Newbie, updated Veg Week 4 pictures and a ???

[RazzleDazzleCrystal]

The Banana Kush is finally starting to grow in height. I have trimmed it 3 times. The leaves have mostly flattened. I have been treating it with PH Down and it is over watered in a few places because of extra water given dosed with pH Down.

 

[RazzleDazzleCrystal]

My Question: Should I lolipop it during Week 5…to give this plant more rest time.

 

[JIMKSI64]

My Question: Should I lolipop it during Week 5…to give this plant more rest time.

Lolypop or swazing or HST of any kind is not really something that a newbie should try. Other than presentation of a Kool pic this will just reduce your harvest but if that is what you want go for it.
Do you see how squat the plant is? Very dense due to the extra light. if it stays squat I suggest lowering light energy to allow her to stretch a bit. This will increase your node spacing and increase your yield
You should try to let this grow by tieing down and spreading your grow. This will be hard with your spacing.
Why are you adjusting PH. Did a runoff test come back high ? Are you adding nutes where the nutes drive pH?

 

[RazzleDazzleCrystal]

Lolypop or swazing or HST of any kind is not really something that a newbie should try. Other than presentation of a Kool pic this will just reduce your harvest but if that is what you want go for it.
Do you see how squat the plant is? Very dense due to the extra light. if it stays squat I suggest lowering light energy to allow her to stretch a bit. This will increase your node spacing and increase your yield
You should try to let this grow by tieing down and spreading your grow. This will be hard with your spacing.
Why are you adjusting PH. Did a runoff test come back high ? Are you adding nutes where the nutes drive pH?

My light has no dimmer switch...so should i move it higher? Some leaves, branches are bent over. pH reads near 7.5 - 8.0 on my soil meter. I have never watered it enough to where any seeps out, I am adding ff grow big half dose...nute water that i use regularly, reads about 6.2 on my water meter. Should I water it excessively to get run off?

 

[JIMKSI64]

Soil meters are notoriously inaccurate. They do better when it is soil but too much additives throw it off. You have a pH meter but I see no signs of pH stress at all. I would not adjust pH based solely on that input. Same with watering. Soil meter could be pushed into a clump of fungus and always read damp. The best way for a soil grower is to look for the weight reduction in you pot. Lift the pot up and gauge the weight. Now obviously we need a full pot of water to judge the full weight but dude there is like a huge difference in weight from wet and dry. Full of water at 7 lbs per gallon is prolly about 3 lbs. When it dries it will feel substantially lighter. Wait until next watering and water until JUST until water seeps out the bottom. If you water slowly and around the pot it will be accurate.
Have to go for a while but I will be around.

Yes raise lights. Not much because the issue with the lights caused the squat and we do not want to overshoot. Yes you can raise the lights but without a lux meter or post it is guess work. Problem is moving up 10% is not a 10% light reduction it varies based on light power.

 

[RazzleDazzleCrystal]

Soil meters are notoriously inaccurate. They do better when it is soil but too much additives throw it off. You have a pH meter but I see no signs of pH stress at all. I would not adjust pH based solely on that input. Same with watering. Soil meter could be pushed into a clump of fungus and always read damp. The best way for a soil grower is to look for the weight reduction in you pot. Lift the pot up and gauge the weight. Now obviously we need a full pot of water to judge the full weight but dude there is like a huge difference in weight from wet and dry. Full of water at 7 lbs per gallon is prolly about 3 lbs. When it dries it will feel substantially lighter. Wait until next watering and water until JUST until water seeps out the bottom. If you water slowly and around the pot it will be accurate.
Have to go for a while but I will be around.

Yes raise lights. Not much because the issue with the lights caused the squat and we do not want to overshoot. Yes you can raise the lights but without a lux meter or post it is guess work. Problem is moving up 10% is not a 10% light reduction it varies based on light power.

 

[RazzleDazzleCrystal]

Raised light; The distance between actual light and the tallest branch/leaf is 18".

 

[JIMKSI64]

Now watch for stretch. Too much reduction will stall growth but you will see a difference if you got it right and a few days.
On your nutrition choice Grow Big. Good choice as an Organic grow. It uses leftover animals and plants not chemicals. This means that unless the wheels come off you do not need to nore is it beneficial to water to drain. Just make sure you pH the nute and water mix. My nute bottle requires 6.3 pH for the mix and I let it set for 2 hours before adjusting. Grow Big is higher in N than is needed especially in later flower so watch for signs of this and we can deal with that.
Power user tip.
During certain parts of your run you will be adjusting feeds at the same rate. Check and adjust the mix the same way and write it down. Every time.
Now I was doing this and on my 4th mix the PH was higher than the previous mix that I had done. I reached for the pH down and my brain said STOP.
Why is the different. Same graduated cylinder same mix same everything.
Checked calibration on my ph pen. Off by .7 and a hunk of organic poop of some animal on the tip. If I had not checked that pen the pH would have been down to 5.5 not 6.3. after adjusting.

 

[RazzleDazzleCrystal]

Now watch for stretch. Too much reduction will stall growth but you will see a difference if you got it right and a few days.
On your nutrition choice Grow Big. Good choice as an Organic grow. It uses leftover animals and plants not chemicals. This means that unless the wheels come off you do not need to nore is it beneficial to water to drain. Just make sure you pH the nute and water mix. My nute bottle requires 6.3 pH for the mix and I let it set for 2 hours before adjusting. Grow Big is higher in N than is needed especially in later flower so watch for signs of this and we can deal with that.
Power user tip.
During certain parts of your run you will be adjusting feeds at the same rate. Check and adjust the mix the same way and write it down. Every time.
Now I was doing this and on my 4th mix the PH was higher than the previous mix that I had done. I reached for the pH down and my brain said STOP.
Why is the different. Same graduated cylinder same mix same everything.
Checked calibration on my ph pen. Off by .7 and a hunk of organic poop of some animal on the tip. If I had not checked that pen the pH would have been down to 5.5 not 6.3. after adjusting.

Thanks so very much! "...higher in N". Do you mean nitrogen? How would I be able to tell if it is too high?