Indoor Army of Dankness - Bruce's Blueberries

Yes that is exactly correct. Yes I used the wrong Part B number in the chart. Stoner move.

I convert the elemental weight into EC because most growers associate PPM with EC and they can more easily follow a feed schedule based on it. Of course you are in a group that understands the science expressed in weight.

Yes I am working in a broad spectrum for target nutrient values because I did not have the means to do otherwise when I started and I am still limited by the inputs I am willing to acquire. I am incredibly lazy in the long run. Did I mention Cheap.

I am not familiar with the study your refer to but have read many with different NPK ratios and good results. I am basing mine on my personal observation adjusting within known starting parameters as I go. I am getting very close now. My goal is to grow 6 plants to completion with as little $ as possible with the same characteristics as those plants grown in TLS done in hydroponics consistently. It sounds simple but it is not. Genetics is a wild card that is always in play.

I would be honored to pull up a chair and watch another scientific salt approach if you don't mind. I am never afraid to learn new things.
I started from your nute tutorial, then did a literature search to see what was available to build on that.

My targets are based on the articles in this thread:

It's impressive how scarce the academic research is up until recently - but I guess that's what you get from years of prohibition. :wall:

Their results are based on only one or two strains of photos - so not sure how useful they will be for general autos. I can only test them so much going two plants at a time, but someone's gotta try 'em. :biggrin:

Side note: The US NIH (National Institute of Health) has a really good open-access database of journal articles (link here), and a good number of cannabis articles show up there.
 
I started from your nute tutorial, then did a literature search to see what was available to build on that.

My targets are based on the articles in this thread:

I have read many of those articles/papers. So much information but you still have to boil it down to what you can grow with what you have. I have yet to find any authorative work done on autoflowering strains. Have you found any?
 
I have read many of those articles/papers. So much information but you still have to boil it down to what you can grow with what you have. I have yet to find any authorative work done on autoflowering strains. Have you found any?
Sorry @Mañ'O'Green - didn't notice this sooner.

No, that's the thing - nothing on autoflowers yet. So, the first two questions I'm trying to answer are:

1) Do autos actually need lower concentrations of nutes? Theoretically, I'd think they'd want the same concentrations (mg/L), and their smaller size would be balanced out by less leaf area / less overall transpiration - so, same concentration, less volume (L/day). There may be differences due to root mass / stem volume / etc that do not scale linearly, as well as geno/pheno variations, but I hit higher than expected ppms in my first grow with FF.

2) Does a change in nutrient ratios impact flowering / time to harvest (e.g., P/K boosters and switching to bloom nutes)? People do seem to have variations in time to harvest even among the same geno, and without using light hours as a trigger, I'd think availability of nutrients would be the biggest environmental factor. So, I'll see if using the same formulation throughout the entire grow has any impact.

Being limited to two plants at a time / four total - I doubt I'll have enough samples to address pheno variations and really dial in optimal numbers, but I should be able to at least answer general questions like those.
 
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Batch 1 - Day 5
11-08-2021_B1_D5_All.jpg

- Been ignoring these girls and focusing on finishing my other grow. But, they look healthy if not growing a bit slow - so, probably room to increase strength / watering.

- Ordered some RAW Grow All-in-One. Wasn't able to compensate for my tap water easily with MC2 - I had to either take an N reduction, take a hit on my K:Ca:Mg ratios, or cut it with another product. Based on the products I have data for, RAW Grow looked like a better base for the Ca levels in my tap (~200 total hardness, ~100 calcium hardness, ~35 mg/L elemental Ca). I'll post new formula amounts once I switch over to it, but still using MC2 and demin/condensate for now.
 
Batch 1 - Day 11
11-14-2021_B1_D11_All.jpg

- Coming along well - can probably start training a bit soon. Gave them their first complete soak a few days ago - still at the 33% Veg formula.

- @AutoBobje referred me to a good nutrient calculation program (HydroBuddy v1.97) that uses individual industrial salts. Will be good for later batches when I try to fine tune nutrient levels. Their site also has a good discussion on predicting EC of the final solution.
 
Batch 1 - Day 14
11-17-2021_B1_D14_All.jpg

- Still looking pretty good. Increased feed to 50% Veg strength.

- Tried topping for the first time. Was trying not to miss, but may have cut too close - looks like I may have gotten one or two bud sites? We'll see how it recovers and maybe wait a few more days next time.

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11-17-2021_B1_D14_Tops.jpg


 
- Still looking pretty good. Increased feed to 50% Veg strength.
- Tried topping for the first time. Was trying not to miss, but may have cut too close - looks like I may have gotten one or two bud sites? We'll see how it recovers and maybe wait a few more days next time.
looks pretty much like I always try to do it, and not one plant has been pissy about it yet. They should be fine. I try to clip the tip as soon as I can leave a stump of stem a few millimeters long behind above the target node. I never let it grow more than necessary above the cut point - doing that just seems to be a waste of the plant's time and energy to grow stuff that will be binned anyway, and cutting early gets the other branches started with apical dominance earlier. Just my pennies to the pile though, I have not done real testing on it.
 
Batch 1 - Day 17
11-20-2021_B1_D17_All.jpg

- One of the growing tips is a bit mangled from the topping, but otherwise powering through. Not sure if they're too green (high N) or not - but I'll start increasing strength while going to an alternate feed-water schedule.

- Seems a good bit shorter / bushier than last grow. I gave them white light only / less red during the first week - so maybe that kept them a bit shorter. Challenge now is feeding them without splashing / burning leaves.

- Need to start thinking of moving them into the main tent as the current plants finish up - i.e., shelves/crates for different heights, temps/rh vs. age, etc to set the tent up for a perpetual grow.

- Got spreadsheet setup to track / record / report weights:

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