Special Queen #1 2020 (I)

BeanswithPork Hello reader, let me Pied Piper 🎶 you through another BeanswithPork diary. It should feel like a comforting family sitcom rerun. The standard parameters: hung mylar DIY tent in an unfinished basement; two 300 actual watt full spectrum LEDs; I germinated in a peat pod in a cup with HP Pro Mix, I also used Myke Flower mycorrhizae. The strain is Special Queen #1 by Royal Queen Seeds. The genetics are Power Bud x Skunk, should be ultra classic? I will actually advertise TrueNorthSeedBank here, this was a price point steal through a great Canadian seed distributor and the reason I have it. I split the seed pack with my parents. I had some plants taking off too fast, leaving some younger ones behind, and so I looked to compensate. I had forgotten about Special Queen #1 and so decided to grow something unlike what I had going and something that did not need to fill the spotlight. Today is day 5.

BeanswithPork Day 12 for Special Queen #1. I transplanted at day 8 or 9 because I felt confident they were ready to go into a container of HP Pro Mix, 4-4-4 Gaia Green All Purpose amendment and Myke Flower mycorrhizae. Things appear fine and I’m just giving water. The tent is badly overcrowded which I will try to fix after one more week.

BeanswithPork Day 19 for Special Queen #1. Things went really well this week, big leaves, lots of green. Health has been aplenty. So, I did some LST yesterday. Now that things have settled (after photos), I snipped the big fan leaf right over the new sites. Transplants will be upcoming, but things look balanced anyway. I cleared my veg. tent out, and now the light has increased especially for the young plants.

BeanswithPork Day 26 for Special Queen #1. The plant has adjusted to the soil amendment and is now appreciative of the food. I’ve only been giving water. The training has worked but I wish the secondary were a bit faster. I’ll have to work with this plant over time. Things are looking good though. Apologies for the first photo which turned out very blurry. My hand must have been shaking when I developed the film in my dark room. Edit: whoops, forgot to mention I transplanted this week using HP Pro Mix, with a small amount of perlite and worm castings added. Amendment is 4-4-4 Gaia Green All Purpose and I also used Myke mycorrhizae.

BeanswithPork Day 33 for Special Queen #1. Good growth now as the soil amendment is absorbed. A bit droopy from pest prevention last night but not as droopy as others of the same gen. I preventively treated with potassium based insecticide soap and neem oil. I added some CalMag earlier this week but will stay off that for a bit. Just irrigating with water. So far so good.

BeanswithPork Day 40 for Special Queen #1. I was going to report slow growth but it seems to have hit a small spurt (maybe some sound advice from BudXs?) I topped the main branch to even out the canopy. Things are looking good though I’ll have to add some Cal/Mag again. I got my heat pump installed and though the A/C isn’t really needed at the moment I have the centralized fan circulating air throughout the house.

BeanswithPork Day 47 for Special Queen #1. Compared to another plant of same generation (GDB) this one has suddenly taken the lead. It was already trending this way, and then some good conversation with BudXs about pH also helped a bit. However, I’d like to keep this in line with the other plant and so an early transplant happened. Oh well, not completely filled, but lots of roots. I used HP Pro Mix, with a small amount of added worm castings and perlite, 4-4-4 Gaia Green All Purpose, and Myke mycorrhizae. My inlaws are computer programmers, non-stoners, but gifted me some basic sensing technology for fun using basic, cheap tech including Raspberry Pi. I have the ability to play with sensing particles of particular sizes or temperature and humidity which I have included graphs of. I can also upgrade to CO and CO2 if I wish as my friend is handy too. Displaying both yesterday and part of today, you can see where I irrigated last night. Are you surprised by how high-tech. this is for this monkey? 🐒

BeanswithPork Day 54 for Special Queen #1. Lots of green, no “blips” on the radar. Health is good. I’ll be topping to manage size and to keep the canopy uniform. Including the temperature and humidity data from yesterday and part of today.

BeanswithPork Day 61 for Special Queen #1. Nothing to report other than giving some occasional Plant Prod MJ Spike (CalMag). About two to three weeks away from flower so I am just hanging on. I’m topping more and more to limit growth. Still looking green and healthy.

BeanswithPork Day 68 for Special Queen #1. Still fairly healthy and green even though the container is nearing the end of the soil nutrients. I will be giving food next once it dries out completely. About one week until flowering and I am topping to try to limit growth, its starting to get bushy. The leaves are just really pointy and thin, nice looking. I was busy and prevent treated all plants for pests. Better safe than sorry I have learned. I used Safer’s potassium based soap and neem oil. My server was down with my temp./humidity data, but manual readings show a big contrast between above and below the thick canopy. I am entering the under canopy data.

BeanswithPork Day 74 for Special Queen #1. I lined everyone up this morning in the wee hours for pest prevention and then into the HPS tent for the first dose of 12 hours of darkness (the first dark for SQ#1 in its whole life). Next week will be a flower update. I preventively sprayed again with Safer’s potassium based soap and neem oil. Very thirsty at picture time and so got a bit of water after. A couple days ago I gave some dilute 24-8-16 All Purpose Miracle Grow as the soil amendment had run up. Special Queen #1 wasn’t out, but a top up was appreciated.

BeanswithPork Day 81 for Special Queen #1. One week of flowering complete, seven weeks left to go. Things look good and stretch is underway. To try to store some nitrogen and be less severe with leaf fade I topped up with some dilute 24-8-16 All Purpose Miracle Grow with blackstrap molasses and Plant Prod MJ Spike (CalMag). Lets keep the green a bit longer. I’ll once again make note of the very pointed and elongated leaf fingers. My flower tent is the same hung mylar construction in an unfinished basement with a bit more room with the dimensions being 4 feet x 6 feet. The lighting is a 600watt Vivosun HPS - word up to Hellishjam and BudXs. This plant is going to finish a bit faster than the rest, so I have to assume this will be fast. Here we go!