Autoflower Tips?

[Orcanic]

Hi guys

I ordered some more seeds from @Biltong and Budz to plant when my current grow finishes next month and was wondering if you had any tips for a first time auto grower?

I am loving my photo grow and have some Joker CBD seeds that I was going to do next, but I wanted to do a few autos so that I can experience growing both types of plants.

I topped my current grow twice and did lots of LST and defoliation as well as a successful recovery when she started to die off. You can see the grow diary here:

But I hear that you shouldn't be giving autos too much stress and that I should only LST. Would love to top them at least once, but I am just worried about them not being able to recover in their short veg time. When I topped my current grow I hardly saw any stress, but I see genetics also play s role in that.

Another question I had was about transplanting.. With this grow I went from a cup to a 5l fabric pot to a 10l fabric pot. Should I just start them in the 10l to reduce stress?

 

Any grow suggestions would be really appreciated, willing to try some new things too. Let me know if I should change anything in my set-up:

- Freedom Farms Premium Soil

- 80cm grow tent

- 240W Quantum LED Board

- Oscillating fans + extractor fan

- I water with 6.2-6.4 ph and a 1/2 dose of BioBloom once a week (during flower)

 

 

Edited October 30, 2020 by Orcanic

[Slartibarfast]

Hi, not super experienced but I have grown a few autos. From my understanding high stress training is definitely not a good idea due to the set lifespan autos have, meaning they won't have enough time to recover.

LST is definitely the way to go. I have heard Supercropping is good too, I am actually going to give it a go in combination with LST on the new grow I just started.

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

[Bakstein420]

You will get conflicting responses on both questions. The thing with an auto is you want to avoid stressing the plant to the point that it needs a recovery period.

I grew an auto from GSR, my first ever proper grow in a "spacetote". I transplanted and then LST'd the shit out of that poor plant, resulting plant at harvest.

Sadly I lost most of the main colas to bud rot. I am now growing a fastbuds C4 which I started in its final pot and did no training.

It might be strain related or could probably even be grower fault, but I rate LST at the very least.

[Bakstein420]

Also I would be doing you an injustice if I didn't get @Prom involved, he gets some consistently solid yeilds with autos.

Although he focuses more on feeding and lighting as apposed to training.

[Orcanic]

1 hour ago, Slartibarfast said:

Hi, not super experienced but I have grown a few autos. From my understanding high stress training is definitely not a good idea due to the set lifespan autos have, meaning they won't have enough time to recover.

LST is definitely the way to go. I have heard Supercropping is good too, I am actually going to give it a go in combination with LST on the new grow I just started.

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk
 

Thanks man, let me know how that goes for you. I'd also be keen on combining LST and Supercropping

1 hour ago, Bakstein420 said:

You will get conflicting responses on both questions. The thing with an auto is you want to avoid stressing the plant to the point that it needs a recovery period.

I grew an auto from GSR, my first ever proper grow in a "spacetote". I transplanted and then LST'd the shit out of that poor plant, resulting plant at harvest.

Sadly I lost most of the main colas to bud rot. I am now growing a fastbuds C4 which I started in its final pot and did no training.

It might be strain related or could probably even be grower fault, but I rate LST at the very least.

That first pic looks amazing man! Yep definitely going to LST

1 hour ago, Bakstein420 said:

Also I would be doing you an injustice if I didn't get @Prom involved, he gets some consistently solid yeilds with autos.

Although he focuses more on feeding and lighting as apposed to training.

Would love to hear from him, always looking to try/focus on new techniques

Edited October 30, 2020 by Orcanic

[Teal Smith]

@Orcanic Hey bud, I'm just finishing up my 1st auto grow now. My buds came out okay (a mix of LSD, GSC, AK x Crit Mass) though I don't have any final weights yet as they still drying. Some things I found handy along the way:

I'd also heard that autos don't respond well to HST but I experimented anyways by topping and FIMming 1 of each just to see how they turned out. They were stunted for sure, and never produced as much as most of the normal ones that were not topped or FIMmed. Well, on those 2 phenos on these strains it wasn't worth it, at least. The topped one looked worse than the FIMmed one. Maybe on other strains it works better, IDK...  I did however defoliate the plants a few times throughout the grow to keep the bottom tidy and clear for lower RH and better airflow (and easier watering). Also I removed any leaves that never looked healthy. All in all I'd say I removed the branches up to the 6th or 7th node, but not all at once, maybe 3 or 4 sittings. This is also called lollipopping. 

Also on training, I gently tucked the fan leaves under the bud sites so that buds are more exposed to the light. It's kind of like training but not quite. My plants responded well to this.

If you want the bottom branches to grow taller, don't cut the corresponding fan leaf below it. This helps create an even canopy.

All of mine were in 5L fabric pots, never transplanted. Seeds went straight into pots. Despite the small pots the yields per plant seem pretty decent. I must say it's a pleasure to handle them in the smaller pots, makes many things easier

At the end I got fungus gnats, as is so common. It was a bummer, but lucky I harvested before they fucked things up. I hear adding cinnamon to your medium in the beginning stops them from ever laying eggs. to begin with.  @DamDave says he's had good success with this. I'll be doing this next time

Other than that keep your temps and RH on point throughout the various stages. Try not to let them fluctuate if possible. The more stable the better. Never let it get hotter than 26 deg C as it damages terpenes. Try keep it at 20 deg or close during flower and 45% RH if you can. Remember the 48 hrs dark at the end.

I'm still learning. Some might disagree with a few of these methods but they seemed to help me. Happy growing man :)

Below pics of autos, top 2 bottom:
LSD25,     GSC,     AK x Critical Mass,    GSC,    AK x Crit Mass

Edited October 30, 2020 by Teal Smith

[afternoon blazer]

4 hours ago, Teal Smith said:

@Orcanic Hey bud, I'm just finishing up my 1st auto grow now. My buds came out okay (a mix of LSD, GSC, AK x Crit Mass) though I don't have any final weights yet as they still drying. Some things I found handy along the way:

I'd also heard that autos don't respond well to HST but I experimented anyways by topping and FIMming 1 of each just to see how they turned out. They were stunted for sure, and never produced as much as most of the normal ones that were not topped or FIMmed. Well, on those 2 phenos on these strains it wasn't worth it, at least. The topped one looked worse than the FIMmed one. Maybe on other strains it works better, IDK...  I did however defoliate the plants a few times throughout the grow to keep the bottom tidy and clear for lower RH and better airflow (and easier watering). Also I removed any leaves that never looked healthy. All in all I'd say I removed the branches up to the 6th or 7th node, but not all at once, maybe 3 or 4 sittings. This is also called lollipopping. 

Also on training, I gently tucked the fan leaves under the bud sites so that buds are more exposed to the light. It's kind of like training but not quite. My plants responded well to this.

If you want the bottom branches to grow taller, don't cut the corresponding fan leaf below it. This helps create an even canopy.

All of mine were in 5L fabric pots, never transplanted. Seeds went straight into pots. Despite the small pots the yields per plant seem pretty decent. I must say it's a pleasure to handle them in the smaller pots, makes many things easier

At the end I got fungus gnats, as is so common. It was a bummer, but lucky I harvested before they fucked things up. I hear adding cinnamon to your medium in the beginning stops them from ever laying eggs. to begin with.  @DamDave says he's had good success with this. I'll be doing this next time

Other than that keep your temps and RH on point throughout the various stages. Try not to let them fluctuate if possible. The more stable the better. Never let it get hotter than 26 deg C as it damages terpenes. Try keep it at 20 deg or close during flower and 45% RH if you can. Remember the 48 hrs dark at the end.

I'm still learning. Some might disagree with a few of these methods but they seemed to help me. Happy growing man

Below pics of autos, top 2 bottom:
LSD25,     GSC,     AK x Critical Mass,    GSC,    AK x Crit Mass

Some might fine ass autos u got there bro.

[Psylecta]

LSD look insane - too legit to quit

[Dank]

@Orcanic most autoflowers have a better chance when they start of in the final pot, some theories out there about the taproot, etc.

Watering is tricky when starting out in the final container, over watering a auto will also set it back, same as a transplant.

[Orcanic]

8 hours ago, Teal Smith said:

@Orcanic Hey bud, I'm just finishing up my 1st auto grow now. My buds came out okay (a mix of LSD, GSC, AK x Crit Mass) though I don't have any final weights yet as they still drying. Some things I found handy along the way:

I'd also heard that autos don't respond well to HST but I experimented anyways by topping and FIMming 1 of each just to see how they turned out. They were stunted for sure, and never produced as much as most of the normal ones that were not topped or FIMmed. Well, on those 2 phenos on these strains it wasn't worth it, at least. The topped one looked worse than the FIMmed one. Maybe on other strains it works better, IDK...  I did however defoliate the plants a few times throughout the grow to keep the bottom tidy and clear for lower RH and better airflow (and easier watering). Also I removed any leaves that never looked healthy. All in all I'd say I removed the branches up to the 6th or 7th node, but not all at once, maybe 3 or 4 sittings. This is also called lollipopping. 

Also on training, I gently tucked the fan leaves under the bud sites so that buds are more exposed to the light. It's kind of like training but not quite. My plants responded well to this.

If you want the bottom branches to grow taller, don't cut the corresponding fan leaf below it. This helps create an even canopy.

All of mine were in 5L fabric pots, never transplanted. Seeds went straight into pots. Despite the small pots the yields per plant seem pretty decent. I must say it's a pleasure to handle them in the smaller pots, makes many things easier

At the end I got fungus gnats, as is so common. It was a bummer, but lucky I harvested before they fucked things up. I hear adding cinnamon to your medium in the beginning stops them from ever laying eggs. to begin with.  @DamDave says he's had good success with this. I'll be doing this next time

Other than that keep your temps and RH on point throughout the various stages. Try not to let them fluctuate if possible. The more stable the better. Never let it get hotter than 26 deg C as it damages terpenes. Try keep it at 20 deg or close during flower and 45% RH if you can. Remember the 48 hrs dark at the end.

I'm still learning. Some might disagree with a few of these methods but they seemed to help me. Happy growing man :)

Below pics of autos, top 2 bottom:
LSD25,     GSC,     AK x Critical Mass,    GSC,    AK x Crit Mass

@Teal Smith Those autos look awesome man, thanks for the tips. I will probably LST + Lollipop, and I'll definitely try out that cinnamon trick. I don't think that I'll risk HST for my first auto grow.

53 minutes ago, Dank said:

@Orcanic most autoflowers have a better chance when they start of in the final pot, some theories out there about the taproot, etc.

Watering is tricky when starting out in the final container, over watering a auto will also set it back, same as a transplant.

@Dank Ah okay thanks, will take note to be careful when watering. Just deciding whether I should use my 5l or 10l pots.. leaning toward 10l

[ORGANinc.]

10 hours ago, Teal Smith said:

@Orcanic Hey bud, I'm just finishing up my 1st auto grow now. My buds came out okay (a mix of LSD, GSC, AK x Crit Mass) though I don't have any final weights yet as they still drying. Some things I found handy along the way:

I'd also heard that autos don't respond well to HST but I experimented anyways by topping and FIMming 1 of each just to see how they turned out. They were stunted for sure, and never produced as much as most of the normal ones that were not topped or FIMmed. Well, on those 2 phenos on these strains it wasn't worth it, at least. The topped one looked worse than the FIMmed one. Maybe on other strains it works better, IDK...  I did however defoliate the plants a few times throughout the grow to keep the bottom tidy and clear for lower RH and better airflow (and easier watering). Also I removed any leaves that never looked healthy. All in all I'd say I removed the branches up to the 6th or 7th node, but not all at once, maybe 3 or 4 sittings. This is also called lollipopping. 

Also on training, I gently tucked the fan leaves under the bud sites so that buds are more exposed to the light. It's kind of like training but not quite. My plants responded well to this.

If you want the bottom branches to grow taller, don't cut the corresponding fan leaf below it. This helps create an even canopy.

All of mine were in 5L fabric pots, never transplanted. Seeds went straight into pots. Despite the small pots the yields per plant seem pretty decent. I must say it's a pleasure to handle them in the smaller pots, makes many things easier

At the end I got fungus gnats, as is so common. It was a bummer, but lucky I harvested before they fucked things up. I hear adding cinnamon to your medium in the beginning stops them from ever laying eggs. to begin with.  @DamDave says he's had good success with this. I'll be doing this next time

Other than that keep your temps and RH on point throughout the various stages. Try not to let them fluctuate if possible. The more stable the better. Never let it get hotter than 26 deg C as it damages terpenes. Try keep it at 20 deg or close during flower and 45% RH if you can. Remember the 48 hrs dark at the end.

I'm still learning. Some might disagree with a few of these methods but they seemed to help me. Happy growing man

Below pics of autos, top 2 bottom:
LSD25,     GSC,     AK x Critical Mass,    GSC,    AK x Crit Mass

Very nicely done man! From seed to harvest how long did it take bro? Great great stuff

[Teal Smith]

@ORGANinc. Thanks alot man :) Really appreciate that :D

The GSC & LSD was around 8.5 weeks. AK closer to 9.5 - 10 weeks, actually I still have 1 or 2 growing that aren't quite ready.

But that LSD is the one from FastBuds, a total winner. Will definitely work with this strain again.

 

[Teal Smith]

@Orcanic sorry bud, it was not my intention to hijack your post :D haha

 

have a good grow my man, keep us posted!

 

[Orcanic]

22 minutes ago, Teal Smith said:

@Orcanic sorry bud, it was not my intention to hijack your post :D haha

 

have a good grow my man, keep us posted!

 

Haha no problem, thanks man :D