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Starting a new grow. The prior one I had did wind up being finished, but between turmoil at work transitioning to the nonsense with Covid-19, I just didn't have the motivation to continue it. I made a ton of mistakes, and as a result, I've decided to change to autoflowers until I'm a bit more experienced. Autos have the benefit of a faster turnaround, so I can learn more. The most important thing I learned in my first grow was what I don't know.
There's really not much to talk about for this grow. I have Oasis wedges to eliminate as much organic material as I can, as opposed to the Rapid Rooters I used before. I don't like rockwool, and I won't have anything to do with it. Oasis is probably the best middle ground for me, still not biodegradable, but at least non-toxic. I don't have anything else to report. We'll just let the new girls grow.
I also am going to do this a hair differently. First, I plan to update each day, even if it's just a picture of each plant. Second, I plan to have some more fun with this for once. I have a habit of being a bit on the dry side, and frankly, it also makes it boring after a while. So, I will name my plants! Other changes to feel will be coming.
Day 1 notes:
The first seed came up! Gotta be honest, I am rejecting the urge to name it Alice, but I've spent too much time learning Information Theory, so no. I also don't want a common or obvious name either. And so, after WAY more thought than I'll bet you think, we welcome Tiamat to this world! The second seed is definitely still coming up, I can see it down there, but Tiamat wanted to come up first. See you for tomorrow's edit.
Day 2 notes:
Nothing much to report. Plant 2 is coming up, and should be ready for a name tomorrow, I'm thinking Marduk. Tiamat is looking nice.
Day 3 notes:
In Babylonian mythology, Marduk killed Tiamat, and I just don't want the association, so Apsu came up today! It seemed to have some trouble finding its way up, but there it was. The first seed sprouted day 3 in the rig, and the second after 6. I'm also working on a time lapse for the end of the grow, something to look forward to.
Day 4 notes:
I officially changed to an 18/6 light schedule today. I usually do 24 hours to germinate, covering the media to protect from direct light. Other than that, the little seedlings are doing great.
Day 5 notes:
Reservoir was getting a little smelly, so I decided to change it a couple of days early. Added a very light cocktail of nutrients.
Day 6 notes;
Nothing really to report. Seedlings are growing nicely. It wasn't until late that the nutes got added, so we'll see what they say tomorrow.
Day 7 notes:
Tiamat has a few roots coming out of her net pot. Apsu still hasn't showed anything, but both seem happy for now. Week update tomorrow. One interesting note was how high the pH jumped over the last 2 days. TDS is within error bars of original reading (255 ppm), so I'm just thinking the oxygen.
Starting week 2, plants look lovely.
Day 8 notes: Tiamat has got a fair collection of roots in the res, while Apsu is just dropping her first taproot. Everything holding steady, so we'll see as the week goes on.
Day 9 notes: Both plants are growing great. I tried to take a shot of the roots, but I need to take macro off, the shots I got were so blurry I decided to delete them and try again.
Day 10 notes: Nothing to report. They're starting to grow fast. The roots move too much for my shitty camera's stabilization, so all pics came out blurry still, but at least you can see them.
Day 11 notes: Tiamat is now showing some brown spots on her lower leaves. This is extremely troubling. I'll be asking a question about it. I'm really not sure why this is happening. I don't know if it's happening with Apsu, as it did come up a couple of days later.
Day 12 notes: Mottling is getting a little worse, but today I changed the reservoir with the Week 2 recipe, so if it is a deficiency, it will be cleared up soon. Thank you to everyone who answered. I have been going feather light on nutrients this time, so it makes a ton of sense for it to be a deficiency, and it even looks like one, now I know what it is lol. Other than that, the plants are definitely still plugging away. I took a moment to reflect just now, and it's hard to believe that in just about 2 months, these plants will be about ready.
Day 13 notes: I hope I'm overreacting. I hope I hope I'm overreacting. So I saw some chunks of brown crap floating around in my res. It appears it accumulated around my tubes originally. I saw a few chunks caught on my roots and immediately thought root rot. There isn't a strong smell, not unlike the smell in my bottle of Hydroguard, but much stronger, but I don't want to take the chances. I'm tossing my bottle of Hydroguard. Thank god I still have my Voodoo Juice. Maybe it's expensive, but I don't get anything like that with it. Apart from that, the roots do not appear to damaged. In other news, the mottling has stopped dead. The plants seem to like the new mixture.
Day 14 notes: Voodoo Juice - Accept no substitutions. I'm not advertising, I'm just a very happy user. After the debacle with brown bacterial bloom in my res yesterday, I went straight to my fridge and got my leftover Voodoo Juice, measured out 20ml for my 5 gal res, and squirted it straight in. Since then, I had to wait until today to give it a chance to make a difference. When I inspected my res today, I was blown away. The water is noticably clearer, and where yesterday all of the lines were thick with brown growth, today a large majority of that growth is gone, and what remains is thinner, peeling, and has turned white. I expect that after tomorrow the bacterial genocide should be complete, and then I'll probably squirt in a little Sweet Raw to boost their numbers. In other news, week 2 has officially come and gone, and I still love what I'm seeing. Mottling has completely stopped dead since the new solution has been added, so I am very confident in the potassium deficiency diagnosis.
Looking forward to week 3:
I plan to FIM each plant during week 3 when they're ready. Other than that, no other damage is intended to either plant. Other than that, I can't wait.
Long and short of it is that I'm wondering what's going on with these brown spots on Tiamat. The solution pH has been dropping rapidly, even though the PPM has only very slightly raised (250 - 275 over the past 3 days, whereas pH has shot down from 6.2 to 5.8).
deficiency, if only feeding/maintaining 250-275. A lot of tap water comes out at 250-300. A modest feed is still 600-700 + tap and perfectly safe for all stages of plant growth -- more likely if there isn't a cartoon graphic on the label anyway.
low on plant, so it is mobile. That's an early leaf, so it may not be neccessary to worry much unless you see it spread. The plant could just be getting rid of it. Since other leaves look healthy, i'd say a K-def if anything, but it shouldn't be impacted by the pH too much. If you've been giving a significantly reduced feed on top of what you see, then that's almost certainly why you see the leaf problems.
as far as pH, that's from the constant evaporation. you'll find a happy medium by adjusting up and down. As long as you maintain the same brand feed, you'll likely need just one or the other and a consistent amount per day or week etc if consistent otherwise, but good to have something to raise and lower pH readily available. Vinegar can work as a ph-down, for example. I wouldn't use sodium-bicarbonate, but you could use that to pH-up a time or two and not have any worries at all about the added Na+. Over time it will cause a problem, especially if you re-use the substrate.
In a hydro setup, you are 100% responsible for that. In soil the microbes help maintain and buffer any large swings due to what you put in.
Moving into week 3.
Day 15 notes: The growth is almost completely gone. I am very happy with this is turning out. These plants had a nice growth spurt yesterday. I'm thinking tomorrow or the next day to FIM Tiamat.
Day 16 notes: FIM day for Tiamat. Other than that, not too much to report. We'll see how long she takes to recover. A little anecdotal note: I have been taking shots every day from the same or similar angles day on day, giving me a decent view into just how they're growing day on day. I have noticed both plants start growing very rapidly. We'll see what we're looking at coming on.
Day 17 notes: I won't say Tiamat never felt her FIM-ing. but barely. She is already starting to push out her growth tips. I am so happy. Apsu will probably be getting hers tomorrow or the next day. She does appear to be catching up.
Day 18 notes: First hot day of the year where I'm at. Temps in the tent peaked at 86 degrees, which is not good. However, I also picked up an AC today, so after pumping my fan up to max, the temp in the tent is dropping fairly well. FIM-ed Apsu. Tiamat has officially shrugged off her haircut, so now it's onward and upward! Looking forward to what tomorrow brings. Also, not every day is going to have great pics, but they still show the growth well.
Day 19 notes: Check out that recovery from both of these champions! I still have to make the nutrient solution, but they're just doing great! See you all tomorrow.
Day 20 notes: Tiamat has started to show pistils a little early, but both are still growing strong. Moving along!
Day 21 notes: This heat wave can go away any time here. Glad I thought ahead and added a large dose of SI. Let's see how this all goes, now that we close out week 3.
Coming around the corner into week 4, damn are these ladies looking pretty. Let's get the bad news out of the way first: I definitely missed the FIM on Tiamat. I can't help enjoy the irony. The whole reason it's called FIM-ing was missing a topping, and I missed the miss. Apsu looks like it's developing correctly. Soooo, Tiamat is going to be bent into a spiral, and Apsu is... TBD, we'll see how that develops.
Day 22 notes: Really... REALLY glad I added a full dose of Armor SI this week, rather than the planned half dose. First day of this heatwave, both girls were showing mild heat stress, but after that, they perked up and are looking great. Apsu looks like she is gathering herself up into a ball. Little miffed I missed the FIM on Tiamat. Why do I use that phrase? My father used to call it "Pinching" so that's what I'll use from now on, however, no longer relevant.
Day 23 notes: Last day of this damned heatwave. Apsu is looking more and more like I got the pinch right, so it'll be cool to have a side-by-side. They are loving the new AC I put in the room with the tent.
Day 26 notes: Missed a couple of days. Gave both a healthy dose of LST to flatten them. Apsu is taking some time to push out those colas. Back to daily updates after this.
Day 28 notes: Technical difficulties up until now should be solved, so I should be back to every day updates. The plants are officially transitioning to flowering, so the lights are changed. Tomorrow, I will be adding a flowering update.
We're officially flowering!
Day 29 notes: These both have started strongly stretching. Not much else to talk about. I hate my camera, worst money I ever spent. It actually takes really nice pictures, with great detail, under the grow lights. So yeah, expect all the rest of my pics to be under the lights, since soft light pics are just so blurry.
Day 33 notes: I can't find a clearer answer to the cut vs not cut debate for Autos. The original plan was to pinch the tops of both, but as as noted, I missed on Tiamat, basically doing nothing more than trimming the tops of the leaves, whereas Apsu was perfect (3 colas). Apsu is so much smaller than Tiamat. I was originally upset when I missed the trimming on Tiamat and decided to bend her, but now the results are in.
Day 34 notes: So, fun story, for some idiot reason, Botanicare Sweet Raw is not in the GD Database, and if it is, it is not the same as the name on my bottle. These both are stretching considerably. Apsu is basically written off at this point. I don't like her structure, I don't like anything about how she has grown. By contrast, Tiamat at this point is blowing me away. Let's see how tomorrow goes!
We're chugging along great. On to the daily notes.
Day 36 - Look at Tiamat. She is stretching out like me in the morning. I am so happy with this strain. Great stretching, fast growth, and good structure. She's not too dense, not too crappy. Again, I simply will not cut the next batch. I have a *lot* more autos coming after this, and not to mention the newest Fastbuds release has me interested.
Day 37 - Looks like the stretch is about over. Only an inch and a half today.
Day 39 notes - There isn't much to report on a daily basis anymore. Each plant is doing their thing, and I'm letting them. One thing I love to see, though. Tiamat is developing good sized buds all the way down. I can't wait to see how it all goes. The buds smell like fresh lemon. Awayyy!!!
Day 42 notes - The fattening begins. All I have left is to watch the buds develop. Don't expect too much more for words unless something happens. We'll see what Apsu will even do, but Tiamat is the star of the show.
Coming into week 7! Should be looking at just about 6 more weeks until we're ready.
Day 43 notes: Tiamat's buds are getting chunky. Reallll chunky. Neither plant has a strong scent in the tent yet, but each has their own scent. Tiamat's resin is starting to develop a more citrus scent by the day, and her buds are developing beautifully. Apsu, while her growth is disappointing, she smells absolutely amazing, like fresh lemon zest. Tomorrow we're going to have a reservoir change.
Day 44 notes: New solution. Taking less and less time between fills. Nothing else really to note.
Day 45 notes: For the first time in her life, Tiamat needed a bit of a trim. Took a little pile of leaves off to let the air and light deeper into the plant. Tiamat smells just like fresh limes and berries. I've been joking around the house that I didn't expect a Purple Limeade plant. The buds are getting noticeably bigger by the day. I also built an interactive spreadsheet to help keep the right nutrient concentrations, and that's been helping, especially since I buy RO water, and am going to need to start topping off with solution, as these plants love the recipe I give them.
Day 46 notes - Nothing much to report. The tent is starting to smell very limey. Bumping up the smell from weak smell to moderate. Watching these buds produce tricromes and resin is insane.
Day 47 notes- I'm ripped. The plants are growing good still. See you all tomorrow. Gonna play some N64.
Day 50 notes - Apsu is waaaay more photogenic than her tent-mate. Trimmed a TON of leaves out of her yesterday. Fresh Lemon, gotta love that short pheno.
Day 51 notes - I am watching these buds creep up over the colas and cover them. Tiamat is looking like she alone will wind up with a bigger yield than the Amnesia Haze I did last. I am really loving this strain so far, from a growing standpoint. I can't wait to see how she smokes.
Day 52 notes - More pistils by the day. Fatter and fatter. Yeah... not much to say. The buds are just getting big.
Day 55 notes - Ok, I lied. I won't be updating every day. There's really not all that much more to say day by day at this point. They aren't springing up inches by the day, just... slowly getting bigger and bigger buds. Today, I added about a gallon and a half of water to the res to top off. The plants are officially very strongly smelling. Opening the tent, I am greeted by a wave of citrus aroma every time. I started seeing a couple of orange pistils the other day, but there is definitely more white than orange still. Looking at the side by side on Tiamat's colas from day 53 and 55, the growth is apparent. I can't wait to see what the final here will be. And to be clear, while I'm not going to update down here every day, I do still try to get daily pictures up.
Day 57 notes - So... my pics are going to have company soon. I am going to be trying out coco coir for my next grow, and I just realized yesterday that light schedules on autos aren't really a thing. Friday, all the stuff should be in play, so I'll be starting a second journal for them. Amber trichromes are starting on the sugar leaves, so we are getting into the home stretch. The tent smells like citrus. That's all, just like lemons, limes, and even a little orangey at times.
Day 60 notes - After today, my pics will be from a different angle. Today, I learned that setting up 25 gallons of coco coir is hard fricking work. My bathroom will never be the same. In further news about the girls, they are so damned stinky. I open the tent, and I am blasted with the smell. More and more orange pistils. Once I get some sprouts, I'll start my next diary. I gotta say, I am super happy with my experience with these plants so far. Growing them has been so easy. I am very excited to grow in coco. Now, about yesterday's update... so I did a res change... and my dumb ass forgot to turn the air pump back on. So, I checked the res yesterday to see a bath of cloudy water and bacterial film. Turned the pump back on, since it was only off a few hours, and checked back this morning. Water is clear again, so... crisis averted I guess lol.
Day 61 notes - More and more orange pistils, but still a bunch of white. Checked trichromes today, still clear as glass. Continuing the waiting game. Got everything set up for the next journal, so once I get sprouts there, I'll start it. You can see all my coco pots in the background. I've always had good results tossing a coffee filter over my horticubes for germination in situ. So, between Tuesday and Friday, I should be seeing some new sprouts.
Day 65 notes - Late updates, but I've been a busy man this week. Plus, what am I going to say. "These buds are sure getting fatter" over and over again? The growth is astounding, and I'm just looking to finish strong. Been needing to start stringing up some yoyo ties, so yep, looking great. Today is also the birthday of some of the newest plants, so yeah, busy man. I'll be back to update the nutes when I mix them 😛.
BudTowers
