🌿 Week 1 – Vegetative Stage – Lava Cake (Zamnesia Seeds)
Grower: Dog Doctor
Strain: Lava Cake
Breeder: Zamnesia Seeds
Lights: Future Off LED – Black Series 600
Feed: Aptus Holland – Regulator & Start Booster (1 ml/L)
✨ The First Week of Veg – Fragile Queens in the Making
Our Lava Cake girls are off to a lovely start. They’ve entered the first week of vegetative growth, and even though they’re still tiny, they’re showing strength, personality, and light-hungry spirit.
They’re currently working on their third pair of true leaves, which is a good indicator of steady development. But as sometimes happens early on, they had a bit of a stretch and lean, eventually toppling over slightly. No worries though, a quick roll of wire, a bit of garden ingenuity, and voilà: we built a gentle support system to hold them up. They bounced back like queens. 👑
This phase is delicate, extremely fragile, in fact. So we’re handling everything with maximum love and patience.
💧 Watering & Root Strategy
We’re bottom-watering by filling the tray beneath the pots and letting the soil wick up the water naturally. This method encourages the roots to search downward, creating a stronger, more resilient root system. It helps avoid damping off, prevents overwatering from the top, and trains the plant’s architecture from below.
We’re still using our early-stage nutrient recipe:
• Aptus Regulator (1 ml/L): Keeps the cell walls strong and gives the seedlings the ability to handle environmental fluctuations with grace.
• Aptus Start Booster (1 ml/L): Supports early root development and gentle microbial activity around the root zone.
We’re using this formula during the first week only, a gentle approach for gentle beginnings. Soon, we’ll transition to a different recipe as the plants develop more root mass and leaf surface.
🌞 Lighting – A Spectrum Made for Growth
These little ones are basking under the Future Off Black Series 600, a grow light known for its full-spectrum output and superb penetration. It casts a beautifully balanced glow, helping with leaf expansion and node spacing, ideal for early veg.
The plants are showing that classic “light hug” behavior, reaching gently but not stretching excessively. Just a small adjustment to height or intensity will help keep that under control as they continue to establish themselves.
🔍 What This Week Is (and Isn’t)
What it is:
• A week for foundation—root building, early structural development, and first signs of leaf definition.
• A time for observation and patience. These girls are tiny but telling us a lot already.
• A reminder that gentle starts create strong futures.
What it’s not:
• It’s not a week for heavy feeding, training, or rushing. Let them breathe, root, and shine.
🎓 The Journey Continues…
This is part of our new grow series, documenting the full journey with education, heart, and hands-on love. Every week we’ll dive into the how and why, so others can learn, grow, and maybe feel a little inspired to care more deeply for their own plants.
With care, roots, and green energy,
DD 🌿
📲 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
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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/
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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 💚
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P.S. I’m not a fan of the new 30-file upload limit on GrowDiaries!!! I truly hope the platform reconsiders. I have so many more photos and videos to share with the community. My apologies to everyone watching closely — I’ll keep trying to find ways to share everything I can!