Garlic Cookies - No Till Self Watering

Fresh transplant! Single plant run. Just acquired this baby from a local dispensary that carries clones. Listed on the nursery sticker as Garlic Cookies (Chemdawg x GSC), I've also seen it as GMO Cookies (Garlic Mushroom Onion). Although still a relatively new cross, it has spawned a new family of hybrids, and it's fair to already consider this strain a modern heirloom. Small tent, 100W LED light, using a space heater connected to a thermometer+temp controller (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V4TJR00/) to keep the temperature consistent. Very inexpensive setup, all pieces acquired for likely less than 300 bucks with the light being the biggest purchase. Using a GroBucket insert (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B079CT29RZ/) and a 5 gallon bucket to make a self-watering pot, I am attempting a high-density planting approach employing polyculture / companion planting techniques, and using only organic inputs and focusing on throwing more biodiversity into the pot at every opportunity. I will only be feeding this plant nutrient tea and worms from my backyard. There is already a mint plant living in this pot, nearly 1 year old and a very active root system. At the time of transplanting the cannabis into the pot, I also added clover seeds before topping it all with new soil. There might also be marigold seeds naturally sown from last year. I am not expecting high yield nor boutique quality flower, but I am excited to see the growth! I'm starting this midway through winter and the extra greenery is necessary for me! This should set up a harvest right around the time I'll be getting new plants for the outdoor season.

After looking very sad for most of the first week, the GMO is now looking very happy in its environment. On the first day of Week 2 (Monday) I removed some lower branches and pinched the top. The clover and marigold have sprouted and are blanketing the surface of the pot, along with the mint throughout *and* what appears to be buckwheat! I previously had buckwheat planted in this pot, but had not considered that there would still be un-sprouted seeds until seeing them pop up in the last few days! Will be looking for greater vigor in the cannabis before flipping the light cycle to flower.

With real estate in the pot becoming more and more premium, the cannabis has not seen the growth spurt I would've expected. I have topped the plant and am starting to see more even canopy, and the plant is very happy in spite of not growing as much as expected.

This is the final week of veg. Although I would ideally like cannabis to grow bigger, I am getting impatient and want to get this baby flowering! I haven't seen hardly any growth in the cannabis itself from last week, only in the companion plants like the clover. I expect there will be some stretching in the first few weeks of flower, but still expect it to stay modestly-sized. Flipping into flower tomorrow will theoretically set me up for harvest in the first couple weeks of June. After topping the plant (twice) and doing some modest defoliation, I am only going to start trimming the companion plants - specifically the buckwheat and the mint - so that the cannabis won't be choked-out from the light. All trimming maintenance will be done on Monday (what I've decided as the start of each week for this grow) so that I can better assess the difference in growth from week to week. Bugs have become an issue, they are everywhere (lol) *except* for the cannabis itself - companion planting for a big win. Will continue to monitor closely. I'm ready to make my garage get smelly.