I learned two things this season.

[MadMoonMan]

no season is the same Bud you never learn it all its an on going seasons/s

[Cat Jockey]

expand on that...

Were you asking me benny? 'Cause I will.

1. Purple fan leafs on a plant are the same as yellow, not a good thing like everyone thinks.

To be blunt, versus a douche, not a true statement. Sometimes it is a very, very good thing. Sometimes not. The good thing is when it occurs in a healthy, vigorous plant. Even if it is through temp manipulation. It is an indication of a dialed in grow, where the grower has done pretty good in the quest for maximum genetic expression.

It is what comes with getting the fullest terpenoid expression, the mostly aromatic qualities and taste.

And if you are doing the right things for the plant at the right time, being able to achieve purpling and fuller terpenoid expressio, goes hand in hand with getting a more swollen, sticky mudder fuggin' icky - and potent - trichome and plant matter that you smoke.

But, it could be a sign of stress, or you could have done something else to fug it up and are blaming it, incorrectly, on the purpling, which is NOT the same as yellowing, in color or plant function. Period.

I have taken more than one cutting from more than one fellow grower over the years that they had grown before, returned a lil' sack as a thank you for the genetics off the first harvest. And have surprised the hell out of a couple of 'em, bringing back some very strong smelling (good cured aroma), make yer fingers sticky handling, (even fully dried and cured), and knock yer dick in the dirt potency. Quite a few years ago I gotta hold of AK-47, same genes about four other people I knew had, purpled that beeotch out a bit and had the strongest and best smelling aroma, most swollen trichs, smoothest and most potent smoke.

They always ask me how I got it to go purple. And then for growing advise - which, in the end, are usually too stubborn or stupid to follow, and never get the same quality result. Or purpling.

It can be sign of a top notch, full genetic expression grow, that most growers cannot coax out of a plant - takes an expert. There are several things that are tied together to harvest da best shit. Achieving purpling in some strains is both necessary and a visual sign of that accomplishment.

Not being a dick, it's just about sharing what I know about Sweet Lady Jane farmin'.

[Cat Jockey]

How 'bout a little case in point? Here is an old pic from probably the better part of a decade ago. This particular plant was one of 5 or 6 (can't quite remember) in a 5 gallon bucket under a thowie in PPV. I fought humidity like a mofo in that room, ran the upper limits of temp, had another thowie in there over an Ebb & Flow 4x4 running 6 plants on a 40 gallon res. Had a dehumidifier kicking too, and still had issues. So, you can see humidity and heat stress on the leaf tips.

Anyway, that is an Ak-47 that this dude had grown out before ( a guy who had been growing weed for 20+, but still sucked at it ), never spectacular results. He had 6 plants, 2 different strains, both I had never grown before, in 3 gallon pots, under a shop flourescent for two weeks, buys some strawberries, puts them under the lights too, and gets mites on his shit. Takes a big tub and like 5-10 gallons of water, basically a whole bottle of Neem Oil and dumps it in. It's an oil, so it just floats on top. Dunks every plant, coats them in oil so the suffocate and a bout die.

Brings them to me about a 1.5 weeks after that, bad shape. I immediately transplanted into 5 gallon buckets and a nice airy PPV mix, gave them proper care under HID for two weeks to recover and grow, threw them into flower and managed to salvage this coloration through achieving a fuller genetic expression.

Look close - you see both here, purple and yellow, and they are doing different things for the plant. And eventually, those purple leaves went yellow too, just like I wanted. And I intended to have both going on - I did it on purpose. You can also see how supple the yellow leaves are, and you can see how sticky mudder fuggin' icky I got some else's fucked up , shop light vegged plants in just 2 weeks veg and 6.5 weeks flower. Right before I snapped that pic, I squeezed the bud ( I usually don't like to fondle da ladies and bruise them - this was my first grow on AK-47 and I had to give her a little squeeze to check over all flower denesity). Rock hard billy club, Daddy-O. And the yellow leaves stuck where my thumb and finger lightly squeezed it.

So, the bent over yellow leaves are actually stuck to the flower because it was one ripe, swollen sticky bitch. You combine all of that with the coloration, and just from those two things, because getting some strains to purple is a good thing, you should be able to trust me when I say both the strength and appeal of the aroma and quality of smoke was pretty damn good, even considering the humidity stress and frickin' suffocating in neem oil after being under attack from The Borg, well, I was satisfied with what I pulled off on that particular crop.

[Cat Jockey]

This is Sour Diesel in an E&F. Same room, same crop, just earlier in flower. You can see nutrient issues in this plant. I had just brought in this set of genes and another one I can't remember, took home 4 cuttings off each mother, rooted them kept the strongest one of each for a momma, and ran the remainder together, just 'cause, vegged three each, threw them on the same res, and did what I could - just wanted to them both out real quick since they were new to me.

That was my first two strain, one res grow, tried to find the balance of abusing the strain that could handle it the best. Still produced some highly aromatic, smooth, potent bud, not good stretch matchup, either.

I got better at multiple strains on one res:

Here is looking down one row of a 24 bucket RDWC, 6000W vertically lit setup.

24 different strains, one res. These are mothers. I just gave them a maintenace/shaping haircut. This system could kick out some mudder fuggin' clones. I've been known to have 1500 (or more) rootin' at a time. 4000 more watts in that mother room on 5 gallon buckets and a couple 4x4 E&F. Probably had 50+ strains in that room.

I'm tellin' ya, sometimes getting the purp going is a sign of good, good stuff.

[Cat Jockey]

Most awesome dog in the world, my Pyr/Border Collie Bubba Dog, doing his job working the RO filter an water just outside the door of that mother room.

RIP Bubba Dog, RIP.

Here, Bubba Dog was keeping a close eye on things, making sure the transplanting of freshly rooted clones went okay:

Clone room for that mother room. Never had the balls to snap a pic when that room was full. Didn't want incriminating evidence of being over the 999 plant count on my phone camera, sorry, but I had that fuggin' room filled ...

[Cat Jockey]

Here is bad yellowing. Even though it was fun standing next to this 9' tall bush, the quality of this entire crop fuggin' sucked. A mutual friend put him in touch with me to help him out. In, the end, he was too stubborn or stupid to follow most of my reccomendations.

His loss. In the amount of many, many, many pounds.

But, it was fun as fuck to hang out in a big 'ol greenhouse full of huge bushes, complete with that blackout covering you pull over to ensure 12/12 cycle year round:

That same 10,000 watt mother room. There is a 4x4 E&F tray and res, under the thowie with the cheap bat wing (you can see the square shape) surrounded by multiple mothers in 5 gallon buckets. Every one of those are different strains. Some of them in the buckets, I kept bonsai'ed for several years under 27 watt CFL in a closet in 6" pots and under 18" in height. Decided to grow them out to meet changing needs. So I did

Not only can you keep a helthy mother alive for years, bonsai'ed, but you can grow dat shit out of it, big and healty, too.

Ballasts for room on wall in back:

Different angle of a bunch 'o buckets hiding a 4x4 tray. Buckets get both a little of that thowie, plus some of the vertical thowies.

This is a mother in that 24 bucket RDWC a very short time after being transplanted from a 6" pot in an E&F tray. I like Bean Sprout Roots:

Sometimes, shit got a little rough down at the grow op. Bubba Dog needed backup, way too much for one dog to keep a close, attentive eye on. So Sara, a 1/2 Newfoundland, 1/2 Golden Retriever would have to come down with us for more muscle and rapt attention for ne'er do wells and ruffians. They were both good mountain dogs, living at over 10,000' with me. RIP Sara girl:

Hey you big ass electrical cables, gimme some 'o dat shit, my momma's need some light:

That'll work:

Just one of many trays of freshly rooted clones awaiting transplant:

[Cat Jockey]

My last post for ya'll.

These two were a home grow, three light veg grow that fed a (4) thowie, (4) 4x4 E&B (each on own res) flower room.

As soon as clones rooted, they went under the 2x4 T5 in the 2x4 tray for a week, up to the 400w 3x3 tray on the right for a week, and then under the thowie on the 4x4 on the left for two weeks. Always a new batch hitting the thowie tray every two weeks. Each flower tray was 2 weeks apart and in differnt stage of flower. Harvest one thowie E&f 4x4 tray every two weeks:

Toodles.

[Roots]

You only want purple fan leafs after you cut the food off, purple leafs don't catch photons....I have 9 outdoor cookie plants, a strain that is known for having purple leafs. I have a perfect tight square of 3 rows of three. The more exposed plants that got more wind turned purple first, the plant dead middle that was protected from wind stayed green the longest. The plants that went purple first have by far the littlest buds, I'll do taste test when the stuff is dry.....I grow DWC too but smoke outdoor, this is my room. 14k 28 DWC plants and 70 soil girls

[Cat Jockey]

You only want purple fan leafs after you cut the food off, purple leafs don't catch photons...

That ain't what I am having my purpling leaves do for my plants ...

Feel free to vigorously defend your claim that you made in your initial post. It ain't correct, and I don't have any expectations of convincing you of that because now your ego is on the line, so I'm not going to engage in an argument about it. We'll agree to disagree and let whomever stumbles upon this make up their own minds of which one of us is right.

Mmmkay?

Toodles, best a luck on yer grows ...

Oh yea, could ya do me a favor Roots? Could you ask your plant what this week's winning Power Ball numbers will be and PM their prognostication to me? Pretty please ...

[Cat Jockey]

I have a perfect tight square of 3 rows of three. The more exposed plants that got more wind turned purple first, the plant dead middle that was protected from wind stayed green the longest. The plants that went purple first have by far the littlest buds

Pssst ... Roots ... overhere. Before we let folks make up their own minds, let me point one more thing out to you. Yes grasshopper. You are stating the obvious here. What is incorrect, what you stated in your first post, is what you are blaming the smaller bud size on - namely the purpling. Get it? You see purple leaves and smaller buds and equate one causing the other.

C'mon Roots, pretty simple explanation for that, and the correct one. Look to the Inverse Square Law for lighting and study the location of that (d)[squared] is in that equation. And the implications for the size of the buds furthest away from the bulb.

I'll do taste test when the stuff is dry.....I grow DWC too but smoke outdoor, this is my room. 14k 28 DWC plants and 70 soil girls

No offense bro, or bro-ette, I am a weed snob and connoisseur. I count less than 10% of all weed grown in the world to be da digity dank with full expression. That's what my garden's produce after almost 20 years at it. And keeping an open mind. The fact that you think you can do an equal smoke comparison between a small bud at the edge of the light foot print and a cola directly under, closet, to the bulb, and then tie some correlation of difference in quality to the purpling you are seeing tells me much ...

It's all good, I'm leaving, but maybe you should check yer ego a bit and open your mind a bit, consider some stuff.

Just sayin' ...