Yeah, I used a little strip of paper and set it aside so I could use that same piece and be consistent at least.
I don't mind getting a meter. I'm just trying not to spend money.
I get that. A filter for Photone is $5, a light meter is $32. We don't really need either - a lot of people cannabis grows turned out really well without either of them - but better equipment allows the grower to make better decisions. Two caveats - that's personal bias from a long time software engineer and the "80/20 rule" is in play meaning that you can get a fine crop (80%) without "this stuff" but you will only get the extra 20%, over the long term, with good data.
The plant bounced back well after removing soil and mixing in pearlite.
The soil wasn't so wet, but it was really compacted from when I put it in the bag so wet after I rehydrated the peat. I should have at least fluffed it up I guess.
There were roots everywhere though and I could avoid tearing the long ones at the bottom.
Good to hear that. I've seen two grows where the plants could not tolerate >500µmol. In both cases, the soil was hydrophobic from not watering the right way.
Must have been tough to try to work around the roots. Even if you're really careful, I'd guess that there would have been casualties.
At least you got things figured out, though.
I set my tent at .8 vpd and left the lights low.
0.8 is seedling. You're in veg so I'd go with 1.0. That will help keep the soil from being too wet as well as being better for the plant.
At that stage of growth, your plants should be at 500µmol±. I'm guessing at the age, though.
Also, have you looked into low stress training and high stress training? I would strongly recommend that you top your plant. Topping is a safe and easy way to get an even canopy. I've never not topped my plants, autos or photos. Yup, that big mangy auto was topped. Topping is just cutting the center stem above the fourth node. That allows the branches below the center stem (the "apical stem") to grow out instead of having the apical stem dominate (the "Christmas tree" look). Non-topped plants are a PITA to light well vs topped plants which will tend to give you a much more even canopy.
I top and LST my plants. That how I got the plant in the attached photo. It was child's play to get good light on that plant - it was 30" across, 20" back to back, and only 24" tall because it as grown under a veg light + topped + LST'd.
It wasn't destined to have the yield of the Gelato but the shape of the plant made it
very easy to harvest.
That is a ten year supply for me
You plants look good. Do you dwc or is that a different type of setup?
It's DWC but the res is unusual because it's a SuperPonics res, part of a tent kit. It's a big fiberglass tub. The manufacturer calls is a "35 gallon" res but it hols 28 gallons. I like using a res that size because it's very stable, in terms of pH, and because it holds a lot of nutes. I typically swap a res only three or four times and that's over the course of a 110 day grow.
