Week 2 (Veg) – Day 15 Kickoff & Substrate Steering
Week 2 is officially underway! The main photo captures the entire canopy status on Day 15 (Sept 10). I will be continuously updating this entry with more notes and photos as the week unfolds.
Environment & Lighting:
Main Light: Mars Hydro FC3000 EVO dialed to 50% power (~362 µmol/m²/s PPFD, DLI ~26 mol/m²/day on 20/4 schedule).
Supplemental Lighting: Mars Hydro Adlite Blue runs daily between 11:00 and 15:00 for a mid-day blue spectrum peak to maximize stomatal conductance and keep internodal spacing compact.
Climate: Stable 26.5–26.9 °C day / 22.4 °C night. VPD dialed in at 1.0–1.1 kPa using a passive air intake from the basement buffer. Having the LED driver mounted outside the tent keeps thermal management effortless.
Irrigation & Rootzone Steering (ATOMIK v6.0):
Sensor-Guided Dryback: Monitored via the Mars Hydro CA59 soil sensor. Allowed moisture in the outer zone to dry back down to 5.7% Sub Hum to maximize rootzone oxygenation.
Feeding: Perimeter feed applied (400 ml per plant in a 15–18 cm ring) calibrated to EC 1.20 mS/cm and pH 6.1. Sub Hum bounced back cleanly to 7.6% with zero pooling at the base.
Stem Mounding: Mounded fresh moist coco around the bases of the stems to eliminate leaning, provide mechanical anchor support, and encourage adventitious root development.
Canopy Status (Day 15):
Vigorous vascular response: all plants showing active 45° praying leaves and flat, expanding leaf blades.