Blueberry Muffin – Pheno A | Week 4 Building Momentum Welcome back to another chapter of the 8×8 Adventure, where twelve cultivars are being documented individually from seed to harvest under a strict 12/12-from-seed schedule. Every phenotype follows its own diary, allowing each plant to tell its own story while revealing the subtle genetic differences that make every seed unique. Week 4 has been all about momentum. The explosive growth we witnessed last week has continued, and the entire room is now beginning to transition from a collection of young plants into a true miniature forest. Every morning seems to reveal another noticeable change, with canopies becoming fuller, branches extending further, and the first signs that these plants are preparing for the flowering stretch ahead. One thing that made me smile this week was the environmental reading… 33.3°C and 63% humidity. Apparently the grow room decided to have a thing for the number three. 😄 While 33°C is certainly warmer than I’d normally aim for, the elevated humidity has helped keep the plants comfortable, and despite the warmer conditions the entire room continues to respond beautifully. Sometimes plants remind us that they can be a little more forgiving than we give them credit for—as long as every other parameter remains stable. ⸻ Week 4 Environment 🌡️ Temperature: 33.3°C 💧 Relative Humidity: 63% 💡 PPFD: 700–800 µmol/m²/s 🌱 Medium: Plagron Lightmix ? Growing Method: 12/12 From Seed One interesting development this week is the variation in PPFD across the room. The lighting itself hasn’t changed dramatically—instead, the plants have. Some phenotypes are simply growing faster than others, naturally moving closer to the LEDs and receiving around 800 PPFD, while the shorter plants remain closer to 700 PPFD. It’s another reminder that even under identical conditions, every phenotype follows its own timeline. ⸻ Feeding Strategy As the plants continue accelerating, the feeding program has started to evolve alongside them. Throughout the early weeks, the nutrient solution remained around pH 5.8, encouraging rapid nutrient availability while the young root systems established themselves. Now that those roots have colonized much more of each container, the strategy shifts slightly. This week the nutrient solution gradually moved closer to pH 6.1, while EC increased progressively throughout the week, finishing around EC 1.8. The recipe itself hasn’t changed dramatically. No bottles were suddenly doubled. No drastic increases were made. Instead, the nutrient ratios were simply nudged upward enough to match the plants’ increasing appetite. The difference is subtle inside the reservoir but very noticeable in how vigorously the plants continue to grow. Allowing the pH to drift slightly higher also opens access to a broader range of nutrients within the soil, helping the plants take advantage of their now much more established root systems as demand begins increasing. At this stage, the feeding philosophy remains exactly the same: Feed the plant—not the calendar. ⸻ Blueberry Muffin – Pheno A What can I say… This girl has quietly become one of those plants that instantly catches my attention every time I unzip the tent. Last week I mentioned how she had completely outgrown her slightly awkward beginning. This week she has gone one step further. She looks completely at home. Her overall structure is becoming incredibly balanced, with strong lateral branches beginning to establish themselves while the main stem continues pushing upward with confidence. The internodal spacing remains impressively tight, creating a compact architecture that feels both efficient and elegant. Looking from above, the canopy almost arranges itself. Large fan leaves radiate outward like carefully positioned solar panels, leaving the growing tips exposed without requiring any intervention. Every branch seems to know exactly where it wants to go. The new growth is particularly striking. Bright lime-green leaves emerge from the centre packed with energy before gradually darkening as they mature, creating that beautiful contrast that healthy, fast-growing plants often display. One of my favourite observations this week is just how relaxed she looks. Despite the warmer room temperatures and steadily increasing nutrient strength, there are no signs of stress. Leaves remain flat, praying gently toward the light throughout much of the day, while every new node arrives with confidence. She’s no longer simply growing. She’s beginning to express herself. Each passing day reveals a little more of her personality, and so far that personality can be summed up in one word: Consistency. She isn’t trying to be the tallest. She isn’t trying to grow the fastest. She’s simply building herself into a beautifully proportioned plant, one node at a time. If she continues along this trajectory, I have a feeling she’s going to become something very special by the time flowering is fully underway. ⸻ Looking Ahead The coming week should mark another important transition. With nutrient demand increasing, roots fully established, and several plants beginning to move naturally into higher PPFD levels, growth is expected to accelerate even further. Over the next week I’ll be paying particular attention to: • Stretch progression as flowering begins to establish itself. • Branch strength and canopy development. • Continued response to the higher EC. • Structural differences compared with her sister phenotype. • The first real signs of Blueberry Muffin’s flowering character beginning to emerge. If Week 3 was about proving her potential… Week 4 feels like the week she’s beginning to fulfil it. ⸻ Thank You A huge thank you to everyone following this 8×8 Adventure and taking the time to visit these weekly updates. Thank you to the entire GrowDiaries community for providing a place where growers from around the world can learn, share experiences, and inspire one another every single day. A special thank you to Plagron for providing the nutrients and cultivation support that keep this project moving forward. Thank you to Zamnesia for the incredible genetics, equipment, and the opportunity to document each phenotype from seed to harvest. And finally, thank you to every grower who leaves a comment, shares advice, asks questions, or simply enjoys following these plants as they write their own stories. Every week is another page in the journal, and the adventure is only just getting started. 🌱💚🍇 Growers Love, and I’ll see you all next week.