Fast Buds | Amnesia Zkittlez & Gorilla Cookies | First time growing Autoflowers

It’s Friday again, and that means it's update day! Another week has passed, and it’s been an exciting one filled with significant changes. Once again, I’m bringing you along on my journey as a total beginner in the world of growing. Each week is a new opportunity to learn, and I’m thrilled to share what’s been happening with the Amnesia Zkittlez and Gorilla Cookies. Let’s dive in! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Key Growing Parameters -Humidity: 43-55% -VPD: Max 1.4 -Airflow: Always active at level 1, auto-adjusts when needed -Day Temperature: 25-26°C -Night Temperature: 22°C -Light Cycle: 20 hours light / 4 hours dark -Lamp: IONBOARD S24 from AC Infinity (240W) Watering Schedule: -Day 29 (Saturday): 1 liter per plant -Day 32 (Tuesday): 1.5 liters per plant -Day 35 (Friday): 1.5 liters per plant; plus, one Amnesia Zkittlez received an additional 2 liters of pH 6.5 water for a light flush The flush yielded 260ml of runoff from the bottom of the pot [6.5 p.H] Nutrients are applied with every watering, including CalMag from BioBizz starting this week Light Adjustments: -Light distance at 50 cm -Intensity level 10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Growth Update We are now officially at the beginning of the flowering stage, after spending the last two weeks in pre-flower. The transition into flowering has brought about some incredible growth. As you can see in the pictures I've uploaded, the plants have grown quite a bit compared to last week, and there are visible differences in their structure and overall development. The Amnesia Zkittlez continues to focus heavily on vertical growth, with a distinct central cola forming at the top, pushing up further each day. This rapid height increase has made it important to continually manage light height and intensity to avoid stressing the plants. On the other hand, the Gorilla Cookies is clearly exhibiting its characteristic bushy growth, staying more compact and round. The structure of this plant is fascinating—while it hasn’t grown significantly taller, it’s filled out nicely, with a more even distribution of bud sites all around the plant. In the uploaded photos, you can clearly see how densely the buds are forming. It’s almost as if the plant is putting all its energy into creating a thick canopy filled with evenly spaced flowers. Both strains are showing healthy bud development, and the first signs of flowers taking shape are becoming more obvious. Pistils are appearing at almost every node, and the buds are beginning to take on a distinct, fluffy structure that suggests they’re just getting started with flowering. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Training: LST and Defoliation Over the past week, I’ve maintained a strong focus on Low-Stress Training (LST) and careful defoliation to ensure the plants get maximum light exposure. Using LST clips, I’ve continued to bend the branches of each plant outward at nearly 90-degree angles, which has helped to open up the center of the plants and direct light to the lower nodes. This technique is especially visible in the pictures; the spread-out structure of the branches allows light to reach deeper into the canopy, encouraging more even growth and maximizing light penetration. I’ve also engaged in some selective defoliation. My main goal was to remove leaves that were either blocking important bud sites or growing inward, creating unnecessary shade. You might notice that the lower parts of the plants are looking much cleaner. I started with the first fan leaves and worked my way to removing small bud sites that weren’t getting enough light. This has allowed the plants to concentrate their energy on the more promising bud sites at the top and edges. Importantly, I made sure not to overdo it, preserving enough healthy foliage to continue efficient photosynthesis. I must say, I find the taller Amnesia Zkittlez a bit easier to handle compared to the bushier Gorilla Cookies when it comes to LST and defoliation. With the taller structure, it’s easier to maneuver the branches and clip them into position without them overlapping as much. It’s also more straightforward to manage leaf removal, as the spacing between nodes is greater. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nutrients and Watering Routine Since the last update on Day 28 (Friday), there have been some changes to the watering schedule. On Day 29 (Saturday), each plant received 1 liter of water. By Day 32 (Tuesday), I increased the water amount to 1.5 liters per plant to meet their growing demands. Then today, on Day 35 (Friday), the plants received 1.5 liters again. I also decided to do a light flush on one of the Amnesia Zkittlez plants for the first time today to see how it might affect growth. I gave that plant an additional 2 liters of pH 6.5 water until I saw a light runoff. The runoff measured about 260ml, which is a good indicator that the plant is draining well, and that there’s no significant buildup of salts or nutrients in the soil. The addition of CalMag to the watering routine, starting this week, has also continued. This was done to ensure the plants have adequate levels of calcium and magnesium during this critical growth phase, especially now that we’ve entered the flowering stage. So far, the plants seem to be responding well, with no signs of deficiencies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal Reflections and Lessons Learned This week has been a major learning experience, particularly in understanding the balance between growth management and light optimization. The differences between the Amnesia Zkittlez and Gorilla Cookies have been really pronounced this week, and it’s clear that each strain has its own needs. The Gorilla Cookies demands more space to spread and support its round, bushy form, while the Amnesia Zkittlez needs more careful management of height to keep the central cola under control. Seeing the buds start to form and fill out as we enter the flowering stage has been incredibly rewarding. Each plant is an experiment, and watching them react positively to LST, defoliation, and nutrient adjustments gives me a lot of motivation to keep refining my techniques. For the next grow, there are definitely a few things I would change. The pot size has been something I've given some thought to. Currently, I’m using 19-liter pots, but the dimensions could be improved. A taller pot with a smaller overall width would be much easier to handle in my space, especially when training the plants. I also realized that when I initially packed the pots with soil, I left too much space at the top. Having the soil level closer to the edge of the pot would have made LST during early veg a lot easier—it would have been simpler to bend the stems over, and the leaves wouldn’t have been blocked by the pot's edge before the stems grew tall enough. As a beginner, these small details are lessons I’m taking with me, and I hope to apply them in the future for a more efficient grow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Looking Ahead Next week, I’ll continue monitoring the plants closely as they progress further into the flowering phase. I anticipate increasing the water volume to 1.5 liters consistently and potentially to 1.7-2 liters per plant if necessary, especially to support the plants in early flowering. The Amnesia Zkittlez plant that received the flush today will be observed closely over the next few days to determine if there is any noticeable difference in growth or overall health compared to the others. This is a bit of an experiment to see if flushing can help balance out any nutrient buildup. I’m also planning to be a bit more aggressive with defoliation on the Gorilla Cookies to ensure that all the bud sites are getting optimal light. The Amnesia Zkittlez will likely need further management to prevent height issues, especially now that we’re fully into the flowering phase. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Questions to the Community I’d love to get some feedback from anyone with more experience. Are there any particular signs I should look for when it comes to increasing CalMag during flowering? How often should I be flushing, if at all, during an autoflower grow? And what are your experiences with managing aggressive height differences in autoflowers? Also, if anyone has experience with different pot dimensions for LST and ease of plant management, I’d love to hear your suggestions. Let me know your thoughts and any tips you might have for these next stages. Let’s keep growing together!