jellyjelly commentedweek 524d ago
Lovely color showing so early in flower! Nice work despite those windy conditions
likes 3
First Grow!
Outdoor
Room Type
19 liters
Pot Size
0.5 liters
Watering
Start at 8 Week
G
Germination2mo ago
MyBigFatSummerofGrow This is my first summer growing, and it already feels like something I’ll remember for a long time. I call it an outdoor grow, but in reality it’s a mix of spaces: my rooftop and balcony will carry most of the journey, while everything begins indoors under a VIPARSPECTRA P2000 (250W) LED grow light I picked up on Amazon for around €180.
There’s no tent, no controlled lab setup—just a simple light, a few tools, and whatever space I can make work. The silver pipe you might notice in my Pheno II picture isn’t part of the grow at all; it’s actually just a C-stand from my camera gear. This whole setup is less about precision engineering and more about making things work with what I already have.
The idea is simple: start small indoors, build strength, then move outside once the plants are ready to take on the world. I am growing in Berlin where we get a solid summer from June to early September. Long hours of light, however, rainy and overcast days are also to be expected. Unless a heavy storm comes I will keep everything outside.
The foundation is just as simple as the setup. I’m running a low-budget “living soil” mix—basic supermarket soil enriched with worm castings, horse and cow manure pellets, and rock dust. Nothing fancy. I even added a small spoon of “forest soil” from a tree on my street, more out of curiosity than anything else. On top of that, I covered the surface with dried weeds from my neighbour’s garden. It looks a bit wild, but that’s kind of the point.
After letting the soil rest on the balcony for a few days, I planted the seeds directly into it and left nature to do its thing. About five days later, they germinated.
By the way I am using 19 liter (5 Gallon) grow bags and I plan this to be the final pot size. No repotting.
The photos you’re seeing here are from day 4 after germination. The seedlings pushed through strong and healthy. I started them alongside two other strains—Black Cream Auto and Stardust 54 Auto, both from Sweet Seeds—but right now, Diabolo’s Delight is clearly taking the lead in terms of vigor. It even stretched a bit in the early days, which I corrected simply by adding more soil around the stem.
The light is currently running at 75%, positioned about 60 cm above the canopy, which should be more than enough for this stage. Actually the lamp is too small for the area I am covering but it should be sufficient for the seedling phase.The photoperiod is set to 18/6, keeping things steady and consistent while they build strength.
And honestly, that’s where I’m at right now—early days, a bit of stretching, a lot of observation, and a lot of curiosity. I’m documenting everything as it happens, not just the successes but the process itself. This grow isn’t just about the plants; it’s about learning how they respond, adapt, and develop over time.
So yeah—first summer, first real run, and everything still ahead of me.
Recommendations welcome: Should I add more hours of light? 20/4 or even 24/7?
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Used method
Directly In Substrate
Germination Method
Grow Questions
MyBigFatSummerofGrowstarted grow question 2mo ago
Hi guys, regarding my early stage grow of Diabolo's Delight XL Auto from Sweet Seeds I have the following question:
I am currently running a 18/6 schedule. Should I add more hours of light? 20/4 or even 24/7?
Please check my diary for further info on the grow.
Thank you!
Solved
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00110001001001111Oanswered grow question 2mo ago
I like them to sprout in light, but it doesn't matter. With seedlings you can save watts getting light nice and close and figuring out power through trial and error.. at normal hanging distances, maybe 1/3rd power to start. The growth you observe is the best way to adjust from there. Too stretchy and it needs more... too tight and it needs less... there's a happy zone to find.
local variables impact the amount of photosynthesis per day - more relevant to mature vege plants. So, any suggestions likely need some adjustment. Allow the growth pattern to verify your choices. Growth is the product of all the variables.
Stick to whatever schedule you plan to use for your autoflowers - consistency is best. Don't change it thinking it helps - it doesn't. The only reason you'd want to use 24/0 is with an incredibly under-powered light. In any common sense context you shold be able to provide 'max' dli relative to your local variables with a properly sized light over 18 hours or less.
read up on dli (daily light integral). thinking of light as 'hours of operation' is insufficient. DLI also makes any comparison apples to apples regardless of size of garden or hours of operation. Also, 35 dli will result in an equivalent g/sq ft yield regardless of hours of operation, all other factors remaining the same. Good research backs that up. It's not anecdote.
1
Week 1. Vegetation2mo ago
5 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
26 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
22 °C
Night Air Temp
19 liters
Pot Size
0.3 liters
Watering Volume
45 cm
Lamp Distance
Nutrients 1
Root-Juice
1.057 mll
MyBigFatSummerofGrow Diabolo's Delight XL Auto is starting it grow in beast mode! Can you pray harder than that? Honestly, very happy with the grow after exactly 1 week. As you can see I am literally just putting them in a corner - no tent, no pro gear. The silver foil underneath is just there to protect the floor from water and wetness. And boy I can't wait to bring them out into the sun. Berlin is hit by a heat wave and the Diabolo's seem to like the temps of roughly 25 to 26 degrees indoors!
So what did I do? I used BioBizz Root Juice just 1 time. Nobody wants to burn the roots, right? Mycorrhiza also found their way into the soil. And apart from that I carefully watered them 200-300 ml every day in several feedings with a spray bottle. I always targeted the area around the seedling. Really that is kinda the tedious part of the grow. If I'd water once a day the water would just drop to the bottom of the pots. Like this I hope to activate the roots.
I must say I am super hype about the grow. It is so much fun seeing them grow - literally you can see them tilting their heads and growing rapidly. I did a lot of YT research in the past weeks but at this point I feel like written texts and resources like growdiary are more helpful, And yes, AI told me to not just drop a full bottle of Root Juice on the newly sprouted seeds.
Thank to @00110001001001111O for answering my question regarding light. I used an app on my phone to get a rough idea of where I am light wise. I compared the data from the app with the grow light manufacturer's info and it matches. So I adjusted the distance of the grow lamp and then just observed. The seedlings look happy. Actually I wonder: Can seedling and plants in general pray to hard? Really, Pheno II is raising it's leaves to an almost vertical level!
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Grow Questions
MyBigFatSummerofGrowstarted grow question 2mo ago
My Diabolo's Delight XL Auto is raising it's leave to almost vertical level on day 7. Is that too much? If yes, what can be done about it? The other seedlings next to it are not as hyped as this one. All others are just raising their leaves slightly above horizontal
Solved
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DopeCutzanswered grow question 2mo ago
No worries, everything's perfect!
This is called "Praying Leaves." When they stand up so steeply, the metabolism is at absolute maximum.
It means: Perfect balance of light, turgor pressure (water pressure in the cells), and environmental values. The plant loves it.
No light stress: As long as the leaf edges aren't curling in like a taco or burning, everything is in the green zone.
The fact that the others don't show it as much is pure phenotype variance (genetics). Let it run, you've got a little athlete there! 💪
2
Week 2. Vegetation1mo ago
11 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
28 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
24 °C
Night Air Temp
19 liters
Pot Size
0.3 liters
Watering Volume
45 cm
Lamp Distance
Nutrients 1
Root-Juice
1.057 mll
MyBigFatSummerofGrow Everybody remembers their first grow. The constant checking, googling, looking and checking (again). I sprayed them every few hours -just a bit around the stem. My goal is to only water the area around the stem in order to avoid water dropping to the bottom of the pots where it is not needed yet. They are growing in 19l (5gl) pots to avoid them the stress of replanting.
The growth of both is still vigorous and the green is lush and that is why I don't worry about the crumply leaves of Pheno II.
@00110001001001111O , @Huntablunt , @DopeCutz , @LetsGrowSome Thank you for answering my question regarding the heavy praying of Pheno I - I got somewhat contradictory answers. Too much light and too little light. So I kept it as is. I don't mind periods of heavy praying if the allover growth is trending to be healthy.
What else can say? I am still hype about the grow but mainly keep my hands off the plants. I just observe them and try my best to not mess around with some LSTing, topping or anything to that effect That's the plan in general - keep it simple. They are autos, I increase yield by growing several at once - not by squeezing the most out of one. They have enough space and light on my balcony where they will be heading next week if growth and weather allows.
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3
Week 3. Vegetation1mo ago
15 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
26 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
20 °C
Night Air Temp
19 liters
Pot Size
0.5 liters
Watering Volume
Nutrients 1
Fish-Mix
5 mll
MyBigFatSummerofGrow I am a bit early to report progress - however here I am!
After two weeks indoors under a lamp I put the plants on the balcony for 2 or 3 days to get use to the outdoors. However, my balcony gets only 8 hours of direct sunlight. So after 2 days I put them on the roof where they get a full 12 hours of direct light. However, with the light comes a roof top that heats up the soil on intensely sunny days and a lot of wind! So the plants get more light but with it comes some stress. Kind of reminds me of Spider-Man saying "with great power comes great responsibility".
Looking at the pictures I think they can handle the extra wind and they will soon develop thicker stems. They also had to face peak temperature of 35 degrees Celsius and some heavy rain as well and somewhat chilly nights of under 18 degrees celsius. All that is part of my approach: "Let nature do it's thing". I am not trying to optimize the grow conditions and maximize yield. Instead I create "good enough" conditions. So far this approach works surprisingly well.
I am kind of in between: On the one hand Cannabis is just weeds. It grows vigorously. On the other hand it can be quite sensitive to cold temperatures, overwatering or any kind of stress.
For the comments: What are your experiences? Do you always need optimal conditions for your grow? Or is Cannabis forgiving and grows as long as conditions are "good enough"?
All in all 3 weeks in: plants are still growing vigorously and adapting well to their somewhat harsh but also rewardingly sunny outdoor environment. If things keep on progressing I expect to harvest in roughly 8 to max 10 weeks, which is end of August to early September. Fingers crossed!
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4
Week 4. Vegetation1mo ago
20 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
26 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
20 °C
Night Air Temp
19 liters
Pot Size
0.5 liters
Watering Volume
Nutrients 2
Fish-Mix
5 mll
Bio-Grow
10 mll
MyBigFatSummerofGrow What comes up must come down, they say. After an extreme heat wave at the beginning of July 2026 a phase of cloudy skies came along and the winds become really heavy with gusts of up to 70 km/h. And my plants did not like it. Not at all. But my theory was (and is): it grows like weeds! No need for a lab to grow cannabis. And as you can see: Pheno I recovered from her near death experience and the canopy of Pheno II looks quite decent for roughly 30 days. The first signs of blooming are showing but I still consider these plants in their vegetation phase. I still am optimistic that the plants will keep on growing and that I can harvest some good home grown weed.
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2 comments
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5
Week 5. Flowering24d ago
30 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
26 °C
Day Air Temp
Weak
Smell
16 °C
Night Air Temp
19 liters
Pot Size
0.5 liters
Watering Volume
Nutrients 2
Fish-Mix
5 mll
Bio-Grow
10 mll
MyBigFatSummerofGrow Roughly 40 days in, my theory that "they grow like weeds!" didn't quite hold up. The strong winds during weeks 3 and 4 definitely slowed them down. They are now entering bloom at a height of just 30 cm. I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed.
On the other hand, one part of my theory proved correct: a bit of wind won't knock them over—at least not completely.
Regarding the phenotypes, Pheno I has developed a beautiful dark red to almost black coloration around the flowers, creating a striking contrast with the bright white pistils.
Overall, I'm not entirely happy with how this grow has gone so far. A little more protection from the wind—or perhaps keeping them indoors under the grow light for another week—would probably have resulted in stronger vegetative growth.
But hey, this is a live diary, and the whole point is to experiment and learn. So far, my biggest takeaway is that even under significant wind stress, the plants are developing a dense, bushy canopy with the classic indica structure. Pistils are appearing, and flowering has started early, as is typical for this breeder's autoflowering genetics.
Looking forward to a small—but hopefully delicious—harvest and hey, this is a live diary and the whole point is experimenting and learning.
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6
Week 6. Flowering18d ago
35 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
20 °C
Day Air Temp
Weak
Smell
16 °C
Night Air Temp
19 liters
Pot Size
MyBigFatSummerofGrow The good news first: Mother Nature handled the watering schedule this week, thanks to a ton of heavy rain! 🌧️ Aside from that, it has been another brutal week of strong winds and non-stop moisture. To top it off, temperatures dropped down to a chilly 15°C (59°F).
Sarcasm aside, if you compare them to my photos from two weeks ago, these ladies are showing some serious resilience and vigor. The current weather is putting them to the test, but they are holding strong. I’m still confident I’ll pull a decent harvest out of this—if anything, I’m just going to have a hell of a time trimming through all these bushy fan leaves! Literally the plants are all bush and no kush! I mean look at them , the plants have practically zero side branching (but some thick stems given their overall size)!
Honestly, it’s tough keeping the faith when the weather is this miserable. But there is one BIG PLUS: the terpenes are phenomenal. The smell is incredibly fresh, a bit fruity, and beautifully green. Getting a whiff of them is the main thing keeping a smile on my face right now!
PS: I keep this diary running as an example what can happen during a grow if the weather is just making different plans - and I am definitely not blaming Sweet Seeds. Also - let's wait and see! The weather forecast for tomorrow and onward gives reason to be optimistic.
Grow baby, grow!
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7
Week 7. Flowering8d ago
40 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
28 °C
Day Air Temp
Normal
Smell
16 °C
Night Air Temp
19 liters
Pot Size
MyBigFatSummerofGrow Another diabolic week on the rooftop! We went from one day of extreme heat straight into intense rain and wind—but I guess that is just the fate of outdoor growing. Looking closely at the girls, they have adapted incredibly well to these harsh conditions and are making the absolute best of it.
The buds are swelling beautifully, and the trichomes are absolutely glittering in the sun!
Phenotype Breakdown:
Pheno I: Developing dark, dense, and incredibly sticky buds.
Pheno II: Showing off gorgeous red hues as the buds mature. Much bigger bud swelling than Pheno I but less sticky.
For those following since Day 1, you know the backstory: I started with 6 autoflower seeds (3 different strains, all from Sweet Seeds). As you can see in the group photo, we are down to the final survivors. One unfortunately died early on due to an experiment growing in an Aldi bag (lesson learned: bad drainage!). The others are showing very similar development. Despite the bumpy start and the overall smaller growth size, the close-ups reveal thick, milky trichome coverage. Given the brutal weather they've endured, I am actually quite content. Looking forward to the harvest in just a few weeks!
Take-away:
The stories about stunting a plant or slowing down growth proofed to be correct in this case study. The plants got hit by bad weather in the crucial vegetation phase, stopped growing and did not develop a lot of side branches. Instead we can see a strong focus on the one bud it is growing (the main cola). The node spacing is super tight and we see a very dense accumulation of leaves.
Lesson learned: can't change the weather.
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8
Week 8. Flowering3d ago
40 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
26 °C
Day Air Temp
Normal
Smell
16 °C
Night Air Temp
19 liters
Pot Size
MyBigFatSummerofGrow Another week of wind, one massive rain shower, and a few really sunny days. At least Mother Nature took over the watering job again.
According to Sweet Seeds, week 8 is harvest time, so I checked the trichomes. Most are milky, some are still clear, and I haven’t spotted any amber yet. The microscope picture isn’t great, but it’s good enough to see where things are going.
The plants are tiny and heavily stunted, and judging purely by their growth, I’d give them another four weeks. But the trichomes tell a different story: they’re clearly approaching maturity. Since next week is supposed to bring better weather, I’ll give them one final week and probably harvest early next week, once I see the first amber trichomes.
Honestly, it’s more bush than kush at this point. 😄 With all those leaves and relatively small buds, I’m considering turning the whole harvest into hash rather than throwing away loads of frosty sugar leaves.
So, one more week. Then we’ll see what these little 1-cola monster plants can produce. Judging from the smell I'm in for a treat- albeit a small one.
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MyBigFatSummerofGrow commented24d ago
Thanks Mr. @jellyjelly, !
I'm growing outdoors in Berlin, which has its advantages: very long summer days and generally pleasant temperatures from June through mid-September. Even at the peak of summer, though, nighttime temperatures can drop to around 16°C (61°F) and even less.
Those cooler nights are said to bring out the deep red and almost black hues in the flowers. On top of that, this strain is a cross between Watermelon OG and Diablo Rojo XL Auto, so those beautiful color expressions are also part of its genetics.
I actually wonder if and when the second plant will start to color up!
likes 3
jellyjelly commented24d ago
@MyBigFatSummerofGrow, thats lovely weather! And thats true! The amount of anthocyanins varies from strain to strain for sure - the cold is that perfect encourager to visually express it -- fingers crossed!
likes 2
wolfvb commentedweek 425d ago
@MyBigFatSummerofGrow, hope your plant recovers from that heatwave strong! 🌞
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MyBigFatSummerofGrow commented24d ago
@wolfvb, thanks! After the heat came the wind! Well, I'll just keep on journaling the process. All of this is in the end a test of my thesis: it grows like weeds! Well - it does, but there are limits.
likes 2
Momentum commentedweek 523d ago
I see what you mean, it will be fine. I hope you'll be rewarded with plenty of terps and a good high.
likes 3
wolfvb commentedweek 523d ago
@MyBigFatSummerofGrow, hope those girls made the cut after the storm buddy 💪
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jellyjelly commentedweek 12mo ago
Looks like you’re off to a great start! Happy growing!! 🌱
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S4nchi commentedweek 02mo ago
The first grow is always the most exciting. Good luck!
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Momentum commentedweek 82d ago
most of the time, the information about the duration is based on indoor, for such information you add 2 weeks for outdoor
likes 2
Organic_G commentedweek 521d ago
Keep going, everyone started like that, no reason to be ashamed… Outdoor is always a different story than indoor since you can't control many parameters… stick with it and you'll learn something with every grow, and yields and quality will keep improving.
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MyBigFatSummerofGrow commented21d ago
@Organic_G, yeah man, I'm definitely going for it, even though there are storm gusts sweeping over the roof again at the moment. There's no shortage of light, even with the clouds - but the wind is really annoying right now. With autoflowering, I can only hope that they grow a bit longer and form buds. And if it ends up being 10 grams - I'm just letting the experiment run. Thanks for the motivation!
likes 2
Scandinavia commentedweek 02mo ago
Good luck, you have a good plan :)
likes 2
SWeeED commentedweek 02mo ago
Yoo yooo:) i want see how grow auto on outside. Good luck bro.
Diablo have nice taste and strong kick...
likes 2
BarneyRumble420 commentedweek 02mo ago
All the best with your grow mate 🌱
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S4nchi commentedweek 83d ago
Keep going, don't chop too early. Autoflowers usually need about 4 weeks of vegetation and about 8 weeks of flower despite what breeders say XD
like 1
MyBigFatSummerofGrow commented3d ago
@S4nchi, thanks for the hint. True - 8 weeks is usually marketing talk and only possible under optimal conditions. But honestly, I want to finish this grow! Really, the stunting was soooo frustrating.
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Automatics_Gourmets commentedweek 83d ago
That looks really delicious. What a beautiful color! 🤩
like 1
Scandinavia commentedweek 520d ago
Im not sure If you harden your plants with some wind while they were young and inside but thats recommended so they will be stronger later in life and be able to deal with some heavy wind. But 70kmh winds would probably be a problem anyway. But its important to have wind on them in the seedling stage and before taking them outside in the wind. :) Anyway, its all a learning process and nothing is wasted. You just learn and get knowledge for the future instead! :)
like 1
Organic_G commentedweek 521d ago
Keep going, everyone started like that, no reason to be ashamed… Outdoor is always a different story than indoor since you can't control many parameters… stay at it and you'll learn something with every grow, and yields and quality will keep increasing.
like 1
Scandinavia commentedweek 520d ago
And btw. LST wont slow them down so the fact that some of them is bended is not really a problem. Its more if the roots took damage that it would slow them down for a bit. But dont worry bro, it will all be worth it in the end and you will be hooked from now on 😆
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Organic_G commentedweek 521d ago
Keep going, everyone started like that, no reason to be ashamed… Outdoor is always a different story than indoor since you can't control many parameters… stick with it and you'll learn something with every grow, and yields and quality will keep improving.
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