Strawberry Banana Auto

copy/paste disclaimer: I started these diaries a bit late, and in order to enter into the competitions I'm starting them as single strain diaries to be eligible (as the note states when creating new diaries). Week two may come early, within the next few days for some, however from then on it would be as consistent to the day as possible. END OF DISCLAIMER. I wanted to do something similar to last time, where I had an autoflower in the middle of the main photoperiods for a little bit extra. This time around I'll be properly defoliating the photoperiods, and with this plant starting out in much better circumstances I believe I should get a more acceptable yield despite the much smaller pot size. I was a big fan of Strawberry Banana OG, which I had from Oregon (grown via Light Dep) many years ago, and I was a huge fan almost instantly. I didn't think those terpene profiles were even possible within Cannabis, however upon seeing this version being available I figured it was worth persuing for myself by myself. I am anxious for how this one turns out, and it is my first Fast Buds grow so fingers crossed.

-start of week 2- She's looking rather good for being so young, I would say. I definitely am liking the 'character' she already has developing, and I'm very much anticipating how her appearance develops.

-should have been updated on Friday, pics from then- Honestly, this Strawberry Banana Auto is doing rather well. No problems so far. Not much else to say really, she's behaving very well.

Honestly I'm the most happy with Strawberry Banana, since she isn't making my anxiety rise. She's behaving very well and hasn't given me any problems. I have a hunch she'll begin to show pistils within a week or so, just a hunch.

Wanted to wait until the pistils were noticeable before calling it flowering time. Have given her two feeds with the flowering side of Shogun's Feed Chart Calculator, and I may have to increase my light to 100% power as she's experiencing a bit of a droop. There doesn't seem to be any issues regarding possible deficiencies, however I'll keep an eye on her regardless.

-LATE UPDATE, WEEK STARTED FRIDAY 01/12 >> PIC FROM 02/12- She's growing well, and getting rather hungry. She has stretched a fair bit, and that is now slowing down. The flowers aren't as big as I had expected them to be, in terms of pistil spread, however hopefully she yields enough to tide me over until my other harvest. I have looked online, and some people managed to get a phenotype out of Fast Buds Strawberry Banana Auto, where she was reported to stretch a fair bit with a lower yield than expected. I have a feeling I managed to grow this particular phenotype, however time will tell. She's only in a 3 Litre pot, so I am not expecting more than an ounce when dry, so anything more than this would be welcomed.

Strawberry Banana is looking rather good right now. She has an acceptable pistil spread, and is gearing to chunk out in the coming weeks. She certainly has a fair bit of stretch going on, and a strong Sativa growth (along with thin, 9 finger leaves), however she is not reacting negatively to the light being so close (as the canopies of my other plants are much shorter due to being topped and earlier in flower). There is a slight smell, and her strawberry terps seem to be slowly coming through before the banana. I'm looking forward to what she has to offer come harvest time.

Strawberry Banana has begun chunking out, and each day provides a considerable difference in flower growth. I may need to consider feeding her some more potassium as she may be able to handle a spike of it soon. Being an autoflower in a 3 litre pot, the same situation with my previous auto grow has arisen: she may mature quicker than expected. While I still think she would need to skip a week or so in the Shogun feed chart, it may be beneficial to wait for another few days or so considering the large pistil growth at this moment; the pistil growth is resembling what I expect from Sativa genetics at this moment, which at the same time may take a while to consider a harvest window, however from my observations the flower is eager and pushing through (which indicates, to me, that this anxiety could be unnecessary paranoia). I expect to see more calyx growth next week (fingers crossed).

-WEEK STARTED 22/12 - PICTURE FROM 23/12- Strawberry Banana is coming along quite well. The light in my tent is as high as I could possibly get it, however the main cola is rather close as a result. The trichomes are, at this moment, 85-90% milky. Due to the intensity of the light, and the short distance, the main cola will continue to throw out white pistils - this is why I always encourage either a jewellers loupe, handheld microscope, or both (I use both, though mainly the loupe). I consider some of my growing habits to be 'old school', and I combine one method with checking trichomes for maturity. I have always known for Cannabis to show her flower maturity by having most of her pistils begin receding into the flower, rather than shooting straight out. Whilst monitoring the growth towards the base of the main cola, I have a better indication of a harvest window that has worked for me. Since she is rather mature, I need to begin her on her final feed tomorrow, and then follow that with just plain water set to the appropriate pH level until it's time to harvest. She has really been maturing rather quickly. I still think there's about two weeks to go, however each day makes me question this presumption. Either way, I am eager to see how she comes out.

Aaaand she has been chopped! I am used to photoperiod strains, however it seems as though the rather small pot caused early maturation. The top cola is mostly all milky, with very little amber. The lower nugs are about 25% or so amber. I kept her growing a bit until I noticed the chunking out of the nugs stopping (also small foxtailing towards the end and some other indicators). I was very much considering doing a wet trim, to speed up drying, however with how she has been smelling (gassy berries) it's only right that I dry trim. Leaves stay on! I cannot make an easy prediction right now on what the dry weight will be, however as I am dry trimming and they're hung by the stem it would not make sense to try and weigh the nugs wet right now. Considering she grew in a 3 Litre pot, and most of the flowering period (despite how short) was spent in 12/12 as an Autoflower, if I get more than an ounce I'll be happy, and I'm somewhat hopeful I would get at least this much. Regardless of all else, the quality is likely to be very pleasant - if I dry her well! I shall update with dry weight when that time comes. Given my room's temperature, as she is drying out of the tent (away from light), I figure she would take about a week even with a dry trim planned.