Super long Observation/ Grow update/ ramble as I get closer to harvest. I'll try to post some photos later. But they are sorta the same kind of photos. Dunno if that bores anyone, or not. I know at least 4 of us here love staring at our plants till our eyes bleed, so maybe not. Maybe others do too. I'll try to get more up close fruiting shots the closer I get to harvest. Anyway:
4x4 tent-
Looking like these 3 plants are going to end up finishing around the same time-ish. Or rather, in very close succession. Interesting to note that with these 3 packed in together, I can see the order of genetics in action. They're all good. But there is a definite order visible as to which is best and so on. You can guess the order if you want. Shouldn't be hard.
Orange Sherbet: 10 gallon observation/pot size vs plant size test (more on that later), week 8 of flower : HEY! I figured out that you could, if you wanted, grow a beast in a 10 gallon in a 4x2, since she is taking up exactly 1/2 of the 4x4. So there is that. But I believe today is actually day 100. She's beginning to take less water/nutes now by about 1/2. I can see trichs turning a little cloudy, and I can see her leaves beginning to fade off and back a little. I put her on the week 7 schedule for Florflex last night. That's just the full tilt ripener now, which is basically a blast of P and K. She's getting no more N. She is covered in frost. Tons of fruits everywhere, but it's going to not just be trim jail with this one. More like solitary confinement. I finally figured out what she smells like. If you have ever used Dawn Orange scented dish soap - that's it! For whatever reason, we have some and it freaks me out when I do the dishes! I'm thinking 2-3 weeks and she's coming down. We shall see. More on that later. But she will get the full dose of ripener this week. Then 1/2 dose next week. Then plain water until she's done. Not so much a flush as just time to taper off the nutes and let her consume her resources and to save on nutes.
Sage Scout: 5 gallon, day 70 week 5 of flower: Sage is looking good. Got some MASSIVE fruits on her that are around 13" tall or so. Beginning to fatten those up too. Frost soaked. Taking on a beautiful purplish/blue/gray color. Still super duper stinky. But the smell is mellowing a "little" and I get a hint of cookie in there. That odd color variation on the leaves here and there. It's almost like an "albino" genetic thing. Any buds in those areas have an albino look to them in areas. Like splashes of bright yellow. Kinda cool. Kinda odd. I'm thinking about 3 weeks?
Strawberry Nuggets: 5 gallon, day 63 week 4 of flower: My little, not so little Nugs. The biggest surprise of them all. Now the tallest plant in the tent. Just a pleasure despite her mag deficiency up top. Her fruits are just a site to behold. Stacking nicely, crusty frost. Taking on a beautiful strawberry scent now. Mouth watering. 3 weeks as well? Maybe 4.
Notes: The whole 10 gallon thing was a test to see if it would relate to plant size. I think it's a definite yes, it definitely relates. Strain dependent. Would I, will I, do it again? I think...yes. First, I would be more selective possibly. Like a Strawberry Nuggets in a 10 gallon? Definitely. So basically a strain that I absolutely love that I think could be capable is for sure a go.
Downsides to the 10 gallon: Well, I don't grow autos for fast yield, so that part doesn't bother me so much. I grow for the challenge of pushing them to their limits. I grow autos for the intensity of the experience. I grow them in the pursuit of seeing if I can get a yield that can rival an indoor photo. And I grow for variety. As well as the fact that something about autos just fascinates me.
So, downsides. Well, speed of harvest doesn't bother me as far as consumption, like I said. But it does bother me in the fact that with such a massive plant, it's obviously going to go longer. And in that sense, the other 2 plants in that tent, they won't reach the full potential because there simply isn't enough space to spread them wider. That BUGS me. But it is what it is. And what it is, is pretty poor planning on my end. In my defense, I really didn't know how big the plant would get. I guess. Next time I do this, I would do 2 10 gallons in a 4x4. And they would each basically get half the tent. Or maybe 1 10 gallon in the 4x4 and just let it ride. Seems like a bit of a gamble though. And running a 600 watt light for one plant? Better love that plant! What if it doesn't go big? Guess you could just put other plants in then.
Other downsides...nutes. Man does it guzzle nutes. When Sherb was really at the height of hunger, she could easily take up to 3 gallons of nutes. And that's not counting any runoff. And even with a bit of soil and vermiculite mixed into the coco for a little water retention in case I had to miss a day of water (very rare), she could take that much daily. So...maybe I will try a 10 gallon outdoors auto this summer? Out there I can do an organic grow like most of my plants outside. I have hundreds of pounds of compost I have made, etc. Way less nute cost. I don't bring my compost indoors btw, which is why my indoor grows are synthetics.
Ripening. It's easy to see that no matter how well I have tried to even the canopy without a net, with such a big plant, the fruits are not going to ripen at the same pace. I could harvest bit by bit, and might. But then the other 2 plants are still suffering. Or I can harvest the whole plant and use the less ripened fruits for extraction or something. So there's another downside - not only are the other 2 plants suffering due to the size of the 10 gallon plant, but the 10 gallon plant itself suffers too. I suppose if you LOVE a strain and want to shoot for a monster yield, 1 in a 4x4 is the way to go? Or not.
Anyway, there's my novel for the week. Enjoy.
