The Autoflower Network's Scientific Approach

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[Son of Hobbes]

Man, I'm really surprised this thread just died.

I don't know, the Scientific Method is so ingrained that I do it subconsciously. It is definitely is a strong driving factor in how I do things.

I absolutely love to learn how to do new things! I also love to discover new things!

My current grow has been filled with that.
This grow started out as just growing some weed and preserving someones work by making seeds. So through careful observation, documentation, being extremely methodical and advice from others, I was able to pull off the seed making in quite a stellar fashion! Timing the reversed females and the recipients is key for a successful seed making endeavor. Observation of the Mom and how and when she reacted when flipped to 12/12 was a key basis in success. So with that observation and the advice from others I was able to get the timing down to the Optimal level.

This grow has sorta morphed into proving or disproving the bro science statement, "Bigger roots make bigger fruits" in organic grows. This was not the intent, but I found myself in this situation.

In the seed making endeavor, I took quite a few clones. I finally realized that two seeded girls would make way more seeds than I could ever utilize, so I had 4 leftover. Relatively early on I thought I wanted to keep a mom, so I up potted one of the clones. After realizing I really didn't have a good place to keep her currently, I decided to grow her out. I did not have enough big pots for the other three clones that I had.

So now I have a tent with 4 clones with one in a 15 gallon pot and others in 5 gallon pots. All along the way they got the same feed and the majority of the time they were in the same tent before they all got moved into final place in the 4 by 4. Since moving, they all have been getting the exact same feed. Naturally with two different pot sizes you will get them off cycle from each other and I try to duplicate the feed from the previous feeding, but it's essentially the same feed. Naturally, being in the same tent, they were flipped to 12/12 at the same time.

Naturally, there is a size difference between the clones in the five gallon pots and the one clone in the 15 Gallon. Where the interesting part comes in, is the relationship of the size of the buds to the biomass of the plant. I think there is quite a dramatic difference in that relationship. Another interesting observation is that the girl in the large pot is leading in bud Structure formation. Early on in Bud Formation, the big girl was always leading. Now on the latter half of flowering, the big girl has led in the bulking up part of the process. What I'm talking about is the kind of almost foxtailing like structure. It starts to look like Fox tailing but fills in. In the last few days the Girls in the five gallon pots have exhibited the same structure. Now that has me thinking about maturity of the flowers. Is the big potted girl going to mature her flowers before the other girls in the five gallon pot? I think it kind of seems logical. If she leaves in formation and in structure, why not maturity? I guess we'll find that out two to three weeks.

Right now, all of this are just plain observations and subjective conclusions. Part of the scientific method is proving your observations and conclusions.

So the conclusion that bigger potted girls can mature quicker than smaller plotted girls will be based on what the microscope shows when I'm ready to chop. That's pretty simple and easy to prove.

I think proving "Bigger roots make bigger fruits" should be just as easy, but a little bit more work will be needed.
All I need to prove is that the big girl had a larger percentage of flower in relationship to the plants entire biomass. Now realistically, all I can do is weigh what is above ground and if I do them the same, the result should be quantitative.

Just from observations, I'm fairly sure that it will prove the point that bigger pots, ie bigger roots, do make bigger fruits.


Now that's at this size level of pots! What happens when the small pot is a 15 gallon and the large pot is say a 30? Naturally, with larger pots you're going to veg to the proper size before you flip. Now, in my particular case, I should have flipped the tent sooner based on the 5 gallon girls size, but that was just not possible in this case. I am really pushing the nutrients to keep the smaller potted girls happy and healthy.

I guess maybe a Bit better test in larger pots would be to veg the girl in the smaller pots to it's optimal size for that pot. I know I will come out with bigger girls in the bigger pots, but will there be that larger flower ratio to biomass of the plant. And naturally, we are talking about plants that have the genetic propensity to grow large.
Given what I've seen in this particular grow, I still think that we would see the same ratio, but maybe to a different degree. Nevertheless, I think it would still be something quite easily observable.

This is what I thought this thread was going to be about! I think it's what this thread should be about! Members throw out information with documentation and then we discussed the results.

I will definitely be back to this thread with some numbers and cold hard facts!


And yes @Mossy, I'm on the Sati!

I never intended for this to be a super active thread; but more of a reminder that "hey, there is actual science and data that exists in 2024. We don't have to tell people "you do this because my uncle Billy's gym coach grew weed for 50 years, and if you grow weed for 50 years we should just listen to you and never question any of the details. Now here chew on this tin foil and try to stick your thumb up an alligators bum, that will increased the THC of your plants. Billy's gym coach said so."

 

[WildBill]

I never intended for this to be a super active thread; but more of a reminder that "hey, there is actual science and data that exists in 2024. We don't have to tell people "you do this because my uncle Billy's gym coach grew weed for 50 years, and if you grow weed for 50 years we should just listen to you and never question any of the details. Now here chew on this tin foil and try to stick your thumb up an alligators bum, that will increased the THC of your plants. Billy's gym coach said so."

I kind of figured that, but this would be the appropriate repository for any findings.

I think your comment is quite appropriate and maybe just a tiny bit of an exaggeration, but we've all heard something quite similar and just as silly!

 

[Son of Hobbes]

I kind of figured that, but this would be the appropriate repository for any findings.

I think your comment is quite appropriate and maybe just a tiny bit of an exaggeration, but we've all heard something quite similar and just as silly!

Oh the "I've been doing this since you were in diapers" argument happens all the time in cannabis.

I use the "well my Aunt Rhonda" response when growers say that to me.

"Yeah, well my Aunt Rhonda is on her 5th marriage. The length of time we do something is hardly an indication of mastery."

If they balk at that, I follow up with:

"well my Aunt Rhonda has been cooking food for nearly 70 years, but she still burns mac and cheese on the stove."

If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.

 

[WildBill]

Oh the "I've been doing this since you were in diapers" argument happens all the time in cannabis.

I use the "well my Aunt Rhonda" response when growers say that to me.

"Yeah, well my Aunt Rhonda is on her 5th marriage. The length of time we do something is hardly an indication of mastery."

If they balk at that, I follow up with:

"well my Aunt Rhonda has been cooking food for nearly 70 years, but she still burns mac and cheese on the stove."

If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.

One of the most common comments that I've heard, throughout life, but more so in a professional light, " We've always done it that way!"

That doesn't make it correct!!!

Quite often that was a response to my statement that "You're doing it wrong!"

 

[WildBill]

Here you go Auntie!

And for the My Little Pony fans

 

[hecno]

Very interesting , I grow the way I do , because I always like to learn , and yes I make mistakes , but that is my way of building a knowledge foundation , and as some of you know I like to use what I can find around me , to delve deeper in the whys helps we a lot , when I was a kid my Dad used to say to me don't do that , what I would say was why - because was his answer - Then I would go and do it , then find out why not .