Week 3 of Flower-Day 1
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Welcome back…..Still dialing in the grow tent and transitioning from veg to flower.
Feeding Time…..I was historically feeding 1-1.5 gallons per plant before with a little runoff from my 5 gallon fabric pots. I suspect that I haven’t been giving enough liquid for sufficient runoff in my previous grows which leads to some potential problems with salt buildup. Friday’s feed was 1.75 gallons each at 900ppm going in and almost 2100 ppm runoff water. Saturday, I fed 2.2 gallons each at 1050ppm going in and 1900 ppm with the runoff water. So the concentration of salts in the soil seems to be improving with each feeding.
4.75 Gallons fed at 1050 ppm / 1.75 gallons of runoff sucked up from drain pans at 1900 ppm
Mega Crop. 3.5g/ gallon
Bud Explosion .9g/gallon
CalMag 13 ml in 4.75 gallons
Ph Down roughly 3-4ml
1.75 gallons of RO and 3 gallons of tap
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Today…..I did two actions to address this high soil ppm concentration. I wanted to fix this before the flowering stage is too established.
1.). Fed 3 gallons total (1.5 each) of tap water with General Hydroponics Florakleen and CalMag to help flush salts out of soil….ph’d to 6.2. Didn’t measure ppm of ingoing liquid, but runoff ppm was down to 1400. Runoff ph at 5.9. Im happy with those numbers, but I hope the soil increases slightly.
2.). Fed 2 gallons (1 gallon each) with Megacrop (4g/gallon), Bud Explosion (1g/gallon), Sweet Candy (1g/gallon) and Epsom Salt (.5T/gallon). PPM was relatively high as a result of the Epsom salt…1500. That Epsom salt raised the ppm from 990 to 1500. Runoff at 1500 too. Future feeding will be kept below 1100ppm.
Vacuumed runoff and the tent is ready to go for another day. Friday’s runoff ppm was. 2100 and we are now down to 1500 ppm. As long as I continue to feed with plenty of runoff, I hope to be able to finish this grow without a flush.
On a secondary note, I’m using 5 gallon fabric pots for the first time in a while. I forgot how much more humidity they put off in the garden with their porous sides. I think I’m going to switch back to plastic Warrior pots on my next grow to reduce humidity and water less frequently. They still deliver oxygen to the roots and they don’t allow for as much evaporation between watering.
Here’s my rationale….I vent into my grow room where I run a dehumidifier. Unfortunately, I have no option for external venting. Since the fabric pots put off more humidity, I’m running my dehumidifier more frequently and for longer periods. So higher utility costs and more wear-and-tear on my dehumidifier is what I think I am experiencing. Is the extra cost worth it for the air pruning fabric pot???
I’m still working to dial in a stable VPD. Revised this table that I found online for the narrower grow room parameters. Planning to purchase a controller to automate some fans and lighting…..doing more research. Feel free to steal if it’s helpful….I borrowed it from GrowDoctor.com.
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For anyone joining in, here are some topics I’m researching for this week. (I have a lot of free time). Feel free to jump in….
1.) do you think runoff ppm matters in soil? Mixed results online, but I will continue feeding with plenty of runoff to minimize salt buildup
2.). Are fabric pots really that superior where they are worth the extra dehumidifier expense? Do you notice better results with your buds?
3.) Researching AC Infinity Controller 69 Wifi. Looking ti to automate and control remotely the exhaust fan, oscillating fans and my light.
4.). Are there any benefits to adding seaweed extract in flower?
5.). Should I be defoliating in week 3 of flower?
Whew….today is completed by 7am. Productive morning!
