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Welcome to my hydro diary!
Day 3: Poured 10 L of low ppm solution into the coco/perlite slab to wash out salts. EC was 1.2 (600 ppm), pH 6.4.
Transplanted the girl when ppm reached 300.
Automatic watering based on Arduino. Moisture sensor needs some upgrade, although it gives some relevant data.
Day 4: Temp is set to 22.5 C @24H. Moisture sensor is no longer giving correct data. The surface oxidised within 24 hours. Not bad for a $1 sensor 😀. Removed it. Need to make a timer with unlimited short intervals.
Day 5: Keeping inflow pH at 5.7-5.9, EC 0.7. Runoff is pH 6.2-6.4, about 0.1 EC higher. Working hard to rebuild automatic watering. The code is not working yet 🙈. Have to turn on the pump manually few times a day. Wasting litres of solution on that.
Day 6: Humidity may become a problem. It’s 45-55% in the box. Adding humidifier will not help much.
Finally, made the code work, although RTC module is glitching when I disconnect Arduino usb cable.
Using 7 intervals, 3 hours between events, 150 ml (33 s) each watering. Added Fulvic acid and Roots Booster.
Day 7: I didn’t know Coco should be buffered with Ca/Mg. To check if it’s leaching these elements from solution I made a Calcium test. Luckily I got it.
Tap water: 110 ppm, 50 mg/l Ca.
Inflow: 340 ppm, 60-80 mg/l Ca.
Runoff: 380 ppm, 40 mg/l Ca.
As you can see, about half of Ca ppm is locked. The seedling is looking good. Will add CalMag soon. Currently, I am using T.A. Dual Part Coco nutrients that contain extra Ca/Mg. Need to fertigate frequently to avoid Ca/Mg lockout.
The code for automatic watering is being fixed. I didn’t set current time function in the program so it was only taking it from PC. When I corrected this mistake, Arduino became fully autonomous. I love it! So now I can make infinite amount of waterings, and it’s really easy to reconfigure the schedule. If anyone is interested, I can share the sketch and wiring.
Day 15: I’m trying to figure out why runoff EC is lower than inflow, although it’s climbing slowly and I increase EC up to 1.0.
Currently, 8 events per day, 110 ml each. That’s every 2,5 hours.
Probably will switch to 20 events per day, 50 ml.
She’s looking good overall. Very short internodes, first side branches start to grow. Few light-brown marks and brown tips on the oldest leaves, no changes for two days since being noticed. Few marks on the second pair of leaves, hopefully nothing to worry about. Just keeping an eye on the inflow and runoff EC.
Day 16: 8 events/110 ml, ~900 ml
Inflow EC 1.03 (516 ppm), pH 6.3
Runoff EC 0.95 (474 ppm), pH 6.4
Day 17: 9 events, 110 ml.
EC 1.06 (530 ppm), pH 6.1
I was going to LST her, but there’s no possibility yet. She has too short internodes, 1,5-2 cm. Will use a ScrOG net soon.
Day 18: 10 events, 110 ml. I am definitely underfeeding her. Inflow and runoff EC difference is 70 ppm. Enough Calcium in runoff as well (75 ppm).
Day 20: Inflow EC 1.18 (590 ppm).
Runoff EC 1.06 (530 ppm).
Day 21: Lowered inflow EC from 1.18 (590 ppm) to 1.08 (540 ppm).
Runoff EC 0.92 (460 ppm).
Day 22: Inflow 550 ppm (EC 1.1), 5 waterings per 60 ml. Then increased to 590 ppm (EC 1.18), 15 waterings per 60 ml.
Runoff 400 ppm (EC 0.8), pH 6.6.
Normally, low EC in runoff along with raising pH means the solution is lacking nutrients. New leaves are a bit twisted, although Ca level in runoff is 80 ppm. Increasing overall ppm might help.
Algae noticed on the bottom of the container, few thick white roots came out :) Flushed the inner surface of the container with peroxide solution. Gonna make few holes for air circulation, and cover the walls with black tape. Hopefully, it will stop algae growth that is probably leaching some nutrients from runoff.
Day 26: Runoff EC decreased too much (EC 0.7, 350 ppm, Ca 75 ppm). I was giving extra fertigations all the time, and CalMag sometimes. Should increase pauses between events to raise EC in the slab. Instead, I maintained high-frequency fertigations with too low EC. There are no signs of overwatering, although some brown spots on the oldest leaves can be a symptom. But they appeared on the first week and didn’t increase or spread over. Have to mention, some leaves look a bit dark to me. I hope there’s no rot or anything that could really affect the EC level in coco.
Had to flush the whole slab with EC 1.3 (650 ppm). It took few hours to soak it slowly. I set 120s off-, and 18s on-time intervals (50 ml). About 4 litres of solution spent to make runoff EC 1.2.
Day 29: Changed recipe to reduce Nitrogen and get prepared to pre-flowering. Dosage 130 ml, 5 times per day. That’s much less than before.
Day 30: Little defoliation and trimming.
Day 32: Little defoliation and trimming.
Day 33: Dosage 250 ml, 5 times per day.
Day 34: Defoliation. Removed two times more foliage and side shoots this time.
Day 36: She slowed down a bit after the last defoliation. I keep runoff 200-250 ppm lower than inflow (600 ppm for now).
Day 37: Mechanical timer replaced with a digital one. Mechanical timer was making different intervals, so the day duration was always different, +/- 30 sec or more. Also removed the previous small table. I was afraid of the plant falling if something happens. The new table looks much safer. Drainage is very good. I give 90 sec watering intervals, that’s about 250 ml for now (new table is a few cm higher). Runoff begins immediately after the pump goes off. It takes about 15-20 mins for the whole amount to drip into the runoff container.
Inflow EC 1.2 (610 ppm), pH 5.8.
Runoff EC 0.7 (360 ppm) pH 6.2.
Day 38: Installed another TS1000.
Inflow EC 1.4 (710 ppm), pH 5.9.
Checked the roots. Algae on the sides of container and near drain holes. There’s a light leak, but no serious issue. Roots are strong, white. Looking good to me. I will cover the container with white/black film and use 3% hydrogen peroxide at 3ml/l dosage for the next week. I placed pieces of watering tube under the slab few weeks ago to improve drainage. Initially they were oriented “by the flow” like this:
——> ((((. I forgot that on the second week of veg I rotated the slab 180 degrees haha. So now it’s ——> )))). Should not be an issue since the drainage is very good anyways. The only issue I may have soon is root bound. So I increase EC of the inflow to slow down root growth. They are desperately searching for some food in the EC 0.7-0.8 (350-400 ppm) solution that is left in the slab few hours after each watering. Currently, optimal inflow EC is 1.4 (700 ppm). EC doesn’t go up in runoff with this concentration. To help plant get enough I will slightly flush until runoff EC reaches 1.1-1.3 (550-650), then I’ll try to maintain it.
Day 43: Inflow EC 1.8 (900 ppm), pH 5.75.
Still haven’t managed EC in the slab. Although the optimal EC is 1.8 (900 ppm) for now. Giving this EC results in stable runoff concentration and pH a bit rising (6.1). I have to keep runoff at 30-50% to get EC 0.9-1.0 (450-500 ppm) which makes me think she’s asking for EC 2.0 (1000 ppm) with 10-20 % runoff. Old leaves are showing small brown spots. That was predictable - early Ca deficiency due to constant underfeeding. My plan for the next few days is to raise EC in the slab till 1.6 (800 ppm) at least. I don’t even need to flush it before flipping to 12/12, since I keep runoff at a very high level and NPK was already adjusted for lower Nitrogen on week 3. High runoff percentage helps to keep algae at the bottom of the container under control. Adding 3 ml/l Hydrogen Peroxide to keep roots oxygenated in the darkness and keep some of that green stuff away from touching them.
She is almost ready for flip. I saw first pre-flowers on top nodes. Today I’m going to install ScrOG net, and defoliate again right before the lights go off. Also I will try to bend the top a little bit. The canopy is not flat, but the lower shoots are not far behind the top. The top is receiving up to 45 DLI, while the first node is getting 20-22 DLI at about 30 cm distance from the top. That’s good. I will keep lower buds anyways, gonna preserve as much potential yield as possible, even few larfs.
I want to go 12/12 not by switching it from 20/4 the next day after 4 hrs of darkness. I want to keep the midnight point the same. Then add per 4 hours in the “evening” and in the “morning”.
Although a lot of growers claim there’s no difference in how you flip to 12/12, and in fact there’s a lot of “stoned science” behind those theories, I believe saving the midnight point is key for fast transition. Biological clock still work in plants and that’s not good to disrupt it. Last day of veg will be 16/8+4. That means the night will begin 4 hours earlier, and the first day after 12/12 flip will start 4 hours later.
Day 44: ScrOG net is not ready yet, so I just defoliated and trimmed few shoots. Decided to make 8 clones from the cuttings. Never did that before. No cloning gel was available, so I just used Root Booster from T.A. in 5ml/l concentration (as they recommend for first roots seedlings/cuttings). They sit in tap water for 5 hours until I got prepared to put them in rockwool cubes. No signs of wilting/embolism. I presoaked the cubes in pH 5.5 and Root Booster for 3 hours. Then cut off a bit from the stem and split the lower 1cm in half to get more surface, and put into the cube. Cut some leaves in half. In the evening they look good, still no wilting leaves. Will move them into another box to let them grow a bit in veg, if they survive:)
Having some issues with pH meter. Sometimes the readings are 0.1-0.15 points lower. Calibrating solution is old, not sure if I can trust it. Waiting for the fresh one to arrive. Good to have pH drops for back up.
The plant responds very well to EC 1.85 (930 ppm). It’s just exploded after I started to raise it. Few days ago runoff EC was 0.8-0.9 (400-450 ppm), now it’s 1.1 (550 ppm).
Inflow pH is 5.6-5.7, runoff is steady 6.2-6.4. Raising pH while dropping EC means the plant is still eating and asks for more. If I had pH drop in runoff, that would be a sign of too high EC. Hope to slow down root expansion in order to avoid root bound and any kind of issues caused by root damage. Will clean the surface underneath the container with peroxide. So good that I didn’t make holes throughout the bottom. Roots would go out like crazy. I just made 4 small holes in the corners. That is enough for complete runoff. The roots stay in container, just trying to go through the tiny hole, where they are eliminated with light and air. So it’s constant air pruning.
If I could start from the very beginning, I would use black, non-transparent container. At least I would try harder to find it lol. In my case black-white plastic bag used for making the slab is the alternative.
This weird setup turned into some kind of “hydroponic top feeding slab with elements of NFT”. Gonna maintain root health with extra fertigations and peroxide.
Day 46: ScrOG net is ready. Need some clamps to attach it securely.
Inflow EC 1.85 (920 ppm), pH 5.6.
Runoff raised till EC 1.16 (580 ppm), not increasing anymore. pH 6.4.
She’s asking for inflow EC 2.0 (1000 ppm) or for a little flush with EC 1.9 (950 ppm). Runoff EC target: 1.7-1.8 (850-900 ppm) at least.
Some brown spots on old fan leaves. She recovered from last defoliation and started drinking water like crazy. About 50 ml/h. Also DLI is 45, close to maximum. Will increase CalMag up to 1.2 ml/l.
Day 48: ScrOG net installed. Finally))
Inflow EC 2.0 (1000 ppm), pH 5.5
Runoff EC 1.3 (650 ppm), pH 6.2
Day 49: Massive defoliation before flowering, will give her another 3-4 days to recover. Maybe a bit of LST, when she gets a big taller.
Maintaining inflow EC at 2.0-2.1 (1000-1050 ppm).
Runoff stays at EC 1.3 (650 ppm), pH 6.2-6.1. That means
I hope max EC will be 2.2 (1100 ppm), then I will probably not increase anymore. Only extra fertigations to reach desired EC 2.0 (1000 ppm) in the slab. Not going to decrease runoff percentage because it would affect healthy root growth beneath the slab.
Expecting runoff EC increase today due to defoliation.
Day 50: There are so many renovations being made outside the box! Was even thinking of CO2 implementation with yeast and sugar, but it will be totally useless because of the powerful duct fan I’m using. Whatever ppm CO2 can yeast provide, the gas will be sucked out of the box within a minute. Need extremely large bucket of brew to give a little bit overall. The same story with CO2 cylinders, but also more dangerous in my conditions.
Day 51: Gonna make 2 clones right before the lights go off. Will cut the lowest branches that are completely off the pace in comparison with others.
I made a quite unpleasant discovery few days ago. Grow component was probably stored for quite a long period in cold conditions. It caused sedimentation of a fraction with Calcium. At first glance I thought that’s my mistake (remembering the accident when I used Bloom syringe to take Grow). There were just traces of Bloom on the needle, and I had doubts that it could be the cause. I threw out almost empty bottle, where I noticed the issue and bought the new one. Poured it into the glass jar immediately after opening, and noticed the same sediments floating in liquid, some left on the inner surface of the bottle. Luckily I have a magnetic stirrer! Took out some volume to avoid pouring out through the lid. Stirring for two hours dissolved all the sediments making the Grow component look like emulsion, which I assume is supposed to be, since there are extra Ca additives for Coco substrate (I’m using DualPart Coco). Recent sings of Ca deficiency which I had to compensate with CalMag is probably another proof of this theory. Will stir the rest of the volume left in bottle today and let it sit until next use. Hope next time just shaking will be enough 🙃.
Will not change fertiliser brand or anything. I love T.A. nutrients! It’s amazing stuff. They are super concentrated and not much volumes needed to achieve great results. Just need to admit that “shaking well before each use” may not be enough sometimes. Works only if the fertiliser was stored properly from the date of manufacturing till the moment it was sold to the end customer. It doesn’t always happen in real world haha 😛.
Temperature stays at incredibly stable 23-24 (73-75 F) degrees Celsius during the day, and 21-22 (70-72 F) degrees at night.
Relative humidity doesn’t go higher than 55%. After the last defoliation and few renovations it stays at 50-53% day / 50-55% night.
Runoff ppm stays at EC 1.7 (860 ppm) for two days with inflow EC 2.1 (1040-1050). Runoff pH is also stable 6.1-6.2, inflow pH 5.5-5.8 (morning-evening). That’s cool! I will not raise concentration to get runoff EC 1.8-1.9 (900-950 ppm). It should up by itself tomorrow after today’s pruning.
Day 53: So much work to do. I even forgot to take a picture.
New clones are planted into rock wool cubes with root riot. Should work well. I don’t have Clonex or any other rooting gel with hormones. Using Root Booster from T.A. only. Solution EC is 0.13 (65 ppm, x0.5 scale), pH 5.6.
The older clones are facing huge Fe deficiency. I messed up pH when planting them into small rockwool cubes. Simply forgot to presoak them in pH 5.0, used pH 5.5. And I didn’t measure pH of the drained moisture, relying on my feeling. I suppose pH in the small cubes was much higher than 5.5 the day after I planted the clones. Then I was struggling with EC, found controversial articles suggesting different concentration. I even poured 300 ppm into the cubes thinking 60 ppm of Root Booster was not enough. Well, then I flushed the cubes with EC 0.12 (60 ppm, x0.5 scale), pH 5.3 Root Booster again to get back.
I moved the entire box a bit away from the wall to use the duct exit that is located much closer to the chimney. Replaced the 125 mm one with a 150 mm flexible hose.
Removed two 150 mm intake hoses, attached the black light-proof prefilter material to the rectangular intake window (17x40 cm) with velcros. Made it three layers. Light can be barely seen from outside the box during the lights are on. It’s pretty dark inside the room as well. I hope for no light leaks. Easy to clean this material with vacuum cleaner.
Suction force is good, the air takes much shorter way to leave the box. ScrOG wood frame is prevents the walls from being “sucked in”. Temps are 23/20.5 degrees Celsius day/night. Humidity is 50-55%.
Removed all timers and most of the wires out from the box. Mounted them on the wall. Preparing to move the tank out also.
Day 54: 5 of 8 small clones rooted 😍
The last two big clones that took 2 days ago are looking good, but no roots yet.
Day 55: 7 of 8 small clones rooted. Preparing coco/perlite for transplanting.
Day 56: 8th clone doesn’t show roots yet. Probably that’s the one I forgot about when putting into rockwool. It was left without water for a minute. Will wait two more days.
Defoliation done. Removed a lot of leaves and pruned. Accidentally lollipopped her. Will give her two days of rest and flip into 12/12.
EC in runoff increased rapidly right after I covered all small holes in the slab that could possibly cause some salt build up on the surface due to evaporation.
Also the plant surely reduced nutrient uptake after heavy defoliation.
Inflow: EC 2.3 (1150 ppm), pH 5.6
Runoff: EC 1.8 (920 ppm) --> 2.09 (1044 ppm), pH 6.4
I know that some bumps are pretty normal for stem. One is between 5th and 6th node, 20 cm above the surface. It’s a bit dark which makes me worry. Another two are located higher. Can it be rot stem? Chances to survive? Fungicide needed? The plant doesn’t look sick at the moment.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/white-growths-on-tomato-plants.htm
i'd wager it;s similar to this. Are they hard little bumps? if tehy don't easily rub off (compared to adventitious roots), i'd wager it's not fungal or microbial cuases and moe likely just a little oddity in the plant... maybe high RH in these faily dark areas? any condensation at night?
dark and moisture will cause roots to form... even if above ground.
if it is clearly superfical and growig on the plant vs growing out of it, then take some h2o2 and rub it off. 3%, undiluted. satuate area.. might discolor it a bit but it will not kill the plant or limb. if they are hard nodules, i'd ignore them, though.
fungus creates a mycelium network below surface.. so cleaning surface does not "clean" the plant of fungus. it's still there. you just can't see the parts that remain. this is why bud washing WPM-infected buds doesn't do what ppl think... bud washing can clear off stuff from surface, but will not rid the plant of an infection that involveds anything below the surface.
Day 57: Flipping into flowering tomorrow.
I need runoff EC around 2.0 when flowering starts. DLI will drop to 50%.
Inflow EC 2.0 (1000 ppm), pH 5.5
Runoff EC 2.2 (1095 ppm), pH 6.3
Temperature: 23 C day / 20 C night
Humidity: 52 % day / 54% night
New programmable pump arrived.
Found UV lamps, will use them for 15 minutes per day since the second week of flowering. 4x15 minutes starting from week 5.
Today was planned to be the last day of veg.
My veg schedule is 18:00 on - 14:00 off. I was going to turn off the lights 4 hours earlier (10:00), and to turn them on 4 hours later tomorrow (22:00). I wanted to leave the midnight point the same, which was at 16:00. No 24 or 36 hrs period of darkness.
Suddenly, power cut occurred about 2 hours before the lights go off (12:00). Heating in the house stopped working. I got news that it’s gonna be a long cut. My UPS (390 W) shut down due to overpowering from two boxes immediately, although i tested it beforehand for such situations. I couldn’t restart it even to make the fans work. Forgot to unplug or dim the lights before restarting haha. Thank god my big box is connected to the chimney and there was a passive air extraction. Temperature inside the box decreased from 22 to 16.5 C within two hours. Humidity from 53 to 65 percent max.
I spent 3 hours in search for a more powerful UPS, and if possible a generator also. Found 1 kW UPS with a dead 24V 12 Ah battery. Connected two 12V batteries (105 Ah + 45 Ah) in serial to get 24V. It worked. I could start circulation fans inside the main box, and the extracting fan on the roof. Also, the box with clones could be started, luckily it’s not connected to the chimney and temperature dropped till 19 degrees only.
Changed the light and watering schedule. Made the lights to start at 20:00 and go down at 10:00 just for tomorrow. The day after tomorrow lights will start at 22:00.
Transition into flowering took three days instead of two:
Day 56: 18:00 on / 14:00 off 20/4.
Day 57: 18:00 on / 12:00 off 18/6.
Day 58: 20:00 on / 10:00 off 14/10.
Day 59: 22:00 on / 10:00 off 12/12.
Day 58: Inflow EC 2.06 (1030 ppm, x0.5), pH 5.5.
Runoff EC 2.1 (1050 ppm), pH 6.3. The goal to raise EC in slab achieved! From now I have the ideal inflow/runoff ppm spot.
No issues with feeding at all. She already recovered a bit from defoliation, I’ve noticed some progress by takings photos with 24 h interval.
Messed a little bit with watering schedule for today, gave extra watering at night thinking the lights go off at 12:00. Not a problem at all. It’s coco/perlite 60/40, and I give 3 ml/l hydrogen peroxide all the way down from early veg.
Day 60: The first 12/12h day. With previous intensity setting DLI dropped to 18 for 12 h. Added power to 75% to make DLI 20-25 from sides to the centre.
Installed Kamoer X1 pump. Easy to calibrate and use. Bluetooth version is power-dependent. When power goes off, it loses all data, and restores it as soon as the phone is connected to the device again. WiFi version (X1 Pro 2) doesn’t have this problem. I chose Bluetooth version because it’s $20 cheaper, and I have a powerful UPS. It has a fixed flow rate, which must be obtained via calibration. In my case it’s 48 ml/min.
Fine-tuning inflow EC and volume. Making 20-30 ppm corrections to stay in the ideal spot. Runoff ppm is equal to inflow. Hopefully root growth slowed down, otherwise I have a huge problem soon ;)
Top fan leaves have a little discolouration (lime nails). Probably heat or light stress. Will keep an eye on them. The rest of the foliage is looking fantastic!
Received training clips and carbon filter. Impossible to bend the top at the moment. All internodes are 5-6 cm long, and training clip requires a bit more length to make it work :)
Day 64 (06): I had to defoliate again and trim off some branches that were going to make problems. The space is occupied so fast, that I can’t let it make too much branches till the end of week 3.
Day 65 (07): Added two 8W UV tubes. Hanged them on the sides. Using mechanical timer, set 3x15 minutes. Finally bent the top with a training clip.
Day 66 (08): Increased DLI up to 30. The top slowed down after bending, but is recovering quickly.
I accidentally poured the Bloom part too quickly while making the solution. It became foggy, sediment appeared. Discovered that in the end of the day. Need to add Bloom slowly, and mixing well.
Another defoliation. Some young leaves and branches were overlapping with the older ones. Removed some to make the canopy breathe well. Also, the ones that are growing to the center. I wanna let her rest for a few days or one week, then will perform the last defoliation before the bud formation begins.
Day 67 (09): Started adding BudCandy from Advanced Nutrients. Humidity is raising gradually, 62%. AC is needed soon.
Inflow EC 2.3 (1150 ppm), pH 5.5, 21 degrees.
Runoff EC 2.1 (1060 ppm), pH 6.6.
Taking samples once per day since today. Previously, I was trying to take them immediately after runoff completed. That was interesting experience, but I couldn’t sleep well for one month. That’s really exhausting. Need to get back to normal sleeping schedule.
Day 68 (10): Small pistils visible on the upper branches. She’s getting ready to start flowering. Transition phase is almost over. One more week probably. She occupied the whole square meter. I counted 15 nodes, excluding the lowest node, that I trimmed off to make clones.
Day 70 (12): There was a weird voltage spike in my neighbourhood. The UPS just turned off and on with an error, and it was noticed about 45 mins later. That’s something I was trying to avoid for the whole grow. Had to restart UPS manually. Need to get the new batteries with equal capacity, and test the system again. I hope she will consider a 45 minute blackout as some kind of cloudy weather or sun eclipse :) Watering continued with the same 45 time gap as well. Reuploaded the watering schedule and refreshed the clock again.
Inflow EC is still 2.3 (1150 ppm), pH 5.5. 3200 ml.
Runoff EC 2.26 (1130), pH 6.7. 420ml
Day 71 (13): I hope she will reduce vertical growth this week, the final defoliation is coming.
Inflow: EC 2.26 (1130 ppm), pH 5.5 (possibly 5.1), 3750 ml (possibly 250 ml less).
Runoff: EC 2.32 (1160 ppm), pH 6.6 (possibly 6.2 - not sure pH meter calibration was correct), 555 ml.
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Day 72 (14): I made a mistake with tap water. I should always take a measurement of tap water ppm before feeding. I relied on stable readings throughout the whole grow.
Todays water was 115 ppm. The remaining samples for the last two days were 35 - 110 - 40 - 150 - 35. High TDS water was too hard.
The new pH meter was stored wrong way, today’s readings were 0.4 higher. Recalibrated. As a result: yesterday I was giving pH 5.0-5.1. Not a problem I guess.
Started transition the feeding further into flowering. Grow:Bloom 1:1 —> 1:1.5. Target for Week 4 - Week 7 — 1:2. Probably she’s not ready for 1:1.5 ratio.
Inflow: EC 2.26 (1130 ppm), pH 5.4, 3750 ml (possibly 250 ml less).
Runoff: EC 2.32 - 2.38 (1160-1190 ppm), pH 6.0, 500 ml.
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Day 73 (15): Amazing stretching rate! Hard to measure it with an eye, but the image taken today represents it clearly. The smell is getting stronger. Sweet and rich aroma.
Runoff EC raised till 2.38 (1190 ppm) yesterday. It's time to reduce inflow EC.
Inflow EC in the morning: 2.18 (1090 ppm).
Runoff EC four hours after the lights ON: 2.5 (1260 ppm). That probably means she doesn’t accept new NPK yet. Or that’s the result of water hardness spike described earlier ☝️.
Taking into consideration bad tap water was about 100 ppm higher, it seems legit.
Washed the drainage tray from salts, algae, and probably some other living stuff settled on the dying tips of the roots.
There are 4 small drainage holes in the container. Roots that come out are pruned by air constantly. It seems some (hopefully) not harmful fungi settled on the dying tips (barely 1-2 mm long).
Raised the container a little bit. Used the new toothbrush and strong H2O2 solution 50 ml 3% / 100 ml to clean the tray and the holes.
Applied extra 500 ml fertigation to remove the rest of peroxide in order to get proper runoff readings.
Runoff EC immediately after cleaning seems to be 2.4 (1208 ppm). Inflow EC was 2.18 (1090 ppm) that moment.
Also raised the tray angle to speed up runoff drainage for better readings accuracy.
Todays tap water was good, 35 ppm again. Implemented Bloom Booster 5ml/l. No Fulvic anymore. Continuing with Grow:Bloom 1:1.5.
Lowered EC in the midday till EC 2.09 (1045 ppm). pH was easily set to 5.5 using just a little bit of pH down this time.
Inflow: EC 2.08 (1040 ppm), pH 5.5, 3950 ml (possibly 250 ml less).
Runoff: EC 2.5 - 2.36 (1260 - 1230 - 1180 ppm), pH 6.0, 790 ml.
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Day 74 (16): Defoliation in the evening. Was short on time, removed only few branches and leaves. Will continue tomorrow.
Inflow: EC 2.07 (1035 ppm), pH 5.5, 3950 ml (possibly 250 ml less).
Runoff: EC 2.67 (1337 ppm), pH 6.0, 430 ml.
High runoff EC is possibly the result of the tray wash. I couldn't reach right beneath the container while cleaning.
Runoff is going under the container now and reaching the funnel the shortest way.
Also less runoff amount and EC raise were probably caused by increased air circulation inside the box. Could be evaporation from the runoff container that was not sealed tight.
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Day 75 (17): Heavy evening defoliation and some pruning right before the lights go OFF.
I was trying to be careful and remove only small branches, but a few big ones also came on my way.
They would occupy the space required by lower branches later, so I would have to prune off the stem. I don’t want to do that now.
Should do that in veg few weeks ago :).
Runoff EC is going down slowly, today I reduced inflow EC till 2.05 (1025 ppm).
Raised solution amount till 650 ml per fertigation to flush a bit. Giving her 4.5 litres per 24 hours. One fertigation in the midnight as usual.
Inflow: EC 2.05 (1025 ppm), pH 5.5, 4450 ml (possibly 350 ml less).
Runoff: EC 2.55 (1275 ppm), pH 6.0, 900 ml.
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Day 76 (18): She slowed down after defoliation, but looks good.
Inflow: EC 2.04 (1020 ppm), pH 5.5, 4100 ml (actual amount).
Runoff: EC 2.3 (1150 ppm), pH 6.1, 1210 ml.
Day 78 (20):
Inflow: EC 2.14 (1070 ppm), pH 5.5, 4300 ml (possibly 150 ml less)
Runoff: EC 2.3 (1155 ppm), pH 6.8, 1215 ml (28%)
Consumed: 3085 (2935) ml (possibly incorrect, see Day 79 (21))
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Day 79 (21):
A serious problem with drainage revealed. Just wanted to make a quick check before going to sleep.
Found the slab was almost covered with water. Just a few cm left till the edge of the container.
Roots blocked the drain holes and slowed down runoff to almost zero. That could last for a few days already, because runoff percentage was pretty low.
That made me think she was drinking sooo much. But I was checking the slab every day, no such issue was found before. Probably I was missing the particular moment of time.
I suspect some of standing runoff was just evaporating. Cleaned the holes immediately with a needle and scissors.
The flow was strong and all the standing water came out quickly. Runoff for today 44%. Yesterday it was 28%.
I'm sure the calculation of drinking I made earlier was completely wrong starting from the point when roots blocked the drainage.
Will make corrections in the spreadsheet, and surely will prune roots manually every few days.
Good that I’m adding hydrogen peroxide. Made a quick root check under the slab. They seem to be healthy.
Additionally, I've found that I wasn't keeping the lamps far enough from the canopy. DLI 60 on the tops!
Some leaf tips are lime, some with little light/nute burn signs. Lowered DLI to 40. Ratchets can't help anymore. Will hang the lamps right to the steel pipes.
About 15 cm of vertical space left. Will try to solve this issue somehow:)
Inflow: EC 2.1 (1050 ppm), pH 5.5, 4150 ml
Runoff: EC 2.3 (1155 ppm), pH 7.1, 1810 ml (44%)
Consumed: 2340 ml
-----------------
Day 80 (22):
She looks well, the growth continues. No drooping yet.
Keeping the same fertigation amount in hope to flush out any contamination that was washed off the slab.
No standing water in the container anymore. Runoff percentage 34%. Yesterday it was 44%. Some progress.
Implemented the full bloom NPK ratio today. Grow:Bloom 1:2. 10-19-20.
Buds are forming in a normal rate, I can see some changes in the past 24 hours.
Inflow: EC 2.1 (1045 ppm), pH 5.5, 4150 ml
Runoff: EC 2.2 (1100 ppm), pH 7.0, 1430 ml (34%)
Consumed: 2720 ml
-----------------
Day 81 (23):
Inflow: EC 2.14 (1070 ppm), pH 5.5, 4100 ml
Runoff: EC 2.2 (1111 ppm), pH 7.0, 1160 ml (28%)
Consumed: 2940 ml
-----------------
Day 82 (24):
Inflow: EC 2.1 (1050 ppm), pH 5.5, 4240 ml
Runoff: EC 2.38 (1190 ppm), pH 6.7, 1115 ml (26%)
Consumed: 3125 ml
-----------------
Day 83 (25):
Inflow: EC 2.08 (1040 ppm), pH 5.5, 4300 ml
Runoff: EC 2.45 (1227 ppm), pH 6.5, 1220 ml (26%)
Consumed: 3080 ml
-----------------
Day 84 (26):
Inflow: EC 2.08 (1050 ppm), pH 5.5, 4350 ml
Runoff: EC 2.45 (1275 ppm), pH 6.5, 1415 ml (32%)
Consumed: 2850 ml
Day 85 (27):
Too much work with the grow. VPD is low (0.9 - 1.2) due to high humidity. Normally it's above 1.1 more or less.
Sometimes it's even 1.3 and higher.
Inflow: EC 1.86 (930 ppm), pH 5.5, 4100 ml
Runoff: EC 2.61 (1305 ppm), pH 6.5, 1215 ml (29%)
Consumed: 2885 ml
-----------------
Day 86 (28):
Started logging Temp/Humidity to have a real picture of the situation. Using a cheap Temp/RH module for Arduino.
Simply opening the serial monitor and copy the data with timestamps. Pasting into spreadsheet with text to table properties, and the diagram is easy to create.
Had doubts regarding adequate drainage. Discovered inadequate watering issue.
The drippers that are actually not drippers but the T-shape connectors for pipes were blocked by roots. They simly grew into the tubes!
Need some time to check if that was a cause of raising runoff EC.
The highest dripper was probably stuck and another one on the opposite side of the container at lower height worked better. Who knows.
Washed the entire dripping system, except the hose in the pump (it's peristaltic, need to find a way to disassemble the head). Used 20 ml syringe to make pressure.
The drain was black! Tonns of dirt flew out. That's what I was thinking of. Dripping system requires a better maintenance.
Replaced those bad drippers with normal yellow dripper stakes, looks much better hehe. Can easily check if the solution flows well. And it does.
Some nute burn signs on leaves. Burnt tips. Still the plant grows well as I can judge it by 24h images.
Inflow: EC 1.81 (895 ppm), pH 5.5, 4200 ml
Runoff: EC 2.54 (1271 ppm), pH 6.3, 860 ml (20%)
Consumed: 3340 ml (?)
-----------------
Day 87 (29):
Started using portable AC to fight humidity. Can't use for air drying properly, since it has only cooling mode. That makes VPD worse.
Cool air humidity is 60%. Can't do anything about it. Tried to bring in hot air from house-heating radiator with no effect on humidity.
Also AC makes spikes in log that look nasty.
Inflow: EC 1.75 (875 ppm), pH 5.5, 5300 ml.
Runoff: EC 2.32 (1160 ppm), pH 6.2, 2340 ml (44%)
Consumed: 2960 ml
-----------------
Day 88 (30):
Inflow: EC 1.9 (950 ppm), pH 5.6, 4350 ml
Runoff: EC 2.2 (1100 ppm), pH 6.4, 1350 ml (31%)
Consumed: 3000 ml
-----------------
Day 89 (31):
Inflow: EC 1.97 (985 ppm), pH 5.5, 4220 ml
Runoff: EC 2.17 (1086 ppm), pH 6.4, 1500 ml (35%)
Consumed: 2720 ml
-----------------
Day 90 (32):
Inflow: EC 1.98 (990 ppm), pH 5.5, 4350 ml
Runoff: EC 2.32 (1161 ppm), pH 6.2, 1460 ml (33%)
Consumed: 2890 ml
-----------------
Day 91 (33):
Spotted suspicious tiny worms floating in the runoff. Just wanted to shine the flashlight through the container.
At first glance that was looking like dust or debris. Took a closer look and noticed very small full-white worms.
Need to inspect them better with a microscope. Hopefully that's not fungus gnats. Haven't seen black heads on them.
They are up to 1-2 mm lenght and tiny like a hair. Really looking like parasitic nematodes that are used to kill fungus gnats larvae :)
I'm currently have no clue what's that. Without proper analysis any ideas can come on mind.
It can be any kind of nematodes: from free-living Caenorhabditis elegans to root-parasitic Pratylenchus. The last one is scary. Fingers crossed.
Inflow: EC 1.9 (955 ppm), pH 5.5, 4200 ml
Runoff: EC 2.4 (1198 ppm), pH 6.3, 1395 ml (33%)
Consumed: 2805 ml
-----------------
Day 92 (34):
Increased the size of drainage holes. Drilled right into the container. Damaged some roots for sure.
Inflow: EC 1.84 (920 ppm), pH 5.5, 4750 ml
Runoff: EC 2.37 (1187 ppm), pH 6.1, 1410 ml (29%)
Consumed: 3340 ml (?)
-----------------
Day 93 (35):
Inflow: EC 1.85 (925 ppm), pH 5.5, 4330 ml
Runoff: EC 2.53 (1265 ppm), pH 6.0, 1180 ml (27%)
Consumed: 3150 ml
-----------------
Day 94 (36):
Runoff EC is raising dramatically. +100 ppm a day. Will reduce inflow till 800 ppm for a day or two, and consider flushing if nothing changes.
Inflow: EC 1.8 (900 ppm), pH 5.5, 4450 ml
Runoff: EC 2.74 (1370 ppm), pH 6.0, 1200 ml (27%)
Consumed: 3250 ml
-----------------
Day 95 (37):
Added 3 ml/l FlashClean into 800 ppm solution, no time to wait for a few days.
She’s still alive and progressing.
Added more UV lights intervals. From 6x15 min to 9x15 min.
Inflow: EC 1.6 (795 ppm), pH 5.5, 4250 ml
Runoff: EC 2.52 (1262 ppm), pH 5.9, 1430 ml (34%)
Consumed: 2820 ml
-----------------
Day 96 (38):
Added 2 ml/l FlashClean.
Inflow: EC 1.62 (810 ppm), pH 5.5, 4950 ml
Runoff: EC 2.54 (1270 ppm), pH 5.9, 1400 ml (28%)
Consumed: 3550 ml (?)
-----------------
Day 97 (39):
Going to switch feeding to Ripen soon. Will keep low ppm for two days.
Root check not optimistic. Roots near the drain holes look bound and brown.
Hopefully no root rot yet. I will not be able to reach them until harvest.
The worms in runoff are definitely root-parasitic. Saw them attacking small pieces of roots.
Will keep fertigations with extra runoff as usual, adding even more Hydrogen peroxide.
Inflow: EC 1.48 (740 ppm), pH 5.5, 4400 ml
Runoff: EC 2.43 (1216 ppm), pH 5.9, 1420 ml (32%)
Consumed: 2980 ml
-----------------
Day 99 (41):
Small progress from yesterday. No more feeding with nitrogen. No CalMag, no BudCandy.
I have not much time left till she starts to suffer from huge root stress.
This week I give her Ripen with Bloom Booster.
Spotted one small banana pointing out from the calyx on the mutated leaf with bud. Removed the leaf.
Hope she will get to the finish with no pollination, and no seeds.
Inflow: EC 1.75 (875 ppm), pH 5.5, 4550 ml
Runoff: EC 2.35 (1175 ppm), pH 5.6, 1600 ml (35%)
Consumed: 2950 ml
-----------------
Day 100 (42):
Slowly reducing inflow EC. Recommended dosage of Ripen is too strong for her. Root infection doing its job.
Runoff pH is dropping.
Inflow: EC 1.49 (745 ppm), pH 5.7, 4470 ml
Runoff: EC 2.56 (1282 ppm), pH 5.6, 1420 ml (32%)
Consumed: 3050 ml
-----------------
Day 101 (43):
Inflow: EC 1.32 (660 ppm), pH 5.8, 4600 ml
Runoff: EC 2.56 (1281 ppm), pH 5.4, 1650 ml (36%)
Consumed: 2950 ml
-----------------
Day 102 (44):
Inflow: EC 1.3 (650 ppm), pH 5.9, 4350 ml
Runoff: EC 2.59 (1297 ppm), pH 5.2, 1300 ml (30%)
Consumed: 3050 ml
-----------------
Day 103 (45):
Inflow: EC 1.14 (570 ppm), pH 6.0, 4400 ml
Runoff: EC 2.54 (1271 ppm), pH 5.2, 1410 ml (32%)
Consumed: 2990 ml
-----------------
Day 104 (46):
Inflow: EC 1.12 (560 ppm), pH 6.0, 4450 ml
Runoff: EC 2.51 (1255 ppm), pH 4.9, 1530 ml (34%)
Consumed: 2920 ml
-----------------
Day 105 (47):
Inflow: EC 0.89 (445 ppm), pH 6.3, 4400 ml
Runoff: EC 2.27 (1137 ppm), pH 4.6, 1730 ml (39%)
Consumed: 2670 ml
Finishing this diary one month after harvest.
Day 106 (48):
Using FlashClean 3 ml/l before flushing with plain water.
Inflow: EC 0.08 (40 ppm), pH 6.4, 4400 ml
Runoff: EC 1,7 (856 ppm), pH 4.6, 1800 ml (40%)
Consumed: 2600 ml
-----------------
Day 107 (49):
FlashClean 2 ml/l.
Inflow: EC 0.08 (40 ppm), pH 6.6, 4400 ml
Runoff: EC 1,3 (657 ppm), pH 4.8, 2000 ml (45%)
Consumed: 2400 ml
-----------------
Day 108 (50):
Only plain water. Reducing watering.
Inflow: EC 0.06 (30 ppm), pH 6.4, 3400 ml
Runoff: EC 0.98 (490 ppm), pH 5.1, 1150 ml (34%)
Consumed: 2400 ml
-----------------
Day 109 (51):
Inflow: EC 0.06 (30 ppm), pH 5.5, 2900 ml
Runoff: EC 0.84 (422 ppm), pH - , 1150 ml (39%)
Consumed: 1750 ml
-----------------
Day 110 (52):
The last watering before harvest.
Inflow: EC 0.06 (30 ppm), pH 6.0, 2000 ml
Runoff: EC 0.68 (340 ppm), pH - , 600 ml (30%)
Consumed: 1400 ml
-----------------
Day 111 (53) - Day 113 (55):
No watering, DLI 20.
Conclusion:
That was the hardest grow I've ever had in my life. I wanted to make it fully automated, but failed to get all necessary equipment.
So, I had to make a lot of work manually. Also, high humidity became constant issue after Week 3 of flowering.
I've made few serious mistakes.
The first mistake was the entire system with enclosed coco slab. I put it in a container to preserve it from misforming during grow. The size was pretty small, but at that moment I didn't plan to give extra 2 weeks of Veg. It became a problem later, when I struggled to reach the slab to make a root check and pruning.
The second mistake was probably not clean substrate which I bought in local store. Microscopic parasitic nematodes attacked the roots, and I had to keep the waterflow high to flush some of them out continuously. The battle was going on till the last watering. The last runoff check showed the pieced of roots were packed with them. That was pretty nasty to see.
Despite all that the above part of the plant was looking good and she was progressing till the end. I think if I gave 1-2 week of Veg less, the yield would be much better. But I can't complain. 300g of pure buds from one plant in 4 months is not bad I guess. The quality of smoke was very high. The taste and smell were amazing! I learned a lot during this grow.
Thank you GrowDiaries and all the members who helped me with advice and who was encouraging me! Next hydro grow will be better :)
Hey Brother, just wanted to say that I took a look at your history of grows and see you started with fabric pots, then an Airpot, then to what is now the reason for my inquiry. What is your latest grow? I tried to enlarge your pics to decipher your methodology. Here is what I came up with. Please correct me and hey if you like, go ahead and share a high level summary of your growing methodology and reasoning for changing your approach. By the way, this is all good!!! I too am growing, learning, and see changes in my growing methodology future as well. Okay, back to my analysis. Looks like you have the following things going on.
1) Coco/Perlite Mix
2) Drip watering system
3) Runoff capturing system
4) Cover over top of Coco (not sure)
The cover is confusing me as I can't determine what it is and used for. Maybe assist in moisture retention or pest control, but then it doesn't fit with drip, as it would restrict water from evenly distributing across the substrate.
Anyway, love your progress and journey, please share your thoughts when responding.
Thanks Brother
@@Mr_Incognito,
I cannot thank you enough for the complete and concise response. Very good information there. It leads me down a path that includes more research for me. I am always trying to learn even if I have no intention on pursuing that or any path. All of the information is, in some small way, related and there are bits that overlap and that leads to more understanding of the BIG picture and helps in preparing for a better and more successful grow. I am truly interested in Coco, Hydro and Living Soil. But as you move into those three areas of growing methodology you invite more opportunities for errors unless you know what your doing. So it is best to take baby steps, research, discuss and learn, then step/repeat the aforementioned steps in an effort to prepare yourself for the journey with intent on success. But if growing in soil has any benefit, it is that it sparks your interest in always improving and doing better. Thank you again, and I will be following you. I cannot wait to start a drip system as it has been forward in my thoughts for some time along with Autopot. Good on you for knowing what a drip rate is. I have interest in a drip system that utilizes gravity for feed and switching timers for cycling. Multiple cycles at the rate I choose. Love this stuff. Be healthy and happy Brother.
@Tremojem, thanks for asking :)
I started my first diary with quick auto, soil and pH perfect nutes because I was very short on time. Also I wanted to restore some of my knowledge and experience from the past. Just to get some yield of good looking buds, no matter what is the strain. It was a magical experience, so many busy days and nights, and extreme challenge with security. Luckily all went perfect, and the buds were amazing despite of the claimed low-level THC. Excellent smoke.
Then I got a possibility to make another grow where I chose to go 4 plants at once. I couldn't find fabric pots, that's why I chose airpots. They were good, although I had difficulties with focusing well on the growing process.
My latest grow is Coco/Perlite 60/40. This time I wanted to go hydroponics in rockwool as I did long time ago. Unfortunately horticultural slabs were not available and the only option left for me to go pure hydro was coco.
So:
1) Coco/Perlite Mix 60/40 %
2) Drip watering system. First I started with Arduino-based irrigation system with a cheap pump from Aliexpress and solid state relay. It worked well until the pump died unexpectedly (hahaha). I was struggling with the same model replacement one, but luckily I got Kamoer X1, and I'm really happy with it.
3) I collect runoff in the plastic container. Was trying hard to collect it almost every watering to react quicly if something goes wrong. Last week I changed my mind, just to have some rest.
I made a DIY Coco slab, that is often used in commercial grows. The cover is used to retain water, the same as with rockwool. Such porous substrates are drying out too fast. I really don't like salt buildup in any kind of substrate. Less or none flushing needed during the whole grow in this case. The cover helps to keep coco/perlite mix evenly moist.
The tubes end with small T-shape splitters and are lying on the substrate, just touching it. There's no issue with water distribution in coco with low speed flow. To help water distribute even better I intentially reduced the number and the size of drainage holes. They are made right in the corners of the container at 45 degrees angle, just 4-5 mm diameter. The solution retains longer and runoff is pretty slow. That helps to wash out any salt build up. Fast drainage would be less effective. With 48 ml/min flow rate it works even better, but probably there is higher loss of water during runoff collecting because of evaporation. I put the slab on the set of tube pieces to position the center of the slab a bit higher than sides. The same method is often used with rockwool in horticulture, but there special W-shape trays are used for that. I surely miscalculated few things like the volume of the substrate. I'm using just 8 litres of mix. Didn't expect to stay in Veg for so long, but now I'm very happy that I let her grow for so long.
I spent a lot of time trying to catch the ideal spot between inflow and runoff. Was underfeeding her for long. Reduced Nitrogen levels from week 2 of Veg, because it seemed to me that I noticed some toxicity signs. Later I discovered lots of sediment in the Grow component. Probably it made NPK ratio wrong from the very beginning. Well, even with less N she performed really well in Veg.
Now she's in perfect spot. Inflow is a little bit higher than runoff, and the gap is reducing. Runoff percentage is 12-15 % at the moment. WIll increase when runoff EC goes higher than inflow. Before that I will just play with inflow EC.
She's a heavy feeder with pure Indica appetite :) She handles EC 2.3 easily and drinks more and more as the stretching continues. Probably she will hit 4 litres per day soon in 24-25 degrees and 55% relative humidity (VPD 1.31-1.39).
I use a lot of hydrogen peroxide to treat algae near the drainage holes. A bit worried about the taste in the future, but not much :) Will flush it one week before harvest.
Dude, I love your grow and the spreadsheet is fucking killer. I have to now incorporate that into my methodology. I made spreadsheets to capture all of my data. But now its time to put the data into a tool that provides useful information that results in real progress. Its a journey for sure and its easy to miss things on the fly. But using accurate data can really step it up for newbies. I imagine any longtime successful grower would laugh at me for my excitement over data, but they would be in a different league than I, having many years and grows behind them. I am only on grow 4...LOL!!!
@Tremojem, Thanks dude! Data processing really helps me to understand and witness the progress since I have some scientific background. I'm keen on visualizing data. Surely some growers will say it's nonesence. I don't mind :) My goal is to make the process fully visible, tracking all important factors that have impact on the grow. Helping someone else to understand plant's behaviour and lifecycle makes me happy. I would love to contribute to the growing society and help people to see what's hidden behind the scene. Lots of important things are often missed, and as a result people (including me) sometimes read plants wrong way, thus making wrong decisions.
Hi. Your grow is amazing they look super FAT!
I am growing the same strain maybe 2 weeks from harvest and they not nearly as fat - been using the full nutrient schedule of Biobizz and got a better light - Mars Hydro FC3000. What do you think the secret is with this one?? I am new so still learning?
Mr_Incognito
