Emeraldo's 2021 East-Facing Balcony Grow

[Emeraldo]

Hey have you had a play on phylos galaxy to look for dissimilar varieties? It can help to get a visualisation of your needs/feeds/breeds.

Thanks for that DD. You mean looking for genetically dissimilar varieties in order to trigger the hybrid vigor response? Can you use phylos galaxy to make that kind of measurement?

 

[DonkeyDick]

You can use it to help visualise how all your familiars are grouped or spread according to their genetic diversity. Yes for hybrid vigour, but also to spread your experience around. Their 3D modelling is a novel kind of way of looking at the questions you’ve been mulling over.

 

[Emeraldo]

Thanks DD! Phylos Galaxy is indeed a very useful tool. It took me a few tries to figure out how to use it, but it is fairly intuitive. It does show which of the 3000+ strains are genetically most similar, and another view shows which are most dissimilar. I wanted to see which are genetically most dissimilar to Northern Lights (and might for that reason trigger hybrid vigor).

I got this result:

Screenshot 2021-02-06 at 09.57.10.png

• Emeraldo
• Feb 6, 2021

Phylos Galaxy result for strains dissimilar to "Northern Lights"

This confirms what one would've thought -- just from personal experience -- that NL, which ranges from pure indica to mostly indica, would be most dissimilar to pure sativa strain like, for example, Colombian Gold. (Not sure if "Gold Colombian" is actually a strain, maybe that's a typo.) That is a fantasic tool and has huge implications for growers interested in crossing plant genetics. I hope this database will continue to be populated with strain data.

 

[Emeraldo]

Can't wait to get started, gloomy winter weather is holding me back.

 

[DonkeyDick]

Hey Em’o. How are your garden preparations looking?
Watching your balcony garden is how I keep warm during the Southern Winter.

 

[Emeraldo]

Hey there Donkey Member, good to hear from you. At the moment it is still snowing outside here, but... 4/20 is not far off and in generally it is Spring. I am doing something else in terms of a set up. Building a pergola on the terrace. I'll have to post photos.

 

[Emeraldo]

So, thanks to all for your comments and encouragement. After all that ballyhoo I finally got around to germinating about a month ago, and here is the result so far.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 6, 2021

Top row, left to right: Mexican Sativa S-1 (found a seed in bud grown in 2018), Afghani #1 (fem), Jamaican Pearl (fem).
Bottom row: Chrystal, Chrystal, Durban.

The Durban is a genetic mutation and I am wondering how it will turn out. Started a separate thread on that. I will germinate one more Durban, just in case this one flops completely.

 

[Stunger]

Looks a great selection Emeraldo!

 

[Emeraldo]

Thanks Stunger. That Mexican Sativa S-1 is really my last seed of that strain, luckily she sprouted an is doing well. Very much an uplifting sativa effect.

The Afghani #1 is new for me, also from Sensi, almost pure indica.

The little Jamaican Pearl (also Sensi) is the last of some seeds I ordered 4 years ago. There were two left and the first sprouted but did not make it out of the seed pod. This one did manage to lose the hard shell, but she has been quite slow to put leaves out. That one is mostly sativa, a strong one with a balance.

The two Nirvana Chrystal plants are indica/sativa, slightly more indica. Nice combination of uplifting and relaxing. These are from seed I grew in 2016, pollinating a reg Chrystal female with pollen from a reg Chrystal male. I got oodles of seeds and picked some of the best looking ones to germinate. Very vigorous, but I will need to keep an eye on their sex so a male doesn't pollinate my other girls.

The Durban is going to be interesting to follow. Almost pure sativa. Here are some close ups of Durban:

Self-Topping Seedling: Genetic Mutation

Sensi's Durban seed produced a normal first pair of single leaves. The next set (I cannot say "node" here because it isn't a node) was one single leaf on one side and a triple set on the other. I kept waiting for a growth point between those two to emerge. It didn't. In effect, the plant has...

www.420magazine.com

 

[Tokin Roll]

Looking good @Emeraldo

I thing I'll tag a long to see how you are doing.

Stay safe, and grow well my friend,

Tok..

 

[Carcass]

I'm going to follow along to see how that Durban (and the others) do , if that's ok...
Those mutants can surprise you sometimes...

 

[Emeraldo]

Sure, of course, Carcass! Another Member of the Month! Oh, boy!

 

[Emeraldo]

Having some warm weather now, finally!

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 8, 2021

Little Jamaican Pearl, looks very much alive but slower.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 8, 2021

Durbi is like June: bustin' out all over.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 8, 2021

 

[Emeraldo]

Mexican Sativa coming along nicely...

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 18, 2021

This Sensi Afghani #1 looks very indica-like, and even at this stage has an aroma.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 18, 2021

I also am growing out two Chrystal plants. I grew the seeds for these two in 2016 with pollen from a Nirvana Chrystal male, and I pollinated a Chrystal female. This is my first grow using my seed crop. Interesting here is the difference in structure. The male parent in 2016 looked just like the one on the right: longer internodal spaces, wider leaves, very robust looking. The female parent had shorter internodes, finer leaf structure, and was overall more delicate and a bit shorter. And so are their off spring. Any guesses as to which one might be a male or a female? Rhetorical question!

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 18, 2021

Two new photos of Durbi the self-topping plant are now posted! Self-Topping Seedling: Genetic Mutation

 

[DonkeyDick]

I hope to see your hammock up in your balcony trees by the end of your summer.

 

[Emeraldo]

Sho 'nuff:

On Juneteenth, my 6-week old Mexican Sativa and female Chrystal are showing preflowers!

Mex Sat from feminized (from S1 seed I found in bud from feminized Sensi Mexican Sativa):

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 19, 2021

Mexican Sativa on Juneteenth

Chrystal female regular (this was the suspected female in yesterday's post, now confirmed):

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 19, 2021

Chrystal on Juneteenth

 

[Emeraldo]

I hope all is well with everyone. So it's been about a week since I last posted on this grow. Nice warm weather this past week, set to continue. Chrystal and Mex-Sat now clearly in pre-flower, gone to alternating nodes. I topped those two for the first time yesterday, will probably top again in two weeks. The Afghani will stay short without topping. And then the Durban, self-topped as a seedling, is now starting to push its three growing tips out at a faster rate; I will probably top those three, keeping the plant short; Durbi was up-potted into a large, tall pot fit for a small tree so she'll continue to grow vigorously.
Chrystal:

IMG_2651.jpeg

• Emeraldo
• Jun 26, 2021

Nirvana's Chrystal on June 25

Mexican Sativa:

IMG_2652.jpeg

• Emeraldo
• Jun 26, 2021

Mex-Sat on June 25

Afghani:

IMG_2653.jpeg

• Emeraldo
• Jun 26, 2021

Afghani #1 on June 25

Durban:

IMG_2654.jpeg

• Emeraldo
• Jun 26, 2021

Durbi the self-topped seedling on June 25

 

[Emeraldo]

90% indica afghani on the far left, 90% sativa durban on the right. In between is in between.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 27, 2021

Chrystal was topped a few days ago. For the first time.

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• Emeraldo
• Jun 27, 2021

Chrystal topped June 25

 

[Primeau]

Hey Emeraldo, I’m going to jump in late if you don’t mind? On my first grow and have learned a lot binge reading back through some of your and @Stunger journals trying to sponge up some knowledge for my own back patio grow!

 

[Emeraldo]

Welcome Primeau, it's good to have you on board! I've learned a lot from @Stunger too. We have the balcony stealth grow techniques in common, and it's great to exchange ideas and compare experiences. Stealth growing is a lot of fun.

Jump right in whenever you like. Cheers, Emeraldo