Mephisto and Dutch Passion

SpliffyRand After a successful germination process, the four little seedlings are growing steadily. The only one that gave me a bit of trouble was the Headbanger. During germination, it started with its taproot growing upside down, so I had to carefully adjust it. Now it’s the smallest of the group, but it looks like it has recovered from its rough start. I’ll let the Headbanger keep going even if it might end up being the runt of the round. If there’s life, there’s a way, right? Lamp: Set to 25%, 40cm distance Watering: 20 light sprays of water for each seedling every day

SpliffyRand We’re at day 12 now and they’re all still pretty small, especially the Headbanger, just as I mentioned last week. Growth is steady, though a bit slower than expected. Today I gave them their first feeding of BioGrow, around 250 ml per plant. Next time, I’m planning to increase the amount to 1 liter each. I’ll set up the Blumat dripping system and add the BioTabs once they start drinking more. For now, I think the BioTabs would still be too strong for these little ones. Better to take it slow. Light: SANlight @ 40%, ~40 cm distance. Gradually increased from 20% to 40% in week 2 (+5% every 2 days)

SpliffyRand Giving 750 ml last week was too much. Note to self: increase watering in smaller steps next time, about 250 ml at a time. On the next run, I’ll go from 250 ml to 500 ml per plant instead of jumping higher right away. That’s exactly why I’m documenting everything here: just learning and optimizing the small details. But as always, every plant reacts differently, so you always have to adapt. Growing automatics and changing genetics every time makes it hard to maintain a real routine — it’s like starting from zero with every run. Maybe one day I’ll stick to one strain over and over again, but for now, I’m enjoying the process of discovering the world of beautiful flowers and unique terpenes. As you can see, the Forum Stomper × Sour Crack is praying just like the Xtreme Haze, while the other two aren’t doing it in the same way. Maybe it doesn’t even mean they’re unhappy. It could just be genetics. Either way, I know when to water them next. Finding that sweet spot isn’t easy, but screw the sweet spot! It’s Day 19, and these plants are looking pretty damn good. The plan stays the same: -Water when necessary -Aim for a happy, maybe even praying, look a day after giving 1 L per plant, mixed with 1 ml/L BioGrow After that:-Add one BioTab per pot -Install the Blumat drip system -Go fully hands-off -A week or two later: add another BioTab This report was presented by Blue Applez. A nice strain for journaling 👽

SpliffyRand Day 25 – Welcome to the Jungle! The stretch has officially started, and the plants are doing great! Two of them, FS × SC and Dead Lot, are already getting really thirsty, easily drinking about a liter every three days. I’ll probably hand-water them one last time tomorrow and then install the Blumat dripping system around day 30. I can already see a few pistils popping up here and there, so the pre-flowering phase has begun. If things keep going at this pace, they might hit full bloom by week 5!

SpliffyRand Day 32 - System Online Just as planned, I finally installed the Blumat dripping system on Day 30. Now, on Day 32, everything is adjusted the way I want it. After installing the Blumat carrots, I spent some time finding that sweet spot where the water drops hang at the hose tip without falling immediately. A few hours later, the drops started to fall, then stopped again as soon as the soil reached the right moisture level Before installation, I gave all the plants a final manual watering, using 1 ml/L of BioBizz GrowMix and one BioTab per pot. Roughly 1.25 L per plant. A day later, I installed the carrots. So far, the plants are responding very well to the combination of a single BioTab and the drip system. In about a week, I’ll add another BioTab to each pot to keep things slow and steady. During my last autoflower run, I added two tabs at once, and they got a little too much nitrogen, so this time I’m applying what I learned. One step at a time. According to Mephisto’s strain info, the whole cycle could be done in about 40 more days. Still, I’ll stick to my rule of thumb and aim for harvest around Day 84, which lands on December 17th. Perfect timing for Christmas! Twelve weeks on easy mode. Quick Stats Day: 32 Light: SANlight @ 60 % Temp: 23.1 °C rH: 49 % VPD: ≈ 1.44 kPa Water consumption: ~8 L in 3 days → ≈ 0.67 L per plant per day → (8/3)/4=0,666L Next step: Add 2nd BioTab on D40-45

SpliffyRand Day 39 – Frost shows up This run is starting to feel almost too easy. From now on, all I really have to do is refill the water reservoir and watch them do their thing. After I noticed a bit of yellowing on the lower leaves, I decided to add the second BioTab on Day 36. So far, that was the right move. A little fade from the bottom isn’t worrying me at all – it mostly tells me the plants are actively using what’s in the soil. You can also see it in the water consumption: they’re drinking more than before. Right now they’re taking in about 10 liters every 3 days for all 4 plants, which is roughly 0.8–1.0 L per plant per day. Since the Blumat carrots are regulating individually, it’s hard to tell which one is the thirstiest, which is exactly how it’s supposed to be. The stretch seems to be done for all of them. Funny enough: Headbanger 505 stretched a few extra centimeters this week and is now the second tallest plant in the tent. Considering I almost tossed her after the awkward germination, I’m really glad I kept her. She’s a beauty and just a few days behind the others in flower development. ±45 days to go – perfect timing. Going to be an epic Christmas harvest for myself. Quick Stats Day: 39 Light: SANlight @ 70% Temp: 23.1°C rH: 61% VPD: ≈ 1.10 kPa Water consumption: 10 L / 3 days / 4 plants → ~0.83 L per plant per day Feeding: 2× BioTabs per pot (2nd tab on Day 36) System: Blumat drip – stabilised Medium: BioBizz Light Mix Flip-to-harvest plan: ~45 days left → Harvest around Dec 17 Next step: I’ll add some beneficial insects as a preventive measure. I brought a plant in from the balcony earlier this year, so I’d rather be safe than sorry.

SpliffyRand Day 46 - It’s Getting Stinky After applying the beneficial insect sachets, I didn’t spot any of them on the tops at first, but I did notice some suspicious marks on a few leaf fingers here and there. After reading a bit more about how to use beneficial insects properly, I decided to open one sachet of each type and scatter them loosely over the canopy. You can see the flakes in most of the pictures. They look a bit like dried hay. Now, a day later, I can finally see some results. In picture #2 you can clearly spot an Amblyseius californicus. These little hunters are known for preying on spider mites, and I’m confident that, even if the marks I saw were caused by mites, there’s no real threat to this grow anymore. From now on, beneficial insects will definitely be a must-have for all my future runs. As for the plants’ development, they’re doing fantastic. Considering the minimal effort I’ve put in (basically zero), they’re absolutely thriving. Sure, some rusty spots have appeared here and there, probably from a light phosphorus deficiency, but that’s no big deal. This grow is supposed to be hands-off, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. The plants are right on track, and judging by their current appearance, they’re going to be straight fire. When inspecting Dead Lot, I’m already a bit intimidated. The pistils stand upright like the plant’s a living flame, or maybe even a Super Saiyan. The same trait shows up on Headbanger 505. Both look stunning. And this week, the smell really kicked in. They’re getting insanely stinky in the best possible way. I can’t quite identify the terps yet, but it’s definitely something special. Last note: the Blumat dripping system is still running flawlessly. Sometimes the pots feel a little too heavy, but the plants seem happy with it, so I’m not touching a thing. Quick stats: Day: 46Light: SANlight EVO 3-80 @ 75 %, ~40 cm distance → estimated PPFD ~720 µmol/m²/s, DLI ~47 mol/m²/day (18 h) Temp: 25 °C (increased heating in my grow room) rH: 50 % VPD: ≈ 1.20 kPa Pest management: Beneficial insects (Amblyseius californicus and cucumeris) introduced and active Development: Stretch complete Harvest: ~38 days left

SpliffyRand Day 53 – Waiting for Harvest Nothing much this week besides monitoring. Conditions are steady, the drip system is behaving perfectly, and the plants are happily drinking. I added another round of beneficial insects as a late-flower precaution against pests. Judging by Dead Lot and FS × SC, harvest doesn’t feel far off. I doubt they’ll need a full month from here. A lot of Mephisto runs I’ve seen wrap up around ~day 75. Let’s see who finishes first! Ideally I’d like to harvest all plants together so I don’t have to dry/trim in multiple rounds. For now: let them thicken up and ripen fully. Quick Stats Light: SANlight EVO 3-80 @ 75%, ~40 cm distance, 5% tilt, 18 h → estimated PPFD ≈ 720 µmol/m²/s → DLI ≈ 46.7 mol/m²/day Temp: 25 °C rH: 55% VPD: ≈ 1.30 kPa (calc with leaf ≈ air −1.5 °C) — great for mid/late bloom Pest management: Fresh sachets applied; occasional spider-mite traces only, predators (Cucumeris & Californicus) active

SpliffyRand Day 60 - bulk finished I was away for a few days this week, and during that time the weather suddenly shifted. As it got noticeably drier outside, my tent conditions followed. When I came back, the rH had dropped too far. I managed to stabilize temperature and humidity quickly, but overall it wasn’t ideal. Still, the plants pushed through and have clearly finished their bulk phase. FS × SC and Dead Lot are now in full ripening mode. The other two could actually use a bit more time, but I’ve decided to harvest all plants on Day 75, about nine days earlier than originally planned. From now on, I’ll be monitoring the plants closely for the next two weeks. Quick Stats: Light: SANlight EVO 3-80 @ 65%, ~40 cm distance, 5% tilt, 18 h → estimated PPFD ≈ 625 µmol/m²/s → DLI ≈ 40.6 mol/m²/day Temp: 24,2 °C rH: 55% VPD ≈ 1.36 kPa Pest management: Fresh predator sachets applied

SpliffyRand Day 67 - last week starts We’re heading into the final final week now. Besides the regular monitoring, I made two changes this week: I added a fresh round of beneficial insect sachets and lowered the grow light from 65% down to 60%. The idea is to preserve more terpenes during late flower and gently speed up the senescence. The plant’s natural ripening process. Another clear sign we’re getting close: the plants aren’t drinking nearly as much anymore. The water reservoir barely needs refilling at this point. Trichome checks also confirmed that I’ve officially entered the harvest window this week. One plant, Headbanger 505, is lagging behind a bit, so I’ll let all of them continue for another week to ripen as evenly as possible. One week to go! Quick Stats rH: 58% Temp: 24 °C Light: SANlight @ 60%

SpliffyRand Day 74 – Grow Is All Done The plants barely drank anything this week, and a few trichome shots made it obvious: it was time to harvest. Since it was Sunday and I had no plans, I used the day for a calm, almost meditative harvest session. Aside from that, this week was all about the final ripening process. I’m really happy I chose mostly Mephisto for this run. It was a very easy grow overall, and even though I ran into a few issues, the buds turned out compact, frosty, and surprisingly dense. Because my rH is currently sitting above 60% and I’ve dealt with mites here and there, I decided to go with a wet trim this time. Pretty straightforward: I removed all non-sugar leaves and hung the plants bud-up in the tent. This round I also managed to keep my apartment completely odor-free. Windows closed, carbon filter running, tent open, a towel in front of the door, and all tools prepared in advance so I didn’t have to go in and out. After finishing, I stepped out quickly, showered off the terpenes of myself, and left the grow room untouched for four hours. The carbon filter handled the rest. Even the grow room didn’t smell like weed afterwards. Last time, I made the mistake of opening windows and airing out the whole apartment. The entire house smelled. This time, I stuck to a proper stealth protocol, and no one knows anything. Wohoo! Lessons I have learned this round: -Watch DLI closely and use it to guide senescence -Start using Biotabs a bit earlier (around day 20–25) -Begin using the Blumat system by day 30 (the carrots are amazing) -Apply beneficial insects proactively -Harvest with windows closed and the room sealed. Let the carbon filter do the work I’ll keep you guys updated with the dried and trimmed buds next week.

SpliffyRand Extremely vigorous growth with sticky lemon-green buds and a strong yet balanced high. Already running the next round of 505 Headbanger. The aroma and flavor are hard to pin down. Mephisto describes it as a non-gassy diesel, and that fits well. No gas at all, but clearly fruity and sour. I absolutely love it. Grinding is a challenge since the buds are completely coated in trichomes inside and out, to the point that my grinder literally glued itself together. This feels like the strain I’ve always wanted to grow and finally found. If you haven’t tried it yet, don’t miss out. 74 days to this level of quality is unreal. Thanks, Mephisto.

SpliffyRand Mephisto describes this strain as “rotten-meat-BBQ” smelling. I don’t really get that, but it does remind me of 505 Headbanger with a slightly stronger Chem note. In the end, that makes sense. It’s 505 Headbanger × Chemdogging. I still have plenty of Dead Lot seeds left and will definitely grow it again, even though it’s a bit too powerful for me. One puff and my mind is racing.

SpliffyRand Medium sized plant, around 60cm, growing in a very bushy structure. Lots of side branches creating a flat, even canpoy, filled with golf ball shaped green buds. The flower smells slightly cheesy and delivers a sedating effect. Bud structure is not too compact, resistance seems to be good and the yield was the best of the whole run. This is clearly my strain of choice when the sun is already down. You don't fall asleep immediately but staying awake smoking this cross in the evening is pretty hard. There are days I really like this effect but it's neither my all- nor my everyday strain. What really caught my interest are the parent strains. I’ll definitely grow Forum Stomper someday, and if Sour Crack ever gets released again, that one too. Since I can’t really identify any cookie notes in my phenotype, I assume it’s leaning more toward the Sour Crack terpene profile. Freebie, 74 days, highly sedating - love it. Thanks Mephisto. You got me hooked.

SpliffyRand This strain is a classic for me personally. I have grown a few of these now and mostly had a consistent terpene profile, structure and effect. Medium sized (~70cm), cristmas tree like shaped plant delivering good haze in under 80 days. The flower smells like ginger and bubblegum to me and gives me a clear and not too strong head high. This phenotype was pretty fluffy. In the last runs of this strain I always harvested pretty dense flowers so I guess I just had "bad luck" this time. I dont really care how the buds are structured since it is still good flower. Good trichomes, nice smell, old school feeling. Will grow again some day. Thanks Dutch Passion!