Advanced Autoflower Training, tips, secrets

lilroach said:

I don't know if I should post this on the sick plants blog or here....so I'll pick here because my issues are auto-specific.

I am a noob with two successful photo-period grows under my belt. I really like the idea of autos and purchased 5 Cream of the Crop KO's ( https://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk/cream-of-the-crop-ko-crop-auto/prod_3694.html ) and got one auto AK47 as a freebie.

I germed and planted the 3 seeds in either a 5 gal bucket, or a 5 gal smart pot....starting with the AK47. It popped like normal, and grew to about 1.5" and stopped.


View attachment 2652145

Would you believe that this plant is 45 days old?

I figured that I did something wrong, or the seed was a dud, so I planted a COC KO and it too grew about 1.5" and stopped.

View attachment 2652146

This plant hasn't changed in weeks.

I'm using Humbolt's organic mix, have 'em under T5's 18/6, have watered only when needed, and not until this past week did I give them a light dose of nutes hoping that it would help....it didn't.

What am I doing wrong?

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10 Top Tips for a Better Autoflowering Yield

Looking for a better yield on your autoflowers?

Autoflowering cannabis is just great. Without the complications of maintaining a light cycle it can be a whole lot easier than growing standard cannabis, and with seed to harvest rates from as low as 9 weeks (sorry I don’t rate anything with less than this time period) they’re fast too. But getting a successful autoflowering harvest can be tricky.

​

The key to getting a successful harvest from autoflowers is SIZE

A true autoflowering strain has a pre programmed lifespan: from the moment the seed cracks to the day she dies the age is indeed pre-destined … therefore more than any other type of cannabis the vegative growth is critical to the end yield
Read here on the veg stage in autos→So here are our 10 Top Tips for a Better Autoflowering Yield!

Size of Pot

Even for dwarf autos you need to be using a 3 gallon pot to give the plant enough space to develop a good rootball.

A good light mix

A nice light mix such as 50:50 cocoerlite is best as it makes sure you get a good wet-dry cycle.

AVOID OVERWATERING AT ALL COSTS

Give NO NUTRIENTS AT ALL until the autoflowering cannabis plant has developed 4 nodes. The dose should only be introduced gradually and in increments.

Continue vegetative feed until ALL upward growth stops. The auto will have started flowering before this happens (in a 9-10 week auto, you would expect to continue using veg nutes until week 6)

Ensure the genetic material (that’s technical talk for Cannabis Seeds guys!) that you start off with is of good, well bred and viable stock. Check what other growers are / have been growing and how well the strain did.

For maximum grams (oz) / foot, make sure you have 16 dwarf/short autos in a 4 ft x 4 ft (1.2m x 1.2m) area

Go easy on the nutes. Generally less is better in most cases.

Don’t give them too much light to start with. Go for a low watt fixture for seedling growth, increasing the amount of light as the plant develops.

ViaVoltTM T5 Grow Light Fluorescent Lighting System Fixture, 2′ – 4 Lamp $96.59

This kind of T5 light is a must if you are using HID grow lights for giving seedlings and young cannabis plants a great start.

and that brings us to top tip no 10:

Autos don’t appreciate being transplanted. They just don’t have time to recover from transplant shock in their mad dash from seed to harvest. So don’t do it! Either sow the auto seed direct into their 3 gallon pot or better still, follow the direction below:

1. Cut the bottom off a “party cup” or 7-10cm pot.
2. Place 2″ of damp cocoerlite in the bottom of a 3 gallon pot
3. Fill the larger, 3 gallon pot with coco-perlite (dry)
4. Bury the “party cup” or 7-10cm pot half way down in the 3 gallon pot. Fill this with coco-perlite too.
5. Now plant your germinated seedling into the party cup and water in as usual.
6. When you water your autoflowering seedling (and remember no.3 above!!) make sure you water ONLY in the small pot for the first 10-14 days. This will ensure that the seedling gets the water it requires (and depending on its age, the nutes too).
7. In the meantime the auto’s tap root will hunt downwards with accelerated growth hunting out the damp layer of coco-perlite it just knows exists at the bottom of the 3 gallon pot. The tap root sends out a vast network of smaller fine root hairs also looking for this source of water.

Result?

This method of growing autos pushes your autoflowering plant to develop a highly developed root system that will accelerate root growth (and thereby maintain larger plant growth) during the first few weeks of its life.
It also avoids transplant shock which, given an auto’s automatic race towards harvest, it cannot recover from naturally.

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We all know that Cannabis is a photo period plant, don’t we? (and for those who don’t, I suggest you read this article here) In order to trigger the plant into flower, we need to cheat it into thinking that summer is passing and that the days are getting shorter by restricting the number of light hours the plant receives.

• This is not the case for autoflowering cannabis.

[h=2]The life cycle of autoflowering cannabis is genetically determined by its strain.[/h]An autoflower goes from seed to harvest in a predetermined sprint. Unlike standard cannabis plants, there is no room for mistakes: once the seed has germinated it is racing towards harvest and THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT!!
For that reason getting the vegetative stage right when growing autos is vital. Any food deficiency, or over watering etc cannot be compensated for by keeping the plant in veg until it is ready and healthy again. A mistake made at this stage will result in a much shorter plant than expected and definitely in a lower yield.
[h=2]How to increase success of autoflowering[/h]TIP!: If you are growing autoflowers indoors, encourage vertical growth by making them stretch up to the light. I know we tend to avoid this normally, but really with an auto you want to get the maximum height out of its veg stage that you can. This is especially true when growing autoflowers under LEDs as LEDs encourage short nodal space


[h=3]Can you turn a autoflowering cutting back into vegetative stage?[/h]No!! We tried that .. and ended up with possibly the world’s smallest budded plant. By the time your auto has grown enough sets of leaves to take a cutting from, and that cutting rooted, your “mother” plant (and therefore your cutting too) is already thinking about flowering. There’s no turning back the clock on this one.

[h=3]How much light should I give an autoflower?[/h]There’s 2 schools of thought on this one. Because they don’t “need” hours of darkness in the same way that photo period cannabis does, they can be given 24 hours of light. Many growers (& I tend to agree with this) feel though that the plants appreciate 4-6 hours of darkness as a “rest period”. That said, for the last 3 weeks of flowering, when you really want to max out your bud potential, its often worth leaving the lights on for the full 24 hours.

[h=3]When do I start giving flower food to an autoflowering cannabis plant?[/h]Because you still want to get the most -and the best – vegetative growth you can, continue using veg nutes right up til the point when upward growth stops. As a rough guide, pre-flowering often starts around week 3, but veg growth may continue until week 6. (This is obviously dependent on the strain).

[h=3]How do I know when to harvest my autoflowers?[/h]Well .. its the same as with any other cannabis grow really. Confusion arises because unfortunately, many autos DON’t fulfill the seed to harvest promise made on the seed packet. Our best advice is, as always, look at the plant and see if she says she’s ready!

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[h=1]First Time Grower. A beginners guide to AutoFem’s[/h] When Autoflowering marijuana varieties first appeared many were disappointed with poor yields and the potency of the weed - which was medium strength at best. But over the last couple of years the best AutoFem varieties have changed out of all recognition. Today AutoFem’s are delivering some amazing results especially for indoor growers. The unique ability of AutoFem’s to use 20 hours of daily light has allowed some remarkable yields. Thanks to refinements made to the breeding process the potency of the best AutoFem levels are now indistinguishable from traditional varieties.

Plenty of growers who have never grown AutoFem seeds before are now realising the benefits of these 70-day strains which allow an early summer crop for the outdoor/greenhouse growers and a fast production method with great yield potential for indoor growers. If you have never grown AutoFem’s before, then this blog will explain all the main things you will need to know to get a great crop.

AutoFem’s – for indoors, outdoors or greenhouses?
AutoFem’s have been grown with great results in every location you can imagine. In the Northern hemisphere they delivered decent harvests of quality pot in locations such as Scandinavia, Northern Russia and Canada. In some of these locations growing AutoFem’s is the only alternative to indoor growing due to the short growing season.

Greenhouses growers like AutoFem’s as they take only 10 weeks, and often stay around (or below) a metre tall, making them both a fast and easy-to-hide crop. In good conditions AutoFem’s can get over 1m tall.

Indoor growers get the biggest yields from AutoFem’s as they can take full advantage of the ability of AutoFem’s to absorb 20 hours of light each day. We have seen numerous AutoFems deliver over 150g indoors, and the best growers have produced incredible specimens indoors.

How do Auto’s feed compared to traditional varieties?

In hydro, Auto’s seem to do well on ‘veg’ nutrients for the first 3 or so weeks. After that they like flowering nutrients all the way through to the end of their 10 week life. Think Different has been known to take nutrient ec of 1.6 whereas AutoMazar has been a lighter feeder at ec1.0.

In soil Auto’s may need flowering supplements near the end of their life depending on the size of the original container. As with traditional marijuana varieties, the AutoFem’s should be flushed (fed with pure water) for the last week or so to obtain the best tasting bud.

Whilst Auto’s will survive in smaller plant pots, they will of course thrive given good quality soil and large containers. Auto’s will also give good results planted directly into quality, fertilised garden soil for outdoor growers, remember that the more direct sun they receive the better the yield.

What is the main benefit of AutoFem’s?

Everyone has a slightly different answer! The outdoor or greenhouse grower will tell you that the chance to get a first harvest in before the summer is a real Think Different, hydro grow indoors under LED bonus. Growers in extreme northern latitudes will tell you that Auto’s are their only outdoor option. Indoor growers are beginning to say that AutoFem’s are a faster and more productive alternative to growing from clones. People that have never grown their own pot before have grown some AutoFem’s behind the roses in their garden and have had a great crop without anyone knowing!


How good is the quality of the marijuana from AutoFem’s?

The first generation of AutoFem’s gave medium strength pot. Nowadays the best seeds will give you pot which is so good that you could not tell it apart from traditionally grown marijuana. Licensed growers of medical marijuana will tell you that their patients can’t tell the difference between marijuana from traditional varieties and AutoFem’s. AutoFem’s really have improved that much.

Here at Dutch Passion we have seen AutoFems go from curiosities to genuine best sellers in just a few years. Our highest profile AutoFem’s are Think Different, AutoBlueberry and AutoMazar. These are outselling some of our most popular traditional varieties. But all of our earlier AutoFem’s (SnowStorm #2, Taiga, Tundra and PolarLight #2) have now been improved to just the same standard as our best sellers.

Everything we learned about AutoFem yield optimisation and growth potential has been put to good effect with the improved Taiga, Tundra, Polar Light #2 and SnowStorm#2. And we continue to work really hard on future AutoFem’s – there are some real treats in store for the AutoFem fans, and we hope to have perhaps one more new variety in 2012. So keep checking our weekly blog for the latest news. If you are new to AutoFem’s there is a lot you have been missing out on. They are better than ever and are really worth checking out in 2012. If you have never grown your own marijuana before then AutoFem’s have made it quicker and simpler than you ever imagined.

Even if you plant AutoFem seeds in very small containers and put them near your window you will still get some decent quality weed, even if it isn’t the large quantities which can be achieved in optimum conditions. Different AutoFem varieties will have different average sizes. The bigger AutoFem’s grown in large containers in optimized conditions may take a little more time, but will produce more pot than smaller plants grown in smaller containers. The following pictures showed some AutoMazar planted by a hobby urban grower in tiny pots, but the plants delivered some potent buds at the end. AutoFem’s are definitely a fast, easy and convenient way to grow your own weed.

Perhaps the simplest way to start is to plant them outdoors in good soil when the weather gets warm and wait 70 days. If you can dig plenty of quality compost into the soil and get a sunny location then even a new grower could be looking at a harvest of 50-100 grams of quality marijuana, maybe even more in Mediterranean climates. If you are an experienced grower then even higher yields are now easily achievable, especially indoors.

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Week 5/10~17/2013
Never Transplant!!! Start off in the harvesting pot 3Gallon+

You Could!! Cut off the bottom to a party cup, an when the roots come out the bottom just put the Cup in the bigger Pot.
20/4 hours is the best(Depending on Strain) If you really want to Find out what is best, Start with 24/7 then the next batch, use 20/4 and see how that goes...

Soil is more important then lighting.
Auto's have funny tap roots and until you grow one you probably wont understand. They have a tap like normal but its short and stubby usually grows to a 45 at one side. When you hear people say that they veg until the tap hits .... Well this statement is partially right but for the actual tap root to hit. Then you would have to have a shallow pot like 5 inches. Ruderalis has adapted to harsh conditions like permafrost layers that are very thin so to survive it evolved to grow multiple large sideways roots.Auto's growth will stop if over watered the easiest indoor mix i have found is a good organic indoor potting mix in ratio of 50/50 mixed with perlite. This promotes really good drainage which auto's love. try and steer clear of time released ferts to easy to burn your plants when using nutes.

For the feed/nutes even with 50% perlite a good soil will more then support a auto for 3-4 weeks. I have finished many nice plants with this mix only using water
best results were from using nutes 1/4 str at first then build up slowly.
I introduce veg nutes at show of preflower roughly 3-4 weeks. If your going to feed every watering then leave nutes at 1/4 str there is not much veg after this 2-3 weeks so these feeds need to be under max dose other wise a burn will greatly reduce yields at this point.
Preflower is not the sign to switch to bloom nutes unless you want a fast low yielding auto. If this is so then there is no need for veg nutes you want the N to diminish.
When the tell tale popcorns of hairs start to pop up over night. I use just water for 1-2 weeks depends on str of nutes i used in veg this just helps with nute build up and helps deter problems later on. Bloom nutes 1/4 str and build up
few auto's actually run for 8 weeks. i assume when i am growing a new strain 10 weeks have had them take aslong as 14.
I have topped and if its within the first couple sets of nodes then it actually helps i pull a 1/4 ounce more from my 1 oz strains
really it just relocates bud sites honestly extra weight is probably just stem weight but the scales dont lie.
Lst they love it absolutely love it SCROG remember this word if your on your first auto grow or a grow using led or cfl its a god send. For hid's this is the money maker in the right setup easily two to three times yield.
Auto's need no schedule when it comes to lighting common misconception is that a auto needs a dark period a true auto needs no such thing.They will run pedal to the metal start to finish under the right conditions. You may need a dark period for temps or your pocket book , If the breeder calls for a dark period its for the desired bud structure but commonly its the fact that they know that if you run 24/7 that the plant is no where near small or stealthy Dinafem white widow auto for example up until a year or so ago growers were advised to put it on 12/12 to bring out the best of this strain that was the claim anyway . But put them on 24 hrs and there 3' tall with a few weeks of veg left.


t-5 is enough to get decent yields
spectrum is personal preference nowadays the requirement of a MH to keep from hermi'n has been bred out most are stable enough to not have problems
personally i use blue spec but only at most 20-30 % is blue blue spec causes close nodes and shorter plants
i prefer a red spec on a auto i have found it makes them reach a bit more and in turn light is allowed to penetrate easier, which if you want a good yield is the key to bumper harvests on a auto ofcourse the more light the better but i have grown full term with 1 68 watt 2700k cfl a plant and got good yields its all about lst
and utilizing the light you have, being sure not to waste any

Dont use the finger method. You dont give them watering schedules, you schedule food but you water them when they need it not when a certain day of the week comes along or if the first few layers of soil is dry. When the pot is watered lift it up and see how heavy it is. Wait a few days till you see the leaves start to droop a little bit then lift the pot again and see how much lighter it got. IMHO thats a better standard for telling when your plant needs water instead of using the finger test. You keep too much water in your soil it hinders their growth.

research research research cant say it enough

research research research cant say it enough

research research research cant say it enough

Also to prevent that, some growers will use extra perlite or newpaper and use it as a bottom layer of the pot/bucket to cover the drain holes.

In horticulture, perlite can be used as a soil amendment or alone as a medium for hydroponics or for starting cuttings. When used as an amendment it has high permeability / low water retention and helps prevent soil compaction. ;P

Auto LST
http://www.autoflowering-cannabis.co....html#more-939

Tie down AF LST
http://www.autoflowering-cannabis.co...s-trainin.html

Mix one table spoon of garden lime per gallon of dirt. Never have a cal- mag deficencey and your soil oh will be stable.

Different strokes for different folks bud

Read the bag when you buy lime there are two kinds of lime: dolomite lime that has cal and mag and then there is also hydrated lime which you do not want to use for cannabis.

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sweet tooth from barneys is a all time fav its almost always in rotation,probably the strain i would suggest to any beginner grower
buy 3 of these plant all 3 at the same time
this will insure that if you get the real cabbage like pheno that youll know it and not have problems
its not common but not uncommon and have heard horror stories about it indoors gave one of these "cabbage" pheno's to a buddy a week ago was about 3 weeks old he said after he stuck it in the ground outside its grown almost a foot in a week that is nuts

I like to use Super Roots Air Pots 7.5L(2 gallon) with 60/40 Perlite/Coco.. This allows for the most beginner gardener to NOT over water.. We all now when we first start that's the hardest part is to not overwater.. But this also allows for great rapid growth in my experience.. Air pots also allow for you to grow more plants in the same area.. Say you have 3-4gal buckets, well there HUGE.. Air pots are 9x9" tiny compared to buckets.. This is because they DONT ever get root bound.. I would also advise to get Advanced Nutes PH perfect as well.. Then you have nothing to do but PPM.. And with feeding always UNDERFEED(compared to back label instructions) would be my suggestion, but there are a VERY few that will take full dose.. Veg nutes if used weeks 3-5, then flower nutes weeks 5-8.5 then water for 1.5 weeks= 10 weeks.. Week 5 half veg half bloom nutes.. KISS, not to many additives... Last but NOT least LEAVE them ALONE lol, don't be touching and sqeezing your nuggies every HR.. Its hard but really just water and feed and well watch thru your tent, lol.. You have a lot of Oils on your hands so you touching them and stuff can/maybe affect them.. GL everyone

Yeah its not recommended to transplant auto's, you will get a couple rogue growers who say they have done it w/o problems which I can see. It's a 50/50 chance in my opinion to really stress it out. I've transplanted many of times and never seen any kinds of shock. They just keep going. But I'm for sure gonna play it safe this round, Should do what i am doing if you are confident in your strain. Take one of the seeds get some Gibberellic Acid. You spray it on the plant according to the directions (they seem to vary on the seller) when the auto strarts flowering. t'll make male parts and hermie itself, and it will give you 100's if not 1000's of seeds exactly like the ones you bought.

As for the height LST them they like to be tied down

. Will stay under 4' that way for sure

(depending on the strain, some AF can get like 7' lol).

8-14 weeks depending on strain and most will get good sized outdoors if you have some high drainage but still absorbs water type soil
if they get to large. drive a stake in the ground and tie the main stalk down from almost the top if. you can get the main cola/tip to bend down to where its looking at the ground "do this before flowering/ you can still tie them down after flower but be gentle" and bend it over a couple days or a week depending on how gentle you need to be if it feels like its gonna break or starts to bend stop and tie it off or stake it off
you get a s.o.g. effect

all it is.
is a controlled stress on the stalk i do it all the time its like super croping for auto's really dense's them up
i grow with cfl's and led's and its nice to not have stretchy plants

TIP OF THE DAY!!!

Dont talk down to your Autoflowers, it wont make them feel any bigger...

Posted this in a thread earlier, not many ppl frequent the proper forum to find this. I think its a great addition to the thread.

Have A Plant Problem? Check Here First

And this

Guide to Nutrient Deficiency or Toxicity

Andddd this

Guide for Diagnosing Plant Problems

The key to getting a successful harvest from autoflowers is SIZE

A true autoflowering strain has a pre programmed lifespan: from the moment the seed cracks to the day she dies the age is indeed pre-destined … therefore more than any other type of cannabis the vegative growth is critical to the end yield
Read here on the veg stage in autos→So here are our 10 Top Tips for a Better Autoflowering Yield!

Size of Pot

Even for dwarf autos you need to be using a 3 gallon pot to give the plant enough space to develop a good rootball.

A good light mix

A nice light mix such as 50:50 coco

erlite is best as it makes sure you get a good wet-dry cycle.

AVOID OVERWATERING AT ALL COSTS

Give NO NUTRIENTS AT ALL until the autoflowering cannabis plant has developed 4 nodes. The dose should only be introduced gradually and in increments.

Continue vegetative feed until ALL upward growth stops. The auto will have started flowering before this happens (in a 9-10 week auto, you would expect to continue using veg nutes until week 6)

Ensure the genetic material (that’s technical talk for Cannabis Seeds guys!) that you start off with is of good, well bred and viable stock. Check what other growers are / have been growing and how well the strain did.

For maximum grams (oz) / foot, make sure you have 16 dwarf/short autos in a 4 ft x 4 ft (1.2m x 1.2m) area

Go easy on the nutes. Generally less is better in most cases.

Don’t give them too much light to start with. Go for a low watt fixture for seedling growth, increasing the amount of light as the plant develops.

ViaVoltTM T5 Grow Light Fluorescent Lighting System Fixture, 2′ – 4 Lamp $96.59

This kind of T5 light is a must if you are using HID grow lights for giving seedlings and young cannabis plants a great start.

and that brings us to top tip no 10:

Autos don’t appreciate being transplanted. They just don’t have time to recover from transplant shock in their mad dash from seed to harvest. So don’t do it! Either sow the auto seed direct into their 3 gallon pot

Fixing marijuana Nutrients Deficiencies & Fertilizer Burn

http://bigbudsmag.com/grow/article/m...fertilizers-ph

Part 2:
http://bigbudsmag.com/grow/article/m...ies-fertilizer

Part 3:
Looking for it ;P

Part 4:
http://direct.bigbudsmag.com/grow/ar...ficiencies-thc

Part 5:
http://bigbudsmag.com/grow/article/m...-fertilization​

http://www.dutch-passion.nl/en/news-...de-to-AutoFem/

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lilroach said:

Jeffdog.....thank you for the easy-to-follow directions. You answered many of the question I had about growing auto's.

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