Sweet Seeds Femme Fatales

Flowering (update 7 March) I’ve had a busy week but have a chance to catch up and show you some pictures I’ve taken over the past few days. The plants have been busy too, building up flowers and covering them with trichomes. The tent is very full now, taking the plants in and out is starting to get difficult, especially squeezing the last one back in. Here’s a look in the tent on Friday. I’ve noticed that heat is getting trapped at the top of the tent since I moved the light as high as possible. The thermometer at the top would previously come to a very similar maximum to the probe at canopy level, within a degree. However over the past five days, the probe at the top has recorded a maximum of 26°C whereas the maximum at the canopy hasn’t exceeded 24°C, and with the lights on I usually observe the same 2°C difference. I think the air circulated better before I moved the light higher. The minimum has been 20°C. It’s been a bit dryer, minimum 36% and maximum 48% humidity, tending to hand around the mid 40s. Gorilla Girl XL Auto is still looking great, with dense green foliage at the top, which has lightened slightly in places and started to purple a little. The lower leaves are fading fast where there is very little light now. She’s got a fantastic main cola which looks dense and crystally, as well as decent buds on the sidebranches, all coated in trichomes. She is going to be really sticky. Ice Cool Auto is doing very well as well. Her leaves are still a lush green but there is a hint of burnt tips since switching over to the flowering ratio for nutrients. The very top is probably still slightly too close when she’s directly under the lamp. The buds look to be developing a good density, like the previous one I grew. They are very frosty too. One or two trichomes are starting to amber here and there, but they are mostly at the clear to cloudy stage, indicating the cannabinoids are still building up. I really enjoy taking trichome photos. I find them the most challenging pictures to take since they require a lot of setting up to get the light and focus right, and tiny touches and adjustments (deliberate or accidental) make a massive difference. On the other hand, they offer lots of opportunity to be creative and find different angles and compositions, and the satisfaction from getting a nice image feels great. Cream Caramel Auto is showing the scars from getting too close to the lamp across her leaves. She’s a big plant with multiple colas developing on tall sidebranches, and the flowers are starting to fatten up quite nicely now despite the damage. She’s showing a few orange pistils but there’s still plenty of fresh ones still coming through. She’s starting to pack on some nice milky trichomes too now. Dark Devil Auto has suffered even more and is losing leaves as they turn brown and crispy. I also notice she is drinking less, and will only need about two and a half watering cans (total about 1500ml) to get a couple of hundred mls of runoff each day – the others will take around three and a half (i.e. around 2100ml). Still, the flowers look incredible with the deep rich purple colour. They are big, but not as dense as the other plants. Looking at the trichomes is like staring at the Milky Way, and almost as beautiful. I took an ultra-closeup of the top section of the flower above, using the Raynox attachment. Flowering (update 12 March) I have some pictures of the plants from the past few days as the plants continue to fatten up and begin to ripen. Gorilla Girl XL Auto is starting to swell. Purpling leaves in parts. Ripe red and amber trichomes are growing in number but still a small minority. So many trichomes! She wins the crystal contest, Ice Cool Auto tried hard but hasn’t quite kept up. Ice Cool Auto is developing large chunky calyxes and looking nearly done now. I’m really pleased with the way the flowers are fattening up on the Cream Caramel Auto, making them look quite dense now across the plant. I love the bright orange the pistils are turning too. I’ve noticed a really nice smell coming from this one, very very sweet with hints of tropical fruit (orange, mango, pineapple) – I think it’s going to be a tasty vape. She’s getting a fair covering of trichomes too, so hopefully she will be strong as well as tasty. Dark Devil Auto’s gorgeous deep aubergine colour is enhanced by the green and orange contrasts in the leaves and pistils, and the sparkly coating of white trichomes gives it a beautiful velvety appearance under the light, which still photos just do not capture. It was getting awkward moving the Dark Devil Auto around, and swapping positions with other plants in the tent. The stems are long and not very thick, and the weight of the flowers mean they start to lean when unsupported. A couple of days ago I decided to leave the Dark Devil Auto at the far end of the tent, and just rotate the Ice Cool Auto and Cream Caramel Auto in the middle two slots. I’ve also raised the Dark Devil Auto back up for this final bit, since she isn’t directly under the lamp, to even things out a little. I will still turn her around each day when I take the runoff. The environment has held steady over the past five days between 21°C and 24°C at the canopy, with a maximum air temperature reading of 26°C at the top of the tent. The humidity has been between 39% and 49%, most often low 40s when I check it with the lights on. They are slowing down but they’ve not quite finished just yet. Thanks for looking!