When to flip Autos

[NolaGrow]

When do y'all suggest flipping the light schedule for autos... I'm at week 3, starting to show signs of flowering now....

 

[Emilya Green]

The whole point of autos is that you dont have to flip them and can run 18/6 throughout the grow to take advantage of the extra light that a photo could not get.

 

[NolaGrow]

The whole point of autos is that you dont have to flip them and can run 18/6 throughout the grow to take advantage of the extra light that a photo could not get.

I've heard this as well, so the longer dark period doesn't provide any advantage..? have you tried this with good yeilds?

 

[Emilya Green]

I don't grow autos... I don't see the point. Apparently autos are designed to be full on, all the time. Even 24/7 light doesn't phase them.

 

[Jdeck]

@NolaGrow, there is an Auto growers thread going. Search Auto growers unite. I’m running Autos through the summer to accommodate my schedule. There’s some great info on that thread.

 

[Barney86]

Yeah you don't wanna be flipping the lights mate. Anything from 18-24 hours light is good. Most of us do 18-20.
Some do 24 hours but usually the guys that have got their environments properly dialed in with automatic thermostats n stuff. Makes life a harder for most of us if it's on 24/7 due to heat etc.

 

[Scottsquatch]

@Emilya, you should try the dark devil auto. It is really good. I've got one I'm about to chop. Not a great yielder, but what a trippy high. It is very beautiful as well

 

[Barney86]

I don't grow autos... I don't see the point. Apparently autos are designed to be full on, all the time. Even 24/7 light doesn't phase them.

That is the point lol. Can have plants of all ages under 1 light. Perpetual harvesting with only 1 tent.
They're generally not as strong as their photo counterparts but I've still had plenty that can wreck a day with one hit. Mephisto seem to be leading the market these days on the strength side of things. Dutch passion are the biggest yielders. Should chuck one in your veg tent as a wee experiment.
Never know, might find you like them : )

 

[SQl2kGuy]

When do y'all suggest flipping the light schedule for autos... I'm at week 3, starting to show signs of flowering now....

Hey @NolaGrow ... I'm growing autos and photoperiods right now.

Studies show that 20-4 lighting works best for autos ... I would NOT suggest 24-0 for more than a week or so ... you will see diminishing returns ... plants definitely benefit from the dark cycle.

Right now I am doing 3 cycles of 6-2 to ensure the plants take advantage of the Calvin Cycle ... and I also use the lights-out time for foliar feeding.

Have fun ... and keep asking questions ... it's the best way to learn!

 

[NolaGrow]

@SQl2kGuy thanks for the info, I had a unrelated question to this about the temperature in my tent. I live in the south where it's very hot and humid. Im moving the air pretty well I believe with a 205 cfm AC infinity duct fan exhausting out the room into the hallway near my AC return.. with a short tower isolating fan on the ground. My RH stays between 45-50 in the tent. It's inside a bedroom which I keep the house at 72 mostly now trying to keep my tent cool which I can see it will get expensive soon as August rolls around.. But the temps inside the tent want to stay at 80-82 so when I'm home I check it frequently opening the door to let some cool air in till in drops back down to 75. I only have one Mars hydro ECO 120 which I find is pretty well ventilated. With fans on top blowing the exhaust out the side... I don't have a intake fan as I just open the bottom side flap... Do they have any tricks y'all pros do that I'm missing or something I'm doing wrong?? Ah other than that everything seems to be going pretty well ..

 

[NolaGrow]

I forgot to mention that I'm in a 2x4x5 tent... Also I just purchased a exhale 365 bag yesterday off Amazon so I'll throw that in there because I've read plants can actually grow better at around 80 when they have higher levels of co2 or something like that lol but the reviews say the bags don't start produceing co2 until about a month and I'm already on week 3 of veg sooo I might just wait for the next grow idk

 

[NolaGrow]

@Preston9mm I meant to tag you in the above question as well to get your thoughts on that

 

[SQl2kGuy]

@SQl2kGuy thanks for the info, I had a unrelated question to this about the temperature in my tent. I live in the south where it's very hot and humid. Im moving the air pretty well I believe with a 205 cfm AC infinity duct fan exhausting out the room into the hallway near my AC return.. with a short tower isolating fan on the ground. My RH stays between 45-50 in the tent. It's inside a bedroom which I keep the house at 72 mostly now trying to keep my tent cool which I can see it will get expensive soon as August rolls around.. But the temps inside the tent want to stay at 80-82 so when I'm home I check it frequently opening the door to let some cool air in till in drops back down to 75. I only have one Mars hydro ECO 120 which I find is pretty well ventilated. With fans on top blowing the exhaust out the side... I don't have a intake fan as I just open the bottom side flap... Do they have any tricks y'all pros do that I'm missing or something I'm doing wrong?? Ah other than that everything seems to be going pretty well ..

My canopy temperature is running between 25°C (77°F) and 27°C (81°F) lights on, and 23°C (73°F) lights off, so you seem okay for now and likely don't need to open the door to bring the temp down to 24°C (75°F) . Maybe that is the solution?

I vent my hot exhaust outside right now ... and I have seen how others vent it into the attic:

​

I have also seen a few growers in the south who have small humidifiers and small air conditioning units as part of their standard equipment.

But it seems to me as long as you can get enough of the house 22°C (72°F) air into the tent you will be okay. This can be done by opening the two bottom flaps and/or building a few of these passive air intakes:

Passive air intake ... 10 cm (4") or 15 cm (6").
Black cloth over the end to filter out light, dust and pests.​

You should be able to resolve the issue with passive air flow, ... I would be surprised if you needed to pump air in.

Let's see what other people come up with.

 

[Bigsteve]

When do y'all suggest flipping the light schedule for autos... I'm at week 3, starting to show signs of flowering now....

I’m a gginner or newbie grower but I’d say within next week or so I’d imagine by end week 4. As you might still get stretch/growth whilst within next 3-4, thinking by mid bloom growth has halted and the autos reverting into feeding itself off what’s stored in leaves etc.

 

[SQl2kGuy]

I’m a gginner or newbie grower but I’d say within next week or so I’d imagine by end week 4. As you might still get stretch/growth whilst within next 3-4, thinking by mid bloom growth has halted and the autos reverting into feeding itself off what’s stored in leaves etc.

Hey @Bigsteve ... we typically do not flip autoflowers to 12-12 lighting, they benefit most from 20-4.

Here are some timelines I have developed for autos:

*** Autoflower Stages: 5 days Germination, 1 week seedling, 3 weeks veg, 3 weeks pre-flower, 3-6 weeks flower, 4-12 weeks cure
*** Pistels show up about 35 days (5 weeks) after Germination
*** Flowering takes about 56 days (8 weeks) after Pistels show up

 

[NolaGrow]

I'm just starting to get abunch of white hairs poking out. I'm 22 days from sprout and things are starting to pick up. Starting to look like something now I topped one to see how it does. I've read 50/50 on wether to do it or not. What do you do?

 

[SQl2kGuy]

I'm just starting to get abunch of white hairs poking out. I'm 22 days from sprout and things are starting to pick up. Starting to look like something now I topped one to see how it does. I've read 50/50 on wether to do it or not. What do you do?

Hey @NolaGrow ... by white hairs ... do you mean pistels? Day 22 seems early ... do you have pictures in a grow journal?

Let's get a grow journal going so you can share info and pics there please ... then put a link in your signature

If you are seeing pistels, then you can consider that day 1 of flowering ... and typically I choose to not HST (top) any plant that says it is flowering ... they react negatively to that level of stress during the flowering phase.

 

[NolaGrow]

Hey @NolaGrow ... by white hairs ... do you mean pistels? Day 22 seems early ... do you have pictures in a grow journal?

Let's get a grow journal going so you can share info and pics there please ... then put a link in your signature

If you are seeing pistels, then you can consider that day 1 of flowering ... and typically I choose to not HST (top) any plant that says it is flowering ... they react negatively to that level of stress during the flowering phase.

These are the white hairs I'm talking about.... But I topped these before any signs of the hairs. Right after week two. Anyways the journal idea is on the list for sure once I get another iPhone because this Android just takes the worst pictures imaginable. But then on another note the seeds I was supposed to get today for my next grow/journal came up missing today in the 'super discreet packaging' which I paid an extra $20 for turned out to be a little crappy little canvas bag about the size of a notebook inside a regular black plastic envelope... Uh... Always something

 

[SQl2kGuy]

These are the white hairs I'm talking about.... But I topped these before any signs of the hairs. Right after week two. Anyways the journal idea is on the list for sure once I get another iPhone because this Android just takes the worst pictures imaginable. But then on another note the seeds I was supposed to get today for my next grow/journal came up missing today in the 'super discreet packaging' which I paid an extra $20 for turned out to be a little crappy little canvas bag about the size of a notebook inside a regular black plastic envelope... Uh... Always something

We can use this as your grow journal until you make one.

And I am soooo jealous!!!

You have pistels after 22 days ... and I am still waiting for pistels after day 36!

The seed thing sucks for sure!

 

[NolaGrow]

We can use this as your grow journal until you make one.

And I am soooo jealous!!!

You have pistels after 22 days ... and I am still waiting for pistels after day 36!

The seed thing sucks for sure!

So tell me do you use nutrients with your autos ? I've only given my plants one very light dosage of the grow big and big bloom.. I'm not sure if I should give them any more or what..