Growing in 3rd World Conditions (Cuba) att #2

[Zerberus]

Water in the open like that with a light source is going to grow alge brother, get some panda film and put it up in front of the cupboard Your soil also seems very woody, maybe go over to peat mixed with some worm castings and perlite when you transplant to bigger containers in a couple of weeks? Good luck

It's easier said than done, I can't get any of those things here in Cuba, it's extremely difficult and expensive to bring most of the things I need, that 60$ light cost me 200$ just to get it inside the country, panda film because of its dimensions will be even more expensive, and soils or perlite, is completely out of the question for me. A 50 pound bag would easily cost me 300-500$ to bring it into the country.

 

[Drgreenthumbs1]

Hi everyone, this will be second attempt to growing in Cuba, last time one of my dogs ate the plant at around 45 days old , but this time I have a little ghetto setup. I'm going to be growing inside one of the sections of the closet in my room, it's a 30" x 30" and it's about 6 feet in height. I put in a Vipar Spectra V1000 (2023) with the new diodes, I will wrap it later down the road with panda film, and I'll put in all the bells in whistles little by little. This is the "grow room" for now...View attachment 2003718

I germinatd 2 Black Domina they are feminized photoperiods. They both sprouted from the soil today, the soil I'm using has been flushed for the last two months with rain water only and LAB.

The soil is just natural soil found around wooded green areas here in the island, it has about a 30% mix of rice hulls, and 10% mix of broken down styrofoam bits with some small bits of wood chips.

These are both the plants now....

DAY #1

View attachment 2003721View attachment 2003723


I'm super excited to see this grow progress... Some details about the lighting setup. It's currently at 75%, 26 inches up, it's whats recommended by the manufacturer for the seedling stage.

I went directly and planted into bigger containers this time, I don't want to have to transplant until it's well into the vegetative stage and the roots have fully developed because the soil is not perfect and it's still clunky, so I want it to grow without interrupting it or stressing it out.


For nutes I will be using the General Hydroponic Flora Series 3 bottle kits sold on Amazon, I'll be using my own home made CalMag, I'll also be using Hydrolyzed Fish food for the plants.


Hope everything goes well this time, I will be keeping the door locked so that my dogs don't eat it this time wish me luck and all advise and productive criticism is welcome. I'm here to learn, better myself and my grow skills along the way and with a lot of luck get really high in the end

I think you’re going to need more light in there. The V1000 is the same as my Vivosun VS1000 and it’s barely enough for a 24”x24” tent. If you want dense big colas you’re going to need to double up the light with either. 2000 or two 1000s

 

[HerbalEdu]

Cut and dry, it is not. One person's experience, or perception, doesn't automatically mean hard rules for the rest of the universe.

Get familiar with transpiration and VPD, because at the moment, it's your word against the established botany scholars and community.

i m just saying that there tons of things that impact so much more growth rate than having the exact VPD and even when vpd is out of range one side or another from my experience it does not impact "noticieably/or visibly" growth rate.

 

[BillyBanchan]

i m just saying that there tons of things that impact so much more growth rate than having the exact VPD and even when vpd is out of range one side or another from my experience it does not impact "noticieably/or visibly" growth rate.

Ah, I see. And you can't even control VPD outdoors... They are a hardy plant, but there's a huge gap between surviving and thriving.

 

[Drgreenthumbs1]

i m just saying that there tons of things that impact so much more growth rate than having the exact VPD and even when vpd is out of range one side or another from my experience it does not impact "noticieably/or visibly" growth rate.

You wouldn’t be able to “notice” the difference until your yield. A vegging plant in the proper VPD range will have a much more robust and structured root system. The bigger the roots the bigger the fruits. Also VPD is crucial to nutrient and water uptake which also have a direct impact on yield. VPD is science not bro theory. If you’re locked in and you know where to look, will you most certainly notice a difference.

 

[ScareCrowe420]

You wouldn’t be able to “notice” the difference until your yield. A vegging plant in the proper VPD range will have a much more robust and structured root system. The bigger the roots the bigger the fruits. Also VPD is crucial to nutrient and water uptake which also have a direct impact on yield. VPD is science not bro theory. If you’re locked in and you know where to look, will you most certainly notice a difference.

Are growth rates the same if I grow at 1 VPD across the full spectrum of temps/relative humidity's? Like if I grow a 52 degrees Fahrenheit with 2% rh that is a VPD of 1, the same thing if I grow at 95 degrees at 62%. Do I get the same yield in either of those scenarios than I get running 80 degrees at 50% (also VPD of 1) I certainly don't know the exact answer to that & I guarantee you most people that go on about perfect VPD don't know that either. Which is where VPD does kinda venture into the "bro science" realm IMO.

 

[Drgreenthumbs1]

Are growth rates the same if I grow at 1 VPD across the full spectrum of temps/relative humidity's? Like if I grow a 52 degrees Fahrenheit with 2% rh that is a VPD of 1, the same thing if I grow at 95 degrees at 62%. Do I get the same yield in either of those scenarios than I get running 80 degrees at 50% (also VPD of 1) I certainly don't know the exact answer to that & I guarantee you most people that go on about perfect VPD don't know that either. Which is where VPD does kinda venture into the "bro science" realm IMO.

No…the VPD principle only holds true if you’re within the tolerance ranges for the plant for both temperature and humidity…..obviously. Which is between Approx 65-85 degrees F and between 40-70% humidity. VPD is a relationship between these two environmental factors but the plant still has to be within its range to grow. Anything below 65 degrees and the plant essentially stops growing and will eventually die. Have you ever seen a VPD chart?

 

[BillyBanchan]

Are growth rates the same if I grow at 1 VPD across the full spectrum of temps/relative humidity's? Like if I grow a 52 degrees Fahrenheit with 2% rh that is a VPD of 1, the same thing if I grow at 95 degrees at 62%. Do I get the same yield in either of those scenarios than I get running 80 degrees at 50% (also VPD of 1) I certainly don't know the exact answer to that & I guarantee you most people that go on about perfect VPD don't know that either. Which is where VPD does kinda venture into the "bro science" realm IMO.

I'll guarantee you most do not even consider leaf temperature as part of the equation, or assume ambient plus 4°

VPD is actual science, lol

 

[Drgreenthumbs1]

I'll guarantee you most do not even consider leaf temperature as part of the equation, or assume ambient plus 4°

VPD is actual science, lol

Exactly. Thank you.

 

[Zerberus]

DAY #2


So it's been around 36hrs since they sprouted, and the seedlings are stretching and growing much much better under these conditions than under the old T8 6500k light I had in my first attempt, although I'm am sure that the light has helped I also think it's due to genetics, these high quality seeds where graciously gifted to me by @rasterman and the one I tried growing in my first attempt was just a regular bag seed from the weed i get here in the streets.


Compared to my other attempt these seedlings have grown twice as much in the same time frame. Here are some pics from now ...

I do have one question, I put in a fan but I noticed that if the fan is slightly moving the seedlings the top soil gets dry fairly quickly, so my question is should I have the fan on them at the lowest speed to promote stronger growth, or should I have the fan hit the wall and just promote air circulation for better temperature?

 

[rasterman]

A little "wind" is good for the seedling, but drying it out wouldn't be good either. But it looks pretty happy and healthy the way it is. You could just aim for the side of the tent for a few days if you have concerns and you're not around to keep an eye on it.

If you have a concern about the fan drying out your seedling though, trust your instincts. It doesn't really need it now anyway.

 

[ScareCrowe420]

I'll guarantee you most do not even consider leaf temperature as part of the equation, or assume ambient plus 4°

VPD is actual science, lol

Which is exactly my point people are going crazy trying to get to perfect VPD & aren't even using the proper inputs. Trying to maximize VPD when you have no idea what your actual leaf temperature is what I'm saying get's into "bro science". Sure the chart itself is scientific data, however how most people are actually using it really isn't.

And in the OP's situation let's say he is so concerned about getting to perfect VPD when he probably doesn't have the type of thermometer needed to even figure out what that actually is that he develops mold in the room & gets mildewy buds. Did he really get more yield than he would have by just accepting that at the current time he might not be able to maximize VPD & dealing with his situation as best he reasonably could?

I don't think that anyone was saying that if you have all the equipment necessary to maintain VPD that you should just ignore it. But it's not the end all be all of growing either.

 

[BillyBanchan]

Which is exactly my point people are going crazy trying to get to perfect VPD & aren't even using the proper inputs. Trying to maximize VPD when you have no idea what your actual leaf temperature is what I'm saying get's into "bro science". Sure the chart itself is scientific data, however how most people are actually using it really isn't.

And in the OP's situation let's say he is so concerned about getting to perfect VPD when he probably doesn't have the type of thermometer needed to even figure out what that actually is that he develops mold in the room & gets mildewy buds. Did he really get more yield than he would have by just accepting that at the current time he might not be able to maximize VPD & dealing with his situation as best he reasonably could?

I don't think that anyone was saying that if you have all the equipment necessary to maintain VPD that you should just ignore it. But it's not the end all be all of growing either.

But, nobody said it was. There are many factors to master!

And you keep saying perfect VPD... VPD for a given species and it's stage of growth is a range, not a peak value. You're either in that range, or you are not. There's some leeway, but again it would not be ideal. Get enough out of wack and boom, deader than fried chicken. This is regardless of how good your thermometer is, btw.

"Let's say he..." never bears fruit.

There's a VPD chart for you (humans), too. Fortunately, you're going to be fine without ever seeing a chart!

I'm done mucking up this awesome person's journal. They don't deserve that.

B²

 

[PahPahCee]

Just an idea if you do want/need more lighting;

you could always relocate that tube light to go vertical and provide side lighting if you feel it needs more.

 

[rasterman]

I would think that is done to prevent stress and have the plant easily accept the transplant process right?


Awesome man, if you ever see anything I can improve on or change please let me know.

And yea it's a challenge growing in Cuba where nothing is accessible, something as small as nutrients that's cost 40$ on Amazon costs me a small fortune and a headache to have a mule bring it to the country on a plane because of the economic embargo. So I have to get very creative when it comes to growing here.

Do they even have tomato nutes like MiracleGro? Now that I see my question in print it seems doubtful.

 

[Zerberus]

But, nobody said it was. There are many factors to master!

And you keep saying perfect VPD... VPD for a given species and it's stage of growth is a range, not a peak value. You're either in that range, or you are not. There's some leeway, but again it would not be ideal. Get enough out of wack and boom, deader than fried chicken. This is regardless of how good your thermometer is, btw.

"Let's say he..." never bears fruit.

There's a VPD chart for you (humans), too. Fortunately, you're going to be fine without ever seeing a chart!

I'm done mucking up this awesome person's journal. They don't deserve that.

B²

I'm here quietly reading and learning absorbing as much as I can, I didn't even know that VPD existed until you guys mentioned it and I started reading your comments and google up information on it. Any and all information is always welcome

 

[rasterman]

Isn't it super humid in Cuba already? Or are you in a dry area in Cuba?

 

[Zerberus]

Do they even have tomato nutes like MiracleGro? Now that I see my question in print it seems doubtful.

The government does, it controls the agricultural industry so it's almost impossible to get some fertilizer for private use, unless you have good connections or import it yourself using mules.

 

[Zerberus]

Isn't it super humid in Cuba already? Or are you in a dry area in Cuba?

I'm in the provincial capital city this is the weather here now.

 

[Zerberus]

Just an idea if you do want/need more lighting;

you could always relocate that tube light to go vertical and provide side lighting if you feel it needs more.

I could do it but how will I know how much is too much light? And wont installing more light sources raise the temperature even further inside the closet?