Miketama **Milky Way - Introduction 🌌🌱
Milky Way F1 is a robust autoflowering hybrid known for its resilience and vigorous growth. This strain delivers a balanced high with sweet, creamy terpene profiles reminiscent of its name.
This grow began as an experiment in sustainable cultivation and quickly became a lesson in resilience. I decided to plant the Milky Way F1 seed directly into its final 8L pot, reusing soil from previous grows. Unlike the usual Bio Tabs method (see photo3 ), I removed all old roots and reworked the medium thoroughly. This wasn’t about saving money - I wanted to leverage the beneficial bacteria still thriving in the soil, plus there were undissolved Bio Tabs that could continue releasing nutrients.
The Fatal Mistake:
Unfortunately, I made a critical error. Feeling confident about the substrate’s consistency, I planted the seed without germinating it in fresh medium first. This decision proved devastating - **5 seedlings died from damping-off**, victims of lingering pathogens in the recycled soil.
Only one germinated seed survived the pathogen assault: the Milky Way F1. I believe she made it (and here’s my second mistake) thanks to a Bactrex irrigation (Trichoderma protects against pathogens) applied when the cotyledons hadn’t even opened yet.
I remain convinced the soil itself was still viable, but for the other strains, I’ll start fresh and see how the Milky performs. As a precaution, I:
- Sprayed hydrogen peroxide on the soil surface and around the pot base
- Added 2cm of fresh substrate on top
- Disinfected the entire grow box to prevent contamination of new plants
*“Fall down seven times, stand up eight.”*
The Milky Way F1 earned her place in this diary through sheer survival - now let’s see what this cosmic warrior can produce! 🌌💪
P.S. I didn’t throw away the remaining 50 liters of soil! Instead, I used it to repot my houseplants, and after just one week they’re absolutely thriving - which confirms my belief that the soil was still perfectly viable. The substrate had plenty of life left in it; the damping-off issue was likely about timing and methodology, not soil quality.
Miketama Before spending hundreds of euros on a professional Autopot system, I decided to experiment with a more spartanic DIY approach: a homemade wick irrigation system using cotton ropes.
Setup:
• My fabric transplant pot (with velcro opening on one side) wasn’t filled to the top
• Placed 2 cotton ropes at 5cm and 10cm distance from the stem
• Pre-soaked ropes in water for 30 minutes to activate capillary action
• Fed ropes through the velcro opening of the fabric pot
• Covered with 4cm of fresh substrate
• Light watering from top to activate the wicks
Why now:
The Milky Way seems to have developed enough to handle increased water intake - perfect timing to test the system.
First results (48 hours):
She consumed approximately 0.5L through the wick system - it’s working well so far!
Testing this budget solution before committing to expensive equipment. Will monitor closely and report results. 💧🌱
Miketama Milky Way Grow - Winter Setup Summary
Environment Issues Solved
Temperature/Humidity Fix:
• Shoe rack risers (+15-20cm) with pebble base = +2°C root zone temp
• Ionbeam lights repositioned from tent frame to riser frame, angled at corners at 80% = +2°C ambient
• Hit target: 24-25°C sweet spot
Climate Control:
• Lights 24/7
• Tent semi-closed, intake opposite exhaust
• DIY CO2 (yeast/sugar bottles)
• Exhaust 15min/hour
• Dehumidifier @ 65% RH
Lighting Strategy Evolution
Phase 1 (Early Growth):
• Ionbeams at 20% direct on plants = too intense
• Moved to 80%, angled at tent corners = ambient heat without stress
Phase 2 (Current ):
• Ionbeams repositioned directly on plants
• Bottom light undersized for tent = can’t use manufacturer PAR map
• Custom PAR mapping: iPhone 12 + PAR Meter app + white paper diffuser
• Adjusting riser heights (uneven), plant positions, and Ionbeam angles
• Creating zone-specific DLI targets across canopy
Watering System
DIY Autopot Status:
• System functional but not fully autonomous
• Still supplementing with top watering
• Current wicking: basic rope
• Next run: switching to capillary wicks for better water uptake
💚🤞
