Tropical Tangie (Dutch Passion)

bauergrows These girls are lame. I’ve never had such a poor week of germination and early growth with any other genetics so far. One popped but is growing very slowly. The other is just stuck there, and I’m not holding much hope for it. Update: the stunted seed was officially dead (I've gently touched it and realized it was detached from the taproot). I've contacted Dutch Passion regarding this issue, and they've sent me a new batch of seeds. Kudos for their customer support.

bauergrows The strange case of the eternal cotyledon.

bauergrows NEW grow: The previous seedlings are dead. One of them is technically still alive, stuck as an immobile cotyledon seedling. Dutch Passion sent me replacement seeds, which I germinated and planted. I don’t want to give up on these yet, as this is the closest strain I can find to the original DNA Tangie (Crockett’s). I also know from friends that this is a reputable seed bank, so I’m not saying this is a bad bank, but there does seem to be something a bit off with this particular genetic. One seedling emerged quickly and looks healthy, while the other is taking much longer and doesn’t look great. I wouldn’t call myself a highly experienced grower, but germination has never really been an issue for me, and I germinate many sorts of plants since I was a kid, so it's no rocket science to me (even if iI sometimes treat it like it). These ones just seem harder to crack. UPDATE: And the drama continues. The little one just died. The “healthy” one damped off yesterday, but I managed to get it back up and it survived the next 24 hours. The stem seemed fine, so I hope it’s not caused by a fungus, just weakness in the plant. At this point, this grow is just funny.

bauergrows This is our survivor :)

bauergrows Tropical Tangie is doing great!

bauergrows Tangie is growing really nicely these last few days. Two things I've noticed: one is an interesting mutation where a leaf has a double tip, likely fasciation at the apical meristem. The other is that some of the lower leaves have been showing some interveinal rust. Could be several things: wind stress, lights too close, magnesium deficiency, or a pH imbalance. As long as it doesn't spread, I think we're fine.

bauergrows Tropical Tangie is growing in its own pot, developing steadily alongside a few nearby companion plants. Before heading into the flowering tent, it spent a full week under pure natural sunlight, giving it a strong, healthy start. I also applied a preventive spray of neem oil with potassium soap, making sure it goes into the next stage clean, protected, and ready to thrive. I decided to top it as well, not just to shape the plant but to preserve a clone in case this phenotype turns out to be something special.

bauergrows Overall, I find this pheno to be a relatively slow grower. It doesn’t have the same vigorous stretch I’ve seen in some of the other plants, though that may simply come down to its structure: the internodal spacing is extremely tight. Either way, since I already have a rooted clone, I’ve decided to flip it now and get a sense of its potential before the outdoor run.

bauergrows First signs of stretching. The stems smell like of a mix of tangerine and sweet or candy.

bauergrows Pistils everywhere. Heavy defoliation to bring some more air and discard some small budsites.

bauergrows I find this stage of growing probably the most boring. Can't wait to see those buds getting dense.

bauergrows Not noticeable changes since last week. But the pistils look wild :D

bauergrows Looking good!

bauergrows The Tropical Tangie is now in week 18 and approaching harvest time. At this point, she looks close, but I think she still needs a little more time to fully mature. Trichome development is currently around 40% cloudy/white, 50% clear, and 10% amber, so I decided to give her a bit longer before the chop. She has also been producing some foxtailing, which makes the timing a little harder to judge. I’m considering letting her go until next week and then making the final decision. The aroma is not as intense as I expected, probably due to the high temperatures she experienced during the cycle. However, during cooler nighttime conditions the smell becomes much more noticeable and unmistakable: a strong orange soda / peel profile. Overall, she has handled the challenges well, and I'm excited to see how much she can improve in these final days.

bauergrows I've chopped 7 days ago.