BIO BIG SOG

REINAdelBAR Germination has been 100%, the Ice Cool have been the fastest and most vigorous, followed by the Sweet Amnesia Haze, and lastly the Gorilla Girl, but within 72 hours they were all up and showing their first leaves, except for one Gorilla that was already peeking out and was a bit behind. Not a big deal since it will quickly catch up with the others. The germination system has been what you can see in the video, and that bowl has been placed on top of the modem, isolated from it with a cloth so that the heat transfer wouldn't be excessive and cook the seeds. The substrate used has been only 2/3 professional Pinaster + 1/3 coco + vermiculite, as adding homemade mix might be a bit strong for these early stages. The watering and spraying throughout the process have been done with distilled water; during the entire germination process, we've applied regular sprays to maintain the right humidity in the substrate around the seed. Once the seedlings showed their first pair of true leaves, we watered the entire substrate in the pot. The pots are biodegradable cardboard pots. The reason I used these pots is that once the roots of the seedlings reach the bottom of the pot, they get pruned, just like they would in geotextile pots, and although this delays them a bit at first, it prevents them from stretching too much and allows us to start with a good root division from the beginning. On the other hand, you have to keep a close eye, as this pot requires a lot of watering just like the geotextiles since it evaporates a lot, and at least in my case, no one has taken away my two or three daily sprays. Another advantage of using these pots is that for transplanting, you don't need to remove the root ball, so we don't stress the seedlings. We're going to keep them in these pots for the first week of growth or at least the first half, depending on how they evolve. Those of you who know me already know that I'm happy to answer questions or take suggestions, criticisms, and so on; nobody was born knowing... And for those who didn't know, now you do... Ask, criticize, or whatever you want without any problem. Jokes and all that are also welcome... Because there's always got to be plenty of weed and good humor. The first week of growth has been with lower temperatures than optimal, around 20º, and you can tell in the growth, which hasn't been as optimal as one would hope. On the other hand, I had a slip-up with the pH; I added the cloned Voodoo Juice, and since it is very acidic, it lowered the pH of the solution quite a bit, and silly me forgot that I had to adjust it, hence those spots that most of them have. Another anecdote worth mentioning is that when the cotyledons were already open, the delayed Gorilla Girl fell over and died; honestly, it's a mystery because I took it out of the substrate and didn't see anything unusual, no rot, no necrosis, nothing strange, just that it hadn't developed the root hairs that seedlings usually have. Anyway, a mystery, probably some mistake on my part, but I'm left wanting to know what it was. For now, we're going to keep them in the biodegradable pots until they ask for transplanting; the more they divide roots, the greater explosion we'll have later on during the transplant. This week we've only watered with water and one of the waterings with Voodoo Juice.

REINAdelBAR In this second week, despite having added heating underneath, we've continued with low temperatures, below optimal levels, and although the leaf health leaves a lot to be desired, the root health is doing quite well, with practically all the plants showing roots outside the pots. Throughout the week, they've only had a couple of water-only waterings. Soon it will be time for transplanting, and we'll notice the improvement, as the pH imbalance I had due to that oversight is really messing up the start of the grow.

REINAdelBAR In the third week of growth, we have already transplanted to 1-liter geotextile pots, and we also applied an Endoplant mycorrhiza tablet to each plant during the transplant. After the transplant, we watered with 300 ml of rested water per plant mixed with Rhizotonic, Super Vit, and Voodoo Juice cloned at maximum doses and pH adjusted to 6. They are slowly recovering from the shock they experienced in the first week, although at a slow pace, partly because we are still dealing with equally low temperatures, and I have no way to raise them.

REINAdelBAR This week we've continued with the trend of low temperatures. The plants are still in the one-liter geotextile pots and have received a maximum dose of Rizhotonic, Voodoo juice cloned, and Supervit. Until the next transplant, we won't be adding any more liquid fertilizers to their diet, just water. Other than that, the plants have been evolving well; they've fully recovered from the shock they had and are picking up speed. The truth is that that setback I had delayed the vegetative period by a week, let's see how they evolve, but I'm afraid I'll have to push back the flowering by another week, we'll see... I've already seen some little roots peeking out in one of the pots, and in this type of pot, when they start to show, it's a sign of root explosion, since when it's normal root growth, they usually get pruned upon contact with it and don't make it out. I should also add that we've moved them to the second growth area, as specified in the first posts.

REINAdelBAR In the fifth week, we've kept them on just water with two light waterings, and the last one of the week has been a substantial one with water from the fish tank. We moved them to the third growth zone, the advanced stage cabinet specified in the earlier posts. Thanks to this change and now being under 200w LED, we've managed to raise the temperatures to appropriate levels, although the lows are still a bit low, but for now, they aren't concerning. The leaf health still leaves something to be desired, although the root health is explosive. We did a lollipop pruning of the first two nodes to see how they respond to apical stimulation, to remove the ugly lower ones, and also to give the worms a bit of space. This week, we're bringing you a wider photo session, covering all the plants since at this point, you can clearly see all the different phenotypes we've got. In the Gorilla Girl (GG#1), there's an exaggeratedly vigorous and beastly phenotype, with long internodal distances and a height that's already scary; I can't imagine it in flower. In the Sweet Amnesia Haze (SAH#4), we have a very short phenotype that's all branches; let's see how it evolves... On the other hand, in the Sweet Amnesia Haze (SAH#4), we have another phenotype that either has some genetic flaw or who knows what's going on because it's not showing color or growing as it should.

REINAdelBAR This week we transplanted to 3-liter geotextile pots. The watering has all been from the fish tank, well loaded with nutrients. The plants are maintaining quite a low internodal distance, partly due to the LEDs, except for one Gorilla Girl and another Ice Cool that are going crazy upwards with some pretty high internodal distances. The Sweet Amnesia Haze are the ones that are getting the most short and bushy. In the end, we'll give them an extra week of growth since they still don't have the desired size to move to flowering.

REINAdelBAR In the seventh week of growth, we continued watering with aquarium water without adding any other nutrients. All the plants have sexed and are at an optimal size for the type of cultivation we are aiming for, with the roots showing through the geotextile pots. Midweek, we performed a low pruning at the 3rd and 4th nodes, respecting the leaves of the main stem. Taking advantage of the pruning, we took two cuttings from each of the 9 plants that are going to flower. Today, at the end of the 7th week, we transplanted them into their final pots, adding mycorrhizae, Neudorff tomato fertilizer (which also contains mycorrhizae), and a couple of worms per plant, in addition to the springtails that we didn't include in the recording since they are so tiny it wouldn't be noticeable. As we were transplanting them, we placed them in the flowering cabinet and watered with a solution of Voodoo Juice Clone and Bud Ignitor, both at maximum doses. The cabinet has four 40x40 tiles at the base that fit snugly in it. Their function is to prevent the drainage water from being reabsorbed by the pots and to ensure our pots are not in direct contact with the ground. After all the work, this is how things turned out. The plants are a bit clawed because they were just watered; this is not their usual state.

REINAdelBAR The plants have made a good push and are growing at a nice pace; all of them are already starting to show pre-flowers, and we have a Gorilla Girl (G.G. #1) that is stretching and stretching in an excessive way, with internodal distances that are scary. If it keeps this up, I’ll be out of height in the cabinet. We also have one of the Gorilla Girl (G.G. #2), which is a real hog and despite the watering with fish tank water (well loaded with N), she still demands more. We’ll have to do something with her, maybe add some worm humus; I’ll see how it goes this week. An Ice Cool (I.C. #1) is also stretching nicely, but not reaching the level of GG#1. Overall, the rest of the plants are doing well but with short internodal distances and, as a rule, quite branched out.

REINAdelBAR In this second week of flowering, we have already seen floral clusters forming, and the plants have continued their stretching, especially some of them, particularly #1, in an alarming way, especially in the Gorilla Girl and Ice Cool varieties. The Sweet Amnesia Haze are generally more contained and bushy, making them more manageable in small cabinets, which isn't bad at all for someone with limited space given their sativa-heavy load. Regarding watering, we've continued with "dry" aquarium water at 18-20ºC, and one of the waterings was accompanied by Bud Ignitor at maximum dosage. Additionally, at the end of the week after the last watering, we added a nice dose of Top Vulcan and a lower dose of Superguano. We also performed a low pruning on all the plants, specifically from the 5th and 6th nodes, to stimulate apical growth and remove lower branches. We do not rule out doing another low pruning in the 3rd week of flowering; it all depends on how they continue to stretch, and that would be the final one.

REINAdelBAR In this third week of flowering, we've continued with the aquarium watering, and as an extra, we've added a moderate dose of Geolia Organic bloom fertilizer and another moderate dose of dolomite spread throughout the pot to raise the pH a bit so our plants can better absorb P and K, in addition to providing Ca and Mg. Next week, we'll probably start with the homemade fattening fertilizer in low doses to gradually increase it. With the addition the other day of Superguano and Top Vulcan, we've had a couple of plants that have suffered and shown signs of over-fertilization, specifically Gorilla Girl #1 has been the most affected, and while it's nothing serious, it serves as a warning for us to keep an eye on her and not give her as much as the others. The only downside is that those leaves will look a bit ugly now. And as an extra task for the week, we've collected the water from the leachate and substrate leftovers from the tray in the cabinet, and we also added a bit of diluted bleach to disinfect it, all before putting bricks in the cabinet to level the plants and leave them at similar heights.

REINAdelBAR This week the plants have started the phase of drinking and gulping like crazy, and we've begun fertilizing with homemade PK, although still in moderate doses. We're still watering with aquarium water, and the plants are demanding Nitrogen like crazy, as the lower leaves are starting to yellow, too soon for my liking, even after applying worm humus. Especially the Ice Cool and Gorilla Girl are good eaters in general, unlike the Sweet Amnesia Haze which have been more restrained. Also, anticipating the fattening phase, we've staked the 9 plants with 90 cm plastic stakes and garden ties. Although the plants have good stems, we preferred to do it this way so they can focus exclusively on fattening and not need to strengthen the woody areas anymore. On the other hand, it also helps them suffer less with the hustle of photos and the trips in and out of the cabinet. With the spring-like weather we're having, we're really noticing it in the temperatures, atypical for this time of year, with peaks of almost 30 degrees at the tips of the plants. Let's hope it cools down a bit because if we keep up this pace, our plants are going to fry. I've ordered an LED light, and if things get ugly, we'll have to switch gears and give the sodium a break. Sorry we don't have better photos, but since last week the camera shutter sounds weird, and to get a good photo you have to take 30. I think the camera is about to break...

REINAdelBAR This week has been the week of losses; in the end, the camera just gave up and was taking terrible photos, so we had to take them with the phone. We tried to make them as high quality as possible, although you can tell... But hey, it is what it is. On the other hand, the pH meter must have broken last week, and the last two waterings of week 4, with homemade PK, had super low pH levels. Comparing measurements with a new meter and the deceased one, we found differences of about 3 pH points, so I estimate that I watered twice with pH 4. The thing is, I was seeing the plants yellowing, and I was quite surprised by all that yellowing in the lower parts; I was pretty convinced they were doing okay with nitrogen. So I suspected it was a pH issue, and voila, when I measured with the drop pH and saw what the digital one was showing, it cleared things up. Aside from the incidents, our LED light arrived, specifically the DIY 450W 4000K CRI97 kit from the guys at Photosistem, which I trimmed to fit my 90x90. With the sodium and this spring-like weather, plus the new house I live in, which is quite warm, my grow tent sometimes hit max temps of 30º, and the intake fan couldn't keep up. But as soon as I put in the LEDs, the temperatures dropped, which is a relief. I've also noticed a lot in the waterings; they've been spaced out quite a bit, and I'm feeling more relaxed in that regard. This week we've watered twice, abundantly with homemade PK at pH 7, letting it drain well and measuring drainage to correct the pH imbalance that the poor plants have suffered, and we still have one more watering to reach optimal values. The plants are about to hit the critical stage of maximum pistil development, and from now on, we're going to pump them with homemade PK to the max. In the video, we show how the LED light turned out.

REINAdelBAR This week I've continued with the fattening diet based on homemade PK. Since with the LEDs the plants drink less water, I've set the intake at the top of the cabinet and the (passive) extraction goes at the bottom, which keeps the lower parts of the cabinet warmer and thus dries the substrate faster. The buds are already smelling amazing, especially the Sweet Amnesia Haze, which are giving off a scent of spices and nuts that makes you want to take bites out of the buds. The Gorilla Girl are second in terms of smell and resin, also with a strong and penetrating odor, followed by the Ice Cool, which are taking a bit longer to start producing resin, although they have begun.

REINAdelBAR In this seventh week of flowering, we've had a pretty messed up setback. Midway through the sixth week, we gave all the plants a heavy watering with homemade PK, and the next day, Ice Cool #2 showed slight signs of excess. Instead of doing an immediate flush, I thought I'd wait for the substrate to dry. Well, a few days later, it showed a blockage, accompanied by serious deficiencies and, worst of all, quite damaged leaves. The lucky thing is that it was only one plant, and it won't excessively affect the yield. The downside is that this plant is no good for photos now... but oh well. This week, we did a little root flush on all of them and then followed up with a watering using homemade PK, lowering the dosage a bit compared to the last watering. The Sweet Amnesia Haze are already loaded with resin, and most of the pistils are oxidized. The next watering will probably be the root flush for them. The Gorilla Girl are in second place, oxidizing pistils but still need a couple more weeks. And in last place are the Ice Cool, which seem like they’re going to exceed nine weeks of flowering if they keep this pace.

REINAdelBAR This week we only did one watering with water at the beginning of the week and at the end of the week we did a root wash for all the plants. To boost resin production, every day during the dark hours we closed the room where the cabinet is to raise the temperatures to around 30º, and we turned on the dehumidifier to maintain low relative humidity. The Sweet Amnesia Haze are almost at their point under the microscope, already with a few amber trichomes. We're going to hold them for just under a week and then we'll harvest them; they won't make it to the 9th week. They're not very productive, but in terms of quality, they're overflowing, dripping resin everywhere. The Ice Cool and Gorilla Girl will likely be ready between the 9th and 10th week.

REINAdelBAR In the end, the Ice Cool and Gorilla Girl really stepped up, and we harvested them just today at the end of nine weeks; they arrived right on schedule as promised by the bank. We harvested the Sweet Amnesia Haze on Sunday, so they were ready at eight and a half weeks. During the ongoing ninth week of flowering, we kept the dehumidifier on during the dark hours and the fans in the closet running at full blast, as well as the intake at least at half power. We also maintained pretty high temperatures and water stress to stress the plants and stimulate resin production.

REINAdelBAR GENERAL INFORMATION: Variety: Ice Cool Bank/Breeder: Sweet Seeds. Grower: REYdelBARRIO Tasting Date: May 2019 VISUAL TASTING: Buds: The buds have an elongated appearance, with a narrow conical shape almost columnar, featuring a high presence of intermediate-sized, slightly curled light brown pistils, with a good calyx/leaf ratio and a good presence of trichomes, medium/short in length and mostly milky in color with an abundance of amber and practically none transparent. Some male flowers are observed, a result of the last attempts at re-flowering and the last week of forced stress, none of which opened or released pollen. No presence of seeds. DRY TASTING: It has a medium density with hard buds to the touch, but when pressed lightly, a certain fluffiness is noticeable. The aroma of the buds when opening the jar is strong, intense, and penetrating; to my nose, it evokes a mix of smells such as wet straw, diesel, tree resins, and spices. When grinding the bud, the wet straw and spice sensations lose strength, while the diesel and tree resins gain character. The sensation when taking puffs without lighting the joint is practically identical to the ground smell, just with a fresh touch and the spices are more noticeable. COMBUSTION TASTING: The tasting method has been in a joint 100% herb. The aroma in combustion is citrus, resinous, and spicy. In the flavor, the citrus, resinous, and spicy notes are maintained along with a hint of gentle sweetness. Tasting Guide: 0 for minimum, 10 for maximum. Fill in as many boxes as necessary. EFFECTS: The effect takes a little while to arrive, with a smooth and gradual rise that slowly draws a smile from ear to ear, and it lasts quite a while with a prolonged cerebral effect but at the same time slightly physical, very suitable for concentration tasks or recreational activities, where an immediate mechanical response is not required or where risky situations may arise. I haven't noticed tolerance, although it's true that I haven't been smoking it continuously. Effects Guide: Mark [P] if you've noticed a positive effect and [N] if you've had a negative effect. Specify if necessary. [+] Activity [-] Anxiety relief [+] Appetite [+] Ability to rest or stay still [-] Sleep [+] Imagination/creativity [+] Auditory perception [+] Sense of humor ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Light: HPS PHILLIPS SON T PIA PLUS 400W + 450W LED COBS 4000K, CRI97 Substrate: Professional Pinaster + homemade substrate + Coconut fiber. Irrigation: Manual drip. Flowering Time: 9 weeks. Drying/Curing Time: Approximately one month. Seed/Cutting: Seed. Is mother preserved? Yes. Comments: As usual, ICE COOL continues to be a safe bet within the Sweet Seeds catalog, rich, productive, vigorous, and resistant to clumsy hands. I have the feeling that they have introduced some new genetics since the last time I grew it (2 years ago), as I have noticed some different traits compared to the Ice Cool from the last grow, although it has suited it well and I haven't noticed major differences, perhaps more homogeneous...

REINAdelBAR GENERAL INFORMATION: Variety: Sweet Amnesia Haze Bank/Breeder: Sweet Seeds. Grower: REYdelBARRIO Tasting Date: May 2019 VISUAL TASTING: The buds are pyramid-shaped or columnar, depending on the phenotype, with medium to scarce presence of pistils, medium length, brown, slightly curled at the tips, tending towards straightness. They have a low calyx/leaf ratio, although this is compensated by the enormous amount of trichomes they present, even abundant on the larger leaves and in excessive amounts, mostly elongated trichomes, with a large proportion amber and a smaller part milky. There are no seeds or male flowers present. DRY TASTING: The buds are of medium hardness, tending to be fluffy, with some phenotypes having fine calyxes and others having thick calyxes, with the thick calyx ones being the most resinous. The aroma of the buds when opening the jar is slightly floral, cloying, spicy, and sweet. When grinding it, it maintains the same nuances but the cloying character becomes more pronounced. Taking puffs with the joint unlit reveals those nuances, with the cloying character losing prominence, replaced by a fresher and herbal sensation. COMBUSTION TASTING: It has been tasted using a 100% herb joint. The aroma in combustion is intense, spicy, incense-like, and slightly woody. The flavor turns incense-like, woody, and slightly acidic. EFFECTS: It hits quite fast, soon reaching a nice high, filled with good vibes, keeping you active and your mind racing, ready for any task that requires creativity and brain activity, as long as great concentration isn’t necessary, something I’ve struggled with using this herb. I don’t recommend consuming it, especially when you’re worried or prone to mental racing; in those cases, it’s better to go for something more indica. I haven’t noticed any tolerance, considering I’ve been alternating it with others. [+] Activity [-] Anxiety relief [+] Pain relief [+] Appetite [-] Ability to rest or stay still [-] Sleep [+] Imagination/creativity [+] Humor perception [+] Visual perception [-] Speech process [+] Thinking process [-] Tachycardia ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Light: HPS PHILLIPS SON T PIA PLUS 400W + 450W LED COBS 4000K, CRI97 Substrate: Professional Pinaster + homemade substrate + Coco fiber. Irrigation: Manual drip. Flowering Time: 8.5 weeks. Drying/Curing Time: Approximately one month. Seed/Cutting: Seed. Is a mother plant kept? Yes. Comments: Very good plant, exquisite, it has been a pleasant surprise and in fact, it has been one of the three chosen to go outdoors this year from a selection of a total of 27 plants. It’s not very high-yielding in grams, but in quality, it’s a champion both in potency and flavors, very, very tasty.

REINAdelBAR GENERAL INFORMATION: Variety: Gorilla Girl Bank/Breeder: Sweet Seeds. Grower: REYdelBARRIO Tasting Date: May 2019 VISUAL TASTING: Depending on the phenotype, it presents buds that are conical, irregularly conical, or columnar, with a medium presence of pistils, dark brown in color with a slight tendency to curl throughout its body. It has a medium/high calyx/leaf ratio also depending a bit on the phenotype, with a high presence of trichomes, some lacking heads and a large majority amber in color, accompanied by others that are more milky, all of them long and slightly twisted. There are no seeds present, although there are some male flowers, a result of forced stress and attempts at re-flowering in the last week, none of which are open and appear infertile. DRY TASTING: The density is medium/high, with a hard appearance and requiring significant pressure for the bud to give. The aroma of the buds reminds me of freshly cut conifer wood mixed with sweet and penetrating tones, accompanied by a subtle spicy smell. When grinding the bud, all those smells multiply exponentially, becoming quite overwhelming. The taste in the mouth is similar to the aroma, just a bit fresher and sweeter. COMBUSTION TASTING: The tasting was done in a joint with 100% weed. The aroma it leaves is very strong and persistent, one of those aromas that already makes you foresee that it’s some potent weed. In terms of flavor, it is sweet, woody, and spicy with a certain citrus touch, but in all its nuances, maintaining a smooth and very appealing character, so much so that you would smoke one after another if it weren't for its potency. EFFECTS: The effect is noticeable quite quickly, strong, very cerebral, and relaxing; you have to be careful with it because if you overdo it, it leaves you dazed, slumped with your head racing but unable to articulate a word. Highly recommended for concentration tasks, as long as you control the smoking. I don't see it being very suitable for tasks that require mechanical agility or where you have to move a lot. I haven’t felt any tolerance, nor do I think I will; in my opinion, you have to be very tough to build tolerance to this weed. [-] Activity [+] Appetite [+] Ability to rest or stay still [-] Sleep [+] Imagination/creativity [-] Introspection [+] Auditory perception [-] Speech process [+] Thinking process [-] Tachycardia ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Light: HPS PHILLIPS SON T PIA PLUS 400W + 450W LED COBS 4000K, CRI97 Substrate: Professional Pinaster + homemade substrate + Coco fiber + vermiculite. Irrigation: Manual drip. Flowering Time: 9 weeks. Drying/Curing Time: Approximately one month. Seed/Cutting: Seed. Is the mother kept? Yes. Comments: A strong weed that hits hard, it’s not for daily use or wandering around, at least in my case, but rather for relaxing at home or in a calm environment and enjoying it slowly. I really liked its quality/yield balance. I hadn’t tried this strain in any of its Gorilla/Cookies variants before, and although I’m not one for trends, I honestly don’t find it surprising that it’s on the rise; it has quality and quantity to spare.