Maximum Yield Cannabis USA December 2017 / January 2018 | Page 38

grow
CULLING
THE CANNABIS GARDEN
by Stephen Keen
Focus on the best and forget the rest. To build a strong crop of healthy plants, don’t be
afraid to cull the weakest plants at each stage. It’s how Mother Nature does it. Stephen
Keen explains why culling at each stage will provide benefits in the long run.
T
his concept is going to sound backwards to many of
you, but our years of cannabis growing experience have
shown that the best way to produce the highest quality
product is to cull plants at each stage of growth. Profes-
sional gardeners know this rule well, but most cannabis
growers do not. In fact, it seems backwards to many
cannabis gardeners to throw out plants at the transi-
tions between the different stages of a plant’s
life cycle (clone/seedling, vegetative, and
flowering) as they have put effort in keep-
ing these plants alive and as healthy
as possible. However, culling
plants at each stage
will produce a
more robust and
higher yielding
crop through the
selection of the
strongest individu-
als and the discard-
ing of weak plants.
38
grow. heal. learn. enjoy.
THE LOGIC BEHIND PLANT CULLING
As plants grow, their true character comes out. Plant growth
characteristics can be delineated as sensitive to low, medium,
or high amounts of dissolved solids in water; preference
for direct or indirect light; susceptibility or resistance to
disease and pests; short or long internode length;
and so on. Some are large growers, some
are not. Some are prone to bugs and
infections, while others are heartier.
Some can thrive on limited nutrients
and others need to be pampered to
reach their full potential.
These differences cannot
be seen simply by
looking at a seed or
clone cutting. Instead,
they only show up once the plants
have a chance to grow and are
exposed to your individual
growing style and
cultivation environment.
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