Torture Gardens

[Rhizome]

Week 2 (Day 14, 12/12)
The Shade of Blues have started producing pistils and are stretching quite a bit. I had to raise the light and I’m now running 320W, keeping PPFD balanced between 750–1,100 µmol/m²/s. Hopefully by next week they’ll stop stretching so I can trim them back and start defoliating this jungle.

UGORG mentioned there are two main phenotypes in Blues: one more indica-leaning and squat, and another more sativa-like. I’ve increased the feed to EC 1.6 and adjusted pH to 5.8. Temps are sitting around 30°C lights on and 26–28°C lights off, with RH still high at 70–80%. By week 4–5 I’ll need to start using the dehumidifier. Let’s see how they progress over the next week.

Secret Garden Notes
The Bluey F2 have germinated, but with much lower success than the F1s. This batch was mixed: some seeds I made before leaving, and others I collected three weeks after I returned. Out of 30 seeds from the “before leaving” mix, only 3 germinated. I still can’t figure out how seeds could have already been mature before I left—maybe that explains the poor results.

The other F2 batch is still drying, but after 6 days the germination rate is 41.5% (27/65 seeds). However, if I exclude the weak 30-seed mix batch and only count the 35 seeds from the second F2 batch, then 27 germinated—bringing the rate up to a much healthier 77%. Not perfect, but definitely enough to give me a workable population for selection and some basic statistics.

Genetic Expectations (F2 batch, 27 plants):
~6–7 plants aa (automatic)
~6–7 plants AA (homozygous photoperiod)
~13–14 plants Aa (heterozygous photoperiod)

With a theoretical 50/50 split, I should still have enough material to work with. The plan is to clean out the secret garden and keep only the minimum number of plants needed.

I’ve also culled all the F1 males I was flowering outdoors—there are already enough seeds from that step. I was concerned their pollen might contaminate the fresh pollen I want to collect from the Killer Skunk #5 male. That pollen will be used for a backcross aimed at stabilising the photoperiod allele.

Blue-y F1h

Here an indica phenotype on the front and sativa on the background

Blue-y F2 and Blue-y F1 cuts

[Rhizome]

Smoke test: Bluey #2 – 005
(10 days dry – uncured)
Howard Marks method

First test — 22:00
It’s been a long, hectic day, and I smoked heavily earlier, so these first notes are only indicative. I might still have 1–2g left of my old Livers Bx1 from Mephisto Genetics (about 2 years old) to compare with.

Bluey F1 is funky and spicy, much like its mother (Livers Bx1 from Mephisto). Killer Skunk (Blues), on the other hand, feels more refined to the nose and palate. Bluey/Livers is sharper, more pungent, more skunky. From the first puffs, you feel it on the tip of the tongue and the palate. After exhaling, the retro-taste of the Blues lingers—fruity, rich, full.

Bluey is not Killer Skunk, nor is it Livers—though in smoke, it leans closer to Livers.

I should remind myself: I’ve never tried the original Livers/Blues cut. Any comparison to the “real” Blues is outside my judgment. Initially, I thought Mephisto Genetics had done the best job reproducing Livers, but now I’m suspicious of the dominant “funky” profile. I also thought Killer Skunk wasn’t as good as people once claimed—but maybe I was wrong. To me, it seems there’s more “Blues” in Killer Skunk than in Livers Bx1.

After about 10 puffs, the effects kick in. Stronger than Killer Skunk, at least for me—it hits the eyes and head quickly. It’s a hybrid, but feels sativa-leaning: mental, active, thought-driven. The high is clear, though with some pressure behind the eyes. No erotism yet. It pushes ideas forward—I really shouldn’t smoke this when I’m tired, but I can’t resist.

I keep searching for that distinctive feeling of happiness I find in KS. For now, I need real buds, properly cured, to evaluate Bluey accurately. These are glimpses, not the full picture.

---

Second test — 05:55am
There’s something I love about smoking a joint in the morning with an Earl Grey (with a splash of milk). The world feels like it’s waking up—nature stirs while the city is still half-asleep. It makes the morning news easier to digest: with smoke and tea, even the worst headlines are absorbed with a kind of meditative acceptance. Not distance, not disinterest, but a calm recognition of facts—as if they’re puzzle pieces waiting to fit together.

This second smoke feels clearer. The overnight break helped me detox just enough to sense more.

Bluey #2–005 is funky, resinous to the touch. The hybrid balance shows—you feel both sides, sativa and indica. The smoke is smooth, not harsh.

Yet as I write this, I feel some disappointment. Maybe it’s unrealistic to expect a first-generation hybrid (an F1) to deliver exactly what I was seeking. But that’s the point of this step: separating the aa auto allele from the AA to move forward.

Growing Killer Skunk and Livers side by side, I’m starting to see the differences—not just in phenotype and cultivation, but in genotype too. The progeny are showing their own distinct traits.

[Rhizome]

@Rhizome

GHE fertilisers ( Terra Aquatica).

I need to amend this.
Not using anymore GHE.
I switch to an amazing dry powder fertiliser called " Hydrocrop" from UK.
A+B.
No more, no problems, no disbalance nutritional, no extra water delivered to you…just perfect!

[Brainwarp]

Good to see the progress of your projects. Keep it up!

[Rhizome]

Disclaimer: Handle with Care

AgNO₃ and Na₂S₂O₃·5H₂O may sound like exotic cocktail ingredients, but they are not to be shaken, stirred, or sipped. Silver nitrate will stain your fingers (and your conscience) black, thiosulfate isn’t a vitamin supplement, and your lungs don’t appreciate unexpected chemistry experiments.

So:

• Gloves on. Goggles on. Pants on (preferably).
• No licking the spatula, no seasoning your pasta with the stock solution.
• If it looks like vodka, it isn’t. If it smells like nothing, it’s probably still dangerous.
• Keep pets, partners, and curious far away, unless you want to explain why the cat now looks like a Rorschach blot.

By proceeding, you accept full responsibility for your safety, your kitchen table’s surface finish, and your future ability to rent without losing the deposit.

STS Preparation – Batch Stock A&B 16/09/2025

Original target recipe (100 mL stock):
Stock A: 0.05 g AgNO₃ in 100 mL distilled water
Stock B: 0.25 g Na₂S₂O₃·5H₂O in 100 mL distilled water

Example mix:
50 mL Stock A + 50 mL Stock B → 100 mL mixture
Add 150 mL distilled water → final volume 250 mL

[Ag⁺] ≈ 5.89×10⁻⁴ M, ratio ≈ 3.43:1

Of course inaccuracies happened:
I couldn’t get the exact quantities I wanted. Instead of 0.05 g AgNO₃, I weighed 0.06 g. To compensate, I calculated back and now aimed for 0.35 g Na₂S₂O₃·5H₂O, but ended up with 0.38 g.

This gave a final ratio of 4.33:1 — not perfect, but close.

The beauty of maths and the variability of chemistry: a true love story.

To reach a clean 4:1 ratio, I’ll adjust with distilled water in the final STS mix. I’ve also decided to make 100 mL batches (instead of 250 mL), so if I make a mistake, I can easily correct it using the stock solutions I’ve already prepared.

Final STS mix (100 mL):
17 mL Stock A
15.7 mL Stock B
67.3 mL distilled water

Final concentrations:
[Ag⁺] ≈ 5.9×10⁻⁴ M
[S₂O₃²⁻] ≈ 2.36×10⁻³ M
Ratio ≈ 4:1 o’clock

From the original stocks, this gives me around 6 × 100 mL batches (≈ 600 mL total). Plenty to reverse several plants and experiment further. With the same “water trick,” I can fine-tune the ratio if needed.

I’m not sure how easy is to reverse the original Livers/Blues cut or Killer Skunk, or Blue-y — but I’m excited to begin the feminisation path.

Hopefully, my consciousness will also open to a world without men.

For experiments, ES-Blue and White Blue (both F1 photoperiods) should be good test cases for producing feminised seeds. Later, I’ll need to reverse a Blue-y F2 to check for the AA allele, so STS will become even more important.

Currently, I don’t have any cuttings in condition for reversal. Stocks A and B are stored in brown glass bottles, wrapped in aluminium foil, and kept in the fridge. The final STS solution will be prepared as soon as the cuts are ready — hopefully not too late.

[Rhizome]

Week 3 – Day 21 (actually 20)

As usual, a lot going on this week.
I think the stretch is finally ending, but Galaxy Blues went wild — it stretched way more than expected and now dominates a big part of the scrog, almost kissing the LED. With the net pushing branches all over the tent, it’s hard to tell what belongs to which plant anymore.

Blue-y is behaving nicely, and every time I open the tent the smell hits me — sweet, promising.

The light is maxed out; I can’t really lift it higher without inventing a new setup. Still, things look fine… well, “fine” in a jungle kind of way: tons of leaves, tons of popcorns. I started trimming the under-canopy yesterday and will keep at it little by little. Goal: clear out unnecessary leaves without stressing the plants too much.

Climate check:

Temps are high: 30–32 °C lights on, 26–28 °C lights off.

RH is even higher: 70–85%.
Not ideal.

Nutrients & monitoring:
This week I realized I’ve basically been feeding crap. After comparing notes with another grower…, I saw my values are way off balance.

Thu 18/09/2025 – 22:42 → EC 1.8 (started 1.6), pH 5.4

Fri 19/09/2025 – 22:38 → EC 2.1, pH 3.4

I added 10 L of water to push pH up and EC down, but only got:

EC 1.6

pH 4.5

So tomorrow will be interesting to see. Clearly I need to recalibrate both meters, start logging water values properly, and stop guessing. Looking at the feeding chart, my EC is too high and the plants are drinking more than eating — explains the smaller buds. The pH range is pure rubbish.

Secret garden (germination):
45 out of 65 so far (~70%), and more still popping. Two mistakes on my part:

1. Soil mix is 30–50% coco + super soil — might be too hot for seedlings, some are struggling.

2. Probably splashed water on a few tops.
   (Or maybe it’s just F2 roulette.)

Seedling notes:
Some mutants showing early on. My philosophy: keep the best, cull the rest.

Also reflecting on gibberellic acid — cheap, easy to find, possibly useful alongside STS protocols or for waking up old seeds. No Vader musk required.

[Rhizome]