Day 8: Nothing New
Notes: New lights were supposed to be here today (Monday) according to tracking, but of course, were not. So, we still got blurples for at least the next day.
Both plants seem to be growing, slowly but surely! Temp and humidity are relatively under control. Based on the size of the plants, I'm thinking I might transplant into their final homes (5 gal Smart Pots) by the end of the week! Refilling the humidifier twice a day is kind of a pain. Was looking into a possible DIY solution to feed the tank from a large reservoir, so that might be coming in the future.
Plants look good, soil looks kinda dry-ish, so I will be watering tomorrow.
Day 9: Watering
Notes: RIP my dreams of getting a new lights. Shipment is officially delayed with no ETA. Also, watered plants as they looked a little parched, and the soil was super dry.
Day 10: Nothing new
Notes: Lights have signature confirmation and I wasn't home 😢 Going to pick them up at the PO tomorrow and setting the damn thing up ASAP.
I also mounted my exhaust fan to one of the 2x4s framing the room because it felt like CFM was lower than usual which I attribute to putting the exhaust fan all the way on the floor which added a couple bends to the ducting and lengthened it by a few feet. After mounting it (close to the exhaust port in the tent), it seemed to pick up a bit.
Plants look ok. Growing very slowly. Soil still looks damp so we're good on watering! GSC definitely looks ready to transplant soon, possibly in the next day or two. NL is close behind it.
Day 11: Watering
Notes: I was waiting at the post office in the morning for them to open. I got home and hung the light while removing the old one. When I turned them on, HOLY SHIT ARE THEY BRIGHT. Staring at them is almost as bad as staring at the Sun -neither of which I recommend doing-. I set it up right before lights out so I didn't get to test too much. When I got home -after they have been running for 2 hours-, first thing I noticed was the temperature increase. Thermometer said it was 79f. Granted, this is running at full strength (I didn't get to adjust before I left for work). I adjusted it down to roughly 50% as most of this light is being wasted on these poor seedlings anyway. I also pointed the fan at the heat sink. We'll see how the combination of these two things affect the temperature.
The GSC looks ready for transplant, with NL close behind it. I could probably transplant the GSC tonight, but I'd rather transplant both at the same time. I might transplant them Friday night after I get home, or Sunday. With that being said, I'm going to hold off on watering them until I put them in their new 5gal Smart Pots.
edit: I actually did end up giving them a tiny bit of water.
Day 12: Nothing new
Notes: Will be transplanting on Sunday (Day 14). Plants are growing pretty steadily now. Both just about have their first full set of leaves! New lights are fucking amazing. I decided to return my filter / fan to upgrade to a better quality setup. I got a Vortex 6in S series for better longevity and also to quiet the grow area. Replaced the filter I got with a 6x16 Phresh carbon filter. Once they're both here, gonna set them up, and return the others.
Day 13: Nothing new
Notes: GSC is getting so big. Already up to two nodes. Same goes for the NL, but it's more Indica looking in that it's "bushy" and flat. Pretty much a sign of how the two will compare in size later on in their lives.
Also, my pH pen sucks, and I needed a TDS pen, so I am going to return the shit one I got and get a BlueLab growers toolkit, which is just a pH pen and a TDS pen.
Might seem like I'm going overboard, but I am trying to future-proof my setup for as long as possible. I like to get years if not decades of use out of things I purchase. The higher up-front costs are worth it to me to have a quality product that lasts.
Day 14: Transplant
Notes: Today is the big move. Bought some shelving / plastic containers at the hardware store for a easy to clean up drainage system. Also bought a big bag of perlite to mix and some random other tools. I mixed both 5gal Smart Pots with a 2:1 Fox Farms Ocean Forest / Perlite mix to help with drainage and aeration. I may have messed up a little and not filled the pot that will be housing the NL, but it's roughly about 3/4 full, and I may have also buried her a little bit deeper than I should have. Other than that, it was a pretty event-free move. Everything is looking good so far.
Now that they're in their new homes, the countdown begins, 3 weeks, until I can start feeding them nutrients.