Autoflowers, coco, back fresh after a long break...

Hi all, Nice to be back doing a journal again. I have missed the community here.

I have a few journals from when I grew with Budmaster led in soil.

Now I have moved on to bigger and better things. I have sold all my Budmaster panels 'whilst they were worth something'. Got half the £ back which is ok as I used them for years.

I have quit soil too and all I can say is OMG I should of done this years ago. I've been making it difficult for myself using very average lights and growing in soil. I have started a grow in coco 9 weeks ago. Harvested some of the top buds on 2 lightning fast trainwreck auto's. Running them for longer. Needed some weed for the next few weeks, plus was worried about bud rot so chopped some.

Set ups are 7 x 3ftx3ft tents. Each one with a 400w grolux duel spec hid in.

Also got a little vegging tent.

I'm currently growing 11 autoflowers, which are in flowering. They have between 7 dats and 3 weeks until harvest.

I have a few photoperiods already going that I was thinking of growing. Lemon Skunk, Cheese, cookies kush and C99.

I have to say that I'm astonished at the difference in growth between coco and soil plants. My coco auto plants have nearly outgrown their areas. It's evident to me that the yield will be way, way, way more than the past. I have had to supercrop in flowering to stop them getting burnt by the lights. even then got some light bleaching. Not doing sweet cheese xl in coco again lol.

I started on canna coco a and b, but in flowering I thought it wasn't all that. I'm not going to buy their additives at that price, so ditched canna a and b and now grow with cal mag, gh micro and gh bloom. Far cheaper and better. Though I'm going for true dankness, so I'm feeding Citrus Terpenez and bud candy only for the last 2 weeks.

I'll take some photo's soon.

In the pipeline now I have planted 11 autoflowers in coco yesterday. Hope to get half of them at least. 2 x Buddha white dwarf, 4 sweet seeds fast bud 2 and 5 Barneys farm Pineapple express.

I'm going to shoot for quality. Forget yield, for me yield is a distant 2nd to quality.

Enjoy the journal. Exciting times for me as I have grown all these strains in soil, but I'm dying to see what Pineapple express and fast bud 2 do in coco coir.

Please pull up a chair

Fast bud#2 and pineapple express seedlings are in hempy cups with coco and 30% perlite. Will transfer them to bigger pots once they get a little root system going.


These are now in the propergator still, but under a 400w hps lamp.

Net up are my auto's that are nearly done. 3 I'm chopping today to create some room and fill up the jars.
Sweet cheese xl



Bottom 2/3 of the Trainwreck auto


Sweet cheese xl next room



Veg tent T5 96w


Main room last 4 3ft x 3ft tents

2 x Sweet cheese xl. Tight in here, When I have room I'll finish these in separate tents. 3 weeks to go for these.

Sweet cheese xl close shot


2 Trainwreck autos


2 x sweet cheese xl


2 Trainwrecks. 1 already had top bods chopped


Few rough pics of the plants that I'm chopping today. This plant just got fried by nutes. I Fed them all the same. Still some dank bud on there.

These next 2 are very nice plants. Great quality. Both already had top buds chopped

Now I have more space I've got more plants alone in tents. These next few will love the extra space...




My mutant Pineapple express seedling has 2 heads from seed...

Fevs. said:

Now I have more space I've got more plants alone in tents. These next few will love the extra space...

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My mutant Pineapple express seedling has 2 heads from seed...
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You have some nice looking plants there Fev..
Which of your auto's would rate the best producer? Any standouts? How long from seed to finish?

Cheers
Toad

MrToad69 said:

You have some nice looking plants there Fev..
Which of your auto's would rate the best producer? Any standouts? How long from seed to finish?

Cheers
Toad

Click to expand...

Thanks very much. I put a lot in to this grow. Coco is just so much work compared to soil. I'm growing my 3 favourite strains now. Sweet Seeds Fast Bud#2. Like a strawberry diesel/bugglegum taste. It's a joy to grow. Watch how fast they are. Day 1 today. It's a lovely high with ample sativa hit. Hard to tell on yield, only just switched to coco. Sweet seeds Trainwreck auto is a stunning strain. It's got the lot, taste, smell, dankness, speed of growth. Supercrop'd them in flowering with no hermies. Hardy excellent strain. All grown on 24/7. Barney's Farm Pineapple Express. Taste, plus it just makes you walk down the road smiling at people. Then they all smile back, it's weird. It's a tough call, but if you ever tried any of those strains you'd be seriously overjoyed with it. Fast bud #2 I have had plants cut in as little as 7 weeks from seed before. Trainwreck 8-9 weeks. Pineapple Express is also very fast.

Fevs. said:

Thanks very much. I put a lot in to this grow. Coco is just so much work compared to soil. I'm growing my 3 favourite strains now. Sweet Seeds Fast Bud#2. Like a strawberry diesel/bugglegum taste. It's a joy to grow. Watch how fast they are. Day 1 today. It's a lovely high with ample sativa hit. Hard to tell on yield, only just switched to coco. Sweet seeds Trainwreck auto is a stunning strain. It's got the lot, taste, smell, dankness, speed of growth. Supercrop'd them in flowering with no hermies. Hardy excellent strain. All grown on 24/7. Barney's Farm Pineapple Express. Taste, plus it just makes you walk down the road smiling at people. Then they all smile back, it's weird. It's a tough call, but if you ever tried any of those strains you'd be seriously overjoyed with it. Fast bud #2 I have had plants cut in as little as 7 weeks from seed before. Trainwreck 8-9 weeks. Pineapple Express is also very fast.

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I'm growing on the prairies outdoor in Canada..with a limited grow season before the snow flies, I'm looking for those strains that balance quality bud with ozs...The Super Auto's Tangiematic and GG4 Auto have done well in that respect..usually a good 4oz plus per plant..I don't mind babying them and starting them early indoors if they can produce, but my Amnesia Auto from Royal queen..although Nice tight buds and a fast grow, doesnt have the ozs Im tying to integrate into my crosses. Just got find that 100-110 day window..

Im sold,...I'm buying a pack of auto seeds soon if i have room

Hydrowannabe..
The benefit too is that light cycle remains the same putting the Autoflower into high gear start to finish..20+ hours of light..even during flower..that puts cannabinoid production in over drive...and the buds can be just as frosty as photos..Here is a bud snap from one of the auto crosses Ive bred..

Toad

MrToad69 said:

Hydrowannabe..
The benefit too is that light cycle remains the same putting the Autoflower into high gear start to finish..20+ hours of light..even during flower..that puts cannabinoid production in over drive...and the buds can be just as frosty as photos..Here is a bud snap from one of the auto crosses Ive bred..

Toad

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i had a completely wrong view on autos since i started growing a little over 5 years ago. The fact that you dont have to have a special blackout area and screw with light schedules is awesome. about 3 years ago, i was growing about 10 autos.
I cut them down early because i felt it was a waste of time. They were tiny things with tiny results. that was my first and last experience with autos. after seeing this thread, I'm rethinking my view on autos, and thinking it might be cool to grow them in my veg area along with my regular clones and mothers. Have autos gotten a lot better in the recent few years? I swear, i never saw pics of autos that looked like some pics ive been seeing recently.

Hydrowannabe said:

i had a completely wrong view on autos since i started growing a little over 5 years ago. The fact that you dont have to have a special blackout area and screw with light schedules is awesome. about 3 years ago, i was growing about 10 autos.
I cut them down early because i felt it was a waste of time. They were tiny things with tiny results. that was my first and last experience with autos. after seeing this thread, I'm rethinking my view on autos, and thinking it might be cool to grow them in my veg area along with my regular clones and mothers. Have autos gotten a lot better in the recent few years? I swear, i never saw pics of autos that looked like some pics ive been seeing recently.

Click to expand...

HW
Read up a little as to how to grow autos before you jump in and you'll be a happy camper!
Two big rules..one..crank up the light hours..20 hours min..Second, try to avoid transplanting..same pot start to finish
Otherwise..know the genetics if what you're attempting to grow..Some are super speedy and will finish from seed in 9 weeks..For those, dont expect a harvest of anymore than 1-2 ozs..If you're looking for greater harvests, look for Super Autoflowers..or those labelled xxl.

appreciate the tips for sure!

I don't normally transplant auto's, but this time I'm able to start them earlier because I am transplanting them. Plus I question that not transplanting auto's may be something from the early days of auto's. Something I need to see for myself. Before when I grew in soil I never transplanted them. Always in their final pot from go. If I can get away with transplanting auto's and maybe go 10 days in cups, then I can cut 10 days off my cycle of when I harvest.

I'm hoping these new auto's will be smaller than the last round. Literally snapping branches so they didn't burn. Making scrogs with cable ties. And pulling branches out the way.

I don't like the reflectors which i'm using currently. I want to change them after harvest.

In the warmer months I will go 20-4, but in the winter it gets so cold in England that it's easier to go 24-0. Plus I never use any heating. My tents keep my place nice and tropical. No idea what the temps and humidity are. I don't monitor that at all, but it's warm like Spain in those tents.

I fed the girls citrus terpenez and bud candy for a week, then staggered harvest yesterday.

I have now got the lower half of the plants growing still. They are on full flowering feeds. Running them for an extra 2 weeks just to get some more bud. There are still 3 untouched, which I suspect are more sativa plants. I'll go heavy with the feeds for a week or so, then citrus terpenez and bud candy again.

Got a nice yield of top drawer bud, so very happy.

20 litre pot is the Buddha white dwarf auto. 2 in the back are the 2 fast bud#2's



5 x Barney's Farm pineapple express. The one in the middle is the 2 headed seedling. I tied down the bigger head to let the other one catch up. It's worked. These are on day 19 from seed.



Little bit of heat stress. New growth is looking great. Have backed the lights off a bit now.



New seeds. All 7-8 weeks from seed. Will start them soon, but it depends how much bigger the current plants grow. Already got pots, coco and perlite waiting.

Time for another update. Plants are looking very different. More of what I wanted. Shorter plants, but very fast plants. I'm happy with the way my growing is going. I've got auto plants at day 3, day 10 and day 41. Plus I've got more weed than I can shake a stick at. In February after the plants which are 3 days old are finished. There is a good chance I'll take 6 months out. Save £ on electricity. I'm growing too much weed for what I need, so 6 months off sounds like a great idea.

1st up is Buddha seeds White Dwarf. This is 100% indica and truly stunning smoke. I hope for at least 4 ounces from this girl. I bought 2 of these, but only 1 made it. Gave her a 20 litre pot. She's a very small plant for the pot size. Recently supercrop'd to open her up a bit. She has her own light and tent, so now she's flowering she will pack on weight fast. Supposed to be 60 days from seed. I'm in no rush for any plants to finish.

Day 39 as she was 2 days later than other seeds.







Next up there is two Sweet Seeds Fast Bud#2's on day 41. Only got 2 of these, lost a few during germination. These 2 are in together, 3ft tent under a 400w hps lamp.




Day 41 for the Barney's Farm Pineapple Express seedling with 2 heads. I knew this mutant was going to be a bit special, so gave her her own tent and light. Snapped the hell out of this girl about a week ago. She is open, short with many flowering points. Have backed the light of a bit now. She was a bit light in the middle. In case it was light bleaching. Some of the middle wasn't getting any light before I supercrop'd her. Hopefully it will green up. All plants being fed Canna a&b at tds 700ppm. 2 litres each twice a day.

Day 41 for these 2 Pineapple Express

One maybe has a deficiency of some kind, maybe even light bleaching. I have backed the light off. Continuing just to feed her normal feed with lots of run off. She is leaf praying, so she is happy. I hope this is last weeks problem, not this weeks problem.



2 more Pineapple Express on day 41 from seed.



I'm going to have loads of Pineapple Express. This strain is a real relief from mental illness. I have ptsd and this strain is as close as I can get to the perfect meds. Walk down the road smiling at people and they just smile back.
Delicious Seeds il Diavolo. This is a critical mass auto in effect. It is one of the fastest autoflowers. 7 weeks from seed, but I may let her go 8 weeks to ripen. Got these 3 in my favourite pots. 3 gallon plastic study air pots. 3 English gallons anyway. Lost 1 in germination. Not a problem. I want these to have their own tents. I'm going to train them, snap them, top them, everything. I want a big yield from these girls.


Due to losing a few fast bud#2's I have stuck more in. All these plants were born on Christmas day... two fb2 bottom left. All others are Sweet Seeds Sweet Skunk. That is a very high quality hardy strain too.6 of the 7 made it. I did germinate these in straight coco. No longer using root riot cubes anymore. From now I'm going in straight coco that is soaked with a ph'd root stimulator.
Day 4

Some pics of my excess weed. Sweet seeds Trainwreck and Sweet seeds Sweet Cheese. Can't weigh it as my scales only fit about an ounce of. I have moved on a lot of it too. I've grown 10 times more weed than I need, hence I must take 6 months off. I like the idea of balls deep winter growing, then doing nothing all summer but go to the beach and get high. I've got a camper van, so this suits my life big time.



See you next update. I expect the flowering plants are going to packing some weight then.

Peace out.

So switched to led from hps. Few snaps of the latest auto's. 100% led.Some have 240w in, some have 500w in, some inbetween. All 3ft x 3ft tents. Doing a round of regulars next, already vegging them. Kandy kush, blue cheese, blimburn cindy, g13 c99, white Siberian and pineapple express#2. Auto's are still running. Anywhere between 6 and 8 weeks old depending.

1 sweet fast bud#2 which is alone now, but did have another next to her. Together they filled the tent, but have separated them so they get more air flow. I'm not rushing the next round.

She is doing ok, will yield me some nice bud in 2 weeks ish




Next is Sweet skunk auto. She looked like crap just a week ago. I know she's back on track. Still learning to grow in coco, so making the odd mistake here and there.



Another Sweet skunk. Playing around with led distances, but decided to put a 100w cob in here too. 120 angle.


The other fast bud 2 that was in with the plant in 1st photo's
This plant is high quality, fast and yielding well. Again by herself for airflow. She has 5 clip on fans and will be almost starved from now. under 300w led with kessil magenta added. Both fast bud 2's being fed just bud candy and water.


Another sweet skunk. I bleached the top of the buds badly seeing how close can I get the lights, so had to nip off the tips of colas. Not ideal. Another plant that doesn't look great, but is going in the right direction.


Really lollipop'd the auto's much earlier this time, so not going to have much if any popcorn buds.
Sweet skunk auto. This plant is my favourite of this round. She's a beauty. She is flowering nicely, but it's her shape. She literally fills this tent. This is what I wanted when I imagined growing 1 plant in each tent.

Continued...



500w led power in a 3ft tent and she's loving it. Just moved her there. This plant grew under a 240 led, but recently decided to move her to the tent with the most power.


Veg tent, kandy kush, blue cheese, white Siberian, pineapple express#2, g13 c99, Blimburn cindy x3. I'm adding more power in there later. Got a new led today. 100w strip light, so will run that up top with vertical t5. 7 of these 8 plants will have their own 3ft x 3ft tent. Will probably get rid of the weakest Blimburn cindy and grow out the 2 strongest.


Delicious seeds il diavolo. This is a bit of a blast from the past. Grew this in my early days growing. 7 weeks from seed, though I've taken these girls to 9 weeks. 1 hermied after severe stress straining, did have 3, but just have these 2 now. Killed the hermie a month ago. For most of the last month, these girls have been in their own tent. Nice purple coming through. May go for one more water, then 3 days of cold and darkness. Really bring out the colours.

Both are lolliopop'd so just have dense buds eveywhere. It's going to be easy to trim these 2.


These plants stink. They are really ready to be chopped. Such a strong smell they are getting just plain water. Been flushing these for about 10 days. less than 100ppm tds a week ago.

Over 'n out for the moment...