Grand Daddy Purple

3/7: Day 1 for seedlings.

Sprouted on 3/7. Now on day 12. So far, no major issues encountered. Seedlings seem to be settling in well and establishing a strong root system and main stalk. One of the GDP's and the CD 4 are the strongest two of the bunch. All are short in stature with relatively tight node spacing. Yesterday was the first thorough watering to runoff, and the plants responded well. Temperatures hovering around 75F with humidity around 55%. PPFD at the top of the plants is measuring just a little hot at ~430, but I haven't noticed any ill-effects. Leaving things as-is for now, watering on average about once every three days. Yesterday's watering included a very small amount of FF Grow Big (less than 1/4 dose), and an equally small amount of CalMag.

Noticed plants were requiring quite a bit more frequent watering, with some wilting occurring within 24 hours. Pulled inside Solo cup out for all four seedlings and discovered all were completely dense with roots, completely filling the Solo cups (all four were root-bound). I was not particularly prepared for this to occur so quickly, but recognized the need to get them into larger containers as soon as possible. Mixed 20 gallons of FF Ocean Forest with perlite at a ratio of approximately 3:1. Inserted solo cup in center of each planter to create a hole, top-dressed soil with earthworm castings, and added mycorrhizal powder to root balls and final planting location. Quickly transplanted to 5 gallon fabric planters and performed a thorough watering to run-off, at pH 6.5. Did not check pH of run-off, but waited 24 hours to take post-transplant photos. So far, very little indication of plant stress, though I'm sure it will take several days to adjust in their new home. Difficult to say how things will move along this week- could be slow because of the transplant, or could be fast because the roots finally have room to breathe. Ideally, I would've waited to create a week 3 entry until much later in the week, but the immediate need to transplant on day 1 of week 3 was significant enough a development to update the log. Update (3/25- Day 19): Have not watered since transplant due to plants appearing to have everything they need for now. I'll probably water them tomorrow. The surface soil is dry, but it's still slightly moist when you sink your finger into the dirt. For now, I will not be using any nutrients other than verifying correct pH and a little CalMag based on some orange mottling observed on one fan leaf. Overall growth appears to be accelerating, with some plants moving faster than others. I suspect this is just the individual genetics, nothing "wrong" with them, just ever so slight variations from plant to plant. Update (3/27- Day 21): Plants responded well to moderate watering with 6.5 pH water, a small amount of CalMag, and a small amount of blackstrap molasses. Each is putting on their fifth set of fan leaves. The transplant did seem to slow growth slightly (though negligibly), but I also reduced PPFD immediately after transplant in the hopes of mitigating any light related stress. No significant changes to note for the end of week 3. No further spread of the orange mottling noted in last update. Considering swapping out the 1kW metal halide for the Hortilux HPS lamp, mostly for electrical efficiency, but also to gradually increase PPFD in the hopes of stimulating a bit more growth. This may cause some stretch, but the plants are very short and bushy for their age, and a little more node spacing won't necessarily be a bad thing. During week 4 I will be seriously considering topping between fifth and sixth nodes and some light LST to better expose lower branching.

4/1 AM (Day 26) - Topped at the 6th node for two of the three GDP's. Not touching CD#4 yet since it is still on the small side and I want to give it the best fighting chance to grow out. I'll give her a few more days to put on leaves and see how things go. Overall, three of the four total plants I started with seem to be adjusting just fine to the increased PPFD (hovering around ~550), and a slight increase in average temperature (now hovering around 77F). Height has increased significantly, now ranging between 8-9" (all GDP are at 9"). Unfortunately, the one plant that previously showed some mottling in the leaves seems to be in decline. At least one set of leaves is heavily mottled with brown spots. The reading I've done suggests either a pH imbalance, or problems with the root system. Growth is definitely stunted. I've considered abandoning the one so I can focus on the three that seem to be unaffected, but it's still alive so I'm giving it some time to see if things straighten out on their own. New growth does not exhibit the symptoms. I'll post additional photos either later today or tomorrow, depending on the weather. Getting good photos under HPS is a challenge. I'll power it down to get a full capture. Given this is my first attempt, I'm not afraid to show both successes and failures. All four have received the same treatment, and been in the same environment the whole time. It remains a bit of a mystery why one specific plant seems to be perpetually unhappy. I have not over watered. If anything, I've tended to let things dry out considerably between watering. For example, today is day 3 since the last water-- and the healthy plants seem perfectly fine with that. My pH meter has been calibrated twice out of an overabundance of caution, so I don't think that's the issue. Also, I have not been adding nutrients except for a little CalMag and a very small amount of unsulfured blackstrap molasses. 4/1 PM (Day 26) - Added additional photo with lights out, which includes the GDP with the problem shown in the pics. Close-up available for any who may have suggestions, other than leave it alone and continue with nothing more than pH adjusted water.

4/7 Day 31 (AM) - Things have been going relatively well over the last several days, with the exception of the one plant that has been unhappy throughout the grow. I did some light pruning to remove brown/dying fan leaves from the struggling plant but have otherwise been focused on tucking leaves under future bud sites, and keeping an eye on the two that were topped late in week 4, both of which are sending out new shoots. All seem to want nutrients now. I've been very light-handed with the nutrients but started giving them small amounts at least every other watering. At week five it feels like a lot of things are on autopilot now, just normal maintenance like topping off the humidifier and occasionally poking my head in to check on things. Glad I didn't abandon the sickly plant. New growth looks healthy, and it just might pull through. Update (4/8- Day 32 AM): Feeding was very well received by all plants. It's taking some getting used to. I tend to use very little in the way of fertilizer (have read too many horror stories). Still, these guys are showing signs of being hungry on a regular basis, and their daily uptake of water is considerably more than when I started. For the time being, I have been using about 50% of the recommended amount of FF Grow Big, close to a normal recommended amount of CalMag, and about 50% of the recommended amount of P-K (due to deficiencies noted in some leaf margins). I've been testing the runoff and it's coming out between 6.5-6.6 consistently. No signs of drooping or overwatering. Right now, they appear to be happy if watered about every other day, and they're taking on about 1/2 gallon each pretty consistently. Next time I'll probably use nothing but pH adjusted water, just to avoid nutrient build-up.

4/11 Day 36 (AM) - Growth rates are aggressive, with the plants putting on inches at a time per week at this stage. Overall height is now at 15" across the board. Considering switching to flower at the end of week 6 depending on development in the smaller two of the four. Ideally, I'm aiming for an even canopy to the extent possible, which necessitates giving things a bit more time. I finally FIM'ed the Chemdog #4 after letting it put on some additional foliage. If growth rates remain steady, I estimate it will be one to two weeks before they're truly ready. What I want to avoid is running them too close to the light. While the plants themselves are only 15", after you calculate including the pots, trays and casters, if they double in size, they'll be less than 2' from the 1000w lamp. I have no empirical data to base my position on as this is my first medical grow and I've never seen a plant through flower, but I don't want to risk burning them up. My current assumption is the veg stage is the easy part and the next leg of the journey will likely be even more challenging. From my point of view, any success is a victory as a beginner. I remain hopeful for a positive outcome and believe it is entirely possible with the right level of effort and attention to detail. More updates will be provided as we near end of week 6. Update 4/13 Day 38 (AM) - Looks like it's time to get the humidifier out from behind these guys. In hindsight, it was a poor choice of locations. It's next to impossible to get to it, refill, or adjust any settings without bumping into things- not that the occasional bump is the end of the world, it's just a pain in the ass. On a positive note, I'm glad I put these pots on the trays with casters. It's not as though moving a 5 gallon fabric pot is a big deal, but it's painfully easy with the casters. Today marks the fourth time I've had to move them away from each other in the last two weeks. Every time, they seem to bush out more and grow back into each other within a week or less. You can clearly see from the last photo (day 38) how the humidifier is pinned against the back and only accessible by squeezing around things. To be clear, that is a backup humidifier (the primary one is readily accessible) and I have it set at a lower humidity so it will only kick on in the event the primary fails. Nonetheless, I'm yanking and relocating it before it gets to the point that I literally can't get to it. These guys have exceeded my expectations in just about every way. They've dealt with my mistakes and mishandling, and have come out the other side remarkably strong. To my eyes, there are at least three unique phenotypes here. The two in the back are flat-out bushes, each with substantial (and strong) branching, and multiple tops. Front left is by far the hardest to work with; it just wants to continue putting on gigantic eleven blade fan leaves that are bigger than my hand. They're shading out potential bud sites, and slowing growth beneath the canopy. They're too large to tuck or twist around like I normally would. I'm contemplating a hard topping, not pinching off a node, but literally crowning the plant lower down on the stalk. So far I haven't been ready to make that decision, but remain concerned about a very small yield-- that being said, the remaining three are much more easily managed, have numerous tops, and should be fantastic. In a perfect world, I'd have somewhere I could move one of the four to let it keep vegging, but that isn't my situation so I'll just have to deal (first world problems). Update 4/15 Day 40 (AM) - I don't know what I'm doing, but I just keep trying to expose tops throughout the canopy. It's something that requires a certain eye and a lot of patience. Things are almost where I want them to be, but I'm glad I've continued to veg because two of these guys were not ready yet (I just didn't know it). You can't tell from the picture, probably because they're putting on leaves just as quickly as I remove them, but I've done a LOT of clean-up, both under the canopy where things were shaded, as well as removing some fan leaves that were shading things out in a problematic way. Hopefully I've made some decent decisions as far as pruning, defoliating, and bringing forward the branches- but the reality is I've never done it before so I'm just going to have to see how it goes. If nothing else, I will have learned something from the process to take forward. I definitely think they're going to need another full week of growth, and hopefully some of the topping I've done will help the branches to continue developing. On the plus side, I've removed all the stuff that was at the base of the plant, so at least I can see to water these guys, and see the stalks and dirt clearly. I gave them a good flush with nothing but pH adjusted water, and they immediately started showing signs of wanting to be fed again. It seems as though I've found a balance of nutrients they like. That regimen of feeding is light-handed, but consistently includes CalMag, and isn't just nitrogen, but also includes a half dose of phosphorus and potassium. I'd say I'm using all four at about 1/2 the recommended amount per volume of water. So far this has done me well, but I don't want to overdo it.

Week 8, Day 2- Second day of 12/12 light schedule. Just flipped them two days ago and they've already started to grow taller at a very aggressive rate. Still feeding nitrogen at this point as the leaves were beginning to look starved as the plants stretch. Increased P and K by close to 50%. Performed a lot of defoliation, especially under the canopy, which has gotten very thick. Pistils are readily visible all over the place, so they're definitely ladies (they were feminized seeds). Height has increased to 24" over the last week- quite a growth spurt. Hoping I can keep it together with these guys to the end, and glad I didn't give up on any of them along the way.

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Performed a fairly heavy defoliation, which is probably not obvious from the photo. Removed at least two plastic grocery bags of undergrowth, shoots that were never going to reach the top, and select fan leaves that were blocking bud sites. Starting this week, I will no longer be feeding any Nitrogen, and will probably start to shift the CalMag down as well (it's labeled 1-0-0, so must be Calcium Nitrate). Parts of the canopy are now hitting ~1100 PPFD, with averages in the ~850 range which would've been unthinkable a month ago. The plants aren't bothered by the light intensity at all. Daytime temperatures have been running a bit higher over the last week (78-79F), with relative humidity ~60%. Starting with week three of 12/12, I've increased my airflow, which has helped to reduce humidity to the 55% range, while also maintaining slightly lower temperatures (76-77F). I had a very brief window during which the air circulation went offline and temperatures reached 85F, but the plants showed absolutely no signs of stress, and the issue was remedied quickly. Can't say this has been an "easy" process for me since I've been learning the hard way (as I go), but have high hopes that I'll make it to the end.

Feels like I’m in the home stretch, though I’m sure things could still go wrong over these next few weeks. Hopeful they’ll be at least some yield for my first attempt.

End of week 5 of flower. Still holding on. Definitely room for improvement, but I’ll learn from it and carry those things forward. Purple is starting to come out, which is nice.

Middle of week 6 of flower. Will update at the end of the week based on progress. Some nutrient deficiencies observed, but I’m not going to have a knee-jerk reaction at this stage of flower. In many respects it seems like the plants are just naturally starting to fade.

Plants are definitely cannibalizing themselves now. I'm just letting them run their course. The majority of the pistils have turned a brown color, and bud development seems to have slowed. This was definitely not a perfect run for me, but since it's my first attempt, and only for my own personal medical use, any yield is better than nothing. There were definitely some nutrient issues along the way, but it has been a learning experience, and hopefully the next time will be better based on what I observed this time around. In terms of gram per watt, I think it's going to be a small yield, but at least the buds are dense and there are some decent chunks in there for sure. Getting excited about wrapping things up.