This article is part of series where the Budsman gives his (not so) expert opinion on how to grow your own dank nugs using a coco coir setup. The first, second and last parts of this series can be found here.
PGR – Plant Growth Regulators
With a plethora of applications beyond cannabis, Plant Growth Regulators have been around for some time. PGR’s come in all different varieties, be they natural or synthetic, helpful or harmful. They simply regulate the growth of the plant.
There are plenty of Natural PGR’s, many of which I use in my grows. Examples of natural PGR’s include seaweed and kelp extract, bat guano extract, alfalfa extract, along with some mystery natural PGR’s found in cannaboost. I highly recommend these methods.
Bad PGRs, on the other hand, have been getting a very negative wrap – and for good reason. Paclobutrazol and Cyco PGR (A+B) are the obvious ones to avoid, but there are plenty of other ones you should also avoid:
- Bushload by General Hydroponics
- Gravity by Emerald Triangle
- Flower Dragon by Grow Envy
- Phosphoload by Dutch Master
- Superbud by Dutch Master
- Rock Juice
- Boonta Bud
- Rox
- Mega Bud
- Dr Nodes
- Yield Masta/Sudden Impact
https://www.reddit.com/r/ausents/comments/43c4xw/pgrs_and_you/
TL;DR: PGR’s can stop the plant from producing terpenes and cannabinoids. They also stimulating growth of the calyxs/bracts without giving them time to individually swell, produce trichomes, or bulk up. This ends in much denser buds, with more plant material and longer, red hairs. Two hairs come from each calyx; PGR stimulates growth of greater numbers of these hairs, with faster pistil maturation and less swelling.
Bad PGR’s used light and right (if there is such a thing) can provide large commercial overheads for growers. They also fool people into into thinking that it is of a higher quality than the bud actually is, due to its density and the fact that crystals can still appear on PGR weed.
To read more about PGR’s, check out FAB’s article on the topic here. And be sure to check out the first, second and fourth parts of this series.
Sources Cited
http://www.canna.com.au/pests-diseases-guide
https://www.growweedeasy.com/bugs-pests-symptoms-marijuana-grow
https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-vpd-how-can-vapour-pressure-deficit-boost-cannabis-yields-n893
https://www.reddit.com/r/microgrowery/comments/5cnje1/vpd_chart_optimal_temphumidity/
https://oceania.gyo.green/cannabis-seedbanks/holy-smoke-cannabis-seeds
https://en.seedfinder.eu/strain-info/Guide_Dawg/Holy_Smoke_Seeds/
I found it interesting that you said that you can find natural and synthetic PGR’s for the growth of your plants. Someone mentioned that that all plant growers are good and some can be harmful. Thank you for helping me learn more about plant growers.