2019.02 Green Crack Auto

Day 00, Germination Day 01 (G01) - Started the seeds in peat-sponge starters. Soaked the starters in RO water, squeezed out excess, and then put one seed in each starter. Each starter was placed in three-gallon fabric pot situated in a twelve-inch saucer. Poured one gallon of RO water into the pots. Excess water that drained off was quickly absorbed (within 30 minutes) into the medium. Day 01, Seedling Day 01 (S01) - Plant "A" emerged. Cotyledons emerged with healthy and robust appearance. It looks little and isolated, but that's to be expected when you're the first one on the scene. Day 03 - Bravo has emerged. Alpha continues to grow well. Day 05 - Both Alpha and Bravo are thriving. Alpha has gone from pale green to a deep rich, medium tone green; she has very tight internodal spacing so far. Bravo has opened close to the surface. Cotyledons dominate still, but the beautiful, rich, and tiny green permanent leaves are growing; she also has tight internodal distances at this point. Charlie has not yet split the seed coat, but it still appears viable (yes, I exposed it; quite gently). All three pots got a dose of one cup or reverse osmosis filtered water. Day 07 - End of the week. Alpha is solid and strong. Bravo is exceptionally tiny...inexplicably tiny. Going to start feeding next week. I checked the seed for the third plant; Charlie remains a hard, un-cracked seed. I returned Charlie to the rooter and watered, covered lightly with the grow medium.

Day 08 - Watered ALPHA and BRAVO with 8 oz RO and 8 oz of the nutrient water (making it 50% strength). Watered CHARLIE with 16 oz RO. ALPHA seems strong and robust. BRAVO is lagging a great deal in growth. It's not clear if this is an unintended genetic trait or a parental trait passed down somewhere along the line. Though it is tiny it seems otherwise healthy. CHARLIE has yet to make an appearance despite having been put in the root sponge 11 days ago. Day 09 - 16 oz RO water (no nutes). ALPHA continues to grow steadily. There may be a bit of nutrient burn at the tip of one of the first true leaves. BRAVO remains very, very small. It appears one of the cotyledons was undersized or underdeveloped. It's not clear what caused it, but I think that may have contributed to it's small stature. Despite it's small size it looks otherwise healthy. Day 13 - ALPHA continues to grow as expected, but BRAVO remains inexplicably small. She has had the same environment and treatment as her sister. Despite this, the plant has had virtually no growth over the course of the week. Day 14 - I'm treating ALPHA for calcium deficiency. I've looked at the spotting on the leaves and the marginal drying at the tips, and since I'm using RO water I'm fairly certain calcium was lacking. I use Cal-Mag+ in my nute formula, so I upped the nutrient from 1/4 solution to 1/2 solution (8 oz RO, 8 oz full strength nutes). New growth on the third node appears to be unaffected as of yet, and thee fourth node is just beginning to emerge. BRAVO seems to be getting larger yet remains exceptionally small. There are no signs of deficiency, but I upped the nutrient level for BRAVO as I did for ALPHA. This is a prophylactic measure to prevent calcium deficiency.

Day 15 - CORRECTION: After further research I've concluded that ALPHA sustained nutrient burn, NOT calcium deficiency. The brown spots - the burn areas - lack the darker spotting associated with calcium burn. Furthermore, I initially fed the plant with a half-strength nutrients instead of quarter strength. ALPHA is doing fine at half nutrient strength now. I've put the plants in the tent under the LED. Light is placed approx 36" above the canopy. It will remain at a fixed height until/unless I need to adjust it. Reason for the fixed height is that I will add other plants on the same light schedule. Day 17 - ALPHA has no new damage from the overfeeding. BRAVO has extensive nute burn. This was a rookie mistake, and it's one I won't make again. Day 18 - ALPHA has new growth - fourth node is coming in. Gave her 16 oz of RO water. BRAVO is showing extensive damage over 50% of her little leaves, but she is growing. Gave her 16 oz RO as well. Expecting BRAVO to recover, but it will be a difficult road for her. Day 19 - Starting LST on ALPHA. BRAVO has continued with new growth, but the nute burn is extensive. Day 21 - ALPHA has new growth free of nutrient burn. She has fully oriented toward the light and recovered from the first session of LST. Her internode is very tight. BRAVO shows more, very severe damage from the nutrient burn. I flushed her, but shes's so small I think extensive damage has been done. I expect her to recover, but the consequences of burning her so young remain to be seen.

This was a brutal week. Brutal. The plants are extremely small for being three weeks old, and the worst of it is that I found two caterpillars on ALPHA. My grow tent is inside a storage shed attached to the house, but it's not entirely sealed off from the outside. This allows insects to get in and out. Unfortunately, my resident spiders haven't been keeping up with their conditions of their tenancy. I'm going to have to move the tent back into the garage. The garage is south facing, so I'm going to have to be vigilant about maintaining a reasonable temperature. F@ck.

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D044 V38 ALPHA: LST continues with light defoliation - only to expose branches that are hidden. Diluting nutrients to a 1/3 strength. Currently 16 oz RO to 8 oz nutrient solution. D041 V33 BRAVO: Growth and recovery from nutrient burn and caterpillar munching seems to be in full swing. Diluting nutrients to a 1/3 strength. Currently 16 oz RO to 8 oz nutrient solution. D045 V39 ALPHA: 16 oz RO D042 V34 BRAVO: 16 oz RO D046 V40 ALPHA: Diluting nutrients to a 1/3 strength. Currently 16 oz RO to 8 oz nutrient solution. D043 V35: Diluting nutrients to a 1/3 strength. Currently 16 oz RO to 8 oz nutrient solution.

I have reached the conclusion that LST, specifically bending the plant, is very burdensome. The internodal distance is very short on this strain, and that makes it difficult to bend and keep the canopy even and clear. My take away at this point is that minor LST, such as pulling side branches out, might be best with light defoliation.