EarthBox [LOS] - ILGM - NYC Diesel Auto

Introduction - Week 06 Summary - Ensign's log, stardate 100427.88, As far as growing, this week was pretty rough, but she seems to be recovering. I think. She seemed to be recovering so early in the week.. Decided to give her a top watering which was a huge mistake as she started showing signs of more stunted growth and dried leaves (Shaka, when the walls fell.. again). So started a new seed soak. Also decided to get a second EarthBox. Need to have multiple plants again. I'm not experienced enough to rely on a single plant making through. With this second EarthBox, I hope to increase my chances. I may even go back to planting two seeds per EarthBox, which would further increase my chances of a successful grow. To help dry out the soil, I've stopped all watering and peeled back the mulch cover. But even after a few days of drying, the soil was still pretty damp. It's very easy to overwater when you have no experience (Damnit Ensign). By the end of the week, the new seed did not germinate (of course) so started another one. [START OF WEEK 06] ========================================================== WEEK 06 - Veg 1 WEEK 00 - Germination - [1st entry: 10/27/22 - End: 10/30/22] WEEK 00a - Germination - [1st entry: 10/30/22] 10/24/22 → 10/30/22 This Week's Estimated Goals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DLI: 12-14 mol/m2/d PPFD: 185-216 μmol/m2/s VPD: 0.8-1.1 kPa This Week's Meter Readings & Averages ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DLI: 14.19 mol/m2/d PPFD: 219 μmol/m2/s VPD: 0.82 kPa ========================================================== Day 01 - Monday - 10/24/22 - Total Days: 040 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 75.2°F [24.0°C] - Humidity: 66.1% - VPD: 0.98 kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:27]: Good morning! --- A little behind in growth, but looking a lot better than last week! --- She can also be greener (also a few leaf tip burns), but growth looks perky. --- Misted the her leaves along with the top of the EarthBox with distilled water. - [22:01]: Evening checkup! --- She is definitely getting taller. --- Did not add any water to the reservoir. --- Misted the her leaves along with the top of the EarthBox with distilled water. --- Refilled the humidifier with distilled water and ~20mL of Hydrogen Peroxide [HP]. --- Going to adjust DLI tomorrow. --- Also plan to check under the mulch cover and possibly start top watering. Day 02 - Tuesday - 10/25/22 - Total Days: 041 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 76.0°F [24.4°C] - Humidity: 71.3% - VPD: 0.86 kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:23]: Morning check! --- She looks a bit deficient, but she is getting larger. --- Leaf veins are green, but growth appears more lime towards the edges. --- Misted the her leaves along with the top of the EarthBox with distilled water. - [12:05]: Decided to make some Agsil water. --- This potassium silicate infused water should help to strengthen cellular structure and encourage stronger growth in both the top biomass and root zone. Using potassium silicate also should help to increase overall environmental stress tolerance and resistance to pathogens. --- Filled a gallon jug with distilled water and set it aside for a bit. --- Using an empty measuring cup on a scale, I added ~1.5g of Agsil 16H (1.49g) to the cup. --- Poured some of the water from the jug into the measuring cup. --- Then poured the mixed solution back into the jug. Repeated this a few times to fully dissolve the potassium silicate. --- Plan to check the soil this evening before giving her a foliar spraying of this solution. --- If the top soil needs watering, plan to mist a cup or two of distilled water. - [16:28]: Evening checkup! --- Leaf tips look a bit yellow, but growth looks nice and perky. - [16:33]: Took a PPFD reading which was at 325 μmol/m2/s which gives a DLI of 21.06 mol/m2/d --- To increase the PPFD closer to the new target goal of 463 μmol/m2/s, instead of lowering the light. I decided to increase the wattage of the light. - [16:45]: After a bit of adjusting, I increased the wattage from 160.6w to 209.7w --- After increasing the wattage, had to lift the light up a bit. --- After more adjusting, managed to get the canopy's PPFD readings to around 446 μmol/m2/s which gives a DLI of 28.90 mol/m2/d --- With the increased DLI goal of 30 mol/m2/d, this should be good enough. At the rate she is growing, by the end of the week, she'll definitely be above 30 mol/m2/d - [18:08]: Took height readings. --- She was around 9.5" tall. --- The distance between the top of the canopy and the light is now around 21" --- Decided to hold off on feeding any fertilizer this week. --- Also did not add any water to the reservoir. --- Added a 4 more binder clips to secure the center of the mulch cover. --- This is mainly to prevent any elastic snap-back damage. - [18:18]: Checked under the mulch cover. --- Gently pealed back both sides of the EarthBox (leaving the middle section undisturbed). --- Using my hands, I gently mixed the top 1-2" of soil. This was mainly to break up any large chunks and to loosen any clumps of soil and compacted amendments. --- The soil felt slightly moist at the top, but after breaking up the moist clumps, the overall top soil felt pretty dry. --- Well, her goes nothing.. --- Time to wet the soil! --- Please, please, don't frack this up Ensign. - [18:33]: Filled a measuring cup with a cup of distilled water. --- Added 1/64tsp of Quillaja Saponaria Extract --- Added 1/32tsp of Mycrobe Complete --- Added 2 drops of Bio-Catalyst Enzyme Elixer --- Mixed the solution before pouring 1/2 cup into a plastic spray bottle. --- Starting with one side of the EarthBox, I gently misted the top soil. --- Then repeated the process for the other side (1 cup total). - [18:51]: Using a metal skewer, I gently added a few aeration pockets. --- Inserted the skewer about 3-4" into to soil and gently swirled the soil around to make a narrow hole. Repeated this process until there were holes about 2" apart on both sides of the EarthBox. --- While making the holes, I noticed that the soil underneath was pretty dry. --- Going to add one more cup of water. - [18:59]: Filled a measuring cup with a cup of distilled water and misted both sides (~1/2 cup on each side). --- Also misted each aeration hole. --- Once the top soil was nice and moist, I carefully placed the mulch cover back on. - [19:15]: Using a spray bottle, I foliar fed a bit of the Agsil water prepared earlier in the day. --- Also misted the top of the mulch cover. --- Refilled the humidifier with more distilled water along with about ~20mL of HP. --- Great! --- I think. --- Ended up top watering a total of 2 cups and did not add anything into the reservoir. --- I really hope I didn't mess this up. --- Please don't get worse! --- [*smokes a bowl] Day 03 - Wednesday - 10/26/22 - Total Days: 042 ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 76.4°F [24.7°C] - Humidity: 74.1% - VPD: 0.79 kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:31]: Morning check! --- Well, she doesn't look stunted. --- Still too soon to really see any difference. --- Refilled the humidifier with more distilled water and HP. --- Also misted her leaves along with the top of the EarthBox with Agsil water. - [21:19]: Evening checkup. --- Hmm. Well she looks about the same. --- Did I stunt her even more? --- I guess I over-watered again (Shaka, when the walls fell). --- I only watered 2 cups. Compared to the last seedling, I barely watered this one. --- But I guess I shouldn't have watered on Tuesday. --- Wow. I guess once a plant is stunted, it's difficult to heal her back (damnit Ensign). --- Misted the top of the EarthBox (mulch cover) with Agsil water (mainly to increase the RH). Day 04 - Thursday - 10/27/22 - Total Days: 043 [001] ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 74.1°F [23.4°C] - Humidity: 74.1% - VPD: 0.78 kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:25]: Morning checkup. --- Yep. She looks stunted. --- DAMMIT ENSIGN! --- [*smokes a bowl] - [09:32]: Took PPFD readings. --- The canopy was at 453 μmol/m2/s which gives a DLI of 29.35 mol/m2/d --- Decided to raise the light up a bit. --- After some adjusting, managed to get the canopy's PPFD readings to around 420 μmol/m2/s which gives a DLI of 27.22 mol/m2/d --- Refilled the humidifier. --- Shaka, when the walls fell.. --- [*smokes a bowl] - [10:05]: Screw it! Decided to start a new seed soak. --- This will be attempt #46 and is another seed of 'NYC Diesel' from ILGM (8 more seeds left). --- Took a cleaned shot glass and rinsed it with a bit of Hydrogen Peroxide (did not dry). --- Then filled the shot glass with 25mL of distilled water and dropped a randomly selected bean in. --- Like most of my previous seed soaks, this seed floated. --- Placed the shot glass onto a towel which is covering a heating mat. --- Covered the glass with an opaque black plastic bowl along with a towel (for insulation). For more insulation and temperature stability, I also used a piece of foam along with another towel. --- Set the thermostat to 86°F and done! --- Here we go again! --- To help reduce further stress on the current grow (and to save some energy), I may lower the DLI down to 12-16 mol/m2/d later tonight by reducing the wattage on the light. --- Time to plan for the next attempt, but will keep the current one in hopes that she will recover. --- [*smokes a dab] --- Plan to do a soft tent reset for the new seedling. --- Stopping all soil watering of the EarthBox. --- Also for a few days, going to lift the mulch cover up (just the front and back) to let the soil dry out. --- Similar to the last attempt, this new seed will be planted into a paper bag placed in a hole in the EarthBox. --- Plan to plant this one either behind of in front of the current grow. --- Since, I'm out of fresh BAS Light soil, I could reuse some of the BAS Light from one of the two 1-gallon pots (in the tent). --- But most likely, I'll plant her straight into some BAS Oly Mountain soil. My only concern is nutrient-wise, the Oly Mountain soil would be too hot for a fresh seedling. --- I'll also probably leave an air gap around the bag for the first week or two. --- Of course, there are a few alterations planned for this new seed. --- First, I won't be adding anymore worms and won't be bottom watering on transplant day (when I fill the hole in). --- But, I think I will use the mulch cover? --- Also, unlike the last attempt, will be top watering for at least a week or two after transplant (if any at all). - [17:23]: Evening checkup. --- Still stunted, but leaves are less droopy. --- Time for the soft reset! --- Leaving all 4 binder clips where they were, I gently peeled and tucked both the front and back sections of the mulch covers (leaving only a section in the middle covered). --- The soil was still quite moist. Going to let this dry for a few days. - [17:43]: Lowered the lights wattage. --- After a bit of adjusting, I decreased the wattage from 214.6w to 104.4w --- Took a PPFD reading which was at 219 μmol/m2/s which gives a DLI of 14.19 mol/m2/d --- Just within the new 12-14 mol/m2/d goal range! --- No need to adjust the height of the light. Great! - [18:03]: Took height readings. --- She was still around 10" tall. --- The distance between the top of the canopy and the light is now around 20.75" --- Lowering the wattage has already shown improvements to the local VPD levels. Nice! --- Hopefully she recovers. This bit of down time should help. --- In the mean time, also getting hyped on the next seed attempt! Day 05 - Friday - 10/28/22 - Total Days: 044 [002] ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 76.0°F [24.4°C] - Humidity: 74.0% - VPD: 0.78 kPa ----------------------------------- - [09:28]: Morning checkup. --- Growth looks stunted (Damnit Ensign). --- At least the soil looks a lot drier so hopefully she will recover (again) soon. --- Refilled the humidifier. - [22:30]: Evening checkup. --- Still looking stunted, but less droopy! --- Top soil was nice and dry. But going to continue to let it further dry out. --- Not going to check the new seed until tomorrow. --- [*smokes a bowl] --- So.. I ordered a second EarthBox! --- Along with the EarthBox (got the wheels too this time), will be receiving more soil and a few amendments (why not): ------ BAS Potting 3.0 soil [1ft3] ------ BAS Light soil [1/2ft3] ------ Gnarly Barley [6lb] ------ Beauveria Bassiana Plus [2oz] ------ Yah-Whey [1qt] (free with purchase points) --- Similar to the current EarthBox, this new one will be primarily filled with BAS Potting 3.0 soil (1ft3), but will also have a bit of BAS Light and Oly Mountain soil mixed in as well. --- Since this will be a fresh bed of soil, plan to plant the freshly germinated seed straight into the EarthBox. --- Plan to start another seed soak as soon as everything arrives! Hyped! Day 06 - Saturday - 10/29/22 - Total Days: 045 [003] ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 75.6°F [24.2°C] - Humidity: 74.1% - VPD: 0.77 kPa ----------------------------------- - [07:33]: Quick morning check. --- She still looks stunted. --- But the soil looks drier (damnit Ensign). --- Refilled the humidifier. - [19:48]: Evening check. --- Well not much growth, but getting there. --- Checked the new seed! --- Well, she looks a lot darker now, but no sprout. --- Tapped the shot glass to sub merge the seed. --- Then placed her back onto the heating mat. --- Will check again tomorrow night. - [20:09]: Increased the heating mat's thermostat from 86°F to 90°F --- Local temps were a bit low (around 81.1°F). --- Hopefully the added heat will to help stabilize water temps closer to 85°F --- When (or if) this new seed pops, plan to plant her into a paper bag of BAS Oly Mountain soil. Also I think I will bury the bag from the beginning. Day 07 - Sunday - 10/30/22 - Total Days: 046 [004 - End] [001] ----------------------------------- Daily Averages - Temps: 75.4°F [24.1°C] - Humidity: 74.0% - VPD: 0.76 kPa ----------------------------------- - [07:27]: Quick morning check. --- Top growth is getting larger, but overall not much change. --- Definitely over-watered (Shaka, when the walls fell). --- Refilled the humidifier. --- Tonight gonna check the soil with a moisture meter. --- Also depending on soil moisture, may place the mulch cover back on soon. --- Planning to check on the new seed as well. - [19:24]: Evening checkup. --- Yep she looks pretty stunted. --- Checked the soil with a moisture meter. --- Woah. The moisture is off the chart. Well above 10 (max). --- Shaka... --- Checked on the new seed soak. --- Well the seed managed to float to the surface. bubbles were around the seed, but no tap root. --- I'm not digging the bubbles, so going to reset and start a new seed. --- [*smokes a bowl] --- Great. --- Well, since I didn't want to waste the seed, I decided to plant her in the EarthBox. If she sprouts, then great. Regardless, still starting a new bean. --- This will be attempt #47 and will be another seed of 'NYC Diesel' by 'ILGM.' --- Filled a cleaned shot glass (this time, no Hydrogen Peroxide) with 25mL of distilled water. --- Randomly selected a bean and dropped her in. --- This seed floated to the top and did not sink. --- Then placed the shot glass onto the heating mat and covered it with a bowl and towel (also some extra foam for insulation). --- Increased the heating mat's thermostat to 90°F which should help to increase the water temp closer to 85°F --- Well this week was a difficult one as far as growing. --- Started 2 seeds this week with one failure (may have been a bad seed or the added Hydrogen Peroxide). --- As far as the current grow, she is still stunted and the soil is still too moist. --- Right now am just waiting for the soil to dry out and hoping that she recovers. [END OF WEEK 06]