🌱 Folder 09 | Candy Rain Auto Week 1 – Finding Her Rhythm Welcome to the first chapter of Candy Rain Auto in the 8×8 Adventure. Unlike many of her neighbors, Candy Rain didn’t have the easiest start. She entered the room a few days later than the rest of the project, immediately placing herself at a slight disadvantage on paper. But plants don’t read calendars, and every phenotype writes its own story. The purpose of the 8×8 Adventure has always been exactly this: documenting every individual plant honestly, allowing each genetic to express itself naturally under identical conditions. There are no races here. Every plant is given the same opportunity to demonstrate what it is capable of. Already during this first week, Candy Rain is proving that patience is often rewarded. While initially producing only simple juvenile leaves, she quickly transitioned into healthy three-finger leaves, with each new set arriving larger, wider and noticeably more vigorous than the last. The journey has only just begun. ⸻ 🌿 Grow Environment The entire room remains carefully controlled to provide every cultivar with the same stable environment. Environmental Conditions * 🌡️ Day Temperature: 27°C * 🌙 Night Temperature: 25°C * 💧 Relative Humidity: 55% * 🌱 Substrate Temperature: 21°C * 💦 Nutrient Solution Temperature: 20°C * ⚡ EC: 1.3 * pH: 6.0 * 💨 CO₂: 666 ppm * 💡 Light Cycle: 12 / 12 From Seed * ? Pot Size: 15 Litres Because Candy Rain emerged slightly later than the rest of the room, irrigation has been adjusted specifically to her needs. Rather than following the volume given to the larger plants, watering remains concentrated around the young root zone, encouraging the roots to actively search through the substrate while avoiding unnecessary saturation. ⸻ 🌿 Nutrition Candy Rain is receiving exactly the same Plagron Terra program as the rest of the garden, simply scaled appropriately for her stage of development. Feeding Schedule * Terra Grow — 1.8 ml/L * Power Roots — 1 ml/L * Pure Zym — 1 ml/L * Sugar Royal — 1 ml/L * pH Plus — adjusted when necessary * Lemon Kick — adjusted when necessary The objective during these first weeks isn’t rapid top growth—it’s establishing a healthy root system capable of supporting explosive development once flowering begins. A strong foundation always pays dividends later. ⸻ 🌱 Plant Development Watching this week’s progression has been incredibly satisfying. The earliest photographs show a delicate young seedling still carrying its juvenile characteristics. By the end of the week, however, the transformation is obvious. The stem has thickened considerably. Leaf spacing has become more symmetrical. The newest growth appears increasingly vigorous. Most encouraging of all is the transition into beautifully formed three-finger leaves, signalling that the plant has fully entered active vegetative development. Each new node displays noticeably more energy than the previous one, suggesting that the initial establishment period is already behind her. Despite being the smallest plant in the room, she doesn’t appear weak. Quite the opposite—she appears determined. ⸻ 📸 Behind This Week’s Photos Sometimes the smallest plants create the most rewarding photographs. The early overhead images capture a tiny seedling standing almost alone within a large container, emphasizing just how much potential still lies beneath the surface. As the week progresses, every photograph tells a different story. The side profiles reveal a stem becoming stronger each day, while the overhead shots beautifully document the increasing symmetry of the canopy. One of my favorite moments is seeing those first fully developed three-finger leaves spreading confidently across the frame. They’re small, but perfectly formed, and they represent the moment where Candy Rain truly begins her journey. Macro photography reminds us that growth doesn’t always happen dramatically. Sometimes the biggest victories are measured in millimetres. ⸻ 🌿 Looking Forward Next week should be particularly exciting. With the root system now becoming established, I expect noticeably faster vertical growth, larger fan leaves and shorter intervals between new nodes. The gap separating Candy Rain from the rest of the room should gradually begin to shrink. Autos often surprise us with sudden bursts of development once they settle into their final containers, and there are already signs that she may be preparing for exactly that. Her story isn’t about catching up. It’s about revealing what she’s capable of. ⸻ 💚 Thank You As always, thank you to every single person following this adventure. Whether you’ve been here since day one or you’ve only just discovered this diary, your encouragement, feedback and conversations are what make documenting every week so rewarding. This project isn’t simply about growing plants—it’s about learning together, sharing experiences and celebrating every stage of the journey. A huge thank you to GrowDiaries for providing a platform where growers from all over the world can learn from one another and document their passion. My sincere thanks also go to Plagron for providing the Terra nutrient line that is powering this entire 8×8 Adventure. Their products continue to deliver consistency, simplicity and reliability throughout every stage of growth. Finally, thank you to the incredible breeders whose genetics make projects like this possible. Every seed carries its own personality, and watching those differences unfold under identical conditions is one of the most fascinating parts of this journey. And of course… Growers Love and, Thank you for taking the time to follow along. One week at a time. One photograph at a time. One plant at a time. The 8×8 Adventure is only just getting started. 🌱💚