Day 75 from sprouting (5 weeks + 5 days after 12/12).
HARVEST, Friday Oct 26.
I wanted to update this thread with the results, in case someone finds it on google and wants to grow this way. I harvested today:
View attachment 904717
View attachment 904718
View attachment 904716
View attachment 904720
View attachment 904721
View attachment 904722
In some ways it looks too early. I think that's because I've been supplementing Pennington Alaska Kelp, which causes buds to swell/dense (due to growth hormones from the kelp). I started using it when a few pistils turned brown a couple weeks ago. Kelp's growth hormones caused pistil growth to explode. So, the new pistils make it look young. But, they were starting to brown 10-14 days ago.
This morning, the trichomes were cloudy/milky. I've been wanting to harvest earlier, experience clear trichomes. (I tend to wait too long, being focused on bigger buds.). So, I decide to err on the side of too early. I might have waited a day or two longer than I should have. They seemed milky all of a sudden today.
Dolo is in the front, and did better. Nodolo was more nitrogen toxic (through the entire grow)
When I started this grow, I felt like the differences were strain-related. As seedlings, Dolo looked deficient while Nodolo looked better. When I started feeding stronger, and more nirogen, Dolo was the star performer, and Nodolo looked overfed, n-toxic (constantly).
I think I did notice one constant difference related to dolomite: Dolo's runof ppms were always 50-100 higher than Nodolo. Since Nodolo looked overfed. You'd think there would be more leftover salts to wash away. But, it was Dolo with the consistently higher runoff ppms. I've been thinking that might be due to the dolomite reacting, buffering, breaking down (releasing Ca & Mg).
pH
I'm really thinking the dolomite is what made Dolo turn out so well. However, when I measured the soil ph (after harvesting), Dolo was 5.6. Nodolo was 6.5. That is
opposite what I think dolomite does. You'd think it would raise the ph. But, the ph levels do coincide with Nodolo being n-toxic. More nitrogen would be available the soil were always at that higher ph range.[1]
I never pH'ed anything as I grew this. I just used tap water mixed with RO to get 150ppm starting water. (In flower I started using gypsum and epsom salt to get 150ppm starting. I felt like the plants liked this better than tap. Not sure how that would work in veg.).
Feeding
When the plant was grown into the container, I had to feed every 1.5 days. The Kellogg Cactus potting mix dries that fast.
I had to feed
twice as much N as I usually do. (Usually I feed an NPK ratio 2-1-2 in veg, and finish flowering at 1-2-2.). I had to feed almost 4-1-x in veg. I finished at 1-1-x.
By transition I had the feeding worked out. It seems to like 200-230ppm of nutrients (added to 150ppm water). If I went above 250ppm, I saw signs of overfeeding. The runoff ppms should be in the 650-750 range. If it's in the 800s, you're probably seeing signs of overfeeding.
In veg, you should be around NPK ratio 3.8-1-x (I say "x" because the way I was using hardware-store products, I wasn't dialing in K as I normally would. It just comes out however it comes out. Usually 1.5 to 1.8. (I think closer to 3.0 would be better, with that amount of N. I did get K higher when I used kelp in mid to late flower. But, I wouldn't use kelp in veg because it can cause weird stretch.).
To get that veg ratio, I used MiracleGro All-Purpose (24-8-16, ratio 3-1-2), and added Pennington Fish Fertilizer (5-1-1) to increase the NPK ratio to 3.8-1-x. In theory, this is 1g/gal All-Purpose (109ppm) and 7.5ml/gal Fish (119ppm). In reality, the products are a little stronger than their labeled content calculates out to. So, you have to add half those amounts, stir, check the PPM increase, and figure out exactly how much to add to get the desired PPM. Ultimately, if you add enough of each product (to get those ppms), you'll get NPK ratio 3.95-1-1.53. That seemed like a good ratio.
Below, is what I would feed through the entire grow:
Germination - prewet the medium with 1/8th strength nutrients (NPK ratio: 3.95-1-1.53):
MiracleGro All-Purpose (24-8-16): 0.13g/gal (14ppm)
Pennington Fish Fertilizer (5-1-1): 0.94ml/gal (15ppm)
Seedling - 2nd week after breaking ground - 1/4 strength nutrients (NPK ratio: 3.95-1-1.53):
All-Purpose: 0.25g/gal (27ppm)
Fish: 1.88ml/gal (30ppm)
Later in that 2nd week - 1/2 strength nutrients (NPK ratio: 3.95-1-1.53):
All-Purpose: 0.5g/gal (54ppm)
Fish: 3.75ml/gal (60ppm)
3rd week veg through transition (2 weeks after 12/12 lighting) - Full strength nutrients (NPK ratio: 3.95-1-1.53):
All-Purpose: 1.0g/gal (109ppm)
Fish: 7.5ml/gal (119ppm)
Note: If you think that's too much N, you can reduce the overall strength. Or, try:
NPK ratio: 3.51-1-1.74:
All-Purpose: 1.4g/gal (152ppm)
Fish: 4ml/gal (63ppm)
I liked that ratio. I tended to drift N around 3.5 to 4.0. The important thing is to keep the resulting PPMs in the 200-230 range.
2nd week after 12/12 lighting - Reduce N:
NPK ratio: 3.54-1-1.73
All-Purpose: 1.3g/gal (141ppm)
Fish: 4ml/gal (63ppm)
NPK ratio: 3.25-1-1.88
All-Purpose: 1.7g/gal (185ppm)
Fish: 2ml/gal (32ppm)
3rd & 4th week after 12/12 lighting - Reduce N:
NPK ratio: 3.15-1-2.69
All-Purpose: 1.55g/gal (168ppm)
Pennington Alaska Kelp (0.13-0-0.60): 14ml/gal (39ppm)
NPK ratio: 3-1-2
All-Purpose: 2.0g/gal (217ppm)
NPK ratio: 2.5-1-1.79
All-Purpose: 1.7g/gal (185ppm)
MiracleGro Tomato (18-18-21): 0.25g/gal (29)
NPK ratio: 2.23-1-2.41
All-Purpose: 1.0g/gal (109ppm)
Tomato: 0.4g/gal (47ppm)
Kelp: 20ml/gal (56ppm)
5th week after 12/12 lighting - reduce N:
NPK ratio: 1.98-1-1.58
All-Purpose: 1.3g/gal (141ppm)
Tomato: 0.6g/gal (70)
NPK ratio: 1.74-1-2.67
All-Purpose: 0.4g/gal (43ppm)
Tomato: 0.6g/gal (70ppm)
Kelp: 30ml/gal (84ppm)
NPK ratio: 1.52-1-1.39
All-Purpose: 0.8g/gal (87ppm)
Tomato: 1.0g/gal (116ppm)
6th week after 12/12 lighting - reduce N:
NPK ratio: 1.22-1-2.19
Tomato: 1.0g/gal (116ppm)
Kelp: 30ml/gal (84ppm)
NPK ratio: 1-1-1.17
Tomato: 1.9g/gal (209ppm)
Note: The above in flower is a guideline for reducing N. You can play around, lower/higher.
Always focus on adding enough fertilizer to get the desired ppm increase. The stated amounts (grams, milliters) are hypothetical, based upon the product's label ("guaranteed analysis" is a guaranteed
minimum content. Typically, products will be a little stronger.) Add
half the amount, stir, see how the ppms change. Add more. After you do this a few times, you'll know how the actual ppm differs from the calculated amounts.
I wouldn't use kelp too early because it can cause stretch. After veg growth is finished, and the plant is well into growing buds (less chance of stretching the entire plant), then use kelp. I show using it in the 3rd and 4th week. But, I wouldn't use it until late in the 3rd week (maybe stronger late in the 4th week. The 5th week is a good time to use more kelp @ 2Tbsp/gal.). Just remember: kelp adds nitrogen. (You're also adding a lot of potassium, raising the K ratio. That's good! Cannabis likes K.).
In veg, I mixed tap water with RO filtered water to get a stating ppm 150. But, in flower (especially 2-3 weeks after 12/12, when the buds were developing), I added gypsum and epsom salt to get 150ppm. (I pre-dissolve 3grams gypsum in a liter bottle. I pour some into the RO water to get 40ppm. I add epspm salt to get an additional 100ppm. This is 44ppm Mg, 25ppm Ca and 78ppm Sulfur. That doesn't sound like a great Ca to Mg ratio. But, I felt like the plants liked more Mg than Ca. You can vary it and see how it works (more ppms from gypsom, or from epsom). It didn't seem to mater much. But, I felt like epsom did more good. Both have sulfur, and that seemed good.
One time in mid-flower I fed 200ppm of epsom salt (RO water with 200ppm added, no other nutrients). The plants seemed to like it. The runoff ppms *tanked* after I did that. (Runoff went from 750 to 600ppm. It was like the plant consumed the extra salts in the medium.).
The way I harvested earlier than I expected, maybe I should've cut N lower/sooner. I did experiment with that in mid flower, but took it back up because it seemed like too little/too soon. I think in the late 4th week, and 5th week I should have gone lower. The above guidelines are more in that direction, what I would if I grew this again.. But, you might try finishing the 5th week at the 6th week's levels of N.
I'm pretty sure you don't have to go lower N than 1-1-1.17 (Tomato's ratio). You could mix MiracleGrow Bloom Booster (15-30-15) to create a "booster" ratio. But, the way this cactus potting mix needs so much N, I think Tomato by itself is pretty much there. If you were going to try going lower N, maybe mix 0.9g/gal of each (Tomato 105ppm & Bloom Booster 97ppm) to create 1-1.45-1.09. That's not really "booster" level (the way most people think of boosters being in the 1-3-2 to 1-4-3 ratio range). But, this cactus potting mix is so N deficient, what I'm suggesting would be a pretty extreme ratio. I'd only feed it once (toward the end) and see what happens. (I don't think "bloom boosters" do much. I'm just saying, if you wanted to experiment, that's what I'd do. I considered doing it. But, harvested sooner than I thought I would.).
From early flower (3rd week, when bud sites were developing) I added 1/2tsp/gal Grandma's unsulphured blackstrap molasses. I usually don't use molasses. I think it's a lot of hype. I typically add a pinch of sugar to every gallon of water (which is what I did through veg and transition of this grow). But, since this cactus mix seemed nutrient deficient (like "soilless"), and I'm using MiracleGro which isn't the best fertilizer in the world, I thought the extra minerals in molasses would help. The goal of this grow was to use things that are easily available from the hardware store. Molasses fits that criteria.
When I harvested, I didn't flush. I fed Tomato by itself (ratio 1-1-1.17), about 200ppm. And, I harvested before the soil dried the next day.
LIGHTING:
I finished using 134w in a 2x2' space. (33.5w/sq ft). This photo shows all the lights used:
View attachment 904719
That photo was taken the day before harvest. It shows:
1. my Tubular top-light "fixture," which has:
- four 11w GE "basic" PAR38 floodlights (front/outer lens cut off, and the LED lenses inside removed.)
- one 9w globeless/reflectorless lightbulb in the center.
2. Four tent-legs, each with two 9w globeless lightbulbs in my clamp-on reflectors (8 lightbulbs total).
3. A gooseneck lamp sitting on floor with one 9w globeless lightbulb.
That's 44 + 9 (53w) on top. And, 72 + 9 (81w) around the sides.
The lightbulbs are evenly mixed 2700k (warm) and 5000k (daylight). It wasn't mixed this way until the last week or two. (See further down this post for more info about "color temperature."). I think 6000-6500k (cool) would work better. You have to order those online. They're hard to find.
I added bulbs as the plants grew, and got further into flower (when more light helps). In veg, I was only doing about 17w/sq ft.
- When I tranplanted up to 1gal containers (Day 24) I was using five 9w bulbs, total: 45w.
- When I switched to 12/12 (Day 33) I was using six 9w bulbs, total 54w. When
- At the end of 2nd week of 12/12, I was using four 11w (PAR38 from the top) and five 9w bulbs (one in the center of the 11w on top). Total 89w.
- First day of 4th week 12/12, I was using the four 11w, and had seven 9w. Total 107w.
- Second day of 4th week, I added another 9w bulb, total 116.
That gives you an idea how I scaled up the light. (Over the next week I added two more 9w bulbs, ending at total 134w.).
Earlier in the grow, the w/sq ft wasn't easy to calculate. The plants weren't taking up 2x2 space. But, when it finished, it was pretty much 2x2. (Growing two plants in that space wasn't the maximum use of the space. But, to accommodate them it took about 2x2.). Prior to that, the space was typically 2x1.5, or 2x1.8). When I thought in terms of w/sq ft, I thought of it in those reduced spaces.
COLOR TEMPERATURE:
I used almost entirely 5000k lightbulbs in veg and first 2 weeks of 12/12. Occasionally I would swap one out for a 2700k. But, I felt like I saw some stretch. If I were growing in a larger space, I might have appreciated the plants growing more that way. But, in a 4' tall space, I didn't expose it to much 2700k. Occasionally I would, for a few hours (I'd swap a bulb warm for cool).
During the first 2-3 weeks of 12/12, I had just one 9w warm. I didn't have another warm bulb until the first day of the 4th week. At that point, I had four 11w cool (on top), one 9w warm (on top), five 9w cool
and one 9w cool around the sides.
I didn't start warming things up until late flower (week 4 and 5). I ended with a 1:1 ratio of 2700 & 5000k. I didn't reach that until 4-5 days before harvest. I kept the light pretty cool until the end, the last couple weeks.
NEXT STEPS:
I'd definitely grow this again. I like how it performed. (The only remaining question is taste, potency. I'll pot an update about that soon.). The only thing I might change is add vermiculite to slow down how fast it dries. Maybe 25% vermiculite to 75% Kellogg Cactus potting mix. I'd use dolomite again (1.5 Tablespoon per gallon of soil).
While growing this, I realized MiracleGro Performance Organics "All Purpose Plant Nutrition" (11-3-8)[2] is NPK ratio 3.67-1-2.67. That would be absolutely
perfect. That's the correct amount of N. And, the K is considerably higher. (Cannabis loves potassium.). And, it's derived from organic sources. I like that better than the purely synthetic MG All Purpose.
So I'm planning to start another Kellogg Cactus mix grow in 2-3 weeks. I'm going use that MG PO product. I'm thinking: 3.5 grams (205ppm). But, as mentioned above, the product label is just a "guaranteed minimum." The product can be stronger. I would mix half, see how many ppms it creates. Add more as necessary. You can calculate how much more you need after seeing how much ppm a measured amount creates.). In flower, maybe I would mix in MG Tomato (18-18-21) to reduce N.
I plan on adding vermiculite. I didn't like feeding this every 1.5 days. I like 2-3 days. I've never used vermiculite. I'll have to guess how much to use. I'm thinking 25-30%. I was thinking about maybe adding crushed perlite (sand consistency, no larger than bb-pellet sized, 0.177"). Maybe 10% of that, and 30% vermiculite. I always felt like the cactus mix was too dense (the sand packed together). But, it dried in 1.5 days. And, the plants grew well. So, I don't think it needs more perlite. But, I think finer perlite distributed through the sand might help a little. That will go against my goal to have it hold moisture longer. So, I think more vermiculite (30% instead of 25%) would be good. That's how I'm thinking about it right now.
I will post a final update about taste, potency (photos of the trimmed harvest). The buds aren't terribly frosty. But, it's been warm. Until mid flower the tent was often 82-84F (28-29C). The last couple weeks it was more like 79-81 (26-27). I'm used to pushing the limit on heat (and taking a hit on frostiness). It always seems potent to me, even when it's less frost than this. I've grown warmer with less frost, and it seemed potent enough for me. I'm happy with how this one looks (compared to other grows in my heat). The next one I grow, the weather will be much cooler. It will be interesting to see if that makes a difference. I'll be using the same lights. Just different MiracleGro nutrients.
[1] Soil ph is a complex topic. It's not a fixed value. It rises a full point from wet to dry. There can be pockets of different ph. The soil was still fairly wet when I harvested. So, 5.6 doesn't seem bad to me (from my own experience with my light, airy soil I normally use). As it continued to dry, it would rise to 6.6.
If the soil had continued to dry, I would expect *no*dolo's ph to rise higher (out of range), while dolo's ph would pass through a good range. I think that difference in ph range might be why dolo got more N through the entire grow. If I fed less N (as a proportion), *no*dolo might have turned out better, and dolo would have suffered. But, the vibe I got the whole time was that dolo was thriving more than *no*dolo. I think dolomite is good to add, even if it's the reason I had to feed higher N. I.e., I don't think it would have turned out as well without dolomite (and feeding more normal levels of N). I think they would have both had higher soil ph (as *no*dolo did), and suffered from that. But, it could be worth trying. (Maybe I should have mixed different nutrients for each plant. But, I was only mixing 1/2 gallon to feed them both. Mixing a quart would be tedius getting ppms correct with tiny amounts of nutrients. Mixing larger quantities is easier to fine tune using larger amounts of nutrients.).
[2] Regarding MiracleGro Performance Organics "all purpose plant nutrition" (what a mouthful), you have to be careful. There is another "granules" product which has a different NPK value. The one I am referring to comes in a square box, and NPK is 11-3-8.