OK - back to the Critical Hazes.....
Shanti has PM'd me a few times concerning this grow and any small problems I was having...having described my environment to him and implemented the tiny changes he advised I am pleased to say that I have had no more problems whatsoever with these plants. In fact, quite the opposite. These plants are stunning. All are starting to smell now and, to be sure, the neighbour's going to know another fine crop is on its way to his lungs...
I'm just starting to make out 3 distinct phenos, with some interplay between the 3 and some small variation between plants of the same pheno.
All seem to have the same fruity/dank smell to them but some with undertones of white pepper and at differing strengths.
Pheno 1 - Afghan or indica pheno (Critical Mass pheno) Shortish, stout, a bit bushy. Fattest dense 'nugs'. Strongest smelling - fruity/dense/dank.
Pheno 2 - 'Skunky' pheno. Kind of like pheno 1 but with extra skunk. The tallest, stretchiest, most vigorous pheno. Smell as pheno 1 but a little lighter and with pepper undertones and a slight zest. Grows colas, not nugs. Potentially HUGE yields from this pheno. I invisage finding a keeper amongst this pheno. Lovely.
Pheno 3 - 'Hazier' pheno. Kind of like pheno 1 but with extra haze. Strangely not the tallest pheno of the 3 (that is reserved for the skunkier ones) this pheno has lighter, fluffier buds (still an indica, mind) and the subtlest aroma of the 3, too. The plant
looks hazy in its branches and flowers and takes a little longer to start up but stragely it has taken its height from the Afghan side and not the Haze side at all. Possibly the nicest smoke - but who knows? Maybe one for head stash but this cross is about yield, isn't it? I'm ruling nothing out at this point.
NUTE REGIME - these plants don't like Nitrogen. Full stop. My mistake was thinking that I would try a Sativa-like regime where I give the plant all its nitrogen needs at the start of flowering but quickly tail off, knowing that the plant won't need any more. It is at the start of flowering when these girls are most at risk. I was using the schedule of a week behind and more or less halving the N but using molasses with the water cycle to increase the plants uptake of the [weaker] nutrients available. Wrong-o. Once I had done as Shanti suggested and completely cut out the N and the molasses the plants started to really take off, bud-wise. It seems that these girls want all of their nitrogen during veg (and even then, go real easy) and don't need a carb-boost. Shanti even suggested I lose the P and K for a while but I am using Light-Mix and the plants are tall so as a compromise I am using 1/4 strength of the usual regime and it seems to be going well.
The male balls never came back. I got exactly 3 male flowers from each of 6 of the 8 girls. Those girls on the CM side seemed most affected. This was no problem to deal with and I have seen no repeat at all. In fact I am over the moon with the way this grow is progressing. I am convinced the problem was environmental and not genetic.
I did take some photos but my camera is shit and so were my photos. sorry. I think I may invest in better hardware. (Any suggestions welcome. Macro shots a priority, obviously.)
Shanti gave me a no bullshit, absolute guarantee that neither parent of this cross is in any way prone to hermi-ing and I believe him. He did say that this cross doesn't like nutes and he meant that too! If you learn from my mistakes and follow the regime above you WON'T have any problems and will be growing the best commercial haze plants there are. You may have problems when your neighbours smell your beautiful flowers, though. Get a good carbon filter.
It is my view that, commercially, this could be a holy-grail cross. I did intend to keep the best from this pack but I think I may invest in 2 or 3 more packs and grow them all out as I think that this cross has the potential for something mind-blowingly special and I want to find it. I would also say that it, at this stage anyway, almost all of the plants seem worthwhile - unlike other varieties which take more selecting.
A real winner - and I am saving money on nutes, too.
Grover Sativa
PS bearing in mind Shanti is in on holiday, taking time out to give me advice is the sign of a top top bloke. How many other breeders do you know who would do that? It one more reason why you should buy Mr Nice.
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