An often overlooked detail, and yet a very important detail of your personal grow is your data log. At a minimum you should be using a Min/Max Thermometer/Hygrometer to track the daily values. You will be surprised at what this can tell you. Take the following picture for example.
Remember the ideal conditions: Temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees. Relative humidity (Rh) between 55% and 65%. The far right three columns are Rh and middle three are dual readings for two temperature zones. Do you see the issues?
That’s right, on 8/16 my temperature was higher than normal (although still in the tolerable range). Seeing this allowed me to quickly identify a ventilation leak that was trapping hot air from my AC.
Check out that Rh as well. That’s running high, which befuddled me for a couple weeks. I had a dehumidfier, so what gives? Well, as it turns out, once I added live plants and moist soil to the system, the dehumidifier had a hard time keeping up. After repeated changes and investigations I finally realized that the dehumidifier was set to economy mode, which prevented it from keeping up in the more humid environment.
I have the luxury of painting a chalkboard on my wall and can keep a couple weeks of data up at a time. This allows for me to watch for breaks in trends which pop out like sore thumbs because the data is clearly visible. As you can see, it doesn’t have to be a high tech database solution or spreadsheet. The data just needs to be tracked and examined from time to time.
I recommend setting up your space and tracking these numbers before you put any plants in the space. Watch the numbers shift when you add moist soil, and then living plants as well. Facinating!
Finally, I also track other details about individual cultivarA cultivated variety, often mistakenly called a 'strain.' More (strain) characteristics like; how long does cloning take, how long does flowering take, how much stretch occurs in the first two week of flower, etc. This helps you get to know the plants you grow and how they react in the space you have set up for them. This effort will go a long way toward making you a better cultivator.
$5 Data System Upgrade:
Whatever you decide to track, labeling for your plants should not absorb water. Otherwise, it can and will eventually harbor mold or mildew. The solution?
Vinyl folders or dividers can be had in a variety of colors and very inexpensively. One folder can make a couple dozen small labels. They’re durable, water proof, easily cleaned, and you’re now only a legend away from keeping it all straight.
Happy Harvests!
–The Lit Farmer–
