New Grow, Trying out Ethos Genetics

[SweetLeafGrow]

I forgot to mention that I have done some lollipopping on all 4 girls to keep air flow good under the canopy. I have also done some light defoliation of some of the fan leaves, mainly those toward the center of the plants that were covering up other flower sites. My strategy in my LST was to pull the main branches toward the outside of the pots, and then that lets the lower branches (which normally get whacked or if you leave em, they produce small airy flowers) to come up through the middle of the plant which has been cleared out by the LST. So far, the strategy, which I am positive is nothing new, has worked. Those lower branches are filling in the middle of the plants nicely even though they are a bit behind the others in height.

I also forgot to mention both front and back, Ethos Purple Zkittlez RbX on the left, Ethos Crescendo RBx1 on the right.

 

[ImpulsiveGrower]

2/14 update-

Almost through week one of flower. The girls are doing great and I think I finally got them dialed in with the nutrients and the deficiencies I was dealing with.

This is the first grow where I have done a lot more LST. Previously, I had only just topped them and then tucked a lot. This time, with some great encouragement from @ImpulsiveGrower, I dove in head first with the LST. I think I've done well with it and my canopy looks to be fairly even. They are starting to stretch now so I'm letting them do what they need to do. Will probably bring in a net trellis but I'm waiting till I absolutely have to cause I hate those things.

The Humboldts Secret nutrients seem to be dead on and the plants are loving them. Small flowers starting to form and looking closely, I can see a few pistils starting to show themselves. Super stoked about the Ethos strains and the flowers they will produce.

Lowered the new Spider Farmer light to about 8" above the canopy and will try to raise it up as they stretch. Dialed in at about 90% and slowly pushing it up to 100% over the next few days. Overall, the new light is performing well and I can't wait to see how the light performs during the flowering stage. I had heard that they are far superior to the MarsHydro light I had been using. We will see!

Dude you are absolutely LST like a beast right now! That’s the type of training I strive for that looks dope brotha good stuff! So wait you just got a spider Farmer light now? Are you testing the fixture? I surprised you can get it that close to the canopy try to stay under 1000ppfd unless you co2.

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

Dude you are absolutely LST like a beast right now! That’s the type of training I strive for that looks dope brotha good stuff! So wait you just got a spider Farmer light now? Are you testing the fixture? I surprised you can get it that close to the canopy try to stay under 1000ppfd unless you co2.

Thanks IG, I had a good teacher! Thanks for all your help and encouragement!

Yes, I just bought a whole new Spider Farmer tent, light and fan package and wanted to try out the new light for flowering this run. This new setup is going to allow me to do two hydro tents with one plant in each one, but I am just not ready with my room yet. Anyhow, the directions for the light say keep the light 6" from the canopy if the temps are less than 82F and 8" if they are above 82F. I've been running 70's to low 80's most of the time so I figured I could get away with the 6" distance. However, not wanting to burn them, I set the light about 10" above the tallest branches to see how it does, seems to be doing great. I'm going to keep nudging the intensity up to 100% (at about 90% currently) over the next few days, then let them stretch closer until I need to start raising the light. If they do fine with it, I will keep it as close as SF recommends. I guess I am testing it, but not for anyone but myself.

Here is a photo from the brochure that came with the light. I got the SE3000.

 

[ImpulsiveGrower]

Thanks IG, I had a good teacher! Thanks for all your help and encouragement!

Yes, I just bought a whole new Spider Farmer tent, light and fan package and wanted to try out the new light for flowering this run. This new setup is going to allow me to do two hydro tents with one plant in each one, but I am just not ready with my room yet. Anyhow, the directions for the light say keep the light 6" from the canopy if the temps are less than 82F and 8" if they are above 82F. I've been running 70's to low 80's most of the time so I figured I could get away with the 6" distance. However, not wanting to burn them, I set the light about 10" above the tallest branches to see how it does, seems to be doing great. I'm going to keep nudging the intensity up to 100% (at about 90% currently) over the next few days, then let them stretch closer until I need to start raising the light. If they do fine with it, I will keep it as close as SF recommends. I guess I am testing it, but not for anyone but myself.

Here is a photo from the brochure that came with the light. I got the SE3000.

View attachment 1217580

Wow that’s wild it seems like I’m unable to get plants close to my Mars hydro FC-E3000 which is basically the same fixture in terms of output. They like to be far away and I’ve never been able to run it past 75%.

Bro it really makes my day knowing I could help out a fellow grower bc I was that person too! I can’t wait to see these in full bloom especially since I’ll be running some ethos soon myself.

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

Wow that’s wild it seems like I’m unable to get plants close to my Mars hydro FC-E3000 which is basically the same fixture in terms of output. They like to be far away and I’ve never been able to run it past 75%.

Yea, I know, I am still watching them closely to see if the light might be too strong.

This morning I am noticing they seem a bit droopy/unhappy the day after watering. Do you think the light may be too close??? too intense??? I am curious what other experts like @Aqua Man, @growsince79, @SofaKingHigh, @Moe.Red, @SpiderFarmerLED or anyone else familiar with the Spider Farmer SE3000 might suggest? I currently have the light at ~90% intensity at about 10" from the tallest branches, running temps between 70F and 82F, 30RH atm. I want to get the max out of my new light but don't want to burn anyone in the process!

Growing in soil, Humboldts Secret nutrients, Spider Farmer SE3000, just finishing week one of flower.

Thanks guys!

 

[SofaKingHigh]

Yea, I know, I am still watching them closely to see if the light might be too strong.

This morning I am noticing they seem a bit droopy/unhappy the day after watering. Do you think the light may be too close??? too intense??? I am curious what other experts like @Aqua Man, @growsince79, @SofaKingHigh, @Moe.Red, @SpiderFarmerLED or anyone else familiar with the Spider Farmer SE3000 might suggest? I currently have the light at ~90% intensity at about 10" from the tallest branches, running temps between 70F and 82F, 30RH atm. I want to get the max out of my new light but don't want to burn anyone in the process!

Growing in soil, Humboldts Secret nutrients, Spider Farmer SE3000, just finishing week one of flower.

Thanks guys!

View attachment 1217824

It helped me to download an app like Photone to tell you what your ppfd or DLI is. I would say it is a little too close, I kept my se5000 at 18 inches during veg on about 85%. Also you need to get that Rh up to about 50-60% that can also be causing issues with vpd.

 

[ImpulsiveGrower]

My first grow i wanted to hammer them too but now I use my lux meter and convert it to ppfd thanks to the migro YouTube channel. I also asked ppl what the do and some say the only use like 800 ppfd. I’m playing around between 750-1000. Some strains can handle more than others. I would back it off if your going to keep it on 100%. Take it to like 16 inches. It’s going to spread the light better too.

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

Thanks guys!

I raised the light to 18" above and working on getting the RH up a bit. I always thought the RH needed to be low during flower, although I know I am early in flower and there is not much chance of getting mold problems yet. At what point during flower should I make sure and keep the RH down around 30% to avoid bud rot?

 

[SofaKingHigh]

Thanks guys!

I raised the light to 18" above and working on getting the RH up a bit. I always thought the RH needed to be low during flower, although I know I am early in flower and there is not much chance of getting mold problems yet. At what point during flower should I make sure and keep the RH down around 30% to avoid bud rot?

As your buds start getting bigger you can start slowly backing off the RH

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

Thanks again IG and SofaKingHigh- After raising the light and getting the RH in order, the girls are super happy today after getting fed this morning.

Today marks day one of week 2 flower and I am super stoked about how these plants are doing. I believe I have a good genetic line in Ethos, I just need to get my skills in order to bring these girls to their full potential. I am also trying out some new nutrients that I am very happy with, Humboldts Secret. This is the first time I have used silica in my grow. Wish I had the Humboldts Secret at the beginning as I just started adding the silica formula that is part of the Humboldts Secret starter pack 2. Next week, starting week 3 I will start using the flower stacker formula alongside the rest of the nutrient line.

They are starting to stretch a bit so far. I have read that the Crescendo strain is pretty stretchy, which was one reason I dove in head first with the LST this time and sure glad I did. The canopy is starting to get a bit uneven from the stretch, but starting out, it was fairly even so I think I did well for the first time with the LST. I have been watching a lot of you experts here and so I learn a lot by observation. I have learned a lot here watching all you wonderful farmers, thanks to all those who have helped me directly, and indirectly. Ya'all are awesome!

 

[MyGrowYo]

Lookin great, next 6 weeks should be exciting.

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

Got another update on the Ethos grow-

Today is the start of week 3 flower!!! yay. Haven't been doing much except monitoring temp and humidity, turning fans on and off depending, and feeding and watering. I really need one of those controllers, maybe soon! Anyhow, daytime temps in the upper 70's and low 80's, RH 40-50%, perhaps not ideal, but the best I can do right now with the furnace working overtime and humidity in the house at ~15-20%.

So far, I am really liking the Humboldts Secret nutrients, both the ease of use, and the results I think speak for themselves. I had really struggled early in this grow with deficiencies, but since I started using the HS nutes, they look pretty dialed in to me,

Feeding schedule is weekly so Fridays, or thereabouts, will be the feeding day, depending on if they need water or not. I am really liking the 3 gallon pots so far. I have to water more often, but in a way I like that because it gives more opportunity to correct nutrient levels sooner than waiting on a 5 gal to need water again. They are roughly taking about 3/4 of a gallon every 3 days.

I probably ought to do some defoliation, I am just torn between whether or not it actually helps. I have done some lollipopping on the lower half, but with all the LST I did, they are all pretty squat and somewhat dense in places. As expected, the Crescendo girls are stretching more than the Purple Zkittlez, but even 2/3 of the way through their stretch, it looks like they will be kept to a modest height, time will tell. I have also done a bit of fan leaf removal where they were covering other flower sites, but would ya'all say I should do more??? How much more??

Onward to week 3!

 

[ImpulsiveGrower]

Around day 21 I do a nice defoliation. This is what has been practiced by many bc at some point they will not be able to grow any leaves so you don’t wanna strip em down too late. Taking some here and there work just as good tho. I focus on the leaves in the middle and let the ones on the outside stay. Looking good in there!!!

 

[TurboNico]

Around day 21 I do a nice defoliation. This is what has been practiced by many bc at some point they will not be able to grow any leaves so you don’t wanna strip em down too late. Taking some here and there work just as good tho. I focus on the leaves in the middle and let the ones on the outside stay. Looking good in there!!!

Do you find that the 21 day mark is the last time you defoliate?

 

[ImpulsiveGrower]

Do you find that the 21 day mark is the last time you defoliate?

I’ll take one here or there that grows over a bud site but yes after day 21 I leave her be. This still allows time for her to re leaf. Some ppl take every single fan leaf on day 21 “schazzing” and in 2 weeks you can’t event tell.

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

Almost through week 3 flower and cruising along nicely. Did a moderate defoliation this morning, raised the light a bit and installed the net trellis in case I decide to use it. I am using silica on this grow for the first time and hoping the branching is strong enough to hold big flowers without breaking. If not, I can lower the trellis and support everything that way.

I am loving the new Humboldts Secret nutrients I have been trying. For me, it simplifies everything and so far, I just measure the various nutrients and mix them with water and apply. I started out on the low side of what they recommend and gradually increasing to the max with each of the 8 formulas, although since I have had cal/mag issues with these plants from the beginning, I have given them them max on the cal/mag/iron formula and it seems to be working well. No nute burn issues showing up whatsoever. I watered/fed yesterday and this morning all is well.

Also getting a plan together for my spring time outdoor grow. So far, my plan is to start 4 plants of the strains that I want to grow in my outdoor greenhouse. I have ~3 months before the first of June when I would plant seed to soil. That gives me June/July to veg, August/September to finish. I am selecting all strains that finish as early as possible as we live around the 49the degree latitude and I don't want to have to supply too much supplemental heating. Will most certainly have to run fans and dehumidifier but with early finishers, I am hoping to have a great harvest. I figure I can start the 4 strains now and just veg them as mothers. I bought a new aeroponic cloner and can make clones that will be ready to transplant first of June and those will be my outdoor grow, 4 legal plants. I also want to take some clones to share with a friend. Finally, around the end of July when the outdoor plants are in full flower, I can take the final clones from two that I want to continue and veg them in my new RDWC system once my room in the house is finished and ready for those systems and tents. It looks like I am going to be growing 3 strains from Brothers Grimm and a landrace strain from Ace Seeds on this first go around.

Cheers!

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

Cruising along, middle of week 4, day 26 since flip to 12/12 light schedule. Weekly feeding are working out to be mostly on Fridays so far which is convenient and makes everything easy peasy. I love the new nutrients I am using, love the simplicity, and the results speak for themselves, at least I think they are performing well.

Started the feeding regimen on the lighter side of the manufacturer recommendations and have been increasing each week with little or no nute burn. This will have been the 2nd week of feeding the Flower Stacker, which gradually increases toward the end of flower. The flowers are showing some real promise and the internodal spacing is IMO very good. Purple Zkittlez on the left looking very similar to each other, one is squatter than the other but they look like sisters for sure. Crescendo on the right, also very similar to each other with some minor sativa vs indica dominance variations. They both stretched more than the Purple Zkittlez as expected but neither of the strains stretched as much as I was expecting. One observation is that last week the Crescendo in the back really started to frost up while the other Crescendo in the front had none visible to the naked eye. This week, the Purple Zkittlez on the left have both caught up with the frost on the first Crescendo but the other Crescendo still doesn't have any visible frost going on yet.

The LST really helped keeping everything short and squat leaving plenty of headroom for stretch. I think they are about finished stretching, I have the light at 9" from the tallest flowers, running temps in the high 70's/low 80'sF during the day and 69-71F at night with RH around 40-50%, will start dropping that down very soon as well as the temps for the last two weeks of flower. Also have plenty of ventilation in the tent with one oscillating fan up top, a fan blowing under the canopy and an 8" inline fan that is off mostly right now and will use that to keep the humidity and smell down later in flower. Also did a bit of defoliation although it doesn't really look like it. I think I am almost on cruise control with weekly feedings and watering when needed, right now about every 3rd day. They are currently taking 3 gallons each watering. I still have the trellis net in place above the plants but still hoping I don't have to use it. We'll see how stiff the branching is (and if the silica is making a difference) once the flowers start to pack on some weight.

Happy and prosperous growing fellow cultivators!

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

I got a new magnifier, SkyBasic WiFi Digital Microscope, and was playing around with it a bit. It's pretty cool and much better than the loupe I had previously, though it does still take some practice. It has an app that communicates with the magnifier and then takes a photo when you want. Check out some of the photos on the lowest magnification from various distances from some of my flowers.

 

[ImpulsiveGrower]

Bro you are crushing it!!! We are gonna talk soon my dude

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

Playin around and made a video of my grow like I have seem others do. Over halfway through week 4 and rockin it!