In this report, we’ll go over our time with Vlad the Inhaler Feminized. This 50/50 hybrid surprised us a little with just how much of an indica it turned out to be. In the end, though, this was a hassle-free grow resulting in an extremely compact plant that delivered impressive yields.
Total growing time: 90 days
Flowering time: 62 days
Final height: 66 cm
Final yield: 83 grams
THC content: 22.8%
As with all of our grows, we kept our Vlad the Inhaler Feminized cannabis plant in an 8-litre plastic pot filled with BAC Lava mix and grew it under a 1000 W Phillips GreenPower lamp set to an 18-hours-on-6-hours-off light schedule. We maintained our grow space at a consistent 23°C during the daytime, with temperatures dropping slightly to 21°C at night. At the beginning, we kept a relative humidity of 65% before gradually lowering it as the plant continued to develop.
Germination & seedling
Before we could do anything else, we first needed to germinate our Vlad the Inhaler Feminized cannabis seed. To start, simply fold up a few paper towels, place them on a plate, and sprinkle them with several millilitres of water until they are damp but not dripping. Next, we place your seeds on top and cover them with another damp paper towel. Place all of this inside an open plastic bag and leave it in a warm, humid place away from direct sunlight.
After a day or so, the seed had cracked open and the taproot was now sticking out about a centimetre. Next, we planted the seed (with the taproot pointing down) into a Rockwool cube and put that underneath a 600W lamp.
At this early stage, we didn’t give our seedling any extra water or nutrients as plants are extremely fragile at this stage, and too much light, heat, water, or even nutrients can prevent them from sprouting. After three days, we gave our plant its first feeding with 100 ml of pH-balanced water (pH 6.2; EC 0.8) mixed with a dose of rooting hormone. To get things going, we moved our seedling into the aforementioned 8-litre pot and set it beneath our 1000W light.
Vegetation
By the end of week one, our seedling was standing 7 cm tall with a remarkably slim stem supporting some small cotyledons at the top. By now, we were watering daily with 200 ml of water (pH 6.0; EC 1.4) mixed with Bio Grow liquid nutrients.
In week two, our Vlad the Inhaler Feminized seedling grew rather quickly, nearly doubling in height to 13 cm. This vertical growth was accompanied by the plant’s first set of true leaves. These were somewhat small, fairly broad, and a healthy shade of vibrant green.
Week three saw steady growth with our plant gaining another 6 cm to reach a new height of 19 cm. This week also saw the growth of several new sets of leaves with fairly tight internodal spacing. By now, we were also noticing the earliest sign of lateral branches growing out from the inner nodes. With all of this new growth, and with flowering just around the corner, we doubled the volume of water to 400 ml per day.
Before flowering, we hung small satchels of Neoseiulus californicus and Amblyseius swirskii from the plant’s lower branches. These white pouches each contain hundreds of small bugs that feed on parasites like spider mites and thrips, which can destroy a harvest if left unchecked. To make things better, these beneficial critters don’t damage cannabis plants at all. We replace these satchels every four weeks to maintain a fresh supply.
Related post
Flowering
In week four, we switched our Vlad the Inhaler Feminized plant to flowering by flipping our lights to a 12-hours-on-12-hours-off schedule and changing our feeding habits. From now on, we would be using Bio Flower liquid nutrients mixed with 800 ml of pH-balanced water (pH 6.0; EC 1.8) each day.
This week saw our plant transform completely. While it only grew slightly to a new height of 23 cm, it developed several new sets of dense, dark leaves along a series of incredibly tight inner nodes. With all of this new growth, it was time to lower the humidity in our grow space to 60% to help prevent mould.
In week five, our plant continued its slow and steady growth, gaining another 5 cm to reach 28 cm. Once again, this limited vertical growth was offset by rapid vegetative growth as the lateral branches continued to develop and even more sets of leaves appeared. With flowering expected any day now, we once again increased the water to 1000 ml daily.
Week six saw another 5 cm of growth, bringing our plant to a new height of 33 cm. While the main stem was growing slowly, the lateral branches were developing at an impressive rate and were growing almost vertically. While we still weren’t seeing any signs of flowering, we increased the volume of water to 1500 ml each day to make sure our plant had all it needed.
Over week seven, our plant grew to a new height of 40 cm. By the end of the week, we were beginning to see the very first signs of flowering as small white pistils appeared along the plant’s inner nodes. Still, our Vlad the Inhaler was taking its sweet time. Since you can’t rush nature, we just lowered the humidity to 55%.
In week eight, our plant gained yet another 5 cm to reach 45 cm. More importantly, though, it finally started showing proper signs of flowering as small clusters of pistils popped up at the top of each branch as well as along the inner nodes of the main cola.
Week nine saw the single largest week-on-week growth as our plant grew 8 full cm to finish the week at 53 cm tall. This week also saw our plant enter full bloom as every flowering site was now topped with a fluffy white bud. The main cola was starting to form nicely, and everything was looking good.
Weeks ten and eleven were more of the same, with the plant growing to a new height of 63 cm while the buds continued to grow larger and denser with each passing day. While this plant may have been a bit slow to start, it was quickly making up for lost time.
By the end of week twelve, our plant had reached its maximum height of 66 cm and was covered from top to bottom in dense, sticky flowers.
Finally, in week thirteen, it was time to harvest our Vlad the Inhaler Feminized cannabis plant.
Harvest
Once it was time to harvest our Vlad the Inhaler Feminized cannabis plant, we cut it down at the base, removed all of the large fan leaves, and hung it upside-down to dry. Our drying room is kept at a consistent 15.5°C with a relative humidity of 50% and we left the plant hanging like this until the lower branches were dry enough to snap when bent. On average, this process takes 10-20 days.
Once the plant was dry enough, we cut off the flowers and trimmed away the remaining leaves. Once cleaned up, we put the buds into glass jars for curing and left them open for the first 24 hours to allow a majority of any remaining moisture to evaporate.
After this first day, the jars were sealed and then “burped” multiple times a day for around an hour each time. Gradually, we reduced this frequency to only once per day for only a few minutes. Proper curing is the unsung hero of a smooth flavour, and can’t be rushed, so be sure to schedule 4-6 weeks to complete the whole process.
Once everything was dried and cured, we ended up with 83 grams of dried flower with a THC content of 22.8%.
Related post
Terpene profile
As it began to flower, our Vlad the Inhaler Feminized cannabis plant started to give off a powerfully tropical scent, boasting strong citrus notes of pineapple and mango. This aroma was quite potent, and growers who value their privacy will likely want to take extra steps to properly manage it.
After being dried and cured, the finished buds gave off a zesty bouquet of fresh lime, tropical fruit, and sweet berries, which were all complemented by more subtle hints of sour diesel. The taste was precisely what we’d expected based on the aroma, as a burst of tropical flavours hit front and centre with tangy citrus and mango on the inhale and smooth, sour diesel notes rounding out the finish.
The effects of these buds were equally well-balanced. Things started off with a euphoric and uplifting head rush, which slowly gave way to a supremely calming and slightly sedative body stone that balanced out the whole experience. Overall, the high was potent but never became overwhelming, making this a great choice for either socialising or relaxing at home.
Related post
The outcome
For a 50/50 hybrid, our Vlad the Inhaler feminized cannabis plant definitely leaned far more heavily into its indica genetics. These sorts of hybrid strains can be tricky to plan around since they can exhibit several distinct variations in their growth pattern. If you’ve got the space for a bit of a gamble, Vlad the Inhaler is an extremely fun and rewarding strain.
- Disclaimer:Laws and regulations regarding cannabis cultivation differ from country to country. Sensi Seeds therefore strongly advises you to check your local laws and regulations. Do not act in conflict with the law.
