This week marks Week 18 of veg for the Pineapple Upside Down, and things are getting interesting.
The plant is still pushing hard, stacking growth on all sides — more height, more volume, more density.
She’s clearly in that phase where she’s comfortable, full of energy, and ready to take every bit of space you give her.
But that’s exactly where the challenge begins.
Right now, I still can’t move her into the bloom tent.
There’s another plant finishing inside, so the space isn’t free yet.
And that delay changes the whole strategy, because this girl is getting tall — fast.
So the main question of the week is the same one I’ve been wrestling with for a while:
Should I let her stretch and plan a SCROG, or should I top her to keep things low and contained?
And to be honest, I’m still not ready to decide.
I want to see her in her final environment before making that call.
Transplanting into the bloom tent will change the lighting, the airflow, the VPD, the root-zone rhythm — and I don’t want to shape her structure blindly before she settles in.
On top of that, she’ll need a short acclimation period once she’s transferred, so there’s no point in rushing structural training now.
It could do more harm than good.
So for the moment, the rule is simple: don’t touch anything.
I’m keeping her on the same settings, same nutrition, same EC, same feeding schedule.
She’s clearly thriving, and when a plant is this comfortable, the smartest move is not to interrupt her momentum.
You can feel she’s building up internal energy — thicker stems, fuller leaves, faster node spacing.
All of that will pay off in bloom, as long as I manage the height correctly once she moves to her final tent.
This week is all about timing.
Letting her grow, monitoring the stretch, and holding the decision until the very last moment.
The more I watch her, the more I realize that patience here is probably the winning move.
For now, she’s healthy, beautiful, vigorous, and still accelerating.
No signs of stress, no burn, no deficiencies.
Just a plant in full confidence.
Next week should be decisive — hopefully the bloom tent will finally be free, and I’ll get a clearer picture of the strategy: SCROG or top.
Until then, she keeps growing… and I keep observing.