Medellin by Lemonnade (sativa) DWC

Received my clone on Oct 21, transplanted the same day. It's https://www.leafly.com/strains/medellin -- I've been doing a bunch of old school style strains, and wanted to do some hipster strain from a clone. It was kind of the most Sativa-y one I could find, and I figured with a name like Medellin, it's gotta be on the energetic side. I bought it on strainly from Pig Tail Gardens. Clone seemed OK when I received it, and perked up pretty well after 24 hours. I wasn't sure what to do about light schedule, so I ran it for 36 hours of light after transplant before going 18/6. I've got a single light on at 50%. I'll probably go nice and easy on her for the first week. Checking for roots more frequently than I want to admit, but can't wait for her to drop a couple roots into the solution. New best toy for this grow is a pH controller, a Bluelabs one. Pretty stoked on it. I haven't calibrated it yet, just physically installed it and next steps are to modify my buckets to run the cables & hose, then calibrate and test it out. I'm trying to get my VPD in shape. Kinda running a little high at 1.3ish, so trying to fiddle with running the humidifier intermittently to get humidity up and get closer to 1.0ish VPD. Went with GH trio week 2 formula at 50%, wound up around 600 ppm in the tank. Update 10/26: Noticed what looks like powdery mildew on one leaflet, which I removed. Then treated with a foliar, Lost Coast Plant Therapy. I think running my humidifier intermittently is actually spiking it which I think is bad for this. I've never had it inside before. So, going to omit running that, and try to get the temp a little lower to decrease the VPD. Also got the pH controller running, it's working a charm so far. Neat! Update 10/27: Root popped! Added photo. Thinking about topping soon, maybe tomorrow? Week from transplant, seems OK. It'll be at 7 nodes which is already a good amount. I'm only tentative because I've never grown a clone, and she also flew across the country. I'm also second guessing myself on training with a clone. Update Oct 28: topped! Added photos before and after. Ordered stuff for automatic top off (my current system is clunky, so I bought one for an aquarium).

Stoked on the week's progress! Approximately day 10 from transplant. Roots coming in well. Looking like great growth after the top, too. Humidity is low, and making the VPD really high. I have a number of upgrades coming in, including a AC Infinity cloudforge humidifier. I also sprung for the "UIS controller" for AC Infinity, then I can have remote control of humidity and fan speed, and also program fan speed. So I can start really nailing my VPD numbers, which right now are "ok at best" -- plant is still overall find, but, loving the automation and nailing the environmental specs. My EC meter broke -- again. It's reading randomish numbers in a range, so maybe I'm getting an idea. So, I'm onto my third. Decided to not cheap out, getting an Apera one. That being said, I'm holding off on a res change until it comes in (hopefully tomorrow, 11/2). I also have an aquarium "ATO" -- automatic top off coming in. So I can upgrade from my jury rigged version, which is just a smart plug and an internet connected camera, which worked but was work for me and sometimes you overfill it etc. This I can probably use throughout the grow (especially once I switch to the control tank setup when the plant is more established), too. Especially with the pH controller, hotness. Update 11/2: first res change. Same week 2 gh trio formula at 50%. New EC meter has me questioning everything in life. It's reading 1200, when the old meter was reading 600. Even diluted from last res. Yikes. I guess I should trust the new meter, it's calibrated and everything. 1200 seems high. But with the old meter readings.... Maybe this is where I want to be. Ugh. So. Yeah, super unsure. 1200 it is. I pH'd it with the controller manually down to 6.2 and set at 5.8 and I'll let it correct, cool, less work! Update 11/3: Started LST on 'er. Update 11/4: Starting build for auto-top-off (ATO). Little concerned that my ATO has an LED status indicator. Ugh. But, after some thinking, I'm not terribly concerned about the leak. I'll try a test as soon as it makes sense. I might have to make a light baffle for the holes in the tank for running cables.

Definitely drinking a bunch of water, and growing like crazy. Really happy with the progress. Should be doing a res change as soon as possible. No major problems at the moment. I think if anything, I might be due to switch to the multi-bucket system because the roots are really going crazy. Really happy with automation upgrades. Got the auto top off set up. Also I figured out that I can just turn off auto top off at night with an IoT smart switch and timer, so that way I can avoid the LED running when lights are out. That should be fine.

Everything going according to plan. Automation setup is feeling really great. Had a problem where the pH controller was dosing and it wasn't getting mixed into the control tank -- so I added a tiny 3 watt submersible pump to just stir up the water in the control tank. Auto top off, ATO, seems to be working well, have had to adjust it a little, and also schedule around in the morning where I schedule after the recirculating pump runs (as it changes the level). Been incrementally adjusting the low stress training, once or twice a day. Growth seems to be manageable. I have to look at previous diaries, but this has come along QUICK in veg. I might add the scrog net next week. Cut a few fan leaves that were off the main stalks. Res change planned for Thursday. Res change Nov 17th: GH Trio week 3 formula at 80%, wound up with 1000ppm in the tank (using old meter). Still having trouble with the new meter, I should probably try to get a replacement. It wound up going from reading too high, to not reading. I switched out the pH Down from the pH controller, and put in pH up. It's only drifted up since the change, of course. But, end of last tank the trend was steady-to-down, so... I figured it was time. Nov 18th: Knocked the PPM down to 800 after I noticed some slight yellowing (photo added). Have 600ppm in the ATO tank. Nov 21st: Seeing some signs of burn sliiiightly on some tips.

Trying to figure out when I'll add the scrog net. It should probably be soon. I really want to get some more growth on the edges. Slowly removing fan leaves underneath. It's going to straight up explode soon. I think it's the lankiest plant I've grown so far. I'm probably going to have to be fairly aggressive with the scrog and cleanup. Update Nov 24: added the scrog on Thanksgiving Update Nov 27th: Decided to flip to 12/12! Changed out to GH Trio week 4 forumula (transition) at 80% base nutes (100% rest, calmag, si, floralicious, rapid start). Honestly the plant is growing so rapidly that it's overdue for the flip. ...I might try to take a few cuttings on the 28th and see if I can root them. I don't have space for a veg tent, but I have a few people I could call that might be interested in the genetics. Kind of a bummer to buy an expensive clone and then use it once, but... Whatever, the goal of the grow was to grow some trendy new thing (which also turns out: gets searched way less on growdiaries! and I get less interaction with my journal, doesn't bother me, just an observation).

So, we're in 12/12 light schedule now! And transition nutes at 850ppm. I think I'm happy with where I flipped. Let's see what it looks like in a week. Did a pretty serious lollipop, also happy with that, I went pretty hard on it, but I've been timid in the past, and I think I'm getting over it, and I think what's been done is healthy. I went and took a few cuttings and started rooting them. I'll see if I can find a home, I don't have a setup where I can keep a mother, so it feels like a waste if I can't at least give a few away!

Dec 6th: I think I'm juuuuust starting to see some pistils from the apical meristems, so... I think she's basically just in flower, maybe some would call it preflower. But, I'm putting it as the first week of flower. I think there was approximately 8 days after flip to 12/12. Been removing fans leaves on the regs, and humidity is kind of high -- partially driven by the fact that it's been warmer than normal where I live, and rainier. I think I missed info for a res change, changed on Sunday the 5th. It's second week of flower formula (week 5?) for GH trio, at 75%. Aimed for 850ppm in the tank. Interestingly I decided to sway the pH up to 6.0 a couple days before res change, and pH started to rise instead of fall. Really cool with the pH controller that I can put it there and keep it there, I think it'll be better overall. Going to follow the same pattern and push it up to 6.0 again and see how the ppm changes too.

I think this might be my tallest plant yet, it's SUPER stretching. I'm semi worried, but I think I have like... 12" left I can move the lights, and maybe they're just going to be close. Last res change was I think week 5, at 850ish PPM again. Maybe have the sliiiightest nute burn. So I think I'm almost in the right range. Changed on last Friday, dec 9th, I believe. pH controller asked me to calibrate it, so I calibrated it this week. Doing some light defoliation here and again, lollipopping some of the bottom shoots as well.

She's out of control. Stretched super heavily. Biggest plant I've had in the tent. I definitely flipped late, especially with how lanky this girl likes to be. Buds are barely starting to fatten. I think it's a coin flip right now that this is never going to step stretching and be a disaster, or it's going to slow down and it's going to be a large harvest. Let's see. Unsure what I'm going to do if it keeps stretching, my lights have been set to about 18" through the whole grow. The tallest bud is probably less than 9" overall, and a 15" distance average from the lights. Also pretty due for some cleanup again. 21 day cleanup is due, even though I feel like I hit her pretty hefty with lollipopping in the first few weeks of flower. Res change 12/21: GH trio week 8 @ 80% about 790 in the tank.

Starting to thicken up! And it's out of control size-wise. Check out how close that bud is to the lamp. Having the first problem of the grow. Have some white powdery mildew (wpm) on some lower leaves. Thinking it's because of having the vents closed (due to having company) all day for 5ish days and humidity -- both from it being closed and the fact we had a warm up late last week, outside. Things I've done to remediate: * Lost Coast Plant Therapy foliar treatment for section of plant (one treatment, 12/27) * Removed leaves that I saw were effected. * Turned up fans. I'll keep an eye on it. I'm not terribly worried. Overdue for a res change but I gotta wait until Friday because of timing/travel.

Feeling a lot of hope this week after last! No more signs of PM, phew! That's excellent news. So hopefully got Looks like the stretch is past, phew. Yeah, we're too close to the lights. But, whatever, it stopped before it literally hit them. So I'll take it as a win. ...I think I need another round of cleanup for lollipopping. Lots of sparse low stuff that needs to go. Res change on past Thursday (I think?), GH trio week 9 @ 80%.

I was kinda wrong about the PM last week. It started showing up, so I did a huge defoliation, and I should probably do another round. Seems to be in check. Also treated with foliar, lost coast plant therapy again. Res change Monday Jan 9th, same as last week. Was late to change because I had plumbing problems and couldn't run RO water. Stacking nicely though! I still have hope.

So, I ditched this plant. the PM problem got to be too much :( Bummer. Because of my success in the past, even in the summer last year... I kind of blame the breeder. It's the main change from previous grows. Oh well. Next round from seed, let's see what happens. I really went to town sterilizing the tent and removed the carbon filter (need to get a new one)