The 'must do' things that go by the wayside. . .

Hey Blades,
Quick disclaimer: The stuff that worked for me in this worked for me because of the specifics of where I live and the microclimate I'm in. Results will vary by location!

So... I'm on my third or fourth grow depending on how you look at it (did one grow for seeds), and I've noticed a few things that were absolute, must-do necessities on the first grow but have gone by the wayside as I've gained perspective and knowledge. For instance . . .

On my first grow, I kept a daily log and noted every single thing I did. ppm, ec, nutes, condition of plants, temp, humidity, the whole nine yards. I still keep a log but now I only put down things of note, like when I topped a plant or when I flipped to 12/12. I still take note of the minutiae... I just don't write it all down because a lot of it really doesn't matter tomorrow or next week.

On my second grow, I tried to keep humidity and temperature within the exact guidelines set out in the standard indoor growing guide -- and not only did it drive me crazy, it ran my energy bill through the roof!

By the third grow I figured out that if I made a separate exterior 'wall' of reversed panda film (i.e. black side facing the tent) surrounding the tent from floor to ceiling, I could leave the flies open for nighttime ventilation, which greatly reduced the humidity issues: so much so, in fact, that I never needed to use the dehumidifier... and not using the dehumidifier meant that I was able to forego using the A/C. I won't know until the end of the grow I'm in now how much my energy costs went down since I only get an electric bill every 3 months, but I am betting it's significantly less.

The latest change I've made is getting rid of those Viparspectra LEDs (anybody want to buy 7 used LED lights? ) and replacing them with a tower fan and a 500 watt QB, which services the whole 5'x5' tent, and reducing my fans to one tower fan for the tent, and one inline fan for vent extraction (as opposed to two extractor fans, a filter, and three oscillator fans).

This is what the tent looks like today
For what it's worth, the biggest two plants are about 10 days into flower, the two medium plants have just been flipped, and the small plants are still in veg.

I guess I don't have a specific point to make here, except to say it pays to keep your eyes open, and work out what you really do and don't need. One thing is for sure though: this grow is healthier, more vigorous and bigger than any of my other grows were at this point.

Sometimes, less is more.

 

"Questions for you. Thanks for any you can answer.
1. Have you noticed shorter inter-nodal spacing since switching from the Viparspectras?
I’ve read that the blurples are famous for it— never noticed. Nodes under the QBs are almost too tight. ...well if that don't sound like part of a seedy joke or rock n’ roll memory! As (?) Cheap Trick’s “She’s Tight” plays in my head.
2. What’s your 500 driver running at? Haven’t messed with output yet; looking forward to getting a light meter.
3. What’s distance between your lights and canopy?
3. Looks like you have veg and bloom in one tent? Autos? Magic?
Kwince"

Hi Kwince.

Your quote and mine got mixed together so I extracted the questions out of it.

1: Yes and no. The Sour Diesel and Headband both are growing tight and bushy (Cheap Trick would approve!), but the Mystery Plant (Might be Platinum OG or Gelato, or maybe it's another Peyote Critical? Dunno. It was a mystery seed.) and the Peyote Critical have really stretched out internodes. The Sour D. is insanely tight, like 3 nodes in 6 inches or something.
2: I'm flowering so it's running at max. Temps are consistently around 76-78 degrees.
3: Not magic... CFLs! I put the vegging plants in the tent while the light is on and move them under CFLs before lights out so they don't flip to flower before time. It's only for a few weeks, so not much hassle.

 

Thanks for the kind words.

Yeah, QB was like a shot of single malt after only ever having Coors beer.

The biggest problem I have run into with the quantum board is my plants have grown so much faster and larger it looks like they're going to outgrow the tent! Ha... Such problems we should all have!

 

LOL

I make my old bud into RSO. Tried shaking out kief, and made hash a couple times, but the alcohol extraction is pretty quick and easy with a fan and a cheap rice cooker. I make it in my backyard, takes about 30-45 minutes, and in the end I get this oil that if it didn't get me high would make really good glue. lol. I still have three 2-liter jars of bud, and the only reason I'm growing is cuz I wanted some different strains.