Grow Mediums NFT for Autos?

[Redhaze]

Hi chaps, I’ve decided to take the plunge and go Auto for the foreseeablefuture.

Many reasons for this but mainly due to their ever improving rep alongwith their seemingly hassle free nature (although I hope I don’t regret sayingthat lol) & obviously quick turnover! With 2 young kids & an everdemanding job I’ve just not got the time I once had to attend to my plants (recently& going forward) and this in turn has caused me many growing headaches so Iwant something that basically grows itself – in the shortest time possible!

I just want to be able to go in my grow room adjust EC & PH whennecessary and close the door behind me and not have to spend an age training,topping or propping up fallen plants, dealing with yoyos etc………not to mention waitingfor ever for plants to finish. I currently and always have grown in hydro (4years growing experience using NFT 901 (211cm L x 48.5cm W - 80L) & 604 (153cmL x 49cm W- 60L).

My question is how many Autos can I get in my current NFT system/s if I wantto yield 1.5-2 Oz per plant? I would like to do 12 - 15 plants but if mycurrent system/s isn’t big enough I got my eyes on the NFT GT150 (3 channel 120litre). Anyone use any of these NFT systems?

I’m really looking forward to my Auto adventure. All opinions welcome?

 

[Muddy]

Welcome to AFN. Stop by our Introduction forum and introduce yourself so we can all get to know you.

Not a lot of people are running autos in NFT systems. The majority are using DWC. This is in part due to the fact that autos are popular with people who have limited growing space.

How many you can fit will depend to a large degree on what strains you decide to run. Dwarf strains generally stay around 15 - 20" tall but many of the newer strains are getting a lot bigger, up to 3' and more. Dwarfs seem to do best with about 15" square inches in soil, so probably a bit more in hydro. The bigger strains will obviously need more. So about 5 plants in your bigger system and 4 in the smaller one running them straight down the middle. If you stagger them a bit and set them more to the sides you can probably fit a couple more in each system. You might also consider doing a SCROG. Yes, bit more work initially to tie them off but it seems like it would be a good option for those systems.

Keep in mind that autos are more nutrient sensitive than photos. Generally they only require about 1/8 strength in the beginning, working up to about 1/2 strength max. Cal/mag deficiencies are pretty common in late veg and early flower, so it's always a good idea to have some on hand. Take a look at this thread for some additional information: https://www.autoflower.org/f44/life-cycle-auto-flowering-cannabis-5113.html

 

[Redhaze]

Welcome to AFN. Stop by our Introduction forum and introduce yourself so we can all get to know you.

Not a lot of people are running autos in NFT systems. The majority are using DWC. This is in part due to the fact that autos are popular with people who have limited growing space.

How many you can fit will depend to a large degree on what strains you decide to run. Dwarf strains generally stay around 15 - 20" tall but many of the newer strains are getting a lot bigger, up to 3' and more. Dwarfs seem to do best with about 15" square inches in soil, so probably a bit more in hydro. The bigger strains will obviously need more. So about 5 plants in your bigger system and 4 in the smaller one running them straight down the middle. If you stagger them a bit and set them more to the sides you can probably fit a couple more in each system. You might also consider doing a SCROG. Yes, bit more work initially to tie them off but it seems like it would be a good option for those systems.

Keep in mind that autos are more nutrient sensitive than photos. Generally they only require about 1/8 strength in the beginning, working up to about 1/2 strength max. Cal/mag deficiencies are pretty common in late veg and early flower, so it's always a good idea to have some on hand. Take a look at this thread for some additional information: https://www.autoflower.org/f44/life-cycle-auto-flowering-cannabis-5113.html

Cheers Muddy.

I was going to post in the introduction forum but seemed itwas more people asking general growing questions than posting intro. Anyway Iwas thinking roughly the same regards to no. of plants in my current system andyour right in the sense that not many people are running Autos in NFT but theones that are seem to be having good success. I did read up on Autos needing a lot less nutestrength but didn’t know about the cal/mag deficiency problems. Is this an Autothing as I’ve never suffered before running photos as I come from a hard waterarea and have always used Veg nutes in the first 2 weeks of flower runningphotos. Im at work at the minute but will introduce myself properly later andhave a gander at that link. Thanks Buddy.

 

[Muddy]

You're very welcome. Yes, the cal/mag issues are related to autos, especially when grown under LEDs. You may not have that given that you have hard water but for the cost of a quart of cal/mag, it's well worth having it on hand just in case. If one does pop up, you can address it immediately.

I agree, I've seen some auto grows in NFT that did very well. They just aren't very popular with auto growers due to their size. A lot of our members are growing in closets and small tents, so just don't have the room.

 

[Redhaze]

Ah OK I didn’t know that. Although I do want go down the LEDroute at some point in the future for now I’ll be sticking with my 600HPS but I’llnow be buying a small bottle of Cal/Mag to have on just in case which bring meon to something I’ve been struggling to find out - It seems the most Auto flower with the 14 daysmark (please correct me if my research is wrong) and was thinking once theyshow pre flowers do I carry on feeding Veg nutes for a week or switch straightto flower nutes?

 

[Muddy]

They can show pre flowers anywhere from around day 14 to day 25, sometimes longer depending on the strain. For maximum yield, keep them on veg nutes until vertical growth stops, usually sometime during week 5 or 6. This will make them go longer than what the seed banks advertise but it's well worth it for the increased yield. Expect most strains to take 10 - 12 weeks, depending on the strain and the type of high/stone you are after. Read that thread I linked in Post #2. That should answer a lot of your questions.

 

[Gooba]

Hey Redhaze. I have just finished an Auto grow https://www.autoflower.org/f44/heavyweight-fast-vast-questions-34958.html

I used 2 x NFT 901's. I ran them side by side in a tent (240cm x 200cm x 120cm) under 2 x 600w HPS & had 4 plants in each tank - which was just right.

I had to defoliate a hell of a lot when things started getting crowded but it has paid off! Everything is drying at the minute but I'm 95% certain that I've made around 5oz per plant! I'd highly recommend Heavyweight - fast & vast for that reason lol. They will still need supporting though, so I would still factor that in.

 

[Timbrittain]

How the fuck do you get to talk I'm 2017 very link on Google puts you on some thread from 2007 or some such bollox why don' they put you now ??????????

 

[EvilScotsman]

well fuck me runnin, 2 nft growers in the same thread! first time ive seen that. ive been here nearly a year trying to find other nft growers and gave up after 2. i use the 205. just went and got another 2 of them aswell. best system going like, i really dont understand why more people dont use them. that was my second grow! 17oz top shelf, 5oz for percy. nearly blew my load lol.
as much down to the system as it is the help i got from the guys on here though. i try to encourage people to use them but the worlds convinced dwc is better. silly world lol.
also not sure how the bigger systems perform but ive had 3 autos in that 20L res and all 3 went 49 days bang on till the first signs of preflower and harvest at 108 days. so maybe not the best option if speed is what your after.

 

[EvilScotsman]

also i seen someone mention about having to do a lot of chopping to keep em under control. i put 2 plants in that res and only got 300g. 1 plant of the same strain and closer to 600g. unless you want loads of different strains, id say less is more as theres less competition in the root zone.