Project Broiler

Not a day without adventures! The more complex the setup, the harder it is to fine-tune. At the beginning of the week, everything was smooth, except for the rising outdoor humidity. It was truly the calm before the storm—everything seemed stable until, suddenly, by the end of the week, nearly all the tops started showing bronze spots, and growth stalled (timelapse are really helpful, you can see the daily growth pace). The drainage EC spiked to 3.5. I also noticed that one day, naturally while I was away, the humidity shot up to 75+. Main suspects: 1. High humidity and temperature during CO2 injection when the exhaust system isn’t running. 2. Excessive lighting intensity. 3. Root issues. 4. New nutrients. 5. Your theory? In Europe, humidity is a common problem, especially in winter. Last year, there was mold in the house, and this year, for some reason, I ignored it—big mistake. Hopefully, a dehumidifier will help. I never thought I’d see light overexposure (usually there’s never enough light), but I came across an article describing my exact case—leaves pointing upwards, almost “praying,” which indicates excessive lighting. Here’s my theory: the plant was already at the limit for light, nutrients, and humidity. The final straw was the increased humidity, which disrupted transpiration and thus slowed metabolism, leading to burns on the leaves closest to the light source. Based on these clues and matching them to common issues, I decided to reduce lighting intensity by 20%, cut the base nutrient dosage in half for a couple of days until the drainage EC drops, and ordered a Meaco Dry Arete Two 20L dehumidifier, which should, in theory, handle the entire apartment. It looks like this grow will be more of a trial run for the new setup—tweaks, adjustments, and observations—rather than a max yield as initially planned. Oh well... still, what an experience! Next time, I’ll be ready. Until next week... P.S. Don’t trust temperature and humidity sensors—they lie, especially the black ones (not racism, they just overheat from the light).