Durban Fruity - Serious Seeds

Xpie77 Fruity Durban is a Sativa-dominant cross (likely Durban Poison-like with a fruity twist), so stretch is significant. Pure Durban can reach 2-3 m outdoors, indoors with short veg often 1-2 m without training. With your 180 cm tent (including lamp + hanging space), it’s tight — you’ll need to train to keep everything in there. Growing setup update Tent height: 180 cm (typically ~30-40 cm for lamp + reflector + hanging, so effective plant space ~140-150 cm max). Lamp: Mars Hydro TS600 (100W real, fine for 60x60 in bloom, but use dimmed in veg/seedling). Medium: regular potting soil (assumed light-mix or universal potting soil without much nutrition; watch out for overfeeding). Pots: start 0.2L → scale up to 7-11L (or max 15L if you keep them small). Expect: stretch ×2-2.5x after flip, so training is essential. Week-by-week expected progress (adjusted to 180 cm limit) Week 1 – Seedling (now started, ~March 23, 2026) All 5 have germinated and are standing strong (Serious Seeds germinates top). Height: 5-10 cm by the end of the week. Dim the lamp (30-50%), 50-60 cm distance, 18/6 light. RH 65-75%, temp 24-27°C. Only water/spray, no nutrients yet. Week 2-3 – Early veg phase Growth accelerates: Sativa-style, long internodes. Height by the end of week 3: 20-40 cm if you don’t top. Scale up: around day 10-14 to 3-5L pots, later (week 4) to 7-11L final pots. Start with light feeding (EC 0.6-0.9, grow formula). Tip already: start LST (bending branches) or top/fim around 4-5th node (day 18-25) to force width instead of height. Week 4 – Late veg / pre-flip Height without training: easily 50-80 cm. Crucial: train! SCROG net at ~40-50 cm height, or multiple LST ties + topping 1-2x. Goal: keep canopy flat and even under the lamp. Without training, you’ll hit the 180 cm mark during stretch. Lamp 70-80% power, 35-45 cm distance. Week 5 – Flip to 12/12 First pistils within 4-7 days. Stretch starts: ×2 to ×2.5 (typical for Durban types). Trained plants: from 40-60 cm veg → 80-140 cm by the end of stretch. Untrained: 100-180+ cm → problems (lamp burning or tops getting cut off). Lamp 100%, 25-35 cm above canopy (raise tent if possible, or hang lower but watch for heat). Week 6-9 – Bloom stretch & bud development Stretch finishes around week 3 of bloom (day 50-60 total). Tops become resinous, fruity (citrus/anise/sweet). Smell week 7-8 strong → filter required. Feeding: bloom EC 1.0-1.6, PK boost from week 6. Potting soil retains moisture for a long time → don’t overwater (let it dry out between waterings). Height by the end of stretch: with good training 100-140 cm (just fits in 180 cm tent with ~30-40 cm lamp space). Week 10-12 – Ripening & finish Bloom time: ~9-10 weeks (Durban line often 8-10 weeks). Trichomes: cloudy with 10-30% amber around day 63-77. Flush the last 10-14 days. Leaves yellow naturally. Final height with training: 110-150 cm (safely under the lamp). Harvest expected (mid/late May 2026) Yield: with TS600 in 60x60 → realistically 80-150 grams dry total (0.8-1.5 g/W). Good training + even canopy → closer to 120-150 g. Poor spread → 80-100 g. Quality: sticky resin, uplifting/high energy, fruity-Durban profile. Important tips for 180 cm tent Training is not optional: LST + topping or SCROG net from veg. Keep canopy at max 100-120 cm height. Potting soil: dries slowly → water sparingly, check pot weight. Ventilation: TS600 gives off little heat, but pull a strong fan for air circulation (Sativas hate stagnant air). If you notice they’re stretching too much: apply supercropping or hang the lamp higher (but PAR will drop then).

Xpie77 Week 3 – Veg Phase (Day 15-21, around April 2-12, 2026) Water Spot This week, things even went wrong with the lighting. The Mars Hydro TS600 suddenly stopped working (probably a defect in the power driver, something that unfortunately happens with this model). The lamp stopped emitting light, and after some troubleshooting (checking cables, swapping plugs, etc.), I decided to order a new lamp. As a result, the 5 little plants spent two full days in complete darkness (covering days 17-19). No light, no photosynthesis, just respiration. For young seedlings/veg plants, that's a significant stress factor, but it's not a disaster. In nature, plants sometimes survive a cloudy period. How the plants look now (end of week 3) Height: 18-32 cm (averaging around 25 cm). The Sativa side of Fruity Durban is clearly visible: long internodes, slender finger-like leaves, and strong, upright growth. Most plants have 4-6 nodes and are already starting to develop some side branches. Color: still a nice dark green, but the leaves on a few plants look slightly lighter/matte – probably due to light stress. No yellow edges or serious deficiencies. Roots: the 0.2L pots are filling up nicely. Time to transplant into larger pots soon (3-5L or directly 7L). Overall Condition: the plants have handled the 2 days of darkness well. They are a bit less “tight” than before the blackout, but are recovering quickly now that the new/repaired lamp is back on. No stretching due to etiolation (pale and elongated) since it was only 48 hours. Conditions this week Light schedule: still running 18/6 (picked back up normally after the blackout). Lamp: temporarily replaced with a backup lamp or dimmed alternative, hopefully back to the TS600 or a replacement at ~60-70% power at 40-50 cm distance. Temperature: 24-27°C during the day, RH 60-70%. Water/Nutrients: only pure water or very light EC (0.6-0.8) since the potting soil still contains some starter nutrients. Not overwatered – the darkness caused the plants to absorb less water. Ventilation: good, but extra attention to stagnant air around the plants. Effect of the 2 days of darkness The plants have experienced a slight growth delay (about 1-2 days behind schedule). Sativas like Fruity Durban are fairly robust and handle stress better than many indicas, but they do need some time to get back on track. No hermaphroditism or other extreme reactions visible. I expect them to grow normally again in week 4. Actions this week / plans for week 4 Transplanting: around days 21-24, repot the plants into larger pots (7-11L) with fresh potting soil. Good drainage is important in regular potting soil. Start training: now applying light LST (Low Stress Training) by gently bending the tops. A light topping/fimming mainly on the sturdy plants to keep the height in the 180 cm tent under control. Without training, these Durban-like sturdy stretches later. Keep a close eye on the new lamp: check temperature and PAR values. Slowly build up nutrients as the plants start growing fully again. General Impression Despite the setback with the TS600, the 5 Fruity Durban girls are still doing well. The stability of Serious Seeds helps with this. It's a small setback, but not a drama – many growers experience unwanted issues at times. The Sativa growth is clearly coming through: slender, energetic, and with the potential for beautiful, dense buds later. Next week, I expect normal growth again and hopefully the first preparations for the bloom flip (if you want to keep it short in the tent).

Xpie77 Sorry everyone, the previous lamp broke and the plants were in total darkness for 3 days, and to be honest, I really want to start over. The plants are experiencing a lot of stress and I've really given them time to recover. What do you all think?

Xpie77 Unfortunately, due to technical problems, I ended up getting rid of everything except for 1 plant. This plant turned out to be very strong, and I'm going to give it a chance outside!