Spinks Grow #4 - Nirvana's Wonder Woman

Discussion in 'The Growkind Gallery' started by spinkler, Apr 18, 2010.

  1. spinkler

    spinkler Game On!

    Update time!


    Okay, good news... Great news? Whatever, she looks fantastically healthy. Apart from a little light burn... Just wow!


    The bad news.. She has stretched out of control. So fast in fact that I topped her in an attempt to slow her growth momentarily.


    I need some help here, guys and girls. How do I wrestle her back under control? My intent is to get some mother plants happening, I'm hoping to get started within the next week or two.


    More importantly, what has caused this, I wonder? There's no point fixing the problem if it's only going to happen again. We did have some very cold nights, dropping to about 10 Celsius, I seem to remember reading this could cause stretch... I've been keeping her within an inch or two of my 100W CFL, and I've had no problems with stretchy plants like this since using it.


    Let me know if there's any more info I can provide. On the bright side it seems I have some very healthy building blocks for my next crop! :thumbs-up:


    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
  2. stickyicky24

    stickyicky24 Cured Fat Sticky Bud

    Damn Spink you're using a 400 correct?? If so get that baby way closer to ur plants those girls are having to reach too much for the light. You can have a 400 pretty close w/o bleaching them. Mine sits about 6-8 inches with no problems if a fan is blowing across the canopy.
     
  3. spinkler

    spinkler Game On!

    Hey Sticky,


    I use a 400 HPS for flowering only, unfortunately for veg I only have a 100W CFL. In these pics the CFL has been moved aside so I can take the photos, but I keep the globe no more than 2 inches from the top of the plants. The only reason I keep it even that far away is because it grows so damn rapidly that it keeps hitting the light.


    The plant was growing fine as you can see in earlier pics, but this stretch happened over the course of maybe only 2 nights! It's like the space between the nodes just stretched.


    Anyhow, with respect I can very confidently assure you that the tops are close enough to the light and that's not my issue, although I do appreciate the input! :)


    Can anybody confirm whether very low nighttime temperatures could contribute to the stretching, or could there be other factors also?
     
  4. ResinRubber

    ResinRubber Civilly disobedient/Mod

    What's the strain Spink? That plant is a perfect candidate for some pinching or LST. Seems a bit to lanky for simple topping to fully do the trick of controlling the height.


    cheers,
     
  5. spinkler

    spinkler Game On!

    Hey Res, thanks for stopping in dude. This is the Wonder Woman! I didn't think the topping would control it so much as just give me some time to do ask some questions and do something about it, lol! I think part of my problem was that I put it in too large a pot.


    I was also thinking it would be a good candidate for LST.. How does pinching control the height? Maybe I need to do more reading on pinching.. I thought it was supercropping, pinching the stems so they fatten up. I seem to remember there's more to it.. Yeah, I'll do more reading about it. :)


    If it's only going to be a mother to serve clones are there any pruning methods I can use to quickly shorten it? I still don't understand safe pruning methods properly, and I still don't quite understand how pruning will affect plants. I've tried to read a lot about it, but the text just doesn't produce the visuals in my head - I find it very hard to learn from. I need to be shown, or I need to gain some more experience.


    She's recovering from the topping I gave her while I review my options. So far the best candidate looks like LST. If I'm to do so I might even consider wrapping a screen around the pot so I can train it around that. I'm also considering grabbing some clones when I can and doing the bonsai thing, I think it works better starting a bonsai from a mature clone rather than seed, yeah?


    Anyway, thanks again for stopping in! Hopefully we can get this sorted out. I wanna get this thing flowered! :beerchug-2:
     
  6. rasganjah

    rasganjah True Ganjaman

    The way i see it.


    You can do a bonsai from seed or from clone. It's all about limiting the root space. You want to contain the roots so they quickly become root bound thereby limiting the max size that the plant will grow. Small root system equals small plant. Pruning for a bonsai MJ mom is all about creating more branches and not creating the aesthetic beauty of a bonsai tree. Trim the top/s every 3rd node and all side branches as well. Soon you will have a small round bush with lots of new growth to take as clones.


    For the plant you have now that is stretching, I would super crop it on the main stem and start some LST as well. The topping and pruning techniques are the same for all mothers. Top main stems as well as side branches to create a bushier plant with more new growth chutes that can be taken as clones. You could essentially do a SCROG(screen of green)over the plant to allow the tops and branches to cover the underside of the screen completely and then use any chutes that come through the screen as your clones.


    If you choose to Super Crop it, be careful with the main stem not to break it all the way through. Go up the main stem to a greener softer section of newer stem growth to start with. The harder woodier portion of stem nearer to the base will have a tendency to crack and split to the middle much easier. I prefer to SC from about the 4'th or 5'th node down the stem, but on your plant since you topped it and it's fairly young, I would go with my first SC site just above that third node down the main stem. Pinch the stem between your index and thumb with your left hand and just above that with the index and thumb of your right hand, pinch and slightly twist the stem hard enough to feel the inner part of the stem snap just a little but not so hard as to cause the stem to split open all the way through. The top or branch should easily lay over to one side and this is normal. After a day or so the top or branch will start to stand upright but the stem will have a slight bend to it and be thicker at the site of the SC. The SC site will be twice as efficient as it was before allowing even more water/nutrients to flow up the stem to the branches/bud sites. This is particularly useful for plants that will be flowered since it can help increase yields.


    As to why she is stretching.... It could be the plants genetic characteristics, or the cold or a combo of both. CFL will cause a certain amount of stretch on it's own, even when kept close to the plant CFL doesn't produce the intensity of light that a HPS or MH does. Try adding another 100 watte CFL to your veg area to reduce stretching. More light always helps to reduce plant stretching.


    Hopefully that all made sense and you find some of ot helpful.
     
    spinkler likes this.
  7. spinkler

    spinkler Game On!

    Thanks Ras, some very handy advice there. I'll start LST soon and do some more homework.


    One thing I should have mentioned, almost a week ago now, I started some pinching. I've done it before on a small scale and I know pretty much how far to go. Unfortunately I wasn't quite ready for this one... This plant has very different characteristics to ones I've dealt with before, the stem is very fibrous and thick without the "woody" texture yet. Anyway, when I was pinching her, she got a (very small) vertical split up the stem. It has exposed the inside of the plant.


    I guess I really should have mentioned it earlier, but I was kind of hoping she would heal and that would be that... But after some thought I'm starting to worry about disease and other things. What are my risks here, and my possible solutions?
     
  8. rasganjah

    rasganjah True Ganjaman

    Thanks spink, you're absolutely welcome my friend. I'm always trying to help other growers.


    Not to worry. I would say that if the plant looks alive and ok, it will heal. It may cause a weak spot in the stem. You could always tape the damaged section up with a piece of stick or toothpicks or something like a splint. That will allow the stem to repair itself without having to support it's own weight. I doubt that you'll have any disease unless you've had problems already with disease.
     
  9. spinkler

    spinkler Game On!

    Clones!


    So I've done a bunch of homework, gone and got some supplies, and given my first attempt at cloning. All the instructions were pretty clear, the only thing I can see getting in my way is temperature, but I have a reptile heating mat on standby just in case.


    If all three of them root, I'll choose the strongest one for a mother and flower the other two and take it from there.


    :bong-2::bong-2:


    [​IMG]
     
    rasganjah likes this.
  10. lukesmommy

    lukesmommy "lil doobie"

    JINKIES SPINK!!!! :thumbs-up: :thumbs-up: :thumbs-up:


    Lookin good there my friend! Glad i checked in! Let us know how the clones work out, I'm really interested to see. Thanks for sharing with us!


    Peace


    -LM
     
  11. spinkler

    spinkler Game On!

    Thanks LM!


    I guess I should check to be sure. 1x 25W CFL and some of the light (but not a lot of it) from the 100W CFL should be enough to get these girls rooted, shouldn't it?
     
  12. insaneface

    insaneface Begun Flowering

    hey Spinks I wonder what the backround is on that strain... try adding another cfl and see if that might help.... i just looked this strain up and this is what it says....


    This all-female strain is strong yet seductive, a fast-growing skunk with a pleasing, balanced high, and a truly heroic harvest - over half kilo per square meter.


    Wonder Woman's mother is Ice, an award winning strain (1998 Cannabis Cup) that combines Afghani, Skunk, Northern Lights and Shiva genetics into a very stable plant with a rich layer of trichomes, a heavy stone and a fuel-like aroma. This mother was winner in the 1998 Cannabis Cup. Her father is actually another femal plant, a beautiful Top 44 that Nirvana manipulated using giverellic acid to produce male flowers. Top 44 is one of Nirvana's flagship commercial strains. It's the fastest-flowering indoor variety they have, ripe and ready in just over 6 weeks under perfect conditions. As a smoke, Top 44 is dep and skunky with a long lasting buzz. these parents give Wonder Woman her superpowers - fast maturation, mighty yields, feminized seeds (there are no males in the bunch), and a durable high. this amazing amazon lassos the stoner for a long, relaxing stay on Paradise Island, a land of bliss and contentment in body and mind.


    Wonder Woman is incospicuous and does not branch too much, making her ideal for confined gardens such as balconies, or for sea of green farming. This 60/40 hybrid is quite indica in appearance, reaching only 2-3 feet when flowerin in induced at 1 foot. Outdoor plants usually reach a petite 4-5 feet at full maturity.


    For the best THC levels, indoor cultivation is recommended. Nirvana prefers hydroponics for the strongest yields and the most solid colas. One especially good technique for Wonder Woman is to prune her top plus four branches, staking them in a sea of green setup with 16 plants per square meter. That can translate toa superheroic yield of 700 grams per square meter under 600 watts of light. This plant can also be pushed to high EC levels - 2.4 to 2.6 Outdoors, Wonder Woman produces mega-buds in Mediterranean climates like Spain or California, but her powers are weakened by mold susceptibility in humid areas. Wonder Woman's buds are very dense, and easy to trim.
     
  13. spinkler

    spinkler Game On!

    Awesome, thanks insaneface! I'd read about some of those points before, but other parts I had not. I'm growing under 1x 400W HPS. Hopefully these clones take off and I'll get the ball rolling soon! I'll induce flowering at ~1 foot and see what happens! :thumbs-up:
     
  14. spinkler

    spinkler Game On!

    Just a quick update to say that the clones aren't dead yet! :thumbs-up:


    One of them looks a little wilted, but I think that's just because I left a little too much green on top. Next time I might trim back the fingers of the leaves just a little, the guy at the hydro shop recommended I do so, as there's no root system to support so much foliage at this point.


    Regardless, so far so good! Time to keep my fingers crossed and my clones moist. :p
     
  15. spinkler

    spinkler Game On!

    One of the clones has two little roots poking out of the bottom of the rockwool! :eek:hyeah:


    Should I get this ready for planting right away? The roots are only exposed by maybe 1/4 of an inch so far.
     
  16. spinkler

    spinkler Game On!

    So life has been a bit all over the place lately and I kind of lost control of my garden at one point, but I think I have it all under control again.


    A couple of pics of the two clones I decided to take as mums.. They're only under a 25W CFL:


    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]


    My best little clone, getting ready to flower in a week or so. She's a little burned - I'm still stumbling around while I learn how much these clones want to be fed. I flushed her pretty quickly after noticing the burn and she seems okay now:


    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]


    I thought this poor clone was dead and I was about to turf it when I noticed some new growth, so I've thrown her under the HPS and she seems to be getting healthier, albeit slowly:


    [​IMG]


    And the original that was planted from seed. This was under my 100W CFL in my veg area, and managed to stretch quite a bit. In my (short) experience I've never had a plant stretch like that under this CFL. After comparing the light to the 25W CFL I was using for clones, I realised that my 100W was pretty much near death and is unusable, so this plant is now under the HPS and doing better.


    She also appeared to have become a little malnourished a few weeks ago, but I seem to have gotten that under control too. She's a little worse for wear, I've clearly got a lot to learn. I'm still hoping for a decent yield, and her purpose was merely to give off a bunch of clones while I learned.


    [​IMG]


    I know trimming fan leaves is usually no good, but those lower ones are looking pretty bad... I guess I should take those off?
     
  17. rollin2techno

    rollin2techno cL053t Gr0w3r

    Rock & Roll, Spink!


    For dying fan leaves, just given a gentle pull downwards. If they are ready to go, they will break away from the stem. If not, leave them as they are still in use by the plant. If they are covering new growth, tuck them under until they die and drop off.
     
  18. greenthumbwhitethumb

    greenthumbwhitethumb down w the moral majority

    yep, what R2T said, when they're ready to go away, they will. if i see ugly crispy leaves on mine, i'll reach in and kinda feel em up, and if they're bad, they'll just fall off.


    other than that, lookin good, man!!! :thumbs-up: :popcorn-2:


    peace


    GTWT


    :XXhippylove:
     
  19. stickyicky24

    stickyicky24 Cured Fat Sticky Bud

    Hey Spink might wanna keep your clones in a smaller container and work your way up bro. Those buckets seem pretty big for those little girls if you're running hempy.
     
  20. spinkler

    spinkler Game On!

    Yeah man, they are a touch large. I'm experimenting at the moment to see if I can get away with a single transplant into those buckets. I really want to minimise transplanting if possible.


    It tends to work okay if I'm really diligent with watering. My problem lately is that I haven't been. :angry: I usually try to feed or water one day, and then the following day I'll top it up, making sure I soak the rock wool in the process.


    Ultimately I want to get some kind of DWC going, but so far hempy is a good place to start learning. :)


    Thanks for the advice and I'll keep it in mind if this doesn't work out!
     

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