New Version of Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto

• 1. Seed germination
• 1. a. Let’s begin with choosing a germination method.

Seed Germination

Hey everyone! We’ve finally started working on a new version of the fan-favorite Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto.

Germination rates from the previous version are still excellent: 99% look stable after just two days in peat plugs. I also want to point out that in this case we don’t use paper towels for sprouting “tails” (taproots). In plain water, our seeds showed outstanding results.

Let’s talk from the beginning, step by step. 

Step 1

Today we will start with the first, on one hand a simple, but on the other one of the most important processes: seed germination.

For many people this process may seem ordinary and not important, but in reality it is the foundation of the beginning of every production. In this matter everything is important: which germination method you choose, the temperature of the water and the environment, the level of lighting, humidity, etc. All of this plays a major role and directly affects the final result of your successful experience with our seeds.
It is important to use gloves and a mask at every stage to minimize contact of the roots with foreign bacteria and pathogens.

Let’s begin with choosing a germination method.

Today we will talk about the four most popular ones among hobby growers and professionals, and we will also talk about the method that we use in our own production and why.

1. Germinating directly in coco substrate.

This method is not bad, because the sprout immediately roots in its environment and receives minimal stress. However, there is a risk of insufficient moisture, and the process itself is less controllable. You can place the seeds too deep, and thus make it harder for the seed shell to break through to the surface. It is too delicate for large volumes, therefore we skip this method right away.

2. Soaking seeds in sponges

Many people simply place the seeds between two ordinary kitchen sponges and constantly keep them moist. In theory, this method is not bad, since it seems that moisture always remains between the sponges, and for seeds this is a favorable condition. But despite this, we should not forget that together with water and high humidity, there is also constant access to air, and during prolonged soaking water stagnation can form, and as a result the seeds will not germinate but will rot. Therefore, we immediately move this method to second place.

3. Germination in cotton pads or moistened paper towels

One of the most popular, simple, and effective methods. We take cotton pads or a regular kitchen paper towel (without fragrances and dyes), one layer of material, place the seeds on it, and cover them with another layer of material. On top, we spray or pour a sufficient amount of room-temperature tap water. It is important not to flood it too much so that there is not too much water, because stagnant water may form.

Then we place our wet napkin or cotton pad into a zip-lock bag, close it to create a greenhouse effect, and put it in a dark place at room temperature. We ventilate and check the moisture and condition of your seeds once a day. The cotton pad should always be moist. And in this way, within 2–3 days you will see the result: the first roots at 5-7 mm long. Once the seeds reach this stahe, they are ready for further planting into coco, peat, or rockwool.

4. Soaking in water in cups

The simplest method, requiring no special skills or extra worries.

We take the seeds, place them in a clean empty cup, fill it halfway with clean water, and leave the seeds in a dark, ventilated place. On the second or third day you will see the result: the first roots. When the roots reach a size of 5–10 mm, they are ready to be planted into substrate for further rooting and plant growth.

Many will say that this method can give the sprouts stress because part of the roots may be in contact with air, although in fact an important part of germination is giving seeds water and sufficient oxygen. Many will also think that stagnant water can harm the seeds and cause fungus, which is exactly why we keep the cups in a dark place inaccessible to light and in a cool environment, creating unfavorable conditions for the development of unwanted bacteria and fungi.

We use exactly this unfavorable method to observe how the plant will perceive stress from the very beginning of its growth. We think about the fact that our customers may do something not according to protocol, and we deliberately put our seeds into a stressful state.

Step 2

Let's get into transplanting germinated seeds into substrate.

At this stage it is important to plant our germinated seeds into a suitable substrate. After you have chosen your germination method, in our case germination in a cup of water, and the seeds have produced their roots, we will proceed to planting them into a transport substrate for initial rooting and sprouting of our plant.

The choice of the transitional substrate depends on what your plant will grow in until harvest. Today we will consider the two most popular options for your future plant.

Option 1: Rockwool cubes

In this case, germinated seeds are best initially planted into Rockwool sponges. Let’s talk about Rockwool. The rocks are well aerated, an excellent balance of water and oxygen. It is believed that in cubes the root system develops faster, with minimal resistance to expanding roots. They also do not contain pathogens (almost sterile), which reduces the risk of diseases in the early stages.

Rockwool cubes have many advantages, but based on our considerable experience, we can confidently say that this option is more suitable for working with photoperiod plants, since these plants are more stress-resistant.

Conclusion:

During rooting and growth, after the root system has formed, the roots will grow outside the cube. In this case, your plant will experience stress, which can be fatal for autoflowering strains. Also, the cubes require very careful watering; they do not forgive overwatering, especially at the early stages of growth. The cubes must remain constantly moist and must always have enough nutrients.

They work best if your irrigation system provides multiple balanced waterings per day in order to keep the cubes consistently moist, without allowing them to dry out, and at the same time without overwatering and flooding the cube, which would lead to water stagnation and a sharp rise in pH in the growing medium of the cubes, which will later severely and negatively affect your plants.

Once again, this option is excellent for photoperiod plants, which are more stress-resistant and also give you the chance to correct the situation by flushing the cube to remove high acidity and accumulated fertilizers. This cannot be said about autoflowering cannabis strains, which prefer good conditions, sufficient attention, and proper care.

Option 2: Coco substrate

In this option, germinated seeds are best planted into peat cubes. What makes coco so convenient, and why do so many growers love it? Why coco substrate and not soil, peat, or similar substrates?

Coco is excellent because it is airy, well aerated, and not dense. It is inert (not loaded with unnecessary nutrients), and most importantly, it is very easy to control with watering. It is very difficult to overwater coco, to create water stagnation, or to increase acidity. It is easier to transplant rooted seedlings into it (less chance of damaging small roots). It also better restricts the root system, preventing roots from breaking out through the geopot, thus limiting direct contact with the external environment, and much more.

From our own experience, we have learned that coco substrate is the golden middle: convenient to use and store, forgiving of watering mistakes, holds moisture well, and is fluffy enough, especially when mixed with perlite. Coco substrate is well suited for working with both photoperiod and autoflowering cannabis plants. It forgives many mistakes, requires less hassle with watering. One watering every two days is enough for small and young plants, and later no more than one watering per day until runoff. The plant’s roots are always in sufficient moisture, and because watering is done until first drain, you maximize the flushing of old water from the coco, completely renewing all nutrients and the acidic environment inside the geopot.

Conclusion:

Based on many runs with the same strains, especially autoflowering ones, coco has shown endless advantage over Rockwool cubes. Therefore, our choice in particular falls on coco substrate (mixed with humus or perlite), it is more convenient to work with and more stable for plants.

Let’s return to planting our germinated plants. In our case, we will be planting them into peat cubes.

It is important that the peat is not flooded with water, but only sufficiently moist, this gives the roots favorable conditions to expand.

Drain the water from the cup with the germinated seeds, and take each seed one by one by the hard shell of the seed and insert it into the moistened peat cubes with the roots facing downward. It is important to insert the seed into a pre-prepared hole, carefully without breaking the root (which would kill the sprout). You should plant it deep enough so that only part of the seed shell is visible from the peat.

After planting all your seeds, place the tray with all planted seeds into a propagator, with environmental humidity of about 55-65% so that the cubes do not dry out and at the same time mold does not form due to excessive humidity. Later, when the cotyledons open and the seed shell falls off, the sprout will release its first leaves and the plant will begin to breathe through the leaves. Because of this, at the first stages the humidity should be increased to 70-80%.

The ambient temperature is also very important, as it affects the temperature of the substrate for good rooting, it should be favorable, around 22-24°C. The water temperature should be around 19-21°C, which you will use to moisten the cubes every 1-2 days (as they dry). The main key to good sprouting is sufficient light, it should be diffused, PPFD around 50-100 µmol, with a light schedule of 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness. After the cotyledons open, the plant will begin the process of photosynthesis and will require a gradual increase in light from 100 to 150 µmol.

STEP 3

Transplanting peats with sprouted seedlings into substrate

After 4-6 days after planting the sprouts into peat cubes (in our case), the plant will send out its main stem and open the cotyledons. When you see from the bottom of the cube that the first roots have come out, you must take care of transplanting the sprout into its permanent growing medium. In our case, this is most often a mixture of coco substrate with humus in a ratio of 85/15.

Do not delay this moment, because the sprout needs to take root and continue developing its root system, and ultimately after rooting begin forming its stem, leaf growth, and branching.

Prepare the coco substrate by mixing it well to break up all lumps. The substrate should be as loose as possible, this creates favorable conditions for the roots. Fill the geopots with our prepared mix and lightly tamp it down (not to pack the coco!) but so that during further watering the substrate does not sink too much when water hits it. Remember that coco should remain fluffy.

Prepare planting holes for the peat cubes with our seedlings, and into the hole add several grams of beneficial fungi MYKOS for better root system development. Next, place the cubes with the seedlings into the prepared hole and cover them with the coco mix.

The process of transferring the peat cube must be fast to minimize the contact of the roots with the surrounding environment, which could otherwise give the plant an early strong stress, and also careful, so that when planting into the geopot you do not crush or damage the root, which could negatively affect the further development of your plant, up to the death of the plant.

Immediately after planting, perform the first watering of about 250 ml of water to moisten the substrate around the developing root system. Use a minimal amount of nutrients in the initial waterings: 0.6-0.8 EC, about 400 PPM. The water temperature should also be comfortable for the plant, about 19-21°C, and the acidity about 5.6 pH. For the first 10-15 days, moisten the coco with this solution. We also recommend mixing a small amount of beneficial bacteria AZOS into the irrigation water during these days. They help the roots receive nitrogen in the proper form, which promotes better rooting.

Light at the initial stages should also be provided carefully so the plant can adapt after transplanting, keeping the light schedule at 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness. Then gradually and carefully increase it from 150 to 250-300 PPFD during the vegetative period.

The environment must also be favorable. Try to give the plant the best conditions during vegetation: 68-78% humidity and an ambient temperature of 24-26°C

So we come to the end of begining stages. Today we have covered how to guide the plant from the seed stage to full planting and further development. Stay with us, follow the updates, and grow correctly with Fast Buds.

Update On the Lemon Cherry Cookies Production

Here’s a brief update on the latest generation of Lemon Cherry Cookies. Over the past week, the plants have nearly doubled in size, and all of them look strong and healthy. At the same time, it’s clear that some plants stretched more than others. Right now the canopy is too dense, and light distribution is uneven.

Tomorrow morning we’ll begin the first selection stage to give the plants more space. At this point, we’ll have to remove about 30% of them. This is always the hardest part of the process.
However, producing high-quality genetics requires consistent selection, so at this stage we’ll keep only the strongest individuals.

In 3–4 weeks, the selection process will be repeated. If everything goes as planned, roughly half of the plants will remain at the final stage.

Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto: Selection Update

In today’s Selection, we are choosing 96 plants out of 160.
From the very beginning, we always plant more than we actually need. This allows us to identify truly strong and visually outstanding specimens for further genetic improvement.

At this stage of selection, we closely evaluate the development of all main colas. If we notice any signs of instability, those plants are removed immediately.

There are also plants that begin to show purple traits at an early stage, and this is a very important moment in our work.

These plants clearly demonstrate the true strength of the purple expression and confirm that the traits we are looking for are already firmly embedded in the genetics.

Initial Pollination: How We Begin Fertilizing Our Lemon Cherry Cookies

After we select the maternal plants that meet all our criteria, the next step is to choose the perfect moment for pollination. Once the stigmas grow larger and clearly show that they are ready to receive pollen, we begin the first pollination.

This is a very important stage. If pollination is done too early, the plants will not produce the amount of seeds we need. The same problem occurs if it is done too late, when the flowers have already started forming.

All of our selected males show dark purple traits and a similar overall structure. In the video, you can see the females receiving pollen for the first time.

When pollen lands on the pistil, it sends a chemical signal that fertilization has been successful. After this, the female stops producing resin and redirects its energy toward seed formation.

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