Red Velvet auto.Freebie Friday

SleepyChow 04.01.2026 Day 1 Little Rita aka Red Velvet saw the light of day today… well, the light of a 200-watt led lamp👶🏼😬 Seems like my light-from-day-one strategy with the jiffys worked out pretty well. Rita isn’t stretching at all – she’s nice and compact, full of color, and looking very healthy. Her future home was already prepared three days ago. As mentioned, the pot is mulched with old leaf material from the last run, given a gentle compost tea, and finished off with roughly five tablespoons of worm castings. I’ll take a look at what the other two are up to.And apart from that, I’ll be moving them into their big final pots in a few days. AACT recipe (5l): -5 tbsp worm castings -1tsp malted barley -1tsp molasses See u 👍🏼 06.01.2026 Day 3 Hi Folks, Today I decided it was finally time to pot up and transplant the girls. I inspected the pots beforehand. Fungal life is definitely present, and arthropods are still around as well. However, there was some fungal mycelium I wasn’t entirely sure about in terms of its physiological state. Any mycelium that showed blue discoloration was removed immediately, along with the material displaying those color changes. I watered the pots once more beforehand and installed the Blumat system. At the bottom of the Jiffies and directly into the planting holes, I sprinkled mycorrhizal and Trichoderma spores, using the Hubey Micorrhiza Spreader😬

SleepyChow Hi folks 👋🏼 The Red Velvet is 7 days old today and, as expected, she’s doing really well. She’s developing normally, looks vital and strong, and handled the transplant into the big pot without any issues💪🏼 Two days after planting, I watered her with 333 ml of water in a radius of about 12 cm around the stem. The water was mixed with Root·Juice (stock solution: 1 liter of dechlorinated water with 4 ml Root·Juice) to give root development a little kickstart and help Rita settle into her new home. Root·Juice contains algae extracts and humic acids (plus small amounts of calcium, magnesium and iron), which are very beneficial for that purpose😬 Since I was a bit concerned that 4 ml (the upper limit according to the BioBizz schedule) might be a bit much for autos, I followed up three days later with another 333 ml of plain dechlorinated water. Rita shows no signs of stress or problems and continues to grow strong and physiologically healthy. I’ve also increased the light intensity to 60%. Spider Farmer recommends around 75% at this stage, but I usually do better with a gentler increase in light strength. Today I applied another 333 ml of a solution containing roughly 1.5 million nematodes per liter of water and also distributed predatory mites on the soil surface. I had already spotted a few predatory mites in my pots over the last days, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to reinforce them. These mites basically establish themselves in the soil and can live there for generations as long as there’s enough food available. Truly awesome beneficial insects🙏🏼 I have to admit, my fingers are itching already - I’m really looking forward to the moment when I can start bending and shaping Rita a bit See u 👍🏼

SleepyChow Day 15 Hi Folks and welcome to our Bondage andventure😁 Rita is doing great,nice powerfull green color,thick and already strong stem. Nevertheless i trained her stem a little.On Day 12 i bent her to the left side, towards the edge of her pot.Next day i let her strech out and since Yesterday,day 14,shes bent to the right side, towards the middle of the pot. And she takes it all in stride, showing no signs of stress💪🏼i decided to just Lst her.Im not very confident with only this training method,i like topping and mainlining way more.But u know,i dont know this strain,so yea🤷🏼‍♂️ There are some ways to control the height of ur Autoflower and break the apical dominance to help the side branches to develope: - LST +Scrog -early Topping (yea,also autoflowers) -early Mainlining (Bernie from Fast Buds does this regularly. Basementganja does this also sometimes.The great Mr.Canuck himself says this is possible',but hes more a fan of Lst,he assures that this cause more yield) -clever defoliation of the top branch ( basementganja method) -clever use of light intensity and distance to the lamp The past days i got some problems to held the rH on 60%,most time it was below.i used a wet towel to raise the rH,it helped but not as much as needed. I poured 667ml Water with 1/3 tbsp EMs on the mulch to boost its decomposting process a litte,it also raised short term the rH. I also sowed new cover crop seeds (little helper seeds by almicanna). They benefit the microbiom of the soil through their exudates and protect the athropods,bacteria etc from light and drought. They also raise the rF,as soon as they are developed. But the gamechanger in this drama was,like in my last grow, the fan😅😂 I turned the fan on earlier than planned, but this led to a rapid increase in humidity from 53% to 68%🎉 I also raised light intensity up to 75% on Day 11. im really impressed by her hardiness😯 See u next week growmies 👍🏼

SleepyChow Day23 Hi friends of laid-back cannabis entertainment 🍃 I’m back again with our ever-popular Rita. What can I say -she’s doing great.💪🏼She’s growing completely normally, but above all very vigorously, with shining dark green leaves and strong branching. One of the side branches is already almost as thick as the main stem. Overall, the stem itself has become really thick, so this lady has put on some serious growth. To expose the lower nodes and make sure they get enough light, I removed two large fan leaves. Not only did she not react negatively, she actually seemed even bigger the very next day. She’s genuinely vigorous. I had turned the light intensity up to 90%, but unfortunately she reacted to that with some slight bleaching on the leaf tips of the first new leaf pairs. After noticing that, I turned the intensity back down to 75% and raised the lamp a bit as well.The funny thing is that at one node she’s currently developing two additional small nodes. I’m curious to see how far they’ll grow,lol😂 I also brewed a nice AACT (5l,24°C) with the following ingredients: -5tbsp wormcastings -1cup of overripe Watermellon Juice ( rich in enzymes and monosaccharides, microbe booster) -1tbsp Molasses -1-tsp Rosehippowder (organic acids,trace elements and immune booster) -1tbsp Beetroot Powder (potassium,trace elements,Polysaccharides and carbonhydrates, microbe booster) 1-pinch kelp meal (trace elements, phytohormones) Before applying the AACT, I turned off the Blumat supply for two days so the soil could dry out a bit. I also applied the AACT in two stages — once after 24 hours and then again after 32 hours. Unfortunately, the effect of the fans increasing the humidity only lasted for a short time. Over the past few days, I still had to rely on damp towels to keep the relative humidity at around 60%. That’s starting to change now though, as the girls are getting bigger and transpiring more — which is a very positive development. I really have to say that a cover crop would have been a total game changer. It would have helped the girls early on as well, since cover crops can positively influence soil pH and also help raise humidity levels. See you Growmies 👌🏼

SleepyChow Hey folks, another week, another report🙌🏼 Rita’s still doing absolutely great and is turning into a real bush. She reacts amazingly well to LST -tying her down paid off big time. Her side branches have gotten thick and looong, and she’s popping new side shoots everywhere like she’s on a mission. shes vegging like crazy💪🏼Overall she’s just consistently fit, healthy, and full of energy. She’s already putting out a noticeable aroma too: warm spices with a slightly sour, herbal funk 👃🔥 Sadly… that smell seems to be a hit not only with me, but also with aphids. I’ve spotted a few on the undersides of her leaves. Right now I’m fighting them with a homemade garlic tea, and so far it’s working 😬 no new bite marks since then. That said, I’ve also ordered some beneficial insects that should arrive in the next few days, just to be on the safe side. All in all, she’s presenting herself beautifully- apparently just a bit too tasty for pests compared to the other girls I have in the tent 😅 but thats no big deal so far The soil is also thriving.full of life,i already spotted some new baby worms under the Avocado slices😁 She u next week cannafriends👋🏼

SleepyChow Day 37 So, friends of vigorous plants, welcome back to Rita. She’s developing beautifully and is clearly in full stretch mode right now. She officially entered the flowering stage just one day after my last report and is already throwing out fresh pistils all over the place. On top of that, she’s starting to get seriously fragrant. During defoliation and especially when doing a stem rub, she releases this intense aroma of warm spices mixed with bubblegum . and honestly, it’s amazing. A few days ago I received some lacewing larvae and attached one of the larvae cards to one of Rita’s branches. Since then, I haven’t spotted any new feeding damage, so it looks like the tiny predators are doing their job. I’ve also noticed increased anthocyanin production in certain spots , especially on leave stemd closer to the lamp . That makes me think she’s probably still experiencing a bit of light stress. Of course, there are other possible causes, like a slight phosphorus deficiency, which can marginally show up during the stretch phase. But just to be safe, I reduced the light intensity down to 70%. So far, that seems to have helped. The newer leaves are showing less bleaching at the tips, and overall she looks more comfortable now. We’ll keep monitoring, but at the moment things seem to be heading in the right direction. I defolited a bit harsh,it was almost like lollipopping cause i removed the first node pair of every branch.She hung her head a little, but after a few hours she was fine.💪🏼 Overall, Rita looks extremely vital. As you can see in the pictures, she’s growing vigorously. Her side branches have definitely overtaken the main stem by now. The main stem itself barely grows anymore. I accidentally bent it a bit too far at one point, and it basically stood there looking like an upside-down “U” for about half a day. Since then, the internodal spacing on the newer branches has become very tight — almost like I fimm’d her. So yeah… sometimes mistakes turn into training techniques 😄

SleepyChow Hello Growies, and welcome back to Rita. Another week has flown by, and wow… a lot has happened. Rita is fully in stretch mode . She’s stacking on a centimeter here and there every single day like she’s got something to prove. At the same time, she’s pushing out more and more little buds and pistils, so it was definitely time to bring out the scrog net. I went with a super budget one I had lying around at home — nothing fancy, but hey, it gets the job done. She also received a little dose of horsetail tea to give her a gentle silica boost. Just helping her build some strength while she’s gearing up for what’s coming next. happy and thriving. Benefits of Horsetail manure: -natural source of silica (Si) -strengthens cell walls → sturdier stems & branches -better structural integrity during heavy flowering -improves resistance to heat and drought stress -Helps plants handle environmental fluctuations -makes it harder for pests and fungi to penetrate plant tissue -mild preventative antifungal effect -supports overall plant vigor without “pushing” growth Basically: stronger plant, less drama later in flower So far, she’s looking happy, motivated, and ready to explode in flower. Let’s see where this stretch takes us😁

SleepyChow Day 51 Alright folks, welcome back — things are getting spicy 🔥 Rita has turned into an absolute monster. She’s a full-on bush at this point and is practically bullying the other girls out of the tent. Her buds are sticking up through the SCROG net like spears. Since she’s still in full stretch mode and visibly growing every single day, I had to tie down the tallest colas again. I’m honestly worried she’s about to get way too close to the light if she keeps this pace up. About a week ago she received a compost tea (2l) with the following recipe: -5l dechlorinated water -5tbsp vermiculit -1tsp molasses -1pinch bone meal -2 tbsp Ffj (overripe Watermellon for encymes and monosaccharides, unripe mango for P,K and Jasmonic acid) Now… unfortunately, I made a pretty big mistake a few days ago. Before applying the compost tea, I turned off the Blumat system to let the soil dry back a bit. Normally, it’s enough if I turn the water supply back on about half an hour after feeding the tea. Well… this time I forgot. I didn’t turn the water back on until more than a day later — and accidentally ended up flushing the soil. I collected as much of the runoff as I could and re-watered it the next day. I also tried to readjust the Blumat system, but it looks like I’d basically have to reinstall the whole thing from scratch. So I’ve decided to hand-water her for the rest of her journey. That actually gives me more control anyway — especially since she’s become insanely thirsty over the past week and a half. Like… very, very, very thirsty. Let’s see how she responds. See u 💪🏼

SleepyChow Alright, friends of the sun😁 At this point, I can safely say that Rita’s stretch phase is pretty much over. She’s now starting to really bulk up — the buds are getting thicker and she’s developing more and more trichomes. She’s already sparkling properly under the artificial sun. Her aroma keeps evolving too. I can’t quite pin it down yet. It’s a little spicy, a little sweet, and somehow kind of musty in a heavy way. A few days ago — three days, to be exact — I watered her with three liters of water, adding one tablespoon of FFJ per liter. So far, she’s handled that really well. She’s simply the king of the tent. Honestly, she alone could have filled the entire SCROG net. So I need to make sure the other girls still get a bit of space. But what else would I expect from a Paradise Seeds plant? See you next week, guys.👋🏼

SleepyChow Day 65 Holy moly, my growies. Now we get to Rita 🔥 and she’s just awesome. Seriously, she’s a great lady, no other way to put it. She’s been a little stressed over the last few days because I’ve been leaving the window open more often at night, but it hasn’t really caused any problems. She’s developing some anthocyanin‑related purple coloration on a few of the smaller leaf tips. Other than that she’s doing great💪🏼 She’s still bulkin a little, the resin production looks really nice, almost all trichome heads are milky and her aroma has developed a lot. At this point the whole tent smells like her, the room smells like her, and honestly half my apartment smells like her, despite the carbon filter. And funnily enough, the smell is actually pretty close to what the breeder describes: a very candy‑like sweetness,spice with a noticeable musty and also tangy gassiness. Very pleasant overall. She received about three and a half liters of compost tea four days ago — the last compost tea before harvest. Now we’ll just wait and see how she develops from here. AACT recipe (5l): →5 tbsp worm castings →1tbsp molasses →1tsp composted chicken manure →1 tsp CalMg See u 👍🏼

SleepyChow Day 73 Hi growmies 👋🏼 The end is near Rita has officially reached autumn mode. All her trichomes have gone cloudy, and I’ve already spotted the first little amber troublemakers sneaking in. Around 50% of her pistils have turned orange, and yeah… she’s clearly wrapping things up. Her smell also did a bit of a plot twist. What used to be kinda musty has now transformed into something I can only describe as… synthetic cherry. Like, not fresh-off-the-tree cherry – more like the cherry aroma of “cola cherry” if that makes sense 😂 I’m seriously hyped right now. In a day or two, she’s getting the chop, and I’ll make sure she gets the proper dry she deserves. End of the road for Rita – but damn, what a ride it’s been. 🍒 See u 😬

SleepyChow The smoke report will follow in a few weeks