Fastbudskindablackberry Kushylicious

OFFICIAL SET UP Tent 2 ft X 4 ft X 5 ft Light rail (light mover) (2) G8 Led grow lights 140 actual watts each (1) G8 Led bloom lights 245 actual watts each (1) G8 Led Red bloom booster 90 actual watts Hydrofarm PPF/PAR meter 3 Gallon Maxi pots (4) 1020 reinforced drainage trays (2) Exhale Co2 bags Autopilot Temperature/Humidity/Co2 monitor (2) 6 inch 2-speed circulation fans 4 inch 190 cfm variable speed exhaust fan with carbon filter H&M tds meter (0.5 ppm scale) Hanna ph meter Small cool mist ultrasonic humidifier Precision hand held watering device (Turkey baster) SOIL COMPONENTS Biobizz Light mix Canna Coco Coir Fox Farm Ocean Forest mix Perlite Azos nitrogen fixing bacteria Great White beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizae SEEDLING / VEG. NUTRIENTS Canna Bio Rhizotonic Canna Bio Vega BLOOM NUTRIENTS Advanced Nutrients Sensi Bloom A & B B-52 Big Bud Bud Candy Bud Factor X Canna PK 13/14 SUPPLEMENTS Advanced Nutrients Sensi Cal/Mag Cannazyme Canna Boost General Hydroponics Armor Si Organic Blackstrap Molasses Epsom Salt FLUSHING SOLUTION General Hydroponics Flora-kleen Floated seeds in sterilized shot glass with distilled water left in the dark. After 24 hours root tips emerged then transferred seeds to moist paper towel in covered container left in the dark. Planted seeds less than two days later in my loose pre-moistened seedling mix just slightly covering the seed then used 2 or 3 ml of R.O. water just enough to further moisten the surface without sinking the seed and mix down. Covered them with a clear solo cups with (5) 1/2 inch air circulation holes in them to keep humidity levels over 70% but under 90%. Seedlings broke the surface over the next 24 to 48 hours. Removed solo cups a few days later when first pair of serrated leaves emerged (This is my Day 1). Seedling mix of 7 parts Biobizz light, 1 part coco coir 1 part perlite, Azos and Great White moistened with R.O. water and 2 ml of Canna Bio Rhizotonic ph corrected to 6.2. Loosely filled in void left by the solo cup that was used to create a pocket in the potting mix (See photo). The potting mix consisted of 32% Biobizz light, 32% Coco Coir, 32% Fox Farm Ocean Forrest, 4% Perlite. Also added Azos (Azospirillum Brazilense) nitrogen fixing bacteria, Great White beneficial microbes and Mosquito Bits ( Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis) for natural fungus gnat control. Using R.O. water mixed with 2 ml per gallon of Canna Bio Rhizotonic ph corrected to 6.2 I moistened the soil mixture just enough to hold together when squeezed in my hand but easily fell apart creating a loose mix. Lastly added food grade diatomacous earth to a salt shaker container and lightly sprinkled over surface of soil to hinder any fungus gnats from wanting to explore my pots.

WEEK 2 I unfortunately have one plant that has been showing issues of some type of virus possibly TMV (Tobacco mosaic Virus). She will be removed from the grow. I have been extremely careful not to cross contaminate the other plants. All equipment is sterilized with a 15% bleach/water soaking solution after each use. No signs of issues on any of the other plants in the tent. Growth is progressing well gave the first light feeding on day 10 with Bio Vega, Bio Rhyzotonic which worked out well seems Bio Rhyzotonic tends to be alkaline so adding Bio Vega which is acidic balanced out fairly well. Also applied Azos and Great White beneficial microbes which I will continue to apply every 2 weeks during my grow with my last application in week 6. Using a feeding solution of 50 ml per plant in a circular pattern directly around plants about every 3rd day using a minimal moisture approach. I am also using new pots for this grow and use an electronic moisture meter to gauge the moisture amount at different depths within the pots to make sure the lower portions are not over saturated. PLAN OF ACTION, My goal in the first 3 or 4 weeks is to try to keep everything "leaning" to the organic side in order to allow the natural microbial growth to establish themselves in the soil and root system. It has come to my attention that some chelating agents and chemical fertilizers can hinder microbial growth. Since these microbes do actually produce natural chelates I am confident they will do there job until I obtain a well defined root system with abundant feeder roots. Depending on the growth pattern and flower timing I will switch over to chemical nutrients in order to maximize nutrient uptake during bud formation, bud growth and bud bulking up stages. Seems auto flower plants tend to show Cal/Mag deficiencies around week 6 so adding Cal/Mag into my feeding regime during week 4 has worked out well for me on previous grows. I'm running my temperatures a bit higher at an average of 82 F this grow. Using a infrared thermometer average leaf temperature was about 75 F with an average of 63 % humidity giving me a LVPD (Leaf Vapor Pressure Deficit) of 0.61 kPa. Having your plants in the optimum LVPD ranges helps them absorb Co2 to properly conduct photosynthesis and allows the root system to adequately utilize water and nutrients. Using average leaf temperature is the best way to calculate LVPD. LED lights tend to have leaf temperatures lower than atmospheric temperatures in the grow room. Growers using HID, Fluorescent bulbs typically will have temperatures higher than room temperature. With HPS leaf temperature can be 8 - 10 F higher than room temperatures due to the amount of infrared emitted by the bulb. Recommended LVPD Seedlings/Early Veg 0.4 - 0.8 kPa Late Veg/Early Bloom 0.8 - 1.2 kPa Mid/Late Bloom 1.2 - 1.6 kPa *** Danger Zone*** Below 0.4 kPa / Over 1.6 kPa https://www.dimluxlighting.com/knowledge/vapor-pressure-deficit-vpd-calculator/ https://vpdcalculator.com/vpd-calculator https://www.blackdogled.com/lst Lowered LED grow lights to 18 inches on day 12. PPF/PAR meter reading 350 -400 umoles. Giving me a DLI (Daily Light Integral) range of 25.20 - 28.80 moles. Recommended LED PPF/PAR Values / DLI Based on 20 hrs of light. Seedlings 150 - 200 umoles / DLI 10.80 - 14.4 moles per day Veg up to 9" 450 umoles / DLI 32.40 moles per day Early bloom 500 umoles / DLI 36.00 moles per day Mid bloom 650 umoles / DLI 46.80 moles per day Late bloom 750 umoles / DLI 54.00 moles per day Ripen 400 umoles / DLI 28.80 moles per day *** Use caution when going 700 umoles or higher @ 20 hrs/day this could cause leaf burn*** PPF measures the total amount of PAR emitted from the lighting system per second. PAR is the amount of light in the 400 - 700 nm color spectrum that can actually be used by the plant. PAR does not measure the amount of UV and Infrared that plays a part in trichome formation and cell quality. DLI is the total amount of PAR the plant has received per day Our goal is to have a minimum DLI in the 38-40 mole range when it bloom. https://www.waveformlighting.com/horticulture/daily-light-integral-dli-calculator https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/blogs/news/horticulture-metrics-par-ppf-ppfd-dli

Week 3 Take off! These girls shot up quickly which made me a bit nervous seeing it's only week 3 and my vertically challenged grow tent. They are unofficially starting to bloom. I'm calling this week veg since I'm continuing with veg nutes until they are 3/4 way through stretch and continue to do everything to prevent over stretching that too much nitrogen and phosphorus would cause also avoiding using a heavier red spectrum bloom light too soon. Started doing some LST training bending back the main cola about midway up the stem then manipulated a few branches for positioning using some anodized aluminum bonsai wire with a hook bent on one end and did some leaf tucking where needed. I'm trying to create a more uniform canopy if possible rather than having a predominant main cola sticking up to give equal light intensity to all top bud sites. Only two issues to deal with this week my cheap clip on fan slid down blowing to the top of the main cola of the dominant corner plant causing a few of the leaves to recoil in fear. Last I'm sad to say I had to pull the plant with the virus this week from my grow. You can't say I didn't give her a chance! They received 2 feedings about every 2nd to 3rd day only as needed still not watering to run off but moistening the entire surface of the pot to allow enough moisture for the microbes to thrive. Dropped lights to 16" PPF/PAR meter reading of 450-500 umoles giving me a DLI of 32.40 to 36.00 moles per day. (See week 2 for info) Tent temperature 81 F with an average leaf temperature of 75 and average humidity of 60%. Giving me a LVPD of 0.80 kPa (See week 2 for info)

Week 4 The bloom is officially on! Darn these girls already gave me some nice stretch with the tallest one stopping at 24 inches right on target for me. Started week with just straight ph correct water since I squeezed in one last feeding late in week 3. Middle of the week gave these girls a nice flush to get them ready for some bloom nutes. Highest runoff was 1460 ppm I'm sure there was a lot of stuff building up in there so I continued to flush until I got the runoff ppm in the 800-850 ppm range. Runoff ph was great in the 6.0-6.2 range. Followed up with a light nutrient solution of 450 ppm for the last quart of flush water. Let them dry out nicely for a few days last day of week I used 1 table spoon Organic Blackstrap Molasses per gallon of water ph corrected and added 1/2 teaspoon Great White beneficial microbes. Planning on one more application of great white in week 6. Flipped on my bloom lights PPF/Par meter reading 550 - 650 umoles Giving me a DLI of 39.60 to 46.80 Moles per day great for budding stage.( See week 2 for info) Tent temperature 81 F with an average leaf temperature of 75 and average humidity of 60%. Giving me a LVPD of 0.80 kPa (See week 2 for info)

Week 5 - From the looks of things I believe they are done with what ever stretch they had left in them stopping at 29". I would be surprise if they grew in height any more. Seeing a lot more white pistils showing up so the buds are developing a more complex shape to them. Performed bit of house keeping trimming off some lower fan leaves a micro bud sites, finished tying off my branches to allow a nice spread for more light to penetrate the inside of the plants bud sites. Performed a Half-Cropping technique I utilized on my Fast Buds Zkittlez grow where I lightly roll the stems between my thumb and index finger then gently squeeze the stem then gave them a slight bend at that point with my other hand to maybe a 45 degree angle but not taking them to the point of performing a full super cropping by taking them to the 90 degree point. I did notice the stems seemed very thin and hollow especially the light green phenotype compared to my Lemon AK-47 stems in the same grow. I am theorizing that the BB strain may be calcium hungry and I have increased my Cal/Mag when feeding them which should thicken up the stems. Time will tell when I chop in the end I'll take a look. They seem to recover and strengthen the bent area almost over night. I would call this Half-Cropping the stem or so I will coin the technique. Using this creates some stress to mimic an injury that will force the plant to send more energy to repair the damage and hopefully create more resin and terpenes in the buds.*** Warning you may not be able to use a grinder on your weed if you do this technique it will jam it up no shit!*** Increased my nutes slightly still haven't reached the 1/2 strength dosage as of yet. Trying to compensate for AN nutrients in my opinion have a bit of a high nitrogen ratio for the bloom stage I think overly leafy buds add weight but I like to see calyx dense buds instead so this is my ultimate end goal in bud development. I will start adding extra phosphorus and potassium in week 6 to prepare them for some bulking up over the next 3 weeks. I also check my runoff after feeding. ph averaged 6.1 and PPM was running 950 or less. I do this to make sure they are feeding properly and will adjust feedings or just water if needed. They are getting 2-3 feeding a week about every 2nd or 3rd day as needed they are getting thirstier and are watered to the point of less than 5% runoff. Sorry I'm not into wasting nutrients. Light intensity has been challenging since I'm maxed out in terms of being able to raise my lights any higher. I had a few hot spots of 750+ umoles which hit one plant a bit with some light stress yellowing the upper leaves. I have been trying to keep the main colas to the outside of the tent where the intensity is lower yet keep the lower buds more directly under the lights and rotate the plants when ever possible. Only time will tell if the leaves will have some light burn over the next few weeks it should start show itself more prominently Hopefully they won't look worse for wear by the end of the grow. PPF/PAR meter readings range from 650 -750+ which is pushing it. Giving me a DLI range of 46.80 to 54.00 Moles Per Day (See week 2 for info) Lowered my temperature to 77 F and humidity to 55%. Leaf temperatures are an average of 73 F which gives me a LVPD of 1.07 (See week 2 for Info)

Week 6 - Some progress with the buds developing a bit of size and seeing some pistils starting to dry signaling the end is approaching. The two taller phenotype are showing looser/stretchier bud growth with the green phenotype showing excellent bud density. Smell is picking up becoming more noticeable even with my exhaust fan on. Reminiscent of ripe fruit with a slight earthy/floral undertone. The "Half Cropping" technique that was performed in the beginning of week 5 has healed over leaving a slight swelling at the point of trauma on the stem very pleased with the result so far. I removed a few more random fan leaves that were blocking light to the lower buds and will continue to perform this slowly over the next few weeks as needed. Increased my nutrients this week adding in some Canna PK 13/14 and Canna Boost to start giving them the extra phosphorus and potassium needed to start bulking up in week 7-8. Also I used 1/5 teaspoon of Epsom salt (Magnesium Sulfate) to help the buds develop and boost terpene production. Studies have shown that magnesium and sulfur is beneficial for terpene production. I feel safe doing this with the increase of potassium and calcium. Proper ideal proportions are 4 parts potassium to 2 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium in order to prevent one or more from blocking absorption of each other. Update on light green/pale girl is she's hanging in there. I believe I missed a feeding on her and she has gotten only plain water by accident. She was showing signs of a nutrient deficiency most likely/possibly iron/sulfur/nitrogen. Looked almost like she was flushing from the top down which was odd with a runoff ppm of under 300 ppm I'm not surprised. She was given a healthy dose of nutes to get her ppm's back up there. Started keeping written notes of who got what. Fortunately I numbered my pots at the beginning of the grow which helps. The difference between growing 4 plants compared to 7 or 8 is way different in terms of keeping tracked of their different watering and feeding requirements. "Lesson learned the hard way" Made my last application of Great White beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizae at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon water with 1 teaspoon Organic Blackstrap Molasses added to feed those little buggers. Even though I'm using chemical nutrients I feel that at least some microbes will survive to be beneficial until the end of the grow. Light intensity is the same as week 5 PPF/PAR meter readings range from 650 -750+ which is pushing it. Giving me a DLI range of 46.80 to 54.00 Moles Per Day Tent humidity average of 47% humidity with an average leaf temperature of 71.6 F giving me a LVPD of 1.15 kPa Since I dropped my humidity I needed to increase my exhaust fan speed to maintain a reasonable temperature which in turn lowered my Co2 to 800 ppm. Please see week 2 for information regarding PPF/PAR readings, LVPD (Leaf Vapor Pressure Deficit) and DLI (Daily Light Integral)

Week 7 Buds are filling in getting denser. Some light fox tailing going on with the two taller phenotype. The green phenotype has very nice bud structure and is starting to show some color not sure if she will be as purple as the other two. Increased nutrients ppm this will be the maximum I will be feeding. They are receiving a feeding about every third day as needed taking almost 1/2 gallon to take them to the point of slight runoff. I continue to remove/tuck a few fan leaves as needed to allow more light to bud sights. Temperatures ,humidity light conditions are the same as week 6.

Week 8 They received their last feeding a few days before the end of the week. Buds are continuing to fill in. Pistils are turning orange and seeing signs the calyx are starting to swell up. Started to allow them to get slightly drier than usual in order to stress them slightly before their up coming flush. Trichome colors are some clear with mostly cloudy/milky and sporadic ambers starting to show up mostly on the sugar leaves. Shooting for 15-20+% amber would like to use this for evening smoke sessions. Guesstimating a 10-14 day flush before harvest. Grow tent conditions are the same as week 6.

Week 9 Update Began by selectively removing larger leaves from the buds to allow more light to the entire branches leaving a few strategically located leaves for some unknown reason. Started the big flush day 58. Used 5 ml Florakleen per gallon of water then soaked each pot with a bit more than a half a gallon of the solution early in the morning to let things soak in nicely. Later in the evening put another 5+ gallons R.O. water through each pot until I was able to get my runoff ppm down into the 175- 150 ppm range. Let these girls dry out really well before the next watering creating a bit of drought stress. I also switched out my bloom lights and only ran my veg/bloom full spectrum lights which have a heavier blue than red spectrum while the buds finish ripening. Trichomes are some clear but mostly cloudy/milky with a greater percentage of ambers starting to make an appearance. I have turned off my cool mist humidifier in an attempt to get my humidity lower. PPF/PAR meter reading of 400 - 475 umoles @20 hours/day giving me a DLI of 28.80 to 34.20 Temperatures are 77 F and 43% humidity leaf surface temperatures are 72 giving me a LVPD of 1.32 kPa. See week 2 for details.

Week 10 Update Girls were flushed with plenty of R.O. water for the whole week. Following a nice wet then dry type cycle and continued to remove larger fan leaves during the week. Up close the smell is very pleasant and noticeable with a berry like yet slight earthy fragrance which is unfortunately being over powered by my Fast Buds Lemon AK-47 grow in the same tent. Amazing fall colors are coming through even the green phenotype is showing off some nice purple and lavender coloration. I experienced a bit of fox tailing in one of the taller plants which seemed to be putting out a last ditch calyx growth effort before harvest even after cutting off the amount of red spectrum light. The buds will trim up nicely with a few extra snips here and there. The two taller phenotype branches were swaying from the weight of the buds when moved around which caused a bit of difficultly to photograph properly. I resorted to using some very fine green colored florists wire to hold each of the branches to support one another it worked out well. The green phenotype was heavily budded but was shorter and held them up well. They are definately ready to be harvested within the next couple of days.😉

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