RK - Day 3 of outdoor hardening.
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Rainbow Kush-Off 2024 - Lone Star Edition 
20 days from seed germination:
working on 7th internode. this one is a bit squattier than the last. internodes tight. i am fine with this.
so far so good. looks healthy.
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Hey, everybody!
Here’s hoping everyone is weathering storms and heatwaves well, and staying on top of things all the same. Seems like it’s been raining the better part of the week, here, and we’re only just now supposed to start catching weirdness off some of the tropical storms and hurricanes. Y’all stay safe out there, and stop in a while if you need to dry off.
Things are going much smoother this week in the garden, with our RK still just chugging along, begging us to give them the gas pedal. 
They’re ready for it, but between the girls in the back of the class and a few other mitigating factors, we’re letting things ease up. We started that this week by dropping the humidity hard, guessing that the WWxBB would respond better and show some more recovery - or any will to actually inhabit this plane of existence - and that proved a positive move. They are finally showing daily improvement, and as of a couple days ago, multi-bladed leaves.
Another factor to not yet opening the throttle is that delicate balance we strike with temperatures above and below. With our reservoir already averaging in the mid-70’s, running our lights lower is part of the equation. The plants are loving the air temps being higher, though, proving again that growth under LED lighting does benefit from a higher ambient temperature. In itself, this seems like it can become a sort of upper limit to pushing plants in a hydro/LED set up without much greater risk of plants suffering. 
Growth, Days 7-9 in RDWC Sites 
Lights were dialed up this week to proper seedling levels, delivering 200 PPFD and ~13 DLI/18 Hrs at the plant sites, from an unchanged hanging height. Output in now at about 15%. This will be dialed up and in today to target a DLI of ~16-18 to let these girls uptake a little harder still. Even the runts should have plenty of roots in the solution.
For feed this week, they got their first round of Floraliscious+ in addition to increasing th base across the board.
White Widow X Big Bud (WWxBB) Female Seeds Co.
Rainbow Kush (RK) #KJ United Cannabis Seeds (Blimburn)
RK #SL KUSHOFF CONTENDER
BAREBONES STATS
23/16 Days from Seed 14/9 Days in RDWC Plant Sites
Both RK are progressing well, with our contender, RK #SL receiving some LST preparation. Both WWxBB are finally responding well, and showing second sets of true leaves.
Lights were dialed up to roughly 15%, and now delivering a PPFD of about 200 and 18 hour DLI of about 13 at the plant site levels. This will be dialed up again slightly this week.
LIGHT Feed Schedule per General Hydroponics, giving us a feed result this week at pH 6.2 76.2 * F and 520ppm or ~1.06 EC. Tap water was clean, but warm. Added Floraliscious+
Brought the humidity down. Average 78.8 * F, 70.3% RH, and 0.675 kPa VPD
Tent
Lung Room and Feed Chart
Water and Solution Conditions
That about wraps us for this week, but as always, thanks for dropping by. Always a pleasure, and I hope to catch you next time around. Until then, well, I hope you keep on keepin’ on and don’t let the bastards grind you down.
Stay up
Coffin_Dodger
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Hell yeah!! Looking great! And still firmly in the lead, by my reckoning. Great looking little plant there. Already stretching out those solar panels.
Exactly What I’d always heard, and why I thought to check again if you were experimenting on that front. We’re very precious about our roots here, and I suppose we have more cause to be in some ways, with hydro, but gotta wonder. Seeing what soil and coco roots can not only withstand, but thrive in and respond positively to gives a lot of room for wondering why some of it couldn’t play in hydro. I’m stoked to see what comes of your experiments, for sure.
Thanks for the shots of your older girl! She’s looking great in the sun, and it’s nice to get any idea of some traits we might see.
Fun fact: In researching possible points of friendly back-and-forth, I discovered Missouri has a whole county named Texas, and Texas has a City of Missouri. 
Stay up
Coffin_Dodger
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Ronnie James Dio for the win.
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i think you’re already seeing those traits… this plant loves throwing lateral branches early.
i initially though that supercropping the main stem was a mistake on the one outdoors, but seeing how it responded by evening out the lateral colas… i am watching them fatten up. it’s going to be a great producer.
dunno how you feel about LST or other training techniques, but i think this cultivar will benefit greatly from it.
there is a paris and london texas also… and a town called “gun barrel city” near a lake.
pew pew!
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good tune.
gotta love the boots… 
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15 year old metal head me was down with it 
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Heyhey, y’all.
Another Weednesday, and another week in the garden, mostly cruising along. Gonna’ make this one a bit quick- not much to report, and plenty to do around here this week. Hope everyone is well and staying cool and hydrated out there.
This week saw a bit of back and forth in environmental factors, with the increase in light output causing an increase in heat, fighting the A/C, drying the air, fighting the humidifier, with our babies in the tussle. They’re more or less adapting well, though, with the RK showing dominance and the WWxBB really giving an effort this week.
We switched the humidifier trigger over to a VPD based setting, hoping to stabilize things between dark and light a little more on that front, as well as keep things in tolerance with the A/C warding off the triple digits we were getting outside. We also dialed the light up to about 20% without changing the hanging height, which is delivering a DLI of about 17.5 at the plant sites. The RK should be solidly in the low 20’s based on this, and are taking the push well. The WWxBB are adapting almost as well, with the younger of the two (#AK) taking it better than her older sister. WWxBB #JL curled away from the hotspot of light intensity center-tent and stopped throwing leaves on that side for a node-spacing, but otherwise seems to be trying to work around it.
We will probably be leaving the light alone this week to allow the little ones to adapt a bit more while we decide on training the RK, which will also allow for offsetting any stress they might have when we start that in earnest. We haven’t discussed SCROGging this run much, but we may yet go that route. We still have a few days to decide.
White Widow X Big Bud (WWxBB) Female Seeds Co. (Left #AK Right #JL)
Rainbow Kush (RK) #KJ United Cannabis Seeds (Blimburn)
RK #SL KUSHOFF CONTENDER
BAREBONES STATS
- 30/23 Days from Seed 21/16 Days in RDWC Plant Sites
- Both RK are progressing well. Both WWxBB are continuing to respond well, with a slight reaction to the increase in light intensity this week from #JL
- Lights were dialed up to roughly 20%, and now delivering an 18 hour DLI of about 17.5 at the plant site levels. This will probably be held this week.
- LIGHT Feed Schedule per General Hydroponics, giving us a feed result this week at pH 6.2 76.6 * F and 680ppm or ~1.37 EC. Tap water was clean, but warm.
- Brought the humidity down. Average 82.2 * F, 64.25% RH, and 0.985 kPa VPD Leaf surface temperatures taken at -4 * F skews this to the lower end.
Tent
Lung Room and Feed Chart
Water and Solution Conditions
That just about does us in for this round, and as a heads-up, I may be late with next week’s update, but I’ll do my level best to keep things on track. Hopefully plenty more excitement 'round here by then, anyway. 
Until next time, thanks for dropping by and everything you do to make this place a little more OG. All the best to you and yours this week. You got this. Keep going.
Stay up
Coffin_Dodger
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Tough time of year to grow for sure. It’s always impressive to see how detailed you are in your garden. I’m the exact opposite lol. We’d be like Felix and Oscar. I scratch in a handful of mixed amendments, water from the tap. If the temp is high, I open the upstairs door. Then I doodle and get high while packing beans all day. 
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If you can Shepard dwc through this heat wave you can grow anything
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Nice to see the “upper class” struggle a bit with some adversity throughout the year 
The RS is looking awesome CD, I think you’re gonna give @Til_Valhalla a good run for his money 
Question on the VPD setting on the ACI 69.
To get true VPD you need leaf surface temp, correct?
How does the 69 figure this out?
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@Cannabiscrusader - Ha! 
Yeah, we baby them. Especially being newer at this it helps to keep things straight so we can try to repeat things as best we can and eliminate variables. We’ve got our share of “opening the upstairs door” work arounds.
@BudLarfy - You aren’t lying! It’s gonna get interesting. 
@LzBoy - thanks, bro! Val’s little monster is spreading out very nicely. Gonna have to think on how to train our girl.
As to the VPD adjustments on ACI gear, if you hit the little gear in the upper right on your main screen in the controller, under the “controller” tab it brings up is a sub section called “VPD calibration” that lets you set the leaf surface temperature differential. We use a little IR thermometer gun from Harbor Freight to check that, then input the average.
Thanks for dropping by, y’all. Off to go sling some tonnages of fruits and veggies!
Stay up
Coffin_Dodger
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i’m pretty impressed with this RK cultivar. lots of lateral branching. many colas.
hope the smoke is as strong and vigorous as the plant!
when (if 
) yours takes off in veg, you’re going to be real happy. consider LST if you can. i wish i had with the one i tossed outside. pull it open more and let some of the lower get more light and chance to develop.
the one i have outside has exceeded my expectations. great production. very healthy. handles the direct sun like a champ… and i only hardened it for 3 days. it’s been between 100-102F outside this last week. raining today. low 90s.
it’s cool i have this one going outside. we both get a cheat sheet on what to expect from this plant.
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Rainbow Kush-Off 2024 - Lone Star Edition
Day: 33
this sucker took off this week. it’s about 4-5" from the lights and top of the space. probably going to have to supercrop this one as well. it’s not going to fit.
this is one vigorous cultivar. even with my sh^tty lights. the one outside eats up the vicious sun and keeps packing on the flowers. i would toss this one outside to maximize light as well, but it would negate our kush-off, so will keep it in blurple badassery.
not really getting any scents from it yet. or the one outside.
AC GDP / RK / AC GDP
kushoff entry on center reaching for the space ceiling… far too soon.
got about 4-5" of clearance to the lights/ceiling of space.
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OH MY GOOOOOODDDDDD
But also
I can’t wait for @Coffin_Dodger to post pictures
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did y’alls RK take off?
i think you’re going to be happy with this cultivar. just wants to get after it. lots of branching and colas on all the branches.
the one i put outside is fattening up real nice. the one inside is very similar in structure.
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Heyhey, y’all
Quick proof-of-life! Just got out of almost a week in the backcountry out in Colorado. Down through Carbondale, past Paonia, into Marble, and out into the Snowmass Wilderness for some days (Lake Geneva Trail) before heading down to the Crystal River Mill for pick up. Probably the last big backpacking trip I’ll see with the old man, so it’s been busy. I’ll have an update on the garden up in the next couple days and be back on schedule for Weednesday.
Stay up
Coffin_Dodger
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Treasure it
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Rainbow Kush-Off 2024 - Lone Star Edition
Day: 39
it couldn’t wait til day 40. i had to supercrop it. it grew up between the lights.
This was yesterday:
This was today:
First i supercropped it forward
then changed my mind and pushed it back to wedge in against the wall. give the split a chance to heal up quicker.
the one outside is a complete beast. i did a bunch of defoliation, but skipped removing larf. will snap some photos for tomorrows updates.
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