Indoor Observations on humidity and growth with a question

[congenial1]

In early July I began a new grow of Hijack Auto. Immediately following transplant at 10 days we had a real humidity spike here in Western NY. The grow room was running in the 70%+ humidity range as a result with temps around 80.

Plant growth was phenomenal, nearly twice as fast as previous grows. Flowering began end of July (3 weeks old) at which time I switched to flowering lights; the ladies were already about 3' tall and I didn't want them much larger due to my limited space.

And I was delighted...for a while. Humidity broke early august but stayed around 50%. At 4 weeks I began losing my large fan leaves in the manner I normally would at 6 or 7 weeks. And the progression continues: these plants seem to be working their way through a normal grow in less than 50 days. Browning of pistils, loss of secondary fan leafs, even tri-leafs.

Buds are about half thumb size and while there is sugar it is still light at this point. I'm concerned the plants grew so fast that bud development is going to suffer and the crop will be rather small and potentially less potent.

This is my 6th grow with Hijack auto and I thought I had this strain down. Not so sure now...

Was the excessive (was it excessive?) humidity responsible for this seemingly short and accelerated life cycle? Is there anything I can do at this point to maximize yield?

Currently using 's Ocean Forest organic potting soil without any other nutrients. I'm giving them as much water as they'll take, letting them dry out a little occasionally.

 

[congenial1]

Having just come across a thread that listed 70% humidity as ideal for vegetative growth and 45-50% ideal for flowering I guess my question and observations are a little naive. I never realized that much humidity was considered ideal for veg. My grows (up until now) have been in the fall and winter to better control heat and my humidity has been mostly in the low 40's, but the results have been very satisfactory, certainly better than this one.

The question still stands though: why are these plants seemingly running through their life cycle so quickly?

 

[A4]

congenial, it is very important to let the plants go through what is considered a wet/dry cycle when watering. It allows oxygen to the roots and increases aerobic activity in the soil. If you overwater your plants, this will decrease the amount of nutrient intake at the roots thus reducing your crops. I understand it may seem like a good idea but it isn't. I can't say for sure why you are seeing a slower growth rate now then before because there are tons of variables that are at play. That being said, I have always noticed much better vegetative when my temps are in the low to mid 80's with 70-80% RH. That is only for vegetative growth though.

 

[congenial1]

I don't think I'm over watering, just watering enough until I get a little runoff, then waiting a couple of days until the top few inches are dry and the bottom slightly moist. I'm also oxygenating my water with an aquarium stone. Thanks for the confirmation on the relative humidity.

 

[TokinNuggs]

I've always watered my closet auto's every 5-7 days almost on the nose. When the leaves start drooping, I give them about half a gallon per 1-2ft plant (1.7-2 gal pots).

I check them daily so they don't go very long in the droopy state. My waterings create a little overflow I run into the sink, and stop when there's an inch or so in the pot's tray.

 

[congenial1]

I've got to admit that I'm watering more than in the past due to the summer heat. As stated earlier, I'm primarily a fall and winter grower to avoid heat problems. Maybe I need to rethink my watering schedule. Is it really safe to wait until the leaves are drooping?