Somango & Critical Mass CBD (3rd Grow)

- Week 1 of my third ever grow, so I am still very much at a noob level. Still making mistakes and learning as I go, but I am seriously enjoying the process! - This is my first dual-grow, trying to experiment with my very basic set-up to increase yield/reduce costs per plant. They are also my first photoperiod strains. - The seeds were germinated using the paper-towel method and put in solo cups with holes for drainage, nothing complicated. - Critical Mass stretched after sprouting due to not being put under the LED in a timely manner. Stem was buried to compensate. - Somango was missing a cotyledon after sprouting.

- Transplant from cups to final pots (15 litre, fabric). Soil is a Westlands Multi-purpose w/ John Innes and Perlite mix, with a little extra on top. - Floor space is very tight in my setup, so the pot are slightly shaped to the tent to maximise use of space. - Plants positioned to be centred under the light, but also to provide space for future LST.

- These diary entries are being written retrospectively, so I wish I had recorded more information at the time. - Veg nutes began this week, I use a generic brand from my local garden centre that has a suitable NPK ratio. It is called: [INFO TO BE ADDED SHORTLY].

- Low Stress Training begins at the start of the week. Simply bending the main stem over. - These early attempts at LST were flawed and did not work well. Mainly due to lack of experience on my part, but specifically: 1. I tried to use things I had laying around that were not fit for the job. I used string with 2 pieces of electrical tape back-to-back to create a loop, which in theory would stop the string from cutting into the stem by increasing the contact patch. In reality this was incredibly fiddly to adjust and the loop would slip up and down the stem. 2. I used the edge of the fabric pots as anchor points for the string. This was fine until the plants were put back in their tent. Due to the tight space often the pots would change shape slightly, in turn moving the anchor points and changing the tension on the string. Temporary solution was to adjust the strings while the plants were in the tent, but it never worked well. - Another first for me, topped both plants after 5-6 nodes. No problems here. - Worth noting that poor watering habits began to show. Simply not giving them enough for fear of over watering. I eventually became familiar with the symptoms of under-watering and fixed it.

- Previous LST problems resolved by buying proper parts! Now using plant twisty ties, adjustable plastic plant ties and metal "U" stacks placed in the soil as anchor points. Much better. - Notable poor watering habits still continued this week, I did eventually realise what I was doing! - Critical Mass has more vertical growth/stretch compared to the Somango, more than likely due to having a bit more Sativa in her. LST will become really useful here.

- Flipped to 12/12. Growth really kicking off now. - Both plants showed slight Nitrogen toxicity (clawing tips) just after flip, probably over fed or fed veg feed too close to flip? Not sure. - Nutrient info to come. Another generic bloom feed from garden centre.

- Branches were allowed to grow up a bit before LST started. They respond brilliantly as usual, I am always surprised how quickly they correct themselves! - Growth was again good this week. Vertical is slowing down and plants are getting bushier.

- LST correction adjustments are made every other day roughly. Although difficult to tell from the pictures. Basically at the plants final shape now and I will stop training shortly. - Such Pistils! They're growing up fast. - Bushy growth continues. Canopy filling up. I am slowly getting the hang of LST.

- Stretch has completely finished and bud production is in full swing! Day-to-day differences now come from bud size and density. - Smell has been taken up a notch, but oh boy is it good! I am thankful that the majority of my original setup budget was spent on ventilation and odour control. -Somango has a fruity, sweet, citrus profile and Critical Mass CBD has an earthy, peppery profile. I am really looking forward to how these develop over the next few weeks. - The lower, oldest leaves are starting to drop. There aren't any obvious signs of any other issues, so I assume this is normal. Time will tell! - Water intake has increased, which caught me off guard earlier on in the week!

- Signs of Phosphorus deficiency started to show this week (and almost certainly before, but inexperienced eyes didn't pick it up!). Blue-ish hue and red stems. - After some investigating it seems to be nutrient lock-out by high PH. Our tap water comes in at 7.0 on the nose, adding nutrients brings it up to nearly 8.0. Corrected with PH Down on the next feed, so will keep an eye on them both. - Smell profile for Somango is beautiful lemony-sweet. Critical Mass CBD still has a lovely pine scent. - Humidity is creeping up, small space and big plants. Exhaust fan speed increased to compensate (RVK 100 4-inch and a WAC1 controller) and monkey fan turned up to increase air circulation.

- Previous weeks PH correction is really showing positive effects! Plants are looking much happier and healthier. - Trichomes are at around 10% cloudy. - Buds are slowly growing in size, on the Critical Mass the weight is showing on some of the thinner branches. I will be adding some supports shortly. - The smell is awesome. - The weather here has changed, bringing the general humidity up. Tent humidity is at 60-65%. Monkey fan and exhaust fan turned up to combat possibly mould issues, hopefully this will be enough. Keeping the cupboard door open during light hours helps reduce down to 55%.

- We're on day 6 of flush, just using ph'd water with 20% run off. - Leaf colour is still really strong, Critical Mass is starting to show yellowing on the lowest leaves. - Yield is looking pretty good, despite some fears that it's going to be small. I certainly have a long way to go but I am happy! - 5-7% amber trichs, Critical looking slightly more mature than the Somango. Harvest estimated for the end of the next week.

One of my first photoperiods, it was so easy and I had zero issues. It germinated easily and I didn't have any nutrient problems. Dried and cured really nicely, smell great! Yield was low, but it's down to the novice grower, low wattage light and possible poor medium. I have 2 more seeds from Dinafem, so I will try again!

I stretched my very small grow space to the maximum by trying to grow two plants at once, which resulted in low yields for both, definitely not a reflection on the strain as you could really get a great yield if done properly. I will be returning to this strain again soon.