Double Kush Cake Feminized is the result of crossing three heavy hitters; Skunk Kush, Afghani #1, and Hindu Kush. This indica-dominant powerhouse produced some impressive colas with an exquisite profile unique to Kush cultivars. Join us in the garden as we document the growing, harvesting and curing process. It was easy to grow, and fun to enjoy!
Flowering stage: 66 days
Total time, seed to harvest: 99 days
Final yield: 117 grams
THC content: 21.92%
Double Kush Cake Feminized seeds (also available in automatic) have been on our list to include in a grow report, and we were happy to get the chance to grow them again. We used our regular grow room, which has housed plants in many of our other grow reports.
Multiple fans inside the area move air above and below the canopy. Inline fans are strategically positioned to help extract stagnant air, while the carbon filter helps remove any unwanted floral odour. We used 1000W Green Power Phillips HPS lights attached to the ceiling at a height of 3M above the soil level. For the vegetative cycle, our lights were scheduled to be 18 hours on & 6 hours off, and for flowering, this was switched to 12/12.
Our Double Kush Cake Feminized was grown in BAC Lava Soil mix and fed using Bio Grow and Bio Flower nutrients. The pH of our final solution was always 6.2, and we gradually increased the EC as the root system grew larger. Temperatures were steady, 24°C with the lights on and 21°C during the lights-out period. Humidity was gradually reduced as we reached harvest, and we started our cycle with 65% humidity for our seedlings.
We prepared two plates with two damp paper towels on top to start the germination process. We placed our Double Kush Cake Feminized seed on the damp paper towel and sealed the two plates together, enclosing the seed between the moist towels.
The plates were then kept in a dark and warm environment at around 21°C for optimal germination conditions. Within days roots emerged, and it was time to transplant them into a larger container. Carefully removing the seedling from the paper towel, we transplanted our Double Kush Cake Feminized into our 1-litre container while giving her 100 ml of water.
Within a few days, our seeds had sprouted and were emerging from the soil. Three days after our seedling emerged from the soil, we added another 100 ml of water with a root stimulant around the base of the stem. The final EC of our solution was 0.8 before feeding.
In week two, the root stimulant worked great, and we saw fresh white roots sticking out of the drainage holes before transplanting them into a 5-litre pot. We introduced Bio Grow nutrients into our feeding solution. Due to the youthful root system, we used a diluted solution with a final EC of 1.4. We fed our Double Kush Cake Feminized 100 ml of water, pouring it around the stem’s base.
As we know specific bugs can be a threat to the health of our cannabis plants, we released predator bugs as part of our organic Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Satchets of Neoseiulus Californicus and Amblyseius Swirskii were placed against the plant. These insects will hunt and kill thrip larvae, fungus gnats, aphids, and other plant-damaging bugs. It is better to be proactive instead of reactive in the garden!
By week three, our Double Kush Cake Feminized had already reached 21 cm in height. We increased our feeding solution to 200 ml to support the growing root mass. We concentrated the watering around the stem’s base, but we moved closer to the edge of the container. This encourages roots to stretch into those areas to find water.
Our Double Kush Cake Feminized had reached several nodes in height. The leaves had large, fat fingers that were now reaching the edges of the pot. Five and even seven-fingered leaves indicated the seedling stage was over. The plant subsequently increased its above-ground biomass and was rapidly photosynthesizing to support further growth.
Throughout week four, our Double Kush Cake Feminized was reaching the height where we considered changing the light schedule and had grown another 10 cm before the end of the week.
However, we opted for one more week of vegetative growth and increased the volume of the feeding solution to 400 ml with a final EC of 1.7. We were now watering the entire soil surface each watering, and before entering the flowering stage, we dropped the room humidity to 60%.
In week five, the plant had reached 53 cm and was drinking heavily. We switched from Bio Grow nutrients to Bio Flower, increased the volume of our feeding solution to 800 ml, and adjusted the EC to 1.8. It was a week of significant changes in the garden, but the most considerable change was the light schedule, and we were now using a 12/12 light schedule to induce our Double Kush Cake Feminized to flower.
Several lower branches had grown up and outwards to harness the light. The shape created an excellent separation, allowing all main bud sites to receive direct light. The upper leaves had a slightly lighter green colour than the dark green lower leaves below. A few larger fan leaves were shading lower areas, but we were not ready to defoliate and did not want to stress the plant in the first week of flowering.
Throughout week six, our Double Kush Cake Feminized was experiencing the stretch phase of flowering. It was now 83 cm tall and proliferating. Because some of the lower branch tips were positioned far from the light source, we removed them. This action removes a branch that would produce subpar buds and redirects that growth energy to higher branches. The upper branches can now grow larger buds with the increased resources.
We nearly doubled our water volume and gave our Double Kush Cake Feminized 1500 ml of solution per feeding. Continuing to be proactive with our IPM, we scouted the plants but saw no plant-damaging insects or fungus gnats. However, just in case, we released another sachet of our two predator insects, Neoseiulus Californicus and Amblyseius Swirskii.
Week seven and the very first stigmas were beginning to rise from the clustered branch tips. We started our week by flushing the soil with 5 litres of pure water; pH’d to 6.2. Flushing the soil is done to wash out unused nutrients and salts accumulated from our regular feedings, allowing for a better balance of nutrients in the root zone.
Remember to remove run-off and not let your roots sit in standing water. After the flush on the first day of the week, we resumed feeding our Double Kush Cake Feminized 1500 ml of nutrient solution with an EC of 1.8.
At the start of week eight, our Double Kush Cake Feminized now stood 118 cm. The leaves from the top to bottom displayed the same lush, dark green colour from top to bottom. The stigmas that started poking out last week were now fuzzy balls of soft white hairs on the tip of each branch.
The additional growth over the past few weeks had led to a bushy plant with many lateral branches reaching outwards. We used a stake in the soil to support the apical meristem. The branches were sturdy, so we did not need to support them.
Week nine seemed like the stretch had stopped, as our Double Kush Cake Feminized had not grown a centimetre since last week. To increase the airflow within the canopy and to divert energy to the central flowers, we removed the lower branches and buds on the bottom of the lateral branches.
We decided not to do any defoliation on our Double Kush Cake Feminized. The lateral branches had enough spacing that the adjacent leaves from the neighbouring branches were not blocking the light source. Leaving the leaves intact supports more photosynthesis, which drives growth.
Our lower leaves began to get a lighter shade of green, but the middle and top leaves still had a dark green appearance. This is normal as a plant gets closer to harvest or when mobile nutrients within the plant are in short supply in the soil.
The buds on our Double Kush Cake Feminized had rapidly begun to swell throughout week ten. We were still feeding 1500 ml of solution at an EC of 1.8, but the plant was now focusing all of its growth on the flowers. A few branches began to lean but did not need additional support. To reduce the risk of bud rot within the increasingly large and moist buds, we reduced the humidity in the room to 56%.
With possibly three or four weeks left before our Double Kush Cake Feminized reaches maturity, we decided to reapply sachets of our predator insects. They should keep any harmful bugs from becoming a problem before harvest.
It had been a full month since the last time we flushed the soil to remove any excess nutrients and sodium build-up. So, week eleven started with another flush of the soil using 5 litres of water.
The buds were increasing in size, and many of the lower branches needed additional support. The colas were dense and littered with trichomes. Only a few stigmas had turned brown, and many of the bracts had not begun their final push towards harvest. With all that growth potential remaining, we decided to continue feeding our Double Kush Cake Feminized at a 1.8 EC.
We noticed an intense floral aroma upon entering the growing area in week twelve. Our Double Kush Cake Feminized was getting close to peak ripeness. We were still waiting for physical signs to show us that the plant was finished. However, we decided to inspect the trichome heads to gauge how much time we may have left.
Although most trichome heads were milky as desired, there were very few amber heads and many clear heads. We always aim for an even ratio between the last two, so we knew the Double Kush Cake Feminized had a few more weeks to go. We inspected the buds (not the leaves) from the top and middle portions of the plant when checking the trichome heads for colour.
At the start of week thirteen, we saw the ratio between the clear and amber trichome heads shift towards a deeper amber hue. The buds also began their final push to increase their mass. Bracts were stacking on top of other bracts forming short vertical columns from the buds surface.
The lower leaves were now yellow and wilting, depleted of their mobile nutrients, which were sent upwards to support bud growth. Most stigmas had turned brown and retreated into swollen bracts. All of these things considered, we knew harvest would be soon. We stopped using Bio Flower nutrients and began flushing our soil with pure water on every feeding until harvest.
Week fourteen would be the final week for our Double Kush Cake Feminized, and she had reached a height of 122 cm. The floral smell had only intensified since first detected a few weeks back, and the flowers were covered with trichomes and had a low leaf-to-bract ratio making trimming easier!
We continued to flush the soil with pure water this week, but the flushing was already displaying the desired results. From bottom to top, our Double Kush Cake Feminized fan leaves faded to a light yellow. This indicated that we were effectively washing nutrients from the soil, forcing the plant to use its stored reserves.
After checking the trichome heads and finding the majority to be milky, with an even ratio of clear and amber, we decided to harvest our Double Kush Cake Feminized. This was an enjoyable plant to grow, and we could not wait for the next stage to be completed.
To make the harvesting and drying process seamless, we prepared our drying area before cutting down our Double Kush Cake Feminized. The two main environmental factors to control are humidity and temperature.
We kept the humidity at 60%, allowing our Double Kush Cake Feminized plants to dry evenly. Drying your plants too fast can diminish their terpene profile, causing your flower to taste like hay. Drying them too slowly can lead to mould. The temperature was maintained at 15.5°C for the drying period.
Two other essential factors for successful drying are airflow and darkness. We hung our Double Kush Cake Feminized plants in a dark room, but we turned the lights on to make our regular inspections. We took caution not to blow air directly on the drying plants, which could prematurely dry them out. We used a gentle breeze that circulated our Double Kush Cake Feminized perimeter.
Once the drying area was prepared, we cut the main stem at the base and hung our Double Kush Cake Feminized upside-down in the drying room. With the conditions we created, we aim for a drying period of 14 to 21 days. We returned multiple times daily to check conditions for the first week. When a plant is ready to trim, the outer layer of the flowers may feel slightly crispy and thin branches may snap when bent. Double Kush Cake Feminized met those parameters on day 18 of drying.
We removed the branches individually, trimmed the buds by hand, and placed them into glass jars for curing. On the first day in the jars, being in such tight proximity to each other, we knew the buds would rehydrate slightly.
Our buds still had moisture in the centre, which is released through the curing process. Sealing the jars directly after trimming can lead to a build-up of unwanted moisture, which is to be avoided, and we did not seal the lids on our curing jars until the second evening. Each jar was opened for two hours every few days for two weeks. This released the trapped moisture and equalized water content within the centre and outer portions of the bud.
It took two weeks for the Double Kush Cake Feminized buds to reach the right moisture level for us to finish the cure. We sealed the lids and let them sit for an additional four weeks. In the final month of curing, we opened the jars just once per day, for an hour, to allow an exchange of air.
At the end of this process, we harvested 117 grams of delicious, fragrant, sticky cannabis flowers. We sent a small sample to a professional lab for cannabinoid and terpene testing, and our Double Kush Cake Feminized finished with a THC level of 21.92%.
Double Kush Cake Feminized has a terpene profile dominated by caryophyllene, myrcene, and a touch of limonene from the heavy Kush influence. During the final weeks of flower, Double Kush Cake Feminized gives off a floral scent. Terpenes work together to create rich aromas of earth, spice, hash, and a touch of sweetness. After curing, the smell amplifies with an extra touch of dankness.
The flavour profile is very similar to the aroma of Double Kush Cake Feminized. Immediately, the subtle taste of earth comes through, coating the tongue with spicy undertones. The spice is not a heat-inducing sensation but is reminiscent of fine Moroccan hashish. Adding a lighter side to the flavour profile is a mouth-watering sweetness that rounds out the backend of the flavour.
Effects from Double Kush Cake Feminized are a peaceful and gradual slide into relaxation. The mind remains clear, and racing thoughts become slower and manageable as the effects set in. Because there is a strong sense of clarity, the deeply soothing, full-body effects may catch people off-guard. This strain is excellent for people who are seeking a full-body buzz.
Some strains are created to be enjoyed by connoisseurs but can be grown by everyone, and Double Kush Cake Feminized fits into that category! Nothing about this grow stood out as complex for a new grower to master, and we had a wonderful time during this grow cycle. It is also available as an autoflowering variety for an even easier experience.
Following a basic feeding schedule, we produced a heavy-yielding plant with multifaceted flavour and aroma profiles. The branching was easy to control, but our Double Kush Cake Feminized did require some stakes for support in the late flowering stages.
Our final dried flower total reached 98 grams, and the laboratory confirmed THC level hit 21.92%! Curious how that stacks up to the yields and THC% of other plants we have grown? You can compare the numbers by checking out our other grow diaries on the blog.
If you have grown Double Kush Cake Feminized before let us know in the comment section below. As always, happy growing!
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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.
