Live & Reloaded

[Fuel]

It’s show-time for the ladies, and i can unleash the hell to have fun with them. So, the best week since i started this damned repro. They are just fattening and it’s a pleasure to see everyday. They will get now the full throttle regime (for them), for a fat & furious style.

3 days ago it was the end of the road for the P1 mother. This pheno amaze me, and even more now with the first samples while i harvest the seeds from the buds. 109 days of flowering time to reach the senescence

And just for the fun to show the two main bud shapes :

See you around !

[Fuel]

This week was the last with full throttle nutrients, for most of them. Considering the wide panel of phenos, i’m not able to set a global feeding chart for all at this stage. It’s when i like stabilized lines, and when they shine.

For now i launch the finishing process by single case, by the general look of trichomes.

The BB13 was prepared today to go trough starvation, her trichomes are close to be heavenly distributed in three classes. What i call the “camo signal” in my slang. She will continue to make some grammers next week i guess.

The BB11 have something more to say, i still like her stature.

But the BB18 still my favorite of the twos.

Over all her variegations and all, i have sympathy for the BB19. Resistant and vigorous. She just start to understand that it’s time to produce buds, i guess I’ve two weeks more in front of me with this one.

The giant BB14 need also two more weeks, i’m supposed to feed her with a specific regime but i’ve already two watering can to prepare each time and i don’t like to store mixed solution in general. The most promising terps in the rejected phenos, and i think in term of potency also.

The BB12 just look like shit and non sense now. But have very sugared scents.

The BB16 is a strict replica of the BB13, in less hurry to mature. She will be the second plant to be starved, i guess during the coming week.

Now, a little word on an old technic : the "flushing" concept

I’m absolutely not concerned by the debate around “why or why not using this tech”. My plants are not Apple apps, i don’t finish them all the same way.

But it’s a good opportunity to debunk the first mis-understanding of the tech in explaining the true process, not the one badly translated or guessed from far … renaming it with a stupid word : “flushing”.

First, the term invented itself is the best way to totally fail it lol In the most dramatic counter productive way possible. Here we talk about it and the different variations of this tech more as a “rinsing” process.

The principle is not rocket science, it’s just a Drain-To-Waste procedure. But the manner to do it is critical for the output. For EU growers it’s so common that we have the habit to present it like a one shot thing.

“Boom, i rinse this one and let her starve”. I guess it look like you put your plant under a cascada and wait that the drain is transparent.

It’s absolutely what to don’t do ^^ You soil is a mass that have tension in term of moisture, if you drown it suddenly and during a long time you will create different layers of tension, create currents inside the pots that will not reach the drain, chasing all O² from the medium … and a long list of worries. “Flushing” is a very bad translation of this tech, the worse possible lol

The process is long and a pain in the ass, i started to rinse this plant at 7pm and finished at 10pm. It took 3 hours for only 1 gal of total medium to rinse properly. And the plant only reward you if you do it properly, or she punish you ^^ So yes, it’s worth the pain but only if you know what you do.

Now a more concrete view of the drain “yield”.

This is the very first pass

This is the middle of the process, and yes it’s darker and why you have to process it very slowly. If you kill the homogeneous tension and chase all O², you will just collect the water you’re pouring mostly. Pointless.

This is when the process give its first results, the color start slowly to vanish.

This is the end of the process, as you can see the water is not clear. But the plant is rinsed heavenly at this step, and can get plain water (or a “secret finishing sauce” of any kind) in good conditions.

The secret is simple : it’s just a long and boring process. And absolutely not a “flush”, it’s specifically what you try to dodge the most you can during all the process.

First rule : to do it after a dry cycle. It’s longer to start, but more efficient to get the most you can from each drain collect.

Second rule : zero possibility for the drain holes to be locked by pressure or swimming in the old juice. And eventually sucking it back when the plant react to the watering and create a tension around its root core. Raise the pot enough.

Third rule : Be patient as fuck, specially if you use a soil with a good texture. Let it spread the water you pour, slowly and let the gravity do the job. If you’re not good or in ease to judge what you have poured with your watering can, just use a kitchen glass of around 300 ml / 12 fl oz.

Pour very slowly the water and you wait that none drops fall in the drain collector by the draining holes of the pot. Repeat and repeat and repeat … the more the process is a pain in the ass to do and long, the better the effects : to reveal strongly the “body” of the weed, and cleaning the smoke from any nutes taste (if you don’t have pushed over the red zone off course, one time it’s locked it’s for good).

Yes, it can be done with every mode of grow : hydro, soil, coco, supersoils …
And yes, you can overfert a plant in “organic 100% vegan food blessed by buddha himself”. And it taste as bad than any other bad management of nutrients needs ^^

That’s all for now, i’m pretty much locked with these plants now. I need to shut down the tent at least two or three days for a complete and detailed washing, reflector and bulbs included. I don’t want to launch the next round on the fly, 6 months of use is enough dirty to be disinfected for me ^^ California Indica and AK47 for the next, in a more dense configuration. Can’t wait.

Stay green

[Fuel]

Strange week, this is the least i can say.

Last Monday they all entered suddenly in senescence like a one man army. They just stopped to drink and eat, so i switched in plain water mode and i have flushed in chain the pots. Except the mega variegated specimen that think she’s just at 30 days of flowering stage, but i treated her the same way than the others. The camo of trichomes was almost ready and on the peak.

Last Friday they suddenly restarted to drink like crazy, to create new flowers like crazy overnight … and to produce a shit ton of new milky trichomes.

I’m good for another week damned hell. They play with my nerves to the very last day, literally. They don’t want to be replaced by the new little army of AK, California Indica and Kali Bubba.

I’m going to break a high score of Big Bud senescence’s length with this round. But i find it quite interresting somehow, the mother follow this pattern also and was quite impressive in term of potency.

Let’s share a bit this madness, for the fun mostly.

It was not there before friday lol Bitch.

Not only variegated everywhere, but also more stupid than the tall tower. She’s even not enough mature to be smoked … at 94 days

This one was supposed to dry at the moment i’m typing. But no, second breathe from nowhere, new flowers and new trichomes. Why not. Very long to fade, but sugared terps are exploding.

This is the tower, the one of the rejected i’m the more curious to taste for the high. Terps are quite gassy, but volatile. I like the shape of the trichomes and their regular spread. None of the plants was pushed in P, i also want to know if they are worth the look.

That’s all for now, i wish to make an harvest update next sunday ^^

Stay strong and raise the mainsail !

[Fuel]

Finally the grand day and my annual duty with the Big Bud is finished. The main tent is off and a big overall cleaning and bleaching is scheduled, to welcome the next round. I will push gently the density of plants also.

When the weed will be dried, i will sample the specimens better than I’ve actually sampled them. The scents are pretty much tempting, and i was too curious to compare blindly while i manicured them. For now i’m surprised in a good way in term of potency, ceiling and also the change of the chemotype’s expression. Almost miraculous because i’m very conservative on the BB, but i find this new spirit quite amusing and the “creeper” style injected entertaining. One time i’ve received the blunts wraps from Germany, i will write a full and exhaustive feedback on this Big Bud with comparison on previous releases.

Let’s say good bye to these specimens, i will meet them soon enough with the lighter. I need a plasma one damn.

Let’s start with the BB13, one of the two fattest in yield of the round. Very sugared now but not very complex in scents.

The BB12 still look like shit, the plant was unable to choose a direction to drift. Quite musky.

The BB11, the only one that produced citrus fruits tones, not really in the range of the Big Bud usually.

The BB16, the little sister of the BB13. Thinner but same sugared scents and more resinous.

The BB18 react pretty well to the flush, she produce a fruity sugar cane that change each time you manipulate her.

I’ve pushed the maturity of all specimens but this one, the BB19 was able to continue to flower at least two weeks. Over 120 fucking days ^^ Trichomes are cloudy, amber are super rare. Let’s call it a wake & bake when i’m not motivated to work a bit.

The stupid tower still me favorite of these specimens, all-in-all. She put some fun on the crop, after a long bloody shot of two batches.

On the stats, i’ve to wait to finish the drying but they are a less dramatic than i was expecting. Overall it weight 514gr/18oz wet trimmed, an average of 114gr/4oz per specimen.

The last week i dryed pretty hard the specimens, in considering an average loss of 40% in the drying process (i think more with this batch) that’s around 308gr/10oz net.

Productivity is frankly less sexy with the extrapolated net weight, that’s around an 3gr/day only. The number of specimens don’t help, but they was also not planned to gain such dimensions without any veg. Not to last so much also, a Big Bud is supposed to be at the end of its senescence at 75days of flo. Not even wanting more in being sogged from seeds. Maybe linked with the suprising kick, who know.

The root mass check is good for all at a very dry stage, even inside. I just under-evaluated the time for the plants to recover from the gnats, and to colonize a second pot.

On the nematodes, it’s just amazing and the reason of this decent root mass at the end. Only one plant had adults specimens and they were very not in numbers. Strictly nothing in the soil, except their fucking poo and some dead stuff around the drains. It’s not only working, it’s lasting even in using hardcore nutes (decently). It’s just an habit i will take now, no more chems of any kind for gnats.

I’ve already the finger on the trigger of the germination, let’s grow a bit more than 20 specimens now. One of the repro is essential for a project of a friend, fingers crossed to have nice goodies to bring on the table.

But for now it’s complete bleaching, cleaning the neons (i hate it) , washing the pots and plant tags (i hate it too), and everything i can’t clean when it’s running.

I like this shot lol, a pound is waiting it’s hour ^^ Stay green !

[Fuel]

End of a cycle, enough to heal this lady. Next season we meet again.

But a end of cycle is also this ^^

I just hate to do it, and in seeing this photo i realize that i’ve all the greenhouses to wash and two dozens of seedlings pots. ASAP damned.

Now the new dream team during the next months. The Kalibubba is an unique seed sample ^^ It’s fun.
Growing these ladies side by side can be fancy and animate a bit the grow after long months with Big Buds.
Still a repro to have enough seeds to do whatever i can, i’ve to stay focus and give a good lead to F2s.

I psychologically don’t reject the idea to cross the (Kalimist x Bubble gum) with the Shishkaberry pollen of SHSC-1 if it’s a female. If it’s a male maybe trying the process of SHSC-1 to dry and freeze it, then document it here for the sport of it. Chunking around.

The two 2023 batchs was extra fresh like sold and expected, the calibration of AK47 was nice but not impressive, the seeds of calindi quite dark and greasy but a bit less vigorous.
I make test on the zombie tea in the same time, they were swimming in new balance of Black Tea / H202.

Now they are in the SPA with 0.25ml/L of Startbooster :

Let’s dance until the 1st Transplant.

I’m sampling a bit for the science too. 3 specimens on 7 for now, i will digress on it when i will write a feedback on the strain.

The Sebsi is practical to sample, let’s show how it look lol I prevent, it’s blasphematory.

First, the stuff. And yeah, smoking the sebsi is initially made for tabacco blends. Generally it’s the tabacco on the left you use, quite dry and fine. You prepare your hash in your hand, you take a pinch of this tabacco and you work the hash/tabacco in your hand in warming it. It have to stay spongy in texture, so you dial the tabacco hash ratio accordingly.

With weed it’s better to do it with a fresh and moist tabacco (on right).

The same way you work in the hand your bowls, the tabacco giving just a structure to the weed. Well packed but spongy.

You fill gently the clay bowl with the thing like a a kind of manual screw. Then when it’s well locked, you surfacing the top with the thumb.

Don’t need explanation ^^

On bowl make two deep toke in general, but with weed. It last longer with hash blend and you get a lot more smoke.

See yah !

[Fuel]

[Update powered by BB#12]

I’ve to say that after a week of intense sampling and comparisons, i’m pretty much baked in loop. The joy of the first 2023 harvest also, it symbolize a first round accomplished and the new one actually restarting.

Jars are filled now; the comparison between specimens continue but more on a daily basis. It’s my thing, after have chain-sampled each specimens to compare them, i like to smoke all the weed of a given specimen before attacking the jar of the next. It’s an important layer for me, you find there various datas : tolerance building at mid-term, naturally-capped or tolerance-capped, wake&bake type, how I handle daily the same flavors … and simply sometimes a fire weed that turn finally boring, to suppress from the further generations.

So how i handle the yield (when it’s necessary), in three steps.

The “Raw Wet” (RW)

It’s simply the weight of the whole plant, generally all fan leaves not producing trichomes removed.

• The gobal RW is 980gr // 2.16lbs.
• It’s an average of 140gr/4.9oz per plant with a High@171gr/6oz and a Low@109gr/3.8oz.

The gap of vegetal mass under and beyond the average is representative on how the yield is expressed, in very various ways. The two best producers of the second batch being two totally opposite phenotypes.

The Trim Wet (TW)

“Usually trimmed”, the weight count the top bud apical part of the trunk, and the supports of the drying process. “Hash Trims” are weighted aside.

• The gobal TW is 804gr // 1.7lbs.
• It’s an average of 114gr/4oz per plant with a High@139gr/4.9oz and a Low@90gr/3.1oz.

I was surprised to have a lifted ~once per specimen of hash trims.

The Trim Dry (TD)

When the flowers reach the correct dryness in their core, I weight what i put in jars.

• The gobal TW is 227gr // 8oz
• It’s an average of 32gr/1.1oz per plant with a High@52gr/1.8oz and a Low@25gr/0.8oz.

Yeah, and in 101 days it’s a rate of 2.24gr/day or just below an 8th/day
227gr/8z per 120cm²/4x4 is quite a bad perf too ^^, specially at 458w/sqm or 42W/sqft.

On gr/watt, my three bulbs draw 550w on the watt-o-meter it give a 0.41gr/watt also ^^
The water retention in the final product was lower than expected, they are all stable around the 25% between the TrimWet and the TrimDry. Except the BB14 tower, that outperformed the standard with a 37%.

But damn it was worth the ride, i got plenty of “time-machine memories” with the weed and with a hint of an unexpected craziness.

It’s really the time become a bit more industrial anyway in the approach. Of course the 21 seeds that are coming fuck up a bit the planning again ^^

So i present you the California Indica Sensi, it’s a little line i like a lot. If the seeds were greasy and oily, the calibration was not very cool, mostly seeds that shouldn’t pass a QC test. I paid it during the germination and it continue with extravagant cares. The serious seeds stuff is more healthy and vigorous but encounter more a problem of feeding of seeded mothers, I’ve to play with the scalpel and the tweezers for all seedlings.

So all in all, I’ve to adapt lol. I will try quickly to reach Sensi for the Calfornia Indica, the round is promised to be rodeo before having being really started ^^

It’s the opportunity to show how i’m doing this first transplant with a case of a couple of embryos transplanting.
The goal for this round is to push the seedlings to totally colonize their little pots before being transplanted in the final one.

I use a 25% dilution of Rootbastic in a sprayer of 1 liter to water the seedlings pots. I don’t spray the plant with it, i spray the surface of the pots only.

I spray until i see a saturation of the surface and let it sit the time to have an homogeneous moisture.

Here we go this unique Kalibubba is ready to fight.

But it wasn’t streamlined at all lol Difficult batch from the start.

This California Indica sprout was quite vigorous but … placed perpendicularly in the seed shell. A strange that it sound, i got 2 on 10 like this. Embryos extractions was necessary for both, at this point you’re supposed to place them in a nutritive agar solution. Not to transplant them directly ^^

Another one California Indica, with the syndrom of the black seed. If you let it work, the embryo will rot in wasting all its energy. The seed shell is dead and/or hydrophobic, but not the inside.

So it’s necessary to extract the embryo, for this you have to cut the protuberance of the seed, they are made like oysters in a way. Only one side maintain the whole closed.

After this, it’s true surgery damned Being slow and calm is enough, the danger being the wall of the inner shell that can be too dry on surface and glue the embryo by one dicotyledon or worse, the radicule.

Two more also I’ve just cracked gently by pressure. Not very happy, let’s see how it turn.

This is the true problematic i’m facing. The gap between specimens start to be something annoying. I can’t keep anymore the seedlings ready to start photosynthesis, and some others still under the ground in the same time.

Both lines have to forced in seedlings pots and blasted with light the sooner they can.

Crushing my mind for now, but I can’t dodge the shittyness to have multiple layers of maturity among the specimens. Then to keep a track of three, maybe four groups damn. I need to roll a couple of cones to make a decision lol

I think i will just place the seedlings under the blast of the 2700K Flo bulbs directly in 12/12, in greenhouses. I can already see a fucking gap of two weeks just at this stage, damned hell. And of course, the only ones lines i need to force in seedling pot without killing the productivity, i need this double repro finished for the end of the year Top.

See you around, back in a bit for the big feedback on the Big Bud, the new round start and others surprises I’ve not planned and that will make me swear all gods.

[funkyfunk]

There’s so much activity and stuffs to read here I always miss the notifications of your updates. Don’t be afraid to tag me

They were Instructive and didactic as always!

Finally that’s the end for now of this BB! Epic grow! #13 and #16 indeed looked nice. Wonder what your report will come up with. How nowadays BB compares to your memory.

And looking forward to watch this AK47 grow

[Fuel]

@funkyfunk (^^)
Hy compadre, damn yeah it’s the end of this long journey. This repro was bloody, but was worth the ride.
Can’t wait to share it in details with a specialized post.

The new round of AK47, Kalibubba and California Indica start with some difficulties, of course. But i will update at the first update of this round, a lot of details to share and i’m actually with the customer service of Sensi about the immature seeds i received. Saved 4 for now, with insane intensive care (embryos extraction and all …).

I finally got my stuff delivered, i can start the true smoke report of specimens ^^ I will do it well with a feedback + stats on all phenos harvested.

My process is quite simple : smoking a single blunt on a “Wake&Bake” case, and let it last the whole day in testing how it last (curves, rebounds, up & down…) and how the day is going. The bad side is that i need to be “clean” between two blunts to don’t pollute the sensations with persistent stone of the previous night. This line is actually more potent than its reputation ^^

I don’t resisted to test a new stuff discovered this year : Al Capone wraps. Indonesian leaves distributed by a german company. They are a bit expensive and each pack contain a single leaf. But it’s a true leaf, not reconstituted tabacco, with a practical glue band to close the rolling.

The leaf is thin, you have to roll without too tight compression. I never grind my weed, i cut it with knife fine so no problemo with stems chunks but it can be a concern for the heretic that use grinders.

I expected a superior quality of the leaf, but the smoke was good. The “sugared” version (Flame) is flavored smartly, not overwhelming the taste of the weed. The sugar cane flavor used fit perfectly with the taste of the Big Bud (totally on the side of sugar cane for most of phenos).

The tobacco leaf is quite bland on taste, you’re very far from cigar’s flavor. Maybe the “Straight” version, unflavored, will be more strong. The leaf look like a Virginia gold and smoke like it : smooth, sweet and discreet like a cigarette tobacco.

Not specially slow burning because to get a good compression inside is quite risky, but decent and i recommend sincerely. If i’m a bit disappointed on the expected cigar taste, they are well balanced and they have the potential to let express weak strains in flavors or even dry hazes/sativas. By far, better than a reconstituted tobacco or hemp wrap.

By chance, this harvest is quite tasty and very sugared, and can fight even exotic flavored wraps ^^

To be continued, with some blunt-tests included lol

[funkyfunk]

Hope sensi will come back positively.

Nice little pothead desk

Enjoy the smoke! Will wait for the report.

[Fuel]

This is the end of the “let’s roll and have fun” sequence, after Sunday I’ve to set long clean cycles and structure my manner to smoke to make it a tool for further selections. I’ve even have to weight the weed of each cone etc …

I present you the last little fun in date, the Backwoods (classic version) experience. I’ve always dodged these things in watching a friend throwing a bunch of money at it, and failing a bunch of rolls for various reasons. This Swiss stoner was into the mid-end 90’s rap and all, and for him it was a bit more than a blunt. Since, i always dodged the Backwoods because it was clearly a pain in the ass. I falled fast also in true leaves rolling, for the choice you can have in term of quality.

So in ordering the stuff to roll, wifey was very motivated to challenge me in seeing that they were available on a headshop she found. She never roll blunts, she don’t even smoke. But she was very motivated to humiliate me ^^

Then we passed a nice moment to roll backwoods ^^ She roll naturally the filter on left and in diagonal lol (not me).

Her fucking nice blunts are on the left, i rolled the one on right to save the honor. She even rolled one that had a big vein on all the lenght, and one that was the best smoke of the batch ^^

Well, she beat me and she’s quite proud of this.

On the feedback it was a strange experience. When you open the package you’re scared because a strong other of vanilla is taking the nose, in fact it’s the tabacco inside that is well flavored and not the leaf itself. It just give an nice aftertaste and a kind of identity to this wrap.

On quality it’s catastrophic ^^ You’re feeling it’s a cheap product and a cheap tabacco leaf. Also the leaves have plenty of micro-holes inside and generally you smoke these blunts with strategic placement of your fingers, like a fucking flute.

But i liked the classic in fact, they have made a singular product that offer a specific smoke.

The bad side being the quality of the leaves that force you to smoke it like a flute to don’t have too much air, and the pain in the ass to roll them.

The good side is a surprising comfort to smoke, you lungs and your throat are not scorched after smoking one. Also the “signature taste” that i’m linking with a sugared weed or a more gassy/sat weed … pretty versatile aftertaste of the blunt.

It was the funny entracte during a damned another nightmare in term of repro. Tomorrow i will expose more the things with the first true update with stats.

[Fuel]

Here we go, the tent is ridiculously empty again. And it was long to reach the state where all specimens can share the first grow phase. The start is a bit more complicated than previously, some surprises on seed’s department.

This photo resume well the situation. On the left, the California Indica with, for now, 4 specimens alive. The seeds weren’t supposed to pass a visual control and i paid it by tremendous maintenance and the absence of seedling’s vigor.

In the fantastic four, i have :

One mutant

One embryo extracted from a soldered seeds

The only one normal specimen and a little mutant.

I’ve contacted the customer service of Sensi, I’ve a window to launch a decent batch. The last time the contact was good and skilled, this time … it’s a bit more complicated that with the Big Bud. For an arbitrary reason (the scripted procedure), i’ve to wait the 11Oct to update them on how much seeds have germinated … in showing them that all viable seeds were already transplanted.

I was supposed to make this round a fast repro and to launch the seeds directly in 12/12, forcing the seedlings to make dense root balls.

So i switched in 24/0 regime with 6400K, the time for the worst seedlings to recover and grow. The AK47 is growing well but require some cares too, overall. I got three variegated seedlings on this one, it’s pretty much hardcore at this stage. The seedlings are a bit stretchy, but nothing uncommon for this line.

The unique Kalibubba is pretty much vigorous, she make me laugh.

So globally, i’ve to stabilize the situation a bit : to get true trunks and a good root mass in taking the risk to veg the plants. The threat of herms still around, we are in 2023, just like the very first batch of Big Bud that turned herm almost entirely after 57 day veg … i will walk on eggs.

I stick to the selection planned but I changed a bit the planning due to the awful start. Initially it was planned to be an easy fast round with vigorous lines that grow on Mars; it start with intensive care with advanced surgeries on almost all seeds … i just can’t wait to get done the repros cycles and to work with my seeds only.

This one is fun only a single time, but i don’t recommend. The mango aftertaste is somewhere, but the flavoring material sux even with a very sugared weed. Throat harshness at the end of the blunt, in bonus.

Look like Juicy Jay have losted its mojo from the old tobacco wrap collection and the fancy but nice flavoring. The wrap was always a cheap quality type (compared to Royal Blunt), but flavoring was smart and funny. Now it look like they became another random low grade “Bluntwrap style” brand.

See you around and good luck for your selections ! ^^

[funkyfunk]

Finally something in the tent, with heads above the dirt!

Sensi is quite a disapointment, no wonder why they’re better with user requests…

At least the AK are starting.

Looking forward how it’ll turn out in a few weeks.

[Fuel]

@funkyfunk This is the step actually when i can have a better overview of what will happen ^^

On this fight Sensi lost the battle no doubt. The seeds were very difficult and asked advanced risky cares. The ticket with them ended with a promo code for a next order. No replacement. The contact also was quite weird, totally different that with the Big Bud problem. Four interlocutors, none understanding what i say (technically), and barely able to open the photos i sent …

The AK keep the honors but have some wounds too, water have passed under the bridge you feel it.

So empty. But i’m now in safe zone, they all can be kept alive and growing. The problem is the insane delay between some specimens, that experienced hard starts.

The AK47 group with its three freaks. Very variegated seedlings, cotyledons was hardly variegated for two.
The majority of seedlings are vigorous, she still alive.

The California Indica group, true miracle. One of the four tagged “EMB”, is an embryo transplantation. The bigger pheno is variegated (lightly), the three others present different leaves difformations. And the vigor is gone, on one of the most insane vigorous hybrid i’ve known.

The Kalibubba freebie is doing well since the start ^^ The joke of the round, I already feel the kalimist that just want to tear the roof of the tent.

They are ready to be transplanted but not enough dense for my taste and for this round. I will wait one or two couple of days before transplanting the first plants.

This bad germination fucked my planning a bit, i was supposed to force them directly in 12/12 but i still need some 6400K@24/0 to keep alive the late specimens … until they really start to grow. So i’m doomed to give some veg and a double transplantation i guess. It’s normal, it’s strictly not what i was supposed to do.

I keep under the hands a bunch of Big Bud F2 seeds, i will launch some when i’m able to switch the light in FLO for good i think.

This one is just awfull, don’t.

[funkyfunk]

The room feels empty but that’s what comes with your growing style

A bit of lag, but some seem ready to take off. In a few weeks it will start to be crowed, especially if you’re gonna pop some BB F2. And there’s some nice AK too.

So much for sensi. I guess if someone wants some good stuffs they did, they have to chase for people that kept it alive better than them.

How’s been the 1srt week of some testing these BB btw?

[Fuel]

@funkyfunk

True buddy, to fill the stash in this configuration i’m supposed to grow perpetual and to germinate in chain my own seeds. It’s a little what will happens in this round in a semi-way, i will fill the holes with F2s to map ^^ But i can’t wait to start to make large arrays of seedlings with fresh seeds, a far more longer step than in past for now. A less sequential grow that depend mostly on the “down to hell” standards of quality of the actual market damned.

I’m reserved for Sensi, the two consecutive experiences were quite extreme. Almost full herm on the Big Bud, and the fucked seeds on the California Indica. I can’t judge for now a big catalog only on these twos, but the gap experienced in term of quality is something for now. I’ve planned a side by side repro on Jack Herer and (NL5 x Haze) after this round, the strains being the historic high grade offer … my opinion will be more direct then.

I’ve three depressed specimens, but i can’t complain on the AK for now. Legit performances overall and correct root mass at this step. Can’t wait to smoke this one again. I’m not on the “cherry picking” like it’s the trend since a bit, i don’t find this expression interesting and worst the very low ratio. I prefer to turn my compass on the one hitters and let the genotype make it taste like it want.

This one is also to dodge, taste like an undefined chemical candy. It’s supposed to be a Red Bull flavor.
Damn Juicy have losted the mojo with their hemp wraps, the flavor’s juice was better made in the old collection.

I’m ready to write a report on the Big Bud, most of my notes are made. And it’s quite disturbing actually.
I will try to do it practically in presenting the main (news) variations in smoke of the actual release.

See you around ;o)

[funkyfunk]

You’re up for another Jack herer round! Then I guess we’ll get a final call on sensi.

Perpetual is a good way to take advantage of your growing style indeed! Sadly, plants are not so easy to automate.

Looking forward that smoke test, wonder what will come out of it.

[Fuel]

Never select this kind of pheno in the Big Bud. Specially the 2023.

This photo come from the official “Sensi grow log” published. I’ve included their stats because they play a role on what I’ve to say globally on this strain. Now, the plant shown by Sensi represent a subgroup of phenotypes to dodge since the genesis of this strain …

I will not write an exhaustive background on the line itself, it’s the chaos. And, spoiler, she have changed along the time I’ve known her from 2003, from 2015 and from 2023. Making it even more shitty to talk about this line on the long run.

This is the theory i have in front of these plants and its cousins since the start : the Big Bud have a more wide spectrum of variation than it’s cousins and competitors in the range of afghani/skunk lines built for yield.

It can look like picky but i consider more the Big Bud as an NL/skunk line in term of global expression, but also in term of dynamic of segregation occurring while you’re hybridize it or inbred it.

So i partially (30% ^^) trust the pitch of Sensi exposing the initial Big Bud as a kind of BX program on what is supposed to be a PNW Big Bud cut.

It’s an intellectual comfort to explain how this line is segregating, but the Critical Mass come in the equation and shuffle the cards. This very specific taste of sugar cane is supposed to be the signature of the PNW Big Bud, and the critical mass produce it bastardized by a strong “sugared clove” body (that don’t exist at all in the Big Bud).

The only real “elite” cut coming from the Big Bud is the SCBB. It’s rare to met someone that even know the name of this one. I tried to find over the net a representative photo of how look like this cut, no luck. It’s like searching growlogs of Sensi Big Bud ^^ But the expression still here and push the segregations of this line on the most sativa-ish extrems since the begin, with more fancy flavors and highs generally attached.

The phenotype shown by Sensi is the strict opposite of the SCBB pheno of the Big Bud, and both are the perfect representation of the range you have in selection with a load of in-between variations. The SCBB pheno/profile is also the kind of exotic pheno you can’t find in most of afghani-skunk competitors (for yield).

So there is the fucked starting point :

• the label promoting/selling the least interesting variation in the worse way (explanation coming)
• the only one direct reference from this line being a stretchy sativa cut that look like, as far as i can understand, as a reminiscence of the PNW Big Bud inside the Sensi Big Bud.

THE CONCLUSIONS

• Selecting directly a motherplant

The batches being similar, even distant, i can evaluate the cost around an half K for a single decent motherplant to smoke, at the Sensi price. In this configuration, you have to be a big fan of the Big Bud with a nostalgia eating your soul each day that you don’t smoke it.

My opinion : Not worth the ride. The rate of herms is very high, and the weed i’m smoking actually is 100% coming from herms that i managed. 1:21 “pure” female ratio is quite tight, but it’s the same with the male too and it’s more problematic for the herm rate.

• Competition

The weed is not directly competitive as it, even with the new interesting variations.

• Breeding : general

The potential is alive, but it need an intensive maintenance : reduction of herms, the best phenos being in the hybrid forms (need further stabilisation), globally variegated (inbreeding and hybridization being rodeo until the DNA is peacefully settled).

It need three generations of work to reach a decent state to select, and it’s not really a “beginner friendly” task on this line.

Directly outcrossing it is also problematic : the chance to inject a strong herm dynamic is very high as it.

My opinion : It’s more a project for those knowing already the line and its phenos, and/or used to deal with fucked commercial releases. Then, it can eventually become worth the ride with enough patience.

• Breeding : hunting the 2003 Big Bud

Possible, they look to resist at a rate of one per pack for the ful combo (yield/specific taste/good shape). The problematic being that these phenos are the more prone to be badly herms, the cleaner specimens being in the hybrid forms and in new expression. The cost will be the same imho that with a direct selection of a motherplant.

My opinion : Worth it if you’re a big fan of these phenos, but very expensive to operate. Not worth it for me, considering that i prefer the new variations over the historic form : way more potent, more funky flavors … if you’re ready to kiss plainly the SCBB lead in term of phenos.

• Breeding : hunting the 2023 variations

Legit if you’re enough in ease with inbreeding, even if you don’t know the Big Bud. It’s interesting and challenging, and the yield still here overall.

This, only if you like the full expression. If you only need yield, just get a more stable afghani/skunk beast … they are plenty.

My opinion : I try my luck this far with it mostly because i know very well the line. And that i like a lot the GDP and the Pineapple Express. The price to pay in work is bigger that it is supposed to be, but there is an operational margin to extract something quite singular with a new freedom on the potency department. But if you never reduced herm rates in a line, just pass.

• Is the Big Bud dead ?

Surprisingly, not. The old phenos and the weed still around. But the price in bucks and in work is very high, and i pass personally for this kind of duty. I prefer to spend this energy on a landrace, because it’s this kind of job we’re talking about with the old BB expression.

The new skunky variations being better without really breaking the heritage, it can be considered as a step in the history of this line so i can say that “it’s the begin of her death”.

It’s sad and blasphematory to say it, but better to get 5 fem seeds first for those that don’t know this line.
It will mask the herms problematic more and permit to know if you’re liking enough the weed for the challenge in reg.

Don’t forget that with the Big Bud it’s all about the yield and its balance, launching these seeds for something else don’t have much sense.

Initially, this line is prone to herm when the plants enter in senescence. It was always the case but nothing catastrophic and nothing that a selective screening wasn’t able to dodge easily.

Back in 2003, the eventuality to get an additional pack to extract a good motherplant was more a question of variations you got.

Back in 2015, the situation was already pretty hot with a significative presence of latent herms ready to be triggered.

In 2023, i’m not even salty in saying it but it’s like growing an asian landrace under watch for herms. It costed me a full bland round by the way, and i’ve finished this repro with a ratio of herm of 75%. The luck was around for me in only two packs, but let’s say that statistically a 30-50 seeds is a more decent bet whatever the goal is.

The customer service on this one was reactive and proper, but it’s annoying for a line sold this price (~90 bucks) to be so raw. It’s three generations in the face at least to secure clean subgroups and when you inbred everything like me, it’s a fucking pain in the ass to clean an expressive genotype from the release. And risky.

So be warned, the line is wounded and need someone to heal it at the moment it hit your mailbox. It’s like a fucking paid adoption lol

I’m lazzy to search entries, but i remember that she won a cup just before the Jack Herer (my forever love). When the Jack became a thing, i was a kid discovering dutch strains ^^
Hey, that’s something … lol

Hell no, and it was never the case no matter the “pre-bullshit” you can eventually find. The Big Bud was, and still, far away from a pure afghani #1 or a pure northern light. And it’s how she perform well, by the way.

Early 2000, the dense indica shape was sometimes giving a very sugared pheno. Like the Big Bud of Front One. Pure sugar. In 2023, they are just the more bland specimens to smoke. Better to grow directly a good NL that hunting the NL phenos in the Big Bud.

Consider more the Big Bud like a Skunk grow, in less fast.

The whole bad reputation of the Big Bud come from here, and for a stupid reason : marketing. There is my grid to determine what is “fast” or “long”.

Afghani : 40-50 days
Skunk : the balanced reference for me, always around 60 days
“Dutched Haze” and similar : 70-80 days
Sat of all types (hybrids/pure) : 90/90+ days

From this grid, “fast” is below a skunk. But the Big Bud is not mature at all at this step, and since the genesis. If you harvest at ~50 days a strain reaching its peak at 70-80 days … there is no much to expect in term of torque.

So, never cut a Big Bud at 50days / 8 weeks like promoted. You don’t even get the energetic high at this stage, it’s just hay.

Count an average of 3+ feets indoor, with a standard veg of 3 weeks/ 1 month.

I got one of 5.5 feets without any veg, and the average stretch on everything not NLish is close to X3. A particularity that you see well expressed in the GDP line by the way.

The Big Bud is for me on the stretchy skunks side of the force, no longer in the “average”.

That’s real, even if the concept itself should be contextualized also.

It’s partially coming from the powerfull stretch, the late rush of flo, and also from the flower’s profile themselves: density, calyx-to-leaf-ratio. Fantastic performances as motherplant also and at cloning … very much a perpetual grow line type. Like the AK47 actually vegging in fact, but in another style.

Even wounded like the ones i got, the Big bud still a joy on this side. It’s the main purpose of the line actually.
But it don’t make it a line to grow monstrous buds on a tree, understand more “productivity” than “yield”.

The SCBB performed very well outdoor and was quite resistant, but it was an exception. Replace the terms of Sensi by : desertic, arid and at 1K miles from any organic activity ^^

She’s very sensible to mold, and specially to mildiew. Like a magnet. Indoor it can be handled with good hygiena, but don’t grow it outdoor as it. Not a good bet.

So you can see, the subject is a bit shitty to expose even for this simple classic.

My approach

It’s a weed of my teenage age that I wasn’t really able to find in the streets at this time, the closer was the B52. On the afghani-skunk side, the Super Skunk was killing the game and the Chronic was ruling the “cannaculture” with hip hop lyrics etc … i’m even asking myself if this line of Serious Seeds wasn’t historically the most marketed of all time: sings, movies … even more present everywhere in mouths than the GSC today.

The Big Bud is for me a generous plant producing one of the most sugared weed, without being a boring daily smoke. Also a good companion for the stash, you can choose to build strong plants or to SOG it like the wind in having motherplants that produce vigorous big clones.

So the priority for me is to preserve equally this main specificity : taste and yield. I don’t know why i remember this strain but for me the Big Bud is the historic answer to “opposites” lines like the Martian Mean Green, another popular “pounder” of early 2000s. The construction of the MMG is totally different, more a skunk-haze, but producing a shit ton of weed that just don’t really taste nice. What’s the point ?

The principle for now is to heal the Big Bud : breaking the herm dynamic and revert it, to aerate a bit the line by good pairings to reduce drastically the variegation rate etc … everything supposed to be done actually and i hate it. So it’s a bit early to talk about selection, i will just dodge bullets during a time. The printfoot is already active by the first pairing made : the NLish phenos of the BB are not an expression i find sexy.

Let's talk weed and phenos now

1 - A not-so-quick timeline to clear the waters

• ~2003*

Lazzy seedlings, sometimes problematic in vigor. Excellent cloning. Excellent answer to pruning while (veg) mature. Most of specimens were growing short and on the model of the BB#13 that i’m calling the “NLish phenos” today with less obvious sign of the injection both in shapes and in the smoke. She was not stable (she never was), but the range of expression was quite tight. Pushing the maturation far (like i do for all repros in general) was outputting a 50% late herms ratio in general.

The typical flowers, that is used by Sensi to illustrate the seed’s cards and the catalog was a dominant expression : big calyx, high density, rock hard dried buds, decent trichome coverage (but it was never its shiny side).

The smoke was sweet, a bit too much, with the tendance to have a delayed kick (mid-cone, end-cone). The high/stone was specific : great muscular relaxation without being fucked, producing calm, focus and big physical laziness, abuses/binge smoking were leading to a messy stone, not incapacitating either.

The sugar cane taste was simple, strong and dominant. Almost all specimens were producing the typical sugared taste hunted in the BB.

• ~2015

No real changes on the shape of the specimens and their behavior but the introduction of latent herms waiting the first opportunity to produce nanners. Generally one third of active herms when screened, and another third of late latent herms.

The original flower’s profile completely disapeared in favor of a more skunky profile : plushy, thigh caliber, a lot less trichomes. But the density wasn’t wounded. I spent a bunch a buck on her at this time (a dozen of packs) until i finally decided to work with the Critical Mass and its Bilbo’s cut instead.

The smoke don’t changed much surprisingly, but was a bit watered down globally. The high/stone vanished in favor of a messy and a bit blurry stone, the “sugar cane” phenos were a recessive minority hunted in 25% of the specimens.

• ~2023

Strong presence of variegations in almost all specimens at moderate intensity, pushing me to think about a lefty [S1 x BX1] strategy or something close. True latent herms fiesta but with a specific expression : the plants don’t produce (dangerous) external nanners, the males parts are growing from the core of the buds just aside the ovaries.

The spectrum of expression of the phenos are just wide and wild, but stay stable in ratios from a pack to another. In the second replacement pack, i just got photocopy of the specimens of the first batch but just with different variation in term of intensity. Stretchy-skunky shape are taking the hand on the line, and actually it’s a good thing … because the weed is better overall in staying in the initial range. But it’s no longer a hunt in a pattern, but truly a ON/OFF selection.

The original flower’s profile look like gone for good, the buds are totally on the skunk side except for the good density. I’m curious to see if along the inbreeding i will see again the fat calyxes stacking vertically around the trunk, not a specific constraint for me either. The specific taste and the density are the prior traits for me on this line.

The smoke stay in the vein of the Big Bud, but with a panel of variations very much more “individualized”. At the point to produce new shape’s profiles, new flavor’s drift and new potency’s potential considering the previous releases. Don’t get me wrong, it stay a variation. But the range offer an opportunity of evolution that wasn’t there before. Unfortunately, it’s hard to hesitate in selection : the valuable specimens are now rares and without spending 1K in seeds … the starting point of your repro will be a bit decided by what Jah gave you.

The smoke keep the same “lazzy body serenity” spirit, but some specimens and variations in-between offer a more sharp experience with clear stones. Also levels of potency not usual for this strain. I put aside the unique female i found by luck in a double ovary seed, it’s really splitted in three clans :

• the historical form : short and compact NLish shape, ridiculously lanky as an inverted umbrella on the bottom, 1:3 are developping the specific taste on different intensity but the hunt for it is expensive.

• the new genetic drift : on the first batch i got an almost perfect 50(drift)/50(short NLish) repartition, on the second batch i got more a 60(drift)/30(NLish) repartition.

The good point of this instability is to offer a possible evolution, more options to stop the herm’s domination and for the first time … an uncapped potency. It’s a bit early to talk about the F2s, i’ve maybe one year in front of me to deal with them and to understand how bad is the situation to fix ^^.

The bad point is the ON/OFF value of specimens. It produce a disturbing experience for the range of this line (high price) : most of specimen’s variations aren’t genetically competitive, in producing interesting singularities that open the doors at the same time.

1 - The convenient “heavy weights” of the round : the BB#13 and the BB#14

The tasty yield being the main purpose of the strain, it stay for me the lead for the further generations. These two specimens represent well for me the actual genetic battle and all the in-between variations. Both in term of chemotype and shape.

This double lead was quite clear among two packs, between a 50/50 ratio with the first batch and 75(skunky)/25(NLish) with the second batch.

This photo of the first batch is quite talkative :

The BB#13

Stats of the BB13
RAW WET WEIGHT : 167gr
TRIM WET WEIGHT : 137gr
NET DRY WEIGHT : 39gr
Let’s say that on the mass, 28% was the final product.

Totally in the historical range, at the difference that some water passed under the bridge. The sugar cane aromas are here at each draw but it’s not specifically intense and remanent. The tongue still coated by this sensation to have drinked sugared flower’s sap, without any floral touch in the flavor.

The main sidenote is that you find variations of this dominant pheno that are less generous but more sugared.

Now there is some singularities that imho represent the modern release on this expression, no matter how they produce it now.

The new strong “hashy” body in the smoke that is covering a bit this range of pheno. It’s not unpleasant but the persistance is unbalanced, after three cones in chain you have the impression to chew a little bit of common morocco hash. The same produced by the California Indica. The biter-sweet work well for the CI and it give some gross punch with the citrus/orange body. But the Big Bud is pure sugar, not fruity at all, and it create a kind of conflict in the palate quickly.

The potency is clearly upgraded on these phenos, the kick is stronger as the “plateau” is too. But, it make the stone more messy than it was and lasting less.

In finishing a cone right now of the #13, it’s clearly the new deal to smoke some variation of the Northern Light while you’re hunting these phenos. In launching the first seeds it was the plan, it turned to a lucky selection that ended in the opposite tribe finally.

The other specificity is a lowered trichome spread and density on these shorter phenos. That can look counter-intuitive with these strong hashy tones lol The big bud was never a hashplant, but without being pushed she stay quite “dry” naturally now. With this insane rate of active herms it’s not surprising either.

The BB#14

Stats of the BB14
RAW WET WEIGHT : 171gr
TRIM WET WEIGHT : 139gr
NET DRY WEIGHT : 52gr
Let’s say that on the mass, 37% was the final product.

The stretch of the Big Bud was already something but with this new bold segregation, it become exotic. The #14 is the kind of purest expression i got directly among 4 true similar specimens on 21. Look low but on the side of the #13 it’s the same. The other half of specimens being variations of this two cardinal points, et the subgroup where I paired for the F2.

The smoke of the #14 is suprisingly uncapped and quite direct. She lack of horsepower but you feel that in the next gens, something great can happend in putting some distances with the limiting factors. A morning blunt last long and is acting like a good dope for working if not too physical.

The weed keep in same time this initial muscular well-being, and the stone stay neat and proper in stacking the cones and blunts. Pleasant crystal-clear head with little blood pressure sensations in temples and in the back of the eyes.

On the flavors it’s a bit crazy to describe. The good new being that in the hybrids variations of this dominance, new flavors are generated on this base pretty much randomly.

The sugar cane base stay sturdy, but is mutated with various tones that are barely fruity. I fucking like how it’s expressing on the phenos not dominated by #13 dynamic. It’s like smoking random precursors of a panel of fruity flavors, perfect for a daily smoke. The Critical Mass bored me specially for this lack of complexity in the smoke.

On the #14 specifically, this is the weed that change the most from one toke to another. You’re at the point to name a sensation on the tongue while the next draw is producing another one. The sugar cane flavor and a little hashy hint help to be playfull. But the tastes are like unfinished, like a combo of strong phenols and too volatile terps. Intermediary phenos leading to the #14 have a better smoke in general, and it’s where i hunted.

The BB#18

The #18 is just for me the best expression of the 2023 release, as a type of balance. These hybrid forms produce the more stimulating weed from my point of view, in grouping all the nice reforms of the genotype : a new depth in aroma, medium-high but uncapped potency (effective binge-rolling) and entertaining highs.

The BB#18 just taste like a Big Bud of dutch coffee shop, very 90’s, with a strong balance between sugar cane and musk, that become fast playfull in palate. The best jar scents in the pool but unfortunately not much torque, the plateau is reached at mid cone everything else is more about glutony. Even in a fat heavy blunt, she’s not dangerous at all for a wake & bake, not enough to last a 7am-lunch range.

This specimen is the closer to the #14 reference as hybrid, sharing almost totally the nutrients uptake profile, flushing timing and senescence expression. I share a true compass here ^^, all others variations i got eat more like the #13 tribe. They also produce stronger highs and lasting stones, in very various ways : direct hit, creeper to the end of the cone, cerebral stimuli / body wellness, overall lazzyness and even triggering brain hyperactivity for one at the level of a Jack Herer.

On flavors, only the most auxins powered hybrid forms (like the #18) produce fancy terp variations : not fruity, not floral but something neutral in-between. With the sugar cane as body.

On potency types and rates, there is no real pattern. Making me feel that it’s an inherent generation of the release … and that the choices made at this point for the P1 are more critical and more narrowing than with a traditionnal F1.

The BB#09-02

The mother of the F2, paired with a NLish male abnormally strong. Don’t be fooled by its density, it’s a double ovary specimen not joined. Her seed-peer was a giant male very sativa-ish that turned herm, so its development was freezed all the first round until i transplant her with the second batch. Over 100 days of flo, and not fully matured lol It was tight but it helped to couple it with a male of the second batch in real time and fresh.

Not much comment on this one, it was more to be transparent and to show the variation of the hybrids forms i’m advising to use in this release.

[funkyfunk]

Looks like you’ll have work with this iteration of BB. Lots of good infos about it there though, thanks, that’s not easy to find nowadays

Next episodes of your report will be even more interesting I believe!

[Fuel]

The situation is a bit more streamlined now, the challenge being to don’t launch the 12/12 switch until all California Indica, in the front line, are enough ready for it. All AK47 are doing well except 3 heavy variegated runts that i was supposed to kill, and that you can see in the top line.

I was waiting after this one specially, it’s my “cesarean specimen” baby. It need 3-5 days more to be ready to flower.

Full embryo extraction with tweezers and scalpel, then direct embryo transplantation without agar intermediate. I’m quite proud of this one, the recovery rate is amazing, the root system dense and plushy and the vigor potential/resistance worth the pain of the extraction finally.

This one is not ready too, both specimens are locking a bit the round for now.
I will try a foliar feed in the specimens the more in late in the California Indica, to reduce a bit more the gap.

The whole set of this line is a miraculous grow, each seed needed a surgery damn.

The AK47 is quite uniform and satisfying for now. They have all reached their 5th node.
There the #7 and the #11, the more distant specimens but also the more vigorous.

The Kalimist X Bubblegum suffered a bit during the transplantation, fragile roots. I expect an insane stretch, and for now it look like i will not be disapointed on this side ^^

The three variegated runts of AK47. It desserve a quick note to explain why i’m not crazy after them.
In the Big Bud, the presence of variegations was general and spreaded among specimens … making me a bit crazy for the price (90 bucks).

With the AK47 (80 bucks) it’s isolated on three specimens only, out of 11 seeds. All others specimens are clean. Considering the age of the line put in production, it’s ok for me. They are annoying but i’m not waiting after them and it’s not locking the round, they are eventually just extra weed or something interesting to watch for later. Cares are needed, but for now i see that the line is better handled and i’m in a know ground in term of shape, no specific drift to note like the Big Bud.

That’s the rare flavor i can smoke twice in a row in general, but Juicy failed again to get back in the track. Not bad but far from a Royal Blunt Blueberry or the tabacco and hemp version of Kingpin.

That’s all for now, see you around and keep the vibes high !

[Fuel]

Nice week overall after the complicated start. The challenge was to keep calm the AK47 in lowering the lights to the max while the four scavenged California Indica was reducing the late. I’ve used some foliar feeding help on the four to make them ready in a week to switch in 12/12. Damages still reduced, only light burn on the AK47 fresh tops and little K patches on the California Indica.

Root masses are fire both in term of quantity and quality on both strains, i’m pretty much happy to have reached and keep an optimal state since the start in the seedling’s pots.

Let’s show some phenos just before the 12/12 switch of Sunday.

The AK#1 was just the most vigorous germinated seeds and early seedling of the batch, but turned fast to be a rejected highly variegated specimen. I got 3 on 11 like it, and this specimen is the only one able to compete in term of grow with the others, so this plant will stay around for observation, i hope it’s a female for a longer watching. Without the foliar treatment of the CI, i don’t think she was able to make it by the way. It helped to let the plant focus on the new shoots and saved its timing.

I culled a little highly variegated seedling that was frozen, then i keep this one alive for an experiment. The root mass was dense and pretty much good, dense and silky. I will use it to test a way to densify to the max the 4x4 tent for the IBLs selections.

The four miraculous California Indica, i’m particularly proud of the specimen on the far left, extracted directly from a “soldered big seed” while the CLD#8 embryo that was turning to beige. My chance is that this strain still quite stable after all, not much headache for the first pairing. The specimen on the far right offer a nice variation, if it’s a male there is a bunch of chances that i use him to open the IBL.

The Kali Bubba freebie is doing its diva stuff. She don’t liked the first transplant with root’s necrosis on the first leaf set, then now she make some necrosis patch on the second leaf set. Vigor still here, it’s one of the most vigorous specimen of this round. So i don’t really care for now, let’s see what happend during the stretch and while i’m giving more distance now and stopping the light saturation.

The AK#2, she’s not here to laugh.

The AK#4, the sap pressure of this one is insane. The tissues are hard like a fucking artificial plant.

The AK#10, less horizontally dominating than the others. I suspect an insane stretch to come.

I’ve an irrational crush for the AK#5, the ridiculously indica pheno of the pack. Selecting an AK for the shorter and most indica phenos is an error imho, but i like the plant.

The AK#11 is another stretchy pheno.

I find that the AK#7 is just the canonical shape of a good AK47 ^^, just this lol

The AK#9 is the diva of all AK47 around, keeping its negative phototropism since the start. Another spring that is waiting the auxins shot.

So, for now i’m pretty much happy with the AK47. I’m just growing the plants i was growing decades ago. Everything is spot on, no fancy variations or new traits, even the leaves shapes and the musky scents. It’s a good surprise for this second classic revisited, specially because the genetical drift was limited to three isolated specimens. For now i consider the job done, and considering the pain in the ass to maintain 20 years a strain in production … with a hint of respect for the final product. For now.

On the California Indica, off course i’m mad. It’s not because the label on the card is white and not golden that i desserve to deal with immature seeds, not replaced. At least i got a decent discount on my lovely Jack Herer. Soon back for good as sedentar in the stash. Can’t wait the next round already ^^ On the other side of the nightmare passed, the shapes are clean and in less bad state that the Big Bud for now.

This round you will be deceived in term of scents and eventually taste description, both are producing a typical musky/hashy/resinous 90’s weed. This is not their role to produce fancy terps for the kid in us, and it can be destructive for both to lead this way in breeding.

The AK47 is representing here a specific type of potency that have to be potentialised to the max as a “one hitter” AND as an “instant hitter”. I just dislike the “Cherry” hype around this strain, these phenos barely offer the half potency of what can give this line. It’s like wanting to use a Porsche 944 as a camping car, no sense for me.

The California Indica is representing here it’s impressive performance in term of vigor but also in shape. It’s pretty fucked this round to express it fully with the bad start, for now i’m just hoping to get something to couple to make F2s. Four specimens only where only the most resistant survive is a risky business, this strain is a “males-line”. It’s not rare to obtain 9:10 with it.

It’s not evident but the tent is already filled to max almost, i wasn’t supposed to give any veg and to rewrite the breeding plan of this round ^^ I was even forced to change my notations damned, but at least i forced the seedlings root mass like it was planned initially.

My finger is on the trigger to germinate some Big Bud F2 when i will have a more clear view of the final spots available. This round will not have a good density, the plants will be too tall and large, but it will be completed the most i can.

See you around ;o)