Creme de la Chem - Masterblend Coco Grow

purplethumb Slow growth for this week, but she'll come around. I blame the messy transplant job I did. I'll probably direct sow next time, as I hate transplanting as much as autos do. March 26, day 2. 1gal RO + .6g MB + .6g ES + 1.2g CN -> pH = 6.3, EC = 710 + 1mL GFF + 1mL RapidStart + dash of RAW Yucca Note: MB (masterblend) + ES (epsom salt) + CN (calcium nitrate) are measured in grams/gal, not mL/gal.

purplethumb April 2, day 9. 1gal RO + 1.2g MB + 1.2g ES + 2.4g CN -> pH = 6.2, EC = 1250 + 1mL GFF + 1.5mL RapidStart + pinch of RAW Yucca Note: MB + ES + CN are measured in grams/gal, not mL/gal.

purplethumb April 9, day 16 QB120@35w@6" 1gal RO + 1.2g MB + 1.2g ES + 2.4g CN -> pH = 6.2, EC = 1210 + 1mL vinegar -> pH @ 5.8 + 1mL GFF + 1mL Rapidstart + pinch of RAW yucca Feed for the day: 1/2tsp molasses + 24oz of nutrient solution. Runoff ~ 1000EC A few minor set backs for the week. I had my GFCI breaker trip a few times now, leaving my girl in the dark for a few nights. Otherwise healthy, and I'm looking forward to start LST in week 4.

purplethumb April 15, day 22 QB120 out, QB96 in. QB96 @ 60w. This is my modified Masterblend recipe for the veg phase. 18% less overall, and Masterblend is cut in half on top. Modified veg formula = 1g/gal MB -1g/gal ES -2g/gal CN 3gal tap + 1.5mL ArmorSi + 1.5mL AN pH Down + 3g MB + 3g ES + 6g CN = 1420EC, pH = 5.7 She's starting to stink a little. A very sweet stink. Fairly weak at the moment, but there's no denying it. Discreet growers beware. Smells delicious to me XD

purplethumb April 23, day 30 QB96 @ 75w @ 12" MB formula per gallon = 2.4g-1.2g-2.4g 25% less = 1.8g-.9g-1.8g Mix for weeks 5 and 6. Tap EC = 640 5gal tap + 1mL pH Down + 2.5mL ArmorSi + 9g MB + 4.5g ES + 9g CN = 1650EC, pH = 6.6 + 1.5mL AN pH Down -> pH = 5.9 + 1mL Southern AG GFF + pinch of RAW yucca April 26, day 33 QB96 @ 84w @ 12" LST on side branches. April 27, day 34 QB96 @ 91w @ 12" LST all-around.

purplethumb April 29, day 36 QB96 @ 101w @ 14" First signs of flowering. May 1, day 38 1/2 tsp molasses added to the daily fertigation. May 2, day 39 QB96 @ 120w @ 12-14" May 4, day 41 QB96 @ 140w @ 14-15"

purplethumb Early bloom phase begins. Mix for week 7 'Low-Calorie MasterBlend Formula' (25% less overall) MB formula per gallon = 2.4g-1.2g-2.4g 25% less = 1.8g-.9g-1.8g Tap EC = 600 6gal tap + 2mL AN pH Down + 3mL ArmorSi 10.8g MB + 5.4g ES + 10.8g CN EC = 1635, pH = 6.3 + 1.5mL AN pH Down -> pH = 5.82 + 1mL Southern AG GFF + pinch of RAW yucca May 8, day 45 1/2 tsp molasses added to daily feed. QB96 @ 150w @ 15-16" May 10, day 47 QB96 @ 160w @ 16" All is good for week 7.

purplethumb Experimented with cutting the calcium nitrate in half for week 8, but quickly noticed some calcium spotting combined with minor leaf chlorosis. It seems MB formula is already perfect for the early bloom phase. I still plan to cut the calcium nitrate in half during the mid-late bloom phase. First time checking my output pH, and it's sitting @ 6.1. Perfect. Output EC is back to a normal range of 2.0-2.2, from a high of 3.0. Not too impressed with the bud structure, but I kinda had an idea going in. The smell makes up for it.

purplethumb Since I usually end up with a little more larf than want, I decided to go heavy on the defoliation this week. Snipped off some larf in the process. I've decided to try a new defoliation technique where I snip off little bits at a time as a way to introduce stress to the plant. If you notice a fan leaf with missing fingers, that's me. The idea is to encourage THC production, the plants main defense against herbivores. This also allows for better light penetration into the canopy which only results in thicker and longer colas -- the kind all the ladies like XD Anyways! Now that I'm in FULL flower mode, I stopped adding silica to the mix. I was adding .5mL/gal Armor Si to my mix up until now. I feel a silica supplement is VERY important during the veg phase, up until the early bloom phase maybe, and after that it's mostly unnecessary. It's partly a health concern over silica building up in the flower. Running my QB96 light @ 180w now. I might dial it down soon, but the plant seems to be loving it.

purplethumb 5/26 6gal tap 10.8g MB + 5.4g ES + 10.8g CN pH = 6.88 + 3.0mL AN pH Down pH = 5.85, EC = 1640 5/31 Decided to give Flower Fuel another try. Running a full dose @ 1.25g/gal. QB96 @ 160w @ 16" (previously 180w) Other Notes: I've dimmed the lights and cut another hour on my light schedule. 18/6 now. The idea is to signal the start of Fall, or the beginning of the end ;) It saves energy and some terps. My EC output ranges from 2.8 to 3.3, which I think is perfect. I can lower my EC by fertigating more often, but I think it's a nice cross point between intake and outtake. I tried cutting my dose of calcium nitrate (CN) in half but, instead of seeing a fade I only noticed calcium spotting, so back to schedule we go. I will probably maintain my feeding schedule through the end, as it's already a 'bloom' formula, except for the ripening stage where I plan to cut the CN entirely and use CaliMagic in its place. No ambers yet, and she's filling in nicely.

purplethumb Week 11, June 3 - 9 Keeping it steady, she's drinking 1.5-2L twice a day with minimal runoff. My output EC peaked to 3.8 on June 9, with my normal range being 2.8-3.3. No alarm as this was expected due to the high heat weather. I maintained a full dose of Flower Fuel (1.25g/gal) for week 11, cutting it off on June 11. All in all, I ran a full dose from May 31-June 11. A 1/4 dose from May 4 - May 20. And a 1/2 dose from May 21 - May 29. A teaspoon of molasses added as a supplement from time to time. The smell has diminished quite a bit, and I'm actually glad about it as this girl was just overdoing it. What started as a sweet floral smell, transformed into pure petrol and gas fumes mid flower, and has now matured into a bubble gum like scent. I like it. I could chop her down now, but she's still budding out with very few amber heads if any. In the meantime I'm just defoliating the older leaves, allowing light to penetrate the lower canopy. ------------------- The recipe for week 11: 6 gallons Los Angeles tap water + 1mL Seachem Prime (used for dechlorination) 10.8g MB + 5.4g ES + 10.8g CN + 7.5g Flower Fuel (1.25g/gal) + 1mL GFF + pinch of yucca pH = 6.9 + 3.5mL AN pH Down pH = 5.8, EC = 1.8

purplethumb Wrapping up this journal. More of the same for week 12, with the exclusion of my PK booster. I'm also bumping up my base dose of MB to 2.4g/gal. I had been running 1.8g/gal throughout most of the grow. Recipe for the week 12: 5gal Los Angeles tap water + 1mL Seachem Prime (dechlorinator) + 3mL AN pH Down + 12g MB + 6g ES + 6g CN + 1mL GFF + pinch of yucca pH = 5.9, EC = 1.6

purplethumb Early harvest to make room for a new grow, Samsquanch x (Strawberry Nuggets x Skywalker) by Mephisto, a freebie tester. Fun and easy grow. This is my first time trying Mephisto, and I'm not disappointed. She grows true to spec, and is VERY loud during early and mid flower, yielding only towards the end. All gas and spice. Reminds me of the ghost of SFVOG (SFV local here), and her closest surviving relative Motorbreath XD If you're looking for a classic gassy strain, this is it. It's not for everyone, but everyone should try it once. The yield was good. I ran 140-180w during flower, and my yield was a little over 231 grams total. This includes everything, from the tops to the mids and larf as well. This gives me a gram per watt ratio of 1.4g/watt. Not bad, not great. Highly recommend trying out Mephisto. Order direct as there's some perks to buying direct over buying from a seed bank. AMF! 😝