The Grow Awards 2026 🏆
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Not particularly growing for speed or any dedicated reason this time round, just adding water and a abundande of positivity, gotta admit I do like the autoseed logo. Off we go again into the magical forest. (Arthrospira platensis) cultivated in high-alkaline, mineral-rich water in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. It is renowned for having a higher nutrient content, including more carotenoids and essential fats, compared to other spirulina brands. It is frequently cited as a "complete food" due to its dense concentration of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and pigments. The nutritional profile of standard dried Spirulina platensis biomass. 3kg of spirulina powder has an approximate NPK ratio of 10-2-1 (or 10% Nitrogen, 2% Phosphorus, and 1% Potassium). Here is the breakdown of the nutrient content for 3kg of powder: Nitrogen (N): ~300g (10% of total mass) Phosphorus (P): ~60g (roughly 2% of total mass) Potassium (K): ~30g (roughly 1% of total mass) 3kg of spirulina powder is more than enough nitrogen for 4 cannabis plants in a 100-gallon pot—in fact, it is likely excessive and could cause severe nutrient burn or toxicity if not properly managed. Spirulina has a very high protein content (46% to 63% dry weight), which translates to a significant nitrogen source. It is often described as a 5-1-1 NPK fertilizer. 3kg (3000g) of powder in 100 gallons means 30g per gallon. General organic recommendations for potent amendments (like frass) are often around 1–3 tablespoons per gallon. 30g of powder is roughly 2-3 tablespoons, making this a very high-strength application rate if added all at once. Balance this with calcium/magnesium, and organic nutrient delivery in soil growing can lead to deficiencies in these nutrients. Not all of that 100 gallon is used, so figuring out precise measurements was ballpark, but there is about 10kg of engineered biochar in that pot. Mostly in the top half. Ideally, I'd have 25kg in a full active 100-gallon, but......... don't mess with something that is not broken. Roots do not utilize the entire 100 gallons. This has been a couple of years of trial and error, mostly error. The amount of cations you can add in grams depends entirely on the specific cation exchange capacity (CEC) of your biochar and the type of cation being added. Biochar CEC values vary widely, typically ranging from 4 to over 300cmolc/kg. Multiple Biochars in use, ranging upwards of 100cmolc/km. Different cations have different atomic weights Potassium K+ 39.1g/mol. Calcium Ca2+ 40.1g/mol. Magnesium Mg2+ 24.3g/mol. Nitrogen NH4+ 18.04g/mol. You get more nitrogen bang for your buck. It all depends on the CEC of the biochar you use, but brrrrrrrrrr roughly I'm looking at 500-600 grams worth of elemental cation exchange capacity, give or take. That's just for the biochar alone. Elemental cation exchange capacity refers to the ability of materials—such as soil, minerals, and biochar to adsorb, hold, and release positively charged ions Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, Al3+, and Zn2+. This capacity is a critical measure of nutrient availability in soil and energy density in electrochemical systems. Added calmag 2:1 to complement spirulina. Calcium (Ca): Approximately 150g - 300g of elemental calcium. Magnesium (Mg): Approximately 75g - 150g of elemental magnesium. So long as pH stays in 6.3 to 6.7 ish, the plant will unlock hydrogen. Plants will be able to cycle CEC for their own needs. Hydrogen ion pumping (proton pumping) is a fundamental mechanism used by plant roots to facilitate the cycling of nutrients within a medium's Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), directly increasing nutrient availability. A growing medium's Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) does not contribute directly to Electrical Conductivity (EC). CEC represents potential nutrient storage, while EC represents active nutrients in the water/soil solution. A medium with a high CEC can hold many nutrients, but if there is no water present, the EC will be low. 98% of plant nutrient uptake comes directly from the soil solution. 2% of nutrient uptake is directly from soil particles. Nutrients held on exchange sites (CEC) are not directly measured by EC until they are released into the soil solution through exchange with other ions (e.g., hydrogen ions from roots or fertilizer). Plants source the H+ ions (protons) used in cation exchange primarily by exuding carbon sugars into the rhizosphere, then microorganisms perform root respiration, which reacts with soil water to form carbonic acid H2CO3 that dissociates into H+ and bicarbonate. Roots also actively pump out H+ ions directly to acidify the rhizosphere, plants trade hydrogen produced through metabolism for essential nutrients held by the soil. In plant cells, the H+ (protons) used in proton pumping across the plasma membrane come primarily from the cytoplasm (cytosol). The protons are derived from internal cellular sources, including metabolic processes that release H+, and the regulation of intracellular pH homeostasis. Distilled water is highly useful in managing the electrical conductivity (EC) of a growing medium by allowing for precise control over nutrient concentration and assisting in the mobilization of nutrients from the cation exchange capacity (CEC) into the active, plant-available nutrient solution. Just add water & positive energy. Potential hydrogen. pH. + - , potential charge balance for hydrogen. So long as there is adequate oxygen in the soil and air and water moves at a decent interval, its practically impossible for the pH to skew in a soil that is taking in oxygen and releasing CO2 and nitrogen, I say practically, but meh, even with plenty of oxygen, the process of converting ammonium NH4+ to nitrate NO3- by bacteria releases hydrogen ions H+, which directly causes acidification (lowering pH). While water movement is necessary, consistent water moving through the soil can leach away basic cations Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, leaving behind acidic hydrogen and aluminum ions, causing pH to drop, especially in humid regions. High levels of CO2 in the soil (from intense respiration) dissolve in soil water to create carbonic acid, H2CO3, which lowers the pH. (barometric pumping removes that possibility) The pH in a cannabis cultivation environment, particularly in hydroponic or soilless setups, will often naturally drift towards acidic (lower pH) over time. Understand how to know when to lime the pH back up. Complex but critical. Once I understood this it helped ease the pain of understanding pH. Base saturation directly reflects the percentage of CEC occupied by base cations. Generally, as base saturation increases, soil pH increases because fewer acidic cations, H+ and Al3,+ are present on the soil colloid surfaces. At a pH of 7 or higher, the soil colloids are saturated with base cations, resulting in a base saturation of 90+%. While many sources include Sodium Na+ as a base cation, some calculations focused specifically on plant nutrients (like in some nutrient management contexts) may focus solely on the "Big 3": Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+. However, in soil science and CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) measurements, sodium is usually included in the definition of total base cations, making it the "Big 4" base cations. At a pH around 5.5, soils often have a 45–55% base saturation, while a soil with a pH between 6.5 and 6.8 generally has an 80–90% base saturation. Base saturation is considered a reliable, albeit complex, indicator of soil fertility and the degree of soil weathering, acting as a crucial metric in soil classification and management. Once you take full control of the pH, so long as there is oxygen, and one keeps tabs on base saturation levels. Its near impossible for anything to go wrong. All you are essentially doing is adding water and waiting for any sign of deficiency. Not so much growing as eliminating the possibilities of things going sideways. Can't over or under water, can't skew pH, can't go anaerobic. Everything runs in optimal cycles, watering every 2 to 3 days or as required, depending on the rate of combined ET. A little warmer, a little drier, but never short on water. All the nutrients are already there in the medium, we still focus on the water, just not adding salts, but to mobilize nutrients held in the Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and move them into the active soil solution for plant uptake, the best supplements to add to water are fulvic acid, humic acid, or seaweed/kelp extract. Liquid solutions with high concentrations of essential trace elements. Distilled water has no alkalinity or minerals to help buffer or release nutrients. Adding these supplements turns the "empty" water into an active agent that forces nutrients off the CEC colloids into the solution for plant uptake. When to water? When Electrical Conductivity of soil gets low. No water, no conductivity.
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💩Holy Crap Growmies We Are Back💩 Well growmies we are 56 days in and everything is going as good as it can👌 Afraid she's had some major issues but that's just how it goes folks 😉 she's definitely on the mend 👈 👉 Shes a short chunky little plant 👈 We got some very pretty colors😍 👌 She's got some odd colors kinda like tiger leafing,😉 Lights being readjusted and chart updated .........👍 Even with early major issues due to the soil/medium she's come a long way 👈 👉I used NutriNPK for nutrients for my grows and welcome anyone to give them a try .👈 👉 www.nutrinpk.com 👈 NutriNPK Cal MAG 14-0-14 NutriNPK Grow 28-14-14 NutriNPK Bloom 8-20-30 NutriNPK Bloom Booster 0-52-34 I GOT MULTIPLE DIARIES ON THE GO 😱 please check them out 😎 👉THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO GO OVER MY DIARIES 👈
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@Ferenc
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Day 80, 2nd of December 2020: Hi there! Ladies are cool everything is alright. In one week buds strated doubeling and the developement is dope haha. The 2 Zamnesia ladies are pretty Gelato is so nice bushy and the smell is great as well. Kalini Asia will be a green pheno I think and she my be hermied a bit on me.... I am still waiting to see I see some strange develepement lets say. Sweet Seeds girls are dope unfortunately Red Mandarine and Tropicanns poison don't show any sign of colouting yet but it is okay even if they green phenos.... It may happen in the end of the flowering cycle let's see. Basically that's all I wanted to share. Oh yes... this one: All good the lamp is now on 11 hours and off 13 hours. Every week 15 minutes was taken off and after 4 weeks here we go. Strated 12/12 and now 13/11 wanted try to imitate the nature as the light days are getting shorter. Fertilization has changed no more epsom salt from this week and I will stop giving nitrogen as well from next week. Great job Sweet Seeds and Zamnesia! Nice genetics :) Lovely plants!
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Another week for the sugar bombs, week 3 already 😁 the plant needed some more N but after adding the guanokalong pearls and powders she's looking a lot better and the buds started to grow bigger, im reviewing the ppm and maybe we will add some more PK the next days
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@Lazuli
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I only feed them rainwater One is a bit behind in growth i dont care Wintergrows are always slow but still better then giving up we need flowers all year
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Processing
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This plant has been growing at a steady constant rate since they sprouted..I have topped them a week ago and they both appear to recovering well. I still feed basic GHE nutrients with the addition of Orca and Terpinator alll at 1/2 per gallon unless the plants ask for more and trust me you’ll know :) anyway they’re gonna be flipped next week was just letting them build up as much as possible.
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Fifth week and booming I wanna say chop next week but might hold out extra two weeks start flushing yesterday en she's pack with trics sticky as hell well happy I bought purpanater it's the don swer by it now
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HO-HO-HO! 😀 Final week of flowering for this girl! She got a nice ice bath before going into darkness for 72 hours. This is the third time I've done this (been increasing from 24 hours - 48, and now 72) and I'm seeing a huge difference every time. Most will call this bro science, but hey, whatever works for you! And in this case, whatever works for me :) I can definitely say the red came out a LOT more with the lower temps from the lights off period, so can't wait to see how she'll look once trimmed up. Stay tuned for my harvest week post!
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Plucked a few leaves that were looking at me funny ;) Not much to do! Smells of sweet berries, after a fresh rainfall.. Smells amazing! Watered with 2.5 gallons of the above listed nutrients, every 5-6 days. (when the soil becomes 95% dry) 10% of the solution watered runs out the bottom of the pot, and is removed with a wet-vacuum.
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Week 6 and my babies are still in veg 😥 but I'm sure next week they will finally flip! 😁 Now, what can I say about the girl that's on the back? - She has some really long leaves and those stems are thin if I compare them to other plants I've grown. - Some of her leaves look too shiny, dunno why! - The internodes are really short, which is good and she's VERY bushy. Perhaps she went thru some kind of deficiency and that's why she looks like that? Or maybe it's something else? No idea! The other hand, the other baby: - She's developing really well. Ahead of her sister and I'm sure she'll be the first one to flip! I mean, it looks like she's already developing some pre-flowers! :D - She's a little taller compared to her sister - The internodes are short and the leaves are huge! They are also slightly darker compared to her sister. I reinforced the LST on both of my girls and I both tucked the leaves (a lot) and defoliated the plants just a little. I need to control that jungle! Anyway, that's all for now. Stay safe and I hope you'll all enjoy the photos and video I took! 😃
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This week's been an adventure for these Skywalker's. The growth has sped up and therefore they need abit extra now. Repotted into 5L Fabric pots. Added another strip light in. Added a small fan to help strengthen stems Upped the feed from half to full strength. Let's see what the next couple weeks bring before being put into their new home til the end. 🤞💚
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This grow started as auto flowers... But someone in dinafem was smoking weed when he was packing my seeds and put inside some photoperiod. After 50 days at 20/4 and with my plants not flowering i decided to switch my lights at 12/12. The plants indeed started to flower. I am very disappointed because i spent so much nutrients for vegging 50 days for no reason, because i spent so much electricity at 20/4 and because when i started this grow, with my calculations it should be over at 1-5 of june. Yet here i am at the middle of summer in Greece trying to deal with the temperatures and it is very hot. Anyway, things going well.
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I'll be doing the update day by day now. First day of the week: I started her 2 weeks flush today, I measured the ppm, and my water without nutrients has around 200 ppm. She's doing fine, one friend said those colas are going to double their sizes. Does anybody think this as well? Second day: all ok Third day: all ok Fourth day: this was the day the kid cried and momma wasn't there... I found mould in the main cola. I removed it asap. Hope it's no going to spread. The umidity wasn't high. Don't know what happened. I'm in pieces
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So this is my first diary here and I'm going to start from week 11 so there's should only be another week or two left. My next one I'll do properly from the start. Also this feeding schedule was the last ammendment I did but was in week 10 and not this week. As I only started on week 11 I thought I'd just add it to show what I've given her. This is just 1 Northern Lights Autoflower from Royal Queen Seeds. I've topped her twice and done some LST and lollipopped just as she was going into flower..which was around week 5. I use 100% organic top soil amendments from Living Soils every 2 weeks. I water about 2 days after the top soil goes completely dry only in the mornings. And she's on a 20/4 light cycle. I vegged her in a standard plastic pot then transplanted at the end of week 5 into a 10l pot with the coco loaded with all of the above (minus the guano which I added at the start of week 3 of flower) with the aim of her hitting those amendments at the right time..so I wouldn't have to amend again for another 2 weeks which seemed to work out. I tested the run off shortly after the first feeding for flowering and it was really high - 3000ppm - alongside the pH which which was really low - 4.89 (as expected as its runoff) however I had oyster shell in that first feeding which should help raise the pH and my local tap water is hard so there's extra Calcium and a bit of Megnesium in there too. I also added a couple of drops of biobizz ph+ to the water. And with the mycorrhizae..which should kick in and colonise the root system in about 3 to 4 weeks..should create a mycillium network to help this living soil regulate everything!! Which it did as I tested the runoff again everytime I fed (every 2 to 3 days) and it slowly went down ending up at 1000ppm and a pH of 5.9 which was spot on. I also had a massive scare as I found small white bugs in the medium when I disturbed the top soil. Thinking they were spider mites thankfully they were Symphalans which after researching eats seedling roots or decaying organic matter..so they're essentially cleaning the medium..and they stay under the soil away from the light. She is pretty small and compact. I'm testing autoflowers as I've never tried them before. I'm slightly annoyed as I knocked my dimmer down to 60% without realising..so out it back to 100% and as a result I'm guessing she may have been stunted along with topping her twice or maybe it's just the strain. But I have seen other a lot bigger. But she is looking really healthy and has done from the start. The colour you see has been there from the start and she hasn't had any deficiencies. Tricones are coming along nicely and some of the sugar leaves look like they're starting to deplete in nutritients as they're going slightly yellow on the edges so not long. I'm guessing 2 more weeks from today but I wouldn't be surprised if she hits 13 weeks which is what I'm hoping for as her last feed was last week which would give her an extra week to 'flush'. Also the Bat Boost from Guanokalong has an NPK ratio of 0-10-0 and not 0-0-2 like it states. Next I'll be doing 2 x photoperiod Chocolopes 🍫 Thanks for stopping by - feel free to comment and follow - and I'll have another update next week!! 🤙
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@EduP0812
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Tanto Shinning Silver Haze como White Widow han tenido un crecimiento estable y sano, se hizo trasplante de recipiente de 0,3 litros a maceta negra de 7 litros aplicando micorrizas, posteriormente se regó con Bio-Grow de Biobizz, a razón de 2 ml/L.
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Hey everyone. Week 4 begins and all looks tasty. I have cut all the useless branches at thw bottom, as u can see on pic. or video. Also took away some of the fan leaves. The smell is wonderful, plants are looking tough and healthy. Stay high and have a good day.