Canopy angle

[calicocalyx]

Something to think about especially for anyone new to outdoor growing. By the end of the season the sun drops to the south (in the northern hemisphere). You'll notice that the south side of the plant grows better than the north side of the plant. In fact I have seen buds on the north side of plants ripen a week or so ahead of the rest of the plant. What I do is thin a little more aggressively on that north side and I also keep the overall angle of the canopy slanted to the south. By the end of the season the colas tend to also lean toward the south, following the sun. By keeping that canopy angled, you maximize light exposure to the top of the plant, the buds aren't shading each other as much as if they were on a flat plane. Another note is the plant overall is more spherical, instead of linear like indoors. That rising and setting sun hits the side buds and there is a lot of weight there. Just some insight on how I treat my outdoor plants differently than indoor.

 

[757growin]

Something to think about especially for anyone new to outdoor growing. By the end of the season the sun drops to the south (in the northern hemisphere). You'll notice that the south side of the plant grows better than the north side of the plant. In fact I have seen buds on the north side of plants ripen a week or so ahead of the rest of the plant. What I do is thin a little more aggressively on that north side and I also keep the overall angle of the canopy slanted to the south. By the end of the season the colas tend to also lean toward the south, following the sun. By keeping that canopy angled, you maximize light exposure to the top of the plant, the buds aren't shading each other as much as if they were on a flat plane. Another note is the plant overall is more spherical, instead of linear like indoors. That rising and setting sun hits the side buds and there is a lot of weight there. Just some insight on how I treat my outdoor plants differently than indoor.

Any pics of these angled/ slanted plants of yours?

 

[calicocalyx]

I'll post some older pics. Haven't put any up since becoming a member but should at least show what I have been up to. I'll try and find some specifically of canopy shape. Really it's just a fine tuning that might not be noticed at first. But I start shaping those outdoor plants by the 4th node and when they are in the final pot in the greenhouse is when I start thinking about north and south sides of the plant. Think of about a 20 degree angle on that canopy.

 

[vostok]

In time you may learn to rotate(turn) the plant daily on your visit to prevent any form of photo morphism

 

[ruby fruit]

for me having a plant half finished then stripping those branches and having the extra sun hit the ones lacking is ok..they still finish gd if not better unless your to worried bout length of season in regards to mold etc

 

[calicocalyx]

it's hard to rotate a 300 gallon pot.
Buds on the north side tend to be fluffier as well, so I thin that side a little harder.

 

[calicocalyx]

I'm mainly referring to the end of the season when the sun is lower in the sky. The buds will lean that direction, and if there is a stadium style effect to the canopy, more light can be optimized, rather than colas shading each other out. If you plan ahead and top the plant so that the south side is lower overall, it will be set up nicely for the end of the season. Ok for real pics coming soon.

 

[calicocalyx]

 

[calicocalyx]

The south is to the left and towards the camera a lttle. You can see the right/north side isn't as thick or developed and the top is starting to get a slight angle. Couldn't find any good bud shots, was too busy taking em down.

 

[calicocalyx]

This shot has the south to the right and you can see the plant closest has the north/left side not as thick

 

[757growin]

View attachment 3372929

Nice plant! And I can see 100% what your talking about. Definitely have me thinking now. Thanks for sharing also

 

[calicocalyx]

This is just the light dep, for bud porn purposes. These are 200 gallons.

 

[calicocalyx]

This one, south is facing the camera. I actually don't have any really good pics to show that tilt, but it happens. Like I said it's really fine tuning, and might not be noticeable especially if you aren't as far north as me. But if anticipated, some of those lower buds will get a little denser a little sooner with the added light.

 

[calicocalyx]

the last pic is right before a final wrap with plastic trellis to help hold those buds

 

[doublejj]

View attachment 3372960

This one, south is facing the camera. I actually don't have any really good pics to show that tilt, but it happens. Like I said it's really fine tuning, and might not be noticeable especially if you aren't as far north as me. But if anticipated, some of those lower buds will get a little denser a little sooner with the added light.

Beautiful!...are they all on pallets, were you moving them?...

 

[calicocalyx]

the right side is the south

 

[calicocalyx]

Yeah, I have noticed that the sooner they can really stretch those legs into the big pots, the faster they take off. I rented an offroad forklift that could crab walk and the forks could extend out like12 ft. What I noticed was that I would pull out the plants and turn around and put em into the field. Well they got reversed and all that nice thicker south side growth got put onto the north side. In the end it balanced out but from then on I decided to pay attention to the growth rates and decided that even though you can spin plants and get more even growth, at some point you can't/won't be doing that, then you sacrifice a little bit of bud growth. The north side is just not as dense or productive.

 

[calicocalyx]

They were in the light dep/greenhouse in the beginning of may transplanted out to the field june 10th. T5's and a generator to supplement.

 

[doublejj]

That looks like one hell of light dep greenhouse...

 

[calicocalyx]

40 x 100. tied off 6 ropes to pull the tarp. Took me 45 minutes to cover and about 30 to uncover. Made a big T shaped tool out of 2 inch pvc, and used it to push/roll the tarp back after pulling as far as I could. Real fun when the wind picked up.