Animal Cookies In New SIP Grow
Animal Cookies is a cross of GSC and Fire OG from Seed Junky Genetics. I will be growing her in this new SIP grow along with GG4, Black Banana and Tropicanna Cookies. My DIY SIP did very well last round so I am looking forward to good things.
I did flower a small plant of Animal Cookies a while back. It did not do much so I am hoping a larger healthier plant will show her true potential. My trial plant was very frosty but buds were small and yield was low so hoping for more this time.
If you want to build your own SIP go here: https://420grower.org/diy-sip-grow-system-for-cannabis/
Here is a pic of her as she just went into flower.
Animal Cookies SIP Grow Day 0
Here is a video shot as the plants were set into their SIP beds. The Animal Cookies is in a 1 gallon paint strainer but she will probably get repotted into a 2 or 3 gallon smart pot today. I want to giver her every opportunity to show her stuff.
Not sure at this point if the Double Tap will stay in or not. It depends on what she does the next week or two. I have 5 healthy clones from her that will be getting flowered when the seed run in my other closet is done. But it would be nice to get an idea how she grows before then.
More info on the Animal Cookie strain genetics at: https://en.seedfinder.eu/strain-info/Animal_Cookies/Seed_Junky_Genetics/
From what I have read this girl has a high CBD level and is very good for pain. She sounds like an evening strain and is supposed to finish in 9-10 weeks.
She is supposed to show some purple but I did not see any last time and again it was not a really healthy plant to start with. Did not look like some grows I saw of her, maybe this time she will. You never really know what you have though. This is supposed to be the actual cut but it could be a seed version or even something else. LOL.
Growing In Coco In A SIP Animal Cookies Day 7
If you have never used a SIP or never grown in coco this video can help. Some things you can learn from a book and some things can only be learned in a grow room! I share some tips on growing in coco and on using coco smart pots in a SIP or sub irrigated planter.
Animal Cookies Day 21 And Tribus Test Started
Today is day 21. The plants are flowering and had a leaf strip a few days ago so they should start to take off soon. I am starting a test of Tribus from Impello which is a rhizobacteria blend. I am hoping it will accelerate root growth in my veg closet and help with nutrient availability in flowering.
Day 28 Dropping PH Issues In The SIPs
Okay it is day 28 and the plants are doing just fine. In fact I had to pull one of the Animal Cookies tops down and to the side because it was squished against the light. My only issue is falling pH. Normally as plants grow and use nutrients it will rise. Mine has been dropping. Everyday I bring it up to 5.8 and the next day it is down to 5.4 again. I dont know if it will continue to fall if left alone but I do not want to see it lower than 5.6.
I dont really have a problem with adjusting my pH everyday but it seems like things should be more stable. I dont recall this being a problem in earlier grows.
Fortunately the plants are healthy so I am not too stressed over it but I would like to figure out why.
Day 35 pH Issues Solved
I tried a lot of things here. Using pH up definitely was not cutting it. So I tried changing nutrients and turning off aeration but it was not any help. I thought it might be a buffering issue and it was.
If you are experiencing dropping pH especially if you are using coco the addition of kalkwasser might help you too. The full article is at https://420grower.org/dropping-ph-in-hydro/
Double Tap Big Surprise On Day 35
The little Double Tap turned out to be a big surprise. She was supposed to be removed but stayed in too long under 12/12 because I really had nowhere to move her too.
She is extremely frosty and in spite of her small size I think she will do some good things. IMO she makes the Animal Cookies look like ditch weed.
Double Tap From Solfire Gardens Day 35
Also found spider mites in veg. Not sure where they came from but they appear to be russet mites and not your ordinary 2 spotted mites. Since the plants are in veg I will spray them with Avid. Once and done and I am not going to trash my plants with repeated sprays of neem oil like the last time.
Day 42 Plants Are Thirsty
Everything has been going well. Spider mites have been dealt with and my pH remains stable. The weather has cooled a bit and my tap water is no longer coming out at 72 degrees. Plants have been drinking a lot and I have had to top water them at least once a week.
I added more growstones to both my SIPs and lowered the water level but I think it is now too low and capillary action alone cant meet all their needs. I wont really be able to correct the situation without moving the pots a bit and I dont want to damage any tops doing it so I will just top water when needed for now.
Animal Cookies Day 45 Pics
A few pics from day 45. Seeing a bit of purple on one nug . Hope there will be more as the buds mature.
Day 49 For Animal Cookies And Friends
Double Tap Day 50
Check out this cut of Double Tap a GG4 X Black Banana cross. She is really a different plant. She has floppy branches unlike either of her parents and as far as I can tell a very unique bud structure and smell.
Pics were taken with my phone on day 50. Very frosty right from the start and looks like she could go 70 days. She is greasy and smells like camphor. Think Vicks vapor rub or cough drops. She was a small plant and I did not intend to flower her. But based on what I am seeing I will be doing a full run of her when this grow finishes up.
Day 56 Flush Starting And Foxtailing Causes
Today is day 56 and it’s time to flush these plants. Buds are a bit smaller than I would like so I waited a bit to start flushing. Also there is a bit about foxtailing which I experience in some strains.
2 COMMENTS
I’ve used regular WICK and SIP planters before with success but never tried SWICK
I was wondering if instead of using the perlite raising the bag on something like the veggie flats and draping two small towels folded up over the 2x4s and using that to wick the water.
I stopped using the growstones in later grows. I went with seed flats covered with polyester batting for a wick. It worked and was much easier. The only thing was the stones did not grow algae but the batting will so needs to be covered.