Damnit! I was a little too aggressive with my LST and snapped the top branch(es) (meaning, it split where the branches forked at the point where I'd topped her). Ughhhhh ... only snapped off halfway though ... a little triage and she should heal up nicely.
Everything did bounce back quickly. There weren't any major delays from snapping the top branch. Not much more vertical growth, though ... she is a shorty!
It looks like the preflower phase is pretty much over - shame, I'd hoped it would last another week and give me some more stretch in the process. I think she's going to stay short and bushy ... OMG sooooo bushy. This strain has SOOOooooo many leaves :) I've already done some light defoliation with some of the upper fan leaves in the middle area - but you still can't see anything beneath the canopy.
I think she's starting to smell a little bit, too ... hoping to have a more distinct smell by next week.
I'm growing this strain right now for my first grow! I was a bit disappointed to hear you didn't find this strain very strong the first time you grew it since others have said otherwise. I'm wondering if you aren't letting your flowers go long enough, I know more amber trichomes should make a more powerful high. I'm a noob so take it for what it's worth but just a thought
@Nigs4200, first ... I appreciate you taking the time to write out your thoughts - not everyone does :) I think you actually misunderstood ... out of all the plants I'd grown so far (around 8, I think), the Strawberry Banana was the BEST out of all of them. It's actually the only plant that gives me a noticeable buzz ... it's my favorite at the moment. The strawberry banana also produced the most attractive buds, at least in my opinion ... they were a bit airy - but they puffed out nice like little pine cones. As for the trichomes, the general consensus is that more amber = more sedative ... I like a "speedier" high (better for creative activities, like playing guitar) - but not a paranoid high ... so, I try to go for as much cloudy trichomes as I can (some amber is fine - just don't want much of the glassy trichomes). In either case, I wish you best of luck on your grow - I'm sure you will enjoy this strain :)