Getting rid of hermie pollen

Sativied said:

Too much characters for a single post, here's the rest:

Both are unnecessary and everything a grower does that isn't necessary is something that should be avoided. Cannabis seeds pop relatively easy and fast and pop despite many of the different methods people use, not thanks to. Germinating in paper towels creates requires an additional transplant and unnecessary risk. I've done a seed run earlier this year so had thousands of seeds to play with and found that the most efficient way (besides dropping a seed in soil - I grow hydro) is soaking the seed in a cup warm-ish water for 12-24 hours and than drop them in whatever (rockwool, jiffy, or even hydroton). I don't have a problem with people using paper towels to germinate though, I have a problem with people promoting it as some advanced/better/faster way to germinate (cause it isn't).

As for flushing, you can't flush a plant, you can flush a medium to leach some elements, if you don't over fertilize the medium, there's no need to try and reduce the nutrient concentration in the medium. Because some elements leach much easier than others you always create an imbalance. I run a low ppm NFT setup and measure continuously, the amount of nutrients used by the plant drops together with the water uptake. Less water uptake already means less nutrient uptake. (The use of ) quality nutrients in a proper ratio and level contributes to taste opposed to popular believe of smoking salts or w/e/ nonsense. Starving them near the end isn't going to improve the end product. All you got to do to grow A quality cannabis is provide it with a happy home and let the plant do its thing, which includes a happy home for the roots, which means one that contains nutrients, and does not include starving it. It's a little easier, faster to dry and not get hay/grass if you starve them prematurely (so you end yellow) which gives some the perception that flushing increases taste but the best quality+quantity comes from plants that are kept healthy throughout the entire run and are then properly dried and cured.

Less is more in so many ways. That goes for nutrients, watering, touching the plants, fans, frequency of opening tent/closet door and above all applying grow forum techniques and methods.

You're most welcome. Don't get that many people here willing to learn or at least hear another perspective especially when it comes to hermies and fem beans. Hermaphobia is hard to cure, best to try and not get infected in the first place.

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I use the paper towel "technique" because I'm a bit scared of timing with the glass of water, you basically don't have to let them soak for too long, correct ? 24h max ? I don't see a real difference, as long as you're gentle... Does paper towel means more stress for the plant ? Additional transplant, how ? I put them straight in coco after that. With water I'd still have to take them out of the glass to do the same thing. I don't follow... I might be too tired haha anyways, it works pretty well for me so why not... But I wouldn't say It's better than the cup of water.

As for flushing, at the end of my previous session, I actually gave them plain water for TWO FUCKING WEEKS (sorry, I needed to emphasize that) before harvest... Damn it... Talk about a waste of potency / smell. I did it because my friends told me to, never really questioned the whole thing until I saw you did. But It's crystal clear to me now (or at least a lot more), lack of nutrients for so long can only cause stress and lack of potency / smell. Now I get why my plant looked good but a bit "dead" during harvest day...

I'll basically reduce the EC during the last 2 weeks but I'll still keep them happy with fertilizers. Since I'm using Metrop in coco, I was worried about the salts but yeah... Now I get it. Not over-fertilizing and a good drying / curing will prevent / take out anything I don't want in my buds, not the illusion created by leaching and starving my plants for 2 weeks before I chop them.

I plan to use Shooting Powder for the last 3 weeks, ever tried it ? It seems to be a Dutch reference. Now I don't know your exact thoughts on "boosters" but l'm asking anyways, even though you said that less is more. Should I just stick to my main stuff until the end without any boost ?

Oh and It's actually my 2nd grow with DNA/RP. 1st one was Kandy Kush... Bam ; hermied. Probably for the same reasons... Ended up with a shitload of seeds, probably 2-3k :/ haha hopefully I'll have something a bit more sinse' with the LAW nonetheless...

Does seeded but loses potency though ? The energy used to mature the seeds could be used to produce more trichomes instead or am I wrong ?

Light leaks is not an uncommon issue with tents, one of the things that separates the better quality from the cheaper stuff. I use a closet but I know growers who do the same thing with a tent and that's a "light sluice", which is a box around the intake hole to block light from going directly through it. Another simpler option is to use ducting on the outside that is lightproof and does not reflect on the inside.

M4verick said:

So for you, aiming at plants with fans is a noob move ? Alright I think I'll have to make a few modifications in my tent...
You said that terpenes are volatiles, ok I get that but the essence of what you said is that I can lose taste in my final product by blowing at them or... ? Feel free to elaborate, I'm curious. What should I do ? Create a flow under the bulbs ? That wind will hit my girls that way too... Should I suppress my 2 fans ? I also have a 1000 CFM for intake and 1500 for outtake but I never make the intake blow straight on the first girls.

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Yes, create a flow under the bulb, and above the canopy. The problem isn't that the wind hit your plants, it's fine if they move a little. Your intake should be at the bottom, the exhaust at the top. If you use a filter, that should hang on the top and opposite side of the tent. That ensures cooler fresh air moves from top to bottom, the fans are just extra. The point is not to overdo it to a point the plants don't like it, for getting too cool for example, and don't aim fans directly at the buds. I got two smaller fans which I aim at the opposite corner of the closet (instead of blowing against a plant next to it).

I only use a passive intake but the common recommendation I hear for intake vs exhaust is that the intake should be around half of the exhaust. Probably won't make a huge difference, but if you use a carbon filter that 1500 will be less and then that 1000 may be a little too high. How large is your tent?

M4verick said:

Also, when I repot them into biggers pots, timing can be critical ? Anything special to do ? I just to do it as quick as possible and in the most gentle way.

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I transplant between DWC, hempy, and soil and am pretty careless so... but I"m no soil grower so if you really want advice on repotting you should ask someone else.

M4verick said:

I put them straight in coco after that.

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The transplant occurs when you move a plant that has roots (and hairs) established to another medium. So many discussions on paper towels, I'm going to refer you to the search option again for that one. But since you mentioned coco, I've never had a seed 'not' pop within a day or two in coco. Also very suitable for cloning. Have you ever tried germination directly in coco? Try it out in a small mini pot with a couple of seeds. By the time seeds pop in paper towels I already have mini plants. Also the soaking is not mandatory.

M4verick said:

Does seeded but loses potency though?

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Scientifically... don't know. In my experience and perception, not one bit less potent.

M4verick said:

I plan to use Shooting Powder for the last 3 weeks, ever tried it ? It seems to be a Dutch reference. Now I don't know your exact thoughts on "boosters" but l'm asking anyways, even though you said that less is more. Should I just stick to my main stuff until the end without any boost ?

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My thoughts on boosters are short: don't waste your money on them, their useful ingredients are already in your base nutrients. It just messes up that ratio we covered earlier. But yes, I actually have used Shooting Powder. Weird thing about it is that it actually seems to work. Which in practice means the buds will spawn foxtails and/or will keep flowering while the main bud / inside is already ready. Also very effective way to kill your plants prematurely were you to use it as described. So yes, stick with the main stuff. I use no boosters myself anymore, it's all a scam, and I get the same results but with healthier plants. Save the shooting powder for a future run or just try it out on a few plants only, or give it as a present to someone you don't really like

And good luck on with the LA Confidential. And sure, I'm interested to see if you get better results this time. Use @Sativied or just shoot me a pm when you're flowering. Easiest way to make sure your tent is "pitch black" is to turn on bright light in the room the tent is in, turn the light inside the tent off, put a chair in the tent, and sit there for a few minutes and let your eyes adjust to the darkness. The chair is optional.