Smoker4life420

I keep mine going all the time, There isnt no problem that they have shown so i will continue to leave them
SFL

greenfather

I line up 6 plants in 3 gallon containers under a 4' shop light w/ 2 40w bulbs. They remain under the lights (about 1" away from the tops) for about 2 months with superior environmental conditions. I've always circulated air, but with a smallish fan that blows the air around some, but would a good sway of the stems improve stem size? I wonder. What about the twist method and crush method that I've read about in supercropping. Would it apply as a valid method for thickening stems/ increasing bud size?
Peace~

Smoker4life420

Its like this, If you want your stalk to grow bigger and stronger, have good circulation ( a gentle breeze is fine) just enough to sway then Heres a method I use as soon as the seedling sprouts, (well I let it get at least 3" or 4")
"Bend a young plants stem back and forth to force it to be very thick and strong"(from the grow guides) I read that the first day I signed on and since then its worked pretty damn good! I dont know about twisting your stems to make them stems thicker but IMHO if you break the stem then yes it will grow bigger but your plant will have to take the time and energy during flowering or what ever stage your at and fix the damage. Thats just my 0.02 And I am sticking to the fans
Smoker4life420

greenfather

Something mentioned by Potbelly strikes a cord...having 4 or 5 nodes below the soil line for clones. I've usually equated bigger stems/ bigger plants with a large, healthy root system. (Miagi in Karate Kid 2 when talking about his Bonsai~"Strong root mean strong plant." :~)
I clone with a 98% success rate but have rarely had more than 2 nodes under the soil line. During harvesting, however, I have noticed that a considerable number of plants have seemingly weak root systems. I base my judgement in part on the ease with which I'm able to pull up the stump and main root ball. It's usually no bigger than fist size while my plants range from 3'-6' tall by harvest. (All of my plants are the same distance from the light, however.) When I mix up the soil in the pot there seems to be very little additional root matter in it. I still manage to average 70g/plant (dry) and so I've dismissed it in the past. However, some of the plants (especially those with the fuller root system and thicker stems) have produced in excess of 1oz and I've wondered at the cause for such a discrepency in root systems/ plant sizes b/n clones from the same mother. Maybe the stronger plants have more nodes below the soil line, I wonder?? ~Peace

ButterflyDreams

Both of these are necessary to a great garden. And yes, they are different things.

Air exchange comes with the intake/exhaust. Without bringing in fresh CO2 and exhausting the O2/O3 produced by the plant, the cycle cannot complete. Constant air exchange is necessary in most indoor gardens. Keep the fans pumping at all times.

Air circulation is the movement of air within and around the plants. Other replies have touched all of the main reasons for circulation. Stem strengthening, fungus and insect defence, greater availability within the growth of CO2.

As long as the fan is not constantly from one direction almost any circualtion is good. A stationary fan will cause your plants to grow like the trees you see on the edge of a cliff. I tried it, it's visually pleasing if you're into that sort of thing, but does nothing to help the flowering process.

One breeder recommends," If you can light a joint in the garden add another fan" While I have never gone to the extreme I believe as long as the damage is the "micro" type Oz spoke of it can only be good.

Smiles,
BD

__________________
She stood beside him like a rainbow braided.
~ P.B. Shelley

greenfather

Butterfly, by not having the fans blowing from one direction, do you mean use oscilating fans or multiple fans? Since I live in the desert I don't know what a "tree on a cliff" would look like. What do you mean? Would having air circulating from one strong source be significantly detrimental to final yield? The fan I just bought is an "industrial air circulator" ($50 from Home Depot) It doesn't oscilate and has three speeds, the highest producing a gale through my room. I also have an efficient air intake/outtake system using a large double vent fan. (If you've seen them they're essentially two vent fans attatched side by side and they run at the same time when the power's on.) One side is set up to bring fresh air in and the other to vent out. This set up keeps the room very fresh. Hey, any ideas about the # of nodes under the soil line theory from my last post?
~Peace

ButterflyDreams

Ok here we go...

To explain further, The reference to one direction is meaning constanly hitting the plant from one side. This will cause the plant to lean. If you've ever seen picture/movies/oriental prints of this you can imagine what a plant would look like. Basically I'm refering to a tree that grows too close to the edge. The roots are strong enough to keep it there, but the tree tends to lean out over the cliff and all growth is from one side. You may see it in the desert too where a draw or valley causes the wind to constantly blow one direction. The trees in this area will grow away from the wind.

Oscillating fans, manual rotation, manual fan reorientation, multiple fans, all will aleviate this situation.

Your setup sounds very nice. I like the double fans as long as they don't create and "eddy" effect. If this is the case a divider protruding into the room several inches will fix it.

Multiple nodes will only produce more roots faster. If you start ith 2 undersoil, the plant has to grow the extras. If you start with 4-5 under soil it has more sites ready for root growth. I try to get my clones long. Then trim all but 3 set of leaves. Sometimes it's 3 nodes down, sonetimes it's five. I try to have at least 3" under soil.

Smiles,
BD

__________________
She stood beside him like a rainbow braided.
~ P.B. Shelley

ButterflyDreams

But it is a good representation of what could happen.



This could be a good thing for some grows, but training seems a much better method than "wind lean".

Smiles,
BD

__________________
She stood beside him like a rainbow braided.
~ P.B. Shelley

greenfather

I was going to ask, "What's a tree?" but the picture you posted helped jog my memory. I've seen a tree once on t.v. :~) Do you think that more nodes under the soil line, producing more roots, quicker would create a sturdier, more robust plant? Anyone?
~Peace

ButterflyDreams

Yes. If you can get more nodes under soil, thus producing more roots, the plant will be stronger and healthier.

I have never tested to see what the limits are. I've had root balls come up smaller than my fist with killer buds. Conversly I've had 3 gallons of roots and she still didn't do squat. A lot has to do with the survival genes. ( god i wish we could come up with the genome )

I'm sorry you've never seen a tree. I'd give you a couple if you'd be willing to put in the time to get them established.

The roots of the ladies are like our stomachs. The more surface there is to absorb the nutrients we need to survive, the faster and easier those nutrients are brought into our system. If you don't eat for 2-3 days you can't hold much. If you don't let her put down the roots she can't pull all the good stuff out of the soil.

Smiles,
BD

__________________
She stood beside him like a rainbow braided.
~ P.B. Shelley