Zauberkraut grows LSD by Barneys Farm

2024-01-02: A First-Time Grower's Journal I'm Zauberkraut, and I'm documenting my first cannabis growing experience along with the development of a custom climate control system. The system consists of a microcontroller with sensors and relays to maintain optimal growing conditions. Once completed, I plan to share all documentation and files for others to replicate. Current Plants: Luna and Sunny are LSD strain cuttings, received and planted on December 20th in 20L (5.28 gallon) pots. They share space with other varieties (OG Kush and Gogurtz, which might be documented separately). Growing Medium and Nutrients: Primary Medium: GO!ON Pflanzerde soil from Hagebaumarkt (notable for high water retention compared to Compo Sana Flower Soil) Current Fertilizer: BIOBIZZ GROW (seeking recommendations for all-in-one alternatives) Soil Amendments: Mycorrhiza Environmental Parameters: pH Targets: Watering at 5.8-6.0, drainage measured at approximately 6.5 (drainage water removed after collection) Relative Humidity: Maintained at 55% Temperature: 23°C during light cycles, 19-20°C during dark periods | Plant | Height | Stem Diameter | Training | Luna | 14.8cm| 6.0mm| Topped + LST | | Sunny| 15cm| 6.4mm| Topped + LST | I'll continue updating this journal with environmental data visualizations once the climate control system is operational. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Update 2024-01-03: Yesterday I made some findings, I want to share with you in the following passages. The topics are divided into light, air, pests. Let's start with the most frightening topic. Pests! Yesterday I saw some insect flying around in the tent, a little later another one, or the same one again. One way or another, I certainly killed it and identified it as mourning gnat. Today I saw another one again so I think this means WAR. I already have a pack of Steinernema feltiae nematodes and will apply them later after training the plants. Next topic is regarding the lights. As far as I have researched the matter, I am giving my plants too much light, so they are probably lacking CO2 to properly deal with about 1000 PPFD. Some more, some less. This directly leads us to my newest investment: a preassure reducing fitting for soda stream bottle with photosensor for night shutdown. It's supposed to be used for fish tanks and costed around 65€. If my calculations are right, then I roughly will need about 7,5-10kg CO2 per grow, but for now I am just happy with increasing the CO2 by any value. Indeed, today I even decided to do 30 minutes sports in the grow room windows closed, just to increase CO2 levels. Plant Statistics (as of current date): | Plant | Height | Stem Diameter | Training | Luna | 17.5cm| 7mm| LST | | Sunny| 20cm| 7mm| LST | I think it's fascinating to measure these numbers. The stem diameter increased by 13% just over night. To make those measurements more precise I'll take them at the same time of day each day from now on, so the calculated growth rate is more precise. I definitely should put the data in an excel sheet..eventually.... If I am at it, I might watch some other characteristics or properties too, maybe you guys got any recommendations?

2024-01-04 Start of Week 3! Today I decided to cut or rather to FIM – no clue what it stands for – the ladies again. Well I am a bloody beginner, but from what I can tell FIMing is superior to get real bushy plants. I think the plant pushes the growth of all nodes below far more, than with regular topping. I now it's quite naive to make such claims without ever having finished a grow, but for now that's my hypothesis. Anyway... I also cleared a few low hanging and old leaves and some small shoots with little to no chances to develop. My reasoning behind it was: - small branches which won't have decent changes to develop a big bud, might steal energy for better buds - the old leaves were slightly damaged due to having the lamp to far down to early and because of the cutting process. I think "ugly" leaves with brown spots and so on are prone to illness, so I removed them as precaution - removing a few leaves and branches might push plant hormones to stimulate growth, as a defense to "being eaten" - due to training the canopy already is so dense that it also serves as a precaution for mildew, which I sadly already had, due to far from optimal ventilation at the beginning. Probably I will top them in about 5-7 days for the last time before starting the flower period, which should take round about 8-9 Weeks. The mourning gnats seem to have peaked in population, at least I think the nematodes are already doing their job. Every now and then I spray the top soil with plain water to keep it moist for the nematodes. From now on on I will water with 500 ml of water every morning, so they have plenty of water to photosynthesize during the day. Around 100-200ml goes to drain. I will keep the water at 500ml, until there is no drainage anymore, then I will increase again. I also adjusted the lamp to hang approximately 30cm away. | Plant | Stem Diameter | Training | Luna | 7.2mm| FIM | | Sunny| 7.3mm| FIM | Growrate: ~3.6% I am ditching height, because it's flawed anyway due to LST. Excited for tomorrows first measurement after 24h, especially after the FIMing today. –––––––––––– 2024-01-05 Optimizing air | Plant | Stem Diameter | Training | Luna | 7.7mm| LST | | Sunny| 7.6mm| HST | Growth rate: 7.5% The girls seem to love their new haircut. Funnily enough I started buying equipment for increasing CO2 levels, even before installing a proper air exchange. Yesterday I rerouted the exhaust, to go outside. Beforehand the air was just blown back into the grow room, which is big and had an open window, but it's already noticeable colder and the plants now have an ambient temperature of 20°C, with the lights hanging as low as always. Also the inline fan wasn't running during the night until now, which obviously was non optimal, if not blatantly stupid. I am really really excited for tomorrow, when the girls had a full day after the cut. I estimate a growth rate of around 10% possibly even higher, because as far as I can tell most environmental factors seem pretty dialed in now and close to optimal. I nearly forgot the pests! Well the mourning gnat population seems to diminish. Today I at least have not seen a single one, for now. Regarding the watering, I decided to water twice with 250ml, to minimize drainage and optimize nutrient and water availability. That's it for today :) –––––––––––– 2024-01-06 | Plant | Stem Diameter | Training | Luna | 8.1mm| LST | | Sunny| 8.25mm| LST | Growth rate: ~7.5% –––––––––––– 2024-01-07 | Plant | Stem Diameter | Training | Luna | 8.8mm| LST | | Sunny| 10.4mm| LST | I am not sure if I meassured correctly. If Sunnys stem gets smaller tomorrow, we'll find out. Combined averaged growth rate: ~17% Sunny: 26% Luna: 8.6% I increased lamp height to 65cm and decreased PPFD to something around 600 2024-01-08 Decreased lamp height and installed "CO2 System". It might be stupid but I am happy with it. In a few days I should have finished my climate control. I think I will make that to my challenge. I want to go into flower so badly, but the challenge wille be, I only can go into flower, after I have finished a working prototype😁 That should keep me motivated!

2024-01-12 Protect ya neck Whilst training and trying to super crop, I may have broken some branches. Plants are doing exceptionally well. Today I don’t water them. I would send them to flower already but, other diaries might tell the story, why I didn’t flip to flower yet. 2024-01-16 Day 26 of Veg Yeah. Did some successful and some unsuccessful super cropping. I will flip to flower in 2 Days I guess.

2024-01-24 The day after tomorrow I’ll switch to flower. I actually wanted to do it today, but instead decided to super crop and cut the plants one last time. 2024-01-31 The plants are in flower for five days already, but I decided to make updates on sundays from now on, which is the last day of the week. So now you will always be able to see the progress of one week per entry. I think it’s neat that way. But I kind of forgot to take pics at the beginning of the first week of flower

2024-02-02 I am so excited for the coming two months.