squalino commentedweek 67d ago
superb plant congratulations
likes 4
Cherry limeade Doja in living soil
Soil
Living soil
Indoor
Room Type
LST
weeks 4-5, 7
HST
weeks 5
Topping
weeks 5
ScrOG
weeks 7
130 liters
Pot Size
Start at 7 Week
G
Germination2mo ago
Tower84 🇬🇧🌱🍒 Week 1 – Germination | Cherry Limeade by Doja 🍒🍋
I originally planned to take a break from indoor growing this summer 😅, but I simply couldn’t resist testing my new living soil bed. Besides that, I’ve been chasing a strain with a truly authentic cherry aroma for quite some time 🍒🤞.
That’s why I chose Cherry Limeade by Doja, a cross between Lime Sickle and Lemon Cherry Gelato 🍋🍒.
After just 3.5 days, the seed emerged directly in the 130-liter living soil bed 🌱✨. Couldn’t ask for a better start!
The soil mix was prepared on April 24th using:
🔸 50 L Bio Canna Terra Plus
🔸 30 L pumice
🔸 10 L Living Bio Char
🔸 10 L rice hulls
🔸 10 L compost
🔸 20 L worm castings
🔸 Almicanna Universal Amendment Mix for 130 liters
🔸 150 g alfalfa pellets 🌱
🔸 100 g kelp 🌊
🔸 300 g malted barley 🌾
Everything except the Bio Canna Terra Plus came from Almicanna ❤️.
The mix was prepared on a 4 × 4 m tarp and moistened with about 25 liters of water using a Gloria pressure sprayer 💦. It was then left covered in the garage for two weeks to mature.
After that, the 50 × 50 cm Almicanna bed was filled and seeded with a cover crop blend 🌿. SF nematodes from Öre Protect were applied, followed by a hemp mulch layer and a handful of compost worms from my own worm bin.
Once the cover crop was established, two beneficial predatory mite species were introduced:
🕷️ Hypoaspis miles
🕷️ Amblyseius cucumeris
The bed was then allowed to cycle for about one month ⏳. During that time, it received one watering with homemade horsetail and nettle ferment 🍵 and one compost tea ☕.
Soil life has absolutely exploded 💥. Every time I gently move aside the mulch, I can see countless springtails, worms and mites. Exactly what I hoped for in a thriving living soil ecosystem ❤️🌎.
Watering is handled by four evenly distributed Blumat Maxi drippers 💧 connected to a 30-liter reservoir. Soil moisture is monitored with an MMM TXSU tensiometer (20 cm depth), targeting around 100 mbar during veg and 120 mbar during flower 📈.
Humidity and VPD are controlled by the AC Infinity controller 🌡️💨, maintaining a VPD range of 0.6–0.8 kPa during the seedling stage.
Before planting, most of the cover crop was chopped and dropped as mulch 🌿✂️. One single Cherry Limeade seed was planted directly in the center of the bed.
And today, after just 3.5 days, she finally broke through the surface 🌱.
After months of preparation, the real adventure finally begins. I’m incredibly excited about this grow and can’t wait to see if this lady will reward me with the authentic cherry aroma I’ve been searching for 🍒🤞❤️.
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13 comments
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Used method
Directly In Substrate
Germination Method
1
Week 1. Vegetation1mo ago
3 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
30 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
82 %
Air Humidity
130 liters
Pot Size
0.1 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
748 PPM
CO₂ Level
Tower84 🇩🇪🌱 Week 2 | Cherry Limeade by Doja 🍒🍋
The little Cherry Limeade is progressing slowly but steadily. 🌱 She is now around 3 cm tall and has already developed two sets of true leaves. Compared to my previous grows in Light Mix, her development is noticeably slower. My guess is that she’s currently investing most of her energy into establishing a strong root system within the active living soil. Once those roots are fully settled, I expect the growth above ground to really take off. 🌎.
For now, the goal is simply to trust the process and avoid over-managing the grow. 😊 Besides refilling the humidifier and the Blumat water reservoir, I’m doing absolutely nothing. No nutrients, no additives—just letting nature do the work. That’s exactly what this Living Soil project is all about. ❤️
📊 Current environment:
💡 Light: 200 PPFD (18/6, Level 2, 40 cm distance)
🌡️ Temperature: 29°C
💧 Relative Humidity: 82%
📈 VPD: 0.69 kPa
🌿 CO₂: 750 ppm average
💧 Soil humidity: 80 mbar
So far, everything looks healthy, and I’m excited to watch both the soil biology and the plant continue to work together over the coming weeks. Up to this point, the Living Soil experiment has been just as relaxed and low-maintenance as I had hoped. 🌱🍒
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6 comments
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2
Week 2. Vegetation1mo ago
4 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
27 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
82 %
Air Humidity
24 °C
Night Air Temp
130 liters
Pot Size
0.1 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
748 PPM
CO₂ Level
Nutrients 1
Komposttee Veg
1 mll
Tower84 🇬🇧🌱 Week 3 | Cherry Limeade by Doja 🍒🍋
This week didn’t quite go as I had hoped. The little Cherry Limeade is still growing very slowly and is currently only about 4 cm tall. 🌱
I was away on business for five days and had to leave the bed completely on its own. When I returned, the cover crop had absolutely exploded 🌿💥 and completely overgrown the seedling. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to become that vigorous. After trimming it back, the Cherry Limeade finally had access to light and airflow again.
I’m also still struggling a bit with dialing in the Blumat irrigation system. It works in principle, but finding the perfect balance with four Maxi drippers in a 130-liter living soil bed is proving to be more challenging than expected. With such a small seedling, water demand changes constantly, while the cover crop can temporarily consume much more water than the cannabis plant itself. 💧
Today the plant also received its first watering with Almicanna Veg Compost Tea 🍵. Other than that, my strategy remains the same: interfere as little as possible and let the living soil do its job.
📊 Current environment:
💡 Light: 200 PPFD (18/6, Level 2, 40 cm distance)
🌡️ Temperature: 27°C
💧 Relative Humidity: 82%
📈 VPD: 0.69 kPa
🌿 CO₂: 750 ppm average
💧 Soil moisture: 80 mbar
At this point, this project is as much a test of my setup as it is a grow. Right now I’m not completely satisfied, and I’ve already identified several things I’d like to improve for the next run. That’s all part of the learning process with living soil.
Despite the slow start, I’m giving Cherry Limeade every chance to succeed. I’ll be away almost every week over the coming weeks, so the system needs to be able to take care of itself. Either the plant establishes itself under these conditions—or it doesn’t. That’s exactly what I want to learn from this experiment.
If this run doesn’t turn out as planned, I’ll start a new attempt this autumn with an improved setup and everything I’ve learned from this grow. Until then, the plan is simple: observe, interfere as little as possible, and keep learning. 🍒🤞
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2 comments
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3
Week 3. Vegetation1mo ago
8 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
27 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
82 %
Air Humidity
24 °C
Night Air Temp
130 liters
Pot Size
0.1 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
748 PPM
CO₂ Level
Tower84 🇬🇧 Week 4 🌱 | Cherry Limeade 🍒🍋
Cherry Limeade is finally starting to pick up some speed! 🙌 She has now reached about 8 cm in height, and growth is becoming noticeably more vigorous. However, she’s still much smaller than expected for her age. Looking back, I believe directly germinating the seed in a nutrient-rich Living Soil wasn’t the best choice. The young root system probably had to spend a lot of energy establishing itself in such an active soil before visible top growth could really take off. 🌱
To solve this, I’ve already bought the Bottomless Pots from Almicanna for my next run. My plan is to start the seedlings in BioBizz Light Mix inside these pots, which will sit directly on top of the Living Soil bed. Once the roots are strong enough, they’ll naturally grow through the open bottom into the living soil below. I’m really looking forward to comparing the results. 🔬
I’m still dialing in my Blumat irrigation system. The constantly growing and regularly trimmed cover crop changes the water consumption all the time, making it surprisingly difficult to keep the ideal 100 mbar soil tension consistently. Right now the soil moisture fluctuates between 50 and 150 mbar, but that’s part of learning how this new Living Soil system behaves. I’m confident I’ll get the hang of it over time. 💧🌾
Despite the slow start, I’m feeling much more optimistic now. The plant looks healthier every day and has finally started growing consistently. From here on, it’s all about patience and letting the Living Soil ecosystem do its job. 🌿💚
📊 Current Parameters:
💡 Light: 200 PPFD (18/6, Level 2, 40 cm distance)
🌡️ Temperature: 27 °C
💧 Humidity: 82%
📈 VPD: 0.69 kPa
🌿 CO₂: Ø 750 ppm
💧 Soil moisture: 50–150 mbar
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4 comments
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4
Week 4. Vegetation22d ago
21 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
30 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
75 %
Air Humidity
28 °C
Night Air Temp
130 liters
Pot Size
0.5 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
1000 PPM
CO₂ Level
Tower84 🇬🇧 Week 4 Vegetative 🌱 | Cherry Limeade 🍒🍋
This week Cherry Limeade finally gave me a reason to smile. 🙌 She grew from 8 cm to 21 cm in just one week, which is a clear sign that the root system is finally starting to establish itself in the Living Soil. 💚
However, I’m still convinced that the slow start was caused by direct germination in a very nutrient-rich Living Soil. Looking back, it was probably a bit too much for such a young seedling. I believe the roots needed a long time to adapt to the highly active soil before the plant could really focus on above-ground growth. For my next run I’ll definitely use Almicanna Bottomless Pots filled with BioBizz Light Mix, allowing the seedlings to establish themselves in a gentler medium before growing down into the Living Soil bed. 🌱
Unfortunately, I was away on a business trip for three days this week. During that time, my Blumat irrigation system settled at around 50 mbar, leaving the root zone wetter than intended. This may explain the slight chlorosis and deformation that appeared on the newest growth. I’ve now adjusted the environment and increased the VPD to around 1 kPa. From here on, I’ll mainly watch how the new growth develops. 🌿
Another challenge has been fungus gnats. Their numbers have increased slightly, so today I’ll be applying BTI for the first time through the irrigation system. Hopefully this will control the larvae without disrupting the biology of the Living Soil.
My cover crop has also become a little too successful. 😅 It now occupies a lot of space and noticeably affects the bed’s water consumption. Over the next few days I’ll gradually cut it back heavily and remove most of it before flowering, giving Cherry Limeade more space, light and helping the Blumat system become more stable. 🌾✂️
Now I’m facing my next decision: Topping or just LST? 🤔 I originally planned to top her tomorrow, but after the slow start I’m wondering if it would be better to give her a little more time and only use low stress training for now. What would you do?
Despite the small setbacks, I’m feeling much more optimistic again. Growth has clearly accelerated, and I’m excited to see whether Cherry Limeade will continue to catch up over the next few weeks. 🍒🍋💚
📊 Current Parameters:
* 💡 Light: 400 PPFD (18/6, Level 3, 40 cm distance)
* 🌡️ Temperature: 30 °C
* 💧 Humidity: 75%
* 📈 VPD: 1.1 kPa
* 🌿 CO₂: Ø 1000 ppm
* 💧 Soil moisture: 50–150 mbar
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5 comments
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Used techniques
LST
Technique
5
Week 5. Vegetation15d ago
21 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
28 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
72 %
Air Humidity
24 °C
Night Air Temp
130 liters
Pot Size
0.5 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
670 PPM
CO₂ Level
Tower84 🇬🇧 GrowDiaries – Weekly Update
This week my Cherry Limeade has developed amazingly well 🌱. It honestly feels like someone flipped a switch. The growth is now strong and steady, the plant looks very healthy, and there are no signs of nutrient deficiencies or the taco-shaped leaves I had before 💚.
I topped her on Sunday ✂️ and then left her completely alone until Thursday to allow her to recover. Since then, I have started low stress training. Using wire anchors, I gently pull the branches outward to create a wider and more even plant structure 🌿. I adjust the position of the wire anchors every day to make sure all shoots receive optimal light exposure ☀️.
I finally found the perfect setting for my four Maxi Blumat drippers 💧. The system now keeps the soil suction tension consistently between 90 and 100 mbar, exactly where I want it. This gives me a lot of confidence – especially because I will be away on a four-day business trip next week. Without a properly dialed-in Blumat system, this would have been a real problem. Now I can leave home completely relaxed 😌.
The cover crop is slowly disappearing as well 🌾. I am cutting it back almost every day so that most of it will be gone before I start flowering. Little by little, I am winning this battle 💪.
The same goes for the fungus gnats ?. Yesterday I released 6,000 Hypoaspis miles into the bed and, in the evening just before lights out, I watered in 3 million SF nematodes. In one week, I will repeat the treatment with another 3 million SF nematodes. Hopefully, this will finally bring the fungus gnats under control 🎯.
Apart from training, I will leave the plant alone and let her grow naturally 🌱. I will not use any compost tea or ferments for now, because the Living Soil should already contain more than enough nutrients 🌍. At the moment, I am extremely happy with the development and I am really looking forward to the next few weeks 🚀.
📊 Current Parameters:
💡 Light: 400 PPFD (18/6, Level 3, 40 cm distance)
🌡️ Temperature: 27 °C
💧 Humidity: 72 %
📈 VPD: 1.0 kPa
🌿 CO₂: Avg. 670 ppm
💦 Soil moisture: 90 mbar
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4 comments
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Used techniques
Topping
Technique
HST
Technique
LST
Technique
6
Week 6. Vegetation8d ago
25 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
28 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
72 %
Air Humidity
24 °C
Night Air Temp
130 liters
Pot Size
0.7 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
670 PPM
CO₂ Level
Tower84 🇬🇧 Cherry Limeade – Doja
This week my Cherry Limeade by Doja has developed beautifully 🌱. She is growing vigorously, looks extremely healthy, and is gradually forming exactly the plant structure I was aiming for 💚.
I intentionally kept all environmental parameters unchanged compared to last week. Instead, my focus was entirely on training. Using a SCROG net and additional wire anchors, I continued pulling the branches down to create a flat and even canopy 🌿. Only small daily adjustments were necessary, but consistency is what makes the difference in the long run.
I also kept the light intensity fairly moderate at around 430 PPFD (DLI 28) ☀️. Somehow I had the feeling that, with the current summer temperatures, increasing the light wouldn’t necessarily benefit the plant. Experience has taught me that sometimes less is more—and so far, she seems to agree 😊.
Because I’ll be on vacation in October, I’ve decided to send her into flower today 🌸. I switched the light schedule to 12/12, increased the SANlight to Level 4, and tomorrow I’ll move it up to Level 5 so the DLI starts at around 25 despite receiving only 12 hours of light. From there, I’ll gradually increase the light intensity week by week according to my usual schedule 📈.
Last week I was away on a four-day business trip, and once again the Blumat system proved why I trust it so much 💧. It maintained an average soil suction tension of around 90 mbar completely on its own, so I didn’t have to worry at all. Starting next week, I’ll increase the target to around 120 mbar, allowing the Living Soil to run slightly drier throughout flowering.
Today the bed will also receive another application of SF nematodes. My goal is to have the fungus gnat population almost completely eliminated before flowering really gets underway. Overall, I’m extremely happy with the current progress and can’t wait to watch her stretch over the next few weeks 🚀.
📊 Current Parameters:
💡 Light: 430 PPFD / DLI 28 (18/6, Level 3, 40 cm distance)
🌡️ Temperature: 27 °C
💧 Humidity: 72 %
📈 VPD: 1.0 kPa
🌿 CO₂: Avg. 670 ppm
💦 Soil moisture: 90 mbar
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5 comments
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7
Week 7. Flowering16h ago
32 cm
Height
18 hrs
Light Schedule
27 °C
Day Air Temp
No Smell
Smell
72 %
Air Humidity
24 °C
Night Air Temp
130 liters
Pot Size
0.8 liters
Watering Volume
40 cm
Lamp Distance
700 PPM
CO₂ Level
Tower84 🇬🇧 GrowDiaries – Weekly Update
The Cherry Limeade has developed exceptionally well during her first week after switching to 12/12 🌱. She seems to have been waiting for exactly these conditions and has absolutely exploded in growth 🚀. She is already filling a large part of my 60 cm tent and is developing a really nice, even structure 💚.
Once again, I was away on a four-day business trip this week. During my absence, the Blumat system kept the soil moisture stable at around 50 mbar 💧. The plant obviously likes these conditions very much, because despite me being away, she put on a lot of growth and mass 🌿.
Next week I’ll be home much more often, so I’ll be able to tuck the shoots under the SCROG net every day 🕸️. At the moment, I have trained the plant down to around 32 cm in height. The stretch is progressing exactly as I hoped, and I suspect that it will really start taking off next week 📈.
I’m extremely happy with the development so far. The plant looks completely healthy and I can’t see any signs of deficiencies whatsoever 💚. Her response to the switch to 12/12 has been excellent.
As of today, I’ve removed the humidifier from the room and increased the VPD to 1.1 kPa 💨. At the same time, I’m now trying to gradually dial the Blumat system in to around 120 mbar. However, I deliberately didn’t change anything before last week’s trip—I didn’t want to mess with a perfectly functioning setup right before being away for four days 😅.
Yesterday I also started an Almicanna Flower Compost Tea 🌸. After 24 hours of brewing, I added some molasses and am now letting it brew for another 24 hours 🫧. The Cherry Limeade will get her first serving of Flower Compost Tea for this phase tomorrow 🌱.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the start of flowering. Now it’s all about keeping up with the daily tucking, managing the stretch, and letting this plant make the most of her incredible growth potential 🚀.
📊 Parameters from last week:
💡 Light: 750 PPFD / DLI 32 (12/12, Level 5, 40 cm distance)
🌡️ Temperature: 27 °C
💧 Humidity: 72%
📈 VPD: 1.0 kPa
🌿 CO₂: Avg. 700 ppm
💦 Soil moisture: 50 mbar
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comments
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Used techniques
ScrOG
Technique
LST
Technique
39 comments
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Tower84 commented7d ago
@squalino, Thank you 💚👍
likes 4
Natrona commentedweek 02mo ago
Nice set up and soil prep💪💚. Happy growing 🌱 💚 💫
likes 4
Tower84 commented2mo ago
@Natrona, thank you very much 💚😊👍
likes 4
DrGruen commentedweek 66d ago
good luck and good weather 😎
likes 3
Tower84 commented6d ago
@DrGruen, Thanks, I can use that 😅😬🔥
likes 3
DrGruen commented6d ago
@Tower84, who doesn't.......😉🙏
likes 4
Wilstang commentedweek 513d ago
Dope unique strain 💯
likes 2
Tower84 commented12d ago
@Wilstang, I‘m looking forward for the results - the description sounds promising 👍
likes 2
hassehujasse commentedweek 02mo ago
I Love your Labolatory. Keep it going, I am with you.
likes 2
Tower84 commented2mo ago
@@hassehujasse, Thank you, I do it with passion 💚😊, happy growing 💚
likes 3
hassehujasse commented2mo ago
@Tower84, Passion is most important thing in growing. 100% agree with you. Happy growing😎
likes 2
birdmountain commentedweek 11mo ago
Good luck!
likes 2
Tower84 commented1mo ago
@birdmountain, thanks 😳👍
likes 2
squalino commentedweek 11mo ago
loll plays hide and seek 🤣🤣
likes 2
Tower84 commented1mo ago
@squalino, Thats true 😂👍
likes 3
squalino commentedweek 02mo ago
good luck ❤️
likes 2
Tower84 commented2mo ago
@squalino, thank you very much 🙏👍😊
likes 3
squalino commentedweek 421d ago
she's well developed the little hidden one 🤣🤣 we can see her well now ❤️
like 1
squalino commented21d ago
@Tower84, maybe it will give you a monstrous comeback at least I hope so ☺️ good luck for the rest ❤️
like 1
Tower84 commented21d ago
@squalino, Yes, with the blueberry pancakes it didn't go well at all at the beginning, and then in the end, it was the best result I've ever had 🍀🍀
likes 3
squalino commented21d ago
@Tower84, sometimes surprises await us ❤️ good luck
like 1
Show More (1)
squalino commentedweek 515d ago
belle structure 🤩
like 1
Tower84 commented15d ago
@squalino, Thank you so much 😊 😊😊
likes 2
shwable commentedweek 31mo ago
The little one is definitely back on track and looking great! Awesome genetic choice! 💚
like 1
Tower84 commented1mo ago
@shwable, Thank you so much 😊 Yes, she's slowly pushing through and getting a bit stronger every day. Today the bottomless pots arrived, so I'll start with the strawberry lobster from cipher in the fall - let's see how it goes then 👍
likes 2
squalino commentedweek 31mo ago
still very small but full of charm. keep it up ❤️
like 1
Tower84 commented1mo ago
@squalino, Thank you, my friend 😊👍💚
likes 2
squalino commentedweek 21mo ago
good luck for the future and don't forget to mow the lawn 🤣🤣
like 1
Tower84 commented1mo ago
@squalino, oh yes, you are absolutely right. The cover crop will otherwise overgrow everything 😅😬🌱🌱
likes 2
Frisiandude commentedweek 11mo ago
Beautiful color plant. I have 1 plant in living soil from Monsterbud with Batmix soil Plagron. A little hole with lightmix for the first 2 weeks of growth. My blueberry and a galato lemon have white spots on the leaves and little growth. The 2 plants on lightmix and all-in-one autoflower liquid nutrients from Monsterbud are growing like crazy.
like 1
Tower84 commented1mo ago
@werkbaas, Yeah, I can totally relate. To be honest, the plant is too small for its age; I'm curious to see if it catches up. With lightmix and the nutrient schedule, everything seemed to go faster somehow. But I want to give it another chance because I believe the plant needs to establish its network in the living soil first, and that just takes a bit more time. The successes with the others show that it works.
likes 2
1juan420 commentedweek 02mo ago
Good Luck ☘️ ! Amazing choice of strain 🌱 💚
like 1
Tower84 commented2mo ago
@1juan420, Thank you 😊👍💚
likes 2
GrowerBaal commentedweek 02mo ago
Good luck.
like 1
Tower84 commented2mo ago
@GrowerBaal, Thx 🙏👍
likes 2
JaramnieJazz commentedweek 02mo ago
Cool project you have there, I'm curious to see what comes out of it, I'll definitely keep an eye on it!
like 1
Tower84 commented2mo ago
@JaramnieJazz, Thanks a lot, I'm also curious. The little one is still struggling, the first small leaves look a bit damaged, let's see if it can make it directly in the bed. If not, I'll go for the bottomless pots and start a new seed in milder soil.
likes 2
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