Uncle Ben's Gardening Tweeks and Pointers

[Foothills]

What? No silica or electrolytes?

Hell no,I like to keep it simple.What worked for me over 40 years ago still works for me today.I just have no interest in keeping up with the new fangled products of today and would
never use the vast majority of them anyway,although many of the names are very entertaining.Unless my plants (of any kind)tell me they need it,they don't get it.It keeps things nice and simple and I like that.Included a pic of one of my girls enjoying herself in the morning sun after a light breakfast.The stockade fence in back of her is 6' high.
Life is good when you don't make things harder than they need to be !!

 

[Uncle Ben]

Hell no,I like to keep it simple.What worked for me over 40 years ago still works for me today.I just have no interest in keeping up with the new fangled products of today and would
never use the vast majority of them anyway,although many of the names are very entertaining.Unless my plants (of any kind)tell me they need it,they don't get it.It keeps things nice and simple and I like that.Included a pic of one of my girls enjoying herself in the morning sun after a light breakfast.The stockade fence in back of her is 6' high.
Life is good when you don't make things harder than they need to be !!

Nice job!

 

[funkdr.]

Thanks Uncle Ben. What a plethora of cannabis growing goodies. Can you refer me to a point in your thread where you discuss the type and use of UVB lighting? There's tons of conflicting info on this subject and I was wondering if you could straighten it out. Thanks.

 

[Uncle Ben]

Thanks Uncle Ben. What a plethora of cannabis growing goodies. Can you refer me to a point in your thread where you discuss the type and use of UVB lighting? There's tons of conflicting info on this subject and I was wondering if you could straighten it out. Thanks.

I don't use UVB, CO2, etc. I just grow a good plant.

 

[ataxia]

tried searching the thread for opinions on flowering under 11/13 especially for sativas .... I've heard this from interviews with D.J. short and more recently in a panel discussion with him and a few breeders who also use the same method....
UB got any thoughts on that???
obviously a plant will flower under that cycle but, has/will there be any difference in the performance of the plant itself? .... just looking for "the guru's" opinion.. or another one of your fantastic links.

 

[Uncle Ben]

All depends on photosynthesis. If you got less, how can you have more?

 

[Marijuana for Athletes]

Hell no,I like to keep it simple.What worked for me over 40 years ago still works for me today.I just have no interest in keeping up with the new fangled products of today and would
never use the vast majority of them anyway,although many of the names are very entertaining.Unless my plants (of any kind)tell me they need it,they don't get it.It keeps things nice and simple and I like that.Included a pic of one of my girls enjoying herself in the morning sun after a light breakfast.The stockade fence in back of her is 6' high.
Life is good when you don't make things harder than they need to be !!

hey Foothills nice plant. i was wondering if you could tell me how long you vegged her for and what size pot you used.
thanks

 

[Zrod87]

I hope it's ok if I leave a little personal perspective on this thread regarding the removal of fan leaves and flushing of plants for pre-harvest purposes.I agree with UB, I'm sure that others continue to have success despite removing some or all of the lower foliage of their plants, but anyone who has seriously studied plant sciences would understand that this is of no real benefit to the plants.It's actually a real shame IMO to see a plant stripped of its energy factory and expected to grow faster. Food producers spend HUGE $ to keep their fan/flag leaves green and growing as long as possible, serving the plants needs and thereby the fruits/flowers. There arent many sound practices regarding the removal of foliage, with the exception of certain forms of topping to produce multiple growth points. Thousands of test plots show the importance of protecting these vital plant organs, and still people say that if you don't flush your mj until it loses its fans it will reduce quality.

 

[hazey grapes]

When discussing your up-canning method, I just want to clarify whether you mean cutting into the soil .5" as if it were a 'piece of pie', for lack of a better analogy (ie, 'freeing up the roots')... Or if you mean, actually shaving a .5" circumference around the outer edge of the entire side soil layer after removing from the pot (ie, shortening the roots).

you want to damage your root ends in a rootbound plant so that they repair the damage and in doing so, find new soil to grow into. i use a simpler version of the tech myself as i learned it from "this old house" on TV, pull your root ball out and just tear the outer layer of your roots with your fingers. i don't recall ever using a knife to do it.

 

[Uncle Ben]

you want to damage your root ends in a rootbound plant so that they repair the damage and in doing so, find new soil to grow into. i use a simpler version of the tech myself as i learned it from "this old house" on TV, pull your root ball out and just tear the outer layer of your roots with your fingers. i don't recall ever using a knife to do it.

You make vertical cuts about 1/2" deep about 4 times around the rootball. All you're doing is terminating the spin-out and inducing lateral branching.

 

[sixstring2112]

you want to damage your root ends in a rootbound plant so that they repair the damage and in doing so, find new soil to grow into. i use a simpler version of the tech myself as i learned it from "this old house" on TV, pull your root ball out and just tear the outer layer of your roots with your fingers. i don't recall ever using a knife to do it.

thats how i do it as well,no knife needed and works on all types of plants

 

[Uncle Ben]

When I upcan I try to not disturb the root system anymore than I have to. Now......I just upcanned tomato seedlings. There was a small amount of spin out at the bottom which I tore off without disturbing the rootball. They are growing like weeds!

 

[Omnispo]

Here is a helpful thread. Is there a simple way to make a pdf of the whole thread?

 

[Shannon Alexander]

Here is a helpful thread. Is there a simple way to make a pdf of the whole thread?

Sure there is... you can go through it copying and pasting the information you like from he thread in to Microsoft word and then save it as a PDF...

 

[Coho]

UB, what do you think of adding uv-b at the end of flowering?

 

[stumpjumper]

UB, what do you think of adding uv-b at the end of flowering?

I think small amounts of UVB throughout flowering will be the most beneficial. If you wait till the end of flowering you're only hitting the outer layer of trichs with the UVB, it's not going to have an effect on the other 99% of trichomes buried in the bud.

 

[doogleef]

Not to speak for the old curmudgeon . No UVB, no CO2, no magic sauces. UB just grows a good plant with solid botanical basics.

 

[Uncle Ben]

UB, what do you think of adding uv-b at the end of flowering?

Probably the only value is feel-good value for the grower who wants to believe in something that has not been proven in a lab. If you feel that gnawing on a rock relieves indigestion, then gnaw on a rock.

 

[Coho]

Thanks..Just trying to get an outdoor enviroment inside.

 

[Uncle Ben]

Thanks..Just trying to get an outdoor enviroment inside.

Yep, that's the trick. Indoor growing is safer than outdoor growing. Mother nature will kick your butt every which way but Sunday. I am now fighting daily gusty winds from the south, which always precede a blustery norther expected in a few days. It's not easy or fun to maintain 4 or more heavy colas in gusty winds. Up side is how cheap it is. There's basically no cost to growing outdoors.

UB