https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/grow-basics daily 0.75 2023-06-23 https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/grow-basics/seedgermination monthly 0.5 2023-05-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg Grow Basics - A Better way to Germinate Cannabis Seeds - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/512c1df1-2fc7-451a-8086-209306dd4285/cannabis+germination Grow Basics - A Better way to Germinate Cannabis Seeds Planting Cannabis Seeds When your planting media of choice is prepared, create a small hole or “dibble” about ¼”- ½” deep in the soil surface. A chopstick is the perfect tool for this job. Place each seed in a hole and cover with loose soil. The best tool for sowing small amounts of seed is a pair of tweezers. Once a tray of seeds is seated, you can use your chopstick to tamp media around each seed to ensure full contact with the soil. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8c80cbc4-d5f6-4abc-a1a8-3e88a05d5b8c/11.jpg Grow Basics - A Better way to Germinate Cannabis Seeds Feminized Seeds As you probably know, cannabis is dioecious, which means that there are both male and female cannabis plants. Female plants are desirable for production of fragrant flowers, and males are usually culled to avoid seeding females. Feminized seed have been bred to produce only female plants, where regular seeds usually produce about 50% male and 50% female plants. It can take 6-8 weeks of growth before it is possible to visually identify male from female plants. If you are only growing a few plants at a time, you want to be sure that they are all female from the very beginning by purchasing feminized seeds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/de834ab4-8532-477f-ad2d-38526ce48892/Elevated+Botanist+%288%29.jpg Grow Basics - A Better way to Germinate Cannabis Seeds Soaking Seeds Soak seeds in a labeled glass containing the scarification solution. If you are growing multiple strains, don’t mix them up. Seeds should soak for 18-20 hours prior to planting. In addition to softening the seed coat, this treatment will kill fungal pathogens and drive oxygen into the seed. Strain the seeds from the solution, and rinse generously with Potable Water. A kitchen colander works great for this job. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1678090324680-Y0KYR9ECCD7Q4TZZQ8R7/Elevated+Botanist+%287%29.jpg Grow Basics - A Better way to Germinate Cannabis Seeds Article Contents: Buying Cannabis Seeds Feminized Seeds Cannabis Seed Storage Germinating Cannabis Seeds Soaking Seeds Starting Seeds in Soil Planting Cannabis Seeds Germination Climate Download the Grow Guide Seed Germination FAQ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b24546c7-0d10-470c-9d2b-64af96315081/seeding.jpg Grow Basics - A Better way to Germinate Cannabis Seeds Seed Germination Supplies You will need these supplies to germinate your cannabis seeds: Planting media of your choice Nursery flat or similar tray Potable Water Household Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) A kitchen colander One chopstick Tweezers https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/grow-basics/vigorous-seedling monthly 0.5 2023-05-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/31dc01e5-6fd9-4be9-ad69-33142c778275/In.jpg Grow Basics - Amazing Weed Starts with a Vigorous Seedling Small plants don’t require lots of real estate. Two feet of vertical height is plenty of room to install florescent light fixtures and grow your seedlings on wire shelves for a few weeks. A single 2’x4’x6’ wire shelf can be used to grow 50 or 60 plants for the 2–3-week duration of the seedling stage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/d1f764f0-ba5e-4bbe-99b3-b60cb8ade0b8/Elevated+Botanist+%2825%29.jpg Grow Basics - Amazing Weed Starts with a Vigorous Seedling Biofungicides are beneficial microbes that help prevent disease without the use of chemical pesticides. Peat pucks or root cubes can be inoculated with products containing Bacillus or Trichoderma prior to seating clones. These microbes will form a lifelong relationship with your plant to help prevent Damping-off and other diseases. When clones have started to root, the relative humidity should be gradually reduced to 70%-75%, which is optimal for the early growth stage. Once clones are acclimated to vegetative growing conditions, they can be transplanted and cared for like seedlings during juvenile growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/60fb0039-4469-46dc-96b8-2ef5a32dde0b/Elevated+Botanist+%2828%29.jpg Grow Basics - Amazing Weed Starts with a Vigorous Seedling Plugs are pressed gently into the soil at the center of each pot, and loose soil added until the plug is covered. Following transplant, pots are watered so that soil completely fills any air pockets around the root plug. Adding liquid kelp to your irrigation water will help your plant quickly root into the new medium. In addition to micronutrients, kelp contains natural plant hormones including cytokinins that help reduce stress and benefit root development. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/eb2f216d-1c1d-4a9b-a4e1-1f63e98cc937/In+%281920+%C3%97+1080+px%29+%284%29.jpg Grow Basics - Amazing Weed Starts with a Vigorous Seedling - Transplant Timing You will know when to transplant by observing your plants growth. Root development is obvious when using root pruning pots, as white roots will be exiting the pot everywhere. Basic plant structure should be established, with 4-6 tops at similar height ideal for most growing systems. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/fad7867d-31f7-46dc-a347-5101cb9e2324/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-5.jpg Grow Basics - Amazing Weed Starts with a Vigorous Seedling You can help your plants get a healthy start before they germinate by soaking seeds in a .5 to 1% hydrogen peroxide solution. This will kill pathogens on the outside of the seed, provide oxygen to the embryo, and soften the seed coat for faster germination. Seeds can be planted directly in large pots, or in the ground, but growing in small pots for a few weeks has several advantages: Small root balls are easier to water correctly. Many plants can be grown in a limited footprint. Plants in small pots are easy to prune and train. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/01505529-1a31-434e-8745-90381e9c87c4/Elevated+Botanist+%2829%29.jpg Grow Basics - Amazing Weed Starts with a Vigorous Seedling Seedling Growth When a seed germinates, it first sends a tap root down into the soil. Once the root is anchored, the stem unfurls, and a pair of simple rounded leaves opens. These seed leaves are followed by the first true leaf set. The first true leaves are single bladed, serrated, and look like cannabis leaves. As your plant grows, new leaves will continue to form along its stem. The intersection of each leaf stem with the main branch is a growth node. As the plant develops, small growth shoots will start to form at each node. Each new shoot is fueled by the leaf that is growing with and will continue to grow and develop a new branch with leaves and flowering sites. The speed of plant growth will vary based on many factors. Healthy seedlings will often form a couple of nodes per week. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/56aa4d9c-6809-44b4-b106-44c540c414a5/Elevated+Botanist+%2813%29.jpg Grow Basics - Amazing Weed Starts with a Vigorous Seedling Plants are bent over by hand, and a clothespin can be used to clip an upper fan leaf to the pot. When the top of the plant is at a similar height to lower branches, hormone changes will cause lower shoots to develop more rapidly. Your plant will quickly recover and turn its leaves up to face the light. This simple step will significantly change the structure of your plant within a few days. Shoots which are not in the best position are pruned so growth is focused on the keepers. Plants can be bent multiple times using plant ties or training clips to produce many top colas, depending on your needs. You can grow a lot of plants with a few tops each, and flower them when they’re small, or train for more tops and fill your canopy with fewer plants. If you are growing in a sea of green, you may not want to train at all. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/a1d8161a-3a1b-4343-8818-4a95225667bf/Elevated+Botanist+%2826%29.jpg Grow Basics - Amazing Weed Starts with a Vigorous Seedling - Seedlings vs Clones Cannabis is easy to clone and there are advantages to growing genetically identical plants. Canopy management is simper when your plants all have the same growth habit, and flower consistency is important for buyers. There are also drawbacks to growing from clone that outweigh the benefits for many growers. Clones that have been shared often carry pests and diseases that are hard to eliminate once they are established in your crop. Live plants are difficult to ship, and most garden centers don’t carry much of a selection in the weed section. A wide variety of feminized seeds are available to be mailed anywhere in the world, and they are usually disease free when you get them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/2330d23e-ba0c-422a-a6b8-157a333b5d99/Elevated+Botanist+%283%29.jpg Grow Basics - Amazing Weed Starts with a Vigorous Seedling Conventional growers will often start seedlings in a sterile mix. Organic soils contain probiotics that help to feed your plants and protect them from disease. Compost and worm castings provide available nutrients, and billions of beneficial microbes ready to go to work for your plants. Fertile organic soils usually contain indigenous mycorrhizae. These fungi are highly beneficial for water and nutrient uptake by roots. In addition to compost, a variety of soil amendments are used to build fertile potting mixes. These inputs provide essential macro and micronutrients to feed the soil microbes that feed your plants. Living soil doesn’t ship well, and the best potting soils are usually made from ingredients sourced in your area. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/grow-basics/4-climate-factors-for-cannabis-success monthly 0.5 2023-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/f936223c-fa78-4244-979f-cc627b9456ad/Elevated+Botanist+%2816%29.png Grow Basics - Dial in these 4 Climate Factors for Cannabis Success There are several different climate factors that need to be controlled for us to provide a plant paradise. These factors interact to create an environment that will support vigorous growth, while minimizing plant disease. Let’s start by defining the four critical climate factors that we need to control. 1) Temperature 2) Relative Humidity 3) Air Quality 4) Air Movement https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1600cca3-be90-428d-b4e4-bc5e561d5df5/climate+graph.jpg Grow Basics - Dial in these 4 Climate Factors for Cannabis Success Monitor your Climate You can’t fix what you are not aware of. To understand what is happening in your grow, you need a climate data logger. This is a simple Bluetooth device that monitors your Temperature, and Relative Humidity 24/7. These metrics are graphed over time, and trend lines enable you to fine-tune your climate equipment. You can also use this data to confirm your photoperiod due to the effect lighting has on the grow environment. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/grow-basics/the-8-growth-stages-of-your-cannabis-plant monthly 0.5 2023-06-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/a4cbe5e0-7bd7-4feb-9892-4f9185b4fe42/40.jpg Grow Basics - The 8 Growth Stages of Your Cannabis Plant Bud Growth By mid-flower, your plants are at the peak of their reproductive potential. If no pollen is present, buds will continue to swell in desperation to be fertilized. As they grow along the stems, buds will link up to become solid colas composed of thousands of individual flowers yearning to make seeds. By mid flower, your plants are fully committed to budding, and photoperiods can be increased to 13 or 14 hours to maximize bud growth. Plants will respond to more light by producing more weed if all other plant health requirements are met. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/7a62ef2d-eddb-488b-b3d3-ca4f7f8ffac6/The+8+growth+stages+of+your+cannabis+plant Grow Basics - The 8 Growth Stages of Your Cannabis Plant Cannabis Growth Stages: Seed Storage (Dormancy) Seed Germination Stage Seedling Stage Vegetative Growth Pre Flowering Stage Early Flowering Mid Flower Stage Late Flower (Senescence) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/01d606ef-f2c0-48cd-be48-54a21be2efda/In+%286%29.jpg Grow Basics - The 8 Growth Stages of Your Cannabis Plant Another important sign of harvest time is trichome development. Trichomes are formed as clear structures, and change appearance as cannabinoid synthesis progresses. Trichomes become opaque, or milky colored as they mature, and then amber as they degrade. A phone camera of magnifying glass can be used to observe this development. The optimal time to harvest will vary by strain, and by user preference. For many strains, peak THC content is when most of the trichomes are opaque, and a few have turned amber. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8c80cbc4-d5f6-4abc-a1a8-3e88a05d5b8c/11.jpg Grow Basics - The 8 Growth Stages of Your Cannabis Plant The three key conditions for long term storage are Cool, Dry, and Dark. Seeds are best stored in tinted jars, containing desiccant packs, in the fridge. When you take them out, let the jar come to room temperature before opening to avoid condensation. When cannabis seeds are first harvested, they have a high level of dormancy, or resistance to sprouting. This dormancy is a response to natural seasonal conditions. If the seeds did not have some level of dormancy, they could all sprout soon after they fell from the plant, only to be killed by the coming winter. A seed will slowly lose this dormancy over a period of a few months. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/82c1abb5-277c-40ed-b958-487cf01519e2/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-15.jpg Grow Basics - The 8 Growth Stages of Your Cannabis Plant Dry and Cure Fresh cannabis will retain more of the volatile monoterpenes, and other bioactive compounds when properly dried and cured. Cannabis should be dried slowly, under low temperatures for the best result. Hang-drying cannabis branches slows the drying process by allowing moisture from the stem to migrate into the flower. This process usually requires 14 days hanging prior to trimming and packaging. Check out the outdoor grow guide for more info on curing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/56aa4d9c-6809-44b4-b106-44c540c414a5/Elevated+Botanist+%2813%29.jpg Grow Basics - The 8 Growth Stages of Your Cannabis Plant - When to Prune Leaves expand during vegetative growth, and photosynthesis increases. Plants convert sunlight into carbohydrates and use this energy for growth. Plants also store carbohydrates in leaves and roots as an energy reserve for rainy days. Plants control how fast they grow to make sure they don’t consume energy faster than they can produce it. This balance of energy production and storage is important for timing of pruning and transplanting. When a plant is well rooted, the carbohydrates stored in roots will support growth of new shoots after pruning. When shoots are growing vigorously, the energy stored in leaves will fuel rapid root growth after transplant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1678090324680-Y0KYR9ECCD7Q4TZZQ8R7/Elevated+Botanist+%287%29.jpg Grow Basics - The 8 Growth Stages of Your Cannabis Plant Peroxide Scarification Weed seeds can be chemically scarified by soaking them in a .5% - 1% Hydrogen Peroxide solution for 16-24 hours. This will kill pathogens on the outside of the seed, provide oxygen to the embryo, and soften the seed coat for faster germination. You can make a peroxide solution for soaking seeds by combining 1 part household peroxide (3%) with 3 parts tap water. Once oxygen and water have penetrated the seed coat, a taproot will emerge from the base of the seed. If seeds are soaked for too long, or germinated in paper towels, this root radicle can be easily damaged when planting. Seeds can be planted in small plugs, or directly sown into their final home. Weed seeds do not require high humidity to germinate, and it is best to leave them uncovered for improved airflow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/ae944710-72f3-4540-bbd9-8204f6dd63d5/Elevated+Botanist+%286%29.jpg Grow Basics - The 8 Growth Stages of Your Cannabis Plant - First Transplant Clones or seedlings usually spend about 10 days to 2 weeks in plugs before they are well rooted and ready to go. These plugs can be planted in small pots for the first few weeks of growth. Root training pots between 1 quart (litre) and 1 gallon in size are perfect for the seedling stage. Holes in the sides allow the pots to dry out quickly to avoid overwatering. Roots are guided to these holes where they stop growing. This stimulates growth of radial roots closer to the plant, and results in a fibrous root mass that will quickly expand when transplanted to veg. Conventional growers often start seedlings in a sterile mix and a light feeding program. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b564b483-6ff5-4e48-b177-1b20842c4cd3/In+%281920+%C3%97+1080+px%29+%285%29.jpg Grow Basics - The 8 Growth Stages of Your Cannabis Plant - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/7280bbcd-b000-4504-a58f-e62187d93f53/Elevated+Botanist+%2815%29.jpg Grow Basics - The 8 Growth Stages of Your Cannabis Plant When to Flower For indoor growers, knowing when to switch to a 12/12 light cycle from 18/6 can determine success or failure. Weed plants can easily double in size during the early flowering stretch and outgrow the space they are in. Water and nutrient uptake increase to support this rapid growth, so it is important that your plant is well rooted before flip. Nitrogen uptake usually peaks in the early flower stage. Light intensity can be gradually increased to make up for the reduction in light from 18 hour to 12 hour photoperiods. The first signs of females flowering start about a week after flip when the plants begin to “hair up” and grow more pistillate preflowers. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/grow-basics/buying-cannabis-seeds-10-things-you-need-to-know monthly 0.5 2023-03-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/7280bbcd-b000-4504-a58f-e62187d93f53/Elevated+Botanist+%2815%29.jpg Grow Basics - Buying Cannabis Seeds - 10 things you need to know - Hermie Plants Cannabis plants are normally dioecious, and male and female flowers occur on separate plants. In some cases, male flower parts can form on female plants and potentially seed your crop. Quality weed seeds will produce 2-4 hermies per thousand, but the ratios can be much higher in some strains. Early detection of hermie (intersex) plants is necessary to remove them from your garden before pollen is released. You can eliminate hermies from your garden by learning how to identify the first signs of male preflowers on your cannabis plants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/7a575648-2c28-4aa1-925b-bd43d8332891/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-11.jpg Grow Basics - Buying Cannabis Seeds - 10 things you need to know Get the Outdoor Grow Guide Here Regardless of what you call your plant, you should make sure that the strain that you want to grow is suitable for your grow conditions as well as for your medical conditions. Many breeders will advertise their strains as Sativa Dominant, or Indica Dominant. Plants that are referred to as Sativa dominant tend to have narrower leaf blades and longer internodes, while Indica dominant strains are shorter, with wider leaf blades. Many Indica strains are related to Afghanica plants that evolved in dry climates, and don’t have great mold resistance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/6679c3e6-fc98-4d68-9b93-f6dde6712193/Elevated+Botanist+%2816%29.jpg Grow Basics - Buying Cannabis Seeds - 10 things you need to know - The 10 things to know when buying Weed Seeds: Legal Weed Seeds Seed Banks Seed Packaging Feminized Seeds Hermie Plants Photoperiod Strains Autoflower Strains Fast Strains Sativa or Indica? Hybrid Strains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/d8bc3a03-9817-4a6c-aac4-a72c7f82c4b5/Marijuana+seed+packaging.jpg Grow Basics - Buying Cannabis Seeds - 10 things you need to know Reputable breeders do not supply bulk cannabis seeds to seed banks for repackaging and distribution. When a breeder’s reputation is at stake, they want to ensure that you are receiving fresh seeds that have been properly packaged for longevity. “Seed Banks” that sell hundreds of varieties under their own brand are usually just copying the hard work of others and slapping a cool name on the package. The price of seeds is similar whether you buy them from the bank or from Pirate Bob, so it is worth it to find a reputable seed bank and only buy seeds in original breeder packaging. Seeds are usually shipped as packages by priority mail. Mail sorting machines roll envelopes during handling which will crush any seeds inside. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg Grow Basics - Buying Cannabis Seeds - 10 things you need to know - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/476ca0b4-e83f-4a7e-8e28-b472fac08dc0/IMG_1559.jpg Grow Basics - Buying Cannabis Seeds - 10 things you need to know - Fast Strains Cannabis strains that will begin flowering during 14-16 hour days are sometimes referred to as photoperiod sensitive, or Fast strains. These strains can be created by cross breeding photoperiod and autoflowering strains. Fast strains will often begin flowering if they become root bound, or if they are planted outside too early in the season. For northern growers (above 40 degrees latitude) fast strains will often begin flowering in July for harvest in September before growing conditions deteriorate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/5a17d4c1-0d7e-4843-8d79-49c4c687abcb/How+to+Grow+Better+Autoflowers Grow Basics - Buying Cannabis Seeds - 10 things you need to know Autoflower Strains Autoflowering cannabis strains are Day-Neutral and will begin flowering automatically about three to four weeks after they are planted regardless of the photoperiod. Autoflowers have a short grow cycle and can be harvested between 70 and 100 days after germination. Because of this feature, autoflowering strains are often the best choice for an outdoor or patio garden. Knowing how many days are required from sowing seeds to harvesting weed allows outdoor growers to harvest at the best time of the season. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/grow-basics/find-the-perfect-spot-for-your-cannabis-garden monthly 0.5 2023-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1f8e2afb-3473-409c-82fb-59bba3955aa7/Elevated+Botanist+%2842%29.png Grow Basics - Find the Perfect Spot for Your Cannabis Garden - Cannabis Site Selection Basics Site Security Solar Exposure Photoperiod Considerations Container Gardens Raised Beds Cannabis Trellis Crop Rotation Cover Crops Companion Planting https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/e4217762-57f7-457a-bd28-288926b1657f/IMG_1559.jpg Grow Basics - Find the Perfect Spot for Your Cannabis Garden Raised Beds On this farm, we grow our herb in raised beds. This allows for the soil to warm up quickly in the spring and makes irrigation easy. Drip lines provide ideal watering, and a heavy mulch layer keeps our root zone happy. Remember to give your plants plenty of space. Here in beautiful BC, Canada, we usually space our plants about five feet apart, but if you are growing Cali Trees, you might need ten feet between plants. Autos are generally smaller plants, and three foot spacing should be plenty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/9e51fb18-9be9-4043-aeed-e77da08eae49/app+for+that.jpg Grow Basics - Find the Perfect Spot for Your Cannabis Garden There’s an app for that After many years of looking at compasses, calculating solar south, and basically guessing at my site’s solar orientation, I finally bought an app, about 5 years ago, and I haven’t looked back. The SunSeeker app (they are not paying me) shows me the solar path at any time of year at my grow site. By using the camera to visualize site conditions I can find the best location for my plants. The yellow line is the solar path on my proposed harvest day (September 15) The photoperiod duration for any day of the year is calculated for my site. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1b328895-9fd6-4255-8393-03f749d6d22d/Elevated+Botanist+%2841%29.png Grow Basics - Find the Perfect Spot for Your Cannabis Garden Short-Day Plants Most cannabis plants are short-day plants. This means that they will continue to grow vegetatively, until exposed to long nights. Once the plant perceives that the dark period has exceeded a certain length, the plant will begin to flower. It is important to avoid light pollution during the night-cycle to ensure that flowering is uninterrupted. While low levels of light (moonlight) will not affect the cannabis photoperiod, areas that can be directly illuminated with security lights or streetlights should be avoided. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/59512378-90fe-480a-b8a3-0ddc401ed2a1/Elevated+Botanist+%2823%29.png Grow Basics - Find the Perfect Spot for Your Cannabis Garden Conclusion Cannabis is an easy plant to grow. Starting out with great genetics in the form of seeds, and selecting the perfect spot in the garden are two important factors that will contribute to your success. If you haven’t planned your garden yet, now is the time to start. I am happy to provide all the information that you will need to grow amazing cannabis. The articles here in the Grow Basics series are written for you. If there is anything you need to know and you don’t see it here, please drop me an email and I will fill you in on the details. Everything starts with a seed, start learning how to germinate like a pro in this article. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/grow-basics/create-a-living-soil-to-grow-amazing-weed monthly 0.5 2023-04-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/2b891b9a-9efd-4bd7-99bf-efa0599dddd8/48.jpg Grow Basics - Create A Living Soil to Grow Amazing Weed Live Soil Ingredients: 4 gallons Peat Moss (27%) 4 gallons Coco Coir (27%) 2 gallons Perlite (13%) 5 gallons Compost (33%) 2 cups Dolomite Lime 2 cups Glacial Rock Dust 2 cups Base Mix Soil Mixing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/2330d23e-ba0c-422a-a6b8-157a333b5d99/Elevated+Botanist+%283%29.jpg Grow Basics - Create A Living Soil to Grow Amazing Weed Organic Potting Soil Super Soil Living Soil Organic Compost Nutrient Analysis Soil Structure Soil Fertility Protein Meals Mineral Inputs Organic Fertilizer Base Mix Ingredients Organic Soil Recipe Live Soil Ingredients Mixing Soil Soil Mineralization https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/760e220a-d2a1-446d-a2c6-4c3712f5fda6/58.jpg Grow Basics - Create A Living Soil to Grow Amazing Weed Coco Coir Coco Coir is produced from the pith surrounding coconuts. This farming byproduct is processed to create a valuable soil input with a neutral PH, and high water holding capacity. Coir is most often shipped in compressed blocks which expand significantly when rehydrated. Coir is available in various formats for different uses. A mixture of 2 parts “fines” and 1 part “chips” is ideal for potting soil blends. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/4e776f9e-26f6-4464-9bf1-350008cda014/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-10.jpg Grow Basics - Create A Living Soil to Grow Amazing Weed Base Mix Ingredients 3 parts Kelp Meal 2 parts Alfalfa Meal 2 parts Fishbone Meal 1 part Feather Meal 1 part Blood Meal If any of these products are not available in your area, you can substitute other inputs with similar N-P-K nutrient qualities. Download the Outdoor Grow Guide for more info on how to manage organic fertility during the crop cycle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/20cd4341-1098-4c0f-baf5-6e12926126e0/Elevated+Botanist+%281920+%C3%97+1080+px%29+%281%29.jpg Grow Basics - Create A Living Soil to Grow Amazing Weed Compost should smell rich and inoffensive. Foul smells indicate that conditions favor bad actors that off gas nutrients rather than holding them in the soil. Compost from different sources can be combined in a soil mix. Diversity is a good thing and blending your home vermicompost with a high-density commercial compost can yield incredible results. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/d1f764f0-ba5e-4bbe-99b3-b60cb8ade0b8/Elevated+Botanist+%2825%29.jpg Grow Basics - Create A Living Soil to Grow Amazing Weed - Living Soil A single gram of fertile soil contains billions of microorganisms. These microbes cooperate, compete, and consume each other within a micro-universe of complexity. More than 99% of soil bacteria remain unresearched because they cannot be cultured in laboratory conditions. Fortunately, it is not necessary to understand every nuance to harness the incredible potential of relationships that have evolved between plants and soil life over millions of years. Growing in living soil enables plant-microbe relationships and nutrient uptake that is plant directed rather than force-fed. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/grow-basics/cannabis-flowering-stages monthly 0.5 2023-05-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/7dc2e34c-e200-4b0d-b83b-2785c26022df/In+%281920+%C3%97+1080+px%29+%283%29.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/4475241a-77bf-49ca-b60d-9602250a4c78/Intersex+plant.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages The formation of male pre flowers are the first sign of a male or hermie cannabis plant. You can see the small male preflowers forming on this hermie plant. Natural cannabis populations are about 50% male and 50% female. A small percentage of plants can also be hermies (intersex) where male pollen sacs grow on female plants. Male and female plants are easy to tell apart when you know what to look for, but hermies are more difficult to identify. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/baa019b2-d49b-477c-bbf3-4366c5553392/24.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Biocontrols Biocontrol is the reduction of pest populations by natural enemies. Spidermites love the hot, dry conditions of mid to late flower, and reproduce very quickly in these conditions. If you have an aphid issue, populations will increase once you stop spraying your plants in early flower. In some cases, targeted application of biocontrols can save your flowering crop. Biocontrols are used as part of an integrated pest management program. Natural enemies are best established on young plants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/956c3eb9-8609-4d9e-b129-bf102ff8ef4c/outdoor+hoops.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Light Dep Outdoor growers can get a jump start on the flowering stage by using light deprivation to force flowering. Light dep usually involves using a hoop structure to pull tarps over cannabis crops daily, and trigger flowering based on the reduction in photoperiod. Crops can be covered an hour or two before dark, then opened at night to avoid humidity build up. For short season growers, cannabis is usually much higher quality when it flowers during bright summer weather. For growers with a long season, two or more crops can be harvested from the same light deps each season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/56aa4d9c-6809-44b4-b106-44c540c414a5/Elevated+Botanist+%2813%29.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Plant Training Plant pruning and training applications have a big impact on the vertical height that a plant will add during stretch. This is due to the flowering resources being evenly distributed among many terminal buds at a similar height. An even canopy enables a consistent availability of light, hormones, and air movement across the crop. Plant height is determined by hormone regulation. When one branch of a plant is closer to the light it will produce hormones that suppress the growth of lower flower sites. When training techniques are used to distribute the hormone balance among many top buds, canopy height is suppressed equally. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/a4cbe5e0-7bd7-4feb-9892-4f9185b4fe42/40.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Momentum matters when transitioning your plant. Plants should be well rooted and reaching for the light when you signal the start of flower by reducing the light cycle. Many growers will veg at 18/6, then turn the lights off for 24 hours before applying a 12/12 light cycle. This will initiate a strong flowering response. Plants don’t seem to appreciate such abrupt transitions. A friendlier approach is to decrease the photoperiod over a few days while increasing light intensity. The goal is to keep the DLI consistent over a shorter photoperiod. I usually step the photoperiod down from 18/6 to 16/8 for two days, down to 14/10 for two days then down to 12/12 for a week or two. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/9a7a59c2-8a12-44f8-8265-ed47fedbfc5b/Elevated+Botanist+%2814%29.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Trichome Stages Trichomes are multicellular plant structures that synthesize biochemicals like terpenoids and flavonoids. Many plants make trichomes, but only cannabis uses these bio factories to synthesize cannabinoids and terpenes in such profusion. There are many theories about why cannabis produces this abundance of different cannabinoids. Protection from pests, or ultraviolet light, and collection of pollen on sticky residues have been suggested. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/89a6242b-6964-4269-9ffb-54bdc5ebd1b2/32.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Control Stretch Plants interpret environmental changes as seasonal cues. One way to limit a cannabis plants stretch is to manage the difference between day and night temperatures in your grow. In the greenhouse industry this is known as the dif. Keeping the daytime and nighttime temperatures close together will slow your plants stretch. If you can actually run your day temps cooler than your night temps you will see a larger effect. This is known as a negative dif and is caused by hormone signaling as your plant responds to the temperature inversion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/122cc89e-45ed-4c47-a725-09e5bdb6f84c/Elevated+Botanist+%2811%29.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Cannabis Photoperiods Outdoor Photoperiod Indoor Photoperiods Cannabis DLI Healthy Seedlings Sexing Plants Transplant Rooting In Vegging plants Spraying Plants Flower Initiation Light Dep Early Flower - Stretch Plant Training Control Stretch Mid Flower – Bud Growth Biocontrols Botrytis Late Flower - Ripening Trichome Stages Harvest timing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/9e62b94f-30d0-4a91-9409-cca894c542ff/Elevated+Botanist+%2812%29.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages If you are growing indoors, with plenty of light, and good control of environmental conditions, you will probably be happier running photoperiod plants than autos. Not all of us have a sweet grow show. If you are have a small scale grow, with limited light intensity, and you are controlling your climate with an inline fan, you might consider autos for your grow. Autos allow you to run photoperiods of up to 24 hours during flower. It is easier to control your environment when you are running low wattage lights continuously, rather than cycling powerful lights on and off. Light timers are not required, and light pollution will not affect your plants flowering stage. For growers with sub-optimal lighting conditions, increasing the photoperiod can increase flower quality and yield. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/dd217c82-1aeb-4708-8b5a-3dbf9007c9f5/18.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Rooting In When the transplant has been properly set, there should be plenty of water available in the soil to sustain the plant for at least a few days. It is best to delay the first watering to allow the soil to dry as much as possible without the plant getting droopy. This will encourage the roots to rapidly expand into the new soil in search of water. Transplant is an opportunity to promote a healthy root zone by applying a root soak that will help establish probiotics and pest control. I like to water in transplants with liquid kelp and beneficial nematodes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/bcb0b013-4037-4e04-be9f-480adcc50125/28.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Botrytis Cannabis is very susceptible to fungal pathogens like Powdery Mildew, and Bud Rot during the late flowering stage. The best disease prevention is to avoid the environmental conditions that promote mold. Pruning to promote airflow, keeping rain off flowering plants, and growing strains that will be harvested before bad weather arrives will contribute to plant health. If you are growing indoors, keep your humidity below 60% during flower, and don’t spray your buds, you will never have an issue with botrytis. For outdoor growers, Bud Rot is always a threat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8c80cbc4-d5f6-4abc-a1a8-3e88a05d5b8c/11.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Download the Grow Guide here Not all cannabis strains are short day plants. Autoflowers are day-neutral and will begin flowering a few weeks after germination regardless of the light cycle. Most autoflowers complete their lifecycle from seed to harvest in 70-100 days. These plants evolved to flower during the long summer days of Siberia and will perform their best at 18–20-hour photoperiods. When you cross breed a photoperiod and an autoflower, you get a fast strain. Fast Strains will usually flower with longer photoperiods than the short-day parent and will finish earlier in the season when grown outdoors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/f81562ae-6748-4916-9cd2-216684baa30b/image006.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Spraying Plants You are not the only one who likes cannabis plants. Plants have been in a continual state of chemical warfare with pathogens and herbivores for millions of years. Plant immune systems benefit from the microbial community present in healthy soils. Some of these microbes are used in bio insecticides which are non-toxic if you are not a bug. Spinosad is an organic approved bio insecticide that is effective against a range of insects, and Bacillus strains effectively control pests like fungus gnats (BTI). Get the Pest and Disease Handbook https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/ae944710-72f3-4540-bbd9-8204f6dd63d5/Elevated+Botanist+%286%29.jpg Grow Basics - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Healthy Seedlings To achieve greatness during flower, you need to start out with a healthy seedling or clone. Young plants should be well rooted and pest free. Root and shoot training during the seedling stage will set you up for success. Most commercial growers use clones so that all plants have a consistent phenotype, or physical form. The problem with growing with clones is that they often come with diseases. In my opinion, the best practice for all growers is to avoid bringing strange clones into their grow show. There is a huge diversity of feminized seeds available, and they pose a much lower risk to your garden. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/physiology daily 0.75 2023-03-18 https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/physiology/plantlighting monthly 0.5 2023-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/d8aa7f7f-f11b-4c6e-88da-879549364620/phytochrome-structure.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: - Phytochromes Phytochromes are the class of photoreceptors that absorb light energy primarily in the red to far-red portion of the light spectrum, with some absorption in the blue spectrum, particularly at high light intensities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/2a87045b-39c5-4cdc-a393-a6fe94cdefa9/Phytochrome.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: During the photoperiod, there is typically far more red than far-red light and phytochrome far-red is the dominant state. During the dark period, or skotoperiod, the phytochrome far-red slowly converts back to phytochrome red. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/0a96e358-5201-431a-9f5d-1a4d15538ba4/Elevated+Botanist+%283%29.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: - Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) Light intensity is also an important metric which determines plant response. We measure light intensity by calculating the total number of photons within the range of PAR that a plant receives per square meter per second. This measure is referred to as Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/ad84e1e0-729c-42af-932e-91249f1e3a9b/-PAR-spectra.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: - Light Quality When we talk about light quality, we are referring to the spectral composition of the light environment. We perceive this spectral composition as color. Plants perceive light quality as different wavelengths of light energy. Not all light spectra are valuable for photosynthesis. The portion of the light spectrum that has direct photosynthetic value is known as Photosynthetically Active Radiation, or PAR. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b8c6ef9d-f1c5-4802-8554-28df311ac046/cannabis+photosynthesis.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: - Photosynthesis Now that we have considered how plants perceive light and how they change form based on the information provided by photo receptors, let’s turn to the main course, which is of course photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the ability of plants to convert light energy into chemical energy in the form of simple carbohydrates. Light exposure drives plant uptake of water and nutrients. Plants exchange water vapor and oxygen for carbon dioxide through stomata or pores on the undersides of their leaves. This gas exchange component of photosynthesis is responsible for creating the habitable aptmosphere we enjoy here on earth. No big deal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/f6d6a42a-adf2-4000-bcb6-4cbe2521af22/Marijuana+Reproduction.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: Photosynthesis is the conversion of light energy into chemical energy, which fuels all plant development. Reproduction is a motivation that most of us can relate to. The incredible variability we see in the plant kingdom are the result of evolution in service to these two basic requirements. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/0117c566-5da8-41e5-82b1-c93a9af33a66/Add+a+subheading+%285%29.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: - Chlorophylls Chlorophylls primarily absorb light energy in the blue and red portions of the light spectrum and synthesize carbohydrates through a multi step process. This process takes place within the chloroplast; an organelle present in high numbers in leaf cells. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8885c0b3-3e55-4d11-abb5-4d242904f935/Add+a+subheading+%284%29.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: - Carotenoids Carotenoids are a class of photoreceptors comprised of many types of pigments, including Carotenes, Lycopenes, and Xanthophylls. These pigments serve both photoprotective, and photosynthetic roles within the chloroplast. Carotenoids absorb light in wavelengths that are not as efficiently absorbed by chlorophylls, primarily in the blue to green portion of the light spectrum, and reflect the longer red, yellow, and orange wavelengths. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/d27c92c9-6da7-4e4a-a6d4-4ef9cb964426/Add+a+subheading+%283%29.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: - Photoprotection UV light can damage cells, and plants have evolved systems to limit, or repair cell damage caused by UV radiation. These systems are referred to as being photoprotective. UVR8 is the primary photoreceptor responsible for UV photoprotection. This photoreceptor can enable synthesis of photoprotective pigments like anthocyanine, the pigment which gives plants their purple coloration. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/bdfa891c-2245-4cc2-b3d9-e9b16505c47b/cryptochrome+structure.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: - Cryptochromes Another important class of photoreceptors are the Cryptochromes. Cryptochromes are primarily UV, blue, and green light receptors. They are called cryptochromes due to their cryptic nature. Multiple photoreceptors absorb light within overlapping spectra, making it very difficult for early researchers to determine which photoreceptors are responsible for various plant responses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/2470e1e2-e715-4568-ac7e-b711a6e9be4f/phototropin.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: - Phototropins Another class of photoreceptors that guide plant development are the Phototropin receptors. Phototropins percieve light in the blue and UV spectra, and enable plants to determine light direction, and to grow toward the light. This phenomenon is known as Phototropism. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/429143ef-4add-44cb-8e2f-8350076b8d0e/Marijuana+bud.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: - The Circadian Clock Light duration, or photoperiod is the most reliable indicator of seasonal changes in the environment. Through photoperiod perception, plants can determine not only the current climate conditions, but also anticipate future seasonal conditions and formulate an appropriate reproductive response. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/fc53e570-8835-4c77-8178-6f9764eaf3e1/Elevated+Botanist+%281%29.jpg Physiology - How Cannabis Plants are Shaped by Light Information: - Photoreceptors Information about the light environment is perceived by plant photoreceptors. These photoreceptors are pigments, or biochemicals which change state when exposed to specific wavelengths and intensities of light. Photoreceptors collect information about light quality, quantity, duration, and direction. This information is distributed within the plant through hormones, and other signaling chemicals. This information enables plants to direct growth to optimize light capture, and ensures that reproductive developments like flowering occur during a specific time of year. This ability to change form, or morphology, based on light information is known as photomorphogenesis. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/physiology/clone-cannabis-forever-and-minimize-the-drift monthly 0.5 2023-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/fc659c84-f51e-4567-87ed-31a199d1c1f0/Elevated+Botanist+%2825%29.png Physiology - Clone Cannabis Forever and Minimize the Drift The cultivation of exemplary cannabis begins with the propagation of healthy, vigorous, and phenotypically consistent plants. Asexual reproduction might not sound like much fun, but it confers distinct benefits when cultivating cannabis plants for intensive cropping systems. Due to its outcrossing nature, and decades of clandestine hybridization, many cannabis populations are highly variable when grown from seed. Phenotypic consistency for horticultural traits like vigor and pest resistance matters for all crops. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/55771140-2178-44a6-98a9-a563c34101c1/Elevated+Botanist+%2831%29.jpg Physiology - Clone Cannabis Forever and Minimize the Drift Additional treatment with heat and chemicals can eliminate most viruses, viroids and other contaminants from the tissue. Plantlets that have been regenerated through shoot apical meristem culture can sometimes regain phenotypic currency due to changes in DNA methylation patterns, and the elimination of viruses and other contaminants. For the rehabilitation and long-term storage of plant tissue, meristem tissue culture has great utility. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/ebd6fce1-21b5-484b-b99c-cbfcad7f2580/Elevated+Botanist+%2826%29.jpg Physiology - Clone Cannabis Forever and Minimize the Drift Plants are sessile organisms. They are rooted in place, and vulnerable to many biotic and abiotic pressures. Over hundreds of millions of years, plants have developed a comprehensive plasticity, or ability to change physical form in response to environmental pressure. This plasticity extends to cellular biology and enables the incredible regenerative capacity of plants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b77754c9-1f30-452d-a779-8f399305e21e/Elevated+Botanist+%2829%29.jpg Physiology - Clone Cannabis Forever and Minimize the Drift Plant tissue culture includes a diversity of techniques to maintain and multiply germplasms within sterile in vitro (in glass) laboratory conditions. This is enabled by development of variety specific protocols, including formulation of nutrient culture media which contain a composition of plant growth regulators to initiate the desired tissue formation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/61fa8cfa-edb0-4007-acca-f11e96ddad62/Elevated+Botanist+%2828%29.png Physiology - Clone Cannabis Forever and Minimize the Drift - Rooting Solution Rooting solutions commonly include plant tonics such as B1, growth factors present in seaweed and other botanicals, and bioprotectants to limit fungal pathogen establishment. The cloning process usually involves humidity, temperature, and stagnant air conditions which favor fungal pathogen establishment. Unless cloning directly into a suppressive soil, bioprotectants should be considered as a drench for rooting media. Several organisms, including Bacillus subtilis, Streptomyces lydicus, and Tricoderma harzianum have shown efficacy in suppression of fungal pathogens, and are available in branded formulations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/85e80e84-f27f-4b3d-8092-8daca24b095f/stable+clones Physiology - Clone Cannabis Forever and Minimize the Drift Plants maintain a store of undifferentiated stem cells throughout their lifetimes. These cells are pluripotent and can transform into many other types of plant cell. Undifferentiated cells are maintained in the cambium layer which is a thin layer of vascular tissue present in all plant stems. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/2ca2e5e0-0d96-4632-a69d-c6616da6aeeb/Elevated+Botanist+%2830%29.jpg Physiology - Clone Cannabis Forever and Minimize the Drift When plantlets have been inducted, and well established in vitro, they can then be multiplied. Multiplication includes division of established cultures into multiple vessels containing a nutrient media optimized for this sub culture stage. Stem tissue is commonly used for multiplication. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/physiology/sex-lives-of-feminized-seeds monthly 0.5 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8ff723a2-2782-44e7-a35e-02f6e852ce11/outdoor+autoflower+amnesia.jpg Physiology - The Secret Sex Lives of Feminized Seeds Self-pollination allows successful individuals to continue to replicate their genetic information in subsequent generations, while outcrossing allows for a diversity of type which enables range expansion, and adaptation to ecological change. As a dioecious plant, cannabis is an obligate outcrosser under normal conditions. This reproductive feature, combined with decades of pollen chucking, has perpetuated a wealth of variability in cannabis germplasms that is unusual among cultivated crops. This variability is evident in the diversity of growth habits of cannabis cultivars. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/eb6ed2fb-8960-4ff4-b2b7-0bebc5f3434e/In+%285%29.jpg Physiology - The Secret Sex Lives of Feminized Seeds - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/c363e71e-3ec8-4339-95f3-5d0f5003acfd/Elevated+Botanist+%2836%29.png Physiology - The Secret Sex Lives of Feminized Seeds Like all complex organisms, cannabis transitions through various developmental stages to complete a reproductive lifecycle. Following seed germination and establishment, Cannabis plants typically develop vegetatively for four to eight weeks prior to achieving reproductive maturity. This maturity commonly coincides with development of an alternate branching habit, in contrast to the opposite branching typical of juvenile plants. Once they have reached sexual maturity, cannabis seedlings are capable of forming reproductive organs, but will often continue to grow vegetatively, depending on environmental conditions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b2449264-5a32-4f74-b3ba-71c3b194fc9c/Elevated+Botanist+%2837%29.png Physiology - The Secret Sex Lives of Feminized Seeds - Phenotypic Consistency The proportions of bioactive compounds produced by individual cultivars can vary greatly even among related plants. Due to the commercial importance of phenotypic consistency for production of these compounds, asexual propagation is the norm for production of cannabinoid crops. Cannabis is very easy to clone, and there are many advantages to asexual propagation for commercial cultivation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b2164a43-2e30-4a5d-aaac-0ea71a68f476/Elevated+Botanist+%2835%29.png Physiology - The Secret Sex Lives of Feminized Seeds The shell is brown or tan, and often displays netted or mottled patterning with a basal end that is distinguished by a depression from which the root radicle will emerge at germination. Cannabis seeds can be stored for many years under ideal conditions. Cool, dry, and dark storage conditions are ideal for mid-term storage, and germination percentages should be expected to slowly decline over time. Seeds are typically packaged in opaque glass jars containing desiccant and stored in the fridge. Typical seed sowing quantities should be considered when packaging to avoid moving large seed lots into and out of cold storage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/2cfa96e6-8805-4f54-bd48-cc0c52b2d777/Elevated+Botanist+%2840%29.jpg Physiology - The Secret Sex Lives of Feminized Seeds Cannabis evolved as a wind pollinated crop and the physical characteristics of pollen grains promote efficient dispersal over large geographies. While individual pollen grains are microscopic, they are produced in great abundance, and can be seen collectively as a fine yellowish powder. When a pollen grain contacts the receptive stigma of a pistillate plant, it adheres, and builds a structure, known as a pollen tube, to deliver sperm cells to the female ovule. Once the ovule has been fertilized, the stigma will become desiccated, and a seed will begin to form. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/c5c58b97-71be-4fd2-96a8-4f19e2817db9/Elevated+Botanist+%2834%29.jpg Physiology - The Secret Sex Lives of Feminized Seeds - Cannabis Achenes Cannabis seeds are classified botanically as achenes, or single seeded fruits. A durable outer shell, or pericarp, protects an embryo composed of an arrangement of primordial plant organs. When environmental conditions are favorable, this embryo will begin metabolizing its endosperm to fuel subsequent development into a unique plant. This process of germination is catalyzed by a softening of the pericarp in the presence of water, penetration of oxygen to the embryo, favorable substrate temperatures, and other stimuli. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/5fa26100-7ed9-465b-b2f5-113a3b3a1e60/hermi.jpg Physiology - The Secret Sex Lives of Feminized Seeds Pistillate plants are typically capable of producing both male and female flowers as directed by hormone interactions. It is not uncommon for pistillate plants to form a few anthers in late flower in a final effort to self fertilize. Pistillate Cannabis plants that spontaneously form male flowers during development are referred to as intersex plants. This propensity is genetically inherited and can be triggered by environmental or reproductive stress. Intersex plants are a liability for cannabis producers as they can result in unwanted seed set. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/60f8d738-825b-45e7-ac80-0d37a75b6644/Elevated+Botanist+%2839%29.png Physiology - The Secret Sex Lives of Feminized Seeds - Flower Initiation Most commercial cannabis cultivars are photoperiod obligate, short-day plants, and rely exclusively on photoperiod duration to initiate development of reproductive parts once sexual maturity is reached. In contrast to this standard, many cannabis varieties are now being developed which exhibit day-neutral flowering characteristics, and will flower when developmentally mature, regardless of photoperiod. These day-neutral cannabis cultivars are referred to as autoflower strains. In protected agriculture systems, cannabis plants are typically induced to initiate flower development by a change in photoperiod. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/01d606ef-f2c0-48cd-be48-54a21be2efda/In+%286%29.jpg Physiology - The Secret Sex Lives of Feminized Seeds These compounds are synthesized within trichomes which accrue most profusely on unfertilized pistillate inflorescences. Trichomes are a class of structures which enable biosynthesis of secondary metabolites on many species of plants. These metabolites serve plants variously for pest suppression, attraction of pollinators, and other signaling purposes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1b328895-9fd6-4255-8393-03f749d6d22d/Elevated+Botanist+%2841%29.png Physiology - The Secret Sex Lives of Feminized Seeds - Feminized Seeds The hormonal regulation of reproductive organs enables the development of male flowers on female plants, and the production of feminized seeds. Feminized seeds are seeds that have been created to produce only pistillate offspring. This approach is widely used in several important crops to produce gynoecious or all female plant populations. Feminized seeds have horticultural value as they conserve the resources necessary to cultivate, identify, and cull staminate plants. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/physiology/healthy-roots-drive-killer-yields monthly 0.5 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/32d8ff12-942b-4afb-a168-c3d7e1212bd1/Elevated+Botanist+%28100+x+150+px%29+%28800+x+1200+px%29+%284%29.jpg Physiology - Healthy Roots Drive Killer Yields Arbuscular Mycorrhizae are a class of fungal organisms that form mutualistic relationships with cannabis plants. Mycorrhizal fungi depend on the host plant for direct acquisition of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are translocated from leaves to roots and then to the mycorrhizal partner through thread-like fungal hyphae. These hyphae develop within root tissues and extend out into the soil resulting in an exponential increase of effective root surface area. This enables greater uptake of nutrients and water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8ea4e73e-ff03-4830-b07e-f4b07356889b/Elevated+Botanist+%2857%29.png Physiology - Healthy Roots Drive Killer Yields Soil Fertility Compost will bring a significant nutrient charge to your potting soil, but cannabis is a heavy feeder, and the microbes will require complex diets to satisfy their host. Protein meals like kelp meal and alfalfa meal are milled, dried, and sometimes fermented to increase bioavailability. Rock dusts and minerals can benefit soils but are slow to become plant available. These amendments can be integrated into potting mixes and delivered during the crop cycle as a nutrient spike or top dress. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1a7f33dd-f8bb-45cf-a7e9-0936be1f5fe1/Elevated+Botanist+%2811%29.png Physiology - Healthy Roots Drive Killer Yields Clones and seedlings are most susceptible to damping off disease during early development. This disease is characterized by plant collapse at the soil line and can spread quickly through nurseries. This disease complex is caused by various fungi and oomycetes including Botrytis, Fusarium and Pythium species. These pathogens can act cooperatively to parasitize plant hosts and influence other microbes to support disease conditions. Several organisms, including Bacillus subtilis, Streptomyces lydicus, and Tricoderma harzianum have shown efficacy in suppressing damping off disease. These bioprotectants are available in formulations that can be applied to rooting media as a drench. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/d54af5e8-75f8-4c31-ad80-b7b55633b39e/Elevated+Botanist+%2855%29.png Physiology - Healthy Roots Drive Killer Yields You might not be able to see what is going on in your plant’s root zone, but you should know that it matters. Roots are the foundation of support and provide the resources necessary for photosynthesis and crop development. Roots form relationships with microbes that can sustain your plant or kill it before you realize that you have a problem. We can manage conditions in the rhizosphere for plant health and vigor when we understand how plants interact with air, water, nutrients, and microbes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/ba6e2b60-5da2-4878-8a96-1752fac95aa1/Elevated+Botanist+%2856%29.jpg Physiology - Healthy Roots Drive Killer Yields Cannabis regulations prohibit the use of most chemical pesticides and fungicides, and many of the pest control products that are safe to use on cannabis are classed as bioprotectants. Bioprotectants are living agents, or their metabolites, and have proven efficacy to treat many cannabis diseases. Mycorrhizal inoculants have shown efficacy in various cultivation systems. These organisms must be in direct contact with a host plants roots and are applied at the first transplant. Inoculants which contain a diversity of actors have a much better chance of establishing within a cultivation niche due to their synergistic activities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/48caaf65-8102-4f45-a2fd-45d920656085/Elevated+Botanist+%2858%29.png Physiology - Healthy Roots Drive Killer Yields During photosynthesis, plants exchange oxygen and water vapor for carbon dioxide. This process is referred to as transpiration and pulls water through the plant. Plants can regulate this exchange using guard cells which open and close the stomata in response to environmental conditions. Plants also push water upward through root pressure. Root pressure relies on osmosis, which is affected by the salinity of the rhizosphere. As the media becomes drier, and more saline, the plant must work harder to uptake water. Access to water is of existential importance to all life forms, and plants have developed very strong reproductive responses to drought signaling. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/infrastructure daily 0.75 2022-04-13 https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/infrastructure/initialsiteplan monthly 0.5 2022-01-06 https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/cultivation daily 0.75 2023-05-29 https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/cultivation/ipm monthly 0.5 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/afe0c21d-27e4-46bc-99c7-a117703edb76/Elevated+Botanist+%2812%29.png Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program - Endemic, or existing pressures Most farmers don’t have the luxury of beginning operations in a brand new, sterile facility. Any area that has been previously used for agriculture of any type should be assumed to have pests established in the infrastructure. Some pathogens, like Botrytis cinerea, which is responsible for grey mold disease, are universally present, and will reproduce whenever environmental conditions favor disease development. B Cinerea is present everywhere from Amazon rainforest to Arctic tundra. It lurks on the keyboard that I write this missive on and drifts in the air that you breathe as you read it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/f0b633f6-5bbd-459f-8e28-56efd7447b91/Stewart+Maxwell+Cannabis.jpg Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program - Personnel: The movement of personnel are an obvious entry point for undesirable hitchhikers. Common biosecurity measures to limit human vectoring (spread) of plant pathogens include tool and surface sanitation, and personnel hygiene and clothing practices. All personnel should be trained in biosecurity protocols, and aware that they are not to report to work directly after visiting other farms or cultivation areas. Visitors are provided with sanitary garb and instructed in appropriate procedures to enable site biosecurity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1641178049307-NZEOVMHIX8VG5O80UQXG/Elevated+Botanist+%287%29.png Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program Like other high-density crops, cannabis is susceptible to pestilence and disease, particularly during the late flowering stage. In contrast to conventional crops, most systemic pesticides are prohibited for use on cannabis. Many growers have faced financial ruin due to catastrophic crop loss. Fortunately, it is possible to manage pest pressures, and produce clean compliant cannabis without the use of systemic pesticides. To achieve this goal, growers need to use every tool in the box. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/18b3df0c-c6c9-4f6e-966f-df0aadfe1828/Elevated+Botanist+%28100+x+150+px%29+%28800+x+1200+px%29.jpg Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program Air movement within cultivation environments is optimized through the establishment of Horizontal Air Flow (HAF) cells. Factors affecting airflow efficiency include location and orientation of air movement equipment, velocity of air being moved, and physical barriers that increase drag. Cannabis has a horizontally biased canopy relative to vine crops, and air movement below the canopy is necessary to establish smooth airflow cells. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8d81398a-4d3a-4272-a7a8-71f74e3cea7f/Chrysopha.jpg Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program During vegetative plant development, Neoseiulus fallacis, Phytoseilulus persimilis, and other predatory mites are deployed for control of arachnid pests. These Bios are usually applied in the foliage within a bulk vermiculite carrier. Green lacewing larvae (Crysopa carnera) can be broadcast in the foliage to target aphids, and other herbivore pests. Adult females will deposit eggs in locations of high aphid populations to ensure a food source for their emergent larvae. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/58f0f998-0951-4ea7-908a-de94b87eb0e3/Elevated+Botanist+%2810%29.jpg Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program Phytoseiulus persimilis can be a particularly effective Bio Predator to control spider mite “hot spots” or areas of elevated pest pressure due to its single-minded voracity. This predator has evolved to devour spider mites at all life stages. Predator populations will quickly crash if spider mites are not available to consume. Dense trichomes can hinder movement by predatory mites, and larger bodied bios like Stethorus punctum, and Feltiella acarisuga are sometimes released in late flower. Parasitic wasps, and hoverflies can also serve as effective aphid controls in these conditions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b2449264-5a32-4f74-b3ba-71c3b194fc9c/Elevated+Botanist+%2837%29.png Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program - Plant Vectors The most common cause of pest introduction to cannabis production environments is the importation of live plants. Some plant pests can be very difficult to diagnose and eliminate, even with rigorous quarantine procedures, so best practice entails not bringing live plants into a clean facility. It is much safer to bring in biological starting materials in the form of seeds, or as plantlets. Plantlets are plants which have been cultured within in vitro (in glass) sterile environments. This process is effective in excluding pathogens, and in some cases can be used to eliminate plant viruses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1652759007508-AH1A9LPPA3QUIA7L8MJY/Pest+and+Disease+Handbook+page+1.png Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program A loupe or microscope are also sometimes required to diagnose pest issues. Many arachnid pests, are not visible without magnification. Several aphid species colonize cannabis and correct identification can aid selection of parasitic wasps for the target species. Biocontrol specialists can sometimes aid in pest identification. Magnified video clips are superior to still images for species identification. The best scouts are observant, experienced, and curious. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/d393524c-83e1-428b-b01e-3863ffaada6b/PM+cleanlight+boom.jpg Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program Late flower is a stressful period for many cultivators. In addition to humidity management, the use of UVC light is one of the few effective treatments to suppress fungal pathogen spread. Light treatments can be manually applied or automated with spray booms or robots. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/66c03c2a-063c-44bd-b752-bc45caa90a8f/sticky+card.jpg Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program Yellow sticky cards are used to attract, trap, and count pests. The number of pests in each quadrant can be counted and recorded to determine if pest pressures are increasing. Scouts will sometimes place a white paper under a plant and shake it vigorously to see what insects are dislodged. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/7ac874f6-16a7-48d2-8003-ceb39ac215bd/Elevated+Botanist+%288%29.png Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program The first reported use of Sulphur as a pesticide dates back 4500 years to the Sumerians. It continues to be an effective fungicide as resistance is difficult to acquire due to its complex mode of action. Sulphur is most practically applied through vaporization, and should be employed sparingly, as overuse can hinder plant health and the establishment of biological predators. Potassium Bicarbonate sprays can be effective at suppression of PM but should not be tank mixed with other products due to their mode of action as a strong base. Extract of the giant knotweed plant (Reynoutria sachalinensis) is effective at promoting plant immune responses and can often be tank mixed with other bioprotectants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/0b627590-d0ed-4ca4-beba-bfbe9605b83f/Elevated+Botanist+%28100+x+150+px%29+%28800+x+1200+px%29+%282%29.jpg Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program As floral expansion progresses, humidity becomes harder to manage for many facilities. The onset of senescence promotes the establishment of saprophytes, and necrotrophs, which have evolved to infect dying plant material. The lower Relative Humidity required to suppress mold during late flower can be detrimental to Bio Predators and can shorten the reproduction cycle for spider mites. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/efe35dbb-2767-45cd-83e6-b027ae5d0ddb/Elevated+Botanist+%28100+x+150+px%29+%28800+x+1200+px%29+%283%29.jpg Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program Trap plants can also serve as a type of mechanical control. Bean plants are highly desirable habitat for spider mites, and can serve as an early indicator of pest pressure as well as for physical pest removal. Banker plants can also be utilized to provide habitat and pollen sustenance for bio predators. Banker and trap plants should always be propagated on-site, and care must be taken to ensure that species are chosen that will not serve as a vector for other pests. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/429f5b6a-6320-4ae3-ae58-d2e9a6bb7ceb/PM+spray.jpg Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program Pest control products that are permitted for use on cannabis are often very similar to those approved for use in organic agriculture. Systemic chemical pesticides are generally not permitted, so a sharp focus on efficient spray coverage is necessary for contact killers to be effective. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/3fafbf73-63ae-46a5-938f-8aad30c9cc2d/Elevated+Botanist+%285%29.png Cultivation - 8 Core Components of a Cannabis IPM Program Unless cloning directly into a suppressive soil, bioprotectants should be considered as a drench for rooting media. Several organisms, including Bacillus subtilis, Streptomyces lydicus, and Tricoderma harzianum have shown efficacy in suppression of fungal pathogens, and are available in branded formulations. For organic growers, a balanced and diverse soil microbial community plays an important role in pathogen suppression. Cultural controls, particularly those impacting soil air to water ratios, are central to favoring these communities. Within the rhizosphere, or root zone, these suppressive biota function primarily through competition, parasitism, and the production of pathogen-suppressing compounds. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/cultivation/cannabis-crop-steering monthly 0.5 2023-02-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/15b0d43e-2960-4434-84fe-122adbd7123e/training.JPG Cultivation - Drive Better Yields with Cannabis Crop Steering Application of pruning and training techniques on small plants reduces the opportunity cost of lost biomass. These early interventions can have a big impact on a plant’s future productivity with minimal labor input. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1656196322787-12VX6BBHJS7NCSPPCAOR/Elevated+Botanist+%284%29.png Cultivation - Drive Better Yields with Cannabis Crop Steering All living beings experience a lifecycle of growth through different developmental phases. In Cannabis plants these stages progress from propagation to vegetative growth, and generative development or flowering. These different growth phases are enabled by the plant’s genetic response to environmental stimuli including drought signaling. Information about the environment is communicated within the plant through hormone signaling systems, and these systems can be directed with climate and irrigation inputs. The cross talk between hormones and other chemical signaling systems creates a language through which plants can respond to their environment with directed growth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/f185d5c4-ad4f-4314-9400-5d9a0113fef0/Elevated+Botanist+%2856%29.png Cultivation - Drive Better Yields with Cannabis Crop Steering There is a production cost to stressing your plant, even when there is a benefit to that stress response. Stress Priming refers to a crops ability to quickly respond to a stressor that it has been exposed to in the past. Many crop steering techniques rely on stress priming to solicit a desired plant response without the productivity loss associated with stressful growing conditions. Hormone signaling systems are commonly targeted for this purpose. An example of stress priming for disease management in cannabis plants is the use of plant-based pesticides like Regalia to initiate plant defenses. This product stimulates the ISR and SAR plant immune systems through interaction with phytohormones including Jasmonic acid, and Salycilic acid. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/d27c92c9-6da7-4e4a-a6d4-4ef9cb964426/Add+a+subheading+%283%29.jpg Cultivation - Drive Better Yields with Cannabis Crop Steering During late flower, light intensity can be reduced as your plants shift from biomass growth to biosynthesis. A plant’s reproductive utility is ending as it enters senescence and the grower’s attention shifts to flower maturation, and preservation of bioactive compounds. During this development phase, a greater DIF can be applied without concern for plant elongation. An increase in DIF, and a decrease in 24-hour temps can increase purple flower coloration through promotion of anthocyanin production. Cooler temperatures can also benefit monoterpene preservation late in the flowering cycle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/28566c31-9ff7-4018-a4c6-67276213ad43/Elevated+Botanist+%281%29.jpg Cultivation - Drive Better Yields with Cannabis Crop Steering - Light Quality Light quality refers to the spectral composition of light. We perceive this spectral composition as color. Plants perceive light quality as different wavelengths of radiant energy. Different light qualities effect plant architecture in various ways. Broad spectrum lighting elicits a positive response from cannabis plants from both a photomorphogenic and photosynthetic perspective. The spectral composition of sunlight shifts over the course of the growing season, with higher blue light ratios in the summer months, particularly during twilight hours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/c363e71e-3ec8-4339-95f3-5d0f5003acfd/Elevated+Botanist+%2836%29.png Cultivation - Drive Better Yields with Cannabis Crop Steering Plant elongation and leaf production will decline as pistils congregate to form complex flowers. This growth stage coincides with the peak of floral expansion and reproductive viability. An inductive climate that maximizes photosynthetic potential will promote floral expansion. Cultivators will often push plants to perform at optimal photosynthetic rates with high lighting and temperature inputs. Leaf surface temperature should be closely monitored, and the DIF can be increased during mid flower to signal the seasonal closing of the reproductive window. Irrigation dry-back should increase during mid-flower as part of a generative irrigation strategy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/3fafbf73-63ae-46a5-938f-8aad30c9cc2d/Elevated+Botanist+%285%29.png Cultivation - Drive Better Yields with Cannabis Crop Steering Water Balance During photosynthesis, plants exchange oxygen and water vapor for carbon dioxide. This process is referred to as transpiration and is enabled by pores in the leaves called stomata. Plants can regulate this exchange through guard cells which open and close the stomata in response to environmental conditions. Plants also push water upward through root pressure. Root pressure relies on osmosis, which is affected by the salinity or EC of the rhizosphere (root zone). As the media becomes drier, and more saline, the plant has to work harder to uptake water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78a4d6a0-8e95-4133-ac5b-055f432600d0/Elevated+Botanist+%282%29.png Cultivation - Drive Better Yields with Cannabis Crop Steering Plants grown in darkness, creatures from the bottom of the sea, and human liver cells all exhibit a circadian rhythm. Although the circadian rhythm is entrained rather that acquired, most organisms will adjust and refine their innate rhythm to match the light/dark conditions that they are exposed to. Adjustment of the circadian clock is enabled by perception of light by photoreceptors. These are pigments which change their shape or state when exposed to different light conditions. During darkness, these pigments will gradually revert to their previous states. The relative states of different pigments at sunrise signals the duration of the dark period or skotoperiod and reinforces the circadian rhythm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b2449264-5a32-4f74-b3ba-71c3b194fc9c/Elevated+Botanist+%2837%29.png Cultivation - Drive Better Yields with Cannabis Crop Steering The vegetative propagation of cannabis from cuttings represents a radical developmental shift. Cuttings are required to move from active assimilation as part of a larger organism to initiation of root primordia, and an independent existence. This hardly seems fair. This transition is enabled through the management of plant signaling systems. Growers will expose cuttings to 24-hour low-intensity photoperiods and high humidity during clonal propagation. These conditions favor root initiation, while lowering plant transpiration demands. Synthetic auxins, or rooting hormones are often applied to cuttings to speed root formation. When propagated from seeds, plants will undergo a substantial period of growth prior to reproductive maturity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/c32fe000-9ec7-40b2-b38e-06ac2a947d2b/Elevated+Botanist+%2819%29.jpg Cultivation - Drive Better Yields with Cannabis Crop Steering Assimilates are continuously synthesized during the photoperiod and are consumed through the generation of biomass. Leaves which produce more assimilates than they consume by expansion are known as sources. Plant parts which consume more assimilates than they produce are known as sinks. Cannabis flowers, roots, and seeds are common sinks. Plants must continually regulate the use of assimilates to fuel biomass growth and to ensure that adequate reserves are maintained for rainy days. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b831a10f-e6e2-4b1d-8253-4c8aa138403d/Elevated+Botanist+%286%29.png Cultivation - Drive Better Yields with Cannabis Crop Steering Many cannabis cultivators have traditionally used 18-hour photoperiods during vegetative growth, and 12-hour photoperiods during flower. Single, long skotoperiods (dark periods) of up to 24 hours in length have been applied when transitioning to flower. While this system will stimulate a robust flowering response, it is more like a carjack than a crop steering strategy. Plants respond well to a more gradual transition to flower. Photoperiods can be reduced from 18 hours to 12 hours over a week or so. Light intensity, temperature, and C02 enrichment are increased as the light hours are reduced to maintain a consistent DLI with a shorter photoperiod. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/cultivation/treat-powdery-mildew-to-protect-your-cannabis-crop monthly 0.5 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/f78e7c99-c3c7-48bb-a8bc-083432ca8e45/Slide17.PNG Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/60f8d738-825b-45e7-ac80-0d37a75b6644/Elevated+Botanist+%2839%29.png Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop Plants have evolved immune responses to respond to pathogens with chemical defense systems. Plant immune responses can be activated by Stress Priming. This refers to a crops ability to quickly respond to a stressor that it has been exposed to in the past. This is similar to a vaccine immune response. Hormone signaling systems are commonly targeted for this purpose. An example of stress priming for PM management in cannabis plants is the use of plant-based pesticides like Regalia to initiate plant defenses. This product stimulates the ISR and SAR plant immune systems through interaction with phytohormones including Jasmonic acid, and Salycilic acid. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/3f35aab9-b8a9-46ba-b4c4-4f4935025f0d/The+Pathogen.jpg Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop The PM species that have been implicated in PM infections in Cannabis crops are P macularis, and G ambrosiae. These are not the same PM pathogens that commonly infect other plant species including cucurbits like squash. The host specific nature of PM pathogens means that they are not endemic, or universally present, and can sometimes be excluded from protected environments. Pathogen exclusion requires following biosecurity protocols to eliminate potential pathogen vectors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/32b63ec8-bcac-4db1-a4ff-211d3b200cfc/Slide13.PNG Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b2449264-5a32-4f74-b3ba-71c3b194fc9c/Elevated+Botanist+%2837%29.png Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop Due to its ability to live within plant tissues, Powdery Mildew disease can be very difficult to diagnose and eliminate, even with rigorous quarantine procedures. Best practice entails not bringing live plants into a clean facility. It is much safer to bring in biological starting materials in the form of seeds, or as plantlets. Plantlets are plants which have been cultured within in vitro (in glass) sterile environments. This process is effective in excluding pathogens, and in some cases can be used to eliminate plant viruses. Many indoor facilities operate within sealed environments, and pathogens can be very effectively excluded by air lock, and air filtration practices. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/bd1e3a17-dca5-4939-afe9-197b428346cc/Slide15.PNG Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1349c62a-1c0a-4f45-b1ef-a433a75a67e7/Elevated+Botanist+%2843%29.png Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop Powdery mildew disease is responsible for the destruction of billions of dollars’ worth of cannabis every year. The systemic fungicides used to treat this disease in other crops are not approved for use on cannabis for human safety reasons. Chemical residues which can be washed from fruits prior to consumption, often remain in cannabis flowers, and sometimes convert into more toxic compounds when combusted. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/dcc96524-57ef-4f54-b0a7-4c80881a57b2/The+host+plant.jpg Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop Cannabis plants vary greatly in their resistance to Powdery Mildew disease. Most commercial cultivars exhibit some susceptibility to this infliction, with broad leaf varietals particularly affected. Fortunately a resistance gene has recently been characterized that confers immunity to the G Ambrosia strain implicated in many PM infections. This PM1 gene is dominantly inherited, enabling it to be ingressed into hybrid cultivars within reasonable time frames. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/e66c3f39-74b3-4524-a33f-0a0e9b893db4/Elevated+Botanist+%28100+x+150+px%29+%28800+x+1200+px%29+%2810%29.jpg Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop A holistic approach is required to manage disease pressures without the use of chemical pesticides. Physical, Chemical, and Biological treatments must be choreographed to optimize efficacy. Treatment programs must be continually evaluated for efficacy, and improved based on data acquired during weekly scouting and mapping of pest pressure intensity. Early identification is required for proactive pest management. All crop workers should be trained to identify and report common plant diseases. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/a8fecbe9-e36b-430a-9d59-7b4952dacc78/Slide20.jpg Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/4fbff011-4f77-467a-9d51-9d80417a8350/Slide16.PNG Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8de8dd85-5d49-4ba8-aa40-5f722d4d7ece/PM+Airflow+over.jpg Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop Laminar airflow within cultivation environments is optimized through the establishment of Horizontal Air Flow (HAF) cells. The size of these HAF cells can vary depending on the facility, but the path extends for the length of the facility and is usually no more that 20 feet wide to ensure air movement throughout the crop. Vertical air mix fans are usually located along the center of these cells to limit vertical stratification of the environment without interrupting the horizontal airflow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/f86f7b6b-ac58-412f-a38c-b5d31c73d437/Slide18.PNG Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/659b5cd1-ed76-4867-b0ba-63bc20daa6dc/In+%281920+%C3%97+1080+px%29.jpg Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/fe79f1ba-ecb6-4093-bf01-9b0f15a250ea/The+environment.png Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop Powdery Mildew, in contrast to other common fungal plant pathogens, can proliferate in a variety of environmental conditions. In CEA, the same temperature and humidity conditions which enable plant productivity are conductive to the reproduction of PM pathogens. Large humidity and temperature fluctuations can contribute to the cycle of germination to sporulation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/429f5b6a-6320-4ae3-ae58-d2e9a6bb7ceb/PM+spray.jpg Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop Management of PM in production environments often requires the application of Pest Control Products. While most systemic fungicides are not permitted for use on cannabis, there are several classes of safer pesticides that have shown efficacy in managing Powdery Mildew disease. You must always ensure that the product being applied is registered for use on cannabis in your jurisdiction, and that all label requirements are followed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b9577db2-c5f8-40d7-acb4-6d077aacb9e3/3+Factors+of+Disease+Development.png Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/86e70b3b-f5fc-4f38-9de7-114b5e9c4704/Elevated+Botanist+%2817%29.jpg Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop Non-toxic, no plant residues Can be used in late flower when spray is not recommended. May be more effective when applied during the skotoperiod. Reduces total microbial counts prior to harvest. Can be automated at commercial scale. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/e599987a-82d4-4781-a151-4e68f7f5f79c/frog-and-flower2.jpg Cultivation - Treat Powdery Mildew to Protect Your Cannabis Crop Horticultural Oils Pesticidal Soaps Sulphur Potassium Bicarbonate Immune System Stimulants Bioprotectants H2O2 https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/cultivation/how-to-pheno-hunt-for-outstanding-cultivars monthly 0.5 2023-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1b328895-9fd6-4255-8393-03f749d6d22d/Elevated+Botanist+%2841%29.png Cultivation - How to Pheno Hunt for Outstanding Cultivars Sourcing Genetics When traits of interest have been identified this information can be used to source seeds with the highest likelihood of expressing the desired traits. Experienced seed suppliers will be able to direct you to varieties that are most likely to meet your requirements. When purchasing seed lots for initial trialing it is important to ensure the continued availability of that variety. Varieties which have been selected in grow conditions that are similar to yours have a higher likelihood for success. This is particularly true for outdoor varieties that are subject to uncontrolled climate and pest pressure conditions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b713b2e9-2ac8-48e3-af5f-333032b8f4fa/48.jpg Cultivation - How to Pheno Hunt for Outstanding Cultivars Analog tools including calipers and measuring tapes are used to calculate physical traits. Scales are used to calculate root mass and flower yield. Several emergent technologies promise to make phenotyping more efficient. Desktop cannabinoid analyzers are available to measure cannabinoids on site, enabling quick and affordable data collection for this important metric. Advancements in spectral imaging enable traits including trichome density, leaf surface area, and pest resistance to be efficiently measured. Terpene analysis requires more sophisticated (expensive) lab analysis. Cannabis flowers should be properly cured prior to analysis to preserve the terpenes you want to measure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/e3d6e52d-da86-4b3e-9edd-ac04d8ed9b8a/Elevated+Botanist+%2848%29.png Cultivation - How to Pheno Hunt for Outstanding Cultivars The best plant among a 10 pack of seeds is easy to determine with a little help from your friends. But how do you locate a truly outstanding cultivar among thousands of candidates that can serve as the basis for your Brand Empire? You need to develop a phenotyping program. This requires an understanding of horticulture trial design in the context of cannabis physiology. I am happy to share my experience in this regard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/62cc50e2-aae8-4ee1-900d-b3234c2ff077/cannabis+cultivar+diversity.jpg Cultivation - How to Pheno Hunt for Outstanding Cultivars Cannabis Diversity Cannabis is among the most ancient of domesticated crops. Several millennia of co-evolution and prehistoric human selection have provided a diversity of THC rich landrace varietals from which contemporary strains have been developed. During this period, the Cannabis plant has leveraged its relationship with humans to expand worldwide from its origins in East Asia. Prohibition effectively sidelined Cannabis from the incredible advancements in plant breeding achieved during the twentieth century. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b2449264-5a32-4f74-b3ba-71c3b194fc9c/Elevated+Botanist+%2837%29.png Cultivation - How to Pheno Hunt for Outstanding Cultivars Cultivar Trials Commercial cannabis crops are typically propagated by cloning for phenotypic consistency, and an exceptional plant can be multiplied into millions of production cultivars. Once the varieties with the highest performance potential in your cultivation environment have been identified Cultivar Trials can be performed to select outstanding individuals within those varieties. This requires assessment of each individual plant’s traits and preserving copies of each candidate until all selection criteria have been performed. Plants are culled at every opportunity, and plants are cloned as late in the production cycle as possible to conserve cultivation real estate. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/cultivation/how-to-grow-better-autoflowers monthly 0.5 2023-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/2365b50c-4be1-4976-9dac-4699a04b41ba/35.jpg Cultivation - How to Grow Better Autoflowers Autoflower vs. Photoperiod The Ruderalis Story Lowryder Strain Autoflower Breeding Feminized Seeds Seed Germination Auto Seedlings Autoflower Light Cycle Growing Autos Indoors Growing Autos Outdoors Root Expansion Autoflowers FAQ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/56b46ae4-7bca-4570-9c6a-ea453b3e6e02/auto+finish.jpg Cultivation - How to Grow Better Autoflowers Cultural systems that permit unrestricted root expansion will result in larger plants. In commercial settings tight planting densities and minimal pruning contribute to higher yields. Autos are generally not heavy feeders, and sensitive to a high ec in the root zone, so moderate feeding schedules are recommended. I achieve the highest productivity per area by planting two plants in each pot. This might seem crazy, but it allows the use of larger pots for root expansion while increasing overall biomass production. I have grown two plants per 10 gallon pot, 2 plants in separate 5 gallon pots, and one plant per 10 gallon in greenhouse trials, and 2 plants per pot easily outperformed the other iterations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/c69625bd-d170-4b48-bfc2-261bdb5e8f41/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-2.jpg Cultivation - How to Grow Better Autoflowers - Get the Outdoor Grow Guide Here Most cannabis plants are short-day plants, and will continue to grow vegetatively until flower development is initiated by a change in photoperiod. Photoperiodism is an important trait for cannabis production in controlled environments. This trait enables growers to initiate flowering at the optimal time for canopy management by manipulating the light cycle. Photoperiod plants can be cloned, and many identical copies of the same plant can be grown. This is important for consistency in commercial production, as cannabis plants grown from seed have natural phenotypic variation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/a4cbe5e0-7bd7-4feb-9892-4f9185b4fe42/40.jpg Cultivation - How to Grow Better Autoflowers Autoflowering cannabis plants will begin flowering a few weeks after germination regardless of the light cycle. Autoflowers evolved to flower under long days, and will perform at their best with 18-20 hour photoperiods. Plant performance is based on the total light over a given photoperiod, or the Daily Light Integral (DLI). The DLI is calculated by multiplying the light intensity by the photoperiod. Autoflowering with an 18-hour photoperiod allows for 50% higher cumulative DLI than a 12-hour photoperiod using the same light source. This means that autos can thrive under lower light intensities. In addition to greater yield, a high DLI supports dense flower formation, and elevated cannabinoid and terpenoid biosynthesis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg Cultivation - How to Grow Better Autoflowers - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8c80cbc4-d5f6-4abc-a1a8-3e88a05d5b8c/11.jpg Cultivation - How to Grow Better Autoflowers - Feminized Seeds Cloning Autos is impractical, as the “clock” regulating flower initiation continues to tick while cloning. You can get a cutting to root, but the clone will start flowering as soon as it is rooted. Autoflowers are always propagated from seed which has some drawbacks for commercial production. Cannabis is usually dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers occur on separate plants. In these populations, male plants must be culled promptly to prevent the pollination of sinsemilla crops. Currently there is a high level of variability in many cannabis varieties propagated from seed. You never know what your going to get. Most of these issues can be avoided through the selection of quality feminized seeds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/7461fae9-cb99-48e3-8b7a-5e6195ca8fdc/2%5B1%5D.jpg Cultivation - How to Grow Better Autoflowers - Seed Germination I keep my auto seeds in the fridge to improve germination ratios. This is known as cold stratification and mimics winter conditions. When seeds are removed from cold storage, dormancy is broken, and germination promoted. This type of storage will benefit germination ratios of many seeds but is particularly important with autos due to their northern pedigree. Autoflower seeds can be germinated in plugs, and transplanted at the first true leaf set, or sown directly into their final pots. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/cultivation/cannabis-photoperiod-hacks monthly 0.5 2023-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/6df50f4a-02f7-4f38-acbd-b58507ead1e3/Elevated+Botanist+%281%29.png Cultivation - Cannabis Photoperiod Hacks to Increase Your Yields Photoperiodism is the ability of plants to anticipate seasonal change based on day/night durations. The ability of plants to flower in response to daylength may have been recognized by ancient agriculturists who observed that crops planted over an extended period would flower simultaneously. This feature of plant development was first described in the scientific literature by botanist Julien Tournois in 1910 following observations of field grown cannabis. The economic importance photoperiodic flowering was demonstrated by the emergence of the Maryland Mammoth (MM) tobacco cultivar. This mutant cultivar would continue to grow vegetatively and produce valuable leaves long after other plants in the field had shifted to flower production. When kept in a greenhouse, the MM would begin flowering on short winter days. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/60f8d738-825b-45e7-ac80-0d37a75b6644/Elevated+Botanist+%2839%29.png Cultivation - Cannabis Photoperiod Hacks to Increase Your Yields - Dynamic Photoperiods A dynamic photoperiod approach to steering crops into flower can include reduction in photoperiod from 18 to 12 hours over a week or so. As the photoperiod is reduced, light intensity can be increased to maintain a consistent DLI. This will result in a robust flowering response and the photoperiod can then be increased to optimize DLI during flower expansion if your cultivar approves. During the last couple of weeks of flowering, photoperiod can be reduced to 12 hours for ripening. Flowering is induced by photoperiod in SD cannabis, but other inputs can also contribute to this generative response. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78a4d6a0-8e95-4133-ac5b-055f432600d0/Elevated+Botanist+%282%29.png Cultivation - Cannabis Photoperiod Hacks to Increase Your Yields - Photoreceptors Phytochrome is one of several classes of photoreceptors. These signaling compounds enable plant perception of light quality, duration, direction, and intensity. Blue light also has a role in photoperiod perception by Cryptochrome photoreceptors. Many blue light plant responses can be reversed by green light exposure. Plants respond to light stimulus through metabolic systems which include gene and hormone regulation. These systems have been evolving for hundreds of millions of years and have yet to be fully characterized. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/ad84e1e0-729c-42af-932e-91249f1e3a9b/-PAR-spectra.jpg Cultivation - Cannabis Photoperiod Hacks to Increase Your Yields - Light Quality Light quality refers to wavelengths of light that we perceive as the color spectrum. Broad spectrum lighting contains multiple wavelengths of light and is visible as white light. Plants continually analyze light quality to guide their physical development. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/7e67063d-6fb7-4109-a940-75956bd12f9e/Elevated+Botanist+%283%29.png Cultivation - Cannabis Photoperiod Hacks to Increase Your Yields Not all cannabis cultivars are SD plants. Autoflowering strains are day neutral (DN) and will begin flowering when they are developmentally prepared to do so, regardless of photoperiod. The ability of these cultivars to flower under 20 hour or greater photoperiods increases their potential DLI under supplemental lighting conditions. As this type of germplasm is further developed it may eliminate the requirement for cannabinoid producers to install and maintain blackout systems. The DN flowering trait allows outdoor growers to harvest over an extended time period. This enables more efficient use of labour and processing infrastructure and can provide market timing advantages for finished product. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/cultivation/shape-your-plants-for-profit monthly 0.5 2023-04-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/6c36218d-df45-400a-be66-817dc0c5a5c9/Elevated+Botanist+%289%29.png Cultivation - Shape Your Plants for Profit Lighting intensity and quality also effect plant structure. A blue shifted spectrum encourages compact growth. Under low light conditions, plants can become etiolated, or stretchy. The grow climate can also be managed to limit stretching. DIF is a measure of the difference between the highest and lowest temperature over a 24-hour period. Cannabis plants that experience a low or negative DIF will exhibit more compact growth. Negative DIF can be difficult to achieve, and in many cases can limit photosynthetic efficiency due to the lower daytime temperatures required. Fortunately, it is possible to achieve the plant structure benefits of a negative DIF by reducing temperatures during the first couple of hours of the photoperiod, before returning to a more photosynthetically efficient temperature for the rest of the day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/3fafbf73-63ae-46a5-938f-8aad30c9cc2d/Elevated+Botanist+%285%29.png Cultivation - Shape Your Plants for Profit Root Development Many of these hormone messaging features are mirrored in the upside down. Auxins generally promote cell elongation in shoots and inhibit elongation in roots. In the absence of light, gravitropism provides a guide for plants to direct roots downward and shoots upward. Specialized gravity-sensing cells within plant organs enable a lateral gradient in auxin levels in plant tissues relative to their proximity to the center of the earth. Brassinosteroids are a class of hormones with a feature role in gravitropic signaling. Root development also responds to light through negative phototropism or the direction of growth away from light. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/15b0d43e-2960-4434-84fe-122adbd7123e/training.JPG Cultivation - Shape Your Plants for Profit - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/7ac874f6-16a7-48d2-8003-ceb39ac215bd/Elevated+Botanist+%288%29.png Cultivation - Shape Your Plants for Profit Supercropping can be a good way to manage plant height. This technique involves physical compression of vascular tissues in stems by squeezing a branch between a thumb and forefinger. This reduces auxin transport to lower branches, slows vertical growth above the compression, and promotes lateral branching. There are additional plant health benefits to canopy management. Removal of lower foliage promotes airflow through the crop which helps to eliminate microclimates and boost photosynthesis. Pruning for airflow also benefits pest management by disrupting stagnant air and allowing Sulfur and spray treatments to contact all crop surfaces. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78a4d6a0-8e95-4133-ac5b-055f432600d0/Elevated+Botanist+%282%29.png Cultivation - Shape Your Plants for Profit Auxins Auxins are a class of hormones with many important roles in plant morphology. Auxins enable phototropism, or a plants ability to grow toward the light. When a branch is bent horizontally, auxins will locate in higher concentrations on the shaded side of the branch. This causes an elongation of plant cells, and bends the branch toward the light. This effect is continuous and responsive, and enables leaves to track the solar path over the course of each day. Auxins are primarily synthesized in upper shoots and transported to roots, where cell division and lateral root development is promoted. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b2449264-5a32-4f74-b3ba-71c3b194fc9c/Elevated+Botanist+%2837%29.png Cultivation - Shape Your Plants for Profit Cytokinins generally favor lateral shoot growth and inhibit lateral root development. These hormones are synthesized in roots and transported to shoots through the xylem and synthesized in shoots and transported to roots through phloem tissues. Cytokinins contribute to many important root functions including nutrient signaling and uptake. A simplified model of auxin-cytokinin interactions is demonstrated by in vitro propagation practices. When plants are cultured in sterile media, addition of cytokinins promotes shoot formation, while addition of auxins promotes formation of roots. When both hormones are present and balanced, both shoot and root development occurs. Other hormones including Ethylene, and Gibberellins also play an important role in plant structure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/fa773bac-048a-4805-b85c-fc89eb4e82f5/Elevated+Botanist+%287%29.png Cultivation - Shape Your Plants for Profit For this reason, plants have evolved the ability to radically change their physical form based on environmental signals. This ability is known as plasticity. Two cannabis clones can be grown in different environments, and result in completely dissimilar plants. Imagine that you are separated from your twin at birth, and when you meet up years later, she is ten feet taller than you are. This is the degree of plasticity that plants are capable of when adapting their physical form. Plants have evolved sophisticated systems of communication to enable this response. We can influence these systems by applying environmental and mechanical pressures. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/cultivation/botrytis-bud-rot monthly 0.5 2023-05-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1107e887-19fa-467a-8f4d-f927be16fec3/Elevated+Botanist+%2811%29.png Cultivation - Don’t Let Bud Rot Ruin Your Cannabis Crop - Mold Resistant Strains: There is a notable difference in susceptibility to bud rot among various cultivars. Many of the heritable characteristics that help to limit susceptibility to this disease are related to plant morphology. Densely clustered colas foster disease development, while smaller flowers, and longer internodes allow for better airflow and disruption of humid microclimates. This aspect of disease resistance involves many different genes which are separately inherited. Multiple generations of breeding are required to fix these horizontally inherited traits. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/44666675-f50d-4208-979b-d31b0a45de3c/ELEVATED+%283%29.jpg Cultivation - Don’t Let Bud Rot Ruin Your Cannabis Crop - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/7ac874f6-16a7-48d2-8003-ceb39ac215bd/Elevated+Botanist+%288%29.png Cultivation - Don’t Let Bud Rot Ruin Your Cannabis Crop In addition to use of bioprotectants, several other chemicals are commonly used as contact killers in cannabis ecosystems. These pest control products can destroy conidia on contact and have an important role in prevention of pathogen establishment. Horticultural oils: Efficient suffocants for sporulation of conidia. Counter indicated for use in conjunction with Sulfur. Potassium Bicarbonate: Raises the PH of treated plant surfaces to preclude infection by acid loving pathogens like Botrytis. Sulfur: This fungicide has multiple modes of action making evolution of pest resistance more difficult. Hydrogen Peroxide: Oxidization is a powerful antibiotic tool and several branded pesticides have formulations to employ this function. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/ba6e2b60-5da2-4878-8a96-1752fac95aa1/Elevated+Botanist+%2856%29.jpg Cultivation - Don’t Let Bud Rot Ruin Your Cannabis Crop Pruning is required to enable airflow through the canopy to promote plant health. This activity creates wound sites that can provide an ingress point for disease establishment. Pruning of lower branches should occur before peak humidity conditions caused by biomass growth and weather events. Early pruning activities should be immediately followed by a spray application of a contact killer to destroy conidia prior to opportunistic infection. Micronized Sulfur is a pest control product that is widely accepted as safe and can provide a lasting benefit when applied to the canopy understory. This pest control product is difficult to keep suspended in solution and should be applied using tank agitation or low volume foggers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/4a92a898-a912-4be5-acef-dc216cc2d306/IPM+pg+4.png Cultivation - Don’t Let Bud Rot Ruin Your Cannabis Crop Dense cannabis flowers should never be sprayed. In addition to the problem of microbial contamination and residues on a consumable product, spray applications will increase the flower’s interior humidity and create conditions for spore germination. Pest control products with different modes of action are used in rotation. Caterpillars can be a contributing factor to Bud Rot. These herbivores cause plant injury while feeding, and their manure provides a nutrient source for disease establishment. Caterpillars can be preventatively managed through use of Pesticides containing BTK, a bacterium that is safe for most organisms, but deadly to caterpillars. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/e833165e-4c78-4af8-ae3a-90645c12e1a4/Elevated+Botanist+%2810%29.png Cultivation - Don’t Let Bud Rot Ruin Your Cannabis Crop - What is Botrytis? Botrytis is a genus of pathogens responsible for plant diseases that cause billions of dollars per year in crop loss. These necrotrophic fungi kill their plant hosts to feed on rotting tissue. Botrytis Cinerea is the most phenotypically diverse of the 40 or so Botrytis species that have been identified. This pathogen infects thousands of plant species worldwide and has evolved resistance to many fungicides. B Cinerea is present everywhere from Amazon rainforest to Arctic tundra. It lurks on the keyboard that I write this missive on and drifts in the air that you breathe as you read it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/0b627590-d0ed-4ca4-beba-bfbe9605b83f/Elevated+Botanist+%28100+x+150+px%29+%28800+x+1200+px%29+%282%29.jpg Cultivation - Don’t Let Bud Rot Ruin Your Cannabis Crop Sporulation is the phase of disease development where conidiphores form on colonized plant surfaces. These reproductive structures form conidia to enable airborne spread to nearby plants. Sporulation is favored by cool humid conditions and senescent (dying) plant material. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b2449264-5a32-4f74-b3ba-71c3b194fc9c/Elevated+Botanist+%2837%29.png Cultivation - Don’t Let Bud Rot Ruin Your Cannabis Crop Propagation climates can provide perfect conditions for disease establishment. Botrytis will cooperate with other fungal and oomycete pathogens including Fusarium and Pythium species to infect seedlings and cuttings. This colonization contributes to damping off disease, wilting, and leaf lesions. Several bioprotectants, including B subtilis, S lydicus, and T harzianum have shown efficacy in disease suppression when used as a drench for propagation media. Cultural conditions that improve airflow will also reduce disease incidence. Seeds do not require high humidity to germinate and should not be domed in most circumstances. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/ebd6fce1-21b5-484b-b99c-cbfcad7f2580/Elevated+Botanist+%2826%29.jpg Cultivation - Don’t Let Bud Rot Ruin Your Cannabis Crop Plant cell walls provide a primary protective layer against a variety of invaders. This feature is enabled by plant health and nutrient availability. Silica and Calcium contribute to rigid cellular structures, and micronutrients like Boron assist the destruction of pathogen cell membranes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/3fafbf73-63ae-46a5-938f-8aad30c9cc2d/Elevated+Botanist+%285%29.png Cultivation - Don’t Let Bud Rot Ruin Your Cannabis Crop - Immune response: Your plants will quickly recognize the chemical signature of Botrytis infection and respond to this existential threat. Plant immune response is enabled by hormone signaling systems and includes production of antimicrobial compounds, and enrollment of soil microbes to support plant defense. At a molecular level, plant resistance genes will be up regulated by hormone signaling to accommodate the threat environment. Botrytis has evolved countermeasures to these plant defenses which include silencing of hormone signaling through chemical synthesis, and deployment of small RNA to disrupt plant defense at the genetic level. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/cultivation/cultivate-organic-cannabis-with-living-soil monthly 0.5 2023-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Cultivation - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil Less frequent irrigation, larger root mass, and the pest suppression qualities of living soil are all important attributes for greenhouse growers. Greenhouse monocrops are pest magnets and benefit from regular applications of biocontrols to the root zone. Stratiolaelaps scimitis are predatory soil mites that consume many insect pests at their larval stages. Steinernema feltiae are predatory nematodes that swim through the soil water and dine on pests. Streptomyces lydicus and Trichoderma harzianum are effective bacterial fungicides. Metarhizium and Bassiana are entomopathogenic fungi that can infect insects when used as a root drench. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/bf2aa2ea-844a-4838-ad83-593777bb4a00/Elevated+Botanist+%2822%29.jpg Cultivation - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil Organic residues cycle from active decomposition to longer term soil storage over many years. Active compost breaks down into humus releasing nutrients and organic acids. Due to its surface area, and negative electrical charge, humus can retain seven times its volume of water and increases the cation exchange capacity of soils. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/6bc7937a-9797-4cfd-972a-f19488de7b21/Elevated+Botanist+%2819%29.jpg Cultivation - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil - Compost Inputs Compost is an important fertility source created through the controlled decomposition of organic residues. Compost can be used to amend beds between crops or applied during the crop cycle. Commercial composters should provide a nutrient analysis for their product that includes the Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N) ratio. This measure is a good indicator of Nitrogen availability. Garden compost should have a C:N ratio below 35, and nutrient dense commercial composts can have a C:N ratio in the teens. If the C:N ratio of your soil is above about 30:1, microorganisms will start competing for the scarce Nitrogen rather than sharing it with your plant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/a6e07f25-8d8b-4b6a-af55-3ae7e6cadbf6/Elevated+Botanist+%2820%29.jpg Cultivation - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil N-P-K is a measure of the available Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium in nutrient inputs. These fertilizer numbers are shown on labels as a minimum guaranteed analysis. These three elements are essential for plant growth and are the most commonly deficient in soils. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/a265c7bd-e88b-4dd4-b1c0-0e0455e1486c/Elevated+Botanist+%2821%29.jpg Cultivation - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil - The Soil Environment Ecosystems that favor rapid exchange between air and water saturation are known as interface zones and tend to be productive and diverse. Tide pools, estuaries, and the upper strata of living soils share this feature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/f2376fc5-752a-4190-bd73-5ae683388eb6/Elevated+Botanist+%2824%29.jpg Cultivation - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil - Intensive Yields The idea that organic cannabis cultivation does not support high yields is bullshit. I work with commercial growers who are pushing phenomenal yields with living soil systems. Soil fertility must be carefully managed in environments with C02 enrichment and light intensities above 60 DLI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/047ffa3b-68e3-4273-be55-e714f1ffbbef/42.jpg Cultivation - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil - Suppressive soil Healthy soil makes healthy plants. For organic growers, a balanced and diverse soil biome plays an important role in pest suppression. Microbes can suppress pests and disease in many ways: Competition – Beneficial microorganisms can outcompete pathogens for food sources and physical habitat. Parasitism – Bacterial and fungal microbes can parasitize plant pests including nematodes and soil dwelling insects. Chemical Warfare – Some microbes produce metabolites and volatile organic compounds that inhibit pathogen growth. Immune Response – Microorganisms can solicit plant immune responses through hormone signaling pathways. Predation- Some bacteria practice wolf pack predation to feed on outnumbered prey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/5778287d-9609-471a-b8fd-45858537458c/Elevated+Botanist+%28100+x+150+px%29+%28800+x+1200+px%29.jpg Cultivation - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil - Mycorrhizae Mycorrhizae are fungi that form symbiotic relationships with roots. There are thousands of mycorrhizal species, most of which remain unknown. Mycorrhizal fungi depend on host plants for acquisition of carbohydrates. These fungi grow fine threads called hyphae within root tissues and on root surfaces. This increases the effective surface area, and hyphae can penetrate soil micropores that roots can’t access. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/fc468d8d-8400-40fe-a655-3a276133c900/Elevated+Botanist+%2818%29.jpg Cultivation - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil Living Soil Root Exudates - Soil Food Web - Suppressive Soil Cannabis Nutrients Liquid Nutrients - Soil Amendments - Compost Inputs Organic Chemistry Organic Soil PH - Organic N-P-K - Essential Nutrients Soil Environment Soil Porosity - Soil Structure - Soil Organic Matter Nutrient Uptake Root Structure - Nutrient Mobility - Mycorrhizae Organic Cannabis Polyculture - Greenhouse growing - Intensive Yields https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/54a12738-c0fc-42be-a0a8-18a28eaea531/Elevated+Botanist+%2823%29.jpg Cultivation - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil Many organic fertilizers are biostimulants which provide plant health benefits in addition to available nutrients. Cold processed kelp inputs are rich sources of plant growth factors, such as cytokinins. These naturally occurring hormones benefit plant development and stress coping. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/6216da8d-02cc-47b7-b537-7670ba50787f/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-4.jpg Cultivation - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil - Living Soil Plants have co-evolved with soil microorganisms for millions of years. Cultivation systems that leverage these ancient relationships are known as living soil systems. For small scale growers, organic cultivation doesn’t need to be complicated. Cannabis plants have been growing in living soils since long before we showed up and will thrive in fertile garden beds. If you are growing in containers, start with the best potting soil you can find, or make your own living soil mix. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/ipm daily 0.75 2023-03-13 https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/ipm/cover monthly 0.5 2023-05-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg IPM Handbook - Pest Control Handbook - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/home daily 1.0 2023-05-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/a1d8161a-3a1b-4343-8818-4a95225667bf/Healthy+Weed+Seedling Home - Amazing Weed Starts with a Vigorous Seedling The incredible potential of every cannabis plant starts with a humble seedling. As soon as a seed has germinated and the first set of seed leaves, or cotyledons, emerge to gather energy from the sun, the seedling stage has begun. The seedling stage requires care and attention to establish root and shoot architecture that will support a heavy yield of potent meds. Small steps taken at this stage will have a big impact on the future of your plant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/1681272582205-QEBATGR314YH4YDQ0PXG/Elevated+Botanist+%2818%29.jpg Home - Cultivate Organic Cannabis with Living Soil Organic cannabis hits different. When properly grown and cured, the complexity of flavor and effect is hard to beat. This aesthetic difference can be attributed to the diversity of nutrients and probiotics available in living soils. Growing Organic Cannabis is not rocket science, but there is some science involved. If you invest a bit of time to better understand what is happening in the root zone, your quality and yields will improve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8e3764c5-58dc-4737-86c0-a5e2392e97e8/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-8.jpg Home - Get the Outdoor Grow Guide now Growing great weed doesn’t need to be complicated. Genetic Selection Site Selection Soil Preparation Seed Germination Seedling Care Transplant Tips Sexing Plants Water Matters Feed the Soil Pest Management Prune and Trellis Flower Development Harvest Timing Hang Dry Trim and Cure https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/122cc89e-45ed-4c47-a725-09e5bdb6f84c/Elevated+Botanist+%2811%29.jpg Home - Make the Most of the Cannabis Flowering Stages Cannabis transitions through three distinct stages of flower development with different challenges and opportunities. Whether you are growing a few plants at home, or harvesting with a combine, you will yield more weed if you understand the different flowering stages, and how to get the most from each. The potential for production of potent flowers is dependent on your decisions, so it is good to be prepared for what’s ahead. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/bf6d5da5-4bbd-4ece-96f4-2511d39c999d/image004.jpg Home - Get the Pest Control Handbook here This quick reference guide to15 of the most common pests and diseases is a great resource for anyone who works with cannabis. Whether you are growing five plants, or five thousand, being prepared for catastrophe is the best way to avoid it. Download for Free Now! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/5bc517c9-65e4-4712-b068-3798f091f34a/39.jpg Home - Cannabis Photoperiod Hacks to Increase Your Yields A lot of growers are leaving money on the table due to a failure of imagination. The idea that cannabis should always veg at eighteen hours of light and flower at twelve is wrong. Cannabis plants do not require total darkness to flower and trivial light leaks will not cause plants to “herm” For those of us who are prepared to replace cannabis mythology with plant science, there are opportunities to improve yields, by better understanding our plant’s photoperiod requirements. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/about daily 0.75 2022-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/4d2cd310-0c8b-4d0e-8427-692b456a55e9/4+-+Copy.jpg About Elevated Botanist I got my first medical license in 2010 which allowed me to grow cannabis legally. I really like this plant, and I am kind of a geek, so I spent the next eight years obsessively researching, cultivating, and breeding organic cannabis. In 2018 recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada, and I joined Xylem Horticulture to work as a crop consultant within the regulated cannabis industry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/782a6270-ffe4-4528-ad96-a4eff73b6a7d/family.jpg About Elevated Botanist About fifteen years ago we moved to a rural acreage in Robert’s Creek, BC. I continued to work in the construction industry, and grow vegetables, along with copious amounts of fragrant cannabis in my organic gardens. Robert’s Creek is a ferry access community on the Sunshine Coast, and has always been a refuge for draft dodgers, hippies, and weirdos like me. The illicit cannabis industry was the biggest employer in this area for many years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/877cd518-3351-4df5-91b6-35f8fe01c114/Untitled+design+%284%29.jpg About Elevated Botanist My daughter is in high school now, my boy loves soccer, and my beautiful wife is a talented chef. The best crab fishing on the coast is right behind my house, and I row out in my little plastic boat to pull traps in the evening. But still... there is something that bothers me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b8d50e61-59c2-4906-a698-2efe115f7485/commercial+blurple.jpg About Elevated Botanist - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/539443d5-1ed6-4b9f-9096-51872387e654/marijuana+jail+cell About Elevated Botanist In 1992 I spent 10 days in jail for a gram of Mexican weed. I was a teenager at the time, but that still makes me pretty old. I took a very important lesson from that experience. Don’t buy weed. It’s better to grow your own. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/legal daily 0.75 2022-04-12 https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/ipm-download daily 0.75 2022-05-17 https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/broadmite daily 0.75 2023-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/b96cc910-557a-4fda-bde1-c3e36d7820d0/image001.jpg Broadmites - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Broadmites - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/bud-rot daily 0.75 2023-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Bud Rot - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/d36983e9-c1be-43f9-8fa4-90cbb68bfb1e/image002.jpg Bud Rot - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/caterpillars-and-loopers daily 0.75 2023-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Caterpillars and Loopers - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/df736387-0f60-4dfa-9982-9d88ba188e1c/image003.jpg Caterpillars and Loopers - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/damping-off-disease daily 0.75 2023-05-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/bf6d5da5-4bbd-4ece-96f4-2511d39c999d/image004.jpg Damping Off Disease - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Damping Off Disease - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/foliar-aphid daily 0.75 2023-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/12850487-0ed8-4384-963c-317380ef7cf3/image005.jpg Foliar Aphids - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Foliar Aphids - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/fusarium daily 0.75 2023-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/f34decc8-42e2-4646-9f8a-3e67f08f1e2f/image007.jpg Fusarium Wilt - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Fusarium Wilt - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/russet-mites daily 0.75 2023-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Hemp Russet Mites - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/28c9dad7-0cdf-47da-9267-9cc7d4605eb2/image008.jpg Hemp Russet Mites - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/root-rot daily 0.75 2023-05-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/4e24cc18-ad19-4194-bf1e-0b91aa79942c/image012.jpg Root Rot - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Root Rot - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/powdery-mildew daily 0.75 2023-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/f5aef02d-a07a-4b90-9862-fa4049672e81/image010.jpg Powdery Mildew - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Powdery Mildew - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/root-aphids daily 0.75 2023-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Root Aphids - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/0c09c022-8d5e-40ad-ac5e-4e4c7883346c/image011.jpg Root Aphids - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/fungus-gnats daily 0.75 2023-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Fungus Gnats - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/f81562ae-6748-4916-9cd2-216684baa30b/image006.jpg Fungus Gnats - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/outdoor-grow-guide daily 0.75 2023-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg Outdoor Grow Guide - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/c69625bd-d170-4b48-bfc2-261bdb5e8f41/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-2.jpg Outdoor Grow Guide - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/grow-guide-download daily 0.75 2023-02-22 https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-genetic daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Genetic - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/c69625bd-d170-4b48-bfc2-261bdb5e8f41/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-2.jpg OG Genetic - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-site daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Site - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/17d91a14-d686-4532-a8a0-d847c371dca5/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-3.jpg OG Site - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-soil daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/6216da8d-02cc-47b7-b537-7670ba50787f/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-4.jpg OG Soil - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Soil - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-seed daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Seed - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/fad7867d-31f7-46dc-a347-5101cb9e2324/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-5.jpg OG Seed - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-seedling daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/e9354c7f-f28a-4ef7-b3fc-070fbc35d8b1/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-6.jpg OG Seedling - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Seedling - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-transplant daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Transplant - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/84679f09-783a-4a3c-8fee-46e35aa74875/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-7.jpg OG Transplant - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-sexing-plants daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Sexing - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8e3764c5-58dc-4737-86c0-a5e2392e97e8/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-8.jpg OG Sexing - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-watering daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Watering - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/22ae02ab-840f-4b01-be7e-734b22f49551/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-9.jpg OG Watering - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-ferts daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Ferts - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/4e776f9e-26f6-4464-9bf1-350008cda014/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-10.jpg OG Ferts - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-pestcon daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Pest Control - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/7a575648-2c28-4aa1-925b-bd43d8332891/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-11.jpg OG Pest Control - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-prune daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/c57690c1-a879-486c-ae4b-6fd7e34b6210/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-12.jpg OG Prune - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Prune - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-flower daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/a596c76b-9bfc-4bff-94e9-27a0c3d02b22/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-13.jpg OG Flower - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Flower - 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Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/og-trim daily 0.75 2023-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/35849bfa-9367-40ef-b3a8-5818bc88ae05/Outdoor+Grow+Guide.jpg OG Trim - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/31ab2ecb-d848-4403-8ef4-7371224a09ed/Outdoor+Grow+Guide-16.jpg OG Trim - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/hops-latent-viroid daily 0.75 2023-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/8c6cdb59-face-4d8f-82c6-a6475ea897b8/image009.jpg Hops Latent Viroid - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Hops Latent Viroid - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/whitefly daily 0.75 2023-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/cfcfdcde-0b78-4c94-8cc9-96264d95c64e/image015.jpg Whitefly - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Whitefly - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/spidermites daily 0.75 2023-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Spidermites - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/dae89e3c-95b6-4f4e-9ea0-5189ae0a1376/image014.jpg Spidermites - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.elevatedbotanist.com/thrips daily 0.75 2023-05-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/78f1466e-dc1d-4313-b746-1f5df28afbf9/image000.jpg Thrips - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/616f6be3d6452d0243ff3cd3/5daf2db8-2ea7-49fb-874d-f2ba47241c5a/image013.jpg Thrips - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.