About to do my first grow (FAQ)

[420Brother]

Brothers & Sisters. In today's post ill be revealing my plans on the first ever grow of mine.

So here's my situation right now:

I cannot grow in my own house but fortunately i got a space that i can use for couple weeks. I'm going to start on automatic cause like i said i dont have the luxury of growing in my own space so the faster i'm done with my crop the better!


So, with that being said, i'd like to show you guys my full list of "equipment" ill be using and hopefully someone can correct some of the wrongs before i go deep into it and its too late to salvage anything.


Strain:

I will be doing AK-47 Auto-Fem seeds, growing reports say that it grows fast and it also happens to be one of my personal favorites so it was a rather easy choise.

Grow Room Setup:

I'll be using a 4x4 (meters) space, covered by some reflective material. Every seed will be placed inside a 25L (liters) pot straight from the beginning. Im hoping to do around 5-6 plants and hopefully have enough space to support their growth without any modifications when they reach their full side.

Lights:

Still thinking about it. LED is out of the picture tho, so its either some CFLs to start on and switch to HPS / MH after while, or no CFLs whatsoever and straight to a ballast bulb. (i'll need some help on this one, read my FAQ)

Nutrients

Not sure if i'll feed the ladies any Nutrients at all, i am not an experienced grower at all, but from what i read around, Autos don't like to stress at all, Even germinating the seeds on a different pot and then transplanting it over to the big ones is risky. So what i make out of this is just keep it simple and go back to basics.

Growing Medium:

Most likely i'll be using Coco coir, but still thinking about soil aswell. I wasn't able to find which one of the 2 is recommended for growing Autos. Alltho from experiments i've seen between them, Coco Coir seems to be the right choise. Will be in the FAQ to get an opinion or two about it.

Goal:

If i can get something like 400~500 grams. off the crop i'll be like a kid on christmas.


~F A Q~


Ok Lads, here's the final part, for those that hang around, thank you and much appreciated. I really need your insight for this one to succeed and for all the future grows to come.




1) is 25L pot big enough for a start-to-finish Automatic grow?

2) is Coco Coir really the best choise over Soil?

3) Should i use any Nutrients at all?

4) is 20-25 °C (68 - 77 ºF) the correct temperature to grow healthy plants?

5) How can i control the Humidity using Cheap equipment instead of those overpriced humidity adjusters?

6) Should i use CFLs at all or just go straight into a MH / HPS combo for the entire cycle?

7) Is it better to start Autos from seeds to harvest inside the same pot for no stress at all?

8) Whats the pH scale i should be maintaining through the entire cycle?


that's all i can think off the top of my head, i hope it wasn't too bad to read as i really tried to make it eye-friendly. Any help given is greatly appreciated, also a Journal topic will be setup when i go into it so i can both learn more about growing and keep you guys entertained at the same time!!!

~your friendly european grower,

 

[theengineer]

have you read this thread; How to Grow Marijuana

it answers all of your questions, bro

 

[420Brother]

first of all, thank you for responding brother.

what you just linked me tho isnt a thread, its a forum section with FAQs about how to grow, which i've searched enough to know it lacks a lot of information about Automatic strains, like the one i've chose.

i've read the How to Grow Marijuana - Everything You Need to Know! but still no information about Automatic.

my main concern is that i'm starting on Autos and i can't seem to find enough information to go into it feeling safe.

if it wasn't an auto plant i'd probably answer all of my questions myself. You see, i know what medium to grow in, what lights to use and how much nuts to feed a regular female, but autos man, that's another story.

im hopefully looking for someone experience enough with ruderalis genetics to guide me through the process, and if there is some post burried somewhere and filled with the information i need, i truly apologize for not finding it and posting this in the first place.

 

[theengineer]

autos are no different to photo plants, except for the light sensitivity, the answers to all of your questions are in the thread you posted, they aren't auto specific..

 

[420Brother]

that is not true at all mate!

Autos are very delicate, they don't like to stress at all cause their tolerance level is way lower than a regular female. Also it is recommended to not feed them any nuts, but if you do, you have to know what you're doing. Other than that im pretty sure you should not lolipop them or use any other LST just to be safe.

all im looking for is someone that has worked with them before and is kind enough to share some insight with me

 

[Antics]

A couple weeks isn't long enough of a time to grow.

Autos can go 70, 80, 90 days sometimes. The number breeders put on the package is just marketing. I have never seen an auto properly ready that soon.

Why is LED out of the question? Some cost the same as HID or CFL setups...

1) is 25L pot big enough for a start-to-finish Automatic grow? Yes.

2) is Coco Coir really the best choise over Soil? No. This is based on opinion. Different growers have different preferences.

3) Should i use any Nutrients at all? Yes, they'll more than likely be required or the plant will die.

4) is 20-25 °C (68 - 77 ºF) the correct temperature to grow healthy plants? That's a good range. I usually aim for 75 F, but going as high as 80 works fine. It will depend on the strains tolerances and preferences.

5) How can i control the Humidity using Cheap equipment instead of those overpriced humidity adjusters? A dehumidifier is probably your best option. An Air Conditioner will keep humidity around 50%. Using anything else is pretty inaccurate.

6) Should i use CFLs at all or just go straight into a MH / HPS combo for the entire cycle? HID are better than CFLs, LED are pretty much on par with HID, with less power use, and lower heat levels.

7) Is it better to start Autos from seeds to harvest inside the same pot for no stress at all? When done properly, a transplant causes no stress. If the soil ball breaks apart, this is where roots can become damaged/exposed to light and cause stress. I transplant everything once, Autos or Photos.

8) Whats the pH scale i should be maintaining through the entire cycle? Soil: 6.0-6.8, 6.5 Ideal. Hydro/Hempy/Coco: 5.5-6.0, 5.8 Ideal

 

[theengineer]

that is not true at all mate!

Autos are very delicate, they don't like to stress at all cause their tolerance level is way lower than a regular female. Also it is recommended to not feed them any nuts, but if you do, you have to know what you're doing. Other than that im pretty sure you should not lolipop them or use any other LST just to be safe.

all im looking for is someone that has worked with them before and is kind enough to share some insight with me

I've worked with, and have a current journal running both photo & auto plants. I've run them all with nutes and LTS'ing, some on 12/12 light patterns and some on 18/6 patterns, so I am sharing my knowledge with you. everything I learned to grow both auto & photo plants was from the link you posted.

 

[420Brother]

@Antics Don't get me wrong, i'd like to grow under LED more than any other type of lights. I just dont wanna raise any flags ordering something like that and have it go through customs since finding such equipment from a shop in my country is nearly impossible. Nevertheless i appreciate the tips mate! keep em coming

also @theengineer, i saw your journal and must say you have done some amazing job care to share what medium are you using for your autos? looks like coco + perlite but im not sure.

 

[Antics]

that is not true at all mate!

Autos are very delicate, they don't like to stress at all cause their tolerance level is way lower than a regular female. Also it is recommended to not feed them any nuts, but if you do, you have to know what you're doing. Other than that im pretty sure you should not lolipop them or use any other LST just to be safe.

all im looking for is someone that has worked with them before and is kind enough to share some insight with me

Autos are NOT very delicate. In my experience with Autos and Photos (I have grown both, and followed journals of both), The difference is that Autos have a definite timeline to harvest. Any high stress that slows the plant down can have an impact on yield/bud production.

I'm not sure where you've read that it is recommended not to feed autos nutes, but that's wrong. The autoflowering trait is introduced via genetics from the ruderalis species. But just because it flowers on its own doesn't make it any less of a plant. It still needs all the basic nutrients.

You also don't have to be an extremely experienced grower to feed them nutrients. Following basic instructions on the bottle is the only skill that's required.

LST means LOW stress training. That specifically refers to using ties, string, wire, etc.. to shape the plant. The stress induced on a plant during this process is LOW, and often the effects are completely negligible.

Using other means of training, like lollypopping, monstercropping, supercropping, defoliation, topping, FIM'ing, etc.. anything that requires cutting, crushing, etc.. CAN STILL BE SUCCESSFULLY USED ON AUTOS, they can also be successfully cloned (with lower yields on the clone so far), but these techniques should be used with caution, and are suggested only for those with some experience, or a willingness to learn, and prepare to accept the potential risks of such actions.

And just to be clear, if you're worried about stress, other sources of stress, that can dramatically influence your plant and yield: not enough light, too much light, humidity too high, humiditiy too low, too hot, too cold, too many nutrients, too few nutrients (there it is!), not enough water, too much water, shitty soil, too small of a container, damaged leaves/stems on accident while inspecting the plant. All these can induce stress as well...

Please read this topic: How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know

And spend some time reading grow journals. We have countless members with experiences of growing autos and training documented and shared here at 420 Magazine.

 

[420Brother]

i will give some journals a go, and thanks for correcting me as i am still learning, everything is greatly appreciated. I will not be attempting any fancy techniques just cause this is going to be my first try and i wanna take no risks.

any recommended Nuts for autos growing in coco ?

 

[Antics]

The problem is that every grower finds something that works for him.. then suddenly they state that information like it's fact, and claim it's the only way to do it and nothing else works. This is how misinformation starts spreading around the internet.

If you have an amazing organic soil, and I really can't emphasize the word 'AMAZING' enough here, then yes, you can grow an auto fully, or a photo, without additional nutes. But soils like this usually cannot be purchased, they are made by growers.

Growing in coco? After about a week or two without nutes it'll start dying. Coco itself is a neutral growing medium and contains no nutrients.

As for techniques, I strongly recommend using LST for the plant. Especially if you're going to grow with a lower wattage HID, or CFLs. CFLs just lack any kind of strong light penetration beyond about 8"/20cm or so, so if you let your auto grow to 36"/90cm, the bottom of the plant will receive virtually no light, which pretty much makes the entire bottom of the plant almost useless.

I've been there and done that. And I yielded a piss poor 8.55 grams on one plant, and 9.07 grams on another.

Same CFLs I used to grow two photo plants with short Veg times, and almost the same amount of overall time, trained the plants short, and yielded over 3 ounces on 2 plants.

As for nutes, I'll let the coco growers advise you there, since they'll have hands on experience with it.

 

[420Brother]

You are right mate, that's usually how internet rumors start and i guess i got caught up into it. Thanks for understanding my situation tho and being so friendly with me.

right now im wondering if i should go with Coco Coir and do my research on what Nuts i must use on it, or if i should go with organic soil and start researching a good solid recipe from pro growers that have experienced on it. I guess the correct answer would be "do both" cause any knowledge on the subject will only help me, but i rly wanna focus on one just for this first grow, and see where it goes when im on my second

as for light coverage, i was thinking about a 600w HPS bulb above the plants for a 4x4 meters wide and 2.5 meters tall grow tent and some CFL fillers on the bottom to distribute light.


for all the help i'm loving it

 

[theengineer]

just do organic, in soil, it is the simplest and the best - imo

 

[420Brother]

i was thinking about organic soil too. After Antics said that Coco is the one that needs the Nuts and a good mixture of Organic Soil is the one that just sails, i started getting crazy ideas.

still don't know tho if finding a solid Organic Soil recipe from a Pro grower is more research than just going with coco and doing my homework on what nutrients to feed it

 

[theengineer]

just get soil and use organic nutrients, such as Earth Juice, or something from any of our sponsors

 

[Antics]

Even with soil you're most likely going to need to supplement nutrients.

Building a soil that won't require nutrients takes months of composting and amending, and it has to be the right mix. You can't just throw a bunch of stuff together, it requires a lot of knowledge, and so far I've only seen a few growers do it.

I agree with theengineer, for a first grow, soil might be the easiest for you, especially if you have any prior gardening experience with it.

Soil + Bottled nutes is the cheaper, and faster route IMO. Making a good organic soil will take time and money.