Dinafem garden lockdown 2020

[PermanentWaves]

thanks, @Larry Badgeley  and @Dinafem-Mark - yes, CBD is definitely on my list for next year. I’ve smoked high-CBD, low-THC bud, but not tried the slightly stronger THC/CBD flower. I definitely need some THC to help with pain and sleep. If the OG Kush Auto turns out good, I’m tempted to try out the CBD auto version of it next year to see the difference.

[Dinafem-Mark]

@PermanentWaves The 1:1/2:1 ratio strains are great as they still have a decent amount of THC with the added CBD boost 

 

With that said, I'm still preferring to use a pure CBD strain as my base then add a high THC strain into my mix. Its working really well 

 

All the best

 

Mark..

[PermanentWaves]

Hey, everyone - hope you’re all doing well and cooled off from the mini heatwave. Just a quick update from me with some pics. I popped them all back in the greenhouse when we had some big thunderstorms a couple of days ago. The wind has picked up and I didn’t want to risk them snapping. It’s getting a bit crowded in there.

 

 

I realised this week I had no idea what day I was on with my plants and how long to go. I always feel like I will jinx it if I get too hung up on timescales, but seeing the Gorilla Auto (the oldest of the plants) frosting up nicely, I thought I’d check.

 

So here’s the Gorilla Auto on day 74. Dinafem says that she’s ready in about 75 days, but we know from outdoor growing you can usually add a week or two on top of that. I think she’s still got one to two weeks left. Her main cola is fattening up and getting frostier every day. She still smells dusky and fruity. I try not to touch the leaves but when you do you get such a hit of fruit and spice, it’s amazing.

 

 

The White Widow Auto is also on day 74, but because of all the problems she had when she was younger she is some way behind her cousin. I’m chuffed she’s done so well since then and glad I didn’t chuck her away. She’s tiny and hasn’t got a huge amount of flower on her lower leaves (which took all the damage), but her main cola is bursting with bud now so fingers’ crossed I will get some smokes from her. She smells very similar to the Gorilla until you touch the leaves - she’s got more of a lemony tang to her.

 

 

The OG Kush Auto is on day 65 and I’m really impressed with the way she is growing. She’s extremely tall and is producing some big, frosty buds. She’s very fruity with a hint of Moulton Brown Pink Pepper shower gel. 
 

The Bubba Kush Auto is also on day 65, although her buds are not as developed as the OGK. Again, she’s really tall - almost as high as the OGK. She’s got the most foliage out of the four and is frosting up nicely.
 

 

And I finally welcomed a much-needed visitor this week. I don’t know about the rest of you but I’ve been plagued by aphids this year. I’ve no idea why - I assume it’s due to the weather but they’ve been a pain in the backside. There were two ladybugs on my plants the other day, no doubt having an absolute banquet. I’m hoping word spreads round and they invite all their mates round.

 

So, mini heatwave out of the way and a cooler week coming up. It still looks pretty dry here and temps in the low 70s, so perfect, really. Could do with it being like this for another month as we approach the finishing lines. Anyway, have a good week, all, and stay safe xx

 

 

 

 

[HippyHair]

White widow making a comeback?

[Moobman]

They are looking very impressive!

[PermanentWaves]

3 hours ago, HippyHair said:

White widow making a comeback?

definitely, @HippyHair - she’s doing well. She’s definitely going to be the shortest plants I’ve ever grown!

[PermanentWaves]

Thanks, @Moobman - yours are looking nice and healthy as well. 

[PermanentWaves]

Morning, all - hope everyone is doing well. All the girls are doing well - they’ve been in and out of the greenhouse this week depending on the weather. We’ve got gale-force winds here today so I’m not going to risk putting them outside as they are all pretty tall and Sod’s law I’d see something snap. All the buds are starting to fill out now and the greenhouse stinks of oily fruitiness.

 

 

Well, I’m getting into squeaky bum time. The first harvest is getting nearer. The Gorilla Auto is on day 81 so she’s almost at the finishing line. Trichomes are looking pretty cloudy and some ambers are popping up. She could be ready in a week but I’ll see how she progresses. This is my third year of growing and I’ve not yet been able to harvest a plant when it’s properly ripe. Mould has meant I’ve had to harvest a week or two early so I’m determined this year to try to get these girls over the line when they are ready. The Gorilla smells amazing and she’s frosty as hell. Hopefully I can keep her going for another week at least. She’s had no feed at all apart from some fish mix about a month ago. She’s been on plain water during her whole grow. 

 

 

I had a bit of a scare with the Bubba Kush this week as I spotted a patch of the dreaded white webbing near her main cola. I’d completely forgotten about the caterpillar threat. Last year my Sweet Deep Grapefruit got hit by caterpillars and I had a mould battle afterwards. Low and behold, after digging into the Bubba’s flower, I spotted the little green critter trying to make a run for it and managed to grab it with the tweezers before it disappeared. The mistake I made last year was not removing the damaged bud site, so mould got into it. I’m playing safe this year and removed the damaged bud. I haven’t spotted any more but I’m definitely on caterpillar watch from now on. Those things can decimate your flowers so quickly and cause mould outbreaks. Apart from the visiting caterpillar, she’s doing well and is on day 74 so not long to go.
 

I dried the bud that I removed and had a little sample yesterday - not expecting much, but she delivered some great flavour; spicy perfume came to mind. It was definitely a head high to start off with but quickly spread to my legs for that body stone afterwards. It lasted a good two hours so I was quite surprised. At least if I did have to harvest her early my smoke will be good.

 

 

The OG Kush Auto is fattening up nicely. She really is a frost beast. Her buds are huge. She hasn’t got a huge amount of foliage but her flowers are so fat. I’d love to keep her going as long as possible as she could produce my biggest cola yet. She’s also on day 74 so nearing the finishing line. Like the Gorilla and Bubba, she’s just been fed water throughout her whole grow, apart from that fish mix a while ago. The Canna Pro compost has turned out to be a good buy. It holds water really well and I haven’t had to add nutrients at all.

 

 

And finally the White Widow Auto. She’s on day 80 and has gone mad with buds. Her main cola is looking really good and she’s got a ton of flower all over. I can’t imagine what she would have been like if she hadn’t had that setback earlier on. She’s definitely got a more citrus aroma about her, but she’s looking good for the runt of the pack.

 

 

Maybe this time next week I’ll be doing the first harvest report - we’ll see how the Gorilla gets on. Till then, hope you all have a good week and stay safe xx

 

[PermanentWaves]

Hi, everyone - hope you’ve all dried out after a dreadful week of weather. Happily the sun is shining again and it looks to be a dry week. Long may it continue.

 

Well, the first harvesting is done. The Gorilla Auto was on 13 weeks and just about done. I spotted some caterpillar damage in the main cola and found another little critter chomping it’s way through the flower so decided it was time to bring her time to a close. Caterpillar damage causes mould and the conditions this week have been horrible. I didn’t want to risk it spreading and losing a lot of bud. Apart from the small bit of caterpillar damage, she was mould free and smelling strongly of a bottle of wine that has been left open. Very old, fruity, alcohol-type smell. Here’s a shot of the main cola after she got a quick trim. I don’t trim my buds so they look perfect as it’s only me smoking them and I’d rather leave as much frostiness on them as possible.
 

 

Here’s the start of the trimming session. The buds are very sticky and currently drying in my net. Should get a couple of jars out of her. Overall, the Gorilla was easy to grow. I think she only had one feed of fish mix during the whole grow. I just kept giving her water and she didn’t ask for anything else. She only had a few yellow fan leaves towards the end as well. Perfect grow, really. Once she’s dried, in the Kilner jars she’ll go with some Bovida packs. I’ll do a smoke report later this summer when she’s had a bit of a cure.

 

 

I’ve also had to do a second harvest - the OG Kush Auto. She was just about ready, anyway, but she’s had lots of rotten calyxes popping up. A couple of these had got worse last week due to the damp and humidity and mould was starting to spread out from the calyxes so it was time for her to come down. This girl is really frosty and smells divine - fruity and spicy. Her yield was poor compared to other autos I’ve done, despite her size. She didn’t have a lot of foliage, although her buds were big and dense, so it looks like one jar’s worth for her, which is better than nothing. I think it’ll be quality rather than quantity with this girl as her buds are impressive. I had a small sample of one of her buds a few weeks ago and she hit hard then. It was pretty racy before a body stone so it’ll be interesting to see whether she’s mellowed a bit since then. I’ve left some buds to ripen on her lower leaves. 

 

 

The Bubba Kush Auto has also been hit by a bit of mould and I had to remove her cola. My greenhouse had a slight leak in a top pane and it must have dropped on part of the cola as it had turned to mush. Luckily it was just that one spot and the rest of her is fine. I’m keeping a close eye on her, though. With drier weather this week, hopefully she’ll ripen up even more. She’s a lovely looking plant and her leaves are starting to go purple, which I love. She’s got lovely dense, frosty buds and smells divine. I‘d love to give her another few weeks - as long as the weather plays ball and the caterpillars stay away.

 

 

And last, but not least, the White Widow Auto. She’s doing fantastic. She’s the complete runt of the pack and I had no hope for her a couple of months ago, but she’ll probably end up producing more bud than the other three. She’s gone mad with flower and she has a huge, thick cola. She’s about 13 weeks as well, but it’ll be a few more weeks before she’s ready. God knows what she would have produced if she’d hit the same height as the Bubba and OGK. Her aroma is amazing - definitely a citrus twang in there. I hope I can get her to the end after all the effort she’s put in.

 

 

So, two down, two to go. It’s a shame about the OG Kush yield, but I can’t complain. At least I’ve got something after the dreadful spell of weather. I hope those of you growing Autos outside haven’t been hit too hard. Have a good week, everyone, and stay safe xx

[PermanentWaves]

Hi, everyone - hope you’re all ok.

 

It was another chop week for me this weekend. The Bubba Kush Auto and White Widow Auto were both harvested.

 

I’ve been impressed with the Bubba - it’s got huge, dense buds and smells incredible. Apart from the mould on the cola where it got dripped on in the greenhouse, the plant has been a joy to grow. Lovely fan leaves, glorious purple sugar leaves and coated in trichomes, it’s the nicest looking bud I’ve grown so far. I was struggling to find any clear trichomes before chopping - they were all cloudy with a lot amber - perfect for the chill-out evening. Below is one of the buds before chop, and also the plant after I gave it a haircut. I had a slightly better yield from the Bubba than I did with the OG Kush. I tried a tiny little bud last night that was just about dry and this could be my go-to bedtime treat. Lovely spicy, lavender-type flavour and a really good body stone from it. Not the sort of strain for the daytime. I’ll give a proper smoke report after it’s had a bit of a cure.

 

I’ve left some of the lower popcorn buds to fatten up in the greenhouse. Hopefully these will be ready in a few weeks.

 

 

On to the White Widow Auto. She’s given me a decent yield bearing in mind her dwarf stature. Despite her early issues, she exploded with flower and I would have loved to see how much she would have yielded had she grown to normal size. Can’t complain, though. You can see how she got her name - she wouldn’t have looked out of place on the front of a Christmas card; she was so frosty and absolute nightmare to trim as she was so sticky. What I was really impressed with was the size of her cola. It was starting to bend over quite a bit before harvest as it was so heavy for such a tiny plant.

 

 

I think this girl is going to taste amazing. She’s by far the smelliest of the four Dinafem strains I grew this year. She’s currently drying in a tent with the Bubba. The Bubba is in the smells-like-hay stage today, but the White Widow still smells like a lemon spice fruit bowl, despite drying out. In six months’ time, she’ll be one of the those strains that will flood the room with fruity aromas when you open the jar. Actually, I think six months is being optimistic - it’ll probably be gone by then 

 

 

You can see the size of the cola above - not bad for a runt! I will definitely give this girl another go - just to see whether I can grow her properly next time. I’ve also left the bottom half of her in the greenhouse as she had quite a few popcorn buds on the lower leaves. I’m not sure if these will fill out that much as they are on the leaves that were all twisted.

 

So that’s the auto grow done for the year. Yield-wise, it wasn’t as good as previous years. I’m not sure why as the plants were lovely and tall and healthy; just not as much foliage. The quality of the buds, though, are top notch. Amazing aromas, really good size, and extremely dense. Fortunately I’ve still got some Sweet Deep Grapefruit and Ocean Grown Cookies from last year that will pad out my shelves. I’ve also got a freebie G13 Labs White Strawberry just coming into flower that will hopefully give me another jar or two in the autumn.

 

Fingers crossed all your autos are nearing the finishing line and not suffering with the damp weather. I’ll pop back later this summer with a proper smoke report. Until then, stay safe everyone and happy harvesting xx

[Dinafem-Mark]

@PermanentWaves getting your jars filled nice and early this season 

 

Congratulations on the harvest mate

 

All the best

 

Mark..

[PermanentWaves]

Just when you thought it was safe to peep out from the ganja garden. This diary isn’t quite finished yet. I’ve had my first harvest. Now I’m looking forward to the second lot from my original OG Kush, Bubba Kush and White Widow.

 

Two to three weeks ago, I left lots of popcorn and immature buds on the lower branches of my autos in the hope they would fatten up and help to top up the jars. Well, that’s happening and in the next few weeks, I should have another harvest.

 

The OG Kush has some lovely big buds again and these aren’t far off. The only issue is the branches they are on are quite spindly, and the weight of the buds are bending them over, but I’m not complaining.

 

 

The Bubba Kush Auto’s lower buds are also looking good (below). Should be enough for a few more puffs.
 

 

The White Widow buds are much smaller, but the lower half of that plant wasn’t in great shape anyway, so I’m not sure how much this will produce.

 

I honestly thought that once all these lower buds had ripened, that would be it for my auto season this year. But what’s this? New growth?

 

 

Could I get a third harvest in the autumn from my original autos? Fingers’ crossed. I will definitely take more care pruning the branches in future if I can get two or three harvests out of the same plant. I’m not sure how well these buds will develop from the new growth, but it’ll be a good experiment and any extra herb is always welcome. With another mini heatwave coming this week, it’s looking good for growth.

 

So the 2020 diary isn’t quite finished. The buds that are curing are giving off some lovely aromas in their jars so can’t wait to give these a proper smoke test soon.

 

Have a great week, everyone, and enjoy the weather - should be great for those of you about to start your harvests. Say safe xx

[Dinafem-Mark]

On 02/08/2020 at 1:31 PM, PermanentWaves said:

So the 2020 diary isn’t quite finished

 

Bring it on 

 

Getting the most out of the autos this year

 

All the best

 

Mark..

[inapond13]

Loving the new growth, if you have the space, let em grow

[PermanentWaves]

Hi, everyone - hope you’re all doing well and keeping cool. At long last, August delivers some proper summer weather, although not a fan myself of high heat and humidity, but sure beats cold and wet, which is what normally happens this month.

 

Not much to update from me. To recap, I harvested my Bubba Kush, OG Kush and White Widow Autos last month, but left the lower leaves and immature flowers to carry on growing in the hope of a second harvest. I’ve done second harvests with autos in the past, but I’ve not left them long enough for new growth, so this year is new territory and a bit of an experiment to see how many harvests I can get out of one auto.

 

So the OG Kush had to have a couple of buds removed as I noticed some calyxes starting to rot. This is a problem the longer you leave a plant - even with the hot, dry weather, you can still get rot. As you can see below, the new growth is coming along nicely and I have some new flower buds already. 

 

 

My Bubba Kush Auto (below) has really gone mad with new growth. She’s still got a few mature buds almost at the finish line so a second harvest looks good.

 

 

I’m really pleased with the Bubba’s growth - it’ll be interesting to see how well it progresses now summer is winding down. Having had a few sample smokes of all the autos, the Bubba is my favourite so far for flavour and effects so any extra buds for my jars will be welcome.

 

The White Widow has had a lot of growth but the leaves and flowers are tiny so I’m not hopeful of getting much else out of her. I will leave her going for a little while longer just in case.

 

So that’s it for this week. It’s looking hot here in East Anglia until at least Thursday. I’ve been on leave last week and I’m off next week as well so can’t believe I’ve timed my holiday with good weather - the first time that’s happened for years. Looking forward to another week of lazy, daytime vapes under the parasol! Have a great week, everyone, and stay safe xx