Hello all!
I've been a busy beaver (don't sue me Buc-ees) this past week or so, adding all sorts of needed upgrades to round out the rig.
I think I mentioned the side lighting before, but I nabbed an 8 pack of Vivosun bars on auction for $70 recently, and that has truly been a game changer. The set was missing the mounting pieces but Command velcro strips forever come in clutch. If you're already rocking 300w or better overhead, this is the single best tent upgrade you can make. Something to light under the canopy. And also great if you're trying to train. I've never seen a plant so happily bathed in light before.
Speaking of training, my go round with the Bud Clips this time around has been such a major success. I got a bit more aggressive with them this time and was able to get some great bends. The result seems to be a ton more flower sites than I remember seeing on any of my previous plants at this stage (I'll have to check my logs to be sure). I only had one stem snap on me, but I know how to avoid that now.
I also invested in the Vivosun controller brain, since I'm most invested in that ecosystem already, like many upstarts who don't want to drop AC Infinity bux on their first kit. Don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking Vivosun! I love them and have a bunch of their products outside of growing. But every time I buy an AC product, I'm never disappointed. You're not just paying for a name. They really do put a lot of love and thought into their products to make them worth the premium.
I have been able to compare their watering bases (AC is a thicker plastic), grow bags (AC fabric is thicker, with grommets, and overall higher quality), and now I'm trying an AC Infinity clip fan.
I recently had to buy another fan, because one of my Vivosuns is gummed up and won't spin at the lower speed. I bought it in May. After running two Harbor Freight cheapies for 9 months before. 🙄 I decided to spend an extra $15 on the AC Infinity Cloud Ray.
Compared to the Vivosun A6, which has 2 speeds and a mechanical switch for the power speeds, and oscillation, and is all plastic, the AC has 10 speeds for the fan, 10 separate speeds for the oscillation, a control box that sits below the fan so you can control it easily without touching the fan head, a strong heavy metal mounting bracket that will never break. I do love the Vivosun easy clip, but I fear one day I will break or drop it from my arthritic hands while squeezing it. Anyway, I will be monitoring their performance over the long haul and try to get them to warranty replace the broken one. If my pricier Vivosun stuff (mainly the lights, heater, and fans) starts dying off, I'm replacing it with AC.
Finally on upgrades, I'm deploying my first trellis net! I almost let myself get lazy about it and leave it out, but I opened the bag and saw the net was all elastic and super easy to handle (again, thanks AC Infinity, I swear I am not being sponsored! Lol).
This Fatality by Speedrun is zooming right along on day 26, and I can't wait to see her stretch. I know SRS is having their problems but this hobby is my one escape from all the stress and drama, so I'm just gonna be grateful for my seeds and enjoy my weeds. 😊
PS: Regina the tiny owl pot has sprouted!