critical orange punch blooming

PPFDaddy The girls are doing great. I tried a FIM for the first time, but I don't think I really got the most out of it-I should've followed up with more training and spaced the tops out better. No big deal though...lesson learned for next run!

PPFDaddy Quick Week 2 Flower check-in. Stretch is rolling but the canopy's staying pretty even. Pistils are popping on all tops and stacking looks promising. I tried a FIM earlier-not perfect, but it gave me a few extra sites to work with. Did a conservative lollipop (about a quarter of the lower fluff) to keep airflow clean and focus energy up top... Leaves are praying, color is on point, and no burn/clawing so far. Plan: light tidy-up around day 21 if the lowers lag, and a small bump in intensity if the girls keep asking for it. Question: for folks running Critical in soil- did a light Week-2 lollipop noticeably help your stacking, or do you wait for a firmer day-21 clean-up before pushing harder?

PPFDaddy Week 3 Flower wrap-up: girls look good overall. The left-most/biggest plant is a bit lighter, so I'll tailor her feed and bump EC slightly-she's bigger and likely hungrier. Resin's already showing, which is nice. Buds on that big one are a little behind the others; hoping the EC tweak helps her catch up. Only change this week: added a dehumidifier to keep VPD ~1.2-1.3 kPa (it dips a bit at lights-off). Otherwise, steady as she goes.

PPFDaddy Week 4 wrapped and the tent vibes are good. Maybe not my best genetics, but with what I've learned this past year I'm steering the ship better-best results at this stage so far (still a ways to go before harvest). The left/big lady flashed a bit of N hunger, so I tailored her feed-bumped Grow and overall strength just for her. The rest are cruising; one or two have slightly smaller buds, so I'm nudging their feed to help them catch up. Resin's stacking and the first terps are peeking through. Light: center cola was ~60k lux, so I raised the fixture and dimmed to ~75%-now ~55k in the middle and 45-50k on the edges. Opened a few airflow lanes and set the clip fan to bounce off the wall (not scalp the tops) to keep microclimates from throwing tantrums. Question: with no stress showing, would you keep the center at 60k lux and chase max intensity, or back it off a bit for uniformity like I did? I'll test the top suggestions and share side-by-sides next update. Appreciate you all-growmies rock!

PPFDaddy Week 5 down and I'm stoked! Smells are kicking, trichs are stacking, resin's creeping up-love to see it. One small hiccup: the biggest plant stays light green with a few fans yellowing even after an EC bump. Hungry pheno... or a little root-zone drama? I grabbed a CO2 meter purely out of curiosity-it's sitting outside the tent in my apartment, just to see ambient levels (not running a sealed CO2 setup). It reads 400-450 ppm. Can't wait for the bulking phase-give me those corn-on-the-cob buds loaded with frost! What would you do? Slight N boost or dig into the roots (slurry/enzymes)? And is 400-450 ppm ambient fine to ride with? All tips welcome-appreciate you, growmies!

PPFDaddy Week 6 in the books and the harvest countdown is officially on. Aromas are rising, trichs/resin are ramping—super stoked. Spotted a couple gnats, so I dropped in yellow sticky traps for insurance. Cooler days = a slightly cooler tent; hoping that helps the colas tighten up. The biggest plant is still lightening/yellowing despite a Cal-Mag increase, and when I didn’t see improvement I also did a flush + EC reset. Buds are swelling (maybe a touch lighter on terps than her sisters). I’m seeing some brownish specks on leaves of the first plant on the right and the last on the left—leaning mild Ca/Mg shortfall. I bumped the Cal-Mag base and the yellowing seems to be easing. Question: would you keep nudging N/Cal-Mag, or let her ride since the flowers are filling in? Any Week-6 tricks you like (small night-temp drop, enzymes, etc.) before the final push? Can’t wait for next week’s bulking—corn-on-the-cob buds covered in frost would make my season. Thanks, growmies! 🙌

PPFDaddy Week 7 of flower wrapped! Still a rookie here — and every run teaches me something new 😅. Cooler temps slowed dryback, and I was watering 4.5 L per 19 L pot for around 10% runoff, but the pots stayed wet for 3–4 days and the buds just stopped swelling. I kept that routine for about a week and a half before realizing that it wasn’t ideal. The flowers basically stopped bulking and I probably held them back from reaching their full potential. But hey — as we say in Italy, impara l'arte e metti da parte “learn the craft and keep it for next time.” So yeah, lesson learned for the next grow! Switched to smaller feeds (~2 L) and now they’re on a nice wet–dry rhythm every two days. The buds aren’t the huge frosty monsters you see in some diaries here, but they’re dense, aromatic, and looking solid in quality — I’ll take that as a win! I’ll keep feeding light this week and drop EC a bit. Every time I think about harvesting early, I have to slap my own hands and remind myself — patience is everything, right? Appreciate all the advice as always — growmies, you rock! ☘️🔥

PPFDaddy Week 8 in the books! The aroma is getting stronger every day and the trichomes just keep multiplying - it's like they're on a mission Every time I open the tent, I feel like Alice in Wonderland, just standing there for ages admiring what nature can pull off. This strain has been super rewarding so far - the buds keep packing on size, and just when I think they've hit their limit, the next week they surprise me again! They're getting denser, stickier, and honestly, I couldn't be happier. I did run into a few hiccups with the root system in these later weeks, but the genetics stayed strong and pushed through like champs💪. The front-left lady looks a little ahead of the others - pistils and trichomes suggest she's racing toward the finish line. I'll probably start harvesting her this week. As always, any tips are more than welcome - and good luck to everyone else in bloom!🌸❄️🔝

PPFDaddy Another week gone! The first girl on the left finished early, with around 10-20% amber trichomes, so I happily chopped her. The others are close behind and probably entering their final week before harvest. I lowered the RH to 50%, and wow, the aromas really exploded-sweet and intense! One showed her Granddaddy Purple side with beautiful violet hues, while the others stayed true to their Orange Punch phenotype. It's been an awesome run, and next step is flushing the substrate with pure water, CalMag, and Cannazym (pH 6.5). Good luck everyone, and happy growing!

PPFDaddy Here we are, the semifinals! The finals, of course, will be drying and the final product. I'm really satisfied with this Critical Orange Punch. Everything went pretty smooth except for a couple of setup mistakes on my end. I should've added more perlite and managed irrigation better since the substrate got a bit compacted toward the end. That caused some minor root stress, but these girls stayed strong, pushing through and stacking solid resin mass. The purple one in the middle really showed off her Granddaddy Purple side-smells like candy, with notes of sweet orange, ripe berries, and a touch of grape. It's the kind of aroma that almost makes you forget leg day! I've started harvesting a few top colas that are fully mature, and now I just can't wait to see the final dried result. Super hyped for what's coming next!🍊💜🍀

PPFDaddy Overall, this Critical Orange Punch run was one of my most satisfying grows so far. Even with the early mistakes, substrate issues and a few root problems along the way, the strain proved strong, forgiving and full of potential. The flowers came out dense, heavy and incredibly aromatic, and the smoke from the first finished plant was smooth, citrusy and genuinely enjoyable. The final dry yield of around 600 grams was way beyond what I expected for a run that had its ups and downs. This strain handled everything I threw at it and still delivered quality, flavor and weight. I'll definitely revisit it in the future because it showed me how far a good genetic can go, even when the grower isn't perfect. Big thanks to the community for the support throughout the run and good luck to everyone on their grows!🍊🔥🍀