Growing for potency

FredH said:

Drain to waste. Hmm I used the solution until it was weak and changed it or added ferts back for a long time. Got pretty good at it. Even organics creates a good amount of humidity but you are not constantly losing water because of your process.

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I heard of some people do that, but my run-off water is so gross i dont have the heart to run it back through lol. It looks like stuff precips because i let it get a good dry cycle in there. I usually throw it in the garden. I do use humic and fluvic acid though i believe thats why it looks so nasty.

Milky Weed said:

I heard of some people do that, but my run-off water is so gross i dont have the heart to run it back through lol. It looks like stuff precips because i let it get a good dry cycle in there. I usually throw it in the garden. I do use humic and fluvic acid though i believe thats why it looks so nasty.

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What was your medium? I used Rock wool, perlite, clean gravel and Turface. What I would usually do was watch the level in the res and refill with normal solution and when it got down half way then when it got down to half way again change it. Plus I used Jacks Hydro with some epsom salts added generally. It was cheap but worked pretty good.

FredH said:

What was your medium? I used Rock wool, perlite, clean gravel and Turface. What I would usually do was watch the level in the res and refill with normal solution and when it got down half way then when it got down to half way again change it. Plus I used Jacks Hydro with some epsom salts added generally. It was cheap but worked pretty good.

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Yeah thats my setup! I dont have a res, but i use peat with alittle abit of perlite in it. Love jacks nutrients my setup is nice and cheap.

Good genetics that take a while 10+ weeks, high intensity full spectrum light, low temps' good nutrients hydro so you can feed often rockwool or something like a flood tray drain to waste something you can really feed. I have had hydro 25 years ago from ag majors at Cal poly slo that shit was half weed half science experiment and is still the stoniest weed I have ever smoked by far, it was yellow light green and frosty as you can get taste was all hydro but the high would come over you with a flush you face change the room of 5 guys would get really quiet to stoned to talk the growers really pushed the genetic past what you would think was possible I have grown outdoor in very good conditions for a long time with great genetics and never gotten close to the thc. Whis you luck I would try that Fatso strain I heard they took it almost 80 days with thc increasing the whole way I have had chems that never seem to finish with the right environment I'm sure you could push some numbers pretty high.

I used peat at a 1 to 5 ratio when my water sucked because it was too alkaline. Got sick and tired of using PH down so ended my hydro days.

FredH said:

I used peat at a 1 to 5 ratio when my water sucked because it was too alkaline. Got sick and tired of using PH down so ended my hydro days.

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Yeah i feel that, i use well water and end up using a good bit of ph down. Thats really the only reason i would ever stop hydro, to make watering easier.

FredH said:

Heat does make the plants transpire more but the bad part of that is the high humidity that creates.

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Heat does not make a plant transpire more.. the right VPD does. Heat can hold more humidity, and that can be a battle if you can't control it. Ideally, in flower, you want a 20 point deficit. (i.e.) 80 degrees/60%rh or 85 degrees/65%rh.. veg is more like 10 difference. (i.e.) 75/65 or 80/70.

DoubleAtotheRON said:

Heat does not make a plant transpire more.. the right VPD does. Heat can hold more humidity, and that can be a battle if you can't control it. Ideally, in flower, you want a 20 point deficit. (i.e.) 80 degrees/60%rh or 85 degrees/65%rh.. veg is more like 10 difference. (i.e.) 75/65 or 80/70.

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In the winter it can be hard to keep 80 degrees and humidity is no issue generally, spring a different story as heat becomes something big to control along with humidity.

FredH said:

In the winter it can be hard to keep 80 degrees and humidity is no issue generally, spring a different story as heat becomes something big to control along with humidity.

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Totally understand.. it can be a struggle if you don't have the right equipment. But, for reference, here's an interactive VPD chart.

https://vpdchart.com/#F,56,80.6,79.7,0

Cool chart, the fact is heat and humidity are the two hardest variables to control. The struggle is real, Hah.

FredH said:

Cool chart, the fact is heat and humidity are the two hardest variables to control. The struggle is real, Hah.

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Yep!

FredH said:

Cool chart, the fact is heat and humidity are the two hardest variables to control. The struggle is real, Hah.

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But!.. i know this for fact, as I have experimented with it, and if you are spot on in flower at 1.2-1.4 Kpa on the VPD chart, they will drink/transpire like crazy! This means more production, more growth, and fatter/denser buds. I like to drop all levels (temps/rh/CO2) towards the end to mimic Fall. They love to take on environmental cues as what to do.
This is why at the flip, they trigger hormones to flower. Dropping temps/RH signals them that they are about to come to the end of thier life cycle, and they need to swell up thier buds (big vaginas looking for pollen as a last ditch effort), to make thier species survive, even tho this is not our goal. It's manipulation.

This is strictly anecdotal, but since I've started using DynaGrow Protekt Silica I've noticed a considerable increase in the overall trichome production, plus better smell and stickiness. I can't measure it, but it seems to be worthwhile improvement.

Laying off weed for two weeks makes the next smoke more potent. I have evidence. Yes, right now.

Just like to point out that there are lots of people and studies that say dark period before harvest helps potency. Genetics is key and as healthy a plant as you can muster.

Agree VPD. DoubleA knows his shit. You should listen.

Genetics is 95% of it. I lost track of how many seeds I have tried that grow beautiful weed but the buzz is always weaker than the Sour D growing right beside it. I never get immune to Sour D.

Lucky Luke said:

Just like to point out that there are lots of people and studies that say dark period before harvest helps potency. Genetics is key and as healthy a plant as you can muster.

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Just as many people and "studies" to the contrary as well.

Good genetics like in house genetics or cannarado genetics, good lighting, you probably want something like a Lumatek Zeus 600W Pro and you want full control over your environment, your temps & humidity, you can do this by getting a few inkbird controllers to monitor your grow. And just maintaining healthy plants all the way through is what's going to get you the most potent stuff Taking clones off the most potent phenotype will also help you to get more potent stuff on your 2nd run

If you run several different strains and are often popping new seeds in a never ending quest for the next holy grail. Take two clones of everything before you flower.

It's always the new one that you didn't keep a clone of that's super potent.