Northern Lights x Big Bud Auto

Kaiydaan is in her first week of Veg. Her sisters will be planted this evening and will have a little catching up to do. I've had a 60% germination success rate, 3 out of 5 seeds have germinated. My anxiety has been put at ease because WeedSeedsExpress replaces any seeds that don't germinate. I am so excited about this grow. 1st time with a professional setup, 1st time Autoflower. Let's Go! 😜 **UPDATE** Heat wave the last couple of days. We were pushing mid 90's in the tent, but a bit of cardboard, tape, AC, inline fan, & ducting, we were able to drop the temp to 80f and less. The AC unit also keeps the humidity steady around 40%.

Into the 2nd week now and all is smooth sailing, fingers crossed. I will focus mainly on the first seed to germinate, "Kaiydaan". The other 2 I will update you on periodically, they too are growing nicely. June 15, 2021 Started LST on Kaiydaan and she seems she will take to it well. I am going to perform "Extreme LST" as I like to call it. This will keep her low and wide open, for a lot longer. Weed Seeds Express is absolutely DYNAMITE! I had 2 seeds that did not germinate, They replaced the entire order, not just the 2 seeds! I was hesitant with my first purchase with WSE, despite the wonderful reviews and accolades. I was quickly shown my worries were for naught, they are a legitimate seed bank with stellar genetics. On top of that, they guarantee their seeds 100% and shipping is super speedy.

I'm still giving the crop pH'd tap water as their soil is Roots Organic Original and was amended with 4-4-4, 4-12-0, and worm castings. June 19, 2021 I'm using very light defoliation on Kaiydaan. I will pin or bend fan leaves out of the way whenever possible. I am applying "Extreme LST" or "ELST" as I like to call it. This will keep Kaiydaan, low and open allowing her to receive all that good light, longer. She will also have a more even canopy from the start. This is applied theory, but in a "standard"🌺 garden, not Cannabis, so we shall see what happens 🤝🏾together! "J" the 2nd plant to germinate, was FIM'd or I refer to the procedure as a "Flat Top" or "Buzz Cut" this morning. I hope the cut is proper. I will apply "ELST" to her as well.

I've upgraded my lighting situation to the Mars Hydro TSW 2000. Boy what a difference a day makes, this light is awesome! The plants are absolutely loving it. Now that I've freed up the 3 generic 100w LED's, I am going to germinate one more NLxBB and convert an old desk into a grow space. June 24, 2021 I've amended the soil for Kaiydaan with 4-4-4, 4-12-0, 3-5-6, and worm castings. I've also watered her with Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses water. 2 tsp. per gallon, every 7 days, to start. "Freeman, the latter of the 3 plants to germinate was Topped and Stripped for manifolding. I'm using 3 training methods on the 3 individual plants... LST only on Kaiydaan, FIM'ing and LST on "J", and Topping, FIMing and Manifolding on "Freeman" June 27, 2021 I added 1 of the generic 100w LED lights to the tent. So they're getting about 400w.

Kaiydaan started showing signs of Flowering early last week. A few stigmas, Pre-Flowering, but still more Vegetative. So I decided to consider this week "Flowering". She was popping stigmas before 21 days. So far these WeedSeedsExpress genetics have shown to be exceptional. I will be slowly reducing her Veg feedings and slowly working in Bloom nutrients. I feed very sparingly as the soil has been amended with all the good stuff, organically. I think my light may have been too close, so I raised it a couple of inches to 20". I'm not 100% sure it was too close, but it's better to be safe than sorry. July 1, 2021 Little calyxes have started showing all over Kaiydaan. Kaiydaan has really breezed into Flowering without any hiccups *knock on wood. July 2, 2021 I did some tucking-of-the-leaves and some mild LST on the entire crop. I had to tuck one of Kaiydaan's taller tops. I snapped one of her other tops, but quickly got her into 🚑Urgent Care and she's as right as rain. July 3, 2021 That main top, I tucked on Kaiydaan, has turned right back up and has put on some height. Trichomes are starting to pop and the leaves are sticky. She still has no smell or none that I've noticed. July 5, 2021 I'm still dialing back the Veg nutrients on Kaiydaan and Freeman. J is still vegging strong, very light defoliation as she is ALL tops. We're only 1 month away until My Freeman's birthday! July 6, 2021 I just watered the girls, they're not big drinkers yet, a liter every 3 days. J seems to be a different Pheno from the rest. Her leaves have more texture and she appears to be all tops (likely due to the FIM'ing she underwent) and she is over a week behind Kaiydaan and Freeman.

Week 2 of 🌹Flowering and some of Kaiydaan's sugar leaves look as though, they've been dusted with Confectioner's sugar. She still has no smell that I can recognize, however, she has a citrus/pine scent when you rub her leaves between your fingers. "Freeman", the 3rd girl to sprout, 2nd girl to 🌼Flower, and the girl we were attempting to manifold, is growing in healthy and strong. We weren't able to manifold her, because she began to show signs of 🌻Flower when Kaiydaan did, WAY EARLY. Not wanting to shock her, we ceased all topping and stripping. So basically we're left with a topped Auto that was partially stripped below the 3rd node. I think "Freeman" could have withstood the ⚡shock of multiple toppings, but I rather not risk that theory on a first grow. "J" is still in full Veg well behind "Freeman" and "Kaiydaan". We are still feeding full Veg nutrients to "J" as we taper off "Freeman" and "Kaiydaan". I don't have bloom boosters so we will be relying on our organic amended soil and organic fertilizers to get us through Flower. July 8, 2021 I defoliated and rotated the crop. "Kaiydaan" and "J" are doing very well and are getting stickier with every passing day. July 12, 2021 Monday. Things are progressing. Not much change, no stretching. "J" is still in full Veg, weeks behind "Kaiydaan' & "Freeman" with no signs of moving into Flower. I don't believe she is a Photoperiod, but just a different Phenotype from the others.

July 15, 2021. "Kaiydaan's" buds just don't seem right. The stigmas are not long and wispy, have basically retracted, and new little sugar leaves are growing. I'm not sure what her deal is, she looks completely different from "Freeman". If you recall, "Freeman" germinated 4 days after "Kaiydaan" and looks as one would expect. If anyone has some experience with this, or if there's even a problem at all, let me know. I amended the soil on the 13th, by top dressing and haven't seen any change, good or 😨 bad. The lighting schedule was also changed to 19/5. July 17, 2021. "J" is still showing no signs of Flower, I'm intrigued. Gave the girls a decent watering yesterday, soaking thru with no 🏃‍♀️🏾 run off. I was doing this every 3 days or so, but I believe I may need to increase watering. July 18, 2021. It's apparent "J" is not an Autoflower, or at least is lacking the autoflowering gene. This is a problem,🙅‍♀️🏾 because I'm not set up for Photoperiods. We're going to turn these lemons 🍋 into lemonade, if possible. I've decided to take ✂️ cuttings from "J" and see if we can grow some clones. If the procedure is a success, I will start a separate diary. July 19, 2021. The cuttings ✂️ from "J" survived the night and are still perky and green. Fingers 🤞🏾 crossed! By looking at this grow, you would think I planted 3 different strains, but these all came from the same bag of @weedseedsexpress NL x BB Auto. They all received the same nutrients, watering, lighting schedule and environment. Are the genetics wildly unique? Unstable? Grower Error🤦‍♂️🏾? Hmmm, only time & experience may tell. July 20, 2021. The cuttings are still viable. Down to Earth's Alfalfa Meal came in today, on sale for $12 on Amazon. I plan on top dressing the crop with it today, before watering. 4:30pm I topped dressed and gave the girls a thorough watering this afternoon while lights out.

Welcome to the 8th Week! The girls are doing great! "J" is a thorn because she is not an Autoflower, but a Photoperiod. I am not equipped to handle Photoperiods. I don't have the lighting, ventilation, tent/grow space etc. If any companies out there have room to sponsor me, I can guarantee EXCELLENT promotion with Superb diary keeping. I top dressed the crop yesterday with Down to 🌎 Earth's Alfalfa Meal. We'll see how they like it in a few days. In their 7th week, they were top dressed with worm castings, 4-4-4, 4-12-0, and 3-5-6. July 22, 2021 I watered the girls thoroughly. July 23, 2021 Nothing new to report. July 24, 2021 Girls are excelling, nothing new to report. July 25, 2021 Watered the girls thoroughly. The Alfalfa Meal seems to be doing them good, nice color and perkiness. The Stigmas are popping back on Kaiydaan 🎉 and "Freeman" is getting frostier and juicier by the day. "J" is still happily vegging out, the cuttings we took from her are still alive! July 26, 2021. All is well, "Freeman" is sticky & frosty! Only a few weeks left! July 27, 2021. Still doing well. May water, I'll check & check back in.

Week 9! We're reaching the home stretch! I defoliated "J", heavily and super cropped her taller tops. She also is the only one to receive nutrients. The crop is still pretty hefty, so we'll water them 🌞 tomorrow. "J" is happy in her space and is content staying in Veg, indefinitely. I don't have the requirements to flip her into Flower and won't for quite some time, growing Photoperiods was not in the setup or budget. There is still no smell to speak of, except when you manipulate her, she gives off a citrus, pine aroma. This grow has been fairly easy going so far, no real issues to report. I'd like to thank 🙇‍♀️🏾 @WeedSeedsExpress and I look forward to growing their many different strains. Finally, let me apologize for the quality of my 📸 camera, or lack thereof. July 29, 2021, Thursday. I watered the crop thoroughly and rotated them. The girls (other than "J") are watered with pH'd tap water, that fluctuates between 6.2 & 6.4. July 30, 2021, Friday. Girls are chillin'. I'm really having a BLAST! I knew I was going to love cannabis cultivation, but this is something else. I've taken to it, like a 🦆 duck to water. I can't wait to see what more knowledge and experience will reveal. Anyone that's been on the fence about whether to grow or not, do it. Just go ahead and do it. Only thing I regret, is not being able to afford more 💡 lights and fans. Or if you want to grow vicariously, you can always sponsor me. July 31, 2021, Saturday. Everything is peachy. August 1, 2021, Sunday. I watered the girls today. I moved "J" into the "Veg Desk" and she seems to be adapting to her new environment quite nicely. Freeman's birthday is just days away! Freeman the person, not the plant. As I mentioned earlier in the diary, this grow has been in secret and is a surprise birthday present. I tell Freeman everything that happens in my life, so keeping this secret was a bit fun. I look forward to August 5, for the big reveal to Freeman! Stay tuned! August 2, 2021, Monday. Nothing to report. August 3, 2021, Tuesday. Watered the ladies thoroughly.

Welcome to Week 10! We're just a few short hours away from My Freeman's 🎂 birthday. Again, the person 👨‍🏫🏾 Freeman, not the plant. This entire grow has been a complete secret and he has no idea I've been growing. This is pretty awesome! Kaiydaan is still miles behind "Freeman", however, her calyxes are starting to slowly swell and the Stigmas are growing back exponentially by the day. Freeman was the last girl to pop and the 2nd to 🌹 flower, so I'm much impressed with her growth. "J" is still vegging out and is going to be part of a new series, "The Desk Diaries." There is no aroma to note, yet when you caress her buds or leaves, she gives off a pine/citrus bouquet.. August 5, 2021, Thursday. HAPPY 🎂 BIRTHDAY, FREEMAN! August 6, 2021, Friday. Freeman was quite surprised, he had no idea about the grows. Watered the ladies thoroughly. August 7, 2021, Saturday. No news to report. August 8, 2021, Sunday. No news. August 9, 2021, Monday. Today was my grandmother's 92nd birthday. August 10, 2021, Tuesday. Nothing new to report.

Week 11! We are closing in on the finish line! Now we wait and watch. The girls are being watered every other day or so, with pH'd tap water. August 12, 2021, Thursday. Nothing to report. August 13, 2021, Friday. Kaiydaan is developing slowly, her leaves are yellowing and growing in yellow and brittle. I'm not sure if she's going through her natural fade or is there some serious deficiencies/excesses. Her calyxes are barely swelling, Stigmas aren't very lush. If someone would like to weigh in here, I wouldn't mind. Aug. 14, 2021, Saturday. I watered the girls thoroughly. The digital handheld microscope came in, it needs a stand to get quality photos, but I will do what I can. Aug. 15. 2021, Sunday. "Freeman's" trichomes seem to be clouding up over the majority of her top buds, with flecks of Amber. Her lower buds are still developing and are gonna be a couple weeks behind. I'll monitor the trichomes and worst case scenario, we harvest in intervals. Experienced growers, feel free to chime in. Aug. 16, 2021, Monday. "Freeman's" top buds have the right combination of Milky/Amber trichomes, however, her lower buds that shot out from a side branch, that was missed during the Manifold process, are nowhere near ready. Aug. 17, 2021, Tuesday. Kaiydaan is creeping along and "Freeman" is right as she should be. I think it's time to throw Freeman into 48 hours of darkness, and then we'll harvest her top buds which are Milky/Cloudy and Amber. I decided given the amount of Milky/Cloudy/Amber ration to put "Freeman" into 48 hours of Darkness. "Freeman's" top buds are at their peak, so it's best to harvest in intervals. I will place "Freeman" back into the 2x2x4 to let her lower buds finish up. I converted a television entertainment center into a drying/curing space.

Week 12!! 🥂🎉 Kaiydaan is still just there, she's not making any big moves. "Freeman" is getting 48 hours of Darkness before getting her top chopped. Her buds on top are at it's peak, meanwhile her lower shoot is a couple of weeks behind in maturity. We will put "Freeman" back under lights after the Big Chop Aug. 19, 2021, Thursday. Nothing new to report. Aug. 20, 2021, Friday. I chopped "Freeman's" top and hung her to dry. Her wet weight is 119g. I placed what was remaining back in the tent to finish maturing. Aug. 21, 2021, Saturday. Freeman is doing well, she hasn't missed a beat. Kaiydaan is still taking her sweet time. Aug. 22, 2021, Sunday. Freeman is drying in the ideal environment. Hurricane Henry has raised the humidity to 60%! Awesome, because I don't have a humidifier. Aug. 23, 2021, Monday. I did a rough trim of "Freeman's" top by removing buds from the main stalk and removing larger fan leaves. A few of the buds that were in direct contact with the branch, are still moist. I will place the buds back into dry and will keep an eye. Thanks again to Hurricane Henry for providing the Perfect drying conditions. Aug. 24, 2021, Tuesday. I finished trimming Freeman's top and placed her in oven bags for curing. I can't wait for the rest of this run to finish up!

Hey everybody! Kaiydaan, Kaiydan, Kaiydaan. I have no idea what's going on with this gal, she isn't doing to much of anything. Unlike, Freeman who's just flourishing, showing all shades of pinks and purples and swell calyxes. Anyone got any advice on Kaiydaan? I'm watering pH'd tap water. I tried to indicate that in "Nutrients", but the Diary made a Frown Face at 0 nutrients. Aug. 26, 2021, Thursday. I watered Kaiydaan and Freeman. Aug. 27, 2021, Friday. Freeman is doing well no issues. Kaiydaan, I just don't know. Her calyxes are not swelling, they're growing in and what seems to be dying off a bit. Her leaves are dead, dry, brittle and yellow. I don't know she is a complete nightmare compared to "Freeman" Maybe I'm reading to much into it and Kaiydaan is going through a natural fade. Any ideas? Aug. 29, 2021, Sunday. Nothing new to report. Aug. 30, 2021, Monday. Nothing to report.

Final week for Freeman. I will be placing Freeman in 48 or more hours of darkness this week in preparation for her final Harvest. I have absolutely no idea what happened to Kaiydaan, she is a big disappointment. Sep. 4, 2021, Saturday. Nothing new to report. Sep. 5, 2021, Sunday. "Freeman" is doing great. Kaiydaan is just dead! 😱 Sep. 6, 2021, Monday. I watered "Freeman" Sep. 7, 2021, Tuesday. Nothing new to report. Sep. 8, 2021, Wednesday. Nothing new to report. Sep. 9, 2021, Thursday. Nothing new to report.

Sep. 10th marked another week of Flowering for "Freeman". Tomorrow she will go into 48 hours of Darkness because we are happy with the trichome ratio. Sep. 15, 2021, Tuesday. "Freeman" has been in Darkness since the 13th of September. I will chop her down in the next day or two for drying. Sep. 17, 2021, Friday. Today is the final chop for Freeman. She spent several days in darkness and that was to just aid in the curing process. Allowing her to dry in her pot helps.

***UPDATE Oct.18, 2021, Monday*** "J" the girl we thought was a Photoperiod because she just would not flip, has started showing signs of flower! After 4 1/2 months she's decided she is an autoflower. I guess, I'll update you on the progress after she matures. For those that have followed this grow, you know that I started out with 3 plants. 1 of the plants, "J" turned out to be a Photoperiod and is alive and well still vegging. I have been unsuccessful at retrieving clones from her. When I am successful, I will flip her into flower. The 2nd of the 3 was "Kaiydaan", she made it through right up to budding and then just started to slowly die. I still have not been able to find the cause of death, and am still in mourning. Lastly, "Freeman", she was able to give us 60 grams in total. We had to harvest her in two intervals. "Freeman:" was topped and stripped for mainlining, but the process was ceased when she started signs of flowering, which is why she had a "Bottom half" to begin with. All in all I'd say this was a normal grow, and also my first. I am pretty happy with the results as well as a tinge of disappointment in the yields, but am happy I did it. I recommend WeedSeedsExpress.com HIGHLY! I am so thankful to their reps and genetics.

October 19, 2021, Tuesday. Hello all. After 4 1/2 months of vegetation, "J" the gal we thought was a photoperiod, has miraculously started to show signs of flower. I haven't changed her environment nor care. In fact, I've been a bit neglectful. Does anyone know what kept her from flowering months ago and why she's decided to flower now? October 20, 2021, Wednesday. Watered thoroughly with Veg and Bloom nutes. October 21, 2021, Thursday. Nothing new to report. October 22, 2021, Friday. "J" has been experiencing some nutrient issues from when she was in veg. I was in the process of correcting those issues when she decided to start to flower. As I stated previously, I was a bit neglectful to J because I thought she was a Photoperiod and I had time to correct any issues. Boy was I wrong. This NL grow has been a rollercoaster and I doubt I'll run it again anytime soon. October 23, 2021, Saturday. Nothing new to report. October 24, 2021, Sunday. Day of rest. October 25, 2021, Monday. Nothing new to report.

Welcome to another week of flower with "J". Can you believe after 4 1/2 months this girl has decided to flower?! I watered her thoroughly and moved her back to the Desk Growspace. October 27, 2021, Wednesday. Moved back to the Desk Growspace. October 28, 2021, Thursday. Nothing new to report. October 29, 2021, Friday. Watered thoroughly. October 30, 2021, Saturday. Nothing new to report. October 31, 2021, Sunday. Day of rest. November 1, 2021, Monday. Watered yesterday. Nothing new to report today.

November 2nd marks another week of flower with "J". She "seems" to be adjusting from the abuse she sustained during her last week of veg, but we'll see. November 3, 2021, Wednesday. I tried to throw a scrog net over her, but I'll need to attach some hardware to the growspace to secure it. November 4, 2021, Thursday. Nothing new to report. November 5, 2021, Friday. I watered "J" thoroughly. I plan on moving her into the tent to finish off flowering within the next couple of weeks. I have to wait for some plants to finish up.

Today makes 155 days with "J" and I can't wait for it to come to an end! I raised her growspace several inches as the lights were entirely too close, giving her all kinds of hell. She's quite thirsty and drinks close to a gallon a day. She's quite bushy and could get use the benefit of lollipopping. November 10, 2021, Wednesday. "J" is definitely recovering from the beating of the lights and I think she'll give us a decent yield. I watered her thoroughly. November 11, 2021, Thursday. I watered again, quite thoroughly. She's looking better with each day. I think she would be considered a "Great Grandmother" in Autoflower years. November 12, 2021, Friday. Watered thoroughly, it's pretty much a gallon a day now. November 13, 2021, Saturday. "J" is still alive! That's it. November 14, 2021, Sunday. Day of rest. November 15, 2021, Monday. Day of rest.

Hey again! This girl is doing everything in her power to commit suicide. She just keeps growing into the light in the Desk Growspace, I've raised it twice. I've turned the light above her off until I can raise the space again. I plan on moving her into the 2x2 once the run in there is done. She is burning herself to a crisp, I hope it doesn't affect her yields too much. November 19, 2021, Friday. I'm going to address her living situation this weekend. Watered thoroughly. November 20, 2021, Saturday. I am so over reporting on this grow, I feel like it has been an ETERNITY! If I never ever grow this strain again, it'll be too soon. Seriously, I started this grow in May. We've seen 3 seasons pass and I'm still growing this mutant. November 21, 2021, Sunday. Day of rest. November 22, 2021, Monday. Day of rest.

Well I decided not to raise the Desk Growspace any further, as I'm just SO over this grow. 145 days in veg, total 170 days with this girl and I'm just done. I am waiting for some strains to finish up in the 2x2 and then I'll be able to maneuver her current living situation. As of today she is no longer a priority. As you know I turned the 100 watt light above her off, due to heat stress and light burn. There's another 100 watt light to her left, hopefully that one light can keep her sustained until her move. November 24, 2021, Wednesday. Yeah, yeah, yeah... we're still here. I'm totally indifferent to this grow now. I'll keep you updated, but I won't be too excited. Lol November 25, 2021, Thursday. Yup "J" is still hanging on. Yup. November 26, 2021, Friday. Watered her thoroughly with Miracle Gro Organics 11-3-8 November 27, 2021, Saturday. Watered thoroughly again with MG Organics. November 28, 2021, Sunday. Day of rest. November 29, 2021, Monday. Day of rest.

Here we are in another week of Flower with "J". She's still pretty war-torn from the heat and intensity of the light, let's hope she recovers enough to give a decent crop. December 1, 2021, Wednesday. Nothing new to report. December 2, 2021, Thursday. Same issues, nothing new to report. December 3, 2021, Friday. Same as the day before. December 4, 2021, Saturday. See ya next week!

Apologies for the lack of pictures and information this week, but you know, real world issues happened. Yeah, but somehow she's still here and kicking, barely.