Thunder Banana

Zengrower Hey growers! 👋 It’s been a while since my last update – and I know it sounds like a bad homework excuse, but… my Labradoodle pup ate my first seedling 😅 One blink while I was inspecting it, and poof… gone. So, I started over with two fresh seeds, which germinated nicely within a few days. They’re now settling into their small pots inside the Minigrow, so I can see which one shows the most promise. Sadly, I can only keep one in there, so it’s going to be survival of the fittest this round 😉 For this run I’m trying a 50/50 mix of Plagron Allmix and coco substrate. The coco keeps things nice and airy for the roots, but it also means there’s less pre-loaded nutrition in the medium. Normally, with 100% Allmix, you can wait 3–4 weeks before adding any nutrients. With this mix, I’ll start feeding around week 2 at about 50% of the regular schedule, then slowly build up to full strength over the next week or two. Up front, you might notice two Erdbeer feminized seedlings – those are destined for the GTools setup. You’ll be able to follow their journey in my upcoming diary. 📅 Mini Feeding Plan – 50% Allmix / 50% Coco Mix English Week Nutrients Dosage* 1 Water only + Root stimulator 50% of recommended dose 2 Grow nutrients + Root stimulator 50% grow + 50% root stim 3 Grow nutrients 75% grow 4 Grow nutrients + CalMag (if needed) 100% grow 5 Transition to bloom (switch feed) 75% grow / 25% bloom *Based on manufacturer feeding schedule, adjusted to percentages. Happy growing everyone, and see you in the next update! 🌱✨

Zengrower I think I found the sweet spot in the Minigrow lighting settings! Last rounds the plant stretched a bit too much even though I stuck to 2 weeks of growth (18/6). For this run I decided to tweak the spectrum a bit. My grow light lets me adjust the red, blue and white channels (with infrared linked to the white). After reading up on plant science, I’ve set the light to focus on keeping the plant short and bushy during veg, instead of stretching too much. Space in the Mini Grow is limited, so compact growth is key. In practice this means: 🔵 Blue stays high (100%) – blue light keeps the internodes short, improves leaf structure, and even boosts terpene production. 🔴 Red is strong (100%) – to keep photosynthesis efficient and to “balance” the infrared that comes with the white channel. 🌫️ White is slightly reduced (around 80%) – this lowers the amount of infrared, which otherwise could trigger stretch, while still giving a broad spectrum of light. The idea behind this setup is to create a high red-to-far-red ratio and a blue-rich spectrum. Plants interpret this as being “in full sun” rather than “in the shade,” which results in tighter internodes and more branching. Later in bloom I’ll shift the balance a little, giving more red and white so the buds can bulk up while still keeping enough blue for resin and terpenes. You can see the results already as the internode are really short now. Stay tuned to see if it stays that way!

Zengrower The plants were almost outgrowing their small pots, so it was time to decide who would stay in the Minigrow. I chose to keep the right Thunder Banana inside and moved her sister to the greenhouse outside. Since switching to the new light settings, growth has been spot on for this setup: short internodes, strong leaves, and a nice bushy structure. She really looks comfortable in her new home. To keep things simple with feeding, I’m using Bio Tabs fertilizer tablets, so all I have to do is give water. Once the plant starts blooming, I’ll add some Power Buds and Green Sensation, but for now this hands-off approach is super convenient and keeps the routine stress-free. After the fifth node appeared, I started the mainline process by topping the plant above the second node. It always feels a bit drastic to cut such a healthy top, but I know the payoff will be worth it. Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the side branches to take off so I can guide them horizontally. I’m really curious how she’ll respond to the training – it looks like she has the vigor to bounce back quickly!

Zengrower The Thunder Banana mainline in the Minigrow is developing beautifully. The main branches are getting thicker every day, and with regular pruning the structure stays clean and open. I recently increased the white light intensity from 80% to 90%. This gives the plant a little extra speed and helps her recover faster from pruning and training. The clips are doing their job perfectly, keeping the mainline spread evenly so all future bud sites will have great light exposure. She’ll have one more week to recover fully, and then I’ll flip the light schedule to 12/12. From that moment on it’s just a matter of time before the first pistils show up. By removing the lower growth before the flip, all energy will be directed to the top branches and main colas, which should help avoid popcorn buds and ensure dense, well-lit flowers. All in all, she’s on track to become a very symmetrical and promising plant — one that could easily fill the canopy with compact buds, making this a potentially beautiful harvest in such a compact space. 🌱

Zengrower Hey growmies, 🌱 I flipped the light schedule to 12/12 about a week ago. To keep the stretch under control, I’m running the lights like this: Blue Red White+IR 70% 100% 95% As the plant transitions into flowering, the spectrum needs a slightly different balance than in veg. During the stretch I keep some extra blue in the mix to stop her from shooting up too much, but once the structure is set, the focus shifts to bud building and resin production. Here’s the basic plan: Red at 100% – the main engine for photosynthesis and flower formation. Maxed out for strong bud growth. White at 90–100% – the full spectrum plus infrared helps energy reach deeper into the canopy and supports flower bulking. Blue at 60–70% – still enough to keep leaves healthy and resin flowing, but not so much that it limits flower weight. The idea is simple: a spectrum rich in red (with a touch of IR) tells the plant it’s time to put energy into reproduction—making flowers and stacking dense buds. In the last couple of weeks I’ll probably bump the blue back up (around 80%) to push terpenes, aroma, and maybe even some extra colors. The mainline turned out really well for a first try ✌️ The pins I used to hold the branches down did the job perfectly, and now she looks like a little Thunder Banana Bonsai. For the Minigrow One, mainlining really feels like the ideal way to keep the plant short, bushy, and balanced. Definitely my go-to training technique from now on 😊 This week I’ll do some defoliation, but carefully—don’t want to stress her out and risk unwanted stretch.