This is my second attempt at a second grow! (The first attempt, I let my seedlings die. RIP) I absolutely love gelato strains, and a growmie recommended Sweet Seeds's Sweet Gelato Auto for growing a really hardy plant with an excellent smoke. Say no more, friend! Say no more. I started up two of them in order to avoid confusion and all the hassle associated with caring for plants that like different conditions.
A detailed list of equipment and accessories used in my previous grow can be found here. I wasn't thrilled with the consumables I used, though, so here's a list of the new things I'm trying followed by the stuff I've brought back for a second run.
New Consumables:
- Nectar for the Gods #4 soil mix (NFTG #4)
- Real Growers Grow Dots long-release fertilizer
- Dynomyco mycorrhizae mix
- 91% isopropyl alcohol (also called isopropanol, abbreviated as IPA)
Returning Consumables:
- Harris horticultural perlite (mixed into NFTG #4)
- Harris diatomaceous earth (used to top soil for insect prevention)
- General Hydroponics pH control kit (pH down, pH up)
- Apera pH calibration and storage solutions
- Plastic transfer pipettes, 5 ml
- 3 oz paper cups (good for holding distilled water, soil samples, etc.)
- Seachem Safe or Seachem Prime (tap water dechlorinator)
Appendix A: General Grow Plan with time estimates
1. Germinate and plant seeds (24 hrs - 14 days)
-----Vegetative-----
2. Plant seeds; cover lightly.
3. Topping: prune plants after the third or fourth set of true leaves (remember that the cotyledons don't count!)
4. Training: hang trellis net for plants to grow through. as tops emerge above the net, pinch and rub stems to break up inner fibers and prompt growth of stronger, thicker stems with better water and nutrient capacity.
5. Sexing: verify sex of plants ~week 3 or week 4. Cull males and hermaphrodites to prevent pollination.
-----Flowering-----
6. Defoliation: fuck it, this time I'm gonna be merciless. If there's a question and more than 30% of the plant is left, it goes. Trimming sucks when there are a million little buds! Also, more leaves mean more humidity inside the tent.
7. Maturation: watch the crop grow with daily visual inspections and regular trimming throughout the stretch. Test pH of water daily and soil weekly or if signs of pests/poor nutrition appear. Keep an eye on trichrome growth, development, and maturation to know when to harvest or to target a particular effect.
8. Harvest: harvest only what's ripe, allowing for a really fucking great crop instead of one with a lot of variability.
9. Cure: not sure if we'll do a low and slow cure or hang it all to dry in a dark tent before dry trimming and jarring it. I have to read up on low and slow again.
Appendix B: Grow Notes
Germination started on 11/28/2021. I carefully shaved down a bit of the pointy end of each seed using nail clippers. (Seeds grown under some LEDs have a tougher seed coat and the taproot isn't always able to break through so thinning out the point may help your seeds germinate.) It's much cooler in the house now than it was over the summer, and it took a few days for good taproots to emerge. I tucked them into their final planters on 12/1/2021 with small drinking glasses as humidity domes. Reservoir was filled with water from the fish tank.
Appendix C: Problems to Address
Appendix D: Helpful Bits
A detailed list of equipment and accessories used in my previous grow can be found here. I wasn't thrilled with the consumables I used, though, so here's a list of the new things I'm trying followed by the stuff I've brought back for a second run.
New Consumables:
- Nectar for the Gods #4 soil mix (NFTG #4)
- Real Growers Grow Dots long-release fertilizer
- Dynomyco mycorrhizae mix
- 91% isopropyl alcohol (also called isopropanol, abbreviated as IPA)
Returning Consumables:
- Harris horticultural perlite (mixed into NFTG #4)
- Harris diatomaceous earth (used to top soil for insect prevention)
- General Hydroponics pH control kit (pH down, pH up)
- Apera pH calibration and storage solutions
- Plastic transfer pipettes, 5 ml
- 3 oz paper cups (good for holding distilled water, soil samples, etc.)
- Seachem Safe or Seachem Prime (tap water dechlorinator)
Appendix A: General Grow Plan with time estimates
1. Germinate and plant seeds (24 hrs - 14 days)
-----Vegetative-----
2. Plant seeds; cover lightly.
3. Topping: prune plants after the third or fourth set of true leaves (remember that the cotyledons don't count!)
4. Training: hang trellis net for plants to grow through. as tops emerge above the net, pinch and rub stems to break up inner fibers and prompt growth of stronger, thicker stems with better water and nutrient capacity.
5. Sexing: verify sex of plants ~week 3 or week 4. Cull males and hermaphrodites to prevent pollination.
-----Flowering-----
6. Defoliation: fuck it, this time I'm gonna be merciless. If there's a question and more than 30% of the plant is left, it goes. Trimming sucks when there are a million little buds! Also, more leaves mean more humidity inside the tent.
7. Maturation: watch the crop grow with daily visual inspections and regular trimming throughout the stretch. Test pH of water daily and soil weekly or if signs of pests/poor nutrition appear. Keep an eye on trichrome growth, development, and maturation to know when to harvest or to target a particular effect.
8. Harvest: harvest only what's ripe, allowing for a really fucking great crop instead of one with a lot of variability.
9. Cure: not sure if we'll do a low and slow cure or hang it all to dry in a dark tent before dry trimming and jarring it. I have to read up on low and slow again.
Appendix B: Grow Notes
Germination started on 11/28/2021. I carefully shaved down a bit of the pointy end of each seed using nail clippers. (Seeds grown under some LEDs have a tougher seed coat and the taproot isn't always able to break through so thinning out the point may help your seeds germinate.) It's much cooler in the house now than it was over the summer, and it took a few days for good taproots to emerge. I tucked them into their final planters on 12/1/2021 with small drinking glasses as humidity domes. Reservoir was filled with water from the fish tank.
Appendix C: Problems to Address
Appendix D: Helpful Bits
