Grand Daddy Purple DWC

The8thChevron Very smooth week. Roots hit the water only 4 days after germination. Nutrients were added just before the last day of VEG WK 1. After adding the full GH growth line, EC is 1.1. Amounts will be updated in WEEK 3. Noticed that these showed nutrient deficiencies much faster than the autos.

The8thChevron Started the week at a 1.6 EC. EC was slowly increasing in the reservoir so I dialed it down to 1.4 by topping off with RO water. The EC is now static, but pH is slowly increasing. This is a good indicator that I will need to completely change the reservoir soon. With nutrient issues becoming apparent (Mg probably), a res change is necessary. On DAY 20, I officially began an 18/6 light cycle.

The8thChevron Did a reservoir change. Although it was definitely 4 days later than it should have been, nutrient problems have cleared up and they are thriving. Made a 4 gallon batch of feed going strictly by bottle instructions. I cut back on the micro by 10mL and the gro by 20mL. Despite this, the EC was a staggering 2.9! Starting with RO water too! Luckily, it was about the result I expected so I dumped 2 gallons into a separate bucket, added 2 gallons of RO water to both, and adjusted their pH. This gave me an EC of 1.5 for each bucket. Exactly where I wanted to be with the proper proportions of nutrients as well. I defoliated some of the larger fan leaves to get light to future bud sites. I'll do a final defoliation before flipping to flower in 1-2 weeks.

The8thChevron Coming into this week, I had just done a complete res change. The week began with some light defoliation. On DAY 29, I topped both plants. While topping to get an extra cola is nice, my main concern was with potential spacing issues going into flower. It also gave the canopy time to even off as the growth in the center slowed while the outer colas caught up with the center growth. The transition to flower will begin by the end of the 6th week. All deficiencies have disappeared and the plants are thriving. An EC of 1.5 seems to work well at this point. EC has dropped while pH has increased, but very slowly. It took little work to keep it in optimum range. Towards the end of the week, I estimate the plants were taking in about 1.5L daily. The smell is getting stronger. My last run didn't produce a scent this pungent until perhaps the 3rd week of flower.

The8thChevron Fairly quiet week. A few fan leaves developed rust spots but this was because of an overdue res change. Nothing concerning. They fully recovered from the topping and began growing at a good pace all around, giving me a mostly even canopy. Noticed a few stigma poking through at the tops, so I can relax knowing they are officially females. Finished the res change on the last day of the week. I will also be flipping to flower tonight. Raised the EC to 1.8, adding a little extra nitrogen to support the stretch. They are hungry girls! I may have to raise the EC all the way to 2.0 by the end of the next week.

The8thChevron I flipped to a 14/10 schedule on the last day of week 6, then down to 12/12 the next day. This was mostly due to me trying to figure out which light schedule would be best for my work schedule, but I suppose it gave them a heads up on the transition and I doubt it really changes anything. They immediately began stretching. By the end of the week, they had added 50% to their total height and I expect this pace to continue for the next week. I also added Floralicious Plus to the nutrient line up. Testimonials won me over on this. Enough people said that they could not imagine growing without it that I decided I would try. I named them both so I wouldn't have to call them Right and Left (now they are Chiana and Aeryn, respectively). Chiana is a super thirsty girl. I started the week with a res change set to an EC of 1.8. Within a day, she pulled down the EC to 1.2 while pH stayed pretty consistent, rising maybe 0.1 during that day. I got her EC back up to 1.9, but it continues to drop albeit slower now, going to 1.6 in the following day. Aeryn has been a little slower, but more consistent. She also drew the 1.8 EC back, but only down to 1.5 the next day. I brought her up to 1.9 and she is still bringing it down, but only 0.1 daily. While she's not growing as quickly as Chiana, she has had little to no nutrient issues and has remained happy. Ready for another res change in the next day or two, this time I will dial back the nitrogen a bit and add more bloom nutrients. Aiming for an EC of 2.0-2.1 this time. Both plants are drinking about 3L daily by my estimate, although I expect this to slow down in about 2 weeks. More stigma popping up daily, starting to develop more rapidly each day. The smell is extremely skunky, something my last grow didn't experience until mid flower. I'm starting to move against auto flower strains. Seems like photos have more stable genetics and they also save on electricity. I can't think of a good reason to grow autos anymore. It was easy for a first grow, but I expect the results this time to be much better.

The8thChevron The plants are again surprising me with their nutrient intake. With an EC of 2.1, it dropped to 1.6 the following day and slowly dropped the rest of the week. As the quickest phase of growth has passed, it seemed like the right time to lollipop. I do not want the girls to waste time and energy on flowers that will never reach their potential. It is better for them to put all of their energies into creating nice, massive flowers. We will see if it plays out this way. I still have more defoliation to do, but I will give them a chance to recover first. Kushman says that it's important to never remove more than 30% of foliage in one go and I was definitely meeting that threshold. There seems to be no ill effects yet. They just keep on doing their thing!

The8thChevron Went full on bloom with nutrients this week. Started the week at an EC of 2.3. In a 24 hour period, it dropped to 1.7 and then hovered between 1.7 and 1.5 the rest of the week. I added a little bit of Humboldt's Secret Flower Stacker to raise the EC by a few points. I let the plants grow until they hit 18" from the light. There was some light stress at first, but they recovered and got used to the extra ppfd pretty quickly. I was worried about possible light leaks because buds seemed to be forming rather slow, but they have really picked up in the last two days. These genetics are top notch. I'm really enjoying how sturdy and productive these ladies are. Stick around and see how they turn out! You can buy these genetics here: https://ilgm.com/products/granddaddy-purple-feminized-seeds?aff=5753

The8thChevron Another solid week. An accident left me in a position where I had to feed them at an EC of 2.7. I intended to just top of with pH'd water the next day to lower the EC, but they didn't seem to mind. EC slowly fell to 2.1 while pH dropped a bit at first, then slowly climbed up to 6.1 by the end of the week. Flowers are starting to stack and swell, pushing out new trichomes daily. Spacing looks good so far. A few colas have pushed themselves above the rest on the left side plant, while the right side remains relatively level. I plan to install a second Mars Hydro TSW 2000 in the upcoming days. It will be a project and I'll have to move my fan to the outside of the tent, but I believe it will be worth it. Shoot me your thoughts in the comments! Get these genetics here: https://ilgm.com/products/granddaddy-purple-feminized-seeds?aff=5753

The8thChevron Got the new light installed as well as the carbon filter! To make the changes, I had to move the intake fan, which is now closer to the ground. The side effect of this has been that heat is not being dispersed as efficiently and temps hit 88°F for the first time ever in this grow. That was the first time it even broke 80°F I believe. The extra 300W has created some extra heat too of course. I have a few different options to fix this. The plants just keep doing their thing! I do worry that bud development is not where I expected it yet, but I know that I am probably just being over-anxious. With temperatures rising, they are drinking more water and as a result going 2.7 on the EC isn't going to work anymore. I dialed it down to 2.5 and will probably do the next res change between 2.1-2.3 to be safe. All conditions were static for so long, this new setup has forced me to rethink certain methods. I believe a good defoliation is in order for this next week. What do you think?

The8thChevron Kind of a rough week. Still struggling to hit equilibrium in the nutrients. I've had some potassium excess that resulted in calcium deficiency. I believe it's settled now. These final 2 weeks are the most important for bud development and then all I can do I allow them to ripen wherever they land. Hopefully we see some nice fattening these next couple weeks. Luckily, the buds are nice and dense as far as I can tell. The smell is wonderful. A little sweet, a little pungent. I've had to open up the tent for heat control so stepping into the house is delightful after a long day of work. They are still consuming over a gallon of water a day. I've been able to keep the temperatures below 80°F, but its still in the high 70s, probably contributing to the water consumption a bit. Stay tuned. Send high vibes my way!

The8thChevron Drew back the nutrients a bit further. Unfortunately, it seems like my mishaps during the prior two weeks will affect the final yield quite a bit. One is still getting fatter and heavier but the other seems to have tapped out. The leaves have begun to get nice and purple and some of the flowers have started changing as well. Smell is nice and pungent and just a little sweet. Trichomes are still mostly clear, so there's still a few weeks to go. There may yet be a chance for them to add some weight. Either way, I'm happy because the final product should be quite potent and tasty. We will see how they progress into their old age.

The8thChevron What a gorgeous set of girls! The colors are changing, the nutrient needs are dropping, and the trichomes are moving in amber. While I still believe the right one had nutrient issues and will hurt the yield, her smaller buds seem extremely dense so there is potential. The left one is just getting heavier and heavier and is turning beautiful shades of blue and purple. The largest colas are starting to lean even though they have very sturdy, thick branches for support. I'm throwing in my estimate in now: I'm guessing dried weight will be around 14oz. What's your guess? Tell me!

The8thChevron It's almost time! I will be harvesting and drying next week. Stand by for the final results, expected in about 2 weeks. NEXT GROW: Skywalker OG and Banana Kush! 2 journals, 1 for each strain. One will second as a hydroponic DIY tutorial and ScrOG!! Much excite!!!

The8thChevron So I hit Friday before I harvested so I added another week for posterity. Very happy with this grow, the main colas are super fat and dense. A lot more popcorn buds than I wanted, I should have flipped sooner and/or defoliated more aggressively at the start of bloom. I only removed the fan leaves. I have a Trim Bag and will add a short review after I give it a shot. I also wanted to extend the dry time a bit. The buds smell sweet still, I'm happy that they didn't seem to lose their terpene profile later on in flower. Can't wait to try! I'll update

The8thChevron Sorry about the late harvest week! It took about 6 weeks of curing for the flavors to really develop. Worth the wait! Taste is sweet and grapey. Otherwise, very clean. No earthiness and not very pungent. The stone is heavy and lasting. Buds are very dense. I love this strain. I will definitely grow again and definitely recommend this strain and breeder. Probably not the best strain for anxiety, but not a bad one either. If you are beginning an epic Twitch grind or really need some sleep, I would seek out this GDP.