Looking to grow autos. Need help.

[thebombhaha]

Hi guys,

Last year from August-December, I grew 5 photos plants using a t5 fluorescent for early veg and 1x 1000w MH/HPS for late veg+flowering

I yielded around 1.5lb for this run. It was my first grow ever.

Since then, I'm preparing to grow autos for the first time soon. I wanna get a couple of things straight so I don't fuck up. Are my lights feasible for autos? I was told that they were, and that I could always upgrade to different lights since the HPS gets pretty hot.

I don't know much about lights other than what I used for the first run. I'm currently trying to repair my tent(trying to use a PVC connector for one of the corner pieces that cracked in half). It's a 5ft by 5ft by 2m long tent. I was told I could fit 8-9 autos in this space. Just wanna confirm if that's accurate as well here.

I'm going to be growing in Coco Coir. I know autos transition from veg->flower automatically on their own and I don't need to make any changes to my light times (18on, 6off until harvest). How fast do most autos finish in? I'm going to try to LST them like I did with my photos for my first run. I also wonder how feeding works if I'm doing it manually since I don't have a watering system in place. I was told nothing changes in terms of the feeding, but since they grow at a much faster rate, do I need to feed more often with autos than photos?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Arthur]

Lights should do fine, your space footprint, is 5x5? Plant count is extremely strain dependent. I can fit 9 small gold glues in my 4x4, or 1 or 2 of the Hubbabubba mixed strains, so maybe?

Finish times stated by breeders are... well, optimistic. 70 days from sprout is about as fast as you'll find. Topping and training work about the same, other than you don't want to be topping during transition, causing stress. Seems most top @ the 4th node. Lst works great.

If you grew in coco before, it's the same for autos, your just on a schedule for changes. Autos tend to eat less, but I still feed 2x a day in flower. I run 3 gallon bags of coco/perlite. You can feed less, or more, you'll have to find your sweet spot.

 

[thebombhaha]

Lights should do fine, your space footprint, is 5x5? Plant count is extremely strain dependent. I can fit 9 small gold glues in my 4x4, or 1 or 2 of the Hubbabubba mixed strains, so maybe?

Finish times stated by breeders are... well, optimistic. 70 days from sprout is about as fast as you'll find. Topping and training work about the same, other than you don't want to be topping during transition, causing stress. Seems most top @ the 4th node. Lst works great.

If you grew in coco before, it's the same for autos, your just on a schedule for changes. Autos tend to eat less, but I still feed 2x a day in flower. I run 3 gallon bags of coco/perlite. You can feed less, or more, you'll have to find your sweet spot.

Thanks for the detailed reply bro. Really helpful. Exactly the stuff I was trying to find out. Great that you grow in Coco Coir too so it's all applicable to this next run. Yeah, the space is 5x5. I did a 70:30 coco perlite ratio for the photos. Is that fine for autos? Are 7-8 in this space fine for a northern light autoflower strain(indica)? I really don't know how they grow since it's gonna be my first time. All of that stuff is pretty strain dependent like you say. I still have to pick my seeds from the seedbank I'm ordering from.

Yeah, about the feeds. I fed 1x a day in my first run even all throughout flower and I think that was probably a mistake. I didn't see any negatives all throughout flower so I kept the same frequency and others told me it was fine since there were zero negatives. This might have reduced the quality of the bud? I have no idea, only pondering. Was on time constraints so it was hard to even feed them once a day til runoff at the time. Will be sure to feed them twice like you say this time around in flowering.

In terms of the light, I'll need to switch to the MH from the t5 much faster than I did with the photos right? I veg'd those photos for around 3 months.

Question about transplanting. I did cups>1g>3G pots for my first run with the photos. Do I need to do the same for this? I was advised to start them in small pots. I have 1g pots. Is that fine to start them off in?

"it's the same for autos, your just on a schedule for changes." You're talking about them automatically switching to flowering at some point during the schedule right? I keep that 18 on 6 off until harvest right for the lights?

 

[Arthur]

I start in my 3 gallon bags, many start in solos and transplant... my theory is... if I can fuck it up... try and eliminate it. So... after stunting and killing one or two, I just go straight to the medium, after a 24 hr soak.

Lighting, by week 2 your halfway thru veg, so be ready to add the lights.
I have a different setup, but run @ 60% till sex shows and then increase to 100%.

Coco you can treat like hydro, and get similar results, add a reservoir and a timer and you can feed as much as your wallet will allow.

I hand water, and drain to waste, once a day till stacking, then I go to twice a day.

I tend to use just LST, and fairly lightly with good results. Sog and scrog are both options with appropriate genetic choices.

 

[thebombhaha]

I start in my 3 gallon bags, many start in solos and transplant... my theory is... if I can fuck it up... try and eliminate it. So... after stunting and killing one or two, I just go straight to the medium, after a 24 hr soak.

Lighting, by week 2 your halfway thru veg, so be ready to add the lights.
I have a different setup, but run @ 60% till sex shows and then increase to 100%.

Coco you can treat like hydro, and get similar results, add a reservoir and a timer and you can feed as much as your wallet will allow.

I hand water, and drain to waste, once a day till stacking, then I go to twice a day.

I tend to use just LST, and fairly lightly with good results. Sog and scrog are both options with appropriate genetic choices.

Wow. Halfway through veg already in just the second week. They're fast as fuck compared to the photos. If I order autoflower seeds, I don't have to worry about the sex since they're all strictly feminized right? I do remember people saying some can change gender or hermie depending on the topping job or something along those lines.

Yeah. I thought about that and really considered just starting them in my big 3g pots to save any potential stress inducement. It would just be a first time for me, but I suppose it won't hurt to try and save myself from the potential risks.

I forgot to mention I don't have a watering system. I'm prepared to do DTW again just as I did for the first run. Difference between you and I is that I have pots, not bags. I don't know if this makes a difference. I have saucers to collect drainage. Since you do DTW as well, do you have any recommendations for a good watering tool? I was using an oil funnel and a 1000ml beaker cup. Kinda got spilled a lot as I tried to get the five big photos plants around the tent for the first run. If I do go ahead and start them in the 3g pots, is the same rule still applicable in terms of sticking your finger in the mix a fingernail length and then planting the seed for germ?

"I hand water, and drain to waste, once a day till stacking, then I go to twice a day." What is stacking? Sorry, unfamiliar with all the terminology still. I'm assuming that's flowering.

 

[Arthur]

Stacking starts as the stretch stops, growth begins stacking the buds up.
Have never run coco in pots. The big advantage of coco is the airy open structure allowing good moisture to medium ratio, the fabric bags work on the samish principle, good air around the roots.

Will say here there's a couple companies making great bags with velcro closures, makes cleaning and reusing easier.

This seed was dropped the first of July and preflowering so yeah, about 2 weeks...

 

[AutoWonders]

If I order autoflower seeds, I don't have to worry about the sex since they're all strictly feminized right?

No. There are regular autoflower seeds too, so when ordering, keep a sharp eye out for wording.

 

[thebombhaha]

No. There are regular autoflower seeds too, so when ordering, keep a sharp eye out for wording.

The seedbank says this under the category "Autoflower"

"Autoflower marijuana seeds are all feminized and do not need a change in their light cycle. These marijuana seeds are the best beginner seeds as they are robust and generally easy to grow."

This is fine right?

 

[Arthur]

Sounds like they're "feminized" seeds, but @AutoWonders is correct, watch closely, reggie's exist.

 

[thebombhaha]

Stacking starts as the stretch stops, growth begins stacking the buds up.
Have never run coco in pots. The big advantage of coco is the airy open structure allowing good moisture to medium ratio, the fabric bags work on the samish principle, good air around the roots.

Will say here there's a couple companies making great bags with velcro closures, makes cleaning and reusing easier.

This seed was dropped the first of July and preflowering so yeah, about 2 weeks...View attachment 1086615 View attachment 1086614

This is so different from photos. I had to wait so long for the stretching to take place from germ to flowering since I veg'd them for so long. In the case of the fabric bags, perhaps I should invest? I can't imagine they're too expensive. I notice you have saucers underneath them.

This means they have holes in the bottom for drainage like the pots? The difference between them from what I can garner is one slip up in a bag and your plant is fucked since there's so much wiggle room with those bags. Going to be difficult to move around, but then again, I'm working with way more space this time around. Before, I could barely move around in my apartment room with that huge 5x5 tent, but this time it will all be at my friends house.

It's interesting how "stacking" works with autos. I had never heard of the term prior to you telling me about it here. It's all so incredibly quick in comparison to photos. I took off my LST and lolipopped the plants to the best of my abilities as a first time grower around week 3 of flowering. Any issues lolipopping with autos, and does defoliating work the same?

About stretching with photos, that started around day 12 of flowering according to my photos journal(9-10 week flowering period w them) Here's a pic when I believe the stretch happened. Will their stretch look similar?