👑 8×8 Adventure – Week 12 Godfather OG – Pheno A The Queen Is Shining Again… And Yes, We Have Photos! 😂👑📸🌸 Hello everyone, and welcome back to another chapter of the 8×8 Adventure! 🌱💚 And yes... WE HAVE PHOTOS AGAIN. 😂📸👑 The Queen has officially maintained her photographic privileges. No disappearing act this week. No two-week photographic mystery. No: "Sorry, Your Majesty, we forgot the camera." 😂 She's here. She's photographed. And honestly... she looks beautiful. Godfather OG Pheno A continues to move quickly, continuing her development while slowly showing more and more of those little signs that tell us we're getting deeper into the flowering cycle. The flowers are changing. The white hairs are evolving. The leaves are beginning to show more noticeable colour changes. And this is exactly where I think it's important to slow down and actually explain what we're seeing. Because when leaves start changing colour during flowering, people sometimes immediately think: "Something is wrong." And sometimes something IS wrong. But not every colour change is a problem. Sometimes... it's simply the plant changing. And our Queen is definitely changing. 👑🌿🌸 So let's take a closer look at what's happening with her this week. ──────────────────────── 🌸 WEEK 12 – THE QUEEN KEEPS MOVING ──────────────────────── Godfather OG Pheno A is continuing to do what she has been doing throughout this entire run. Growing. Flowering. Building. Maturing. And doing it quickly. She's not sitting around waiting for permission. 😂👑 She's moving. The flowers are becoming more developed. The pistils are changing. The resin continues to build. And now we're beginning to see more noticeable changes throughout the foliage. She's still beautiful. She's still substantial. She's still one of the personalities of this room. And she's very much claiming her place among these twelve very different plants. The interesting part now is that we're moving beyond simply watching flowers appear. We're watching the plant mature. And maturation comes with changes. ──────────────────────── 📸 YES… THE QUEEN HAS HER PHOTOS AGAIN ──────────────────────── I have to start here because... well... we learned our lesson. 😂📸👑 The Queen gets her photographs. And looking at this week's images, I'm really glad we captured her again. The full-plant photographs show just how much structure she's carrying. The individual flower photographs show the continued development. And when we get closer... that's where the story becomes really interesting. The flowers are changing. The pistils are evolving. The resin is becoming more obvious. And the leaves are beginning to tell us that this plant is progressing further into her cycle. That's why I love documenting the same phenotype week after week. A single photograph can show you what exists. A sequence of photographs shows you what changed. And Godfather OG Pheno A is definitely changing. ──────────────────────── 🌿 THOSE LEAVES ARE STARTING TO CHANGE ──────────────────────── One of the most noticeable differences this week is the colouration appearing on some of the leaves. It's more obvious now than it was last week. And this is where I want to make an important distinction. Leaf colour changing does not automatically mean: "Deficiency!" 😂 Plants aren't that simple. Especially as flowering progresses. As the plant moves deeper into maturity, older leaves can naturally begin to lose some of their green colour. The plant is changing. The distribution of resources within the plant changes. Older foliage can begin to fade. And depending on the individual genetics, that transition can become more or less visible. Godfather OG Pheno A is showing us some of that transition now. But we're not looking at one colour change and immediately declaring a problem. We're looking at the whole plant. That's the important part. ──────────────────────── 🔎 WHAT ARE WE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT? ──────────────────────── When I look at her this week, I don't just look at one yellowing leaf. I look at the entire picture. Are the flowers continuing to develop? Yes. Is the plant still producing healthy new growth where appropriate? Yes. Are the flowers progressing? Absolutely. Is the resin developing? Yes. Are the changes happening primarily on older foliage as the plant matures? That's part of what we're observing. So... there's no reason for me to panic simply because the Queen is starting to show a little more colour. 😂👑🌿 This is where experience becomes important. You don't react to one symptom in isolation. You observe the whole plant. You compare it with previous weeks. You look at where the colour is appearing. You look at how quickly it's progressing. You look at the flowers. You look at the new growth. You look at the environment. And then you decide whether the plant is actually asking for help. Or whether she's simply telling you: "I'm getting older." 😂 And right now... she looks like a plant moving forward through flowering. ──────────────────────── 🌸 THE WHITE HAIRS ARE TELLING THEIR OWN STORY ──────────────────────── Another thing becoming increasingly obvious this week is the evolution of the white pistils. Earlier in flowering, those hairs were extremely fresh. Bright. White. Straight. Reaching outward from the flowers. Now? They're beginning to change. Some remain bright and white. Others are starting to become creamier. Some are beginning to curl. Some are changing colour. And that's completely normal as individual flowers mature. Pistils don't all change simultaneously. A flower isn't a light switch that goes: WHITE → DONE. 😂 It's a gradual process. New pistils can continue appearing while older ones begin changing colour. That's why you'll often see a mixture of fresh white hairs and darker, more mature pistils on the same plant. And that's exactly the kind of transition we're beginning to see with our Queen. ──────────────────────── 🌸 WHITE DOESN'T MEAN "NOT READY" ──────────────────────── This is another point I think is worth mentioning. Seeing lots of white pistils does not automatically mean: "She's nowhere near maturity." And seeing some darker pistils doesn't automatically mean: "She's finished." Pistils are one visual clue. They're part of the story. They're not the entire story. Flower development. Resin development. Overall plant maturity. Genetic expression. And the progression of the flowers themselves all matter. So when we look at Godfather OG Pheno A this week, we're not trying to use the colour of the pistils as a countdown clock. We're simply documenting the change. And she's definitely changing. 🌸➡️🌸➡️🌺 ──────────────────────── 💎 THE RESIN CONTINUES TO BUILD ──────────────────────── And then... there's the part that always gets me. The resin. 😂💎 The closer we get with the camera, the more obvious it becomes. Those flowers are becoming increasingly decorated with trichomes. The surface becomes increasingly frosty. And when you combine that with the changing pistils and the evolving flower structure... you can really see the plant moving deeper into maturity. This is one of those moments where the macro camera becomes almost unfair. From across the tent: "Beautiful flower." From the macro lens: "OH MY GOD, LOOK AT ALL THAT." 😂📸💎 And that's exactly why I love documenting her this way. We're not just photographing the finished product. We're photographing the process. ──────────────────────── 👑 THE QUEEN IS STILL MOVING FAST ──────────────────────── One thing hasn't changed. She's still moving. Fast. She's continuing to develop her flowers at a pace that makes it very easy to notice the difference from week to week. And that's another reason why I'm not particularly concerned by the fact that we're seeing more colour in some of the leaves. The plant isn't sitting there deteriorating. She's progressing. She's developing. She's maturing. There's a huge difference between: "Something is going wrong." and "This plant is moving through a later stage of flowering." Those two things can sometimes look superficially similar if you only look at a single leaf. But when you look at the entire plant... the story becomes much clearer. And the Queen's story right now is: "I'm getting closer." 👑🌸 ──────────────────────── ⚗️ NUTRITION – NOW WE BEGIN TO BACK IT DOWN ──────────────────────── As we're approaching the final part of the flowering cycle, we're also beginning the gradual reduction in nutrition. And this is something I personally prefer to do slowly. I'm not a fan of: "Full nutrition today." "Zero tomorrow." 😂 Especially when working with mineral nutrition. I prefer a progressive reduction. A little less. Observe. Let the plant continue. Adjust again when appropriate. And allow the transition to happen naturally. The plant doesn't suddenly stop functioning because the calendar says we're getting close to the end. She's still alive. Still photosynthesizing. Still developing. Still using water. Still using nutrients. So I prefer to reduce rather than slam the brakes. For this stage of the room, we've started bringing the Terra Bloom down gradually rather than cutting the nutritional programme completely. The current direction is: 🌱 Reduced Terra Bloom ⚗️ Gradually lowering EC 💧 Maintaining consistent irrigation 🌸 Allowing the plant to continue developing 👀 Watching the response The exact reduction is less important to me than the philosophy: Don't panic. Don't suddenly change everything. Transition gradually. Observe the plant. ──────────────────────── 🌿 WHY NOT JUST CUT EVERYTHING? ──────────────────────── Because plants don't operate according to a switch. 😂 There isn't a tiny button inside Godfather OG Pheno A that says: "FLOWERING WEEK 12 — TURN EVERYTHING OFF." If only it were that easy. 😂👑 The plant is transitioning gradually. The flowers are transitioning gradually. The foliage is transitioning gradually. The pistils are transitioning gradually. So our approach can also transition gradually. We're approaching the later part of the cycle, so we're reducing the nutritional input. But we're not pretending that the plant suddenly needs absolutely nothing. We're letting her finish her work. And we're watching. That's the important part. ──────────────────────── 💡 SAME ARTIFICIAL SUN – MORE CONTROL ──────────────────────── The lighting environment remains upgraded with the two additional Future of Grow Black Series 600W fixtures. And we're still controlling that additional capacity rather than simply running everything at maximum. Approximately: 🔌 59% power from the plug and approximately: ☀️ 1,500 PPFD across the upper canopy. That's plenty of photons for this room. And because Godfather OG Pheno A is tall and substantial, she gives us another excellent example of why canopy measurements need context. She's not a flat surface. Her flowers are at different heights. Her leaves are positioned differently. Her upper canopy sees more direct light. Deeper areas naturally receive less. And the Lumiflora lighting continues helping us explore that lower/deeper part of the canopy. The plant is three-dimensional. So our lighting environment needs to be thought about in three dimensions too. ──────────────────────── ☀️ PHOTONS, LEAVES AND FLOWERS ──────────────────────── One thing I love about this stage is that you can actually see the plant responding to the invisible part of the equation. We can't see photons. But we can see what the plant does with them. The leaves capture them. The plant converts that energy. The flowers develop. The resin increases. The structure changes. And eventually... we can photograph the result. Godfather OG Pheno A has had weeks and weeks of those photons. And now we're seeing the accumulated result. A large plant. A substantial canopy. Developing flowers. Increasing resin. And now... a little more maturity showing through the foliage. It's all part of the same story. ──────────────────────── 🌡️ THE ROOM REMAINS STEADY ──────────────────────── The general room conditions remain consistent with the current 8×8 setup: • 🌡️ Day temperature: approximately 26.5–27°C • 🌙 Night temperature: approximately 25–26°C • 💧 RH: around 60–61% • 🥥 Substrate temperature: around 25–26°C • 💦 Nutrient solution: around 25°C • ⚗️ pH: approximately 6.0 • ⚡ EC: gradually being reduced as we approach the later flowering stage • 💨 CO₂: approximately 693 ppm • 💡 Light schedule: 12/12 • 💧 Irrigation: approximately 1.4–1.45 L/plant/24h • 🌱 Pot size: 15 L • ☀️ Upper canopy: approximately 1,500 PPFD • 🔌 Future of Grow fixtures: approximately 59% power And again... numbers are useful. But the plant is the final feedback mechanism. And Godfather OG Pheno A looks like she's continuing to move exactly where we want her to move. ──────────────────────── 🌿 STILL NO REASON TO MANUFACTURE WORK ──────────────────────── I'm still doing very little physically to her. And I'm perfectly happy with that. 😂 There was a time in this grow when there was always something to do. Now? The Queen has her structure. She has her flowers. She has her leaves. She has her space. She has her photons. And she's using them. So why would I start interfering simply because I feel like I should be busy? My job now is observation. Watch the flowers. Watch the leaves. Watch the environment. Watch the irrigation. Watch the nutrition. And respond when the plant actually gives me a reason to respond. That's cultivation too. Sometimes growing is doing. Sometimes growing is knowing when not to do. ──────────────────────── 📸 THE CAMERA IS BACK ON HER SIDE ──────────────────────── And thank God... because this girl is giving us some beautiful material. 😂📸👑 The full-plant photographs show her presence in the room. The closer photographs show the flowers becoming increasingly developed. And the macro details show the resin and pistils evolving. You can see the transition. Earlier photographs showed much fresher flowers. Now we're seeing a mixture of fresh white pistils and older pistils beginning to change. We're seeing more mature-looking floral structures. We're seeing the foliage beginning to show more colour variation. And all of that is exactly what makes a weekly diary worthwhile. You don't have to rely on memory. The photographs remember for you. ──────────────────────── 🔬 SAME ROOM – DIFFERENT MATURATION ──────────────────────── And once again... this is why the 8×8 Adventure is so much fun. Twelve plants. One room. Shared conditions. Shared lighting. Shared irrigation. Shared nutritional philosophy. And yet... they don't all mature in exactly the same way. Godfather OG Pheno A is giving us her own timeline. She's moving quickly. She's changing. She's developing. She's showing colour changes. She's showing evolving pistils. She's building resin. And she's doing all of it while sharing the same environment as eleven other plants. That's genetics. That's phenotype expression. That's the experiment. ──────────────────────── 👑 THE QUEEN DOESN'T NEED TO BE PERFECT ──────────────────────── And this is something I want to emphasize. The Queen doesn't need to stay perfectly green from top to bottom forever to be beautiful. 😂👑🌿 Plants are living organisms. They change. Leaves age. Flowers mature. Pistils change. Colours shift. Textures change. And that's part of the process. What matters is understanding the difference between normal maturation and a plant genuinely telling you that something is wrong. We're watching for patterns. Rapid changes. Unusual damage. Problems spreading in unexpected ways. Changes in new growth. Changes in the flowers. And we're comparing everything with the overall health of the plant. Right now, the Queen is still giving us a very strong overall picture. She's moving. She's flowering. She's developing. She's shining. ──────────────────────── 🔮 LOOKING AHEAD ──────────────────────── The next stage is going to be about patience. We're getting closer. The nutrition is being reduced gradually. The flowers are continuing to mature. The pistils are continuing to evolve. The leaves are beginning to show more of the plant's natural progression. And the resin... well... the resin is going to keep getting my attention. 😂💎📸 So we'll continue: 🌸 Watching flower development 💎 Watching resin production ? Watching pistil evolution 🌿 Watching the foliage ⚗️ Gradually reducing mineral nutrition 💧 Maintaining consistent irrigation ☀️ Maintaining the controlled lighting environment 🌡️ Watching the room 📸 Photographing the changes No rushing. No panic. No unnecessary intervention. Just watching the Queen finish her story. ──────────────────────── 💭 FINAL THOUGHTS – THE QUEEN IS SHINING ──────────────────────── Week 12. And our Queen is still shining. 👑🌸💎 She's moving fast. She's beautiful. She's developing. She's changing. And yes... her leaves are showing more colour now. But that's not automatically a problem. It's part of why we observe the entire plant rather than reacting to one leaf. As flowering progresses, older foliage can naturally begin to fade. At the same time, the flowers continue developing. The pistils evolve from fresh white hairs into increasingly mature structures. The resin becomes more obvious. The flowers become more defined. And the plant gradually moves toward the final part of her journey. That's what we're seeing. Not a plant suddenly falling apart. A plant progressing. A plant changing. A plant maturing. And our job is to recognize the difference. That's why experience matters. That's why photographs matter. That's why looking at the whole plant matters. And that's why we don't panic. 😂👑 We watch. We learn. We respond when necessary. And otherwise... we let the plant be a plant. Godfather OG Pheno A has been writing her own story from the beginning. And now she's getting closer to the final chapters. She's still catching photons. Still developing flowers. Still producing resin. Still showing those beautiful white pistils alongside the ones beginning to mature. And still making herself noticed in this jungle. So keep shining, Queen. 👑🌿🌸💎 Your photographer is back. Your portraits are secured. Your flowers are developing. Your leaves are telling us you're progressing. And we're right here watching every step. Let's keep those photons flying. Let's keep documenting. Let's keep learning. And let's let the Queen finish this chapter in her own time. ──────────────────────── 🙏 THANK YOU ──────────────────────── As always, a massive thank you to everyone following the 8×8 Adventure. 💚🌱 Thank you to GrowDiaries for giving us the platform to document these individual journeys and share the process with growers around the world. Thank you to Zamnesia for the Godfather OG genetics and for giving us the opportunity to explore how different phenotypes can express themselves under the same conditions. Thank you to Plagron for supporting the garden throughout this journey with the growing media and nutrition. And a huge thank you to Future of Grow for supplying the additional Black Series 600W fixtures and giving us the opportunity to test what this expanded lighting setup can do in a real flowering room. We're running the additional lighting with controlled output rather than simply pushing everything to maximum, giving us more capability and more flexibility while keeping power consumption under control. Thank you to Lumiflora for helping bring additional light deeper into the canopy and allowing us to explore three-dimensional lighting throughout the room. And thank you to TrolMaster for helping monitor and manage the environment behind the scenes. And finally... thank you to everyone following these girls week after week. Every comment. Every question. Every message. Every person stopping by. You're all part of the adventure. Twelve plants. One room. One shared environment. And twelve completely different stories. And Godfather OG Pheno A? She's writing hers like royalty. 😂👑 She's beautiful. She's moving fast. She's developing those flowers. She's getting increasingly frosty. Her pistils are evolving. Her leaves are beginning to show the colours of maturity. And she's claiming her place in the tent. So yes... this week we have photographs again. 😂📸👑 And I promise the Queen appreciates it. Let's keep watching. Let's keep photographing. Let's keep those photons flying. And let's see what the next chapter brings. Until next week... Growers Love, my friends. 🌱💚 Happy growing, take care everyone, and give the Queen some room to shine. 👑🌿🌸💎🔥 See you next week in the 8×8 jungle.