Lowlife AK47 Automatic

jayzero · #1 06-08-2008, 05:51 PM

Ok, well, I've read this forum for a while now but finally decided to jump in and contribute. I've just started my first grow - Lowlife AK-47 Automatic hybrid. I went for the auto for a few reasons, mostly space and simplicity,
but also out of curiosity. I'm just growing for me and I don't smoke pounds of weed, so it should be a productive grow.

I have precious little space in my flat to do any sort of growing so I just bought an HPS and mounted it under my desk (400W Sunmaster Super HPS Deluxe). Also out of curiosity, I'm growing the whole thing under 24h lighting just to see how it fares. I have an oscillating fan under there to move the air around and keep things cool. Otherwise I just leave my window open for fresh air and that's that. It's not really enclosed so the ventilation is pretty good.

They were germed on paper towel and started in jiffy pellets. Soil is just pure commercial bagged compost - again, I was going for simple. Compost is a bit acidic but I have really hard water so I think they work well together. Fed just water for the first week, then a feed of 1/4 strength nutes (Ionic Soil/Grow). I'm adding 1/4 tsp/L epsom salts to all the water and food as well, again because of the rather hard water.

I started them staggered so I wouldn't end up killing them all from the get go in case I messed something up - it's all a bit of a learning experince and I have a habit of learning things the hard way, lol. My first seedling was rushed and it toasted under the lights - pics are from the second one, which is the eldest, and #3 and #4 are about a week and ten days behind this one.

The eldest showed definite sex at 13 days - a girl!!

So far it's staying really, really short but it's branching like a fractal on amphetamines. As of today, day 16, I count seven nodes on the main cola, each producing two fan leaves and two satellites. The bottom satellites are on 3-4 nodes each already and some of those have started to branch off. The satellites are budding all over the place, as is the main cola. I get the feeling the AKs are definitely the daddies of the lowlifes when it comes to yield - this thing is looking crazy and nothing like the spindly, waif-like pics I've seen of Lowryder.

Some of the branches look a bit twisted in the pics - that's from me moving them around a bit to try to help them find light. It's branching so much that it doesn't have room to fit all the stuff it's trying to grow!

At any rate - more news to come. Watch this space. Questions, comments, and advice all welcome.

jayzero · #2 06-08-2008, 05:56 PM

^ oh - and the pics are, in order

day "0" - cotyledons emerge
day 0 - 12h old
day 3
day 5
day 11
day 13 - It's a GIRL!
day 13 (full plant)
day 16 (showing branching)
day 16 (under lights)
day 16 (under the foliage)
day 16 (budding on the satellites)

Last two pics are of the setup under my desk =D

jayzero · #3 06-08-2008, 11:23 PM

Day 17

Few more pics and new shots of the two little ones. Gardening is so much fun

Bain · #4 06-09-2008, 10:13 AM

love the pics. I was considering doing lowlife AK hybrid for a while but then went with regular AK47 instead. Either way, very curious how this turns out. Having any heat issues? my 400w hps runs very hot.

jayzero · #5 06-09-2008, 01:43 PM

The lamp does seem really hot, but after spending time outside today in some of the first hot summer sun of the year, it seems to my mind that it's not much different from a hot, sunny day. I've got a thermometer in there just in the shade under the leaves and it seems to generally read between 25-28C (77-83F). The direct light seems hot, but not really much more than direct summer sunlight. I didn't have the fan down there at first, mind you, and it seemed like putting it down there helped everything immensely. A few leaves look a bit heat stressed, but they're older leaves and nearer the bottom, so I think it may be just a bit of nute burn as the top leaves seem really green and healthy. It's quite an open space, so the heat doesn't really build up, it seems.

Here's another pic from today taken under more colour balanced light and you'll see what I mean - the top near the lamp is nice and green but the bottom leaves are a bit less fresh and supple - almost a bit parched. Those bottom leaves got one light foliar feed last week and that was probably a bad idea as the next day it definitely showed a bit of nute stress/burn. I did notice that she's drinking a *lot* more water as she gets bigger. I'm having to dump almost a litre in every other day now. It is really, really green mind you, so I'm thinking I've just overdone it a touch on the ferts. It is doing a bit of the claw-leaf thing, but I remember someone (in another thread) noting that was, at least in some cases, a genetic trait. She's looking happy for now, it seems. Pure water for the next couple waterings, I think, then I plan to slowly ramp up with a bit of bloom nute as flowering starts to take off.

Bain · #6 06-09-2008, 03:07 PM

I don't see much claw leaf on your plant, but as far as I know clawing isn't genetic. Typically is has something to do with the roots and watering. Too much water (and thus not enough oxygen for roots), rootbound, ph issue, something along those lines. Unless it gets really bad it is not a huge deal though. My plants had clawleaf for a while, I upped the PH from 6.4ish to 6.7ish and they liked that a lot better.

jayzero · #7 06-09-2008, 03:36 PM

Yeah, I know that clawing can definitely be nute/ph/root - just vaguely remember in passing that someone had done some cloning experiment and saw the claw, at least in one strain, behave something like a genetic trait. Don't remember any details, unfortunately.

I'm not too worried at this point either way yet. Some pics of the claws on my baby here as well as a few leaves which are folding/curling, almost like Mg def. but I'm not sure if it's maybe just heat or nute burn either. I can tell this is really the sort of thing that takes experience to get your head around!

Cheers for the feedback, btw!

jimbizzzale67123 · #8 06-09-2008, 06:13 PM

Am Excited to see how your grow turnes out Im going to grow LR#2 for my first grow. Im so curious to see how this lowlife seed turnes out I was thinking about buying them too.

jayzero · #9 06-09-2008, 07:06 PM

Well, number two (the second eldest) is 13 days today and seems to be
a boy

I'll give him a few more days just to be sure, but it seems quite clear at the moment. Pretty consistent, though, with both plants now having shown sex at 13 days from emerging (~14-15 days from planting) - that's really damned fast!

jayzero · #10 06-10-2008, 11:11 PM

Day 19

Ok, so the girl has been growing well the past day or two. Here's a few more pics and a request for a bit of advice.

The bottom leaves have started to yellow in a mottled sort of way -see the pics to get the idea. I know there's a bit of nute burn on some of the other bottom leaves - that's from a week or so ago, and that's not progressing. I sprayed, I burned, I learned. This is new, just from a day or two ago.

The rest of the leaves seem still quite dark green and new growth all looks good, although seems maybe to be slightly lightening from what it was, which was really quite dark, but not enough to make me think it's N starved. I've been feeding a bit of epsom salt with water and food, alternating water and feedings every 3-4 days or so. She was watered about two days ago and the pot is getting quite light again - really starting to drink more now that she's bigger, but I'm mystified about those bottom leaves. I guess this may be the reason I finally go out and buy a damned pH tester.

Is this maybe just normal, perhaps? A shedding of the oldest leaves stuck in the shade of the rest of the foliage?

Might give her a light feed today and see what happens. Any ideas would be welcome and appreciated.