HPS or Metal Halides for an autoflowering strain?

[Coolthanksbye]

I'm experimenting with "Low-Life Hybrids" Lowryder x AK-47 autoflowering strain for my next grow. Planning on giving a 20/4 light regime from seed to harvest for 10 weeks per breeder instructions. Just wondering which lamp would be best in my HPS fixture, and HPS lamp or Metal Halide?

 

[Respect]

an autoflowering strain doesn't require 12/12 in order to flower?

 

[FreakNature]

an autoflowering strain doesn't require 12/12 in order to flower?

Nope - cool, huh? I don't remember seeing this topic discussed...looking forward to experienced input.

 

[FreakNature]

Oh well - here's the official grow guide for Lowryder. After some thought, I think ideally you'd use MH for the first 3 weeks, then add or replace w/ HPS for the duration.

OFFICIAL LOWRYDER GROW GUIDE (10/04) - written by the Joint doctor

Preferred growing methods

Indoors, Lowryder performs very well in soil mix (pots or beds) or in soil-less systems, where it can be cultivated from seed to bud in two months — 18 hours of light per day is recommended all the way through. Switching light cycles down to 12 hours may diminish yields and shorten the already-short life cycle slightly. Because Lowryder's life cycle is so brief, cloning becomes impracticable, so only plants from seed are grown. By default, Lowryder is a great choice for sea-of-green.

Because flowering plants and seedlings can be maintained in the same room, Lowryder presents new possibilities for the small to medium home grower, including "staggering" your indoor harvest. A true continuous harvest system may be achieved by planting new plants periodically to replace the ones that have been harvested. This ensures that a grow
room is always full and always producing fresh bud, and one never has too much work at once. Click here to learn more about the Joint Doctor's "1-2-3" continuous harvest method.

For best results, place jiffy pellet or plant directly into 1-2 gal.pots. Alternatively, start in 4-inch peat pots, then place
rootbound females into a plant bed after sexing (at approx. 17-20 days) — this may result in smaller plants than the first method. Grown under a 12 to 24 hour/daylight cycle from start to finish. I recommend 18 hours per day; this can be decreased to 16 after the first month with no loss of yield.


Outdoors: sow directly into soil after soaking, in 2 gal. pots or plant beds. New stands of Lowryder can be planted up until late summer, to ensure a continuous harvest outdoors. Avoid transplanting if you can, but do so if plants become rootbound. Rogue (remove) males at three weeks.


Growth Factors

Lowryder is extremely versatile in that it can be cultivated in virtually any climate or grow environment. In fact, it has pushed the envelope of growing, enabling early harvests in unlikely places like Finland, the North West Territories, and other northern, short-season, or high altitude areas. It is also well-adapted to backyard gardens, windowsills and patios where plants can be easily concealed because of their tiny size.

Nothing will mature earlier or faster than Lowryder! When other varieties have barely begun flowering, Lowryder outdoor growers are kicking up their feet and already enjoying their fresh harvests.
Characteristics

Lowryder virtually does away with the vegetative growth stage: it passes almost immediately from the seedling stage to the flowering period. To our knowledge, Lowryder has the shortest known life cycle and height in the cannabis species.
Male plants may be identified as such after approx. 17-20 days, while females show themselves a couple days later. Plants will even flower under a continuous light regime.

Lowryder females usually grow no taller than 16-20 inches. 12-16 inches is typical. Light intensity, pot size, and proper pH all play an important role in determining the size of plants at maturity — the better the conditions, the bigger the yield. Plants produce one main cola, although when they receive adequate light, lower nodes branch out profusely.

Yield and height are dependent on obvious growth factors. For example, plants kept in small peat cups on a windowsill may yield as little as 1 g. and grow no taller than 6 inches, with no branching whatsoever; while a plant in a 4-gallon container under high-intensity lighting and good cultivation methods, can turn into a profusely branched, two-foot wide 45-gram bud monster.


Fertilizer: During the first two weeks of growth, Lowryder should be weekly light feedings of a "grow" type nutrient solution, with micronutrients. When plants pass into full flower, they should be started on a "bloom" regime for weeks 4 through 6. Mycorise-type biological amendments (root stimulators) seem to increase growth significantly.

Average flowering time
Indoors: 40-45 days (after a 15-20 day seedling stage)
Outdoors: ripens approx. 60 days after seed is sown.
Note: 100% of plants display the auto-flowering genotype.

AVERAGE HEIGHT
12 inches. Minimum: 5 inches, maximum 16 inches (very light-dependent, with slight phenotype variations).

YIELD
Depending on light and other factors, Lowryder yields up to 45 g — one report even claims 96 g for one exceptional plant under hydroponics. Extremely light-dependent in terms of yield. Without adequate conditions, plants may stay extremely small, almost comically so — but still produce a decent smoke.

Buds are compactand close-quartered, slightly irregular and variable, with high bud/leaf ratio. Thick pistils, with orange coloration, and medium-sized, individual calyxes. Tends to be top-heavy indoors. Typically, budding sites start very close to the ground.

High is uplifting, surprisingly strong. Well-rounded. Best suited for outdoor activities. Smoke is smooth with pleasant, earthy undertones. Smell is not overpowering. Unique flavor, with echoes of NL and William's Wonder in the bouquet. <!--IBF.ATTACHMENT_296-->

JD on nutes:

I get alot of requests for more info on nutrient needs for Lowryder. This is a hard question to answer as it depends how much money you want to shell out for nutrient products.

I get Advanced Nutrient products (many say the best) at a discount and I have adapted their formula for my own use. Advanced Nutrients provides a complete program for an 8-week grow and has a guide for different growing mediums.

For the first two weeks, I use what they recommend for seedlings.

Then I use the Micro 2+ Light Feeding program for the rest of their life cycle. I usually skip week 3 and 5 to bring it down to a 6 week program which I begin as soon as LRs are sexed.

I know it sounds complicated. Obviously all this is not needed.

As a rule of thumb, treat Lowryders like seedlings for the first 2-3 weeks, then switch them onto a light bloom program. So, you feed them a seedling/transplanting formula the first 2 weeks, then switch to a bloom fertilizer with something like a 5-10-5 or 1-2-1 ratio of N-P-K.

Give them a feeding of bloom fertilizer every week on weeks 3,4,5,6. Just pH-balanced water on week 7. Flushing solution on week 8. ...or for organic freaks, just plant into organic soil mix with bat guano mixed in... and put away the calculator... .<!--emo&:lol:-->
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[Smokin Moose]

I would use an HPS from the get go.

 

[Herb Fellow]

I've got lowryder growing in my closet and am using a 400w hps. I planted them (seeds in soil) 7 days ago and they are 3-4" tall with their second set of leaves. As soon as I get my computer fixed I will post pics - using my son's laptop at the moment. I will enjoy following your grow.

 

[Sly_belgium]

If you can switch out, I'd say hps all the way as "red" light is what it needs for the bulk of its adult life

this little critters are fun as hell to grow btw, I tried em a while ago, put em in sawed off 2l coke bottles. they got about 8" tall and 11g dry weight (24h light day 1 -> harvest)

germinating some now to put em in a bigger container

 

[FreakNature]

If you can switch out, I'd say hps all the way as "red" light is what it needs for the bulk of its adult life

this little critters are fun as hell to grow btw, I tried em a while ago, put em in sawed off 2l coke bottles. they got about 8" tall and 11g dry weight (24h light day 1 -> harvest)

germinating some now to put em in a bigger container

11g per plant?

 

[Urdedpal]

Use a hps Hortilux bulb. It emits enough blue to do both jobs of vegging and flowering.

 

[Herb Fellow]

I'm using a LU400/HORT 400 watt HPS. 18 on and 6 off. Plants are doing great.

 

[Sly_belgium]

yep per plant, the whole lil plant was just bud on a stick

just found this pic, taken 2-3 weeks before harvest

 

[kickstart]

If one could see yields on the higher end that are mentioned in the guide FreakNature posted, if would be worth it for me, I suppose it doesn't matter as much for a closet grow or someone who is not providing for others.

 

[FreakNature]

Good job on that little gal. I think 11g for one of those is great. Excellent option for the outdoor garden if theft is a concern...very stealthy.

 

[RooRman]

Use a hps Hortilux bulb. It emits enough blue to do both jobs of vegging and flowering.

Agreed.

Red spectrum light will push the potential yeilds higher, but only if the plant gets somewhat large before it begins to flower, which requires a blue spectrum as well.

Also, Lowryder is (Williams Wonder x Northern Lights #2) x Mexican Ruderalis, the latter of the three giving it the autoflowering property it is so well known for. LR2 is said to have better yeilds and increased potency over LR1.

 

[berrydizzle]

I didnt know a plant could flower with 18 hrs of light. Thats just crazy!

 

[kickstart]

apparently this is a trait of the Ruderalis. Ruderalis is a relatively new group to me... I have not studied it much, but it might make sense if I could research it a bit more... Expect a report back on this thread.

 

[Sly_belgium]

I also pollinated a jack herher and a mazar with lr pollen as I thought those crosses would help both taste and yield....still need to sow the 1ste generation to start the backcrossing tho

 

[RooRman]

I didnt know a plant could flower with 18 hrs of light. Thats just crazy!

A normal plant can't. A Lowryder can and will, even with 24hrs. of light.

 

[tonystarks]

I have been checking out that No Mercy 12/12 regimine and it is somewhat similar to this. Do you have any photos of plants grown 18/6 from seedling to harvest?

 

[berrydizzle]

There goes your electricity and half the bulb life...