Rurumo
Well-Known Member
I like to compare pictures of the same stage of growth from my past grows to see where I'm at, and if my experiments have resulted in reduced or greater growth. The two main differences in my current grow vs my last grow is an increase in N during flower + Spirulina instead of seaweed, and using 2 gal pots vs 3.5. I predicted a smaller harvest this time due to the smaller pot size, since I'm only feeding twice per day, that means a smaller pot will have a smaller root system and will dry out faster. A smaller root mass will deplete the ideal nutrient concentration at the root/soil interface more quickly than a larger root mass, given similar sized plants-thus, my current crop has been exposed to an ideal nutrient concentration for less time than my last crop in larger pots. I could correct this by simply adding a 3rd feed-but I'm not interested in automation or in waking up in the middle of the night to feed. Also, the fact that these are all different strains comes into play as well, here are the two shots taken at 6 weeks (ish):
This is my last grow-notice the lighter colored leaves and more advanced bud development.
Current grow-IMO I went slightly overboard with N as I experimented with Spirulina dosage. I think I have it down at 1/4 teaspoon/3 gallons every other feed now, and I'll be using that from the beginning next time. The other factor is strains: these comparisons don't mean a whole lot when you are comparing 8 different strains. Last time I had a strain that yielded 1 lb for the plant, and another that yielded 1-2 oz. I almost never use exactly the same nutrient formula because experimenting is so fun, but I always take good notes so I can reproduce any of my grows. So far I'm happy with things are at with the higher N, so lets see how they finish up! One change that I will make in the future is to use the 3.5 gallon pots when sticking with 2 feeds in my 4x4. I will continue to use 2 gal pots in the 3x3, BUT I will also stick to smaller 8 branch mainlines in that tent, rather than cover the canopy in growth tips as I did in my current 3x3.
This is my last grow-notice the lighter colored leaves and more advanced bud development.
Current grow-IMO I went slightly overboard with N as I experimented with Spirulina dosage. I think I have it down at 1/4 teaspoon/3 gallons every other feed now, and I'll be using that from the beginning next time. The other factor is strains: these comparisons don't mean a whole lot when you are comparing 8 different strains. Last time I had a strain that yielded 1 lb for the plant, and another that yielded 1-2 oz. I almost never use exactly the same nutrient formula because experimenting is so fun, but I always take good notes so I can reproduce any of my grows. So far I'm happy with things are at with the higher N, so lets see how they finish up! One change that I will make in the future is to use the 3.5 gallon pots when sticking with 2 feeds in my 4x4. I will continue to use 2 gal pots in the 3x3, BUT I will also stick to smaller 8 branch mainlines in that tent, rather than cover the canopy in growth tips as I did in my current 3x3.