White Widow Automatic

D1 - Boom! We have germination after three days. Well, two out of three at least. It's still early, though, so maybe the third girl is just shy. In any case, I'm only planning on growing out two plants, so it's not a big deal if the third is a no-show. D2 - The third girl made a fashionable late arrival. That's three of three. Can't complain about that :) D5 - Today, it was time to put the girls into pots since the roots were already shooting out through the sides of the pellets. I filled up three 1-liter pots with my soil blend and put some mycorrhizal inoculant in the hole before placing a pellet in each pot. I then sprayed some water before finally placing a glass as a humidity dome on each pot. They are now standing on top of a heating mat, under a 20W LED spotlight. I will keep them here for a few more days until I can move them into the tent. I filled up their final pots last night, and today I watered the 25-liters pots with compost tea. They should be primed and ready when it is time to transplant the girls in a couple of weeks. D7 - The last day in the first week of veg. I'm hoping to be able to move the girls into the tent and under a proper light within a couple of days. I'm just waiting for the Colorado Cookies girl to finish drying, but she has been in there for 11 days now so should be done any day now.

D8 - The start of the second week of vegetation. D10 - Today, the small tent was finally empty, and the girls could move in under the Kingbrite light. They are getting around 170-200 PPFD. I also watered them for the first time by giving each one a small splash of water @ pH 6.7. D11 - The girls were getting a bit cramped, so the humidity domes came off today. I set the Inkbird controller to an RH of 85% (+/- 2%) and hooked it up to my larger humidifier. Even without their domes, the environment in the tent should be nice and humid for the seedlings. D14 - The end of the second week of vegetation.

D15 - The start of the third week of vegetation. Each plant got 100 ml of compost tea @ pH 6.5. D17 - The girls are around 10 cm tall and 10 cm across. I adjusted the RH in the tent down to 80%. D20 - The girls were getting dry so each got 150ml water @ pH 6.6. There are adventitious roots coming out of the stems on all three plants. I have never experienced that before but at least I know that the RH is high enough ;) D21 - All is well in the tent at the end of the third week of vegetation. Next week I will transplant two girls into their final pots, while the third will get a new home with a friend of mine. #1 and #2 are 11 cm tall and 14 cm wide, while #3 is 13 cm tall and 16 cm across. I will most likely keep #1 and #2 since they are the most similar and give away the biggest girl.

D22 - Today was the start of the fourth week of veg, and it was time to transplant the girls into their final pots. I got the largest pots that I could find that still would fit in my small tent: 25-liter square pots. I prepared each pot with mycorrhiza before transplanting. I picked #2 and #3 to transplant since they are the most similar in structure, even though #1 and #2 are more similar in size. I adjusted the light to 300 PPFD at the canopy level. Finally, I gave each girl one liter of water @ pH 6.6. D24 -The girls love their new homes and have grown quite a bit in a couple of days. I've added a bunch of sensors to the pots to monitor the soil moisture better, one Flower Care sensor and one Blumat Digital in each pot. The Flower Care sensors aren't all that reliable in larger pots, so I temporarily added the Blumat sensors from my other tent to get a feel for how the FC sensors work in these pots and dial in the Blumat watering system. However, I haven't turned on the system yet, as the soil moisture remains relatively high after the transplant. D25 - It looks like the transplant was a success and that I avoided stunting either girl. They are looking more vigorous with each day. Yay! I'll give them one more day to chill and settle in before starting LST tomorrow. D26 - Started LST today. D27 - Tightened the LST wires and increased the light dimmer to around 400 PPFD at canopy level. D28 - The end of the fourth week of veg and all is well in the tent. I did a soil slurry test to check the pH since this is the first time using this soil blend. The test showed a pH of 7.0 so all good.

D29 - The start of the fifth week of vegetation. All is relatively uneventful, and all I'm doing is tightening the LST wires each day. Since transplanting the girls last week, the girls are quietly doing their thing, and I have yet to turn on the Blumat system. The soil was quite most when transplanting, plus I keep the humidity high to deter thrips. I had (have?) thrips in my other tent and want to avoid them getting into this one. D31 - Last night I finished hooking up the Blumat system, but I didn't turn it on as the soil moisture was still sufficient. I really should say that I thought I didn't turn it on, but when I opened the tent today, #1 was completely flooded, with a good 2-3 cm of water in the tray. It turned out that the shut-off valve was slightly off-center, and that was enough to allow water to trickle through. Ugh. Now I have to wait even longer until I can turn on the system. Not a huge deal as long as it is functioning in a week since I'm planning a short trip for Easter. D33 - LST D35 - The last day of the final week of vegetation as the girls have started to go into flower. I did additional LST and some minor defoliation to eliminate some random leaves. Finally, I turned on the infrared diodes in my grow-light but will hold off another couple of weeks before i turn on the UV diodes.

D36 - The first day in the first week of flower. The girls look healthy overall, although there are a couple of minor issues. A single leaf on the first girl has some discolored spots. I used a loupe to look closer at it but couldn't see any pests, so I'm not sure what the issue might be. On the other hand, the second girl has light-colored leaf tips on the topmost growth. It reminds me of light bleaching, but I checked with the meter, and it was only reading 400 PPFD, so I doubt that is the issue. There are a few light-colored tips on the first girl's top as well, but it is less pronounced than on the second girl. Minor issues for sure, but I'll keep my eyes on them. I did some additional LST to keep the girls squat and bushy, and I gave each 1.25-liters of water @ pH 6.2 with 25 ml EM-1. D37 - I decided to remove the spotty leaf, and took a look with the microscope but couldn't really see anything. D38 - More LST D40 - Even more LST D41 - Just pics today. I haven't spotted any more spotted leaves (Ha), and the light-colored tips haven't progressed. So far so good... D42 - We're at the end of the first week of flower, and all is well. I did minor defoliation on the lower branches, removing fan leaves that weren't getting any light, and continued with the LST to maintain a flat canopy. I finally turned on the Blumat system since the soil had dried out enough to be in a reasonable range. I need to monitor it for the next few days, ensuring it runs correctly. The pH of the water in the reservoir is 6.7. I also increased the amount of light the girls are getting to around 550-600 PPFD at the canopy level.

D43 - At the beginning of the second week of flower and the girls are loving life. Overall, I'm happy with the flat canopy, but there's one branch higher than the rest on the first girl. I've never super-cropped an auto, so I figured, why not give it a go and see what happens? It's only one branch after all and we still have weeks of flower to go. I also lightly defoliated the girls further. Nothing extreme, just cleaning up here and there. I've been lazy and haven't brewed any compost tea in a while, so I hand-watered the girls with 1.25-liters of water @ pH 6.3 with 25 ml EM-1 to boost the microbes in the soil. I'll brew some tea in a few days and feed the girls then. D45 - Minor LST. The first girl is bouncing back nicely from her super cropping. D46 - I started brewing a compost tea last night using a pretty basic recipe of worm-castings, rock dust, kelp meal, and molasses. Today each girl got 1.25-liters of tea @ pH 6.5. I set up automation to control the RH in the tent using an Inkbird controller a while ago, where the humidifier and the extraction fan are hooked up to the controller. If the RH goes above the set value, then the fan kicks in to extract the humid air, while if the RH goes below, then the humidifier starts. With a stable temperature, it works like a ghetto VPD controller where the tent is in the ideal VPD range during the 20 hours of light but still in an acceptable range during the dark hours. Controlling the environment is always a headache in a tiny tent, but this system works exceptionally well, considering it is cheap and basic. D49 - We have reached the end of the second week of flower and everything is going great in the tent. The grow is pretty much running itself now that most training is done and the watering system takes care of the irrigation. I'm still dialing in the system though.

D50 - The start of week three of flower and all is well. There isn't much to do at this point since the training is mostly done, and the watering is automated. D54 - The girls were home alone while I was gone on a trip. I'm sure they didn't miss me as everything was running automatically, but the differences between the two girls were more noticeable upon my return. The first is taller and more stretchy, with smaller, less developed buds, while the second is squatter, with much longer, fatter buds. I suspect that the second girl will finish sooner, but we'll see with time. The first girl stretched in my absence, and the canopy is now somewhat slanted, but I will try to even it out tomorrow. D56 - The last day of week three of flower. I was able to even out the canopy a bit, although there is still a bit of slant. There is only so much you can do when you're in a confined space.

D57 - We're heading into the fourth week of flower, and the girls are loving life. Both look healthy, vibrant, and strong, and they have started to smell. I did some defoliation to clean up the bottom of the plants by removing leaves that didn't receive any light. I also removed a few branches with tiny buds on them. I honestly should have removed them long ago as they don't get any proper light, so they will only drain resources and result in larf with airy buds. It is better late than never to remove them, as we still have a few weeks of flower to go, and I want the plants to focus on the main buds sites. Finally, I gave each girl 1.25-liters of compost tea @ pH 6.5. D59 - Installed a new USB oscillating fan since my old one gave up. These cheap fans aren't made to run continuously so they break down after a while. Still works well enough in my small tents. I also raised the light as the girls were getting bit close and I was reading almost 1100 PPFD at the top of the canopy. Way too much for an auto! D61 - There isn't much to do now when all training is done, and the watering is automatic. The girls are looking great though so I'm not complaining :D D63 - The end of another week and the girls are killing it! I'm really happy with how they are coming along, and everything is smooth sailing at this point. I gave each girl 1.25-liters of compost tea (worm castings, neem meal, rock dust, biochar, algae lime, bentonite, molasses) @ pH 6.6.

D64 - We're at the start of the fifth week of flower, and the girls are looking better day by day. However, a few days I noticed very minor leaf damage on two leaves on the second girl that "might" be thrips damage. It's not a huge deal since the girls will finish in two to three weeks, but I figured it would be prudent to be proactive before the next grow, so I ordered some Cucumeris predatory mites. They arrived today, and I hung a sachet with mites on each girl. D68 - Today, I disconnected the Inkbird controller and humidifier that kept the humidity in the tent high. It is getting towards the end of flower, and I want to decrease the RH in the tent to avoid botrytis. I also set the exhaust fan to run constantly. I hope that will be enough as there isn't enough space in the tent to fit a dehumidifier. #tinytentproblems D69 - The humidity in the tent is still too high for my liking so I had to get creative. I drilled a hole in my dehumidifier so that it can hang in the tent. It's only a small dehumidifier and not very powerful but the tent is tiny and the dehumidifier should be enough to drop the RH by around 10%. D70 - We have reached the end of the fifth week of flower and the girls are rocking it in the tent and their buds are getting fatter as each day passes by. It's only a waiting game at this point although a game where I'm trying to avoid budrot. I adjusted the light schedule yesterday so that the hottest hours of the tent are during the coldest hours of the day. That should even out the temps a bit, and I also keep a flap open on the tent to further reduce the temperature and humidity. The girls are looking great and I would hate to get botrytis and lose part of the harvest.

D72 - This week's diary starts late since I was gone on a short trip. The girls didn't miss me though as they are simply doing their thing, and with the automatic drip system, I don't even have to worry about watering. The girls look amazing! The colas are huge with plenty of frost. I'm very chuffed with how this grow is turning out :) D73 - Gave each girl 1.25-liters of water @ pH 6.6, with 25ml EM-1. I'm fighting against temps and humidity since we have a heatwave with thunderstorms and plenty of rain. The average temp in the tent the last 24 hours was 31 degrees C (88F) and RH 63.5%, which is way high this late in flower. D74 - Yes! Our bad weather has moved on, and the humidity in the tent has dropped significantly to the mid-low 50s. Much better. Have to avoid that budrot! There isn't much to do in the tent now when everything is automated, so I spend more time observing and scouting the girls. I figured out that using my hyper-bright flashlight below the canopy is an excellent way to spot leaves that are yellowing from lack of light. I never thought of that before, but damn, it worked great and will now be a new tool in my arsenal. I removed the yellowing leaves and a couple of other fan leaves blocking bud sites. The rest of the leaves I tucked. Speaking of fan leaves, the stalks on the first girl are purple while they are green on the second. Another difference is that the first look frostier than the second girl. Not sure if that means that the second girl will take longer. One fan leaf on the first girl has a strange discoloration in the middle of a fan leaf, but I'm not overly concerned, considering it is only one leaf, and we're towards the end of the grow. Finally, and then I'll stop harping about fan leaves; one leaf tip on the second girl is turning purple. D76 - I had a first look at the trichomes. Clear/milky on both girls, with a random amber here and there on the second girl. Based on this, I guess chop day is at least a couple of weeks away. D77 - We have reached the end of the sixth week of flower, and everything is trucking along. It's mainly a waiting game at this point, waiting for the buds to fatten up and for the trichomes to mature. I ordered nematodes a few weeks ago and forgot to use them. I don't have a fungus gnat infestation, so it was only a preventative measure anyway. The nematodes were a couple of weeks past their use before date, so no idea if they are still viable, but I figured it is better to use them than throw them. I gave each girl 1.25-liters of nematode water @ pH 6.6, adding 25 ml of EM-1.

D78 - We're just starting week seven of flower, and the girls are rocking it in the tent. I'm thrilled with how they are coming along. The buds are fattening up, with a more intense smell than they had only a few days ago. I'm starting to see the first signs of fading, and the trichomes are clear/milky with an odd amber here and there. I estimate that chop day is a couple of weeks off, which would bring it to eight weeks of flower. ________________________________ D80 - Pics ________________________________ D82 - I have been stuck in trim jail so it has been a couple of days since I looked in on the girls. They didn't miss me though as everything is just humming along. They look and smell amazing, citrus and pine, and the buds are fattening up with each passing day. Some additional fade but not much, to be honest. ________________________________ D84 - We are indeed on the home stretch at the end of the seventh week of flower. The girls look great with only a slight fade until now. I'm starting to see some amber trichomes but want more before harvest. Judging from how the trichomes have progressed this week, I say chop day is a week off.

D85 - The start of the eighth and final(?) week of flower. I estimate that they will be ready to harvest at the end of this week but I'll monitor the trichomes and let them decide. ________________________________ D87 - Pics. The buds are fat enough that some branches are starting to fall over from the weight of the buds. The trichomes are ripening, and I'm seeing more and more amber, especially on the second girl. No real fade yet but all the other signs are there, and I will harvest later this week. ________________________________ D90 - CHOP DAY!!! I trimmed off all fan leaves before cutting each plant and hanging it whole. The inkbird controller is set to 60% (+/- 2%), and I'll leave the girls drying for a solid two weeks at least. No need to rush when the finishing line is so close, and in the meantime, I'll work on setting up worm compost in the pots so that the soil is in top shape for the next growing season. ________________________________

I let the plants dry for 16 days, a bit longer than usual, but I was on vacation, and it took a few extra days. The average relative humidity during the dry was 61%, with a couple of spikes and dips due to humidifier issues. The temps were way too high, but unfortunately, that is outside my control and only serves as confirmation as to why I don't grow over the summer. The trim was a straight-forward issue, although #1 was a bit more work as her buds were not as dense as the second girl I got 274 grams of bud and 25 grams of sugar-leaf trim that I will use for edibles. In total, 299 grams. Boom! That is plenty to carry me through until my next grow. I'll enjoy a summer break, but I will return in September for the next growing season.