🌱 Animal Mints — Week 5 from Seed (12/12) Special Report: Mixed Timelines – Pre-Flower & Flower Quick recap for new readers This run is a 12/12 from seed project, designed to observe structure, resilience, and expression without extended veg. This week is special because two different timelines are happening in the same room, offering a clear comparison of development paths. ⸻ Plant Timelines Overview 🌿 Plant A — “12/12 from Seed” • Timeline: 12/12 from seed • Stage: Entering pre-flower • Training: Light leaf bending & tucking only • Condition: • Extremely lush, deep healthy green • Calm posture, no stress signals • Very balanced structure when viewed from above This plant is transitioning gently and naturally, exactly what we want to see at this stage. ⸻ 🌸 Plant B — Short Veg → Flower • Timeline: ~15 days under 16h light, then flipped • Stage: Early flower, clearly more advanced • Training: No training at all • Structure: • Classic Christmas / pine tree form • Strong apical dominance • Already showing clear calyx formation and bud building Despite no training, the structure is beautiful and symmetrical. From above, both plants resemble a compact bush — a great illustration of how genetics express across timelines. ⸻ 🌡️ Environmental Conditions (Week 5) This was a tricky environmental week due to cold external conditions: • Outside: ~4°C with ~98% RH • Inside tent: • Temperature: ~21°C • RH: ~58% (stable and acceptable) • CO₂: ~666 ppm • Plant response: Calm, steady, resilient — no signs of stress The plants are handling the cold remarkably well so far. ⸻ 💡 Lighting Strategy • Top lighting: • 100% power • PPFD: 700–850, depending on plant height • Under-canopy lighting: • Being introduced by the end of this week • Starting at 30% power, intentionally low The goal is not intensity yet — just to signal photon availability from below while maintaining strong top-down light. 🙏 Thanks to Lumiflora for the under-canopy lights being tested 🙏 Thanks to Future of Growth for the main fixtures ⸻ 💧 Watering, Nutrition & Philosophy Water source • Rainwater + dehumidifier water mix • This is why Cal-Mag Pro has been added preventively • Not due to deficiency • But to ensure stability during early flower with low-mineral water This is explained intentionally to avoid future issues, not to correct current ones. ⸻ Feeding structure Autopots (6 plants – mineral only) • EC: 2.29 • pH: ~6.0 • Reservoir = mineral only (organic mixes don’t behave well in tanks) Hand-fed plants (including some Autopot plants) • EC: 1.43 • pH: 5.9 • Organic + mineral mix • Autopot plants receive top feeding once per week This approach requires more work — but it allows: • Individual plant observation • Weight checks before watering • Natural dry-backs • A deeper connection with each plant’s drinking behavior Dry-outs are intentional and combined with enzyme applications, helping recycle dead root matter into available nutrients and encouraging active root exploration. ⸻ Genetics & General Impression I’m genuinely impressed by Animal Mints genetics: • Consistent structure across timelines • Strong health signals • Calm, resilient behavior under less-than-ideal external conditions Both plants are showing real promise, each in their own way. 🙏 Thanks to Zamnesia 🙏 Thanks to Plagron And thanks to everyone following along — supporters, skeptics, haters, lovers — everyone has a place here. ⸻ 🔮 What to Expect Next Week Expect: • Clear flower progression on the vegged plant • Pre-flower stacking on the 12/12 plant • Plants responding to under-canopy photons • Increased differentiation between timelines Don’t expect: • Heavy defoliation • Aggressive feeding changes • Forced development This run is about listening, not pushing. ⸻ Final note This week is officially marked as Week 5 Flower in GrowDiaries, but in reality it’s a blend of pre-flower and flower stages — and that’s exactly why this report matters. 👽 New team member Meet Mr. Baggy Our new fluffy alien/beaver/whatever-he-is friend, won through a Grow Diaries contest. Expect to see him around — he’s officially part of the grow now. Week 5 Veg/pre-flower | 8×8 Tent | Master Conditions 🌍 External Environment (Context) • Outside temperature: ~5 °C • Outside RH: 92–96% (very high humidity) • Strong seasonal pressure influencing internal stability ⸻ 🌡️ Internal Tent Conditions • Tent temperature: ~21.8 °C (noted drop due to cold external temps) • Tent RH: ~58% → Very good considering outside conditions ⸻ 💨 Airflow & Circulation • Primary airflow: Bottom → top → wall return • Pattern: Full-room vortex circulation • Additional fans: Central airflow to break blind spots and mix layers • Goal: No stagnant pockets, uniform VPD across canopy ⸻ 💧 Water Source & Rationale • Water: Dehumidifier water + rainwater • Base EC: force • Systems designed to support plant intelligence, not override it FOR DISCOUNT CODES AND MORE JUST FOLLOW THE LINK https://website.beacons.ai/dogdoctorofficial 📲 Don’t forget to Subscribe and follow me on Instagram and YouTube @DogDoctorOfficial for exclusive content, real-time updates, and behind-the-scenes magic. We’ve got so much more coming, including transplanting and all the amazing techniques that go along with it. You won’t want to miss it.GrowDiaries Journal: https://growdiaries.com/grower/dogdoctorofficial Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogdoctorofficial/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dogdoctorofficial ⸻ Explore the Gear that Powers My Grow If you’re curious about the tech I’m using, check out these links: 🔆 Lighting & Environmental Control • Future of Grow — Advanced LED lighting technology https://www.futureofgrow.com/ DISCOUNT CODE: DOG20 • Lumiflora — Under-canopy LED lighting https://lumiflorade.com/ • TrollMaster — Environmental controllers and automation gear (past collaboration) ⸻ Genetics • Zamnesia Seeds — Genetics used in this project https://www.zamnesia.com/ ⸻ 🌱 Soil, Substrates, Boosters & Root Support • Plagron — Substrates, bio mixes, and supportive products https://plagron.com/en/ ⸻ 🎒 Storage, Curing & Preservation • Grove Bags — Curing and storage solutions https://grovebags.com/ ⸻ 📸 Photography Equipment & Tools (Not sponsors, but part of my creative toolkit) • Sony A6700 • Sony full-frame macro lens + few more • Stacking photography workflow - learning • iPhone (for behind-the-scenes shots) We’ve got much more coming as we move through the grow cycles. Trust me, you won’t want to miss the next steps, let’s push the boundaries of indoor horticulture together! As always, this is shared for educational purposes, aiming to spread understanding and appreciation for this plant. Let’s celebrate it responsibly and continue to learn and grow together. With true love comes happiness. Always believe in yourself, and always do things expecting nothing and with an open heart. Be a giver, and the universe will give back in ways you could never imagine. 💚 Growers love to all 💚 📸 P.S. – The Eye Behind the Lens All photos in this diary (for now — except for the ones showing the camera, which I took with an iPhone) are taken with a Sony A6700 paired with a Sony full-frame macro lens and a few more. Photography is part of the story — it’s how we share the fine textures, the glow, and the quiet details that words can’t always capture. I’ve also started experimenting with photo stacking — a technique where multiple images, each taken at a slightly different focus point, are layered together to create one perfectly sharp image from front to back. It’s not digital enhancement or AI; it’s pure photography — a way to reveal the plant’s beauty in microscopic depth, from trichome to petal. You’ll even see a few shots of "ghost me" capturing the shots — camera, lens, setup — because every grow deserves not just to be cultivated, but documented like art. FOR DISCOUNT CODES AND MORE JUST FOLLOW THE LINK https://website.beacons.ai/dogdoctorofficial NEW DISCORD - Official Server Invite Link : https://discord.gg/ksjAkA5T74