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Early Harvest Summer Garden

It’s
already early June, and I am just getting my garden ready for planting. This
year, I have decided to grow eight plants. I am growing two each of three
varieties J-1, PAK 47 and JB. They are

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It’s
already early June, and I am just getting my garden ready for planting. This
year, I have decided to grow eight plants. I am growing two each of three
varieties J-1, PAK 47 and JB. They are adolescents, 12-18 inches tall, that a
good friend was willing to part with.

I have
decided to try out a lamp that emits light of a specific spectrum, far-red.
Far-red light has a peculiar effect on short-day plants such as cannabis,
chrysanthemums and poinsettias. These plants flower based on the number of
hours of uninterrupted darkness they receive. When the length of the dark
period reaches a certain critical point, it triggers the plant to start to
flower. This usually occurs in late summer. 

Short-day
plants produce a chemical called phytochrome, which has two versions (Pfr,
Pr) that are switched back and forth by two spectrums of red light.
As long as plants receive red light (650-670nm) phytochrome stays in its Pfr
state, and the plants remain in vegetative growth because the phytochrome is
active and signals the plant not to flower. But when the plants are in darkness
the phytochrome changes to its other form, Pr, over a two-hour
period. When phytochrome stays in the Pr state for a certain period
of time, which varies from 9-11 hours daily for about five to seven days
depending on variety, it triggers the plant to flower.

When
gardeners use light deprivation to trigger flowering they increase the length
of the dark period. The P
fr, which signals the plant not to flower,
gradually changes to P
r. During this two-hour time flowering is not
inhibited. If the time period is long enough flowering is triggered. P
r remains
in the plant until light hits it, when the P
r immediately changes
back to P
fr.

In its Pfr
state phytochrome is sensitive to far-red light, sometimes called “near
infra-red”, which is in the 705-740nm range. When more far-red light than red
light is present, the phytochrome is quickly converted to its Pr
state, which promotes flowering. Since this happens instantaneously, it’s like
getting an extra two hours of darkness. This technique is useful mostly in the
southern and middle tiers of the country where the plants already receive nine
or more hours of darkness daily in late June.

My eight
plants will all spend their time in five-gallon soft containers in the same
commercial mix. They will all be treated the same except that one plant of each
variety will be exposed to far-red light from an LED briefly after dusk each
evening beginning in three weeks, July 1. The theory is the light will change
the phytochrome to Pr, triggering the plants to flower. These plants
will ripen in late August while the control plants will ripen a month later.

This
experiment is being reported in real time.

CULTIVATION
TIP

The Wick
System

Two
wicks made from 3/8”-5/8” braided nylon wick cross in the middle of the bottom
of the planting container. They are long enough to reach the bottom of the
reservoir below. The container is placed on a platform that raises it 3”-4”
inches off the bottom of the tray below. The container is filled with planting
mix.Water the container until it drips from the bottom. Fill the tray with
hydroponic nutrient/water solution to slightly below the top of the platform.
The plant is ready to grow.

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