EarthBox [LOS] - Seedsman - Black Sugar

Introduction - Week 13 Summary - Ensign's log, stardate 100161.12, This is getting sort of strange and unusual.. But had yet another great and simple week of growing!? What!? Ha! Usually something goes wrong, but things have been growing along smooth and steady! Been very pleased with the growth! At least for now, growing in bloom seems way easier than growing in veg. Aside from a minor defoliation (just before her mid week feeding), I've been letting her just grow naturally. Even started thinking about harvest time! Going to (hopefully) be my first time fully drying and curing inside the tent so been deciding how I'll do that. I may also re-amend the EarthBox at the same time (EarthBox will be outside the tent, but in the same room). Of course I still have a few more weeks to go, but so far so very good! Early in the week she started to get a bit louder as the air started to smell more like citrus fuel! Stem rubs are also starting to give off more of a menthol sort of funky profile too (similar to a Vick's vapor rub). Stoked! Been hyped to check growth each day! Very exciting time for this grow as I watch the bud colas just thickening each day! Anyways, earlier in the week I redistributed the electricity from my room to be shared amongst a heavier load bearing circuit. This has fixed the power outages! But has also uncovered a possible fault with the AC unit itself (AC doesn't cut out anymore, but makes an occasional rattling noise). I can't replace the unit right now (too damn expensive), so just going let it be. This mid week's feeding (Week 3 of Full Bloom - Week 6 under 12/12) was more or less the same as last week. Gave her a top dressing as well. Also increased the top a canopy's PPFD to 999 μmol/m2/s which now gives a DLI of 43.12 mol/m2/d Also started to started to check the trichomes. Got some surprisingly clear shots using a USB microscope (attached to my phone via an adapter). Yes, I understand it's still way too early to harvest but I checked them anyways! Of course, mostly all the trichome heads were clear. Also started to look into a bud ripening technique known as 'bud swelling' (see logs for full details). Supposedly, if applied properly, this should increase trichome production and bud density. Most likely won't use this on the entire plant. But if I do decide to give bud swelling a try, I'll probably apply this technique to a few bud colas. This way I can compare the difference between treated and untreated growth. Keep in mind that this particular grow attempt started as a 'learn how to grow' run with no idea on what to really expect terpene-wise (to be honest, I selected these 'freebie' seeds because I got tired of losing my choice genetics). But now that my tent's environment is dialed in better and growth is finally going a lot smoother, I'm just loving this hobby as each grow day seems to feel like less of a struggle to keep things alive and now feels more like a therapeutic and enjoyable experience (as it should be). But I guess without the failures, I wouldn't have learned as much as I have. Anyways I digress again. Definitely stoked with the growth and hyped for next week! [START OF WEEK 13] Day 01 - Monday - 07/25/22 - Total Days: 075 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 77.7°F - Humidity: 64.6% - VPD: 1.12kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:21]: Growing along smoothly! --- Her bud colas are just fattening up! - [22:15]: Growth is looking good! --- She has a few bottom leaves that are yellowing from the tip and a few top leaves with burnt tips. But all else looks green and healthy! --- The reservoir had a bit of water still in it. Going to reduce the watering by a bit. - [22:34]: Water time! --- Also going to feed a bit of coconut. --- Filled a pitcher with 5 cups of distilled water. --- Added 1/2tsp of Horticultural Coconut --- Mixed the solution and poured it straight into the EarthBox's fill tube. --- Just a forest of bud colas! Wow! --- [*smokes a bowl] --- Over the past 2 years, it's been both an educationally fun and emotionally draining grow struggle, and I understand that there's still a lot that can go wrong with this grow attempt, but starting to look like this one is going to make it to harvest! --- Someone told me that my grow failures have taught me 43 ways how not to grow weed. --- But as fun as that has been, damn it feels good to actually start succeeding and growing. --- Hopefully I'm not too optimistic, but already starting to plan out the drying and curing process (even have a trim bin on the way). --- Now I've heard that after a few successful harvests, trimming will be less fun and more of a chore. --- But not right now! --- Since this will be my first harvest, I am actually looking forward to trimming! --- Also planning on re-amending and re-using the soil in the EarthBox for the next grow run so been researching this as well. --- Still also deciding on 1 or 2 plants in the EarthBox. Regardless, I'll be skipping the solo cups and will be planting straight into the EarthBox after germination. Day 02 - Tuesday - 07/26/22 - Total Days: 076 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 80.1°F - Humidity: 61.6% - VPD: 1.32kPa ----------------------------------- - [08:59]: Wow growth is looking great! --- She hasn't grown taller, but those bud colas are just thickening up nicely! --- Getting terps in the air too! Still nothing pungent, but wow she smells good! - [16:20]: Attention all hands! Warp power is being redirected from the main deflector to primary environmental controls. Ensign420, please report to main engineering for further instructions [🖖]. --- Anyways! [*smokes a bowl] --- My current residence has 2 rooms sharing the same 15amp circuit (my room along with the master bedroom). Unfortunately when both rooms are using electricity (desktop computer, television, the AC unit, grow light, exhaust fan, etc), the breaker trips while the rest remain unchanged. --- In an effort to fix this issue, I had the idea to redistribute the electrical load from my room to a higher amp circuit (the same circuit as the washer and dryer). --- Using a fairly heavy gauge extension cable, I re-routed the AC to run on a different circuit. The logic is that if the unit is running on a higher amp circuit, the AC should work without overloading the breaker. Plus now that the AC unit is on a separate circuit, both rooms can have everything on without the circuit overloading. Nice! --- To my surprise, I think it worked! --- The AC no longer cuts off while running on the higher the amp circuit! --- Still have to test the circuit strength, but for now everything is running. --- But solving this has uncovered a new issue. Now when the AC unit's condenser cuts off (I think it's the condenser), the unit makes a pretty loud rattling noise. I think whatever is making this noise is also creating some sort of a electrical surge which causes the breaker to trip. --- This also now confirms that my portable AC unit may be faulty and either should be repaired or replaced soon. - [22:14]: She is so beautiful! --- Growth is looking good! --- Buds are just frosted with trichomes! --- Getting more and more hyped to get from work to check on progress! - [22:23]: Time to water! --- Added 1/16tsp of Bio-Phos --- Added 2 drops of Bio-Catalyst Enzyme Elixer --- Mixed the solution and poured it straight into the EarthBox's fill tube. --- Just wow! the growth is amazing! Day 03 - Wednesday - 07/27/22 - Total Days: 077 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 79.1°F - Humidity: 61.5% - VPD: 1.27kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:25]: Growing along nicely! --- Orange pistil hairs are just everywhere. - [22:16]: Buds are growing thicker and she's looking great! --- She is definitely in full bloom right now. --- Sugar leaves are just getting coated! Can't stop smelling the terps. - [22:21]: Time to water! --- Since the reservoir was dry, going to increase the watering a bit. --- Filled a pitcher with 7 cups of distilled water. --- Poured the water straight into the EarthBox's fill tube. --- She is looking just incredible! --- Growth has been way less stressful and is steady. --- Turning into another very easy week of growing! Day 04 - Thursday - 07/28/22 - Total Days: 078 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 80.1°F - Humidity: 62.0% - VPD: 1.30kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:17]: Growth is still looks stunning! --- Multiple bud colas just reaching for the light! - [09:43]: Took height measurements. --- She was still 31 inches tall. --- Growth has been dedicated to bud production. Nice! --- She was also still about 10 inches from the top of the light. --- Tonight will be another feeding. Will take PPFD readings then. --- [*smoke a bowl] --- Still way to inexperienced to make any educated guesses on final weights, but I am getting curious. --- Since this will be my first harvest, not too sure if this is a realistic goal, but basically would like enough dried flower to last me through the next grow cycle. Which would be about 4-5 months of smoke. --- Because of this, I am going for quantity over quality. --- For this grow, like many beginner growers, I'm trying to go for quantity before quality. --- If I conservatively smoke, I can make an ounce of flower last about a month (depending on quality). --- Based off of this, I would consider this grow a success if I can achieve at least 5oz of dried and trimmed flower. I'm not too sure if I can reach this goal, but am going to try. --- Any more in terms of yield will just make life easier. --- This grow would be considered a complete success if the yield is double (a bit of an impossibility for can hope). --- Of course I'll consider this a perfect grow if that dried flower was top shelf quality (I really doubt it, but hey I can dream). - [22:04]: Wow she looks incredible! --- Growing along smoothly! - [22:21]: Feeding time! --- This will be Week 3 of Full Bloom feeding (Week 6 under 12/12). --- Going to nutrient feed exactly the same as last week. --- Except going to top dress a bit of BuildAFlower and Kashi Blend. --- Filled a pitcher with 8 cups of distilled water. --- Added 1/32tsp of Quillaja Saponaria Extract --- Added 1/8tsp of each of the following: ----- Big 6 Micronutrients [+ Humic Acid] ----- BuildABloom ----- Bio-Phos --- Added 1/2tsp of Pure Protein Dry [Organic Fish Aminos] --- Added 1tsp of Horticultural Coconut --- Added 8 drops of Bio-Catalyst Enzyme Elixer --- Mixed the solution and set it aside. - [22:44]: Time to apply the top dressing. --- There is a second plant growing in the EarthBox (in the back), but am only top dressing the large one (in the front). --- Top dressed 4tbsp of BuildAFlower Top Dress around the base of the big plant. --- Top dressed 2tbsp of Kashi Blend --- Using my fingers I worked them both into the top soil a bit. --- On to defoliation! - [10:57]: Using a pair of trimmers, I starting clipping off a few leaves. --- This time around, not many yellow-edged leaves to remove. Great! - [23:32]: Top watering time! --- Using a spray bottle, I misted the soil with 5 cups of the nutrient solution. - [23:45]: Mulched the leaves that were defoliated. --- After misting, I layered the trimmed leaves across the top of the soil. - [23:46]: Now bottom watering time! --- Poured the remaining 3 cups of the solution straight into the EarthBox’s fill tube. --- Done! - [23:49]: Took a PPFD reading. --- The top of the canopy was at 924 μmol/m2/s --- I lowered the light until the distance between the top of the canopy and the light was about 8.5in --- Took another reading. --- The canopy was now at 999 μmol/m2/s --- This gives a new DLI of 43.12 mol/m2/d --- This week's ideal range is 38-48 mol/m2/d --- Great! --- Going to keep the top canopy at these higher light levels and will check to see how she grows. Day 05 - Friday - 07/29/22 - Total Days: 079 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 79.3°F - Humidity: 61.2% - VPD: 1.30kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:27]: Growth is looking great! --- Terp profiles are really starting to fill the air and she’s starting to get a bit loud. Nice! --- Buds are continuing to thicken up under the brighter condition! - [22:15]: Hello beautiful! --- Growth is looking incredible and the air is smelling great! That lemon citrus terpene profile is getting me stoked! - [22:22]: Water time! --- The reservoir was dry so going to increase the watering for tonight. --- Filled a pitcher with 7 cups of distilled water and poured it straight into the EarthBox’s fill tube. - [22:30]: Decided to check a leaf for trichomes! --- Back when I first started growing (over 2 years ago), I got a USB microscope. --- Had the arrogant notion that I would make it to harvest during my first attempt (wow was I wrong). --- Anyways, --- Time to finally use this microscope on one of my plants! --- As far as harvest time, I understand she probably has a few more weeks to go, but going to check the trichomes anyways. --- Screw it. Why not!? - [22:41]: Using a pair of trimmers, I carefully clipped a fan leaf. --- I tried to choose a leaf that was fairly close to a bud which was covered in trichomes. --- Using a USB adapter, I was able to connect the microscope to my (android) phone so I could check and take pictures of the trichomes straight from the phone. Cool! --- Tried to examine the leaf over a white background, but couldn’t see a damn thing (Oops). --- But after trying to check the same spot over a black background, I could clearly see many trichomes! --- Wow they looked like mini mushrooms growing out of the leaf. Hyped! --- From what I could tell(and as expected), I think all of the trichomes were pretty clear. --- Got another overwhelming feeling of grower’s happiness. I grew this! Wow! Overly hyped! --- From now on, plan to check weekly to see how trichomes develop. Day 06 - Saturday - 07/30/22 - Total Days: 080 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 80.5°F - Humidity: 61.8% - VPD: 1.32kPa ----------------------------------- - [06:39]: Aye! Looking good girl! --- Bud colas are just everywhere! --- Smells are definitely louder than last week too! - [22:03]: Still growing along beautifully! --- Buds are frosty and just getting thicker! Wow! --- There are leaf tips with a bit of burn, but the yellowing has pretty much stopped! - [22:14]: Water time! --- Since the reservoir was dry, going to increase the watering a bit more. Adding a bit of microbes and saponin too. --- Filled a pitcher with 8 cups of distilled water. --- Added 1/32tsp of Quillaja Saponaria Extract --- Added 1/8tsp of Bio-Phos --- Mixed and poured the solution straight into the EarthBox’s fill tube. --- Done! --- Growth is just incredible! --- She makes me so happy! Wow! - [22:38]: Re-positioned the EarthBox a bit. --- Just rotated the EarthBox so it was more at an angle. This is mainly to keep the back cola further away from the circulating fan (noticed it was getting hit by the fan pretty hard). --- May re-angle the fan later, but for now this should be fine (again very glad I got the wheels for the EarthBox). Day 07 - Sunday - 07/31/22 - Total Days: 081 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 81.3°F - Humidity: 64.5% - VPD: 1.27kPa ----------------------------------- - [07:16]: Just incredible! --- Growth is looking great! --- Very happy with the bud colas! Just stacking! - [22:10]: Looking pretty damn good! --- Buds are thickening up with more frost! --- Those terps are also smelling pretty dank too! --- Towers of bud colas! Ooowee! --- There was a bit of water in the reservoir, so going to decrease the watering tonight. - [22:24]: Water time! --- Filled a pitcher with 5 cups of distilled water and poured it straight into the EarthBox's fill tube. --- Done! --- Been a very simple week of growing and am just stoked with how she is growing! --- If all things go well, next week should be more or less the same as this (and last) week. --- [*smokes a bowl] --- Started looking into a bud thickening/ripening technique called 'bud swelling' or 'bud pinching.' --- Also known as 'backbuilding,' this technique requires the tops of each bud cola to be snipped about 0.25-0.5in (less is more). --- By removing the tips of each bud cola (in veg, these are the bud sites), this initializes a growth reaction inside the plant which promotes more lower bud growth and biomass density. Bud swelling also triggers an auto immune response which causes the production of more trichomes. --- Not sure if this is 'grow-science or bro-science.' --- Bud pinching seems to replicate tissue damage that may have been caused from a wild animal attack or natural disaster. This sends the plant into a sort of 'fight-or-flight' mode which halts vertical growth and causes the production of denser bud structures and stickier trichomes. --- The grow logic seems similar to a vegetative technique known as topping (but more closer to FIMing - Fuck I Missed). Both techniques help to promote more lower growth, so sounds like it might be worth a try. --- Again, not too sure on the validity of this technique, but might try it on one or two colas soon. --- Just hyped that a successful harvest is finally looking like a possibility! --- Steady as she goes Ensign! [🖖] [END OF WEEK 13]