersible pumps use little power and create little heat. They can be
used in reservoirs without fear of boiling roots.
The
best advice for small gardens is based on the word KISS- Keep It Simple,
Stupid. Not referring to you, personally, of course.
BUYING
SEED
Dear
Ed,
I
live in the U.S.A. and I'm having a hard time finding good high quality
seeds. I know the legal ramification of buying through seed banks from
other countries. Is there any other way to purchase seeds?
Seedless
in Mo,
St. Joseph, Mo
The
legal ramifications of growing marijuana anywhere in the U.s. are
onerous. Anyone planning on embarking on the marijuana cultivation trip
should be aware that there is a government pogrom against marijuana, its
users, cultivators and even the culture associated with it. Last year
more than 700,000 of your fellow citizens were arrested for marijuana
and some of them are still in jail. Buying the seeds is just the start
of your vulnerability
The
door to door seed salesperson will be in your neighborhood next Friday
from 2:00-3:30.
FRUIT-FLAVORED
BUDS
Dear
Ed,
I
am growing outdoors in the 30th latitude. How do I get the buds to taste
like various fruits such as lime, grapefruit or berry?
Zoom,
Lebanon
Those
flavors are genetic factors which have been bred into the varieties. The
odor molecules are essential oils, the mono and di-terpenes. These
evaporate at low temperatures, starting at about 32 degrees celsius (90
F.). There are quite a few
varieties which yield fruit flavored buds. Choose one of them.
VARIETY
PATTERNS
Dear
Ed,
Is
it possible that 9 plants which came from seeds of the same variety can
grow in different patterns?
D.M.A
Odense, Denmark
The
reason that the plants all look different is that the breeder has not
stabilized the variety. It takes 6 or 7 generations of astute crossing
to create a variety from a hybrid.
F1
generation plants are all uniform. When the F1 generation is crossed by
itself it sorts out and plants show many different characteristics
because of the different versions of genes that the plants have. This
variation is what you are experiencing.
Take
clones of all the plants now. After harvesting and testing the plants,
choose the plant you like best. The clone will produce an exact genetic
duplicate of the original plant.
BEST
STRAIN FOR BEGINNERS
Dear
Ed,
I
am a beginning grower. I am wondering which strain to begin with.
I plan to grow in a small space, probably a closet or dresser.
I have not chosen lighting conditions but will use whatever is
needed for the strain I choose. Is
there an ideal strain for a beginner grower such as myself??
Future
Harvester,
Internet
There
are a lot of good strains around. For instance, Marc Emery's operation
advertises over 200 varieties. Most of them are derivatives of
commercialized strains. As with commercial seeds, such as tomatoes,
except for a brief, very favorable description, buyers do not really
know what they are getting. Add to that the middlemen are often
deceived, so the strains they advertise may not really be what the seeds
are and that many "varieties" are really hybrids of hybrids
and do not produce uniform results. It's a crazy world out there and
it's still- Buyers Beware. All that being said, there are some varieties
that are fairly easy to grow. The Skunk series and the White series are
both fairly common, but extremely high quality and very easy to grow.
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