Lollypopping How And Why

Lollypopping is the process of removing unwanted branches that will not receive enough light to produce good buds. Some growers always do it and others claim it removes leaves that feed the plant and is therefore bad.

Some growers believe because it removes leaves it is bad for the plant. Personally I believe just the opposite. It is good for the plant because it sends energy to the parts of the plant that will produce the best buds.

I have made a video showing how I lollypop my plants and explain why I think it is not only beneficial but also important for yields and quality.

Gelato 33, Black Banana And Tropicanna Cookies Get Lollypopped

Lollypopping – Here’s A Few Reasons To Lollypop Cannabis

First I feel it is important for over all plant health. Getting rid of excess branches allows better airflow through the canopy and can help prevent powdery mildew and other diseases. Also most bug problems start on the lower branches first and then move up the plant.

Lower branches do not get enough light to produce quality buds in most cases. They are like vampires LOL! They suck away energy from the tops rather than feed them.

To the naysayers I simply say virtually every horticultural plant is pruned or thinned in some way to promote better fruiting and ripening. Grapes, apples and most other tree fruit or vining plants produce more flowers and fruit than they can ripen. That’s how nature works. Produce an over abundance because many wont make it.

If you have ever grown tomatoes you know they will set far more fruit than they can ripen and unless you thin them you will wind up with mostly green ones. So is it bad or wrong to want red ones? I dont think so!

Growing in a tent or a warehouse is far from natural. Growing in a pot is also not natural. For one thing even our best lighting can not match the sun. Plant roots are limited in a pot too. So it stands to reason with less available light we need to limit production.

A Few Reasons Not To Lollypop Weed

Dont lollypop if you enjoy small airy buds. No lollypopping for those who like to spend needless extra hours in trim jail. Dont do it if you are lazy or just want to let nature take its course.
In this picture you can clearly see there is much less light below the first screen. Nothing down there is going to get enough light to produce anything. This is on day 7 and not only will the plants will stretch for another 2 weeks but the canopy will also get thicker allowing even less light to get through.

Please notice that nothing above the first trellis net was removed. This is entirely different from leaf stripping. Most buds are small and can be rubbed off by hand. Also not many branches were removed and those that were small and spindly already from low light levels.

When Is The Best Time To Lollypop Your Plants?

I train my plants throughout veg. Normally the plants in the video would have been clean when they went into flower but on this group I waited until day 7 of flower. It definitely made the job harder.

I like to use the one node and flip method popularized by the Jungle Boys. This method works best if you use netting. I pick 4 to 8 branches and remove everything below the top 4 nodes. Pretty much all side or secondary branches come off. You need to establish a trellis height before you do this. Ideally you will have 1-4 nodes above the screen on each branch you save.

These plants are pruned like this right before going into flower. It serves double as a lollypopping and leaf stripping technique. All your buds will grow in the light this way. Argue with me if you want, but if you have seen what the Jungle Boys produce this way there really is no argument.

You can selectively remove small branches in veg that will not compete with the main leaders. It takes some judgement to figure out which ones will stretch enough to get through the trellis and which ones wont.

The sooner you get rid of unproductive growth, the sooner your plant can put its energy into growing branches with good flowering sites. If you guess wrong and leave too many you can always remove them later.

DWC Tutorial – Deep Water Culture For Beginners

This is a DWC tutorial guide aimed at deep water culture for beginners. I will show you how to build and grow in a DWC system from clone to harvest.

Hydroponics  literally means working water in latin. Deep water culture is probably the purest form of hydroponics. With DWC the water does all the work because the roots are continually submersed in it. This is different from aeroponics, flood and drain or NFT where the roots are only partially submerged or intermittently wet at intervals.

DWC lends itself well to DIY hydroponics because in its simplest form all you need is a bucket, net pot and air stone. It is inexpensive to build and can give great results that will easily surpass growing in soil or even coco, which in itself is considered a hydroponic medium.

RDWC or recirculating deep water culture is a variation where nutrients are circulated through multiple buckets using a central reservoir. It is more complicated to build but still a very doable DIY project. If you have 2 left thumbs there are many prebuilt hydro systems available ranging from under $100 for small home grows to thousands of dollars for commercial RDWC units like the Current Culture.

I have grown in many different systems over the years from aeroponics, to coco, to flood and drain, and also top feed drip in hydroton. I have never grown in DWC although I have wanted to for some time but I do like to experiment and try new things. So in a way I will be learning along with you.

DWC Tutorial Intro Video

I want cover the advantages and disadvantages of deep water culture first.Then I will be covering how to build an inexpensive and simple RDWC system. I will cover how to clone, veg and flower in DWC. Finally I will be showing and sharing my harvest.

Deep Water Culture For Beginners – The Advantages

Before you get too far along in this DWC tutorial you will want to know what the advantages and also the disadvantages of growing in a DWC system. So first the good:

• Plants grow faster and bigger in DWC

So first and foremost your plants will get bigger and grow faster in deep water culture. Vegging is necessary but it cost more to run the extra lighting and it takes valuable time when you could be flowering instead.

You can cut your veg time in half and get better yields in DWC. Please understand that although plants in hydro may finish slightly faster than those in soil this method will not shorten your flowering time.

• Over watering is a thing of the past

Most problems growers run into are the result of over watering or over feeding. This is especially true for newer growers.

In fact I would guess 90% of all grow room problems come from one of these 2 issues. This is not a problem in DWC or RDWC because plants are submersed in water continually.

• Use lower nutrient levels

Because the roots are growing in nutrient rich water they have everything they need. Energy can go into plant growth instead of foraging for water and nutrients.

Since there is no buffer like in soil or coco everything is readily available. This means you need much lower nutrient levels to grow your plants.

• No grow media to buy

You will not have to buy bags of soil or coco and you wont need to dispose of used soil. Instead you will use a small amount of hydroton in a net pot to give the roots something to anchor to. And it is totally reusable.

• Great for low plant count states

Some states have low plant counts and this system is ideal for that situation. In addition it is much easier to raise a few large plants than dozens of small ones.

Deep Water Culture For Beginners – The Disadvantages

Like any grow system DWC has its quirks too. There are 2 main factors that a grower must be aware of to grow successfully.

• Nutrient Lockout And PH Control

Because plants are growing in a nutrient solution there are no buffers like in soil or coco. This means everything happens fast. Good and bad. Plants grow faster and everything is accelerated. This means things can go south in a hurry too.

If the pH gets to far out of whack nutrient lockout can occur and plants will suffer. Nutrient lockout refers to a situation where plants can not take up needed nutrients because of a pH imbalance even though they are available.

Therefore it is critical to maintain proper pH so nutrients are available to the plants. Generally 5.5 and 6.5 is the recommended range with the higher pH range more suitable for veg. The sweet spot is 5.8 but a range of 5.6 – 6.0 will work best in flower.

Lockout can also occur by over fertilizing. Some nutrients can interfere with uptake of others. Because water is the medium we dont have any buffering and dont need the same level of nutrients we would use in soil or coco. Typically plants in veg are fed about 300 PPMs and the level is raised to 600 in flower. Some growers may raise it to 7-800 for the last few weeks of flower.

Nutrient lockout is totally preventable by monitoring your pH and PPMs. I have a in my reservoir to monitor my pH, PPMs, and water temperature. Alternately you can buy a TDS meter and pH pen to test.

Dont even think about growing in DWC without these!

• Pythium Root Rot

Pythium root rot is the bane of hydro growers everywhere. It can also affect soil grown plants but it is particularly bad in RDWC because it spreads from plant to plant. Pythium is a water borne fungus that causes slimy roots and it can kill your plants.

It grows best in warm water over 72 degrees with low oxygen levels. This is why DWC water temp control is so important for a succesful grow, and why many growers use a chiller to keep water temperatures down. It in an anaerobic organism and likes low oxygen levels and stagnant water so using airstones and providing good water circulation is important to keep it away.

As with many diseases the best cure is prevention. Here is an article on preventing pythium in cannabis. If your can keep temps in the ideal 65°F – 68°F range with sufficient aeration it will be hard for pythium to grow.

This temperature range provides for maximum oxygen saturation so you will need some form of aeration. Traditionally this has been done with an air pump and air stones. Research shows flooming(turning a pump upward to stir the water surface) and waterfalls can be just as effective and much quieter.

It is common practice to add chlorine to the water to keep it sterile and prevent the growth of pythium. is dry concentrated calcium hypochlorite and is used to run a sterile reservoir.

There are 2 schools of thought on preventing pythium. One involves using beneficial bacteria to keep pythium at bay and the other involves chlorine or hydrogen peroxide to keep the water sterile. Growers on both sides of this debate say their system works and prevents pythium.

Personally I prefer keeping a sterile reservoir simply because the bacteria used are really meant for soil and other organics and not water and so they dont have anywhere to really colonize and grow. I believe controlling water temperature is the more important factor.

Finally make sure you can control your water temperature. This may involve moving your reservoir outside your grow area where it is cooler or it may involve adding a chiller.

Dont think about growing in DWC unless you can control water temps and add oxygenation!

DWC Tutorial – How To Build A DWC Hydroponic System

This part of my DWC tutorial will show you how to build an easy recirculating dwc bucket system.

DWC BUCKET BUILD

This is what I call a reverse flow DWC system. It can be built with or without air stones or air pumps if you provide oxygenation with flooming or water falls. I came up with this idea of feeding nutrients from the bottom up several years ago.

I noticed growers were having problems with roots getting sucked into the returns and clogging the system. The obvious solution was to reverse the flow so roots were not being continually sucked downward. Later I found out about slucket buckets that use the same reverse flow principal but otherwise are very much like Current Culture units.

Here is a conversation from my Instagram account I had with them:

• slucketbuckets

  I commend you on your creativeness @howtogrowweed420 but, I would argue that your DIY system is not like the Posiflow RDWC system. We pride ourself on a unique system unlike CC system or any other and I think the content on our page showing customer results will attest to that. Again, I think what you’re doing (growing and spreading knowledge) is great but I don’t want any one to have any misunderstanding about the product(s) we offer. Happy growing always. 💚

• howtogrowweed420

  @slucketbuckets Your system is more complex and I admit they are not the same but both bring water in from the bottom and out the top which is where they are similar. I think unlike CC and most other RDWC systems this reverse flow or positive flow as you call it is the better way to go. I have no doubt your system works great. I actually thought this out before I even knew you existed. My goal is to share knowledge and make a simple system using this principal that home growers can easily build and afford. If I had a commercial space I would probably buy your system but it is really too large for a grow tent. 👍

These units are expensive and designed mainly for commercial use. I wanted something similar but they take up more space than most small growers have, myself included. So I set out to build a smaller less expensive version. I did not copy their idea, indeed I did not even know they existed until later. Let me be clear my design uses the same reverse flow although they call it posiflow. But it is not a slucket bucket system like theirs.

How To Build My DIY “Slucket Bucket”

I have made a hard decision not to grow in DWC for a while. Spring is here and temperatures will be rising. Unfortunately that means water temperatures too. My power is maxed out right now so adding a chiller is not an option at this time.

Timing was bad on my part because I had a bunch of plants that were in growstones and they needed to be flowered too. I wish I had more space but it is what it is.

So I will have to resume  my DWC tutorial again in the fall. The GG4 was repotted in growstones and will be flowered soon so no plants suffered. But rest assured this system does work and it can work with or without air stones.

Probably if you are just starting in hydro it will be easier to use air stones to begin with. It is just one less thing to worry about providing you can live with the noise an air pump makes.

I would also recommend trying a single bucket to start. I will be putting together a product list of things needed for this build.

GROWING BIG PLANTS IN SMALL POTS IN MY EZ…

Are you interested in growing big plants in small pots? If you are you will want to check out my EZ DIY hydro system. I explain everything in my video below and in this article. I will also list everything you need to set up my top feed drip hydro system.

Growing Big Plants In Small Pots – The Secret

The secret to growing big plants in small pots is a top fed hydroponic system. You have probably seen lots of growers using 10,20 or even larger pots. They say more roots is more fruits but while that might be true in soil it is not the same in hydro.

Any experienced coco grower will tell you they get bigger plants in coco with smaller pots than soil or promix. My system would even work in coco heavily amended with perlite although watering cycles would need to be adapted.

By growing in hydroton or growstones we can take everything to the next level and use even smaller pots. I see no reason to use anything larger than a 1 gallon pot with this system. If you want to grow monster trees you may want to go to 2 or 3 gallon pots though.

Most plants need a large pot because it is necessary to hold enough media and nutrients so the roots can forage to find them and fill the pot. Watering can become problematic in large pots and so can salt build up. Many growers run a feed water feed system because of this.

Hydroponics Is Different

In a hydro system running hydroton things are totally different. Nutrients are delivered to the roots constantly so the plants dont waste energy growing roots to forage. Everything is right there and growth is faster.

However if you run hydroton in a flood and drain you will have problems with salt build up. Using a top feed drip system this problem is largely avoided because nutrients flow downward instead of being pushed upwards.

Plants grown with a top fed drip system and growstones develop an entirely different root system. They grow a mat of very fine feeder roots because everything they need is directly available 24/7. That is the secret to why growing large plants in small pots works.

Building My EZ DIY Hydro System

This really is an easy DIY project for just about anyone even folks with 2 left thumbs. It also is relatively cheap to build and should last for years. The only tools you will need are a drill and a 1 1/4 hole saw or drill bit to install the flood and drain fittings, and oh, maybe a knife to cut the irrigation tubing.

This system will be for 8 plants or less. You can run more but you may need a larger or 2nd pump. The plants will need to sit in a tray that drains away. It can be a tote, a flood tray or even fiberglass roofing that slopes to a drain.

It can be any size you want. I do want to point out that this is a recirculating system and not a drain to waste system. So everything will need a reservoir to return to.

I recommend cutting all drip lines to the same length so all pots get the same amount of water. Also leave them open ended. Drippers can clog but open lines never do.

Below is everything you will need. You will also need a short length of 1/2 OD tubing to connect the pump to the ebb and flow fitting and a 27 gallon reservoir. I like the black totes with yellow square tops you get at Lowes for about $13.

About Pot Sizes

Many pots being sold actually hold less than stated. I just checked my gallon pots and they are 3.4 liters and really only hold about 3/4 of a gallon.

However you do want to use pots designed for ebb and flow or hydro use. They have smaller holes so your media wont fall out and raised corners to keep them out of any standing water. My pots have a 6″ inside diameter and about 6.5″ outside measurement and are 8″ deep.

So if you want a full gallon you will probably need a 7″ pot. Here are some white ones from Amazon

Small Pots Big Plants Heavy Frost Day 49

Does it work? Watch the video and you tell me. Actually I lied. Found out my pots are not 1 gallon but only hold 3/4 gallon.

Changing Your Nutrient Reservoir

Changing your nutrient reservoir? How often? Is it necessary? My answer might surprise you. I have a video that explains my take on topping off your reservoir vs changing it out.

Keep Changing Your Nutrient Reservoir
Your Nute Company Needs The $$$

Conventional wisdom tells us to change out the reservoir every week or two. And this bit of knowledge comes from the nutrient companies. It’s great for them because you buy more nutrients that way.

Do you like watching your hard earned money going down the drain? Unless you have something growing in your res there is no reason to do this.

I am not saying there is no need for hydroponic reservoir maintenance. If you use a lot of additives they may create gunk that needs to be cleaned out. If you are having root issues or lock outs you definitely need to sterilize everything and start over.

But if you are running hydroponics systems it is usually best to skip a lot of expensive additives especially if they are heavy on organics. If you are running DWC or a drip system they can often cause more problems than they solve.

I know many growers in DWC that never dump their nutrients. They simply top up and add H2O2 or pool shock to keep things sterile.

How Often Should You Add Nutrients To Hydroponics?

Only as often as is necessary! I will assume your system is somewhat dialed in and you know what nutrient levels to run. I also will assume you at least own a TDS meter Ph pen. Otherwise you will never know what to add when topping off your hydroponic reservoir.

Get A 24/7 Nutrient Monitor

I highly recommend buying a 24/7 nutrient monitor if you can afford one. That way you will always know your nutrient reservoir temperature, your pH and how much to adjust ppm in hydroponics.

Beats the hell out of always checking things with pens and you will know at a glance what is going on in you reservoir. I bought one thinking it was a luxury item for the lazy grower. I consider it a necessity if you want to grow quality weed.

You probably heard that plants use different nutrients at different times and in different amounts. They say if you dont change your nutrients regularly you could experience deficiencies. It is true what plants eat changes depending on their growth cycle. But since we are going to top up your res regularly there will always be  a supply of fresh nutes being added. So dont buy into that argument.

How To Top Up Your Reservoir

You will need to figure out how much water your reservoir holds. You will need to grab a gallon milk jug or similar. Dont go by what the manufacturer says. Also a 5 gallon bucket holds less than 5 gallons unless filled to the brim! I have one of those 27 gallon black totes with the yellow top many people use. It is almost full with 20 gallons!

This is important because it will help you to mix your nutes correctly. If you add enough for 27 gallons and you only actually hold 20 your mixture will be too strong. There also wont be enough room to dilute it. Dont ask how I know this.

Calibrate Your Nutes

I like to grab a gallon bucket and mix a gallons worth of nutes and check the TDS and pH. Find your sweet spot. Keep track of how many ml you use of each ingredient. I RECOMMEND WRITING THIS DOWN SOMEWHERE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. Most recommendations on your bottles are way to hot. Again they want you to use more. They dont really care about your crop they just want your money!

I use a piece of PVC pipe as a gauge. I work in units of 5 gallons although you could use a different unit. Every 5 gallons added to the res gets marked with a line. So I know for example my reservoir is filled with 20 gallons and if I know what a gallon of nutes is I know exactly how much to add to make 20. Make sense? Write down your readings.

When I go to my reservoir and check it I know exactly how much my plants have drunk. I add back enough water to bring my reservoir back. Say the level on my pipe is 15 gallons. I know I need to add 5 gallons of water to get back to the 20 original gallons.

BUT WAIT! Now you need to read the new reservoir PPM and pH. IF YOU SUBTRACT THIS FROM YOUR FIRST READING YOU WILL KNOW HOW MUCH YOUR PLANTS ATE. So if I was running at 1000 PPM and now its 800 they ate 200 PPMs.

More importantly I know how much nutrient I have to add to bring it back to the same level. It is 200 PPMs.

That’s why you measured a gallon of nutrient mix a while back. Now you can mix a small batch and add back 200 PPM. There is no guessing and no over or under dosing nutrients for your reservoir.

How big should my hydroponic reservoir be?

Bigger is better! You want enough water for your plants but you also need to watch your water temperature in the reservoir. Also if the nutrient reservoir is small you will have to top up much more often. A larger nutrientres is more stable and less work to maintain.

Size will depend on the size of your grow and the system you use. Obviously you need a larger res for DWC or flood and drain than to run a drip system. I would say 20 gallons would be OK for a small grow like 1 light or less. But again more is usually better. Remember too that you wont be dumping your nutes every week or two!

Check out my latest grow of Grim Bastard OG  along with some Gelato 33 and Tropicanna Cookies

Good luck and happy growing!

Leaf Stripping Cannabis And Why I Defoliate Weed

Leaf stripping cannabis goes by several different names. Some call it defoliation, schwazzing or hi-yield technique. So do you leaf strip? What is leaf stripping and why is it beneficial?

Leaf Stripping Cannabis Vs Lollipopping

Basically we are talking about removing leaves during flowering, more specifically the fan leaves or any leaf that has a stem to it. It is a method of pruning to increase yield.

But it is not is what is refered to as lollipopping which removes lower bud sites or branches entirely. When you defoliate you are only removing leaves although it is often done in addition to lollipopping or lower branch removal.

Above is a Gelato #33 on day 16 that has just been defoliated. Notice that most fan leaves were removed except a few at the very top and how the buds are now well exposed to light. Before I could only really see the top buds.

The most common time to leaf strip is at day 21 and some growers do it again around day 42. I like to leaf strip around day 14 while the plant is still stretching.

Some growers strip everything with a stem and some only remove larger fan leaves. You will have to experiment a bit to find out what works best for your grow.

I do it earlier because it can be used to slow the stretch down but there is still some time left for regrowth. If you defoliate later you probably wont see any regrowth. Leaves that are removed dont grow back. Instead growth shifts to the leaves surrounding the buds themselves.

Be forewarned:Defoliation will shock your plants and it could take up to a week for them to start regrowing. This is normal but you need to realize maturity may come a few days later. It’s the price you pay for better buds.

Why I Leaf Strip Cannabis

This video pretty much explains everything but if you have questions feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to answer it.

You can follow this grow at: https://420grower.org/grim-bastard-og-in-flower/ I will update the leaf strip here as well.