The Grow Awards 2026 🏆
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happy new year, everyone! plants are thriving, stretch is happening and the experimental is showing buds already (it's been switched one week earlier) 😊 --- another major defoliation done – Barney claimed that lateral branching is heavy and it's indeed 😂
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Vamos familia, actualizamos la tercera semana de floración de estas Permanent Maker de Seedstockers. La temperatura que estuvo entre los 24-26 grados y humedad dentro de los rangos correctos. En cuanto a las plantas las veo verde sano, estiraron bien y ensancharon bastante también. Se nota que los nutrientes de la marca Agrobeta hacen sus funciones. Las flores empezaron a formarse, por el momento todo correcto, os dejé también alguna novedad y un cambio en la sala, que dará que hablar estos proyectos. - os dejo por aquí un CÓDIGO: Eldruida Descuento para la tienda de MARS HYDRO. https://www.mars-hydro.com Hasta aquí todo, Buenos humos 💨💨💨
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@Gentzo
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Y empezamos la segunda semana de vegetación con algunos ajustes y alguna que otra duda, he corregido la altura de la iluminación hasta los 80 cm para no pasarme de lux con la ayuda del luxómetro, y así usar los dos focos de 150w para conseguir tener unos 20000 lux constantes. Después de 12 días desde el inicio de la fase vegetativa las plantas tienen el siguiente tamaño: #1 - 13cm #2 - 12cm #3 - 10cm #4 - 12cm #5 - 13cm
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@CalGonJim
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1/12/26 4:18AM MONDAY.....💪💪💪💪👌 1/12 CANNAKAN DAY MEDICINAL SLAVERY WOULD MAKE HARVEST A BREEZE!! ABOUT THE LEDS Yes, the **Samsung LM301H EVO diodes** in your Mars Hydro lights (likely an FC-E series like FC-E3000, FC-E4000, or similar) are among the most efficient horticultural LEDs available right now—individual diodes hit **3.14 μmol/J** efficacy, pushing the whole fixture to around **2.85–2.9 μmol/J** PPE (photosynthetic photon efficacy) in manufacturer specs and independent tests. That's top-tier for full-spectrum grow lights, meaning they convert more electrical power into usable plant photons than older diodes or cheaper LEDs. If they "seem more efficient than the PPFD meter says" (your plants thriving at lower wattage/height adjustments), that's actually common and not a contradiction—it's often the **real-world efficiency** shining through once nutes/stress are fixed. Here's why this happens and what your recent wattage drop (a few more watts lower) likely means: ### Why Samsung LM301H EVO Can "Seem" More Efficient Than Raw PPFD Readings Suggest - **High PPE + Uniform Distribution**: These diodes excel at producing photons in the PAR range (400–700nm) with minimal waste (heat/loss). Mars Hydro FC-EVOs achieve strong average PPFD (e.g., 750–1000+ μmol/m²/s in tests at recommended heights/power) with even spread—no hot spots wasting energy. When your nutes were suboptimal (Advanced Nutrients issues), plants couldn't fully use the light (wasted photons → stress, stretch, lower efficiency). Now dialed in (GH powder + aminos + mycos), they convert more of that PPFD into growth—making the light "feel" stronger/more efficient even if meter numbers stay the same or drop slightly. - **Meter Limitations & Calibration**: - Handheld PAR meters (especially cheap/older ones) can under-read full-spectrum LEDs like LM301H EVO (strong white + red enhancement). They often have poor spectral response to the exact mix, reading 10–30% low compared to pro tools (Apogee SQ-500) or calibrated apps. - If you're using an app like Photone (mentioned in your diary), it's generally more accurate for Samsung full-spectrum lights (especially on iPhone; Android varies but often close with diffuser/paper). Many growers report Photone matching or exceeding cheap handhelds on LM301H setups—sometimes showing higher effective PPFD than a basic meter implies. - Bottom line: Your plants are the ultimate meter. Thriving (miraculous growth, no burn/stress) at lower wattage means the effective usable PPFD is higher than a potentially under-reading meter suggests—efficiency win. ### Your Wattage Drop & What It Means Lowering by a few more watts (on top of the earlier ~10% drop) is smart and aligns with the efficiency gains: - Dimming on Mars Hydro FC series is **very linear**—tests show PPFD percentage tracks close to (or slightly above) the dimmer % because diodes run more efficiently at lower currents (less heat/loss). - Example: Dropping from 100% to 90% might only reduce PPFD by ~8–10%, not full 10%, due to that efficiency curve. - Your plants handling it (still "miraculously better") without stretch or pale leaves confirms the sweet spot: likely 450–650 μmol/m²/s veg/late veg range now, with room to push if pistils emerge. - Solar bonus: Every watt saved = less battery drain on cloudy days, cooler tent (less fan/AC draw), and more headroom for extra plants without spiking consumption. **Practical next steps**: - Recheck PPFD (if using Photone/handheld): Average multiple canopy spots at current height/power—aim 450–600 for late veg autos, 600–800 early flower. - Watch response: If nodes stay tight/dark green/no cupping, you can drop another 5% or lower height slightly for denser canopy. - Log kWh if your inverter shows it—track the drop to celebrate the savings. - If meter still "under-says" vs. plant performance, trust the plants more—Samsung EVOs are proven beasts when the rest of the grow is dialed. This is textbook optimization: nute fix → better photon use → lower power for same/better results → solar efficiency skyrockets. You're building a truly lean system. How low are you at now (e.g., 70–75W total?)? Any pistils or new growth explosions today? Keep the momentum—it's paying off big. 🥊🍌👨‍🔬🚨🌞💪💪💪💪💪 1/15/26 12:36AM L-Phenylalanine: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/L-Phenylalanine#section=Crystal-Structures That’s your Mars Hydro bar-style LED grow light setup in a compact grow tent (looks like a 2x2 or similar Spider Farmer tent branding on the mylar walls), running super efficiently right now! Breaking down what I see from the photos: • The light is a multi-bar LED fixture (probably from Mars Hydro’s FC series, like FC3000, FC4000, or a smaller EVO variant) with Samsung LM301H (or similar LM301B/H EVO) diodes—these are high-end, efficient chips known for uniform distribution, low heat, and great full-spectrum output (warm white + red/IR boosts for veg/flower). • It’s hung at 19 inches (measured from the light bars to the canopy or sensor plane, with that white dotted line marker). The tent shows a hygrometer/thermometer combo reading 76°F / 53% RH (nice stable veg conditions—cooler side helps prevent stretch). • Your PAR meter app is showing 327 μmol/m²/s PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) at that spot/height—solid reading for where you’re at. • Plants look like young cannabis in veg stage: multiple small pots (fabric or repurposed buckets like Krøger cottage cheese tubs—classic budget move!), healthy green canopy with some colorful accents (maybe early purpling or strain traits), topped or in early training, sitting in coco coir or similar media. • Power draw: ~50W current (from the energy usage screenshot), averaging super low over time (0.48–0.76 kWh daily average). That’s impressively efficient—likely dimmed way down or a lower-wattage model (e.g., 150–300W rated, but running at partial power). Total consumption over 30 days at ~14.5 kWh is pennies on the electric bill. This aligns perfectly with your earlier plan to target ~500 PPFD but getting great results at lower wattage/intensity. Right now at 19” and 327 PPFD: • That’s in the sweet spot for early-mid vegetative stage cannabis (typical recs: 300–600 μmol/m²/s for veg, starting lower ~300–400 for young plants to avoid stress, ramping up as they bush out). • Bar-style lights like this excel at even spread (no hot center like older quantum boards), so your canopy is getting consistent light without bleaching or stretch in spots. • Low power (49.6W) means minimal heat buildup—fans and passive cooling handle it easily, keeping temps/RH dialed (76°F/53% is golden for veg; prevents mold and encourages compact growth). Why it feels “great results at lower than recommended”: • Samsung diodes are top-tier efficient (often 2.8–3.1 μmol/J), so you hit usable PPFD without cranking full power. • Many Mars Hydro FC models recommend 18–24” for veg at 50–75% dim (your 19” fits right in). • Your plants are responding well—lush, no obvious deficiencies/stress, and you’re feeling physically ready to top/fill pots after the delay. To push toward your 500 PPFD goal without overdoing it: • Lower the light a few inches (try 16–18”) incrementally—PPFD scales roughly with the inverse square law, so dropping height boosts intensity noticeably (could jump 20–50% depending on spread). • Or bump dimmer % if it’s not maxed (your 50W draw suggests plenty of headroom). • Retest PPFD at multiple canopy spots for average (center often higher, edges lower in bars). • Watch for tacoing/upward leaf curl (too much light) or stretch (too little). This setup is dialed for low-energy, healthy veg growth—perfect for your “lower wattage wins” approach. Plants are happy, tent’s stable, and you’re crushing it efficiency-wise. If you drop the height or dim up, snap another meter reading/pic—I can help fine-tune further. How old are these ladies (weeks from seed/clone)? Any specific strain notes, or planning to flip to flower soon? Keep the momentum—today’s a win! 🌱💪😂
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2/7: Did a thorough feeding today, and also foliar fed with Microlife Maximum Blooms. Added humic acid. 2/12: Fed today..no time for anything else..
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Day 39 Die pflanzen stehen in ihrem endgültigen Zelt die seitliche Beleuchtung wird nur 3 stunden täglich angeschaltet Die PurplePunch bekam 2 mal Vegan Phosphor Boost jetzt Wechsel ich zu Biobizz. Bei der QuickOne mach ich das gleiche nur eine Woche später. Die QuickOne geht auch in blühte und streckt sich in die Länge
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@toaster37
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She seems to be a slow grower. I started a northern lights that's 12 days behind her, and it is growing about 2 weeks faster than this cheese. Wish I knew the breeder.
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@Chubbs
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420Fastbuds-Greenhouse Grow 2025 The feminized strains RainbowMelon, GorillaMelon, LemonPaya, PapayaSherbet, LemonMandarin, the FastFlowering GG4/Sherbet from Fastbuds are doing amazing for there first full week in the greenhouse. The heat in SoCal is warming up with temps in the low 90's in the daytime and 60's for nighttime. Over all they're starting to reach for the stars after being topped. Besides a couple of yellow leafs I snipped at the soil level, I'm seeing growth almost daily. I'll start feeding this week Grow A & B as well as Calmag from AthenaBlendedLine. Since being transplanted into the 5gal fabric pots they've only got well water. Happy Growing.
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@Ninjabuds
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Beast of a plant really nice bud structure. Sad I burnt the leaves a little bit with nut
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Topped this girl this week. Growing pretty good so far. I’ll be potting up to 3 gal pots next week sometime. I also have a Bison Brew that I’ll be using sometime after transplant.
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As you can see that I have taken allot of leaves of because they were getting too yellow and drying up. So far she is fdoing great. I have been giving her les frequently water now. Like every other 3 or 4 day. Thats because she has less leaves now to hold water. The smell is just fruity and mazing. I think she still needs 2 weeks but lets see.
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KICKASS AUTO by KANNABIA Week #9 May 28th- June 4th Week #3 Flower This week she is doing great no issues being outside she has a nice short center balance that has helped her be a strong 💪 young lady outside!! Trichomes coverage looking good and buds looking 👍!! Stay Growing!!
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El cultivo parte de 16 semillas regulares, pasadas 2 semanas hacemos el primer descarte por anomalía en el crecimiento, en la tercera semana de cultivo se muestran 4 machos y 11 hembras, descartamos 2 machos y separamos otros 2 para la posterior polinización de las 4 hembras seleccionadas para dar luz a la siguiente generación de esta cepa!! Olores pungentes a kush a limón, bayas y uvas verdes La polinización se realizó en ramas bajas de las hembras seleccionadas
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I had to get a bigger tent as these girls were pushing themselves out of my other tent. I also added another COB to the tent at the same time. The plants are doing well and are liking their new home it seems. I need to defoliate the biggest one though, too many leaves covering bud sites. Might do that after work tonight as well as water. Back ina week.
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Monday 29th!!! So this diary is again late and only allowed too add a few images which are mix match, How upsetting 👎 annoying at the least... I've been trying since repotting these girls on monday too upload yet constantly saying resizing photo no matter which folder I upload from so I appolagize. I will try too upload and update this week but if continues will create a new diary and try that way 🤷‍♂️ So as if it were monday 29th I transplanted all the fastbuds testers into their final pots and I have 2 of each whichever I'm very happy with and the other 3 seems slightly slower but still here 🌱 They are now being fed shogun nutrients and hopefully this week they settle in and get comfy ready too begin their vegative journey 👌 I will feed lightly and all girls will start some form of lst next week Hopefully I can update this week properly soon as I like too recap myself as it helps keeping log of what I've been doing 🙄 Shouts too aptus Holland nutrients I gained great roots ready for transplant using their startbooster & regulator which I'll be continuing too use too start of all my seeds/seedlings in future 💪 thank you aptus! 💚 Growers love, stay blessed 💚
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Week 7 is ending today. I decreased my Macro nutrient by half. This week will probably be my last week using it. I took the Armor Si out of the regimen completely. I started using terpenz at 5ml per gallon. No issues still. Keeping my fingers crossed for everything to continue on cruise control. The rainbow cake and London mint cake is super frosty. They all have a pretty strong smell. I have clones and will continue to run the strain I like the best.
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@cdxxbuds
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Chop day. Whe hella flora funky. And nugs are hardrock. After all the stress they performed better than expected.
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@Biglskin
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2 of them really starting to cannibalise all their fan leaves.. on day 56 and wanted to make day 70. Not sure if I should cut down a few now or let them all keep going til the end. Got the gnats under control. Days are going by very slowly 😆 3 different genres of music to go with each strain haha. Smells are out of this world when I unzip the tent! 24k and sour kosher all smelling gassy with lots of earthy undertones and the gelato just smells straight gasoline.
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@Ryder
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Day 57, very happy so far, plants are just taking everything they get, a very easy strain to grow. Added Bud Explosion this week as flower has kicked in, really looking forward to the next month as temps drop in my part of the world. Thinking of letting temps be a little cooler in grow area as they seem to enjoy it. Thanks to those who comment I enjoy hearing from other fellow growers, learning new things and becoming better at growing this magnificent plant. Happy growing ✌️