Indoor Cannabis & Tomato Cohabitation Experiment

Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
Day 35 - March 13, 2021:

I am pleased to report what appears to be a period of rapid growth for most plants in the tent. I thought I would share my current feeding schedule. Both nutrient menus are pH adjusted for 6.0 to 6.5 in 1 gallon of water. I alternate between the menus, watering about every other day. I am using approximately 75% of the gallon at a time between the four plants. I did water today (with Menu 1).

Menu 1

6 Teaspoons FoxFarm Big Bloom
1 Teaspoon Botanicare Cal-Mag

Menu 2

2 Teaspoons FoxFarm Grow Big
3 Teaspoons Grandma's Molasses

Photograph - Overview

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Photograph - Bird's Eye View

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 1

Although it's a little late, I do think it's worth noting Burpee's seeds were 2 for 2 on germination. That makes me want to seek out more of their genetics.

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2

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Photograph - Rutgers Stem Development

Both Rutgers plants appear to be developing a thick, beefy stem. Presumably, it's to help support all of the vegetation they've been packing on lately.

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Photograph - LSD-25 Auto

The LSD-25 Auto is currently 8 in / 20.3 cm in height. The top has a nice dusting of trichomes.

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Photograph - Pineapple Express Auto


The main change I have noticed with the Pineapple Express plant is the thicker stem. New leaves are arriving, but at a sluggish pace. I believe the yellowed leaves towards the bottom are attributed to the over-watering mistakes I made early on. I am still concerned about the future for this specimen but haven't counted it out yet.

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LED Brightness: 75%
LED Distance (from tallest plant): 18 in / 45.7 cm
Light Cycle: 18 / 6
 
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Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
Day 39 - March 17, 2021:

Photograph - Sneak Preview

Photographed is the top of Rutgers Tomato 2. It appears our first blossoms are on the way. Full update to come this weekend!

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Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
Day 42 - March 20, 2021:

I accept these won't amount to a lot. But, I do believe they look pretty healthy right now. I'm guessing all four of the stunted plants will reach about 1/3 of their true size potential. What's keeping me moving forward? I really want to test out the LSD-25 effects. If I could pull 1/2 ounce from each of the Auto-Flowers (assuming the Pineapple Express catches up), I'd be pleased. In the mean time, there's eye candy.

Things have been going quite well overall lately, I think. I am being careful now to allow the pots to dry out, then giving them a good saturation during watering. For now, I am keeping the existing feeding schedule. But, I am only watering every 3-4 days. When all four plants are flowering (waiting on Rutgers Tomato 1), I'll probably start transitioning from FoxFarm Grow Big to FoxFarm Tiger Bloom (the bloom nutrient).

Photograph - Overview


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Photograph - Bird's Eye View

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 1

Current Height: 8 in / 20.3 cm

This plant essentially low-stress trained itself. The natural sprawl to the branches allowed a network of new growth to form in the center.

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2

Current Height: 8 in / 20.3 cm

This one grew far more "compact." Whether or not that's a better strategy remains to be seen. I wonder if both tomato plants will need support at some point, regardless.

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2 Bud Development (Top)


The top leaves opened up to reveal a bouquet of buds on the way. I am curious to watch them develop into blossoms and beyond.

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Photograph - LSD-25 Auto


Current Height: 9 in / 22.9 cm

The buds seem to be fattening up some. I am concerned not enough light will reach the lower sites. But, I don't think I should attempt LST on such a small plant.

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Photograph - LSD-25 Auto Top Development


The flowers have a long ways to go (including the top). Though, I think the strain's characteristic purple color might be coming through a little bit now.

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Photograph - Pineapple Express Auto


Current Height: 7 in / 17.8 cm

When you consider how small Pineapple Express Auto was during the last full update, I believe this is pretty encouraging. It's making it very clear to me it wants to live.

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LED Brightness: 81%
LED Distance (from tallest plant): 18 in / 45.7 cm
Light Cycle: 18 / 6
 
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Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
Day 49 - March 27, 2021:

It's official: All four plants are flowering at this point. Tiger Bloom was introduced yesterday. I fed 1 Teaspoon of Grow Big and 1 Teaspoon of the Tiger Bloom (to ease them into the bloom nutrient). I also kept to the 3 Teaspoons of molasses I usually do with that menu.

The plants have been very thirsty all week. That might be a signal things are going well. I have been watering every 2 days lately as opposed to the 3 or 4 previously. So, by Sunday they'll probably be ready for the other menu of 1 Teaspoon of cal-mag and 6 Teaspoons of Big Bloom (the organic nutrient).

I hope you enjoy the pictures. Feel free to leave feedback if desired. Here are the usual suspects:


Photograph - Overview

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Photograph - Bird's eye View

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 1

Current Height: 10 in / 25 cm

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 1 bud Development

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2

Current Height: 10 in / 25 cm

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2 Blossoms

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Photograph - LSD-25 Auto

Current Height: 10 in / 25 cm


The flowers seem super-glued together. I imagine this strain would be great for concentrates.

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Photograph - Pineapple Express Auto

Current Height: 11 in / 27.94 cm


Look who's tall now! Well, for this grow anyhow.

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Photograph - Botched LST Attempt on Pineapple Express Auto

I worked up the nerve to attempt LST on the Pineapple Express plant. The plant wire felt too big, and the leaves felt too delicate. I feared I was on the verge of ripping off the handful of vegetation it worked so hard to put on. So, I pulled the plug. Unfortunately there is a slight forward bend now to the plant. But, I am hoping it will straighten out like this never happened.

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Photograph - Social Distancing

Going forward, I will be spacing the plants further apart. I kept them close for as long as possible because it made sense to be consistent. That way, if somebody wanted to do a week by week comparison of the plants, they could easily see the changes. Anyhow, thanks for stopping by. See you next week!

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LED Brightness: 87.5%
LED Distance (from tallest plant): 18 in / 45.7 cm
Light Cycle: 18 / 6
 
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Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
Looking great!
Thank you very much! I had to raise the light 2 in / 5 cm more this afternoon because the Pineapple Express plant keeps surging upward. I know that means less light for the others. Spacing them further apart also reduced the amount of light everybody was getting. So, I decided to go ahead and crank the LED brightness up to 100% @ 18 in / 45.7 cm. I'll be monitoring periodically for any signs of stress.

Ideally, it seems like lowering the lights down more on the LSD-25 Auto makes sense at this stage in it's development. But, I can't do that with the Pineapple Express plant being so much taller. So, I may need to figure out a training technique that will work. I've never tried Supercropping before. Maybe that would do the trick. I'd leave the P.E. Auto alone, but I don't want to miss out on potential yield.
 
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go go kid

Well-Known Member
how safe are you from infestation from the outside??? growing toms or any other veg/flower can greatly increace the chances of bugs/insects invading your grow
 

Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
gotta love those hairloom toms, we grow amish paSte, black krim and brandywine. love toms
I haven't personally tried any other heirloom varieties. It seems like the I read the brandywine was considered one of the best tasting out there. Maybe I should try to find some of those seeds.
how safe are you from infestation from the outside??? growing toms or any other veg/flower can greatly increace the chances of bugs/insects invading your grow
I haven'thad any real pest issues I've noticed aside from fungus gnats. I remember tomato worms being a big problem outside when I was a kid though! We used to wrap newspapers around the stems to keep them away. Made lousy fishing bait, anyway.
 
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Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
Day 52 - March 30, 2021

It appears a scourge of Nitrogen toxicity has been brought upon these plants by my overfeeding. I just stopped using FoxFarm Grow Big, and that one in particular is loaded with N. I was afraid my schedule was a little "hot" to begin with. But, things seemed fine. Little did I realize LSD-25 Auto had been exhibiting signs for weeks. It took the Pineapple Express leaves turning deep green, waxy, and clawed for me to really put the pieces together. It didn't help that when their thirst ramped up, I didn't adjust my feeding in response. For now, I'm not even allowing the plants Tiger Bloom. I skipped it altogether for this round and gave them plain old pH'ed molasses-water.

Photographs - Nitrogen Problem


Since this isn't a full update, I opted for Thumbnails this time to save a little virtual real estate.

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Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
Day 56 - April 3, 2021:

I puzzled over how to train the Pineapple Express plant in a way that would allow me to lower the lights more on the LSD-25 Auto (nearing the finish line). On Monday, 3-29-2021, I got the idea to boost the LSD-25 plant up instead with some plastic pots. Now, it's within 12 in / 30.5 cm of the light. I plan to let it ride out it's final few weeks that way. The fan leaves might be taking serious heat. But I figure it's getting chopped soon anyway so I don't see the harm. Nearly all trichomes on the LSD-25 plant appear cloudy right now with no amber ones yet.

I am still avoiding nutrients containing Nitrogen for now. I was surprised to learn that even my Cal-Mag product contains N. Hopefully I will pick the correct time to reincorporate what nutrients were pulled.

Photograph - Overview


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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 1

Current Height: 13 in / 33 cm

Some of the older leaves have become very curled on both tomato plants. I considered pruning some of those off. But, they don't exactly look "dead."

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2

Current Height: 13 in / 33 cm

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2 Blossom Explosion

One thing I forgot about Rutgers is how productive they are. Both plants are really starting to stack on the blossoms. I watched a video on YouTube where a guy stimulated the flowers with an electric toothbrush to aid in self-pollination. They explained that indoors, tomato plants don't have as many insects or wind gusts to do it naturally. So, to increase your fruit set, it can help to play "bug." I found the toothbrush bristles to be too abrasive on the vegetation. Instead, every once and a while I gently tap them with my fingers in rapid succession.

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2 Development - First Fruit

The blossom transformed noticeably when preparing fruit set. The pedicel hardened into a nearly 90-degree joint, and the sepals stiffened out to a more deliberate "Kermit the Frog" shape. You can see the pea-sized tomato forming underneath the now shriveled flower.

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Photograph - LSD-25 Auto

Current Height: 10 in / 25.4 cm

Many of the photographs I found of this strain show distinct purple shade to the flowers. Initially, I was under the impression mine would gradually turn that color. My eyes aren't getting much purple, even though it's late in the game. So, I'm thinking maybe I have a different Phenotype.


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Photograph - LSD LST

Yesterday, I finally decided to low-stress train the LSD-25 Auto. I have no idea why I waited so long. I pulled the stem backwards to get more light to the lower flowers. It's too bad I tried it with the Pineapple Express instead last week. Lucy here was a much better candidate for a bend-back.

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Photograph - LSD-25 Auto Trichome Shot

Undeniably purpley.


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Photograph - Pineapple Express Auto

Current Height: 15 in / 38 cm

I believe Pineapple Express Auto is recovering from the Nitrogen overload. From what I can tell, less leaves have the "waxy" sheen I was viewing before. And, I think I am seeing less of the dark green color. Some leaves have straightened out towards the top, while others remain clawed down.

I am pleased with Pineapple Express's recent growth both vertically and horizontally lately (we know it's past). Some day, I may LST her if I perceive a benefit. It actually has visible branches, now. Presently, I have been engaging in tucking of the fan leaves to expose the buds to more light.


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LED Brightness: 100%
LED Distance (from tallest plant): 18 in / 45.7 cm
Light Cycle: 18 / 6
 
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Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
Day 67 - April 14, 2021:

The grow tent is a little crowded at the moment. I have been scrambling to get some tomatoes and sunflowers started for our outdoor growing season here (right around the corner). They say Brandywine Pink is one of the absolute best tasting tomatoes you can find out there. I hope to put that to the test some day.

Photograph - Overview

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 1

Current Height: 18 in / 45.72 cm

Both Rutgers plants have seen some blossoms completely fall off, leaving no chance of fruit set. I don't know if the cause is environment-related or nutrient-related.


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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 1 Fruit Development

These two fruit are currently about the size of your typical ripe cherry tomato. Ripe Rutgers are supposed be 7 ounces on average though. So, they should expand much more.

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2

Current Height: 18 in / 45.72 cm

It may not be very noticeable in this picture. But, Rutgers Tomato 2 has a very dramatic forward lean to it. I aim it towards the light and hope it stays rooted.

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Rutgers Tomato 2 Fruit (Front)

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2 Fruit (Underside)


This is the same tomato from the previous photograph. But, here you can see the unfortunate split which occurred, as well as an ominous looking bottom. I am not knowledgeable enough yet with these plants to know if it will rot, or not. It really want to hold onto this one if possible. It's bigger than Rutgers Tomato 1's pair combined.

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Photograph - LSD-25 Auto


Current Height: 10 in / 25.4 cm

Last Friday, after a full week of being bent over one way, I reversed the LST on the LSD plant. In doing so, the other side has had a chance to ripen more.


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Photograph - LSD-25 Auto Trichome Progress

I'm seeing plenty of amber trichomes now. Harvest day is scheduled for Friday 4-16-2021!

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Photograph - Pineapple Express Auto


Current Height: 16 in / 40.64 cm

I think the Pineapple Express plant is doing well in terms of bud size and density, considering it could have a month left to go. But, that's the issue - I might not have that long to wait. I have been battling a progressive fan leaf issue. It seemed to work it's way from the bottom to the top. First, brown rust spots appear, then the leaves gradually turn yellow. I am nervous because many of the remaining fan leaves have those brown spots. It seems like only a matter of time before the yellowing happens.

To me it looks like the kind of thing somebody would recommend Cal-Mag for. But, the plants get that every other watering. It's a little late, but I decided to try dimming the lights down from 100% to 87.5% (keeping 18 in / 45.75 cm). I'm thinking it could be light burn. I had the Mars Hydro dialed up to maximum prior because I thought it would benefit the LSD-25 plant.


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Photograph - Pineapple Express Auto Leaf Problem

Here's a snapshot of some of the unhealthy looking leaves I've been removing. Maybe I should have left some of them on the plant. But, they seemed like an eyesore.


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LED Brightness: 87.5%
LED Distance (from tallest cannabis plant): 18 in / 45.7 cm
Light Cycle: 18 / 6
 
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Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
Day 69 - April 16, 2021:

Photographs - LSD-25 Auto Pre-Harvest Trimming Shots

Due to environmental factors, the goal was a dry trim. I still wanted to remove fan leaves prior to drying. With so few of them, and the "pine cone" layout of this thing, I didn't really know how to make my approach. So, I mowed down any leaves I deemed "too large." I am pleased with the result of the trimming so far. But, the buds will receive a more attentive manicure-style trim after it's dry.


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Photographs - LSD-25 Auto Post-Harvest Beauty Shots

It will be a modest yield, to say the least. I beat myself up about this grow. But, genetics could have played into the outcome some. I'm thinking I will fall short of my "half ounce dry" hopes (we'll see). But, I am grateful for what I have. The plant is now in a cool upstairs area, drying in one of those zippered mesh racks. I'll keep a fan around there on a timer, blowing more so at the ceiling.

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I realized a little late Monday is Bicycle Day. That might have been a more appropriate time to chop the LSD-25 plant. "Day 69" has a nice ring to it though, I think. Thanks for watching!
 
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Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
Day 74 - April 21, 2021

Photograph - LSD-25 Auto Trimmed & Jarred (1/2 Pint)

I am currently burping the jar 30 minutes each day. I also roll the container occasionally, allowing the buds to tumble around. I'll try to cure for about 3 weeks.

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Photograph - LSD-25 Auto Current dry Weight (13.3 g)

Plenty here to sample the strain's effects, even after the buds shrink down some. Though, I doubt I will spend time, space, and energy on a small plant like this again.

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Photograph - LSD-25 Auto Trimmed Flowers Close-up

These are the finest nugs of the harvest. The golf ball-sized wonder in the bottom-left came from the summit of the plant. They emit a pleasant Jasmine scent instead of hay.


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Photograph - LSD-25 Auto Flowers Under USB Microscope

I decided to run the trimmed flowers under my cheap-o Amazon microscope. Finally I am seeing a good amount of this purple everybody was fussing about.

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Ukulele Haze

Well-Known Member
Day 75 - April 22, 2021

Photograph - Overview

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 1

Current Height: 21 in / 53.34

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 1 Largest Tomatoes


I know the lighter thing is tacky. But, I needed something for size comparison.

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 1 New Fruit Fleet

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2

Current Height: 17 in / 43.18 cm

I'm starting to understand why people use cages with tomato plants.

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Photograph - Rutgers Tomato 2 Largest Tomatoes

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Photograph - Seedling Progress

I managed to persuade the Burger King drive thru gal to give me a cup holder despite having only one drink. Little did she know, it was secretly for my plants.

I also decided to try out a FoxFarm product called "Wholly Mackarel." It's supposed to be gentle enough on seedlings. So, I administered a dose a few days ago.


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Photograph - Pineapple Express Auto

Current Height: 16 in / 40.64 cm


A fellow RIU member suggested the leaf problems I've been experiencing may be from over-doing it on nutrients. This person thought my plant has been in lockout. I started introducing a cycle between feedings that is pH-adjusted water only. Hopefully it's full steam ahead for the Pineapple Express.

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LED Brightness: 100%
LED Distance (from tallest cannabis plant): 18 in / 45.7 cm
Light Cycle: 18 / 6
 
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