Ah I see, I’m so low tec i don’t even have a still air box but agar is very interesting as you can get quite a good strain concentrated down and producing evenly.
GrowTracker
Almost exactly 5 years ago, I started developing an app to log my grows. I started off using shitty spreadsheets to log my grows via google forms which created this
I quickly realised that it didnt scale, I wanted to log more data, and have a better native experience. I do software development for a living and all the other apps that were out there already like GrowBuddy required an online account or signing up to some system and I didnt want that.
So 5 years ago on 5 May 2015, I started working on GrowTracker.
The first version of the app (actually v1.1) was released 14 Aug 2015.
The requirements were simple: Be offline (no internet access), store data in a well structured way, allow me to log “actions” to a “plant”.
v1.1 was quite basic and allowed me to log the stages of growth with watering details. Ultimately found it wasnt suitable really because I was storing NPK values when really I wanted to log which product I was using and what amounts because I couldn’t calculate what the final NPK was of a solution from multiple additives.
The next few versions were mainly small feature additions and bug fixes with things like adding an encryption mode, a discrete version of the app which changed the launcher icon and hides the images, export growlogs, etc.
After v1.4 was released, I began working on version 2.0 of the app. This version would be incompatible with 1.x as the data structure would be changing, so a major version (semver) was required.
I updated the data structure to allow me to add additives to a watering and the ability to group plants together into “gardens”.
A few months later, v2.0 was released
Since Aug 2016 I have been working on v2.x, adding new features where they make sense or requested by some users, have released 14 updates to the app with features including;
- Dark theme
- Feeding schedules - Allows you to create a schedule with pre-set nutrients to auto populate in the watering view
- Garden stats
- Addons (like updater)
- Launcher widgets
- Backup feature
- Full exporting growlog for plant or garden
- Update to material design
- Additional languages support
Over time I found myself working on the app less and less. Mainly because it satisfied my needs so well I had no reason to work on it. I work on it every now and then when I have the motivation, but that is hard to have when you do the same work professionally and just want to relax after work which leaves just the weekend and who wants to be coding on the weekend?
A new vision
We find ourselves in very interesting times right now. I have a lot more free time on my hand these days, and have started mixing more with the Android dev community, reading up on the latest and greatest ways of coding, and found my current practices to be very very outdated. I like to learn by doing, so I started playing around with these new tools and quickly found them to be pretty exciting and came to the realisation that there is a LOT i’ve missed out on over the last few years of Android development.
I needed something to put these new development APIs to practice, and what better way than making something you can use yourself? So I decided that I didnt have enough stuff on my plate and needed another thing to work on during this lockdown, so to skill myself up i’ve decided to start GrowTracker 3.0.
Using contacts and weed as bribe payment, i’ve asked a designer friend to help me design a new version of the app with a new approach, a fresh UI and UX.
I’ve been playing around with a few other apps like Jane, GrowHelper, and others, and although I still believe that my app is far superior to others (not only in the fact that mine is open source and free, but in terms of usability), some of them have a better approach to how the data is actually logged, and thinking about how I grow, their approach makes more sense to me, so I am rebuilding the app from the ground up with these considerations in mind.
The app is actually the reason I found Overgrow. I dont really advertise my app, if someone asks about apps I suggest mine, but apart from that I dont really create any posts promoting or anything, its just a hobby app that I put out there if other people wanted to use. One day I was checking the traffic to my repo and saw a few posts linking to it which was quite nice, to see other people suggesting others check out my app.
This is a workshop after all, so I thought why not add the other thing’s im building into it 
I’ll probably post updates about development here as and when it makes sense, but you can follow the code here. I dont expect a first release any time soon, however
11 Likes
I think I’m actually using your app or at least attempting to. I’ll be using it in more earnest when I can start from seed.
3 Likes
Ooh very nice, you tracking colonisation speeds too?
No, i’ve been trying out too many different agar recipes to be able to track and compare speeds. There’s a couple more recipes I want to try before I start doing a strain hunt with the genetics ive got going - so I have time to test out the ones ive got and select from the best performers in fruit
4 Likes
Gen 12 is finally done.
Plants + yields:
- CBD Medgom - 70g
- Jack Herer - 66g
- Galet OG - 160g
- Chronic Haze - 88g
- Berries & Cheese - 375g
- Blue Cheese - 117g
- Amnesia x OG - 138g
- Unknown - 40g
Total for 10 plants: 1054g. Around 100g a plant which isnt terrible, i’ve had worse harvests, but the most i’ve pulled from a single generation grow, albeit not completely fair because I havent run 2 tents at the same time before.
9 Likes
1 Like
Probably smoke it haha, over a long period of time of course. I have a couple friends I sell to although one of them has had to go back to his home country because of covid so he’ll be missing out 
This should last me well enough until my next harvest. That’s usually the goal, then any surplus I sell goes towards bills and more equipment/supplies
4 Likes
Yes, this seems to be a ‘cash negative’ hobby.
That reminds me I need to do up the balance sheet for my grow (I don’t like that part)
Cheers
G
5 Likes
Oh yes I stopped tracking my expenditures and sales a long time ago. For me, even though I know im not breaking even, even on electricity, I save in the fact I always have supply, it’s a hobby I spend time on, I don’t have to deal with shady dealers, etc. I’m thankful I am in a DINK long term relationship, it certainly helps
6 Likes
Transplanted into 16l smart pots. As expected, D and E are lagging behind A, B, and C. Roots were not as developed as those other three, will likely only try to clone those over these 2
5 Likes
Looking real good, couple funky ones in the bottom left there, I have been taking prints on tinfoil and in search of a big fruiting box so I can get something going like yours. Im going to work on starting up some new cakes once I have all the bits.
Just harvested some big ones that Overnight completely lifted the top of my little propagator by an inch!
2 Likes
Yeah that one in the bottom is a weird one, the chonk posted earlier was from this tun also but they seem to be evening out now. I hope to have more consistent canopy with my rye grain as they were made with agar whilst this one was made with a MSS
2 Likes
Yeah, I find the second flush is generally the most even in my experience but with my luck the most even canopy has been from fruiting from the sides of cakes. It’s a shame there’s no scrog method for shrooms. I wonder if 100’s of shot glass cakes would work 
I think multiple generations using the same conditions would really train them to produce well.
2 Likes
Yep thats the idea behind strain isolation via agar. With MSS there are hundreds of different genetics all growing together where as if you isolate on agar then it will be more homogeneous and grow more evenly (subject to conditions also ofc)
I think the general consensus is that bulk monotub with some type of grain (rye, corn, wild bird seed, etc) is the best method for large consistent harvests. BRF/PF tek is good just to understand the process, really. Sometimes if you’re lucky you’ll get a huge shroom, i’ve seen it happen
3 Likes
So I was wondering after you said you had a lot of agar would you be willing to share? If course I can’t let you just send it for nothing but I’m sure I may have some seeds or something you might like or even an iou and free pickings on my seed stash except for reserved ones. My tek really isn’t up there To produce agar isolations and I’m at the stage of gathering bits to start new ones and all so I figured I may as well ask.
1 Like
I was planning on doing some giveaways once i’m up and running with my rye grains, currently my agar are all in the fridge to slow growth but after that I will make some syringes and give away some agar dishes, either for free, or as a OG run. Not sure logistically how well it will work, and will most likely not do international as they’ll probably either be seized, damaged, or outgrow the dish so will likely keep it local to the UK.
I’m ok with not getting anything in return, I cant give out any personal information and i’m not looking for new genetics or anything right now.
To work with the agar, though, you will need at least a still air box, and sterile cutting tools to be able to transfer wedges from the dish into your jars for inoculation
5 Likes
Ahh yes it’s good to keep safe I understand, I’m kinda hoping i can double up and use a large clear box as my glove box and fruiting chamber. Fingers crossed the laws change some day and we can trade more freely while still undercutting the big guys haha.
2 Likes