07/04/2012
The Key to Larger yields, by Seamus O” Blarney
I am often asked how I constantly get big, fat, rock- hard crystalline Nugs on an Organic /Soil program, My reply…Organic/ Soil,Chem,/Hydro, no matter! No secret! ,Just use the following guide and don’t cut corners and any system you utilize will yield fantastic results!
Light; as much as possible, (invest in a light meter!) 1 x 1000 watt light will illuminates one 5x5 space, a 600 watt = 4x4 space and 400 watt = 3x3space. Invest in the best reflector to increase your light foot -print, I LOVE the new extreme low-profile, air cooled reflectors that so many are marketing, get a good one with a tight fighting and easy to clean lens. Air cooled lights should be placed no less than 12 inches above your canopy (closer than that and the light gets crowded!)And un-cooled lights need to be placed at least 2 feet above the canopy so as not to burn plants.
Air; fresh and clean! Carbon filters and centrifugal fans exhausting through lamp reflectors increase air flow, bring in Co2 and dramatically reduce air temp and humidity. In-line fans should be installed in the ductwork between multiple lights to increase airflow. Your room should completely exhaust in 5 minutes or less! A filtered intake fan is also necessary but at a lower c.f.m. than your exhaust to create a slight vacuum. Place intake fans low and on the opposite side of the room from your high placed exhaust fans. Air needs to be circulated throughout the room always and a few well place oscillating fans do the job nicely, the leaves on your plants should be moving at all times, this will also help to strengthen the stems so they can handle the large flowers as they develop! Co2 should be at LEAST 400 ppms or better. Humidity should be between 40 and 60% and air temps between 70-76degrees with lower night temps in the 60s for good colored flowers (get a Thermometer/Hygrometer!)
Water; Pure! Pure! Pure! Water is your nutrient delivery system so you want the best, Hard water raises your p,p,ms (parts per million of dissolved solids) and reduces the amount of room in the solution for available nutrients and leads to mineral build-up and nutrient lock-out. A reverse osmosis system will do wonders such as remove all solids (particulate and dissolved) and stabilize P.H! Aerate all reservoirs with air stones!
Nutrients: Whatever you use, your keys are your P.H. and E.C. or PPM readings, Invest in good quality pens or Truncheon Wand and you’ll never be mystified again. P.H. IS THE KEY to unlocking nutrient potential! Too high or too low and the result is nutrient lock-out! Optimum levels are 5.8 for hydro systems and 6.2 for soil/less container mixes, next are EC or PPM levels, these vary according to stage of growth and variety and are typically mixed for soil feeding solutions between 1200 – 1600 PPM depending on what stage of growth and what variety of plant you’re feeding for. Micro-nutrients such as liquid kelp really round out the program. Quit all nutrients and flush with pure water every 4 weeks during growth and for the last 2 weeks of flowering to rinse out excess minerals and prevent nutrient lock-out!
Soil / Container Mixes; the best available, no place to scrimp here! This is your foundation; it needs to be the great, fast draining, well aerated and water retentive. Adding microbes, enzymes, humic and fulvic acids will greatly facilitate nutrient uptake and promote good healthy roots,
Containers: Start smaller and graduate to larger sizes when roots hit the sides. Graduating up container sizes reduces problems of over/under-watering and associated issues of soil fungus and pest. Flower in the largest size you can without too much extra real estate (I like a 5 gallon or better, a squat 7 gallon) wider than deep is best.
Pruning/Training; I like my canopy no deeper than 18 inches. I prune out lower branches and interior growth and leave the last 12-10 inches of branch and top to develop. This allows light and airflow through the canopy to reduce mold, fungus and pest problems associated with dense, under light, interior and lower growth. This will also direct more energy, nutrients and light to the remaining buds for larger, tighter flowers
Spacing; plenty, overcrowding to get more in just reduces available light and air and leads to molds and pest, and finally …greatly reduced yields .plants should just barley be touching leaves. You should have visible light through the canopy down to the floor! I put 12 x 5 gallon or 9 squat 7 gallon pots in a 5x5 ft space illuminated by a single, air cooled 1000 watt light placed 12 inches above the canopy.
Growth Cycle Manipulation; Generally , use a SHORT veg cycle for Sativas( 6 weeks) and flower them @ 30- inches tall(,5 gallon or larger can)Use a LONG veg cycles (10 weeks) for Indicas and flower them @ 36-42 inches tall (in a 5 gallon or larger can)
Harvest; Invest in a hand held magnifier (30x-- 100x) Harvest when trichomes turn milk white to amber depending on variety, generally; Satiavs = Milk white and Indicas when Amber. For me, whenever I think they are ready, I give em one more week!!! Patients pay here
Curing ; Has nothing to do with yields but you’ve done so well why f**k it up now? This phase can make or break 3-5 months of hard work. Dry after trimming in a cool, dark, well ventilated place, this should take from 7-10 days. Heat and humidity greatly affect this time frame, keep temps in the 70’s and humidity @ 30 – 40 %, When the stems snap but don’t break , they are ready, (stems that simply bend are still too moist) keep on the look-out for mold which can strike and devastate with a matter of hours! A balcklight shone on the drying lines will quickly reveal any of the white thready strands Discard any moldy buds, no ,matter how high you’ve heard that moldy bud can get you, do you really wanna smoke mold and possibly expose yourself to some bizarre lung infection? Trim flowers from stems and manicure any rough stuff and seal from 1-2 ounces in wide mouth quart canning jars, within 24 hours the buds will be moist and pliant again. Open the jars and let them breath till they start to feel crispy again then seal and repeat (every few hours or once a day depending in the pace) This should go on for about 10 days. Keep on the look-out for mold!!! Then when they are dry (10% percent moisture is optimum) seal you cured buds and store In a cool ,dark place for at least 2 weeks or more to get the best colors, flavors and aromas!
Conclusion; Follow this basic formula and be amazed at the results. Cut corners or short cuts and cry! Remember , to have professional looking results you need to behave like a professional, don’t grow more than you can afford or handle, don’t cut cost/corners on vital procedures, components and equipment, don’t let duties slid or put them off, be proactive, attack problems before they start, have all materials in hand and be able to resupply BEFORE you need them (Fertilizer, Spider mite and mold sprays for instance!), build in as much redundancy and back-up as possible in your system so you won’t be caught wanting ( a generator for a power failure, water in a reservoir, extra pumps ,light bulbs and fans, an old school p.h. kit if your pen’s electrodes erode etc) These have come to me through trial and error , I hope this saves you some frustration and helps put you on the fast track to better and more satisfying yields! Peace . . . Seamus!
