Reserve L.A.K. Federal Auto

Days 1-14, germination and early veg. Reserve L.A.K. Federal generally cracks within about two days on damp kitchen paper and is above the medium by day three. The first fortnight came in low and thickset, wide seed leaves followed by the broad dark fans this side of the genetics gives. Four nodes by day 14, the gaps between them already short. Keep the humidity near 70% and damping off stops being a concern.

Weeks 3-6, veg. Branching filled out fast after a single top at node four, holding a 60cm square and staying under 40cm — which is what makes this shape practical in the small tents most people actually have room for.

Bloom, weeks 1-9. The 77/23 character came through clearly. Caryophyllene was noticeable by week three and kept building; resin was obvious without a loupe from about week five. Indoor yield: up to 250 g/m2. Height: 90-120 cm. Medium. Tested at 26%. Rated intermediate.

Weeks 4-6, mid-bloom. Loose clusters from week three closed up into defined colas. Density climbed daily until a bud squeezed like a firm ball by week five. Fan leaves came off at the start of week four to keep air under the canopy, which mattered — an Irish autumn room sits damp, and flower this tight does not tolerate still air.

Ripening, weeks 7-9. Plain water for the last ten days. Caryophyllene was strong enough by then that carbon filtration was not optional in a terraced house. Heads went clear to milky over the final fortnight, amber showing on sugar leaves first, and around 15% amber on the calyxes is a defensible place to stop.

Drying and curing. Hung whole in the dark at 17°C and 58% humidity for twelve days, both held by a dehumidifier because an October room here will hold neither. Stems snapped instead of bending, which is the only test worth trusting. Four weeks in glass after that. The up to 250 g/m2 figure held up. Myrcene was far more present after the cure than at harvest — the cure makes flavour, it does not merely preserve it.

Flowering: 50-60 days. Indoor yield: up to 250 g/m2. Outdoor yield: up to 300 g/plant. Plant height: 90-120 cm. Medium. Rated intermediate difficulty. Regular seeds, autoflowering.

Reserve L.A.K. Federal arrives in order. The first draw at 26% THC gives peppercorn heat that lands at the back of the throat. The euphoric, creative character follows in minutes, as weight behind the eyes that works down through the shoulders. By a quarter of an hour it reads as physical stillness rather than sedation — a strong disinclination to stand up. Two to three hours at a sensible dose. Myrcene underneath contributes depth beneath the rest.

Primary: Caryophyllene · Secondary: Myrcene · Tertiary: Bisabolol. This is a combination that turns up repeatedly in cultivars people rate, and it is usually what gets commented on when a jar is opened for the first time after a proper cure. Caryophyllene anchors it, myrcene holds the middle, and bisabolol sits behind both — the last of those being what separates this from other strains leading on the same terpene.

Who does well with Reserve L.A.K. Federal? Back-garden and balcony growers in Dublin, Cork and Galway. Anyone who wants a crop dry and put away before the autumn closes in. Indoor growers short of headroom. The autoflowering genetics run to their own clock, so there is no schedule to manage and no anxiety about light leaks. Rated intermediate, which means a moderate learning curve that rewards attention without needing specialist kit.