Soil blending for Auto Flowers

[Stone420]

Hello! I'm planning my first Auto grow after several successful photo plants. Indoor, LED Light in tent, soil based medium. Previously I used FF OF from start to finish and noted the seedlings were very dark green (White Widow) so I figured the OF was a bit hot for a seedling.

To calm the soil a bit for my Auto grow, I bought some FF Light Warrior. I plan to pop the seeds and get a tail, then put the seeds in a rapid rooter nested in a Solo cup of starter soil. My plan would be to mix the LW and OF about half and half and add in some additional perlite to loosen it all up. Keep in this medium for 10 days (or so), then up plant one time into 5G pots with OF and some additional perlite.

My goal here is to calm down the starter soil just a tad to prevent overloading the seedlings with hot nutes. Has anyone blended OF and LW together as I'm thinking of doing?

Thanks!

 

[Blew Hiller]

so I figured the OF was a bit hot for a seedling.

Probably correct.

To calm the soil a bit for my Auto grow, I bought some FF Light Warrior

Since you already bought it, go ahead and use it. In the future you can just cut the FFO with perlite and/or coco and/or pro-mix...all work well.

then up plant one time into 5G pots

This should be sufficient soil for the grow of the auto...consider cutting the FFO by about 20-30% with the above mentioned options (and/or the Light Warrior)

Overall, sounds like a good plan!

 

[Stone420]

Thank you @Blew Hiller ! I just want to calm down the hot FF OF just a bit this grow and see if it works ok.

I typically cut the straight OF with about 30% perlite when I up plant into her final home, so my thoughts are your suggestion is an ideal match. From there I usually wait 3 - 4 weeks to begin adding nutes when the ppms drop some.

Many thanks!

 

[bobrown14]

For a starter mix can just use some old soil and add in some aeration. You won't need nutrients.

The plants have 2 week supply of food in the cotyledon leaves.


If you're using peat pellets - take off the outer netting before up-pot right when the tap roots shows out the btm. Dont wait. Peel the mesh off. Don't damage the roots specially on seedling AUTOs.

In a week or 2 you can plant in your final container.

I usually run my AUTOs in #3 square pots with no spacing - line em up.

I usually run extra AUTO plants because they are usually much smaller plants and yields are low. With a smaller plant we can run more of them.

 

[Stone420]

I usually run my AUTOs in #3 square pots with no spacing - line em up.

I usually run extra AUTO plants because they are usually much smaller plants and yields are low. With a smaller plant we can run more of them.

Thanks @bobrown14 ! Brings me to another important question you may be able to help me with. I am currently using a 2x2x5'7" tent with a HLG 135W LED quantum board grow light. I'm getting good results with photo plants, and as I mentioned, I am ready to try some AUTO plants.

I have White Widow Auto seeds ready to pop. In this small tent, I'm trying to figure how to manage my space. With WW photos, I have grown one at a time and had a tent full of plant in a 5G pot and good 4 ounce averages. With Autos I can do some bending and tying as in light LST, but I'll avoid topping and fimming.

With this said, I'd like to try smaller pots as you mentioned like the 3G fabric square pots. Do you think I can get away with 3 pots in the 2'x2' floor space? I know this will process smaller plants and smaller yields, but it may be possible that the sum of the smaller yields may be greater than one single plant all alone.

Any thoughts to share in my floor plan?

 

[bobrown14]

You could probably get 4 in there. AUTOs "most times" don't grow near as large as PHOTO plants. Some folks get them to grow big.

I've grown 20+ AUTOs in #3 pots in a 3'x5' footprint. put them right beside each other. Your QB lamp with grow them nice!