3/16 234AM MONDAY POTATO N WEEK CELEBRATIONS!
The plants in your photos look like healthy, vigorous **RF3 autoflower seedlings** (likely Banana Purple Punch Auto RF3 or similar from Fast Buds' upgraded RF3 line, based on the context of your previous grows with their genetics). They're in early vegetative stage at around 3 weeks from seedânice bushy structure, good node spacing, dark green leaves, no major deficiencies or burn yet. The coco medium shows some perlite mix, and they're in small pots with what looks like a well-draining setup. Solid start
**RF3 autos** from Fast Buds are bred for stability, vigor, and resilience (often with heavy resin, dense buds, and good yields), but like most modern autos, they're sensitive to overfeeding early onâespecially in coco, where salts build fast if not managed.
### Recommended EC at 3 Weeks (Early Veg/Pre-Flower Transition)
At week 3, autos are usually ramping up vegetative growth and may start showing pre-flower signs soon (pistils around nodes). Fast Buds' general autoflower feeding advice (from their guides and nutrient articles) emphasizes starting low and going slow:
- **Target EC: 0.8â1.2 (800â1200 ”S/cm)** in the feed solution.
- Start at the lower end (~0.8â1.0 EC) if your plants are still very young-looking or if you've had any tip issues before.
- Push toward 1.0â1.2 EC if they're hungry (rapid growth, pale lower leaves) and responding wellâno burn.
- This is often ~400â600 PPM (500 scale) or ~560â840 PPM (700 scale), but always go by EC meter for accuracy in coco.
- Always measure **runoff EC** tooâaim for it to be no more than +200â300 above input to avoid salt buildup. If runoff is much higher, do a light flush with FloraKleen (like your 4 mL/gal plan) before bumping up.
- pH the feed to **5.8â6.2** (coco sweet spot), and water to 15â20%+ runoff every feed to prevent the issues you've seen with Purpinator/salts.
Many growers with Fast Buds autos (including RF3 lines like Banana Purple Punch or Cherry Cola RF3) report week 3 feeds around 0.9â1.1 EC in coco/hydro setups, starting lighter if using tap/soft water like yours. Your previous success with lighter Maxi feeds post-flush at ~900â1300 EC later on fits wellâdon't jump straight to 1.3 yet at week 3; build gradually.
### Recommended PPFD (Light Intensity) at 3 Weeks
PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density, in ”mol/mÂČ/s) measures usable light for photosynthesis. For autos in early veg:
- **Target PPFD: 300â500 ”mol/mÂČ/s** at canopy level.
- 300â400 is safe and conservative for week 3âprevents stretch or light stress while encouraging compact, bushy growth.
- 400â500 if plants are stretching a bit or you want faster veg (RF3s are vigorous, so they can handle it).
- Avoid over 600 earlyâautos can bleach or foxtail if blasted too hard young.
- Measure at the top of the canopy with a good PAR meter (or app like Photone if calibrated). In Indio's setup (likely LED or HPS?), hang lights higher early (18â24" for LEDs) and lower gradually as they grow.
- Keep 18/6 or 20/4 light scheduleâautos thrive on consistent long days.
General tips for your RF3 at this stage:
- If using Maxi series (like your previous grows), mix a light bloom/veg comboâe.g., mostly MaxiGro early, transition to MaxiBloom as pre-flower hits.
- Watch for clawing (N excessđ) or tip burn (high EC)âflush lightly if needed.
- These RF3 upgrades are forgiving but love good airflow and moderate feeds for those dense, resinous buds.
Your plants look primed for a strong runâkeep that intuition going! How's the light distance/setup right now, and what's your current feed EC looking like? Any pre-flower signs yet? Drop more pics if they stretch or change post-week 3. You're killing it in cocoâkeep observing runoff and leaves. đżđ
3/19 330am đšâđŹ **Adding L-Proline (the amino acid supplement growers use) to plants on soft water can provide some helpful support against the stresses you're dealing with, but it's not a full fixâthink of it as a stress-buffer rather than a mineral replacement.**
Soft water (low in calcium and magnesium) often triggers **Ca/Mg deficiencies** in bloom stage (especially with Cha Ching or MaxiBloom, which don't supply much Ca/Mg on their own). This leads to issues like tip burn, leaf curl, weak cell walls, nutrient lockouts, oxidative damage (ROS buildup), and overall plant stress that feels like "the plant is struggling to hold it together." Proline steps in here as an **osmoprotectant**âit's one of the compounds plants naturally ramp up under stress.
### What Proline Actually Does in This Situation
- **Helps with osmotic/water balance** â Soft water can disrupt turgor pressure and water movement inside cells (similar to mild drought or salinity stress). Proline stabilizes cell membranes and helps the plant retain water better, reducing wilting or limpness.
- **Reduces oxidative stress** â Ca/Mg shortages cause free radical damage. Proline acts as an antioxidant and protects proteins/enzymes, so deficiency symptoms (yellowing, spotting, slowed bud development) don't spiral as fast.
- **Improves overall resilience** â In cannabis and general hydro/soil grows, L-proline (or full amino acid mixes containing it) has been shown to boost stress tolerance, speed recovery, and even support better nutrient uptake indirectly. Studies and grower reports note it helps under nutrient imbalance, drought-like conditions, and environmental swingsâexactly the secondary stresses soft water creates.
- **Bloom-stage bonus** â Since you're already in late flower with Cha Ching/MaxiBloom, proline can support resin/terpene production and bud density without pushing excessive veg growth.
It won't magically add the missing Ca or Mg (those are still criticalâsoft water + high-P bloom nutes often screams for CalMag), but it can make the plant more tolerant while you correct the root issue.
### How Much Effect to Expect Right Now
- **Positive but moderate** â Many hydro/RO growers add amino acids (including proline) specifically for soft water setups and report less burn, better leaf health, and stronger finishes. It won't turn a severe deficiency around overnight, but it can slow the damage and give your plants a fighting chance in the final weeks.
- **No downside at proper doses** â It's very safe and plants use it quickly.
### How to Add It (Practical Dosing)
- **Source**: Pure L-Proline powder (available cheap onlineâmake sure it's the plant-grade L-form, not human supplements).
- **Root feed** (with your Cha Ching/MaxiBloom): Start at 0.5â1 g per gallon (about 100â200 ppm). Mix into your res or feed water once a week. pH as normal.
- **Foliar spray** (often more effective for quick stress relief): 0.25â0.5 g per gallon + a drop of surfactant. Spray lightly every 5â7 days in the dark period.
- **With your current nutes**: Yes, it layers fineâreduce if you see any tip burn. Many run it alongside MaxiBloom + Cha Ching in soft water without issues.
- **Best timing**: Now through harvest is perfect, especially if you're noticing stress signs already.
**Real talk**: The biggest win will still come from adding a proper CalMag supplement (like Botanicare or General Hydro's) at 0.5â1 ml/gal or whatever your PPM tests call for. Proline + CalMag together is a strong combo for soft water grows. If you're running pure RO/soft, most experienced growers treat this as standard.""đšâđŹ
3/19 10:09PM RF3 X 2 =6 fail? I have TWO 2 gallon pots filled with coco from the last grow. I can plant a NEW BPP RF3 OR!!! I can top the 3 RF3's and make cuttings and grow the cuttings? It worked before!. FAST turnaround time, not much prep just refresh the coco and transplant the tops!
3/19 10:59PM NO WORK FOR NOW.. HIT WITH MASSIVE WAVES OF NAUSEA AND SHARP PAIN, DIZZY, RUPTURED NECK CYST BLEEDING, PAIN FROM MOVING TOO MUCH LAST FEW DAYS, RINIGNG EARS BAD, SKIN PRONE TO MASSIVE INFLAMMATION ATTACKS NOW, WEAKENING GUT LINING,. LUNGS ..GRIP AND BALANCE OFF, SO PERFECTLY NORMAL!!! THANK THE WEED GODS FOR WEED.
3/21 3:30 AM I think Iâm gonna top all three of them. I got lucky all three seem to be different ones. I donât know which is which one of them is really tall. The other one has really tight in her note spacing itâs really good and the other one is also good little bit different so I think I got three different RF three seeds and I think if I do top them Iâm gonna put the top in another 2 gallon and then grow that as a cutting usually works Iâm not suređđż
3/23 3:08 PM I cut them all in half today a transplanted the top of the tallest one into one that was still growing just to see if it would work. Theyâre all doing really good.đ
326 237am Remember how your local ss cant prevent or solve a single problem you pay taxes for. unless you're really really sick and the cowards decide that the most important and pressing issue is to raid weed users and farms and seeds...what a country of fuqs