Echoes of Empires: A Diary of Afghan Heritage

9.8 It is officially day 25 since she sprouted from the soil. She's still growing well and strong. I think that I have been overwatering, and will greatly reduce the amount to 1.5 L every 3 to 4 days. The pests are really becoming problematic, as they're chewing on the leaves on a regular basis. I bought some yellow stickers, but finding a place for them other than laying on top of the soil is difficult. I hope I can move past this with reducing the amount of the water and preventing the soil from getting too damp. If this problem persists, I may have to take some drastic measures. The topping and LST have been successful, as the canopy is flat and wide, ensuring that all of the top leaves are getting the same amount of light. Probably next week I'll remove some of the lower leaves which are not getting as much sunlight. I'm still following nutrient regimen prescribed by BioBizz- although slightly less than recommended. The pH is consistently brought down to 6.5 (water + nutrient mixture). The fan is always on at 5, providing temperatures between 80 and 85F, and humidity levels between 50 and 60%. The height at where I topped is about 10 cm, and to the top of the canopy is 15 cm. I'm hoping to stay in the vegetation stage for at least another two weeks before switching to the 12-12 light schedule and entering the flowering stage. Is it just me or do some of the leaves (in the last image from today) look a little purple 😲? 12.8 Cutting down on the water, and the yellow strips have really helped in getting rid of the insects. There doesn't seem to be any more damage to the leaves. On the other hand, she is getting quite dense now, so next week I'll clip the bottom-most leaves and begin strategizing on how I would like to de-foliate her moving forward. With the exception of one of the lowest nodes, all of the leaves appear to be healthy. Moreover, this strain is also known to be short and stocky (and was one of the reasons why I chose her, given the small space of my 2x2 tent), so with that regard, I may just let her be until she reaches flowering, which will be anywhere between weeks 6-8. She is also beginning to give off a faint smell, but that's more of a plant/bush smell than cannabis.