DAY 78 - 11/1/24 - Early morning (12AM) Cake feed. Starting the day off right. No plain water flush between Bloom and Cake. I want to load these up with as much as they can take before the chop. I separated and straightened the branches i.e. I undid the tucking. I’m not sure what is the right choice to get the plants the best light with current setup. This is where those 100w side bar lights would come in handy. Those along with my current 400w would bring my total wattage up to 500. This would be a good stop gap between buying a new 600+ watt light. It would also keep temps down considerably more (i would imagine) than the 600. Of course, I can play with distance more with the 600, but that would introduce more time spent min maxing and less time letting the system run on auto. I want to spend as little time as possible to get the best plants imaginable. I can mess around when I have more time. Like not during my busy season (festival season). But growing in different seasons in my current environment, means my outdoor temps are radically different. These are some of the things I am considering as I am learning more and as this grow progresses. I am glad I am writing this all down. I encourage everyone else to do the same.
FEED: 6 gal water, 180ml of Cropsalt Cake, PH’d to 5.6
NIGHT (12-2AM)
AVE: T 68.4 H 60.1 V 0.94
DAY
AVE: T 75.2 H 50.5 V 1.47
DAY 79 - 11/2/24 - I retucked some branches, then retucked some more. I really don't know how to get the fresh under growth the correct amount of light before finish. I could always harvest the tops of the plant before the bottoms, but that doesn’t feel right. And I already switched to Cake. So what does that do nutrient wise? Is that new growth getting the right amount of nutrients for where it is developing in its own subcycle? I would guess no. This is likely one of the reasons why people prune the undergrowth to a desired extent? I will try to look at the finished branches and try to determine what is a good amount of space to save, and where to start and stop pruning essentially. I see the outcome of some of the damage I did by accidentally pruning by being too rough while the plants were young and growing. I also see some time branches that have risen to nearly the top layer, developing at least one healthy cola and a little spriggy branch.
I think I am going to harvest all the plants as they are, when they are ready. They seem to be finishing at about the same time. Not quite sure about Back Left, who look strong, and purple, but may be at a slightly different cycle because of all the cool air (the 9 inch) being pushed at it constantly.
Is that why the newer growth is at a slightly different cycle? Because the top colas near the light are finishing beautifully in the hot heat. Meanwhile, the lower newer growth is being hit with mostly cool air from outside the tent, from the intake, the open bottom flaps, and the fan air. There are multiple factors at play here. I am unsure to what extent every bit plays and in what amounts. This requires min/maxing, and science, and eugh, yet more reading and learning.
NIGHT (12-2AM)
AVE: T 67.9 H 62.8 V 0.86
DAY
AVE: T 74.1 H 51.6 V 1.38
DAY 80 - 11/3/24 - Early morning (12AM) feed.
I am mixing the feed up nicely now, I plan on PHing exactly to 5.8. I think I should have done this from the start, but honestly that’s not what I’m most worried about. Back Right is a weakling. It fed too little for too long. She’s still kicking along, but I did her wrong and I feel bad about that. You can see she recovered nicely. The newer growth is all pretty, but she is an auto. She lives and dies. That’s that plan.
I plan on closing the bottom vents to increase heat, I will also position the intake to stop depositing cool air directly on the lower growth. I also plan on switching the position of the 9 inch fan with the weaker 27 inch tower fan. They currently sit in opposite corners, so the switch will be easy. I also plan on The 27 inch is really struggling to turn at this point. I have it pointed down, instead of up, because it is very difficult for it to retain motion while positioned upward. Something inside is bent after so much time spent like that, no doubt. I will replace it with a new 9 inch for next season. I will update with what I actually followed through on in my notes for tomorrow.
FEED: 6 gal water, 180ml CS Cake, not PH’d in the moment. Mixed a bit, let it settle while I slept.
NIGHT (12-2AM)
AVE: T 68.5 H 59.4 V 0.96
DAY
AVE: T 75.1 H 50.5 V 1.47
DAY 81 - 11/4/24 - Plant good. Me happy. I PH’d the rez. It was high. Around 7.6, individual rezes around 6-7 coco around 5.5-6.0
In terms of temperature. I was able to get temps up just slightly by repositioning fans, the intake tubing, and closing the vents. Things are cooking along really nicely. Finish is coming around Thanksgiving. Plenty to be thankful for this year. Pounds of Dawg. Or at the absolute minimum, a pound total, I am sure of that. 4-17 days left. Finish somewhere between day 85 and day 98. The four days of dry, then I can smoke, then some time to cure, maybe 6 weeks, to improve the smoke.
FEED: 6 gal water, 180ml CS Cake, PH’d to 5.7.
NIGHT (12-2AM)
AVE: T 70.4 H 59.6 V 1.02
DAY
AVE: T 76.3 H 50.7 V 1.52
DAY 82 - 11/5/24 - Plants good. Nice and strong. I have repositioned some branches for optimal light penetration and I rotated pots for optimal light coverage. The feed lines are flowing, the T, H, and V are where I want them. I cannot complain. I plan on using this extra time I have, from the plants being on autopilot, to really dig deep into my drying and cure process. I have a good idea for what I need to do, but it never hurts to double check or get a different opinion.
NIGHT (12-2AM)
AVE: T 70.9 H 59.0 V 1.05
DAY
AVE: T 76.8 H 49.8 V 1.57
DAY 83 - 11/6/24 - Everything is good. I moved the circular fans high and pointed down at the canopy. That should cool the tops and warm the bottoms? Or keep the heat more even throughout the plants.
I want to stretch the plants out int he tent to give them more room, but I also need to prioritize their placement under the center of the light. All is good, but I want all the branches to be able to flow where they want to, and I am not quite there yet. It is not a space issue, but a light dispersal issue. I need side lights and I need more coverage.
NIGHT (12-2AM)
AVE: T 70.2 H 58.2 V 1.05
DAY
AVE: T 76.9 H 47.7 V 1.65
DAY 84 - 11/7/24 - All good in the tent. Trying different values to keep heats towards 75-77.
FEED: 6 gal water, 180ml CS Cake, PH’d to 5.7.
NIGHT (12-2AM)
AVE: T 71.5 H 53.7 V 1.22
DAY
AVE: T 75.6 H 49.1 V 1.54