🍋🍒 Week 1 — Lemon Cherry Gelato | 12/12 From Seed | First Observations Introduction & Gratitude A huge thank you to everyone supporting this project: genetics providers, Plagron for the nutrient line, Future of Grow for the lighting and control system, Cannakan for the clean start, and the GrowDiaries community of supporters, critics, and followers. Your presence makes this more than a grow — it becomes a shared experience and a learning journey. ⸻ Genetics Overview — Lemon Cherry Gelato This cultivar is known for citrus and sweet cherry terpene potential, balanced hybrid traits, and beautiful early morphology. Already in Week 1 she displays her own character. ⸻ Early Development — Long, Elegant First Leaves Among all seedlings in the 8×8, Lemon Cherry Gelato stands out immediately. Her first true leaves are long, narrow, elegant, and beautifully symmetrical. Under macro photography, the serrations and venation look almost painted. Despite being under 12/12 from seed, she expresses confidence and early aesthetic structure. ⸻ Growing Medium — Pro-Mix Mycorrhizal 14.5 L Bags Benefits of the mycorrhizal medium: • Faster and healthier root colonization • Improved nutrient uptake, especially phosphorus • Better water distribution and drought tolerance • Enhanced metabolic stability during 12/12-from-seed • Stronger early vigor and more efficient compact growth Grow bags also encourage air pruning and strong fibrous root development, which is ideal for short-cycle runs like 12/12. Lemon Cherry Gelato appears to respond extremely well to this combination — the long early leaves are a good sign of strong underground development. ⸻ Feeding — Plagron Nutrient Strategy (Week 1) All plants in the space share the same feeding mix: In water: • Terra Grow: 25 ml / 10 L • Power Roots: 1 ml / L • Pure Zym: 1 ml / L • Sugar Royal: 1 ml / L Foliar: • Vita Race: 2.5 ml / L Why it works well: Power Roots + mycorrhizae creates a synergistic boost for early root expansion. Pure Zym keeps the medium active and helps nutrient uptake. Sugar Royal increases stress resistance under 12/12. Vita Race enhances early growth and leaf strength. Terra Grow provides the nitrogen support this fast-cycle method demands. ⸻ Environmental Conditions (Week 1) • EC: ~1.0 • pH: ~6.0 • Water Temperature: 21–22°C • Room Temperature: ~28°C • Humidity: 65–70% • CO₂: ~666 ppm • PPFD: 500 from the start These numbers are stable, healthy, and ideal for early 12/12 development. ⸻ Lighting — 500 PPFD Under Hyper Red Spectrum Using the Future of Grow Air Grow Pro III 2.95 Hyper Red LED at 500 PPFD from day one. The Hyper Red spectrum and consistent PPFD help maintain tight internodes and support strong early leaf development. This strain seems particularly responsive to light, expressing refined leaf shape and good posture. ⸻ What to Expect Next Weeks 2–3: • Slow but steady vertical growth • Root system expands aggressively with help from mycorrhizae • Leaf width and color deepen • Early hormonal adaptation to 12/12 Weeks 4–5: • First mini-stretch • Clear bud site formation • Early fragrance hints on stem rubs (citrus/cherry tones) This strain tends to become visually impressive early and aromatic early, even under a compact flowering schedule. ⸻ Metrics Being Tracked • PPFD, dimmer %, and light height • Temperature, humidity, and VPD • EC, pH, and water temperature • Morphology (noting the long early leaf structure) • Root behavior in Pro-Mix bags • Mycorrhizal response • Any early terpene hints ⸻ Final Thoughts Week 1 shows Lemon Cherry Gelato as an artistic and expressive cultivar. The long, elegant leaves and her strong early structure reflect excellent interaction between the genetics, Pro-Mix mycorrhizal medium, and the lighting environment. She may be small now due to the 12/12 schedule, but the foundation suggests a beautiful flowering stage ahead. Thank you to everyone following this multi-strain, multi-medium 12/12 project. This folder is only beginning — and Lemon Cherry Gelato is already showing her unique soul. FOR DISCOUNT CODES AND MORE JUST FOLLOW THE LINK https://website.beacons.ai/dogdoctorofficial 📲 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: 🔆 Lighting & Environmental Control • Future of Grow — Advanced LED lighting technology https://www.futureofgrow.com/ DISCOUNT CODE: DOG20 • Lumiflora — Under-canopy LED lighting https://lumiflorade.com/ • TrollMaster — Environmental controllers and automation gear (past collaboration) ⸻ Genetics • Zamnesia Seeds — Genetics used in this project https://www.zamnesia.com/ ⸻ 🌱 Soil, Substrates, Boosters & Root Support • Plagron — Substrates, bio mixes, and supportive products https://plagron.com/en/ ⸻ 🎒 Storage, Curing & Preservation • Grove Bags — Curing and storage solutions https://grovebags.com/ ⸻ 📸 Photography Equipment & Tools (Not sponsors, but part of my creative toolkit) • Sony A6000 / Sony A6700 • Sony full-frame macro lens + few more • Stacking photography workflow - learning • iPhone (for behind-the-scenes shots) 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 💚 📸 P.S. – The Eye Behind the Lens All photos in this diary (for now — except for the ones showing the camera, which I took with an iPhone) are taken with a Sony A6000 (for now A6700 will be doing all future updates) paired with a Sony full-frame macro lens and a few more. Photography is part of the story — it’s how we share the fine textures, the glow, and the quiet details that words can’t always capture. I’ve also started experimenting with photo stacking — a technique where multiple images, each taken at a slightly different focus point, are layered together to create one perfectly sharp image from front to back. It’s not digital enhancement or AI; it’s pure photography — a way to reveal the plant’s beauty in microscopic depth, from trichome to petal. You’ll even see a few shots of "ghost me" capturing the shots — camera, lens, setup — because every grow deserves not just to be cultivated, but documented like art. FOR DISCOUNT CODES AND MORE JUST FOLLOW THE LINK https://website.beacons.ai/dogdoctorofficial NEW DISCORD - Official Server Invite Link : https://discord.gg/ksjAkA5T74