Ethos Mandarin Cookies R1 V1 (Clones)

Just picked up these clones from a local hydroponic's store that's owned by a friend of mine. He gave me 9 rooted clones in Jiffy Coco Plugs

Week 2 was simple. Transplanted the rooted clones in to 500ml plastic cups (Clear - helps to see how the roots are developing) Used unattended coco perlite 70/30 mix and Inoculated with GHF BioEnhancer as well as foliar feeding. Just tried to be gentle and turned the wattage down on my ballast to 250W. Getting the ladies cozy and comfortable in their new environment.

Week 3 - Transplant to fabric pots Transplanted the ladies in to 17L fabric pots. Used GHF BioGrow and BioBloom in a 2:1 ratio 1g per L to unamended coco-perlite (70/30) mix with extra worm castings. Turned the wattage up on my ballasts to 400W each. The ladies have finally settled in their final pots and the are happy in their new environment. I also performed LST by tucking fan leaves and softly pinching and bending some of the bud sites.

End of Week 4 Trying to make sure the soil stays nice and moist to keep the microbes happy and letting the top 3 cm of the topsoil dry before each watering. . Turned the wattage up on my ballasts to 600W each. The ladies have gained some strength and they can handle the extra wattage. I also performed LST by tucking fan leaves and softly pinching and bending some of the bud sites also used some tie downs and topped here and there whilst keeping the stress at a minimal.

End of Week 5 Brewed a nice veg-specific compost tea and the ladies loved it. Trying to make sure the soil stays nice and moist to keep the microbes happy and letting the top 3 cm of the topsoil dry before each watering. The ladies have gained some momentum and they're growing at a rapid pace . I also performed some HST by tucking fan leaves and softly pinching and bending some of the stems to open up the canopy whilst keeping the stress at a minimal. Pest Report: Didn't have much issues up until now... I noticed about 5-10 tiny little thrips on some of the leaves and I applied an organic microbial insecticide (Agro Organics Bio-Insek, Google it!) that seems to have taken care of the problem. Now I will apply it weekly to make sure those buggers are ELIMINATED.

End of Week 6 Added CO2 with regulator and controller! Added the trellis net to spread out the canopy and get more even light to bud sites. The ladies have lost some momentum and they're drinking less because of the pest issue. Although they should be growing faster because of the CO2 supplementation I'm sure when the thrips are gone they will explode. I also performed some HST by removing fan leaves and softly pinching and bending some of the stems to open up the canopy whilst keeping the stress at a minimal. Pest Report: Still fighting the thrips... Every time I spray Bio-Insek and Xterminator (Agro-Organics) it deals with the problem for a few days until the eggs and larvae that the thrips left behind hatch and start munching on the plants again. The ladies are strong and healthy and get a slight wilt when I haven't sprayed IPM for a few days this tells me that its not a major issue but I need to get rid of them especially because I want to flip to flower soon. It seems that the problem is under control. Now I will apply it weekly to make sure those buggers are ELIMINATED.

End of Week 7 CO2 is definitely increasing growth rates but also changes the game with controlling your environment now that it has to be sealed in order to not waste CO2 unnecessarily. You change one thing and it adds many other variables to keep everything in check. I am learning everyday and that's why I grow. The trellis net is doing its job and the canopy is looking nice and even. I also added a soil top-up and top dress of some BioBloom and Mycorhizae so it can start breaking down before I flip to flower next week (Slow release dry organic amendments). And the ladies are using up nutrients in the soil much faster because of the added CO2 (another variable to take into consideration - faster growth = faster nutrient consumption) In detail: -Carefully removed trellis netting -Ammended each plant individually with my soil mixture and nutrients -Placed them back in the tent -Reinstalled trellis netting and trained the ladies to shape Pest Report: Thrips VS Ladybugs... I decided to fight fire with fire - I purchased Swirski-Mites from Koppert (They are beneficial insects that feed on the eggs and larvae of thrips and other unwanted pests). As for the adult thrips - I got very lucky and found about 10 Ladybugs in my garden and decided to introduce them into my grow room as they will feed on adult thrips and any other unwanted pests. I did not spray any insecticide this week and it really seems like the ladies are happy with my new method of bio-warfare and are wilting less and less often

End of Week 8 (First week of flower) Increased the CO2 to 1200ppm and the ladies love it, already started stretching within the first 3 days of flower which shows that CO2 definitely boosts the grow cycle of cannabis. The main top-sites are popping up everywhere and everything looks evenly spread out. I defoliated again because the fan leaves are growing so fast and blocking bud sites. I also did one last lower canopy maintenance and removed small and stalky bud sites and stems below the trellis net to make sure I get maximum energy distribution to the main colas. I also added some GHF BioEnhancer to make sure the soil-microbes are happy and that the plants reach their maximum potential. Pest Report: EXTERMINATED! Thrips VS Ladybugs VS Neem Oil... I decided to fight fire with fire - I purchased Swirski-Mites from Koppert (They are beneficial insects that feed on the eggs and larvae of thrips and other unwanted pests). As for the adult thrips - I got very lucky and found about 10 Ladybugs in my garden and decided to introduce them into my grow room as they will feed on adult thrips and any other unwanted pests. Then to be extra sure I know that neem oil hinders the life cycle of pests like thrips causing them to stop colonising in my grow room. So I sprayed the ladies every day during the dark period to make sure there are no pests that I or the Ladybugs have missed. Mission accomplished. No more wilting and definitely no more thrips.

End of Week 9 (Second week of flower) Increased the CO2 to 1300ppm and the ladies have stopped stretching. The main top-sites are starting to form buds. I defoliated a few fan leaves again because the fan leaves are growing so fast and blocking bud sites I also gave a cup of worm castings as a top-up to each pot to give the microbes a boost and it replenishes vital minerals to the soil. Pest Report: None

End of Week 10 (Third week of flower) The ladies are frosting up slightly and there are trichomes developing on the fan leaves, this can only mean that they are happy, the genetics are fire and that we are in for a treat! The main top-sites are swelling up by the day. Trying to keep the training to a bare minimum and ONLY removing fan leaves that are blocking bud sites. The lower part of the canopy is denser than I would have liked but I do not want to stress the plants too much by removing it at all. I will now try to keep a cooler average temperature in the following couple of weeks to promote healthy flower development and hopefully bring out some beautiful colours - and also keep the relative humidity lower to ensure that the plants aren't susceptible to mould and mildew. Pest Report: None

End of Week 11 (Fourth week of flower) The ladies are frosting up more and more by the day and there are trichomes everywhere! I Added about 8g per plant of GHF BioBloom and a cup of worm castings a small final feed to make sure the ladies have what they need to grow big dense buds. And increased the CO2 to 1400ppm and in 2 weeks time I will cut the CO2. The main top-sites are bulking up more and I am very happy with the inter-nodal spacing as well as the bud formation. Trying to keep the training to a bare minimum and ONLY removing fan leaves that are blocking bud sites. I have been keeping a cooler average temperature - and also keeping the relative humidity lower. Pest Report: None

End of Week 12 (Fifth week of flower) The ladies are smelling reDANKulous and are so frosty and sticky I can't remove fan leaves without getting my hands sticky. Next level terpene profiles. I did a final increase in CO2 to 1500ppm. The main top-sites are taking shape. I have been keeping a cooler average temperature - and also keeping the relative humidity lower. Pest Report: None

End of Week 13 (6 week of flower) Cruise control on! Trying to make sure the environment is 100% in check, and I made a very light compost tea with some molasses and worm castings and a little bit of bone meal just to give them a calcium boost and some extra sugars so they can flourish into their final couple of weeks of flower. I have been keeping a cooler average temperature - and also keeping the relative humidity lower. Pest Report: None

End of Week 14 (7th week of flower) Cruise control still on. Smooth sailing till the end. Because this is a fully organic grow there is no need for a leaching flush, all I'm doing is giving the ladies PH correct water from now until harvest to naturally deplete the soil from nutrients and flush out the soil slowly this will help bring out some colours as the ladies use up the remaining nutrients stored in their leaves as they reach the end of their life cycle. I have been keeping a cooler average temperature - and also keeping the relative humidity lower. Pest Report: None

End of Week 15 (8th week of flower) Still cruising, everything has been running very smoothly and the smell is just undoubtedly off the charts. The ladies are showing off some colour and are fading naturally bringing out hues of orange and purple. I also noticed that the leaves and buds closest to the lights are showing significantly more colour that the ones that are further away. The colas are also getting heavy and there are some side colas that are hanging and needed to be reinforced to keep them upright. (This is a good thing obviously) I know I said I would start the flush (not giving any more nutrients/top-ups) but I decided to give them a small dose of Boom Bloom just to give the ladies that final boost. I boosted them in the middle of the week and the flush has begun after that. Only water from now until harvest. Pest Report: None Smell Report: HEAVEN

End of Week 15 (8th week of flower) I have stopped the CO2 supplementation for this week and onwards as the plants naturally slow down photosynthesis and it is not needed during the last 2 weeks of flower. Also raised the lights by 5cm to make sure the trichomes don't get damaged and also dropped the RH and temperatures even more than last week, and surely the colours are becoming more and more vibrant as the ladies are fading into their autumn shades. Feeding just water since middle last week, all I'm doing is giving the ladies PH correct water until harvest to naturally deplete the soil from nutrients and flush out the soil slowly this will help bring out even more colours as the ladies use up the remaining nutrients stored in their leaves as they reach the end of their life cycle. Pest Report: None Smell Report: Staaaaanky!

End of Week 16 (9th week of flower) Final week of flower. Turned the lights wattage down at the end of this week to 400W to mimmic the sun moving further away from the earth during Autumn and Winter seasons. This also creates an overall cooler temperature signalling to the ladies that the end is in sight. This also protects the trichomes and ensures they don't get damaged and also dropped the The ladies are fading more and more into their vibrant autumn shades. With hues of pink and purple that makes me so excited! Feeding just PH correct water until harvest, which is around the corner. We are currently on day 63 of flower and checked the trichomes - just a few specs of amber and the cloudy trichomes are more prominent although there are still some clear ones. We will push to harvest within the next couple of days, around day 67-69 Pest Report: None Smell Report: Staaaaanky!