A Lovely Lady And A Grumpy Old Man Growing In Newfoundland Fall 2023

[CharlieWaffles]

Hi Everyone

This title is us to a tee, my wife and I, haha. She’s extremely lovely and I am definitely the grumpy old man! This will be my second attempt at a journal, the first one crashed and burned. Hopefully a little better success will be had with this one. Please chime in anytime with your thoughts, tips or just in general.

The Grow Room Genetics have graciously gifted us with some free Photo-period tester beans in 4 varieties; East Coast Girl Scout Cookies A, B & C and a strain called Platinum Nancy. These are all fresh untested seeds so we have no idea how they are going to grow. I haven’t even been told what crosses/breeds have been combined to make them. Journal could be a total flop or something amazing. In this grow we will be germinating each of the 3 versions of the GSC. We will also be growing a 4th plant, an Auto-flower Bruce Banner from a different seed bank (can’t remember for the life of me where I got them from). My plan at this point is to grow out the Bruce Banner auto-flower, approx. 12 weeks, with my light schedule being 18/6 and once the Bruce Banner is chopped I will flip the lights to 12/12 to flower the Photo-period plants. I have never tried this before and other than possibly running out of room in the tent I can’t really see the issue. I hope our 420 Family will chime in with their thoughts on this. If the BB-Auto isn’t doing well throughout the grow being in with the photo plants, I do have a 2x4 tent that I can set up and move the auto flower into to get it away from the photo’s if need be. Hopefully this doesn’t become the case. I will be employing Low Stress Training on everything, hopefully this will help keep everything under control size wise and it all fits.


Grow room details:

-Location: Heated Shed in the province of Newfoundland Canada.

-Tent: Opulent Systems 4x4.

-Light: Viparspectra KS3000.

-Medium: ProMix HP-M.

-Pots: 5 Gallon Fabric for the GSC and 3 Gallon for the BB.

-Fans: 1 AC Infinity 6”, 1 Omnimax 8” modified to be a clip on, 1 Tower fan.

-6” Vivosun Exhaust fan and charcoal filter.

-Oil heater as needed.

-Dehumidier: Available and on Stand-by.

-Humidifier: Available and on Stand-by.

-Nutrients: Advanced Nutrients

:Sensi Cal-Mag Xtra,

:Micro, Grow, Bloom, PH + -

:General Hydroponics Dry KoolBloom

:Grotek Pro-Silicate

-No Name PPM & PH Meter

Here we go, September 1, 2023. I did not soak the seeds prior to dropping them into Jiffy Tomato Greenhouse 50mm peat pellets. Two days later, 2 had popped and 2 days after that the other 2 had shown themselves. So far so good. The first 2, GSC-C & Bruce Banner auto, have been moved into their 5 & 3 gallon pots respectively. The other two GSC - A & B will most likely be going into their pots on Friday when I get back home from work. I have a funky schedule in health care so I’m not home every day, hence the reason for my right hand, the Lovely Lady : ) I will not add any nutrients to the ProMix for approx. 3 weeks. I usually wait until I see 4-5 sets of leaves. Just plain water PH’d to 6.0-6.3. Lights are hanging approx. 24” above the pots at 25% intensity for the first week or so then they will be adjusted or lowered accordingly. I use pieces or plywood or whatever is handy under my pots and saucers to keep them from directly touching the cold tent/concrete floor. Temp for now is 20 - 24 degrees celsius, Relative Humidity around 60%.

I know I've missed details. I will be updating regularly, maybe not as often as some, but as much as my schedule will allow. Lots of pics to follow as we go. Again, please feel free to chime in anytime. Thanks for looking.

P.S. Not many pics to start off, they are coming. I will post many more on Friday showing better detail and our setup. They are there in the pots lol, just tiny. I have had great success with planting them in their final pots previously at this stage. Thanks for your patience.

 

[StoneOtter]

A Waffles family event!! Sounds nice!

 

[CharlieWaffles]

Going to call this day 7 above ground. Seedlings look healthy. Each pot received 1 litre of water, poured outside the diameter of the planted peat pod. PH’d to 6.3 PPM 400. Lights at 24” and turned up to 50%. Heater added to the tent as temps are trending down. Today tent temp before heater was 15 degrees C. Going to keep tent at 20 degrees. Tent humidity is 58%.
That’s all to report for now.

 

[CharlieWaffles]

Hey all
Day 11.
Not much to report here. Each pot was given another 1 litre of plain water PH’d to 6.2 PPM 28 from the tap. Growth is slow except for the OG Banner (was calling it the wrong name in my original post). She’s moving along quicker than the others. I will probably start adding nutes and silicate to the next watering which probably won’t be until next week, maybe this weekend, whenever they are dry. Temp is 23°C and RH is around 60%. I lowered the light to 20” and turned up the intensity to 50% over the last few days. So far so good. Might lower to 16” next week. Time will tell. Heater is moved into the tent now. Getting cooler here on The Rock already
That’s all to report for now.

 

[CharlieWaffles]

Day 15 update

When I picked up the pots to check their weight they all felt heavy to me. But the top of the Pro-mix HP looked very dry. I thought that was curious so I did a bit more digging, literally, and dug to the bottom, on the side of one of the pots, and found the medium was dry all the way through. It appears the pots are heavier when dry than I thought. So each pot received 1.5 Litres of plain water; PH 6.0 PPM 30. This is the last time watering with plain water. Next time will be with nutrients. Leaf stems might be getting just slightly yellowish so time to rectify it. Plants are finally starting to get taller and most have at least 2 sets of new leaves. Another week or so and I’ll start some Low Stress Training. Temps and humidity remain the same. Lights also, I might lower them to 16” or turn up the intensity from 50% to 75%. We’ll see.
Not much else exciting to report. This is the “boring” just keep them alive stage. So far so good.

Thanks for looking

 

[Delps8]

I'm a "high light" grower in that I get my plants to the light saturation point as quickly as possible (check out my grow journals for details).

The recommended settings for the Viparspectra KS3000 look OK. They're going with 200-400µmols with a 26" hang height and 50% power. If you go to 16" at 50%, that might be on the high side for your plants. This is a personal bias but I think it's solid advice - spend the $25 on a lux meter so you can set your light levels. No doubt, you can grow lotsa weed without it but I see it as a tiny price to pay to know that my plant is getting the optimal amount of light. After all, light, not nutes, is food for a plant.

Below are the light data from my Spring grow. The XS-1500, X2, X3, and Vipar are different lights.

 

[CharlieWaffles]

I'm a "high light" grower in that I get my plants to the light saturation point as quickly as possible (check out my grow journals for details).

The recommended settings for the Viparspectra KS3000 look OK. They're going with 200-400µmols with a 26" hang height and 50% power. If you go to 16" at 50%, that might be on the high side for your plants. This is a personal bias but I think it's solid advice - spend the $25 on a lux meter so you can set your light levels. No doubt, you can grow lotsa weed without it but I see it as a tiny price to pay to know that my plant is getting the optimal amount of light. After all, light, not nutes, is food for a plant.

Below are the light data from my Spring grow. The XS-1500, X2, X3, and Vipar are different lights.

I'm a "high light" grower in that I get my plants to the light saturation point as quickly as possible (check out my grow journals for details).

The recommended settings for the Viparspectra KS3000 look OK. They're going with 200-400µmols with a 26" hang height and 50% power. If you go to 16" at 50%, that might be on the high side for your plants. This is a personal bias but I think it's solid advice - spend the $25 on a lux meter so you can set your light levels. No doubt, you can grow lotsa weed without it but I see it as a tiny price to pay to know that my plant is getting the optimal amount of light. After all, light, not nutes, is food for a plant.

Below are the light data from my Spring grow. The XS-1500, X2, X3, and Vipar are different li

@Delps8 Thanks for the thoughts! I just might have to get a lux meter. Perhaps not getting my lights dialled in properly is contributing to my buds not quite as dense as I’d like. Any recommendations on lux metre?

 

[Delps8]

@Delps8 Thanks for the thoughts! I just might have to get a lux meter. Perhaps not getting my lights dialled in properly is contributing to my buds not quite as dense as I’d like. Any recommendations on lux metre?

I use a Uni-T which is/was $25 on Amazon (UT383). I just checked the listing and they have a Bluetooth model for $31 (the UT383BT). The have the same sensor but the BT sends the reading to an app that you can run on your mobile.

Being able to send the data to a phone is a big improvement in the product because it allows you to sample different
parts of the canopy and it also makes it handy if you have to reach behind a plant to get a reading.

 

[CharlieWaffles]

UNI-T UT383 Light Meter Lux Meter Lumens Digital Illuminance Meter 0~199,900 Lux (0~18,500 FC) Foot Candles Luxmeter for Film Photography Plants Photometer Lighting Intensity Brightness Measurement Amazon.ca

Like so?

 

[Delps8]

UNI-T UT383 Light Meter Lux Meter Lumens Digital Illuminance Meter 0~199,900 Lux (0~18,500 FC) Foot Candles Luxmeter for Film Photography Plants Photometer Lighting Intensity Brightness Measurement Amazon.ca

Like so?

That's the standard model (no Bluetooth). That's the one I've got and it works just fine.

 

[StoneOtter]

That's a good choice. I use a phone app called Photone. It's a free download with light type options that cost 5 U.S. dollars to unlock what source you may want.

 

[CharlieWaffles]

Day 20: Another brief update. Still not a lot happening these days. They are growing taller and wider day by day and looking better and better. It’s cool to see the progress difference between the Auto flower and the Photo period plants. The Auto is progressing much faster and is thirstier too. All plants received Nutrients this time around; Pro-Silicate along with Calmag, Micro, Grow & Bloom by Advanced Nutrients. PH 6.2 PPM 500. Each of the Photos received another 1.5 Litres but the Auto received 2 Litres as she’s growing and drinking faster. Can’t wait to start stressing them out with some LST. I’ve left the light height at 20” but increased the intensity to 75% (hopefully they can handle it). Haven’t had a chance to try out the Photone app for LED that I recently downloaded. I’ll have an update on this on the next post. I think overall they are looking good so far. Any and all comments welcome as usual

 

[StoneOtter]

Looking good you two!

 

[CharlieWaffles]

Progress! Things are finally starting to pick up. GSC “c” is really starting to take off. The rest are looking bigger too. Not sure if it’s the light being turned up to 75% or the Nutrients I fed them a few days ago or a combination of both. Either way nice progress. Once again they were dry, not wilting dry, but no moisture left in the medium to speak of. This time I gave them a little over 2 litres each of water with CalMag . PPM 200, PH 6.1. Temps approx 20°C and RH is 40-50%. Finally going to have the time this evening to check the PAR. I’ll post again later.

 

[CharlieWaffles]

PAR meter pics. 50% & 75%. Plants have 3-4 sets of leaves. What do you think is best for 20” height? @Emilya Green @ViparSpectra @Bill284 @StoneOtter ?

 

[bluter]

PAR meter pics. 50% & 75%. Plants have 3-4 sets of leaves. What do you think is best for 20” height?

the ks isn't a bad light but i would save some dimming for flower. height-wise you can run it 24 / 18 inch. 24 inches in veg, 18 in flower. easy way to do it is set your light at 24 above canopy in veg, when they grow to the 18 or so mark, hike it up.

when you flip, let them grow to the 18, and leave it there. keep it to the 18 mark as they stretch. if i'm lazy i'll pull the light higher and just leave it at eighteen when they finish stretch, but doing it that way will encourage more height.

75 - 80 % intensity is ok in veg, more intensity results in more growth if other conditions are good. run 90 - 95% in flower, you need more kick in flower. i literally triple my light in flower, going from a 200w veg light to a 600w flower, but most folk only run one light for both. you should do great with the ks.

don't run your light full up if you can avoid it. you will have far less emitter degradation and increase the lifespan of your rig if you leave a little headroom.

 

[Absorber]

That's a good choice. I use a phone app called Photone. It's a free download with light type options that cost 5 U.S. dollars to unlock what source you may want.

Funny that it was totally free for me on an Android phone its a great app ,im guessing you have an iPhone?

 

[Bill284]

PAR meter pics. 50% & 75%. Plants have 3-4 sets of leaves. What do you think is best for 20” height? @Emilya Green @ViparSpectra @Bill284 @StoneOtter ?

Morning Charlie.
Did I miss 2here you said what light it was and the watts.
Got to know that first.
Hope your weekend is going well.




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

 

[CharlieWaffles]

PAR meter pics. 50% & 75%. Plants have 3-4 sets of leaves. What do you think is best for 20” height? @Emilya Green @ViparSpectra @Bill284 @StoneOtter ?

Viparspectra KS3000

 

[Delps8]

Viparspectra KS3000

Do you have readings from the Uni-T? If so, go with those. The Uni-T is stated to have an accuracy of 5%±, same as an Apogee, BTW. For a variety of reasons, I do not consider Photone be considered a reliable source.

RE. how much light/PPFD/DLI - I get my plants to the light saturation point as quickly as possible. Below are the light readings from my Spring grow.

XS-15000=a ViparSpectra XS-1500
X2=Growcraft X2 veg light (2 light bars)
X3=Growcraft X3 flower light (3 light bars)

This is an auto grow. On 6/8/22, I noted "Watched deBacco", a reference to watching one of the deBacco videos. In this case, it was re. DLI for cannabis. At that point, I had already done 3± grows but wasn't completely sold on "high light". The de Banco video, though it was essentially a rehash of the Bugbee videos I had already watched multiple times, was what convinced me to "turn it up to 11".

Puck=a Rapid LED Royal Blue puck