Grow Space: approx. 4 x 2 (a little smaller)
Method: FFOF - 3 gal & 2 gal fabric pots
Nutes: FF (3 Part Cultivation Nation + others on feeding schedule)
Light System: Maxsisun PB1000 x 1, MF1000 x 2
Light Meter: Photone app on my Android
I picked up 3 Tropicana Cookies from a local dispensary and I’ve been sort of struggling with them - they looked to be heavily pruned when I got them. They couldn’t tell me how old they were but they had 3 to four nodes so, as a novice, I figured they were just at Day 1 of Veg?
Now I’m trying to get the nutes figured out.
But more immediate is the new growth closed up about 3/4 through light period yesterday, thought maybe too much light. Average PPFD was high so I dimmed the lights 10%, PPFD dropped to around 600. By the morning (lights on) they had partially opened back up.
And now again this evening, 3/4 through the day, they are closed up again. PPFD was back up above 700, I guess they grew that much - I didn’t measure. This time I raised the lights.
So am I on track thinking this is a symptom of too much light and I need to monitor it more often during lights on? I thought 700 was ok for Veg or should I keep it below? Or is this another symptom from the struggle I’m having with stressed plants & nutes?
HELP!!! LOL. Any and all assistance is welcome and thanks in advance.
You describe They recover then go back to stress.
LIGHT, HEAT, and MOISTURE are factors YOU must control.
What time of day and what heat, light, and humidity is present?
ILGM forum has multiple contributors and postings often mention stress factors.
With regards to age, i bought some WW clones, ordered on 3-3-2022. They came with a WA STATE REGISTRATION NUMBER and a BOD 3-3-2022. On 3-24, I picked them up and all were in 8 oz dixie cups cane with 4-node beautiful Ladies. The PH was 5.5 (?) (3 PH meters used NOTE: my commercial soil calibrates 7.0 and distilled water measures 7.0
My ladies came in dixie cups as well, looked to have one leaf at every node but the top removed. I transplanted into FFOF a week later, probably too soon. Grew for a while, only watered them a couple times, lightly, with no run-off yet. They grew for a time, I topped/fimmed them (more shock), grew some more, then locked up again. Wound up flushing one - four days later it was growing again. Flushed the other two and they’re now catching up. They-re still lacking something, just haven’t figured out what yet. Now they’re closing up? Hmmm.
Running 6.3 on pH (Apera PH60) for feeding/watering. I have a cheapy soil pH tester, it reads around 7.0. Latest run-off pH was 6.58.
Heat was running around 78 - 82 F in the tent last week but I did some modifications and it’s been running around 72 - 76 F for a week now. Humidity at 47 - 52%
I know!!! I freaked when I first saw them. They had just started takinng off (I thought)!
Ok, I just freaked again. Looked in on 'em and they are starting to taco and curl over. Arrrgh! I guess it is still a reaction to the 700+ PPFD from earlier? Certainly they’re not reacting to 600! I dropped it to 250 in a panic, lol. It’s 30mins till lights out anyway. I thought 2 pots being light had something to do with it but the third one is still on the heavier side and reacting the same way. My two little 3wk old seedlings aren’t reacting the same way, but they’re under about 250 PPFD or less.
My plants may look “tired” (they do now) after 14 hours of lots of lighting and worse, ME.
Today I moved and started training a plant that was already leaning (it was easier to lean and train, rather than right position for up. Have braced to prevent further top-over.
Nice grow space! My grow space is a bit small. I did some LST on my first grow in 2 five gal pots , took up the whole space.
I topped/fimmed these but that’s it, going to let em grow straight up. I have some yo-yo’s and a homemade net if I need em. Going to be interesting to say the least.
Thanks for the reply. Real busy or I’d have answered earlier as well as made this last adjustment.
I have them on 18/6 light schedule. I was told they are autoflower Tropicana Cookies. Autoflowers are a new ballpark for me.
You may be on the right track. I had them too close I believe. I never measured the distance this time, I was too focused on PPFD and DLI. The PPFD average after adjusting the dimmer was 525 (DLI 32) in the canopy center and 430 on edges. Again they started closing up this evening and laying over.
But I had the same thought this time and raised the lights again tonight - they are now at 16" above canopy. My nearest figuring in relation to where they are now and other item on the tent walls and such, I estimate they were as close as 8 or 9 inches from canopy. What was I thinking!!!
I can raise them more if needed. We’ll see how they do through tomorrow. Where they’re at now gets a better light spread to the edges (of course d-Jawz!) and get my 525 PPFD at center canopy with 80%. After reading a post by I think it was by @Nicky titled “Start using DLI” I have the DLI chart and am going to try to learn and use it. Might need to re-calibrate my app, don’t know, had to use the mfg’s chart as my basis the first time, don’t have access to an Apogee meter or anything comparable.
Thanks for the words of encouragement and I’ll attempt not to worry…HA!
@d-Jawz I use drip titration to measure my application water using Distilled water and commercial alkaline water. The commercial soil starts at 7.0 and will respond to PH-up or down.
Satisfied that the meters read +/- 0.25 (actually measured 7.0 on everything, until I removed the small condom cap, which protects the probe tip). Upon insertion the meter will cycle reading FF, 9, 8, 7.5, 7.0, lower if applicable, and stop. Often, it may take 2-3 readings for comparison, if in doubt. If soil is to dry, meter does not display swing and stays reading 7.0 (the turn on reading). No liquid measuring capability
I run my lights about 22” I think but the DLI is the important part… honestly I just use the Dli in Photone just fine on my Android… sound like you got them up a bit I would also advise letting it go for a day or two before changing too much on them… I’m new I don’t know much but I feel like if you change variables then you got to give it a day or so before changing any more… just my two cents keep ‘em growing
My grow space is a bit small. I did some LST on my first grow in 2 five gal pots , took up the whole space. 
I would also advise letting it go for a day or two before changing too much on them… I’m new I don’t know much but I feel like if you change variables then you got to give it a day or so before changing any more… just my two cents keep ‘em growing