Gorilla Girls’ Just Wanna Have Fun!

Welcome to Week 1 of the Sweet Seeds Gorilla Girl XL Autoflowering grow courtesy of the fine folks at Sweet Seeds! This is the second of three consecutive grows/diaries that I am doing to showcase the tried and tested genetics from this reputable seed breeder. My last grow was a smashing success so I have high hopes for this grow as well. Nothing much to report for Week #1 although I will mention that the first watering was only 0.7 of a litre per plant (0.18 of a litre per plant per day) and the second was 1.4 litres per plant (0.35 of a litre per plant per day). I am watering on my usual schedule of every fourth day as this seems to be the sweet spot throughout past grows. I am using the usual- air bubbled tap water that is PH’d to around 6.0 and if need be (over the winter months in Canada) warmed to 68-70 degrees prior to hand watering with a small watering can. The seedling that lost one of it’s cotyledon leaves is fine but still a little smaller than her sisters. So now on to Mom’s tip of the week… Mom’s Tip for Week #1 is- YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR- QUALITY IS KEY!… When considering growing Cannabis, even on a small scale, quality is an important factor in all aspects from the seeds to set up to the supplies used throughout the grow. Starting with seeds from a established breeder will raise the odds considerably in your favour for a successful outcome. Many seed companies are more than willing to ship out freebies while building up their brands which seems attractive to new growers- but use at your own risk! There’s nothing worse than being halfway through a grow and discovering male flowers tucked in amongst the lowest branches or realizing that your beautiful buds have been mysteriously pollinated just weeks before harvest. I know that seeds from a reputable seed breeder are usually more expensive and can be hard to access in certain parts of the world. But purchasing quality seeds from a reputable seed company is the first step towards homegrown Cannabis success. An area that new growers often overlook due to the high price is the quality of crucial components in their set up- including tent, lights, and intake/exhaust fans. Anyone can get away with cheaper pots, oscillating corner fans, water pumps for dechlorination, etc but it’s worth every penny investing into the workhorses of your entire operation. An initial investment of around two thousand dollars will provide serious growers with the longevity and hassle free basics needed. If done right, quality components will pay for themselves within the first 6-12 months of use and continue to serve your needs for 3-5 years to come. Supplies used throughout the grow are the final area where quality is important but somewhat subjective too. Although I’ve already stated that I don’t feel the need to spend big dollars on all the extras (pots, oscillating fans, water pumps for dechlorination, PH/moisture meters, etc- I do believe in doing my homework to make sure that I’m getting the best bang for my buck. I thoroughly research every item purchased and used in my grows by reading customer reviews, speaking with other growers and sometimes even trial and error at my own expense. Making quality an important factor in all aspects of Cannabis cultivation will benefit you, your grows and the planet we live on. 🌳🌎🌳

So here’s Week 2 of the Sweet Seeds Gorilla Girl XL Auto’s grow. All in all an easy week but there has been time spent reinforcing a couple of the seedlings because they are so top heavy. I check in on my seedlings at least once a day (oftentimes 2-3 times daily) just to make sure that all equipment is functioning well and temps are stable. Upon looking into the windows of the tent I discovered that the smallest seedling (the one that lost one of it’s cotyledon leaves) was tipped right over. I gently supported her with a homemade splint (a tent peg/pipe cleaner combo- pictured above) and she’s currently standing on her own again. She’s still smaller than the others but surviving, not thriving for now. I used some fresh additional soil to fill in any gaps and pack down around the bases of the other three plants’ stems. Speaking of stems/stalks- the three healthy seedlings have peeling/stretching stalks and are starting to push out their first sets of branches. Other than that, same routine as always- watering every fourth day at 1.4 litres per watering or 0.35 of a litre per plant per day. I will be increasing the water sometime over week three. That’s it for now. Mom’s Tip for Week #2- Don’t Over Water! (when growing in soil of course)… When learning to read your plant’s needs, water is a very important factor to consider. I often notice other growers with tiny seedlings sitting in completely saturated pots of soil. Or read that many other growers don’t believe in placing newly sprouted seedlings into their final containers/pots. Both issues being easily resolved by simply paying close attention to your plant’s body language, it’s grow environment and sticking to a schedule. Cannabis truly thrives and benefits from a wet to almost fully dry watering cycle. From my own personal experience with photosensitive strains grown outside in the summer to growing autoflowers indoors through the fall, winter and spring- all of my Cannabis seems to do best when watered every 4th day like clockwork! This schedule is somewhat subjective of course depending on the environment that you are growing in. Here in Canada, much of our year is cool to cold and the humidity is relatively low. Because of this my plants are not always able to take in moisture from the air through their stomas so they suck up more water from what’s readily available in their pots. In other environments (ex. tropical), you may be able to stretch out this cycle- watering every 5-7 days because your plants are pulling so much water directly from the humidity in the air. And how you water your plants matters too. When starting out with newly sprouted seedlings placed into their final containers- less is more. There is no need to completely soak all of the soil in a 5-7 gallon pot. Simply start with a small amount (0.5-1 litre) directing the water to the base of the plant, working your way outwards in a circular pattern. As you increase the amount of water, I try to work my water outwards- making my circle slightly bigger each time I water until eventually I am soaking the soil surface all the way out to the edges of the pot. This process is gradual, stretched over a period of 4-6 weeks. It will encourage the roots to reach for water and allow your plants the time needed to grow into a heavy dose of H2O. Finally, learning to read your plant’s body language will help you to understand when they need and don’t need water as well as food, more/less light, temperature changes, etc. Healthy, well watered plants are generally light green with leaves slightly turned up towards the light/sun. They will be growing/thickening every day and able to support their own weight even in a very breezy environment. Leaves are soft and supple, not dry and brittle and there are usually no marks or discolouration of any kind on the foliage throughout your grow. Water quality is important too but that’s any entirely different tutorial for another time. Bountiful harvests are very possible by simply tweaking your watering schedule to suit your plants’ ultimate needs.

Welcome to Week 3 of the Sweet Seeds Gorilla Girl XL Auto’s grow. It’s been extremely cold here in Canada this last few weeks and these plants are doing their best to survive- not thrive. Although they are healthy and happy, they are just not thriving like my previous Sweet Seeds grow from the fall of 2021. The temperatures are only a few degrees cooler than spring, summer and fall but the humidity is extremely low at this particular time of year- 20-25% at best. Without adding additional humidity via a humidifier, my plants are at the mercy of the dry Canadian winters. Week 3 did not bring the expected growth spurt experienced by the plants in my previous Sweet Seeds grow (the Cream Mandarine XL autos). I have included a side by side comparison photo above to show the massive difference in size between the two SS grows. It’s because of the slow growth that I have decided not to top these plants 👎🏼 I increased the water early in Week 3 to 2.1 litres per plant every 4th day (0.52 of a litre per plant per day). Hopefully these ladies pick up a little over week 4. Mom’s Tip for Week #3- To Top or Not to Top?… Topping is an simple technique used by growers to split the main stalk/stem into two separate stalks/stems. This allows for height control when growing XL strains, encourages lower branch growth creating a more equal canopy height and of course- creates two beautiful, big colas instead of one! But topping Autoflowers has long been the source of great debate so I’m here to clarify Mom’s Do’s & Don’ts when topping autos. Do top your plants if they are healthy, thriving and on track (growth wise) with other growers and any info the breeder’s might provide. Don’t top your plants if they appear unhealthy, simply surviving and behind/slow (growth wise) compared to other growers growing the same strain. Do top your Autoflowers between 3-5 weeks from seed or when your plants have grown as many sets of branches as you desire (usually 4-6 sets of branches or nodes). Don’t top your auto’s beyond the 5th-6th week as they are most likely going into full flower. Do top, prior to or very early on in the pre-flower stretch and don’t top too late in pre-flower or once budding has begun- it’s too late and you’ve missed your opportunity for this grow. Do top your plants if you know what you’re doing and you’ve got the right tools. Believe it or not, I use a sterilized set of nail clippers (dedicated to this job alone) as they deliver a clean, controlled, perfect cut every time. Don’t top your plants if you haven’t done your homework or you haven’t got the right tools. Many people use their fingers but I find they are too large and awkward for such a precise job. More than once I have missed (FIM’d) or taken one of the two baby branches that are supposed to be left behind or simply injured those tiny developing branch sites by accident. Do top your autoflowers if you are growing a large/XL strain in a small/short space. This allows the grower to influence/control the overall height of the plants and creates a more equal/level canopy of foliage and eventually bud. Don’t top your auto’s if you are growing a short, fast flowering strain as this can sometimes stall/stunt them a tiny bit. Some Autoflowers run such a tight seed to harvest schedule that they legitimately cannot afford any interruptions in their growing cycle so check the breeder’s info before you chop. Do have fun with growing your Cannabis and don’t be afraid to try something new. Don’t top your Auto’s expecting to triple your yield though. I have learned that it will change the shape and height of your plants and you’ll end up with less low level, larfy bud but your yields will be almost identical whether you top or not. ✂️✂️✂️

So, Week 4 is done and the Sweet Seeds Gorilla Girl XL Autos are slowly coming along. It has been even colder in Canada this past week and temperatures in the tent have been hovering around the 70 degree mark. The humidity has come up a bit to around 30% and this is an improvement but the combination of too cold + humidity too low = small, struggling but surviving plants. It’s disappointing but this is consistently my toughest grow cycle of the year. Other than that, I increased the water to 4 litres per watering which is still being done every 4th day- so that’s 0.7 of a litre per plant per day. Although I was planning on topping all four of these plants following my previous Sweet Seeds grow experience, these ladies are just not up for it- too small, too slow and surviving not thriving. I will look forward to that with my next and final Sweet Seeds grow so stay tuned for that in future. Mom’s Tip for Week #4- Cleanliness is next to Godliness!… I wholeheartedly feel that a clean and organized tent/grow room is essential for a successful grow. I often see other growers leaving dead foliage to pile up in the bottom of their tents, watering with no drip trays or not cleaning their space in between grow cycles. They are often plagued with unwanted visitors, fungal infections and a nasty build up of crud in the most precious place- your happy garden! Here are my top tips for keeping your tent/grow room clean, organized and consistently productive. Always remove dead or defoliated foliage from the bottom of your tent and take it all the way out of the immediate growing area/room. Biodegrading foliage provides the perfect environment for unwanted insects/pests to hide in and feed on- potentially creating an infestation that could devastate your crop and contaminate future grows. I place all green materials including my post harvest plants into the compost pile where it breaks down creating beautiful, natural fertilizer for future grows! Always use drip trays when watering or clean up excess dirty water that seeps through your pots/containers- potentially creating ideal conditions for various fungi and molds that can affect your plants, equipment and perhaps even you. I use inexpensive, plastic drip trays to catch any run off instead of relying on the waterproof bottom that is sold with my tent. I have personally witnessed the mold that can grow on and between these waterproof bottoms and the actual bottom of your tent as well as moisture so severe that it rotted through the stitching/seams of an otherwise perfect tent. Always clean your tent/grow room in between each and every grow cycle as well as throughout the grow as needed- potentially avoiding cross contamination from the previous grow and maintaining a high daily standard. Aside from insects and pests, fungi and molds- pollen from a previous grow gone wrong can wreak havoc on future grows if not dealt with correctly. I thoroughly vacuum my entire tent and wipe it down with a hot water/bleach solution applied with a spray bottle and a clean cloth. I also use a cordless Black and Decker hand vac conveniently mounted on a wall near the tent for daily maintenance and clean ups as needed. Keeping your tent, immediate grow space and supplies organized will also make things easier. I keep everything up and off the floors and if possible stored in rubbermaid type containers. This allows for quick and easy sweeping/vacuuming, wiping/dusting and the deep cleans required in between grows. All of the above mentioned tips will help increase the odds in your favour for a successful grow/harvest but they will also increase the longevity of your equipment too. Growing Cannabis at home can be quite a hefty initial investment so if a little light cleaning can make my core components (tent, lights, intake/exhaust fans, etc.) last longer, work better and equal more bang for my buck- it’s a no brainer!

So it’s the end of Week 5, Day 35 for the Sweet Seeds Gorilla Girl XL auto flowering grow. I have come to the conclusion that these four plants are not going to be XL after their pre-flower stretch. Overall the plants are healthy but the prolonged low humidity and temperatures have robbed them of the vigorous growth documented in my previous Sweet Seeds diary (Cream Mandarine XL Autos). I am disappointed that this will most likely be an XS harvest but a tiny quantity of quality bud is better than nothing. I gave them their first feeding of GHE FloraNova Grow fertilizer at a rate of 1.25 ml/gallon and this is 1/4 of a full dose that would be given to a photosensitive strain. I am still watering every fourth day at a rate of 2.8 litres per plant or 0.7 of a litre per plant per day. I will only be using the fertilizer every other watering or every eight days. That’s about it for this update and on to… Mom’s Tip for Week #5- To Tuck or Take? The when, where, why and how to defoliate Autoflowers successfully…. Lets start with some basic Biology- Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants take in sunlight, water and Carbon Dioxide and transform it into energy in the form of sugars that feed the plant and make it grow. So essentially, every fan leaf on your plant is a solar panel collecting light and therefore valuable in it’s own right. I always try to tuck my leaves if possible before considering removal as my plants need all the energy they can get to power through until harvest. But sometimes tucking isn’t enough or just isn’t an option anymore so here are my suggestions for taking the fan leaves from your Cannabis plants if needed. When- defoliating Autos can be done anytime throughout the grow although it’s generally not done within the first 3-4 weeks. The plants are usually quite small and those early weeks are valuable growing time that these plants simply can’t afford to miss. This is when I find leaf tucking to be most valuable, allowing the plants to keep what few solar panels they have while also allowing the grower to position the leaves so that they are out of the way. I personally find that I defoliate my plants the most over the final 3-4 weeks of the grow as foliage is dying off on it’s own by that point and a few less leaves at harvest time is always a good thing! Of course anytime you see dead/dying or diseased foliage, it should be removed as needed throughout the grow. Where- defoliating Autos is a delicate balance due to their small size and short lifespan. If my plants are healthy, thriving and tucking is no longer an option, I will only remove fan leaves if they are covering/blocking new growth or potential bud sites. As the plants age and the foliage begins to die off naturally, I tend to remove the oldest, lowest growth first working my way up the plant as needed until harvest. Why- defoliating Autos is done for a few basic reasons but only as an extreme in my garden when all else fails. Removing certain large leaves will allow more light into the lower portion of the plant’s canopy reaching young branches or potential bud sites. As the plants age, it also helps with increasing airflow around your swelling buds thus reducing your risks for mold and fungi in humid grow environments. Removing any and all dead/dying or diseased foliage is absolutely necessary in keeping your plants healthy and the grow room clean and pest free. How- defoliating Autos is simple if you keep it simple. Only remove what you absolutely have to and use a sterilized set of sharp pruners for a clean, controlled cut. As the plants age and the foliage begins to die off naturally, just wait. What doesn’t fall off on it’s own will snap off with a simple twist of the leaf’s stem. If the leaves don’t come off with ease, they’re just not quite ready yet so be patient. Be mindful that removing the solar panels from your Cannabis plants is always risky business but Autoflowers are even more challenging in their own way. Smaller plants with a lower leaf to bud ratio and a short lifespan means less room for error so paying close attention to the when, where, why and how is crucial for successfully defoliating Autoflowers. Tuck if you can, only take what you absolutely have to and of course- never take more than 25% of your plant’s overall foliage at one time as this can be devastating or deadly to even the healthiest of plants. Allow your plants to take the lead and they will show you which leaves are ready to go- at what time, all on their own just as nature intended.

Welcome to Week 6, Day 42 for the Sweet Seeds Gorilla Girl XL Autoflowering grow. All four of these lovely ladies are now fully into flower and the tent has filled up considerably. Even though this grow cycle is not going to produce the XL plants I was originally hoping for, this strain seems to have a lot of bud sites compared to other autos I have grown previously. Had these plants reached their full potential- I truly believe that this could/would have been a massive harvest. I fertilized them again in Week 6 with their final dose of a Grow based formula at 2 mls/gallon. They will be switched over a Bloom based fertilizer in Week 7 at a rate of 2.5 mls/gallon. I am still watering every 4th day and all four plants are receiving 3 litres each or 0.75 of a litre per plant per day. There is something killing off the foliage from the bottom up on the plant in the front of the tent on the left hand side. Not sure what the problem is so I am simply removing the dead/dying foliage as needed and hoping that she’ll have enough leaves to make it through to harvest. Mom’s Tip for Week #6- When it comes to Fertilizer- $Less$ = More… For me, successfully growing Cannabis indoors means trying to mimic what nature normally provides for free. Sun, fresh air, water and nutrient rich soil are all essential for healthy, happy plants. At some point during the grow (usually 4-6 weeks in) the plant has used up all of the nutrients originally present in the soil thus requiring the grower to have to supplement with some type of fertilizer. I see many growers photographing and showing off their huge displays of colourful bottles and I gasp when I read their long lists of 10-15 different fertilizers and supplements being added to every single batch of water. Not only is this unbelievably expensive and overwhelming but time consuming and completely unnecessary for a successful grow. For those seeking an Organic path there are options such as homemade compost tea or powdered formulas consisting of bat guano, glacial rock dust, bone meal, alfalfa meal, etc. I often use a Canadian made brand called “Gaia Green Organics", mixed in at the start to create my own super soil thus carrying the plants through their first 4-6 weeks of life needing nothing more than PH’d water. The organic fertilizers are usually more expensive and often have a slower uptake by the plants themselves as they tend to feed the soil first which in turn feeds the plants. For novice/newbie growers and those with fast flowering strains such as Autos- a non organic, liquid, water soluble fertilizer is often the way to go. They are generally cheap, easy to use and quickly taken up by the plants when they need it most. My ride or die brand is "Flora Nova” by General Hydroponics and it comes in a 1 part nutrient grow and bloom formula catering to my plants’ needs from start to finish. This company has many options available including all kinds of additional supplements to be used in conjunction with their standard grow/bloom formulas but I’ve never found these products all that necessary or beneficial. Using them in the past has led to over fertilization resulting in burnt foliage, stunted bud development and harsh flavours when smoking/vaping the final product. Not only does $Less is More$ apply to how many fertilizers you are giving your plants but it also applies to how much. Most photosensitive strains can easily tolerate a full dose (as per the manufacturer’s recommendations) and thrive with being fed every time you water. But Autoflowers and some smaller photosensitive strains seem to respond differently to a slight tweak- keeping in mind that if you start small, you can always add more but if you start big, you can’t take back what’s already been given. I will generally only fertilize at half of what the manufacturer recommends for a photosensitive strain- every other or every second watering. Starting out at a quarter dose for the initial feeding which can sometimes be as low as 1.25 mls per gallon and working my way up from there. It doesn’t seem like much but within hours I can see my plants responding positively with increased/sustained turgor, greening up a little and increased resin production which equals "smell/scent". For me, I can smell when I’ve just fertilized my plants- it’s a stronger smell than the normal scent that they give off with a plain watering. If you’re lucky, you’ll end up growing a greedy Autoflowering strain that seems to want more than what you’re giving it. Rather than increasing to a higher dose in a single feeding, try feeding more often at the same dose- so if you’re feeding every other or every second watering, try feeding every watering at the same dose (trying not to increase above half of the manufacturer’s recommendation for the photo strains). Occasionally I will increase beyond the halfway dose to accommodate for the plants’ needs in late flower as most fertilizer companies list an increase to adequately feed during late flower anyhow. I guess the main message for this week is to keep it simple as nature intended. Learn to read your plants and supplement the small amount of nutrients that your plants don’t already have in the high quality soil you initially provided. Cannabis cultivation can be overwhelming at first but the $Less is More$ approach will save you time, money and the realization that you’ve accidentally fried your plants!

So welcome to Week 9 of the Sweet Seeds Gorilla Girl XL Autoflowering grow! Unfortunately after two years of due diligence- I was finally infected with Covid 19 so I have gotten really behind with this diary. In Week 7, I switched from the Grow to the Bloom fertilizer at a rate of 2.5 mls per gallon. I am still watering every 4th day at 3 litres per plant or 0.75 of a litre per day per plant. This strain seems particularly hungry/greedy so by the end of Week 7, I’ve decided to fertilize with every watering instead of every other. I’m not increasing the dosage of the fertilizer but the frequency in which it’s being given. Other than that the plants are doing fine through Weeks 7, 8 & 9 with the buds fattening up nicely, loads of wet to the touch resin and a super strong smell emanating from the tent even when it’s closed! That’s it for the past three weeks, Covid sucks and thank goodness harvest is just around the corner! Apologies for not offering up any further "mom’s tip of the week" but I’m just finishing up this diary for kicks at this point. Thanks.

Welcome to the Week 10 update for the Sweet Seeds Gorilla Girl XL Auto’s. Not much to report as this grow is on cruise control until harvest. I will be finishing up with the bloom fertilizer and starting to flush as these lovely ladies finish out Week 10 and move into Week 11. Defoliating as necessary and consistently checking trichomes as I’ve already spotted the first few ambers in and among the already cloudy trichs! Thanks for stopping by and checking out my grow! 😎

Enjoyed growing it but harvest was far less than I had hoped for so I’m not sure if I’ll grow again. These were free seeds so thank you very much for the opportunity to grow and showcase your genetics.