Jessica Alba: Gorilla Zkittlez Auto Star

W.1.Day.3(7): Today, I started feeding Jessica a small amount of fertilizer. Her development seems to be faster compared to my previous strain. LST will begin for her from the first week. W.1.Day.7(11): On the final day of the first week, I began to gently bend the stem, shaping it to fit seamlessly within the confines of my grow box.

W2.Day.1(12) Added some of B-52 Watering: 25 ml each 2 hours of day W2.Day.5(16) I started trying to direct the overgrown foliage to the place of its intended growth W2.Day.7(18) Only today, on the last day of the second week, Jessica is nearly making her way through her first level. It turned out to be more challenging than I had anticipated. It's unfortunate that I damaged one of her sheets. The good news is that, moving forward, there will be more room to maneuver. I have also begun to notice yellow spots on one of the leaves. After consulting with books, I concluded that this is a deficiency of calcium and magnesium due to an excess of potassium and phosphorus. But where could this overdose have come from? The soil? Unlikely. I decided that it must be due to the small amount of ash that I shake off after smoking.

W3.Day.1(19) Painfully and carelessly, but Jessica managed and feels good. I immediately prepared the second level so as not to damage the grown foliage later. W3.Day.2(20) Today, I fully assembled the lattice, which will serve as the foundation for further LST (Low-Stress Training) and the placement of LED strips for lighting from the inside. W3.Day.6(24) Merry Christmas, Jessica, you've grown a year older. Just kidding! I've assembled the targeted lighting option. At a surface temperature of around 32-33 degrees, these strips provide nearly 3000 lux at a distance of up to 3 centimeters. This is needed for indoor illumination, where light usually doesn't reach without defoliation. I hope that the airflow will be sufficient for effective cooling. In any case, it's fun! I used drying and hardening clay to shield Jessica from the hot resistors, which were eager to show that they could reach 45 degrees. According to my assumptions, after the material dries, its thermal conductivity will decrease, and the heat will be dissipated along the entire length. In any case, I will be adding additional fans to cool down the tree. W3.Day.7(25) I checked the condition of the leaves - burns remained only on the two from yesterday. No new burns were detected. I'll continue to isolate the resistors with clay. I will do this gradually. I also secured the bent edges of the pot to the drainage to reduce the amount of light hitting the pot's walls. The thing is, in the last grow, the roots grew quite well through the pot and felt pretty good until I started lighting the bush from below and killed those roots with light. This time, I will give them both air and darkness.

W4.Day.2(27) The experiment continues! I'm slowly sealing all the rezisters with clay, installed a fan, and realized I need it with a new auto on/off timer because it shouldn't be blowing constantly even with rotation. Jessica is recovering from the shock of installing the tape and, adapting, is gradually expanding. At the beginning of the week, I increased the amount of fertilizer from TDS 630 to TDS 1150. The response is good. I'm gradually increasing irrigation and considering automating it. P.S. Photos gets better while led line is off W4.Day.3(28) I've started using bottom lighting during the day so that Jessica can get accustomed to light coming from below and grow accordingly right from the start. In my last grow, the leaves turned towards the lower light sources only after growing, and not all of them were able to turn their upper parts towards the light. This time, I want to train her for bottom lighting into the grow process.

W5.Day.1(33) While at the very beginning of flowering, I turned off the lower lighting of 72 watts and 88 watts LED strips, but will do so again once the sprouts grow enough through the LED strips. W5.Day.2(34) I am directing the secondary colas to their planned growth areas and have started bending the main cola to limit its height. W5.Day.3(35) I turned on 72 watt of bottom light. Current packet is 328 watt/0.36 m2 or 911 watt per sq.m. W5.Day.5(37) With this tower structure, it's very convenient to shape the growth direction of each individual cola. W5.Day.7(39) Week's Summary: - The flowering started only at the end of the week, not at the beginning as I had anticipated. - I can't keep the lighting on continuously due to high external temperatures; I turn it on during cool evenings and mornings.

W6.Day.2(41) The outside of the box temperature goes down so i turned on all of the lights Temperature measurements indicate that there are hot zones from which the foliage should be removed. However, next to this hot zone, the temperature drops to an acceptable level. W6.Day.3(42) Nature takes its course - the central shoot bends the wooden sticks with its trunk and tries to grow taller than all the others. I can't allow it to do that. I've partially isolated the hot zones, but this needs to be done within the foliage as well. I also need to figure out where the hot air should go. I should have opted for LED stripes without any heat generation. It's causing significant issues. Some of a leaves burned of hot air. I'm working on solution. W6.Day.5(44) I've noticed signs that point to osmotic shock in my plants and have come to understand that water requirements for irrigation are highly dependent on ambient air temperature. The quantity of water suitable at 30 degrees Celsius is no longer applicable. Interestingly, this realization presents an opportunity for extreme cultivation at temperatures near the plant's tolerance threshold, as the plant would consume more water and thereby absorb more nutrients. However, another possibility is that the issue is rooted in sodium toxicity rather than water imbalance. I've been using baking soda in recent days to adjust the soil's pH levels, which has led to leaf yellowing, a symptom of sodium's toxic effects on plants. In conclusion, the minor sodium excess has acted antagonistically against essential nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and calcium, leading to their deficiency. This deficiency is particularly evident in the burning of leaf tips. As a corrective measure, I've flushed the soil with 10 liters of spring water and plan to monitor both the incoming and outgoing pH and TDS levels during future watering sessions. W6.Day.7(46)-1 Weekly Summary This week, I made a serious mistake: I adjusted the pH with baking soda three times (from 0.25 to 0.35 grams per 1 liter). This led to an excess of sodium (and a deficit of antagonists like potassium and calcium) and alkalization of the soil. Flushing with water did not fully resolve the issue, and I am preparing a more acidic solution to compensate for the elevated pH in the soil. I am still aiming to keep the pH of the drainage water around 6.5. I also noticed that signs of improper nutrition can be observed not only through the yellowing of leaf tips but also through the condition of the foliage. Healthy foliage points upwards, while unhealthy foliage does not. This potentially opens up the opportunity for training a neural network that can diagnose the plant's condition from photos. Growdiaries, I want to join your team!

W7.Day.1(47) The soil is still contaminated, and I have to adjust the pH by 0.7. The poisoning occurred at the very beginning of the flowering stage, and there's a chance that the sodium will be flushed out soon. W7.Day.2(48) She is feeling better. Soil toxicity decreased from +0.8 pH and +600 TDS to +0.6 pH and +100 TDS. W7.Day.3(49) She is fine. But i'm figuring out why drainage water ph changing during the day with same source. W7.Day.4(50) The buds are actively growing. The soil pH is becoming more stable (+0.7 pH = +0.5 pH, TDS +100). Added phosphorus and potassium through Big Bud. W7.Day.5(51) Removed B-52 from feeding scheme. Soil toxicity was eliminated. W7.Day.6(52) To ensure that the issue with the soil and fertilizers is resolved, I trimmed the yellow tips on the leaves of one of the plants. If yellowing appears, the problem still exists. With the light from below, the lower plants are developing significantly more actively (compared to my previous grow). I also realized that the upper part of the tower is unnecessary. It currently only creates additional shade and doesn't allow the flowers to fully spread their leaves. I've dismantled the upper part; now I just need to figure out what to do with the LEDs. W7.Day.7(53) She is fine and actively grow it's buds.

W8.Day.1(54)  She drunk about 4 liters per day before defoliation. After the stress she drinking less. W8.Day.3(56)  All seems fine. No significant burns appeared on the bud with cropped leaves over several days. W8.Day.5(58)  Gradually and carefully, to avoid causing severe stress, I remove the oldest fan leaves from the upper inflorescences. Those that are already covered in "snow," I do not touch.  This girl is really smart. It turns all the lower leaves towards the lower light! W8.Day.7(60)  The week went pretty well. The girl is actively developing, but there are two aspects that concern me:   - The tips of the leaves are slowly but surely continuing to yellow, and somewhere, claw-like formations are appearing.   - There is an increase in TDS in the drainage by +200 TDS; by the end of the week, I slightly reduced the amount of fertilizers to 1000 TDS.  The temperature of the top buds rose to 31.5 degrees on some of the hot days. To ensure that the temperature of even the top buds does not exceed 30 degrees, I turn off one of the top 40-watt sources of blue light during the hot hours.  Due to the new rules from GrowDiaries regarding images, I have removed all neural network-generated images. 😒  

W9.Day.1(61)  There is a minor nutrient issue - the tips of the leaves are burning due to excess fertilizers. The drainage water test showed a slight acidification of the soil with an increase in TDS by +500 and a decrease in pH by -0.2. To remedy this, I diluted the prepared fertilizers with spring water, reducing the nutrient level from 1300 to 800 TDS. After one day of this regimen, the drainage water indicators dropped to TDS +200 and pH -0.1. The plant is drinking well. We'll stick with this scheme for a couple of days and see whether to revert back or not. W9.Day.3(63)  She started drinking poorly, and I decided to take a radical approach to the problem of excess phosphorus and potassium and a lack of magnesium and calcium - I completely removed phosphorus and potassium from the watering. Jessica responded to me with such blooming that the scent became very, very strong. W9.Day.4(64)  Switched to the new scheme. More Calcium and Magnesium, less Phosphorus and Potassium. Drinks very well. Smells - insane. Picks up very very high at this age (already tasted low bud😃 ). There are more nutrient burn on the tips, but i think all shall be ok.

W10.Day.1(68)   Today, I missed a sure chance to lose Jessica. I got tired of the swings with pH and TDS, and decided to flush the soil totally with my new pump. This process took about 8 hours and required around 35 liters of spring water with adjusted pH! The TDS at the entrance was 60, while the first liters of flushing showed +1900 TDS. After a very long and persistent flushing, I managed to settle at pH +0.1 and TDS +200. It was a very challenging evening. However, it was more than worth it! W10.Day.2(69)   Started using my new pump for irrigation.   Today, I additionally flushed the soil with 15 liters of targeted fertilizers. The pH stabilized, as did the TDS. It was very exhausting—11 hours of time and 50 liters of fluids. Never use baking soda to fix the pH.   Removed a row of fan leaves that were most affected by thermic chemical burns—cleared the path for light to reach the lower, healthier leaves. Uncovered a number of hidden buds. Raised the lights to its maximum height. W10.Day.4(71)   The pH of the drainage water rose above 7 again, and I flushed the soil with 50(!!!) liters of fertilizer, stabilizing it to 6.8. W10.Day.5(72)   Drainage test in the morning show 6.9 and i washed again with 30 liters of fertilizers to 6.7. For now, switched nutrition plan to AN standard and fix in water ph to 5.7. W10.Day.7(74)   On the burn-damaged leaves of the main colas, orange trichomes begin to appear. However, I don't focus on them—I only observe the trichomes on the healthy areas of the buds.   Week's Summary:     - Mastered the Zen of soil flushing     - Couldn't wash out the elevated pH from the soil—preparing a watering solution with pH adjustment to 5.7     - Started using a pump for irrigation     - The smell is very intense, thick, and resinous.     - Finally figured out to change the lighting for the shots and saw snowy fir trees 😲

W11.Day.2(76)   Yesterday, I flushed the soil with 15 liters of spring water with a fixed pH, in order to then apply a lower concentration of the current fertilizer plan. I believe it's best to reduce the amount of fertilizers, as the top leaves are starting to burn. After flushing, the girl drinks well. However, it's challenging to maintain the drainage pH within the range of 6.5-6.6. I don't yet understand the processes occurring in the soil, but the instances of increased pH levels are growing.   And I revised the week of the beginning of flowering from 5 to 4.   And replaced lights - 72 w goes to top, 108 w goes to bottom to increase low buds development. W11.Day.4(78)   Just implemented removable black background in growbox. It's time to make some photos.   I've also switched from a local PH down manufacturer to Terra Aquatica because I found that the PH down from the local producer loses its acidity over time, while Terra Aquatica does not. Unfortunately, a week with the previous PH down has already been lost (it was during this time that I was struggling with a pH increase to 7.4 in the drainage). Now, Jessica is drinking more and better. The lower buds are also actively developing. W11.Day.5(79)   I think i will start flushing before harvest on next week.

W12.Day.1(82)   She feels better with new phdown. I think i will think two-three days before starting flush. W12.Day.2(83)   Tomorrow is the flush start day. W12.Day.3(84)   5 days left until harvest. The time is approaching. W12.Day.6(87)   Tomorrow she will be deprived of water for 24 hours before harvesting. W12.Day.7(88)   The day of the last photo session has come. After it, she departs into the darkness without water until tomorrow, and her cycle will be completed by morning.

Conclusion: 1. The assisted LST technology proved to be highly effective. The tower was easy and cost-effective to assemble, as well as easy to disassemble. This provided flexibility in guiding stems during the vegetation and early flowering stages. Thanks to the tower, the main stem could be bent so that its growth aligned with that of the other plant parts. 2. The LED strip for illuminating the inner foliage turned out to be almost useless. Jessica got minor burns from the resistors, and I realized that controlling light contact within dense foliage is challenging. The strip was only useful for photography. 3. The automation of watering became a real breakthrough. Starting from the tenth week, I switched to a controllable pump, eliminating the need for early rising for watering and allowing for plant flushing right in the grow box. Highly recommended for soil cultivation. 4. Issues with pH water adjustment led to soil contamination with sodium. Although the plant was preserved until the end of flowering, the pH had to be significantly lowered. 5. As time passed, the pH of the prepared mixtures began to increase. It turned out that the problem lay in the local pH down producer. Switching to Terra Aquatica solved this issue. 6. Bottom lighting turned out to be very effective. The plant actively turned its chloroplasts towards the light source, and even the lower branches developed well. Ideas: 1. Refine the lighting system for the inner foliage. 2. Experiment with forced root aeration. This time there were fewer mistakes during the Grow, but the lack of experience affects the process. It seems that if everything is done without errors, the result will be even better. Although there are questions about the size of growbox - it's quite challenging to accommodate even medium-height strains in it, let alone the tall ones. In any case, need to grow and write about it in the diary :)