Grow Diary Update: Week 5 - Pre-Flowering and LST Evaluation Entering Pre-Flowering Stage At the end of last week, the first pistils appeared, marking the beginning of the pre-flowering stage for my plants 🙌 There's much to manage now. To support optimal stretching, I've adjusted the nutrients following 2/3 of the Terra Aquatica feeding schedule: CalMag: 2 ml/l (Starting EC before adding nutrients: 0.45 mS/cm) Grow: 1.33 ml/l Bloom: 1.0 ml/l Micro: 1.33 ml/l The nutrient solution now has an EC of 1.3 mS/cm (638 ppm PPM-500/TDS) with a pH of 6.1. These adjustments aim to promote vigorous growth and prepare the plants for flowering. Weather and Growth With significant weather improvements, my plants are thriving at full speed. Every centimeter gained now counts towards maximizing the final yield, turning around from the challenging weeks prior. Pest Management I'm fortunate not to have encountered pests like spider mites, aphids, or thrips. However, the persistent snail issue remains. Nightly patrols with a flashlight have been effective, and placing old lettuce leaves away from the plants has helped trap and remove snails, ensuring the plants remain undisturbed. LST Experiment Results The two plants I trained with LST have responded admirably, showing healthy adaptation to the bending and vigorous growth. Yet, I'm at a crossroads regarding the upcoming stretch phase: should I continue to tie down branches to maintain an even canopy or allow natural upward growth to potentially boost vertical yield? Your Feedback Matters I value your insights on this critical decision. Should I proceed with low-stress training to control canopy height, or should I let the plants stretch upwards for increased productivity? Your experiences and advice are invaluable to me as I navigate this stage of my grow. Share your thoughts below! Stay tuned as I continue to document the pre-flowering stage and learn from the ongoing LST experiment in my grow diary!