Outdoor advice on my outdoor auto (pics)

[fnord420]

this is my first time growing autos.
I think I planted about 4 weeks too early and they didn't get enough sun or something?

they are still going ok but one of them looks just about ready and only has very small buds on it - the others are still developing and seem to have a few weeks to go at least

the breeder ad says they take 9 - 10 weeks from germination - they are 9 and a half weeks now - i'm thinking i'll pull one at 10 weeks (or at least chop some buds off the top of it) and leave the others for another 3 or 4 weeks at least???

(the big one isn't an auto obviously)

 

[fnord420]

...anyone? i'm a little confused about how to know auto flower is ready, what I've read suggests it isn't the same as photo-period (i know it isn't exactly the same even among different strains of photo-period but not sure just how different it is for autos)

I found this autoflower harvest guide online that lists some signs which seem more or less the same as normal but every one says something along the lines of "this method isn't as accurate for autoflowers"

The 10 weeks that breeder said it would take is almost up and there doesn't appear to be much new growth on the plant I think is almost done, it also has more than 50% red/orange pistil/stigma/hair things...

this is what i found from autoflower guide:

• Yellow leafs – For autoflowering plants maybe the best sign of when your cannabis is ready for harvest is yellowing of leafs as autoflower trichomes usually don’t change color as fast as it is with photo-sensitive plants. When your plants larger fan leafs are starting to yellow then you can start flushing your plants but when the larger leafs start to fall down by themselves then it is probably time to cut your lady down. But be careful with fertilizers because if you give your plants too much nitrogen in the flowering phase then this leaf yellowing will not happen as fast as you would like and you can miss that peak harvest time.
• Trichome color –Trichomes or specifically trichome color and appearance is considered the standard measurement when finding the right time when to cut your plant down. You will need a good digital camera, magnifying glass or a microscope that is able to magnify those trichomes and give you the exact status of your plant. Trichomes usually have about 3 different states that are clear/cloudy/amber and the best time to harvest is when about half of those trichomes are amber and half are still clear or cloudy. But because autoflowers have different growing patterns and usually the top buds ripen earlier it can be hard to tell when exactly the right time is by just looking at your trichome color.
• Trichome amount – Then there is also the amount of trichomes that can be a general sign that your plant is nearing the end of its lifetime as usually you will get more and more trichome production as your autoflower sucks up all the energy from those leafs and pushes it into bud production.
• Pistils/Stigmas – For Photo sensitive plants the second most used method is to check the pistils or also called stigmas and to harvest your plant when about half of those pistils have turned brown. Pistils are those white hairs that usually are made for catching pollen but when they don’t get that pollen then those hairs start to turn brown and wilt. But again for autoflowers this method is not that accurate and even when half of those pistils have turned brown your plant might still need a couple of days to fully mature.
• Water usage – If you like to get your buds full of CBD then you can let your autoflower go almost as long as it can and when your plant starts to take up less water because there is no new growth happening it is time for harvest. This is not an exact science but when the soil stays moist for a day or two after watering then that may be a sign you can chop that autoflower off.
• Smaller leafs curving/drying out – Another method you can use to tell if your plant is ready to harvest is the curling and drying of those smaller sugar leafs that are around the bud. This starts to happen at the same time that the plants starts taking up less water and it is at it’s final stages of its life.
• Breeder’s schedule? – And the last method is to go by the seed breeders schedule that is supplied on the seed packaging. This schedule usually is just an approximate number and depending on the growing conditions your plants can take more or less time to fully mature but like a general guideline it can be used to know approximately when to start looking for all those other tell tell signs of harvest readiness.

...any tips would be much appreciated....maybe I should just pinch a bud off and do a smoke test?

 

[G.Leave]

Hey bud!! Sorry i didn't see this earlier!!

Trichome color –Trichomes or specifically trichome color and appearance is considered the standard measurement when finding the right time when to cut your plant down. You will need a good digital camera, magnifying glass or a microscope that is able to magnify those trichomes and give you the exact status of your plant. Trichomes usually have about 3 different states that are clear/cloudy/amber and the best time to harvest is when about half of those trichomes are amber and half are still clear or cloudy. But because autoflowers have different growing patterns and usually the top buds ripen earlier it can be hard to tell when exactly the right time is by just looking at your trichome color.

This would be what i follow most. For most strains i find this to be a very accurate way to know when to chop. I like to take mine at what is said to be peak potency and max weight, which is 10-20% amber trichomes. At this time pretty much all of the hairs are coloured. It has been said that some strains do not amber, but i have never seen it.

Yellow leafs – For autoflowering plants maybe the best sign of when your cannabis is ready for harvest is yellowing of leafs as autoflower trichomes usually don’t change color as fast as it is with photo-sensitive plants. When your plants larger fan leafs are starting to yellow then you can start flushing your plants but when the larger leafs start to fall down by themselves then it is probably time to cut your lady down. But be careful with fertilizers because if you give your plants too much nitrogen in the flowering phase then this leaf yellowing will not happen as fast as you would like and you can miss that peak harvest time.

I have found this to be true on many strains , but not on all strains.

As a general rule...autos for most folks outdoors tend to take a week or two longer than breeders quoted time, especially for those growing in less than ideal conditions or those that get limited light.

So bottom line? Grab a jewlers loupe and have some very closeup views and make the call!!

 

[G.Leave]

How many hours of direct sun did they get? How warm were daytime and nighttime temps?

 

[fnord420]

the first 4 weeks they were only getting 5 hours direct sunlight and temps weren't high ( i planted 30 September, should of planted 23 October - the position they are in was too shaded until sun trajectory moved a bit.
pics below show some progression over last 3 weeks - except they aren't in chronological order...im too stoned to bother with that ha

- second plant harvested

 

[GreensKeeper]

Hey there! your plants look lovely! how did they get along?

From extensive reading I must agree with 912GreenSkell, in that one should leave them for 1-2 weeks longer than what the breeder recommends. Perhaps even 3 weeks if conditions allow it, I have read that the plant won't really get bigger, but buds would get denser and fatter. I also must agree with 912 in that you should harvest based on what the trichromes are telling you, so give them a listen ; )

 

[G.Leave]

Hey there! your plants look lovely! how did they get along?

From extensive reading I must agree with 912GreenSkell, in that one should leave them for 1-2 weeks longer than what the breeder recommends. Perhaps even 3 weeks if conditions allow it, I have read that the plant won't really get bigger, but buds would get denser and fatter. I also must agree with 912 in that you should harvest based on what the trichromes are telling you, so give them a listen ; )

I have found that many plants in full sun though can finish very close to respected breeders finish time quotes. Limited light plants though definitely seem to take longer as do those affected by cold weather

 

[GreensKeeper]

I have found that many plants in full sun though can finish very close to respected breeders finish time quotes. Limited light plants though definitely seem to take longer as do those affected by cold weather

Aha, good to know![emoji51] have you ever grown in quite cold conditions? I am think of attempting a grow pretty soon, Autos of course.

Here is a chart, please could you advise me if I can pull it off, if the girls are in the ground by 1 February? Or is this wishful thinking ?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[G.Leave]

Aha, good to know![emoji51] have you ever grown in quite cold conditions? I am think of attempting a grow pretty soon, Autos of course.

Here is a chart, please could you advise me if I can pull it off, if the girls are in the ground by 1 February? Or is this wishful thinking ?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey...sorry i didn't get this alert of your quote/
I don't see a problem with those temps...very similar to my own. Check out this guide bud. It is geared toward a cool climate https://www.autoflower.org/threads/...owing-under-the-sun.56402/page-5#post-1288176

 

[GreensKeeper]

Hey...sorry i didn't get this alert of your quote/
I don't see a problem with those temps...very similar to my own. Check out this guide bud. It is geared toward a cool climate https://www.autoflower.org/threads/...owing-under-the-sun.56402/page-5#post-1288176

Hey man! Thanks for the reply. I have read it many a time, its so informative and I learnt a lot from it. Its a great piece of writing, im sure it was the beginning of man successful grows!

Glad to hear the temps are good! ladies are in the ground. I just wish I could build some cover over them, weve been having freak hailstorms when I'm at work! No one is there to move the ladies. A tarp would be awesome, but the white stands out, I would have to get a diff colour i think. Or else i will make a mesh one, at the sacrifice of moisture protection, it gets dry in autumn.

reps