yo man dont worry about the 10-15 min here and there. i have done it in the past too. sometimes theres just nothing that can be done. even timers fail (trust me on that one).

i would say likely it was genetic. but who can tell.
i had northern lights on my last grow only one made it untill i realized that my water softener was killing them. and this time i got sativa seeds some how (breeder mix up)

all of us noobs are learning, but i think your plants look great.