BCN Critical XXL auto - 40x40

GoodWeedBerlin I have grown the BCN Critical XXL before, so I know how she performs with 125 Watts and a lot of space. Let's see how I can grow her in a 40x40cm setup with 11 liters and a maximum of 75 Watts. Since I'm not allowed to harvest more than 50g anyway, and maximizing yield is not really a priority, she'll get a topping along the way.

GoodWeedBerlin A little "injection" with a neem oil-soap-water mixture from the sprayer was done. I usually do this 2-3 times during the growth phase, and if I really have a pest infestation, I do it outside of that schedule as well. After the first 2 weeks of flowering, I stay away from it though. I saved an empty disinfectant bottle for such leaf sprays. It coats the leaf surface much more evenly than classic plant sprayers.

GoodWeedBerlin The lady got her head chopped off, I know the incredible main cola of the BCN, but I need more (in this case then 8) equally tall colas for my 40x40 setup. The night before the topping, there was a proper neem oil shower before going to sleep.

GoodWeedBerlin The Critical handled the topping well and with a bit of LST now has 8 bud sites at a similar height. For 2 branches, I initially used plastic clips as an LST method, but I removed them after a few days because those two branches had a bit of a growth slowdown. The pre-flowering has clearly started, and the first long, white hairs are forming.

GoodWeedBerlin Vital and easy to care for, well taken care of with the lower end of the Atami VGN nutrient scale (switched to the pre-flowering mix last week), everything's fine with the lady. I took a break from training this week; next week she'll be in the tent with the SCROG net anyway, so I'm saving both her and myself the stress of an (probably unproductive) intermediate training. I've been a Critical fan since the beginning of the millennium, the first Dinafem Critical+ catapulted from 0 to 1 in my favorite strains. I've since grown both some Critical Photos and Autos. With the photoperiods, I would have trouble naming a clear favorite, but with the Autos, the BCN Critical is my stable No. 1.

GoodWeedBerlin Since my 40x40 tent has become available, the BCN Critical has had a little move. With the SCROG net, I spread the branches a bit. Madame is growing as hoped and is pushing out nice branches and flowers. Despite topping, she isn’t completely giving up the main cola; I had to bend one side branch down again with a plastic clip. I’m even smelling the soil now to build a little internal scent database. On all parts of the plant, anyway. The foliage of the Critical stands out completely from the chlorophyll-dominant smell you usually get with fresh hemp leaves. Somewhat sweet and fresh - like a delicious summer drink that I haven’t tried yet. Today was the last time I gave the mix for early flowering; now, for about a week, just water from the low-budget irrigation system, and when I come back, it’ll be the main flower mix.

GoodWeedBerlin As feared, Madame has slipped into a slight nutrient deficiency during my week away. At first glance, definitely nitrogen and magnesium, I didn't even need a more precise diagnosis. Once again fully (flowering) fertilized, and the plant is showing full steam ahead again. I would consider this the biggest drawback of the Atami VGN fertilizer line so far: it is rightly not recommended for irrigation systems and delivers most nutrients quite directly to the plant. On one hand, that's great for precise control, but in the soil, it doesn't buffer enough. Since I'm often away for a week, I need to find a solution for that. Even though such a small inaccuracy probably doesn't significantly affect the end result - I hate seeing discolored leaves before the plant's autumn. The plant has filled the tent nicely and is producing decent colas. Based on my positive experiences with (supposedly "too") large pots, I would rather give her 16 liters of soil next time. Not to increase overall growth, but so far I've experienced that 16 liters of soil in a 40x40 tent yield the thickest buds.

GoodWeedBerlin The nutrient deficiency is a thing of the past, and the Critical is doing what a Critical does. It's pushing out some solid buds. The smell in the early flowering phase reminds me a lot of my first Critical+ from a quarter century ago. Uniquely unremarkable. Lemon-fresh, but different.

GoodWeedBerlin Actually, there are only 3 days left until the 11 weeks that the BCN Critical XXL Auto supposedly needs. I would say there's definitely at least 2 more weeks on top of that. But I will switch the nutrients to the ripening phase in the coming days. The smell remains subtle, but the classic Critical+ note brings a grin to my face every time I smell it. The leaf edges are turning reddish, and the leaf color is a relatively light green, just like the Critical I know. Until a few days ago, you could still easily identify it as an autoflower, but with ripening, the Ruderalis characteristics are now almost completely gone.

GoodWeedBerlin I can't say for sure if it's due to the pheno or the nutrients. I do recognize that red from a BCN Critical I grew in the past, but I've never seen it this dominant in any Critical (not even in the Critical Red). The smell intensity has actually gone down a notch, but it's maturing nicely. The buds are dense, producing more resin, and each individual fruiting body is still swelling. 1-2 more times I'll use the Atami VGN ripening mix, then just plain water. 2 Hella Jellys are waiting to go into the tent. I love growing new genetics with all their terps, extreme potency, and amazing growth. But the Critical is a bit like the house wine for me, let's say because of the two Basque phenos, a Rioja.

GoodWeedBerlin For the past 4 days, it's just been water, in about a week she should be ready for harvest. Like with most Criticals: with the right nutrient mix, you could add another 1-2 weeks, but there's no need for record hunting. The smell has shifted a bit from the Critical+ to something more berry-like, similar to Kritikal Bilbo. The reddish coloring fits with that. The buds have bulked up again, volume, density, trichomes - everything is where it should be. The leaves are well-used and are slowly fulfilling their last purpose. When the leaves turn yellow, I'll pluck them out too.

GoodWeedBerlin After 9 days of watering, it was time to harvest this morning. I had a rough idea of what to expect (aside from all the red in the leaves) and I wasn't disappointed. The trichome coloring was on point, estimated 80% milky, with the rest evenly split between clear and amber trichomes. No intense smell, a carbon filter wouldn't be strictly necessary with the BCN. But that's it for Automatics indoors for me for now. There are great strains out there, but energy-wise it just doesn't make sense. Growing at least the same amount of equally good weed with (almost) a third less energy seems more sensible to me. Next up will be 2 photoperiod Hella Jellys.