Well, in the “we’ll see how it goes” category: Haven’t been able to see how it’s going yet!
Yesterday I had a bad migraine for much of the day. Today I woke up with a fucked up shoulder. So examining plant 2 again just hasn’t happened. So it’s entirely possible that it’ll be fully pollinated by the time I can get to examining.
Ah well, trying to look forward to the next round. Excited / nervous about having 3 completely different strains (as opposed to 2 “probably related” plants), because I have no idea what the height of them is going to be.
I have a ppfd meter on my list to get as soon as I can (it is a long list ), so I can actually adjust my light based on numbers and not general vibes. I was probably being overly cautious on this last run.
Also, if anyone reading here might meet the criteria I listed in this other post, dm me!
If you want a 2’x4’ flood table for that tent look for 2’x4’ OD (outer diameter) trays. There are some out there. I’m not sure how much shipping is on them though. I know shipping for 4’x4’ and 5’x5’ trays is crazy these days.
The difficulty is that a 2x4 tent has a 1" diameter tube frame, so the actual inside footprint is ~22"x46", so the 24x48 trays don’t fit. It’d be fantastic if some company made a slightly oversized tent that’d fit them, because that’d make life so much easier in multiple ways. (or a slightly undersized tray)
The bottoms are usually smaller than the tops of trays, because of how they fit into racks. So, they sit in there no problem. I’ve put 4’x4’ OD and 5’x5’ OD tents in 4’x4’ and 5’x5’ tents with no problems. I use AC Infinity tents. No clue on the diameter of the poles, but never had any problem fitting trays in them. That sucks if they sell tents that can’t even fit OD trays in them.
I might try to get one of the 2x4 trays when I get my veggie system set up, but honestly at $60/tray (pre-shipping) that’s more than I probably want to spend. The individual bus tubs cost about $18 for 3, call it $30 if you include the fittings on 3 separate ones and the manifold. I’ve also appreciated the ability to remove each tray to work with it and have it more stable than it would be if it was just the tiny cloth pot.
With veggies I won’t need to do nearly as much tending to them (at least not the stuff we’re going to grow, no current plans for tomatoes, but if I don’t run perpetually with weed, I might use the same setup to grow some), so the single large tray will be more feasible.
Have you used the photon app on phone for ppfd it’s not perfect but keeps ya in range with just a slither of paper and phone camera until get the $$$ ones lol
I haven’t, just taking pictures in the tent is a lot for me with the reflective phone screen. I am rather light sensitive, it’s real fucking annoying. So holding my phone flat under the lights while needing to look at it is something I want to avoid if at all possible. So having something I could put on a little stand and take readings with is appealing.
At whatever point, I’m going to pick up this one: UNI-T UT383BT Lux Meter – MIGROLIGHT (I’m linking to his site because his video got me to the product number). Very reasonable and connects to one of the android apps. I think it might be the same one that @supersecretjim is using. He tested it in his videos against the apogee and it was extremely close. Certainly close enough for my needs. Under $50 USD to make sure I’m at least getting the most I can out of the equipment I already have seems fairly reasonable since it’ll be a benefit to every subsequent grow.
So many gadgets these days. Different world. It would suck to spend that money on an Apogee just to use it for 10-20 mins and stick it in a drawer afterwards. Nice there’s a cheaper option that seems to make people happy.
I’m literally considering getting contacts when I get an eye exam next, so I can wear sunglasses easier in the tent it would make my life so much easier if I can do that.
Moderate tangent:
Many people (at one point) liked using the phrase “self-care is sexy”, that was a common slogan all over the place. To many that meant things like bubble baths or scented candles. To me “self-care” should also include accessibility devices.
I have big over-glasses “nana glasses” style sunglasses. I jokingly refer to them as my “sexy sunglasses” because they’re self-care sunglasses, and say that anyone who has ever said “self-care is sexy” is morally obligated to consider them sexy.
I’ve gone that route in the past, my current glasses don’t fit I wore ski goggles to work at one point when I’d have migraines from the shitty fluorescent lights. People gave me weird looks, but I was like “look assholes, it’s either this or call out, so get fucked”
This stuff is part of why I put so much thought into trying to make as much of the process as easy as possible. I knew the lights and the bending and various aspects would be a lot, so I wanted to have the energy for those things and not spend it on things that could be designed away.
Made it to the basement! Not as bad as feared I think/hope?
Pulled off another 2-3 sets of anthers (trying to use the botanical terms for things), saw several very fat bracts that have pistils coming out, so might be already self-seeded spots? not sure.
I did see a bit of color on some pistils in a few places, but definitely not the majority, so I’m hopeful I’ll still get at least some usable bud out of this. I’m going to continue monitoring it as close to daily as I can.
When I opened the tent, one branch was kinked over, I think I’d spread it out too much and it got heavy. So I adjusted with my clips and then took advantage of them being hollow to use zip ties to hold it all together a bit. We’ll see how it goes.
I’d save your money on the lux meter, it isn’t as useful as you’d think it hope… You can have the one on my desk if you want it, once I got a par meter I don’t think I’ve picked it up again
What’s the functional difference between the two? The one I linked can hook to an app that translates it into whatever numbers you want (as far as I understand it).
Lux is brightness, literally just how bright/intense a light is…
Par is the amount of light available for the plant in a given spectrum, it’s how much light the plant can actually use.
An idea… Chatgpt says:
Lux measures the intensity of visible light as perceived by the human eye, with a focus on brightness in the green-yellow spectrum. It is commonly used for general lighting but not ideal for plants, as it doesn’t account for wavelengths that plants use for photosynthesis.
PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) measures the light wavelengths (400-700nm) that plants use for photosynthesis. Unlike lux, PAR considers all the colors of light that are crucial for plant growth, including blue and red.
In summary, lux is useful for human-centric lighting, while PAR is the relevant metric for assessing the quality of light for plant growth. When growing plants, especially indoors, using PAR measurements (like PPFD) is more effective for ensuring the right light for photosynthesis.
I picked up this one… It connects to an app on my phone. It matches what my light spec is supposed to be, so I think it’s pretty accurate…?
The other night I cut off and bagged plant 1, and had left the stump in the pot and bus tub. I’d intended to get it the next day, but that was migraine day. So it’s sat for a few days, but here’s the roots, some still grown into the (now inside out) weed cloth pot, but nothing else made it out.
), so I can actually adjust my light based on numbers and not general vibes. I was probably being overly cautious on this last run.
appreciate any help or advice