New Grower Auto Problems...Size/veg time.

[Bobble]

Hi all, hoping someone can give me some input about my grows.

About 1/2 the time I have no problems. However, with the other half I seem to get a lot of plants that flower after only about two weeks. That would be great except that the plants are only about 3-4", don't get much taller during flowering, resulting is a very small plant and yield! A bud or two or three (with great potency). It doesn't seem to matter what the brand of the seed is. I've ecountered this with several different strains.

I grow in pots, outdoors, in Hawaii, plenty of sunshine, good temps. I monitor the runoff water for PH and it is consistently 6.0-6.5. Use good quality nutes, etc. The soil is store bought potting, with perlite, chicken gauno, worm castings with a bottom of black volcanic pumis to keep drainage good.

So far I've had the problems with La Diva, Dutch Auto, Northern Lights (a little better at 6-12" plants), and a couple of freebies that I don't recall the name of.

Most have been mostly indica based except te Dutch Auto which is mostly sativa, according to breeder.

I have been germenating inside, in soil, provinding light (480 w of LED, 20/4 light cycle) for the first week of seedling, inside. I then move them to the pots outside. They get a lot of sunlight, this time of year, about 12 hours.

I guess I'm wondering if moving them outside is somehow awakening a vestage of their photo history? Are they starting to flower due to the light shift from indoor to outdoor? I've also, for my newest attempt, switched to Air Pots, to see if that helps generate a bigger root system. I'm also germenating outdoors in the soil to see if that matters, but it will be a couple weeks before I can tell.

Thoughts and suggestions welcomed! Thanks in advance,

Bobble

 

[stonemaster]

Try keeping them under the lights for 2 weeks. Be sure to be careful transplanting, do not desturb the roots.

 

[hereb4]

welcome to AFN!!
I see an occasional runt in the mix, but it was usually my fault it happened..handling a sprout...or over watering.

 

[Muddy]

I also think you would be better off waiting till after they sex before transplanting. I would use a pot that is big enough to see them through about the first 3 weeks. I use cut off 1/2 gallon juice containers and they work very well. By the time I transplant I've usually got 5-6 nodes and the containers are pretty full of roots. Once into the bigger containers they tend to explode with a good 3 weeks of solid vertical growth, sometimes over an inch a day. Also, when you switch from veg to flowering nutes impacts their size. Many people switch as soon as they see flowers, which tends to stunt them a bit. Wait till all vertical growth stops, usually during week 5 or 6. You might find this helpful: https://www.autoflower.org/f44/life-cycle-auto-flowering-cannabis-5113.html

 

[Bobble]

Thank You Muddy!

All seeds are fem. And I'm starting them in large pots, the one the will remain in for the whole grow...i.e. 5 gal. for most. 3. 4 for some of the designed small plants. I have been switching the nutes as you describe, I'll wait longer next time! Thanks for the link!
Bobble

 

[Muddy]

You're welcome. Five gallon pots are usually a bit of overkill for most dwarf auto strains. Usually 3 gallon are sufficient. I've never liked starting my plants in their final pots. They take so long to dry out when you only have a seedling in them. I get bigger plants in veg when I start in the smaller pots.

 

[rhapsodyrcks]

Alot of times no name breeders of autos, cheap ones there strains are not stable. They can do odd things like what your ecountering.

 

[bobjob4u]

I found that the key to outside auto's is to get them well established inside first.I go no less then 4 weeks and try to go 5.Then they will finish out with a great yield.Somtimes you just get a runt.Strain means alot like a critical auto will yield more outdoors then a lowryder2.