Vanilla Creme Pie

TonkaSun A friend of mine gave me a few seedlings a week ago. I finally got them planted in pots in the back yard. The main one is a photoperiod plant, and then there are two autoflowering plants. All will need to make it through the hot summer months, hand watered, and using vegetable garden nutrients. My last successful outdoor grow (https://growdiaries.com/diaries/115211-grow-journal-by-tonkasun) used similar products. I may switch up nutrients later on, but this is what I have available, so will start what I've got. I don't know how old these plants are, so will just see what happens week by week. Wish me luck.

TonkaSun It's been a few weeks since I logged progress. I found out I was off on the age of these plants after my first post. They were actually 4 weeks old, and not two. As soon as I planted, I noticed that Durban Poison Auto had already begun to flower. Also, after the first week in pots, I did some LST, and it was too much for the Mango Sherbet Auto, and it died. I switched to Farmer's Secret fertilizer. I've not used it before, but I am trying it because I am not a scientist and have tried expensive fertilizers and balancing water pH before, and it was too much for my simple stoner mind. I'm not going after a Cannabis Cup-winning grow, but rather something to smoke, toke, or vape. Summary for each plant below: -- Vanilla Creme Pie Fem. = It is starting week 8, feed once per week with 9.8 ml of fertilizer mixed into 1 gallon; water only 1 gallon about every 3 days. It's growing strong, and last week, I topped it to create two main lines. I may do this again in a few weeks, giving it 4 colas. Yesterday, I started LST on the main branches to spread them out before flowering begins in a month or two. -- Durban Poison Auto = It is also beginning week 8 with the same feeding/water schedule. Nutrients are now 4.9 ml of vegetation fertilizer and 2.5 ml of flowering fert.

TonkaSun Vanilla Creme Pie (VCP) from @TheHumboldtSeedCompany is progressing nicely in the summer heat. After topping it a few weeks ago, the resulting twins are growing into towers. I decided to keep the two lower nodes on to see if they will grow, but I may prune these off to allow for stronger flow through the two main nodes. Over the past two weeks, I've begun low stress training to keep the main nodes separated so that when flowering begins, there is airflow between them - I learned this using the mainlining method https://www.growweedeasy.com/mainlining-nugbuckets Fertilizer has been light, with feeding once per week. In week 12, rather than using liquid nutrients, I switched to a dry fertilizer. I've used Dr. Earth for my past grow Acapulco Goldzilla, and I got good results. In a couple of weeks, I will begin mixing the Tomato and Herb (4-6-3) with Flower Girl (3-9-4). The big improvement this week is the new rain barrell irrigation system with automatic timer. I will be out of town next week, and because of this, I invested in setting up drip irrigation for VCP. It set to water once per day for 30 minutes, and there are two 2gph water emitters. Durban Poison Auto did not do so well. It is in full flower mode, and 12" tall. The buds are getting frosty, but unfortunately it will get harvested this week since I won't be around next week to nurture it.

TonkaSun Upon returning from vacation, I was happy to see Vanilla Creme Pie doing well. The rain barrel, hose timer, and drip tubing are working great for a daily watering of 2 gallons. It was also nice to see flower pistils forming, which seems to be the right time of year. I scratched in 1/4 cup of dry organic fertilizer to help with flowering. I also did some defoliation of northern-facing branches that don't get too much light - my thought is that it will free up energy to flow to the southern-facing branches that look strong. Assuming the three main branches will become heavier, I added bamboo support poles. The Durban Poison autoflower did not do so well. I harvested one main branch with very little harvest - probably less than an eighth. I'll give it a try sometime.

TonkaSun Starting week 16, and the plant is in full flower. It is still getting 2 gallons of water by drip daily (2 2g emitters at 30 minutes), and I scratched in some organic fertilizer. All in all, the plant leaves, flowers, and structure look healthy. Although, it did not really go through a stretch, and continues to be lanky rather than full. This could be either the genetics or poor feeding on my part. I'm not too worried though, as the buds are forming. Stay tuned...