EarthBox [LOS] - Seedsman - Black Sugar

Introduction - Week 15 Summary - Ensign's log, stardate 100199.42, Well another easy week of growing! Been researching more about vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and have been attempting to lower the RH to help achieve a better VPD. I think I'm suppose to go for a range of 1.5-1.7 for this stage of growth. To help better keep track of goals, adding 'estimated goal ranges' for both DLI and VPD to these weekly log entries (not sure if these ranges are correct, but this will at least give me a general goal to stay within). Also added meter readings and the week's averages for these goals too (surprised that GD doesn't have a way to track VPD, DLI, or PPFD). To help lower RH, I added another passive intake. Also increased the exhaust fan to run at max (from level 8 to level 10). Until I get a dedicated dehumidifier, this is the best I can do. Controlling VPD is way more of a challenge than DLI. What makes thing worse is the way my current residence's electrical circuits are wired. It doesn't make it easy to add any more equipment to my current grow setup (pretty much maxing out the circuit breaker). It just baffles me to see countless home grow logs with multi-tent setups each running far way more powerful lights and equipment (easily more electricity than my setup), yet I can barely sustain a single grow tent with a 300 watt light (not even max settings) in a 4x4 tent. Meh. Whatever. [*smokes a bowl] Anyways, VPD environmental issues aside, this week has been extremely easy! This week also began the Bloom Ripening phase which means feeding was a extremely easy! Simply a bit of BAS' Horticultural Coconut during her mid week feeding. No microbes, no fertilizers. The rest of the week was straight distilled water. To keep the top soil hydrated, started daily top waterings (1 cup misted). Waterings have been 1 cup top misted and 5 cups in the res. Tried bud swelling on a top cola. Simply snipped about 1/2in off the top of a bud cola. Will continue to check back to see if it made a difference. Checked the snipped bud's trichomes and this week looks a bit cloudy! Nice! Ripening along! As a beginner grower, it's been exciting to observe trichome development! As far as vermicomposting, checked and added more food to the worm bin! Wormies are looking quite healthy and am happy with the current bin's moisture levels. Will let them do their thing and will check back in another week or two! Just overall an chill and easy week! Oh! Buds are just thickening up! Added more garden yo-yos. By the end of the week, she had a total of 8 yo-yos attached. Anyways, steady as she grows Ensign! [START OF WEEK 15] ========================================================== Full Bloom Wk4 → Bloom Ripen Wk1 [Flower] 08/08/22 → 08/14/22 This Week's Mid-Week Estimated Goal Ranges [for elevated CO2] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DLI: 36-45 mol/m2/d PPFD: 833-1042 μmol/m2/s VPD: 1.5-1.7 kPa This Week's Meter Readings & Averages ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DLI: ~44.5 mol/m2/d PPFD: ~1030 μmol/m2/s VPD: ~1.38 kPa ========================================================== Day 01 - Monday - 08/08/22 - Total Days: 089 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 82.5°F [28.1°C] - Humidity: 63.3% - VPD: 1.37kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:17]: Growing along! --- Buds are continuing to stack up! --- May add more yo-yos tonight. - [22:56]: Hello my beauty! --- Growth does have some yellowing but buds look nice and frosty! Starting this week, nutrients and PPFD levels will be lowered. Hopefully this will help with the yellowing. - [23:03]: Time to water! --- Filled a pitcher with 6 cups of distilled water and poured it straight into the EarthBox's fill tube. - [23:12]: Yea going to add a couple more garden yo-yos. --- Attached one to the front left side and the other on the front right. --- Raising bud colas to the same top canopy level should give a more even PAR absorption. Plus I think the added support will reduce stress on the branches so the plant can focus more on bud growth and trichome production. --- Ooowee! Wow! --- Smelling my fingers after handling the buds gave off a dank and unexpectedly new terpene profile! --- Still getting that lemon fuel but the sweet berry terpene has matured a bit more and she's definitely giving off a grape-like terp! --- Wow getting a sweet granddaddy purple sort of profile on the bud squeezes! Very nice! Digging it! --- And the buds are getting powder coated in trichomes! Wow! --- Starting off to be a nice and easy week! Day 02 - Tuesday - 08/09/22 - Total Days: 090 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 83.4F [28.6°C] - Humidity: 62.2% - VPD: 1.44kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:26]: Good morning beautiful! --- Growth is just stacking up nicely! --- Not much left to do but wait! Keep on growing girl! --- [*smokes a bowl] --- Been researching Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD). --- Since overall temperature can't really be controlled, going to try to adjust the RH to create a better vapor pressure deficit. --- I don't have total control over my humidity neither, but will try. --- As I dove deeper into what the ideal RH is for my average temperature (going to use 84°F as a general base temp), I've been getting conflicting chart data. VPD charts seem to have varying ranges for ideal temps and RH. --- At 84°F, one chart will show an ideal RH of 55% whereas another shows an RH as high as 75%. I am not sure which is correct. --- So just going to use the BAS recommend VPD which states that the ideal VPD is 1.5-1.7 kPa for flower and ripening. Based off of this, at 84°F with a VPD goal of 1.6 kPa, the ideal RH would be around 60% which seems a lot safer than increasing the RH to above 70% (really don't want bud rot). - [22:02]: Good evening gal! --- Cola tips are getting more arrow shaped. Plan to try bud swelling soon and will snip off a few bud tips to see if it makes a difference. This will also give me a chance to check the top buds for trichomes! --- Growing along just great! - [22:07]: Water time! --- Using a small Chapin sprayer, I sprayed the soil with 1 cup of distilled water. Since I can no longer rotate the EarthBox, the sprayer wand makes top watering way easier. --- Then filled a pitcher with 5 cups of distilled water and poured it straight into the EarthBox's fill tube. --- At least to me, the bud cola growth is just incredible! --- Yea, there are yellow leaf tips but my current goal right now is to just make through one complete cycle. - [23:40]: Decided to add another passive intake vent. --- Took a piece of spare 6in ducting (about 3 feet). --- Using 2 sheets of 0.25in carbon filter (about 8x10in each), I quickly covered both ends and secured them with rubber bands and aluminum tape. - [23:47]: This duct was then added to the top and now extends just under the grow light. --- That's about it (a bit crude, but works). --- May decide to move this exhaust to the bottom. --- This extra passive intake should help reduce strain on the exhaust fan while also providing another source of fresh air. Hopefully this new intake helps to reduce the RH as well. --- Current tent temps are at 85°F with an RH of 63% which is at a 1.52kPa (but would like to lower the RH closer to 60%). Day 03 - Wednesday - 08/10/22 - Total Days: 091 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 82.4°F [28.0°C] - Humidity: 62.1% - VPD: 1.40kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:43]: Hello beautiful! --- She looks a bit burnt, but hey looking incredible to me! --- Continuing with the top watering. --- Filled a measuring cup with a cup of distilled water. - [22:09]: Water time! --- Using a sprayer, I misted the top soil with the cup of distilled water. --- Then filled a pitcher with 5 cups of distilled water and poured it straight into the EarthBox's fill tube. - [22:19]: Another bud cola is starting to droop, going to apply another garden yo-yo. --- Great! Her main colas are now nicely grouped and are at a pretty even canopy level! --- Keep on growing girl! Day 04 - Thursday - 08/11/22 - Total Days: 092 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 82.8°F [28.2°C] - Humidity: 60.2% - VPD: 1.48kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:47]: Beautifully growing along! --- That grape-terp is really getting louder too! --- Tonight will be Week 1 of Bloom Ripen! - [15:28]: In a further attempt to bring RH down, I increased the setting on the exhaust to the max. - [22:07]: Good evening beautiful! --- Wow! Really getting louder! Just incredible how the carbon filter just scrubs the smell. --- Bud colas are frosty and all resin railed out! - [22:47]: Water time! --- Filled a pitcher with 7 cups of distilled water. --- Added 1/32tsp of Quillaja Saponaria Extract --- Added 1/2tsp of Horticultural Coconut --- Mix and top sprayed 2 cups of the solution (Chapin sprayer). --- The rest (5 cups) was poured into the EarthBox's Reservoir. - [23:05]: To both flush out the sprayer and to further wet the top soil, I sprayed 1 cup of distilled water onto the top of the EarthBox. --- Watering done! - [23:14]: Adjusted the DLI down. --- This week the target DLI range is 36-45 mol/m2/d (or 833-1042 μmol/m2/s) --- The PPFD was at 1030 μmol/m2/s --- This gives a DLI of 44.5 mol/m2/d --- A bit on the high side, so going to raise the light up a bit. --- Before raising the light, I had to loosen all of the garden yo-yos. --- Adjusted everything until the top canopy was at 969 μmol/m2/s --- This gives a DLI of 41.86 mol/m2/d --- Perfect! - [23:48]: Took height readings. --- She was pretty much at the same height at 33in tall. --- The distance between the top canopy and the light was also still 9in. --- Noticed that there were 2 lower-side buds that were starting to droop. - [23:54]: Added 2 more garden yo-yos (why not). --- Attached them to 2 drooping lower buds. Not sure it will help but going to help raise them up. - [23:59]: Okay going to do some bud swelling! --- Only going to be clipping one bud cola and will compare it against the rest. --- Using a pair of trimmers, I clipped the tip of a bud cola (front left). --- That's about it. - [+00:14]: Time to check trichomes! --- Under a USB microscope I could see that the majority of trichome heads were pretty cloudy while some were clear. --- I did find a few amber ones too, but only around the tips of leaves (they were all pretty much cloudy). --- HYPED! - [+00:43]: Oh I also have a jeweler's loupe. Might as well give it a try! --- For the most part, this works too and I can check multiple areas without cutting buds! --- But would not recommend the one I have. --- One major downside is taking photos is pretty much impossible (at least with what I am using). --- Also in general, it's a hassle to get a clear and steady inspection. --- I don't have the steadiest hands and due to the refractive properties of the lens, everything is inverted (so up is down and left is right). --- So I still prefer taking a clipping and using the USB microscope (way clearer and easier), but will also use the jeweler's loupe for checkups too. Day 05 - Friday - 08/12/22 - Total Days: 093 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 82.2°F [27.9°C] - Humidity: 64.9% - VPD: 1.29kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:12]: Good morning my beauty! --- Steadily growing along. --- Checked the cola that was topped and so far not much change. --- Regardless, all buds are continuing to frost up! - [22:05]: Growth is looking good! --- Those yellow leaves are starting to really curl up. May go in and trim the yellow edges off a bit later. --- She's smelling incredible with that grape terp really starting to take over the odor profile. Personally prefer the lemon citrus, but stoked for this as well! - [22:10]: Water time! --- Filled a measuring cup with 1 cup of distilled water. Then using a sprayer, I misted the top soil with the entire cup. --- Then filled a pitcher with 5 cups of distilled water and poured it straight into the EarthBox's fill tube. --- Easy growing! Day 06 - Saturday - 08/13/22 - Total Days: 094 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 82.6°F [28.1°C] - Humidity: 63.3% - VPD: 1.36kPa ----------------------------------- - [07:39]: Aye looking good! --- Terps are smelling incredible! Again more of a sweet grape profile. --- Still too early to really tell, but I think the bud cola that was snipped is sort of looking a bit more frostier than the rest? - [22:11]: Why hello there beautiful lady! --- A bit burnt, but still looking good to me! --- Wow! If all goes well, my first harvest is less than a month away! - [22:23]: Water time! --- Continuing on with straight distilled water. A cup top fed and 5 cups in the res. --- Using a sprayer, I misted the top with a cup of distilled water. --- Then filled a pitcher with 5 cups of distilled water and poured it into the EarthBox's fill tube. --- At least in my current grow conditions (summer time and crappy AC), getting the tent to a viable VPD range is tough. --- Difficulties with environmental conditions aside, been very easy growing! Day 07 - Sunday - 08/14/22 - Total Days: 095 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 82.7°F [28.2°C] - Humidity: 63.9% - VPD: 1.35kPa ----------------------------------- - [07:31]: Growing along nicely! --- Quick bud check. Growth is looking good! --- The cola that was snipped has pretty much stopped growing vertically. The top bud is starting to also look a bit fatter! I think. --- The rest of the bud colas are getting more spear-shaped. - [20:15]: Checked the worm bin! --- It's been 10 days since the last checkup and feeding. --- Nice! Fresh Gagh! Err, I mean worms [🖖]. --- Wormies are crawling along the top soil and look nice and healthy! --- Surprisingly the mango was still there. It was mainly the pit, but there were still chunks of decaying mango on it. There was no foul odor. Sort of smelled sweet (like mango). --- I set the mango pit aside and dug a hole in the middle of the bin and prepped for the next feeding (soil felt moist and aerated). - [20:27]: Feeding time! --- Feeding a (frozen) strawberry, part of an overly ripe plantain, and a bit of spinach. As usual, going to inoculate the food with bokashi. --- First layered a bit of spinach at the bottom of the hole. --- Then sliced and placed chunks of plantains and strawberries on top of that. --- Sprinkled 1tsp of Kashi Blend. --- Layered more spinach on top. --- Placed the old mango pit on top of everything. --- Sprinkling another 1tsp of Kashi Blend on top. - [20:35]: Gently covered the whole thing with the surrounding top soil. --- Covered the soil with some freshly shredded brown paper and misted the paper until moist (about 9 sprays of distilled water). - [20:43]: Finally covered the top with a piece of brown paper before sealing the bin with a clean lid. --- Going to probably wait another week and a half or so before the next bin check. --- I usually feed more perishable organic matter, but this mango pit is an excellent slow decaying food source which can easily sustain them between feedings. - [22:16]: Aye looking good girl! --- Growing along nice! - [22:31]: Water time! --- A cup top fed and 5 cups in the reservoir. --- Using a sprayer, I misted the top with a cup of distilled water. --- Then filled a pitcher with 5 cups of distilled water and poured it straight into the EarthBox's fill tube. --- Another easy grow week complete! --- Gotta say that bloom has been way easier than veg. --- Took me 44 attempts to make it through veg and onto to my first bloom cycle, but I think I am going to make it through bloom on the first go? --- Not going for perfection. Yet. --- Just overly stoked to finally be within viable reach of an actual harvest! --- Anyways, next week will be another bud ripening week (Wk1 → Wk2) so hopefully it will be just as easy! [END OF WEEK 15]