Grow #1

June 5, 2020 Day 1: All good, so far. Planted 1-1/2” sq rock wool into pint-size pots with 50/50 mix of Miracle-Gro potting soil and perlite, watered in well and then straight into the grow chamber (2’x8’ closet) under 4’ x8 6500K T5s. The plan is to top water with tap water and Cal-Mag Plus when necessary for first week, then begin and Advanced Nutrients Grow+Micro+Bloom at 1/2 strength. At beginning of Week 3 will transplant into 1-gallon pots with 75/25 perlite & vermiculite mix. The final move will be to 5-gallon hempy buckets at a later point. Will be topping and low stress training until big enough to start with the 2’x4’ ScrOG made from 3/4” PVC pipe and nylon twine wrapped into a 3”x3” grid. This is my first cannabis grow. Wish me luck Day 2: Received the GOVEE H5075 Indoor Thermometer-Hygrometer, (Amazon $13). Calibrated it using the free GOVEE Home app. I like being able to monitor temp and humidity from my smartphone. Pretty cool! Day 3: Dialed in the fans and air circulation system for maintaining optimal temperature. I’m sure it will change from week to week with the different humidity and temperature changes that will come with increased vegetation. I ordered a 6” fan that will remain inside the grow chamber for the duration, it should be delivered tomorrow. The Bluetooth capability makes it easy to stay informed of differences in temp and humidity. The leaves looks slightly droopy, but that’s expected being transplanted only 48 hours ago, not too bad at all. Watered just enough to keep the rock wool damp, including a low dose of Cal-Mag plus, three hours before lights out. I expect to see them perk up tomorrow. They’re going to get an hour less dark time for each of the next couple days as I adjust the for 18/6 light timer from existing 6am-midnight to 5am-11pm and again the next day to 4am-10pm, which will remain until the flip to 12/12 flower schedule. It’ll be more in sync with actual sunrise and sunset. It makes me feel better, if not for any other legitimate reason. Other than the time it took to check the app several times, today I spent only around 5 minutes actually tending to the plants and system. I’m resisting being overprotective and trying to just let them do what millions of years of genetic evolution has programmed them to do. Grow baby, grow! Day 4: Our area is really hot with the high of 88°F and really dry today at 17% RH. It’s going to be like this for a couple more days. I have to work out a better cooling system for the grow chamber. Watered at 6pm, they were thirsty enough. Another short 5 hour nap tonight, then they’ll be on the 4am-10pm schedule for the remainder of veg time Day 5: It’s 87°F with 28% RH in the chamber at 11:45am. The hottest and driest day of the year, so far. I put the plants up on two overturned 5 gallon buckets and raised the lights accordingly to double the volume in the narrow chamber, that should help keep the temperature down some. Added a 6” fan to blow across the space between the lights and the canopy. Added another oscillating fan in doorway of the room to help move some cooler air from the rest of the house. Installed a humidifier on medium setting. Still no significant growth yet, that’s expected for first week after planting clones. Day 6: Correction, today was the hottest day. It got up to 98°F! Sucks trying to keep it cool in the chamber, it got up to 91° for about 90 minutes. Going forward I may have to get a small swamp cooler or something because the temperature averages 81°, but rises slowly every day and peaks around 5:30pm a few degrees below 90°. Too hot! I don’t want to stress the plants. I’m going to change the light cycle to have the dark period during the hottest part of the day, having lights off will certainly help keep the temperature down. So, they’re skipping dark time tonight and getting an extra 6 hours of light, it won’t hurt while in veg phase. The new light cycle is 6pm to noon. Day 7: Changing the light cycle worked like a charm! Nighttime averages were 78°F and 47% RH. Everything turned off today at noon except the 6” fan on low setting and the humidifier on medium, averages are stable at 83° and 42% RH. At midday there is a tiny bit of light leaking into the closet, but it’s as dark as any moonless night. I’ll blackout the two windows in the room this evening after 6pm when the lights come on again, that should remedy the issue. It’s rewarding to see roots already poking out of the drain holes, more canopy growth and it’s finally starting to smell like weed. Damn, it’s been such a busy, a fine tweak week. I assume it’ll be more of the same going forward as I figure this shit out. It’s been fun so far and really hasn’t taken much of my time at all.

June 12, 2020 Day 8: A really hot first week, but I think they’ll be just fine. Put the plants in a different dark room for their 6-hour nap while I thoroughly cleaned the grow chamber and better configured everything inside. Also added more reflective styrofoam to the walls and floor. Blacked out the windows really well. With the new light cycle, the plants were awakened at 6pm, watered and fed with half strength AN BMG—for the first time—and Cal-Mag+. It’s a nice cool night under the lights. Day 9: They really seem to like the nutes. I had to raise the lights a couple inches. Draped a mylar emergency blanket over the overturned buckets. Another cool day and evening, they love it. Day 10: Another good day with temperature. Plants were light weight and soil was dry, so they got a good watering. Day 11: Lots of growth tips in many of the nodes. Unable to definitively identify sex yet. Day 12: Watered and fed with half strength AN BMG and Cal-Mag Plus with 9 hours until lights out. Fabricated the scrog frame this afternoon. Day 13: Really seems like they’re starting to get bushy. The main stems are hard and woody, the diameter has doubled since I first got the clones. The media is drying out much faster. Flushed well with water when they woke up. Tomorrow is two weeks since being planted in the pint containers. Looking forward to transplanting to 75% perlite and 25% vermiculite, 5 gallon hempy buckets tomorrow when the lights come on. Day 14: SNAFU today. Plants going into hempy buckets tomorrow.

June 19, 2020 Day 15: Big day transplanting from pint containers into the Hempy buckets with spigots installed 2 inches from the bottom of the reservoir. They were in the pint size pots for only two weeks and were already root bound. Hopefully, two more weeks from now they're going to explode when the tap roots reach the reservoir. Day 16: Top dressed with pea gravel help keep the perlite from being disturbed while watering. Drainage is working well. Runoff is approximately 80% of top water/nutrient liquid. Day 17: Looking heathy in new medium with water/feed schedule. Started low stress training today. Day 18: Still trying different ventilation combinations to keep temperature down. Day 19: Today a little pruning, topping/FIMing, and LST adjustments. Looking bushier. Day 20: The spigots are proving to be convenient. In all my Hempy Bucket research I only heard of drilling a hole and just letting the overflow run out. With the spigot I can basically raise the reservoir to whatever level, more water for wicking action, getting closer to the roots, hold it for as long as I want, then drain it without moving buckets or spilling a drop. At some point I’ll keep the res down to 2”. It may have been done before, I don’t know. Day 21: End of week 3 in veg, they really seem to love the extra space for roots in the Hempy buckets. Still want to get the temperature down, the average was 81°F in spite of four fans being in the chamber now.

June 26, 2020 Day 22: Visible growth every day. Aroma getting stronger. Day 23: More Low Stress Training. Day 24: Noticeable growth 24 hours after LST. Day 25: They’re drinking a lot more. Signs of slight nutrient burn on a few leaf tips. Flushed each with water only, twice. Day 26: The inside of the spigots have a little green algae, so I covered the spigots with tape to block out the light. Day 27: Found and killed one tiny leafhopper in the nymph stage. Ordered some insecticidal soap, sprayed with dish soap and water until it arrives. I was a little too rough and broke a branch. Taped the branch in hopes it will heal. Removed the pipe cleaners for one light cycle to let them stretch, will continue LST tomorrow.

July 3, 2020 Day 29: The Queen song was playing in my head while I tied those mothers down again today, after allowing them to stretch without restraints for two days. I think they’ll be ready for the scrog sometime next week. The fan leaves are getting a lot bigger and with a deeper color green. Day 30: Independence Day! It was hot and dry in the low 90°s. Still rearranging the fans to get good airflow and keep the temperature down. Also using the humidifier again. Day 31: More LST. Every time I strap it down it quickly grows beyond the restraint. Love it when a plan comes together! Day 32: Another hot and dry day outside, not bad inside. Managing to average 82°F in the grow closet with four fans blowing. Using the house AC for a couple hours as usual when it’s over 90° outside. Day 33: Today I reengineered the trellis; replacing the nylon twine with 2” square, wire stucco lath and added four PVC tee connectors to accommodate a second tier if necessary. The cost of all the materials is around $20. Also did some pruning to lighten up the canopy and get rid of anything that looked like it’s dying, diseased or discolored. Day 34: Both plants have recovered nicely, 24 hours after pruning. Also drinking incrementally more everyday. That goes for all parties involved. Day 35: I’m pleased that the Blue Dream plants seem to be thriving! Thankfully, I haven’t seen any more pests since that single leafhopper I killed last week, possibly because I immediately spritzed all the leaf surfaces with dish soap and water. No such luck with my outdoor vegetable garden, though. Today I found two leafhoppers on the cucumber plants, they have been chowing down on all types of vegetable leaves for at least two days or more. I pruned any veggie leaves that were dead, discolored, diseased, dying, devoured or touching the ground. As soon as I came inside I stripped off all my clothes, put them in the washer and took a shower myself. I’m trying to be mindful to not bring any bugs, eggs or larvae inside with me, which is how—I suspect—the one leafhopper got upstairs in the grow chamber in the first place. I certainly don’t want them eating my weed too. An ounce of prevention . . . Before sunset I’ll spray everything in the veggie garden with insecticidal soap. I shall keep a close eye on the situation. Hey, you little bastards, I’m watching you!

July 10, 2020 Day 36: I’ve been waiting for this day. I Installed the trellis and took the opportunity to test the 4 new 3000K T5HO tubes I had delivered yesterday. I also ordered 4 AgroMax Pure Bloom tubes that will be delivered next week. Probably flipping to flower phase in three weeks, that should leave plenty of time to veg out and fill the trellis. Woohoo! We’re ScrOGgin’, baby! Day 37: Hot, 98°F outside. I’m glad the lights are running on a nighttime schedule. Day 38: Hot again. Although, I think I’ve finally figured out the airflow to keep the temperature in the grow chamber from getting too high. Day whatever: It’s just . . . fucking . . . COVID-19. . . quarantine . . . Groundhog Day. Day 40: The scrog is filling out, also lots of new growth. Day 41: Every day I drain, water/feed at wake up time—that goes for me as well as the plants. Both plants in the 5 gallon buckets are consistently drinking one liter per day. Once a week I flood each bucket to the top of the media with approximately one gallon of water while the spigots are closed, then an hour later I drain all but what remains in the reservoir. Not only does it provide a thorough flushing, but also allows all of the roots and media to get well hydrated. I don’t think the roots will drown or rot from one hour of being completely under water. I don’t know of anyone using spigots. Everything I’ve read while researching Hempy buckets, the drainage hole is left open. With the reservoir level being right at the bottom of the open hole, it seems that the slightest jostling of the bucket would cause a spill. I’m sure we can all agree that spillage is certainly undesirable in any indoor grow. I’m a home-brewer, so when I decided to do Hempy buckets, I naturally thought to use spigots for the convenience and I already had them on hand. With the spigots I have had zero spillage. Spigots allow me to hold the liquid, move the buckets to other locations, drain liquid via the drain tube into the drain pan and never spill a drop. Day 42: Yesterday there were four new AgroMax Pure Bloom T5HO tubes delivered. I tested them and one burned out in five seconds. I hope to get a replacement soon. The plan is to make the flip to flower in two weeks.

July 17, 2020 Day 43: They’re almost touching! Only two more weeks to fill in the the ScrOG. Day 44: In one of the plants I’m seeing signs of nutrient burn on some of the lower leaves close to the main stem. I’m going to do a thorough flush and reduce the nutrients by half. Day 45: Another double flush today. Not seeing any further evidence of nute burn. Day 46: Back on quarter strength nutrients. Continuing to tuck everything under the trellis. Day 47: The two are finally touching in the center. Day 48: Looks like some pre-flower sites are turning a bit yellow. Day 49: Today I made cardboard panels covered with reflective mylar for the inside of the closet doors. Looked like parts to a lunar module. I should have done it two months ago.

July 24, 2020 Day 50: Final week of veg! I think I may have some root rot, because the runoff has a slight smell of sulfur and sewage. Today I did a double water flush and will leave the spigots open to get some aeration to the roots. I’m sure I’ve been holding too much liquid with the spigots being close all of the time. Going to change the water/feed routine; top watering at wake up with full runoff, then leave the spigots open until dark time. In my research on stinky runoff I found most of the growers asking for help in forums have mentioned that the odor began right around week 7 of Veg. Funny, that’s exactly the point I am at now. Much of the advice mentioned flushing once a week or so. And if that doesn’t help keep the foul smell down, I may need to try swimming pool shock. It’s basically a dose of chlorine to kill the stinky bacteria that comes with the decaying plant matter. In either event, most of the growers said it didn’t really effect the plants in flowering phase. This is my first grow and to be honest I am a little concerned. I really want to go into the flip with the plants being as healthy as possible. Stay tuned. Day 51: I am relieved that there is no more smell in the runoff. I’m sure it’s due to leaving the spigots open during lights-on period, as well as the flush. Day 52: The humidity is rising slightly. It has been averaging 50% RH with spikes of 58%, but now averages 55% RH with spikes of 64% RH. I attribute this to the spigots remaining open, runoff remaining in the drip pan and more vegetation in the grow chamber. I’ll turn up the fans a little to increase airflow, that usually helps bring the humidity down. Day 53: Still seeing slight nut burn on some of the larger fan leaves that are lower on the plants. It’s not too bad, though. Day 54: Daily I’ve been tucking fan leaves under the trellis and moving the ends of branches to other squares that are farther away from the center. It’s nice having the 2” square grid, because it helps quantify growth progress. Every day 6-8 preflower ends advance. There are hundreds of growth sites at every node, most at the same level, just below the screen. I’m looking forward to doing a massive defoliation just before the flip in a few days. And seeing the stretch upward as they run wild for a few weeks without any further encumbrance of the trellis. I’m also planning another defoliation at 21 days into flower phase. It seems counterproductive to strip 90% of the leaves that have been vegging out for two months, but most of what I’ve read says it’ll provide bigger yields and better quality buds. The defoliators out there swear by it. Day 55: I gave the all the leaves a final insecticidal soap treatment in preparation of the flip in a few days. Day 56: A final one-gallon flush for both.

July 31, 2020 Flower day 1: Über schwazze! Defoliation of 90% of the leaves. I made sure to be very careful with the cuts, there wasn’t any accidental pruning of pre-flowers. There are well over 120 bud sites. I hope I haven’t just killed the plants. I also removed the light fixture from the grow chamber to swap out the 6500K tubes I’ve been using for veg with four 3000K and four AgroMax Pure Bloom tubes. Now it’s lights out for 33 hours. The new flower light cycle will run at night with lights on from 9:00 PM to 9:00 AM. Flower day 2: I reinstalled the fixture with the new bloom spectrum lights. I was pleased to see after 33 hours of darkness the plants seem to have handled the defoliation well, not looking too stressed out. Although, the remaining leaves do look a bit shriveled; I think this may be from a fan that I left switched on in the closet, it’s usually blowing over the top of the fixture to help keep things cool. With the fixture removed, the fan was blowing directly on the plants for the entire extended dark period. I think they’ll be ok. Flower day 3: Already seeing new growth three days after defoliation. Flower day 4: Cool day and a cool night. Fairly rapid growth. Looking forward to the big stretch. Flower day 5: The leaves are looking much better, fuller and greener.

Flower day 8: What a difference a week makes. Both plants recovered well from the defoliation. Little buddies everywhere! Flower day 9: Slowly increase the nutrients as the leaves are thriving in a stretch.

Flower day 15: Having some family issues. Will probably not be logging much for a while. Flower day 20: Buds are really starting to grow, looking good.

August 21, 2020 Flower week 4 Flower day 22: Flushing both plants with a gallon of water. Will do another defoliation before lights out in the morning.

August 28, 2020 Flower week 5 Flower day 36: Approximately 80% of the buds look brown and stunted. I thought it was nutrient burn, but now I think they’re full of seed. I’ve been leaving the windows open on cool nights, perhaps this is how the got pollinated. I’m really disappointed. I may have just spent 3 months growing butt weed. There are still a half dozen or so buds that look normal, but I’m losing interest by the minute. 😟

September 4, 2020 Flower week 6 Flower day 43: More of a seed farmer than a weed farmer.

September 11, 2020 Flower week 7 Flower day 50:

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