Budget Organic Auto Grow

Light is the SF1000EVO still. Dialed light to 100%. The light is currently 16 inches from the canopy of the Northern Light plant on the right pushing 500 PPFD. I thought the stem of the NL plant was a little thin so I gradually increased it from 60% to 100% and she responded well to that. Maintaining temp 77F and humidity at 60% +/- 3%. The fan controller is set to 78F and 70% humidity. So basically just letting it ride in that range while they are young. Night time temperature is 72F and humidity can be as low as 55%. The Blue Cheese plant (on left) germinated 1 day behind the NL plant but is doing some strange things. It has some weird discoloration streaked through the leaves. The leaves are also shaped funny or mutated. I thought maybe it was Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) but that usually would affect both plants in the same space as they are. It seems like it could be a little stunted but it is one day younger and an entirely different cultivar. I grew a Watermelon Auto a while back that did similar things but after about 3-4 weeks it looked relatively normal in the upper leaves. So maybe some weird genetic thing? I don't know. I was also thinking that it could be over watering because I have been giving them equal amounts and the NL is much larger. As you can see in the photo the Blue Cheese is still damp and the NL is dry. I am pretty sure over watering would not deform the leaves like that. I do plan to adjust the water on this plant and see if anything changes. Other than that...They have only been getting bubbled tap water. Nutrients are just the original soil additives and amendments. I used Tomato Tone and maybe the Blue Cheese hit a grain of that before it was ready for it? What do you guys think?

Day 13 at the end of week 2.

Northern Light (on right) is 8.5 inches. Blue Cheese (on left) is 5 inches. Light is still the SF1000EVO at 100% 14 inches from the NL plant. PPFD is 700ish. I've raised the light 8 clicks since week 2. Nothing has been added since the initial amendments and fertilizer. Using bubbled tap water only. Espoma Tomato Tone for the win. *Update* Added day 26 photo. 3 weeks and 5 days. What a difference just a few days makes at this stage.

Day 28. Saturated the pots to run off for the first time. Removed the spacer that lifted the Blue Cheese (on left) off the tent floor. Will allow both pots to wick the run off through the bottom then prop the Blue Cheese back up to the light. Probably not doing anything for about 3-5 days (but the spacer/prop). Running the SF2000EVO at 60%. I do occasionally rotate the pots and do a minor leaf tuck here and there. No trimming, no training, no topping and nothing but bubbled tap water. The Blue Cheese is a very squat plant vs the NL. Probably not the best two things to try to grow together. Yee haw! Day 30 the Blue Cheese is 14 inches and the Northern Light is 23 inches.

I have been steadily raising the light height about 4 clicks every few days. Blue Cheese plant is very short and squat at 18 inches but very dense with flowering sites. The Northern Light is 28 inches with great shape and symmetry. No real changes to the environment. SF2000Pro still at 60%. I spin the plants every few days and water them with bubbled tap water only. No fertilizer or amendments have been added or used since the initial soil prep.

Moved the ladies into a taller tent. Dialed the SF2000Pro up to 100%. Light is 16 inches from the top of the Northern Light plant. The Blue Cheese is 24" and the NL is 42". Removed some water leaves from the Blue Cheese due to density. They get rotated and watered every couple of days with bubbled tap water only. Still running on the original amendments. The only negative signs I have seen is the Blue Cheese has a couple millimeters of yellow or burnt tips on the leaves. Not sure if I over watered it or if it doesn't like the light strength. It's been there for all of the flowering stage however and it doesn't seem to care. Since this is organic I am pretty sure it's not nutrient burn. No deficiencies at all. I am rolling with it.

So I caught the Mars Hydro 15th anniversary sale and bought the FC-3000 EVO and installed it. The light is inside my AC Infinity Cloudlab 733 tent with the 69 Pro controller. I dialed the light to 100% immediatley. Temps are running @ 75 degrees F with a humidity of 52% while lights are on. I know this diary sucks because I have been changing equipment all along the way. Everything has been a progression forward however and no ill effects to date. The most notable thing in all of this is 1 cup of Espoma Tomato Tone, 1/2 cup of Diatomaceous earth and 8 cups of worm castings for each 5 gallon pot is all that was used other than water. Still using bubbled tap water for watering.

Day 57 in week 8. Still watering with bubbled tap water only and rotating the plants every couple days. Blue cheese is packing on weight and looks like it could be done in about 2-3 weeks. I'll trim a few of the lower inner canopy leaves that are yellowing but thats it. Northern Light is progressing nicely and could be done in about 3-4 weeks.

Blue Cheese is almost done!

I am doing an incremental harvest. These are a couple limbs I took out to dry and cure of the Blue Cheese. The colors are amazing. I cheated and did a microwave quick dry on a little piece of the Blue Cheese for a taste sample. OMG! This is exactly blue berries and cheese. It has a velvety and creamy mouth effect that I can't describe with the inhale. A very slight earthy pepper and blueberry all around. I can imagine this is going to be mouth watering goodness once it's properly dried and cured. The effect is very nice. I just grow for me and friends so I never weigh anything. If I had to guess by eyeballing the weight, I would say 2-3 ounces after drying for the entire plant. Especially after an incremental harvest. Not bad for a plant that only hit 25ish inches. This is a must grow again strain. Especially if you want to pack a small tent. I am doing the frost free refrigerator dry and cure method for the top and all the mains. There is still roughly 35-40% left on the plant. I'll let that go one more week before I chop it all. Sometimes the lowers will fatten up and sometimes they don't but I always try it.