Check the winners The Grow Awards 2026 🏆
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@CalGonJim
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1/12 4:14AM MONDAY!!!!!!!! CBG IS GOOD!1 LOWERD THE WATTAGE, EFFICIENCY IS GOOD. GREAT WHITE MYCO HAS INCREASED UPTAKE AND AND!!!! PHOTOSYNTHESIS EFFICIENCY ......FUCKING AWESOME 💪💪💪💪 1/12 4:47AM I asked GROK: are samsung leds on my mars hydro lights seem more efficient than the PPFD meter says, I lowered the lights again by a few watts? Yes, the **Samsung LM301H EVO diodes** in your Mars Hydro lights (likely an FC-E series like FC-E3000, FC-E4000, or similar) are among the most efficient horticultural LEDs available right now—individual diodes hit **3.14 μmol/J** efficacy, pushing the whole fixture to around **2.85–2.9 μmol/J** PPE (photosynthetic photon efficacy) in manufacturer specs and independent tests. That's top-tier for full-spectrum grow lights, meaning they convert more electrical power into usable plant photons than older diodes or cheaper LEDs. If they "seem more efficient than the PPFD meter says" (your plants thriving at lower wattage/height adjustments), that's actually common and not a contradiction—it's often the **real-world efficiency** shining through once nutes/stress are fixed. Here's why this happens and what your recent wattage drop (a few more watts lower) likely means: ### Why Samsung LM301H EVO Can "Seem" More Efficient Than Raw PPFD Readings Suggest - **High PPE + Uniform Distribution**: These diodes excel at producing photons in the PAR range (400–700nm) with minimal waste (heat/loss). Mars Hydro FC-EVOs achieve strong average PPFD (e.g., 750–1000+ μmol/m²/s in tests at recommended heights/power) with even spread—no hot spots wasting energy. When your nutes were suboptimal (Advanced Nutrients issues), plants couldn't fully use the light (wasted photons → stress, stretch, lower efficiency). Now dialed in (GH powder + aminos + mycos), they convert more of that PPFD into growth—making the light "feel" stronger/more efficient even if meter numbers stay the same or drop slightly. - **Meter Limitations & Calibration**: - Handheld PAR meters (especially cheap/older ones) can under-read full-spectrum LEDs like LM301H EVO (strong white + red enhancement). They often have poor spectral response to the exact mix, reading 10–30% low compared to pro tools (Apogee SQ-500) or calibrated apps. - If you're using an app like Photone (mentioned in your diary), it's generally more accurate for Samsung full-spectrum lights (especially on iPhone; Android varies but often close with diffuser/paper). Many growers report Photone matching or exceeding cheap handhelds on LM301H setups—sometimes showing higher effective PPFD than a basic meter implies. - Bottom line: Your plants are the ultimate meter. Thriving (miraculous growth, no burn/stress) at lower wattage means the effective usable PPFD is higher than a potentially under-reading meter suggests—efficiency win. ### Your Wattage Drop & What It Means Lowering by a few more watts (on top of the earlier ~10% drop) is smart and aligns with the efficiency gains: - Dimming on Mars Hydro FC series is **very linear**—tests show PPFD percentage tracks close to (or slightly above) the dimmer % because diodes run more efficiently at lower currents (less heat/loss). - Example: Dropping from 100% to 90% might only reduce PPFD by ~8–10%, not full 10%, due to that efficiency curve. - Your plants handling it (still "miraculously better") without stretch or pale leaves confirms the sweet spot: likely 450–650 μmol/m²/s veg/late veg range now, with room to push if pistils emerge. - Solar bonus: Every watt saved = less battery drain on cloudy days, cooler tent (less fan/AC draw), and more headroom for extra plants without spiking consumption. **Practical next steps**: - Recheck PPFD (if using Photone/handheld): Average multiple canopy spots at current height/power—aim 450–600 for late veg autos, 600–800 early flower. - Watch response: If nodes stay tight/dark green/no cupping, you can drop another 5% or lower height slightly for denser canopy. - Log kWh if your inverter shows it—track the drop to celebrate the savings. - If meter still "under-says" vs. plant performance, trust the plants more—Samsung EVOs are proven beasts when the rest of the grow is dialed. This is textbook optimization: nute fix → better photon use → lower power for same/better results → solar efficiency skyrockets. You're building a truly lean system. How low are you at now (e.g., 70–75W total?)? Any pistils or new growth explosions today? Keep the momentum—it's paying off big. 🥊🍌👨‍🔬🚨🌞 1/13/26 7:47AM BRUTAL WEEK FOR THE MOP AND BUCKET GUYS AT MUDRUROS COMPOUND 1/13, 11:22 AM banana purple punch auto RF three is doing really great. I haven’t really needed to do anything. I decided not to top. I didn’t want to do anything except light stress training. I think she’s gonna turn out just great. Her stock is one of the thickest. She’s just perfect.😍😍😍 2/1 4:20 AM setting up a new tent for flowering using two Mars Hydro TS 1000 lights at 50 W each. I’m getting about 500 PPF that’s good enough. I’ll keep the lights close to the plants. The wattage is low so the heat will be negligible should be highly efficient grow
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Second week, everything is going well, lst adjusment and light defoliation
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@PB888
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All plants very healthy and growing well. I have included some pictures of HST and tucking. I keep it under the screen as much as possible . If I can not easily tuck it under I carefully use Kyle Kushman's technique for partially braking the inside cambium layer with out the damage to the outside. Carefully then twist slightly and the branch will lay down. By this ninth week, all the plants except the GTH x P reached the height of the wire, and at that time I started tucking the new growth back under and kept it there for the most part of the Veg stage. I also fertilized with for the second time with Soils Solution Top Veg
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@Siriuz
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Hey uys how is it going? I must tell you This dude If you want tons of buds And really awesome smell Then you should get Cream Mandarine XL From Sweet Seeds Yo mine was literally dying when early seedling, but manage to save her and look Omg she's so gorgeous I love it Thank you so much sweet seeds for your support and encouragement thank you for those awesome gifts Alright guys so I'm on day 126 Right now, I have been feeding her for like forever cuz she's been my first XL She's so huge and I'm so happy we got her. Buds are so fatty, they're most likely orange right now. Tons of them but still has some of them on the bottom tiny ones with white hairs as well, dude this is so amazing... Plan on to harvest her tomorrow tho Not all of her but I will take most of the ones that are ready to go, will let light get to the ones on the bottom to see if they get fatty as well. Will feed her nutes after taking some flowers from her. I love my girls for real, sometimes don't want to even hurt them but haha you have to get the buds ya know xD Lol I'm stoned. Alright guys sorry happy new year 2021 Everybody I just forgot to tell you my pc is fckdd up right now so was hard to upload pics but now I have time and space on my phone as well so there you go... Some pics and some videos I will try to add the remaining weeks from 12-16 so you can see her progress alright And also, thank you for everything grow diaries
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Hope you guys had an alright week, the rain and floodings here in Europe has wreaked havoc on my outdoor garden, however this diary isn't about my Chamelauciums, its about that sticky green stuff. and boy this lady has started her stretch! I think I might have made the right call flipping her when I did because I can tell she's going to stretch big. Made adjustments to a couple of things this week; my bucket needed more oxygen, so I got a bigger pump and I have fixed my temperature issue by Literally just aiming an air-conditioner at the back of my tent, where my air pump is and as a result, now my water remains a chill 18 degrees! I also need to start keeping my tent closed, even though I absolutely love watching my plants during the day, some critters have made their way inside, eating at the leaves, for now in veg I don't really mind all that much, but I don't want any creepy crawlies when flowers start forming, those are mine and mine alone, not sharing those with any grasshoppers! I recommend keeping a go pro or something in your tent, its quite fun to observe grow, like how the leaves droop 20 minutes before lights out, and start praying upwards before light comes on, these plants really do get into a sleep like rhythm. doing a diary in general just adds a whole lot to the hobby, whether you do a private catalogue, or public, try it! Thanks for stopping by, I suspect we'll see the first signs of flowering next week, I've never grown this Strain, but I can see a few pre flower pistils forming as I'm typing this. Enjoy your week, as always stay safe and keep growing.
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@Canadian
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By the looks of the trichomes this girl is ready I will let it go one more week because the weather forecast seems to be sunny but if anything changes to Everyday rain I would chopper her down to protect the flower. Thank you for reading and I will continue to update have a happy grow.
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@FoTwenny
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Fo' Twenny here with an update on our little Gorilla x Cookies cultivar from Expert Seeds! 9/16 - Day 12: She is a beautiful shade of green and looks happy. I was one square pots short and when I bought this one, I accidentally got the 7" x 7" instead of the 6" x 6". It will bug me, because I am weird, but I planted her in it anyway. I put 1 tbsp Mycos, .5 tsp Recharge, and .25 tsp of Azos in the whole at the root zone. Sprinkled some White Dutch Clover seed after transplanting. Watered with plain water. BAD NEWS: Half of the blue diodes have gone out in the TMLAPY light. This light was actually gifted to me shortly after a friend purchased it from Amazon and realized it was too small for their space. It seemed to be serving it's purpose well for vegging photos and running bumper crops of autoflowers but it failed only four months after the warranty period ended! Weak-Sauce! GOOD NEWS: So, I upgraded the 24"x48" tent to Samsung LM301H boards. I ordered a 320w straight single piece heatsink with 3 boards from Geeklight. I went with the 3k spectrum and switchable UV/IR since all my autoflowers bloom under this light. $306 USD after all is said and done. https://app.alibaba.com/dynamiclink?touchId=1600101815945&type=product&schema=enalibaba%3A%2F%2Fdetail%3Fid%3D1600101815945%26ck%3Dshare_detail&ck=share_detail&shareScene=buyer 9/17 - Day 26: Installed new light NUTRITION: Mixing rundown Foliar Feed & Nutrient Solutiin 2 gal tap h2O run through x2 KDF filters Start ppm 630 Start ph 7.8 1 tsp/gal Gold Shield Silica Supplement 1 tsp/gal Fox Farm Gringo Rasta Cal-Mag 8.1 ph .33 tsp gal ph down pH: 6.5 PPM: 730 Serenade 3 tsp/gal (Always adjust pH prior to adding any microbial innocclants) Filled Spray bottle with 32 oz of the 2 gal mixed solution. Add 2 tsp/gal of Fox Farm Flower Kiss (.5 tsp 32oz) 6 tsp/gal Optic Foliar Transport PPM: 749 pH: 6.4 Added 1 tsp Recharge to the remainder of feed solution (to 1.75 gal) in the sprayer. Thanks for stopping by my garden! Please check out my other diaries & give me a follow! Happy growing my friends! ☺️🌱 Peace, ☮️✌️ Love, 💚🤟 & Frosty Nugs! ❄️🌲 - Fo' Twenny
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@hooolian
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26/11/21: All six are well into flower now - large buds are forming in the colas and white trichomes are showing all around the leaves creating those sugar leaves. I am more or less letting them do their thing now. All are strong and healthy and showing great signs of a good yield for the six. No more growth - now just focussing on bud production.
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@GroLife
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Upped the nutrient levels a little this week and she is starting to show crystals on the leafs :)
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Welcome to Flower Week 9 of Sensi Seeds Mandarine Jam I'm excited to share my grow journey with you from my Sensi Seeds Project . It's going to be an incredible ride, full of learning, growing, and connecting with fellow growers from all around the world! For this Project , I’ve chosen the Feminized Photo Strain Mandarine Jam: Here’s what I’m working with: • 🌱 Tent: 120x60x80 • 🧑‍🌾 Breeder Company: Sensi Seeds • 💧Strain Info : 20-23% • ⏳ Flowering Time: 7-8weeks
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Que pasa familia, vamos con la cosecha de estas Gorilla Zkittlez Auto de FastBuds. Por dónde empezar, es una autofloreciente que es normalita de cultivar, tiene un periodo corto de crecimiento y de floración igual no es largo, o igual tendría que haberla dejado alguna semana más no entiendo bien. En cuanto a la alimentación , pues la aplique una vez por semana y a sido suficiente, se a comportado bien en interior, la flor pues no es muy prieta porque no deja de ser una autofloreciente, pero es una flor que va repleta de tricomas. El periodo de luz pues de principio a fin a 18 horas, fue suficiente para completar el ciclo de vida como esperaba. Agrobeta: https://www.agrobeta.com/agrobetatiendaonline/36-abonos-canamo Hasta aquí todo, Buenos humos 💨💨💨
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@PotCasso
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Week 2 of Flower: HLG Diablo at 70% 20in from canopy. Watered in at 800ml top dressed 2tbs bloom, 1tbs bloom2, 3 tbs barley a recharge day and a silica day. I also watered in a kelp tea. Really loving the HLG 350 Diablo, morphology and growth are just fantastic.
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@Thedibber
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Final few weeks left of the Bubba cheesecakes just tapwater from now on no microben 👌
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Hi everyone 🤗. The last 5 women are nearing their end 😍. They will be harvested in the next 2-3 weeks. The rest of the ones that have already been harvested are currently fermenting 😍. The finished harvest pictures come when everyone is finished together 👍. This ends the last diary that was kept with several varieties. From now on only single strain diaries are coming, all individually ;-). I wish you a nice week, stay healthy 🙏🏻 and let it grow 🌱
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@Mastr
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This strain is awesome special for grower with limited space Today day 16 and I just topped her from 6th node and I already been stress her alot by reporting and topping and after 2 days off she recovered immediately ill do lst every other day till day 35 this way I make more veg pase 1 week more and you got chance to get bigger yield Take her 2 days to recover from topping now I don't stress her alot just let her to grow This genetic don't like lst training and stem very hard to bend down so I don't do any Lst one her unless I don't have choice Today day 21 end week 3 and she is super happy I keep feed her with silica liquid and bio grow 1L everyday
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@Bretwalda
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Planning to chop her on sunday, she started to fade, most trichs are cloudy was hoping to see some more ambers