First Time Auto Grow(er) GDP and 9LB Hammer

[JaPinkman]

I've grown photoperiods outdoors for about 5 years with pretty good success. However, I want to add a couple of autos to the mix and I have a lot of questions.
I'm planning on fabric pots, but can't decide if I should use 5gal or 3gal. I want to know if I really need to buy a digital soil ph meter. I plan on making and using tea and organic soil ammendments.
I chose really sedating strains for medical reasons. I got 9lb Hammer seeds from Pacific seed bank and the GDP from the Netherlands. Anyone have opinions of their strains? I really want to supplement light in the beginning, inside, so I'm reluctant to use bigger pots as they would be hard to move in and out. On the other hand one of the reasons why I'm trying autos is bcz I do shitty transplants and stunted a couple (photoperiods) in the last few years, heartbreaking. Ideally I would start them in cups (unless you talk me out of it) and drop them into the bags around 1 week?
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Death The Cultivator]

I've grown photoperiods outdoors for about 5 years with pretty good success. However, I want to add a couple of autos to the mix and I have a lot of questions.
I'm planning on fabric pots, but can't decide if I should use 5gal or 3gal. I want to know if I really need to buy a digital soil ph meter. I plan on making and using tea and organic soil ammendments.
I chose really sedating strains for medical reasons. I got 9lb Hammer seeds from Pacific seed bank and the GDP from the Netherlands. Anyone have opinions of their strains? I really want to supplement light in the beginning, inside, so I'm reluctant to use bigger pots as they would be hard to move in and out. On the other hand one of the reasons why I'm trying autos is bcz I do shitty transplants and stunted a couple (photoperiods) in the last few years, heartbreaking. Ideally I would start them in cups (unless you talk me out of it) and drop them into the bags around 1 week?
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Products like Superthrive with B vitamins and amino acids that will help prepare the plant for the stress prior to transplant. Humic acid and kelp help a lot as well in general. RAW sells all of these kelp4less does too.

I start my autos in their final pots but I'm a hydro grower lol. @Iriee Vibez might be able to help @Growtogrow

 

[Iriee Vibez]

Yo what’s up Damien and Pinkman! I have found with organic soil growing, there is no need for ph or ppm meters. I have absolutely no idea what my soil measures. And I love it! I grow in 3 gallon pots. I find with smaller pots, you have to top dress and use teas more to keep the soil and -pants happy, but I dig doing that stuff. Don’t know about the strains, but they sound great. I am a proponent of starting in the final pot, but have seen a lot of great transplanted plants.

this whole growing thing is all about trying different things and tweaking to maximize your own environment. Unless you really f up, you will have some buds to smoke at the end, and just keep trying different improvements, until you dial things in. Read, read, read. Lots of stuff to learn on here. before AFN, I didn’t know I cpuld grow weed!

 

[Growtogrow]

Hey there y'all hope all is good with everybody

So you want to plant outside in 3 gallon pots. Well I got to tell you I haven't had much success there when planting in very small pots outside. I use Fiber pots myself it doesn't really matter what brand you use... you can use the reusable bags from the grocery store.
But what the problem is with outside growing you have to be on your plant every day with water and nutrients in a small pot... and in my case I was using 25 gallon fiber pots. In the Heat of the summer the plant would dry out and in the morning I would have to water and in the evening I would have to water and what happens is you wash all your nutrients away all the time if you don't feed while your watering every single day that gets very costly overtime.
So what I come up with when I use the fiber pot is..and I bought the cheapest fiber pots. but I paid 20 bucks for 6 cheap15 gallon and 20 gallon pots. And what I would do when I took them outside for permanent use with the plant in them I would slice the side of the pot in multiple places. And I dug a hole big enough that the pot would go down in and a little bit bigger yet. And then I would take my composted organic soil and I would set the pot down inside the hole and then I would back fill with that organic soil and Water generously. This allows the roots to go out into the soil you don't have any transplant shock and like my friend said FTF they're using all of them transfer nutrients you should have 100% success rate. I grow very big plants. If you grow smaller plants and you're going to have to be on top of them all the time. If your climate is hot like mine. I'm in mid Michigan. It gets very dry here it also gets very wet here. But this is my experience with doing with what you asked.
I tried running above the ground three seasons in a row with hard pots and fiber pots and it didn't matter which one I use I had the same problem they kept drying out. But once I put them in the ground and gave them a large area soak up water and kept the ground at a decent moisture rate I never had any problems with dryness again. I've attached a couple of photos of what I did and how I did it in my garden last year outside.
The pots there in the middle they're on top of the ground I moved in and out of the cage with the wheel cart . Because I do light deprivation techniques it allows me to grow two crops in a season so the ones that were in the pots up the middle we're actually my second crop . But because the weather here was so bad last year I moved my timeline out by 2 weeks which was a mistake on my part . Because my plants became is I'm talking about the dry pot and I had to get them in the ground or I was going to lose my plants because of the dryness I had they were too big for the pots and not enough water for them . so you can see and no pics the small garden this got the big plants that are against the fence I had to put those in the ground there and build a fence around them . They were not supposed to be there but the other crop wasn't ready yet and I had to do what I had to do .

I've grown photoperiods outdoors for about 5 years with pretty good success. However, I want to add a couple of autos to the mix and I have a lot of questions.
I'm planning on fabric pots, but can't decide if I should use 5gal or 3gal. I want to know if I really need to buy a digital soil ph meter. I plan on making and using tea and organic soil ammendments.
I chose really sedating strains for medical reasons. I got 9lb Hammer seeds from Pacific seed bank and the GDP from the Netherlands. Anyone have opinions of their strains? I really want to supplement light in the beginning, inside, so I'm reluctant to use bigger pots as they would be hard to move in and out. On the other hand one of the reasons why I'm trying autos is bcz I do shitty transplants and stunted a couple (photoperiods) in the last few years, heartbreaking. Ideally I would start them in cups (unless you talk me out of it) and drop them into the bags around 1 week?
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Products like Superthrive with B vitamins and amino acids that will help prepare the plant for the stress prior to transplant. Humic acid and kelp help a lot as well in general. RAW sells all of these kelp4less does too.

I start my autos in their final pots but I'm a hydro grower lol. @Iriee Vibez might be able to help @Growtogrow

Yo what’s up Damien and Pinkman! I have found with organic soil growing, there is no need for ph or ppm meters. I have absolutely no idea what my soil measures. And I love it! I grow in 3 gallon pots. I find with smaller pots, you have to top dress and use teas more to keep the soil and -pants happy, but I dig doing that stuff. Don’t know about the strains, but they sound great. I am a proponent of starting in the final pot, but have seen a lot of great transplanted plants.

this whole growing thing is all about trying different things and tweaking to maximize your own environment. Unless you really f up, you will have some buds to smoke at the end, and just keep trying different improvements, until you dial things in. Read, read, read. Lots of stuff to learn on here. before AFN, I didn’t know I cpuld grow weed!

 

[JaPinkman]

Products like Superthrive with B vitamins and amino acids that will help prepare the plant for the stress prior to transplant. Humic acid and kelp help a lot as well in general. RAW sells all of these kelp4less does too.

I start my autos in their final pots but I'm a hydro grower lol. @Iriee Vibez might be able to help @Growtogrow

Thanks FTF, so much of my concern is around feeling the need to start them inside and transplant that any help with that is great. My problem has been using loose aerated soil and trying to transplant before they are root-bound. That sucks and dwarfs my babies so I've had a great plant or two and a dwarf or two each year. I will probably try those products. I think that the kelp and humic acid will go into tea but I would have to look into using them as a soil amendment if that is what you mean.

 

[JaPinkman]

Yo what’s up Damien and Pinkman! I have found with organic soil growing, there is no need for ph or ppm meters. I have absolutely no idea what my soil measures. And I love it! I grow in 3 gallon pots. I find with smaller pots, you have to top dress and use teas more to keep the soil and -pants happy, but I dig doing that stuff. Don’t know about the strains, but they sound great. I am a proponent of starting in the final pot, but have seen a lot of great transplanted plants.

this whole growing thing is all about trying different things and tweaking to maximize your own environment. Unless you really f up, you will have some buds to smoke at the end, and just keep trying different improvements, until you dial things in. Read, read, read. Lots of stuff to learn on here. before AFN, I didn’t know I cpuld grow weed!

Thanks Iriee, I love it too. In fact I guess you could say I obsess over this stuff :-0 That is the kind of growing I had in mind for my autos. One question I want to ask you is do you grow in a hot climate and is it a problem keeping your plants hydrated in 3 gal pots? Also, are you ph-ing your H20 ? I can dial in the soil but my water is hard as hell, coming in around ph 8 or so. I really don't want to shell out $150 for a ph meter. I've used advanced nutrient products with my photos just because it balances ph. I want to get away from that though... go organic with amendments.
I appreciate your input and am headed to your links too.

 

[Iriee Vibez]

Hey Pinkman! It’s a labor of love brother. I hear ya!

to answer your question, I live in the Sacramento valley in California, but I didn’t switch from hydro until last fall. Temps In the cabinet were consistently in the mid eighties, throughout though. Living soil retains water better than you would think. I also use some Blumat to help keep the soil consistently moist. I do top water about twice a week to set the top dressing I use.
I never ph my water because the soil also created a natural buffer. Most on here growing with LOS don’t ph either. Some do, however. So fare I haven’t seen the need to and have grown some tasty plants already. my tap is close to 8 also. No problem for my soil.

 

[Iriee Vibez]

Hey there y'all hope all is good with everybody

So you want to plant outside in 3 gallon pots. Well I got to tell you I haven't had much success there when planting in very small pots outside. I use Fiber pots myself it doesn't really matter what brand you use... you can use the reusable bags from the grocery store.
But what the problem is with outside growing you have to be on your plant every day with water and nutrients in a small pot... and in my case I was using 25 gallon fiber pots. In the Heat of the summer the plant would dry out and in the morning I would have to water and in the evening I would have to water and what happens is you wash all your nutrients away all the time if you don't feed while your watering every single day that gets very costly overtime.
So what I come up with when I use the fiber pot is..and I bought the cheapest fiber pots. but I paid 20 bucks for 6 cheap15 gallon and 20 gallon pots. And what I would do when I took them outside for permanent use with the plant in them I would slice the side of the pot in multiple places. And I dug a hole big enough that the pot would go down in and a little bit bigger yet. And then I would take my composted organic soil and I would set the pot down inside the hole and then I would back fill with that organic soil and Water generously. This allows the roots to go out into the soil you don't have any transplant shock and like my friend said FTF they're using all of them transfer nutrients you should have 100% success rate. I grow very big plants. If you grow smaller plants and you're going to have to be on top of them all the time. If your climate is hot like mine. I'm in mid Michigan. It gets very dry here it also gets very wet here. But this is my experience with doing with what you asked.
I tried running above the ground three seasons in a row with hard pots and fiber pots and it didn't matter which one I use I had the same problem they kept drying out. But once I put them in the ground and gave them a large area soak up water and kept the ground at a decent moisture rate I never had any problems with dryness again. I've attached a couple of photos of what I did and how I did it in my garden last year outside.
The pots there in the middle they're on top of the ground I moved in and out of the cage with the wheel cart . Because I do light deprivation techniques it allows me to grow two crops in a season so the ones that were in the pots up the middle we're actually my second crop . But because the weather here was so bad last year I moved my timeline out by 2 weeks which was a mistake on my part . Because my plants became is I'm talking about the dry pot and I had to get them in the ground or I was going to lose my plants because of the dryness I had they were too big for the pots and not enough water for them . so you can see and no pics the small garden this got the big plants that are against the fence I had to put those in the ground there and build a fence around them . They were not supposed to be there but the other crop wasn't ready yet and I had to do what I had to do . View attachment 1163370View attachment 1163371View attachment 1163372View attachment 1163373View attachment 1163374View attachment 1163376View attachment 1163377View attachment 1163378



View attachment 1163379

Nice technique, Grow! I grew outside last year in 3 gallon pots and found the same thing watering everyday was necessary. The plants would tell me they needed water by wilting every late afternoon. I am thinking organic soil and mulching will help this year, but I am sure the plants will still require lots of watering.

 

[JaPinkman]

Hey there y'all hope all is good with everybody

So you want to plant outside in 3 gallon pots. Well I got to tell you I haven't had much success there when planting in very small pots outside. I use Fiber pots myself it doesn't really matter what brand you use... you can use the reusable bags from the grocery store.
But what the problem is with outside growing you have to be on your plant every day with water and nutrients in a small pot... and in my case I was using 25 gallon fiber pots. In the Heat of the summer the plant would dry out and in the morning I would have to water and in the evening I would have to water and what happens is you wash all your nutrients away all the time if you don't feed while your watering every single day that gets very costly overtime.
So what I come up with when I use the fiber pot is..and I bought the cheapest fiber pots. but I paid 20 bucks for 6 cheap15 gallon and 20 gallon pots. And what I would do when I took them outside for permanent use with the plant in them I would slice the side of the pot in multiple places. And I dug a hole big enough that the pot would go down in and a little bit bigger yet. And then I would take my composted organic soil and I would set the pot down inside the hole and then I would back fill with that organic soil and Water generously. This allows the roots to go out into the soil you don't have any transplant shock and like my friend said FTF they're using all of them transfer nutrients you should have 100% success rate. I grow very big plants. If you grow smaller plants and you're going to have to be on top of them all the time. If your climate is hot like mine. I'm in mid Michigan. It gets very dry here it also gets very wet here. But this is my experience with doing with what you asked.
I tried running above the ground three seasons in a row with hard pots and fiber pots and it didn't matter which one I use I had the same problem they kept drying out. But once I put them in the ground and gave them a large area soak up water and kept the ground at a decent moisture rate I never had any problems with dryness again. I've attached a couple of photos of what I did and how I did it in my garden last year outside.
The pots there in the middle they're on top of the ground I moved in and out of the cage with the wheel cart . Because I do light deprivation techniques it allows me to grow two crops in a season so the ones that were in the pots up the middle we're actually my second crop . But because the weather here was so bad last year I moved my timeline out by 2 weeks which was a mistake on my part . Because my plants became is I'm talking about the dry pot and I had to get them in the ground or I was going to lose my plants because of the dryness I had they were too big for the pots and not enough water for them . so you can see and no pics the small garden this got the big plants that are against the fence I had to put those in the ground there and build a fence around them . They were not supposed to be there but the other crop wasn't ready yet and I had to do what I had to do . View attachment 1163370View attachment 1163371View attachment 1163372View attachment 1163373View attachment 1163374View attachment 1163376View attachment 1163377View attachment 1163378



View attachment 1163379

Yo GrowtoGrow, Wow! Damn! and some more. That's a lot of great info. I knew that there had to be some hack around placing fabric pots in the ground, and I had actually thought of doing what you've done but never actually tried it. Do you slit them before you drop them in the hole, or after? Leave the bottom intact? From the looks of your ladies, enough roots are getting out to produce excellence.
Get this: Last year my photo-period Big Bud ran a tap root all the way down to the water table. There is an irrigation ditch about 20 feet away that is about at the same level. Anyway, midway through the summer I realized that the plant was getting it's own water, I never needed to water it from then on, soil almost always wet. So, Ph in the ditch is way high but lots of good nutrients probably. So I think that although the plant got big, because of the high ph ditch water, I couldn't feed it much and I think it locked out nutrients. 1.5 lbs off that one but the buds were light and fluffy-airy. Otherwise, decent. So now I'm reluctant to go back into those holes but if I left the bottom on the bag, would the tap root make it out?
Are those super autos (I've read about some very large auto strains)? Your plants are fantastic looking- great setup.

 

[JaPinkman]

Yo GrowtoGrow, Wow! Damn1 and some more. That's a lot of great info. I knew that there had to be some hack around placing fabric pots in the ground, and I had actually thought of doing what you've done but never actually tried it. Do you slit them before you drop them in the hole, or after? Leave the bottom intact? From the looks of your ladies, enough roots are getting out to produce excellence.
Get this: Last year my photo-period Big Bud ran a tap root all the way down to the water table. There is an irrigation ditch about 20 feet away that is about at the same level. Anyway, midway through the summer I realized that the plant was getting it's own water, I never needed to water it from then on, soil almost always wet. So, Ph in the ditch is way high but lots of good nutrients probably. So I think that although the plant got big, because of the high ph ditch water, I couldn't feed it much and I think it locked out nutrients. 1.5 lbs off that one but the buds were light and fluffy-airy. Otherwise, decent. So now I'm reluctant to go back into those holes but if I left the bottom on the bag, would the tap root make it out?
Are those super autos (I've read about some very large auto strains)? Your plants are fantastic looking- great setup.

In you experience would you say that the bigger the pot the bigger the plant with autos?