I haven't been great about taking photos or even really doing much of anything with this grow. My last grow went long so this one had seedlings in pots for a long time. They were in a different tent and had a minor aphid problem that went away with regular neem oil applications before they went into the main tent.
DNA tests confirmed three males, so I'm down to 4 total female plants. Hella Jelly, Skunk #1, Critical Banana Smoothie, and GMO Cookies. All of my NL#2 were male. The low plant count meant 10 weeks of veg and I'd have cut that time in half with more plants.
I moved them into the main tent after sex testing and they took off slowly because I over watered them while in pots a few days before transplant. I really hate that phase!
Once they bounced back (I think worm casting extract helped speed that up), they blew up; Especially Skunk #1. I just tied them down to rocks instead of topping or anything else that would slow them down because of the low plant count/long veg nonsense. After a while I did a heavy defoliation and put on a SCROG net. I think that happened just over a week before flipping to flower.
Overall it's an easy grow. I water once a week or so with 3.5 gallons of water. I've had to water a little more often lately, and I'll need to water probably every other day in mid flower.
I keep a worm bag in the same lung room and it got HEAVILY infested with fungus gnats. So I've kept the tent pretty much closed unless I absolutely need to open it. So far I haven't seen a single fungus gnat in the tent, but I foliar spray with high quality neem oil every week and use Neem seed meal as a major source of nitrogen. Both seem to be immensely effective, as I've seen absolutely zero pest pressure.
Soil Section
The plants are easy -- It's the soil that takes all my work.
I got a soil report/consultation done and amended with Neem/Karanja seed meal (50/50 mix) from Build-a-Soil, sulfur and gypsum (from my local garden store), and lots and lots of worm castings. I applied maybe an inch layer worth of my own (then ran out) and then another inch or so worth of Colorado Worm Company castings (also from Build-a-Soil). The soil report suggested micro and trace nutrients that I just apply with foliar feedings in the form of a seaweed tea once a week.
I also applied the recommended amount of Build-a-Soil's Craft Blend at some point and generally do that once every month or so.
Then I put a layer of mulch over the top of everything. I just used ground up pine chips.
My worm population has exploded lately. I can see a pretty big difference between this grow and my last (this is the second run in this soil... So the first true no-till run). When I put something organic on, in, or under the mulch layer... It's gone in days. Really neat to see!
The plants are Uber healthy and doing great. The canopy is almost full so I flipped to flower today.
The Critical Banana Smoothie has a stem rub that is out of this world. I can't describe it.. it's a really savory smell that has a ton of fuel. I'm hoping it tastes like that when vaped!!
Oooohhh I can't wait to see how your turns out! I'm popping Hella Jelly outdoor this summer. I am curious how it grows indoors. Hope the terps are as they say.
@Stonedworks, Sounds wonderful! Your description is just like the owner of Humboldt seeds described, fast Sative with amazing terps. I have a pack of 10 , but just got another order of different seeds and a freebie 3pk of Hella Jelly I'm sure I'll be growing her for many runs. I wanna find that cherry jolly rancher pheno. CONGRATULATIONS on the promotion that is wonderful news. No worries on the diary we all understand that kind of busy when life throws you a great opportunity. Now you have amazing smoke to relax with.
@KAPT_SAVE_Da_HOE, I got a promotion at work and have been swamped as I adjust to the new role, so sorry for the delay in updates!
The HJ has that grape now... So. Much. Grape. God I hope it keeps up and comes through when smoked. I have two more fem seeds, I'll definitely run them next. I also took a cut of this plant and it's really healthy... So I've got a lot of grape in my future, haha.
She's a frosty frosty lady! Buds are swelling now and maybe a week from Harvest. She'll be a medium yielding plant with big fat dense tops and not much weight on the lowers. Fan leaves are fading orange/yellow and calyxes are turning dark purple. The fan leaves all through flower have been a dusty grey color... Really cool. I'll get photos uploaded soon!
I think this coming Wednesday is day one of week 8. I flipped on March 1. So a pretty quick finisher for living soil.
@Stonedworks, Well you hit the jackpot with that freebie! They've sold out on a few sites I've seen. I may have to get a bigger grow bag for my summer greenhouse grow! That strain has been winning awards and getting voted on best strains lists of 2022. Your pumping me up for my next run! Can't wait to see how it goes!