Advice for reg (non-feminized) autos?

[parsing_trees]

Do you all have any general advice for growing regular (non-feminized) autoflowers? I've had several successful grows with feminized seeds (and an unsuccessful attempt with colloidal silver), but will be growing some regs for the first time soon, from Mandalorian and Night Owl.

Normally if I expected to transplant, I'd start in a solo cup (cut double cup method) and transplant around day 10, but with regs I'd rather wait until sexing to transplant. Would starting in a 1-liter airpot or a 2-liter plastic bottle be large enough? Should I go from a solo cup, then transplant to an X-liter container until sexing, and then the final container? I'm growing in coco, if it matters, and will probably bottom-feed the solo cups and 1-liter containers.

Also, I plan on keeping some of the males for pollen, so any tips there are appreciated. I built an isolation chamber out of a 37 qt. Sterilite gasket box, a small PC fan, and a couple layers of air filters.

Is there a better place for questions about making personal crosses? There's a section about seed feminization, but not more general seed making.

 

[Fitzy]

So I will say I grow mostly in 1gal coco and I have ran the last 5 or 6 runs auto reg wise I run 2 seeds per 1gal and keep temps around 80 also make sure to not let them dry as that promotes males same with lower temps I personally prefer auto reg genetics more and seem to have less problems with phenotypes sucks regs aren't as easy to get here are a few pics of some I just cut .

Do you all have any general advice for growing regular (non-feminized) autoflowers? I've had several successful grows with feminized seeds (and an unsuccessful attempt with colloidal silver), but will be growing some regs for the first time soon, from Mandalorian and Night Owl.

Normally if I expected to transplant, I'd start in a solo cup (cut double cup method) and transplant around day 10, but with regs I'd rather wait until sexing to transplant. Would starting in a 1-liter airpot or a 2-liter plastic bottle be large enough? Should I go from a solo cup, then transplant to an X-liter container until sexing, and then the final container? I'm growing in coco, if it matters, and will probably bottom-feed the solo cups and 1-liter containers.

Also, I plan on keeping some of the males for pollen, so any tips there are appreciated. I built an isolation chamber out of a 37 qt. Sterilite gasket box, a small PC fan, and a couple layers of air filters.

Is there a better place for questions about making personal crosses? There's a section about seed feminization, but not more general seed making.

 

[GeorgeCloney]

Well you're not alone with this thought.....

I grow ONLY reg autos, and if you're expecting 50/50 like I do...
You need to double the grow, I'm sure you understand why.

I do seed runs, and this means males and females.
Because the males tend to mature a week or two earlier than the females, I do a double germination..

5 to 10 one week followed by another 5 to 10.
This allows me to see the sexes of the first run, and delete the males, ...and now transplant the females from the second run.
(see picture bellow).

I keep my best males from the second run to pollenate the best of females from either run.
I also double cup as you mention.
It makes transplanting from solo to 7.5L (2 Gal.) a whole lot easier.
It also saves on coco in my case, as the second run might be all males...

 

[parsing_trees]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but you're starting some later so that the males from the second batch (which mature faster) are ready at the right time as the females from the batch started earlier? And you always use the pollen fresh, rather than trying to store it?

I was expecting I'd start at least twice as many (probably 3, hoping to get 1 male to start) and then pick from there. I'm using a 2x2' / 60x60cm tent, so I don't plan to have too many, but using 1-liter airpots I can fit up to 6 in there through to harvest. 6 sativa-leaning autos works better, because they're taller and less leafy, 6 indica-leaning autos gets more crowded but it's still doable. I figured I'd start several, get a male or two, and then hopefully pollinate 4-6 others to make seeds & crosses. I was going to try to freeze at least some of the pollen.

I do seed runs, and this means males and females.
Because the males tend to mature a week or two earlier than the females, I do a double germination..

omething

 

[GeorgeCloney]

Sorry for the screwed up answer @parsing_trees ,
Here is a cut and paste answer to make sense for you...

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but you're starting some later so that the males from the second batch (which mature faster) are ready at the right time as the females from the batch started earlier? And you always use the pollen fresh, rather than trying to store it?

Thats right, because of the delay,...when the females are in flower,...the males from the second batch are about to, or are,...in the process of pollenating.
The females stay horney for at least 2 to 3 weeks, giving the males from the second batch ,........catch up time to pollenate.
Saving pollen is now an option depending on gen 1 females being ready !

Experience tells me,..you're not going to get 50/50...rather 60/40, but we don't know untill they start showing the sex.
Ocassionally it 30/70.

My two phase process allows for adapting to that.
It's not the best, but a very good comprimise. (It works for me!).
I never miss pollenating, and choosing my best pair for the seed run.

I name them Adam(X) and Eve(X) by generation...

Only a mother or Father can call his/her own kids ugly...

In plants, we're allowed to have our favourites without being considered assholes.

And from there we chose the best ( Darwin),....

 

[parsing_trees]

Got it, thanks. And, to confirm -- you don't run into issues with stunting by waiting to transplant from solo cups until sexing? I was wondering if the cups would be too restrictive at that point. I could also start and keep them all in 1L airpots, but starting everything in solo cups, then transplanting females to 1-gallon airpots and males to 1L airpots until I can get pollen from them (if necessary) would be convenient.

 

[GeorgeCloney]

Got it, thanks. And, to confirm -- you don't run into issues with stunting by waiting to transplant from solo cups until sexing? I was wondering if the cups would be too restrictive at that point. I could also start and keep them all in 1L airpots, but starting everything in solo cups, then transplanting females to 1-gallon airpots and males to 1L airpots until I can get pollen from them (if necessary) would be convenient.

Depending on the strain and growth rate.
You can start the second run 2 weeks later...and you're still ok.
The picture in a previous post is of Dr.Feelgood, a strain I enjoy growing.
The 2 gallon pots are about 12 days, and the solos are about 5 days.
In between the large pots on the right is a 25 day old stunted plant in a solo.
This was a stress test on feed, light, cold etc..and it held up well.