A few practical things I've learned about indoor growing - My 2nd attempt.

[Crow]

These weren't obvious to me and so I share for other newbies/wannabes.

1) When you are trimming your dense foliage with very sharp little shears make certain you have a good site line of what you are trimming - as opposed to cutting.

2) Hanging lights - I like an orderly looking work space. I hate it that the single point systems for hanging lights result in the lights pointing all different which ways. I want them lined up in a nice orderly row - especially now that I have on/off switches on the fixtures. Seems reasonable. BUT with the 2 types of lights I have used MH/HPS and now LEDs the hangers are set up with a 2 point bridle connected to the corners of the lights - one bridle on each end of the light. These then are connected at the top dead center to be hung from a single point. The SINGLE POINT CONNECTION is my problem. I have literally spent hours (over the months of adjusting the fixtures) trying to get those damn things to align. I have attached swivels. I have wire wrapped my light cords to the bridles in different orientations and with varying tensions. I have set up the ladder and reoriented the eye bolt at the ceiling. The lights just laugh at me and swivel to the opposite direction of their choosing.

TODAY I WON The secret and very easy solution? I ran a metal rod across the bridle wires that forced them all to the same orientation. In front of the wires of the center light bridle and in behind the bridle wires of the 2 outside lights. Instant alignment. Just because I could, I wire wrapped the rod to one of the bridle lines of the center light.

Anyway - I will never need to spend another minute aligning my lights! Could just as easily have used a broom stick (minus the broom) or any other straight length of something long enough to span the overall distance between the lights.

3) This next thought is speculative at this point (might remain so) but I share just in case...

I added live red wiggler worms to my 7 gal grow pots about a month ago. The plants seem very happy and the worms are thriving too. When I have done any trimming (see # 1 above) I cut up my trim in to little pieces then sprinkle them over the soil as mulch/worm food.

IT OCCURS to me that these worms will be teeming with THC and CBDs by the end of harvest . They could be a bonus enriched protein addition to any of your favorite cannabis recipes or perhaps simply dried out and served as crunchy buzz snacks.

OK - Hope you learned something here today. Glad I could share (for what it's worth).

Crow

[Greengringo]

Never tried dried out worms ..hmm..thxs for sharing crow.

[Canuck147]

Not dried - living. They help in the aeration of the soil, helps the roots.

[Crow]

Well - in the pot are live worms. Coming out at the end (I was mostly joking - hmmm?) that the worms eating cannabis cuttings might get pretty potent themselves and so make for a potentially "interesting" snack or recipe ingredient.

Actually my intention - after this grow - is to dump all my expensive organic soil and the worms into a - yet to be created - worm farm. The idea being that the worms would work and eat all winter to reconstitute my organic soil and keep it good and better for another grow season.

[Canuck147]

Nice write up Crow - have to agree with your #2. Until you get the 'hang' of it, those lights can be a bit of a pain.

Worms are a good idea, I've used them in the past - but - the plant material you are leaving will leech into the soil and it is detrimental to your plants.

[Crow]

Am I really creating a potential issue leaving cuttings as mulch? I can certainly stop doing that and remove what I've added BUT - I ask in all sincerity - because it was suggested by several folks that the cuttings added to the top soil as mulch would be broken down properly by the worms and just add to the viability of the soil.

Not such a good idea then? Thanks for your help.

[NAKEDGARDENER]

That bit about crunchy high worms made me think of that tv show called Bizarre Foods. Or even Survivor lol. Great observations there, and especially with aligning lights, I too will be facing this issue in the winter as I seek to try out LED s for my next grow. Will be a toss of a coin on the ones you currently use or the ones by KING

[Crow]

Don't miss the advice about trimming with sharp little shears. I have caused myself to bleed and trimmed a branch or 2 with a moment of inattentiveness.
AND - I know how to use tools! LOL

Haven't seen the Kings. Will look to compare. Maybe I can give you some feedback.

[GreenhouseEffect]

I have not had problems from organic matter on the soil surface before, this is basically how nature has been feeding plants, for millions of years. There are plenty of folks that mulch there plants to, especially large outdoor plants.Though you don't want to use leaves from your pot plants if you have a pest problem. Now organic matter can provide a home for pests, but in my opinion, pests are a symptom of underlying problems, like a stagnant, breeze less grow room, or malnurished unhealthy plants. Earth worms also contain bacteria in there gut that seems to discourage pests and disease. My opinion on the matter, at least.

[GreenhouseEffect]

Hears how one outdoor grower uses mulch and Organic ferlizer.

[GreenhouseEffect]

What Nebula has to say.

[Crow]

Thanks GE - your last 2 posts support my tossing my chopped up trim onto the soil. It's not like I'm adding dense pack by the bucket, rather just some handfuls of chopped up trim from the plant itself, along with some other matter that is favorable to the worms living in the soil. Among other things the top cover keeps the soil cooler and moist from the heat of the LEDs - good for the worms and the plants. Indications are that all are happy together.

Crow

[KingKush]

There is nothing wrong with adding mulch to your soil, even chopped up pot plants. The bacteria and worms might have that broken down into readily available nutrients by the time you are done flowering, but this is a maybe. Cannabis plants grow fast and might not spend long enough to benefit from this process (it takes time for the microbes to break down organic material, especially woody stuff) it's about he C/N ratio in soils. Look up the Carbon/Nitogen ratio, that's where different types of silage or mulch is better than other types. Grass clippings, for example are good because of the speed of breakdown. The microbes have enough food to work overtime and share with the soil.
Sawdust on the other hand, is not good: the microbes spend so much time + energy during breakdown that they actually TAKE nitrogen from the soil, thus resulting in a temporary reduction in N. (they will all die a little later after the sawdust is done, and then there will be a big increase in N. but as a farmer we don't want this swing)

So keep it to leafy green clippings, and avoid the Woody stems and such. That would be my recommendation.

Worms are great about aerating, reducing compaction, and rootzone health. The castings are beneficial to your grow as well. Nothing wrong there!

Happy Growing 💚

[Crow]

Thanks KK. Good info. Since I intend to keep my soil and worms active after this grow the current plants will contribute to the health of the next grow.

[Crow]

And another thing:

• a 20° F temperature swing in 24 hours doesn't seem to create a problem.

My indoor grow (5 Northern Lights in 7 gallon Smart Pots, with organic soil and some red wigglers in the mix) is kind of an outdoor grow too as I am growing in a moderately insulated shed, i.e., R10 walls and ceiling at best and just a rubber mat on the floor - this, in mid-coast Maine. Temperatures the past 2 weeks of my flowering stage have been in the 40° to mid - 50°s F at night and in the mid-50s° to mid -70s° during the days but with a few 80°+ days and more of those expected. My digital thermometer, which records the highs and lows in each 24 hours, routinely shows an 18° to 20° spread. A few days of a 22° spread as I did have some times when I couldn't get home in time to mitigate the effects of the rising outdoor temperatures. These were not hours and hours of high heat just enough to effect the high/low of the daily reading. I share in the spirit of full disclosure
The plants seem perfectly healthy.

I understand that this isn't ideal but I've convinced myself that for this grow it's the best I can do. I'm using a heater through the dark period to maintain 63°s and using fans and an open window and floor grate during the day to dump the heat from the 3 - 600 watt LEDs. It requires multiple checks and adjustments through the day to keep the temps under control. I figure that if these were simply growing outdoors they would need to adjust or languish - so I do the best I can do. Next season will set up a thermostatically consoled green house fan and air input system and likely add more serious insulation. This year it - is what it is.

Admittedly I have yet to determine the quality of the product but all indications are that the plants are thriving. SO - I share for those who also might be struggling with "extreme" temperature swings Ain't the end of the world or of your plants. YMMV.

Crow

[KingKush]

after struggling with similar climate issues, I now run my lights at night time, and they stay off during the day.

This has been incredibly useful in keeping my temperatures more consistent.

[Crow]

Might be the way to go next planting!

[LurkingInTheGrass]

I thought that the lower dark temperatures, would/could encourage colors and trichome production (cooler temps signal the plant to protect itself and generate more oils)

we do the best we can, with the knowledge and materials we have 😁. As our knowledge improves, so does our 'best'

[alltatup]

Crow Would you really eat your own allies--the worms????? It's almost cannibalistic....

Oh, whew: I got to the part about the worm farm. Much better karma.

[Redwasp]

Lol. alltatup I love the part about eating your allies.

Yes worms are good and they do need a food source, ie the cut up leaves/greenery. I also use toads, and lizards to control pests during the summer. Along with praying mantis and ladybugs. I let the toads go long before winter so they can find a place to hibernate. I let them go when they are big enough to start eating the worms. Lol. The lizards come and go on their own. I guess when I leave the tents open during the day. When the pests are gone they leave. Not sure how they get out but they come and go at will.
Anyways just my 2 cents. And we all know 2 cents is not worth anything these days.

[GreenhouseEffect]

Something else you can do for climate control, is to add some thermal mass. Basically something that tends to hold heat longer than air, such as water or stone. A lot of greenhouse gardeners use the strategy, and it does work best in a greenhouse where the water can heat during the day, from the power of the sun, but it would also help out in your shed.
The easiest way is with something along the lines of 55 gallon drums, but anything will work, as long as it's sealed up so that it doesn't raise your humidity.
Thermal mass helps to keep your day time temps lower, as well, by storing cool from the night, it moderates temperature swings.
The worlds oceans do the same thing, as well as the ground. Some people even use the thermal mass of the ground with Geothermal Energy, you can find quite a few youtubes on that one to!

[Crow]

I should just take the floor out of my shed. I'd gain another foot of height and benefit from the cooler ground. Would need to pack bales oh hay or something around during the lights out period. Already have screening in place to keep out critters. Need to consider the structural implications but there is some merit to the idea. No room whatsoever for another plant, let alone a big rock or a 55 gallon drum.

[GreenhouseEffect]

Sounds like it might not be a good choice for your grow then. I definitely would leave the floor of your shed in, it gives the structure a lot of rigidity.

[GreenhouseEffect]

The bails of hay, or some type of skirting around the outside, would keep it warmer in winter. Might be good to have it open during the summer, though, so the breeze can get under and cool it off. They also make eaves vents, that can dump a lot of heat out the top, though you would want to cover it if you need to run a carbon scrubber, or hold heat in, but that shouldn't be to hard.

[Crow]

Here is a photo of my shed very early in the grow. You can see that the rafters are open for ventilation and that the floor is a spaced plank porch type floor - open to the ground. This was also done for ventilation. All this built in ventilation worked well through the summer (vegetative stage) but became a problem when I switched to flowering because there was too much light coming in through all my "designed ventilation". The ceiling is now insulated with rafter tails closed and the floor is covered to obscure all the cracks. Light was coming in under the building. There is also a window in the room (between those 2 vertical strips of duct tape) that's a sliding panel that covers the window. The window has been open most of the summer - at least during the lights on period.

Next season - if I venture another crop - I will incorporate a ventilation system (as I wrote about above). It has been quite a learning curve managing temperatures through this grow. I now have added another 600 watt LED to the 2 you see in the photo. Every change has a consequence.

One thing for certain - only 4 or fewer plants next time. 5 is completely overcrowded.

I'll post some more current photos this weekend.

Thanks for all the advice and comments everyone.

Crow

[NAKEDGARDENER]

Hi mate, just wanted to add on to this as I too have been having issues now with temps especially at night however now it’s cooler with much dryer air I am finding that it’s a def benefit to having the lights on at night as long as they come on at a time that you can be awake for, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to go in and do any work on hem during my day light hours while they were in darkness, I like you will be much more prepared when it comes to creating the grow environment for the next grow and will be investing in much more environmental controls such as speed controllers and a temperature and humidity automation so the equipment will be able to turned off and on when temps and humidity reaches certain level, via a sensor system.

[Crow]

Every grow is a learning process (especially as I am on ONLY my 2nd grow). It is so much easier keeping the room dark during the dark than in the day but with the automated features that could be less of an issue. Figuring it out though - more technology! Good luck to us all.