Bro-science and defoliation

Anything you read in the comments on social media should be considered bro-science. Even the advice you see on this site could be considered bro-science. It’s always best to do your own research when possible, but I also understand that most folks may not have that kind of time or resources. Do know that the cultivation articles on this site are derived primarily from a collection of books on the topic. In any event, let’s look at an example of bro-science and how it is wrong, scientifically.

Conventional bro-science suggests that you should defoliate your plants. Some bro’s say this should be done to get light to the bud sites. The implication is that this will make your buds bigger. It has also been said that taking away the big fan leaves will cause the plant to ‘focus its energy’ elsewhere. That’s not how plants work. The fact of the matter is that the big sun-leaves are the power generators for the plant. You can look this up in high school biology books. However, there is usually some level of truth to bro-science, or at least it’s based on some truth.

Yes, you should defoliate your plants to a certain extent. Any leaves below 18″ from the top of the plant are candidates for removal. If you are running a HID light then you should consider removing leaves below 24″ from the top. You should not remove upper leaves in any way. Why? Because when light intensity levels drop below 200 PPFD, the leave consumes more energy than it produces. The implication is that somewhere above 200 PPFD the leaf produces excess energy. Where does this excess energy go? You got it, to the rest of the plant – including your buds! With this in mind, why would you defoliate any leaf that gets sufficient light?

Of course, you should verify this information. Listen to this great podcast (00:38:33 through 00:44:05) and hear Dr. Allison Justice talk about the scientific study she did on this topic.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Continuous cannabis harvests!

Wouldn’t it be nice to always have a fresh supply of cannabis? I’ve been asked by several folks how to accomplish this in their home grow space. It’s not overly difficult, and is really just a matter of timing and lighting. It can be hard to get your head around at first, but if you write it down it starts to become clear.

Lights should remain a certain distance above a canopy for best results so it is difficult to use a single light to effectively provide light for plants in various stages of growth. Ideally, you will need 2 or 3 lights to accomplish a continuous harvest. The good news is that with a plant count of 6 flowering plants, you can probably get by with two less expensive lights that have a footprint of 2’x3′ or 3’x3′ instead of one larger light in a 4’x4′ or 5’x5′ footprint. That said, you can make a single light work.

Auto-flowering cannabis schedule:
Autos typically have a 60-90 days life-cycle. For this example, we’ll assume you are using feminized cultivars with a 60 day life-cycle. You will need two lights.

  • Month 1 – start your 1st cycle of 3 seeds/plants under one light.
  • Month 2 – start your 2nd cycle of 3 seeds/plants under your second light.
  • Month 3 – harvest your 1st cycle and start your 3rd cycle of 3 seeds under your first light.
  • Month 4 – harvest your 2nd cycle and start your 4th cycle of 3 seeds under your second light.
  • …and so on…

Cannabis (photoperiod) schedule:
For this example it is assumed that you are using feminized varieties that flower in 60 days. Unlike Autos, photoperiod cannabis will need additional time to sprout seeds and vegetate them to approximately 15″-18″. You will need two lights for flowering and one smaller light for vegetating.

  • Month 1
    • Veg Light: Start 3 seeds
    • Flowering Light #1: Setup as time permits
  • Month 2
    • Veg Light: Start 3 more seeds
    • Flower Light #1: Transplant 30 day old plants into final containers and set light cycle to 12/12 (on/off)
    • Flower Light #2: Setup as time permits
  • Month 3
    • Veg Light: Start 3 more seeds
    • Flower Light #1: Wait patiently for flowers to finish
    • Flower Light #2: Transplant 30 day old plants into final containers and set light cycle to 12/12 (on/off)
  • Month 4
    • Veg Light: Start 3 more seeds
    • Flower Light #1: Harvest 3 mature plants and transplant 30 day old plants into final containers
    • Flower Light #2: Wait patiently for flowers to finish
  • Month 5
    • Veg Light: Start 3 more seeds
    • Flower Light #1: Wait patiently for flowers to finish
    • Flower Light #2: Harvest 3 mature plants and transplant 30 day old plants into final containers
  • …and so on…

As you can see, it is not terribly difficult. However, timing needs to be on point. If 30 days is not long enough to sprout and vegetate seedlings to the right height then you may need to start seedlings a little in advance. The regulations regarding juvenile/vegetative/flowering plant counts allow for this.

I do recommend that the cultivator avoid cutting the timing too close as I’d rather have a vacant flowering light for a week rather than vegetative plants root bound and languishing for a week. Using cuttings and parent stock throws another little wrinkle in this process, but it is just a matter of scheduling how long each stage takes and then sticking to that schedule.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Cannabis pest management: scouting

The concept is simple; the gardener will never find pests if you don’t look for them. However, early detection is key to avoiding big problems. For example, in ideal conditions a few fungus gnats can turn into a real problem in as little as 3 weeks. This seems like a long time, but by the time you notice that it is a problem there are many thousand more eggs ready to hatch and, all the while, larvae have been nibbling on your micorrhizal fungi and root hairs.

Fungus gnats are relatively easy to detect and deal with, but other pests are very, very difficult to get in check once well established. Therefore, a home cultivator must be vigilant and actively seek out the little beasties early on. This is especially critical in organic living soil systems where we expect there to be bugs. Commercial facilities dedicate many hours of labor every day to scouting procedures. Here are a few methods of scouting that I use consistently in my home garden.

  • Passive detection with sticky cards: Yellow sticky cards are great for helping you to detect problems early and are commonly available pretty much anywhere that has a garden center. Check the traps daily to see what you have caught and identify the bugs if possible. Make note of the number of bugs caught per day to determine if there is an escalating issue.
  • Bang-boards: Just as it sounds, this is a small board that you place under your plant to catch any bugs dislodged when you ‘bang’ the plant. A tap-tap-tap on the stem will very often send at least a few buggers falling from the foliage to the board. It can be handy to have a board with a white and black side because some insects can be very light in color and hard to see on a white board.
  • Actively look: Use plain eye-sight to look at several leaves per plant, every day. Examine the top of the leaf and the bottom. You’re looking for lack of vigor, damage, honeydew, frass, live insects, mold, and mildew primarily. A UV light can be handy for quickly spotting frass and honeydew (in a dark room).
  • “Scope it:” The shortened way of saying that you should use a jeweler’s loupe or microscope to take a closer look for very tiny insects. 30x magnification should be all you need in most cases. As I defoliate the underside of my canopy, I’ll often scope those leaves (especially the bottom) to look for pests.

Having an insect aspirator on hand can be a great way of capturing insects for identification purposes. You can keep specimens in alcohol if you are so inclined.

Finally, even though you may have active control measures in place – you need to scout! If nothing else, this will confirm that your control measures are working. Begin scouting as soon as you enter the garden and especially before you foliar spray or do soil drenches. Here’s a solid article that takes a little bit deeper dive into the topic.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Fish Hydrolysate

The Lit Farmer’s amendment shelf always contains fish hydrolysate. Not only is it beneficial to the plants, but also for the fungi and microbes in the soil. Best of all, you can acquire a high quality hydrolysate for as little as $22 per gallon. This amount of product will last a very, very long time for most gardeners.

When shopping for hydrolysates you will do well to select one from a company that advertises low-heat processing. Emulsions use high heat to speed up the processing, but also kill off many enzymes and microbes in the process. Therefore, fish hydrolysate not only provides nutrients but also bolsters the microbial activity of living soils. As an added bonus, this form of processing also produces a product that is low-odor compared to emulsions.

Fish hydrolysate contains proteins, fatty acids, starches, macronutrients (N-P-K) and a wide array of trace minerals. Most notably, it contains high amounts of chitin. Chitin is a basic building block for fungi, both for its fruiting bodies as well as for mycelium. When used in conjunction with mycorrhizal fungi the enhancements to the root zone (rhizosphere) of cannabis is clear.

This product is the first addition new seedlings and cuttings are exposed to in my garden. Mixed at 1/2 strength is it extremely gentle and I have never seen leaf tip burn at that application rate. I apply to seedlings when they show their second set of true leaves, and to cuttings about two days after being transplanted into soil. After this point, I prefer to apply every 14 days or so at full strength until about the 3rd week of flower. My plants are always praying to the lights within a couple days.

At whopping 20 cents per application, this is probably one of the best bangs for the buck on my amendment shelf.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Outdoor cannabis: genetics

For those who are interested in growing cannabis outdoors in Missouri, one of the most fun ways to get ready is to shop for genetics. It’s like window shopping and can I please have two of everything? As fun as it is, there are a few things to consider when selecting genetics for an outdoor grow.

Your first consideration is the environment in Missouri. We have a moderately long growing season but it often ends in cool damp weather. That is a recipe for botrytis and other molds. We had mild weather in the 2019 outdoor growing season, but even so I noted several outdoor growers who struggled with bud-rot. Selecting varieties that finish early (60 days or less) and have a natural resistance to mold and mildew is a great idea.

It is wise to stay away from varieties like Haze because they can take as long as 90 days to finish flowering. That could mean that you’ll be shaking snow off of them to harvest. Be on the lookout for large ranges for finishing times as well. If a breeder states that a cultivar could finish in 50-70 days, this should tell you that if you plant 6 of these seeds, some will make it to harvest day and some will still be struggling to finish before halloween. Remember, photo-period cannabis won’t even start flowering (in most cases) until after the 4th of July.

Auto-flowering cannabis can be a good alternative as well. If you select 60 day varieties you could conceivably harvest a first crop by the end of June, and a second crop by October. These plants will also stay fairly short so they’ll be harder to see. You will sacrifice yield, but the idea of a harvesting a fresh crop on Father’s Day puts a smile on my face.

Finally, bear in mind that cannabis takes longer to flower outdoors. Although photo-period cannabis will start to flower in early July, it will take longer than 60 days to finish. Most breeders only list the time it takes to mature indoors. Indoor gardens are much more highly controlled in terms of the environment. Outdoors, cool night and daytime heat above 90 degrees will slow the maturation process significantly.

Assuming you are familiar with the legalities of outdoor growing in Missouri, its time to get out there and pick some genetics for your outdoor garden next year. Put it on your Christmas list and maybe Santa will be good to you.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Cannabis pest management: basic biocontrols

Staying ahead of pests should be high on the list of things to do for a new grower. You invest a lot of time and money in your medical cannabis garden so you should really consider spending just a little bit more to keep it safe from pests. In a previous article we covered the general concept of pest management and plant health. It’s time to dig in a little deeper and discuss how to put biocontrol in place to avoid pests to start with.

First, it’s important to realize that biocontrol will work best in a living soil situation. If your choice of growing methods includes the use of salt-based fertilizers, then biocontrol may be hard to keep established because those fertilizers can hurt your beneficial microbe and insect populations. Additionally, generalized pesticide knock-down sprays, even if generally safe to use in the vegetative state, can do damage to your soil biology as well. In any event, let’s dive in.

Bacillus thuringiensis iraelensis (BTI) is a bacteria that produces toxins that are deadly to the larvae of several pests, including the ever present fungus gnat. It is safe for humans and for your crop – best of all BTI plays well with beneficial microbes and is relatively cheap and easy to find. You can find Mosquito Bits™ and/or Gnatrol™ at most department and garden stores. Simply prepare per the instructions and drench your soil.

Beauveria bassiana (BB) is a fungus that is deadly to many arthropods including thrips, whiteflies, aphids, and some beetles. While it is a bit more expensive, the folks at buildasoil.com have a relatively inexpensive wettable [spore] powder. This fungus infects pest insects and interrupts their lifecycle. You may see adult pest moving about with the fungus actively growing on them. Like BTI, it is applied as a soil drench.

It is also important to establish a strong colony of LABs. While these fundamental beneficial microbes don’t actively work to control pests, a robust community of LABs will outcompete pathogenic microbes. In nature, few things go without bacteria for long so you might as well put beneficial microbes in place. Besides, these critters are a literal army of nutrient cycling specialists.

Finally, every organic gardener should consider beneficial nematodes. Species such as H. bacteriaphora, S. carpocapsae, and S. feltiae can all be safely used in the garden and will help carry your BTI and BB to unwitting hosts throughout the soil. These microscopic roundworms can be ordered on sites such as arbico-organics.com or through your local garden store.

For my part, I like to inoculate my new soil with these biocontrol special agents right from the start. This keeps pests from getting a foothold and protects you against nasties like root aphids. After all, most folks won’t detect root aphids until it’s too late. Fungus gnats are the same; one day you have a few flying around and within a week there is a legitimate infestation going on. Pretty soon they’re munching down on your precious mycorrhizae and the adults are sticking to your dank buds like fly paper.

Get ahead of the game!

Happy Harvests,
— The Lit Farmer —

Practice safe asexual propagation of cannabis

A number of new growers are bringing home clones to start their grow with. While this is an attractive way to skip ahead in the process, you must realize that adopting clones is the number one way to bring pests into your home garden. Remember, it’s not a matter of if you get pests, its a matter of when.

Not long ago, I came across someone who had just made too many cuttings of a cultivar that I was very interested in acquiring. I had trouble finding seeds of it and, though I knew better, decided that I’d take the chance and plan for an adoption. I managed to get invited to the owner’s house to pick up the specimen. Knowing the potential issues I could be inviting, I carefully checked it over. Wouldn’t you know it, I discovered aphids moving up and down the stem of his cutting and several plants.

The good news is that I didn’t take that clone home. The bad news is that he didn’t even know he had them. It is a really good thing that he didn’t have an early infection of mites because I may not have been able to see them, despite the magnifier I brought with me.

At the end of the day, if you do decide to adopt a clone from a friend or dispensary, assume that it is full of pests and behave accordingly. A quarantine tent is a good idea. Immediately applying a natural, safe insecticide, fungicide, and/or miticide may be a good idea as well. Bring that cutting into your grow only if it sits in quarantine several weeks an exhibits no signs of infection.

Tell us about your story. Have you ever had an issue with bringing home clones or other plants to your home garden?

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

A severe spider mite infection.

Taking cuttings from cannabis

I usually prefer to produce simplified procedures and articles that focus on the most basic information, delivered in a direct way using every day language. A lot of the articles written on cannabis topics are a little over the top and packed with piles of detail that can distract from what you really want to know. However, I also try not to re-invent the wheel. In the case of the this topic, Leafly has already done a rather good job of putting this together in an easy to understand format.

The only bit I would add to what they have to say is that the use of rooting hormone is strictly optional. If you can wait an extra 3-4 days then there is no need to use rooting hormones (which can be expensive). If you must apply something for rooting, look into the use of aloe vera as a substitute. The meat of an aloe leaf turns into a gel with little effort and contains natural rooting hormones.

In any event, please visit this article from Leafly for the how-to’s regarding cloning.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Cannabis chemotypes

This is a very important topic for patients and their needs. In previous articles we discussed genotypes and phenotypes of cannabis. Like phenotypes, chemotypes are produced by an expression of the genotype when grown in a particular environment. In other words, the genotype defines a range of possible chemotypes and the environmental parameters determine the particular chemotype of the particular plant.

Chemotype is a reference to the amount of cannabinoids and terpenes (among other chemicals) found in the trichomes of the mature female cannabis floral cluster – the buds! Further, a chemovar is a particular variety of cannabis that is known to produce a particular set of cannabinoids and terpenes. Although there are a long list of chemicals found in cannabis, cannabinoids and terpenes are thought to largely control the effect it has on the individual.

Infographic from Leafly.com

This topic is probably the most important topic for patients because this is exactly what is being asked for when a patient asks, “What strain (variety) will help with my symptom?” The good news is that, when testing facilities open, it should be pretty easy to get basic cannabinoid testing. This will tell the patient what the amounts and ratios of cannabinoids; namely THC and CBD.

The challenging aspect here is that not all dispensaries or caregivers will be required (or able) to test for terpene profiles – a major component of the chemotype. So what is a patient to do?

Remember this: “The nose knows.“

This idiom suggests that a patient can simply smell cannabis and be able to determine which is variety is right for them. The smells of cannabis falls into four major categories; fuel, floral, fruit, and earth. Each of these respective types generally give users a slightly different experience. However, this does vary from user to user so I’ll refrain from adding those effects at this point. The main point is that once you find a chemotype that you respond to, your nose can find it again (most of the time).

For example, I very much like high-THC, earthy chemovars before bed. They make me drowsy and the THC helps with the pain. Cookies and Purple-urkle are two varieties that work well for me and both have earthy tones. Purple varieties often have a floral/fruit addition along with the earthy smell and the effect is similar, but a bit more mood enhancing – at least for me.

In any event, hopefully this information is useful to patients and cultivators alike. As a caregiver, I’m working diligently to determine what works best for my patients so I can keep a steady supply of the medicine they need.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Infographic from InMedPharma.com

Fabric pots – cannabis transplanting technique

Fabric pots are a great way to encourage your cannabis to maximize its root development. However, fabric pots can pose problems for the farmer who is used to dealing with plastic pots. When transplanting from plastic pots, you simply flip them over and slide them out of the old pot.

This is not the case with fabric pots. There are fabric pots with velcro on the side. This makes transplanting a breeze. For the sake of this article, let’s assume you are working with pots that do not have velcro. Since we’ve covered most of the basics of transplanting in another article, here we’ll only cover the technique itself.

The only difference in preparation is to acquire a paint can or similar sized, sturdy object. This will work for most sizes of pots.

Place your fabric pot on top of the paint can.
Roll the top of the pot over all the way around.
Pull the rolled edges slowly down the side. Don’t be concerned about roots trying to hold onto it.
Continue pulling down the edges until you have exposed the entire side of the root ball.

Now the only thing left to do is to carefully peal the root ball from the bottom of the pot and move it to the new pot. You’re pretty much done at this point.

As a final note, you can toss those fabric pots in a washing machine (gentle cycle) and they’ll be ready for the next plant. No need to use detergents and certainly don’t use fabric softener.

What other tips and tricks do you have for using fabric pots?

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

This plant is happy, but is ready for a transplant.