Let's Do Some LST

      Grow Goals Week 6 of Veg     ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ 🌦️ VPD of 0.8-1.2 kPa for late veg 🌙 Diurnal Temp Difference of 10°F / 5°C    🔆 Maximum Light Infiltration 🔆 Maintain DLI at 40 for late veg    🚜 Microbes & Mycorrhizae 🚜 Lollipop Bottom of Plants       🔎 Pest Inspection 🔎 Nutrient Deficiency Inspection 🔎 Plant Happiness Inspection 
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🌦️ Prepare a Lung Room for Flowering   ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ I was not able to increase the heat inside the tent as much as I had wished (see week 5). This was mainly due to dimming the lights (see week 4) as well as the fact that it has been cold and rainy. With flowering approaching we need some environmental control, decreased RH and slightly increased temps.   
 
Previously the bedroom door was left open and the tent’s exhaust duct was stretching all the way to the door and pointed at the hallway. In order to establish the Lung Room, the bedroom door has been closed. That exhaust duct from the tent? Shortened quite a bit and it now points at the bedroom floor.     Dehumidification of the room has begun.

The tent heat will be controlled using both the tent’s fan speed, and also the amount os heat produced from the lights. One thing to mention is that a decent dehumidifier will slightly cool the air as it works, so we will need to further adjust the fan speed for the tent and/or dimming. 

    Phase II of the Lung Room will involve an additional exhaust fan ducted through a hole in the bedroom door. This fan will control the lung room temperature by periodically mixing cold air from the hallway using a temperature controller. If you require a carbon filter for smell, this is where it should be placed. I will be purchasing the cheapest “slab door” that I can find to avoid cutting a hole in my landlord’s door and can reuse the slab door if I move again.      
   
 🌦️ Yet Another RCW-800WIFI Temp/RH Logger    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ I somehow lost my cheap RC-4HC temp/RH loggers (the RC-4HC’s are perfect for beginners) and have purchased one more RCW-800WIFI temp/RH logger. Since I have already purchased the Elitech cloud account for my first logger, adding another device to that account is free. I now have the ability to monitor both the tent and the Lung Room. Why is this important? Once I have the Lung Room dialed in, it is just a matter of adjusting the tent fan to tweak the temp/RH. Remember, controlling the environment in a small space is far more difficult that doing so in a larger space such as a bedroom. You will see huge spikes in RH depending if the humidifier/dehumidifier is running or not. And if an A/C is needed, forget about trying to find one sized correctly for a tent.       
🚜 Missing Nutrients   ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ My best friend gave me some candid criticism that my buds tasted “soapy” these last few grows. This coincides with me changing my brand of fertilizer. 

   
 After reviewing the generic requirements for cannabis plants, I can see that I am missing a lot of micronutrients. I have acquired a micronutrient mix that was conveniently available to me. Researching through different micronutrient fertilizers for future purchases, I can report that they all seem to vary wildly. I am currently looking into combining a few different brands, or even making my own by sourcing chelated copper, chelated iron, etc.   
 Sulphur input is missing as well. I will be implementing epson salts (magnesium sulfate) next feeding. I am also researching using potassium sulfate as well.       🚜 A Very Mild Lollipopping and Defoliation   ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ I am still undecided on exactly when to lollipop. Rasta Jeff on his show GFYH recommends lollipopping during early flower. I have learned a lot from GFYH, but this seems quite stressful on the plants. I will be pushing back the lollipop schedule to this current week and only defoliate/lollipop only what is required to achieve air flow under the plants, reduce the number of places for pests to hide, and also provide better access for my watering wand.

   
 To make it easier on each plant, I defoliated 1 to 2 leaves at a time, or removed 1 “sucker branch” at a time. This occurred slowly over the course of a week. In practice, it is not uncommon for me to casually remove a leaf or two while gazing at my plants. This is better than mass defoliation or cutting off too many sucker branches at once. 

   
 Lollipopping is accumulating a Bro Science vibe around it and I do not see much academic data supporting increased harvest yields with lollipopping. With that in mind, I intend to minimize lollipopping, but will revisit defoliation/lollipopping in mid-flower to increase light infiltration once the buds have stopped forming.          🔎 Pest Inspection   ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ A few more gnats than usual, but I failed to change the sticky traps when I closed the bedroom door. With the grow environment now sealed, any gnats that appear going forward surely live here.           🔎 Nutrient Deficiency Inspection   ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ #2 has interveinal chlorosis and some burnt serrated edges on 2 older growth leaves. It is also the smallest of the plants in size.    Let’s troubleshoot:      First, let’s look at any changes in my grow process during the past few weeks or compared to my last grow. No significant changes   in process, but I did discover that I was not feeding enough micronutrient (see above).      Second, let’s look at the pH. Incorrect pH will lock out nutrients even if they are all present. I calibrate my pH meter every   feeding and keeping a consistent 6.2 pH. As mentioned in week 5, seven days between watering is too long. The pH swings wildly   when the soil dries out.      Third, let’s look at the visual symptoms. Crispy serrated edges can mean either nutrient burn, light burn, or a potassium deficiency.   I have been feeding 100% strength nutes for a few weeks and only one of these two clones are complaining. No other plants   are showing symptoms of light burning. If a runoff PPM test checks out next feeding, then this appears to be potassium deficiency and   likely caused by pH issues due to drying out.       🔎 Plant Happiness Inspection   ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ Despite a few leaves on #2 being a concern, the plant is quite happy along with the others. All are responding to LST well. Plants vigor looks great. Growth is on track.       ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   
   
 Fabric pots to prevent root binding. I am taking the Syn-ganics approach. Using soil with microbes + mycorrhizae added to the nutes. Mycorrhizae will be phased out during flowering as the high phosphorus environment halts fungal germination (Teaming with Fungi: The Organic Grower's Guide to Mycorrhizae by Jeff Lowenfels) Enzymatic (Sensizym) will assist in breaking down dead root material in the soil. Any brand enzymatic that can break down cellulose will do just fine. Agsil16H Potassium Silicate is pre-mixed at 148g per 1 gallon of water. Silica will aid plant strength/structure and also make the plants taste terrible to pests. As a side note, plants with too much nitrogen input taste sweet and delicious to pests! Bacillus Thuringiensis subspecies Israelensis (Bti) (aka Mosquito Dunks) solution is added to the nutes to kill any larvae based pests such as gnats. Mixing Mosquito Bits into the soil is also a great idea. Seaweed Bottled Mix Ingredients (NOT an endorsement. I purchased this with my own money) ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ - Ecklonia Maxima Kelp - Fish Hydrolysate - Blackstrap Molasses - Humic Acid / Fulvic Acid - Select Amino Acids (L-Alanine, L-Argine, L-Aspartic, L-Cystine, L-Glutamic Acid, L-Glycine,   L-Histidine, L-Isoleucine, L-Leucine, L-Lysine, L-Methionine, L-Phenylalanine, L-Proline,   L-Threonine, L-Serine, L-Tryptophan, L-Tyrosine, L-Valine) - Calcium Phosphate - Arcanite - Sugars - Yucca Extract - Tryptic Soy Agar - Plant Hormones, Plant Growth Stimulators and Vitamins (Auxins, Cytokinins, Gibberellins,   Abscissic Acid (ABA), Adenine, Indole Acetic Acid (IAA), Adenosine, Zeatin, A (Carotene),   B1, B12, C, D, E, K, Biotin, Niacin, Choline, Pantothene, Folic Acid, Follinic Acid) ________________________________________________________________________________    I Build My Own Custom Grow LEDs https://growdiaries.com/diaries/165481-grow-journal-by-negotiatedbubble    Custom Built Modified Grow Tent Frame https://growdiaries.com/diaries/165474-grow-journal-by-negotiatedbubble    Custom Built Watering Table https://growdiaries.com/diaries/165482-grow-journal-by-negotiatedbubble    VPD Chart and Calculator spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Dta8AptwIIgo728nAu4l9acrWYWPdrljjV4uzXwGJ0Q/edit?usp=sharing    My Custom Nutrient Spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1grolLVrJLQVSdK7sdnR7dS86axWIzDgW1iWWZIFHhiA/edit?usp=sharing