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This plant smells AWESOME, it's covered in trichomes and has a really strong fruity smell. I fed her nothing but dechlorinated tap water for the last week, im going to top dress the soil with one more round of gaia green bloom and start flushing in two weeks.
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@CalGonJim
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1/12/26 4:18AM MONDAY.....💪💪💪💪👌 1/12 CANNAKAN DAY MEDICINAL SLAVERY WOULD MAKE HARVEST A BREEZE!! ABOUT THE LEDS 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. 🥊🍌👨‍🔬🚨🌞💪💪💪💪💪 1/15/26 12:36AM L-Phenylalanine: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/L-Phenylalanine#section=Crystal-Structures That’s your Mars Hydro bar-style LED grow light setup in a compact grow tent (looks like a 2x2 or similar Spider Farmer tent branding on the mylar walls), running super efficiently right now! Breaking down what I see from the photos: • The light is a multi-bar LED fixture (probably from Mars Hydro’s FC series, like FC3000, FC4000, or a smaller EVO variant) with Samsung LM301H (or similar LM301B/H EVO) diodes—these are high-end, efficient chips known for uniform distribution, low heat, and great full-spectrum output (warm white + red/IR boosts for veg/flower). • It’s hung at 19 inches (measured from the light bars to the canopy or sensor plane, with that white dotted line marker). The tent shows a hygrometer/thermometer combo reading 76°F / 53% RH (nice stable veg conditions—cooler side helps prevent stretch). • Your PAR meter app is showing 327 μmol/m²/s PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) at that spot/height—solid reading for where you’re at. • Plants look like young cannabis in veg stage: multiple small pots (fabric or repurposed buckets like Krøger cottage cheese tubs—classic budget move!), healthy green canopy with some colorful accents (maybe early purpling or strain traits), topped or in early training, sitting in coco coir or similar media. • Power draw: ~50W current (from the energy usage screenshot), averaging super low over time (0.48–0.76 kWh daily average). That’s impressively efficient—likely dimmed way down or a lower-wattage model (e.g., 150–300W rated, but running at partial power). Total consumption over 30 days at ~14.5 kWh is pennies on the electric bill. This aligns perfectly with your earlier plan to target ~500 PPFD but getting great results at lower wattage/intensity. Right now at 19” and 327 PPFD: • That’s in the sweet spot for early-mid vegetative stage cannabis (typical recs: 300–600 μmol/m²/s for veg, starting lower ~300–400 for young plants to avoid stress, ramping up as they bush out). • Bar-style lights like this excel at even spread (no hot center like older quantum boards), so your canopy is getting consistent light without bleaching or stretch in spots. • Low power (49.6W) means minimal heat buildup—fans and passive cooling handle it easily, keeping temps/RH dialed (76°F/53% is golden for veg; prevents mold and encourages compact growth). Why it feels “great results at lower than recommended”: • Samsung diodes are top-tier efficient (often 2.8–3.1 μmol/J), so you hit usable PPFD without cranking full power. • Many Mars Hydro FC models recommend 18–24” for veg at 50–75% dim (your 19” fits right in). • Your plants are responding well—lush, no obvious deficiencies/stress, and you’re feeling physically ready to top/fill pots after the delay. To push toward your 500 PPFD goal without overdoing it: • Lower the light a few inches (try 16–18”) incrementally—PPFD scales roughly with the inverse square law, so dropping height boosts intensity noticeably (could jump 20–50% depending on spread). • Or bump dimmer % if it’s not maxed (your 50W draw suggests plenty of headroom). • Retest PPFD at multiple canopy spots for average (center often higher, edges lower in bars). • Watch for tacoing/upward leaf curl (too much light) or stretch (too little). This setup is dialed for low-energy, healthy veg growth—perfect for your “lower wattage wins” approach. Plants are happy, tent’s stable, and you’re crushing it efficiency-wise. If you drop the height or dim up, snap another meter reading/pic—I can help fine-tune further. How old are these ladies (weeks from seed/clone)? Any specific strain notes, or planning to flip to flower soon? Keep the momentum—today’s a win! 🌱💪😂
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Excellent progress so far. Grower exclaimed his enthusiasm for the progress made in only after a week of nutrient program. See Grower commentary in video.
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So I am halfway through my first harvest and I'm starting to feel like I may have been impatient! Would appreciate any advice or constructive criticism from any experienced growers out there! Do you think I harvest the rest of my plant now or leave it a while? Any tips/hints on the best way to maximize bud density? Thanks in advance
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@Organic_G
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Ich hasse es wie die Pest, schlimmste was es auf der Welt gibt, Harvest… 😭 3 Tage meines Lebens schon in die kacke versenkt… denke für die nächsten Ernten wird eine Trimm Maschine angeschafft
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@greennug
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grow room adjustments this week. plants are now more spread out under a total of 5 600w HPS lights. 3 fastbuds plants have an additional 45w LED light. by week 3/4 they will occupy my whole grow space and an additional 3 600w HPS lights will be added. Plants are looking healthy and 10 or so have been topped for the first time on day 8. dinafem cookies are looking very good in structure. will upload pics every day until harvest! thanks for looking. UPDATE day 12 veg, they are looking beautiful better than i expected. there are 36 in 15litre pots now and i cant wait to make my final grow room upgrage next week and for my room to be looking like a forest! im hoping for 2-3kg off these girls and only time will tell. i will keep doing daily updates until harvest
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Getting close to that time! Prob just a week or so out letting the trichromes darken up a bit more and going to chop em down! They look amd smell beautiful and I can’t wait to try them!
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@BioBuds
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Gorilla, gorilla, my problem child. The only one popping out of 5 but she is weaker than her roommates. She stays behind compared to them. But what can I do other than TLC, she has the best conditions, which are optimal in this grow room, also judging by the other two plants. Until I have a bigger operation, which in the current political climate, is not soon, where I can make mothers and clone them, breed my own strains, and root out runts like this, we do it like life. We play the hand as it is dealt to us and we love all our children the same... although this one is special. So not a genderfluid Silverback yet, but it ain't over till the voluptuous lady sings. We shall nurse this little runt until adulthood, who knows she might surprise us, she should have the mighty Gorilla Glue Number Fouh genes in there somewhere. Now come on out here and show daddy what you're made of... This week we spread out the leaves and branches, some leaf tucking and gentle LST, to prepare for some higher stress and super cropping today. Two days back we made the switch and set the lights to 12/12. Now the flowering stretch will begin, thus we bend the branches further outward in preparation for the canopy. When I do this I notice the branches are thick and sturdy, with no breakage at all unlike my previous grow, the gelato 33. I snapped some branches applying the super cropping and just normal bending with those. It seems like the fan (I didn't have a good option previous grow, hence the flimsier branches there) but also this lighting and soil regime are topnotch, asides from outdoor I haven't seen such lush bushiness yet, even on a more runt-like plant. This MarsHydro SP3000 is still performing great, such controlled temperatures, such an ocean of light. I only wish I started growing with this earlier. Thanks again @MarsHydroLED for trusting us to test your mighty flagship light. It is so well made, it oozes quality, I just want to touch it every time (also to check if it stays cool) and it is just sexy, slender, and compared to my other 300 watt light, a completely different spectrum and clarity. If you are looking for new lights, look no further. At www.mars-hydro.com they have excellent and unbeatable deals on tent and light combinations where you practically get a tent for free, it is ridiculous. I was afraid the light wouldn't cover the sides of my tent with my 4.5-foot space. Penny at MarsHydro had to laugh at this a bit, said not to worry. What an understatement. This light could signal to other galaxies. I sincerely recommend good sunglasses with this light. Only thing I'm adding is an infrared light Sunshine found. With this I'm going to simulate sunrise and sunset and try to prevent stress by easing the light in and out, like in nature. We are in flowering now, very excited to see what she will do here. What can she perform? Will she cover the net? Will she deliver gorgeous buds, like she is known to do? On these cliffhangers I hope you will tune in next week for more gorilla-related plantporn... go on... you know you want it. Hug Bud!!
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@Naujas
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Well, that day has come, the girl would have been really different if not for the high temperature, strong light, and a huge lack of potassium :( well, everything will be fine next time :) live and learn :) I am satisfied with the result, which is what I need :) got 200 gr of liquid :) gathered a lot of sugar leaf :) they are already in the sweet shop :D I will make an addition!! good growth and success :)
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It's really hard for a first time grower to grow without the input of others, particularly if you aren't a science type person. Grow diaries and the users who've commented have really helped me make decisions about how to handle the girls. What I've learnt is there's never a right or wrong way of doing something and a lot of your success is based on intuition! This my very first grow. I can't normally keep herbs alive and I had my fair share of disasters with this plant, from stem breakages (fixed with a tape and a ruler) and calculating nutes incorrectly. I LSTd and topped (accidentally initially) and left 2 alone. The ones left alone had the biggest yeild. I harvested at different stages, but within days. The trics were probably at 1% amber, 80% cloudy and the rest clear. A test smoke of a dry bud in a pipe which had been cured for a few days gave me a fun, giggly high that lasted a long time with rolling body effects that left me feeling reallllly good. I made butter out of the fresh wet trim of one plant (2oz of trim) and made 113g of knock out butter. Just a teaspoon had my flying for 24 hours. I was growing these 4 ladies, along with 4 non-auto skunk 1# which have been in veg mode for the whole time. They are beasts right now and I will start a diary for them to document the progress.
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Got everything hung up. Stripped the fan leaves and broke down into sections. Run 60/60 or as close as i can get until the stems snap.
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~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~ 9/10/21 😺 It's official, I need a better camera lol but that aside the plants are looking great (maybe a little hungry)..we've started giving just the Big Bud a dash of nitrogen solution of.. this strain eats a lot, our Kush could never handle this type of feeding ...and thank god the stretch is over lol, the mainline in the 6.5gal is almost to my shoulders in height.. I'm still not a huge fan of the node spacing, it's much wider than we like, especially near the base, i'm not sure if full intact colas are in our future but these may surprise us.. the main stalks have really toughened up and should be able to handle any weight they put on in the coming weeks..thanks for reading if you made it this far and happy harvests friends! 💡🌱❤️😽💨 ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~ 9/13/21: 😺the plants are looking especially healthy atm, we started adding a little bit of grow solution with bloom about a week ago when their color started to fade, they're now the most perfect shade of green, however we noticed a little clawing on the smallest of the 3 Big Bud..we plan to go back to our regular feeding schedule for flower now that everyone looks good.. there's actually a good amount of nitrogen in our bloom supplement but I guess these are just really hungry plants.. I included a gallon container in one of the pics to provide scale❤️..thanks for reading friends!! ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
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@Dunk_Junk
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Wow well she does look sorry for herself. A couple of days ago I sprayed her with pesticide. This has damaged her leaves. I hope she can bounce back from this as it's a critical time in her growth.
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Terminando la segunda semana de crecimiento, nos vemos en la siguiente semana !
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I’ve been busy, so has she I will cross her with the regular skunk. Hopefully it’s a male and get some seeds.
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Last week after flush.More trichomes and flower color has changed.
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I love how this girl came back legendary silver haze…this is her first week of flower. She will be crossed with skunk regular pollen for a legendary new strain.