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TESTING THE VARIETIES: PART 1

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As a consumer you might have some experience with strains like Gorilla Glue and OG Kush. If not, it’s easy enough to look at their stats and read some reviews before purchasing for consumption, or you can buy grams of each and compare the medicines yourself.

It’s a little different when choosing varieties to grow. I live in an area with many dispensaries that sell clones. They have a huge selection of varieties, between 10 and 50 in each shop. So there are about 75 varieties to choose from.

When choosing new varieties to grow either for personal use or distribution there will be new sets of concerns. Some of the questions that may come up are: What is its branching habit? How much does it grow after forcing? What’s the time until ripening? Which do best under the methods you use? Comparative yields.

growThese are some questions that might be answered by conducting a plant trial. The test I am designing is to develop a template and a model for testing. With the proliferation of hybrids and varieties, plant trials are essential for growers to determine what they plan to grow. Other trials may be used to:

  • Choose the best progeny from propagated seeds
  • Test the effect of new cultivation practices on the varieties being grown
  • Choose the best plant to clone from purchased seeds
  • Test different cultivation practices
  • Test different fertilizers and fertilizer regimens

I am developing this model of testing to minimize time, labor, energy and space, making it feasible for ordinary gardeners, small and large, to run a relatively extensive test fairly easily.

The Design

The experiment is contained in a five-inch by five-inch garden tent. It has a vertical hanging OG metal halite 860-watt lamp in a sophisticated air-cooled reflector that is controlled by a timer. This limits the heat released into the garden. Excess heat is controlled using a small recirculating air conditioner (AC) installed in the sidewall that sits on a table outside. The air is enriched with CO2 using a 20lb tank regulated by a sensor set to keep the space at 1200 PPM during the lit hours. A small oscillating fan keeps the air in the space circulating continuously.

A recording thermometer, that shows the high and low temperature, is hung from the tubing so it is at canopy level. The temperature is set never to go below 60 degrees.

grow2The plants are planted in two-quart six-inch containers that are filled with a mixture of 50 percent coir, and about 25 percent each homemade, aged compost (derived from plant leaf, fruit drop and food waste) plus some used planting mix from previous projects.

A double-ended 3/8” braided nylon wick extends from either end of the opposite facing holes at the bottom of the container. It trails into the tray below. The ends of the wick are stopped from fraying using twist-ties. The 35 containers sit on a wooden pallet placed inside a 4’ x 4’ tray that is filled with rainwater that has been pH’d to 6.0. A one-part complete hydroponic vegetative formula 7-9-5 with potassium silicate has been added to the water at 700 PPM.

The water is circulated in the tray using two small water pumps, a minimum of 300 to max of 1000 gallons per hour (GPH). It is aerated using four air-stones that are powered by a small aquarium pump. An aquarium heater rated for 40 gallons keeps the water at 70 degrees. The tray sits on a piece of 1/2” thick Styrofoam that creates a barrier between it and the cold cement floor.

Getting the Garden Going

  1. Label each plant using a plastic marker that is placed in the container and an additional identifying tag attached to the stem. Mark them with a soft pencil—ink often fades.
  2. Place the plants in the containers. The stem should not be placed deeper than it is when you start. If need be, use a skewer or other means of supporting the stem upright.
  3. Water after potting with diluted vegetative stage fertilizer water, 400 PPM. This is one of the few times you will do this. In the future, the plants will draw water/nutrient solution up the nylon wick, as they need it.
  4. grow4Set the light on continuously for one week. Then turn it off for one day to spur the plants to transition from growing vegetatively to flowering.
  5. The next day, turn the light back on, but use a timer so the space receives 12 hours of light and 12 hours of total darkness daily.
  6. Keep up this light/dark regimen for the next month. During the dark period the plants require uninterrupted darkness. Do not open the curtain or door or turn the lights on during the dark period—even for a moment. The only light that can be safely used during the dark period is laser or LED green.
  7. Add water to the tray as it is used. Instead of using vegetative formula, use a complete hydroponic flowering formula such as 7-9-5 at 700 PPM. Add pH water as needed.
  8. At the same time you change the flowering cycle, change the fertilizer to flowering stage formula. Drain the tray and add the new water/nutrient mix.
  9. Make sure the heater doesn’t blow or radiate directly on the leaves. During the lit period the ideal leaf temperature is about 85 Use a surface temperature thermometer to check leaf temperature. Then adjust the AC and heater to keep the leaf temperature between 75 degrees and 85 degrees. During the dark period the temperature should not fall below 60 degrees. Use an electric heater to raise it, if needed.

Plant list

Ghost OG THC Bond GSC

Mendo Kush Kosher Kush

Gorilla Glue Dead Head

grow5Gorilla Blue #4 Larry OG

Candyland Platinum Purple

Blue Dream Blue Dream

Dream Queen  Pruple Urkle

AC-DC White fire Alien

OG GDP Sunset Sherbet

x5-13 Fire OG

purple diesel Chisel

Harlequin LA fire

Harlequin GDP Blue Berry Cookies

Black Jack San Fran valley og

Train Wreck Double dream

Head Band Pure OG Kush

Sour Diesel Tahoe Cure

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