Here's Part 2_ Second phase of grow.
Nov 23rd_broke a branch off the trunk of one of the Exodus Rex. Taped up the wound. **** happens!
Found another female Caesar, gave away the other two to make room for larger planters.
Started full strength Bloom nutrients.
Nov 24th_ found another male Meltdown, discarded. Exodus Rex growing tall. Topped the tallest a second time. More LST on the others. Transplanted a second Meltdown and Caesar_look like females. Now have 7 plants in large planters. Gave away the rest.
Topped the plants transplanted on the 22nd.
Nov 25-30_ pruned lower branches and defoliated a little as necessary. Continued to adjust LST. Topped the last two transplants. Continued using Bloom nutrients at full strength.
Dec 1st_ Started first few days of pre-flowering defoliation.
Took all leaves and small branches from lower 1/3rd of plants. Also very large fan leaves with long thick stems. Did this over the next three days hoping to avoid shock. None appeared. Set dehumidifier at 50%. Lights at 100%, 24”
Dec 2nd_Had to raise the two Meltdowns on risers to even canopy. They are just going to be 1/2 the height of the others which are pretty much the same height.
Dec 3rd_ one of the Caesars I thought might be a female has finally revealed itself as a male. Now down to six definite female plants.
Dec 5th_ set lights down to 22”
Dec 8th_ continued LST. Split one of the Exodus Rex right down the middle! ****! These Exodus Rex are a bit fragile, second time this has happened. But I taped it back together at the split joint and then above in two places. Next day no signs of stress_can’t believe it!
Dec 9th_ Exodus Rex are getting out of control! 3-4 colas on each plant have been super cropped. I hope the stretch is coming to an end! Going to set up the dimmer soon, only have about 4” more I can raise the lights. Lights are now at 20-22” above canopy.
Dec 12th_ budlets starting to show on all plants. Every plant except the small Meltdown are in about the same stage of development. Why this one is about a week behind when its suppose to be one of the fastest flowering strains is a mystery, but its healthy so I just need to be patient.
December 15th_started first day of Flowering defoliation. Pruned all small branches from the main colas on the bottom half of each plant. Also all large fan leaves from the lower half of each plant and any that were covering bud sites. Will continue to trim fan leaves as necessary to expose buds.
December 16th_ finished defoliation. No signs of stress.
December 17th_ lights are as high as they’re gonna go. PPFD is close to 800 at 20”. Some signs of early light stress. Leaves are pointing up at 45 degrees with slight “v” shape after about 8-10 hrs of light. Reduced time on second light to 6 hrs.
December 18th_ using second light only half the time is giving plants time to relax a bit before it comes on again.
December 19th_ Pruned and defoliated lightly for the last time.
Only light defoliation as needed to expose bud site as necessary. Some plants showing early signs of light stress again. PPFD is between is about 800. Need adaptor for dimmer so I can hook up both lights.
December 20th_ used only one light today to rest plants.
During the flowering stage cannabis loves light. But there are limits to how much light it can use during flowering at normal CO2 levels. PPFD is the best way to measure the light reaching your entire canopy. During flowering the most productive PPFD for cannabis is 600-1400 PPFD. However cannabis at normal CO2 levels can’t really use more than 400 PPFD under normal conditions_ such as 50% humidity, temps 68-82 degrees F, good ventilation, healthy supply of water and nutrients, etc.
Naturally occurring CO2 levels without supplementation are about 400ppm.
My grow area doesn’t lend itself to CO2 supplementation so my goal is to keep my PPFD in the 600-800 range at the canopy because then I get 400-600 PPFD lower in the canopy which provides optimum light throughout the top 12-18”.
Anything over 800 ppfd at the canopy and my plants start to show signs of light stress. Which is the issue I’m facing now and need to correct. Since I can no longer raise my lights my only means of adjusting PPFD is to reduce the time both lights are on…or reduce the power when both lights are on or a combination. Hopefully the stretch will be over soon and I can keep the tallest plants super cropped so the canopy doesn’t get higher than 18”.
If you can supplement your grow environment to 800-1400 ppm CO2 then your plants should be able to make use of up to 1400 PPFD at the canopy.
With the lights I’m using at full power I get 880 PPFD at the canopy at 18”, 666 PPFD at 24”.
With the dimmer set at 80% I get about 700 PPFD at 18” and about 500 PPFD at 24” which is pretty much optimum for the first 12” of canopy. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep the lights 18” above the canopy and the power at 80% or more. These PPFD readings are consistent across the entire 3.5’x6’ canopy, measured every 6”.
Your cannabis plants “sweet spot”, without CO2 supplementation, should be at a height where your lights produce 500-800 ppfd at the canopy. 700 ppdf will obviously provide more light deeper into the canopy than 500 ppfd will, and probably won’t stress your plants which will give you better development deeper into the canopy.
500 ppfd at the top of your canopy should be the minimum to strive for.
PPF tells us how much PAR a light source emits.
PAR is photosynthetic active radiation. PAR is the range of the light spectrum (400-700nm_)which drives photosynthesis) that a light is capable of producing. PAR is not a defined measurement such as feet, meters, yards, pounds, kilos, etc. It defines the type of light, its spectral range. Not how much intensity is produced.
PPFD tells us how much of that light (PPF) is delivered to the canopy at a specific height over a specific area. This is the most important qualifier for horticulture lighting systems. For instance to find what the average PPFD for 4’x4’ area is measurements must be taken every square foot within the 4’x4’ area (at least 16 readings at equal intervals). The readings are expressed in micromoles/square meter/second_ umol/m2/s.
A reading taken directly beneath the light doesn’t provide an accurate way to judge the ppfd over the entire canopy. Responsible lighting manufacturers will provide not only PAR and PPF measurements taken at specific operating heights but a PPFD map that shows the amount of light that falls on a canopy at a specific height one the entire canopy. Basically the stronger and more evenly distributed the light is over the entire canopy the better your results will be as long as you don't stress your plants.
Another thing I like about the dimmer is that I can use these lights 18” above young seedlings with it powered down to 10% and then raise the lights and increase the power as they grow, keeping the lights 18-24” above the canopy with an optimum ppfd for any stage of development.
21st_ Final flowering, pruning and defoliation. Adjusted LST.
Watering with 3 quarts / plant.
Will post update soon....
Nov 23rd_broke a branch off the trunk of one of the Exodus Rex. Taped up the wound. **** happens!
Found another female Caesar, gave away the other two to make room for larger planters.
Started full strength Bloom nutrients.
Nov 24th_ found another male Meltdown, discarded. Exodus Rex growing tall. Topped the tallest a second time. More LST on the others. Transplanted a second Meltdown and Caesar_look like females. Now have 7 plants in large planters. Gave away the rest.
Topped the plants transplanted on the 22nd.
Nov 25-30_ pruned lower branches and defoliated a little as necessary. Continued to adjust LST. Topped the last two transplants. Continued using Bloom nutrients at full strength.
Dec 1st_ Started first few days of pre-flowering defoliation.
Took all leaves and small branches from lower 1/3rd of plants. Also very large fan leaves with long thick stems. Did this over the next three days hoping to avoid shock. None appeared. Set dehumidifier at 50%. Lights at 100%, 24”
Dec 2nd_Had to raise the two Meltdowns on risers to even canopy. They are just going to be 1/2 the height of the others which are pretty much the same height.
Dec 3rd_ one of the Caesars I thought might be a female has finally revealed itself as a male. Now down to six definite female plants.
Dec 5th_ set lights down to 22”
Dec 8th_ continued LST. Split one of the Exodus Rex right down the middle! ****! These Exodus Rex are a bit fragile, second time this has happened. But I taped it back together at the split joint and then above in two places. Next day no signs of stress_can’t believe it!
Dec 9th_ Exodus Rex are getting out of control! 3-4 colas on each plant have been super cropped. I hope the stretch is coming to an end! Going to set up the dimmer soon, only have about 4” more I can raise the lights. Lights are now at 20-22” above canopy.
Dec 12th_ budlets starting to show on all plants. Every plant except the small Meltdown are in about the same stage of development. Why this one is about a week behind when its suppose to be one of the fastest flowering strains is a mystery, but its healthy so I just need to be patient.
December 15th_started first day of Flowering defoliation. Pruned all small branches from the main colas on the bottom half of each plant. Also all large fan leaves from the lower half of each plant and any that were covering bud sites. Will continue to trim fan leaves as necessary to expose buds.
December 16th_ finished defoliation. No signs of stress.
December 17th_ lights are as high as they’re gonna go. PPFD is close to 800 at 20”. Some signs of early light stress. Leaves are pointing up at 45 degrees with slight “v” shape after about 8-10 hrs of light. Reduced time on second light to 6 hrs.
December 18th_ using second light only half the time is giving plants time to relax a bit before it comes on again.
December 19th_ Pruned and defoliated lightly for the last time.
Only light defoliation as needed to expose bud site as necessary. Some plants showing early signs of light stress again. PPFD is between is about 800. Need adaptor for dimmer so I can hook up both lights.
December 20th_ used only one light today to rest plants.
During the flowering stage cannabis loves light. But there are limits to how much light it can use during flowering at normal CO2 levels. PPFD is the best way to measure the light reaching your entire canopy. During flowering the most productive PPFD for cannabis is 600-1400 PPFD. However cannabis at normal CO2 levels can’t really use more than 400 PPFD under normal conditions_ such as 50% humidity, temps 68-82 degrees F, good ventilation, healthy supply of water and nutrients, etc.
Naturally occurring CO2 levels without supplementation are about 400ppm.
My grow area doesn’t lend itself to CO2 supplementation so my goal is to keep my PPFD in the 600-800 range at the canopy because then I get 400-600 PPFD lower in the canopy which provides optimum light throughout the top 12-18”.
Anything over 800 ppfd at the canopy and my plants start to show signs of light stress. Which is the issue I’m facing now and need to correct. Since I can no longer raise my lights my only means of adjusting PPFD is to reduce the time both lights are on…or reduce the power when both lights are on or a combination. Hopefully the stretch will be over soon and I can keep the tallest plants super cropped so the canopy doesn’t get higher than 18”.
If you can supplement your grow environment to 800-1400 ppm CO2 then your plants should be able to make use of up to 1400 PPFD at the canopy.
With the lights I’m using at full power I get 880 PPFD at the canopy at 18”, 666 PPFD at 24”.
With the dimmer set at 80% I get about 700 PPFD at 18” and about 500 PPFD at 24” which is pretty much optimum for the first 12” of canopy. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep the lights 18” above the canopy and the power at 80% or more. These PPFD readings are consistent across the entire 3.5’x6’ canopy, measured every 6”.
Your cannabis plants “sweet spot”, without CO2 supplementation, should be at a height where your lights produce 500-800 ppfd at the canopy. 700 ppdf will obviously provide more light deeper into the canopy than 500 ppfd will, and probably won’t stress your plants which will give you better development deeper into the canopy.
500 ppfd at the top of your canopy should be the minimum to strive for.
PPF tells us how much PAR a light source emits.
PAR is photosynthetic active radiation. PAR is the range of the light spectrum (400-700nm_)which drives photosynthesis) that a light is capable of producing. PAR is not a defined measurement such as feet, meters, yards, pounds, kilos, etc. It defines the type of light, its spectral range. Not how much intensity is produced.
PPFD tells us how much of that light (PPF) is delivered to the canopy at a specific height over a specific area. This is the most important qualifier for horticulture lighting systems. For instance to find what the average PPFD for 4’x4’ area is measurements must be taken every square foot within the 4’x4’ area (at least 16 readings at equal intervals). The readings are expressed in micromoles/square meter/second_ umol/m2/s.
A reading taken directly beneath the light doesn’t provide an accurate way to judge the ppfd over the entire canopy. Responsible lighting manufacturers will provide not only PAR and PPF measurements taken at specific operating heights but a PPFD map that shows the amount of light that falls on a canopy at a specific height one the entire canopy. Basically the stronger and more evenly distributed the light is over the entire canopy the better your results will be as long as you don't stress your plants.
Another thing I like about the dimmer is that I can use these lights 18” above young seedlings with it powered down to 10% and then raise the lights and increase the power as they grow, keeping the lights 18-24” above the canopy with an optimum ppfd for any stage of development.
21st_ Final flowering, pruning and defoliation. Adjusted LST.
Watering with 3 quarts / plant.
Will post update soon....
