Zengrower Hey growmies!
Time for another round in the Minigrow One! This time I’m running Auto Red Tropicana Cookies, one of the gems from the excellent seed package I won in the CNNBS Outdoor Grow Contest 2025 (3rd place with Mint Runtz by Spliff Seeds 💪). Massive shoutout to Dutch Passion for the amazing genetics — I couldn’t wait to get a new run started!
✂️ Lessons learned & setup tweaks
My previous run went… well… a little too vertical. The plant stretched straight up to the top of the growbox. But hey — grow & learn, right?
To keep this lady from getting too “high” 🥁 again, I’m trying several structural tweaks this round:
Reduced pot size to 6L.
Super easy with geotextile pots: cut the side in half, fold, and done.
Filled only 2/3 of the pot with soil.
Less root space usually means 20–30% less height — perfect for the Minigrow.
New lighting strategy based on the latest cannabis lighting science.
I’ll be running a fixed 18/6 cycle with a blue-dominant spectrum in the early phase to keep stretch under control.
Here’s the full plan:
Weeks 1–4: Blue 55–60%, Red 30–35%, White/IR 10%
→ Minimal stretch, compact veg structure
Weeks 5–8: Blue 45–50%, Red 40–45%, White/IR 10%
→ Balanced transition with controlled internodes
Weeks 9–11: Blue 35–40%, Red 50–55%, White/IR 10%
→ Bloom optimization and improved bud development
Keeping White/IR low should prevent excess far-red and shade-avoidance stretching.
Total output stays around 100% to maintain intensity in the 50–60 W range, hitting roughly 400–700 µmol/m²/s PPFD — perfect for the Minigrow One. Combined with the smaller pot, delayed defoliation and some optional LST, this setup should keep her well under 80 cm without sacrificing yield or quality.
Feeding will be Plagron, mostly supplements, since the soil contains enough nutrients for the first 4 weeks.
Week 1–4: Power Roots
After that: Sugar Royal for an extra terpene boost
🔥 Strain info: Auto Red Tropicana Cookies
🌈 Unique Red Genetics
Auto Red Tropicana Cookies is a limited, colorful autoflower known for its deep red and purple hues during bloom. Part of Dutch Passion’s Special Red family, these phenos express strong anthocyanin coloration — especially with slightly cooler night temps.
Genetics & effects
She brings together:
- Tropicana Cookies → sweet citrus, orange zest, cookie-dough terps
- Strong autoflower genetics for speed and uniformity
- Expect a happy, uplifting, energetic high — creative, social and perfect for daytime.
🌱 Growth characteristics
Compact to medium (50–100 cm), but your controlled pot/soil/spectrum combo should keep her even smaller
Fast: 9–10 weeks from seed to harvest
Easy and stable, ideal for micro-grows like the Minigrow One
🍊 Flavour & aroma profile
What we can expect:
- Sweet citrus
- Orange peel
- Fresh cookie dough
- Occasional berry tones in the red phenotypes
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Used method
Peat Pellet
Germination Method
1
Week 1. Vegetation
2mo ago
1/7
4 cm
Height
16 hrs
Light Schedule
20 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
58 %
Air Humidity
17 °C
Night Air Temp
6 liters
Pot Size
0.3 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
Nutrients 1
Power Roots
1 mll
Zengrower The seedling is looking healthy and happy in the Minigrow. After a quiet first week, the fanleafs start to develop in a faster pace the last few days.
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2
Week 2. Vegetation
2mo ago
1/8
6 cm
Height
16 hrs
Light Schedule
20 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
58 %
Air Humidity
17 °C
Night Air Temp
6 liters
Pot Size
0.3 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
Nutrients 1
Power Roots
1 mll
Zengrower This week the Auto Red Tropicana Cookies has shown some really impressive growth in the Minigrow One. She’s staying beautifully compact with short internodes and has developed lush, healthy green leaves. Exactly what you want to see in such a limited space.
This run feels a bit exciting and experimental, as it’s my first time growing an autoflower in the Minigrow. With autos, there’s no control over the transition from growth to flowering, since the plant decides that all by herself. To manage height, I deliberately chose a smaller pot with less soil, hoping this will keep her from reaching the top of the cabinet this time.
So far, she seems perfectly happy in this setup. The environment suits her well, and she’s growing strong and balanced. The Minigrow will soon receive an upgrade with a new LED panel and some additional features, but for now the Red Tropicana Cookies appears very comfortable in her current home.
Nutrient-wise, I’m keeping things simple at the moment. I’m only giving Root Juice, as the soil contains enough nutrients for roughly the first four weeks. Next week I’ll add one Biotab, ensuring there will be sufficient nutrition available once she moves into flowering.
Very curious to see how this compact auto will perform in the Minigrow over the coming weeks!
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3
Week 3. Vegetation
2mo ago
1/4
12 cm
Height
16 hrs
Light Schedule
20 °C
Day Air Temp
Weak
Smell
58 %
Air Humidity
17 °C
Night Air Temp
6 liters
Pot Size
0.3 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
Nutrients 2
Power Roots
1 mll
Organic Fertiliser Tablets
10 mll
Zengrower Red Tropicana Cookies is growing really well. She’s nice and bushy at the moment, which is perfect since the grow box doesn’t allow much room for stretching. It already looks like she’s preparing for bloom, even though it’s still quite early with only about three weeks of vegetation.
I really like her overall structure and the healthy green leaves. Let’s hope she becomes even more beautiful once she enters full flowering. To support her during the bloom phase, I added one BioTab to the soil. With only around 6 liters of substrate, that should be more than enough to carry her through.
Aside from a few fungus gnats, everything is calm and happy in the Minigrow.
Stay tuned for more updates!
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5
Week 5. Flowering
1mo ago
1/12
25 cm
Height
16 hrs
Light Schedule
20 °C
Day Air Temp
Weak
Smell
58 %
Air Humidity
17 °C
Night Air Temp
6 liters
Pot Size
0.3 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
Nutrients 4
Alga Bloom
4 mll
Sugar Royal
1 mll
Power Buds
1 mll
Zengrower Hey growmies,
Last week I was a bit too busy to post an update on this beautiful Red Tropicana Cookies, so this one covers week 4 and 5. As you can see, she’s fully entering the flowering stage now and starting to look really promising.
I’m very happy with how the stretch turned out — it seems perfectly under control. She’s still growing steadily, but the internodes remain nice and short, so I don’t expect her to reach the top of the cabinet this run. Exactly what I was hoping for.
This week I started adding some Plagron supplements. The BioTabs already provide a solid base, and from my experience the extra supplements just push the overall quality of the harvest a little bit further. Nothing extreme, just fine-tuning.
I’m being careful with watering at the moment. I slightly overwatered her in week 3, so now I’m giving small amounts twice a day, which seems to suit her much better.
According to the Dutch Passion description, around 50% of the phenotypes develop purple colors, and… yay 😄 it looks like this one is heading that way too. I can already see some beautiful deep purple tones appearing right in the center of the developing buds.
Really excited to see how she’ll evolve over the coming weeks ✌️🌱
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6
Week 6. Flowering
24d ago
1/4
40 cm
Height
16 hrs
Light Schedule
20 °C
Day Air Temp
Strong
Smell
58 %
Air Humidity
17 °C
Night Air Temp
6 liters
Pot Size
0.3 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
Nutrients 4
Alga Bloom
4 mll
Sugar Royal
1 mll
Power Buds
1 mll
Zengrower Hey growmies,
Week 6 is in the books, and this Red Tropicana Cookies keeps getting better and better. The buds are starting to show some beautiful deep purple colors, especially in the tops. That’s always a great sign — if she’s already this dark at this stage, there’s a good chance the whole plant might develop strong purple tones later on.
It actually reminds me a bit of a Black Lebanon I grew in the greenhouse last summer. That one started out with intensely dark buds as well and eventually finished with deep purple to almost black leaves. Curious to see if this lady will follow a similar path.
Structurally, she’s really coming together now. The stems and leaves are getting noticeably stronger. Last week, some of the lower leaves still looked a bit pale and soft, but they’ve fully recovered and look healthy and vibrant again.
The smell is something special too. I don’t often experience such an intense sweet and spicy aroma this early in flower. If this is just the beginning, the harvest should be very interesting 😄
I’m slowly increasing the amount of water now, while checking daily to make sure she’s not staying too wet. At this stage I can’t afford any delays, so I’m keeping a close eye on her.
Height-wise she’s absolutely perfect. Maybe she could have stretched another 10 cm, but honestly — I’m just very happy with how perfectly she fits into the Minigrow ✌️🌱.
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7
Week 7. Flowering
24d ago
1/7
40 cm
Height
16 hrs
Light Schedule
20 °C
Day Air Temp
Strong
Smell
58 %
Air Humidity
17 °C
Night Air Temp
6 liters
Pot Size
0.3 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
Nutrients 4
Alga Bloom
4 mll
Sugar Royal
1 mll
Power Buds
1 mll
Zengrower Hey growmies,
Week 7 has arrived and the stretch is officially over. She’s completely done growing in height now, and all her energy is clearly going into bulking up the buds.
The flowers are getting noticeably thicker and denser, and the smell has intensified again. Every time I open the cabinet, that sweet and spicy aroma hits me straight away. It’s always amazing how much a plant can change in just one week at this stage.
Other than regular watering, there’s honestly not much for me to do right now. She’s cruising along nicely, so I’m keeping my hands off as much as possible. No defoliation, no stress — just letting her do her thing and enjoying the view.
Sometimes the best move is simply to not interfere, and right now she seems to appreciate that ☘️.
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9
Week 9. Flowering
12d ago
1/6
40 cm
Height
16 hrs
Light Schedule
20 °C
Day Air Temp
Strong
Smell
58 %
Air Humidity
17 °C
Night Air Temp
6 liters
Pot Size
0.5 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
Nutrients 5
Alga Bloom
4 mll
Sugar Royal
1 mll
Power Buds
1 mll
Zengrower Week 9 and she’s really starting to show what she’s made of. The buds keep getting thicker and heavier, stacking up nicely all over the plant.
The smell is absolutely delicious right now — very sweet, almost candy-like. One of those aromas that instantly makes you smile when you open the cabinet. If this is any indication of what’s to come after drying and curing, this one is going to be special.
The small white pistils are slowly starting to darken, another clear sign that she’s moving deeper into her flowering cycle. Everything feels nicely on schedule.
It looks like the leaves won’t get much more purple than they are now, but honestly, I’m more than happy with how she turned out. Those deep purple buds are a beautiful sight on their own and give the plant an amazing overall look.
From here on out it’s mainly about patience and keeping things stable — and enjoying the view ✌️🌱
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10
Week 10. Flowering
12d ago
1/6
40 cm
Height
16 hrs
Light Schedule
20 °C
Day Air Temp
Strong
Smell
58 %
Air Humidity
17 °C
Night Air Temp
6 liters
Pot Size
0.5 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
Nutrients 5
Alga Bloom
4 mll
Sugar Royal
1 mll
Power Buds
1 mll
Zengrower Hey growmies,
Week 10 and she’s really at the finish line now. The buds have fully swollen up and are looking dense and heavy, while the pistils have turned a beautiful dark brown.
I checked the trichomes this week and they’re already fully milky with amber showing, so it’s clear she’s right in the harvest window. In a few days, she’s coming down ✂️
Yesterday I removed the large fan leaves around the main stem to give the lower buds a bit more light during these final days. As soon as I did that, the smell absolutely exploded. A wave of intense sweetness mixed with a very strong tangie aroma filled the room — and it stayed on my hands for the rest of the evening.
If the aroma is already this powerful at this stage, I can only imagine how she’ll taste after a few months of proper curing. This one is clearly shaping up to be a very flavorful harvest, and I’m already looking forward to the smoke report.
Almost time to bring her down ✌️🌱
This run really made me appreciate Red Tropicana Cookies as a strain. From early flower all the way to harvest, she consistently impressed me.
Visually, this is an absolute stunner. The buds developed deep purple, almost black colors, while the plant itself stayed compact and well-structured — perfect for a Minigrow setup. Even without extreme fading in the leaves, the dark purple flowers alone make this a real eye-catcher in the jars.
One of the things that stood out most was how early the aroma started to develop. Even in the earlier stages of flowering, she already produced a strong, sweet and spicy scent. As flowering progressed, this only intensified, turning into a rich, candy-like sweetness with a clear citrus influence.
After drying, the terpene profile truly came alive. The smell is intensely sweet and fruity, but the flavor goes much deeper than that. When vaporized, it delivers a complex and layered terpene profile:
tropical fruit and a fresh, slightly sour note on the inhale, followed by hints of mint, lavender, and red fruits on the exhale. Very refined and surprisingly complex.
Overall, Red Tropicana Cookies combines stunning looks, early and strong aroma development, and an exceptional terpene profile. Even with a modest yield, the quality easily makes up for it. This is a strain I would happily grow again, especially for anyone who values flavor, aroma, and visual appeal over sheer grams.
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Spent 58 days
Ger Veg Flo Har
100 g
Bud wet weight per plant
30 g
Bud dry weight per plant
1
Plants
0.2 m²
Grow Room size
Easy
Difficulty
Creative, Energetic, Uplifted
Positive effects
Dry eyes, Dry mouth
Negative effects
Stress, Insomnia, Depression
Medical effects
Tropical, Herbs, Mint
Taste
Sleepy
Energy
Indica
Hybrid
Sativa
Height
Day air temperature
Air humidity
PH
Light schedule
Night air temperature
Pot size
Lamp distance
1/13
Zengrower Hey growmies,
After a final trichome check — all milky with just a touch of amber — it was time to take her down. The signal was clear: harvest time ✂️
As you can see, she stayed fairly compact, but what an absolute beauty. This also marks my first fully successful run in the Minigrow, so I’m extremely happy with this milestone. Everything came together nicely this round.
During harvest, the smell was still very intense — mainly sweet and fruity, filling the room almost instantly. As usual, I removed the large fan leaves while the plant was still standing and then hung the branches to dry using the handy SCROG rack that comes with the Minigrow. The air in the room was a bit on the dry side, so I kept a close eye on her to make sure the buds wouldn’t dry out too fast.
After about 7 days of drying, most of the buds were ready to be trimmed. And wow… the colors 😍
These dark purple, almost black buds are something else. I’ve never had flowers this deep purple in my jars before, and I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out.
The yield was a bit lower than some of my previous runs — exactly 30 grams — but the quality more than makes up for it. Dense buds, strong aroma, and a very premium look overall.
commentedweek 112d ago