Gorilla Girls’ Just Wanna Have Fun!

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. ✂️✂️✂️