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Week 1: I will likely come back to update this first entry before too long. For now, its the same soil for PPA1 & PPA3 as my other diary. PPA2 is in a version of the same soil with far less perlite. I'm curious to see how the soil affects growth! Plan is try my hand at better LST now that I understand it a little better. I plan on topping one and fimming another to see what happens. From a scientific standpoint, this is bad science because there's no control. Each plant will have something different happening, but the nutrient and feeding schedule will be pretty close. Of the batch of 3 seeds, one didn't germinate so PPA3 is 4 days behind, but I'll keep them all together for this diary.
All seeds were sown directly in their final pot, 7 gallon cloth pots with soil described in other diary. 2 of 3 germinated on 12.18; seed 3 germinated on 12.22. Misted and lightly watered early.
Week 2: Pictures for week 2 are literally from the last minutes of Day 14! Pictures of Day 7 included here because I left my tent home alone for Christmas. I used a vacation watering system to keep soil moist while I was out of town. I'm not sure how long these plants were dry, but they survived the week. PPA1 got FIMmed on Day 14 and got very stressed - it gets better. Light Fox Farm Grow Big nutrients added a very low amount on 12.31: about 5ml in 1 L of water. Each plant got about a third of a L on Day 14.
I didn't have stakes in until 12.31 so I did the best I could with earlier pictures, but its a little tough to differentiate between 1 & 2 when they're young.
Day 20 Update: LST was cleaned up for the first two plants. PPA3 was topped yesterday on day 15. I'm still learning so I'm trying different things I read about. I tried to FIM PPA1 last week and this one I cut much closer. Additionally, I was worried about training with the stalk unstabilized so I got some sticks to support the stalk. Any branches that could be easily staked down away from the main stalk were trained.
Day 21 Update: Couple new pictures. Water tomorrow on day 22.
Day 22 Update: LST rechecked and adjusted as necessary. All three got dechlorinated tap water, PPA1 and PPA2 each got nearly a L, and PPA3 got about 1/2-2/3rds.
Day 24 Update: LST rechecked and adjusted as necessary. All three got dechlorinated tap water; PPA1 and PPA2 each got nearly a L, while PPA3 received about 2/3rds. Pictures show decent foliage filling in over the past two days, so I adjusted again. One, maybe two more good adjustments and then I'll mostly let em grow. PPA3 seems to be recovering from the topping well, but I wouldn't know the difference yet anyways. Its fun to watch them grow regardless!
Day 25 Update: Just took a picture of each today.
Day 26 Update: Took a picture of each in the tent. They will likely all be getting water tonight. I think just regular water again tonight. The tip with 2 sets of stems broke off PPA2 so they’ve all been topped if inadvertently. I always had my doubts because of the soil PPA2 is in, but this will drastically affect the outcome.
Day 27 Update: I watered them with about a .75 L each tonight. Decholorinated tap. Maybe add some Tiger Bloom next time? Pretty sure the soil was still pretty hot at least with nitrogen from whatever I had growing before, so maybe just water again honestly. Updated pictures of each today. PPA2 is going to be severely limited. I looked through the pictures, you can see the break on PPA2 on day 24. I probably could have saved if I'd noticed, so I've learned to keep a better eye on the training and not force the main stalk so much. I don't know if I'll adjust the training anymore.
Day 28 Update: Just a new picture of each. There’s also a video showing off my whole tent. Light dose of Tiger Bloom tomorrow night is the plan.
Day 29 Update: I definitely should have done a few grows where I just watch the plant grow first, but as I've said before, TRIAL BY FIRE! PP2 was always going to be stunted in much denser soil, but the mistake of losing the top like I did is a crappy learning experience. PPA1 needed some minor adjustments to the LST but otherwise its mostly set. PP2 didn't seem to need any adjustments I was willing to make. PPA3 is coming along nicely. After I read some more about topping autos, I wish I'd waited a week from when I did (day 15 I think). Otherwise, the soil is probably still pretty hot so just water and monitor for now. Tiger Bloom might go in late this week. Probably just dechlorinated tap tomorrow and the next feed though.
Day 30 Update: It has been unseasonably warm and humid for January where I live. I'm struggling to keep the humidity below 60% because its probably higher than that in the atmosphere here now. Lame. Anyway, all three got some water and Tiger Bloom tonight. 15 ml in about 1.5 gallons of water, so the lower end of the recommended dose of 2-3 teaspons/g. I used a watering can for the first time in ages, so I just kind of dumped the water all over them. They'll be good. Looks like maybe they could use K? Oh, the Topped PPA3 is about 9 in tall right now, PPA1 with its aggressive training is about 7 in high, and PPA2 and its stuntedness is about 5 inches high.
Day 31 Update: Not much to report. Plants seem to be growing well. PPA2 is such an embarrassment, but such is life.
In other news, planning my next grow, which is admittedly 50ish days away, and I'm leaning towards a Dutch Passion auto something. The diaries I've read with Dutch Passion genetics have impressed me so, yeah, we'll see. Plan is to grow 8 plants (one strain) in 3 gallon pots filled with fresh Ocean Forrest. Think I might do something like 2x topped on day 21, 2x LST, and 4x no stress grow. It's fun to plan out.
Day 32 Update: Water with Tiger Bloom, about 3 L total for all three. Minor adjustment to one branch for PPA1, otherwise just the water and photo update today.
Day 33 Update: Just pictures today.
Day 34 Update: Just water later tonight. They're all doing fine depending on how much they were stressed. I'm worried PPA3 might get real tall, but we'll see. I think I'm having pH issues with my first grow that's nearing harvest. A new pH meter and pH Up/Down will be ordered next payday because I imagine that might be an issue in all my pots. Not traveling during this entire upcoming week as my first plant endured will hopefully lead to some quality results.
Day 35 Update: Things seem ok. Definitely have a pH/magnesium/calcium issue on PPA3 - clear necrosis on some big leaves. PPA2 looks like its very sickly, but the denser soil and over-training caused a ton of stress that is still visible in some older yellow leaves. PPA2 seems to have taken to training pretty well and is filling out nicely. All of them will have their pH more closely monitored than my other grow because from what I've read, magnesium issues take a while to show. Does the Fox Farm trio have cal/mag in them? Is it possible that there is an actual deficiency? My 3-in1 soil pH meter shows closer to 8 in most places inserted, so it SEEMS like pH is the real culprit, but I don't know. Supplies are in the amazon cart waiting for payday :)
As of today they stand: PPA1 - 11 inches, PPA2 - 8 inches, PPA3 - 13 inches
Day 36 Update: Plants are definitely showing signs of various stresses that I'm thinking is most likely caused by high pH in my soil. I'm currently using lemon juice as a temporary pH control measure. General Hydroponics pH Up/Down will be delivered Monday, so the lemon juice will have to help the pH for a few more days. They all got a fair share of 2.5 L of water in the high 5.x to low 6.x according to the 3-in-1 Soil Meter. I'm hopeful this will help contain damage for a few days until I can do a thorough flush and rehydrate. Knowing what issues I've been working through makes me all the more excited for the next grow! Was looking at Dutch Passion Auto Banana Blaze or Critical Orange Punch for their cost effectiveness.
Day 37 Update: Just some new pics tonight.
Day 38 Update: I bought a new soil pH meter from Home Depot tonight as well as some soil acidifier. Soil readings showed toward if not slightly over 7, so they all got around a L each with Tiger Bloom pH'd to around 6. PPA2 is showing some surprising development and the others are pretty bushy. The red stems have me worried because I know they're a mag issue. Hopefully I caught some of the problems early enough that they won't be too harmful later. Still pretty happy with this set.
Day 39 Update: They seem good today. Things got moved around in the tent a bit, so the pic angles changed yesterday. Otherwise, just new pictures today.
In the wake of a celebrity passing stirring up emotional stress about other events along with work stress, I stopped keeping track of this grow around now. Most week comments will consist of pictures and anything specific I remember of note. At some point these were in full blown cal-mag deficiency and I think they'd about been restored here, but lots of nutrient burn on the tips, tons of mottled leaves, and dwarf plants because of HST not LST. Their final outcome was nothing short of spectacular considering how much they taught me through their sacrifice.
First grow got harvest this week. And like any second sibling, grow two didn't have much time to shine by itself before my third go round started to encroach upon these fine plants. At this point PPA1 and PPA2 each have about 3 weeks left. PPA3 will go almost 5 more weeks before being chopped on or around March 7th.
Photos added from 2/12, 2/16, 2/18
Color really starting to pop in PPA2
Final heights for these three were 17, 15, 22 inches respectively for PPA1, PPA2, and PPA3. PPA3 responded best to the topping and still developed some healthy colas. At this point was probably looking to be the top yielder by far (surprise: it was).
Photos added from 2/20/20 and 2/22/20
Seedlings for my third go were in the tent by this point and I'd realized they were starting to mold. So they got sprayed with neem oil and transplanted into two unused (one held my first harvest) seven gallon pots. The tent was pretty cramped with 5 seven gallon pots for sure. The two that held the seedlings were elevated with cinderblocks so they were about at the same height as the shorter PPA grows.
At this point I probably did a flush with two or three gallons for both PPA1 and PPA2. They were down to about a week to go here.
All photos added this week of PPA3 -- PPA1 and PPA2 were pulled out of the tent into a dark closet for 48 hours before harvest; PPA1 & PPA2 harvest pictures added later; photo dates 2/28, 2/29, 3/1, 3/2
During this week, there was some weirdness with my apartment and I had to take down my tent for a day. The plants got stashed in an outdoor storage shed and the day was in the mid-50's so it was cold, but nothing a plant couldn't handle for 12 hours. As part of that and with needing to re-transplant my third go, I realize the pictures are fairly inadequate, but PPA1 and PPA2 both got harvest on 2/29 which was day 73 for each of those plants. They maybe needed 3 more days, but I needed the tent space more than they needed three days. I didn't weigh the wet trim for these two plants (or don't remember now) but each of those yielded around 35 grams. Again, considering how my LST was basically a bear mauling (I broke off the main cola of PPA2 for fuck's sake), they performed admirably. The taste and smell are very similar to my first harvest and it is delightful! Actual harvest pics from these plants in Harvest update.
Maybe messed something up so I added to the bottom of the previous week depending on how this needs to be edited.
At this point, PPA3 is in the last few days. Enjoying his spot as the old man while a bunch of little Royal Gorilla seedlings look up to him. I waited with PPA3 until as much of the pistils were orange and brown. A decent share of trichomes were amber when I pulled her out of the tent on 3/7 prior to the harvest on 3/9 (day 79 I believe).
The smaller plants could have gone to day 77, PPA3 was probably timed perfect for how I like my flowers i.e. with a heavier stoney feel.
Not a big smoker prior to my own growing, but this is a pretty chill strain. The plant I let go to day 79 gives me some decent couchlock so I guess nighttime is best. My rating of 'hard' for grow is more likely a product of the soil having had other plants before the cannabis so nutrient ratios were hard to accurately determine.
As I write this final harvest report, I have my third grow with 10 plants rounding third into the last month. I look back at some of the earlier mistakes and the absolute punishment I gave these plants, only to realize how vital those experiments are to my learning process. I know not to really mess with autos when it comes to LST. It certainly works and I love having bonsai style skeletons to look at in the end, but the yield was drastocally reduced. My first plant was about 95 dried grams by itself and these three amounted to about 25-30, 25-30, and about 45-50 for PPA3 which was topped but otherwise unmolested.
As far as the quality of the herb goes, my first harvest report is pretty much still accurate. When the buds are dry with little cure, they are more peppery/herbal/cloves-like. After the cure begins, the apple pie scents shine through with the cloves underneath. That's about as much as I can say. The flavor of a good pre-roll filled and let to dry for a day or so is amazing! I prefer to smoke with a bubbler which leaves me with a more generic cannabis flavor like when I was a teenager smoking who the fuck knows what.
My last thoughts on Barney's Farm PPA: I ordered more seeds last week and added these as my two freebies, and they will be grown again probably late summer (unless I buy another tent which I might bc I'm crazy). I have 8 seeds left for another great round. I started with soil that had other plants so my "hotness" was never really known and I struggled with nutrients most of the grow. Start with a quality soil and PPA will grow very smoothly. Cal Mag issues happened for me, but I'm not sure if that was more soil or plant or pH but worth monitoring. Since this is the only strain of cannabis I have ever grown, I think it has set a pretty high bar for my future expectations.
I don't know much about lights, but my two LEDs draw pretty low power as my bill is reasonable. I think the plants respond well to them. They are durable and sturdy even if they aren't a name brand. Roleadro is the brand I believe, GalaxyHydro 1000W is the model. Eighty-five bucks on Amazon and sometimes a 10% off coupon. When I get another tent I'll probably try another kind, but I'd recommend them for a new grower looking for a mid to low priced option.
Masshysteria
