Let's Do Some LST

    Grow Goals Week 6 of Flower ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ 🌦️ VPD of 1.2-1.5 kPa for Late Flower 🌙 Diurnal Temp Difference of 10°F / 5°C 🌦️ Minimum Air Movement 0.8 m/S ⬇️️ Decrease RH to 55% 🔆 Maximum Light Infiltration 🔆 Maintain DLI at 40 (Daily Light Integral) for Early Flower 🚫 No Mycorrhizae 🚫 No Microbes 🚫 No Sugars 🚜 Remove "Grow Backs" 🚜 Light Defoliation 🔎 Pest Inspection 🔎 Nutrient Deficiency Inspection 🔎 Plant Happiness Inspection ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾       🌦️  Leaf Temperature Difference Adjustment    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ There are three things needed to calculate VPD: room temperature, relative humidity, and leaf temperature. At the beginning of this grow, the difference between room and leaf was about 1.7°C / 3°F. I measure leaf temperature using a cheap infrared thermometer pointed at the underside of a canopy leaf. These are the same thermometers that were pointed at your forehead during the pandemic.   Currently the leaf underside is measuring a difference of -0.6°C / -1°F. This has changed my VPD charts quite a bit, but VPD is still within an acceptable range.         🚜  Maintenance Flush    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ Reacting to last week’s nutrient deficiency symptoms, I performed a maintenance flush to leach any excess Magnesium from the soil. The flushing water was pH’d. After the flush, I replenish all nutrients by proceeding with a regular feeding at the end. I do not want to starve the plants.    A few weeks ago I increased my growth environment to 6.4 pH and will continue this trend. My target is 6.2, but the soil has been a bit acidic lately as the runoff has measured a consistent 5.9 pH. I followed up with an additional 1 ml of flowering nutrients per gallon to the feed. More Potassium is needed when increasing Phosphorus and flowering nutrients / bloom boosters usually have the correct ratio. The same was done for CalMag with +1 ml.       🌦️  Lung Room Phase III    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ I thought temperature would be the problem, but the humidity in my area spikes to 80% at night. Yes, I use a dehumidifier. The problem is that when the Lung Room exhaust cycles, it pulls cool yet humid air into the room. This causes my dehumidifier to run constantly which will eventually destroy the appliance. I managed to bring the RH down to about 55%, but decreasing the humidity any further is going to be impossible going forward using just an exhaust fan.   An A/C has been installed in the room to both cool the air and also slightly dehumidify as a side effect of the cooling action. The dehumidifier will stay in place since the A/C is purposefully oversized for the bedroom and therefore will not be able to dehumidify the room effectively. I will explain why I oversize later in my dry/cure diary, but I also do it because the lights put out more heat than what is considered normal by manufacturers. The room being sealed opens the pathway for CO2 supplementation. Next grow will be my first time implementing CO2 injection. I am looking forward to that! As a side note, the Purple Punch requires a cold environment to achieve its famous purple hues. I am not sure if there is still time to purple up, but it is personal smoke so bag appeal is less important.         🚜  No P-K Tuning This Grow    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ As mentioned in week 11, I will not be tuning P-K this time around and plan on growing a homogenous crop next time.   
The below study is a great read and is a wake up call about striking a balance between pushing the plants to their genetic limits while somehow not overfeeding them in the process. Phosphorus is a finite mineral on this planet and overfeeding of P is a problem not limited to just cannabis. 

    Westmorelan, Bugbee, “Sustainable Cannabis Nutrition: Elevated root-zone phosphorus significantly increases leachate P and does not improve yield or quality”   https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.1015652/full Overfeeding also means I have to flush and then really hope that I am not about to smoke a bowl of calcified lung rot. Overfeeding can increase the cellulose weight of the harvested flower without increasing any cannabinoid content. When growing my personal smoke, I choose quality over quantity. I am here to grow terpenes and trichomes, not cellulose.         🚜  pH Calibration    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ I discovered that I had a faulty batch of General Hydroponics pH 7.0 reference solution. I had noticed that it was blue instead of the green dye that is typically present. I purchased a 3 pack of 7.0, 4.0, and 10.0 pH reference solution bottles made by Oakton instruments. After comparing, the bad GH 7.0 solution measured at 7.24 pH. Not much of a reference.    You should be calibrating your pH meter on a regular basis using a pH reference solution. At the very minimum, use a 7.0 pH and also a 4.0 pH reference solution.   After doing my normal calibration using 7.0 and 4.0, I tested the 10.0 solution and it measured at 8.83 pH. I now calibrate using all three reference solutions. As growers, we live on the acidic end of things, so I am not sure how this affects my past readings.       🔎  Pest Inspection    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ I am seeing various kinds of spots on the leaves. Now that last week’s emergency is over, I will now concentrate on these spots. The sticky traps are clean, but statistically they do not detect all species of insects. I have a handheld microscope to look further into things.       🔎  Nutrient Deficiency Inspection    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ Earlier in the week, I pulled a few leaves that had symptoms and as of now, most of the nutrient issues have been resolved.         🔎  Plant Happiness Inspection    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ All plants are extremely happy. The buds have matured and are ripening.      ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________      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