Skywalker F7 autos in a tub

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
I'm sure you checked the temps around everything but it would still be a nice time to run a temp gun around the joints if you have one. Better safe than sorry when it comes to making changes. I'm sure you thought of it but closing things up more with foam seems like it could potentially create hot spots. They look terrific! Like a tanning bed for cannabis.
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
I don’t have a temp gun...it’s on the Christmas list. just checked on them after the T5s went off and all looks well...they are really packing on dense buds and standing tall and proud!
 

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
I've been wanting to get one to check leaf temps for VPN also things like exhaust pipes on the car to see which cylinders are running lean or rich. There's just too many seeds to buy that grab my attention first. I'm glad I don't have the light choices you do, I spend enough time debating raising them an inch or two.
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
The old HID lights I have are collecting dust, and I need to figure out what to do with them. The smaller ones aren’t really gonna be worth much since you can come close to matching their efficacy with a cheap LED. The 600 watt one might be worth something, but TBH, though it might be a better light than the LEDs I have, it throws off a ton of heat, and I rest easier without a 600 watt lightbulb running in my house.

‘the local hydro store here runs a greenhouse for a local school so I’ll see if they want/need them. Probably not since they can get any LED available...the HID lights a prolly destined for the trash bin. In any event, I really don’t wanna get into the process of advertising the (big red flag - “here is an indoor grower”), and I’d worry they’d blowup on someone else...

the LED just came on, all is looking quite tasty in the tub!

image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg
 

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
Man those colas are really bulking up nicely. I wish I had taller ceilings, I'd make you an offer on the hid light to turn my room with a tent into a full on grow room. Unfortunately the ceilings barely work with the tent and LEDs. My lusting for more powerful lights will have to come in the way of some bar type LEDs that can be run really close to the canopy like fluence. Until then it's the trusty COB'S and blurples.
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
I’ll get some closer macro shots of the colas on Monday - the plant on the left is further along than the others, and the one on the right is the runt that is maybe a week or two behind the others. Might be a phased harvest...
 

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
Nothing wrong with that. Most of mine are staggered harvests too since I just can't manage trimming it all by myself. I take the tops and main satellite bud tops and usually leave everything else for a good bit more time to mature. I end up with some nice variety in the jars that way too, letting some go a good bit more amber for that really heavy smoke. Plus, my drying area is pretty small so doing it bit by bit makes sure I keep good airflow. Looking forward to the macro shots.
 

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
I'm impressed you got your temps down that low. I never run below 75 in the winter when the lights are turned up high and mostly I'm right between 77-79. They seem to like it around 75 and 50-55 percent humidity as far as target VPN goes. I don't know if the El cheapo temp/humidity gauge we all seem to use from Amazon is that accurate though. Getting an accurate, effective ph probe for my soil and a good light meter to read my lights are my grow priorities this year. I can see a big difference in my grow when I dial those two things in for the whole time.
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
I have a box fan just below in the pic that blows cool air from the floor into the enclosure. I am keeping the house pretty cool (thermostat at 69), amd have another smaller fan blowing into the enclosure on the left side. Temp at the plant is prolly a bit higher but still within range. I’ll tinker with the mylar covered foam core boards to se how the plants respond best...

I’ll pit the two foot T5 fixtures on a separate timer and start introducing the plants to the 10,000k bulbs gradually next week. Should see some explosive trichome development. They are already getting pretty frosty...life is good!
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
Just finished a light top dressing with bat guano, earthworm casting, FF Ocean Forest and Happy Frog. Went veg light on the guano and castings and will spennd the day giving 1 ltr of ph 6.0ish water every couple hours to get the soil saturated. Probably 3 courses of that.

did a quick trichrome check on the plant that is furthest along. Half clear, half cloudy, no amber. probably another 3 or 4 weeks which puts me in mid-Jan 22. I was shooting for harvest before Christmas but the plants will ultimately decide that. I’m awaiting delivery of some photographic gear to do some stacked focus shots tomorrow...stay tuned...9F68C6C6-C964-43FF-83F5-D9EBEF48DEE9.jpegA0FFE97D-14CF-4C02-98F5-5F1B55D3735B.jpegAD1FEBAA-748B-4A1A-A139-25624FAB2286.jpeg4A9FB526-DC11-4E90-A20C-39B163C5963A.jpeg186FF1FD-44BD-414F-B3C3-0F08DF32A531.jpeg14B3783C-C571-410F-871A-0079019BD8B1.jpeg02CF0C71-28DC-4ADE-B415-347F36BC890E.jpegE209A601-5D47-407A-9E89-EC847FEF91D8.jpegCE2EEE46-CF20-47BC-A158-8CA42C79708E.jpeg0380B2D4-2926-45DC-B871-44C74CD8727E.jpeg
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
Last couple shots.

I also replaced one of the 3500k bulbs in each two foot T5 fixture with a 10,000k finishing bulb. To begin, I have them scheduled for 15 min of light at 1400 which is the middle of the 18 hr light period. If they respond well, I’ll add an additional 15 minute cycle on both sides of the midday period. if they can handle that, I’ll replace the other 3500k bulbs with 10,000k ones. Going slow on introducing 10,000k - I scorched the last plants on which I used them...

02EC6980-A04D-41D6-9D06-16F692E4F7C3.jpegABB764D8-F531-43B8-8568-6B9F07D683C5.jpeg53889E99-DB92-4E1C-9CE6-04FB6DD89405.jpeg
 
Last edited:

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
They're bulking up nicely, you push a lot more fertilizer through yours then I ever did when I was running salt nutes and it seems like it pays off big time for you in some really nice colas. I never grew those really thick central colas like that, not with autos at least. I didn't use many additional nutes though just some silica in the way of Rhino Skin and Big Bud during the first couple weeks of flower. I tried some of the other additional stuff like final finish, the trichome boosting stuff AN had and some root beneficial stuff but I was really new into growing at the time and hadn't dialed in my environment and lights yet so who knows what they could have done if I had my grow dialed in. I pretty much just ran the ph perfect grow and bloom with a bloom booster in week 5 and some cal mag supplements for a long time. They used to have something called bud ignitor I really liked that seemed to improve the number of bud sites but they got rid of it. Jan. 22 should put your finish right about where I am with my girls but I'm thinking you might be done before then on at least one or two of them. Took my big girl out for some light defoliation and hermi inspection and grabbed a pic. She's up to 32" and still stretching. I have about 8" of room for her before I have to start to think about height. I have the COB's turned up to 400 watts which is good, I didn't think they could take this much light so early. I get some light drooping about an hour before lights out which I can l live with as long as I'm not seeing bleaching or tacoing. The 18/6 schedule seems to be the difference, usually I run 20/4 and I can only run about 325-350 watts at most. Hopefully the extra watts are giving me a little extra penetration at the canopy. That's my thinking at least, brighter light getting as deep as it can is better than an extra two hours of weaker light. I'll see when the density of the lower buds shows itself at harvest I guess. If it's a bunch of fluffy popcorn then I'll toss it into the butter and trim bag and lesson learned but the COB's seem to penetrate pretty deeply right under the light. The spread is so so but directly underneath is like a supernova.IMG_20211205_162352263~2.jpg
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
that plant is gonna be a monster! I counted around 20 bud sites so there is gonna be an awesome yield for ya. Looks like ya got the lower branches running horizontal from the main stalk and uncovered from the canopy, so expect some crazy colas to form there and all over the plant.

Yep,I tend to over feed them once in a while...I am pushing them hard now so that the last week they have will be just ph adjusted water they can use to suck all the nutrients possible outta the soil before I chop. I also try not to give them the same supplement/food on back to back days; keep ‘em guessing with a varied complement of food/supplements.

this is organic week - bat guano/earthworm castings, then Recharge, then Fish Shit, then bone meal. I’m headed to the hydro store to get some powdered Peruvian seagull guano to which is supposed to be the bomb. when I filled the cloth pots I layered the soil Big Rootz on bottom, layer of FF Ocean Forrest laced with bat guano and earthworm castings, layer of FF Happy Frog with some Great White sprinkled on top, layer of FF Light Warrior with diatomaceous earth mixed in, then a light dusting of just the DE. Gives the younger plants at early stage of growth a light medium at the top of the pot for root growth, a zone of high microbial activity early in in their life, and a shot naturally provided blooming enhancers when the roots are growing downward into the Ocean Forrest and Big Rootz. purists may tell me I’m wasting $ and time with this approach, but it’s fun playing in the dirt and this seems to be effective for me at least...

handling the bat guano takes some precautions since if inhaled it can cause histoplasmosis. I’m gonna do the research and figure out how to make a compost tea with it instead of top dressing with it dry...prolly not for this grow, but the next one. Air stone and a 5 gallon bucket is all I think I’ll need. And, if I decide to just be lazy, the local hydro store has bat guano in liquid form I can use. I’m growin’ “Bat Shit Crazy” weed...
 

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
Peruvian seagull guano? I'm sorry powdered Peruvian seagull guano? At what point did you realize you had an addiction? Whatever you're doing just keep it up brother, they're looking great!! I don't think it's overfeeding when you're changing things up so often and not seeing bad tip burn. You push them, like you said, but that's how you get big yields with salt nutes, big lights and maxed out nutes. Bird poop, bat poop, fish poop it seems like my plants are missing out on a lot of shit:bigjoint:. I've seen people discussing where the guano comes from geographically has a part in the npk content so I'm sure those seagulls have a really rich diet. Crazy to think how much thought we put into such a simple thing like soil, seed and water.
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
Broke out some camera gear...plant #1. I'm gone have to mess with file size since some of these are too big to post...sumpthin' else to figure out...

DSC_3172.jpgDSC_3175.jpg
 
Top