Gorilla Runtz - Living Soil

Alvareas On April 11, a seedling was repotted. As usual, the best-developed seedling was selected. The cover crop had already shown significant growth by the time of the transplant. After repotting, the substrate was watered with 2 liters of water and nematodes to counteract a slight infestation of fungus gnats and prevent further spread. This made the soil heavily saturated; the moisture level dropped to 48 millibars, which should not have serious consequences. In the coming days, only the top layer of soil will be regularly moistened to slowly bring the overall moisture back to normal levels. The Blumat system is currently not in operation. It will be activated once the plant is larger and requires constant water. Until then, watering is done with a pressure sprayer. The plant has successfully handled the repotting and continues to show healthy growth. On April 14, the cotyledons and the single-finger leaves were removed. On April 15, the three-finger leaves along with shoots were removed to make space for the soil, as the first shoots are often poorly developed. Overall, the plant looks healthy and vigorous. Since I use the humidifier during the veg stage, I let the AI controller run in VPD mode. Here, I don't care about the temperature in the tent, and it regulates the humidity quite well based on the temperature in the tent. The parameters in week 2: Controller setting day: Advanced AI VPD 0.9 – 1.1 Controller setting night: Advanced AI VPD 0.9 – 1.1 Average daytime temperature: 26.4 degrees Average nighttime temperature: 23.6 degrees Average humidity day: 64.4% Average humidity night: 64.1% Average VPD day: 1 Average VPD night: 0.9 Average soil moisture in mbar: 68 LED power: 10% = 70 watts Lighting duration: 18 hours Air circulation: Level 1 oscillating

Alvareas The plant is developing as expected. It is doing very well with the Living Soil and shows a rich dark green. In my experience, plants often grow a bit slower in Living Soil at first, but then pick up significantly later. I'm happy with the growth so far. The compact growth form makes me suspect that the indica content is predominant. Midweek, I introduced ten compost worms of the species Eisenia hortensis. I expect them to have a positive effect on the soil life and better oxygen supply in the root area. Since I want to continue using the pot in a no-till method, the worms are supposed to decompose old roots. I placed the worms on the soil; ten minutes later, they were gone. I haven't seen any since, which is a good sign for me and indicates that they like the soil. I am still watering with the pressure sprayer. I have since put the Blumat system into operation. However, it seems that the pressure is not enough to operate the drip ring. I should have tested that better beforehand. Since I can't raise the high tank to increase the water pressure, I will replace the watering ring with distribution drippers. However, I will wait to make the switch until the flowering phase. The parameters in week 3: Controller setting day: Advanced AI VPD 0.9 – 1.1 Controller setting night: Advanced AI VPD 0.9 – 1.1 Average daytime temperature: 25.9 degrees Average nighttime temperature: 23.6 degrees Average humidity day: 63.5% Average humidity night: 59.8% Average VPD day: 1 Average VPD night: 1 Average soil moisture in mbar: 89 LED power: 10% = 70 watts Lighting duration: 18 hours Air circulation: Level 1 oscillating

Alvareas The plant was topped at the beginning of the week. This time, I'm sticking with one topping, and I'm leaving six main stems. I'll later spread these out with a SCROG net to encourage as many side branches as possible. The goal is a flat canopy with as many small main buds as possible. The plant has handled the topping well and continues to grow compactly. It is still a rich green, and the leaves are pointing steeply towards the LED. This shows me that the Living Soil is working well and the plant is being optimally supplied. This week, I watered again with nematodes. This is a downside for me with the Living Soil. The constantly moist soil makes it particularly comfortable for fungus gnats. This is my second grow with Living Soil, and in both cases, I've struggled with fungus gnats. In my earlier grows with regular soil, liquid nutrients, and intermittently drying substrate, I didn't have this problem. At the beginning of the week, the LED was increased to 20%, and the VPD was slightly raised during the light phase. The parameters in week 4: Controller setting day: Advanced AI VPD 1.0 – 1.2 Controller setting night: Advanced AI VPD 0.9 – 1.1 Average daytime temperature: 26.4 degrees Average nighttime temperature: 23.0 degrees Average humidity day: 58.9% Average humidity night: 55.7% Average VPD day: 1.1 Average VPD night: 1 Average soil moisture in mbar: 100 LED power: 20% = 90 watts Lighting duration: 18 hours Air circulation: Level 1 oscillating

Alvareas At the beginning of the week, I installed the scrog net. The plant isn't particularly tall yet, but it probably won't gain much more height. The growth is rather compact. However, that doesn't bother me: the scrog net is meant to keep the shoots at the same height and allow me to spread them out to promote side branches. Throughout the week, I'll gradually pull the plant apart. Occasionally, I've removed inward-growing leaves on the main shoots if they were covering side branches. I chopped up the removed leaves and placed them on the soil. The worms should be happy about that. After this week, I'll add another week of veg and then switch to flowering. This week, I watered once with compost tea. However, I don't brew the tea with molasses and an air stone at elevated temperatures. Instead, I let the compost steep in water for 24 hours without molasses and an air stone. Then, I water with the undiluted water. The parameters in week 5: Controller setting day: Advanced AI VPD 1.0 – 1.2 Controller setting night: Advanced AI VPD 0.9 – 1.1 Average daytime temperature: 27.9 degrees Average nighttime temperature: 25.7 degrees Average daytime humidity: 58.4% Average nighttime humidity: 59.3% Average VPD day: 1.1 Average VPD night: 1 Average soil moisture in mbar: 115 LED power: 20% = 90 watts Lighting duration: 18 hours Air circulation: Level 1 oscillating

Alvareas In the last week of veg, the plant is in top condition. Since the six main stems are now quite stable and hardly flexible anymore, I'm not taking any risks and not pushing them further under the SCROG net. To keep them approximately at the same height, I’ve pulled them a bit further out and down with a wire attached to the net. In the middle, many new side branches have developed and filled the area nicely. By the end of the week, I prepared for the switch to flowering. The cover crop was trimmed back as much as possible and covered with hemp fiber mulch. This way, I want to keep the top layer drier and reduce nitrogen production from clover and ryegrass. The drip ring was removed and replaced with five Blumat drip feeders spaced 20 cm apart. From now on, watering will run automatically via Blumat again. I watered again with nematodes. I still can't get rid of the fungus gnats. Maybe the mulch helps because it makes access to the soil more difficult. The VPD was increased again, and by the end of the week, I’ll turn off the humidifier. The parameters in week 6: Controller setting day: Advanced AI VPD 1.2 – 1.4 Controller setting night: Advanced AI VPD 1.0 – 1.2 Average daytime temperature: 26.5 degrees Average nighttime temperature: 23.9 degrees Average humidity day: 52.6% Average humidity night: 52.3% Average VPD day: 1.3 Average VPD night: 1.1 Average soil moisture in mbar: 85 LED power: 20% = 90 watts Lighting duration: 18 hours Air circulation: Level 1 oscillating

Alvareas At the beginning of the week, I switched to flowering. I'm very satisfied with the growth so far. The plant shows a uniform leaf canopy, grows bushy, and has formed many side shoots that are now getting light. So far, I've only removed a few leaves. Occasionally, I've taken off individual leaves growing inward at the top when they were blocking the shoots underneath. Since the humidity has been manageable and no waterlogging is forming between the leaves, I currently see no reason to remove more leaf mass. I plan to do a stronger defoliation on day 21 of flowering when I will also do some Lollipop pruning. The stretch has been kept in check so far. I expected that, though. By the end of the week, the plant has stretched by 10 cm and filled the tent area well. For the switch to flowering, I increased the LED to 40% to compensate for the six hours of light that were lost. The humidifier is turned off, and I've set the controller to temperature and humidity control. During the light phase, only temperature is considered, while in the dark phase, only humidity is taken into account. The target temperature is set at 25 °C, and the target humidity at 50%. The exhaust is set to a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 30%. Since both values depend heavily on the conditions in the grow room, the exhaust usually runs at 30%. I would only actively counteract from the outside if the humidity in the grow room rises so high that it can't be kept below 60% in the tent. In that case, a dehumidifier would be used in the grow room, with an active intake positioned towards the tent. The parameters in week 7: Controller setting day: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 45% - 55% Controller setting night: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 45% - 55% Average daytime temperature: 26.9C° Average nighttime temperature: 23C° Average daytime humidity: 51% Average nighttime humidity: 54.3% Average VPD day: 1.3 Average VPD night: 1 Average soil moisture in mbar: 94 LED power: 40% = 120 watts Lighting duration: 12 hours Air circulation: Level 2 oscillating

Alvareas This week I was on vacation for five days. During this time, Blumat had to prove its reliability. It worked flawlessly – as expected. Once the system is properly set up, it runs reliably – as long as the tank is regularly refilled. The plant stretched 16 cm this week. I expect a bit more stretch, but not much. Overall, the stretch should end up at about 100%. The flower sites developed very well this week. Lollipopping on day 21 is still sensible, as many shoots are already visible that would later only form small popcorn buds. This week it got noticeably warmer, with peak values of 30°C in the grow room. In the tent, the temperature rose during a light phase to up to 32°C. The plant handled it well. Since it hasn't rained in our region so far, the humidity is still low. However, with the first thunderstorms and rain showers, that should change quickly. The parameters in week 8: Controller setting day: Temperature and humidity 24°C-26°C, 45%-55% Controller setting night: Temperature and humidity 24°C-26°C, 45%-55% Average daytime temperature: 30.4°C Average nighttime temperature: 27.4°C Average humidity day: 53.1% Average humidity night: 54.3% Average VPD day: 1.6 Average VPD night: 1.3 Average soil moisture in mbar: 114 LED power: 40% = 120 watts Lighting duration: 12 hours Air circulation: Level 2 oscillating

Alvareas The plant has stretched only 6 cm this week, as expected. I'm happy about that; there's still enough space above, which makes it much easier. The flower clusters have developed nicely. The node spacing is just right. Overall, the plant has a good amount of leaf mass and has filled the tent well. By the end of the week, the plant got a lollipop popping. I removed quite a bit of leaves and shoots. I took out the shoots that had grown against the tent wall, as well as everything that was underdeveloped or not getting light. I raised the SCROG net a bit higher and fanned out the 6 main shoots further out, securing them with wire to the net. Now the air can circulate properly, and light is reaching the lower parts. The parameters in week 9: Controller setting day: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 45% - 55% Controller setting night: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 45% - 55% Average daytime temperature: 28.4C° Average nighttime temperature: 24.5C° Average humidity day: 52.7% Average humidity night: 55.7% Average VPD day: 1.4 Average VPD night: 1.0 Average soil moisture in mbar: 66 LED power: 40% = 120 watts Lighting duration: 12 hours Air circulation: Level 2 oscillating

Alvareas The plant has not grown any taller and remains at a total height of 65 cm. From now on, the focus is completely on flower development. This was clearly observable throughout the week. The distances between the individual flowers on the main stems have noticeably shortened. The flowers are visibly swelling, and the first trichomes are clearly recognizable. The smell is also becoming significantly more intense. It most reminds me of overripe fruit, although I can't pinpoint a specific fruit type. It has a fruity-sweet scent with a sour note and a slight, somewhat rough skunk undertone. In this form, the aroma is definitely interesting. I set the LED to 50%; that corresponds to about 750 PPFD and a DLI of 33. I might increase the power further over the next week to reach 800 to 1000 PPFD. The air was very dry this week, causing the VPD to rise significantly. However, I will not turn the humidifier back on. The parameters in week 10: Controller setting day: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 45% - 55% Controller setting night: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 45% - 55% Average daytime temperature: 28.1C° Average nighttime temperature: 24.3C° Average humidity day: 43.7% Average humidity night: 48.3% Average VPD day: 1.7 Average VPD night: 1.2 Average soil moisture in mbar: 85 LED power: 50% = 150 watts Lighting duration: 12 hours Air circulation: Level 2 oscillating

Alvareas From now on, it basically runs as usual: open the tent once a day and enjoy the sight of the work done so far. The buds are continuing to swell, and the distances between the main stems are getting smaller. Some continuous flower clusters are forming again. Some sugar leaves are already showing white edges densely covered with trichomes. The fruity-sweet-sour scent is becoming increasingly intense. The skunk note remains subtly in the background. By the end of the week, temperatures during the light phase rose above 30 °C. Next week, summer is really kicking in, with consistently more than 30 °C. My grow room is in the attic and heats up significantly during the day. That's why my light phase has always been at night. However, with the announced temperatures, it will hardly drop below 30 °C even at night in the grow room. In the tent, I therefore have to expect peak values around 35 °C. I'm curious to see how the plant will cope with that. At the beginning of the week, I increased the LED to 60%. With that, I reach about 900 PPFD and a DLI of 38. The parameters in week 11: Controller setting day: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 45% - 55% Controller setting night: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 45% - 55% Average daytime temperature: 28.7C° Average nighttime temperature: 24.8C° Average humidity day: 49.8% Average humidity night: 54.5% Average VPD day: 1.5 Average VPD night: 1.1 Average soil moisture in mbar: 81 LED power: 60% = 180 watts Lighting duration: 12 hours Air circulation: Level 2 oscillating

Alvareas Buds, buds, and more buds. When I open the tent, the smell is now very intense. This is probably also due to the high temperatures. The aroma definitely builds anticipation for the taste of the finished buds. This could really be my thing. The first hairs are slowly turning brown, and the buds have already swelled significantly. Looking back, I could have removed one or two more shoots. On some shoots, the bud tip has even remained rather small. But that's not a big deal. Since the yield will likely exceed the 50 g allowed in Germany anyway, I will have to process most of it into hash. The temperatures are extreme this week. The expected 35 °C in the tent was even exceeded at times. As expected, the plant seems to be handling it well. With the watering using Blumat, the soil stays consistently moist. The only important thing is that the tank doesn't run dry. The parameters in week 12: Controller setting day: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 45% - 55% Controller setting night: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 45% - 55% Average daytime temperature: 33.2C° Average nighttime temperature: 29.3C° Average humidity day: 52.1% Average humidity night: 58.2% Average VPD day: 1.9 Average VPD night: 1.3 Average soil moisture in mbar: 86 LED power: 60% = 180 watts Lighting duration: 12 hours Air circulation: Level 2 oscillating

Alvareas The buds are visibly swelling. The six main buds have formed fully developed flowers. Below, a nice, even flower level has developed. The smell remains unchanged and builds anticipation for the finished flowers. The trichome density continues to increase. The soil is functioning reliably as usual; no signs of deficiency are visible. The parameters in week 13: Controller setting day: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 45% - 55% Controller setting night: Temperature and humidity 24C°-26C°, 50% - 60% Average daytime temperature: 33.1C° Average nighttime temperature: 29C° Average humidity day: 51.6% Average humidity night: 55.2% Average VPD day: 1.9 Average VPD night: 1.4 Average soil moisture in mbar: 113 LED power: 60% = 180 watts Lighting duration: 12 hours Air circulation: Level 2 oscillating