RHC: My First Photoperiod Adventure 🔥

Purrple_Haze First pictures of my Red Hot Cookies girl 🌶️ Germination started in the first week of January — quite early, I know! I’ve only grown autos before, so this is my first time taking a ride with a photoperiod strain. Wanted to explore something new and gain more hands-on experience 🌱 She spent her first months indoors under a small grow lamp until mid-May. So don’t be confused if it says “outdoor” — that part comes later! Since I had to keep her small enough to fit inside a tiny cabinet (the balcony and real sun were still 4 months away), I topped her in week 4 and started applying LST regularly from then on 💪 More updates soon — this lady is just getting started. Stay tuned, it's gonna get 🔥🔥🔥

Purrple_Haze Time to shape her up 🌿 I focused more and more on LST during this time — gently tying her down and encouraging those side branches to stretch out wide. The goal: keep her low and bushy for the cabinet setup, while still giving her enough room to express herself 🌱 She's responding really well so far — you can already see her getting fuller and more balanced in structure. Looking forward to seeing her transform even more in the next updates. Stay with me, it's getting interesting! 👀

Purrple_Haze First steps into the wild ☀️ Still focusing on LST to keep her compact — she needed to stay small enough to fit the setup while waiting for warmer days. I’ve been gently shaping her to keep that low, wide profile until she can stretch under the sun. Finally gave her a little taste of the outdoors 🌬️ She spent her first day out on the balcony, soaking in real sunlight for a few hours. But at night, I brought her back inside — still playing it safe while the weather isn’t stable yet. Can’t wait until she’s strong enough to fully enjoy balcony life. More bushiness coming soon 😎🌿

Purrple_Haze Soaking up the sun 🌞 The weather has finally been on our side these days, so she’s been spending more and more time out in the sunshine. Every bit of natural light helps her thicken up and settle into her new rhythm. Still keeping her growth in check with some light LST — trying to keep her compact and controlled while she builds strength. No wild stretching just yet... we're staying stealthy 😌🌿 Excited to see how she reacts to this steady sunlight in the next days. Let’s keep it growing! 💪

Purrple_Haze Countdown to full outdoor life ⏳🌞 Just three more weeks and she can finally stay outside full time! For now, she’s still enjoying those daily sun sessions, getting stronger with each hour of real light. I’m continuing with light LST to keep her structure controlled — don’t want her getting too wild before the big move. She’s staying in shape and seems to love the routine 🌱✨ The real outdoor journey is just around the corner... stay tuned! 😼

Purrple_Haze Settling into the outdoor life 🌤️ We’re in mid-May now, so I finally moved her outside for good! The first few days were a bit of a shock for her — adjusting to the full sun, wind, and temperature swings wasn’t easy. But she held up well and bounced back like a champ 💪 I may have gone a bit overboard with defoliation early on 😅 She definitely took a break from growing for about a week afterward. Lesson learned: gentle hands, patient plant. Now she’s settling in and ready to push forward — excited to see her take off from here 🌿

Purrple_Haze A bigger home and new roommates This week she moved into her final pot — a roomy 32L container to give those roots all the space they need. I also added some mycorrhiza right at the root zone to boost the underground network and help with nutrient uptake long-term. Let’s see how she likes her new fungal friends! That said... it was a stressful week for her 😬 The transplant took a bit of a toll, and she clearly needed a few days to recover. But she’s tough — already showing signs of bouncing back. The real growth is just ahead. Can’t wait to see what she does with all that new legroom 🌿✨

Purrple_Haze Letting her do her thing 🌱 This week I’m keeping hands off — she’ll get at least two weeks to grow freely before I even think about the next defoliation. Gotta let her breathe and recover properly! I’ve included a few pics of the trunk and the LST setup so you can see how she’s shaping up. No nutrition added this week — the soil is still fresh, and we had quite a bit of rain, so the pot stayed nicely moist 🌧️ Didn’t want to risk overwatering or unnecessary stress. Sometimes the best move is just letting nature do its thing. She’s cruising along steadily now — more soon as she fills out! 🚀

Purrple_Haze Bouncing back & reaching up ☀️🌿 She seems to have adapted really well to the new 32L pot — growth has picked up again and she’s looking much happier! Looks like the mycorrhiza are doing their job, too — her color and overall vibe feel healthier every day ✨ From now on, she’s free to grow upward without restriction. Let’s see what kind of structure she develops now that she has space and sunlight on her side. I added a bit more LST this week — she was stretching fast thanks to the strong sun, and I wanted to keep that shape in check. Nothing too heavy, just guiding her where she needs to go. This lady is officially in growth mode! 🌞

Purrple_Haze Root Power & New Squad Activated! 🌱🐛 This week, I let the plant build some serious root muscle—you can actually see them bursting out of the pot’s holes and creeping on the soil surface. Mycorrhiza is officially my new best friend; this stuff works wonders! I’ve got some effective microorganisms arriving soon, but today I added about 30 compost worms (Eisenia fetida) to the mix—check the video for those wriggly little helpers! Then, I topped it off with a cozy layer of natural hay mulch. With plenty of sunshine and some welcome rain in the forecast, I’m pumped to watch this grow unfold. Honestly, nothing beats chilling next to the plant and soaking up those good vibes. 😊 June 4th Update Heavy rain rolled through today, but the soil stayed just right—lightly moist and ready to go. My compost tea was brewed and ready, so I treated the plant to a 2-liter watering session. Feeling the love! June 5th Update Dropped in some Sf nematodes today to keep things balanced. Spotted a few tiny white spots on some leaves, but no pests in sight. To play it safe, I ordered predatory mites (Amblyseius cucumeris & Amblyseius californicus) that’ll arrive soon to help keep pests in check. The plant’s stretching for the sun whenever it shows up, though lately, sunshine’s been playing hard to get. June 7-8 Weather All rain, no sun. 🌧️ Stick around—this grow is just getting started, and trust me, you don’t want to miss what’s coming next! 🚀✨

Purrple_Haze Let the Sun & Bloom Begin! 🔥🌞 The past few days brought a whole lot of rain, so I didn’t need to water or even check EC—nature handled hydration for me. But today, the sun finally made a solid appearance, and the top layer of the substrate dried out just enough. Perfect timing to introduce the effective microorganisms I had waiting! 🌿 Looking ahead, the forecast is calling for some serious heat. With that in mind, I’ve decided to kickstart the flowering stage manually on the 12th of June. Starting bloom a bit early should help me dodge the risk of mold during the damp September and October stretch. Better safe than sorry! 💡🌺 Overall, she’s been developing beautifully—strong, healthy, and ready for the next phase. I’m seriously excited to see how she handles the stretch and what kind of flower show she puts on! Stay tuned—things are heating up, and this Red Hot Cookies girl is just getting ready to shine! 🚀🔥🌼

Purrple_Haze Bloom Mode On 🌺⚡️ Big shift this week—after 24 weeks of vegging, I’ve officially flipped the light cycle to 11/13 and kicked off flowering! She’s standing strong and ready for the next chapter. You can even catch the tent peeking in the background on the pics.🏕️💡 Why now? In my region, September and October tend to be wet, and I’d rather not risk losing these gorgeous buds to mold. Plus, the high summer sun is peaking, and I want to give her the best light intensity possible for an explosive bloom. ☀️🔥 She’s still running on the same feeding routine as my autoflowers—Effective Microorganisms a few days ago, followed by a dose of BioBizz Grow and Alg·A·Mic to keep her both green and stress-free as she stretches into flower. 💧🌿 To keep her strong and resilient, I’m also spraying silica on the leaves every three days—just a little armor for the battles ahead. 🛡️🌱 Let’s see what she does with all that sunlight and freedom—this Red Hot Cookies is about to turn up the heat! 🍓🌶️🚀