This quote from the Mephisto description of canna-cheese has me wondering what it means.
Is “bud darkening” just a cosmetic thing or is it actually bad in some other way? If so, how?
Im going to ask over on the Autoflower network and see what I can find out, but if anyone here knows, Im all ears.
Looking forward to following your grow!
Thanks!
The new tap roots are growing, but very slowly it seems. It occurred to me that maybe the reason is that my root chamber is held at 69 deg F even when the tent temps are much higher.
So I just pulled both net pots out and placed them inside a small cardboard box and set it on top of my lights. Temps there are in the low 80’s. That should speed things up. I will need to check in a few hours to be sure the fabric hasnt dried out. Im going to have to dig through the kitchen junk cabinet to see if I have a tupperware container the right size to seal them up a bit.
I got a reply back from Stan Mephisto.
It is mostly a cosmetic thing. We do have some evidence from our farm grows that suggest that our purple plants are less potent then the green varieties. This is from the 24 carat, sour crack, and other purple auto stock we use, so I am not sure if that carries over to the Canna.
Time for a minor up-date.
Its been 6 days since I started soaking the seeds. I took them out of the hot box and put them back in the system two days ago.
In my previous grows, its taken anywhere from 2 to 4 days soaking and sitting in paper towels before they pop and get put in mini hempy dixie cups with perlite. Then it usually takes another 4 to 7 days before they are tall enough (2" to 3") for me to put them in foam pucks and into the system. So any where from 1 to two weeks between first soak and being put into the system.
Id say they need at least another two to 4 days before they are big enough to put into the pucks, so this seems to be going about average speed. As usual, one baby is well ahead of the other.
Oh - it turned out my slit fabric covering was too heavy for the babies to push through. The lower layer of cotton fabric was too thin and didnt give enough support. The roots went down just fine, but it was into open air with nothing to push against, so I made some changes.
Some progress pics over the last few days.
![20201030_111041|343x500]My humidity domes 
I decided to try to take a peak at the roots and I already have fuzzy hairs!! This new technique of starting the seeds in the system requires a lot of extra babysitting compared to my normal methods, but this makes it worth it. Ive never had fuzzy hairs this soon.
Small up-date for small babies 
Both plants are now out of the cotton diapers and into the foam pucks and fully in the system. One is still way out performing the other.
You can see in the pics in the previous post that both plants had started developing fuzzy hairs. Unfortunately, during all the mucking around I had to do to get them into the pucks, I managed to wipe out all the fuzzy hairs on both. Even the slightest touch is enough to flatten them down and they dont just stand right back up 
After one day in the system, the larger baby has started to grow new side shoots and develop new fuzzies. The smaller baby seems stunted. Its not growing up top and the root has not grown. I just took a close look at it and it seems I may have pinched the root too tightly in the foam puck. I repositioned it, and am hoping that will let it perk up.
Time for an up-date.
Last night I culled the runt. It had not grown one millimeter in the last 3 days - roots or leaves or stem.
I hate to say this, but I am not real happy with my decision to go with Mephisto beans. Its a matter of money to a large degree, but also apparent quality of the seeds.
Out of the three seeds I started with, which cost me $55 delivered, one of them was DOA and didnt pop. Of the other two, one was a runt from day one, and one seems to be going more or less normally.
So that means Im now growing a single $55 seed. The last time I bought seeds from a name brand seller I got 7 seeds for that much. This baby had better be dam good and way over perform as far as yield or Mephisto is just not worth the hype as far as Im concerned. We will see. Just to be fair, I am not feeling especially well, so that may be part of my outlook at the moment.
The big girl today
The runt today:
The runt yesterday:
and three days ago:
Ah man, sorry to hear that… you didn’t want to just let the runt go further to see what if anything could have still come from it?
I considered that, but the bigger baby will soon be needing changes to the misting cycle as its roots continue to grow. Plus, before too long, its likely going to want higher EC levels, more light, etc.
If it had been showing even a little bit of growth I would have waited, but it was just stopped. Since the very beginning it has been drastically slower than its sister, and drastically slower than any other plant I have started, so I saw no real hope.
My plan is to start another seed soaking - which I have already done. It will be lagging behind the bigger baby, but if it grows at a normal rate, it wont be too far out of sync with its bigger sister. If it turns out it is too far out of sync, thats ok. It will be another data point. More importantly, I have a new idea for how to start seeds in the system, and this will give me a chance to try it out before the next grow down the line. I’ll outline that in the other thread since it has nothing to do with the Mephisto grow.
I am so disappointed in these seeds. I am just about to decide to cull this last baby.
This is what it looks like today - 21 days from seed. Thats a 3" net pot and the leaves are not even that wide yet.
In contrast, this is one of @ReikoX Ghost Toof x SBR at the same age. Also in a 3" net pot. Its easily 3 times the size.
Ugh, thats a bummer
I always assumed the plants that are stalled up top are growing down below. Any idea how do the roots compare?
Maybe your temps are a lil on the cool side?
Did you get any specific growing info for that specific strain?
Maybe more light?
Yeah, and expensive one too.
The roots are similarly stunted, and they are resisting getting fuzzy much more than the other test plants I have been running at the same time.
Canna-Cheese:
This is the three of yours I ran at the same age. Even the runt on the right has a root mass that was several times larger. Couldnt fit the entire mass in one pic because they went from the top almost to the bottom of the chamber at this age.
The only recommendation was to keep night time temps during flower above 77F - and that was primarily for potency. Ive been running from 79-81 or so. The light should be fine. If anything Im pushing it a tiny bit for this age. Ive been running between 24 - 28 watts/sq ft.
These are just suck ass seeds.
I already have two of @Sebring Waterstone seedlings in the system. I just put two more of his seeds in paper towels. If this baby doesnt get its legs in the next few days - before they get big enough - I will be killing the canna and put the bigger of of Sebring’s in its place.
I feel the need to be at least somewhat fair to the Mephisto folks. The majority of people seem to be real happy with their grows - but - I have found there are a significant number of people reporting similar issues over on Auto Flower Network. Its not just this strain.
To be fair, their success rate is probably not any worse than any other breeder - although they do get defensive when problems are posted and dont offer any replacements. We have all gotten bad seeds at one time or another, and this time it was my turn. It just seems to me that the hype is way out of proportion to the reality.
I’m sorry to hear you aren’t having any luck with those beans. I wish I could offer an explanation. [Knock on wood] I’ve had 100% germination with all the Mephisto strains I’ve tried.
Here are my current three seedlings:
I hope you get great results from what remains. Good luck!
I am glad your grow is going well. Im curious - how big around are those pots? Actually, Id rather know how big that canna is across. My baby is only about 2" across on the biggest dimension.
To be fair [insert Letterkenny joke], mine were 1/2 Mephisto (Ghost Toof).
My guess is the breeder focused more on the cannabinoid ratio and less on vigor and yield. For what you paid, you might as well finish them. I have noticed Mephisto seeds likes to put on a lot if growth during early flower.
