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OFFICIAL SET UP
Tent 2 ft X 4 ft X 5 ft
(2) G8 Led grow lights 140 actual watts each
(1) G8 Led bloom lights 245 actual watts
(1) G8 Led Red bloom booster 90 actual watts
Hydrofarm PPF/PAR meter
3 Gallon Maxi pots
(4) 1020 reinforced drainage trays
(1) Exhale Co2 bags
Autopilot Temperature/Humidity/Co2 monitor
(2) 6 inch 2-speed circulation fans
4 inch 190 cfm variable speed exhaust fan with carbon filter
H&M tds meter (0.5 ppm scale)
Hanna ph meter
Customized Air innovations 2 gallon cool mist ultrasonic humidifier
Precision hand held watering device (Turkey baster)
SOIL COMPONENTS
Biobizz Light mix
Canna Coco Coir mix
Fox Farm Ocean Forest mix
Perlite
Azos nitrogen fixing bacteria
Mykos
Bulk mix proportions
70% Fox Farm Ocean Forest
25% Canna Coco Coir
5% Perlite
Seedling mix proportions
7 parts Biobizz light
1 part Canna Coco Coir
1 part Perlite
SEEDLING / VEG. NUTRIENTS
Canna Bio Rhizotonic
Canna Bio Vega
BLOOM NUTRIENTS
Advanced Nutrients
Connoisseur Bloom A & B
Big Bud
Canna PK 13/14
SUPPLEMENTS
AN B-52
AN Bud Candy
Botanicare Cal/Mag
P 31 Microbes
Si 28 SA Fe
Cannazyme
General Hydroponics Armor Si
Organic Blackstrap Molasses
Epsom Salt
FLUSHING SOLUTION
General Hydroponics Flora-kleen
LED Light Intensities
Recommended LED PPF/PAR Values / DLI Based on 20 hrs of light.
Seedlings 150 - 200 umoles / DLI 10.80 - 14.4 moles per day
Veg up to 9" 450 umoles / DLI 32.40 moles per day
Early bloom 500 umoles / DLI 36.00 moles per day
Mid bloom 650 umoles / DLI 46.80 moles per day
Late bloom 750 umoles / DLI 54.00 moles per day
Ripen 400 umoles / DLI 28.80 moles per day
*** Use extreme caution going 700 umoles or higher @ 20 hrs/day this could cause leaf burn***
PPF measures the total amount of PAR emitted from the lighting system per second.
PAR is the amount of light in the 400 - 700 nm color spectrum that can actually be used by the plant.
PAR does not measure the amount of UV and Infrared that plays a part in trichome formation and cell quality.
DLI is the total amount of PAR the plant has received per day
Our goal is to have a minimum DLI in the 38-40 mole range when it bloom.
https://www.waveformlighting.com/horticulture/daily-light-integral-dli-calculator
https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/blogs/news/horticulture-metrics-par-ppf-ppfd-dli
Having your plants in the optimum LVPD(Leaf Vapor Pressure Deficit) ranges helps them absorb Co2 to properly conduct photosynthesis and allows the root system to adequately utilize water and nutrients. Using average leaf temperature is the best way to calculate LVPD. Measure this temperature using an infrared thermometer.
LED lights tend to have leaf temperatures lower than atmospheric temperatures in the grow room. Growers using HID, Fluorescent bulbs typically will have temperatures higher than room temperature. With HPS leaf temperature can be 8 - 10 F higher than room temperatures due to the amount of infrared emitted by the bulb.
Recommended LVPD
Seedlings/Early Veg 0.4 - 0.8 kPa
Late Veg/Early Bloom 0.8 - 1.2 kPa
Mid/Late Bloom 1.2 - 1.6 kPa
*** Danger Zone*** Below 0.4 kPa / Over 1.6 kPa
https://www.dimluxlighting.com/knowledge/vapor-pressure-deficit-vpd-calculator/
https://vpdcalculator.com/vpd-calculator
https://www.blackdogled.com/lst
WEEK 1 UPDATE
Off to a descent start except something (A bug) ate the cotyledon off one seedling and has been chewing on the first true leaves on another. Had to re-sprout one seed due to this issue. I have to check my yellow sticky traps to see if the culprit has been caught. Dropped my light down to 24 inches on day 6. Expect to see some nice growth for week 2.
WEEK 2 UPDATE
One plant is growing nicely. The rest have unfortunately been chewed on by an insect which has slowed their growth. SUCCESS ! I had something chewing on my Strawberry Nuggets so I sprinkled some food grade diatomaceous earth around all of my plants in the tent in hopes of killing the little bugger. About an hour after lights out I checked with a small flashlight and caught a small Palmetto bug in the act. It seemed almost frozen there from the D.E. or enough so I could grab it with my hand. These run around wild everywhere outside down here in Florida and get pretty large compared to a common cockroach. Oddly enough it only took a small bite out of my Diesel cookies growing in the same tent but seemed to prefer my SN.
Started a light feeding on day 10 and another on day 14 using about a pint or 1/2 liter of solution over the top layer of soil.
Checked moisture levels deeper in the pot using digital moisture meter showing the soil is retaining optimal moisture for root growth.
Dropped my lights down to 20 inches on day 14. Humidity running 65%.
WEEK 3 UPDATE
The dominant plant is growing nicely showing off some nice wide Indica fan leaves with fairly short inter-nodes but she's not quite tall enough to start training. The rest of the crew are recuperating after being chomped on and playing catch-up. Received a watering with R.O. water with cal/mag added around day 17 then a light feeding on day 21.
WEEK 4 UPDATE
Short squat plants so far with huge Indica type leaves. One or two are starting to show more preflower development and a little stretch. The other two are about 5+ days behind the others in development.
Did some LST work moving branches into position and pulling/tucking large fan leaves down and to the rear to get more light on the growth points.
Watered with R.O. water with a bit of Rhizotonic and Cal/Mag then ended the week with a bit of a flush. Noticed some clawing on one plant they all have dark green leaves like too dark. Run off was over 1850 ppm took them down to under 1000 ppm. I will see where I land in week 5. I know Indica strains tend to be heavier feeders than sativa hopefully I got them in time.
NOTE: Looks like my soil mixture is a bit hot for autos will have to increase my coco coir percentage and hold off on any n-p-k nutrients until they are truly needed on future grows.
WEEK 5 UPDATE
Short and sweet! I can tell already this girl is going to kick out some tight-ass buds just the way I like them.
Inter-node distance is pretty short but I chose to pull the largest fan leaves to the rear and sides of the main cola and tuck a few here and there.
End of the week started removing the lowest older fan leaves and micro bud sites. Started implementing slight stress by giving the stems a slight bend (30-40 degrees) using my half-cropping technique.
Gave them a nice nutrient feeding then alternating with applications of P31 microbes, LABS (Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum) and Organic Blackstrap Molasses. I've also started using a wet then dry type watering cycle to induce additional slight stresses during bloom.
Looking forward to week 6, I'll be introducing higher light/PAR values which will force the plant to protect itself by producing more trichomes over the next few weeks up to harvest.
For information on making your own LABS to increase your plants terpene potential.
https://themodern.farm/why/
https://www.marijuanaseeds.com/mighty-weapon-for-boosting-cannabis-yield/
WEEK 6 UPDATE
Looks like the dominant plant is done with it's stretch topping out at 18".
She's short and squat with some huge fan leaves which I tried to preserve as many as possible but had to selectively remove a few that were blocking light to some bud sites.
Looks like I have 2 phenotype one with a heavy thick main cola stem and shorter inter nodes and another with a more branching bushier structure with more bud sites with nice inter node spacing.
They received 2 feedings and one application of LABS at the end of the week. Run off after feeding is running slightly over 1000 ppm with a ph of 6.1.
Lowered my light a bit hitting them with about 650-700 umole according to my PAR meter.
Trying to keep temperatures under 80 F has been challenging so I'm using my summer time light schedule of lights off at 11:00 am through 3:00 pm during the hottest times of day.
WEEK 7 UPDATE
Pretty basic week with a feed then LABS application then another feeding ending the week. Cranking out some light on these girls they seem to be soaking it up well.
WEEK 8 UPDATE
The girls are filling in and frosting up.
They seemed to be slowing down on their feeding receiving one feeding and one watering this week. Had run off in the 1200 ppm range which is a bit higher than I like.
The one dominant plant looks like shes almost ready to flush. The rest are about a week behind her.
While working on them I did some more defoliating some of the largest fan leaves to open up the lower buds to more light.
Smell is very pleasant reminds me of Strawberry Filled Doughnuts.
I will try to take more photos for week 9.
WEEK 10 UPDATE
Giving these girls just plain R.O. water. Looking to harvest around day 75 when a few more amber trichome show themselves. Removed most of the fan leaves to simplify the harvest these buds are tight. One plant is showing a nice blush pink in the buds the other three are holding on hard to their green coloration. Smell coming off them is very,very nice.
Official Strain Review
Mephisto Strawberry Nuggets
Genetics: (Bog Seeds) Sour Strawberry Kush X 24 Carat F3 Pink Pheno
Indica/Sativa: 85/15
4- Plants
Grow area 2 ft x 2 ft=4 sq.ft. ( Half of a 2 ft x 4 ft grow tent)
G8-450 Bloom light draws 240 true watts
4 sq. ft. / 240 watts = 60 watts per square ft.
Harvest weight 190 grams = 6.70 oz.
0.79 grams per watt
How They Grow: Expect nice growth with very short inter-node spacing with large/very large (Hand Size) wide dark green Indica type fan leaves. Use leaf tucking and manipulation to ensure the large fan leaves are not blocking light to growth sites at each leaf node. These will develop into fairly short, stout and wide plants. Using larger pots could increase plant size potential.
Use LST training if desired but the main stem was quite rigid and wide requiring multiple smaller manipulations in 2-3 sessions rather than 1 quick bend in order to prevent causing a stress crack. The strain looks like allowing the plant to growth in its natural shape would also work well because of its short size.
Stretch was minimal and could actually benefit from using techniques to encourage more stretching like introducing a slightly higher red spectrum light in combination with larger day/night temperature swings earlier in veg. stage.
How They Bloom: They started off fairly slow but quickly developed into a “very” dense/tight bud structure with nice calyx development and tiny sugar leaves throughout. Buds grew very close to or on top of one another. I chose to manipulate some bud stems to allow good air movement and light to reach the whole bud which was done with great difficulty. Leaf tucking/tying and slight strategic defoliation was needed to ensure ample light would reach the bud sites.
During peak bloom/late bloom one plant pheno showed reddish/pink coloration with just a slight color change in the rest. The odor was reminiscent of jelly filled doughnuts. Harvested day 74-77. Trichomes mostly cloudy/milky with 25% amber. Wet trimmed, dried then cured 3 weeks for test smoke.
Smoke Report: I found the strain to be very flavorful with slightly sweet/sour berry type flavor possibly a touch of skunk funk. She’s defiantly a late evening type smoke which would be excellent for use to help with anxiety, mild pain and induce a nice relaxed sleep. Harvesting earlier in the harvest window could help control the almost narcotic type body high experienced with this strain.
Final Thoughts: I truly enjoyed growing this strain. The Indica dominant effects and bud structure were very much to my liking. I would call this more of a small batch personal connoisseur type strain which is great for filling your head stash jars and sharing with friends. If you’re the type that likes QP harvests off each plant this may not be your strain but if you like your girls short, sweet and flavorful give her a try she’s surely going to impress you.
@Philindicus, each year it s the same thing....but now due to strong North American demand it seems harder than ever 😓 and u right 😋 i still have some beans but considering the bad weather here i haven't put it to germinate ....because i am tired of being subjected has such fluctuation outdoors....in addition if we add thieves😡
i will reserve them for indoor now .... my equipment is soon ready .... 👍👊😉
@Budofpray, Thank you, I'm sure you still have a few Mephisto seeds tucked away. Not sure what's up with Mephisto their seeds are very hard to come by.
Congratulations on another excellent grow. I think more than a pound per square meter is big yield already.
I am sure that there can be more. But for own consumption this is plenty and then some. So, this the type of strain that I would like.
Great work, excellent write up. Appreciate your sharing of experience.
@Med_in_Tropic, Nice I need to do some edibles also. Still like my infused vodka when I'm not in the mood to smoke. It's interesting how different the type of high you get between smoking,drinking,eating infused cannabis.
@Philindicus, I won't grow this. Just admiring you from afar. 😁
My parameters and goals are different from yours. Had a bad grow with a strawberry strain recently due to humidity. So, I'll grow what works for me. That is mold resistance high potency stuff.
These day, my oil is more popular than just plain weed. And I am experimenting on how to get cannabis into chocolate and jelly. Totally spoil the conneseaur aroma and flavor thing.
@Med_in_Tropic,Thanks, My goal is usually to get 2 ounces of great quality solid bud out of each plant. It can vary up or down. If you grow this strain you would have to grow inside where you can control your humidity while in bloom because the buds were very dense/tight in order to avoid bud rot mold issues.
@GreenHouseLab, Yes I agree. Eight 3 gallon maxi pots fit perfectly in my 2 x 4 ft tent. They are fairly deep also. It seems as soon as the roots hit the bottom about the end of week 3 triggers them to start blooming and I usually wait until week 5 to officially say they are in bloom.
@Philindicus, you should considering you started flowering at week 5 and you got fast bud development. Being in a 3 gal pot Does help with earlier flowering in my experience.
@Med_in_Tropic, This is like just all of a sudden. One photo takes 3-4 minutes to upload or cancels on me. On my AK diary I was cranking uploads out 12 or more at a time. Everything here in the USA is a rip off.
@DeaneR,GD said their techs are working on the 50 F issue. I've seen a few outdoor growers use companion plants sunflowers,dill and other plants that seem more attractive to certain insects to spare their luscious cannabis plants. Looks like the warm weather here is bringing them out. Unfortunately the cat likes to drag a few in the house to play with this one evidently got away.
Always a pleasure to follow and read your diaries!!
Mephisto has some sticky buds👍 Enjoy the smoke.....I couldn’t get my hands on that strain......next order😃
@Philindicus, Same here....being in Canada I am forced to their .ca site and I get the emails as well.......but boom......gone in 48 hours idea! Good for them😀
Not to make a general statement about all of their genetics but checking your opinion.........I find them very temperamental in the first two weeks of growth from Mephisto!! I have to keep convincing myself......very little feed and very low light.......have better success with T5 for first two weeks before the LED. Too much light or starting nutes too soon.......boom......stunted. Have you found similar compared to some others where you can go hard right away?
Cheers!
@PrairieFrostGrow, Thank you, Not sure what's been going on at Mephisto but it seems like their genetics are very hard to find. Every time they email me with a new drop I try to snatch up as many as possible.
You're plants look like thier doing really well, I'm also doing a Mephisto genetics strain - Auto S.O.D.K . I've defoliated it and it's doing pretty well tbf. Its pre flowering/ pre flower stretching. Happy growing
@Med_in_Tropic, I wish my upload speed was better automated. I seem to be having issues the past couple of diaries with uploading photos. It's probably my internet provider screwing me so I will upgrade my speed for more $$$.
@DankGardener, I've been wanting to pop some Mephisto for a while. I've still got a few more packs of their strains in my refrigerator. Wish I had another tent but I try keep things as stealthy as possible. At some point I'm just going to pick about a half dozen strains to work with exclusively.
Even though you seemed to not have a huge stretch in veg, the outcome looks just perfect.
Beautiful buds ! What else could we achieve :D
Much love from Germany, keep going/growing!
Big ol indica leaves that’s forsure. They still look healthy as ever though man. I guess you now know the strain that won’t give you height problems in the future lol I really feel like my Auto purple kush is headed in the same direction, biggest leaves I’ve ever seen on my seedlings. I’ll stay tuned for more great information as usual.