New Grower Late Winter/Early Spring Experiment

[Powdawg]

I'm starting my third grow ever this week and I'm going rogue. This is my first post so here's my situation. I'm in a Mediterranean climate and with mild winters and super hot summers, it seems I should be able to pull this growing thing off just about any time of year.

I'm only using autos and have had some success with my first two grows but nothing too outstanding. Previous grows where White Label (Sensi)- Northern Lights Autos, outdoors in pots with soil from a garden center. First grow was harvested last July (probably too early due to summer holiday) using only tap water, 8-10 liter pot, and no nutrients. Plants lived on a terrace with intense morning sun and left there through grow. I'm not sure the total time of light but plants also had long periods of shade. Probably yielded .50 to .75oz. Yield looked great at harvest but ended up pretty airy after drying (1week) and curing (2 to 3 days because I couldn't wait to try it). For the first shot, I thought it was a complete success with no issues with veg or flower.

Top of First go around.

My second grow was a test to see if I could anything to grow before I lost too much light on the terraces. So I experimented a bit with no real concern for the yield. One seed was a random find from the first grow and the second seed was another NL auto. This time I used bigger pots (almost 5 gallons/18 liter), a different soil with pebble-sized lava balls at the top and bottom, tap water, and store bought nutrients for veg and flower. I also did some low-stress training on the NL and hacked the shit out of the Random seed by topping it. Results for this growth were pretty minimal with the Random seed producing very airy flowers and the NL had a tighter bud but still wasn't very dense. 80ish total days of growth.

View media item 14010NL from 2nd Round

View media item 14009Random Seed from 2nd Round. I think genetics played a role in this result.

So here I am for number three. Since I still have plenty of good weather ahead of me I'm going to start another grow using some abnormal techniques. My only goals are to produce denser buds regardless of quantity and see what, if anything, a planned regime of nutrients and ph'd water will produce. With outdoor temps still lingering around 12-15 degrees C, I'm going to start two plants inside under a single 1x100 LED then finish each plant outside after the veg stage. Assuming in 3 or 4 weeks I'll have warmer temps and more sunlight throughout the day. My indoor set up is basic at best. One LED in a closet with a small fan. I'm going to use two different seeds from White Label. A Super Skunk (Indica) and a White Diesel Haze (Sativa).

Each seed was started today for germination and will go into Bio Bizz Light Mix in a 6-liter pot when sprouted. I'll water for the first week and then start using Advanced Nutrients base products. Grow, Bloom and Micro. Water will also be ph'd around 6.5 for each watering. I've also decided I'll use some LST when the plants reach the appropriate stage.

I'll try to keep this thread updated with my results as regular as possible. I'd love to hear any predictions and advice for this odd grow.
My first hurdle? I'm going to plant the sprouted seeds by Friday and then leave to go skiing for five days. Why not! Any watering advice for that shit show? I'm planning on having the LED on for 18 hours every day while I'm away. What could happen? Wish me luck!

 

[InexpensiveBeret]

I'm around the Mediterranean too, but I could never do a balcony grow for security reasons. Still, curious to see how this plays out.

Probably the worst that could happen is the pots dry out completely. I'd look into maybe a blumat plant sitter thing (probably too wet for soil, but better than nothing) or maybe even rig something like the old 1.5l bottle with a hole in the cap trick. Blumat has different systems, depending on whether they're using gravity to feed the dripper or capillary action.

 

[Powdawg]

Thanks for the feedback @InexpensiveBeret I ended up using a similar system you suggested and found a dripper system that held a 75cl bottle. I set it up to deliver 15cl a day for 5 days, and somehow I got away with it.
Update 1: Feeeeew! I somehow have two seedlings growing above the surface after my 5 day trip out of town. The day I left I put both seeds into their pots with damp soil, rigged a hilariously ridiculous drip system, set a lighting timer for 18hrs and hoped for the best.

When I returned the house was still standing and to my surprise, the SS had surfaced about 3 or 4cms while the WD was still sprouting under the surface. I actually found the seed to see if it had popped and when I saw that it had I realized what an impatient idiot I am. Working on the patience thing.

The WD finally broke the surface today and I'm feeling pretty lucky to have two seedlings. I'll just keep things moist for a few more days and keep these girls happy.

I soaked the soil in the pots before I planted the seeds and they are still pretty heavy. Any advise? Should I just let them dry out and just keep the surface moist for the seedlings? How long can I expect water to stay at the ph I set it to?

Also, does anyone know how I can manage photos in a post? Size, rotate, etc.