RQS Green Gelato 2nd run, DWC

The new start with GG Green Gelato. The last time of GG growing, I could not finish properly. https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-el-patron-and-green-gelato-win-1st-place-awards-at-two-prestigious-events-n1226 When I saw the news of European Plant of the Year, I was totally regretting and decided to grow again😍 This time I am trying DWC hydroculture. I am very excited now and interesting in the difference between soil and DWC growing. Log July 23: Insert the seed into Root Riot July 25: Move Root Riot into the water, (pH adjusted tap water), with sunlight but not direct July 27: Change water with the above conditions. And moving to grow tent

This week she had a heat stress problem. For baby, the summer is terrible. Roots are not coming outside of the pot. I feel the mesh pot size is too big (Diameter: 210 mm). Every day, I added 0.5 ml / l of pH down, Lemon kick. If I did not add, the pH reached 7.5. I have no idea what actually happens. I will change the nutrition Connoisseur Grow to Plagron Hydro. I wish it will make a stable pH. I am afraid the low oxygen due to high temp. I bought a relatively powerful air pump (275 l / h). I wish the roots are healthy enough now. Log August 1: Change water with the above conditions.

This week is totally hard days for my little girl. I tried to solve the pH problem, it reaches a pH of 8.0 in one day. First, I tried to find what is not good. I tried only to use nutrients (hydro A and B) with the Lemon kick (citric acid). This has also a big pH shift. I tried to use pH- grow by CANNA. This makes less pH shift and one or two days later it makes a more stable pH (not reaching to 8.0, but still go around 7.0). Some articles say the plant loves the organic acids like the citric acid. It helps the metabolism of the plant and usually is no problem for using soil. But for hydroculture, the plant very easily absorbs the organic acids and make water pH increasing very fast. I decided to use pH- grow by CANNA. But, it makes the EC high. I will try another pH down stuff. Also, heat stress is still on my girl. New leaves have def of Fe and heat stress. Now pH is not so bad. Thus def of Fe is being cured now (it comes high pH). But still, heat heat heat. I checked a forecast, the temperature will reach 36 today. But next week it will be lower than 30. I wish autumn is near. TIL For hydroponic, the organic acid is not so good for adjusting the pH level of solution. Because the plant loves organic acid and absorbs very fast. Log I forget the details which day I did what. Logging only last change in this week. Aug 10: Change all solution with the above condition. Every day I added 10 ml (1 ml / l) of CANNA pH- grow. EC is reaching 1.3 after two days.

This week, the lady has no trouble. LST is going well. I can see many future buds sites. I will cut some small branches and start 12/12 light cycle in the net week. And the reserver will be changed by 20 l bucket. Log August 13: Change reserver water with the above condition August 16: pH is 7.0. Adding 1 ml /l pH down and 3-liter water with the above nutrition. pH is going 5.2 August 17: pH is 6.4. Adding 0.5 ml/l pH down and 1 litter water with nutes. pH goes 5.8 August 18: pH is 6.5. Adding 0.5 ml/l pH down and 1 litter water with nutes. pH goes 6.0

This week, she has no trouble. She becomes big and big. Finally the diameter of her area is almost 50 cm. My tent is 60 x 75 cm. Soon she will fill my tent. I write this in the first day of week 6. I set the light timer as 12/12 cycle this morning. She is in the darkness now. After changing the reserver, the pH is relatively stable. But now, the EC is becoming low very easily. The target EC is around 1.2. But after one day it becomes around 1.1. After 23 of August, the amount of hydro A and B is changed 1.6ml/l to 2.0ml/l. Log Aug 19: Adding 1 litter of water with nutrients. Aug 20: Adding 3 litter of water with nutrients. Suddenly she started to drink water so much. Aug 21: Changing reserver from 10 l to 20 l. Aug 22: Adding 3 litter of water with nutrients. Aug 23: Adding 3 litter of water with nutrients. Aug 24: Adding 4 litter of water with nutrients (strong). Aug 25: Adding 4 litter of water with nutrients (strong).

This week is the first week of the flowering stage. She stretched 20 cm and is making leaves bigger and bigger. No trouble was happened. I cut lower leaves and branches. And also I cut some very big leaves at top area of her. Now the volume of her roots is over 2 litters. To take picture is too difficult by only one person. I need one more arm😆 Now I change the solution as flowering stage. In the Plagron nutrients line, the base nutrients are not changed. Only adding a kind of PK booster. The EC is now 1.45. After one day, the value is dropped to around 1.3. I will increase the EC value step by step. But, now I have no trouble, I think less is better..... Hmm difficult. Log Aug 26: Adding 3 l water with nutrients. Aug 28: Adding 5 l water with nutrients. Aug 29: Adding 2 l water with nutrients. After adding, pH is 6.0 Aug 30: Cutting lower leaves and branches Aug 31: Changing reserver solution with above nutrients. Sep 1: pH is 6.7. Adding pH down 2.5 ml for reserver. pH is 5.9

This week, the lady stretches well. As we know, she keeps stretching in the next week (3rd week of flowering). If she will reach to 100 cm height, my growing tent will be fully filled by her. The hydro culture is really nice to grow the lady big. But, this morning (1st day of the next week), the water got used is less than the last two weeks probably. I guess the end of her transformation is near. Anyway, I have to trim leaves. Now many lower leaves are dropped and many lower branches have no energy to become nice branches. This and the last weeks, I have no time to do. I wish I will have the time to trim. Log Sep. 1: Adding 2 l water with the above nutrients. Adding ph down 2.0 ml for reserver. ph was moved 6.5 -> 5.8 Sep. 3: Adding 5 l water with the above nutrients. pH 6.0 Sep. 5: Adding 5 l water with the above nutrients. pH 6.1 Sep. 7: Adding 5 l water with the above nutrients. pH 6.1 Now the pH is very stable. But some articles say the pH will drop very easy due to the acid from roots in the flowering stage. I bought a pH up.

This week, I did a hard defoliation. Cut many lower branches and leaves, and cut some fan leaves making big shadow. After a few days, she makes other leaves bigger and still stretches. I wish her stretch will stop soon. Now the amount of nutrients is 1.5 times more than the recommendation of nutrients company. In their web site, my amount should over 2.0 EC value. But still it is 1.6. I am afraid my EC meter is broken. But, the lady looks like very healthy. I trust her condition. Now The amount of water got used is decreased. But she is stretching and blooming well. Now room and reserver temperatures are near the optimal values. Very nice season for her and also me😆 Log Sep 9: Adding 5 l water with the above nutrients. pH 6.2 Sep 12: Changing reserver water. Sep 13: Defoliation. pH - 2 ml for reserver (0.1 ml / l). pH 6.7 -> 5.9. Adding 2 l water with the above nutrients. Sep 15: Adding 3 l water with the above nutrients.

This week she is still stretching 10 cm. It is less than the last week stretching. I strongly wish she will stop soon. My grow tent has not infinite height😆. Now she starts to make many small buds. I can expect those will become big in the next three or more weeks. Now she drinks less water than the hot days in the past. But amount of nutrients are increased. I can guess I will serve 2.5 times more than the recommendation. Because I wanted to make solution with EC 2.0. I checked others diary. They also do not reach EC 2.0. But they got good results. I decided to stop increasing the nutrition amount. Now she looks very healthy. Running system should not be changed. Log Till Sep 21, Hydro A and B is 2.4 ml / l, Green sensation is 1.5 ml / l. Sep 17: Adding 3 l water with the above nutrients. pH 6.4 -> 6.0 with 1.5 ml pH min (0.075 ml / l) Sep 19: Adding 3 l water with the above nutrients. pH 6.2. no ph adjust. Sep 21: Changing reserver solution with stronger recipe. Sep 22: pH 6.5 -> 5.8 with 2.5 ml pH min (0.125 ml / l).

This week, I did only watering. She is filling buds. Now is the half of flowering duration mentioned by RQS. I feel she is slow to fill. I wish it means she has long flowering not problems. Log Sep 25: Adding 3l water with above nutritions Sep 27: Adding 3l water with above nutritions Sep 29: Adding 3l water with above nutritions Everyday I added pH min 1.5 ml / reserver (0.075 ml / l). pH is again unstable. I guess she absorb P as acid in the water.

This week again no problem and special. I change nutrition ratio as more P and K. She is filling and fatting very well now. One day, I stoped extract fan due to the noise increasing and vibrating a lot. After one day, wall and floor of grow tent are really wet. I again use noisy fan now. I will install new silent fan probably. Log Oct 1: Adding 3 l water with above nutritions Oct 3: Changing reserver water with above nutritions. Oct 4: Adding 2 l water with above nutritions. pH 6.7 -> 6.0, with pH min 2.5 ml / reserver Oct 5: pH 6.6 -> 5.9, with pH min 2.5 ml / reserver Oct 6: pH 6.4 -> 6.0, with pH min 1.5 ml / reserver This week, I did not add water so often. pH is very unstable. I guess I change nutrition ratio, it makes her condition changed. At the first day of next week, the pH was more stable now.

This week, again no problem. Just she have been filling day by day. The buds looks very big. But have many spaces inside of those. I expect those will be filled more and more. I checked some diaries. Some girls (GG) finished before 10 weeks of flowering (RQS catalogue recommendation). And some finished 10 weeks like a sativa dominant strain. I understand my girl needs long flowering. I am thinking more than 10 weeks, like a sativa strains. Log Oct 7: Adding 3 l water with above nutritions. pH 6.4 -> 6.0, with pH min 1.5 ml / reserver Oct 9: pH 6.3 -> 6.0, with pH min 1.0 ml / reserver. Oct 10: Adding 3 l water with above nutritions. pH 6.4 -> 6.0, with ph min 1.5 ml / reserver Oct 12: Adding 3 l water with above nutritions. pH 6.4 -> 5.9, with ph min 1.5 ml / reserver now pH is very stable in the safety range of hydro culture, between 6.0 to 6.5. 6.4 is a little bit high for absorption of P. I have to keep pH value around 6.0.

This week, she has no problem. But, she still make fox tailing. I can not think, she will be ready to be harvested after a few weeks. She looks like really sativa dominant strain which needs looooooong flowering days. But, now drinking speed is decreased like a end of the flowering stage, 2 l / day -> 1 l / day. I guess this is only effected by temperature decreasing. Log Oct 15: Adding 3 l water with above nutritions. pH 6.2 Oct 17: pH 6.4 -> 5.9. ph min 1.5 l / reserver Oct 18: Adding 3 l water with above nutritions. I forgot to measure pH. Oct 20: pH 6.4 -> 6.0. ph min 1.5 l / reserver Oct 21: Adding 3 l water with above nutritions. pH 6.1 Now pH is really stable on 6.4. I adjust it around 6.0. But now I am thinking no adjusting is better. If she makes pH 6.4 by herself (absorbing nutrients and emitting acid from roots), probably it is good for her.

Now buds are too big to stand straight by herself. When I open the grow tent, she is leaning out from the tent. And trichomes are already milky color not clear, and no umber. I will wait for seeing umber color. After seeing umber trichome, I will start flushing. The main cola is very big. This is the biggest one in my growing experience. Hydro culture is really amazing for growing. Log Oct 23: Changing reserver water. pH 6.0 Oct 24: pH 7.0 -> 6.1 with pH min 4 ml / reserver Oct 26: Adding 3 l water with above nutrients. pH 6.3

This week has no any problems. Buds are really fat. And when I touched the buds by bear hand, my hand is really sticky and looks wet. This is the first time my hand looks like wet by stickies from buds. I can guess she has very very much trichomes😆 and will provide a strong high. The temperature is lower than 20 degree C now. Pistils are turn orange and looks colorful. But still trichomes are not umber. I wish she will be ripening in this month. The pH is again unstable now. I guess she changed the metabolism for the last stage of flowering by low temperature. Log Oct 30: Adding 6 l water with above nutrients. pH 6.1 Oct 31: pH 6.9. Adding pH min 5 ml / reserver (0.25 ml / l) pH 5.9 Nov 1: pH 6.3 Nov 2: Adding 3 l water with above nutrients. pH 6.0 Nov 3: pH 6.7. Adding pH min 1.5 ml / reserver (0.075 ml / l) pH 6.2

Finally, I found the umber colored trichomes this week. I started to flush using with FloraKleen. I will harvest in the next week or next of the next week. This is the first time to try Deep Water Culture DWC. DWC is very nice to make her big and tall. And this is the first time to (not true) main-lining. I made 4 main branches and got too bushy and some very poor branches. In the next time, I will keep only two main branches. Or just trying real main-lining. I am starting think the next grow. Probably I will back to soil and organic nutrients or Nutrient Film Technique NFT. It is depend on how much I will use money in the Christmas holiday😆. If I will not use so much money, I will buy NFT equipments and go😂 Log Nov 8: Starting flush