“Stella” DarkStar #2

4/16/22 I have been a terrible and inattentive grower the last couple of weeks! I have had some issues lately that kind of made my growing take a backseat. Until today that is. My DarkStar is still holding on, and for that I’m grateful to the folks at T.H. Seeds for her great genetics! She is about 2.5 inches tall, but she looks a little bleached out. I’m using a new light for the first time and I’m still trying to work out the settings. I’ve written down my perspective growth and feed timelines in order to start taking care of her in earnest. So today I began giving her some nutrients to see if that can give her a little kick in the soil! I’ve started at the seedling level of my 6 - part grow chart from General Hydroponics, so today she received the following: CALiMAGic: 2 ml FloraMicro: 2.5 ml FloraGro: 2.5 ml FloraBloom: 2.5 ml I mixed everything into a gallon of water, and calibrated my pH meter prior to starting. The initial pH was 6.4. PERFECT! I didn’t bother with any pH Up or Down. The TDS going in was 453 ppm. I only fed my girl a cup of the solution because she’s still sitting in a solo cup and doesn’t need more than that. She had a decent amount of runoff with a pH of 5.7, and a TDS of 424 ppm. I’ve changed my grow room to another space in my house at my wife’s request, but the only equipment change is the light. I’m using the Spider Farmer SE-5000 that I won in a contest for my first DarkStar plant. I initially had the light at 100%, but have since reduced it to 80%. The light is enormous and easily covers almost the entire 4x4 foot tent. The temperature is a little higher than I like at 86.9F, but hopefully it’s ok. It goes down considerably at night (77F), so I’m hoping for the best. Humidity is low at 30%. Happy growing everyone. It’s good to be growing again! 4/18/22 My baby is looking TERRIBLE!! I’m truly afraid that she’s dying, and I really don’t know what to do to save her. My initial plan right now is to get some more soil and put her into her final home with plenty of nutrient rich soil to help her fight back and survive. Only time will tell if I can save her or not. Today I fed her another cup of the gallon solution I made the other day. She got: CALiMAGic 2 ml FloraMicro 2.5 ml FloraGro 2.5 ml FloraBloom 2.5 ml pH going in was 6.4, and TDS was 453 ppm. Runoff was sufficient for her current home with a pH of 5.8, and TDS of 503 ppm. The weather here has shifted from sunny and warm (80F+), to overcast and rainy in the 60’s. The temperature in the tent was 73F, with a humidity of 33%. My new light, Spider Farmer SE5000 is a heavy beast, and it’s electrical box produces a significant amount of heat. Over the last week, with hotter temps outside, my grow tent got in excess of 102F and down to 92F. I have had to leave the tent completely open nearly every day to decrease the heat inside. I realized (hopefully not too late) that I can remove the large electrical box and keep it outside the tent. It (the SE5000) has very long connecting cables that can (and were) extended outside the tent. The result is an interior with the commensurate heat/temperature of the air outside the tent. I’m hoping that this increases the viability of my lovely DarkStar plant. So far this grow is not going to plan, but I’m hoping that I can save her. 4/19/22 I’m not going to write a long note today (I hope). I moved my sickly seedling into her forever home today in hope that it will help her thrive, and not die. There are some new leaf formations at her top that look normal to good; so I’m hoping that it’s a good sign! I made sure all of the soil in her pot was moist so that she’ll have a comfortable transition. Her pics still look terrible, but 🤷‍♂️, what can one do? Hopefully she turns a corner and keeps moving along well. Only time will tell. Happy growing everyone. 4/20/22 Happy 420 Day!! Just a quick note today. My baby is looking a little better today. Her new leaves seem to be getting a little bigger and are staying green, which is awesome to see. I’m hoping she continues to grow into the wonderful plant I know she can be! Anyway; today she received 1 cup of the same solution she has been getting this whole week. I thoroughly soaked the soil in the pot yesterday prior to putting her into it, so today I’m still focusing on her and her roots. I’m hoping for success, and doing what I can to make it so. Happy growing everyone! 4/21/22 My little girl is looking better today, which gives me a lot of joy. I just hope that she keeps growing and improving. I gave her 2 cups of the feeding solution today in order to give some more of the surrounding soil some moisture to allow better root development in her new home. All of the measurements are the same as previous feeding days. The only difference is the tent temperature which was 81.9F, and the humidity at 33%. I’m hoping that she continues to improve and mature into a wonderful plant. Take care everyone, and happy growing! 4/22/22 My little girl is looking better today! I’m was very happy to see that she is producing new leaves and growing. The improvement is small, but an improvement nonetheless. I am excited again to grow!! Side note of no importance to this journal; I started germinating two seeds today using the glass of water method. The last 2 using the paper towel method didn’t sprout after germinating. I am trying a Dinafem Seeds - White Siberian, and a Rocket Fuel cultivar from a private grower. I hope they make it! My girl got 3 cups of the same solution she’s been getting all week. I’m not going to repeat what has already been written. One only needs to read above. She’s doing better. I’m very happy; I only hope she continues to do so. Happy growing everyone!