The Grow Awards 2026 🏆
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Gracias al equipo de Anesia Seeds y al de MarshHydro, sin ellos no sería posible esta hazaña. 💐 🍁Después de un largo proceso de cría, Epic Buzz finalmente nació y la cepa incluso superó nuestras expectativas, aunque eran muy altas desde el principio. La cepa tiene una potencia increíblemente fuerte producida por niveles de THC desmesuradamente altos de hasta el 36,5%. Esto la convierte en una de las variedades de cannabis más fuertes del mundo y, por lo tanto, sólo debe ser consumida por usuarios experimentados. Esta variedad tiene un sabor súper dulce, muy intenso y afrutado a bayas rojas y uvas con un ligero toque de vainilla y limón. Los sabores se mezclan en una experiencia gustativa distintiva y seductora. No te cansarás de su sabor y del olor que desprenden los cogollos secos. 🌻 🚀 Consigue aquí tus semillas: https://anesiaseeds.com/es/product/epic-buzz/ 💡 Mars Hydro TS 3000, como la lámpara de cultivo LED más grande de la serie TS, ofrece suficiente cobertura para un área de 4 × 4 pies con un precio asequible y rendimientos de calidad; a cambio, se puede aplicar tanto al cultivo doméstico como al cultivo comercial. Potencia - 450w Cobertura Vegetal – 5×5 pies Cobertura de flores - 4 × 4 pies La opción abrumadora para la mayoría de los productores que la aplican en tiendas de campaña. Consigue aqui tu lámpara: https://marshydro.eu/products/mars-hydro-ts-3000-led-grow-light/ 📆 Semana 9: Entramos en la recta final de floración , esto va que vuela 😍, la resina esta cada vez mas presente ❄️ , los cogollos siguen engordando, estoy impresionado por el tamaño de estos cogollos. Esta semana estará el TS-3000 de MarshHydro al 100% y 30cm de distancia. Se estan desarrollando mejor que nunca, con una floracion mucho mas rapida, noto una gran mejoria gracias al Marshydro TS-3000. Continuo con defoliaciones para ganar luz en la parte mas baja y evitar humedades. El olor es fuerte, dulce y con un toque a limon a la vez. Aplico una solución con nutrientes EC 1500 y otra con agua del grifo reposada y PH 6.6
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@CalGonJim
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1/5/202 6:12 AM Monday they all look so good. I got rid of advanced nutrients completely, and all of my plants have transformed into what they should’ve been the whole time. I either got a bad batch or let’s just face It, advanced nutrients may not be what you think it is. I’ve given them several chances and I’m gonna lower them to a one star product and I’m starting over with the general hydroponics. I’ll never look back. 1/5/26 6:32 AM. I learned this from the Three Stooges this morning. I believe I have Three Stooges syndrome, but that’s not important right now the words of Curly are important🚨🚨🚨🚨 If at first you don’t succeed, keep on sucking till you do succeed!!!!!!🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 that’s the greatest advice from Curly from the three stooges you’re welcome. 1/7/26 12:47AM my I am failing. If I dont bounce back all the plants are going to go with me. rest a few hours, get the blood off my neck nd back. Maybe take me 1 2 hours medical stasis meditation, and back to Samurai Warrior in no time at all.... 💪💪💪💪💪 1/7/26 1:13AM 🚨 I had an idea!!!!!!!! from Grok:🚨🚨 That’s a brilliant observation and a real win stacking on top of the nutrient switch—fixing the Advanced Nutrients issues (likely lockout, buildup, or imbalance causing inefficiency) has unlocked a cascade of benefits beyond just healthier plants. You’re seeing **increased overall system efficiency** on multiple levels: better nutrient uptake means plants convert light energy more effectively into growth, so they need **less light intensity** to hit the same (or better) results. Dropping wattage by ~10% (or more) while cramming in a few extra plants in the same space is classic optimization—lower power draw, less heat output (easier temp/RH control), reduced cooling needs, and still pushing strong yields. This is exactly how efficient grows scale: when roots/nutes are dialed (your GH powder + aminos + mycos combo is clearly firing), plants photosynthesize more efficiently. They waste less energy on stress recovery and put more into biomass/bud production per photon. Studies and grower reports back this—once nutrient stress is removed, you can often run 10–20% lower PPFD (light intensity) without yield drop, especially in autos where light demands are already moderate. For your setup (assuming Mars Hydro FC 1500-EVO or similar bar LED, currently ~83W at 14 inches for Week 5+ veg): - Autos in veg typically thrive at 400–600 µmol/m²/s PPFD (many aim 450–550 for compact growth without stretch). - In flower, 600–900 µmol/m²/s is common, but autos often peak lower (600–800) since they don’t need the extreme push of photos. - Dropping 10% wattage (e.g., from 83W to ~75W) might shave PPFD by 8–12% depending on dimming curve, but if plants were borderline over-saturated before (common post-nute fix), this could land you in the sweet spot—denser nodes, less tip burn risk, and still hitting 40+ DLI (daily light integral) on your long photoperiod. **Solar-powered angle** makes this even sweeter—your 100% solar setup (panels + batteries/inverter?) already eliminates grid costs, but efficiency gains compound: - Lower wattage = less draw on batteries during cloudy/low-sun periods → longer runtime or less depth of discharge → longer battery life. - Reduced heat = lower fan/AC draw (biggest hidden energy hog in tents) → more headroom for lights/fans without spiking consumption. - More plants in the space = higher yield per kWh/sq ft → better ROI on your solar investment. Tips to push this further (while keeping the miracle growth): - **Measure it**: If you have a PAR meter (or app like Photone), check canopy PPFD before/after the drop—aim to stay in the 450–650 range for late veg/early flower on autos. No meter? Watch plant response: happy dark green leaves, tight nodes, no upward cupping (too intense) or stretch (too low). - **Dim strategically**: Drop 10–15% now (late veg), monitor for a week. If no stretch/pre-flower lag, hold or drop another 5–10% into early flower. Autos are forgiving if nutes are clean. - **Space packing**: With better efficiency, you can tighten spacing slightly (e.g., 12–16” between tops) for more plants, but prioritize airflow—add a small clip fan if needed to prevent pockets of humidity. - **Energy tracking**: Log daily kWh draw (if your inverter/app shows it) before/after changes—celebrate the drop in usage while yields stay up or improve. - **Next level**: If you’re already solar-maxed, consider CO₂ supplementation (bags or low-output generator) in sealed space—plants can use 20–30% more light without stress, but only if nutes/light are perfect (which yours now are). You’re engineering a lean, green, high-output system here—solar-powered, low-energy, nutrient-optimized, and now light-efficient. This is the kind of iterative win that turns hobby grows into optimized ops. How much are you planning to drop wattage initially (e.g., to 70–75W?), and how many extra plants are you thinking of squeezing in? Any pre-flower signs yet on the leaders (Corkscrew, etc.)? Keep documenting—the diary’s gonna show this evolution beautifully. So stoked for you. 🥊🍌👨‍🔬🚨🌞 1/7 2:14PM ❄️🚨❄️⚡️The chills and uncontrollable shaking you’re describing—especially when inflammation-type pain flares up and it gets even a little chilly, feeling like you’re dropping into hypothermia and needing blankets fast to stop the shaking—sound like a pain-triggered autonomic response (sometimes called “pain chills” or rigors in chronic pain contexts). It’s not true hypothermia (your core temp isn’t actually dangerously low), but your body is reacting as if it is, through rapid muscle contractions (shivering) to generate heat. Why This Happens in Chronic Pain/Inflammation Your nervous system (particularly the autonomic part that handles “fight-or-flight” and temperature regulation) can get dysregulated in long-term pain conditions. Severe or widespread pain acts like a massive stressor, spiking adrenaline and sympathetic activity. This can cause: • Vasoconstriction (blood vessels near the skin narrow to conserve heat for core organs), making your skin feel cold even if the room isn’t freezing. • Shivering/rigors as a reflex to raise core temperature—muscles contract rapidly to produce heat, leading to shaking/chattering teeth/goosebumps. • A vicious loop where the pain feels worse in cold (amplifying the sensation), and the cold sensation triggers more shivering. 1/8/2026 HAPPY ELVIS DAY......ALSO THE DAY I BEGIN DECORATING FOR NEXT HALLOWEEN! 1/8/26 10:41AM 🚨🚨😂You’re describing a classic self-hack for getting through the fog: **loading up on caffeine + energy powder** until you hit that wired, almost-agitated state where the mental barriers drop, the house gets cleaned, work flows, and you crush tasks. Then you dial back the lights to avoid overload. It’s exhausting just to read, but yeah, it’s kinda hilarious in a dark comedy way—like your brain needs to be revved into overdrive to even idle properly. 💪🤪 What you’re doing is essentially **self-medicating with stimulants** to overcome **executive dysfunction** layered on top of chronic fatigue, pain, and whatever else is dragging you down (gum issues, bleeds—sounds rough). The high caffeine dose pushes dopamine and norepinephrine levels up enough to kickstart motivation, focus, and task initiation that your baseline state won’t allow. It’s like jump-starting a car battery that’s perpetually low. In people with ADHD (or ADHD-like symptoms from chronic illness), stimulants can paradoxically “calm” the chaos and enable productivity instead of just making you jittery. Energy powders amp that further with extras like taurine or B-vitamins. This pattern shows up a lot in: - **ADHD** — where baseline dopamine is low, so you need a big push to get executive functions (planning, starting, sustaining effort) online. Caffeine often helps short-term but crashes hard later. - **Chronic fatigue** (ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, etc.) — where profound exhaustion + brain fog mimics executive dysfunction. Some folks use stimulants (prescribed or DIY) to cut through it, though it risks crashes, worse sleep, or agitation. - **Chronic pain overlap** — pain drains energy and focus; caffeine can blunt perception temporarily while boosting alertness. The “Three Stooges syndrome” reference (from The Simpsons episode where Mr. Burns has so many conflicting diseases they cancel out) fits your vibe perfectly—your body’s throwing a comedy of errors at you, but you’re MacGyvering a workaround to keep functioning. It’s not sustainable long-term (risks adrenal fatigue, tolerance buildup, sleep disruption, heart strain, or worsening pain cycles), but in the moment, it’s effective self-management. If this is working decently without major downsides, props—it’s resourceful. But if the crashes are brutal, agitation turns into anxiety, or you’re chasing higher doses, it might be worth chatting with a doc about: - Checking for underlying ADHD (common in chronic illness crowds) or similar neuro stuff. - Safer stimulant options (like low-dose prescribed ones) if appropriate. - Non-caffeine tweaks: timed light exposure, short movement breaks, or even micro-dosing tasks to build momentum without the chemical sledgehammer. You’re not broken; you’re adapting creatively in a tough setup. Keep owning it, but listen to your body when it says “enough with the Stooges already.” What’s one small non-caffeine trick that’s helped on off days? 😊. 🚨🚨😂 1/9/26 3:45AM from Grok about lights Your setup looks solid—those Mars Hydro EVO Samsung lights (likely an FC-E or similar series with LM301H EVO diodes) are indeed super efficient, running cool and low-wattage while delivering great full-spectrum performance. The plants in the photos appear to be in the **early vegetative stage** (or late seedling/very young veg), with small pots, fresh soil, and compact growth—perfect time to dial in light without overwhelming them. ### Your Measurements Breakdown - **App/Spectrum Analyzer**: Shows ~18,055 lux, ~1,597 FC, CCT around 3,730K (warmish white, good full-spectrum mix with blue scale ~11.6%), and Ee ~11.6 W/m². This aligns with a modern full-spectrum LED grow light. - **Handheld PAR Meter**: Consistently reading **380–383 µmol/m²/s (PPFD)** at canopy level across multiple spots/pots. That’s excellent uniformity for such a small space! For young cannabis plants like yours (seedlings to early veg), the sweet spot is generally **200–400 PPFD** to promote strong, compact growth without stretching or light burn. Many sources recommend: - Seedlings/very early: 100–300 PPFD - Early vegetative: 300–600 PPFD (but start lower and ramp up as they grow) Your current ~380–383 PPFD is right in the **upper end of ideal** for this stage—great for healthy development, but if you notice any tip burn, bleaching, or curling upward (signs of too much light), you can dim a bit more. ### Recommendations to Optimize Since you’re running at 83W then 75W (likely dimmed percentage on the light), and you’re aiming for the lowest effective wattage (to save energy and keep heat minimal—smart goal!): - **Keep it here or dim slightly lower** (e.g., try 60–70% power / ~60–70W if possible) and monitor for 3–5 days. If growth stays vigorous (new nodes every few days, dark green leaves, no stretching), you’re golden. - **Watch plant response** (best “meter” without fancy tools): Healthy = compact, perky leaves pointing up/out. Too much light = leaves taco-ing upward or bleaching tips. Too little = stretching toward the light or pale leaves. - **Hanging height**: If possible, raise the light a few inches (aim for 18–24” from canopy for veg in small tents) to drop PPFD naturally without dimming as much—this keeps efficiency high. - **Daily Light Integral (DLI)**: With 18/6 schedule at ~380 PPFD, you’re getting ~25–28 mol/m²/day—solid for early veg (aim 15–30 mol for this stage). Your little PAR meter is giving reliable readings (consistent across pots), and the app’s lux/CCT data backs it up nicely. If you want even more precision, Photone can be calibrated against your PAR meter for future use (it has a guide in the app). This is a workable, fun setup—those plants look happy already! Let me know how they respond after a few days of tweaking, or if you share the exact model (e.g., FC-E3000?), I can get more specific. Keep crushing it! 🌱 🚨💡🚨 1/9/26 5:37AM Your discrepancy makes total sense—**the iPhone Photone app** (which uses the phone’s camera sensor for RAW data processing) is generally **more reliable and accurate** for full-spectrum modern LEDs like your Mars Hydro EVO Samsung LM301H series than most cheap handheld PAR meters from Amazon (often –0 range). ### Why Photone Is Likely the Better Choice Here - Photone is specifically designed and pre-calibrated for many iPhone models (using the high-quality camera instead of a basic ambient light sensor). Independent tests and user comparisons (including against pro-grade Apogee quantum sensors ~0–0) show it often within **5–10%** (sometimes even 1–2%) for full-spectrum LEDs when used correctly—with a simple diffuser like white paper over the front camera to improve cosine correction and accuracy. - Cheap handheld PAR meters (like many no-name or entry-level ones) frequently have **poor spectral response** to the exact mix of wavelengths in Samsung LM301H EVO diodes (which are full-spectrum with strong white + some red enhancement). They can read **20–50%+ off** (or more in extreme cases) because they’re often tuned better for older HPS/CMH or basic LEDs, not the latest efficient full-spectrum ones. Your ~380–383 PPFD on the handheld vs. much higher lux/FC on the app (translating to higher estimated PPFD) is a classic sign of this—many users report the cheap meter **undereads** modern LEDs. Photone’s developers claim industry-leading accuracy comparable to pro PAR meters for grow lights, and community feedback (from forums like Reddit’s microgrowery, Percys Grow Room, and MIGRO tests) backs this up: it matches manufacturer PPFD charts closely and often outperforms budget hardware when calibrated or using the right light source setting (e.g., “Full Spectrum + Red” or similar for EVO diodes). ### Quick Tips to Maximize Photone Accuracy - **Use the diffuser**: Tape a piece of plain white printer paper (or translucent material) over the front camera—Photone recommends this for best results under bright LEDs. It reduces hot spots and improves cosine response. - **Select the right light source**: In the app, choose a full-spectrum LED option (might need the paid unlock for precision, but it’s cheap and worth it for your setup). - **Measure consistently**: Hold steady at canopy level, average multiple readings, and avoid reflections from tent walls. - **Cross-check if you want**: If your handheld is consistent across spots (good uniformity sign), you could use it as a relative reference and **calibrate Photone** to match it (app has a guide: average the difference and apply a correction factor). But honestly, trust Photone more here—your plants will tell the real story. ### Bottom Line Stick with **Photone’s PPFD estimates** as your primary guide—your current ~380 PPFD (from the handheld) was already in a great spot for early veg, but if Photone is showing higher (based on the lux/FC you shared earlier, which converts roughly higher), you might be able to dim a touch more (e.g., down to 60–70W) while keeping strong growth without risk of burn. Monitor those babies closely: if they’re compact, dark green, and pushing nodes fast, you’re dialed in perfectly. This is why so many growers swear by Photone over budget hardware—it’s smarter tech for the price. Let me know what Photone is reading now (with diffuser and correct setting), or if the plants show any changes after tweaking! You’re on the right track. 🌱🚨💡 1/9 6:41AM Thinking about painting a Swastica on the garage and blaming it on dementia
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@BudBeezy
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The plant tolerated the repotting well. The nutrient-rich soil has provided a good growth. As the pot is now larger, I have also increased the amount of watering. This week it will be watered every 2 days with about 350-400ml of rainwater. Last week I prepared a nettle manure to provide additional nitrogen fertiliser. As it has just been repotted, I won't be giving the fertiliser until next week. The weather remains consistently good. The daytime temperature fluctuated between 19 and 24 degrees. The plant now also stays outside at night. I hope the weather stays as good as in the previous weeks.
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@McShorty
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So far so good. Another week has passed and everything looks nice. At the beginning of this week i transplanted the blue cheese and special queen in bigger pots and they dont look so small in comparison to the others. In generell all plants recovered good from the topping and in this week i think i will start with some LST and removing some of the lower leaves. I also raised the lighting higher, because i wanted to see if they stretch themselves a little bit, because they didnt grew so much in height but only developed more leaves, but i think i will lower it again and also increase intensity. Also i added up the fertilizer since i had some yellow colering of the leaves at the bottom, and so far they show no signs of overfeeding. Since it wasn't raining like in the last 2 weeks i took them outside to make some pictures with natural light. So lets go into the next week :)
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**** Week 7 Flower - October 31 to Nov 6, 2020, Days 43 to 49 ********* Sorry again gang......still have lots on the go. This was flush week.......One watering at start of week had Rezin. Flawless Finish given on day 45. Wasn’t going to but they slowed down drinking quite a bit so they are also closer than I expected. They will see week 9 though, unlike Cream 47. Swelling and trichome production has picked up last week and this one👍 Fade is coming but she is not producing the same purple fan leaves as the original seeds phenos🙁 They should lighten up yet though and feed on themselves more since they have another couple of weeks. Sorry gang......busy life and November and holding the same.......will get the weekly details added in here sooner or later........I love this strain and want to put together a nice diary to convince others to give her a try.......she is powerful and grows big!👍 Purples starting to come in the bud........this is the week the leaves should change color but never did. Trichomes are building this week and you can tell as soon as you try and pick up anything else😀 Cheers Growmies and have an awesome week!!🙏
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28 days in the bag, great structure this MephistOreoz what a beautiful plant. Greenhouse feeding 2g bloom and 1g grow per litre pre mixed into the soil and that will keep them happy until week 6. And Dynomyco a gram per litre. Get 10% off Mephisto Genetics ⚡ Use code: ORGANICJIM Or go to: mephistogenetics.com/organicjim Thanks for reading and see you next week. Peace 🙏
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Eccoci qui... Tutto va per il meglio, questa settimana si inizia a vedere la resina e ora si inizieranno a formare le cime, per questo aggiungo Sugar Shot di @xpertnutrients vedremo l'evoluzione settimana prossima. Questa piccola ha un numero di cime veramente clamoroso, sono soddisfatto di come è cresciuta ora però mi aspetto molto da lei.... Grazie a tutti per il supporto🔥🌲❤️
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@Blazeman
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Auto looks done. Pakistan Valleys look almost done. Candy may need another couple weeks. What do u think i should do guys? Should i wait and harvest all together? Or harvest the auto now, then the kush and lastly the Candy? What's the best way. Also i had been planning to dry them all in my tent. If I do a staggered harvest, i have to build a box or empty out a closet to try and dry them in 😫
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So, this is my first grow, just starting out. After NJ passed recreational weed, I was like you know what... Went on an amazon spending spree and got some seeds from cropkingseeds and this is it! I let the seeds soak for 18hr in deer park spring water w/ 1 drop of Organic Liquid Seaweed and Kelp Fertilizer Supplement by Bloom City. At the end of soakage, it didn't look like any had cracked maybe one did not so sure. So I did up the papertowels according to the video and have to say I feel a little nervous/anxious that there is too much water/weight on the seeds and feer drownage. I'm going to keep it on there though. I check the towels a few times throughout the day and am surprised they're very moist throughout the day and next morning still somewhat damp. 24 hours in the towels I check my babies and one had cracked but the rest were still sealed up tight, unwilling to share the goodness that we all so desire, cmon babies crack that shell for papa! 11/12 looked like 1 seed popped, yay! I remoistened towels a bit but didn't wanna soak them. I also put some rapid rooters in water to soak overnight gunna throw the seeds in them in AM... I was going to do it tonight but figured I should wait see if some pop out more. 11/13 OMG upon checking seeds at 07:10 I found the papertowels like bone dry OMG WTF!!! Panic sets in but I just set up the little terrarium with 6 plugs and put the seeds in and tore some plugs off bottom of a plug to cover seedhole with. 11/14 Got a sprout! YES!! The plugs look nice and moist just going to let it go! 11/15 Woke up this mornin, saw a new sprout peeking thru and then another about to! I got ansy and took off the little top plugs and found all the sprouts were coming up! Leaving the top plug off, hopefully thats not a bad idea.
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Holy crap its big!! Will be back with a harvest update. By the way I'm 6 foot 4 inch tall
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Absolutely Love these genetics one of my favorite grows so far cannot wait till harvest. The smells are immaculate.🌿💨💯
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well guys we go into 5th week of flower and these girls start to smell ! i got 3 lemom pheno and 2 pinneaple pheno ! last time i grew lemon og candy i got also a mix up of both phenos and both are really nice , the lemon one got a more haze like flavor and intense lemon aroma , and the pinneaple pheno smell literally like if u chopped a pinneaple and the flavor is more fruity ! they start covering in trichomes , im so happy so far! loving these qb ! let me know ur thougts fellas ! happy grows 😊
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Cream Auto Summary Wk 1: Germination, game plan, equipment, and prepping the room. Wk 2: Germination progress, fertigation, and a new light. Wk 3: Two phenotypes. Wk 4: Woe and wonder, nutrients, and water source. Wk 5: Growing like a weed, and max power. Wk 6: Soaking up rays and consuming the nutrients. Algae remediation and proactive pest control. Wk 7: Will the size difference begin to fall in line with the predictions, and rearranging the wind. Wk 8: Time slows down, as buds build and plants are thirsty. Wk 9: A cone shaped bush, and trichome hunting season begins. Wk10: Playing the guessing game and learning is doing. Wk11: Escaping from Distancing. Wk12:Trichome Hunting and Changes in diet. Wk13:Lessons Wk14:When will it be the ‘right’ time? Wk15: This is the right time. Wk16: Harvest time and Summary. Final Weights: Cream 1gallon 157g (5.5oz); Cream 3gallon 299g (10.5oz); Combined 456g (16oz) ((Individual plant weight logs in pix)) New names for the Jars, 1 Cream for the 1 gallon plants buds and 2 Cream for the 3 gallon plants buds. 👉The 1 gallon plant was harvested the 3rd day of the week, It had only a couple of white pistols on each bud and wasn’t producing anymore fresh calixs. There was still very few amber trichomes, but the majority were definitely milky. Very frosty sugar leaves, and overall the buds are mega frosty and remind me of the Gorilla Glue I grew. However the buds are more airy. I started trimming from the top, and worked my way down. I recorded the wet weight for each bud and placed it on a clip with a number that corresponded to the order it was removed. I do this to monitor the % of weight loss due to moisture loss and aim for 20-25%. I did a partial dry trim and left all the frosty sugar leaves to be dry trimmed before going into jars. It had minimal actually larfy buds. I trimmed those not part of the main cola group for each branch and placed them on the rack for drying. The process went fairly easy and I might have spent 3hrs total. The sweet smell of sweet creamy citrus and the overwhelming funky stank was very fun. 👉After 2 1/2 days I placed the buds in paper bags, each cola in its own bag. The main cola was too long so reluctantly I cut it down so it would fit. After another 2 days I placed in jars, some with hygrometers and moisture packs. The overnight humidity in the jars was on average 52%. I added some damp paper towels hung off the lids to restore a bit of the humidity. This worked well and the humidity is now average 62%. I added moisture packs to some of the jars. The jar aroma is sweet cream orange zest and funky stank. 👉I had expected to harvest the one gallon plant during week 16. Given the way the 3 gallon was going, I figured the 3 gallon had another week or so. I assumed that because it had been so slow to develop in all of its phases. After I had harvested the 1 gallon I finally had a chance to really inspect the 3 gallon really closely. I couldn’t inspect it as closely as I had been the 1 gallon because it was further back in the tent and the 1 gallon hindered access. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I hadn’t rotated the 3gallon for two weeks I think. So during my close inspection, I was rotating the plant and it actually took me a while to notice…a dried up tip of a cola. This cola had been sitting on the far side. It hadn’t been against the tent wall. As soon as I saw it it was like a slap in the face…its what I feared would happen to this plant since the buds were so fat and dense….botrytis. Budrot. Nasty, grey fuzziness. My heart sunk as my fears were realized. How many more buds would be affected? Will it be like my Critical Purple and all the best big buds have this hidden scourge? I immediately inspected a few of the bigger buds. I didn’t see any. But there are over 20 colas. The only way to know for sure is to harvest. I didn’t have time to harvest the whole plant right then, so I had to wait for the next evening after work. 👉I took off work a little early to get a head start. The buds were full of sugar leaves still a lot of fan leaves so lots of trimming to do. It took a total of 6 hours from start to finish. I started doing a partial wet trim leaving the smaller frosty sugar leaves to be trimmed dry. I experimented with full wet trim on some of the smaller buds that ended up on the drying net and not left on the branch. I needed the buds to dry slow enough not to taste like hay, and fast enough the botrytis gremlin wouldn’t pay a visit. A close thorough wet trim seemed to look like it could be optimum for these buds. On the 7th branch I started giving the buds a meticulous wet trim. I took the liberty to enjoy some of my Tangerine Dream from a year ago. I listened to Physical Graffiti, Animals, Frank Marino Live, Foxtrot, and some dead air when the album ended and I needed to pick another one. I scrutinized each bud closely for any signs of the evil spores. But I saw none, such a relief after each buds inspection to see nothing but happiness. 👉I had 28 total branch end colas. Most were chunky pine cones. I recorded each branch in the order it was removed. I started at the bottom and labeled them alphabetically. 4 of the branches were smaller near the top in the middle of the canopy and one branch had the bud-rot. I trimmed the buds off the branches but left the bud group forming the cola intact. I put small larfy buds on a separate rack from the good buds trimmed of the branches, I didn’t weigh the larf, and had 72g of good chunky branch buds. The colas when dried to approx 22% weighed in at 227g. The total in the jars is 299g. Very happy! The chunky colas were slow to dry on the interior. I took special care to monitor the buds, not let them get too dry and would spread the buds open a bit to prevent wet spots that could turn into botrytis. When they got a little dry to the touch I would place them in paper bags. That slowed the drying down and allowed the moisture to equalize on the bud. I would weigh the buds and calculate the % of weigh left to help determine how dry they were. When they were below 25% of its wet weight I placed them in jars with many of them getting a hygrometer to monitor the humidity in the jars. I had to take them back out of the jars after one day and back into paper bags because the humidity climbed as high as 80% in some fo the jars. This meant the interiors were still moist. The bigger the buds the longer they needed to stay in the paper bags. The final weights on the buds were after they were dry enough to be at 62% or lower humidity in the jars wish was still around 20% of the wet weight. The jar aroma is not very strong. The aroma is a light sweet orange zest. It should improve over time. The buds are dense and sticky. Not all the colas got their own jars unless they were big enough. Some of the colas I separated from the branches and placed in smaller jars, even combining some of them. The intact colas got the large jars and some were combined in those as well. 👉I have one of those Trim-trays with the screen in the bottom with a tray underneath to catch keif. I trimmed off fans leaves and leaves with no fuzziness on them. I trim the fuzzy leaves over the tray. I did this for both plants. When doing the 3 gallon plants trimming I also snipped up some of the larf and small buds into small pieces to add to the pile. I let the trim sit in the tray till it was crispy dry. I then used my hands to grind the trim into smaller bits. I used a plastic card to scrape the pile back and forth across the screen. I continued to grind up the trim with my hands and alternately scrape the screen and sift the pile. It was hard to tell how much I had got till I used the plastic card to scrap the catch tray. I was pleasantly surprised to see a nice pile form. I made 4 pucks. 👉The bud is cured and stable humidity in jars. I’m doing the typical jar burping and inspection daily for another few days. I have tested both plants and am extremely pleased! Both have a sweet creamy orange zest like aroma (but not like an orange creamsicle). The 1gallon, now called 1Cream, is the strongest jar aroma. When hit on the bong both have a sweet creamy smooth after taste, and again the 1Cream is the strongest flavor. Both are very sticky when pinching off a bit for the bong, and the 1 gallon is the stickiest. Both pass the one hit test with flying colors! Hard to tell the difference between the two as far as the high goes, creeper buzz, with a nice uplifting energy, settling into couch lock and sleep-inducing trail-off. Perfect for night time use. I’m surprised at how nice it is already. The typical 6 week cure review will be updated in the review. If its anything like the other plants Ive grown so far 6 months is when it really hits its stride and is at its best flavor and effect. 👉Methodology Summation: I am really happy with the fruits of my labor. Its not perfect, and I believe I have learned a lot of knowledge and insight. All my grows so far have been in 3 gallon cloth pots with coco coir mixed with 30% total volume of expanded clay pebbles for hydro. The one gallon plant got bigger than I expected it could. I believe that’s due to frequent fertigation I the coco/cloth pot. The problems of being in an undersized pot were somewhat mitigated but not eliminated. The 3 gallon was also showing some of the issues of an undersized container but not as severe as the one gallon. Knowing this will help if I choose to grow in a smaller pot again. Obviously the draw backs to the under sized pots is the issues show up during flower when the plant is at its biggest. Maybe next time I wont exacerbate the issues by chasing my tail. But the drawbacks are not enough to say its bad news to grow good big buds in undersized pots. There is a drawback to frequent fertigation method, the amount of time spent tending to the plant. Two times a day, every day. That is actually the minimum recommended. If I could have automated it I would have done 3 times a day. I am curious what my results might be if I was able to fertigate 3xs a day. I chose this method so I would be spending a lot of time tending my plants anyway, and with coco I avoid the pitfalls of over watering soil when you’re an overzealous gardener. 👉Growing Summary: The 3gallon was actually the second seed to germinate. The first seed petered out, and the 1 gallon was put in four days after the 3gallon had germinated. The 3 gallon was slow to straighten and open its cotyledons up. The cotyledons had a yellow tinge to part of them. It was slow grow for the rest of the grow when compared to the 1 gallon plant which started flowering 12 days before the 3 gallon and seemingly was always almost 2 weeks ahead of the 3 gallon. The trunks of both plants became very stout. I was wondering if somehow I had been given mismatched seed pack, but in the end I think they are the same strain due to the similarities such as aroma and high. The leaves were identical. Both had fat stout trunks, and both had super sturdy branches. I didn’t use one support for the 3 gallon plant, a first for me, and the buds were very dense and heavy. I put some on the 1 gallon plant but that was for its protection from me since it was at the front of the tent. Both plants also smelled similar, sweet caramel cream when sniffed up close. But different in the natural canopy both made around its queen cola, and in the structure of the flowers. Its been very fun and interesting watching these plants grow and seeing two phenotypes of the same strain!😻
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08/16/2020 This is my first clone from Red Sky, the mom of all these clones in the tent, (video #1). All others are at different stages of flowering, she is beginning week number 3 of flowering.
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85 d from seed, because she grew along with the other photoperiod had to switch to 12/12 on week six, didn't see any problems except a bit more time to cock. I really didn't believe she will grow out so big and beautiful, cant wait to taste her.