Sugar Cane

FrecheOma60 So, it’s been about two weeks now since my last update. And all the plants have definitely germinated well. For some reason, some of them stretched quite a bit in comparison, even though the lamp is hanging pretty low. No idea what that’s about, I just threw in some stabilization for now. And the fan is pointed at the plants so they grow nice and strong.

FrecheOma60 Yesterday, I topped the little ones for the first time, so now each plant can develop six main stems. I’ll be transplanting them again tomorrow or the day after, into their second-to-last pots. Overall, they’re looking good, and the late starters are slowly catching up too. I’ll probably top all of them once more, but I’ll decide when the time comes. Since I’m on a bit of a time crunch, I absolutely need to flip them into flower by May 1st at the latest—preferably a bit earlier. Quick question for all fellow growers: let’s say I have to transplant from 11-liter into 20-liter pots a bit earlier than planned, and I don’t have time to let them fully root into the new pots before flipping to flower—will the plants still continue to develop their root systems well during the flowering phase, or is root growth mostly reduced at that point? Cheers

FrecheOma60 Today is the first day of flowering. I did some light defoliation in the lower area. I also only used half the amount of HESI Bloom Complex today, and added the other half with TNT nitrogen fertilizer to encourage a bit more stretch in the small bushes. I’m really excited — I was already more than impressed by the Platinum Kush Breath Remix.

FrecheOma60 I set up the plants under a SCROG net today so that the lower areas get a bit more light, even though I didn't actually want to do a SCROG this time. All in all, very healthy plants so far, no signs of spider mites, and I'm still on schedule. This time I only did a light SCROG and tried to spread them out a bit, not going for the super crop style this time.

FrecheOma60 The little plants are still stretching. I have to move the lamp further away almost every day. They are all absolutely healthy, no signs of spider mites, nutrient burn, or anything like that. The fan leaves are huge in some cases. I watered yesterday, and the 30 liters in the reservoir were absorbed within a day. Right now (since it's summer), I have my ventilation set to maximum plus a dehumidifier, but I'm having trouble keeping the temperature and humidity in check. There are 3 fans set up in the tent, one oscillating proper fan and 2 mini desk fans. At least I have some control over the air circulation. All in all, it's a bit chaotic, but despite the less-than-optimal conditions, the little plants are practically exploding.

FrecheOma60 Week 4 is now almost over. The plants have continued to stretch incredibly. I've tied down 2 branches in the back a bit to make the light distribution more even, since I don't want to hang the lamp any higher. Currently, I water about every 3-4 days, 30 liters of rainwater, following the standard nutrient schedule from Hesi. I have no issues with nutrient burn. The 30 liters are usually sucked out of the reservoir overnight. So far, I haven't had any problems with root rot, and the plants are growing like crazy, so I'll keep doing this. In the video, you can see my big fan in the bottom right; the plant directly next to it is so stressed by the wind that it's unfortunately not stretching as much as the rest. Well, I need this strong ventilation, so only the tough ones make it in the garden. 😂

FrecheOma60 Most of them look relatively healthy, except for the big one in the back. It's so extremely stretched that I can't hang the light any higher now. I've tied down the branches in the back even more since the plant is showing some stunted bud growth. Also, so far it's the only plant with a purple stem, probably due to light intensity. The rest are developing quite well, though.

FrecheOma60 The little plants are doing pretty well overall. I've turned the lamp down to 75% power since the stretched head buds were all stunted… unfortunately a bit too late. I think 2 out of 5 plants will only reach a fraction of their potential. But the others, especially the one in the front right that had growth problems, have really benefited from the distance to the lamp. There are some seriously hefty resin buds, including fan leaves that are completely sugared. Also, the color of the sugar has turned a bit purple. I'm still hoping for some color variation, but maybe the summer with its temperatures will mess that up for me. I'll probably only fertilize once more since I'm seeing signs of slight nutrient burn, and then I'll flush the little ones. But aside from my mistake with the heat and energy stress from the lamp, it seems like some really bomb genetics here. But I'll give my final opinion only after the dry smoke test.

FrecheOma60 The plants look fine, but I've had various problems with this run. On one hand, there's the issue with overexposure, then I noticed that one of the plants (for some reason) was overwatered, probably because the pot wasn't rooted enough yet. Then summer is causing unbelievable problems with keeping the temperature and humidity in check, especially since I lollipopped too early. Also, our rain barrel outside broke, and I have to water with tap water. I only used 3/4 of the manufacturer's recommendations, but it was probably still too much; the plants definitely have nutrient burn. And as if that wasn't enough, we also have a calcium and magnesium deficiency. I've been counteracting that with CalMag. All in all, not optimal. Still, the plants are extremely sugary and smell strong. I can't quite assess the smell. From now on, I'll flush for another week before I harvest my plants. I think the next grow will be with a lot of clones again.