First: Blueberry, Cream, Mango CBD Autos

This is my first grow ever. Scuffed the seeds in rolled up sandpaper, soaked them for about five hours then planted them directly into Rapid Rooters and gave them filtered water with no nutrients. Placed them in little pots set on a heated propagation mat. Sorry about taking the first pictures under the grow light. I'm growing them in a 48"X24"X60" tent.

Growing in Coco, I buffered the Coco with CaliMAGic and planted the Rapid Rooters into small 3X3 pots. I started to feed the seedlings a very light feeding of General Hydroponics CaliMAGic, Micro, Flora and Grow. I have been keeping the plants under a 4" dome.

Transplanted into 5 gal fabric pots at the end of the third week. I was originally going to plant them in these pots but didn't have enough coco to do it, so I planted them in the smaller 3"x3" pots for a little over a week. The transplant went fine. The roots were already all the way to the bottom of the pots and along the sides. They weren't root bound or even tight, but they were extending. Luckily, there was no transplant shock when I moved them. I have drainage below the pots and can flush nutrients through them. I increased the nutrients to the full strength I plan on using for this grow which adds up to roughly 550 ppm. It's a little on the conservative side for some, but the plants seem to like what I'm doing so far. They're not going to win any contests, but I'm just trying to keep them alive.

The plants have established themselves in their new pots and are growing rapidly. New shoots are starting to sprout near the leaves creating new branches,. I started LST focusing on the main stalk of the plant and bending it over. I used a hole punch ordinarily used for punching holes in paper on the top edge of the fabric pots to accommodate the soft wire I'm using for LST. The Critical Mango CBD is starting to put off a weak odor. The Blueberry and Cream aren't yet. The little square pots in the foreground are tomato and basil seeds I'm trying to grow.

First, the plants are, from left to right: Cream Auto, Critical Mango CBD Auto, Blueberry Auto. I'm trying to keep up with the LST each day. They grow about an inch or so a day and are really filling out. The LST is becoming more difficult on the main stalk as it's really getting thick and stiff. I'm afraid of breaking it, so I'm focusing more on branches and spreading them out so everything gets light. I'm not trimming or anything radical, just tucking leaves under and pulling the plants apart. This is only the case on the Cream and Critical Mango. For the Blueberry, I just pulled the main plant over and tied it down, but haven't been able to do much LST on the branches yet because they're so tight to the main plant. It's much more dense than the other two. The Cream and Critical Mango CBD have been putting out pistils for a few days. Blueberry is behind as far as that goes, but the other two are transitioning to flower. As the plants have been growing upward, I haven't been moving the light yet, I'm letting them get a little closer. So far there's no sign of leaves burning. The smell is definitely getting stronger as the pistils are forming. It really hits you in the face when you unzip the tent flap. I'm glad I have a carbon filter set up. Also, since I'm growing them in a 48"X24"X60" tent, I'm happy I didn't try to grow four plants. It really seems like three plants are going to fill it out nicely. Peace.

The past week the plants have really taken off. I've abandoned the LST for the most part. The main stems are getting really thick and I'm going to leave them alone. If I can pull the branches aside I will, but I think I'll let everything alone and watch them grow at this point. I rearranged the plants trying to get the Blueberry auto more light by putting it in the middle. The Cream and Mango CBD autos are flowering and stretching but the Blueberry is still in a very bushy vegetative state. It's putting off a lot of flower sites, and just starting to show a few pistils. I'm hoping it catches up because I'd like to harvest all at the same time. I've increased the bloom nutrients a little including giving the Cream and Mango a little M.O.A.B. for the first week of flower, but otherwise I'm just going to stick with what I'm doing for now.

All three plants continue to grow very fast each day. The Blueberry auto is full of vegetation and putting off bud sites. The Cream auto and Critical Mango CBD auto are really stretching and filling out their flowers. They're also more thirsty and taking nearly a gallon a day, which I split into two feedings. I've noticed a little leaf burn on the tips of the top leaves of Critical Mango CBD Auto. It might be it's growing too close to the light, or too many nutrients. I'm not giving them that much nutes, only around 550 - 600 total, but just in case, I've started flushing clean water every other watering during the day. I also put a mini dehumidifier in the tent to bring the humidity down to around 48 rh.

This week the blueberry exploded with growth. It's spreading out and covering the other two plants. It's a little droopy in the picture because I photoed it after it was in the dark for six hours. Even with its rapid growth this week, overall, the blueberry lags behind the critical mango CBD and the cream plants which are flowering. There's also a little bit of brown on the upper fan leaves indicating a possible Mg deficiency. Until recently, I've had a very conservative nutrient solution. I've increased the Mg from 2.5ml/gal to 4.0 ml/gal which is well within the limits others have used with good results. My total ppm is still less than 1000.. I've been having problems with my ph meter this past week so bought a new one. When I compared the two within a specific standardized ph solution, the meter I was using was off by .3, meaning, I've been using water that's at about 6.1 instead of 5.8. I'm not sure how long, but I calibrated it a couple weeks ago. Moving forward I'll see if this helps. I just received some Armor Si (silica) to add to my mix. Next time I'll use it throughout my entire grow. Otherwise, the plants are doing well. The cream and critical mango are stacking buds on their main cola and the branch colas are starting to form. Trichomes are forming on the flowering plants.

It's the middle of the 9th week and I'm continuing the same schedule of nutrients with my increase in Mg and the plants are doing well. I'm beginning to suspect the brown spots on the leaves were from spilling nutrient solution on some of the leaves. The brown spots look more like burns and are random. I haven't seen any other leaves showing these problems. The Blueberry Auto has become a little wild and has been crowding the other two plants. I decided to trim away a few of the less productive side shoots that were impinging on others. I also moved the Blueberry to the left side of the tent from the middle position and placed the Cream Auto in the center. The Blueberry continues to take up nutrients quite rapidly while the Cream has slowed down considerably. Critical Mango is also slowing down the uptake, but is taking more than the Cream. I have been watering the Blueberry quite a bit however, I haven't soak it enough for it to runoff the last few times. I decided to do a rinse just to clear any undissolved salts using a couple gallons of ph water and the ppm runoff was in the mid 400s. I then immediately soaked it with nutrient water using the usual formula. Hopefully, everything will be ok. I'd like to avoid any problems because of neglect or giving it too much attention. My focus is turning towards the Cream because the container doesn't seem to be getting any lighter. It's just not taking up the same amount of water as the Blueberry. Part of it can be explained by the fact that the Blueberry has a LOT of leaves that can take up water and transpire while the Cream has very thin Sativa-like leaves and a lot less of them. The Critical Mango is also behaving similar to Cream, but to a lesser amount. Mango has leaf characteristics and numbers of leaves somewhere between the other two. My concerns are of course, root rot and nutrient lock from accumulated minerals. Even with all these things considered, the plants continue to grow and fill out their buds nicely. The main cola on the Mango is really dense and plumping up. The colas on the Cream are numerous, but not as full yet. I've been ramping up my bloom (phosphorus) nutrients this week for the Cream and Mango by adding just a little M.O.A.B. nutrient. Blueberry got a small dose during it's first few days of flower to induce blooms, but I'll pull back until they establish. For the others, they're looking like they're moving into their last few weeks of bloom so I'll include extra phosphorus until harvest, being careful not to burn anything. One lesson I've learned from this first grow is I need to be more aggressive and more diligent about my LST because the cream and mango's main colas are much taller than the rest of the plant. I should have tried to SCROG the plants or at least kept those main stalks under control. For now, I've moved the tall colas into the corners and furthest away from the light so I can drop it down to the remaining plant surface. I've read that others have harvested their mains before the rest of the plant, but I"d like to avoid that if possible, especially since I'm planning on rinsing the soil a week before harvest. That could change. On the last day of the ninth week I've noticed that blueberry's overall plant height is now taller than the other two plants. The remainder of this grow is going to be a real challenge trying to keep things at the same height. I'll probably have to prop up the other two to keep them at the same height. For now, I'm going to keep blueberry in the center. Having it to the side the past week might be causing it to stretch, but it doesn't have any kind of leggy look to it. It's full top to bottom with leaves. I think it's just the nature of the plant. I probably won't mix these strains together in my next grow. The last thing I did this week was supercrop the blueberry. I bent all the stems outward away from the center of the plant to give them more light and get the colas a more even spread. Since I've never done this before, I'm hoping I didn't do any harm to the plant. Other than watering, I think it's time to leave the plants alone for a few days. I got my microscope working with my tripod so now I'm able to monitor the trichome production and development and included a pic of one of the sugar leaves.

At the end of week nine I supercropped the blueberry auto because the buds were buried under a canopy of leaves. It was just starting its flower but I thought I’d take a chance. I’m glad I did. Once I bent the stems of the branches out, the buds got more light, now they’re growing upward. The plant took a couple days to recover, but it’s doing great now. In fact, its larger size is crowding the other two plants out. My 24”x48”x60” tent just isn’t big enough for these three plants. The growth spurt of blueberry has caused it to cast a shadow on the other two. I have to rotate the plants to help all the buds get light. The cream is showing more brown hairs each day and the secondary colas are filling out more and getting taller, same for mango. The trichome production is also increasing. The trichomes are turning white, but most are still clear. Critical Mango CBD auto is also doing well with trichome production. There are more white trichomes than the Cream Auto with a few scattered amber ones showing. This is a CBD strain so I’m expecting I’ll harvest when more of these are amber than the other two. I’m using my same nutrient recipe but also adding a pinch of M.O.A.B. (Mother Of All Blooms) to help with bud growth. I'm using half the prescribed strength to prevent nute burn. I started giving it to the cream and mango last week, but now all three get it. I hope to see all the buds fatten up soon.

There's really not much to report this week, the plants are still growing and doing well. The blueberry experienced a little sunburn on its tender new leaves as it was growing upward rapidly. I have been raising the light until it's now at the top of the tent. I still don't think it's high enough. I took the plants out to soak them really well and flush nutrients through the coco. Nutrients at the bottom were less than what was going in. Otherwise, all the plants are packing on weight. They're getting more frosty and more of the trichomes are getting cloudy, but they're not turning amber yet. More leaves inside the plants are turning yellow (age) and some of the upper ones on the cream are turning just a little yellow too. I think it's starting to draw the chlorophyll out of itself. I don't think it's a problem, it's likely we're just getting closer to harvest, but something to watch.

The plants are coming along. Cream continues to be ahead of the other two. Its colas are getting more full and heavy. There's a strong smell established with cream as well. There were some dry leaves where the plant was crammed along the wall of the tent in my efforts to keep it away from the blueberry which is taking over the space. Otherwise, all the plants seem to be doing well.

This week I decided to flush the cream auto, but it turned out to be premature. I was noticing what I thought were amber trichomes with the camera but when I looked at them with my newly purchased loupe, they were cloudy with brown pistils in the background making them look amber, so I'm going to wait a few more days and keep close tabs on it. I did a flush one day and started to feed the plant again a day later. It's been getting more pale over the past couple weeks but it's just not there yet. The trichomes are almost all cloudy with a few amber trichomes, but not any sort of a pattern or buildup yet. The plant overall seems to be losing its chlorophyll on its own and the colas are getting big and heavy where the plant is having difficulty holding them up. It's also putting out a somewhat harsh smell, sort of a burnt caramel smell, but hard to describe. It's not a bright marijuana smell if that makes any sense. There's still a little skunky smell, but the earthy tone overtakes that. The critical mango CBD is also putting on weight and looks like it needs more time. It's putting out cloudy trichomes, but still a little behind the cream. Blueberry auto still has clear trichomes and white pistils however, it's definitely putting on weight. It's still drinking a lot of nutrients every day. Overall, I'm guessing I have two or three weeks to go before these are all out of the pots. I'm trying to stay patient, especially since I've invested nearly fourteen weeks into these plants. I got a bigger tent (32" x 60" x 80") so I can now raise the light and spread the plants out. It's not much bigger, but makes a big difference vs my 24"x 48"x 60" tent. More air can circulate within the plants and now they're not casting shadows on each other. The small tent will be used for drying.

The phenotype of the plant I grew was more Sativa-looking. Leaves were thin and a little dry, but the plant did well. I only wish it was a heavier producer. The harvest amount of 325 grams is the harvest (wet) weight of the plant and stems, so it's a more optimistic than reality. I'm sorry I don't have an accurate dry weight, I shared it with friends before having a chance to weigh it, but that's what it's all about. Everyone who's tried this strain absolutely loves it. I weighed one jar and it had .75 ounces of dry trimmed buds and I got three 32 oz sized mason jars filled with buds and one jar filled with sugary trim. The buds are airy and light, not real dense. It tastes real smooth and as it's curing it's getting better and better.

The Critical Mango CBD Auto is finishing up. I started the flush at the beginning of the week and will be chopping the plant soon. The trichomes are more frosty on this plant than the others and cloudy. It also puts out a very sharp odor unlike the others. Blueberry is stacking grapes on top of the cones and will be finishing up soon too.

Buds were dried for about four days then put into jars. I haven't tried it yet, but will update this diary after I do. It's a sticky plant with a lot of trichomes. I'm looking forward to it for medicinal purposes.

Blueberry is sort of giving up on its own. Leaves are yellowing so I started the final flush to get ready for harvest. Buds are still stacking up and the trichomes are almost all cloudy with a few amber.