ETHOS & GHSC - (Diary #9)

-------------------------------------------- BLOOM WEEK 9 (Jan 24-30) -------------------------------------------- GOALS: - Plain water only flush start of week ✅ - Reach 0.3 EC or less - Harvest BD5 after flush - Harvest rest by end of week Pretty straight forward week...BD4 and KT5 look like they need longer. BD5 was ready at day 53 _______________ Jan 24 (4-12L) • 0.3 EC (Tap water) / 6.5 pH (10-12L BD5/10P7) • 0.5 EC (FF) / 6.5 pH (6L rest) BD5 - 0.5 EC runoff 10P7 - 0.6 EC runoff _______________ Jan 25 (4L) • 0.3 EC / 6.5 pH _______________ Jan 26 (2L) • 0.3 EC / 6.5 pH _______________ Jan 27 (4L) • 0.3 EC / 6.5 pH Lots to catch up on. Really busy week installing and trimming out a custom bookcase I built for a client so my notes are basic af. The last 3 weeks or so I've been experimenting with Controlled Drought Stress. I've been letting the pots dry out completely between waterings (which almost everybody says you can't do with coco), but not to the point of drooping. I've simultaneously dropped the humidity to 40-45% max. I don't have the data but there were multiple sources confirming the cannabis plant will produce trichomes as a defense mechanism against dry conditions. I do see a difference from the last time I ran all 3 of these strains. The proof will be in the smoke. If I see a larger, drippier resin ring on my joints I'll know for sure. Flowers are all completely covered in frost, with King's Tart looking like the winner for resin production. This is the second week of flushing. The first week using Flawless Finish to chelate nutrients from the substrate, and this week with pH 6.5 water only. I purposely pH out of range because I don't want the plant to feed from the substrate. The plant will use up the stored nutrients, especially excess phosphorus, instead. In theory this produces cleaner smoke. The ashes will tell the story here. Targeting a day 63 harvest provided the runoff EC is 0.3 or less after the next flush _________ Jan 28 Didn't water because I was watching the 49ers and Lions. Will give them a final flush tonight. Some of the biggest, if not the biggest buds I've grown to date. Here's some things that I think helped: - EC stacking (thanks Brian) - Near perfect VPD - Very little defoliation - Waiting until containers dried out to water - No PK deficiencies (no purple streaks) I think the biggest reason the buds were large is that I left the fan leaves on until late bloom. While a lot of growers seem to believe removing leaves makes buds bigger, I don't see the correlation. Leaves are like solar panels for your plants, absorbing light energy and converting it (photosynthesis). Removing them makes no sense. Buds don't grow bigger because light hits them, It's the leaves that need the light. They use up the nitrogen from the bloom mixes and are a source of nutrition during flushing. They also provide an exit for moisture inside the buds during drying via the petioles into the leaves. ____________ Jan 29 (4L) • 0.3 EC / 6.5 pH ____________ Jan 30 (8L) • 0.3 EC / 6.5 pH ________ Jan 31 No water. Lights out at 7 AM, begin 24 hr dark before harvesting. **CHOPPED FEB 1 (Day 65)** Hang drying at 61F / 59% To make the harvest report easier, I'm not posting the harvest week until the smoke report is done. Likely 3-4 weeks until then. Thanks for sticking around!