~ FastBuds Strawberry Gorilla Autoflower Harvest Report ~
The Setup:
• AC Infinity 4x4 tent
•AC Infinity Cloudline T6 Exhaust Fan w/ Controller 67
•HLG 650R w/UVA Bar *** For some reason GD does NOT have a listing for the USA version of the 650R so I selected the closest match to it.
•AirCube Active Oxygen Ebb/Flow 6 pot System
•TrolMaster Hydro-X Controller for light
•AutoPilot APC8200 co2 controller fed by a 50# tank
•16" Hurricane oscillating fan and 8" floor fan
•Tent cooling via filtered outside air delivered by AC Infinity Cloudline T6 fan
•BlueLab instruments: PH Pen and Truncheon Nutrient Meter
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Here we go fam!...after 13 exciting weeks this run of three FastBuds Strawberry Gorilla Autoflowers has come to an end and, despite some hiccups along the way, all three of this phenomenal cultivar delivered the goods!
This was my first attempt at 'hydroponic' growing and honestly I made some mistakes along the way. In hindsight, I ran too many feed cycles in a 24hr period which did not allow the medium and fabric pots dry out enough which led to a Fungus Gnat infestation which wasn't caught until late into flower. I also think I had the nutrient level set too high which may have kept the upper portion of the medium too wet. Other than those issues the only other hindrances were related to the actual ebb/flow system itself and beyond my immediate control such as plant spacing, solution temperature etc.
I will say that when using this AirCube system I found out the hard way that you really need to have all of your plants starting at the same time, and preferably of the same strain unless you're using a trellis net to control the canopy height. Lastly, I will say that the GrowAce AirCube system was very well built, used quality materials, is expandable, and was very easy to setup and get running.
Now to the plants... All three Strawberry Gorilla's were germinated together and sprouted within 24hrs of one another. I did very minimal training on them consisting of leaf tucking and gentle bending of branches, then some LST using horticulture wire starting in Week 1 of flower, which all three responded well to. All three pheno's began to flower right around Day 24 from seed and continued for another 10 weeks. I kept the tent temperatures during veg and early flower between 76-80℉ with the light on, and 70-72℉ with the light off and the RH at 60-70%. Once in flower, I gradually lowered the 'light on' temperature to 72-75℉ and 65℉ during the dark period. I also lowered the RH down to 35-40% during late flower. The entire run they were fed Plagron nutrients exclusively, using their Cocos 'A' and Cocos 'B' along with Green Sensation. Power Roots and Royal Rush. I had nothing but great results from this lineup from Plagron and highly recommend their entire product line!
I ended up with three distinct phenotypes, two of which leaning more to the fruity/strawberry side. The third pheno was Glue all the way, with a pungent, chem-like aroma that will make your eyes water! The #1 and #2 phenotypes took on some beautiful coloration through late flower, expressing shades of purple, pinks and lavender. Both of them also had a very fruity/sweet aroma that grew extremely strong during late flower. The #3 phenotype struggled a little bit during the run and was affected the most by the Fungus Gnats (which I'm sure affected her yield) but incredibly ended up not only being the most aromatic of the bunch, but also the frostiest! The #3's flowers were a lime green with hints of pink and lavender on some, all were covered in large headed trichomes!
Once the Strawberry Gorilla's reached Week 8 of flower I began regular checks of their trichomes and once they had reached a ratio of 90% milky/10% amber I placed all three plants in darkness for 72hrs in the 4x4, keeping the temperature at 64℉ and a RH of 35%. After three days in the dark I chopped and hung the plants whole in the 4x4 suspended by a wire I ran across the tent. I kept gentle air circulation going in the tent and maintained a temperature of 55-60℉ and monitored the RH, keeping it at 50% for the first 24hrs, then 60% for the remainder of the hanging time. The first plant was ready to trim in 9 days, with the other two 10 & 11 days respectively. All three were trimmed and their flowers placed in Mason jars with a hygrometer inside to begin the curing process. The beautiful 'sugar trim' was sifted on my 24"x24" four screen setup which I did outside on my porch on a calm day that was only 38-40℉. I got a tremendous return of 42g of some beautiful 90u sift that I can't wait to press into rosin!
All in all, having cultivated this strain previously I can say that the results could have been a whole lot better, but... taking into consideration my level of expertise with hydroponic growing and the stresses that the Strawberry Gorilla's had to contend with, I'd say that it was a win and a testimony to how resilient and strong this strain from FastBuds is... It's no wonder that Strawberry Gorilla Auto is a trophy winner!🏆