Outdoor Grow 2020

Day 0 - March 24 2020: Planted Blue Dream, Purple Kush, and Girl Scout Cookies from seed Using two 45W Indoor LED Grow Lights (18-6 Light/Dark Cycle) Starting indoors and hoping to move outdoors by mid-to-late May, but will be weather-dependent. Living in Toronto, Canada. So far, both Purple Kush and one GSC have broken soil within 24 hours. Patiently waiting for the Blue Dream to wake up. Wish me luck! 😀👍

Week 2: April 5 2020 - April 11 2020 A total of 3 plants survived, and luckily they were one of each strain. It was a bit of touch and go for a minute there; I tried planting a few more seeds, but they didn't take. I kept the lights lower to the pots while trying to sprout new seeds, and a few of the leaves got a bit crispy. The cotyledons and first set of leaves on the GSC and Purple Kush took the most damage, but they seem to have bounced back. I gave up and decided to stick with the 3 that survived. I've raised the lights in accordance to the plant's sizes. Apologies for the infrequent updates. The world has been crazy these last few weeks and my job is essential. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy out there. Thanks for checking out my grow.

Week 3: April 12 2020 - April 18 2020 Not much to update, just steady growth. The plants have doubled in size and all look quite healthy. The Blue Dream looks a little bit droopy but it gets bigger every day. I'm going to keep my eye on it, but I don't think it's much to worry about. GSC and Purple Kush have caught up and are growing well. Thanks for checking out my diary, and feel free to post any comments or questions. Have a happy 4/20, everyone, and stay safe! Cheers!

Week 4: April 19 2020 - April 25 2020 Plants are exactly one month old. Steady progress. They've all shot up in size and continue to look healthy. They're all about 5 inches tall with GSC just a bit higher. Thinking about topping them in the next 2 weeks or so. We'll see what they look like then. Not much else to update, just happy they've made it this far. 😍 Thanks for stopping by. Cheers and stay safe!

Week 5: April 26 2020 - May 2 2020 Plants shot up about 2-3 inches over the past week. Some of the bottom leaves are starting to get lighter and turning a bit yellow, but all new growth is still a healthy dark green. I gave them a light nutrient feeding on Thursday and cut off the dying leaves. We had some amazing weather over the weekend so the plants were able to spend most of their time getting some natural sunlight, which I think they loved. Only a couple more weeks and I hope to move these girls outside permanently. Aiming for the long weekend (May 16-18) if the weather cooperates. Just trying to decide if I should top the plants now, or wait until I transplant and they're accustomed to outdoors. Any suggestions or feedback is more than welcome. Thanks for checking out my update. Cheers!

Week 6: May 3 2020 - May 9 2020 Steady growth and the girl's look healthy and happy. Gave them another nutrient feeding and they spent a couple more afternoon's outside. Some bottom leaves still looking a little light, but I'm not too concerned. I'll probably clean them up this week. One more week and they should be moved to the backyard! Looking forward to transplanting them into their new homes. Based on their sizes now and the pots I got this year, I think I'm gonna have a few trees on my hands. Still debating if I should top the plants now or wait until they're outside. Interested in what other people might think. Feel free to let me know in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by!

Week 7: May 10 2020 - May 16 2020 I decided to top the plants at the beginning of the week because the weather has been below seaonsal, so I'm delaying transplanting outdoors for another week or so. We have had a couple nice days, but it's been mostly rainy and cold... We even got some frost and wet snow last week! 2020 has been something... On the nice days, the plants get about 4-6 hours in direct sunlight, and they seemed to have responded well to the topping. They're all branching out nicely and I'm starting to see how robust they're going to be in the coming weeks. I got everything set up and ready to go for outside, just waiting for Mother Nature to cooperate. My goal is to get them outside before June, and according to the forecast, better weather is coming towards the end of the month. Hope everyone is staying safe out there. As always, thanks for stopping by and checking out my update. PS: Thanks to those who reached out and answered my question last week. I wrestled with the decision for a couple days, but I really appreciate the time and help from the community. Cheers!

Week 8: May 17 2020 - May 23 2020 Last week inside! Plants are now 2 months old and are extremely healthy. GSC grows new leaves daily and is getting watered almost just as much. Pots are almost bone dry by the end of the day. Can't wait any longer and will move the plants outside this week, likely tomorrow (Monday). Can't wait to see their progress in the coming weeks. Thanks for stopping by!

Week 9: May 24 2020 - May 30 2020 Transplanted into 45 Litre (approx. 12 Gallon) pots on Monday (20"x12"x14"). Less than a week outside, and the girl's weren't even phased by it. Had amazingly warm weather to start the week, and things cooled off with some much needed rain Thursday and Friday. Plants look super healthy and are promoting lots of growth. Girl Scout Cookies is already a little bush and filling out like crazy... Maintenance and trimming are gonna be full time jobs it looks like. Purple Kush is branching out nicely, and Blue Dream is steady but a little behind compared to the rapid growth of the others. Overall, super happy with the results and the plants look great! Would love to know what people think! Thanks for stopping by and checking out my grow. Cheers!

Week 10: May 31 2020 - June 6 2020 Got hit with some pests this week, but thanks to the community I think I acted just in time. I was able to make a homemade (mostly organic) repelent using water, neem oil, and a very few small drops of Dawn liquid dish soap... I mean, they use it to clean oil off of ducks so how bad could it be? Since spraying it down on Thursday after suggestions from the community, there hasn't been any new damage, and the plant is promoting new growth. Luckily, the bugs only went after one plant, but I still sprayed all three just to be safe. Time will tell, but things are looking good so far. Blue Dream shot up a couple inches and is growing big, long fan leaves. She was the last plant to sprout, and has been a bit slow and stubborn since going outside. Hopefully she's starting to perk up. Girl Scout Cookies is an absolute monster, and hasn't skipped a beat since moving outdoors. The healthiest and largest of the bunch, her stock is as thick as a quarter and the new branches are as big as the plant beore transplanting. Huge, dense fan leaves grow every day, the pictures don't do it justice. Super surpised at how strong and healthy she is. I'll probably be topping her again at some point either this week, or next. Purple Kush has seen better days, and as far as I can see, was the sole victim of the pest attack. I sprayed the plants on Thursday and followed their regular feeding schedule on Friday. Over the weekend, I've noticed the color come back and aside from a few holes in some fan leaves, the plant seems to be bouncing back. New growth is starting to come in, and she's bushed out a bit more since using the repelent. I don't want to jinx anything, but I'm hoping I took care of the pests before any real damage could be done. Will continue to keep an eye on her and will clean up the dying leaves this week. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my grow, and a huge thanks to the people who responded to my Grow Question earlier in the week. Cheers!

Week 11: June 7 2020 - June 13 2020 Blue Dream: Steady growth. She seems to have finally adjusted to the outdoors. New leaves are big and long, and she's starting to put up some height. Girl Scout Cookies: The beast shows no signs of slowing down. Topped her again for the second time on June 10. She's branching off nicely and new shoots should hit the top of the canopy within a couple weeks, I'm guessing. Great genetics with this plant, I can't believe the size compared to the others. I saved a couple clippings from the bottom and am hoping to get some clones. Fingers crossed. Purple Kush: Looks like she's fully recovered from the pest attack, but she doesn't look the prettiest. New growth is coming in strong and she appears to be healthy, despite a few blemishes. Still keeping an eye on her, but I'm pretty sure she'll be just fine. Thanks for checking out my grow. Cheers!

Week 12: June 14 2020 - June 20 2020 Topped Blue Dream and Purple Kush for the second time on Thursday (June 18). New growths are starting to pop through the canopy of Girl Scout Cookies. Very excited to see how fast she starts growing now. Hoping the other two plants respond just as well to the topping. Great week, no problems whatsoever. Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

Week 13: June 21 2020 - June 27 2020 Did some light defoliation and cleaned up some of the small, weaker growths and leaves off the bottom and middle of the plants. Noticed some small pest damage on a couple leaves, so I sprayed them down again with the home-made repelent from a few weeks back (water + Dawn + neem oil). Saw a few ladybugs in the garden over the weekend, hopefully they'll tell their friends and put an end to my pest problem. Other than that, girls are just vegging out and loving life. To my fellow Canadians, Happy Canada Day this upcoming Wednesday! Cheers!

Week 14: June 28 2020 - July 4 2020 Spun the pots around 180 degrees to let the other sides of the plants get some sunshine. Other than that, just letting them do their thing. Thanks for checking in. Cheers!!

Week 15: July 5 2020 - July 11 2020 It was insanely hot again this week. The plants were drinking pretty much daily and they needed it. Finally got a break in the weather with some rain this weekend. Plants are thriving and super healthy.

Week 16: July 12 2020 - July 18 2020 Another great week, weather-wise. Blue Dream shot up another 6 inches this past week. Looks like she might be starting to transition as the days get shorter. The other two are steadily putting up height, but not as noticeable. If this rate keeps up, she could be 7 feet tall by August. 😂 Girl Scout Cookies had some yellowing leaves on the inside of the plant, but the rest of her is thriving. I cleaned up the middle this weekend and you can't even tell any leaves were removed. I'm wondering when would be a good time to switch from veg nutrients to flower. Should I start when first signs of flowering/buds are seen? Or some time before so the nutrients are already there when the plant starts to flower? Any feedback is more than welcome. Thanks for taking the time and checking out my grow. Hope you're having a safe and awesome summer. Cheers.

Week 17: July 19 2020 - July 25 2020 Quite a few yellow leaves at the bottom of the plants as they continued to stretch this week. Cleaned them up over the weekend, and slightly increased their nutrients. Will be rotating the pots again next week and do any final trimming and pruning before they hop fully into flower. Plants are healthy and doing great. Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

Week 18: July 26 2020 - August 1 2020 Another great week. Plants continue to stretch and more and more pistils are showing up. Only a few more weeks until they should fully be into flower. Rotated the pots and cleaned up some more dying leaves and lower growths under the canopy... If anyone needs a bunch of clones, let me know... 😅 I'm trying to do all my trimming, pruning and (light) super-cropping over this stretch before the plants start to bloom, that way they can focus on the taller branches and colas. Slowly started introducing new nutrients better suited for flowering (20-30-20 NPK), and will gradually increase them over the coming weeks. We're onto the homerun stretch! Happy August!

Week 19: August 2 2020 - August 8 2020 Lots of rain to start the week and cooler temperatures throughout. A few more yellow leaves showing up, but nothing alarming. Pistils keeping popping up and are starting to clump together. Purple Kush looks like it's going to switch any day now. 2-3 more weeks and we should be fully into flower. Plants continue to look healthy and are doing amazing! Thanks for stopping by and checking out this week's update. Cheers!

Week 20: August 9 2020 - August 15 2020 (Flowering Begins) Last week of veg! Girl Scout and Purple Kush flipped around Thursday/Friday, and Blue Dream is a few days ahead of them. Old fan leaves continue to yellow and die off, and I clean them up as they pop up. Plants seem healthy overall. Blue Dream is yellowing faster than the other two, and it looks a little lighter to me. Wondering if it's lack of nutrients, or if I'm just overthinking it? Would love some feedback. Thanks for keeping up with me this far along, I'm excited to share how these turn out towards harvest! Cheers!

Week 21: August 16 2020 - August 22 2020 Great week, weather-wise except for some strong winds in the middle of the week. Some branches and leaves took some damage and went a little limp, but they all seem to have bounced back. Still more yellowing, I'm pulling dead leaves off the plants pretty much every day. I know it's natural and it has been a bit cooler at night recently, but I'm still a little bit concerned. Other than that, new growth is coming in strong, has a nice green color, and the little buds look healthy so far. First full week of flower under the belt. Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

Week 22: August 23 2020 - August 29 2020 After some more research and reaching out to the community, I realized the girl's probably haven't been getting enough food since switching to flower. I know yellowing leaves is natural, especially as the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, but I felt it was happening too quickly so soon into flower. Overall, my grow this year has been pretty painless, so I have been pretty conservative on nutrients because the plants didn't show any signs of defciencies or toxicities pretty much all through veg. I would usually mix a nutrient solution in about 5-6 L of water and then feed that across all three plants. Based on the size of these monsters now, I quickly realized this was no longer enough for the home run stretch. I usually fertilize on Fridays, but decided to feed the plants on Wednesday so I could monitor them for a couple extra days. I'm trying a new fertilizer (15-30-15) and found an appropriate mixture for 2 L of water, and added an extra 0.5 L to dilute it a bit, and fed each plant that amount. While there have still been some yellowing leaves, it has not been as frequent and I only pulled dead leaves once this weekend, as opposed to almost every day last week. New growth is still a healthy green, and some of the buds are starting to show their shape. Blue Dream even has some frost on her already! Thanks for stopping by for this week's update, and a huge thanks to those that reached out about the question I posted earlier in the week. Hope you're all staying safe as summer winds down. Cheers!

Week 23: August 30 2020 - September 5 2020 Great week, not a lot to comment on. Leaves keep yellowing, but it is what it is at this point. I don't want to mess around with changing nutrients when there's realistically only about 6-8 weeks left in the season. The past couple weeks, I've increased the amount of nutrients each plant receives weekly and I'm just going to stick with that until I start flushing before harvest. Plants still look healthy despite some of the dying yellow leaves, but no other signs of toxicites or anything. Plants look good, buds are developing, and branches are strong... If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Blue Dream's buds are starting to take form and there's already a few that are looking good right now. The plant is nowhere near close to harvesting, but it's definitely ahead of the other two. More than likely, Blue Dream will be coming down first while Girl Scouts and Purple Kush will probably stay out for a couple extra weeks. Would love to know what people think! Thanks again for stopping by, and hope you're staying safe. Cheers!

Week 24: September 6 2020 - September 12 2020 Wet and cool for most of the week, but shaped up to be a nice weekend. Weather forecast looks great next week, too. Girls are happy and continue to put on weight. The buds are starting to take their shape and get bigger almost daily. You can really start to notice the smell now, especially when there is a nice breeze. Not much else to say, pretty smooth week. Growing dope is the best! Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

Week 25: September 13 2020 - September 19 2020 Had a bit of a cold snap this week. Temperatures went down to 4 degrees (39 F) on Friday night! Used some old tarps to cover them up overnight for a little bit of protection. Plants survived, but I'm sure they didn't like it. Forecast looks good for the next couple weeks, higher than normal temperatures, close to 20 (68 F), and still no rain in sight. Buds are getting bigger and I'm getting some awesome colors. Hoping they can last another month if the weather cooperates, and so far it looks like it will. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you're staying safe. Cheers!

Week 26: September 20 2020 - September 26 2020 Great week, no issues, no complaints. Buds are getting fatter and the smell is really starting to come off of them. Fertilized for the last time on Friday and will begin flushing with water until harvest. Blue Dream looks like she can come down now but trichomes are still milky with very little amber. Keeping a close eye on her but I think 2-3 weeks more at most before she's chopped. Girl Scout Cookies is an absolute beast! She got some wild colors from the cold snap last week and she looks awesome. I got some dead leaves I could pull, but they all look awesome with the reds, purples and greens. Buds are dense too! The pictures and videos don't do them justice. The fan leaves have long stems so they're hiding the buds, but if you pull them back, each cola is huge and gets bigger almost daily. Trichomes are starting to come in more heavily, and pistils are just starting to turn red. Purple Kush is starting to put on weight and has really shaped up in the last couple weeks. Surprised she's still so green compared to the purple in Girl Scouts, but it could just be the phenotype. She's definitely the furthest back of the two and may stay out a little longer. Overall, I'm extremely impressed and happy with my results this year. Decent weather in the forecast for the month of October. Looks like we're on the road to a pretty sweet harvest. Hope everyone is staying safe. Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

Week 27: September 27 2020 - October 3 2020 It rained off and on for about 3 or 4 days this week. Blue Dream was starting to get weighed down so I tied her up to the support beam to avoid any branch damage. I'll think she will be ready to go in another week or so, give or take a few days. Trichomes are all milky and more and more amber are starting to pop up. I'm hoping we get a few days of solid sun so she can dry out a bit before cutting her down. I might even move her under the canopy in the backyard for the last week. Girl Scout Cookies and Purple Kush are still aways out, I'm thinking at least another 2, if not 3 weeks for them. Still no frost in the forecast and they're pretty hardy so I'm sure they can take it. Unfortunately, one cola on Purple Kush started to rot at the top, I'm guessing from all the rain. I've kept a close eye on her and no other part of the plant seems affected. It sucks, but one cola out of about 20 ain't bad. 😅👍 Thanks for stopping by, and as always, stay safe! Cheers!

Week 28: October 4 2020 - October 10 2020 Last week for Blue Dream. Started cutting her down on Saturday and finished the rest on Sunday. Girl Scout Cookies and Purple Kush are still doing their thing, but starting to slow down. Another week or two, tops. GSC may be next as PK seems to still be bulking up a bit. I'm hoping Blue Dream will be finished drying and jarred up by the time I chop the last two down, otherwise I'm going to have to find another spot for them. I will post my harvest results for Blue Dream shortly. It's looking like a pretty decent haul! 😍 Thanks for stopping by and sticking around for my grow this season! I'm sad to see it coming to an end. Cheers!

One of my favorite strains, Blue Dream packed a punch! This 5 foot giant flowered for about 9 weeks and produced a dried weight of 10 ounces. Waited until the trichomes were milky white with about 10%-20% amber. Cut off a bunch of fan leaves while the plant was still potted, and chopped it down over the course of a weekend. Hung to dry in my shed for a week, and then did a final trim and clean up before hanging up again for a few more days. Jarred up and began the burping and curing process 2 weeks after initial harvest. Smoke is smooth and has a nice taste, not harsh at all. The smell leaves a bit more to be desired, it honestly smells like the weed you would get back in high school... but it's definitely better than the stuff I was smoking 20 years ago! 😂 The aromas come out a bit more once you break it up, but it isn't as potent as I thought it would be. Could just be the result of growing outdoors, which would explain the more earthy quality to it. Overall, the effects are great, so a minor complaint from me.

Week 29: October 11 2020 - October 17 2020 And then there were two! Blue Dream is all trimmed and cleaned up, just hanging in the garage for a couple more days. Will start jarring this week. Already tried some out and so far, so good. Can't wait until it's fully cured. Girl Scout and Purple Kush are coming up towards the end of flowering. Buds are dense and filled with resin. This will probably be their last week until they're chopped down and hung this weekend. I'll be sure to update the Blue Dream harvest later this week. As always, thanks for stopping by and checking in. Hope you're staying safe. Cheers!

Week 30: October 18 2020 - October 24 2020 And with that, the grow is over. Chopped down Girl Scout Cookies and Purple Kush this past weekend. Got them cleaned up and hanging in the garage. Insane harvest! Moved Blue Dream into jars and have started burping and curing. Dried weight, I ended up with just over 10 ounces. I've been sampling it these past couple weeks, and it's a pretty good smoke. Very statisfied with results. We got hit with some bad wet weather this week, and Purple Kush really started to turn due to rot. Looking back, I could have chopped her down last week, but I thought she could go the few extra days. Losses were minimal, I was still able to harvest majority of the plant and lost maybe 2 branches at most. Girl Scout Cookies is the clear winner this year. Not only was she a gorgeous looking plant, the yields were insane. Red and purple leaves, but the buds were bright green and filled with resin. The colas were huge and dense, and she smells fruity and sweet. Yields are looking like over a pound, easily. Hands down one of the best plants I've ever grown. I tried a little bit and it knocked me on my ass. Can't wait until she's dried and cured properly. I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for sticking around and checking in on my grow over the past year. 2020 has been crazy with the state of the world, but I found solice on this site, and with the community. Huge shoutout and thanks to everyone who checked things out, left a comment, answered questions, or gave a like or a follow. I appreciate you all and thank you for all your help and tips throughout my grow. Take care, stay safe, and be well. We'll see you in March 2021 when I decide what to grow next year. Cheers!

Hands down one of the best plants I've ever grown! Absolutely no complaints or issues with Girl Scout Cookies from seed to harvest. She grew big fan leaves with long stems and didn't even flinch when she got topped. The plant wasn't phased at all when transplanted outdoors. My other two plants took about a week or so to adapt and adjust, but GSC didn't stop growing. The plant branched out beautifully and had great spacing between internodes. She clones super easily and I was able to get 4 different clippings between June and July to root in a glass of water within a couple weeks. I've got one clone left that I'm hoping to keep alive during the winter for next year, the rest I gave away and friends were able to get a harvest from them. The plant is very resilient to pests. She was 2 feet away from another plant in my garden that got attacked by thrips and catepillars were on a war path in the early summer. Outside of maybe a leaf or two being eaten, she had absolutely no issues or damage related to pests. She flowered for about 10 weeks and she went through a wild transformation. Fan leaves turned red and purple during late flower, and buds were bright green and very dense. One of the most beautiful plants I've ever grown. Despite the amount of pictures I took, the photos never did the plant justice. Buds were very sticky with lots of resin and the colas were massive. Dried weight, I ended up with with 19.5 ounces, or roughly 1.22 pounds. Buds smell very sweet and fruity. Smooth taste and excellent smoke, no harshness or bad aftertaste. Strong high but not too over the top. The burn out is a little strong, you may need a cup of coffee to perk back up late in the afternoon. Overall though, an amazing strain and an absolute joy to grow. My only complaint is that I tried to plant 4 seeds, but only 1 survived, so I have to deduct some points. While a 25% germination rate isn't the greatest, the plant I ended up with was a gift from the pheno gods and top tier. I would be more than willing to give these seeds another try and hope for better luck. As stated before, this was one of the best plants I've ever grown. It easily took the crown in my grow this year and had the best results from yields, to smell, look, and general ease of growth. This will likely be a staple in my garden every year going forward.