🍰 Lava Cake – Week 8 (4th Week Flower) | The Bulking Phase The fourth week of flower has arrived, and both Lava Cakes are showing their full potential. Their structure is strong, pistils are snow-white and thick, and bud sites are stacking beautifully. This is the week where the promise of flowers begins to turn into visible production, every day, you can almost see them swelling. ⸻ 🔬 What’s Happening in Week 4 Flower By now, stretch is nearly finished. The plants are redirecting their energy: • From vertical growth ➝ into flower bulk. • From nitrogen demand ➝ into phosphorus & potassium demand. • From building structure ➝ into packing density. This transition is crucial: the roots, the soil microbiology, and the nutrient profile all work together to feed flowers instead of stems and leaves. What we see this week: • Thick, healthy pistils at every site. • Calyx swelling beginning, the first signs of true bud stacking. • Leaves still dark and strong — proof of balanced nutrition. • No stress, no burn, no deficiencies. ⸻ 🥤 Feeding Strategy – Why Boosters Matter Now This week, we removed the Aptus All-in-One Liquid, despite it being in the photo. The reason: the soil’s super soil base + slow-release pellets still carry enough NPK to support the girls. Overfeeding at this stage could risk tip burn or nutrient lockout — and we want the roots to stay clean and active. Instead, the focus is on precision boosters: Recipe (per L water): • Aptus Regulator – 0.15 ml → strengthens cell walls, stress protection, and nutrient uptake efficiency. • Aptus CalMag Boost – 0.25 ml → keeps calcium steady (critical for bud structure) and magnesium strong (photosynthesis & chlorophyll). • Plagron Power Buds – 1 ml → directs plant energy into flower production. • Plagron Sugar Royal – 1 ml → provides organic nitrogen + enzymes to stimulate terpene development. • Plagron Green Sensation – 1 ml → PK booster + biostimulant, promoting dense, resin-rich flowers. Why this mix? • Because the NPK in soil is still sufficient → boosters fill in the extra needs of flowering without overwhelming the root zone. • Because boosters provide specialized roles → each product targets a specific physiological process. • Because balance prevents problems → overdoing NPK at week 4 could backfire, while focused boosters guide the plants safely into mid-bloom. ⸻ 🌡️ Environmental Notes • Temps: Still ~31–34°C until AC arrives. High, but plants are adapting. • Humidity: 55–60%, VPD ~1.8–2.0 kPa — slightly high, but still manageable. • Watering Rhythm: Once substrate moisture falls near 19–20%, measured by TrolMaster WCS substrate sensor. This ensures roots get oxygen before each feed. Even under warm conditions, the plants are drinking heavily — proving they are metabolically active and thriving. ⸻ 🌸 What to Expect Next Week (Week 5 Flower) ✅ Expect: • Noticeable bulking → flowers will become rounder, denser, and begin to “stack.” • More pistils → a full carpet of white hairs covering colas. • Aroma development → the first hints of Lava Cake’s dessert-like terpene profile may start releasing. ❌ Not to Expect (yet): • Full frost coverage → heavy trichome production usually comes weeks 5–7. • Final density → buds will continue swelling for several weeks, so patience is key. ⸻ ✨ Closing Thoughts Week 4 flower is the foundation of yield. It’s when the plants finish their stretch, define their bud sites, and begin to convert light, water, and nutrients into the weight and density we harvest later. Our Lava Cakes are in perfect rhythm: • Strong genetics, showing symmetrical growth. • Balanced feeding, keeping roots clean and buds fueled. • Stable environment, with monitoring from TrolMaster guiding every adjustment. From here forward, every day brings visible progress. The journey of seeds to now feels like preparation — this is the beginning of the true show. 🔬 Science Spotlight – The Unsung Heroes: Calcium & Magnesium Many growers focus on NPK during flower, but two “quiet players” — calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) — are just as vital to ensure flowers bulk properly. 🌿 Calcium (Ca): • Strengthens cell walls, making flowers denser and less prone to collapse. • Improves nutrient transport, ensuring phosphorus and potassium (the bloom drivers) actually reach the buds. • Helps roots resist stress in warm environments (like our 31–34°C room). 🌿 Magnesium (Mg): • The central atom in chlorophyll → without magnesium, photosynthesis collapses. • Supports enzyme activity, converting sugars into energy for bud building. • Directly influences terpene production, giving flowers their aroma and flavor. Why CalMag Boost now? • In soil mixes, calcium can sometimes get “locked up” as the pH fluctuates. • With daily watering at slightly acidic pH (5.8–6.0), we guarantee Ca and Mg are immediately available. • This ensures strong, vibrant leaves → which means more energy for flower sites. In short: while NPK builds the skeleton of yield, calcium and magnesium are the glue and spark that hold it all together. Skipping them would weaken the entire flowering process. ✨ Grower’s Analogy: Think of your plant like a construction site: • NPK are the bricks and beams (the main structure). • Calcium is the cement holding every wall together. Without it, the structure would crumble. • Magnesium is the spark plug in the engine — it makes photosynthesis “run” and fuels the work crews building the flowers. No cement, no structure. No spark plug, no engine. That’s why CalMag support is never optional — especially in flower when the demand skyrockets. 🌸 📲 Don’t forget to Subscribe and follow me on Instagram and YouTube @DogDoctorOfficial for exclusive content, real-time updates, and behind-the-scenes magic. We’ve got so much more coming, including transplanting and all the amazing techniques that go along with it. You won’t want to miss it. • GrowDiaries Journal: https://growdiaries.com/grower/dogdoctorofficial • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogdoctorofficial/ • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dogdoctorofficial ⸻ Explore the Gear that Powers My Grow If you’re curious about the tech I’m using, check out these links: • Genetics, gear, nutrients, and more – Zamnesia: https://www.zamnesia.com/ • Environmental control & automation – TrolMaster: https://www.trolmaster.eu/ • Advanced LED lighting – Future of Grow: https://www.futureofgrow.com/ • Root and growth nutrition – Aptus Holland: https://aptus-holland.com/ • Nutrient systems & boosters – Plagron: https://plagron.com/en/ • Soil & substrate excellence – PRO-MIX BX: https://www.pthorticulture.com/en-us/products/pro-mix-bx-mycorrhizae • Curing and storage – Grove Bags: https://grovebags.com/ ⸻ We’ve got much more coming as we move through the grow cycles. Trust me, you won’t want to miss the next steps, let’s push the boundaries of indoor horticulture together! As always, this is shared for educational purposes, aiming to spread understanding and appreciation for this plant. Let’s celebrate it responsibly and continue to learn and grow together. With true love comes happiness. Always believe in yourself, and always do things expecting nothing and with an open heart. Be a giver, and the universe will give back in ways you could never imagine. 💚 Growers love to all 💚

Already week 7, and it’s starting with much better air humidity which makes it easier for me to stay in the recommended VPD range – currently 54% at 25 °C at canopy height. With 58, 67, 78 and 80 cm plants’ average height is about 71 cm. Odour has increased, and sometimes, but only shortly, I get the feeling the coal before the blowers cannot eliminate all of it. While the smell was a bit strange sometimes one and a half week ago, it’s now absolutely yummy, sweet and promising. As is all the sticky stuff adhering to my folding rule when I measure their size. I am a bit confused about the amount of yellowing leaves. That would indicate a nutrition deficit. On the other hand, last feeding (yesterday it was only calmagged water) brought some brown edges to their tips as I wrote. Which could indicate a slight over-nutrition. I am not *that* worried as leaves around the buds all look great (except for mentioned, but not youngest tips), and mature plants obviously tend to concentrate on bud production solely. But week 7 is quite early, or isn’t it? Any recommendations? Maybe I should go with organic fertiliser next time to avoid being stuck between two options ;) As they had run dry already, I gave each one another round of drink. Slightly less fertilised than last week. And I removed the lowest yellow branches and tiny buds that would not make it into the light in time. The Pineapples must have some mimosa genes crossed in. Each time I touch them they bow away their heads in deep dislike. The taller one looks like her head would be too heavy now … It is not, and usually they recover after an hour or so. The Sherbets are pretty unimpressed by all I do. Meanwhile I’ve been working on the Raspberry Pi BoxControl that should help me stay in better VPD ranges in the future. I am not sure how to translate this all into a more stable solution than based on a breadboard, but the state so far (and how it is supposed to work): Raspi runs headless with control software on autostart. Every minute temperature and humidity are received from a GY-21 I2C chip that should be hanging around plant tops. Data is saved in a database, VPD is calculated and signalled in form of a RGB LED color. Additionally, LCD display rotates through current stats. 3 relay modules can en- or disable misting, dehydration or an additional blower. Maybe I can add a CO2 sensor just for the fun of it (but I’d have to develop a device protocol myself), maybe even one or two soil moisture sensors. Theoretically you could also have a lighting control, but then, GPIO ports are all used. The display needs a lot of them, and while I can log onto the Raspi on my local network and view its desktop, I’d prefer to have a quick overview at place. I am not really informed about current models. Are some GPIO extensions or Raspis with extended GPIOs on the market? But so far, that’s all theory. I never had a PCB developed for my hobbyist projects, I am not the best with a solder station. Never had a Raspi run 24/7 for a really long time. Did a bit more lollipop ping in the evening. Especially tallest Shepard had fun building some more very low buds and branches. I think it can investigate its powers better on different places. Day 51: It’s getting hard to measure soil humidity with my low tech device. Soil must be full with roots and I don’t want to hurt them much. I can see them at the outlets of their pots too, sometimes a bit dry of course as these parts run dry earliest. Experiments to include the CO2 sensor in my test setup failed. I can read and reset it, but setting measurement mode and reading values don’t work. Maybe because my I2C library cannot use ClockStretchLimit. Running out of GPIO ports anyway and seeing that the soil sensors are analogue devices, I’ll probably revive my Uno too and have discovered some clever Raspi heads that should make a more stable setup (and some cooling) possible while also adding a handful of PWM ports and an integrated display. I’d like to include a camera module too and it would be great to have some ports available. A final setup would obviously include a Raspi 4 or 5 to easily enable secure online access. But so far, all working nicely in test setup. Day 54: Sometimes I wonder if they’re still growing at all, but then it’s good to have the daily pictures to compare bud width which now seems to be the main interest of the ladies, although differences are now clearer to tell between two day intervals. The taller ones look like they are one week ahead of the smaller plants, with even higher fan leaves turning pale now. Which at an estimated seed–harvest time of 8–11 weeks for both strains should be pretty common, I guess. Or am I wrong? Summerly temperatures make the temperatures at canopy level sometimes reach 31 °C, but at least the simple ultrasonic diffusers arrived and I am getting closer to a better environment control. I can at least switch the diffuser inside the tent remotely from my phone, and a deep bowl of water with a lid so the "fountain" produced will not wet the tent floor and one of the fans placed at the bottom now to lift its mist upwards seems to do the trick. Humidity increases while temperature drops, getting the plants into a better VPD level, so all I have to do is wait for the evil A to deliver the necessary Raspi components to have this automated, maybe still while this grow runs. At the end of this week, there was just a bit of height gain for the two smaller ladies who now approach their next 10 cm mark. Overall, I get the feeling it won’t be that long until harvest. Maybe with the taller ones a week earlier than the others. There’s really not that much bud growth anymore, rather refinements – like buds getting more nodes and color. I’ll investigate the trichomes every few days but would welcome your estimation.

Elle commence à faire de beaux buds Pour l'histoire, la plante est restée en extérieur jusqu'en début de flo ou elle est passée en intérieur peur de l'humidité avec notre météo :-)

As I predicted the weather last week guess what?... it was a cold and wet week. My main issue its yellowing of the wedding cake. think i as to do with the cold weather as she is the close to the door. I allso burned then a litle with the foliar. The instruction clearly say it may burn withe heat and light aply at night. Guess what?... it was midday.... Black Cream Its Growing Good. Couckush its a litle bit burned. Growing good. Chubby Litle plant for now. Bomberry its starting to become the beast as is leaves size show. Totally diferent genetics Cheers BrotherHood

KICKASS AUTO by KANNABIA Week #9 May 28th- June 4th Week #3 Flower This week she is doing great no issues being outside she has a nice short center balance that has helped her be a strong 💪 young lady outside!! Trichomes coverage looking good and buds looking 👍!! Stay Growing!!

Info: Unfortunately, I had to find out that my account is used for fake pages in social media. I am only active here on growdiaries. I am not on facebook instagram twitter etc All accounts except this one are fake. Flowering day 68 since the time change to 12/12 h. Hi everyone :-) . We arrived last week :-). The trichomes are 70% milky, 20% amber and 10% clear. The nutrients have been used up and the lady is allowed to stay a few days before she comes into the darkroom for 48 hours before the harvest. Of course there is an extra update for this :-). Otherwise the week was poured 3 times with 1.2 l. The tent was cleaned and all women checked. Have fun with the update and see you next time. stay healthy 🙏🏻 You can buy this Strain at https://www.barneysfarm.com/blue-cheese-34 Type: Blue Cheese ☝️🏼 Genetics: Blueberry X Original Cheese 👍 Vega lamp: 2 x Todogrow Led Quantum Board 100 W 💡 Bloom Lamp : 2 x Todogrow Led Cxb 3590 COB 3500 K 205W 💡💡☝️🏼 Soil : Canna Coco ☝️🏼 Fertilizer: Green House Powder Feeding ☝️🏼🌱 Water: Osmosis water mixed with normal water (24 hours stale that the chlorine evaporates) to 0.2 EC. Add Cal / Mag to 0.4 Ec Ph with Organic Ph - to 5.5 - 5.8

09/06/2025, start of week 4, a bit annoyed with myself for overwatering as it's set me back by a few days at least but she's not looking too bad and can hopefully achieve a good stretch now she's showing some preflowers.

Vale pues hoy empiezo a contar la primera semana de crecimiento, de un total de 4. Estamos a 13/02/23 y llevan 20 días desde la germinación. Hoy he regado ya con abono de crecimiento, en concreto uso el Boom Crecimiento de Boom nutrients y he añadido también CalMag Dentro de dos semanas haremos el trasplante, a ver si aguantan por que a este ritmo se van a salir de las macetas en 1 semana jaja. Os dejo un video también de una visión aérea con mi dron. Hola. Actualización de semana 19/02/23 Efectivamente como dije hace 7 días. Toca trasplante, han crecido muchísimo y es momento de que las raíces sigan creciendo con fuerza así que... trasplante. Entre el día 19/02/23 y el día 20/02/23 termino todo el trasplante, por ahora dejo terminadas 5 de 12 plantas. Especialmente he priorizado las autos ya que no me quiero esperar a trasplantar para que no entren en flora. Por ahora siguen vegetando y trasplantas! ESO ES!

Had a few hiccups. Plants ended up developing a nitrogen toxicity from too much worm casting. I simply did a flush on them with water PH’d to 6.3 and allowed the soil to dry out

Plant was very hardy and stiff buds thick and dense. I'll update in a few days upon dry. We Did It... Let's groW some mo...

Apple Pie. mmmmmm 👋Top is a clean cut, no confusion for the plant, road ahead is clear, by completely removing the main growth tip, the auxin source is eliminated. The plant permanently halts vertical growth from that main stem and immediately sends its energy and hormones to the two new, evenly spaced branches just below the cut. Fimming slightly different because a small tuft of the top growth is left behind, the auxin disruption is temporary and less severe. The plant recovers more quickly and sends its energy to multiple surrounding growth points, often creating four or more new shoots from the same spot. It will eventually regain some vertical dominance after a few weeks if left to its own devices, but with a little more LST, bending the apex to the same height as the rest of the internodes, this shatters dominance, hopefully creating around 8-9 main shoots growing at equal height once recovered and grown out. Reduced environmental intensity for now and let her focus on dealing with this new stress for a week or two. When H+ ions are added to soil, the first nutrient displaced from exchange sites is typically aluminum (Al3+), if it's present, followed by calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), and potassium (K+), because aluminum and these base cations have different binding strengths. The order of displacement depends on the lyotropic series, where ions with a higher positive charge and those with weaker binding strengths are displaced first. The specific order of nutrient displacement is determined by the lyotropic series, which ranks the strength with which cations are adsorbed by soil particles: Al3+: Most strongly adsorbed, so if present, it will be displaced by H+ ions, leading to increased solubility of aluminum and potential plant toxicity. Ca2+: Displaced next, as it is more strongly bound than Mg2+ or K+ but less than Al3+. Mg2+ and K+: Displaced after Ca2+. The displaced nutrients can be lost from the root zone through leaching, becoming unavailable to plants. As H+ ions increase, the proportion of acid cations (H+ and Al3+) on the exchange sites increases, while base cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+) decrease, resulting in a lower soil pH. The amount of photosynthesis (water splitting) directly determines the availability of H+ ions (protons) in a plant. 90% of water is for cooling of photosynthetic apparatus the other 10% is split for its H+ among others things. Carbon sugars, like glucose, do oxidize in soil through a process primarily driven by microorganisms, which break down these sugars for energy. This oxidation converts the sugars into carbon dioxide (CO2) through cellular respiration, a key part of the soil carbon cycle, though some carbon may also be incorporated into soil organic matter. The rate and extent of sugar oxidation depend on factors like oxygen availability, the presence of Fe oxides, and soil redox conditions, which can all influence the process. My understanding of why we flush. Just plain water, what does it do? Strips the medium of salts and nutrients making it empty. What does that do? Triggers nutrient recycling within the plant. What's nutrient recycling? It is a natural part of plant senescence, which can be triggered once you know the switches. A 24:1 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio will also trigger. Why won't it trigger autophagy for me? Nitrogen needs to be gone, gone, gone almost. Ammoniacal (organic) nitrogen takes 4-5 times more water to separate it from soil particles than nitrates so what happens is most people jist flush the nitrates, leave all the ammoniacal in there and this prevents autophagy initiating. Nitrogen decays differently depending on its form during the dry. Ammoniacal nitrogen will oxidize in the air, leaving no trace. But nitrates do no decay and turn volatile and smelly and remain trapped until smoked, no matter how long you cure it does not oxidize. This is why you need to trigger it and begin the denitrification process prior to harvest to get rid of all the nitrates. Otherwise, you will smoke it. Flush till autophagy begins, just make sure you add no nitrogen afterwards. Micronutrients for trichomes. Don't leave the medium empty for 2 weeks, that does nothing but reduce yield 10%ish. Trichomes are another thing. Trichomes themselves are not directly affected by flushing; rather, flushing affects the plant's nutrient uptake, which influences the development and final state of the trichomes. Trichomes are filled with antioxidants in the last weeks, which is what makes them cloudy. A lot of the processing of antioxidants requires energy and nutrients (mostly micronutrients ), so you don't want that soil empty for 2 weeks, you just want the carbon nitrogen ratio 24:1and no higher. She still wants what she needs to ripen. Processing antioxidants is energy-intensive; heat and light accelerate the rate at which THC converts to CBN. This is why you lower DLI, lower temps. By doing so, you reduce the oxidative workload caused by photosynthesis, which opens up the oxidative capacity for the production of antioxidants. THC is mostly processed at night when the plant's oxidative capacity is generally moreso "free and available" for work

8/9 shes flowering💚 pistils everywhere. Been feeding with open sesame from fox farms and everythings looking awesome. I am concerned about how lanky she is. Her node spacing is tight but shes long and the branches are already drooping from the weight from pistils and new leaves lol fml im gonna have to get stakes/supports soon 8/10 shes loving the weather or the nutes, shes praying so fucking hard its beautiful

rootsballs are growing

Update day 70 Water with nutrients Defolage Update day 72 dress code..Xmas Hope you like it 😉 👌👌👌👌👌

Still no Amber trichomes. Very last feed today.

SATIVA DREAM by KANNABIA Week #19 Overall Week #4 Flower This week she's looking good nice color and her buds are are gaining some weight no major issues being outside so far!! Stay Growing!! Kannabia.com. SATIVA DREAM

Didn’t manage to get a pic of all my autos this week cos we were in a rush. Will take pics of every strain on the weekend. Crazy smells coming of these plants now and they are getting very frosty. Will start feeding bottled nutes to make the most out of them.

hi friends farm, did you have a good Easter? we made a decent harvest that left me quite satisfied even if I had to collect a little earlier because of my absence at home but this did not ruin the work 🤪🤪🤪🤪😎😎

Hi everyone 🍃🍃🍃The girls do very well ...🍃🍃🍃 Pinching turned out to be a hit because everything looks nice and I enjoy my eyes when I look at them ...🍃🍃🍃 Happy growing 🍃🍃🍃