1 Viewed from Centre of Eternity 615.552.5747 -+- The Merry Pranksters from Menlo Park -+- 10.1990.01.01.29 Marijuana Grower's Handbook - part 29 of 33 by pH Imbalance "Harvesting" from Marijuana Grower's Handbook [Indoor/Greenhouse Edition] Ed Rosenthal Female marijuana goes through several stages of flowering. First a few flowers appear. Then new flowers develop around the first ones. Flowers also form at each leaf node along the branches and main stem. The buds start to fill out so that the cluster becomes thick with pistils (the little antennae) reaching out for pollen. The pistils are white, or sometimes shaded pink or lavender. They look fresh and moist. Some of the pistils begin to wither and turn red, purple, or even a light brown. Just as the cluster looks like it's finished, a new wave of flower growth appears, usually concentrated in a relatively bare spot. Successive waves of flowers may appear for weeks. The flowers close, and the calyxes start to swell. This is a false seed pof; the flowers have not been fertilized and no seed can develop. These pods are totally covered with resin glands. At maturity the glands should sparkle like individual jewels in bright light. [pH:A thousand points of light! Bush was on[to] something!] The individual glands should appear clear under magnification. When the glands turn amber, the buds should be harvested. No bud should be picked before its time. Plants and varieties differ as to maturation pattern. Some plants mature all at once, so that the whole plant can be picked. Other varieties mature from the top down. One respected researcher claimed "Most plants I've had mature bottom to top. The main bud was the last to finish." Under lights, however, the top buds mature first most of the time. Next, the buds nearest the top and so on. The buds on the outside of the branch are likely to mature faster than inner buds. It may take a month before the plant is totally picked. Picking the plant a little at a time allows previously shaded portions of the plant to receive light and grow. A HARVEST PROBLEM Some equatorial varieties need so much light to mature properly that it is virtually impossible to supply the intensity using artificial light as the only source. These plants grow flowers but the growth is loose and the flowers take months to ripen. Sometimes the flowers "run". They grow very sparsely along the stem instead of forming tight clusters. Increasing the amount of light helps. One grower said that lowering the temperature in the grow room encourages the plants to develop more compact growth. Although these equatorial buds may not look great, and have less commercial value, they may still be extremely potent and be genetically coded for the soaring sativa high. Usually, indoor flowers are not as compact as outdoor grown flowers. They are every bit as poten though, perhaps more potent. Outdoors, plants are subject to a harsh environment. Wind, rain, animals passing through, plant and animal droppings all take their toll on THC glands. They are punctured, rubbed off or even washed away. Indoors, plants are living in a friendlier environment and almost all of the glands produced remain on the plant. The more glands present, the stronger the grass. MOLD Dense buds are sometimes attacked by molds. These fast-growing, non-green plants grow from spores which float in the air. They start to grow when they come in contact with a conducive environment: high humidity, low light and temperatures in the 60's. These conditions are most likely to occur outdoors or ina greenhouse during harvest season, when the temperatures are lower than during the summer and when there is less light and higher humidity from the dense foliage. Any moisture or wetness is easily trapped in the buds and the molds grow quickly, turning and beautiful bug into a mush or slime overnight. Indoors, molds also occur during harvest season, usually due to low light conditions and too high a humidity. There are several things that can be done to prevent molds, and to limit the damage that they do. Molds are much less likely to grow when the temperature is above their ideal conditions. By keeping the space in the high 70's, their growth may be prevented. Since the spores float in the air, they can be precipitated using a negative ion generator. This means that there are fewer agents to create infections. Lowering the humidity by using a dehumidifier or air vent stops the growth. Once mold occurs in the space, the farmer should take action immediately. The mold's growth can be stopped by raising temperature and lowering humidity. IncreasiniB z0]]`@8^V3r$ r~S|)XK.|3DBG|"\]7=mFTOj*zqG"C69j@9hI]+Q1?'aHS&a%&(XA#g!VJ&$1N-V^hQ_Af,Pg xD Kx)-&+xuFfH!H#`1*x40+pk>Lm\x60"bW7Anq#~9fM7qBF"uKNBAIOZ$5g"b5#2Ov-ns{7=P0@