Just finished reading your journal. AWESOME grow! And I learned a couple things: 1) I Could grow without a tent and divide the grow room into 2 sections with the right lighting and 2) I learned about the perfect sun, which makes this idea possible.
I plan on adding another light after this grow then if I want I can divide it right down the middle with Panda film to make two rooms if I want. I love the versatility the panda film provides. I'ma have to stop by your yard and see what you workin with
Alright I'm all caught up. One of your major challenges is the lighting. You're running both photos and autos in the same space. Yes, it can be done and yes, they'll bloom and give you delicious buds, but never in the quantity or quality you'll get by running autos under 20/4 lighting from seed to harvest.
I've been lucky enough to have befriended some very talented cultivators since I fell through the gates here two years ago. Among them are Atrain, who now works for another site dedicated to autoflowering strains, and cajuncelt, himself trained as a professional cultivator in CO. Those men taught me that there are three cardinal rules with autos:
- Germinate them in their harvest pots. Autos have different roots. You transplant and you stall them.
- The best lighting schedule, if your interest is in harvesting copious, dense, potent buds covered with the frosty crystals of the trichomes we all chase like madmen,
- Reign back the tendency to switch to flowering nutes too soon. Treat them like vegging plants well after they start flowering. I trust them to know what they're talking about there. My experience with bottled nutrients is limited, to say the least. Lazy gardener here waves her hand about, growing in soil that feeds the plant for her.
Edit: I was just over at my yard and arteekay dropped this on me. Thought I'd share:
You notice I have two tents? One is photos, the other autos. The autos are so easy, in their own world with consistent lighting. They're easier to set up perpetual since they all have the same light needs, regardless of age. The photos are more demanding.
Reading through it appears I've been here more than I realized. I sometimes get moving so fast..... I'm working on that. It also appeared that you were having fun with this gardening and journaling thing. Are we having fun yet? Keep at it. You're doing real well. It's going to be interesting to look back in a year. Trust me. Reading this journal you'll smile fondly.
This was fun. Gotta go find arteekay now.
Let me encourage you to try the kit. I can assure you, it is NOT difficult. In its most basic dress it's 3 drenches (Growth Energy, Transplant, TransWater) and 2 foliars, plus the kick of the CAT drenches. Good grief, if I can pull off the kit successfully, anyone can! I fought it so hard that I proved you'd succeed no matter how bull-headed you wanted to be.
Honestly, in the beginning I made it more complicated than it was. Graytail convinced me to relax and let it flow, and life got so much easier for me, because the plants did great from the get-go. I grow beautiful plants. The kit plants are special. I can't give them up. That says something.
Plus, they come with their own cheering squad.
These guys really care about helping you succeed with the kit. They'll keep it from becoming complicated. They'll walk you through it. The most complicated part is the timing of the CATs, but ShiggityFlip has a thread dedicated to this. Part of that legendary support system.
My point is, don't put it off because you think it'll be complicated. They'll help you learn to make it instinctive. At that point, growing fine cannabis doesn't get any easier, unless someone else is growing it for you.
That's OK, Catnip. I have periods of time when I don't even get a "like". The Journal is more a place to keep a log and share your ups and downs, so that newbies can learn different ways of growing, and some of the unusual alternatives to very expensive equipment.
