Greetings! I am looking forward to this run as I have heard nothing but great things about the cultivars offered by Mephisto Genetics. With that said, I thought it best to start with some of their oldest and most stable genetics and, from the looks of other diaries here, I am sure the effort with 24 Carat will be well rewarded!
Here's some background and details for week 1:
Like my previous run (also documented here), I'll be using coco coir as my medium. I am recycling the coco from my last run using a process where I thoroughly rinsed the coco with tap water outside and strained off the coco peat (fine dust) that had built up over the last cycle. Once I was satisfied with the flush and filter, I did two 8 hour soaks in a fertigation solution of 125% Cal/Mag made with filtered tap water. Each soak was followed by a drain without rinsing the fiber. This process ensures the coco is properly buffered with calcium/magnesium so the cation exchange rate will be as close to optimal levels as possible from the outset. Details on the process I used are described here:
https://cocoforcannabis.com/how-to-prepare-and-buffer-coco-coir/
Once the coco was buffered it was split evenly into 7gal fabric pots and covered to prevent dehydration while the seeds were started in a separate container. The first seed above ground appeared on day 5 from seed, the second on day 6, and the last one has yet to break ground but I can see the top of the seed casing a few millimeters below the surface.
For now, I am watering with a light cal/mag low EC solution to keep the soil hydrated. Seedling strength fertigation will begin in earnest within the next 24 hours and will be documented in the week 2 udpate.
As always, thanks for your interest!