FastBuds & AutoPot + SANlight + BioTabs

Cristim Week 1 ends strong with all 4 girls super compact and healthy under SANlight at 20%.

Cristim 1.10.2026

Cristim Plant Status & Training * Mango Frost is officially on Day 21 and showed her very first preflower pistils today! * The other 3 girls are sitting around Day 19–20 and catching up fast. * LST: Adjusting ties daily to keep the canopy flat and open up the inner node sites. Final Top-Watering & Nutrients * Last night: Gave each plant ~1.25L of water supplemented with Plagron CalMag. (Completely ditched BioBizz CalMag—it developed a foul organic smell and isn't fit for AutoPot reservoirs anyway. Mineral CalMag is the way to go here). * This morning: Administered 1L per plant containing CalMag + 0.5g/L BioTabs Bacterex, followed by 500ml increments until a light runoff was achieved across all pots. * AirDomes: Turned ON the AirDome air pump right after the runoff watering to maximize root oxygenation as the substrate dries down over the next 2–3 days. AutoPot reservoir valves remain OFF for now. FlexiTank & AutoPot Setup * Filled the 100L FlexiTank with 50L of tap water. Running an air pump with an air stone for 2 days to fully off-gas chlorine. * *Tap water baseline:* ~90–100 PPM | pH 7.8–8.0. After 2 days of bubbling, pH rises to 8.8–9.0 and PPM drops to ~80. * Game Plan: Once chlorine is gone, the air stone will be removed completely. I will buffer with Plagron CalMag to 200–230 PPM and dial in the pH to 6.2. * Recirculation: Installed a tiny 2W submersible pump (max 300 L/h) inside the FlexiTank. Programmed to run for 15–20 minutes every 2–3 hours to keep CalMag homogenized without gassing out CO2 or raising the pH. Lighting & Environment * Lighting: Activated the 3rd LED panel 2 days ago! I'm now running 3x SANlight EVO 3-80 (600W total capacity), dimmed down to deliver a clean, uniform 400–420 PPFD blanket across the entire canopy. * Leaf Temp Offset: Currently seeing a -3°C leaf temperature offset (Air: 26°C | Leaf: ~23°C). * VPD & RH: Relative Humidity sits around 56%, giving me a rock-solid VPD of 0.89 – 0.99 kPa. Custom DIY Root Zone Heating * Built a custom root heating setup using an ESP32 microcontroller, Solid State Relay (SSR), DS18B20 waterproof temperature probe, and reptile heating pads. * It holds the substrate temperature precisely at 23°C—matching the leaf temperature perfectly to eliminate thermal root shock! * Currently running wires externally for a 1-week test phase. Once validated, I'll 3D-print a custom modular enclosure with quick-connect plugs. Next Steps * Allowing the pots to dry down for 2–3 days before opening the main AutoPot reservoir valve. * Installing the SCROG net in the coming days as the stretch begins. The plants are looking healthy overall! There are faint old stress marks from early pH stabilization in the FabricPots, but all new growth looks super clean. I'm not an expert, so any tips, feedback, or comments from the community are greatly appreciated! Happy growing!

Cristim Day 29 Update: All 4 girls are looking super healthy and vigorous as they enter the stretch phase! Gelato is catching up nicely, and Mango Frost is already showing those first pre-flower pistils. Drying out the Coco slightly before a microbiology boost (Bactrex + Mycotrex), a light Boom Boom Spray foliar, and turning the AutoPots back on. Let’s see them explode!

Cristim Right now, the AutoPot system is turned off. Tonight I’m planning to hand-water them from the top with about 1–2 liters of water + CalMag per pot, just until I see a little bit of run-off. After that, I’ll likely turn the AutoPot system back on tomorrow morning. Personally, I don't spot any new deficiencies—just a slight Ca/Mg issue—but my eyes aren't fully trained yet, so I’d really appreciate it if those with more experience could take a look at the photos and share their thoughts. Given how things are looking right now, I'm a bit unsure about the timing for the Bio PK 5-8 and the PK Booster Compost Tea. I was thinking of waiting until they completely finish their stretch phase before introducing them. What do you guys think? Any advice or suggestions are more than welcome! Thanks!