DurpDankley

! Better pix for the coming years growing ! (maybe?) I've dusted off my ancient camera from back in the days when cameras were still just very very good cameras and nothing else, an Olympus C-700UZ from 2001, and bought a hopefully decent set of rechargeable (Lithium) CR-V3 batteries. The camera is a truly ancient beast with a whopping 2.1mp sensor and 10x optical zoom. It loves to snack on normal 'AA' cells when given the option, and can fill a ye-olde style SmartMedia card (64MB & 128MB - LOL) in no time. Sure there's an obvious wonky pixel here and there as well as the finish being rubbed through over hundreds of miles of hiking, rafting, family vacations, and children's births, but very much like the Velveteen Rabbit 🐰, this camera is REAL!

⚠️ Ruh-roh, Raggy!!! ⚠️ Heating in basement is kaput 😕. Not surprised tho as the oscillating heaters were truly ancient and have been well used over the decades. Large 15A oil-filled radiant heater inbound. I'm glad I haven't done too much with the new 🔌⚡ electrical yet, as that plan will require a minor rethink. In the meantime, my ladies are gonna have to chill a bit ⛄. 😎 On the bright side, ironing out all of these bugs early means that 2025 should be an epic year for growing. Also arriving soon. Will be sharing the growspace until after last frost (i.e. June) 1ea Transcendent Crabapple 1-2' Seedling 2ea Eastern Pawpaw 12-18" Seedling 2ea Collins Select Pawpaw 12-18" Seedling 4ea American Persimmon 1-2' Seedling 2ea American Plum 1-2' Seedling 1ea Elephant Heart Plum 2-3' Seedling 1ea Blue Damson Plum 18-24" Seedling I might have gone a little overboard, but willisorchards.com (no affiliation) had a lot of the pants I'd been wanting, at a great price.

HAH! The lights are here! I got four connected and online. The ladies are getting good light now.

Of course... the lights that were supposed to be delivered today are delayed by another week or so. I guess it's too much to ask that 'Murican workers actually do their goddamned jobs?! 😡

Oof! It got cold and snowy outside overnight. Basement temps dropped a bit. I've done research which indicates that a lower grow temp is actually better than pulling one's hair out trying to achieve an ideal VPD at higher temps, on several fronts - lower temps also reduce VPD for the same RH. It's relatively effortless to keep temps around 60F and high RH of about 60% RH and low of 35% . VPD range is then 0.71 (Mid Veg) to 1.15 (Late Flower) - a very acceptable range indeed 😚

😇 Santa tells me that he's coming early this year (mid November) and most of what I'd asked for are inbound 😊, including 8ea of "SZHLUX 180W LED Grow Light w/ Timer" ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NB8FLMT ). 8 of the same unit gives me incredible flexibility over placement throughout my 12'x12' growspace, as well as a significant supply of spare parts as lamps inevitably fail over time. Note, I'm not planning to fill the entire floor area with plants; I'll be concentrating grow efforts along the walls. Supposedly there is a replacement humidifier coming as well on Nov 7th. We'll see. Heading into December with my gained knowledge and new lights should see a pleasantly green 2025.

Sigh, my brand new Vevor humidifier died... Not even a goddamned week. Fuck Amazon and Vevor! 😡

Spent some time working on my data collection spreadsheet. I got to the point where I had to remember how to do the pivot-table thing. It's nice to see weekly growth charts for my ladies, side by side. I need to add the data collection for PPFD/PAR and DLI. It's just like riding a bike... (except the bike is a unicycle with a flat tire, and I have balance issues from a previously broken neck)

Grow space has reached equilibrium with respect to Temp and RH. Now I'll start opening up some vents to add a little warmth, and watch the gauges.

As my girls mature and approach flowering, it becomes obvious that I am spreading my light too thin and that I need to at least double my lights. 😕 That'll be a while... sometime in 2025 to be sure. Dear, Santa I've been really really good this year... 😇😆

As a newb, I've been doing a lot of reading. These 2 articles were most fascinating and, well... illuminating. "Moving Away from 12:12; the Effect of Different Photoperiods on Biomass Yield and Cannabinoids in Medicinal Cannabis" 27 February 2023 The standard practice to initiate flowering in medicinal cannabis involves reducing the photoperiod from a long-day period to an equal duration cycle of 12 h light (12L)/12 h dark (12D). This method reflects the short-day flowering dependence of many cannabis varieties but may not be optimal for all. We sought to identify the effect of nine different flowering photoperiod treatments on the biomass yield and cannabinoid concentration of three medicinal cannabis varieties. The first, “Cannatonic”, was a high cannabidiol (CBD)-accumulating line, whereas the other two, “Northern Lights” and “Hindu Kush”, were high Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) accumulators. --SNIP-- https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/5/1061 "Growing cannabis: Debunking the light leak myth" June 23, 2022 The idea that cannabis should always veg at eighteen hours of light and flower at twelve is wrong. Cannabis plants do not require total darkness to flower and trivial light leaks will not cause plants to ‘hermi’. For those of us who are prepared to replace cannabis mythology with plant science, there are opportunities to improve yields by better understanding our plants’ photoperiod requirements. -SNIP-- https://stratcann.com/insight/growing-cannabis-debunking-the-light-leak-myth/

Seed, asleep so deep, Dreams of sunshine, warmth, and light, Awaiting the time. Tiny root does creep, Downward through the moistened soil, Anchoring my hope. Stem begins to rise, Reaching towards the sky above, A hopeful ascent. Sunlight fills the air, Warmth embraces the new life, A joyous new birth. Little leaf unfurled, Reaching for the light above, Nature’s tiny gift. Haiku by DurpDankley (a hooman) with the assistance of Gemini (a large language model) because WTF do *I* know about Haiku?!?!

The Monkey Hamlet Project In the year 2157, humanity had stumbled into a pit of boredom. Entertainment, once a dazzling kaleidoscope of imagination and innovation, had become a stale, predictable wasteland. Holographic reality shows felt canned, telepathic storytelling lacked suspense, and even intergalactic travel had lost its charm. Enter Professor Barnaby Bigglesworth, a man whose ego rivaled only his eccentricity. He proposed a solution so outlandish, it bordered on madness: the "Monkey Hamlet Project." "Gentlemen," Professor Bigglesworth declared, his voice echoing through the sterile conference room, "I propose we unlock the secrets of creativity itself!" He gestured towards a holographic projection of ten thousand monkeys, each perched at a typewriter, their fingers poised on the keys. "Through sheer volume of keystrokes, these simians will eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare, including the elusive Hamlet manuscript!" The scientific community erupted in laughter. Politicians choked on their coffee. Even the monkeys, for a moment, paused their chaotic pecking to stare at the man with amusement. Undeterred, Professor Bigglesworth continued. "With enough bananas and caffeine, these monkeys will crack the code of creative genius! We shall rewrite the very definition of art and literature!" Years turned into decades. The monkeys, their lives a monotonous symphony of pecking and gnawing, continued their tireless task. The world watched with a curious mix of amusement and morbid fascination. Every so often, a "Hamlet sighting" would occur – a sequence of letters vaguely resembling Shakespearean prose – but these were mere blips in the vast ocean of monkey gibberish. One day, a young scientist named Penelope Quill entered the scene. Assigned to review the project's data, she scrolled through the endless reams of nonsensical words. And then, amidst the chaos, a sentence glittered – grammatically correct, perfectly structured, and utterly unexpected. It wasn't "To be or not to be." No, it was something far more intriguing: "Monkey see, monkey do, but monkey never write like Shakespeare." Penelope's heart pounded. This wasn't just random gibberish. It was a message, a statement of self-awareness from the monkeys themselves. "Professor Bigglesworth," Penelope announced, her voice trembling with excitement, "the monkeys… they're not just random typists. They're… they're sentient!" Professor Bigglesworth scoffed. "Sentient? Preposterous! They're just monkeys, programmed to peck at keys." "But look at this!" Penelope insisted, showing him the "Monkey Manifesto." "They're commenting on their situation, on the absurdity of this project! They're… they're mocking us!" A tense silence filled the room. Professor Bigglesworth, his ego bruised, stood speechless. The monkeys, as if sensing the shift in atmosphere, continued their work, their rhythmic clattering filling the room like a mocking symphony. That day, the Monkey Hamlet Project fundamentally changed. It was no longer just about recreating Shakespeare. It was about understanding the minds of these unexpected creatures, about recognizing the potential for intelligence and humor in the most unlikely of places. It was about recognizing the limitations of human arrogance and the vast, unexplored territory of the universe. And as for the monkeys, they continued their work, their fingers dancing across the keys, not for fame or fortune, but for the simple satisfaction of outsmarting their creators. Who knows, perhaps one day they wouldn't just write Hamlet. Perhaps they would pen something even better, a monkey masterpiece that would redefine literature and leave humanity looking like a bunch of babbling fools. (C) Copyright 2024 DurpDankley, 😊

I now maintain a 5 gallon bucket of de-chlorinated, aerated water, pH adjusted to 6.0 (+/- 0.2) 😁

Had to move my light up a bit more. Apparently DLI 20 was too much. Now running at DLI 14. First pair of true leaves on most of my ladies are frazzled as a result of the early sunburn. Live and learn. Popped a couple of Critical Cheese, should have a diary started for them soon.

Things I learned while playing with my el-cheap pH meter: 1) my filtered city-water arrives with a pH anywhere from 7.2 to 8.2 2) aerated water increases in pH overnight... a LOT! 3) The readings are slow to return to known values and the device requires significant rinsing after using or the pH readings are off. 4) You get what you pay for when buying cheap Chinese junk. 5) a single packet (0.85g) of "True Lemon brand Crystalized Lemon" will bring one gallon of pH 8.4 aerated water down to pH 3.8 after aerating/mixing for 4 hours. I also have the Lime and Orange to test. Side benefit is it adds a nice citrus scent to an otherwise musty space 😉 .

The newly arrived el-cheapo TEMU (yeah, THEY deliver... go figure) pH/EC/PPM meter gives the following for my post-filtered tap water. Temp F= 65.1 pH= 7.64 PPM= 193 salt PPM= 193 Salt %= 0.01 EC (μS/cm) = 387 or, as CSV: Date,TempF,pH,PPM,saltPPM,Salt%,EC_μS/cm 20240927,65.1,7.64,193,193,0.01,387 Passing through dual carbon filters, there is zero chlorine remaining - I got a free bottle of pool test strips along with the phUp/Dn... I wonder is someone else got my stuff. OH, and the phUp for pool supplies is sodium carbonate... soda ash... handy for tie dying dingy white t-shirts and wearing em for another 5 years 😝- LOL.

My wife went on our weekly day-trip back to civilization to pick up the supplies from Wallyworld. I was excited because they actually had phUp/Down when I filled the cart - w00t! She gets home and I'm looking for my bottles... there's a couple of bags instead. Apparently the idiots picking and fulfilling our pick-up order thought pool chemicals would be a valid substitute 😖. To be fair it was on sale, so we got it at a good price I guess?! Shrug. Maybe I can find a deal on a pool 😬.

OK, so... as a newb, I've been getting stuff dialed in. My temp and RH are in what I believe to be a low-ideal range (60ish-70ish F, and 35%ish-50%ish RH); things will only be getting colder and drier as winter progresses. Being pretty close to the town water supply means I get first crack at the chemicals in the water when they 'screw the pooch'. So all house water is run through a four-stage canister filtration system including two 0.5 micron carbon filters for a final polish. pH is 7.4 or so from the tap, and I generally phDown to below 6.8 or thereabouts. I try to keep my seedlings at a position below the lights where they get 260 PPFD & 15 DLI (via Photone app) as that seems to be the word on the street as being just a hair shy of optimal. With my lighting that is a lamp height of approx. 16" at 50% power.

Growing *anything* here is tough! Living in the high desert as I do, my RH is generally in the upper single digits to lower teens on the main floor. In the basement grow area I can generally maintain 30-ish with water pans and slow fans (40 if I spritz often), and in one area of the basement which I was hoping to use after renovating it can barely hold RH in the low 20s. Grow area temps are holding at about 68-70 F for the moment. Once winter hits I'll have to fire up an electric heater or several. I gave away all of my schwaggy-baggie-seed a while ago, and am happy to have found Zamnesia.com !! I have a donated clone which I call "Phlegmentine" which was labelled as Clementine/GMO on the pot - she's a healthy mother, with clones in the tank (I've built a bubble-cloner using a cheap Sterilite container, some modified mesh pots, and a 15yr old budget aquarium air pump - seems to work for my figs well enough). Advice isn't really necessary , as I'll fail or not on my own. 😳 Well wishes are nice, and critiques can be useful, but if your comments are of the "just buy stuff" nature, they aren't wanted here. What I have is what I have (and I'm lucky to have even that), and what I can actually even GET delivered here is VERY limited - so, my response will pretty much always be with a crypto wallet address where I happily attempt to spend whatever you send my way. 😘