The Grow Awards 2026 🏆
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@Yooper94
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The lemon haze has an amazing aroma. A sweet lemon aroma, not a skunky smell with amazing trichomes all over the bud and leaves. I've read this strain can produce purple bud. I do have some purpling leaves. But I think it's due to the fact I draw in outside air to cool my tent to 78 to 84 degrees. It drops to 30 degrees Fahrenheit at night. The white widow has finally entered true flower and has begun to bulk up, and take on it's own aroma profile, while also adding some trichomes to the surrounding leaves. I'm excited to see how these colas begin to look in the coming weeks. This plant should be my largest yielding of the three. I'm expecting an ounce.
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I overfeed them once,but except that all went good.Hyped to see the results after drying. update coming soon :)
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It was easy to grow for my first try! I used LST only on her with some minor defoliation here and there,with regular feeding and not much of an equipment!Only what I could find for less that 150 bucks.The pot is a mop bucket that I cut to be 8lt or so and punctured holes on its bottom 😂. If you take care of it the way you’re supposed to grow something living it will put out its full potential! I even played music during her vegetative state and the stretch! Then I switched to nature sounds of autumn for her to enjoy! I made some cannabutter (about 90g) with all the trim I had from the first harvesting session!How does it look? Second harvest is here! Again I can’t say how stunned I am with the outcome! She did 472g wet which I guess if you take out the stems and water will be around 70-80g dry...I’ll post her dry weight in a week or so! Also got another batch of cannabutter Trim and popcorn Buds,maybe this time it’ll be 120g butter!
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Yoo it’s kofi cultivates it’s week 3 veg the growth has been explosive from week 2 to week 3 Thanks for following along with my journey. Keep on growing
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Day 1 of week 6: 26th Sept Slow start to this week with an update as my phone is broken. Girls looking good but no pics to show.. Day 2 of week 6: 27th Sept Nutes in as usual! Girls looking good and I think the CalMag is working a treat! 🤞🏼 Day 3 of week 6: 28th Sept Just added some pics and a lil vid today to kick this week off after a slow start! Day 5 of week 6: 30th Sept Nutes in again today and some more defoliation due to yellow leaves not getting enough light.. I was a little worried I hadn’t sorted the CalMag deficiency out properly but the girls are looking much happier now I’ve got rid of those yellow leaves and LST’d them a bit more. 😍 Day 6 of week 6, 1st October: Girls looking much happier since yesterday’s removal of yellow leaves and more LST!! They’ve bounced back so nicely!! Happy days 😊❤️ Day 7 of week 6: 2nd October Girls looking good, nutes in for the last time before switching to flower.. Switching to flower 🌹 during week 7 all being well!! Can’t wait to see some cola action!! ❤️, ✌️ and hair grease!
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Flowering week 3. Everything is ok. I made a light defoliation.
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@weed90
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dernier arrosage a l' engrais avant le rincage de 3,4 semaine
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The first week after the flip. What I have been working on is bringing Gelato's soil pH up. Gelato was given water at 6.5 pH and the run off was measuring 5 pH (yikes.) After flushing with 3 gallons of water at 8 pH, the soil pH was still measuring 5 pH. The reaction the plant had tho after the flush was positive, which is to say, no more burning or yellowing leaf tips 5 days post flush. Sour Diesel and Do Si Dos were fed VEG nutrients at 50% strength ( 1.5 tsp Big Bloom and 1.5 tsp Grow Big.) and the pH of the liquid was 6.5. Everyone is looking good. Because it is only the first week of flower, "the stretch" is yet to be seen.
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Chopped on day 80, hanging in 65F and 62 H. Hoping to slow this dry down to 10 days so wish me luck.
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@nonick123
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Día 101 (09/09) Riego con 500 / 1000 ml H2O pH 6,5 Parece que se ha parado un poco el amarilleamiento que subía tan rápidamente por las plantas! Día 102 (10/09) Riego con 500 / 1000 ml H2O pH 6,5 Excepto LemonPaya, todas las plantas empiezan a llenarse de tricomas! 😍 Día 103 (11/09) Riego con 500 / 1000 ml H2O pH 6,5 Estoy emparanoiado con que la floración va lenta... Día 104 (12/09) Los cogollos no se están formado correctamente... Algo pasa... Los pistilos tienen un extraño color verde y no engordan... OnionOG #1 es la única que tiene un ritmo normal... Riego con 250 / 500 ml porque las temperaturas empiezan a bajar a 25 ºC diurnos / 22 ºC nocturnos y está bajando el consumo de agua... Día 105 (13/09) La deficiencia empeora... Solo se salvan OnionOG #1 y KS1 #2... Día 106 (14/09) La deficiencia sigue empeorando... Solo se salvan OnionOG #1 y KS1 #2... Día 107 (15/09) La floración se ha ido al traste! (Excepto OnionOG #1 y KS1 #2) Tras preguntar a Lurpe, GD e IG concluyo que el super soil tiene un bloqueo de nutrientes Debido al bloqueo, se ha detenido la floración en 4 de las 6 plantas Siguiendo las recomendaciones de Lurpe, hago flush hasta que el agua de escorrentía tiene una EC 2,5 (1250 PPMs) A ver si les da tiempo a recuperarse... 💦Nutrients by Lurpe Solutions - www.lurpenaturalsolutions.com 🌱Substrate PRO-MIX HP BACILLUS + MYCORRHIZAE - www.pthorticulture.com/en/products/pro-mix-hp-biostimulant-plus-mycorrhizae
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Total days above ground: 63 Total flower nights: 24 Just beyond 3 weeks into flower and the plants are showing their potential. Three Animal Mints are lookingn strong. AM3 may have a highe rleaf ratio around buds, but should be some nice colas even if a bit more work to trim than the others. This strain is probably the most consistent pheno-to-pheno of the three, but Kush Mints is quite consistent too. All of the MSNL plants are robust and strong. Second grow with excellent results from this breeder. I did not pay for these seeds, but I am not a shill, either. If one of them grew all whacky like the mountaintop mint, I'd voice the same complaints. The clearly care about such traits in their selection process. Overall the canopy has filled in nicely. I have a couple spots where light is wasted and I'll make some adjustments to the process to fix that for future grows. Now that I've settled on plant size and number of plants, improvements can be made each cycle until it's clockwork. I like the 12-cola vs 8 cola experiement. I've got a fairly long list of edits to make to various sections of my "bible," which means I liked the outcomes of most of my incremental adjustments. Continual, systematic improvement in action... One other incremental change on the docket but not yet realized will be dropping nutrient concnetration once vegetative growth ends. Exact timing will be based on what I see in the foliage. I see some minor tip curl and its a bit darker than I want. So, it may come sooner than later. This'll be something I tweak over the next few grow cycles until I'm happy with the late-flower health. I'll drop fertilizer concentration 10-15% on next refill and see how that plays out. It'll take a couple refills of reservoir to near 100% transition without draining it. If necessary, I'll drain and do a full refill for more pressing needs. A rez scrub before final stretch is coming, regardless. Side note: The impacts of VPD can be enormous. Last year (2025-2 diary) I had a humidifier wick get fouled and RH dropped while VPD spiked for more than a few days, thinking I could power through or that the canopy would soon provide more moisture. Nope, growth stalled in a significant way. By comparing day 34-42-49 of 2025-2 and day 38-42-49 of this diary, I can see a huge difference in growth at same point above ground. The consitency with which i do things makes it fairly certain it's the extende period with extremely high VPDs that caused the difference. Also, interesting that it mostly catches back up by completion of third week of flower. The size difference is nearly undone by this point, though 2025-2 took 4 days longer vege phase to get there. Even so, I still think this grow is more than 4 days ahead of 2025-2 (the difference in vegetative phae duration). Time will tell if the development is ahead of the pace in 2025-2 or whether it's simply mostly an offset due to a less efficient vege phase for 2025-2.
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@Jsammy09
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Officially two weeks since I planted the seed. These things have really grown since the flush and nutrients. Will be flushing and fresh water and nutes on Tuesdays. I will also add daily progress pics and updates. 7/1 (Day 14) - Everything is continuing to go pretty well. I feel pretty good and dialed in on my temps, humidity, and VPD. I've just been kinda monitoring everything and its going well. They seem to be doing ok. I definitely made the mistake of planting them two low in the net pots I think. Im not sure if that is going to hurt anything or not, they seem to be doing ok though. Ill try and get some pics of the roots, I felt under one of them to see if they had roots and there was one under that that was pretty damn gnarly and long already though. Will update later with pics if i can. 7/2 (Day 15)- Continuing to see good growth I think. Things continue to run well and everything is in check and staying the same. PH went up to 6.1 and I added a very small amount of PH down and waited about an hour an now we are back at 5.8. 7/3 (Day 16)- Everything continues as normal, got the new humidifier in and hooked up and its made life much easier. Plants continue to grow and seem to be happy. Tomorrow is flush day and new nutes! Ill try and get a video or something if I can remember. 7/4 (Day 17)- Flushed and refreshed everything. Its a long process due to waiting on the RO water. Everything is looking pretty good though. Just going to continue to monitor. Temp and humidity are still 78-79ish and around 65% RH during day and around 72-73 and 58-60%RH at night. PPM after this flush is around 650ppm or EC 0.9 7/5 (Day-18)- Every seems to continue to go pretty well. Temps, humidity, ph, and ec all stable, plants continue to grow! 7/6 (Day 19)- Pretty much same as yesterday, everything is staying steady and running pretty good, they are getting big but not really growing tall, wondering if it will shoot up soon or if i messed up by planting too deep in net pots. 7/7 (Day 20)- Had an issue this morning, woke up to some leaves curling down at the ends. Checked everything, temp 79, humidity 65%, water temp 68, EC is .9 so same as when I mixed, roots look great, 1 inch gap from net pot, airstins and everything is great. Came to conclusion my light was too close. I haven’t raised it and plants have grown a few inches. I think it was too close and burning. Moved the light to about 33 inches from top of plant now. Seem to be recovering slowly. Will monitor. Any tips and recommendations always appreciated. Thanks.
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💩Holy Crap Growmies We Are Back💩 Code Name FBT2309 Well growmies we are at 14 days in and everything is going great 👌 👉 Started to do some low stress training👈 We all ready got , some Pre-flower showing already 👌 Lights being readjusted and chart updated .........👍rain water to be used entire growth👈 👉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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@ertaverd
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Empieza el adiestramiento! Corte apical en el brote central y defoliacion general😋
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Almost done on the banana purple punch and gorilla cookies, strawberry banana is stacking nicely
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@Buck5050
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Everything is moving along.Found some slight yellowing inside the leaf cells. I raised the ph to 5.6 and will watch to see if that helps at all. I cut clones mid week.Took 3 off of each plant. I used rockwool and clonex gel and placed inside a humidity dome.We will see how that turns out. Nothing exciting after the clones were taken. Some defoliation to clean up the under canopy. The plants liked the leaf strip and reacted well. This is the last full week of veg. Will flip in a few days
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Flushing now. Plucked a few fan leaves. I'm excited for the chop in 7 days 😁😁😁
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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