[Advanced] - The Basics of Crop Steering

[Grumpy Toad]

Looking at your grow this method seems to be paying rewards. I think this is like a lot of things you learn. It seems overwhelming at first but if you keep at it the pieces fall into place. Thanks for your work in sharing this info.

BTW...I believe that any and all input you give (or don't give) your plants is some form of crop steering. Not that it is all necessarily for the better. YMMV. Peace, Toad

[ncrypta.core]

Looking at your grow this method seems to be paying rewards. I think this is like a lot of things you learn. It seems overwhelming at first but if you keep at it the pieces fall into place. Thanks for your work in sharing this info.

BTW...I believe that any and all input you give (or don't give) your plants is some form of crop steering. Not that it is all necessarily for the better. YMMV. Peace, Toad

Thanks my friend. Still learning as going get a vwc sensor next year so can sail it in fully . The basic way to think about it is p1 you feed till run the p2 just keeping it top up p3 is no feeding

Gen you just double your p1 shot example in veg you’ll be like 2% so in gen be 4% of your pot size

1l = 1000ml
2% of 1000 = 20
4% = 40

Other example you wanted 12% dryback and feed 2% in p1 of this 1l pot, so youd do 12 divided by 2 = how many irrigation events so 12/2=6

P1 feed 6 time

As a 12% dryback would be 120ml. 12% of 1000=120ml
6 feed at 2% = 120ml

Easy peasy. Could talk about this or vpd till cows come home.


Everything you do in a grow is a form of crop steering

Will try keep this stuff updated

[ncrypta.core]

[2-Scoops]

I believe that any and all input you give (or don't give) your plants is some form of crop steering

Yes i agree with you to an extent, i mean topping a plant i would class as CS but i suppose theirs different kinds, basically you could say its a big wide bracket that i would think lots of diff training and steering techniques come under, possibly anyhow .

[ncrypta.core]

A bit of a deeper dive into irrigation for crop steering

https://youtu.be/Zk9mLprssyY

[ncrypta.core]

[Keeno]

Ive made this a sticky @ncrypta.core. Very good thread.

[ncrypta.core]

@Keeno well I’m shock I managed to have 2 sticky threads

Here is square one genetics/Robin hood crop steering procedure

Veg:
GMV=Grow Medium Volume
RIE=Recurring Irrigation Events

These numbers are based off of a 1 gallon container of Coco. And remember, they are only a starting point to work from and they are not absolute.

For the first week of veg, I recommend watering by hand and letting the coco dry back twice, going from runoff to a light container. Only water again when the container has lost about 50% of the fully saturated weight and water until runoff once it has dried back. After 2 drybacks you can start watering more frequently and hook up your automatic watering system.

Gmv x Shot % = Shot Volume
(IE 4600ml x 5% = 230ml)

Dryback % ÷ Shot Volume = RIE

(IE 30 ÷ 5 = 6 Irrigation events)

100ml shots (4600 x 2.18%)
RIC = 4.58 events
(10% dryback 2.18% shot volume)
Light Cycle 18/6
*Lights on*
82-86F 74-76% humidity
*Lights off*
77-82F 72-74% humidity
-Irrigation Start 0-1hr after light on
-Irrigation Stop 0 to 2 hrs before lights off


Flower:

*Early Bloom (long dryback)
200ml shots (4600 x 4.35%)
6m 13s each shot
0.75 shot is 4m 39s
RIE = 5.75 events
(25% Dryback 4.35% Shot Volume)
Light Cycle 12/12
Lights on
79-81F 68-72% humidity
Lights off
76-80F 66-68% humidity
-Irrigation Start 2-4 hrs after lights on
-Irrigation Stop 3-4 hrs before lights off

*Mid Bloom (Vegetative style)
100ml shots (4600 x 2.18%)
3m 10s each shot
0.88 shot is 2m 47s
RIE =6.88 events
(15% dryback 2.18% Shot Volume)
Light Cycle 11/13
Lights on
76-78f 65-71% humidity
Lights off
73-75f 52-60% humidity
-Irrigation Start 0-1hr after lights on
-Irrigation Stop 0-2 hrs before lights off

*Late Bloom (generative style)
200ml shots (4600 x 4.35%)
RIC = 5.75 events (3 for last run)
(25% dryback 4.35% Shot Volume)
Light Cycle 11/13
Lights on
74-77f 50-55% humidity
Lights off
68-70f 50-55% humidity
-Irrigation Start 2-4 hrs after lights on
-Irrigation Stop 3-4 hrs before lights off

*Last week (generative style)
200ml shots (4600 x 4.35%)
RIE = 5.75 events/but likely less as the plants rate of consumption will have slowed greatly. It's usually around 3 events for me.
(25% dryback 4.35% Shot Volume)
Light Cycle 10/14
Lights on
70-72f 50-55% humidity
Lights off
63-65f 50-55% humidity
-Irrigation Start 2-4 hrs after lights on
-Irrigation Stop 3-4 hrs before lights off

[elsifto]

Greetings @ncrypta.coreawesome post, full of precise data and formulas, hats off.

May be you can help me a little bit or at least point me in the right direction, I’m about to run my first crop, I’m an extractor with the need of cultivate my own input material, due to a matter of cost improvement in my final product.

At the moment I don’t have everything that I need to dial the environment to run coco/perlite, so I decided to use promixHP+ (70% peat-moss, 30% perlite, lyme, biostimulant and mycorrhizae) due to its forgivingness, I don’t have AC, I have COB, SMD bars, and quantum boards, but I’m about to switch to 1000W MH 6500K, with cool tube reflectors supplemented by T8 UV lights, the heat will be vent out with 8” extractor, I have the perfect conditions for the vegetative stage, but not for the generative stage, because of the high temps at my basement, with the COB LED lights on, the temp range is 88-90F, but I’m thinking about to build a geothermal heat exchanger for the small 5x11x7 room.

I’m happy with the change on the lighting system, my aim is to farm for quality, big trichome heads, instead of big big flowers.
I need to figure out the my dryback needs according on the substrate choice, which I would like to modify so it can dry faster.

I’ve read about brothers working with peat-moss/perlite at 50/50 proportion, but also Roots Organics pointed me that the cationic exchange will drop by doing that change in the proportion of peat-moss.

On the other side, I found that if I add the 10% of zeolite, it will improve the cationic exchange, balancing the change in the proportion of the peat-moss, but I also would like to add 10% of coarse pumice to add o2 to the rootball, but I’m not sure how this switch will affect my dryback cycles, maybe I’m just adding more moisture to the equation. I’m basing this idea on this publication:
https://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?sc ... 8000200045

I’m working with 5Gal fabric pots with 2Gal of substrate looking for flatter and wider area than the 3Gal pots looking to improve the evaporation.

I understand that you are working with coco, which I also have on mind to work with it, but the circumstances force me to run a low-tech SOP.

Could you please share me your thoughts about this experiment?
I’m yet still lots to learn.

With gratitude..... thanks for your time.

[ncrypta.core]

@elsifto Thanks for reaching out! It sounds like you’re diving deep into crop steering, and I’m impressed with your attention to detail.

Substrate Choice & Dryback: Your plan to adjust the peat-moss/perlite ratio for better dryback control aligns well with your goals. Just keep in mind that while adding zeolite improves cation exchange, it might also hold more moisture, affecting your dryback cycles. Starting with a small adjustment and observing the impact is a smart move.

Lighting & Environment: Switching to the 1000W MH with cool tube reflectors should help manage temperatures better, which is crucial for steering the crop effectively. If you can’t implement the geothermal heat exchanger immediately, try optimizing your ventilation to help control temps during the generative stage.

Crop Steering Focus: Since you’re aiming for quality trichome production, dialing in your dryback and environmental factors is key. Your adjustments to pot size and substrate should support this, but be prepared to fine-tune as you go. Monitoring how these changes affect your plant responses will guide you in steering the crop more effectively.

Have you thought about getting an ecowitt wh51 sensor to Monitor your dryback as they are quite cheap?

May re edit this

Have great day my friend