Background information
Potting pot – Marty’s grow report, chapter 3
by Martin Jud
A gardener bending over backwards – Marty’s grow report, chapter 7
6.1.2021
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
My hemp plants have turned into proper guzzlers. Meanwhile, I’m giving them up to eight litres a day. But all this green isn’t just demanding water. Some branches are so long that their buds are getting too close to the hot sodium vapour lamp. Drastic measures are called for.
The four cannabis plants in my CBD experiment are now 70 days old and between 170 and 180 centimetres tall. That’s not counting the pot. The plants have been thriving since the last grow report. This surprised me and put a smile on my face over the holidays.
But meanwhile, alarm bells have been going off because of a risk of burns.
The first time this happens is on day 59. A rogue bud on plant No. 5 has got far too close to the light, which is now hanging at the very top of the tent. You can see it in the background of the following picture.
The heat is quite something when you’re that close to a 400-watt sodium vapour lamp. This must stop. Our little rogue is just 10 to 15 centimetres away from the lamp. That’s when I decide to chop her head off. Not literally, of course. All I’m doing is changing her direction of growth.
I use a pencil and to bend the plant’s stem about 50 centimetres below its tip. You could also use a ballpoint pen, of course. However, I’d strongly advise against bending the plant without any kind of bending tool. But even with the help of a pencil, my heart aches when I hear a cracking sound as the stem gives way. I tie the bent part as horizontally as possible to the pole in the rear left corner of the tent.
Done. Now please keep on growing and budding.
Five days later, on New Year's Eve 2020, the kink already seems to have healed. The plant has gained strength. I’ve noticed a slight increase in thirst in the plant since I bent it. Other than that, it’s happily growing and budding along the edge of the tent.
Unfortunately, or should I say fortunately, plant No. 3 has now also grown dangerously high and is close to the lamp. I do my bending trick again and tie it to the far right corner of the tent.
Fast forward another 48 hours and plant No. 2 is ready for some bending. In this case, however, I decide not to bend her because there are too many branches. I gently direct her to the front left corner of the tent and tie her into place with some string.
Endless bending ensues. Honestly, I could really do with a larger tent.
On day 69, even the smallest plant of the batch has grown so tall she needs protecting from the heat. At the same time, two new branches on plants I already gave the bending treatment now need to be reorganised. I can barely keep up with tying all of them down.
Without taking any countermeasures, the tent would have a subtropical climate. That’s why I set up two floor fans just before Christmas. Now, there’s a constant flow of fresh air. Together with the diagonal fan at the very top of the tend plus regular airing of the room itself should prevent mould and other horrible things from gaining a foothold.
By the way, the invested time and the fun I have with the gardening are out of balance. The fun definitely outweights the effort. And thanks to its beGrowing weed is definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done in my spare time What’s more, I’m constantly learning new things about my green friends. For example, that they burn and sting like stinging nettles.
Time will tell if I’ll soon be harvesting big buds and not just red rashes. I’ll let you know.
Sometime around 4:20.
Martin Jud
Senior Editor
martin.jud@digitecgalaxus.chI find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.
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