To trim or not to trim? BUBBA

[biggun]

So I am growing some Bubba and they are very very thick with leaves.. Theses girls are just turning 6 weeks old and I am wondering if I should trim some of the leaves off to let more light reach the inside buds...Would this be a good idea or not? I know cutting leaves off is never a good idea but these are so thick they seem to be choking off the nugs in the middle... What do you think? PEACE

 

[N!pples]

I am a fan of chopping some leaves to get more light to the lower branches especially later in the harvest.. Ideally you would have chopped all the lower stuff off so all the energy went to the top buds not the struggling lower buds and there would be no need to trim the upper leaves… All good though, in my opinion I’d say its ok to cut some of the larger fan leaves to make light for the lower at this point…

 

[homebrewer]

So where do you think photosynthesis happens; in the buds or the leaves? If I were you, I'd dial in your growing conditions or feeding schedule a little better. You're either over-feeding, over or under watering or supplying too much heat. Hard to diagnose but, no offense, I wouldn't call those 'amazing'.

 

[biggun]

Really you don't think they look good for just 5 full weeks old? I am relatively new at growing but I thought they looked good...
If I were over feeding them wouldn't they look burned or something? The only problem I thought I had was to much foliage...Am I wrong?
I am using 1000w air cooled hps lights...
The temp stay's 78 degrees when the lights are on and drops to 70 when the lights go off...
I am not using any co2, just a fresh air room with the proper amount of negative pressure...
As far as a feeding schedule, I hand water, drain to waist and only when necessary. and I use mostly AN food and follow their feeding schedule...
So I ask what am I doing wrong? I would love to do better... PEACE

So where do you think photosynthesis happens; in the buds or the leaves? If I were you, I'd dial in your growing conditions or feeding schedule a little better. You're either over-feeding, over or under watering or supplying too much heat. Hard to diagnose but, no offense, I wouldn't call those 'amazing'.

 

[cocoxxx]

just finished some bubba, best tip i could give you would be to dual harvest (take the tops, then give the lower buds 10 ish days to ripen)

 

[homebrewer]

The plants don't look terrible, but there are some obvious signs that they could be doing better. Drain to waste, so these are in dirt? I think you're overwatering if that is the case. Is there a reason you have pie plates over your pots? Soil needs to breath, your roots need oxygen and your soil needs to evaporate the water that the plant isn't using.

 

[woodsmaneh!]

Don't cut any leaves tuck them out of the way if you can. Cutting of leaves is not a good practice any more than cutting the arms of an Olympic runner because it will make him faster. Lots of people do it and as you will see from this forum there are lots of interesting ideas. But many are not the best for your plants. Ever see farmers or gardeners out trimming leaves in the fields??

Peace

Homebrewer is on to something here with your plants not performing as well as they could. I added some comments if your interested.

QUESTION

When did you take the pics, just after the lights came on? or have they been on for more than a couple hours. I ask as the leaves are cupping down, not good and they look a bit limp.(like at night)


Solving Marijuana Plan Leaf Curl/Cupping Problems


A misdiagnosis only serves to make matters worse by promoting further decline.
The ultimate and correct solution is in the hands of the marijuana grower.
Here are some common problems when marijuana leaves are curling.

1. Too much marijuana fertilizer
   The most common cause of marijuana leaf cupping aka leaf margin rolling, leaf margin burn, and leaf tip curl/burn is overzealous use of marijuana plant food. In relationship to factors such as marijuana plant vigor and rate of growth. Leaf burn is often the very first sign of too much marijuana fertilizer.
   A hard, crispy feel to the marijuana leaf frequently occurs as well, as opposed to a soft and cool feel of a happy pot leaf. Back off on the amount and/or frequency of using marijuana fertilizer. Too much marijuana fertilizer can also burn the roots, especially the sensitive root tips, which then creates another set of problems. Note - as soil dries, the concentration of the remaining salts rises further exacerbating the problem.
2. High Heat
   The marijuana plant is losing water via it’s leaves faster than what can be replaced by the root system. The marijuana leaf responds by leaf margin cupping or rolling up or down (most times up) in order to conserve moisture. A good example is reflected by the appearance of broad-bladed turf grass on a hot summer day, high noon, with low soil moisture levels - the leaf blade will roll upward/inward with the grass taking on a dull, grayish-green appearance. Upon sunrise when moisture levels have returned to normal, the leaf blade will be flat. Lower the heat in the marijuana grow-op and concentrate on developing a large robust root system. An efficient and effective root system will go a long way to prevent heat induced pot leaf desiccation or marijuana leaf margin curling. One short episode of high heat is enough to permanently disable or destroy leaf tissue and cause a general decline in the leaves affected, which often occurs to leaves found at the top of the cannabis plant. The damaged pot leaf (usually) does not fully recover, no matter what you do. Bummer in the summer. One can only look to new growth for indications that the problem has been corrected.
3. Too much light
   Yes, it’s true, you can give your marijuana plant too much light. Cannabis does not receive full sun from sunrise to sunset in its natural state. It is shaded or given reduced light levels because of adjacent plant material, cloudy conditions, rain, dust, twilight periods in the morning and late afternoon, and light intensity changes caused by a change in the seasons. Too much light mainly serves to bleach out and destroy chlorophyll as opposed to causing marijuana leaf cupping, but it often goes hand-in-hand with high heat for indoor marijuana growers. Turn down the time when the lights on in your marijuana grow room. If you're using a 24 hr cycle, turn it down to 20 hrs. Those on 18 - 6 marijuana growth cycle can turn their lights down two or three hours. Too much light can have many adverse effects on marijuana plants. Concentrate on developing/maintaining an efficient and robust root system.
4. Over Watering
   For marijuana growers using soil, this practice only serves to weaken the root system by depriving the roots of proper gas exchange. The marijuana plants roots are not getting enough oxygen which creates an anaerobic condition inducing root rot and root decline with the end result showing up as leaf stress, stunted growth, and in severe cases, death. Over watering creates a perfect environment for damp-off disease, at, or below the soil line. Many times marijuana growers believe their cannabis plant is not getting enough marijuana fertilizers (which it can't under such adverse conditions), so they add more marijuana fertilizers. Making the problem worst. Not better. Often problem 1 and 4 go together. Too much marijuana fertilizer combined with too much water. Creating plenty of marijuana plant problems.
5. Not Enough Water
   Not only is the marijuana plant now stressed due to a low supply of adequate moisture, but carbohydrate production has been greatly compromised (screwed up). Step up the watering frequency, and if need be, organic marijuana growers may need to water from the bottom up until moisture levels reach a norm throughout the medium. One of the best methods in determining whether a marijuana plant requires watering is lifting the pots. The pots should be light to lift before a water session. After watering the marijuana plants lift the pots to get an understanding how heavy they've become fully watered. If the pot feels light to the lift - it’s time to water. Don’t wait until the soil pulls away from the side of the pot before watering. And of course, leach, once in a while to get rid of excess salts. These are the five most common problems marijuana growers encounter when growing cannabis. Correcting the problems early will save the marijuana plants, but may reduce overall yield. With practice and experience these problems are easily overcome which will then enable the marijuana grower to produce fantastic marijuana plants. With heavy yields.

 

[biggun]

Thanks Woodsmaneh! I appreciate the advice... Too much marijuana fertilize Is the problem I believe... And maybe to much light... I am concidering taking down One of my lights and getting a light mover.... PEACE

 

[biggun]

Actually they are in 6" rockwool cubes placed in the pots then surrounded by hydroton... I put the plates on top to keep away algae.. Is this not a good idea? My room stays at 74 degrees with lots of air flow so molds is not an issue but i always get the algae.. Peace

The plants don't look terrible, but there are some obvious signs that they could be doing better. Drain to waste, so these are in dirt? I think you're overwatering if that is the case. Is there a reason you have pie plates over your pots? Soil needs to breath, your roots need oxygen and your soil needs to evaporate the water that the plant isn't using.

 

[homebrewer]

Actually they are in 6" rockwool cubes placed in the pots then surrounded by hydroton... I put the plates on top to keep away algae.. Is this not a good idea? My room stays at 74 degrees with lots of air flow so molds is not an issue but i always get the algae.. Peace

Oops, just sent you a PM about that. I think a few of your plants are handling the plate treatment ok, and the others are showing some signs of what looks like overwatering. Even given your medium, I'd still go without the plates. Airflow is good as you know and those roots need air. If you have good airflow and temps, then algae shouldn't be an issue.

 

[hectorius]

ur over fert and ur tips and margins are burnt so ur plant is stressed i would cut back ferts to 50 percent of whatur using and dont cut any leaves off. if this plant was not burnt i would take some of the middle fan leaves covering the bottom buds. as for the double harvest yes you can double ur yield by doing this but the trick is to cut a 9 week strain at 8 weeks and letting the bottoms go 10 weeks. also you need to flush at 7 week and then refeed after chopping for all of week 8 and half into 9 then flush thru 9 and 10 and then cut the rest.

 

[hectorius]

go buy some overdrive and a ppm pen and feed it at 400 ppm till ur fiiish and enjoy.

 

[homebrewer]

if this plant was not burnt i would take some of the middle fan leaves covering the bottom buds. as for the double harvest yes you can double ur yield by doing this but the trick is to cut a 9 week strain at 8 weeks and letting the bottoms go 10 weeks. also you need to flush at 7 week and then refeed after chopping for all of week 8 and half into 9 then flush thru 9 and 10 and then cut the rest.

Sorry man, but the vast majority of seasoned growers would agree with nothing you just said.

 

[hectorius]

its ok i need more haters

 

[homebrewer]

its ok i need more haters

'Haters' is a term of jealousy and that's far from the case here .

 

[hectorius]

1 gram per watt in 4 months bwahahahahahahahhahahahahahahah bwahahaahhaha serious? co2 and advanced would give you that in 7 weeks of bloom and 2 of veg double that with 4 weeks veg and 9 weeks bloom. 1 gram per watt per month is what youshould be doing after 10 years.

 

[homebrewer]

1 gram per watt in 4 months bwahahahahahahahhahahahahahahah bwahahaahhaha serious? co2 and advanced would give you that in 7 weeks of bloom and 2 of veg double that with 4 weeks veg and 9 weeks bloom. 1 gram per watt per month is what youshould be doing after 10 years.

It's pretty obvious now why no one should listen to your advice .

 

[hectorius]

i know most people say dotn touch the leaves lol buds dont grow without leafs bwahahahahhaha and double cropping is bs bwahahahahah so is 3 a light bwahahahah

 

[hectorius]

ur doing a pound per 600 in 11 weeks of bloom plus few in veg bwahahahhaha are u fucking serious? that sux man seriously that suxz you can pull 1200 grams in that time with a 600justover 2 elbows.

 

[hectorius]

2 crops in that time or monsters either way man, let me know if u want help.