Grow #1

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.