FD's Guide to Growing Hefty Autos in Small Places.

Ok guys i have been dragging my knuckles on this for too long. This thread will be dedicated to my actual grow technique. I will have everything in here from the way i germ seeds to the way i harvest and everything in between.

ill cover my soil mixes, teas, water adjustments, feeding schedules as well as the recipes for the soil and teas that i use. My goal is to teach how to grow the bud lumps you see in the small pots i use. I feel if you use this you may have the same success that i do when it comes to autos in small places.

Bare with me as i will update this on the regular, but will be locking it to get it all organized.

 

[FullDuplex]

Thanks FD for all this usefull info. I am going to follow it to a perfect T. When starting my first grow. I have i question


Is this per gallon? and is this the amount that EACH plant gets?

Thanks man and I hope that it brings you the same luck that it has me

The mix is to the gallon and I usually mix two and have them ready
So the plants get all the same amount. I grow in gallon containers and 2gallons will water
Seven plants easily.

 

[TheKalyxKid]

I learned something new with the aerated water. Once my babies become toddlers I will invest in a pump, so hopefully my 8" pots will be more than adequate. I always use perlite and vermiculite as I know that good drainage pulls air down to the roots, and with oxygenated water I'll be sure to get a solid root system!

 

[The Medicine Man]

I'm sure if you have a feed store near you (tractor supply or any farm store) you could get ground oyster shells, too. It's just used as a source of calcium. Ground oyster shells are commonly fed to chickens.

 

[FullDuplex]

Hello FD i have a question about your soil mix, I can get the black kow soil, I can't find the exact perlite, bone meal and blood meal you use, is there a difference in quality between brands? or are they all pretty much the same? Powered egg shells i can't find that ANYWHERE lol.

Any input is appreciated

The perlite that i use is what i can find here, as long as it is sterile you should be fine.
as far as the blood and bone meal go any brand should be fine. I have used several different
kinds over the last few years and have had pretty good results. I just always go with
you get what you pay for and it seems to have worked so far.

The egg shells, like organic grower said, are a source of calcium just like the oyster shells.
I save all my egg shells, we eat about 2-3 dozen every 2 weeks so i stock pile them
then powder them in a grinder. One of the better sources is a deer antler
if you can get one of those and grind it up, there loaded with calcium.

 

[Northern Grower]

Dirt was telling me to look for oyster shell in the pet store, in the bird section. Said they feed it to indoor birds too.

I haven't had the time to go out and look! I am sure this is where i'll end up finding it.

 

[AndyBotwin]

FD and others, I've got a question about watering with the soil mix recommended here. I've made up a batch using everything but the egg shells, and my cheap ph soil test kit says it's around 7 or a touch below. I germed an LR2 and PakRyder in a paper towel with distilled water, and they both cracked within a day. By the time I could get the PR into the solo cup, it had a good 3/4" tail on it, while the LR2 had just an eighth of an inch or so poking out. I prewatered the soil with distilled water and planted them about 1/2" deep, and then gave them a little surface water every couple of days. This soil with all the perlite is very light compared to what I'm used to, and even after 1 day things felt quite dry when I stuck my finger down an inch or two. But after reading all about overwatering and how the seeds use their own nutrients to grow, I tried to just leave them alone. Well today after a week and no sign of anything, I did some digging. The LR2 hadn't grown at all since I planted it, and it just sort of crumbled when I pulled it out. The PR root was kind of shriveled and there were signs that the cotyledons were trying to break out and sprout, but it didn't happen. So right now I don't know if they got too much water, not enough, or had some other problem. I did put the cups out in the sun a couple of days since it was 90+ degrees and humid, and maybe that dried things out too much?

So I guess my question is, could you give some specific instructions on how wet the soil is when planting the germed seed, and how often you water prior to the seedling stage? Do you water the whole cup until water drains out the bottom? I'm frustrated as hell because previously I've had no problems sprouting bagseed by throwing it into whatever potting soil I could find and giving it some tap water. Now that I'm using expensive seeds and supposedly doing everything the right way with the soil and water, nothing is working.

 

[FullDuplex]

FD and others, I've got a question about watering with the soil mix recommended here. I've made up a batch using everything but the egg shells, and my cheap ph soil test kit says it's around 7 or a touch below. I germed an LR2 and PakRyder in a paper towel with distilled water, and they both cracked within a day. By the time I could get the PR into the solo cup, it had a good 3/4" tail on it, while the LR2 had just an eighth of an inch or so poking out. I prewatered the soil with distilled water and planted them about 1/2" deep, and then gave them a little surface water every couple of days. This soil with all the perlite is very light compared to what I'm used to, and even after 1 day things felt quite dry when I stuck my finger down an inch or two. But after reading all about overwatering and how the seeds use their own nutrients to grow, I tried to just leave them alone. Well today after a week and no sign of anything, I did some digging. The LR2 hadn't grown at all since I planted it, and it just sort of crumbled when I pulled it out. The PR root was kind of shriveled and there were signs that the cotyledons were trying to break out and sprout, but it didn't happen. So right now I don't know if they got too much water, not enough, or had some other problem. I did put the cups out in the sun a couple of days since it was 90+ degrees and humid, and maybe that dried things out too much?

So I guess my question is, could you give some specific instructions on how wet the soil is when planting the germed seed, and how often you water prior to the seedling stage? Do you water the whole cup until water drains out the bottom? I'm frustrated as hell because previously I've had no problems sprouting bagseed by throwing it into whatever potting soil I could find and giving it some tap water. Now that I'm using expensive seeds and supposedly doing everything the right way with the soil and water, nothing is working.

One thing, after i read back, i noticed that i didnt advise on one thing about this mix. I would never start a seed in this mix unless you wan't males or the results you had. This wasn't all your fault as i forgot to state that this should be a transplant into soil after the seedling stage of about a week and a half.

You are correct about a few things here. the soil is really really light and airy and i have to water every other day with it like this. This is exactly why its hard to germ in the soil. Also the treated amendments raise the fert levels in the soil, almost to the point where its toxic for a seedling.

Give this a shot and let me know how it work. Start them like you always do
but start them in a dixie cup with some Jiffy seed starter mix. Once they pop take care of them in the cup for about 1.5 weeks. then cut the bottom off the cup and transplant it to a bigger pot with the soil mix.

This will allow the seedling to develop to be able to take the "hotter" soil, and provide a bigger tap root drop. As they age you will need to water the cup and the pot that you have transplanted it into. Check out my albums and look at how i have my girls planted and you will see what i mean.

If you have any more questions bro let me know and ill do what i can to help.

speed and safety with them

 

[AndyBotwin]

OK, thanks for the info. I've got a couple more seeds germing right now, and I picked up some Light Warrior since I couldn't find Jiffy or any other starter without nutes. Hopefully things will turn out better this time.

 

[alton956]

@FullDuplex so your getting 1.5 zips out of 1 gallon containers in a 2.5x2.5 ft grow space with only a 250 watt hps and a pair of t5s? and you grow about 7 at a time? wow thats quite impressive FD. i was just wondering what auto strains you were running? im just about done with my 3x3 room setup but am using 5gal pots and growing 5-6 at a time with a 4oo watter. 1.5 zips would be ideal for me, 2 would be drop dead awesome

 

[Dutch1]

Great Info FD. I am also growing some autos for the first time Alton956. X2 Afghan Kush Ryder from World of Seeds, and x2 Russian Rocket Fuel from Short Stuff.

Currently using a 4x4x6 tent with an air cooled 400 HPS
4x 5 Gallon Plastic pots
50-50 MIx of Fox Farms Ocean Forrest and Happy Frog potting soil.
For Nuets I went with Prue Blend Pro Grow & Pro Bloom.

** From What Ive been reading the small pots are a way of increasing the yeild in a small grow space because you can have more plants. Is the the nug size/density effected greatly in the auto flower the same way a photo period plant would when being able to grow more substantial roots. Because the Auto has short almost non exisitant veg state is there much benifit to going with the 5g?

I just started the germination process today, so I can still change things up. Any advice?