Nugs's 6 for the 6th Sweet Seeds Grow Diary Competition

[jadenugs]

Jan 24th Day 17

Hi dudes,
the plants were ready for topping on Fri so here's an update I said earlier I like to top them as early as possible at the 3rd node but I left them alone until the Psicodelicia (slowest) was growing her 5th and topped her at the 4th. I'm looking for 6 decent branches on each plant in order to train 3 branches one way and 3 in the opposite direction for oblong plants. The idea being to try and fill the tent. So I topped them all at the 4th just in case the 1st node branches don't amount to much. Apart from the IBK, her 1st node branches were already going for it and looking strong so I topped her at the 3rd.

Environment.
I got some new hygrometers and they read close to the same as the one I'm using now so the one I used for my last grow must be the one that was reading too high with the RH. Glad I've worked that out cos it was doing my head in not knowing which was true The probe on one of the new ones will go into one of the pots on pot up and I'll use that in the tent for the rest of the grow.

 

Averages.
Cab temps: 22-28C
Roots:     24-26C
RH:        30-53%

Feed.
Day 14: 250ml containing 1ml/L Foundation root stim. 150ml for Psicodelicia.
Day 16: 300ml each, containing 2ml/L root stim.
Day 17: The KKFV was already dry after a day so got another 300ml containing 2ml/L root stim and 0.5ml/L fish mix.

Images.
I spent some time making templates containing info on the strains, Indica/sativa %, cups won, US strains, photoperiod, fast versions and red family.

In the cab with the lamp turned off.

Clockwise from top left are: KKFV-IBK-DSD-SFLK-RMFV-PSI

Each plant before and after topping with the topped piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking and happy farming

 

 

[Punta Roja]

Great plantsmanship as per J.

 

Fantastic shots...

 

ATB

 

PR

[jadenugs]

@Punta Roja Cheers P, they've taken a little turn for the worse, not looking as nice at the moment and showing a little Mg deficiency.

I think the led intensity in the small space was a little much, I should have turned it down but was tryinmg to keep the temps up. They've all got different needs at the moment so I can't wait to get them potted up when they've got over their stress. Will be a bit easier to see to their needs then

[Amo]

57 minutes ago, jadenugs said:

little Mg deficiency.

I think the led intensity in the small space was a little much, I should have turned it down but was tryinmg to keep the temps up

Hey mate, I was having Mg deficiency when I first started using diyled’s, I was told it was the light intensity and to raise the lights, this worked a treat, no probs since, so far anyhow...

If you can’t raise em, turn them down as you said, an maybe a small tube heater for ur temps...

 

All is looking pretty good in those update pic’s, like how ur training these, I'm enjoying this one...

[jadenugs]

@Amo Hey up dude, yeah the lamp was raised as far as it goes and the air is drawn from a rad box. There's 3 switch positions on the radiator and it's on the 2nd. Thermostat dial on full.

If I'd turned the wattage down on the lamp I'd have had to switch the rad onto the third switch but I'm wary of it, being enclosed in a box. The thermal cut out is cutting in all the time as it is and it makes me nervous mate. I daren't put it on full blast They should pull round when I get them potted up and they settle into the tent environment. This needs dialling in too as I struggle with temps in that as well. All good fun in an attic

 

Cheers dude

[Amo]

Yea dude I hear what ur saying, not easy getting enviro right at times, especially in an attic as you say...

An if ur nervous abt the heater already then leave it be if it’s working, as the plants are looking real good in the pic’s...

Just passing on info that helped me, im not an attic grower so can’t help on that front...

I know you’ll be on top of it anyhow mate...

[jadenugs]

@Amo Cheers bud, appreciate your help, always welcome

 

 

[jadenugs]

Jan 27th Day 20

Hello folks,
as mentioned earlier I think the led intensity was a little too much for my space when turned up full and also the pots are about rooted out so this upset some of my girls a little. You won't notice much wrong in the following images as I only took my best looking ones out to try and get a decent photo for the monthly competition. Thought I'd keep the diary updated with details though until I take photos of them all. Three of the others are showing a bit of Mg deficiency, you might have noticed it just starting on the last update. So with this in mind and me already mentioning I have high levels of Mg in my water, I decided to hastily switch everything on in my tent and dial in quickly so I could get the girls moved in there under a CMH hung higher above them and refrain from adding Calmag. If I'd dimmed the led in the cab my temps would have dropped and I didn't want to turn my radiator up any further, with it being enclosed in a box. On hindsight why didn't I just dim the light and then slow my extraction to compensate eh? Anyway, I couldn't quite get the temps in the tent up to equal what was in the veg cab but I moved the girls in anyway to try and get them settled in ready for potting up.

Cab environment.
Temps: 22-29C
Roots: 24-26C
RH:    31-58%

Tent environment when they went in on day 19. CMH 942 hung at 36"
Starting temps: 25C
Roots:          23C
RH:             41%

Day 20.
Temps: 20-26C
Roots: 21-26C
RH:    36-49%

My extractor fan is a two speed TD Silent 150 and it is wired to the slow speed. On day 21, yesterday, I plugged it into a DIY Variac step transformer to slow it down further and set it to 80%. I adjusted my intake to match and maintain negative pressure. I'm hoping this might raise my temps to nearer 27 or 28C but mainly I want to keep the lights off temps maintained at about 22C if I can and keep it there for closer day/night temps in prep for the stretch phase when they go into flower. We'll see. I've been lowering the CMH 3" a day over the past two days. I also set up a water tray with some capillary matting to try and keep humidity up as I lower the lamp. I'll get some pics of the tent set up later.

Feed.
Day 18: All but the KKFV had 200ml containing 2ml/L rootstim and 0.5ml/L fish mix. I think this was the feed that over watered some of them a bit. Should have left them another day really but they were all at different stages and I got impatient
Day 19: 200ml for the KKFV containing 2ml/L root stim and 1ml/L fish mix. I upped the FM as she was fading a bit. She's still going for it and drinking twice as much as the others.

Images.
Just the Psicodelicia and the Red Mandarine FV this time to show the branching coming along after their topping, and to choose a pic for the comp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next update will be for the pot up. I'll be potting them up either tonight or tomorrow and the update will follow soon after.

 

 

[Openairbud]

It's a constant battle trying to keep temps perfect hey nugs! Seems like you got it under control. Awesome pictures mate, and healthy looking plants 

[jadenugs]

@Openairbud Thanks mate, yeah always a struggle in a not so ideal location but adds to the challenge and fun of growing I do have a spare bedroom I could dedicate to growing but it's less stealthy aint it. I'd sooner struggle and keep things better hidden

[jadenugs]

Pot up Jan 29th day 22.

I got around to potting them up on Wednesday, after a couple of days waiting for the recovery of IBK, DSD and SFLK. These three just happened to be the ones that were showing the most Mg problems brought on by too much light intensity in the veg cab so that must have stressed them and slowed their drinking. They would have benefitted from a couple more days recovery before the added stress of potting up but I thought they'd recover more quickly if I potted up carefully and never watered them in straight away (which I don't usually do anyway). I like to let them settle for a day, providing the rootballs are already wet enough to keep them going. If not I give a little bit just to the centre of the rootball to keep them going while the ends of the roots settle in to the fresh damp compost.  

The original plan was to go straight from the 1L pots to 7L fabric finals but I've decided to flower them in 11.4L round fabrics. So I dug out some 3.5L square plastic pots for intermediates and gave them a clean in a mild bleach solution, followed by a good rinse.  

I might be pushed for time getting the diary finished by the deadline so I'm hoping they grow well with no problems from now. 10 days in these and 17 days in the finals would be a total of 49 days veg so that's what I'm aiming for. 

Pre pot up.

 

Potting up

When I fill around an empty 1 litre pot to the level required I give the sides of the bigger pot a tap to settle the compost and then top up to level again, so that when I remove the empty pot and drop the rootball in I don't have to add any more compost down the sides. Makes life easier and there's less stress to the plant. Before placing the plant in I give the sides of the hole a light misting to prevent it caving in and help some of the Myco stick to the sides. I sprinkle about a teaspoonfull of Myco in.

Some pics of the roots.
The KKFV and IBK were the most developed but the others were lagging behind a bit. The rootballs on those were still firm though because the pots had been raised on a rack in the prop base so the roots had been air pruning at the drain holes and branching out. You can see loads of root ends just emerging.

Potted up and back under the lamp.

I turned the lamp off for the pic below, as it looked like there was loads of yellowing in the pre pot up pic with the lamp on. This one shows the extent of yellowing a bit clearer. It's not so bad really and they should be fine in the fresh compost and under the CMH. I'm hoping not to add any Calmag at all throughout the grow so I'll be keeping a close eye on the environment. The KK top left is a bit greedy for N and she's a stretchy one already. Gonna be a wild one with the bloom stretch I reckon.
When potting up I placed the hygrometer probe and the Inkbird thermostat probe for the electric blanket halfway down the new pot of the Psicodelicia front left and halfway from the outside of the pot to the original rootball. This time I have taped both probes together before placing in and both are reading within half a degree of each other My last grow they were reading different so I wasn't sure about the accuracy of either and as mentioned I'm using a new hygro this time. The pots haven't been filled right to the top because of them being tall pots and I want to have plenty of fresh compost underneath the rootball when they get potted into the finals.
I had been lowering the lamp 3" a day and when I potted these up it only raised them 3" so never needed to adjust the lamp. It was at 26" above the tallest (KKFV) after the pot up.
Clockwise from top left: KKFV-IBK-DSD-SFLK-RMFV-PSI.

 
I had some capillary matting suspended from some string and hanging into a gravel tray full of water to try raise humidity, but it wasn't working too well. The intake blowing on it was evaporating the water quicker than it could rise up the matting so I had a re think and came up with this. Three empty Bio Bizz bottles floating on the surface with matting wrapped over and under. Works a treat for keeping the matting wet at all times. It's hardly a top of the range humidifier but it's helping to keep humidity above 35 which will do until the girls get bigger and create more of their own humidity. I've also filled a couple more trays with water.

The other CMH fixture is hanging off a tent side bar out of the way so that I could move the one I'm using into the middle of the tent. Plan is to use just the one for the whole veg and then swing the other back into place for flowering.

My circulation fan is a Bionaire air purifying fan with a Negative ion switch and carbon hepa filter. I've removed the carbon filter and have the neg ion switch set to off. It's a cylindrical type fan that pulls the warm air from the top and blows it through the front above the plant tops. Because it doesn't draw air through the back it can be hung right against the tent wall out of way. Note to self, it needs a clean before the bloom phase.

Well that just about covers everything I've done so far. Next update, hopefully they'll have found their feet in the new pots and and for the photos I'll probably be taking a closer look at how side branching is coming along. Training will commence soon. 

 

Happy growing.

Edited January 31, 2020 by jadenugs

[delagdo]

Your plants are looking good despite a few pale lower leaves. Nice work on potting up. Great idea with the matting and bottles. Brilliant diary keeping as usual - love the photo templates which look fantastic and make it nice and clear what's what.

[SYZYGY]

Just catching up with the competition diaries.... always a pleasure to read yours @jadenugs  

Layout, detail, photo quality, and of course skills all up there. Sounds like a few members have had issues with their LED intensity in veg recently, myself included - very easy to over do it if enviro isn't bang on.  Plants are looking good anyway, all the best for the rest bud.

[AustrianToker]

Looking great.   Keep it up!

[jadenugs]

@delagdo Cheers mate. The templates took me ages to sort out, glad they're of use  

These were the 2nd lot. For the first lot I picked the colour for the background from the bud photo backgrounds on the SS website so that each strain had a different coloured template background. When I got to the Psicodelicia the bud shot had a black background and I'd already added the round signs  which are in black so you couldn't see them So I changed all the backgrounds to white.

 

@SYZYGY Thanks for dropping in mate. Yeah I always struggle with my veg cab trying to balance the environment. They're sound now they're in the tent, just got to try and keep them that way

 

@AustrianTokker Cheers dude, I'll try my best