I wanted to document this. I would LOVE feedback from anyone.
I am growing Bruce Banner Autoflowers from seed purchased from ILGM.
Paper towel to 5 gallon buckets with holes cut in sides and bottoms, soil grow.
Soil is a 1/3 1/3 1/3 mixture with fox farms, and peat moss.
lights are viparspectra xs2000
More pictures a little later today. Thanks, everyone for looking!
Day 9 lights are on full vegetative mode, 20 " from top of canopy 100% strength per the manufacturer’s sheet, giving a DLI ~ 80
Full water to runoff, about 1.5 gal water pH of 6.3
might that be a color coordinated kiddie pool?
Good start. I’ll check in from to to time.
Looks like you got it going on. Love to follow!! 
Thanks to you ! Yes it’s a kiddie pool that my wife picked up on a walk with the dog about 6 months ago. At the time I sardonically said (to myself) what the BLEEP am I going to do with that thing ??? Now it’s under my plants and am very glad that I kept that sentiment to myself. Good Job Bill.
Any-how that was about a week ago when I went away for 5 days. I am gathering the photos up and will post more later. It’s quite rewarding, this new hobby of mine. My green thumb coming in handy…
Cut the temps down at the end and she purples up nicely
thank you please follow along I’m hoping to get to “the end” and have some advice as it progresses. My temp is slightly difficult to control but I will have to see. right now they are running at 80-84 during the day, directly under the lights and lights out they get to 72 in the closet for 6 hours. more pictures to come!
I was gone for 5 days after a good watering. this is what I came back to. Then I fimmed 3 of the 4 plants. Eeny got a close fim at the 6th node, Meanie got a longer FIM at the 5th node and Moe got a longer FIM at the 4th node. None of them have started growing again after the stress.
Your light looks like it’s too high - those nodes are real tight. I’d back off a little (10-20% power)
Hi Graysin. Well here’s the thing… I agree that this plant is really bushy, like my second girlfriend in Grade 10 ha ha ha, but first of all, since I FIMMED them (3 out of 4 plants) they have started to smell, and think either father time or the stress of being cut tripped that wire so to speak. so unless you think I’m completely ruining the first grow, here is what I’m thinking…
1- just fimmed - might be flowering now, is light and node distance still a factor if they are done vegging? they are on node 6
2 - since i’m growing at home in my closet I didn’t need to have an 8 foot tall plant in my closet so I picked Bruce Banner because the the list said a gets you super high and is a short squat plant so that’s sort of what was recomended would happen. maybe not that super short but they are healthy and I’m ok with what happens, first grow and all
3- again, first grow so the only variable I’m changing is the FIM process. I fimmed 3 (slightly different each plant ) and am leaving one completely alone, just to see as a baseline what this does, so, i was planning on using the light per the manufacturer this go around.
4 - I would also like to remove some of the larger leaves towards the bottom and expose the grow sites underneath, next time around, good idea?
5 I haven’t added any food or nutrients until just now, and am doing half strength every other water, for now. I don’t really know how to handle that but again, they are healthy ( I think ) so I don’t have the urge to do anything really crazy.
So, like I said unless you think I’m making a huge mistake and what is likely to change is NOT just fine tuning but going to make a huge difference I’m prone to leaving a lot of things alone this first grow.
also I am wondering after 6 nodes if moving the light up farther than the reccs, or turning it down would make a difference now? and what would you do? turn down the power? or raise the lights?
I appreciate the input, next time I will fim earlier once I know that the plants will live, and do some stressing, bending, breaking etc on my next bruce banner.
mainly I just want some free (ha ha ha) bud to enjoy and don’t want to eff it up any more than just letting them grow, this time.
Thanks for taking a look, appreciate it.
Not flowering (yet) - but either way light distance still matters. I’d back it off and if it starts to stretch toward the boundaries of the tent, crank the power back up/ bring it closer again to help control the stretch
Yeah. Problem is that right now you’re SO tightly spaced there’s nowhere for the bud to stack. A 1” space between nodes is kinda like a good benchmark - a little more is fine and a little less is fine. Without enough room, you may stunt the yield because it simply has nowhere to be.
Trust me on this one, my very first auto is about 12” tall. I make fun of her all the time because she’s so little but she’s absolutely base-to-tip covered in bud and I can only dream how fat and stacked she’d been if I’d known half of what I know now. It’s all learning!
That’s absolutely the right attitude.
That’s fine as long as it’s a conscious decision.
I’m unconvinced the actual grow sites need light - it’s one of those “no data just old wives tales” things I think. That said, it’s absolutely always a good idea to cut out massive leaves that are legitimately blocking light from most of the plant - leaves that don’t get light shrivel and die because they aren’t bringing in more energy than they cost the plants. Plus trimming up the bottom is always good to allow more even airflow through the plant.
Yep. Keep an eye on them especially as they do start to flower and stretch. They’ll tell you what they need next. Likely it’ll be potash and/or phosphorus.
Also fine. My flowering tent ranges from 70 to 90 and RH from 30-60 on any given day. As long as you have good airflow, it should be fine.
There’s a VPD chart around here somewhere that shows you ideal temp and RH in conjunction based on your room temps, but I got tired of chasing it and my plants are far enough along that trying to get there now may promote the risk of bud rot. That’s a no thanks from me.
I’d raise to 24” away, and if you’re already there, lower the power. It certainly matters after the 6th node, not sure why it wouldn’t. Your plant is gonna grow til it decides it’s time to stop growing. It’s not really based on light intensity or node number or even time, really - there may be an average of plant flowering time but it’s just an average, not an exact science.
ok, so I changed the light height to 24 from 19 or so. DLI settings old and new
eenie 80 now 24" gives 60
Meenie 84 68
Miney 65 55
Moe 80 64
Day 24, 4 days post fim, another quart ea of water and food this morning, one yesterday, nothing ran out of the bottow of the bucket. Will let dry for 4 days and then water to small overflow with just water.
frst picture shows a white patch on my biggest healthiest plant, another plant has one or two, as well, all new this morning.
then a height reference picture and all 4 of my first grow from the side. I cut some fan leaves off of every plant with varying degrees of agressiveness. Of the 4 plants, “miney” is the only one I’m just leaving alone to grow as it will. No fimming, no exfoliation , thats the one in the back left in this picture.
I think she is showing her sex.
