Photoperiod Autopots, Biotabs, and Photos oh my!

[lowgrowshow]

Welcome to my first, but hopefully not last journal. Like the title says I'm growing photos in a few spaces spread across an apartment using autopots with biotabs. I dare call my growing perpetual because I still haven't gotten my timing down so I can always just move and flip.

At this point I've grown about 10 plants using the autopilot/biotabs combo. I started using that combo because it makes it a lot easier to manage multiple plants after getting off from the full-time.

- Autopots and Biotabs
- 2x4x5 Tent
- DIY ~18" x 40" Cabinet
- 12 x 36v citi cob @1050ma (4K, 3.5K), diy
- 8 x citi cob (3.5K) @ 1400ma, diy
- t5 HO 6500K
- small veg area
*figured the lights weren't the focal point, can give more specifics if wanted

Hopefully this'll serve as a place for me to showcase what I've got going, jot down thoughts, and reach out for any suggestions as I go along.

Currently I'm about 3 weeks from finishing two HSO Black DOG(BD) plants from seed. Flower day 1 was 7/29
View media item 13272This is my first run of this strain but it's looking pretty promising. The two pheno's appear slightly different, one having more bud development down the stalk, the other more hand grenade like. I've cloned both, so hopefully I'll be posting more about those.

BD is the fastest strain I've grown so far so I'm trying to figure things out overall and in relation to shorter flowering strains. Again, that's one of the areas where I think the grow method excels. As long as I don't overfert, things tend to still go okay.

The biggest thing I'm working on ATM is managing plant height. I'm currently seeing some light/heat stress because of the distance to the light. Hell, at this point I've only gotten the lights up to 85-90W(total 180) on my 8 cob fixture. That's also about all I can handle cooling wise.

I've been starting plants in small square pots (4" i think), moving them to 1gal. round, and then to a 15L. I believe I'll have better results if I get the plants into the 15L pots earlier for more veg time. Hopefully that'll save me the 1-3 weeks of veg time to fill the net.

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- On 7/9 I popped 3 HSO Green Crack seeds in coco/perlite mix.
- 8/10 4" to 1 Gal
- 8/16 topped
- 8/26 1 Gallon moved to 15L
View media item 13274View media item 13273
I'm usually close to the directions from the biotabs kit. Although the add Per each 15L pot there's a 50/50 coco perlite mix + 2 Tbsp Startrex + 2 tsp kelp meal + 3 handfuls ewc + 2 handfuls alaskan humus + 1/4tsp of epsom salt + 1/4 tsp of gypsum.

I waited two days after the initial watering to water again. After that I've been watering every other day with RO and performing LST (bending and some tie down). Here they are this morning.

 

[Screwauger]

Subbed in, great start. I am also an autopot grower with 2 photo plants at Day 35 of flower. My journal is in my sig if you wish to take a peak.

Very interested in the biotabs as it seems like every other day I am mixing nutes!!

best of luck will be following with interest.

 

[lowgrowshow]

Subbed in, great start. I am also an autopot grower with 2 photo plants at Day 35 of flower. My journal is in my sig if you wish to take a peak.

Very interested in the biotabs as it seems like every other day I am mixing nutes!!

best of luck will be following with interest.

That's exactly why I started using biotabs. I started on the fox farm nutrient trio and quickly learned that I didn't like mixing nutes. Mixing nutrients in small quantities is difficult and I was always wasting nutes and filtered water trying to dial down ppms.

 

[lowgrowshow]

Here's a quick rundown on all of the plants that are going ATM:

Black DOG Clones (9/4 Day 39 from cut)

9/1 - Each given a 80ppm 6oz watering of RO +orgatrex
9/2 - Raised T5 fixture and turned on second set of bulbs, 2 to 4
I luckily got this picture this morning right as my camera battery died. These have been getting ro waterings and LST regularly. Oh, the square pot is a GC clone. I was trying to see if I could successfully get a small top to root.

Green Crack

9/1 - Top watered .5L to each plant of 100ppm RO +orgatrex + 1 drop mammoth p
- Turned up 4K in panel ((10% --> ~25%(~56W)) ), 3.5 K 10% (~23W)
Still bending and adjusting my ropes daily.

Black DOG 1 (9/3 Day 36 of Flower)

Black DOG 2

8/31 - Let tank water go low
9/1 - Added water to plant trays by hand
9/2 - Fed each plant 600mL RO + 10mL Orgatrex + 1 mounded kit spoon + .5 mL Mammoth P
Tank filled after

Things are steaming along with these two plants. Now I'm just trying to maintain, be patient, and take notes on ways to improve for the next ones. BD1 stretched too tall which is evident by the light burn I started to get. Most of the curling came at about 95W on both sides with the doors closed, so I got constant 81-82 temps.

This round I wanted to see how the aggressive stripping techniques would work for me. I did a heavy strip on these at 14 days in flower. I was more confident working with the nutes and my environment was dialed in a bit more. Next round I think I have to pair that with an earlier flip and I'll be better on height issues/light burn issues.

I just stuck my head into my cabinet and I would say the buds of both plants have swelled. The frost of BD2 has increased significantly. I'll have to start scoping earlier to see what the visual changes are actually in trichome volume and swell. I love the heavy fertilization period with this kit, things start swelling more and you start going down hill. From here I will probably give water until next week, one more tea, and then water only. Got a trip to Maine coming up finger: weddings BTW) and I can't wait to see to see if for the first time. This is where the system shines. Now if only I had a dedicated space so I could set and forget temp and humidity for trips.

 

[lowgrowshow]

Thanks for checking my stuff out @EvilScotsman

 

[EvilScotsman]

your lookin sweet mate. im interested in these biotabs. not for me but ill be passing my gear on when i retire for a bit in a month or so. really cant be bothered trying to teach the guy hydro lol so trying to figure out an easier option. whats the crack with them. like what do you do with them?

 

[lowgrowshow]

your lookin sweet mate. im interested in these biotabs. not for me but ill be passing my gear on when i retire for a bit in a month or so. really cant be bothered trying to teach the guy hydro lol so trying to figure out an easier option. whats the crack with them. like what do you do with them?

Oh, if you're looking for something organic and easy to follow plan to give him I can't suggest the Autopot and biotabs combo more. Especially for y'all cats across the pond as it because it's easy to pick up both. Takes about 5 minutes to explain with directions simpler than ikea. Veg, drop your tabs (fertilizer pucks) and you're off to the races. Plain water is what's suggested and gives decent results. I generally add in a tea of some sort once a week for that added boost.

 

[EvilScotsman]

yeah i seen a video about that. was thinking about the starter pack they do. a teaspoon of this n that. then chuck a puk. couple weeks later another teaspoon of something else and that was it. this is unbelievable! the question for me though is can i use them to produce one massive plant in one massive pot and still just have to feed it only water? looking for 500g per plant or its not really worth it. you only get a slap on the wrists for 1 plant round here. couple cheapo leds and no nutrients to be found in the house. he'll get off with it no worries if hes caught. been promising id set him up for ages but hes just not listening to the hydro malarchy. hes too old and stubborn... yes... @wizard23 im talking about you if you ever poke your effin head on here lol.

 

[lowgrowshow]

Ha, call em out! I think you could definitely pull off one large plant and I'm just itching for a larger space to grow some giants (well baby giants). Just need the additional tabs for the larger base pot size. And depending on the veg time you could probably do some staggered insertions. Got a thread title too, "Elbow Grow for Sho' ". Some of the guys on both autopot and biotab threads are using 5 gallons + with dope results. I've just finished my third starter kit and have an order in for the bigger containers.

Oh, one of my time savers is to prep my sprouts (corn, alfalfa) at the start of a grow. Sprout them, blend them, and throw them in some ice trays. With my trays each cubs comes out to about an ounce of liquid. Drop a couple in your brew and viola.

Not that I was super experienced with bottles, but biotabs are less exacting and less messy. Now I worry less, feed them what I think they need, and I can go on vacation. Left mine yesterday for a 5 days span. Filled my tanks, turned the lights down a bit for heat, leave and cross your fingers.

If the fuzz rolls up on you just move the plant, sit a lounge chair in the space and say that you like to tan dangerously.

 

[lowgrowshow]

I'm excited about this update because it comes after a trip! This is when I love this grow setup because I filled both my tanks and heavily watered my clones on Thurs. and flew out that night. I got to open things up for the first time yesterday morning and all was well. I'll throw progress shots in a bit.

The clones just grew a few inches. I ordered 4 15L pots from the autopots US site but I now own a 15L extension kit. Happy accident though, I like the two sided tray and it's going to become my new watering system for the veg area. I can put everything from small to large in there. Anyway, I'm waiting on some biotabs stuff so I can get a pair of clones into their final pots. They need it badly and I figure two weeks in their final pots will be good before flip.



The Green Crack are vegging well. I placed 3.5 x 3.5 netting on 9/7 to spread them further before my trip. I just finished weaving a moving branches under the net to encourage some more bud sites. I'm going to watch them for a few days and flip soon after I think.

9/7




9/14



The Black DOGs were stripped a bit on 9/7 to let some light down to lower sites. I think there that helped things swell up a bit to 9/14. This morning I scoped them and the trichs are about 30% clear 70% cloudy.

9/7

9/14