Grow #1: Gelato + Unknowns

January 19, 2021 (Week 2, Day 15): I am a nerd and want to use data to produce the best expression of the genetic makeup in the Nirvana line I decided on. One of the concepts I've been interested in experimenting with is the "vapor pressure deficit" or VPD. I've been using a nice chart I found online in an attempt to keep the plants transpiring at the optimum rate. After the first week the plants seem to be really healthy and growing very fast so I want to try my best to follow the data. It seems to me by the chart that I am using that I should slowly start reducing my rH% while moving through the stages of growth. I'll be starting to experiment with VPD next week by slowly lowering the humidity to around 65% rH. Two weeks after I'll aim for 60% rH, and so on. When I lower my rH% the temperature tends to spike. I opened a small intake on the other side of my tent and my temperatures are now 77-78℉, which is still within range of optimum transpiration. On another note, it's been two days since I've watered with 1l of water per plant. The medium is still moist about half an inch deep. I think I'll skip watering today and allow the root-zone time to dry. I'll check again in the morning. Plants look happy and healthy - they're starting to get pretty big. Nothing else to report for today. Average of 70% rH and 77℉. January 20, 2021 (Week 2, Day 16): The plants are growing very fast and seem really healthy. Today is watering day. I've decided to add nutrients to the tune of 1.2ml of pH Perfect Bloom + 1.2ml of pH Perfect Grow + 1.5ml of Cal-Mag + .2ml of pH down. That gave me a 1000ml solution of 6.5 pH. I may end up regretting adding additional nutrients, but I see no signs of burns or deficiencies - so let's juice these girls up! Hopefully we'll see some explosive growth over the next several days. Starting to notice very tight inter-node spacing - each plant, especially Gelato, is very short and squat. I'm really excited to see if this keeps up as I've heard short inter-node spacing is a sign of great genetics that produce tasty dense buds. Average of 70% rH and 77℉. January 21, 2021 (Week 2, Day 17): It feels like these plants, especially the Gelato 1, are growing very fast. Gelato is another inch taller this morning with almost a fully developed third node. The main stem is also beginning to fatten up nicely. Both Unknowns are clearly an Indica-dominant strain with extremely fat and squat leaves. They're growing a bit smaller than the Gelato, but appear equally as healthy. I also noticed that Unknown 1 appears to have a slight mutation - there is a smaller fourth leaf on the second node near the base where the leaves attach to the stem. Doesn't appear to be anything major. The mutation is mirrored on the other side of the plant as well. Guess we'll see if we get any other weird mutations out of her. Got my first big whiff of cannabis-plant smell as I opened my tent this morning. The plants are beginning to transpire a lot which is raising my humidity levels. I knocked my humidifier down 5% and now we are sitting pretty. Medium is still soaked, not anticipating another water for several days. I discovered some runoff under Unknown 2's pot this morning. I waited about 10 minutes for runoff when watering yesterday, but no runoff came out - kind of threw me for a loop. Vacuumed it up and were clean and back to normal. Average of 70% rH and 77℉. No other news today. January 22, 2021 (Week 2, Day 18): Another 24 hrs down and another 24 hrs of explosive growth. The plants are starting to get pretty large. Gelato 1 is definitely going to be bushy. Noticed the same mutation on Unknown 1 on the third node of leaves. Doesn't really seem to be affecting anything. The medium on every plant is still moist. I'll check again in the morning to see if water is needed. These girls are trucking right along. If this growth keeps up I'll be topping with some minor LST by the middle of next week. Super excited to see these plants thriving so well! Average of 70% rH and 77℉. Nothing else to report for today. January 23, 2021 (Week 2, Day 19): The plants are growing strong. Noticing big differences between each 24 hour period. The smell is starting to get stronger as the plants transpire more. I decided to water today with 1000ml + 1.25ml pH Perfect Grow + 1.25ml pH Perfect Bloom + 1.5ml Cal-Mag Plus + .2ml of pH down at 6.4 pH per plant. Got a bit of runoff and pH is sitting perfect. I added another 6" Hurricane fan to create more air movement. Plants are all wiggly and enjoying life. I also used a 4" wire rack to elevate my humidifier a bit. Average of 70% rH and 78℉. No other news today. January 24, 2021 (Week 2, Day 20): More crazy growth over the last day. Plants are getting so big I have had to roll the edges of my fabric pots down a bit to allow more airflow and also allow for the leaves to drape over the sides of the pots. Plants look extremely healthy with no signs of nutrient deficiency/burn. I think I might ratchet up the nutrients on the next week to continue pushing these plants as hard as I can during training. I don't know what has happened to Unknown 1 but it has taken off like a rocket and is now my largest plant. To help even out the growth of both the Unknowns, I swapped their positions in the tent - Gelato 1 is still in the middle. Will definitely be doing topping/defoliating/LST next week as each plant is already working on their fifth node. Average of 70% rH and 78℉. January 25, 2021 (Week 2, Day 21): What a great week of growth. Plants are fully established and thriving. Unknown 1 has grown over 2" in the last 48 hours. Discovered very tiny rust spots on one of Unknown 1's leaves last night. They've gotten smaller over the last 12 hours. Suspect minor calcium deficiency. Next feeding I will up my Cal-Mag to a higher concentration to avoid deficiencies since I am pushing these plants hard. Gelato 1 is growing like mad as well - it is twice as wide as it is tall. It is definitely going to be bushy - hopefully that translates into nice dense buds. Unknown 2 is the smallest of the three plants. It seems happy and healthy. Definitely an indica of some kind, and I suspect even more bushy than Gelato 1 as it fills out. All plants are now working on their sixth node. Topping and LST will come most likely towards the end of this week, perhaps Thursday or Friday. The humidifier was misting into my new fan and dripping water onto Unknown 2 overnight. I've rearranged the fans and humidifier in my tent several times to find the ideal setup, and to make sure the humidifier distributes vapor in front of the fan instead of into it. Seems to have solved the problem and I am getting more consistent readings. It's the last day of 70% rH. The next two weeks will be ~60-65% rH, and then will move further down as the plants enter flowering. Average of 70% rH and 79℉. I'm really excited for next week. I've only trained and pruned my outdoor garden before. I am really looking forward to snipping these plants and beginning the training process. Topping makes me super nervous, but after reading as much as I have about the subject, I feel confident that I can pull it off without much problem. I've kept the internet close to me during this grow since it's my first time, and so far my research seems to be paying off in spades. If you are an experienced grower and see something that I should be doing, or that I am doing wrong, please feel more than free to leave constructive criticism in the comments section. I am a life-long student, and I would love to learn new tips and tricks to help me produce healthy and resinous plants! Stay tuned - hopefully good things await in the next few weeks! 👻