Anyone Familiar with Critical Mass?

I love living in AZ; I was wandering a fav nursery and found they now sell seeds. I spent about 20 minutes reading all the packaging (some had nothing more than a purple swipe and a name, others gave quite a bit of information) and I picked up three new types.

Critical Mass is the only one showing much promise, but being a newbie and CM looking so drastically different from what I managed to not kill last year, I thought I better see if maybe this young lady needs something I am not aware of.

Last year I grew seeds from ILGM. The ones I had, Jack and Purple Kush, both grew one main stem with branches coming off. The leaves, fan leaves, stood out flat and proud.

This gal is all bush. And the leaves seem to curl under but not in a “I am sick” way. She looks really beautiful and healthy, but maybe it is because I am just super happy she isn’t dead already so this may be halo bias on my part (I want her to do well, so I think she is, thus it must be true).

Tell me, is something wrong here, or is she ok?

Here are pics of the other CMs I have in the tent, they look similar, no where as big.

My other inside tent:

The larger one is the Purple City genetics and it states this is a : Strawberry Gusher [F1 x Durb x Gushers x Strawnana per the package ]

My starts bound for the patio tent: GDP, PPK and another Strawberry G

I use only distilled water with the General Hydroponics nutrients from the Flora line. The watering system is the AC Infinity on demand waterers. The lights are Spider Farm and I have them maxed right now. I am in the process of swapping out the underpowered 4" fans for 6" fans in the base of the tents (those 4" fans just never met the need for air movement). Right now the tents are hovering around 84 degrees and I am keeping the upper part of the zipper door open for venting until I get all the fans swapped over to 6". I don’t have heat on in the house and will probably manage all winter with just the heat from the tents and the countertop distillers I run for water.

BLUF: is something wrong? or is this just how CM looks? The starts in the pics are all from last year’s genetics; ILGM and they are one shoot, with flat leaves.

My main concern is they look so different, but to me they look pretty…

09

Hi, I’m currently growing one that turned out to be a female! So very evites now.

I have some experience growing but definitely far from being great, so take this advice like a grain of sand.

bservations:

1. Dense Foliage and Tight Canopy:

   • The plants have a very dense and bushy structure, which indicates rapid vegetative growth. This can lead to light penetration issues, as the lower parts of the plant might not be receiving sufficient light.

2. Leaf Curling and Overlapping:

   • Some leaves show signs of curling and overlap, which can occur when plants are too close together. This might lead to microclimates within the canopy, resulting in higher humidity and increased risk of mold or mildew.

3. Possible Stretching:

   • The tight spacing can cause plants to stretch upwards in search of more light, making it challenging to manage height within the fixed space of your grow tent.

4. Poor Ventilation and Air Flow:

   • In a small, not well-vented area, there is a risk of stagnant air, which can lead to higher temperatures and humidity levels. This environment encourages pests, like fungus gnats or spider mites, and can reduce the plant’s ability to transpire effectively.

Potential Causes:

• Using Larger Fabric Pots:
Larger pots encourage more extensive root growth, leading to vigorous vegetative growth. While this is great for plant development, it can become a challenge in a fixed space, as the plants quickly outgrow the available area.

• Insufficient Training and Pruning:
In confined spaces, it’s crucial to use techniques like low-stress training (LST), topping, or defoliation to control the plant structure and size.

Recommended Solutions:

1. Pruning and Defoliation:

   • Trim the lower and inner leaves to promote airflow and reduce humidity within the canopy. Removing excess foliage will also allow light to reach lower branches.

2. Implement Training Techniques:

   • Consider using techniques like topping or super cropping to keep the height under control. Use a SCROG (Screen of Green) net or ties to spread out the branches and encourage a more even canopy.

3. Increase Air Circulation:

   • Add oscillating fans at different heights to improve air movement within the tent. Make sure there’s proper intake and exhaust ventilation to keep humidity levels in check.

4. Adjust Plant Density:

   • If space is a significant constraint, consider reducing the number of plants or moving some to a different location to allow for better growth conditions.

On another note: My critical Mass grew super fast always lush green. It is a very forgiving plant making it great and easy grow (until now around week four), at the moment it grew bushy so consider training it from the beginning. I always like to transplant them from a small pot directly into the final pot instead of using directly the final pot.

Wish you a successful grow!

You made a wonderful review, thank you very much!
Personally, Critical Mass was part of my first successful growth, many years ago. I agree with everything you said, it is quite easy to care for since it always grows, so it has a good recovery capacity. It is a resilient plant that is excellent for people who are just starting or want to try out cultivation techniques. It is also very productive, it is wonderful.