Afghan Kush, High Brix, LED...

Technical Update:

I have ordered and already received some of the parts I need to build a four COB fixture. Like my current main light source I will not say the brand and or model of certain parts. Altogether, including some needed tools, any shipping, and misc. taxes I spent about 300 USD.

Major parts List:
- Four 3500K 90 CRI COBs
- Four Ideal Chip-lok holders and Ledil angelina reflector adapters
- One sided thermal adhesive pads (1 pack of 10)
- Four Mechtronix heat sinks
- One MeanWell HLG-185H C1400A driver

Misc parts list:
- Ideal Luminaire disconnects (1 pack of 5)
- Self tapping, Hex head, M3x10mm screws (1 pack of 100)
- Self tapping, Hex head, M4x12mm screws (1 pack of 25)
- Rivets
- 18 awg solid core wire (about 8m)
- A 125 volt three prong plug
- Angled aluminum (3.175mm x 1.22m)

Personal thoughts:

At the moment I am still waiting on the self tapping, hex head, m4x12mm screws. At the earliest, the screws should arrive on the 18th from China. Until the screws arrive I have just about everything ready for the installation into the grow space.

The driver is not going to be mounted on the fixture, but left near the ground of my grow space. I went with the Ideal Luminare disconnects versus the more popular Wago connectors, due to my knowledge of wiring automobiles and one connector for both the positive and negative leads is easier to deal with. The whole fixture has two separate disconnection points to make the installation easier. One point is just off of the fixture and the other is directly off of the driver itself.

Day 79 (Flower Phase: 12)


Day 81 (Flower Phase: 14)


Day 90 (Flower Phase: 23)

Day 95 (Flower Phase: 28 )


Day 99 (Flower Phase: 32) New the main light source was installed on this day.

Day 100 (Flower Phase: 33)



Day 105 (Flower Phase: 38 )


General Update:

Day 100 (Flower Phase: 33)

- Watered: About 200ml

Day 102 (Flower Phase: 35)

- Food and water: Growth Energy, a quarter strength transplant, and Tea (GE: 3.69ml, 1.25ml Trans, and 1ml Tea) in about 4 liters of water.

- Foliar Spray: Brix (1ml to 1fl.oz)

Day 103 (Flower Phase: 36)

- Light Schedule: 8.5 hours on and 15.5 hours off

Day 104-105 (Flower Phase: 37-38 )

- Water: 4 liters with a quarter strength transplant (1.25ml or .625ml per day)

Day 106 (Flower Phase: 39)

- Foliar Spray: Destress (1ml to 1fl.oz)

Day 108 (Flower 41)

- Food and water: Full Strength Transplant with Tea (3.69ml Transplant + 1ml Tea) in about 4 liters of water

General thoughts:

I started adding a quarter strength transplant to the water because the plant is in flowering mode and transplant promotes flowering. The Plus I am curious to see how things will turn out this close to harvest. Speaking of the harvest, I plan on letting this plant go the full eight weeks.

Pictures first:

Day 110 (Flower phase: 43)


General Update:

Day 106 (Flower Phase: 39)

- Foliar Spray: Destress (1ml to 1 fl.oz)

Day 108 (Flower Phase: 41)

- Food: Full strength Transplant plus Tea (3.69ml Transplant + 1ml Tea) in about 4 liters of water

Day 109 (Flower Phase: 42)

- Foliar Spray: Destress (1ml to 1 fl.oz)

Day 110 (Flower Phase: 43)

- Water: Two liters with one eighth strength Transplant plus one half of a tablespoon of magnesium sulfate.

- Light Schedule: 8 hours on and 16 hours off

Day 111 (Flower phase: 44)

- Foliar Spray: Brix (1ml to 1fl.oz)

- Water: Two liters with one eighth strength Transplant plus one half of a tablespoon of magnesium sulfate.

General thoughts:

For the past few days, the top most leaves have slowly been turning yellow. I at first thought the plant was dealing with heat stress from the new lights so I raised the light as I high I could. As the yellowing slowly continued I gave the plant a foliar spray of destress and just some extra magnesium in the water. Despite the destress foliar spray a few days ago and some additional magnesium, the top most leaves are still yellowing. With some research it turns out that the plant's senescence is just becoming more obvious to me. The top most leaves of my last harvest had some late flower fading as well, but I didn't notice it until after I had chopped the plant down when the flowering phase was at day 52

At the moment, the flower gives off a scent that is similar to a really sweet mango mixed with some orange. There is a hint of really good soil in the scent. Some might say the good soil smell is like a "Funk" or a "Earthy" smell. The most prominent part of the overall scent is the really sweet mango.

Pictures first: The first few pictures show the top most cola being held in place with a green garden tie. Without the garden tie the top of plant leans a little bit. The last two photos sort of show the lean. I will post side shots with and without the garden tie.

Day 117 (Flower phase 50)


General Update:
Day 113 (Flower Phase: 46)

- Foliar Spray: Destress (1ml to 1 fl.oz)

Day 115 (Flower Phase: 48 )

- Food and water: Growth Energy, a quarter strength transplant, and Tea (GE: 3.69ml, 1.25ml Trans, and 1ml Tea) in about 4 liters of water.

Day 116 (Flower phase 49)

- Light Schedule: 7.5 hours on / 16.5 hours off
Including a 40.5 hour period of darkness just prior to harvest. This week, overall the plant will have 123 hours of darkness. If this plant were a sativa it would have 115.5 hours of darkness this week.

Day 117 (Flower Phase 50)

- Foliar Spray: Brix (1ml to 1fl.oz)

Pictures first: Keep in mind, this plant is wider than the grow space itself. It just may not look that way, because I have already tied secondary branches back. As you can see, I only have enough room to grow one plant at time.

Day 118 (Flower phase: 51)

Side Note: When I take photos I like to change the camera settings around. The first three photos is what someone might see if they were looking at the plant in person. The only camera setting I do not change is the sharpness. I only change that setting once and it is changed shortly after the purchase.

General Update:

Day 118-119 (Flower Phase 51-52)

-Watered: 4 liters(About a gallon) in the tray with a quarter strength (1.25ml) Growth Energy. (Per day: 2 liters of water with .625ml Growth Energy)

Pictures first:

Day 119 (Flower Phase: 52)



Day 120 (Flower Phase: 53)

- Foliar Spray: Destress (1ml to 1fl.oz)

- General thoughts: I have removed the water container I use for adding additional humidity and pour the remaining (500ml of water) in the tray. When the main light source goes off today, it will not be turning on again until the next grow starts.

Day 123 (Flower phase Day 56)

Pictures first:


Harvest: Began at noon and was completed by 5pm.
My general harvest tasks include: Cut down, leaf trim, washing harvest and hanging trimmed flower clusters. Plus other sanitary cleaning duties to prepare the space for another grow.

I'll let the pictures do most of the "Talking. " Another Afghan Kush seed will be germinating soon.

Pictures first:



Comments:
1. (As seen in the first picture) Final dry weight- three ounces. I was hoping for two ounces.

2. I generally prefer quality over quantity. When possible I will make positive changes, to the overall growing environment and nutrient program, hoping the quantity will also increase. So far, the yields I have been increasing with each grow.

I'll let the pictures do rest of the talking.

Day 1 (Germination phase: 1)

- Starting container size: As previously mentioned, One four liter "Transplanter" Smart Pot

- Drench: 1/4 strength (.92ml) Transplant in two liters of water.

- Lights: Hung at about 71cm (28 inches) above the soil level. The main light is dimmed down to about 1/2 to 3/4 of the driver's full output power. The driver's maximum output is around 200watts. I find out what the light pulls from the wall another day.

- Lighting schedule: Same as last time. (12 hours on, 5.5 hours off, one hour on, and 5.5 hours off)

General thoughts:

In the last grow, since I had some nitrogen toxicity using "Full Strength" nutrient applications. This grow the plant will be given the "Drench" nutrients at 3/4th of Full strength. (3.69ml "full strength" and .92ml 1/4 strength)

For the sake of future reference:
Using the kit instructions for one plant- Full strength x1 = 4.93ml, 1/4 strength= 1.23ml, 1/2 strength= 2.46ml, 3/4 strength= 3.69ml

"New" foliar spray: WayAhead 10x. This foliar spray is typically used during the flowering phase along side and mixed together with the Brix foliar spray.

Unlike the Destress and Brix foliar sprays that are transported into the soil through the root's exudates and eaten by the microbes. WayAhead 10x stays within the leaf tissue with the additional benefit going to nearby flower clusters (aka: Calyxes).

Day 2 (Germination phase: 2)

- Sprayed the top soil with plain water to keep it moist.

Day 3-5 (Germination phase: 3-5)

- Sprayed the top soil with plain water to keep it moist.

Day 6 (Germination phase: 6)

- End of this grow. The sprout never pulled out of it's shell. Possible reason: 1. The angle the seed was resting when the roots breaks the shell and curves downward. 2. I forgot to add the 2ml of Tea to the drench. 3. The seed was not buried deep enough.

When I pried part of the shell off, the cotyledon leaves were not formed.

Day 1 (Germination phase: 1)

- Drench: 1/4 strength (.92ml) Transplant, and 2ml Tea in one liter of water.

- Lights: Hung at about 76cm (30 inches) above the soil level. The main light is dimmed down to about 1/2 to 3/4 of the driver's full output power. The driver's maximum output is around 200watts. I will find out what the light pulls from the wall another day.

- Lighting schedule- Vegetative phase: 12 hours on, 5.5 hours off, one hour on, and 5.5 hours off

General thoughts:

For this grow the plant will be given the "Drench" nutrients at 3/4th of Full strength. (3.69ml "full strength" and .92ml 1/4 strength)

Day 2-4 (Germination phase: 2-4)

- Sprayed the top soil down with plain water to keep it moist.

Day 5 (Vegetative Phase: 1)

- The sprout showed up.

Just in case anyone is wondering...
Details for the main light source is found at post numbered 21. (AKA: the first post at the top of page 2)

Day 6 (Vegetative Phase: 2)

Weight: 1kg 586g

Day 8 (Vegetative Phase: 4)

Weight: 1kg 324g

Day 10 (Vegetative Phase: 6)

Weight: 1kg 148g

Day 12 (Vegetative Phase: 8 )

Weight: 1kg 6g

Day 14 (Vegetative Phase: 10)

Weight: 896g

Current thoughts: I am waiting for the plant to use up more of the internal water in the grow medium before giving it, it's first "full strength" drench of "Growth Energy" and "Tea" in water.

Day 16 (Vegetative Phase: 12)

- Weight: 830g (Eleven days without a drench)

Day 17 (Vegetative Phase: 13)

- Twelve days without a drench.

- Drench: Growth Energy and Tea (3.69ml + 1ml ) mixed in a liter of water.

- Foliar Spray: Destress (Half strength- .5ml in one fluid ounce of water)

Day 19 (Vegetative Phase: 15)

- Foliar Spray: Destress (Half strength: about .25ml to half ounce of water)

Day 21 (Vegetative Phase: 17)

- Weight: 1kg 620g

Day 23 (Vegetative Phase: 19 )

- Weight: 1kg 074g

Day 25 (Vegetative Phase: 21)

- Foliar Spray: Destress (.25ml to .25 fl oz of water)

- Top dressed with about 4 oz of earthworm casting and a tablespoon of magnesium sulfate.

Day 27 (Vegetative Phase: 23)

- Nine days without food or water

- Food/water: Quarter strength Transplant (.92ml in a liter of water)

Day 32 (Vegetative Phase: 2

-Weight: 1kg 378g

Day 33 (Vegetative Phase: 29)

-Weight: 1kg 232g

- Foliar Spray: Destress (.5ml to .5 fl oz of water)

Day 34 (Vegetative Phase: 30)

- Weight: 1kg 118g

- Nine blade leaves are developing. The last plant did not develop nine blade leaves until vegetative phase day 55.

Day 35 (Vegetative Phase: 31)

- Weight: 1kg 078g

- I sprayed the top soil down some before top dressing with another tablespoon of magnesium sulfate.

- This new main light source is causing the plant to use more magnesium than the previous light source.

- Foliar sprays: WayAhead10x mixed together with Brix [(Mixing ratio- 1 part WayAhead10x : 4 parts Brix) .125ml to .5ml in ..5flox of water]

Day 46 (Vegetative Phase: 42)

- Foliar spray: Destress (.5ml to .5floz of water)

Day 47 (Vegetative Phase: 43)

- Food/Water: In a liter of water Growth Energy plus Tea (3.69ml + 2ml)

Day 51 (Vegetative Phase: 47) Transplant to final container

- Weight: 1kg 271g

- Foliar Spray: Brix (.5ml to .5floz of water)

- Transplant plus Tea (3.69ml + 1ml) in a liter of water poured on the top soil. With an additional two liters of plain water in the tray.

Day 54 (Vegetative Phase: 50)

- Foliar Spray: Destress (.5ml to .5floz of water)

- Water: 1 liter in the tray.

Thoughts:
-Thanks to my error during the transplant, I have some nitrogen toxicity showing at the moment. At the time of transplanting I should have given the plant a quarter strength dose of Transplant instead of a full dose.

In other news... another order for Afghan Kush seeds arrived a few days ago. I also received two, feminized, original Skunk #1 seeds that came as freebies. With my current grow space I would have to put straight the Skunk #1 plants straight into flowering.

Day 5 (Vegetative phase: 1)


Day 15 (Vegetative phase: 11)


Day 17 (Vegetative phase: 13)


Day 19 (Vegetative phase: 15)


Day 22 (Vegetative phase: 18 )


Day 27 (Vegetative phase: 23)


Day 36 (Vegetative phase: 32)


Day 51 (Vegetative phase: 47)


Day 52 (Vegetative phase: 48 )

More photographs later

Day 56 (Vegetative Phase: 52)

- I raised the main light source about 5cm.

- Added 1 tablespoon of magnesium sulfate to the top soil and wet it down with water. Scratched in 76g of “Recharge” since the plant is using a lot of magnesium. This is normally added around the third week of flowering.

- The plant is about 53cm tall.

- Five days without food.

Day 57 (Vegetative Phase: 53)

- Foliar Spray: Weak destress (less than .25ml to .5floz)

- Off of the meristem, the nodes are barely starting to alternate. The secondary branches are showing alternating nodes.

Day 58 (Vegetative Phase: 54)

- Foliar Spray: Brix+WayAhead 10x (In .5floz of water- .5ml +. 1ml)

- Raised the main light source.

- Seven days without food, four days without water.

Day 60 (Vegetative Phase: 56)

- Eight days without food, five days without water

- Food/Water: Quarter strength “Transplant” (.96ml) in about 4L of water.

Day 61 (Vegetative Phase: 57)

- Foliar Spray: Destress- (.5ml to .5floz)

Day 62 (Vegetative Phase: 58 )

- Water: 2L in the tray

Day 64 (Flower Phase 1)

- Light Schedule: Starts with 11 on / 13 off (Total darkness this week 91 hours)

- Raised the main light source about 2.5cm and increased the intensity of the electricity powering the main light source to about 1,050mA (1.05Amps).

- Pruned the plant some

- Water: 1L in the tray

- Foliar Spray: Weak destress (less than .25ml to .5floz)

Day 65 (Flower Phase 2)

- Foliar Spray: Brix (1ml to 1floz)

- Raised the main light source about 13cm

Day 67 (Flower Phase 4)

-Food/Water: Growth Energy + Transplant + Tea (3.69ml + .96ml + 1ml) in about 4L of water

Day 68 (Flower Phase 5)

- Foliar Spray: Destress (1ml to 1floz)

The plant is about 78cm tall and I get to start typing branches back as I had to with previous grows.

Day 70 (Flower Phase 7)

- Food/Water: Quarter strength “Transplant” (.96ml) in about 4L of water.

Day 71 (Flower Phase 8 )

- Foliar Spray: Brix+WayAhead 10x (In 1floz of water- 1ml + .25 ml)

- Lighting schedule: Week 2 (10.5 on / 13.5 off) Total darkness this week 94.5 hours. Total overall darkness by the end of the week 185.5 hours.