420 Magazine Official NextLight LED Grow Journal By Brett Blaze

[Roy Growin]

Crikey Brett, I'm a bit of a nerd but that kit is in another league!!
Bucket, coco, nutes... anything else? Wot?

 

[Brett Blaze]

Update
Seedling Day 10

Just a correction on the last post. I didn't update the date properly. Last post was seedling day 8.

At 10 days into seedling stage and the ladies are really taking off. Not sure who's leading now as it could be any of the plants as they are all looking strong. FYI the small plants you see in some of the cups is from the cover crop in the bed. I added some soil to some of the cups that had long stringy stems.

The third node is starting and when it's firmly established I'll transplant. Probably in just a few days.

 

[BakedARea]

Well looks what I found here...I'd like to join in on this one. On one condition though please. If you could tidy it up a bit and keep things a little more orderly, I think we would all appreciate that. Having things in disarray is never a good look Blaze.

 

[Brett Blaze]

Will do Baked. Glad to see you here.

 

[BakedARea]

Will do Baked. Glad to see you here.

Dude... just realized how much of your comparative journal I missed. Peaks and valleys of life. I was barely able to keep up with mine.

 

[Brett Blaze]

Update
Veg Day 1 - 14 days total

Today is transplant day. All the ladies are looking great and it was really hard to pick the best two of each strain. I ended up going with 4 and 5 of the Granddaddy Purple and 2 and 3 of the Northern Lights. The GDP are looking better overall that the NTL which could be from over watering. Transplanting to 1 gallon pots will most likely take care of it.

The roots were looking really good and transplanting a day or two earlier may have been ideal but alas we don't live in an ideal world and today was my first opportunity.

I am using the same soil mix as I started with. The water will contain the Saponin wetting agent to ensure even watering.

The four seedlings will each be going into @GeoPot 1 gallon fabric pots for the next week or so before going into the 3' x 3' bed. I added a small amount of Earth Alive soil activator to the top of each pot prior to the initial watering to help the microbes in the soil. Earth Alive soil activator is composed of a blend of naturally-occurring soil microorganisms, which boosts yields by increasing the availability of crop nutrients in the soil.

After a small amount of water I added some more cover crop seeds and straw mulch to each pot.

I'm going to keep the other seedlings until I know these 4 have transplanted ok. I'll be gradually turning up the light over the next few days until I get to about 700 PPFD.

 

[BakedARea]

That looks like an awesome setup already! I am planning on doing a living bed after this run too. 3x3 is my size choice as well. Gives me some wiggle room around the tent. I'm thinking of reusing the soil I have now and then doing a bunch of fresh soil and compost on top.

How would you approach growing an autoflower and a photo in the same tent bed? Would a 18hr light cycle mess up an auto?

Also, how about soil preferences by different cultivars. I have not seen that be an issue it seems for living soils but changes in pH or other inputs in other mediums can cause havoc with some. I don't know...I'm baked and dreaming about my next run and you're inspiring me with this route.

 

[Brett Blaze]

Growing both Autos and Photos in the same tent can be risky since you don't really know when the autos will start to flower. I don't think the light period will be an issue but I am not an expert on autos.

 

[Mdlroad]

That looks like an awesome setup already! I am planning on doing a living bed after this run too. 3x3 is my size choice as well. Gives me some wiggle room around the tent. I'm thinking of reusing the soil I have now and then doing a bunch of fresh soil and compost on top.

How would you approach growing an autoflower and a photo in the same tent bed? Would a 18hr light cycle mess up an auto?

Also, how about soil preferences by different cultivars. I have not seen that be an issue it seems for living soils but changes in pH or other inputs in other mediums can cause havoc with some. I don't know...I'm baked and dreaming about my next run and you're inspiring me with this route.

Lights not a problem in the beginning but autos need 18/6 entire grow which conflicts with photos in flower. You can switch to 12/12 but autos will will suffer a little but they will finish.

 

[Brett Blaze]

Update
Veg Day 2 - 15 days total

A quick update. All 4 are looking great after the transplant. As I suspected the two NLT bounced back.

Environment: Currently at 82° F and 65% humidity. Temps in the desert are great this time of year providing some relief for the portable AC.

Light Settings: I left the light at the same height and power which is providing me 450 PPFD at the top of each plant.

Granddaddy Purple

Northern Lights

 

[Trala]

What happy healthy plants you have there.

Your neatness, order and matchiness makes my heart sing

 

[Brett Blaze]

Update
Veg Day 5 - 18 days total

Five days into veg and all the ladies are looking great. I will be watering later today as the @GeoPot fabric pots are feeling a little light. Just an estimate but transplanting to the 3 x 3 bed could be in a week to 10 days. When I start seeing roots popping through the pots it will be time.

Temperatures have been pretty easy to control now that outside temperatures have cooled off. I'm keeping the tent below 82°F and RH around 65% pretty easily. The AC Infinity T8 combined with the Nextlight Mega Pro and Controller are working great to keep the environment stable.

Granddaddy Purple

Northern Lights

Best of the bunch. Granddaddy Purple

 

[Trala]

Update
Veg Day 5 - 18 days total

Five days into veg and all the ladies are looking great. I will be watering later today as the @GeoPot fabric pots are feeling a little light. Just an estimate but transplanting to the 3 x 3 bed could be in a week to 10 days. When I start seeing roots popping through the pots it will be time.

Temperatures have been pretty easy to control now that outside temperatures have cooled off. I'm keeping the tent below 82°F and RH around 65% pretty easily. The AC Infinity T8 combined with the Nextlight Mega Pro and Controller are working great to keep the environment stable.

Granddaddy Purple

Northern Lights

Best of the bunch. Granddaddy Purple

Hmmm why do you change the way you count Veg?

I have wondered that since Day 1 - 14 Days in Total

 

[Brett Blaze]

Hi Trala

Ask 10 people when they start veg and you will get 10 different answers. I start when the 3rd node is firmly developed. Seedling stage can last up to 14 days and IMO should not be treated same as veg. Many times my Veg day 1 coincides with the first day of transplant from the seedling sippy cups. But honestly it really makes no difference since the amount of time in Veg should be determined by the plants progress and how big of a plant you want to end up with. Counting flower days is more critical.

 

[BakedARea]

The AC Infinity T8 combined with the Nextlight Mega Pro and Controller are working great to keep the environment stable.

I'm glad you brought this up. I'm running AC Infinity also in 6". I found it a little cumbersome when it came to controlling the tent parameters and when I want it to come on and off. Not sure how to explain it but I find it not that great in auto. It could absolutely be operator error...but NOT THIS operator! Don't you dare say it!

Best of the bunch. Granddaddy Purple

Hell yeah! Great lighting and gorgeous plant. Clear winner for sure.

 

[BakedARea]

But honestly it really makes no difference since the amount of time in Veg should be determined by the plants progress and how big of a plant you want to end up with. Counting flower days is more critical.

You know, I completely agree! After this first indoor run for me, I found counting the days of veg didn't mean much. They showed maturity when they were ready and then I flipped them when I thought they were healthy enough for it. I should have waited at least another week or two in hindsight looking at the performance of two of my plants. Moving forward, I really do think I will simply be putting the seeds birthday for veg and call it a day.

Counting flower days for sure! Coming up with a starting date outside has been a struggle for me. They seem to lull you to sleep for a few weeks and then you walk outside into the garden and there are flowers everywhere! When the hell did that happen?!

 

[Trala]

Hi Trala

Ask 10 people when they start veg and you will get 10 different answers. I start when the 3rd node is firmly developed. Seedling stage can last up to 14 days and IMO should not be treated same as veg. Many times my Veg day 1 coincides with the first day of transplant from the seedling sippy cups. But honestly it really makes no difference since the amount of time in Veg should be determined by the plants progress and how big of a plant you want to end up with. Counting flower days is more critical.

Thank you for that

I have always counted from the day it is birthed. Once that head pops up, I have been calling it Day 1 of Veg. I am days in total 19. I’ll have to try and work it out using your method

 

[Brett Blaze]

Update
Veg Day 10 - 23 days total

Where did the time go. I just realized it's been 5 days since my last update. The home front has been a little busy.

Plants are getting close to transplant time. Pretty sure it will happen this week. The middle plants are showing a little yellow at the edges of new growth. Not sure what to make of it since all four have been treated the same. It may be due to the fan hitting them more directly. I thought maybe the light in the center might also be too intense but it was only slightly higher in PPFD than the ones on the end.

I'm still deciding if I want to LST these or let them grow naturally. If I plan to quadline now is the time to start. My concern is if the soil will hold a stake to clamp them down. I don't think it will. I may just ScrOg these since I have the PVC corner posts ready.

Pictures Just before watering.

 

[Trala]

Good job Bretty boy

They’re looking neat, sheik, and on fleek

 

[BakedARea]

The home front has been a little busy.

Could not agree more! Mine is kids and pets...and me. Haaa haaa

If I plan to quadline now is the time to start.

I did not quadline during the GSC grow. I'm thinking I may give it a try and let some plants grow naturally. I am going to do some autos next, I'll have some duplicates to experiment with!