# Grow journal

> A grow journal is a dated record of a grow, with photos, environment, feeding, problems and results, used to learn, share and prove what happened.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/grow-journal.html
- Also written: grow diary, grow log, grow journals, grow diaries, journal
- Glossary category: Grower slang and culture
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

A grow journal (grow diary, grow log) is a running record of one grow: what was planted, when, in what medium and system, under what light and climate, what was fed, what went wrong, and what came out at harvest.

## In practice

A useful entry has a date, a photo, the stage, and numbers: air temperature and [RH](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/relative-humidity.md) (or [VPD](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/vpd.md)), light intensity in [µmol/m²/s](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/ppfd.md), [feed EC](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/input-ec.md) in [mS/cm](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/ms-cm.md) and [pH](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/ph.md), any runoff readings, and actions taken. The final entries record dry weight, cure notes and, ideally, lab results. Journals from many growers on the same line are the closest thing to field-trial data most cultivars ever get.

On GenetixBay the journal is central: entries are timestamped and tied to the plant's and batch's [GB-IDs](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/gb-id.md), documented grows earn rewards, and a member's keeper with a strong journal can be nominated for community breeding. Yield and potency numbers by themselves never earn rewards; documentation does.

## Don't confuse with

- **Smoke report**: the tasting write-up at the end, one part of a journal.
- **Breeding records**: pollination dates and parent IDs; a breeder's journal includes them.

## Related terms

[GB-ID](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/gb-id.md), [Smoke report](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/smoke-report.md), [Bay Trials](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bay-trials.md), [Dry weight](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/dry-weight.md)

## Read more

- [How to document lineage evidence (GB-ID evidence levels L0-L4)](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/documenting-lineage-evidence.md)
- [Your first grow: a plan from seed to jar](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/basics/first-grow-guide.md)