What, me, Genius?

These ladies really took off in their growth this week. All of the plants, particularly those from Brothers Grimm, seem to crave extra Cal-Mag... though it could be the Coco medium. In other news, the Rapidstart appears to do exactly what its name suggests. Otherwise, big props to Floraflex. Their Pot Pro setup and drainage system makes waste water disposal a breeze! Also, I just bought a magnetic stirring device... Mind *blown*.

If there's any theme to growing in Coco, it's "Cal-Mag, Cal-Mag, Cal-Mag" - particularly with respect to the Brothers Grimm plants. Having cycled Terpinator into the feeding schedule, I am greeted with a faint, pleasant aroma every time I open the tent 😊. The Apricot Oreoz, in particular, is growing at a much slower rate than her sisters - she's at the same rate of development (in terms of nodes, fan leaves, etc.) but substantially smaller. There's lots of time for her to catch up with her sisters, but she could just be a smaller plant... I will note that the Anesia plants, in general, are not growing quite as quickly or robustly as those from Brothers Grimm. Still, I'm very excited to see what happens in the coming weeks, particularly as I prepare to Top the plants at some point in the next week or so. In frutherance, I plan to extend the Vegetative Cycle by about a week to allow for further vertical growth and time to heal from any stress induced by the topping. Next step... LST.

No more slowed growth for these ladies... I figured out that their nutrients were not being fully absorbed due to the pH of the solution - after increasing from 6 to 6.4, you'd think that I was feeding them Ajax prior! In any case, the ladies' growth has been significant. After their first round of LST and Defoliation, their newfound pH caused them to regrow pretty much everything that'd been defoliated during the week prior. Hence the need for Round 2 of Defoliation. I've also done a little bit of HST on the ladies - mostly the Blackberry Moonrocks because she's grown the most vertically out of the group. At this juncture, I've increased their individual watering to roughly .33 gallons per day (give or take a little). I've also slightly increased their dosage of Cal-Mag and Humic/Fulvic Acid. Again, it could just be the Coco, but these plants seem to crave Cal-Mag. I've also just increased the intensity of their lighting to 55%. Otherwise, the two most pungent plants are tied between the Frozen Black Cherry and the G13. They both reek of pine needles and lime zest, thanks in part to their regular dosage of Terpinator. Until next week...

We are officially in our final week of the Vegetative Stage! All prior nutrient deficiencies have been verified and subsequently resolved. These ladies are continuing to heal from their HST and continuing to grow in both diameter and height. At this juncture, the ladies are eating up roughly double the recommended dosage of their Cal-Mag supplement (to be fair, it is somewhat of a weak-to-average strength) and slightly more than this with respect to their Humic/Fulvic Acid supplements... and the ladies' Root Systems are just loving it! I'm recharging their Root Systems with water-soluble Great White at every feeding and they're continuing to benefit from the Dynomyco mixed into their grow medium. I've also started to add a half-dosage of Manganese once per week, mostly out of an abundance of caution. In addition to getting the nutrients dialed in, I've increased the PhotoBio MX's light intensity to 55%, which will be increased to 70% (and then to 90%/100%) once the plants are flipped into flower. Otherwise, defoliation seems to be a regular need at this point. It's like these ladies are regrowing shoots and leaves overnight - I mean, not really, but you know what I mean. Also, my shed is officially smelling very, very good. Maybe too good! The happy smells currently remain sequestered in the shed and I'm hoping that it stays this way for the remaining duration of the grow.

This week presents a lot of changes for these ladies... First, I'm in the process of dialing in the Bloom nutrients. I've switched them from Floraflex V1, V2, and Veg Foliar to B1, B2, Bloom Foliar, and Bulky B. Give the addition of the Bulky B, I removed their Manganese supplement from the equation. I've also switched out the Fox Farm Cal-Mag with the Botanicare brand. Their dosage of Terpinator is increased and they've began a regimen that includes Rock Resinator. Notably, I'm now following Botanicare's prescribed dosage for the Cal-Mag without any signs of deficiency. After a review of their respective analyses, I'm convinced that the effect is due largely to the increased quality of the Botanicare Cal-Mag Plus over the Fox Farm Bush Doctor. Second, in addition to changes in their nutrient regimen, I've also made some environmental changes. After increasing the intensity of their lighting to 70%, I noticed that the driver was giving off increased heat... so I added a small fan that is dedicated to cooling the driver. Otherwise, the ladies' growth has been off the charts. Flipping them into Bloom has yielded monstrous growth within a relatively short time period. I'm working my way up to increasing their respective feeding solutions to a ½ gallon per plant - with exception to the Apricot Oreoz, as this I'd a much smaller plant that yields excess run-off after roughly ⅓ gallon of feeding solution. The only challenge I'm currently facing is a limited horizontal area for them to grow. I am considering the transition into a SCRoG setup, but I really wouldn't know what I was doing because I am, yet, somewhat of a noob. Notwithstanding, these plants continue to demonstrate substantial growth and I'm excited to observe their continued development. Until next week...

These plants are exploding with growth... So much so that I am carefully considering external relocation of the ventilation and exhaust plumbing! While I recall rapid growth during early flowering from earlier grows, this time around it is significantly more noticeable. I've learned something new during this grow - the importance of pH regarding nutrient bioavailability. As it turns out, plants don't like to eat when their pH is off... and when they do eat, they're less efficient with absorbing important sustenance. Changing the ladies' pH from 6.0 to 6.5 has yielded substantial improvements in resolving early stages of nutrient deficiency. At this juncture, my only challenge is determining what to do about Apricot Oreoz. She's always been a runt but her growth is significantly lagging that of her sisters. In fact, she's lagging behind to such an extent that she's being shaded over by virtue of the other plants' massive growth. I'm carefully considering removing Apricot Oreoz from the tent and perhaps doing what I can with LST/HST and/or a SCRoG setup - with the latter option being my go-to (largely because I've never done one before). I'm hesitant to give up on her but it could be the best call if she does not at least start catching up in the next few days. Otherwise, everything is going quite swimmingly. Until next time... ***UPDATE*** Following much consideration and handwringing, I decided to cull the Apricot Oreoz plant. I've been extremely conflicted about doing so because this is the strain that originally inspired me to put so much into upgrading my grow setup... From the very beginning of my grow, Apricot Oreoz has lagged behind in both growth and vegetative development. She was much smaller than her sisters and failed to thrive into Flowering - so much so that her diminutive size resulted in being "shaded out" by the other ladies. I can accept that we all get runts once in a while, but I can't say that I'm not a little disappointed... it should be noted, however, that my Blackberry Moonrocks and Frozen Black Cherry from Anesia are growing and developing at a seemingly unstoppable rate. At the end of the day, my other plants will benefit from the extra added space to horizontally expand. RIP Apricot Oreoz

Three words describe these past few weeks: Growth, Growth, and Growth! All of the plants have developed multiple branches that are reaching for the sky... as if they're somehow competing with one another. First, nutrition remains dialed in. This past week has seen modest increases in both Terpinator and Rock Resinator supplements. I've also noticed a world of difference in the Botanicare Cal-Mag Plus versus Fox Farm's Bush Doctor label. I've continued to add a small dose of Great White to each of my feedings. Second, this week saw a substantial increase in lighting from the mighty PhotoBio MX. I made the decision to increase the ladies lighting from 60% to 75%. My logic is that the plants are experiencing a growth spurt, so why not give these ladies what they want? And this leads to another significant improvement in my setup... Third, I rerouted the exhaust and ventilation system components to the exterior of the grow tent. I did so because I was literally at the point of running out of space to raise the height of the PhotoBio MX. I did not want to subject the ladies to light burn and I am hesitant to begin super-cropping at this relatively later stage. It was a pain in my rear-end but the results speak for themselves. I've bought at least another foot-and-change of space for these ladies to grow. And, honestly, this will probably be the setup that I continue to use into future grows. Unfortunately, the status quo is somewhat bittersweet as I made the decision to cull my Apricot Oreoz plant. She was a runt; her growth was stunted to the extent that she was not fully flowering in synchrony with her sisters. Further, her growth stopped weeks ago after the other plants shaded her out of available lighting from the mighty PhotoBio MX. Ultimately, her memory will live on through the available space for her surviving sisters to develop horizontal growth. Otherwise, there is nothing else to report. We are confidently moving forward towards further robust growth. Until next week...

This past week has seen some change in terms of the plants' growth, behavior, and environment. First and foremost, the ladies' rate of growth seems to be evening out. With the exception of the Frozen Black Cherry, all of the plants are at least 4 feet tall... with the mighty G13 Genius having exceeded this height. I can't say how happy I am with my decision to have rerouted the exhaust and ventilation components to the outside of the tent. Next, I undertook another project... the installation of UV-A/B light bars to stimulate resin and trichome production. This was a bear of a task, but it is done. The lights are running on 15 minutes intervals, once every two hours, for a maximum of five intervals throughout their light cycle. Even a cursory glance at the closeup shots from this week should communicate my satisfaction with this strategy. There have been minimal adjustments to the ladies' feeding schedule. I've modestly increased their dosage of Humic/Fulvic Acid, as well as that of the Rock Resinator. Further, they're now at a level of maturity that does not require supplementation with the Floraflex Bloom Foliar. Beginning this week, assuming timely delivery, I may begin substituting half of their Sugaree dosage with Sour-Dee or maybe even just adding a half dosage of Sour-Dee to the Sugaree - I haven't decided just yet. Otherwise, there is nothing else to report. Until next week...

This past week witnessed a serious challenge that was verified and resolved fairly quickly... excess humidity. Things can get fairly hot and sticky here in the central Northeast and the last couple of weeks have been no exception. The weather ultimately caused my grow tent's humidity to reach 80%+. I acted quickly and purchased a Midea dehumidifier, which turned out to be a Godsend - it works efficiently, emits minimal heat, and can be controlled remotely through a minimalist, yet slick app. Crisis averted! Otherwise, the ladies have seen some changes in their feeding solution. They're no longer imbibing upon Silica or Humic Acid for the remainder of the grow, and they've been switched to Sour Dee from their Sugaree supplement. In addition, their dosages of Terpinator and Rock Resinator have been increased as we approach the initial stages of Late Bloom. In addition to the foregoing changes, the ladies have also seen a change in their environment. More specifically, the lighting intensity of the PhotoBio MX has been increased to 85% at the end of last week and will be increased to 100% next week. I'm hoping that the ladies will thrive under increased lighting at this future juncture. It should also be noted that my installation of the Spider Farmer UV light bars appear to be paying off. The plants are secreting massive amounts of resin, causing the foliage to feel sticky to the touch. This could be coincidental to the ladies' stage of growth but I don't recall this occurring in my last grow - of course, my last grow was powered with a 100 watt light and a tent with walls as comparatively thick as tissue paper in relation to my new Gorilla Grow Tent. But still... In any case, that's the story this week. Until next time... ***UPDATE*** I've decided to switch out the ladies' Terpinator supplements with that of Purpinator. Out of an abundance of curiosity, I'd like to see if I can't induce the Blackberry Moonrocks and Frozen Black Cherry (and maybe the G13 Genius) to "purple up". While I'm not sure that they will actually do so within the relatively little time remaining in this grow, I figured it's worth a shot. And now I'll really leave everyone alone for a few days!

At this juncture, the ladies are entering Late Bloom. If there's any one word to describe this past and coming weeks, it has to be "Change". First off, the ladies' feeding schedule is completely changed. No more Cal-Mag, no more Silica, and no more Humic/Fulvic Acid. Their B1 and B2 supplements have been reduced by slightly less than 50% and their Bulky B supplement has been replaced by Full-Tilt. I've also replaced their Terpinator with Purpinator, in hopes that I'll be able to enhance the purples and blues that some of the plants are capable of developing. Second, there has been a major change in the grow environment... The mighty PhotoBio MX us now raining down light at 100%. That's 680 full-spectrum watts of light photons for the ladies to bask in. I still have the Spider Farmer UV light bars running intermittently through the day - which has only improved their resin and trichome production. Third, we're now contending with some major changes in dryback intervals. While I tend to feed the plants every other day, they seem to be absorbing almost everything I feed them within about 1¼ to 1½ days - thus requiring me to feed them "off schedule" from time to time. I'm not wild about messing with consistency but I'm even more so disinclined to deprive the plants of much-needed sustenance... especially during this critical stage of their development. While I hate to play favorites - I love all of my girls equally - I feel obligated to give big props to Brothers Grimm for their unbeatable genetics. I've dreamed of cultivating Brothers Grimm genetics for decades and I can, without hesitation, say that it's been worth the wait. Even the Mota Hari, a Tester Seed, is tied for the second largest plant in the tent! Standing before the G13/Genius is to be confronted with glamor beyond any reasonable expectations and the Princess Haze, while comparatively smaller and bushy, has bud sites with leaves that literally resemble crowns adorned in jewels. In short, the experience with Brothers Grimm has been unreal! With this being said, Anesia Seeds is definitely no slouch when it comes to impressive genetics. The Frozen Black Cherry easily wins the prize for "Best Smelling" plant in the tent - literally reeking of tart, overripe fruit. I have no idea how they figured this out... You can't make this stuff up! And the Blackberry takes the cake for having the most bud sites out of the bunch, as well as being tied for second largest plant with Mota Hari. All in all, I'm headed into Late Bloom with high hopes (no pun intended). I may update during the week with new developments, but I suppose that time will tell on that front. In any case, until next week...

This last week presented a series of changes for the ladies, albeit at a lesser intensity than their prior weeks of growth. The most significant changes took place in relation to the plants' nutrition. Over the past week, they received a smaller amount of their B1 and B2 nutrients in addition to a full dosage of Full-Tilt. In contrast, they'll receive nothing but Full-Tilt over the next week (in addition to certain supplements, of course). As to their supplements, the plants have been imbibing upon increased dosages of Rock Resinator, Purpinator, and Sour-Dee. On a sidenote, I've also started using Floraflex Root Drip (to aid in flushing out any buildup of salt residue) in anticipation of the Final Flush. My goal is to use the Root Drip only until the second-to-last watering/feeding - and from there, I'll only be using Sour-Dee and pH'd water. I'm not really a fan of flushing agents, but I just don't see another way around it. Another significant change has taken place in relation to the plants' growing environment. I've endeavored to lower their night-time temperature to at least 6F lower than their day-time temperature. This has resulted in the buds swelling up like crazy. I've also lowered the rH to 55%, which has also contributed to a better grow environment. The last noteworthy change has taken place in the plants' appearance. Note the changes in the color of the ladies' fan leaves and sugar leaves. Some of the plants' sugar leaves are beginning to shrivel from a lack of nutrients. At this late stage, I'll take these cues as good signs. Thanks for reading. Until next time...

At this juncture, were beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. We're now beginning the flush, as well as the ladies' preparation for their harvest. The ladies' nutrient regimen has been altered to the extreme. From here on out, they will imbibe solely upon Root Drip and Sour-Dee. I have no doubt that this combination will (a) force the ladies to consume all remaining nutrients in their respective systems, (b) smooth out the ladies' respective flavors with this righteous, fruit oil-based sweetener, and (c) cleanse the Coco/Peat blended grow medium of remaining salt and nutrient sediments. This requires watering with plenty of runoff... but here's a shout out to @Floraflex for their Pot Pro Platform setup - its made feeding (and now flushing) an absolute pleasure. As you can see from their glamor shots, the plants are literally falling over due to the excessive weight of their buds. This applies to Brothers Grimm's G13/Genius in particular. As it turns out, when @BrothersGrimm suggests that you use a central stake... follow their instructions! Thank God for the @GeneralHydroponics Rapid Start and @PlantRevolution Great White, because the roots are all that's preventing these plants from toppling! Our only real hurdle to an otherwise timely harvest is the Frozen Black Cherry. While she's continues to mature quickly, her pistils have yet to fully develop coloration. While *some* of her pistils have taken on a slight pinkish/purple hue, most of them have remained a platinum color. As such, I'm slightly extending her feeding schedule with the Full-Tilt and will be harvested approximately one week after her sisters. Otherwise, all is well in the grow tent. I'll keep everyone posted as to the growth and development of the Frozen Black Cherry. Until next time... ***UPDATE*** Upon closer inspection of the trichomes and pistils on these ladies, I've concluded that harvest will have to be delayed for at least one week. I must've gotten caught up in following this new Floraflex feeding schedule too closely and, well, this happened... Trust me when I tell you that the irony in growing weed resulted in enhanced rule following is not lost on me! In any case, I'll report back in a few days. Now I really mean, "Until next time."

Change of plans! As it turns out, there is a risk in using a different brand of nutrients for a new grow. This is my first time using @Floraflex so I've been carefully abiding their feeding schedule to avoid overfeeding the plants. Well, it turns out that I was so focused on following their feeding schedule that I neglected to surveil trichome development. The clear irony (no pun intended) - in case you have failed to read between the lines - is that growing marijuana apparently turned me into a rule follower! Another embarrassing note... it turns out that I mislabeled the G13/Genius and Mota Hari. In other words, the @BrothersGrimm Tester Seed is the biggest, most hearty out of the bunch. It should be noted that I still have 13 of these seeds left and they cost me $25.00. I bet they end up selling for around 6x this price when - not if, but when - they make it to the permanent menu. Of course, it goes without saying G13/Genius is a phenomenal plant that continues to impress. I suppose that smoking this stuff will give us a final tale of the tape. But I digress... I've slightly modified the ladies nutritional regimen. I've reintroduced Humic Acid into the mix in an effort to "force" them to ingest more nutrients, for the purpose of causing their trichomes to further develop. I've also split their sweetener between Sugaree and Sour-Dee. To be honest, I actually prefer Sour-Dee but I have A LOT of the Sugaree (bought in bulk when a grow supply store closed). Further, as you might be able to infer from this paragraph, I've extended their Flowering Cycle to permit additional time for further trichome development. At this juncture, I'm thinking that the ladies will require an additional 1 - 2 weeks before they're ready for harvest. Until then, I'll continue to roll out the Red Carpet for each one of them. Until next time... ***UPDATE*** These plants' trichomes are finally turning milky! And, bonus points: The plants are finally starting to develop purple hues in both their leaves and calyxes. Accordingly, they will be fed Full-Tilt for the remainder of this week, and then switched over to sweetener only - except for the Frozen Black Cherry, because it's taking its time with flowering (I have no doubt it'll be worth the wait). Now I really mean, "until next time"...

This past week saw the transition of the ladies' growth from the end of mid-Flower into late-Flower. As you can see from this week's pictures, this has promulgated a change in their coloration as they evolve closer to their time of harvest. As usual, change is in the air! The most significant change that has taken place in this last week is appearance. The girls' buds and leaves have adopted a stunning, purplish appearance... some of them more so than others. Further, the ladies' trichomes have FINALLY started to become cloudy! All it apparently took was lowering the mighty PhotoBio MX so that it was closer in proximity to the plants. Accordingly, I will likely begin to flush the plants over the next week and will aim to chop them down next week (or possibly the week after, but we'll see). This means that they'll no longer be fed with anything other than a pH'd solution of water, sweetener, and a small amount of flushing agent. There's not so much to report, otherwise. That, and I'm feeling a little run down after a long week. Stay tuned for further updates in the near future. Until next time...

As usual, change is in the air. At this juncture, we are preparing for Harvest and could not be more excited for this crop! On the nutrient side of things, this past week was probably the easiest of them all... the ladies have received nothing but an increased pH solution of sweetener and water. I did add Root Drip on one occasion - for the very first feediing of sweetener and water - though it probably wasn't necessary. Coco Coir seems to flush fairly well in the absence of added nutrients or supplements. The appearance of the plants has changed somewhat for the better. I must avail Rock Resinator for the credit, as the ladies' buds literally appear to be oozing with resin oils. What's more, the buds themselves are hardened to the touch. The Mota Hari definitely has the most diversified palate in terms of coloration, but the Princess Haze probably gets the award for "Purplest Marijuana in the Tent". That's not to say that the others are slouches; they boast fist-sized buds with beautifully loud, gassy odors. The only nagging concern I have is with temperature regulation... it's very difficult to keep the tent cool during the peak of daylight. I may simply resort to "walling off" the tent with some heavier tapestries and rerouting the air conditioning ventilation to create a cooler drying environment. I'll be trying something new for this drying process... I'm ditching the clothes hangers for the 8-tier AC Infinity Hanging Mesh Drying Rack. Some say that this could modify the buds' appearance by flattening them out in some cases, but I'm not concerned about that. After smoking it, my hope is that I won't notice! In any case, I'll post Harvest pictures as soon as I'm able to. I'll also post reviews of my experience with smoking the stuff after it has the chance to cure. I'd also like to share that creating this profile and posting on this website has been a surprisingly satisfying and fulfilling experience. I've faced some significant life challenges recently and this experience has availed me with a distraction from some of it. Thanks to everyone who's interacted with my profile and thrown likes my way; it's benefitted me in more ways than you'll ever know. Buts that's enough of the sappy stuff. Until next time...

The Frozen Black Cherry was not the easiest plant to grow... Even after topping, she did not want to grow a second cola. She flowered a bit later than the others and her pistils took some extra time to change color. With all this having been said, the challenges in growing her were relatively minimal. While the type of challenges associated with cultivating strain might throw off a complete novice, those with even a single grow under their belt would fare just fine.

G13/Genius was a pleasure to grow. From the very beginning, she stood up straight and tall and a seedling... and continued to do so for the duration of her life cycle. So far as growing notes go, you'll definitely want to feed her extra Cal-Mag throughout the grow. She seems to thrive from this strategy. In addition, I wish I'd heeded Brothers Grimm's recommendation of using a central stake or tomato cage to buttress the weight of her massive buds... this is a must, as the plant's massive stalks will likely begin to collapse under the weight of her large, resin-soaked buds. Otherwise, this is a strain that I'll definitely be growing again! Highly recommended for growers of all levels!

This must be said, first and foremost: This was a Tester Seed! Mota Hari grew quickly and consistently, stretching longer and harder than the others all the way into mid-Flowering Stage. She craves heavy feedings when grown in Coco Coir and will utilize much of the nutrients she is fed. A central stake or tomato cage is a must, as she will buckle under the weight of her massive buds. This is a fairly easy strain to grow, though the grower must be willing to accommodate her heavy appetite. At the end of the day, two things are certain. First, this is amazing weed that everyone should get their hands on. Second, there's now no doubt in my mind that Mota Hari will ultimately be featured on Brothers Grimm's permanent menu. Highly recommended!

Princess Haze was not difficult to grow. She stands tall and strong from the time she's a seedling, and will become as tall and bushy as you permit. Robust air circulation is a must-have with this strain, as she develops a lot of sub-branching. Experienced growers should also note that this strain is extremely receptive to LST. Grown in a tent, this plant could easily grow to fill the entire tent with only a few extra weeks of Vegetative Growth. I can only imagine how large she could grow outdoors... Definitely a highly recommended strain!

Blackberry Moonrocks is an easy-to-grow strain with a monstrous yield. Growing her was a pleasure. She reaches for the skies with explosive growth. The strain is very receptive to topping, which only seemed to promote even more growing vigor in her development of large sub-branches. Supplementing her with Silica will strengthen her branches to the point that a central stake or tomato cage is not needed - a rarity when it comes to high-yield plants like this one. With all this having been said, growing Blackberry Moonrocks is not without challenges. In relevant part, her vigorous branching is a two-edged sword... extra care absolutely must be taken in pruning her undergrowth to prevent bud rot (or just general poor air circulation). A fan that blows in her general direction 24/7 is highly recommended. All in all, Blackberry Moonrocks is a great strain for everyone from beginners to seasoned veterans - though Beginners should also exercise a healthy respect for the strength of her high. Again, highly recommended!