3/23 12AM Monday. BKO I made from crossing Gelato 44 and Bubbles Blueberry F4 is way better than I thought LOTS of color. All are doing good, even with soft water..as long as I flush out way more than im used to.
Thatâs an awesome success story, congratulations on pulling off that pollen chuck and getting viable seeds from your targeted branch! As a non-professional breeder working in a home setup (with the challenges of being homebound and managing everything solo), nailing a deliberate cross like this is seriously impressive. You basically created your own hybrid: **Blueberry Bubbles F4** (from Brothers Grimm Seeds, a refined take on DJ Shortâs classic Blueberry lineageâsweet, creamy blueberry terps with vanilla, subtle lavender/chamomile, and those nostalgic fruity/skunky notes) pollen hitting a **Gelato 44** (the Tyson 2.0 collab with Royal Queen Seeds, which is Sunset Sherbet x Thin Mint GSCâpotent, indica-dominant with citrus-cookie-earth-mint flavors, high THC around 22%, and dense, resinous buds).
The result you gotâthose **bright red calyxes** (the small, teardrop-shaped protective structures that hold the pistils and get super frosty with trichomes)âis a beautiful, eye-catching phenotype expression. Itâs not something you see every day, and it turned out âreally niceâ as you said.
### Why the Bright Red Calyxes?
In cannabis, calyx color can shift dramatically due to genetics, environment, or stress (which you mentioned applying some to the donor plantâclassic for triggering unique traits in breeding). Common causes for vivid red/purple/reddish hues in calyxes include:
- **Anthocyanin expression** â These are natural pigments (same ones that make fall leaves red) that show up more under cooler temps (especially nights in late flower), pH swings, or genetic predisposition. Some strains (like certain Blueberry lines or Gelato crosses) carry genes for purple/red coloration, and stress can âunlockâ it in the calyxes specifically.
- **Stress response** â The stress you put on the Blueberry Bubbles donor (to induce pollen) likely influenced the offspring, amplifying colorful traits. Red calyxes often signal a plant pushing hard on resin production (trichomes galore for protection), which is a win for potency and bag appeal.
- **Hybrid vigor or recombination** â Crossing a fruity, potentially purple-leaning Blueberry line with Gelato 44 (which can show some color in its family) created a new combo where the red popped on those calyxes. Itâs not a âstandardâ look for either parent strain (Blueberry Bubbles tends toward blue/purple hues in buds, Gelato more green with frost), so you hit a rare, standout pheno.
Bright red calyxes like in your pic (frosty green leaves surrounding those vivid red pods with amber hairs and tons of trichomes) often mean:
- High resin/trichome density (great for potency and extracts).
- Aesthetic appealâlooks killer in photos or jars.
- Potentially enhanced terps/flavors from the stress/genetic shuffle (maybe more berry/cookie depth).
Since you only got seeds on that one branch (pollen rub worked selectivelyâsmart move to contain it), thatâs textbook DIY breeding: low risk, targeted results. Naming it something like âBlueberry Knockoutâ fits perfectlyâa knockout cross with knockout looks.
Even if replicating it exactly is tough (breeding is part science, part luck with phenotypes), youâve got keeper genetics now. If you grow more out, watch for stability in those red calyxes, yield, terps, and effectsâit could be a gem for your personal stash or even sharing seeds with like-minded growers.
The photo is stunningâthose fuzzy, frost-covered calyxes with the red popping through the green are chefâs kiss. What does the smell/aroma on this one lean toward? Blueberry dominant, or more Gelato cookie/mint coming through? And howâs the high/effects shaping up? Proud of you for making this happen in your setupâitâs a real testament to your resourcefulness. đżđ´ Keep crushing it! If you snap more pics of the full buds or plant, Iâd love to see how it fills out.đ¨âđŹ
3/24 4:07 AM Montel dream widow is doing great so are the two Mike Tysonâs and the bubbles I have a Cork Screw auto in there I kind of made a mistake. I couldnât tell it wasnât flowering and I moved it from one tent to the other, so that one has been flowered and bagged and back to flower. I donât know whatâs gonna happen but theyâre all looking great. Wish I could figure out what Iâm doing right now but having these two lights instead of one at lower wattage and getting a lot of runoff, I take them into the bathtub to water them now just to make sure that the EC is where I want it to be when Iâm done. Itâs a heck of a lot more work this way and I didnât mean to have this many going so itâs still working out really good though. So I have all the trailer Park boys, Montel, iced tea, two Mike Tysonâs and the one that I made the blueberry knockout that oneâs really nice. I can put this on that tumor on my neck since I can never seem to die.
3/25 1:30PM MONTEL!!!! DREAM WIDOW IS THE STAND-OUT FOR LOOKS AT THE MOMENT..... Montel's Dream Widow is looking absolutely killer in these photos.
The undulating, "tarantula-like" leaf pattern emerging from the buds is one of the coolest and most distinctive traits I've seen on a cannabis plant in a while. Those long, serrated fan leaves are curling and radiating outward from the cola in a wavy, almost spidery or "hairy" fashion, giving the whole bud a wild, textured, almost alien look. The heavy frost (those dense white trichomes coating everything) combined with the way the leaves are twisting and overlapping makes it look like the flower is exploding with movement. It's hypnotic and uniqueâdefinitely not your standard dense, compact cola.
Why this happens
This phenotype is likely a combination of:
Genetics from the Montel's Dream Widow strain (a cross involving Widow family geneticsâoften White Widow or Widow relativesâwith strong sativa-leaning or hybrid vigor that can produce more "leafy" or "foxtail" bud structures). Some Widow lines are known for expressive, airy, or "spidery" bud formations where leaves protrude dramatically from the calyxes.
Your grow environment and minimal intervention (1-gallon pot, no LST, no topping) letting the plant express its natural structure. Many indica-dominant or hybrid strains tighten up with training, but when left to grow freely, they can throw these dramatic, undulating leaf patternsâespecially if there's a bit of stress or environmental fluctuation that encourages the plant to "reach" with its leaves for light/air.
The heavy trichome coverage suggests excellent resin production, which often pairs with these more open, leafy expressions (the plant is protecting the developing seeds/flowers with extra "armor").
Even in that small 1-gallon pot, she's putting out impressive colas with great structure, density in the center, and that signature "tarantula" flair on the edges. That's a testament to solid genetics and your hands-off approach paying offâsome strains really shine when you just let them do their thing.
3/27 1:52pm. Ricky and Julian are GREAT!!!đ The physical side is a real win
Turning the grow work into functional exercise â bending, squatting, lifting gallon jugs of water (around 8 lbs each), working in the tub â is genuinely smart. Itâs low-impact but builds practical strength, balance, core stability, and mobility, which is especially valuable if you have back issues. Many people with chronic pain or limited routines find that consistent, purposeful movement like this (without it feeling like âgym timeâ) helps keep things stretched and functional far better than doing nothing. The fact that it gives you a reason to move regularly, beyond just the plants themselves, adds real value. As long as youâre listening to your body (stopping when it feels off, not overdoing heavy lifts in one session), this kind of activity is sustainable and beneficial.
Youâre right â without the grow, that structured physical outlet might not exist, and the combination of tending the plants + staying active creates a positive feedback loop for both your garden and your well-being.đđđđżđżđżđŞ
3/28 3:57AM LiquidKool Bloom 1ml per gallon cal/mag .5 per gal. EC 1200 Maxi-Bloom Powered unlocked all the new bud sites!!! looks great!!
3/28 Tent 5. 2 TS1000's, D4 Viv. Fan, 1 cam, 3 usb fans
3/29 3:34AM I can either do one thing wrong or many things comedically wrong, wrong is funny we go with funny.
5am ALL Bros. Grimm seeds are wayyyyyyy beyond the others.HOE NUVA EVA!!!! Going to keep Ricky going re-vegging and she's a pet for life now.
3/29 2:45PM "Montel Iced Tea under the two TS 1000 lights (running at ~50-60W each) is hitting that sweet spot youâre looking for. The main cola being tall and just a couple inches from the light without burning is excellent. That low wattage combined with the drivers mounted outside the tent is the key âmagicâ here.
Why This Setup Is Working So Well for You
⢠Low heat + safe distance: At only 50-60W per light, the TS 1000 isnât dumping excessive heat directly onto the canopy. The tall main cola can get close to the light for good light penetration without tip burn.
⢠Drivers outside the tent: This is the big win. The driver is the main heat source on many lights. By keeping both drivers on top of the grow tent (outside), youâre keeping the tent much cooler and safer. Most other lights (including the FE 1500) keep the heavy driver inside, which turns small tents into ovens.
⢠Fan + carbon filter mounted on top: Youâre keeping all the motors and moving parts outside the enclosed space. This is smart for safety (easier to shut off or access if something goes wrong) and reduces heat buildup inside the tent.
⢠Overall design: Less mass inside the tent = less risk, easier temperature control, and better airflow. The fact that itâs working so well with the Montel is encouraging you to redesign other tents this way.
This matches your practical, safety-first style: low wattage for gentle, even coverage,
everything heavy/hot mounted externally, and the ability to quickly access or shut off components.
Itâs not the âmaximum wattageâ approach many growers chase, but itâs clearly giving you better real-world results in your small tents.