Diary PCBuds mini-grow

[PCBuds]

IME, that is just pre-flowers and would indicate the beginning of the "stretch" period.

Should I consider turning on the sidelights?

Lowering my overhead lights?

I want her to stretch as much as possible.

I figure she might grow sideways if I turn on the sidelights?

And if I lower the overhead lights she might want to stop reaching for the lights?

What do you think?

 

[PCBuds]

Window plants.

 

[PCBuds]

Should I consider turning on the sidelights?

Lowering my overhead lights?

I want her to stretch as much as possible.

I figure she might grow sideways if I turn on the sidelights?

And if I lower the overhead lights she might want to stop reaching for the lights?

What do you think?

I've decided to leave the lights the way they are.
I'm kinda itching to turn on the sidelights but I'm going to try and wait for her to stretch first.

There's still plenty of light from above with the 7 LED strips putting out about 8,400 lumens.

 

[PCBuds]

The one leaf is damaged.







It is pretty close to the circulation fan so I'm hoping it was from rubbing on the other leaves and not a disease or bugs.

 

[PCBuds]

The window plants are looking good.













They are a little droopy but they perk up when the lights come on.

It's hard to take a clear picture with the SIL lighting. There are lines in the pictures.

It must be the flickering of the SILs.
The strips in the closet are DC and I can take better pictures but the colors can be a little off.

 

[ReikoX]

Window plants are looking good. I noticed my plants will be droopy at lights out too. I like to think they are sleeping.

 

[PCBuds]

Window plants are looking good. I noticed my plants will be droopy at lights out too. I like to think they are sleeping.

That's what I was thinking. They're just sleeping. Lol

They do have some daylight from the window during lights off but it's not enough to keep them awake I guess.

I can take a half-decent picture with the lights on if I stand back a couple of feet, but if I try to zoom in, the pictures are full of stripes.
My cell phone camera won't let me manually adjust the focus, so I have a hard time taking closeup shots.

I noticed that the cotyledons are still green on the window plants, so I guess my timing with introducing the nutes was better than my closet plant, where they turned yellow.

 

[PCBuds]

I downloaded a camera app for my phone, and it allows me to lock the focus and its got a macro setting.
I need to figure it out and practice a bit.

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

Nice plants there mate.


I would leave the side lights until it flowers, it's growing nicely the way it is.

 

[PCBuds]

Nice plants there mate.


I would leave the side lights until it flowers, it's growing nicely the way it is.

It saves on electricity costs too.
There are another 170 Watts to add when she's ready.

 

[PCBuds]

My closet plant is just about 16" tall.

Hopefully, she will stretch at least another 8" or so, but it would be nice if she were to double her height.

 

[PCBuds]

I would leave the side lights until it flowers, ...

I don't really know what the start of flowers looks like?

I've only ever grown feminized seeds and never really paid attention to the flowers.

There might even be some pictures in my own thread somewhere?

I'm going to try to pay attention this time.

 

[PCBuds]

I did some Googling and found a picture of the start of flowering.

Apparently, the pistols first show up on the stem where the leaves meet the stem, then they start to show up on the ends of the branches.









I'll keep an eye out for pistols on the tips of the branches.

 

[ReikoX]

I usually wait until the clusters if pistils are dime size before calling it early flower. From there they stretch another week or two, at least with the Sugar Black Rose cross I sent you.

 

[PCBuds]

I usually wait until the clusters if pistils are dime size before calling it early flower. From there they stretch another week or two, at least with the Sugar Black Rose cross I sent you.

Thanks

I'm sure my closet plant is similar.
That's good news because she has a full stretch to still happen.

Now it's a matter of deciding when to turn on the sidelights.

I'm figuring towards the end of stretch, so 2-3 weeks?

I dunno?

 

[PCBuds]

I'm figuring that I want to get her to stretch as much as possible, but maybe it's best to turn the lights on while she's starting to flower, to give her a better chance of adjusting to the light?

My last plant was quite short but it yielded more than any other plant of mine. Some other plants filled the entire closet and I had to cut the top off.


I'll try to keep in mind that I could grow out the entire plant with just the light she has now.
It's equivalent to seven 1,200 lumen SILs but, the most I could reasonably expect is 1 gram/Watt, so that would limit me to a max of about 70 grams for the plant.


I have the option of turning on my sidelights and turning them way down as well.

I could start that anytime and turn them up slowly to not stress her out too much which might stunt her growth.

There's going to be a big change for her going from 50 Watts overhead to 220 Watts total with the sidelights.



I've noticed before that once the side lights come on, the big fan leaves can't seem to handle the intensity and start to die off.
I figure that's fine because she won't need as much surface area to get the photosynthesis to happen, she doesn't have to put as many resources into supporting big leaves, and it allows more light to get to the smaller leaves and bud sites.

 

[PCBuds]

Lookin good!
Just a heads up, I always see a low temperature in your pictures. 69°F, 70°F. That's great for HPS but with LEDs your plants are on the cold side. If you increase the temperature they will grow faster/healthier, basically everything will be easier and better for the plant. 82°F is golden, but even 77°F is a game changer compared to 70°F.
You may be gettin weird readings as well with the sensor on top of the medium, right there is a microclimate of high RH and evaporation, and the irrigation water is typcally cooler than the ambient temperature

I did the math on my heater set at 500 Watts.

It would cost me $46 monthly to run it.









It costs me 12.8¢/KWatt hr.
I decided on a 100 Watt bulb instead.

$7.20 / month running 24/7.




















I should only need to use it for a month or so.

 

[PCBuds]

O yeah it's fine, just saying, things will optimize as you hone in on 82 F. For me that can mean I could close a door, use less air/extraction, stuff like that.

I did nothing but add 100 Watts of heat.

I think I did it relatively safely.
That bulb gets F?¢k|n hot !!

Everything else is the same, and all the fans are running.

 

[PCBuds]

I just checked my math and there's something wrong?

I pay 12.8¢/kw hr...


Here we go.
100 Watts 24/7 for a month.







$9.21 a month.


I'm willing to spend ten bucks to hopefully get her to feel happier and give some extra stretch.

 

[PCBuds]

... If you increase the temperature they will grow faster/healthier, basically everything will be easier and better for the plant...

I hope she grows taller too.