IPM type discussion

Recently acquired a vested interest in a rec grow, I am also doing all the gardening for a salary...

I inherited some (very sad) vegetative plants that should have been flipped two weeks (at least) prior to my arrival. Its a brand new building, new build, and this will be the first crop on the license. The plant inventory I inherited is from clone. I despise clones for all the reasons they are and should be despised lol...

Long story short: growing this many (400+) plants from clone has been an impetus for me to devise a more clear IPM program than I have ever needed to before. 20 years of organic dirt farming, a little hydro, and I have never had PM (never used a single clone, either). I have experienced PM on close associates of mine's grows and in a consultation faculty (and I usually counseled they send it to the extractors and start fresh). I have 200 Rude Boi on day 20 of flower with PM. Mind you, not all 200 exhibit PM (maybe 20 total did), but since the other two strains in the room have shown no PM, I can safely assume its in the Rude Boi. I have taken all the corrective actions I can. RH peaks in the low 50's occasionally, but stays mostly 39-45%, and was always the case. But temp has been adjusted from 75 to 81. Air exchange is sufficient. Potassium carbonate+castile soap spray. Regalia in reservoir (rockwool substrate). I interface heavily with the plants, so I caught PM immediately and I am confident I can manage it. Plus, there is a financial impulsion to do so. So...I have been cramming on fungicide technology this past couple weeks and I have a few questions that I can't easily google re: mostly fungicidals.

1. does citric acid act systemically or translaminarly or neither? usage specs?

2. what are the usage specifications for lactobaccilus acidophilus in cannabis cultivation? foliar? reservoir?

3. anyone with actual firsthand (not anecdotal) experience using UV light to eradicate pathogens in a grow?

4. (not fungicidal) is KOH too dangerous to handle for pH adjustments? (I keep seeing that scene from Fight Club in my head). I am watering high ppms and looking to find a better pH adjust than the over the counter solutions. Tried potassium carbonate, very effective, not as cheap as I want it to be.

thanks in advance for any input. cheers!

Undercarriage from a couple days ago.

Honestly I got nothing on your questions. I've never had PM and I hope I can keep it that way.

However I am curious why you seem to so adamantly hate clones? I can't imagine life without cloning. I've had strains I've loved and have ran for 4+ years. Heck I'm still running one right now that I've had for 5ish.

Anyway not trying to be rude, just curious. I've met people who didn't use clones before but I don't know if I've ever encountered someone who seemed to dislike them so strongly.

Clones are weaker. Seed voracity is real.

I honestly can't even understand cloning when we have 50 years of hybridization in America to build seed stock on.

Clones are weak, disease prone, regressive.

I just love seed. Obviously, many many people operate using clones. Its just my preference. I do this to survive. Seeds yield more and using seed stock mitigates many of the risks compounded by cloning. Also, propagation is a million times (slight exaggeration) more straight forward and labor friendly using seed which is important when you are working alone in production farming.

Systemic disease is a symptom of cloning.

I am a seed guy.
But i cant imagine the chore of getting 400 females from seed would be.
To ensure i would get 8 nice girls i would usually germ a min of 24 seeds... then wait for 40ish days to see sex maturity to pull the boys out.
This is simply not viable for a 400+ plant op. In fact... anything over 20 plants, this would be a colossal time wasting chore.

I would never argue that clones can be as vigorous as seeds. Not a chance. But i will say that not every seed is going to give you a strong plant even if they are the finest of genetics and fresh.

For time and consitency... a big op has to go clones for turn around and as long as they come from a solid mom and are cared for well... they will produce just as well as those from seed.

Gquebed said:

I am a seed guy.
But i cant imagine the chore of getting 400 females from seed would be.
To ensure i would get 8 nice girls i would usually germ a min of 24 seeds... then wait for 40ish days to see sex maturity to pull the boys out.
This is simply not viable for a 400+ plant op. In fact... anything over 20 plants, this would be a colossal time wasting chore.

I would never argue that clones can be as vigorous as seeds. Not a chance. But i will say that not every seed is going to give you a strong plant even if they are the finest of genetics and fresh.

For time and consitency... a big op has to go clones for turn around and as long as they come from a solid mom and are cared for well... they will produce just as well as those from seed.

Click to expand...

Hmm, been doing it for about 10+ years this way. When the price was still proper and I only needed to stack 4 medical cards to make a living, and I was just hunting for females, I never had a ratio as disproportionate as your 8 out of 24. That's jaw dropping to me. Did 58,0000 plants from seed (not a typo) my way for a state research project, by myself.

Seeds can be sexed with 98% accuracy using simple methods of criteria.

Plus feminized seeds exist.

There are also other proprietary techniques I use to assure female germination which I am not inclined to share for free, as I make money with the information.

But seed sexing is easily researchable.

Basically I have one method of getting seeds to germinate at 98+% female, in combination with screening the seeds for sex, usually gets 99.9% accuracy. Honestly, I usually am overjoyed to find a male, to pollinate with.

One more thing, sex is easily distinguishable at 28 days...

For your continued learning....never had less than 92% accuracy using these criteria. As I said, in combo with other methods I employ, its not uncommon for 100% female germ. cheers

*wintermute* said:

Basically I have one method of getting seeds to germinate at 98+% female, in combination with screening the seeds for sex, usually gets 99.9% accuracy. Honestly, I usually am overjoyed to find a male, to pollinate with.

Click to expand...

Even at 99.9% female germ rate you have to watch every single plant. Lol labour intensive
I used min 25ish seeds to ensure i would get 8 females... i often got more... but also not every seed would pop and not every popped seed would necessarily grow healthy... runts in every batch...

I just wanted to ensure 8 good females...

As for fem seeds...i dont want to start a debate, but i never had great luck with those... even from the finest breeders

Gquebed said:

Even at 99.9% female germ rate you have to watch every single plant. Lol labour intensive
I used min 25ish seeds to ensure i would get 8 females... i often got more... but also not every seed would pop and not every popped seed would necessarily grow healthy... runts in every batch...

I just wanted to ensure 8 good females...

As for fem seeds...i dont want to start a debate, but i never had great luck with those... even from the finest breeders

Click to expand...

I am a marijuana farmer. I watch every single plant, every single day. That's what we do. I interface with every plant multiple times a day.

Anyone that produces their own seed stock knows that pollen is not really a danger in a grow. First off, its very heavy. It doesn't blow around. It falls straight down. Secondly, it is rendered completely infertile by water. Literally, any garden with a regular foliar application regimen is safe from pollenization even with a male present, especially when considering the brief window in which pollenization occurs.