Chronicles of Cultivation

GG4 The Flip

Flipped these GG4 clones Friday, and man... I’m really stepping into this run with a new mindset. Not chasing numbers, not tryna flood the tent with weight—I'm chasing quality, consistency, and that connection to the grow.

Last run was humbling. Taught me the real value of patience. That loud don't mean nothin' if it ain't clean. Learned that lesson the slow way—but I’m better for it.

Now, let’s talk automation. Folks think it’s just about skipping hand-watering. Nah. I swear these plants know when it’s time now. Like lights on, they’re ready. Leaves perked, energy different. It's like they got their own rhythm—and I’m just tryna match the beat. Might sound crazy to some, but real ones know what I mean.

Only thing bugging me right now is the runoff—feels like I’m watering the floor more than the roots some days. I know I won’t be fully dialed until I get that crop steering setup in place. But until then, I’m tweaking, adjusting, reading the leaves, and doing my best to keep waste low and vibes high.

This ain’t just a grow. This is growth.

FmSwayze said:

GG4 The Flip

Flipped these GG4 clones Friday, and man... I’m really stepping into this run with a new mindset. Not chasing numbers, not tryna flood the tent with weight—I'm chasing quality, consistency, and that connection to the grow.

Last run was humbling. Taught me the real value of patience. That loud don't mean nothin' if it ain't clean. Learned that lesson the slow way—but I’m better for it.

Now, let’s talk automation. Folks think it’s just about skipping hand-watering. Nah. I swear these plants know when it’s time now. Like lights on, they’re ready. Leaves perked, energy different. It's like they got their own rhythm—and I’m just tryna match the beat. Might sound crazy to some, but real ones know what I mean.

Only thing bugging me right now is the runoff—feels like I’m watering the floor more than the roots some days. I know I won’t be fully dialed until I get that crop steering setup in place. But until then, I’m tweaking, adjusting, reading the leaves, and doing my best to keep waste low and vibes high.

This ain’t just a grow. This is growth.

Click to expand...

Any room in your automation we can design an off when runoff starts? I have been planning this automation for my own larger tent. The moving the plants to train has me stuck with hoses and wires going to pots.
Might be easier to just keep working on my robot.....

Jimski said:

Any room in your automation we can design an off when runoff starts? I have been planning this automation for my own larger tent. The moving the plants to train has me stuck with hoses and wires going to pots.
Might be easier to just keep working on my robot.....

Click to expand...

Don't stop building the robot! Lol

I use runoff trays and basically vac the runoff. I don't have a condensate pump hooked up yet. Check this link out, may be something you'd like. https://www.thebucketcompany.com/pr...OmAbrY8OqVcs4-0VSitJYgUs_IhOkibcHwX7YKQ1nwi6x

FmSwayze said:

Don't stop building the robot! Lol

I use runoff trays and basically vac the runoff. I don't have a condensate pump hooked up yet. Check this link out, may be something you'd like. https://www.thebucketcompany.com/pr...OmAbrY8OqVcs4-0VSitJYgUs_IhOkibcHwX7YKQ1nwi6x

Click to expand...

I do not feed until substantial runoff and check ec or ph. I do not want a wet bottom on the plants is all. I use the water or nute drips to catalog water useage and look for problems with the media. I would like an off sensor to shut off automation for resource savings especially these foop nutes.
The problem is that 2 plants with same media and same enviroment still had vastly different water and feed needs. Then when one side of one plant went hydro repellent on me no single sensor idea I can come up will get me an off signal that would work, only if the grow stays perfect and well thats not gunna happen for me.
I use the 2 quart plates with a raised screen. Its the wicking bases without the wicks.
Good idea I just have to refine it. Also been thinking about plants on individual scales and having a weight data point. I think that would help with watering feeding and growth.

Jimski said:

I do not feed until substantial runoff and check ec or ph. I do not want a wet bottom on the plants is all. I use the water or nute drips to catalog water useage and look for problems with the media. I would like an off sensor to shut off automation for resource savings especially these foop nutes.
The problem is that 2 plants with same media and same enviroment still had vastly different water and feed needs. Then when one side of one plant went hydro repellent on me no single sensor idea I can come up will get me an off signal that would work, only if the grow stays perfect and well thats not gunna happen for me.
I use the 2 quart plates with a raised screen. Its the wicking bases without the wicks.
Good idea I just have to refine it. Also been thinking about plants on individual scales and having a weight data point. I think that would help with watering feeding and growth.

Click to expand...

What is substantial? I have 2 Gallon rain science bags with straight coco-water until I get 1L to 1.5L of runoff everyday. I use Jack's 321 so it's not too expensive compared to others. My pump comes on 3 times during lights on. I like good runoff, probably a waste but whatever.

They have the soil sensor that measure soil ec/ph and moisture. Like I said above that's really dialing in and crop steering-and yes the system will control your water based on metrics you set.

You should check out Green Genes Garden on YouTube. Ive been following that dude for years and he provides all of information about what you talking about. I don't plan on crop steering until my grow room is done.

Jimski said:

The problem is that 2 plants with same media and same enviroment still had vastly different water and feed needs

Click to expand...

This is why monocrop is king. Multiple strains/phenos in 1 tent is a tragedy. I think alot of us have forgot what waiting on the weed man is like. Or getting some brick weed sprayed with God knows what is like. I have a 2x4 and I'm harvesting more smoke than any 2 decent human beings can consume before the next harvest is ready.

FmSwayze said:

This is why monocrop is king. Multiple strains/phenos in 1 tent is a tragedy. I think alot of us have forgot what waiting on the weed man is like. Or getting some brick weed sprayed with God knows what is like. I have a 2x4 and I'm harvesting more smoke than any 2 decent human beings can consume before the next harvest is ready.

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I am going to be much better prepared this next run. Much more controllable enviroment in a smaller space with drywall and doors between my grow and the rest of the house. The big change is the three door tent. I could not maintain the plants in that little space. I also can adjust 2 of the lights for hight. I will always run same strain and hope after a while to be able to find what I like and clone.

Jimski said:

I am going to be much better prepared this next run. Much more controllable enviroment in a smaller space with drywall and doors between my grow and the rest of the house. The big change is the three door tent. I could not maintain the plants in that little space. I also can adjust 2 of the lights for hight. I will always run same strain and hope after a while to be able to find what I like and clone.

Click to expand...

I feel that. That was goal with this current run, growing inside a tent inside of a bigger tent Essentially is tough! Lol especially trying to control the variables. Your growing has improved drastically, really shows your dedication to getting it right.

Clones are another cheat code for us home growers. Seeds are cool and a great way to get in the game.

First net down

Today we took off the restraints and dropped our first net. This step always comes with a few broken branches—don’t let that throw you off. Just keep moving with the process.

As you can see in the photo, we’re definitely not short on branches. Still figuring out the rhythm with clones, and I let these veg too long. Lesson learned.

This first net now becomes our pruning guide. Everything at or below the net will be cut. It might seem like a heavy hand, but trust me—we’ll still end up with plenty of solid bud sites.

And yeah, I know these updates run a little long sometimes. That’s on purpose. I’m working on my voice-over flow for future vlogs, so thanks for rolling with me.

Quick check-in: first net’s doing its job, canopy’s flat and right where we want it heading into flower. Second net going in soon to manage those eager tops.

Lights are now at 265w total—likely holding there through stretch, maybe longer depending on how the plants respond.

These 2-gallon Rain Science bags are housing some monsters. Hard to believe they were in root riot plugs just 4 weeks ago. Unreal growth.

Clone timing is still a work in progress, but I’m thinking next set gets cut around week 5 of flower.

2nd Net and Defoliation

We’re rolling through Week 2 like a freight train, baby! I’m a firm believer that having a plan—any plan—is better than none. Even a bad plan can be adjusted. But no plan? That’s just chaos.

Originally, I planned to prune and defoliate on Day 21, like most folks do. But with the way this unexpected growth exploded, we had to pivot and knock that out early on Day 12. I know there's a lot of opinions out there on timing, but I’m not sure how many are truly backed by data. At the end of the day, most of us are home growers—some more advanced than others—but we’re all chasing the same goal.

These entries are really aimed at the window shopper or the novice grower. Because even when things don’t go exactly to plan, you can still steer the ship and come out on top—sometimes even better than expected.

After the haircut, the plants bounced back hard. It’s like they didn’t miss a beat heading into the peak of the stretch. Lights are still holding steady at 265 watts, averaging around 38k lux across the canopy. It’s a full house in there, so I’m staying on top of pruning and selective defoliation—more than I’ve ever done in a grow before.

The automated watering has everything running in high gear. I’m dreaming about adding some kind of crop steering system down the road, though those units run about a grand each... still, never say never.

Also been researching bar-style lights for a 2x4 grow space—my preferred setup. Not a ton of great options out there, but I’d definitely recommend this size to anyone looking for an intimate grow space without all the back pain and hassle.