First time grower questions. 10 autoflowers / 8 autopots in 4x8 tent

[Ali3nz]

I have 10 autoflowers coming along nicely In a 4x8 tent. 8 are in autopots.
I was wondering if I could just let them do their thing for my first grow so I can focus on tweaking my grow area and getting the nutrient doses correct? I haven’t done a thing to them except feed them.

A guy on Reddit said they may get out of control If I don’t train them, is that true? Will I lose a lot of yield just letting them do their thing?
I could maybe just do what is pictured below to each plant If I have to. That looks easy enough.

Plants are on day 25

 

[JSH1973]

All depending on the strain and how big they will grow of course but I can understand what the guy meant because I have 6 big pots and 2 smaller ones in a 2x4 tent and it is quite *busy* already and I'm only coming up to the end of week 6 since seed.
You have 10 plants in double the size tent but I think that will still get very packed so why not practice LST and/or Top a few of them?

 

[HighnDry]

Congrats on getting your first grow, of 10 especially, to this stage. All are looking extremely healthy What height is the tent? I wouldn't be doing too much to them myself as clearly what you have done so far is working

 

[JSH1973]

Forgot to say, with a very packed tent you definitely want to ensure good airflow all the time, make sure you look at your fan setup and feel comfortable that it is enough, be a shame to loose anything that could have been avoided with an additional 20 quid fan.

 

[automan2]

With all new strains, I top/fim one and let a second grow naturally and usually find that some sort of adjustment is necessary even in small pots..... but I've never seen one grow 'out of control'....a little pinch on my ladies ass at the right time usually sets the mood for later....
Foliage control for light penetration and ventilation is important with a full canopy.

 

[Simplicio]

I let autos grow the way they want in hydro, while following the VPD chart, and they do great.
Topping, training, pruning, flushing are all unnecessary.

The bare minimum my plants seem to want is 4 sq ft, but they prefer about twice as much.
I have 2 autos in a 2 x 4 ft tent, and either could've easily taken over the whole tent.
I don't have proof, but I suspect the competition is making them grow taller, instead of the wider they would prefer.

 

[Ali3nz]

Forgot to say, with a very packed tent you definitely want to ensure good airflow all the time, make sure you look at your fan setup and feel comfortable that it is enough, be a shame to loose anything that could have been avoided with an additional 20 quid fan.

The height of the tent is 6.5 foot/2 meters. There is quite a lot of room upwards.

Ventilation is a big thing I have been focusing on. I upgraded my 4”/100mm exhaust fan to a 8”/200mm beast. Then used the 100mm fan for intake along side another 150mm fan for intake. I have the intake fans connected to an inkbird temp controller so they only switch on if the temp is higher then 24 degrees Celsius. Also have a clip on oscillating fan and standing oscillating fan. But it’s looking like I may have to get rid of the standing oscillating fan to allow more room for the ladies. I also have a portal aircon, dehumidifier and heater on standby for when/if it’s needed.

I might try some lst like the simple bend over method pictured In first post. I will drill some holes in the top of the autopots and use some wire to do it.

regarding topping, is it too late for me to do it now? Any guide you would suggest on how to do it? Bit nervous topping. Not sure if I want to for first grow.

 

[Dojavu]

I let autos grow the way they want in hydro, while following the VPD chart, and they do great.
Topping, training, pruning, flushing are all unnecessary.

The bare minimum my plants seem to want is 4 sq ft, but they prefer about twice as much.
I have 2 autos in a 2 x 4 ft tent, and either could've easily taken over the whole tent.
I don't have proof, but I suspect the competition is making them grow taller, instead of the wider they would prefer.

I could agree, the same is happening to me exact same setup.

 

[Ali3nz]

Thanks for the input. I went ahead and did a little lst. Just tried to bend Over the ones in the autopots.

I am day 29 now on this first grow. Do you think I should remove some leaves?

 

[JSH1973]

Thanks for the input. I went ahead and did a little lst. Just tried to bend Over the ones in the autopots.

I am day 29 now on this first grow. Do you think I should remove some leaves?

There's plenty of space there so there's probably no reason to defoliate anything for now, I've been quite heavy with mine but they are also jammers in the tent