Auto Critical Soma - Great… for a good reason

A marvellous auto combining together perfection, potency and aroma. A fine-sized high yielding plant indeed, with several enormous resin-covered buds all over. Its heady fragrance will overwhelm your palate with fruity tastes. Advanced Seeds has impressed us again with yet another spectacular crossbreed made from Critical (Afghan x Skunk genetics), Somango (a mix made from Jack Herer and Big Skunk Korean) and Indica auto genetics. The final product is a fourth-generation midsized autoflowering plant with long and thick branches. Indoors its height reaches up to 80-100 cm. Final yield can easily reach 450 g/m2 under lamps. Outdoors the plant can grow up to a 1.5 m height. Harvest is at 70-80 days of germination. Buds are abundant, big and highly resinous and let out an intense and sweet tropical fruit aroma, with clearly perceivable Somango notes. When tasted, its intense smoke confirms all of these fruity notes of mango, peach and banana. Effect is strong and very intense, with 17% THC content. An influence of Critical is noticeable in its potent physical and mental effect. Feeling is pleasant, relaxing and cheerful. A plant to be enjoyed in good company. [caption id="attachment_6127" align="alignnone" width="500"] A specimen covered with trichomes.[/caption]

Germination and growth

Seeds germinate rapidly. In less than 48 hours, the ten seeds of Auto Critical Soma that we had placed between wet cloths had opened their shell and the radicle was visible. In our previously grown autos in pots of 7, 11 and 18 litres we could barely note any difference. By contrast these specimens were growing to a considerable size and, for their full potential to be exploited, needed to be planted in pots of at least 18 litres. That is what we did. They were planted at a dept of less than one centimetre and placed under 400 W metal halide lamps and, after 24 hours, the early leaves appeared in a few plants. During the first weeks, we added a root booster to all. At day 10-12 we also started to gradually add a growth booster. After a few days, they had grown like wildfire. Branch formation was uninterrupted with branches as long and thick as the central stem. Leaves were enormous and with an intense green colour. White and chunky roots jutted out of the holes at the bottom of pots showing they had permeated the whole substrate. When we noticed a couple of leaf tips curling up, we added Bactomatik to six of the ten plants of the sample, to appraise the real effectiveness of this product. Bactomatik is a mixture of bacteria living in symbiosis with roots and benefiting the plant by multiple mechanisms for an explosive growth and a superior yield. We applied it once during the vegetative phase. From day two, the plants that were ‘lucky’ enough to be irrigated with this product started to outperform the others significantly and some reached more than one metre. When you work with autos each day is important, you cannot extend the growing period if things are not running smoothly. These strains have a limited lifetime and you need to exploit it to the maximum. [caption id="attachment_6128" align="alignnone" width="500"] The central shoot.[/caption]

Flowering phase

As plants were ready to move to the next flowering phase, at day fifteen of growth we replaced all 400 W metal halide lamps with 600 W sodium lamps. In view of their imminent fruiting, we delivered all the light we could. When we saw the first pistils, we washed the roots clean and changed feeding. Then flowering started. Branches stretched out and the last shoots appeared. Buds grew all over the plant and were all indistinctly large, on the plant tops and even below, with a high concentration of crystals – These plants let out a strong smell from the beginning to the end of their lifecycle and you need to use filters. However, they are easy to grow and unproblematic. You will notice that, little by little, their huge leaves will turn yellow and fall down, which will disclose the size of flowers in their full glory. In this phase too, we tried out another product manufactured by Agrobacterias, Bactobloom. We applied it to the six plants to which we had already applied Bactomatik so as to check its effect in combination with it. Bactobloom is a powerful organic bacterium-based product that acts as a flower stimulator. We applied it when the first pistils appeared. Growth was more marked in plants to which it was applied, despite the hardships that plants normally endure at this stage. In addition, bud formation was improved and resin had increased in quantity. Similarly to the effects observed with Bactomatik, all treated plants gave a great yield. [caption id="attachment_6129" align="alignnone" width="500"] A blanket of resin.[/caption]

Harvest

At day 75, we harvested approximately half of our grown plants and at day 85 the other half. In our view, these last plants were better, with denser and larger buds, a higher yield and a more complex taste and aroma. Most of the time, waiting a few extra days is better.

Tasting

This is the best part, always. And was even more so with this strain, which stands out for vary reasons and especially its aroma. If you only put your nose close to its flowers you will perceive a penetrating and captivating fragrance. If you keep this awesome smoke lingering on your palate, it will reveal its clear tropical notes. Your body and mind will then set off on a joyful and relaxing journey. TricomaTeam (tricomateam@gmail.com)