If you can’t read the legend;
• Gap between tank and screen is 5”
• Lights are at their lowest point with current fans
o Fans need to be on LHS , blowing hot air into CF
• 19” available to raise the ligts7
• Not enough room for lights to pass CF, by an inch!
• When light raised 6” will put CF below the lights
• 3 * 30w blue cfl to fit when light raised (?)
I stopped tucking grow tops on day 11 of flowering, my first grow I stopped on day 14 and the tallest buds grew to touching the bulb, but I am able to raise the lights 5” higher this time. Apologies for being obsessed by inches but this is the most limiting success factor I can’t change. Real life can be such a drag, but we all learn to work with what we’ve got.
I mentally prepared for something I can no longer avoid, I minimised all risk areas, imagined the successful completion of a task I thought I had been incapable of for the past year, and when I was in the zone, I changed the blue bulb for a red one. Blue light produces about 2” less final bud height, which I had learned to live with, but will be too embarrassed to photo now I am sharing pictures.
I have prepared 3 supplementary lights, once fitted and CF below the screen some bud space will be the price, not sure the extra lights will be worth it, unless any strong opinions against I will find out in several long weeks.
There are some grow tips that are struggling in the shade, but this is the focus of gardening time, removing as few leaves that I cannot tuck away as possible.
Keeping a journal is certainly changing my limited growing habits. It started with cloning these plants, I took the clones having read so many journals of routine success. Took the cuttings with the donors in 5th week of flowering, and then I read that taking clones at day 21 is routine and some say beneficial. If I take the next generation at day 21, I do not have the space to keep them whilst the donors finish flowering.
I harvested last time, what now seems like a very long time ago, without seeing many amber trichs but it was week 12 and the clones needed the room. The breeder says that 8 weeks flowering, I now realise this is under optimal conditions, and my limiting success factor is CFL, but wallet and nervesnous of not having enough ventilation currently prohibits any significicant change. So the main variable I can influence is harvest time and I need to accommodate 12wks+ for flowering to finish and possible extra week or so for the lower or secondary canopy to get the full light after first harvest.
Following GiGaBaNes zoning idea, HT;
Root zone; Temps controlled to minimum 69f with aquarium heater, cooling, only required for 6 wks so far during the last year, provided by freezer blocks, can change 4 times every 24 hrs. Not sure what the max should be but I am working on 77f.
O2 supplied chemically with oxyplus, and an air stone for a 2m aquarium in the reservoir.
Plant zone; CO2 provided at a rate of 124l every 14 days, but max temp is now 89f so probably not required or made use of. I need to minimise CO2 leakage into root zone.
No need to warm the grow space at all last winter and do not choose the extra expense to keep at optimal.
When I replace CF filter, this fall, I will get a smaller one that can fit below the light shade for the whole grow time, fans on the LHS next time, rising temps can be thermostatically controlled, but not lowering temps.
Light zone; Temps are actually lower above lights than below so only minimal air exchange required.
The meds have taken me to that 'just rambling' stage and I’ve just realised so I will explain about the journals another time, and finish the update.
