Let's Do Some LST

    Grow Goals Week 7 of Flower ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ 🌦️ VPD of 1.2-1.5 kPa for Late Flower 🌙 Diurnal Temp Difference of 10°F / 5°C 🌦️ Minimum Air Movement 0.8 m/S ⬇️️ Decrease RH to 50% 🔆 Maximum Light Infiltration 🔆 Maintain DLI at 40 (Daily Light Integral) for Late Flower 🚫 No Mycorrhizae 🚫 No Microbes 🚫 No Sugars 🚜 Remove Yellow Leaves 🔎 Pest Inspection 🔎 Mildew Inspection 🔎 Plant Happiness Inspection ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾          🚜  Planning for Harvest    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ Now is a good time to research the breeder's notes for the strain that you are growing. If you purchased quality genetics, then the breeder should have documentation for numbers of days until harvest for that specific line of genetics. I mark this date on the calendar to ensure that I do not wait too long to either start flushing, or gradually reducing the nutrient concentration.    Platinum OG and Purple Punch seem to have mystery origins, so I looked through all of the varying lines using SeedFinder and came up with dates. I will continue to monitor for amber trichomes to determine harvest as I prefer my Indicas on the “couch lock” side of things.   Platinum OG   60-63 days      Purple Punch   60-63 days      George W Kush   58-61 days       🚜  Measuring using "Pour-Through” Method Instead of Runoff    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ I will now be using the PourThrough method to measure runoff. This is a major sea change in my growing technique. This is similar to what was done previously, but now I wait 1.5 hours after feeding, distilled water is poured through, and then the runoff is measured. Am I still allowing 20% of the nutrient solution to runoff when I feed? Absolutely. The difference is that I now empty (and wash) the runoff trays while waiting 1.5 hours to perform the test. Below are the guidelines for the PourThrough method from University of North Carolina:   The Pour-Through Extraction Procedure   content.ces.ncsu.edu/the-pour-through-extraction-procedure-a-nutrient-management-tool-for-nursery-crops The reason for this change is that I can more accurately measure feeding rates and increase/decrease nutrients as needed. The below article from Cannabis Business Times recommends maintaining 1.5-2.0 EC from pour-through to avoid nutrient deficiencies or toxicities.   Recommended Fertilization Rate and Pour-Through EC by Crop Stage   cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/optimizing-electrcal-conductivity-ec       🌦️  New LGR Dehumidifier    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ As mentioned last week, humidity has been an issue. My grow goals going forward are to drop the humidity each week until harvest. I can see that my dehu is struggling with keeping things dry. This is when the temp and RH graphs become very useful.   How much moisture are these plants putting into the air? I know that I am feeding/watering 72 pints / 34 liters every 2 days. My current dehu can remove about 44 pints / 21 liters per day. Looking at the daily average, this unit can barely keep up with the moisture control!   Enter the LGR Dehumidifier. These are commercial dehumidifiers that are designed to run continuously and can also efficiently dehumidify below 50%. Standard dehu’s have a design limitation where they struggle below 50% and freeze over. Greenhouse dehumidifiers are LGR.   It wasn't cheap, but I am at a crossroads where I must spend money if I want better dehumidification. I am still investigating solutions to the floor and walls wicking moisture into the room. My last house was concrete foundation as opposed to the pier and beam I have now. I may place a sheet of vinyl flooring on top of the wood floors. I also redirected the exhaust from my tent into the intake of the dehu as recommended by Quest, a manufacturer in the commercial grow room dehumidification sector.   How to Route Your Ductwork   questclimate.com/how-to-route-dehumidifier-ductwork-video I found a name brand model on the low end of the price spectrum for about 700 USD / 646 EUR.     ALORAIR 180 PPD Storm LGR Extreme Dehumidifier   amazon.com/gp/product/B071HP9PDR         🔎  Pest Inspection    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ I am seeing signs of possible spider mites, but have cannot find any under the leaves and on branches. I spent about 15 minutes per plant inspecting leaves with a extremely high powered flashlight. Not a single pest.   I am also seeing what appears to be thrip damage as well. No signs of the actual thrips as well.   I have added a few more at the soil level, but the sticky traps continue to be clean. I will bleach my grow area before starting the next fruiting cycle regardless of what I find.       🔎  Nutrient Deficiency Inspection    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ I am still seeing dark patches and bronzing on select leaves, but this is the end of flower and I will be flushing until harvest. I have been horribly overfeeding, so hopefully I can use up some of the stored nutrients by flushing. Going forward, I will use above mentioned Pour-Through method to monitor feeding.      🔎  Plant Happiness Inspection    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ Plants appear vigorous and content.      ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________      Fabric pots to prevent root binding.   I am taking the Syn-ganics approach. Using soil with microbes + mycorrhizae added to the nutes. Mycorrhizae will be phased out during flowering as the high phosphorus environment halts fungal germination (Teaming with Fungi: The Organic Grower's Guide to Mycorrhizae by Jeff Lowenfels)   Enzymatic (Sensizym) will assist in breaking down dead root material in the soil. Any brand enzymatic that can break down cellulose will do just fine.   Agsil16H Potassium Silicate is pre-mixed at 148g per 1 gallon of water. Silica will aid plant strength/structure and also make the plants taste terrible to pests. As a side note, plants with too much nitrogen input taste sweet and delicious to pests!   Bacillus Thuringiensis subspecies Israelensis (Bti) (aka Mosquito Dunks) solution is added to the nutes to kill any larvae based pests such as gnats. Mixing Mosquito Bits into the soil is also a great idea.   Seaweed Bottled Mix Ingredients (NOT an endorsement. I purchased this with my own money) ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ - Ecklonia Maxima Kelp - Fish Hydrolysate - Blackstrap Molasses - Humic Acid / Fulvic Acid - Select Amino Acids (L-Alanine, L-Arginine, L-Aspartic, L-Cystine, L-Glutamic Acid, L-Glycine,   L-Histidine, L-Isoleucine, L-Leucine, L-Lysine, L-Methionine, L-Phenylalanine, L-Proline,   L-Threonine, L-Serine, L-Tryptophan, L-Tyrosine, L-Valine) - Calcium Phosphate - Arcanite - Sugars - Yucca Extract - Tryptic Soy Agar - Plant Hormones, Plant Growth Stimulators and Vitamins (Auxins, Cytokinins, Gibberellins,   Abscisic Acid (ABA), Adenine, Indole Acetic Acid (IAA), Adenosine, Zeatin, A (Carotene),   B1, B12, C, D, E, K, Biotin, Niacin, Choline, Pantothene, Folic Acid, Folinic Acid) ________________________________________________________________________________    I Build My Own Custom Grow LEDs https://growdiaries.com/diaries/165481-grow-journal-by-negotiatedbubble   Custom Built Modified Grow Tent Frame https://growdiaries.com/diaries/165474-grow-journal-by-negotiatedbubble   Custom Built Watering Table https://growdiaries.com/diaries/165482-grow-journal-by-negotiatedbubble   VPD Chart and Calculator spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Dta8AptwIIgo728nAu4l9acrWYWPdrljjV4uzXwGJ0Q/edit?usp=sharing   My Custom Nutrient Spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1grolLVrJLQVSdK7sdnR7dS86axWIzDgW1iWWZIFHhiA/edit?usp=sharing