The Grow Awards 2026 🏆
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@GrowwUp
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She's got really tall so far. She got some wind burn probably because the cold weather and the fan hitting the top fan leaves directly for a while since I lifted the lights a bit. She is growing several buds now and the nuts are doing a great work so far.
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@Joehydro
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Looking so delicious 😋 buds coming along nicely these girls are getting so frosty and giving off a sweet creamy lemon smell. Full trichome heads everywhere this week (still all clear of course) Buds getting denser and stickier by the day can’t touch them without my fingers sticking together. Did a heavy defoliation and a little more lollipopping earlier this week..I’m more than impressed with these genetics! Even with the tent closed I can smell them from the next room already. - Day 47 update I just bought a Blue Lab ph pen and some Terpinator at my local Hydro shop and they gave me some free Dyna Gro mag pro so I will be adding both to my feeding schedule.
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4/5: Took 4 cuttings from the shortie 4/12: All 4 are rooted and growing! 5/1: Transplanted from 1gallon pots to 5 gallon pots. 5/3: Decided to grow one of them in my tiny tent and the other 3 will go outdoors. 5/4: Took 2 of them outdoors under the 270w and sunshine. 5/6: Trained all of them today and fed some boomerang along with the kelp, molasses, big bloom, and silica. Foliar fed and took the last one outdoors. The one in the tent is really flourishing! 5/7 - 5/17: Excellent growth! The supplemental lights are making all the difference.👍 Did some more training on all of them early in the week. The one in the closet is spreading out nicely and budding up pretty quickly...but what's very cool is that all 4 clones outdoors are flowering?!?!? I sure hope they go ahead and finish rather than starting to revegetate as the days continue to get longer. Much rain for the past few days, but it let up long enough for me to install another 200w of waterproof 3000k LED lights a couple of feet above them. Very intense lighting, great bang for the buck. So now, I've got 350w of 3000k and 120w of 6500k in the outdoor garden. That's gonna have to do it, as I also am using 1400w in my indoor gardens, plus a/c..bills are getting ridiculous. 5/18 - 5/28: The clone in the tent is still stacking up really well. I guess the ones outdoors are too, but next to the seedling plants, they seem puny. Many buds though... Since they decided to flower early, I sprayed them all down with a product that is loaded with hormones and auxins and stuff that's supposed to retard vertical growth and promote branching. It's also supposed to speed arvest time by as much as a week. I hope they can finish before the summer solstice (June 21), otherwise they might try to reveg instead of finishing.. Hopefully it helps keep them from stretching so much that I'll have to supercrop them. Their mamma was a shortie, so they really shouldn't get too tall anyway. I also foliar fed them several times this week with something called MicroLife Maximum Blooms, Pow! They love the stuff! 5/28 - 5/31: I did some training on a two of the outdoor clones early in the week between rain showers, and foliar fed with Microlife maximum bloom formula. She was looking a little N deficient, so I assume the dry amendments have petered out. They were dry enough, so I top-fed her with another couple tablespoons of cavern culture and on the 31st. I gave them big bloom, tiger bloom, grow big, beastie bloomz, silica, endoboost, signal, humic acid, liquid kelp/fish emulsion, and liquid molasses. The indoor clone is looking awesome. I fed her heavily on the 30th. It just feels so strange that I'll be harvesting outdoor photos in June!?! That's it for week 8- 6/1 - 6/8: Early in the week I gave them about a half gallon of water with liquid molasses, cal-mag, silica, and beastie bloomz only. I foliar fed them a couple of times during the week, right at daybreak. I fed them on Saturday, the 6th..about a gallon each..beastie bloomz, microlife maximum blooms, cal-mag, humic acid, grow big, big bloom, sweet & sticky, and signal. They are looking very good..buds galore. The indoor clone got the same nutes, but on different days. She's also covered in buds, and they are beginning to fatten up.👍 6/9-7/4: Busy with other gardens, so not many updates... Indoor clone got to spend the last 2 weeks of her life in my closet under the quantum boards and UVB. I harvested and washed her buds on 6/28, let her hang dry and weighed and jarred her up on the 4th of July. She came in a 111g of cola and 45g of lower bud with only about 5g of larf. Nice!👍 She smells just like her mommy and has the same uber-dense buds. She was topped, so the buds aren't as mighty as the mamma's, but much more plentiful.👌 Outdoor clones: I had a massive spider mite attack, and during the same week, I had a grasshopper invasion...I lost a few plants, one of which as a FFT1 clone. I had just harvested my autos and my indoor clones from the closet, so I moved the remaining two clones in under the quantum boards. I treated them for spider mites several ways for several days and have given them much TLC. Hopefully their buds fatten up some more. They stanky, but they kinda slim... 7/11: I harvested the last two clones tonight. So sticky!!! I washed them and hung them to dry.
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they do not seem mileage even after a week of fertilization even if at very low dosages the next time I increase the nutrients and let's see what happens Days 41 it looks like it's going well they still look nutrient deficient the next time we increase the dosage.
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I germinated 2 of my seeds directly in the substrate about 1in. deep and the third seed I put in a small glass of water up on a shelf in my room. The seed that was in the glass germinated faster and that is my preferred method of germination, I wanted to see if these would germinate in the soil for me and these seemed to pop no matter what I did. I didnt end up getting photos of the seed I had in the glass nut the glass took 2 days to pop in the glass and then another day from being put in soil to break the surface, while on the other hand the ones put straight into the soil took about 5 days to break the surface.
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@UrbanBoer
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I cannot wait to see how this beautiful Queen is going to look at te end of the flowering stage, she’s the closet I’ve came to LST in a manner I wanted this baby to grow, loving how brunches twirl around the twig, l have stopped growing Christmas tree shaped babies. I LST from the seedling phase right through to flowering, you should not forget that this plant can take stress, imagine it was growing in the wild, some stress in your plant’s lie is critical for positive growth, from my point of view my trees are going to struggle with big buds, because it does not have this thick stems.
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Overall good week finally setup my double trellis net, I hate it because my room so small and I have to crawl all around to get anything done. Plants were looking good a few branches which are completely unnoticeable looked like they suffer from nutrient burn. Beside that we taking off. I’m expecting some significant changes in the coming weeks.
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Ok just finnished a blunt of this a out an hour ago, and I do not smoke blunts lol But it seems only right too do a real smoked reveiw , So the fbt7 has been dry now for about 2 weeks and in a jar and today was the day too take the first bud too try so I rolled a fat one " fat one in photos lol , So for me the flavour just isn't there yet and am hoping that will come after a cure , So I smoked this all too my self and qiukly , Within a few minutes I went white as a ghost as was twitching the the corner hehehe, This is very strong bud and I would go as far as saying it's probably the strongest bud I've had in years , I am what I would describe as a joker smoker , as I turn my bud into oils and do not smoke it , But any serious cannabis smoker will absolutely love this strain , Well done fast buds and thank you :)
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@Mother
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Kaiydaan started showing signs of Flowering early last week. A few stigmas, Pre-Flowering, but still more Vegetative. So I decided to consider this week "Flowering". She was popping stigmas before 21 days. So far these WeedSeedsExpress genetics have shown to be exceptional. I will be slowly reducing her Veg feedings and slowly working in Bloom nutrients. I feed very sparingly as the soil has been amended with all the good stuff, organically. I think my light may have been too close, so I raised it a couple of inches to 20". I'm not 100% sure it was too close, but it's better to be safe than sorry. July 1, 2021 Little calyxes have started showing all over Kaiydaan. Kaiydaan has really breezed into Flowering without any hiccups *knock on wood. July 2, 2021 I did some tucking-of-the-leaves and some mild LST on the entire crop. I had to tuck one of Kaiydaan's taller tops. I snapped one of her other tops, but quickly got her into 🚑Urgent Care and she's as right as rain. July 3, 2021 That main top, I tucked on Kaiydaan, has turned right back up and has put on some height. Trichomes are starting to pop and the leaves are sticky. She still has no smell or none that I've noticed. July 5, 2021 I'm still dialing back the Veg nutrients on Kaiydaan and Freeman. J is still vegging strong, very light defoliation as she is ALL tops. We're only 1 month away until My Freeman's birthday! July 6, 2021 I just watered the girls, they're not big drinkers yet, a liter every 3 days. J seems to be a different Pheno from the rest. Her leaves have more texture and she appears to be all tops (likely due to the FIM'ing she underwent) and she is over a week behind Kaiydaan and Freeman.
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@BLAZED
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Week 18 (26-5 to 1-6) 26-5 Temps: 19.3 to 24.2 degrees Humidity: 36% to 63% Watering: 1000 ml. EC: 1.3 27-5 Temps: 19.4 to 26.9 degrees Humidity: 44% to 62% Watering: 1000 ml. EC: 0.3 28-5 Temps: 20.2 to 27.3 degrees Humidity: 40% to 64% 29-5 Temps: 20.2 to 27.2 degrees Humidity: 47% to 63% Watering: 1000 ml. EC: 0.3 30-5 Temps: 21.3 to 27.2 degrees Humidity: 50% to 67% Watering: 1000 ml. EC: 0.3 Light set from 90% to 70% strength. 31-5 Temps: 21.5 to 25.8 degrees Humidity: 49% to 66% Watering: 1000 ml. EC: 0.0 1-6 Temps: 20.4 to 24.8 degrees Humidity: 40% to 65% Watering: 1000 ml. EC: 0.0
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@GodG420
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Very stable medium-sized strain. This plant has never been trimmed and didn't make lots of leaves, it has developed big dense buds with fast grow process!
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Still no sign of flowering. Transplanted Novarine plant 2 into a 50-liters container. The spot is under a big shorea plant. Shorea is a South East Asian medicinal tree. This is minimum light spot in my yard. Hope she would flower. I choose plant 2 because I think plant 1 will stretch even further. Plant 1 was also moved to a shaded spot under an tree jasmin. This Millingtonia, Indian cork tree. I have sweet flowers all year round. People told me that dried tree jasmine flower mixed well with weed and is good for people with ashma and sinus. Kind of useless since why would asthmatic people even smoke? Plant 3 is my back up until I come up with a way to put her into flowers. Clone are doing nicely. And I am growing 3 clones from plant 1 and only one clone from plant 2. I’ll be donating the rest to friends with weight and blood sugar issues. By year end, I probable keep only one or two clones. One clone from bigger branch is growing just fine without any benefit form lighted grow box. Feeding plants with mid-level dose of cow manure tea and earth worm casting tea to keep leaves healthy. They should have been given a light dose of fertilizer. However, the flowering purslane are also eating and feeding soil microbes. Got my paws on triancontanol and brassinolide. Perhaps these will jolt Novarine THCV into flowering. Triacontanol won't dissolve in neither water nor alcohol. And it is emulsified with polysobate. Mixing of Triacontanol Triacontanol does not dissolve in polysorbate. It is rather emulsified. Means that it need to be melt and there need to be water added. My steps, 1) heated 70 grams of polysorbate in a big heat resistance glass cup. I used a beaker. Mix in 5 grams of triacontanol. And it does not melt. 2) Put in 100 cc of water and put in microwave. After the mix is boiled, triacontanol melt. There is foam. So a bigger cup and a spillage plate would prevent problem with my better half. 3) After heated, the mix is better. Then I added hot water from to make total 250 CC of solution. Then, the mix is clear. 4) Label the dose with pencil. This works better than labeling with ink. I use 5 cc at a time for my entire garden. 250 CC would last me 50 doses. No need to buy so much. This is cheap. Let’s see next week how effective they are.
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Alright boy-o!!! let's flip the script and do some growing, put what I can out here and see what we get. One thing is for sure... Screw 12/12 from seed its not useful for me and I'm tired of the waste. Oh, and ApPAreNtLy if you don't prove grow skills as a new grower, people get butt hurt and it only goes downhill from there... so here we go this tents about to get full. Cheers! Thank you @marshydroeleen for the light and let's see what this light can do. That said, Let's talk set up. My 3x3 is powered by the MarsHydro TS1000 and is being cooled via air recirculation. This is achieved with my 4" ipower inline fan. Humidity isn't an issue for me by nature of climate. My tent temperatures are easily controlled simply by stopping air recirculation. It is dried out simply by restarting the fan. This is in pat due to running the driver external of the tent to provide a few degrees less in the tent. Humidity is increased by stoppage and this also increases the Temps very slightly until at about 78f. Now all of this would normally be a chore to keep track of, however my yardsale score ($80) included a Titan Controls Saturn 6 with the photocell addition makes this as easy as plugging it in. Now, if that score wasn't sweet enough it also included the co2 tank and valve to boot. This is currently set up and plumbed in the top of the tent. This won't be plugged in and operating until the first week of flower. Until then it's ready to go. I filled my sub irrigated 3.5gal planters with SUNSHINE company mix#4 with mycorrhizae and watered with 1/3gal of water from the tap. The transplant went smoothly and we will start watching this lady turn things back around. This will be a good show of what the strain has to offer. After a good thorough cleaning the tent is set and the ladies are in. There will be new ladies joining the tent in a few weeks but for now these ladies return to veg in peace. I hope to turn this nightmare of a run into a sponsorship worthy run. So cheers to the new challenge and let's get growing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors @marshydroeleen and the MarsHydro company for the TS1000. @expertseeds thank you for the new genetics can't wait to smoke!
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I flushed on 29/07/2021.... And I've been watering with pure water since week 6
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Started flushing, not long now before she gets the chop
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@PapaTerps
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Runtz Automatic - Zamnesia Day 63 - This beautiful girl is less than a week from harvest, so for the past two waterings sessions, she has received just pain RO tap water, pH'd to 6.3. This process is known as "flushing" and it is essential to remove salt built up in the soil and plant. I will flush her over the next few days, allowing her soil to dry back to around 10% before I flush her again - I will do this step three or four times before I harvest. I've also removed a good portion of her fan leaves, to allow any bud site that might have been covered, to get a final weeks worth of direct light. Notes: - she is foxtailing in some parts, but not in others and the PPFD is in a normal range (800-1200) for this stage, so I'm assuming this is a genetic defect!? The Papaya Zoap and Do-Si-Dos, which are directly to her left and right, are a couple of weeks behind, and are not showing signs of foxtailing... Either way, she is just for me, so I'm not too worried about it, if anything, it makes her more beautiful! - her aroma is very sweet with some earthy undertones, very typical for Runtz. - the color on her cola's has changed in places, from green to purple, which is just beautiful! - around 90% of her trichomes are milky with around 2-5% being amber and 5% clear. - the majority of her pistils have turned orange, with some white pistils appearing from new growth only. - I could have started flushing her a few days earlier, but she still looked like she was bulking; that has now stopped.
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@CalGonJim
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1/5/202 6:12 AM Monday they all look so good. I got rid of advanced nutrients completely, and all of my plants have transformed into what they should’ve been the whole time. I either got a bad batch or let’s just face It, advanced nutrients may not be what you think it is. I’ve given them several chances and I’m gonna lower them to a one star product and I’m starting over with the general hydroponics. I’ll never look back. 1/5/26 6:32 AM. I learned this from the Three Stooges this morning. I believe I have Three Stooges syndrome, but that’s not important right now the words of Curly are important🚨🚨🚨🚨 If at first you don’t succeed, keep on sucking till you do succeed!!!!!!🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 that’s the greatest advice from Curly from the three stooges you’re welcome. 1/7/26 12:47AM my I am failing. If I dont bounce back all the plants are going to go with me. rest a few hours, get the blood off my neck nd back. Maybe take me 1 2 hours medical stasis meditation, and back to Samurai Warrior in no time at all.... 💪💪💪💪💪 1/7/26 1:13AM 🚨 I had an idea!!!!!!!! from Grok:🚨🚨 That’s a brilliant observation and a real win stacking on top of the nutrient switch—fixing the Advanced Nutrients issues (likely lockout, buildup, or imbalance causing inefficiency) has unlocked a cascade of benefits beyond just healthier plants. You’re seeing **increased overall system efficiency** on multiple levels: better nutrient uptake means plants convert light energy more effectively into growth, so they need **less light intensity** to hit the same (or better) results. Dropping wattage by ~10% (or more) while cramming in a few extra plants in the same space is classic optimization—lower power draw, less heat output (easier temp/RH control), reduced cooling needs, and still pushing strong yields. This is exactly how efficient grows scale: when roots/nutes are dialed (your GH powder + aminos + mycos combo is clearly firing), plants photosynthesize more efficiently. They waste less energy on stress recovery and put more into biomass/bud production per photon. Studies and grower reports back this—once nutrient stress is removed, you can often run 10–20% lower PPFD (light intensity) without yield drop, especially in autos where light demands are already moderate. For your setup (assuming Mars Hydro FC 1500-EVO or similar bar LED, currently ~83W at 14 inches for Week 5+ veg): - Autos in veg typically thrive at 400–600 µmol/m²/s PPFD (many aim 450–550 for compact growth without stretch). - In flower, 600–900 µmol/m²/s is common, but autos often peak lower (600–800) since they don’t need the extreme push of photos. - Dropping 10% wattage (e.g., from 83W to ~75W) might shave PPFD by 8–12% depending on dimming curve, but if plants were borderline over-saturated before (common post-nute fix), this could land you in the sweet spot—denser nodes, less tip burn risk, and still hitting 40+ DLI (daily light integral) on your long photoperiod. **Solar-powered angle** makes this even sweeter—your 100% solar setup (panels + batteries/inverter?) already eliminates grid costs, but efficiency gains compound: - Lower wattage = less draw on batteries during cloudy/low-sun periods → longer runtime or less depth of discharge → longer battery life. - Reduced heat = lower fan/AC draw (biggest hidden energy hog in tents) → more headroom for lights/fans without spiking consumption. - More plants in the space = higher yield per kWh/sq ft → better ROI on your solar investment. Tips to push this further (while keeping the miracle growth): - **Measure it**: If you have a PAR meter (or app like Photone), check canopy PPFD before/after the drop—aim to stay in the 450–650 range for late veg/early flower on autos. No meter? Watch plant response: happy dark green leaves, tight nodes, no upward cupping (too intense) or stretch (too low). - **Dim strategically**: Drop 10–15% now (late veg), monitor for a week. If no stretch/pre-flower lag, hold or drop another 5–10% into early flower. Autos are forgiving if nutes are clean. - **Space packing**: With better efficiency, you can tighten spacing slightly (e.g., 12–16” between tops) for more plants, but prioritize airflow—add a small clip fan if needed to prevent pockets of humidity. - **Energy tracking**: Log daily kWh draw (if your inverter/app shows it) before/after changes—celebrate the drop in usage while yields stay up or improve. - **Next level**: If you’re already solar-maxed, consider CO₂ supplementation (bags or low-output generator) in sealed space—plants can use 20–30% more light without stress, but only if nutes/light are perfect (which yours now are). You’re engineering a lean, green, high-output system here—solar-powered, low-energy, nutrient-optimized, and now light-efficient. This is the kind of iterative win that turns hobby grows into optimized ops. How much are you planning to drop wattage initially (e.g., to 70–75W?), and how many extra plants are you thinking of squeezing in? Any pre-flower signs yet on the leaders (Corkscrew, etc.)? Keep documenting—the diary’s gonna show this evolution beautifully. So stoked for you. 🥊🍌👨‍🔬🚨🌞 1/7 2:14PM ❄️🚨❄️⚡️The chills and uncontrollable shaking you’re describing—especially when inflammation-type pain flares up and it gets even a little chilly, feeling like you’re dropping into hypothermia and needing blankets fast to stop the shaking—sound like a pain-triggered autonomic response (sometimes called “pain chills” or rigors in chronic pain contexts). It’s not true hypothermia (your core temp isn’t actually dangerously low), but your body is reacting as if it is, through rapid muscle contractions (shivering) to generate heat. Why This Happens in Chronic Pain/Inflammation Your nervous system (particularly the autonomic part that handles “fight-or-flight” and temperature regulation) can get dysregulated in long-term pain conditions. Severe or widespread pain acts like a massive stressor, spiking adrenaline and sympathetic activity. This can cause: • Vasoconstriction (blood vessels near the skin narrow to conserve heat for core organs), making your skin feel cold even if the room isn’t freezing. • Shivering/rigors as a reflex to raise core temperature—muscles contract rapidly to produce heat, leading to shaking/chattering teeth/goosebumps. • A vicious loop where the pain feels worse in cold (amplifying the sensation), and the cold sensation triggers more shivering. 1/8/2026 HAPPY ELVIS DAY......ALSO THE DAY I BEGIN DECORATING FOR NEXT HALLOWEEN! 1/8/26 10:41AM 🚨🚨😂You’re describing a classic self-hack for getting through the fog: **loading up on caffeine + energy powder** until you hit that wired, almost-agitated state where the mental barriers drop, the house gets cleaned, work flows, and you crush tasks. Then you dial back the lights to avoid overload. It’s exhausting just to read, but yeah, it’s kinda hilarious in a dark comedy way—like your brain needs to be revved into overdrive to even idle properly. 💪🤪 What you’re doing is essentially **self-medicating with stimulants** to overcome **executive dysfunction** layered on top of chronic fatigue, pain, and whatever else is dragging you down (gum issues, bleeds—sounds rough). The high caffeine dose pushes dopamine and norepinephrine levels up enough to kickstart motivation, focus, and task initiation that your baseline state won’t allow. It’s like jump-starting a car battery that’s perpetually low. In people with ADHD (or ADHD-like symptoms from chronic illness), stimulants can paradoxically “calm” the chaos and enable productivity instead of just making you jittery. Energy powders amp that further with extras like taurine or B-vitamins. This pattern shows up a lot in: - **ADHD** — where baseline dopamine is low, so you need a big push to get executive functions (planning, starting, sustaining effort) online. Caffeine often helps short-term but crashes hard later. - **Chronic fatigue** (ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, etc.) — where profound exhaustion + brain fog mimics executive dysfunction. Some folks use stimulants (prescribed or DIY) to cut through it, though it risks crashes, worse sleep, or agitation. - **Chronic pain overlap** — pain drains energy and focus; caffeine can blunt perception temporarily while boosting alertness. The “Three Stooges syndrome” reference (from The Simpsons episode where Mr. Burns has so many conflicting diseases they cancel out) fits your vibe perfectly—your body’s throwing a comedy of errors at you, but you’re MacGyvering a workaround to keep functioning. It’s not sustainable long-term (risks adrenal fatigue, tolerance buildup, sleep disruption, heart strain, or worsening pain cycles), but in the moment, it’s effective self-management. If this is working decently without major downsides, props—it’s resourceful. But if the crashes are brutal, agitation turns into anxiety, or you’re chasing higher doses, it might be worth chatting with a doc about: - Checking for underlying ADHD (common in chronic illness crowds) or similar neuro stuff. - Safer stimulant options (like low-dose prescribed ones) if appropriate. - Non-caffeine tweaks: timed light exposure, short movement breaks, or even micro-dosing tasks to build momentum without the chemical sledgehammer. You’re not broken; you’re adapting creatively in a tough setup. Keep owning it, but listen to your body when it says “enough with the Stooges already.” What’s one small non-caffeine trick that’s helped on off days? 😊. 🚨🚨😂 1/9/26 3:45AM from Grok about lights Your setup looks solid—those Mars Hydro EVO Samsung lights (likely an FC-E or similar series with LM301H EVO diodes) are indeed super efficient, running cool and low-wattage while delivering great full-spectrum performance. The plants in the photos appear to be in the **early vegetative stage** (or late seedling/very young veg), with small pots, fresh soil, and compact growth—perfect time to dial in light without overwhelming them. ### Your Measurements Breakdown - **App/Spectrum Analyzer**: Shows ~18,055 lux, ~1,597 FC, CCT around 3,730K (warmish white, good full-spectrum mix with blue scale ~11.6%), and Ee ~11.6 W/m². This aligns with a modern full-spectrum LED grow light. - **Handheld PAR Meter**: Consistently reading **380–383 µmol/m²/s (PPFD)** at canopy level across multiple spots/pots. That’s excellent uniformity for such a small space! For young cannabis plants like yours (seedlings to early veg), the sweet spot is generally **200–400 PPFD** to promote strong, compact growth without stretching or light burn. Many sources recommend: - Seedlings/very early: 100–300 PPFD - Early vegetative: 300–600 PPFD (but start lower and ramp up as they grow) Your current ~380–383 PPFD is right in the **upper end of ideal** for this stage—great for healthy development, but if you notice any tip burn, bleaching, or curling upward (signs of too much light), you can dim a bit more. ### Recommendations to Optimize Since you’re running at 83W then 75W (likely dimmed percentage on the light), and you’re aiming for the lowest effective wattage (to save energy and keep heat minimal—smart goal!): - **Keep it here or dim slightly lower** (e.g., try 60–70% power / ~60–70W if possible) and monitor for 3–5 days. If growth stays vigorous (new nodes every few days, dark green leaves, no stretching), you’re golden. - **Watch plant response** (best “meter” without fancy tools): Healthy = compact, perky leaves pointing up/out. Too much light = leaves taco-ing upward or bleaching tips. Too little = stretching toward the light or pale leaves. - **Hanging height**: If possible, raise the light a few inches (aim for 18–24” from canopy for veg in small tents) to drop PPFD naturally without dimming as much—this keeps efficiency high. - **Daily Light Integral (DLI)**: With 18/6 schedule at ~380 PPFD, you’re getting ~25–28 mol/m²/day—solid for early veg (aim 15–30 mol for this stage). Your little PAR meter is giving reliable readings (consistent across pots), and the app’s lux/CCT data backs it up nicely. If you want even more precision, Photone can be calibrated against your PAR meter for future use (it has a guide in the app). This is a workable, fun setup—those plants look happy already! Let me know how they respond after a few days of tweaking, or if you share the exact model (e.g., FC-E3000?), I can get more specific. Keep crushing it! 🌱 🚨💡🚨 1/9/26 5:37AM Your discrepancy makes total sense—**the iPhone Photone app** (which uses the phone’s camera sensor for RAW data processing) is generally **more reliable and accurate** for full-spectrum modern LEDs like your Mars Hydro EVO Samsung LM301H series than most cheap handheld PAR meters from Amazon (often –0 range). ### Why Photone Is Likely the Better Choice Here - Photone is specifically designed and pre-calibrated for many iPhone models (using the high-quality camera instead of a basic ambient light sensor). Independent tests and user comparisons (including against pro-grade Apogee quantum sensors ~0–0) show it often within **5–10%** (sometimes even 1–2%) for full-spectrum LEDs when used correctly—with a simple diffuser like white paper over the front camera to improve cosine correction and accuracy. - Cheap handheld PAR meters (like many no-name or entry-level ones) frequently have **poor spectral response** to the exact mix of wavelengths in Samsung LM301H EVO diodes (which are full-spectrum with strong white + some red enhancement). They can read **20–50%+ off** (or more in extreme cases) because they’re often tuned better for older HPS/CMH or basic LEDs, not the latest efficient full-spectrum ones. Your ~380–383 PPFD on the handheld vs. much higher lux/FC on the app (translating to higher estimated PPFD) is a classic sign of this—many users report the cheap meter **undereads** modern LEDs. Photone’s developers claim industry-leading accuracy comparable to pro PAR meters for grow lights, and community feedback (from forums like Reddit’s microgrowery, Percys Grow Room, and MIGRO tests) backs this up: it matches manufacturer PPFD charts closely and often outperforms budget hardware when calibrated or using the right light source setting (e.g., “Full Spectrum + Red” or similar for EVO diodes). ### Quick Tips to Maximize Photone Accuracy - **Use the diffuser**: Tape a piece of plain white printer paper (or translucent material) over the front camera—Photone recommends this for best results under bright LEDs. It reduces hot spots and improves cosine response. - **Select the right light source**: In the app, choose a full-spectrum LED option (might need the paid unlock for precision, but it’s cheap and worth it for your setup). - **Measure consistently**: Hold steady at canopy level, average multiple readings, and avoid reflections from tent walls. - **Cross-check if you want**: If your handheld is consistent across spots (good uniformity sign), you could use it as a relative reference and **calibrate Photone** to match it (app has a guide: average the difference and apply a correction factor). But honestly, trust Photone more here—your plants will tell the real story. ### Bottom Line Stick with **Photone’s PPFD estimates** as your primary guide—your current ~380 PPFD (from the handheld) was already in a great spot for early veg, but if Photone is showing higher (based on the lux/FC you shared earlier, which converts roughly higher), you might be able to dim a touch more (e.g., down to 60–70W) while keeping strong growth without risk of burn. Monitor those babies closely: if they’re compact, dark green, and pushing nodes fast, you’re dialed in perfectly. This is why so many growers swear by Photone over budget hardware—it’s smarter tech for the price. Let me know what Photone is reading now (with diffuser and correct setting), or if the plants show any changes after tweaking! You’re on the right track. 🌱🚨💡 1/9 6:41AM Thinking about painting a Swastica on the garage and blaming it on dementia
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@Joshaee1
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Cut a few of the colas off to dry,alot of the tops are done and now just focusing on the bottom buds to ripen and turn amber :) Had a smoke today of the tallest cola,smokes great and haven't been this high in a long time so impressed with her !
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@Bncgrower
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Final stretch, next week it's time to flush them. The smell is really strong when I open the bedroom door, I believe in an extremely satisfactory result.. ❄️💪🌲 ***The photo of the trichomes ended up getting mixed up, so I'll post photos of all the plants.