Winterine Dream

AleElle For the first 4 days, I kept my personal mini greenhouse, then taking advantage of the good weather forecast, I watered the little one with a liquid rooting agent and removed the greenhouse. I'm happy it was born! I will indicate the hours of light no longer as actual hours under the sun (we're currently only getting 4 hours of direct sunlight) but as hours of light throughout the day. It's clear that the development can't be what is guaranteed by the August sun (compared to the previous diary "Tangerine Balcony"), but I started this new adventure driven only by curiosity and I don't expect anything. I hope to have fun trying my first LST and to create a diary that is interesting for enthusiasts of the plant itself and not just the harvest. See you soon!

AleElle Water or not to water, that is the question! The substrate never dries out completely: in a week, only a few centimeters have dried (and I don't have any standing water issues) with humidity consistently above 80%. That said, the little one seems to have found her rhythm, slowly getting used to the outside world. Today, I finally took the plunge and trusting the forecast of no rain for the next 3 days, I watered with BioBizz Fish Mix...

AleElle All in all, a nice week: the little one is growing, she reacted well to the slightly early watering with BioBizz Fish Mix and the sun has been out often. Of course, the conditions are far from optimal - 16/4°C and 90% humidity - and the substrate never dries out except for the first 5-6 cm on the surface. The first leaves are slightly spotted, as if they were dirty, but for now I'm not worried because I had the same signs from the previous Tangerine after watering without considering the weather and the substrate being moist for a week like in this case. The new leaves seem healthy. I loosened the substrate on the surface to avoid mold and gnats and piled it up at the base of the plant to keep it straight, since it was stretching and leaning towards the sun; I can't quantify it, but the plant is about 2-3 cm taller than the 10 cm currently above ground. Next week I would like to water and apply an LST, the first of my life, but it will be important to see the weather forecast. Let's see how it goes....

AleElle We're navigating by sight. Planting at this time of year, at these latitudes, means losing the reference points gained from experiences during the good season. Taking inspiration from your advice, I started this week with LST, even though the Tangie hasn't reached the development level of the previous one (for comparison, see the diary "Tangerine Balcony"). I read that many start applying the technique right away, I checked the weather forecast, and in the end, I decided to give it a try. It was relatively simple because the lateral branches haven't sprouted yet, and it seems like the little one reacted well right from the start, much sooner than the usual couple of days. When it rains and the sky is particularly dark, the Tangerine comes inside to get a bit more light from the bathroom lights... Classic home lights for relatively small spaces, definitely not powerful. Now it seems to be doing quite well, it's very "reactive" to every little change in light, and by eye, it's a good week behind the previous one. Overall, I'm satisfied, I would really appreciate your advice..

AleElle ... Speechless.... Take a look at the photos and you'll understand me... I believe every word is superfluous... But I won't give up! And it seems like the Tangerine doesn't want to give up either.... I'll tell you.....

AleElle Close call, the Tangie seems to have bounced back from last week's incident! After a day of anxiety, I started bending her gently to curve her a bit and tied up the leaves (waiting for the branches): the results look good, at least I think so... Any advice is welcome. I have to be honest, when the sun goes down I bring her inside, place her on the bathroom sink, put her under the white LED light of the mirror, and add a reading LED bulb positioned a few centimeters from the plant. In total, between inside and outside, we're at 12 hours of light. Will it help? I don't know... Another problem, watering: no water this week, the substrate is still moist. Should I still give her some nutrients? I only have liquid ones, should I dilute them for a foliar spray? In what proportion? I confess my ignorance: we are on the forty-second day, the previous Tangerine started pre-flowering already from the twenty-fourth day. Does this delay mean a longer vegetative phase or will everything still stop around the day indicated by the producer?

AleElle A beautiful week, mild weather except for the extreme cold spikes recorded early in the morning that force me to bring the plant inside. As I mentioned last week, I have a faithful ally: my reading bulb aimed just a few centimeters from the side branches that are starting to grow ❤️ Still no watering (saving on nutrients) and no signs of flowering: the little one is taking her time and I’m more than happy to give it to her, in the meantime I’m pulling and turning her a little every day trying to expose her as much as possible to the sun. Small update: the smell is starting to make itself known....

AleElle Christmas parties, lunches, dinners, etc.. Relatively mild weather for the season, but mandatory nighttime shelter, especially due to the strong gusty winds. Given my financial and space limitations, I'm quite satisfied. On day 55, I was finally able to water again after who knows how long. The side branches have finally arrived, small and beautiful 💚 Let's keep going 💪

AleElle A busy week, both personally and weather-wise. Days upon days of rain and dark skies, the little one is growing thanks to the LED light above the bathroom mirror and the ever-present book lamp. We're moving forward, slowly, without watering, bending and pulling a little each day...

AleElle No significant news, we're still drying off from the continuous rain of the last few days... The side branches are growing, still very small and fragile, and they're filling the plant with leaves, which in the meantime has surpassed the first corner of the pot. It seems to be showing the first timid signs of pre-flowering. We're waiting for a bit of sun and more substantial news...

AleElle Tough week, terrible weather, cold, frost, winds blowing from the sea that risk damaging the small side branches; the little Tangerine has been almost always indoors. On top of that, a change in pain management has prevented me from documenting the small but continuous progress with photos. During this difficult time when therapeutic cannabis therapy (concentrated in oil) has proven ineffective due to intestinal absorption issues, the previous Tangerine Dream Auto (see diary "Tangerine Balcony") has been invaluable, the only one to give me relief while the medications continuously failed! The news is that since day 76, the little one is in pre-flowering ❤️ We're hanging in there and moving forward 💪...

AleElle I'm back to writing after a long time and many physical issues... A thousand thanks again to the Tangerine Dream from Barney's Farm (see previous diary "Tangerine Balcony") without which everything would have been even more difficult. I'm here and fighting alongside you and the Tangerine, which seems to be waking up after a long hibernation. It's small, but beautiful... And the smell is something else...

AleElle I freed the Tangerine. Spring is coming and "The Little One" is almost mature, let her enjoy the sun and life as she wants: she's beautiful just the way she is... and judging by the smell.... 😅

AleElle I am satisfied, I find it beautiful and very fragrant... I’m starting to check the trichomes, but I think there’s still time. After her, I plan to try managing a Tangerine Dream, also from Barney's Farm, photoperiod with LST and various techniques to make it bushier and more manageable on a small balcony. Same pot, new soil, and various little "Bio" tips 💚 and let's see what happens...

AleElle Another week has passed, spring is knocking at the door... We're happy to open up, with the Little Tangie that has now become a mini photoperiod, a new Tangerine Dream (this time a true photoperiod) that will take her place when the time comes... And a new adventure that I hope can start soon: a Sticky Beast Auto from Zamnesia. The Little Tangie is doing well. I think it’s still a week before the root wash, a couple of weeks until harvest. What do you think?

AleElle Here we are in the final days, the trichomes are milky at 90%, just a few more days of patience and we'll be ready for the harvest. The buds are small and not very dense, but the branches and the stem are not visible because they are completely covered in flowers and even the leaves are practically all sugar leaves 😋 The smell improves day by day, exponentially after the root wash. Really not bad... We're almost there...

AleElle Another week has passed. Just as it began, this adventure will end: navigating by sight. Spring has arrived and the Tangerine Dream Auto, at 150 days old (!!!), continues to mature without showing visible signs of aging. The trichomes are milky, still no amber trichomes, we need to wait a little longer. Having abandoned the nutrients, I water it regularly every couple of days with clean, filtered water to wash the roots. At the slightest breeze, a delightful scent of grass, earth, and bread can be felt, truly irresistible! We're waiting for that perfect day...

AleElle I hesitated for a long time before cutting the Tangerine: I'm proud of it. 155 days spent together, winter days for her and tough medical ones for me. Some evenings, those impossible ones, the Little One slept inside, a bit of light from the LED mirror, a little extra help from a reading lamp... For the rest, always outdoors on a small balcony, a 25-liter pot and direct sun exposure for just 4 hours a day. We moved forward, we reached the doorstep of spring; normally, outdoor planting starts now, but for us, it's harvest time. At first, I didn't even expect to make it to a harvest: the size of the plant and the density of the flowers are proportional to the climatic and environmental difficulties. Given the particular shape taken by the Tangerine using the LST technique (which I tried here for the first time), I decided to do a light trim, removing only the "largest" leaves to avoid mold, and let everything dry together, as naturally as possible (even if this will consequently extend the drying time). The numbers say: 52g for the whole plant, 41g after the trim, I'll update with the data at the end of the drying. The smell is pungent, very natural, strong of grass and flowers with warm notes of wood and freshly baked bread 😋 I'll also update with effects and flavors after the first taste... Judging by the current smell, I don't think I'll be disappointed... In any case, mission accomplished: self-production and self-sustainability? It can be done! Update 04/17 - Yesterday, after 10 days from the harvest day, I tasted the first small popcorn buds to assess the drying level. In theory, it still needs a couple more days, but this isn't a "normal" harvest... It's a winter harvest! The buds are small, not very compact, and have many tiny leaves: waiting any longer risks drying them out too much, so I decided to separate them from the main stem and start the curing process. Using the CVault container and a Boveda 62% humidity pack, I think I can establish the right humidity level in a few days and further improve the flavor. The aroma is really very good, at first taste, inevitably very "green," the balance between fresh and warm flavors is already present, in pure Tangerine Dream style, while the effects (in proportion to the size of the plant and flowers) are lighter and more subtle, a more cerebral than physical effect. I'll update you with the tasting at the end of the curing period...