Dark Sparks with Mr.Sparkle : Growing 2019

Day 55/12

Right hand side is just starting to age up now, the red/purple pigments just started to change today so they are gonna be degrading to a brown color over the next week and a bit, the green pheno seeds i expect to finish later than the others just with how things are looking for it.

As for the LECA/Rockwool side, im partially at a loss for tackling what i want to happen.

This is my condensed thoughts over the last while, In order to utilize the LECA how i want i need to try and see how i can maximize lateral advantageous root develop. Currently the roots have been driving down following the water right to the drain holes for the res with long water style roots, now i would like the roots to utilize and be contained within the pots instead so im trying to think how to alter that to suit.

The direction well at least my thought on it is i need to try and maximize lateral growth early, whether say possible tap root trimming early if really needed or possibly myself running a lot lower watering frequency on the start utilizing the rockwool and directly watering it. Idea im thinking is to concentrate a center top moisture zone with the rockwool being wetter and holding onto moisture more so than the LECA around it. The reason im thinking that is that lateral air style roots would be more likely to form and can fill up the spaces between the leca a bit easier till there are enough roots in place to hold onto and access more water, once im at that stage then i can progress to a forced watering situation where more water style roots would be forming, but being that the roots spread out a bit better earlier on then hopefully im starting with a better base vs say having roots drive down and first fill the bottom of the pot then slowly fill up the gaps as more roots fill the space.

Honestly there seems to be very little of the more advance knowledge on LECA/Hydroton use out there, typically its only basic typical beginner stuff that ive been running across, sure the odd person, growlog or more like snippet of info where you can see things are being utilize effectively, but also a lot of hydro “water” systems just utilizing it as a bridge or support media and just growing in water anyways. It just makes me question why im not seeing more “good” grows with it, or just thats its a more challenging media to truly utilize it effectively…

Anyways kinda rambling there, but adjusted the watering frequency quite a bit back tonight, changed one side to be a bit longer span between waterings yesterday and it was the better looking set today, so i need to play around, as really i have no clue or at least feel that way currently with it.

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Oh, to be of use. :smile:

Closed my eyes & thought about it. (not just too high at 530am).

  1. consider a trial/experiment for just this goal
  2. alter the irrigation distribution
  3. fill voids between LECA
  4. change root/chamber contrainer shape

1 just for the sake of playing with this issue, be willing to do weird or different :blush:

2 i guess the irrigation comes out in either drops or stream but is relatively focused, as opposed to a mat or a wick or soaker ring. kinda like watering a tree with a hose in one spot, mining a hole & making a soggy spot.

3 filling the voids with something other than air will slow the whole cycle down but distribute the water more evenly throughout. water being water & gravity being gravity, :smile: it might all be trickling straight down & never saturating the sides. pretty sure you don’t want small aggregates but worth considering. maybe aquarium rock? also could try a clear vessel to verify that stuff. :nerd:

4 it’s sorta funnel shaped so pressure is directed to the center & down. so for more science fun, try a flat & short root chamber… like a cake pan :cake: mmmm caaaaaake.

appendix 4.2
the root is chasing optimal conditions…so just try to “see” what’s different about the 2 microzones. temperature could even be relevant.

i have no cake.

:v:

:evergreen_tree:

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Maybe some FloraFlex caps like this one will help distribute the water more evenly…?

https://floraflex.com/product/4-floracap-2-0/

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Wow those things look awesome! The concept itself could be DIY’ed quite easily too!

I was going to suggest putting tees at the end of each line and just making a loop around the containers, with a couple inline drippers or even holes in the tubing.

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This :arrow_up: is more like my budget/style :grin: hehe

:evergreen_tree:

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Well … may of been over watering everything.

I started playing around with watering times since that last update post, well plants were telling me to push it out, currently at 4hrs between 6sec waterings, and they are starting to throw out those adventurous roots again and the bigger fluffier air style ones again.

Also i killed my basil, it went dry of all things, but also culled two males and two runts and the Honey peach that was severely stunted. But have some free space to start some seeds now :wink:

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Looking good, was the pollen viable? Are seeds forming in those monsters yet? :+1::seedling:

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Not to be a jerk, but I find it hilarious that you managed to kill your basil plant lol, I figured you could grow anything perfectly!

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Lol sometimes things go wrong, I killed them cause I didn’t water it, woke up took a look at the plants that Rockwood cube was bone dry with little shrivelled basil plants, happens when you don’t water it for a couple days and you don’t have it setup under an autowatering setup , they had no chance, but will be starting some more tonight :yum:

@ReikoX all full with seeds, but still green so gonna be a week or two still

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Ya it happens. I wanna see some fat 3oz basil plants in Solo cups next time though lol

I actually used to grow basil in an aeroponic system for years, I used to harvest garbage bags full and a friend would make pesto with it. It’s a fun, easy plant to work with for sure

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Day 59/16

Well first the Leca seedlings are doing decent considering with the cut back on watering, im getting that adventurous root growth i was looking for, but still the top 1/3 to 1/2 of the pot isn’t being utilized yet. I think i will be able to fix that with one a better non saturated start on the plants, and also if i get that good layer of roots going initially where when it expands it will slow down water drainoff. That will allow me to switch the watering cycle over to where im pushing water through the pots, but i obviously cant do that too early as the plants need to be able to handle that first. Just figuring out the time line and tuning it in.

Begin 16 days in though with plants this size yeah these wont yield much in the end, still planning to keep them going though.

As for the seeded plants, changed out the reservoirs tonight and dropped them down to 450ppm just to essentially speed them up a bit.

Have individual shots today with some info

Green Pheno - still looking good on the aging calyxs as the chlorophyll is pulling back a purple under pigment is coming out but mix that with the green/yellow side and have it ageing its gonna morph to a nice brown/bronze color, structure is more airy in comparison to the denser purple phenos, Stacking bud structure, good trichrome coverage, and a smell that ive been enjoying, but partial clogged sinuses currently and in the last while so i haven’t been able to truely smell it. I like it.

Dark Spark - Smell is still there fruity and sweet, if it wasn’t seeded it would be coming down around now, as it just started bud structure wise to fluff out a bit with tip stem elongation and some stretching out of the frosty bud leafs which these tend to do when their age starts to get pushed. But size is good, density is good for them, and trichome coverage is also decent. Color is nice, but like all will go brown as the plant is either cured or pushed to run longer, just natural pigment degradation.

Next is the “easy” pheno smell is good not as nice as above with less fruit and sweetness but more floral and solvent mixed in, yield will be less than above even if i take into account the two lower mutant nodes i chopped of early in its life, if that characteristic carries through “not that i want it too” its should just have a higher chance of having some multipolate node growth, but will have to test the offspring.
Color it has a more vibrant purple due to a more pronounced red pigment tone. Bud structure is pretty straight forward, will be easy to trim apart leaving buds that wont need much work, if the nice smaller sugar leaves are left on. Density is good as well for these.

“The Fuzz” still dark tones, i’ll associate that with probably a blueish tone pigment thats in higher concentration, smell is alright, pleasant but doesn’t have the sweet fruitiness of what i like, more floral, earthy and solvent like in the spectrum. Trichrome coverage is decently good but airy stacking bud structure so won’t be winning any weight contests in its wildest dreams.

Leaving Aubergine Toots MaGoots - lol its just a good middle spectrum plant, fruity floral sweetish smell but just middle ground, plant is lankier with longer stems, bud is decent but still kinda airy, decent production though, and trichrome coverage the same, also had two lower nodes removed early in life like the “easy” pheno above with same issue, so also potential for that weird lower node multipolate stem trait to re occur if it gets passed along. But doing pretty decent.

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Day 62/19

Well rewired my entire closet this weekend, just cleaned stuff up, removed a couple marrette connections “wire nut” and mounted my timers onto my doors and have there power going through my Sonoff, so effectively i have remote watering now with the way it works. Also finally changed the setting to keep my settings on event of say a power loss.

But looking clean now.

The left side is happy, starting to get into that happy ballpark range. Also just threw a couple of potential pepper and basil pots into that side as well, but we will see as the initial tap roots on my peppers were looking a little brown, and the basil i just threw in an hr ago.

As for the right side, its keep on trucking, gonna be adding just water from here on out. Just need the seeds to ripen. But i may get some other seeds going in the mean time.

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Day 64/21

Well lefts side isn’t doing too bad, was looking droopy so finally decided to look into it a bit more, apart from my res right at the verge of running out or running out mid day today, the level was down at 480ppm with a 7.2ph … yeah that could of caused some things, so new res fill after a quick clean, sitting at 800ppm or so and 5.8-6.0ph, so we will see how they respond.

Also the root mats that are forming under the pots, they don’t touch the tray anymore, usually don’t have this issue as im running containers with smaller drainage holes and when they do hind those exits i usually trim them occasionally, these pots on the other hand… gave one a root trim yesterday and it was looking just as well today so may do that on the others just to keep a clean pot underneath.

As for the seeded plants, there getting there, switched over to only water now, just have to wait till the start fading back and turn brown to finishing out nicely for the seeds.

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I love that root shot so much, lol :smile:

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I have unsubscribed, that way I can binge read now and then.
Great growing, great plants, great photography and great write-ups.
The way you show the pictures and tell us whats going on in that tight little space is like an invite for all of OG to come into your little box.
:wink: keep smiling

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Day 68/25

Seeded plants are still going, but starting to be able to get seeds from them, if im being ocd and pluck ripe ones, but just better to let them finish naturally.

Group shot

The other side is doing well this morning with the recent feed change i did last night as the plants were looking a bit down with some deficiency signs, apparently res dropped down to 720ppm ish and a ph of 7.2 so made a new fill came out at around 940ppm wanted a bit higher but the glass jar i store the megacrop v2 in that was all that was left and i wanted to wash the jar before refilling it, as whatever is in it definitely has an affinity for water just like the original so it just sucks moisture out of the air which gets sticky and can coat things if your not careful about keeping the stuff dry. Still need to figure out levels with it though but dialing it in bit by bit.

Also getting there with the roots, have them within 2cm of the top, jsut want to cut that by half and get them to do that early on, if i can then it should be interesting.

The under pot roots are back 5ish days later

Starting to get that feeling that im at least on the right track now.

Also have two pepper plants growing and a basil plant on the left side just for fun :wink:

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Them some sexy ladies looking roots @Mr.Sparkle! … definitely needs to be in the root porn thread!

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@Mr.Sparkle you ever hang lights on those during x-mas they look like nice thick and chuncky little pine trees !

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Wow great stealth grow. The way you have put it together is super cool. Much respect.

@Kdawg check this out!

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Wow that’s awesome man. Great grow!! Love all the info. Great root shots👍

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