NorthernCosmos' First Indoor Soil Auto Grow: 2019

[NorthernCosmos]

I'd go as far as saying that this is some CraZy Weed!

Have you had any of these non-autos?

 

[InTheShed]

I haven't, but I gave up autos pretty soon after I started growing.

 

[NorthernCosmos]

Well, I'm kind of locked into autos here for a while, having the gear, schedule and materials all set up for that. And hey, I kind of like the lack of light sensitivity. So now it's a habit I guess

We'll see what comes of this OGK photo stunt. I don't have high hopes and no idea of whether it's viable, so at least there will be no disappointments.

 

[InTheShed]

Autos are perfect for a lot of folks, but they hold no advantage for me. These faux-autos don't happen often, but three here at the same time (you, carcass, and Grand Daddy Black) seems like a lot!

You'll probably end up with a beautiful beast.

 

[NorthernCosmos]

Ahh, I see. I'll have a read about theirs.

I absolutely get all the points of photos of course, and will go there eventually. However, I must say that autos have served me well - I'm not wanting for anything, just happy and thankful for the joys they bring. I'd not hesitate to recommend autos for a simple'ish continuously producing grow.

 

[NorthernCosmos]

OK - that's Olga the faux auto OG Kush out of the closet after her first 12 hour night - or as near as I could arrange. Nighttime tomorrow (which is during daytime for us humans) will be more strict in darkness and timing.

Here she is in the tent for at most a 12 hour day, flanked by the BCN Critical XXL to the left, the CBD 20:1 to the right and the Banana Monkey in front.

Edit: hm... I'm going to have a space problem if she gets any bigger during flowering. I may have to hold off my next two autos until she's done or gone...

 

[InTheShed]

It's going to be a beauty in full flower!

 

[NorthernCosmos]

Got Olga on her third night in the closet this morning, after a good feeding. She's quite thirsty, drinking 2 liters every other day, which is the most a plant has consumed here so far. No signs of pistils yet.

At the end of every second day the biggest branches droops, like you see in the picture below. It's as if the weight of the leaves is just to much. There are no signs of drying out or anything - it just looks like the hydrostatic pressure is too low to keep the branches rigid. If/when she starts putting on heavy flowers I'll surely have to use lots of sticks as supports. I added some silica with the latest feed, in a desperate attempt to strengthen her.

This is how she looked this morning. Last night, before being put into the dark closet, the leaves were all pointing slightly upwards - they still do kind of, it's just the longest/outer branches themselves that are a bit floppy.

 

[Grand Daddy Black]

I'm wait late getting here, but I'm in now! As a charter member of the "fauxto" club, do I get access to the VIP section?

@NorthernCosmos, that plant looks great! It looks like it's going to be a big bush!

 

[NorthernCosmos]

I'm wait late getting here, but I'm in now!

Happy to have you @Grand Daddy Black

As a charter member of the "fauxto" club, do I get access to the VIP section?

Absolutely! In the fauxto VIP back room, we exclusively smoke weird and mutated weed - the regular stuff just don't do it

I'm almost starting to dread the magnitude of that bush a little... As mentioned somewhere above, there's no room in the tent for the two plants I planned on starting now. With a bit of luck the fauxto will give produce to make it worth the inconvenience!

 

[Grand Daddy Black]

Happy to have you @Grand Daddy Black


Absolutely! In the fauxto VIP back room, we exclusively smoke weird and mutated weed - the regular stuff just don't do it

I'm almost starting to dread the magnitude of that bush a little... As mentioned somewhere above, there's no room in the tent for the two plants I planned on starting now. With a bit of luck the fauxto will give produce to make it worth the inconvenience!

How long before the current tent occupants will be done so you can stop schlepping the fauxto back and forth to the closet? With that big bush on the horizon, I would not be concerned about delaying the start of a few autos.

 

[NorthernCosmos]

The young CBD 20:1 and Banana Monkey have a couple of months to go, so schlepping it is. The only comfort in the logistics and schedule right now is that the BCN Critical XXL will most likely be chopped in around 3 weeks time, and that will free up much needed space for Olga.

Now I'm off to disassemble an old PC for the power supply and fans. I'll manage to rig a fan in the closet to move the air around, even if I can't forcibly exchange it. The closet is far from air tight so a little fresh air will hopefully find its way in there. Then there's the burple LED UFO - I have some grass for my cats under it now, but maybe I'll have that set up in there too in a few days. And before I know it I actually have a photo flowering facility of sorts...

 

[Grand Daddy Black]

The young CBD 20:1 and Banana Monkey have a couple of months to go, so schlepping it is. The only comfort in the logistics and schedule right now is that the BCN Critical XXL will most likely be chopped in around 3 weeks time, and that will free up much needed space for Olga.

Now I'm off to disassemble an old PC for the power supply and fans. I'll manage to rig a fan in the closet to move the air around, even if I can't forcibly exchange it. The closet is far from air tight so a little fresh air will hopefully find its way in there. Then there's the burple LED UFO - I have some grass for my cats under it now, but maybe I'll have that set up in there too in a few days. And before I know it I actually have a photo flowering facility of sorts...

Sounds like a plan!

 

[InTheShed]

No signs of pistils yet.

Most photos take a week to 10 days for pistils to show, so nothing to be expected yet. And I think that supports will probably be in order as I think it's too late for silica to strengthen the stems at this point.

Can you put your old blurple in the closet with the autos as the fauxto gets bigger and bigger?

 

[NorthernCosmos]

OK, so no pistil panic then! Yeah, a bit late for any "structural boosters", if they're even much of a thing (I need to read about that).

Can you put your old blurple in the closet with the autos as the fauxto gets bigger and bigger?

Hm... Now there's an idea. It would require light proofing of the tent since the room it's in is not possible to light proof. That would give Olga 5 weeks in private under the 300W LED. Not sure how the auto "youths" would like the blurple though, and same for Olga. It might be a shuffle with some risks(?)

There's also the potential issue of the plant becoming too big for the IKEA closet with a somewhat smaller footprint than the 2x4 tent and a trouser-rack that I'll have to remove if the plant gets too tall.

Another possibility is that the tent is not big enough for the fauxto to finish together with the two autos - the three of them are set for a finish in around two months from now.

No worries - only possibilities I have until the BCN is done in three weeks or the OGK gets too big to think about it.

I'll have to have something sorted ASAP for when I go away for a day or more tough. I wonder, will a photo survive a 36 hour night, or will it freak out and hermie or something? Or will it survive 12 hours dark, 12 hours weak blurple, 12 hours dark, then back to 12 hours 300W LED - sort of an overcast day in between?

 

[Grand Daddy Black]

I'll have to have something sorted ASAP for when I go away for a day or more tough. I wonder, will a photo survive a 36 hour night, or will it freak out and hermie or something? Or will it survive 12 hours dark, 12 hours weak blurple, 12 hours dark, then back to 12 hours 300W LED - sort of an overcast day in between?

I'm puffing on one for you!

 

[InTheShed]

will a photo survive a 36 hour night, or will it freak out and hermie or something? Or will it survive 12 hours dark, 12 hours weak blurple, 12 hours dark, then back to 12 hours 300W LED - sort of an overcast day in between?

Much better a 36 hour dark than any interruption in the 12/12 schedule with more light.

Your tent isn't light proof?

The autos will do fine under the blurple and Olga would be getting the light she's used to.

 

[NorthernCosmos]

Much better a 36 hour dark than any interruption in the 12/12 schedule with more light.

WIth the current schedule and plan "A", It would be an interruption with the low power blurple for one day when I'm away, and a normal 12/12 all other days, if that's the way it goes.

Would one 36 hour nights per month be possible without the plant reacting badly? Or would you say that's far off in experimental territory?

Your tent isn't light proof?

Well, it's meant to be, but there are pinholes, and the intakes are rectangular meshes. Pinholes are easy to fix with duct tape, and the rectangular intake meshes can be blocked of with carbon filter sheets. That can be done, no problem.

We'll see which way this goes. In the mean time here she is, ready for 12 hours of light. This picture is taken 12 hours after the one above, and it has had those hours to feed so now it's very perky again

 

[InTheShed]

Would one 36 hour nights per month be possible without the plant reacting badly? Or would you say that's far off in experimental territory?

If you had time and multiple tents, you could try running a regular 36 hour dark plant and a regular 12/12 clone as a side by side test, but I wouldn't if I were you. I'm just saying that it's the better of your two choices. Blurple light is still light, and dark is what keeps it in flower.

Well, it's meant to be, but there are pinholes, and the intakes are rectangular meshes. Pinholes are easy to fix with duct tape, and the rectangular intake meshes can be blocked of with carbon filter sheets. That can be done, no problem.

I use a cardboard box as a baffle for my top exhaust fan. Pics here.

 

[NorthernCosmos]

Great idea with the baffles! And if that's enough light proofing, I'm possibly overthinking the light sensitivity. If I make baffles, I'd make them "two-stage" and spray paint them black inside, since there will always be ambient light in the room with the tent. Got plenty of cardboard.

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