Let's Do Some LST

    Grow Goals Week 4 of Flower ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ 🌦️ VPD of 1.2-1.5 kPa for Early Flower 🌙 Diurnal Temp Difference of 10°F / 5°C    🔆 Maximum Light Infiltration 🔆 Maintain DLI at 40 (Daily Light Integral) for Early Flower   🚫 No Mycorrhizae 🚜 Microbes 🚜 Remove Bottom Buds 🚜 Light Defoliation   🔎 Pest Inspection 🔎 Nutrient Deficiency Inspection 🔎 Plant Happiness Inspection 🔎 "Nails" Watch _____________________________________          🔆  Darkness Interrupted    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ I interrupted the darkness by accidentally leaving a work bench light on and the tent open. Total exposure was about 3 hours and I will be watching for intersex and removing any male flowers that appear.    This is a good time to pause and mention that I normally keep all other non-growing lights in my room on an identical timer schedule as my grow lights. This is an insurance policy in case I forget to turn off the non-grow lights that are normally on when I am mixing nutes. I try to avoid using the overhead light (lack of a timer) and instead use a few plug in lamps on timers.    So how did this happen? I had the bench light timer set to PM rather than AM. Ouch! I have now double checked all non-grow lights in the room.          🚜  Defoliation and More LST    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ It was time for some light infiltration. I defoliated until I could see enough light from below the canopy. Sucker branches at the bottom of the plants have also been removed. I prefer cola buds rather than lower bottom branch buds, so I removed any bottom buds that were significantly smaller than the cola buds. Buds on the lower part of the branch are typically less mature than the colas at time of harvest. I failed to plan ahead for the number of nodes per plant space and have far too many. Ideally, this task should be finished by end the of veg.   Heavy LST phase II has begun after training the nodes into a spiral formation last week. Phase I was curling the nodes around the plant to create a soft curve at the bottom of each node. This week, I reversed the spiral by placing the branch upright again and then placing a hook on the bottom of the branch. Now, I can adjust the height of each cola by pulling down on the node utilizing the curve
.   Intense LST is not normally needed at this stage of flower, but the extreme difference in stretch between these 3 strains is proving to be a challenge. This is yet another reason to grow a homogenous crop of clones. Find a strain that you love, become intimate with the light tolerance and nutrient appetite for that set of genetics, and then push those genetics to their absolute limit. This is what the commercial growers do.        🚜  “Nails” Watch    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ “Nails” is a metaphor comparing the slightly burnt tips of the fan leaves resembling a freshly painted set of finger nails. Typically, this is what one would watch for when increasing (tuning) the P and K.  I need more experience using this technique. I will not be tuning P and K this grow because I am running 3 new strains which I am not familiar with. One would also be on the lookout for calcium deficiencies / toxicities as well since tuning P-K can excite or lockout other nutrients as demonstrated in Mulder’s Chart:
     Mulder’s Chart   https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/e10f0411/dms3rep/multi/mulders.png       🌦️  Lung Room Heat    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ As mentioned in earlier dairies, I have moved to a new state in the US with vastly different ambient conditions compared to my previous grow. The weather is heating up and along with it, the Lung Room. Although this is not an immediate concern, I need to stay ahead of any heat issues. Terpenes volitize as the heat increases   I have turned the Lung Room fan around so that now it actively pulls in cooler air from the hallway. Previously, it was pushing hot air out of the room while passively pulling in cool air though another vent in the door. I have also removed the carbon filter to improve air flow. See weeks 6 and 7 to catch up on details about my Lung Room.    For the next grow, I plan on shifting my night time cycle to coincide with cooler temps outside during the night. Currently my lights are switching on during the hottest part of the day.          🔎  Pest Inspection    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ No pests to report. I will continue to monitor for pests using sticky traps.       🔎  Nutrient Deficiency Inspection    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ No symptoms to report.        🔎  Plant Happiness Inspection    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ Plants are doing great. No signs of stress.        ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________    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-Arginine, 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,    Abscisic Acid (ABA), Adenine, Indole Acetic Acid (IAA), Adenosine, Zeatin, A (Carotene),    B1, B12, C, D, E, K, Biotin, Niacin, Choline, Pantothene, Folic Acid, Folinic 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