Hey guys!
Here we are in Week 9, and honestly, nothing major to report. The plant’s doing fine — my main focus is still on pH stability. I feel like the coco is finally buffering around 5.9 – 6.0, which is exactly what I’ve been aiming for. I’m keeping a close eye on it.
On the nutrient side, I’m sticking with the Athena base. I did add some Balance to the mix. Just to explain: I actually push the pH way higher than usual at first — up to about 7.4 — before adding the Athena nutrients. Once everything is mixed, it drops down to around 6.3, and then with just a drop or two of pH Down, I dial it back to 6.0–6.1. Right now, in the saucer I’m reading about 5.9–6.1, and the reservoir is showing about the same. So it looks like the buffer is finally kicking in.
Structurally, I topped the plant and now I’ve got four nice apexes that I’ll train slowly over the next weeks. After the defoliation, I’m letting her recover and put some energy back into growth. Next week, I might start adding a little Rhino Skin (Advanced Nutrients) to help strengthen the stems and give her a more solid structure. But no rush — we’ll see how she goes.
For now, EC is steady around 1.4–1.5, which is enough. I’ll bump it up later as needed.
That’s it for this week — keeping the pH steady, letting her recover from topping, and just being patient.
Catch you next week — peace!