Marijuana Horticulture Fundamentals. K of Trichome Technologies
on genetics / cultivar and environmental conditions). On day seven, or whenever they are approximately 8 inches tall, strip off all the lower foliage except the top four leaf and branch sets. If they are not approximately 8 inches tall, wait and then strip them. Four to seven days later, induce flowering two days before taking the next batch of clones—again, shortening the vegetative cycle.
If the vegetative cycle must be lengthened, simply leave them in that stage longer. The clone stage is difficult to manipulate—in this situation you do not want more clones, faster! Because you will be waiting 50 to 60 days for the flowering stage to finish, you want them fast, but also at the exact right time. To achieve this goal, you must be able to hold clones in a form of suspended animation, in perfect health in every way, without them stretching (growing too tall), stalling, or becoming unhealthy. The result is that you will have shortened the flowering cycle to approximately 50 days. If the vegetative cycle is maintained for optimal health, stature, and vigor, plants will be 12 to 14 inches tall, finishing at approximately 24–36 inches tall after flowering.
Tall plants on the outer edges and short plants in the middle guarantee that all plants receive maximum light.
Photo: Andre Grossman
The cannabis plant is basically a weed and it will grow almost anywhere. The key trick is to maximize its full potential, to make its yield the greatest possible, with the most flavor and highest THC content.
There are many small- and medium-sized hydroponic, aeroponic, and Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) systems on the market today—some good and some bad. I maintain that simplicity is best for the novice, and recommend an organic soil or soilless mix method of cultivation until you familiarize yourself with the equipment and understand what you are doing. Then, after you completely understand the basic principles of plant cultivation, cloning, vegetative, flowering, and symbiotic rotation, you can progress to one of the units for sale, or even build your own.
Remember, when constructing the cultivation environment, you must consider how difficult it will be to eliminate in a hurry. Do not create a nightmare for yourself. Construct your systems and chambers as if you might have to tear them down and get rid of them as fast as possible. Unnecessary high-tech gadgets can be fun, but too many of them become a quagmire of chaos. Keep it simple: old school, low tech, with as few moving parts as possible, and nothing to break.
Construction Examples
Option 1
400-watt light for the vegetative chamber.
6 600-watt lights in the flowering chamber.
8 fluorescent lights for the cloning chamber.
Option 2
2 600-watt lights for a larger vegetative chamber.
6 fluorescent lights for the cloning chamber.
8 1,000-watt light in the flowering chamber.
Option 3
4 400-watt lights in the vegetative chamber.
6 fluorescent lights in the cloning chamber.
12 600-watt lights in the flowering chamber.
Option 4
6 fluorescent lights in the cloning chamber.
4 600-watt lights in the flowering chamber.
2 400-watt lights in the vegetative chamber.
Option 5
A 400-watt or 600-watt light in the vegetative chamber.
A 400-watt or 600-watt light in the flowering chamber.
2 fluorescent lights in the cloning chamber.
Be sure to design all setups with a cleanup area and ballast storage area.
A good cleanup room.
Photo: Freebie
Ultimately, you will require five rooms / chambers / areas: