During this week, issues with the light were resolved and lighting over the canopy became much more uniform. The light was able to function at maximum capacity for 4 to 5 days throughout this week which resulted in an increase in temperature (fixture outputs large quantities of heat) during both day and night. Light intensities ranged from 400 to 1400 micromoles due to poor light design which resulted in uneven intensities across the canopy.
However, the increase in light prevented a buildup of salts in the reservoir as the EC remained the same throughout the week. The plants absorbed greater amounts of nutrients to go along with increased water uptake. Plants grew rapidly during the week in height, number of nodes flowering and overall foliage. Thus, nutrient levels in the reservoir were increased to accommodate this.
At end of week, a very large number of leaves were defoliated resulting in an almost lollipop look. Numerous smaller branches were also pruned away to remove larfy buds and focus energy into crown growth. Plants responded very well to all defoliation events up to this point and rapidly recovered within 1 to 2 days by showing increased growth. This was the last week of MaxiBloom fertilizer, and the only week where the light worked correctly.