Blackberry Herer Feminized Grow Report

• Total growing time: 90 days
• Flowering time: 62 days
• Final height: 103 cm
• Final yield: 149 grams
• THC content: 23.6%

We grew our Blackberry Herer Feminized cannabis plant in an 8-litre plastic pot filled with BAC Lava Mix and placed it under a 1000 W Phillips GreenPower lamp initially set to an 18/6 schedule. Our grow room was kept at a stable 23°C during the day, dropping slightly to 21°C at night, with relative humidity maintained at 65% during the vegetation phase.

Germination & seedling

Germination and Seedling Stage

To get our Blackberry Herer Feminized cannabis plant started, we first needed to germinate our seed. To do this, we followed the paper towel method as it’s the fastest, easiest, and most reliable way to germinate seeds. Simply dampen a few paper towels until they’re wet but not dripping, fold them up, and put them on a plate. Next, spread your seeds across the paper towel and cover them with another damp paper towel. Take all of this and put it in an open plastic bag, set it somewhere warm, and give it a day or two.

After about a day, our seed had germinated, and we could see the taproot sticking out a little more than a centimetre. We then planted it (taproot down) in a pre-soaked Rockwool cube and put it under a 600W LED light. For the first couple of days, we just let the seed do its thing.

After three days, our seedling had sprouted, and we gave it its first feeding with 100 ml of pH-balanced water (pH 6.2; EC 0.8) mixed with rooting hormone. At this stage, seedlings are rather fragile and too much heat, light, or water can stop them from rooting properly.

After one week, our seedling was standing 6 cm tall with small but healthy cotyledons. With the roots now sticking out of the bottom of the cube, it was time to move our seedling into its new home — an 8-litre plastic pot — and place it under our 1000 W light. To guarantee that it had everything it needed to grow, we started feeding it daily with 100 ml of water (pH 6.0; EC 1.4) mixed with Bio Grow liquid nutrients.

Vegetation

By the end of week two, our Blackberry Herer plant had nearly doubled in height to 11 cm and sprouted its first sets of true leaves, with more already developing. These leaves were somewhat broad and slightly long, with a healthy medium-green colour. Expecting more growth to come, we doubled the daily feedings to 200 ml.

In week three, our plant continued to grow fairly quickly, reaching a new height of 18 cm. This was accompanied by a few new sets of leaves growing along the very stretched-out internodal spacing so common among heavy sativas. This week, we again doubled the volume of water used in daily feedings to 400 ml.

Before we switched our plant to flowering, we hung a few small pouches from the plant’s lowest branches. Each of these contained hundreds of tiny beneficial insects — Neoseiulus californicus and Amblyseius swirskii. These bugs have a symbiotic relationship with cannabis and don’t harm the plant. Instead, they hunt down pests like thrips and spider mites before they can do lasting damage to the garden. We replaced these satchels every four weeks to keep a fresh supply.

Flowering

In week four, we began flowering our Blackberry Herer Feminized cannabis plant by flipping our lights to a 12/12 schedule and changing our feeding habits. This week, we upped the volume of water to 800 ml per day (pH 6.0; EC 1.8) and began using Bio Flower liquid nutrients. By the end of the week, our plant had grown to a height of 25 cm and developed several new sets of leaves. The internodal spacing was lengthening, the trunk was thickening, and the lateral branches were growing rapidly.

Week five saw more consistent growth as our plant grew to 37 cm. The main stem was stretching considerably, and the lateral branches were forming a very loose and spread-out canopy. This plant was shaping up to be a slim and lanky specimen, and we flowered it at the perfect time. With this much rapid growth, we upped our daily feedings to 1000 ml and lowered the humidity to 60%.

In week six, our plant had its first major growth spurt, shooting up 16 cm to reach a new height of 53 cm. Much of this growth was on the main stem, though the lateral branches were largely able to keep pace. By now, the internodal spacing was quite extreme, and the stretch was showing no signs of slowing down. This week, we also upped the daily feedings to 1500 ml.

Week seven saw our plant undergo yet another round of rapid growth as it gained another 21 cm to climb to 74 cm. Even though we were three weeks into flowering, the plant was showing no signs of flower development.

As week eight came and went, our plant began to show the very first signs of flowering with small white hairs growing at the plant’s inner nodes and along the tops of branches. This week also saw our plant’s largest week-on-week growth, gaining a staggering 22 cm to finish at a height of 96 cm.

In week nine, our plant began properly blooming as small clumps of white hairs popped up along every branch. With each passing day, these pre-flowers developed a little bit more and we were excited about the coming weeks. This change in focus for the plant meant that its vertical growth nearly stopped completely, and the plant grew only 5 cm to a height of 101 cm.

Weeks ten and eleven saw the plant reach its final height of 103 cm as the main cola grew slightly taller. All along the plant, the flowers were growing larger and denser every day, and some of the lower branches were beginning to bend under the weight of their buds.

Week twelve was more of the same and saw several pistils rapidly turning orange, indicating that harvest was very nearly at hand. The main cola was fully formed, and the entire plant was bursting with buds.

In week thirteen, we were finally ready to harvest our Blackberry Herer Feminized plant.

Harvest

As soon as our Blackberry Herer Feminized cannabis plant was ready for harvest, we cut it down at its base and removed all of the fan leaves. Next, the plant was hung upside down in a climate-controlled drying room with a consistent temperature of 15.5°C and a relative humidity of 50%. We left the plant hanging here until the smaller branches were dry enough to snap when bent; typically around 10–20 days, depending on the size of the plant.

After our plant had dried, it was time to remove the buds and trim away any remaining leaves. As a heavy sativa, the buds from Blackberry Herer weren’t terribly leafy, and the long internodal spacing made trimming a relatively simple task. After the buds had been trimmed, they were placed into glass jars for curing.

For the first 24 hours, these jars were left unsealed to let the bulk of the remaining moisture evaporate. After the first day, the jars were sealed and were “burped” multiple times per day for an hour each. Over the next several weeks, the frequency of these burps was gradually reduced to only once per day. Overall, the entire curing process takes 4–6 weeks.

Once everything was properly dried and cured, we ended up with a very nice 149 grams of flower with an impressive THC content of 23.6%.

Terpene profile

While growing, our Blackberry Herer Feminized plant gave off a fairly strong, sweet, and earthy aroma that combined ripe blackberries and fresh pine that filled the air. As the plant matured, this smell quickly dominated the room, and growers who value dis cretion may need to take extra steps to mask the odour.

After the buds were fully cured, they took on a slightly mellower aroma that was accompanied by dark berry and sweet citrus notes. The flavour highlighted all of these scents as blackberry, sweet citrus, and earthy pine dominate a blend of subtler, spicier flavours. The inhale showed off a burst of fruity sweetness while the exhale left us with a smooth, spicy taste on our lips.

The effects of Blackberry Herer Feminized were largely what we expected from the strain’s sativa lineage; stimulating and euphoric. This quickly got the creative juices flowing and had us itching to get up and move. The indica genetics came out ever so slightly with a mild sense of physical relaxation. This strain is ideal for socialising, outdoor activities, or just getting things done.

The outcome

While this plant didn’t grow quite as tall as we had predicted, that turned out to be for the best, as the lower branches were already struggling to support their buds. In the end, we loved our time with Blackberry Herer as a fantastic choice for an indoor sativa.