Gorilla Girl, San Fernando Lemon Kush & Crystal Candy - No-Till Grow - 6th Sweet Seeds Grow Diary Competition

[InTheSystem]

Hello and welcome to my Sweet Seeds competition grow diary! This is my first attempt at this competition so I am looking forward at getting involved in this side of the community. Firstly, I would like to thank the Sweet Seeds team for having me and providing the seeds for me to grow as a newcomer to this competition. 

 

 

This grow will be in my own living soil and fully organic, meaning no nutrients will ever touch these plants. My water source is tap water through a shower filter and then sat for at least 48 hours so the chlorine can dissipate. For those that do not know, the 'no-till' concept means that the soil will never be turned and re-used run after run... When I chop the next seeds go straight in. This will be a new soil mix and container, so I will run through this process of building the soil if you read on below.

 

 

The format of this diary will be similar to my other diaries, except this time I have decided to have a bash at doing 'photo cards' similar to how I have seen by a few other growers on this forum... I figured with the 'press kit' pack we were supplied - it would be fun to use it in the photos without watermarking the actual photos. 


SEED SELECTION
The cultivars I have chosen to run I have not grown before, my experience in the past with Sweet Seeds is their BlackJack which I highly rate and recommend growers to this day... So I have high hopes for this run! The seeds arrived this morning literally within 48 hours of filling the form out as I am also based in Spain - Nice one Sweet Seeds and also to @Sweet Seeds-tommy! I have to admit, everything looks spot on.... Here are my weapons of choice:

 

 

Gorilla Girl®
Indica: 40% / Sativa: 60%
THC: 19-25% · CBD: 0,1%
Indoor Yield: 400-550 g/m2
Outdoor Yield: 350-600 g/plant
Indoor Blooming: 9 weeks
Outdoor Harvest: early October 

 

 

Crystal Candy® 
Indica/Sativa: 60%/40%
THC: 15-21% · CBD: 0,3%
Indoor Yield: 500-650 g/m2
Outdoor Yield: 500-700 g/plant
Indoor Blooming: 9 weeks
Outdoor Harvest: mid to late September 

 

 

San Fernando Lemon Kush®
Indica/ Sativa: 35%/65%
THC: 14-21% · CBD: 0,1%
Indoor Yield: 450-600 g/m2
Outdoor Yield: 450-700 g/plant
Indoor Blooming: 9 weeks
Outdoor Harvest: late September to early October 


I will be germinating 1 of each seed and they will all be sharing a single 177 litre Smart Pot. If time permits, I will be shooting for a 2nd cycle and really do this diary as ‘no-till’!


SOIL MIX & NUTRITION
This mix may seem a little excessive on amendments, but it is tried and tested and will provide everything the soil needs for a real kick start. Being the first cycle, it is important that the soil is full of nutrition particularly as the plants reach the flowering/fruiting stage and the nutritional requirements and uptake increases greatly. This soil mix is a slight variation on my last mix with the addition of some organic coco coir re-hydrated from a brick:


Base Mix
- 40% Sphagnum peat moss 
- 10% Coco coir
- 40% Homemade worm castings
- 10% Biochar 

Amended per cubic foot:
- 8 cups of basalt 
- 0.5 cups of kelp meal (nutrients, enzymes & hormones)
- 0.5 cups of neem cake (nutrients, sulphur and pest prevention)
- 0.5 cups of crab meal (calcium and chitin)
- 0.5 cups of gypsum (sulphur) 
- 1 cup of ground malted barley (enzymes)


It is important to also constantly give back to the soil and to do this I will be sowing bio-dynamic accumulators into the bed - these are companion plants that will draw in nitrogen from the air and put back into the soil in a bio-available form for the plants. Some of the seeds I will sow include; Crimson Clover, Vetch and Mustard. In addition to the nitrogen fixers, I will be planting Chrysanthemum, Clover, Basil, Marigold and other bits and bobs in my seed collection.. Growing a diverse group of plants and cover cropping will encourage microbial diversity and aid in mycorrhizal colonization.

GROWING EQUIPMENT
The seeds will be kicked off under a 48 watt twin T5 light – no reason for this other then ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’. After the initial seedling stage, I will be running lighting from our very own @diyleduk. Here is the full list of equipment:


- Secret Jardin DS90 grow tent
- 220w Highlight Full Spectrum + 150w Scope in flower (providing it fits ok).
- 100mm Mountain Air carbon filter
- 100mm extractor
- Humidifier in veg, dehumidifier in flower
- Greenhouse tube heaters on temperature controller


LET'S GET GROWING

 

08/01/2020 - Germination
I always like to give my seeds a quick 12 hour soak prior to sowing. This was done in plastic cups filled with reverse osmosis water and a small amount of Aloe Vera powder added. I also used a 100 watt aquarium tube heater to make sure my water was at 19/20c to ensure the seeds didn’t go into cold water:




After this pre-soak, the seeds were directly sowed into some 2 litre plastic square pots which have been going a good month or so and actually had some male plants pulled from them! All these roots are going to be like leaves and stems mulched – they decompose! Through this will be a huge benefit to the soil because of the nutrient reserves in the roots that return back to the soil. It leaves behind pathways for oxygen, water, microbes, worms and future roots... Not to mention all the rhizobacteria in place ready to hit these new roots. I am using single bed heat blanket to keep the roots nice and warm:




I think that is everything I can say about the grow. The next update will be when the seeds are above ground. I will aim to update each week or if there is something eventful worth logging and during the diary, I will try to drop as much information as I can! I know the whole ‘no-till’ style of growing is alien to some, so may compliment the diary nicely?


I would also like to wish all the other entrants in this competition the best of luck with their own diaries and hope we can all grow out some nice flowers to smoke on!


Saludos! 

[Asterion]

Awesome  good luck mate

[Nervous]

Following! Gotta love the no till. 

[Amo]

Blow ur mind kind off diary start there dude, laid out sweet as, an I like the photo cards, must look into that...

I like ur strain choice’s an good to know how much you liked the Black Jack as I’ve had my eye on it...

Cool ur doing this no-til, will make this one off the more interesting to follow...

 

I see you went for one off the new Highlight full spectrum led’s from Diyleduk, will be very interested to hear ur thoughts with the added uv-a...

Good luck on this grow mate...

[InTheSystem]

@Asterion - Thanks for checking in and for the good vibes Dude 
 

@Nervous - Really cool to have you in here mate, I have read some of your posts regarding organic growing and you have been dropping some serious info bombs. I am sure it will be very beneficial having you on board. Thank you.

@Amo - Hello mate! Happy 2020 to you Dude! Thank you so much for the kind words, I appreciate it! Yes the Blackjack is awesome, I have grown it twice and would grow it a third time! It actually wasn't an option to select for this competition or I would have been growing it again 100%! Get yourself a pack mate, you won't be dissapointed! Yes mate I snapped up a Highlight over the xmas period. @diyleduk was pretty straight up with what was available at the time and they looked spot on to be honest. I am kind of regretting not grabbing a 440w kit and just dimming it right down. Adam did suggest it to be fair to him.... But I am sure he can use his wizardry and hook me up with some frame and another fixture in the future if needed. I will be sure to document my opinions and thoughts on the light in this diary - I own a few types now so I think I can give a fair verdict. Good to have you in here mate... Enjoy

 

Oh, I managed to grab a cheeky shot of this fella crawling the surface too... Though it would be nice to show it is actually living soil

Edited January 8, 2020 by InTheSystem

[jadenugs]

Cracking start mate. I'll look forward to following and learning about the no till

I still haven't had the chance to read through your no till diary you mentioned before but I haven't forgotten dude.

 

I'm sure I'll learn plenty from this one anyway. Best of luck in the competition and with the grow

[Exhale]

@InTheSystem Hello mate, what a great start to a diary, very informative! I haven't looked in to "no till" so it'll be nice to learn some new things as you go along.

 

Looking forward to seeing how the highlight system does. 

[Larry Badgeley]

Bon Dia

 

I'll be pulling up a relaxer for sure. By the way man, I noticed you ran a Pineapple express from G13 Labs. I'm about 5 weeks in flower. If you can recall, any notes on how long they flowered and was it a good smoke? Mine is smelling awesome and can't wait.

[InTheSystem]

@jadenugs - Thanks for checking in mate and for the good vibes. I will try to drop as much information as I can during the grow so for the people who are interested in 'no-till', hopefully it can steer them in the right direction. Most of my knowledge comes from books such as "The One Straw Revolution" and "Teaming with microbes" which are great reads if you have an interest in organic cultivation and the soil food web. This is my 4th no-till bed and they are absolutely smashing it, so I can't see me going back to any other form of growing and I have done them all pretty much. The other 'no-till' diary is similar to this one in terms of details and sharing knowledge, so if your locked in here you won't be missing too much. No worries Dude!

@Exhale - Thanks for following and for the kind words mate! Hopefully I will get 2 cycles in this diary and can illustrate how the grows just get better with my inputs going to be pretty much only filling a 70 litre reservoir hooked up to Blumats only feeding tap water. The first cycle is the hardest, so I will be making botanical teas from kelp/neem and adding fulvic acid and Aloe Vera relatively frequently. I am looking forward to receiving the Highlight board actually. Need to check with Adam where it is come to think about it  

@Larry Badgeley - Buenos dias! I hope you enjoy following along mate and thanks for checking in to the diary. Correct, I ran Pineapple Express around 8 years ago in DWC.... Easy to grow Indica and it was a good strain and yielded gram per watt on HPS. Sweet Seeds Blackjack as I have mentioned before is worth checking out though if you like a stinky and delicious strain which also knocks your socks off. I am sure I will have more strains to recommend after this diary also  

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by InTheSystem

[GreenVision]

Hi ya mate, two of the strains I chose too. Will be nice to see the No Till, dont really know much about this style of growing besides the basics so I may even learn a little along the way. 

 

Best of luck mate.

 

 

 

GV.

[InTheSystem]

@GreenVision - Hey mate, happy 2020 to you! Thanks for checking in and the interest regarding 'no-till', it truly is a fascinating subject working with nature and the results that can be achieved by doing so. In the last year now since adopting 'no-till' from trial experiments to a full on conversion in all my grow tents - just walking my dog in the mountains spotting different types of trees/plants, insects and seeing the soil food web actually happening naturally blows my mind now. Everything has it's place though and this style of growing or having a living eco-system in your attic is not for everyone  


I am guessing you chose Gorilla Girl and San Fernando Lemon Kush? will you be running your RDWC setup for it? I will keep an eye out Dude!! Cheers
 

[GreenVision]

@InTheSystem  Not quite mate, I chose Gorilla Girl, Crystal Candy and Do-Sweet-Dos. I've not done any of the 3 before but so far I think its only you and I that I've seen chose Crystal Candy..

 

I'm hydro at heart, and will be all hydro by the summer this year, hopefully, so this No Till is like the other end of the spectrum to me.

 

But for this competition grow I think I'll be going back to good old dirt, I'm gona' be a bit behind you guys starting already as I've got to wait for a little space in one of the tents, so this could change by then, haven't done coco for ages so that's a possibility.

 

But again mate best of luck with your diary, will defo' follow along. 

 

 

GV.

 

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by GreenVision

[InTheSystem]

59 minutes ago, GreenVision said:

@InTheSystem  Not quite mate, I chose Gorilla Girl, Crystal Candy and Do-Sweet-Dos. I've not done any of the 3 before but so far I think its only you and I that I've seen chose Crystal Candy..

 

I'm hydro at heart, and will be all hydro by the summer this year, hopefully, so this No Till is like the other end of the spectrum to me.

 

But for this competition grow I think I'll be going back to good old dirt, I'm gona' be a bit behind you guys starting already as I've got to wait for a little space in one of the tents, so this could change by then, haven't done coco for ages so that's a possibility.

 

But again mate best of luck with your diary, will defo' follow along. 

 

 

GV.

 

 

Oooo another Crystal Candy!? Awesome, I was hoping someone else would grow it as there is plenty of Gorilla Girls and San Fernando Lemon Kush diaries popping up... Will be awesome having your grow as a reference so nice one! I do love a good hydro grow as I grew DWC for many years myself, but I had to wave goodbye to it - it will always have a soft spot for me especially when I read through some of the hydro diaries like yours or Billy's. 'No Till' is definately the other end of the spectrum... Infact, I am going a bit 'loco en el coco' now as I don't really have to do anything but watch them grow like beasts... Thus, making more beds and tents haha I don't have a clue if any of my Bluelab PH/EC gear works any more to be honest  


Thanks for the good vibes, appreciated. Look forward to you joining the party when you make some space 

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by InTheSystem

[Sweet Seeds-tommy]

Cheers mate!

 

That's a very good start, thanks for sharing this wonderful experience with us all

 

All the best for the competition. Sweet smokes,

 

tommy

[InTheSystem]

3 hours ago, Sweet Seeds-tommy said:

Cheers mate!

 

That's a very good start, thanks for sharing this wonderful experience with us all

 

All the best for the competition. Sweet smokes,

 

tommy

Thanks for checking in and for the positive vibes. I am sure this competition will be a lot of fun!