Strawberry Cough - A risky challenge!

birdmountain The young plants were transplanted into larger pots with last year's soil a day earlier. The leaves seem to be very yellowish to me, I hope that clears up soon. However, the tomatoes have the same color issue, maybe it's because I didn't use seedling soil this time. The old soil from last year was left out in the garden over the winter, so it got washed out and feels excellent like forest soil. Nothing has been fertilized yet. In the greenhouse, it gets quite warm during the day, and the plants are still brought inside at night.

birdmountain So far, the ladies have developed fastest in the foil tunnel. They are 11-13 cm tall. Although the nights are still cold and it gets very hot during the day when the sun is over 30° C in the foil tunnel, they are doing well. From my point of view, different leaf shapes can be recognized.

birdmountain They grow well, perhaps a little too fast, I had to support them a little.

birdmountain Strawberry Cough Ladies strive for the sun, they grow fast and slim. This week's topping has forced the incipient branching and will probably need to be repeated several times. However, one lady beat me to it and divided independently at the top leaf node. The plants will be put into larger pots next week, then I will have to decide on the location and which plant will remain in the diary. I couldn't resist trying to capture some of the coming scent by rubbing the stems of the plants. Two of the three ladies have a sweet, fruity scent, one has none. Should that affect my choice? 🤔 The ‘ice saints’ should now be coming to an end and repotting in large pots is on the agenda for the coming week. Aphids still rarely find their way into the greenhouse and the snails haven't shown up yet either, I hope it stays that way. Have a nice and sunny grow week!

birdmountain This week, she was transplanted into the final 26-litre pot in the foil tunnel. The 26 l. plant pot was mixed with soil from last year, garden soil in a ratio of 4:1 and cattle fertilizer pellets in a ratio of 100:3 (100 l soil to 3 l pellets). The soil was very light due to the dryness of the last few days and was watered immediately after potting. Although the night temperatures are similar to those outdoors, the day temperatures in the foil house are much higher. The Strawberry Cough seems to like this, as it has grown well. Aphids have not posed a threat so far. Hopefully it will continue to grow so well. The selection of the plant for the continuation of the diary has been made; I have chosen the largest one with the strongest scent. Thank you for visiting my diary.

birdmountain Strawberry Cough is this year's "problem child" in cultivation. It grows very quickly, but the branches are very unstable and would quickly snap in the wind. I don't yet feel like tying the plant up with lots of sticks to support it. That's why I used the ruthless method of carefully bending (HST) the branches and topping them once again to strengthen the basic framework. I hope it works that way. Otherwise, the plant is doing very well in the foil house. Occasional visits from aphids no longer have any effect on bud formation. Have a great grow week and thank you for your visit!

birdmountain The Strawberry Cough has done well in the foil house so far. It has tolerated the buckling and bending of the branches and the topping well. This has made it somewhat stockier. It is now continuing to grow in height again. The drip irrigation will hopefully ensure an even water supply in the coming hot days. There is no need to fertilise as enough fertiliser has been worked into the soil. I sprinkled some Ferramol against slugs and snails because I had already discovered a slug in the pot.

birdmountain It smells so good and fruity, but not like my ripe strawberries in the garden that the slugs spared! It's developing very well. I topped it to control its size a bit before flowering so it can support the flowers better. As a result, it has become bushier. A ladybug larva that is now pupating helped me with the low aphid infestation. I took them from the elderberry bush because there were still enough of them doing their work there. The Strawberry Cough grows like a satellite dish, facing the sun. Nevertheless, its overall structure is loose, and there is plenty of light inside the plant. The water supply, sun, and temperatures are all okay! Oops! Aphids are born in the third picture. Thank you for your visit, and have a great growing week!

birdmountain Last week it suffered a bit due to vacation-related absence. I hope that will improve after the vacation. It has only become one picture.

birdmountain After the second week of absence, it had a lack of water and some resulting yellow leaves. After proper watering and readjusting the drip irrigation and removing the yellow leaves, it looks acceptable again. It has still grown and I have even topped it on some shoots. There are no more pests during the heatwave and the ladybugs, now fully grown, are still there. Thank you for visiting my grow report!

birdmountain Strawberry Cough has continued to grow inconspicuously this week. It has a slightly open structure with lots of thin shoots. I hope they will be able to bear the coming flowers, otherwise I will have to support it. It has survived the hot days this week well, but the green of the leaves could be stronger and darker. That is the task for the coming week. To prevent nutrient deficiencies, it was fertilized once with sugar beet molasses and some wood ash. Many thanks for your visit! And not to forget, the ladybug larva hatched this week.

birdmountain Surprisingly, the Strawberry Cough has grown quite a bit despite heavy defoliation and topping. I hope that I won't have to bend branches later so that they don't touch the foil house roof. It smells slightly, but not unpleasantly, fruity and minty with a hint of resin. Otherwise, things are going well for the lady. Many thanks for your visit and have a great grow week!

birdmountain Strawberry Cough has recovered from the last topping and has formed many new side shoots, which are now growing upwards. It's slowly getting cramped in the foil tent.

birdmountain Strawberry Cough has experienced a strong growth spurt this week. It has responded well to the nutrient layer consisting of compost, cow manure pellets, horn meal, and malted barley. The nettle tea did the rest. However, I find the leaves a bit too pale in color compared to the lush green of the autoflowers. I hope this improves by the time flowering begins.

birdmountain This lady will definitely need support when she blooms. Her branches are thin and long and will be tied up. But so far, she continues to grow well, spared from slugs, in height and width. Last week, she was fertilized only with nettle manure, which worked well. The roots come out of the ground to soak up this plant juice. They want more of it.

birdmountain She loves hot, sunny days and rewards us with tall growth, but where to put her? Soon the shoots will hit the foil roof. Should I bend them? She shows no signs of the upcoming flowering phase yet, so we’ll have to wait and see. Thank you for visiting, and best wishes for a sunny and hot growing week—a heatwave is on the way.☀️

birdmountain It is forming short shoots for the coming buds, but has not yet blossomed. Despite the pot only holding 26 liters, it has become an impressive plant (a little too impressive) with many thin branches that will need to be supported later. Now it's time to wait for it to bloom and for a good late summer, otherwise the M-O-L-D will destroy it, because my little fan can't provide enough wind for this area. 🍀💧🐞

birdmountain Unfortunately, still no signs of flowering, it might be cutting it close. However, she is transforming and forming the short buds from which the flowers will later grow. The growth has also stagnated. The flies are having a great time with her and are diligently pooping on the leaves, noticeable by the black spots.

birdmountain It hasn't started flowering yet. I wonder if it's because of its location or if it's always this late? 😏 It is forming side shoots and must be close to flowering. I hope it manages to flower this week, as the Durban Poison is already halfway through its flowering period... Defoliation in the middle of the week did it good, and the many small new shoots are busily pushing out leaves. It also shows no signs of under/over-feeding, and its height growth has slowed down. Thank you very much for visiting, and best wishes for a successful and complication-free growing week! 😀

birdmountain It has started to flower, albeit still somewhat hidden, but the first pistil hairs can be seen in the buds, of which it has formed a huge number. It has grown only minimally. If the flowering period lasts 10 weeks, the harvest time would not be until November, which would definitely be too late, even though it is in a foil tent. It has now become an impressive sight. I have moved it a little more towards the center of the tent so that its branches do not touch the walls. I am curious to see how things will progress. I was aware that Strawberry Cough would be a challenge. Fortunately, I took cuttings from the most fragrant Lady plant, which already smells strongly of mint but not of strawberry, and whose mother plant flowered about 10 days earlier. I wish you all a successful week of growing! 😁👍

birdmountain The Strawberry Cough is currently enjoying the most comfortable conditions. It is protected in a foil tent open on both sides with an oscillating fan. It is continuing to develop its flowers bit by bit and is doing well. It's interesting to see such a small pot and such a large plant. It has now stopped growing in height, which I am very pleased about. It remains to be seen whether the shoots will be strong enough when the flowers become heavier, but at least it won't be weighed down by the rain. Yellow leaves are constantly forming inside the plant, which I remove from time to time. From now on, I will be switching to fertiliser with a higher potassium content, i.e. banana peel manure. I probably won't need to make any new manure, as I still have enough dried supplies for this season. Thank you for visiting and best wishes for a mould-free growing week! 😀

birdmountain It is the problem child of this year's season. It is only in its third week of flowering but many leaves are already turning yellow. As it is in the polytunnel and the fan always provides fresh air, it has few/no problems with humidity at the moment. There have been a few nice hot days this week, but also some rainy days. She is doing well, the buds continue to grow, wish me good luck so that I can sit/float in strawberry clouds in winter. The weather is very changeable but I am in good spirits and hope for a golden October. Thanks for the visit and best wishes for a successful grow week 😁

birdmountain Another week without mould on the Strawberry Cough, pats on the back... Thanks to the fan running, a foil tent and the removal of browning leaves, she survived the absolutely critical last week well. She is approaching peak flowering at week 24. Her buds are not particularly large, but give off a very pleasant fruity, sugary scent in the neighbourhood. 😎 She stands loosely inside the foil tent. The foil tent has large openings so that the wind can flow in, and the fan is also switched on when it rains and at night. Maybe this harvest will work out after all. 🙏 The branches are still holding the buds and don't need to be tied up. Perhaps I should think about buying an anti-dew film, which would prevent water droplets from falling on the flowers in heavy dew. 😏 Thank you very much for your visit, wish me luck for the coming week, I wish you luck too!

birdmountain The leaves become yellower, the flowers thicker, and the scent stronger. A leading shoot had to be tied to prevent it from sticking to the outer wall of the film. It only smells when touched, but then it is very pleasant. Defoliation is an ongoing task; there is now a lot of air between the flower shoots. Last week's weather with two cold nights and ground frost with a maximum of -3° C did not cause any damage. The journey continues for another week. Due to the cold, rainy weather, it does not need much water. Many weaker thin shoots in the plant are dying and turning yellow. Fortunately, it has no mold so far. Thank you very much for your visit, see you next week!

birdmountain One thing is now certain, the Strawberry Cough will deliver a harvest! It is not yet clear how much, but so far it is doing well in the foil tent. The leaves and shoots are turning yellow and sometimes orange, but there is no mould to be seen on this plant. The flower buds have some distance between them and the ventilator brings wind into the tent. It has a very strong scent that is not at all reminiscent of strawberries but is different from the odours of last year's oldschool varieties. It cannot be categorised as a typical hemp scent. It has no pests and now also gets less water. Due to the high humidity and the mostly grey cloud cover during the day, it doesn't need much either. It is just about able to bear the flowers, but they should not get much heavier. If it were left outside without protection from the rain, the shoots would already be on the ground, bent and the plant would be mouldy. It would have been nice if it had started flowering two weeks earlier, then it would be ready now. As it is, it still needs about two weeks. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather plays along! Many thanks for your visit, see you next week, hopefully mould-free!

birdmountain It was an exhausting harvest week, after I had finally harvested and trimmed the Passion Fruit, it was time for the Strawberry Cough. Mould spots appeared everywhere in the leaf axils, making harvesting unavoidable. Fortunately, not everywhere at the same time, but always sporadically. The fan was running, but the air was moist and cool, which is exactly what the fungal spores need and love. Towards the end of the week, we harvested and trimmed until the scissors were red-hot... 😂 It is now drying in the rack, smells resinous and fruity, I'm looking forward to the first smoke test, which will follow in a few weeks.