LSD-25 Auto

Woohoo! It's time to start a new grow, although, this time, it's a bit of an experiment. First of all, as most probably know, the electricity prices are insane now, and it can cost quite a bit each month to grow with multiple lights, fans, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and whatnot. Secondly, we are supposed to go legal next year, which means that many people who haven't grown before will be interested in starting. With these things in mind, my goal with this experiment is to test a basic growing setup that uses little energy while being suitable for people with limited growing knowledge, little space, and a small budget. Setup -------------------------------- Tent A 40x40 cm tent that I normally use as a small drying tent. It's basic but works great and gets the job done. Light I'm using my trusted Viparspectra P600. It's a small, 95 W, full-spectrum light that is dimmable. It offers an almost even cover of light in the small tent. According to my PAR meter, the difference in light intensity is less than 5% between the center and the corners. I will be running the light dimmed to save energy and money, so I tested many different dimmer settings and distances. Even a DLI of 50 is possible with the dimmer at 70% and the light at 30 cm. Ventilation A small and basic fan/carbon filter combo, where I placed the filter outside the tent to save space inside. I'm using a mechanical timer to control the exhaust fan since there's no need to run it nonstop during the germination and veg period. Not strictly necessary, but it will save a bit of electricity. Air circulation I find that regular clip fans are too big to use in such a small tent, so I use two PC fans attached to the tent poles with a few things from the hardware store. Monitoring There isn't much one can do about the climate (temp and humidity) in such a small tent, so technically, there's no need for a thermometer/hygrometer. Why monitor what you can't change anyway? That said, I prefer knowing what's happening, and while remote monitoring might cost more, it offers me peace of mind. Electrical A WiFi-enabled smart power strip is used to connect everything electrical. It has built-in scheduling functionality, so there is no need to use a separate timer for the light, and it's possible to kill all the electricity in the tent with an app on the phone. Handy at times. I will also monitor the amount of energy used throughout the grow to calculate the actual cost once it's all done. Container One of the main challenges a new grower faces is watering. May it be under-watering or over-watering. In the past, I have used different drip systems to simplify things, but they can be finicky, so this time, I want to use a sub-irrigated planter (SIP). The planter fits the tent exactly; like seriously, it's like it was made for a 40x40 tent. The planter has space for 31 liters of medium and 7.5 liters of water, which is excellent: 31 liters of super-soil is more than enough for an entire auto grow without additional nutrients, and 7.5 liters of water in the reservoir is enough for at least a week if you're out of town. Medium Usually, I mix my own living soil and use additional inputs during the grow, but this time I'm going 100% hands-off with a pre-made, water-only super-soil from Kañamu Pacha, consisting of compost, wood fiber, biochar, Leca breakage, quartz sand, sulphur, and horn shavings. I added my standard mycorrhizal inoculant as well. Cost I already had many parts of this grow, so I can't tell what I paid for it, but the current price on amazon for everything (except the medium) is €344,75. Strain -------------------------------- I'm going with FastBuds LSD-25 Auto, which I haven't grown before, but she is supposed to be beginner-friendly and a beauty. She is also relatively fast, which will save additional electricity. Tech Specs THC Up to 21% CBD < 1% Harvest Indoor 400 – 500 gr/m2 Height 70 – 120 cm Flowering 9 – 10 weeks Genes Sativa 35%/Indica 65% Germination -------------------------------- I started germination by lightly scuffing the seed in a matchbox lined with sandpaper before dropping the seed into a glass of water mixed with myco. The myco product I use has kelp in it as well, and multiple studies show how kelp benefits germination and rooting. I also use some of this myco water to soak the root riot plug before planting. I'm looking to replace the regular coco/peat pellets that I've used for germination, and this will be the first time I start from seed in one of these plugs, although I have previously used them for cloning. To increase the stability, I turned the plug upside down, made a small hole, and planted the seed after soaking it overnight. The plug now stands on a small propagation tray on a heating mat underneath a humidity dome with a small LED spotlight above it. Now we wait.