Hempy Headquarters

[beez0404]

I would skip the solo cup and straight from rockwool cube to final container.

And I would skip the rockwool and germinate auto flower seeds in the pot they'll be harvested in. Soak the perlite in the 1.5 gallon hempy pot with 1/4 strength nutrients. Push a small hole with a toothpick or something similar about 1/4" deep, drop in your seed, cover it up, and as a rule in 3 days it will sprout. That is a common germination time. Some can take a little longer but usually right around 3 days.

 

[Barney86]

Welcome back Barney. We’re always here. Glad you got through.

Expecting a pound between them, eh? God, I love hearing things like that. You’re demonstrating in your own way that pH isn’t the concern with hempy it is with soil or coco.

Well done!

@Ganjagrowergu, those lighting upgrades’ll lift your garden to new levels.

Yeah I'm pretty confused as to why the ph isn't a problem but im not complaining.
Been growing 3 years now and cant get away with it any other way ive tried it. Not with Dutch Pro nutes anyway.
I'm using growth technology nutes for the first time now and they're not what I'm used to.
Didn't need calmag at all for the first 6 weeks and even now they've only had about 10 doses at 1ml per litre.
Other than that, for veg they got about 400ppm of gt grow, now they're on about 800ppm of gt bloom. Literally all I've fed them. I'm usually throwing all sorts at them and spending a fortune but it's just not necessary any more. Been really lazy with them too. Only watering every 2or 3 days and the wee res bit only holds 2L.
I think hempys have found a permanent residence in my grow room now. Can't really get a much easier way to grow other than the very expensive autopots. Gonna have a play about with some smaller ones shortly for some 12/12 autos and see how that goes. Got loads of seeds there so just gonna use em as corner fillers in the bloom space. Got half a dozen photo ak47s firing up to refill once this lot comes down. Got untill mid November before snow season hits again so gotta smash as much as I can before then. Got 2 130w cfl reflectors in my cupboard so just using that for a nursery, get some cloning done and keep things going perpetually.

 

[Barney86]

And I would skip the rockwool and germinate auto flower seeds in the pot they'll be harvested in. Soak the perlite in the 1.5 gallon hempy pot with 1/4 strength nutrients. Push a small hole with a toothpick or something similar about 1/4" deep, drop in your seed, cover it up, and as a rule in 3 days it will sprout. That is a common germination time. Some can take a little longer but usually right around 3 days.

Just to be awkward, I actually prefer to start in a root riot, then a 4inch rockwool, then into final media. I find it gives me better growth as the roots get more developed. Easy to get wrong though. most sensible thing to do with autos is definately to put them straight into the final pot. I had to learn this way tho cos I started growing in NFT and there's no other options. No advisable ones anyway lol.

 

[Barney86]

Part of the reason I stay with hempy is the weight issue. Tell me you could do this with an equivalent-sized pot of soil. Keep in mind I’m 65 years old, albeit a healthy and vibrant 65.

Carnival 6.1 is no small plant.

Carnival 6.1 (Day 69, flip + 11)

• SweetSue
• Mar 10, 2019

Not small.

Stem of Carnival 6.1 (Day 69, flip + 11)

• SweetSue
• Mar 10, 2019

Carnival 6.1 (Day 69, flip + 11)

• SweetSue
• Mar 10, 2019

Standing 25” or so from the perlite surface

To drench her I need to lift the plant off the saucer she sits on and set the basin that catches overflow under her. I could stick a larger saucer under there and let the runoff just sit and evaporate, but humidity levels this close to the Gulf Of Mexico are already through the roof. I don’t need to leave any standing water around.

Instead I squat down next to the open tent, brace my lifting arm against my knee and lift.

Carnival 6.1 (Day 69, flip + 11)

• SweetSue
• Mar 10, 2019

Increased to 6.25 gr Mega Crop 2.0/gal RO water

Out comes the saucer - this is the easy part - replaced by the basin.

Drench basin

• SweetSue
• Mar 10, 2019

Placed under plant to catch runoff.

When she’s done draining I reverse the movement and sit her down into a dry saucer. It’s significantly heavier that second lift, but still manageable from this awkward position, because it’s filled with perlite, not soil or some other heavy medium.

Carnival 6.1 (Day 69, flip + 11)

• SweetSue
• Mar 10, 2019

You bet I love growing hempy.

I’m hoping to persuade Brix to let me modify one of his nursery pots he uses for kit girls to make a bigger pot, both deeper and wider. I pulled it out to see if it’d give me the right height from the floor and giggled out loud when I lined the edges up.

Proposed pot

• SweetSue
• Mar 10, 2019

Height of proposed pot from the floor

• SweetSue
• Mar 10, 2019

Room to grow. Yahoo!

I don’t think I’ll be lifting this pot for drenches. My fallback is a glass turkey baster - easy to clean and sucks that water up lickety-split.

Let me go speak with Brix about this pot.

Hey nice clean set up you got there, just spotted the tubs of charcoal. Are you using that as a dehumidifier? Does it work? Just curious as never seen it in a tent before.

 

[Buck5050]

I think @Tead did some autos awhile back. He had some findings that raised my eyebrow but I can't remember exactly. Something about root depth.

 

[Tead]

I think @Tead did some autos awhile back. He had some findings that raised my eyebrow but I can't remember exactly. Something about root depth.

I ended up passing on autos. I use a pure perlite medium. This makes for super fast root development. Autos seem to trip into bloom when their roots started filling the pots. For me, in my crazy fast root development world, this means that autos start blooming really early.
I think a thicker medium is needed. This would cause the roots to spread more rather than shoot directly down to the bottom of the mix.
Yup... odd results ehh? You'd think you'd want fast root development, but since the trigger seems to be the roots hitting the bottom of the pot, it doesn't lead to tall autos.
Standard notice: Tead's world is a sweaty swamp. Your millage will most likely vary. Things that happen in my world may not happen in yours.

 

[vtwin906]

I think it does make sense to pass on hempy for autos, I have enough nutrients for another grow or 2 but will get some regular feminized seeds first and stick my remaining auto's into potting mix. My Sour Daddy Auto only got to 14" , some early stress likely limited the early growth....

 

[Buck5050]

Didn't @SweetSue post some DDA (Dark Devel "AUTO") a few pages/weeks back?

 

[beez0404]

I've only grown one strain of auto flower in hempy. That was DDA in 100% perlite. I've grown three in the hempy pots and realized about 2.25 oz. dry weight per plant on average. Since I have nothing to compare that with I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

 

[bunkbudz]

Interesting info regarding autos in Hempy. I wonder if a really deep pot would help them veg a bit longer before the roots hit the Rez. I get good results running autos in coco so maybe ill stick to that and get some regular seeds to try a Hempy grow.

 

[Ganjagrowergu]

Auto in 60oz red lava rock hempy. 11/13 from seed. I put the rockwool in the hempy to germinate, no transplant. Not sure what her exact age is.

SSDC

• Ganjagrowergu
• Mar 17, 2019

SSDC

• Ganjagrowergu
• Mar 17, 2019

SSDC

• Ganjagrowergu
• Mar 17, 2019

That hempy is sitting in a catch tray, not sitting directly on the carpet.

 

[beez0404]

Word has it that in a hempy/perlite pot much taller then 12" the medium loses it's ability to wick the water/nutrients up to the plant. The reason why folks don't grow autos or photos in hempy pots taller then 12"

 

[Ganjagrowergu]

Word has it that in a hempy/perlite pot much taller then 12" the medium loses it's ability to wick the water/nutrients up to the plant. The reason why folks don't grow autos or photos in hempy pots taller then 12"

I have heard/read the same information. I believe experiments have been done.

 

[DrDoob]

Word has it that in a hempy/perlite pot much taller then 12" the medium loses it's ability to wick the water/nutrients up to the plant. The reason why folks don't grow autos or photos in hempy pots taller then 12"

People use 5 gallon buckets which are about 18” or so.

 

[Ganjagrowergu]

I don't personally use perlite. I am trying to remember where I read the post about perlite wicking though. I think @Tead Is growing a few in 5 gallon buckets. He will correct me if I am wrong....

My plants are growing in coffee can or smaller containers and I dont know how well lava rock really wicks. I do have 2 plants in one chopped down dollar tree waste basket 12-14 inches tall and they are thriving. Perhaps it isn't all about wicking?

 

[Tead]

I believe experiments have been done.

hehe.... I believe I did them!

Wicking in pure perlite medium drops off after 12in in height. It's really good right up to 12in and pretty good for a few more inches. I'm seeing root mass right below the very top layer of perlite in my 5gals. When I water, I often have to move the top layer around some to re-cover exposed roots that I exposed while watering.

 

[SweetSue]

I believe it was the SWICK thread where we had our first experiment in wicking depth of perlite, and we determined that above 8” there’s a reduced ability to pull the water up. That’s held up consistently with SWICK setups and with hempy.

However, don’t let that keep anyone from trying. Brix has a Devil’s Carnival in a 5-gal bucket of perlite standing at least 5’ tall with a trunk the size of a tree and bud the size of my fist.

Devil’s Carnival

• SweetSue
• Mar 17, 2019

Beauty by BrixNewb

Devil’s Carnival

• SweetSue
• Mar 17, 2019

Beauty by BrixNewb

Devil’s Carnival

• SweetSue
• Mar 17, 2019

Beauty by BrixNewb

Light is the engine that drives the grow, so it’s no surprise that it’s also light that drives the success of an auto. They’ll grow in just about any light. Hit them with more than you think they can stand and you’ll get bigger, denser buds, thicker, stronger branches.

I’ve just harvested two autos, each in a gallon of perlite and each rewarding my efforts with over two ounces of bud. I know better lighting can double the yield of my autos, because I’ve done it with side lighting.

Hey nice clean set up you got there, just spotted the tubs of charcoal. Are you using that as a dehumidifier? Does it work? Just curious as never seen it in a tent before.

I finally took them out last week Barney. Yes, I was using them both as a dehumidifier and as a way to keep smell down, with little success with either. I bought a bigger filter and installed my big fan.

I think it does make sense to pass on hempy for autos, I have enough nutrients for another grow or 2 but will get some regular feminized seeds first and stick my remaining auto's into potting mix. My Sour Daddy Auto only got to 14" , some early stress likely limited the early growth....

Autos are nice for a corner of your veg area. A small pot, an out of the way footprint, and you can get an ounce or two out of a marginal space.

I don’t know if autos bloom as soon as they hit bottom, but I do know my DDAs bloom at the same time in soil as in perlite. My yields with autos in perlite has been in line with my experience in soil. I wouldn’t hesitate - I don’t hesitate to grow autos in hempy. Shoot, in tight spaces I’ll throw a photo seed in a small pot and run it 12/12 like an auto.

Didn't @SweetSue post some DDA (Dark Devel "AUTO") a few pages/weeks back?

I’ve grown about half of my DDAs in hempy. That last harvest was my 11th.

I've only grown one strain of auto flower in hempy. That was DDA in 100% perlite. I've grown three in the hempy pots and realized about 2.25 oz. dry weight per plant on average. Since I have nothing to compare that with I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

And a lovely DDA it was beez.

Trust me, with DDA better than 2 ounces is a good thing. She’s not the biggest yielder. We don’t keep growing them for their yield.

 

[Chris Scorpio]

I'm not sold on the wicking distance, well that it hurts them anyways

I've grown just as tall plants in Hempy as I have soil, usually in 2gal buckets, but have done 3 gal
I try to get taller, narrow buckets, thus the test I'll do in the tall 5gal nursery bucket

I am gunna do a DDA in DWC to see if it gets bigger, think I get around 2oz like @SweetSue does, so wanna shoot for more

 

[SweetSue]

I'm not sold on the wicking distance, well that it hurts them anyways

I've grown just as tall plants in Hempy as I have soil, usually in 2gal buckets, but have done 3 gal
I try to get taller, narrow buckets, thus the test I'll do in the tall 5gal nursery bucket

I am gunna do a DDA in DWC to see if it gets bigger, think I get around 2oz like @SweetSue does, so wanna shoot for more

Side lighting made the biggest difference for me Chris. I’ll have to go digging, but I had at least one reflector with 2 27W CFLs sitting in front of that one. It doubled the yield.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I'm not sold on the wicking distance, well that it hurts them anyways

It's been my experience that you can still drink from a straw if only the bottom of the straw is still in the liquid, lol. Roots... Yeah, what's the plant-world equivilant of "it's all good as long as I can at least get the tip wet," ?

I am gunna do a DDA in DWC to see if it gets bigger, think I get around 2oz like @SweetSue does, so wanna shoot for more

When I read Tead's post above about how the perlite allows for super fast root development, that this caused the autoflowering plants to begin flowering "early," and that a thicker medium might help, I recalled my own (NON-auto) past DWC experiences and smiled. Then I recalled @LEDRF talking about some of the autos he has grown in DWC and laughed out loud.

Why? "Water" isn't exactly a thick medium, lol - and it does allow for truly mad root development. And Neil grows TREES, man . (That last sentence was spoken in Tommy Chong's voice... in my mind.)

There has to be more to this thing than what we're "picking up on." I think of DWC as sort of being the (practical) ultimate in "opportunity for unrestricted root growth" - but because of its very nature, roots reach the bottom of the reservoir quickly. And yet... (lol)

I got curious the other day and took a look at the daylight hours for Siberia in Summer. Near as makes no difference... 24 hours. And it can actually get pleasant there in Summer, in terms of temperature (although I did see something about people walking around in t-shirts one day and shoveling a foot of snow the very next day, lol).

I was trying to learn about various conditions in Siberia during their growing season, since Cannabis ruderalis probably evolved there (unless I'm mistaken). We kind of tell ourselves, "Autoflowering strains flower automatically, it's based on time/age rather than the number of hours of uninterrupted darkness." Which seems to be true. However, we can "screw up" and cause the things to flower "early" - and I've read reports that we might also be able to "screw up" and cause them to begin flowering "late," too. Something about too much nitrogen or... I don't remember, exactly. I placed "screw up" (and both "early" and "late") within quotation marks to infer that those terms really apply more to the gardener than the plant, in that it's a goof-up when we do something that causes a plant's life cycle to not fit our plans.

Anyway, that's why I was looking at the light schedules in Siberia. I've been pretty sick the past... IDK, month? On a good day, I'm not breathing - I'm panting. When I'm ill, panting is like a goal that I strive for . So I ended up turning off the computer at that point and worrying about... other things.

But I'm wondering if a thread in the Autoflowering subsection of the forum titled "Factors that MIGHT influence flowering in autoflowering plants" would be... somethingsomethingIDFK. Ruderalis is native to a part of the planet where the light schedule is "different." The Summer weather is generally mild and pleasant - but could go south on short notice, so to speak. In such conditions, plants that manage to accomplish their seed production ASAP would seem to have an advantage. But that same thing also seems (to me, at least) to be a bit of a handicap in the years where the Summer remains pleasant all the way through. In other words... (Having a little trouble with my words this evening.) While plants that get their business over with soonest will survive as a species, ones that have evolved some kind of mechanism to allow them to grow larger and flower (possibly flower longer, IDK) during those good years would seem to have more of an advantage.

Birds have to have some sort of awareness(?) of weather/climate, otherwise extreme abnormal climate events would have punched their collective tickets. Their little brains... Still, they manage to navigate huge distances. I've even read that quantum mechanics might be involved in that. Plants don't have brains, even tiny little bird brains - they don't think. Instead, they respond to stimuli and such. Might there be something at play here that causes (or allows) them to have a longer life cycle when environmental conditions allow for it? And if so... Can we somehow take advantage of same in order to manipulate these autoflowering plants?

I might not be making sense, lol.