cutting down/giving up on slow plant?

gfpeezy

Member
for my first grow, i have 3 plants and they are currently starting week 5 of flower.

2 of the plants are looking amazing, lots of fuzzy white hairs on all the bud sites and fattening up every day.

the other 1... severely lagging behind. it hasn't even started to show preflowers yet. this can be attributed to a few things but mainly that it has been sitting in a corner (almost shaded by the carbon filter) while the other 2 have overtaken the available space in the tent.

the lagging plant has been relegated further and further into the corner, and getting less and less light. now it's only purpose is basically taking up space preventing 1 of the other plants to spread it's branches out further and getting better access to light/airflow.

so as much as it pains me, i was thinking of just getting rid of the slow plant altogether. it's not hard to upkeep or anything but looking at the way it's going, it will probably be way behind and nowhere near ready at harvest time in a month.

right now, the slow plant is raised up on a small table to give it better access to light but that also robs the good plant (which needs all the light it can get to produce it's beautiful buds) of some light.

which of the 3 options should i go with?

1. removing the table (making it about half the height of the other plants and almost entirely shaded under the thick canopy) and letting it slowly develop so it can be harvested in probably 2 more months? a staggered harvest seems like a pain since i am going to be drying in my tent (which needs the lights off?) and want to give 48-72 hours of darkness before chopping the 2 good plants.

2. leave everything as is. the 1 good plant and 1 slow plant can duke it out, and the slow plant might eventually catch up.

3. remove the plant that is growing slowly since it probably won't amount to much.

thanks for any wisdom you can offer my fellow growers.
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
for my first grow, i have 3 plants and they are currently starting week 5 of flower.

2 of the plants are looking amazing, lots of fuzzy white hairs on all the bud sites and fattening up every day.

the other 1... severely lagging behind. it hasn't even started to show preflowers yet. this can be attributed to a few things but mainly that it has been sitting in a corner (almost shaded by the carbon filter) while the other 2 have overtaken the available space in the tent.

the lagging plant has been relegated further and further into the corner, and getting less and less light. now it's only purpose is basically taking up space preventing 1 of the other plants to spread it's branches out further and getting better access to light/airflow.

so as much as it pains me, i was thinking of just getting rid of the slow plant altogether. it's not hard to upkeep or anything but looking at the way it's going, it will probably be way behind and nowhere near ready at harvest time in a month.

right now, the slow plant is raised up on a small table to give it better access to light but that also robs the good plant (which needs all the light it can get to produce it's beautiful buds) of some light.

which of the 3 options should i go with?

1. removing the table (making it about half the height of the other plants and almost entirely shaded under the thick canopy) and letting it slowly develop so it can be harvested in probably 2 more months? a staggered harvest seems like a pain since i am going to be drying in my tent (which needs the lights off?) and want to give 48-72 hours of darkness before chopping the 2 good plants.

2. leave everything as is. the 1 good plant and 1 slow plant can duke it out, and the slow plant might eventually catch up.

3. remove the plant that is growing slowly since it probably won't amount to much.

thanks for any wisdom you can offer my fellow growers.
What strain? Nutes? This is the time they need magnesium and calcium in a big way.
 

gfpeezy

Member
What strain? Nutes? This is the time they need magnesium and calcium in a big way.
it is supposed to be a GHS jack herer but i think it's an f2, so bad genes are possible. though 1 other plant is the same stock f2 but doing well.

they are in coco and the nutes are pretty dialed in i think since the other 2 plants are getting the exact same feeds and thriving. CA and MG are about 95 and 82 ppm per gallon respectively.


... it might even be a blessing in disguise that this 3rd plant isnt growing since my 3x3 tent is pretty much wall to wall, floor to ceiling packed. i would have a much bigger problem if this slow plant grew to a normal size...
 
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hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
it is supposed to be a GHS jack herer but i think it's an f2, so bad genes are possible. though 1 other plant is the same stock f2 but doing well.

they are in coco and the nutes are pretty dialed in i think since the other 2 plants are getting the exact same feeds and thriving. CA and MG are about 95 and 82 ppm per gallon respectively.
Then it just might be a runt. I'm Spartan with plants. Get healthy growth or be in the compost heap without wasting time, space, light etc. Some plants are sickly from seedling on. Not long at my cabin.
 

gfpeezy

Member
Then it just might be a runt. I'm Spartan with plants. Get healthy growth or be in the compost heap without wasting time, space, light etc. Some plants are sickly from seedling on. Not long at my cabin.
haha

thanks. good to know.

this one was on par with the others at the end of veg and had an interesting mutation where 3 branches grew out at a time instead of the normal 2... but now that i think about it, it was slow to get out the gate.

i think there is some plant intelligence at play also, almost like it knew there wasn't going to be space to grow.

so... there is not much bud that can be squeezed out of the runts?
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
haha

thanks. good to know.

this one was on par with the others at the end of veg and had an interesting mutation where 3 branches grew out at a time instead of the normal 2... but now that i think about it, it was slow to get out the gate.

i think there is some plant intelligence at play also, almost like it knew there wasn't going to be space to grow.

so... there is not much bud that can be squeezed out of the runts?
Not saying that. But for square footage under light you have to decide if it's worth it. If space and time are not an issue go with it. Might surprise you.

https://www.maximumyield.com/strengthening-the-roots-of-your-cannabis-plants/2/4632

Think roots.
 

gfpeezy

Member
be in the compost heap
you might not have to concern yourself with this much but in terms of opsec, do you think throwing the branches away to decompose in the soil is safer than bagging it up to throw away in the garbage?

i take a car ride a few blocks over to throw away leaves and stuff but maybe letting nature take course is a better option... i definitely wouldn't want neighbours to see any hint of contraband in my yard so maybe it needs a compost bin...
 
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gfpeezy

Member
Not saying that. But for square footage under light you have to decide if it's worth it. If space and time are not an issue go with it. Might surprise you.

https://www.maximumyield.com/strengthening-the-roots-of-your-cannabis-plants/2/4632

Think roots.
i have given all 3 plants plenty of mycos and there is trichoderma in my coco, while i have fed them a steady supply of kelp along with weekly enzymes. i don't know of the roots are strong but i have done what i could within my budget.

i will move the slow plant down with the attitude that it's better than culling it and see if it can feed off the sparkles of light that filter through.

thanks again for your insight!
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
you might not have to concern yourself with this much but in terms of opsec, do you think throwing the branches away to decompose in the soil is safer than bagging it up to throw away in the garbage?

i take a car ride a few blocks over to throw away leaves and stuff but maybe letting nature take course is a better option... i definitely wouldn't want neighbours to see any hint of contraband in my yard so maybe it needs a compost bin...
Compost them. I used to spread anything grow related in neighbor's garbage except plant materials. Only certain people you understand.
 
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