1st grow Sweet ZZ Auto RQS and Northern Light Auto RQS

Not much to add here. I just used tap water in a spray bottle to give tiny amounts of water and misted the surrounding soil.

I used a humidifier in weeks one and two. I only turned it on for a few minutes and would seal it up for the day. I raised the light and flipped one to 25% and other to 50%. I love having the control of the two lights. My soil is worrying me. I used FFHF primarily and top dressed with FFOF. Very low ph. I think it was at 5.8 when i slurry tested it. I probably stupidly thought that since my hard (330 ppm) tap had a ph of 7.3, it would balance out the 5.8 soil.

Still no nutrients this week. Great growth and I stopped using the tap water at the end of the week. I started using store bought Primo water which is reverse osmosis treated. 7.99 for 5 gallons and ppm tested at 30. I add 1/4 tsp of cal/mag which brings the ppm to about 150-180. I flipped both lights to 50% and raised them to 25in above the canopy. The Sweet ZZ (plant on the right) has been quite a bit ahead of the Northern Light. The Northern Light has been kinda stout.

Lots of growth again. Started feeding 4ml per gallon of Advanced Nutrients Base Micro/Grow/Bloom. Cal/Mag at 1/4tsp per gallon. Finding the right watering schedule has been challenging. The soil worries me so much that i’m going to over water. I wish I knew to add extra pearlite to it from the beginning. I gave them btwn 4-5 cups of water every 2-3 days but once i went 4 days bc i gave 6 cups and it didn’t dry out fast. I started pointing my fan at the pots to help them dry quicker after I water. Im also worried about how bushy the NL is. I decided not to do any LST bc I’m new. I opted for tucking some leaves to expose bud sites. They still look decent i think? Lol i have no idea tbh. I added an oscillating fan and bumped the air filter up to lvl 5. I have been using the paid version of the Photone app which has been amazing for dialing in the lights. As a first time grower, it’s been a struggle to learn but trial and error is teaching me. When the Sweet ZZ looks droopy, i think it was the lights. I raised them a little and changed them to 75% and 100% I think it didn’t like the full 100%. It could also be when I was struggling with how much water to feed. I tried to learn from others journals which is why I decided to make mine. Hopefully by documenting my mistakes, other new growers will learn with me?

Somehow i messed up the weeks on here? Today is day 34 and the start of week 5. On day 29 was the start of pre-flower I think for the Sweet ZZ. This week I added a different hygrometer that i can track on my phone with graphs and even VPD. on amazon. My entire setup was the budget route from Amazon but I’m very happy with how everything works except for the hygrometer sensor that is attached to the control panel for my exhaust. I also bought a small dehumidifier for once the plants are a little further into flower. I installed a 6in duct, put a screen on it to catch any would be contaminants. When i use the dehumidifier, it will be outside the tent. It seems to work really well but I just don’t need it yet. The duct now serves as my intake, moving away from using one of the bottom screen flaps. I upped the nutrients to 1/2 of the recommendations. I tested the ppm of the soil digging down about 2.5 in to get a sample and did a slurry. It showed a super low number of 225ppm. I tested the same unused soil and it read 600ppm. I fed 820 ppm of nutrients. I had noticed on the Sweet ZZ very minor yellowing at the tips of some leaves and tried to diagnose the problem. I came to the conclusion that they needed more food. The Northern Light is showing some browning at a few tips/edges and spots on lower leaves. It has exhibited some decolorization on a few leaves basically since it was a seedling though so I wasn’t too worried about them. Because it is such a stout and bushy plant, I decided to defoliate 6 leaves to help with light penetration and airflow. Could use more but I will wait until later in flower. The NL has pistils but still not showing what the ZZ is showing. Compared to her sister, the NL seems to be 1 week behind the ZZ even though they breached the soil on the same day. I hope I correctly diagnosed the care they needed this week. Time will tell.

This is actually the full 5th week NOT week 6, I don’t know how I messed up the week count but I did. Sweet ZZ has really taken off this week. It grew 6 inches, almost an inch a day. I did defoliate a few leaves every water/feed. I upped the lights to full 100% after I learned that the drooping I noticed earlier wasn’t due to too much light, rather part of the natural cycle of the plant preparing for lights out. I’m a newb, but I’m learning. I also upped the feeds to 8ml base nutes per gallon and upped the cal/mag to 1/2 tsp per gallon of RO water. The Northern Light is still about 1 week behind the ZZ. Tons of foliage and even though I defoliated, it still needs more. Many bud sites throughout the NL. The NL grew 3 inches and has gone into flower. I’m not expecting much stretch given what it has shown thus far. Stout but hardy. I’ll probably defoliate the NL again once it stretches. This being my first grow, I’ll be happy if I get to harvest for 1 plant, both would be amazing but I’m going to curb any expectations.

Both plants grew 4 inches this week. Added Advanced Nutrients B-52 in the last feed this week. Trichomes have started on the Sweet ZZ meaning it’s in bloom, now just need to bulk up the buds. I’m thinking about adding the Advanced Nutrients Overdrive in a couple weeks but I’m not sure if I’ll benefit from it since I’m feeding a reduced amount across the board. I started only adding cal/mag on water days so that I can regulate the ppm going in on feed days. When I started feeding 8ml per gallon, they burned at the tips so I dialed back and watered only for 2 consecutive days. The Northern Light has pleasantly surprised me this week by stretching 4in. She is full of bud sites, I hope they are able to bulk up. I’m thinking the rNorthern Light is going to need a decent amount of time longer than the ZZ to finish. This was a pretty exciting week for my grow, seeing the actual fruits of my labor forming is pretty great. I’m loving this hobby.

Experiencing some calcium deficiency. I suspect this is due to my soil ph. I might flush soon and let it correct itself in the Northern Light. I also forgot to change the position of my oscillating fan and I think i was getting some wind burn, I raised it to just above the canopy today. The Northern Light is still stretching and is about 22in, the buds are doing their thing but look small. Tons of them albeit popcorn-ish. I’ve been really worried about the NL but I’m hopeful to get to the end with it. The ZZ is still chugging along. I’m most excited about this plant. Never even had the strain but has been a joy to grow. I hope it tastes great! Will likely purchase more of these seeds but I already have many others to run through. This week was very difficult with humidity due to all the rain we had. I’ve been running my dehumidifier at night and a couple times during the day to mitigate the atmospheric conditions. I’m excited for the next few weeks. We should get to harvest soon. I’m going into this next week as hopefully the last week of big bud nutrient and will switch to overdrive if the hairs turn brown on my ZZ. The main cola and all others are quite a joy to watch. We will get there (well, at least the ZZ will lol)!

What a difference a week can make lol. This was a terrible week for both plants. The Northern Light took a turn for the worst and started exhibiting late stage calcium deficiency. I flushed it and then about two days later the ZZ started exhibiting calcium deficiency on sugar leaves on a few bud sites. I flushed her as well. After the ZZ flush I fed the same day and let it dry out for 3 days. I sought help bc I wasn’t sure if the calcium deficiency would lead to bud rot on the dying leaves. I wasn’t sure if I should just flush it, ride it out since we’re so late in the grow or trim those leaves. I opted not to trim the leaves and flush it. Entering week 10, red hairs have started on both but the ZZ has more. I will be starting overdrive today and for the next two weeks before flushing for harvest. I learned a lot this week and the number 1 thing I learned is not to start a grow with shitty low ph soil, it will catch up to you! Things will be different next grow.

Not too much different this week. Calcium deficiency persists. The buds on the ZZ have fattened a little. Started using overdrive. I will start flushing the ZZ next water as it has some amber trichomes showing and most are milky, pistils at about 60-70% red. I will probably harvest her by the end of next week, though I could be wrong and need longer for more amber. The Northern Light has really started putting on some weight and trichomes. I wasn’t even sure this plant would make it to harvest but she will and just needs a little longer than the ZZ. For both plants I fed every two days instead of feed/water. I figured it couldn’t hurt them anymore than they have already suffered. Nearing the end of my first grow, I am excited to get to harvest.

I flushed the plants again and now just waiting for the Northern Light to mature a little bit. The next week will probably be the last. I could cut the ZZ now but I need to dry them in the tent bc of smell and I don’t want to do the ZZ in a box in the tent. I might take the most mature buds from the Northern Light and move it outside to finish but I’d rather just cut it. I’ll be happy with whatever I get off of her at this point. The NL has tons of small bud sites. I have quite a few more seeds of NL ftom RQS and I’ll top them in the future. I learned soooo much in this my first grow so in a way, I’m glad things didn’t go perfectly because I can apply what I learned and also not stress so much. Even when things go wrong, I’ll still likely get a harvest!

Great strain, good for newbs, would grow again.

Hope to grow this again with better conditions. Bad ffhf soil screwed me from the beginning. This plant had a much more difficult time compared to the sweet zz. I have many more seeds to try it again and Im optimistic about giving it a better life in the future. Im shocked that it still grew as much as it did. The flowers are very airy and mid grade bc of its stress. If a more experienced grower had an ideal setup, I suspect it would be a fantastic plant.