Autos v. Photos - A 5x5 No Rules Fight for Yield: A Jon & NickHardy Gig

I’ve been racking my brains to try and figure out what my version of Skywalker is. I had one pack, a three pack, which I got as a freebie with an order. Couldn’t remember from where. Ah…but finally I remember sales records in saved emails!!! Between those and some basic research stuff I was able to finally figure it out, and it is what I originally supposed but wasn’t sure: these are from Mephisto and came with the Double Grape seeds me and @con grew last grow. Once I got that far I remembered thinking wow, first three pack of freebies I ever got. All three of those seeds are now gone. My last grow was the first one, and the other two are in this grow. All three have grown exactly the same way and the description listed below is as spot on to what I’m growing as any article I ever read on a strain. And interestingly from a research perspective is this: I searched all freebies from NASC, and found their Skywalker, believe it was OG, and the description is nothing like what I have. Nope. Forgot all about the freebies from Mephisto. Racked my head a while and then searched and listed every Skywalker combo I could find at every breeder I ever used. Some don’t list their freebie origins. Thankfully NASC and Mephisto have volumes of info for you if you look around. So after reading all the descriptions and such I found the one that is most like what I have, and ID’ed it as the Skywalker Kush cut x Triangle F3. THEN I typed that exact phrase into the search bar of a new Google page “Skywalker Kush cut x Triangle F3.” Voila. The following article came up, and it’s as comprehensive as I could dream about. This is undoubtedly what version of Skywalker I’m growing.​

MEPHISTO – SKYWALKER (SKYWALKER KUSH X TRIANGLE F3) [AUTO FEM]​


REG/FEM: FEMINIZED
QUANTITY: 3 BEANS
OUT OF STOCK
THE SKYWALKER AUTO PROJECT WAS SOMETHING WHICH IN A SENSE WE STUMBLED INTO, GROWING FROM FEMINISED SEEDS, AS BREEDERS, IS A PRACTISE WE TEND TO SHY AWAY FROM, UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED BY US. OF COURSE, WE KNOW THEY CAN BE PRODUCED IN A DECENT, STABLE WAY, AS WE DO AND THERE CAN MOST DEFINITELY BE FIRE LURKING WITHIN. IT’S JUST WHEREVER POSSIBLE WE LIKE TO HAVE THE OPTION TO SEE THE BOYS TOO AND GET OUR TEETH STUCK INTO THE GENETICS. SO JUST PRIOR TO OUR FIRST OUTDOOR SEASON AFTER MOVING COUNTRIES, 4 YEARS AGO NOW, HAVING LITTLE TO NO STABILITY WE WERE FACED WITH A SITUATION OF NEEDING TO GO BALLS TO THE WALL AND FULLY EXPLOIT WHAT COULD POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN OUR ONLY CHANCE AT A TRUE SUMMER OUTDOOR IN A GOOD CLIMATE. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY IT WAS OUR OWN TAKE ON FREEDOM 35, (ANYONE NOT FAMILIAR WITH FREEDOM 35, OPEN ANOTHER TAB AND GOOGLE IT PLEASE.) WE RAIDED OUR EXTENSIVE SEED COLLECTION, YEARS AND YEARS IN THE MAKING, YES, WE’RE HOARDERS AND SEED ADDICTS TOO, IN WHICH, AMONGST OTHERS, WE HAD 5X 6 FEM SEED PACKS OF DNA GENETICS RESERVA PRIVADA RANGE ‘SKYWALKER KUSH’. WE ALSO STARTED IN EXCESS OF 50 OTHER STRAINS AT THAT POINT IN TIME FOR GENERAL AND OUTDOOR EVALUATION.
SKIP FORWARD PAST THE SUMMER SEASON WHICH WE SURVIVED, SOME VARITIES STOOD TALL AND STOOD THE TEST, OTHERS FELL, BUT OUT OF IT WE’D FOUND AN ABSOLUTE GEM OF A SKYWALKER KUSH MOTHER. WE HIT UPON AN INDICA DOMINANT PHENOTYPE, NOT TOO STRETCHY, RESPONDED WELL TO HIGH STRESS TRAINING, THICK STOUT BRANCHES WERE DIFFICULT TO TIE DOWN, NOT TYPICAL OF THE OTHERS WE PLAYED WITH, BUT UNTYPICAL IS WHAT WE’RE ALL ABOUT. SHE WAS EARLY INTO FLOWER OUTSIDE, BUSHY AS YOU LIKE, AND INSIDE ONE OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY ALL-ROUND PHOTOPERIODS WE’VE GROWN. IN TOTAL WE RAN HER OUTDOORS FOR 2 SEASONS, AND SUCCESSIVELY INSIDE, DENOTED BY AN INTENSE OG AROMA, SEDATIVE, MIND-MELDING, FACE-MELTING EFFECT, GOOD YIELD FOR AN OG DERIVATIVE, HARD FLOWERS AND VERY MANAGEABLE GROWTH PATTERN FOR AN OGK, IT WAS A NO-BRAINER TO SET ABOUT MAKING AN AUTOFLOWERING VERSION. IN 2014 THE F1 CROSS WAS MADE USING POLLEN FROM OUR AUTO TRIANGLE KUSH F4. WE FELT THE LINEAGE’S INVOLVED AND SIMILARITIES THEREIN WOULD BE HIGHLY COMPLIMENTARY AND THE AIM WAS TO FURTHER INTENSIFY THE ALREADY HIGH QUALITY OF OUR TRIANGLE KUSH WITH A STRAIN WE JUST COULDN’T PUT DOWN. AND WELL WORTHY FOR THE INCEPTION OF THE MEPHISTO ARTISANAL AUTOMATICS LINE. THE SKYWALKER KUSH WAS MEMORABLE TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS WE SHARED THE FLOWERS WITH, WE STILL GET ASKED ABOUT IT NOW, FREQUENTLY. ‘….IS… IS…IS THERE ANY SKYWALKER?’ ONLY AFTER THESE FEW YEARS OF WORK CAN WE FINALLY ANSWER, YES SHE’S BACK, IN AUTO FORM.
THE SELECTIONS FOR THE F2 CROSS WERE MADE IN LATE 2014, CROPPED IN EARLY 2015, WE GREW 30 OR SO OF THE F1’S OUT INDOORS, THIS WAS NARROWED DOWN TO 9 FEMALES, FROM THESE JUST ONE WAS POLLINATED. WHEN THE ON-SET OF FLOWERING BEGINS IN THE SKYWALKER, THE LEAVES COMING OUT OF EACH BUDSET APPEAR SLIGHTLY CRINKLED TO THE EYE, ALONG WITH DISTINCTIVE AROMA, AND SEVERAL SESSIONS OF RUBBING STEMS, ONE LADY WAS SELECTED TO CARRY THE F2 SEEDS. WHEN HARVEST TIME CAME, I TOOK A SEEDED TOP COLA TO TIM, I MADE HIM CLOSE HIS EYES, NOT TOUCH, AND SLOWLY PLACED IT UNDER HIS NOSTRILS, AND SAID ‘GIVE ME ONE WORD’, HIS ANSWER: ‘SKYWALKER!’ WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. ALSO I NEGLECTED TO MENTION, THE BUBBLEHASH PROCESSED FROM OUR SKYWALKER CUT WAS ABSOLUTELY SUBLIME, AND HANDS DOWN THE OILIEST PRODUCT WE HAVE EVER RAN. SO SO MELTY. THE F2 SEEDS WERE RAN IN SPRING 2015, 70+ WERE STARTED, WHICH GAVE US 10 AUTO SKYWALKER FEMALES TO WORK WITH, TWO WERE POLLINATED, A STOCKIER HENCH COLA’D LADY, SQUAT WITH THICK INDICA/AFGHAN LEAVES, AND A MORE OPEN ELONGATED SKYWALKER, WITH SLENDER BUDS BUT OOZING RESIN AND TERPS. THIS MORE SLENDER GIRL WAS THE CANDIDATE WHO’S SEEDS WERE CHOSEN TO RUN AT F3. THE SEEDED CANDIDATES WERE FINISHED INSIDE WHILST THE REJECTS WERE PLACED IN A GREENHOUSE TO FINISH UP THE REMAINDER OF THEIR DAYS. THE F3 SEEDS WERE RAN IN AUTUMN 2015, 70+ WERE STARTED, 20 FEMALES MADE THE GRADE TO RUN TO COMPLETION, THE FINEST 3 WERE SELECTED FOR POLLINATION TO BRING THE F4 FEMINISED ARTISANAL SEEDS TO MARKET.
OUR AUTO SKYWALKER IS MID-SIZED, GOOD VIGOUR AND GROWING WITHOUT TOO MUCH FOLIAGE, BY EMPLOYING AN EASY STRATEGY OF LEAF TUCKING, YOU CAN ENCOURAGE HER TO SHOOT BRANCHES UP WITH LITTLE TO ZERO INTERFERENCE TO OVERALL GROWTH. HER OPEN STRUCTURE ALLOWS GOOD PENETRATION AND THEREFORE INCREASED YIELDS AND MINIMAL POP-CORN. INTERNODAL LENGTH IS MODERATE AND SHE’S VERY MANAGEABLE. IN THE FLOWERING STAGE SHE HAS A VERY DISTINCTIVE APPEARANCE, FINE LEAVES EMINATE FROM THE FLOWERS IN AN ALMOST SPIKEY FASHION AND HAVE A TENDENCY TO CURL UPWARDS, THE BUDS WHILST NOT OUTRIGHTLY SINGULARLY LARGE, HAVE INCREDIBLE DENSITY WHICH LATER BECOME LIKE MINI ROCKS THAT HIT YOUR TRAY AS YOU TRIM THEM. THE FLOWERS ARE VERY WHITE IN APPERANCE. THEY ARE SPREAD EVENLY AND GIVE A NICE FLOWER/PLANT SIZE RATIO. ODOUR CONTROL IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST WHILST GROWING THIS VARIETY AND IF YOU TRAVEL WITH THE FINISHED PRODUCT, A MINIMUM OF DOUBLE BAGGING IS RECOMMENDED.
LINEAGE: SKYWALKER KUSH CUT (SELECTED FROM DNA SEEDS) X TRIANGLE F3
TYPE: IND. DOM. HYBRID (90/10)
GENERATION: F7 FEMINIZED AUTOMATIC
SIZE: MEDIUM – BRANCY.
AROMA: PUNGENT WITH A CAPITAL P OG, EARTHY, PINEY, DASH OF LEMON.
FLAVOR: MOUTH COATING BLEND OF BARTHY, PUNGENT AND SWEET ROLLED INTO ONE.
EFFECTS: STRONG, COUCHLOCKING, STRAIGHT TO THE LEGS AND STRAIGHT TO THE HEAD, AND WILL TAKE YOU TO YOUR OWN WORLD OF PLANET SKYWALKER.
MEDICINAL EFFECTS: GREAT FOR ANXIETY AND PAIN RELIEF, PROMOTES WELL BEING.
YIELD: AVERAGE
HARVEST WINDOW: 65 – 70 DAYS

I thought all that was pretty cool. It’s not the most attractive plant on the vine, and not too colorful, looks mostly green and red/brown hairs at harvest, nothing special in that regard. But although this article focuses on the indica side, it doesn’t mention that at first it’s quite a sativa type effect. What they describe comes after that. For me anyway, and only based on my first one. Here’s is what the one from last grow looks like now. She’s cured up like a dream and this is by far the best bud in my possession (although many of my non grower friends would disagree).

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Edit: sorry about all that bold up front. I typed it bold cuz it was on and couldn’t then UN bold it, not even in edit.
 
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So we got an improvement in PPFD

1508 PPFD.

I got loads more on this - been messaging the light company for the last hour because:

The 3 drivers are marked 400w 400w 50w

They are all outputting around 55-56v which is correct.

But its a 1000w light? You only get to 850w, yeah?

I sorta understand the why. Not certain.

But he just said in our long Whastapp you should get more than 2000 PPFD in the middle. Matches what I got on a reading I posted in another journal 2200 PPFD

He’s the marketing guy. Not a techy. They’re gonna fix it somehow. Whether its a new driver unit or a whole new unit not sure yet - its all very friendly.

Guy is home with is family and still trying to look after me at 9pm on a Sunday night and ai’m their smallest customer ever 🤣

I’m still buying another light off them - agreed it last night. One of their 650w ones, Wastei has the same I think. The price they’re giving me - seriously you couldn’t buy a second hand 200w light off Amazon for it.

We chatted last night - they aren't interested in the home grow market and so me plugging the brand here is pointless - and I’m not offending them by discussing the light breaking, I’m just not their market. When you buy commercially they give as part the price for your twenty light minimum order full units as spares. So when stuff does break you swap it while they send you a replacement.

Many off the people reading this likely grow under lights they actually make - more home/prosumer brands buy from them and relabel and charge more to cover the spend on marketing and advertising.

Stuff breaks. Their response been mostly great.

I’ve had sponsor lights break too. All good.

But the big thing here is 1500 PPFD?

Yeah never wanted anymore than that - the floodlight on as well adds 50 - maybe I’ll switch that back on for shits and giggles.

But no one growing in a 5x5 needs more than 1500 PPFD

Really its toppy even with Co2

Can’t change the past - I’m not going to ease these plants into their new found light wonderland. The gas is back on and the EC is gonna be 3.0 for the next two weeks and we’re gonna be eleventeen here on out

See what we got left in the tank.

Game on.

Nick
Well, I would certainly agree that no one growing in a 5x5 needs more than 1500 ppfd. No one in any size tent needs 1500 ppfd. However, there is a relationship between light output and penetration. So need is one thing. Figure out how to use effectively to take advantage of the power is something else. Imho.
 
Never. And I spent a lot of time camping out under the stars with no one within literally hundreds of miles. Africa travels.

Thought I saw some about 6 months back from that same view above, my desk view but it was a Starlink launch.

The international space station is cool to see.


If you have kids or are just a big kid like me its fun to see when it will next be near tou and check it out.

I went to a really totally average free High School in England. No fancy schools or even any qualifications other than I guess a high school diploma for me.

Probably why my spelling is so shit. 😂

Actually its not but anyway.

So my school was called Chichester High School For Boys. They merged it now with the girls one.

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Tim Peake Britain’s only male astronaut was 5 years above me. Year 7 he was my classes 6th form guide (I’m not sure he remembers this) and I was in the Cub Scouts and well accustomed to camping and stuff so like head boy. I also told his fave teacher in my first month who was the religious studies teacher to FO because - hehe.

But I got us disqualified from the overnight orienteering game.

Actually I was 11 years old and he was 17 so him taking my advice to break the rules is really on him. We crossed a road and cut across a field which was private land. I said rationalise it - we’re already in last place because that kid kept crying scared of the dark, so maybe we short cut over the road and that field we can catch up a bit we won't win but we won’t come last.

He agreed.

We got busted and disqualified. We were like really red hot favourites too. But yeah - I’d rather get disqualified than lose aged 11 🤣

So he went to space for 6 month in later life and I live on a tropical island growing Blackberry Moonrocks! I’d love go to space though

But yeah he took like some school card up to the ISS - serious cool. I reiterate it was the most average school ever and you look the Wikipedia page - Steven Seagal did not go to that school! Some kid in my year put that there like 30 years ago.

😂

Only thing I agree with Elon Musk about I reckon is - good chance we live in a sim. i’m ok with it.

You can only play the game in front of you.
Now that’s a cool story.
 
Sativas are greedy for light and the more you give them the better they like it. I found some don’t like nutes and burn ez but others like Durban Poison love it. So it’s prolly a strain specific thing. If you want to grow them big then stick with a big enuff container and veg them long. Anything else? Happy growing n Happy St.Paddy’s Day. CL🍀
Nope, that’s what I was looking for, and I shoulda known better than to bug you on St. Paddy’s Day. Lol. Hope you enjoyed yourself. Thanks!
 
The folks from the UK I know say sickth rather than sixth. That's about as complicated as it gets. I read yours the way I hear it at home. There's no such think as a "6th form" grade in the states!
What always bugs me Shed is that in print and often on the news and such, many Americans say “in the sixth grade.” It’s the “the” that gets me. Why? It’s superfluous. It’s dumb. Cumbersome.
 
🎶 Down in London Town


SW1P for me with a bit of WC1 - 200 yards from Big Ben and above the Hard Rock Casino in Leicester Square. Oh Hampstead Heath when I briefly had too much money aged 23 🤣

How I roll - government and casinos - casinos generally better run.

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Nee mix, and lets turn thst droopy upside down by lunch time.

With photo skills such as those advanced focus effects I shoulda entered the contests but I forgot, they should invent a reminder app for phones, be a killer app!
😂

2.9 EC, Ph 5.8 and the gas banging in under 1500 PPFD of light.

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Its only one hour after lights on, it will cool a little and get a little more humid bringing the VOD down to around 1.5 in an bour or two.

Best I got. The buds tiny.

Such is life! Grow’s still fun 🤷🏽
Those are tiny? Your new camera makes them look fricking huge!
 
What always bugs me Shed is that in print and often on the news and such, many Americans say “in the sixth grade.” It’s the “the” that gets me. Why? It’s superfluous. It’s dumb. Cumbersome.
My chat group with like 6 best mates is called “Pedant Plaza”
 
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I speak the truth!

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So tonight I’m having a 730w @Mars Hydro FC6500 light moved downstairs for this grow.

Its a real pain to do. The three of them are fixed units on electrical winches.

But they are awesome lights and be nice to finish the grow under a sponsor’s lights

I got 7 of them so yeah 🤷🏽

Maybe they send me a new light, maybe they don’t - at this point don’t matter.

Finish the damn grow already!

My yield this one?

400g max

Max

30% the last grow in the same tent when this light worked

I won’t even pull a pound - and given I just did more than a pound under 480w not really any Co2 and in real 16oz dixie cups in my other journal - yeah, yup and yes! I’m pissed off.

Whatever. More improtant things in the world.

Got a guy coming to cut square holes for my 3 litre rockwool cubes for the next grow.

Its my future which is all there really is
The way I look at the world

Nick
 
This be where I work!
I shoulda entered the contests but I forgot
I forgot too.. haven't even been on any this month so will make sure I get over and get my votes in!

Also what you doing with that EC/pH reader screwed to your wall?? That's like the WiFi one I bought they would not calibrate 🙄 sent it straight back
 
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I speak the truth!

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So tonight I’m having a 730w @Mars Hydro FC6500 light moved downstairs for this grow.

Its a real pain to do. The three of them are fixed units on electrical winches.

But they are awesome lights and be nice to finish the grow under a sponsor’s lights

I got 7 of them so yeah 🤷🏽

Maybe they send me a new light, maybe they don’t - at this point don’t matter.

Finish the damn grow already!

My yield this one?

400g max

Max

30% the last grow in the same tent when this light worked

I won’t even pull a pound - and given I just did more than a pound under 480w not really any Co2 and in real 16oz dixie cups in my other journal - yeah, yup and yes! I’m pissed off.

Whatever. More improtant things in the world.

Got a guy coming to cut square holes for my 3 litre rockwool cubes for the next grow.

Its my future which is all there really is
The way I look at the world

Nick
Wow. For real? Well, if that’s true and I get you’ve had a ton of light issues, then yes, as of now let’s can the competition. We go to CBP. Obviously I could lose half my tent and destroy 400 g. So no point, no dance, no shit talk, just love and is what it is. Fair enough? And since you can afford it I don’t even have to feel too bad. Lmao!! So let’s pivot the journal to an all encompassing discussion about what you guys suggested yesterday: good 5x5 techniques that work for anyone. That and whatever else comes up or wishes to be discussed. Yes? I removed my Northern Lights in the other 2.5 gallon pot today. Plant density once again. Now it’s starting to get crowded under the 420h in the closet, but the huge Skywalker will be coming out soon. Damn that plant got gigantic. Days. Not weeks. The Northern Lights and Gorilla Cookies aren’t far behind.

Here’s where I’m at with some buds, and Jesus, I’m gonna have five plants hanging and the Trizkit and Apple Fritter will have the tent to themselves to finish. I’m not terribly far off on any of the budding plants. Weeks. Not six.

Here’s the Gorilla Cookies in the coco 10 now on week 5 Cyco.

Here’s the other, frostier, more sativa like Gorilla Cookies in coco/hydro and now on week 5 of Cyco with res change this morning.

Here the Bruce Banner #3, which I felt today and smells super sweet and fruity dank:

The Cherry Pie organic:

And the Skywalker organic, please ignore the Neem burn:

Goddamn Trikzit it closer to budlets but still no. Good gugga mugga.
 
This be where I work!

I forgot too.. haven't even been on any this month so will make sure I get over and get my votes in!

Also what you doing with that EC/pH reader screwed to your wall?? That's like the WiFi one I bought they would not calibrate 🙄 sent it straight back
The Ph bit is worthless. Have the blue lab for it. That thing cost like £8

EC is an easier measurement as I understand it.

Its “Electrical Conductivity”’ two diodes bridged by the liquid. A voltmeter basically. Its a design literally 100’s of years old. I get a whacky reading I just rub the diodes off with a cloth, get the gunk and good to go.

PPM - yeah lots of that sometimes done with light refection/refraction

Ph - Witchcraft/Sorcery or coloured bits of paper - or a serious Ph pen from Blue lab like I use - you too, right?

Co2 - there are about three different types of sensor for this and have two because its legit dangerous The light aspect of the Inkbird I like. Din’t buy a 14 in one includes Co2 type thing here.

Rh - about 4 different types. I like the commercial kind its air flow AND some electrical type sensor

But yeah - Co2 sensor most important to me because safety. Ph after.

The rest? I really do not joke - don't look at any Temp/Rh in any of my other grows.

Grown enough plants.

Skin&Eyes™ for the win!

Nick
And since you can afford it
I’m not even making the assumption I can afford dinner tonight the week I’ve had!

But this is a real world competition. lights break, people get sick, loads of stuff happens. Try your best, and never give up!

But yeah - I can skip dinner a few nights. Do you know how much it is to rent a professional ‘gator rider prepared to ride his gator through a grow room in Fl?!

Anyway don't get too sure CBP is a done deal 😂

- just to add and hoping I shouldn't have to, this is genuinely looking like my worst yielding grow ever. My numbers have always been legit and been been well documented. Shame the light crapped out I but still got some game. Still some lessons to be learnt.

I’m (like Jon) who suggested like a month back / “lets not even post the yield numbers” not for my light stuff - just ‘cause its the fun of the grow.

The light company did need s ticking off and if their embarrassment is to the benefit of @Mars Hydro reputation then I’m 100% OK with that.

Nick
 
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