Sub'd. Great thread/grow. Just got done reading through, Everything is looking awesome! I don't usually post on here (hence my zero posts) but i had to comment when I saw your grow. Im in the same area (SCM) I was tripping out reading this thread being like damn that looks a lot like where I live haha. but I was having the same problem with the breaking branches on the bigger girls. Almost positive it is the added weight the buds are putting on. I put up some trellis netting to support the bigger branches and it seemed to fix the problem. Oh, and olive oil does the trick with that clogged up ear. Same thing happened to me about a year ago. The oil helps break the wax down and kinda liquefies it so it will come out easier.
Anyways, keep it up! Plants are looking beastly!