My Ladies have no nose, How do they smell? Not much at all sadly.

[HashMaster]

Only born yesterday and thanks to beautiful people like you I have more knowledge today and will know even more tomorrow.
I will let them run till they feel right. I may have a small slip of the scalpel on an outrigger just to watch it dry.
A Wonderful weekend to you.
T&B

Just remember... it's still just a weed.

There are thousands of ways to grow but the only "right way" is what works for you.

On autos I myself like to keep the lighting and conditions constant start to finish as I've found that switching things around early can retard them a bit.

Do some research into root growth and you may find why some growers and many big breeders prefer 18/6.

Ignore 90% of the horror stories that are out there about how "fragile" autos are....

There are many fine breeders and seed banks besides those found on this site.

The one I recommend trying at some point is @Stone 's gear at the Autoflower Portal Gift Shop

https://autoflower-portal.net/gift-shop/

Experiment... have fun... and find which ways work the best for you.

 

[Hippy_BiotabsF70]

Well where have you two been since the late 70s eh?! Blimey. I have to be honest and say I'm in love with your wife mate! Have been since about the age of 9

Breeder, strain. Breeder, strain. Breeder, strain.

Get those two nailed and the trichs and sticky icky will follow. No experience of the breeder or strain you're growing dude, but there's a reason for that. I can heartily recommend Short Stuff and Mephisto. Go for the newest or fairly new strains as they're probably the best in terms of quality.

Autos are good, but personally when I weigh it all up, I prefer photos I think. Personally I think taking autos to 100+ days is insane. Too much leccy for no apparent gain. May as well grow photos surely. Unless it's purely a perpetual auto grow thing, then I sort of get it. But I would rather plan my photo grows well to sustain the jars.

 

[Tom&Barbara]

Well where have you two been since the late 70s eh?! Blimey. I have to be honest and say I'm in love with your wife mate! Have been since about the age of 9

Breeder, strain. Breeder, strain. Breeder, strain.

Get those two nailed and the trichs and sticky icky will follow. No experience of the breeder or strain you're growing dude, but there's a reason for that. I can heartily recommend Short Stuff and Mephisto. Go for the newest or fairly new strains as they're probably the best in terms of quality.

Autos are good, but personally when I weigh it all up, I prefer photos I think. Personally I think taking autos to 100+ days is insane. Too much leccy for no apparent gain. May as well grow photos surely. Unless it's purely a perpetual auto grow thing, then I sort of get it. But I would rather plan my photo grows well to sustain the jars.

Hello, similarly seasoned one,

you are obviously already enjoying the good life but my preparations are not so, our jars are too often empty and anyway Barb and I are very keen on the 12 strains of Christmas, planned 2019, then, possibly, 2020 to see clearly, the advent calendar to beat all (of a particular persuasion). This can only be so through the auto route.
Though, since you took the trouble to write I will tell you that I also grew a random white widow photo to Mother status and because faith ain't really my thing I have taken some babies and will spend this weekend making space for some traditional while the autos show their colour - are we allowed to say stuff like that here, it feels a little heretic.
On the subject of faith though, since writing all this worry both Barbara and I have noticed a change in attitude from the ladies so perhaps they won't disappoint.
Thank you for the recommendation I will certainly visit but all these pictures, something feels wrong about smoking one bud whilst drooling over another.
T&B

 

[Tom&Barbara]

Just remember... it's still just a weed.

There are thousands of ways to grow but the only "right way" is what works for you.

On autos I myself like to keep the lighting and conditions constant start to finish as I've found that switching things around early can retard them a bit.

Do some research into root growth and you may find why some growers and many big breeders prefer 18/6.

Ignore 90% of the horror stories that are out there about how "fragile" autos are....

There are many fine breeders and seed banks besides those found on this site.

The one I recommend trying at some point is @Stone 's gear at the Autoflower Portal Gift Shop

https://autoflower-portal.net/gift-shop/

Experiment... have fun... and find which ways work the best for you.

Hi HM,
have looked at the site and the starfuckers look lovely. I finally have the feeling I can have the choice of an Amsterdam coffee shop if I up my game.
Thanks for the encouragement, the ladies I've been concerned for seem to be developing as women, so perhaps just first night jitters?
Only time will tell but I do love the ease of a communal timezone.
T&B

 

[Tom&Barbara]

CLapClapClapClapClapClap if I could have written that in a circle I would have as you,Blue, deserve a round of applause.
The perfect answer to all of my questions and a theme tune to boot. Sheer class.
After all I whinged the ladies seem to have woken in a slightly more pungent mood and Barb has confirmed a more positive femininity from the girls so 15 to 20 plus dry and jar time may make me a moaning Mary.
The Teenagers I misrepresented as Gorilla Glue when they are AK48. GG are the kids but my word AK is fast and sparse. Is that a Lady you have entertained? AK48? I have just two but they are already bigger than the grown-up girls! And only 38!
Thanks again.
T&B

 

[Waira]

T&B-- sorry to be late here,.... I read through, and most of the time such results are from the nutes (or lack of), bad environment (T, RH%, light proximity/heat), bad luck genetics,... or any combo thereof,... But let's see,.....
... this "tropic" soil, why not use it straight? Blending with coco at that rate can be a gamble for it's behavior,... coco is very different from true soil, and while it's a common and good component, more often than not when I see custom blends with that much coco, they simply don't perform well,.. caught in between true soil and the more hydro-like coco that comes with all the do's and don't that coco has when going with just that... are you using a Ca-Mg supplement? Do you water/feed to run-off, and how much? .... what nutes are you using, and the NPK#'s on the lot? Any supplements like humic-fulvic, Si, etc.,..? ....how about that HPS bulb, is it a high end broader spectrum type, age,..? ....when did you switch to bloom nutes?
....Get us pics when you can please,....
.... I see Blue has chimed in! .... Most any of the genetics you see here are at least good, but along with what she said, I'd add Short Stuff (newer "boutique line" strains best), Dinafem, Dutch Passion/ Seed Stockers (sister co'), for starters,... and our Independent breeder Magic has some excellent strains, well proven and respected here........ of course there are others, but I'll leave the leg work to you on that- ...it'll take you years to run through just what's listed above!
.... light hours IMO are fairly flexible,... most folks run 20/4 or 18/6; 24/0 is OK, but not all strains seem to like it, or really do significantly better for yield,... some of the record breaking yields came from hydro' growers and 24/0 though!

 

[Tom&Barbara]

Hi Waira,
you cannot be late as I didn't expect nor feel entitled.
Thank you for your very informed words. I mixed soil because of a thread on this site I read before starting. The nub was the delicatess of Autos and how premium soil would damage their sensibilities and roots so light mix or no nute soil was best for the younglings. I have since been explained that they are not the gentle flowers they protest to be. I will be using a tropic bat mix next time.
The lamps are only one photo grow old and broad spectrum.
No supplements and in fact all nutes are kept below 800 ppm or 0.8 on your preferred scale as again information suggested the ladies would die if I didn't water the whiskey by 50%.
The slip of a scalpel which enabled a rough taste was not flushed so certainly rough but not great either.
The problème du jour, which I have seen highlighted on this site, is my Gorilla Glue Auto which, on day 50, have yet to flower. Whereas the AK48 started at the same time is in full and lovely bloom. From reading it seems the only fix is to treat them like a photo which is a total PITA as I have some baby 2V2F and the GG's which all need 20/4. So unless you or another knowledged one can suggest else I will have to improvise a new enclosed area and buy another light for the autophoto! Great, I'm now basically growing oxymorons and so they will be from now known. I cannot be as cavalier as some here(they culled the culprits), I'm 50 days in and anyway are very keen to experience the extreme THC levels the strain boasts.
I wish you well and thank you again for your time and words.
T&B

 

[Waira]

:smoking:... this initial richness sensitivity is generally true (for any seedling really, ay?); there are occasional strains that seem to tolerate hotter soil better than others for sure, and this trend follows in pretty much everything "auto"... they are now so diverse, many so well breed that they often mimic their parent photo strains quirks and characteristics. I think the main worry for folks is the resulting stunting/burning if it's too hot, and the runts that may follow; there's no time to fix, and transplanting out of a final pot is another recipe for shit-show disaster!
I'd say for soil, the first most important thing is to know that soil's quality and rep' best you can,.... I'd also include testing the pH right out of the bag with a quality pH probe (Accurate 8 by Control Wizard is what I use), or do a proper slurry test which will allow you to use a pH meter to test the liquid drained off,... and read the ingredients/label and know what's in there, and what they generally do... Basically, a very common misconception is see here (not from you folks) is that very few soils are going to have the complete nutritional package unless specifically purpose made for it (i.e., TLO, or "water only" types)....
I usually plant directly into final pots, but I do make a center pocket of milder soil IF the outer soil is pretty rich. Some folks just use a moderately amended soil and start nutes sooner at dilute dosing.. My MO for this is basically the same as for doing transplants if the situation dictates this,.. check out this tutorial thread I made, and you'll see how I used a smaller size pot to make the perfect pocket to fill with milder stuff inside the larger (or final) pot... A good example, right now I have a new round going using this great dry mix-in amendment made by our good mate GBD, who is an affiliate of the fabulous Mephisto Genetics,... this stuff starts with a mild soil (Roots Organic original is his choice, I used Royal Gold King's Mix), optional to add more ECW, then you add a about 2T+ per gal soil, then mix well,.. some folks let it sit for a week or so, dosed with fresh inoculants to let it "cook" and stabilize some, but that's not absolutely necessary... then you fill the bottom half with the amended soil, top with reg' soil and plant directly...... some folks like me have tinkered with this some in how they do the layering/shaping of the hotter layer... this last round I mixed a little less in, but did the center fill (about 32oz styro cup) of mild soil and filled the rest of the pot up with amended soil... so far, so good!
... good on the lights/bulbs! ... again, what nute brand are you using? Dosage seems fine,... can you get me pics? It's how I "read" the plants,...normal lights please, any HID/LED makes for horrid color rendering,....
Wait, i though you were here about the 2V2F buds with little aroma and resin??... hence the nute ?'s, and pic request to see if any deficiency symptoms are showing,... K and S are big players in the trichome/terpene production dept.,....
Whose genetics is the GG? At day 50, it's an auto "dud",.... it may still, but usually they don't... could be a packing error, or a bad seed,...crappy genetics,...plain dumb bad luck,... in this case usually forcing it with 12/12 and treating it like a photo' is the only recourse,... truth is, this happens on occasion.... No process is perfect, auto breeding, fem'ing, these can have hiccups sometimes,... and this is where truly good breeders shine, and the rest don't,...! Hack breeding shows auto misfires, hermie's, long life cycle times, etc.,....shallow generation depth releasing is another problem with the hack breeders, things just not locked in well enough yet... So, depending on the size of that GG, and your $$ supply, it may not be worth buying a whole new set up for the problem child,... it sucks to chuck it, but sometimes you just have to cut your losses,...
Hippy mate ... I'm with you, looking at the life cycle time is important! I see some of DP's strains are rather long cycled, and right on the borderline of not bothering and just growing out a photo' version instead,... cost:yield ratio just isn't there anymore,...

 

[Tom&Barbara]

:smoking:... this initial richness sensitivity is generally true (for any seedling really, ay?); there are occasional strains that seem to tolerate hotter soil better than others for sure, and this trend follows in pretty much everything "auto"... they are now so diverse, many so well breed that they often mimic their parent photo strains quirks and characteristics. I think the main worry for folks is the resulting stunting/burning if it's too hot, and the runts that may follow; there's no time to fix, and transplanting out of a final pot is another recipe for shit-show disaster!
I'd say for soil, the first most important thing is to know that soil's quality and rep' best you can,.... I'd also include testing the pH right out of the bag with a quality pH probe (Accurate 8 by Control Wizard is what I use), or do a proper slurry test which will allow you to use a pH meter to test the liquid drained off,... and read the ingredients/label and know what's in there, and what they generally do... Basically, a very common misconception is see here (not from you folks) is that very few soils are going to have the complete nutritional package unless specifically purpose made for it (i.e., TLO, or "water only" types)....
I usually plant directly into final pots, but I do make a center pocket of milder soil IF the outer soil is pretty rich. Some folks just use a moderately amended soil and start nutes sooner at dilute dosing.. My MO for this is basically the same as for doing transplants if the situation dictates this,.. check out this tutorial thread I made, and you'll see how I used a smaller size pot to make the perfect pocket to fill with milder stuff inside the larger (or final) pot... A good example, right now I have a new round going using this great dry mix-in amendment made by our good mate GBD, who is an affiliate of the fabulous Mephisto Genetics,... this stuff starts with a mild soil (Roots Organic original is his choice, I used Royal Gold King's Mix), optional to add more ECW, then you add a about 2T+ per gal soil, then mix well,.. some folks let it sit for a week or so, dosed with fresh inoculants to let it "cook" and stabilize some, but that's not absolutely necessary... then you fill the bottom half with the amended soil, top with reg' soil and plant directly...... some folks like me have tinkered with this some in how they do the layering/shaping of the hotter layer... this last round I mixed a little less in, but did the center fill (about 32oz styro cup) of mild soil and filled the rest of the pot up with amended soil... so far, so good!
... good on the lights/bulbs! ... again, what nute brand are you using? Dosage seems fine,... can you get me pics? It's how I "read" the plants,...normal lights please, any HID/LED makes for horrid color rendering,....
Wait, i though you were here about the 2V2F buds with little aroma and resin??... hence the nute ?'s, and pic request to see if any deficiency symptoms are showing,... K and S are big players in the trichome/terpene production dept.,....
Whose genetics is the GG? At day 50, it's an auto "dud",.... it may still, but usually they don't... could be a packing error, or a bad seed,...crappy genetics,...plain dumb bad luck,... in this case usually forcing it with 12/12 and treating it like a photo' is the only recourse,... truth is, this happens on occasion.... No process is perfect, auto breeding, fem'ing, these can have hiccups sometimes,... and this is where truly good breeders shine, and the rest don't,...! Hack breeding shows auto misfires, hermie's, long life cycle times, etc.,....shallow generation depth releasing is another problem with the hack breeders, things just not locked in well enough yet... So, depending on the size of that GG, and your $$ supply, it may not be worth buying a whole new set up for the problem child,... it sucks to chuck it, but sometimes you just have to cut your losses,...
Hippy mate ... I'm with you, looking at the life cycle time is important! I see some of DP's strains are rather long cycled, and right on the borderline of not bothering and just growing out a photo' version instead,... cost:yield ratio just isn't there anymore,...

Wow. Waira, you really are da bomb.
The 2v2f are from heavyweight the GG's from Fastbuds and the AK48 from Nirvana.
After I posted I realized I was merely refusing the truth about the situation and went into the space and cleared some clutter. Then off to spend money at the hydro store and I have bought my first tent! and new lights and ventilation and and and a monkey and a bit later I have a lot of work to do but will have a new 1.2m x 2.4m x 1.8m with 1200 more watts of dimmable light.
I know I am very lucky to have the space available but £'ouch!
So now with a permanent 12/12 and a 20/4 space I can hedge my bets and (hopefully) rescue the GG's.
The guys at the Hydro store were very disparaging about autos and have hurt my hope in them somewhat. I have decided to fast flush one of the unperfumed ladies and have a decent look.
Thanks to the clutter clear I have located an uncomplicated camera and will do the pics once I figure out how to charge the battery!!!
I came back to growing with confidence after a 10+ year break but I have found myself very out of my depth and things have changed so completely that I feel like I have brought my scientific calculator to the computer club.
I resolve to read read read while they grow grow grow and hopefully, the future will be green, tinged with white and amber.
I am very interested in the layered system and read here about Kind soil. whilst I know they ship all over the world I would rather not and wonder if an English or european version exists. I have never had fishy soil but like the idea.
The results from whatever happens are for Barb and me so I am much more keen for quality over yield. I love the idea of pairing the strain with the situation and are totally married to the twelve strains of Christmas (planned 2019). Though the verymerryadvent calendar with 24 separate grams would be a December to remember.
Perhaps the best will be sans ruderalis, which would be a shame as the idea is fantastic but maybe it will end up as betamax.
Thanks again Waira I will sort the camerawork and like Johnny 5 will seek in-for-ma-tion, plus build carefully this Bay6 xxl tent, should I worry for the zips?
Have a wonderful evening on the left coast.
T&B

 

[blue]

Hey T&B

Wow. Waira, you really are da bomb.

I see a waira post ... I upvote! .. you should check out some of the grows that waira shows - some really good ideas in there!

I have bought my first tent!

Hey Congrats both! That'll make the environment easier to control AND keep you more safe from the smell!

The guys at the Hydro store were very disparaging about autos and have hurt my hope in them somewhat.

You hear that a lot from people who have old opinons. I know a good few who disagree! - Blame it on their skillz!

£'ouch!

English bones eh!! You'd think after parting with your thruppeny haybits, they'd be more encouraging ... but seriously, don't believe them ... and they'll try and sell you a whole load of tat you don't need too! (all the same!! lol)

I am very interested in the layered system and read here about Kind soil.

I looked into that also - but the costs didn't stack up at all well for me.
What did work really well was Biotabs (they're in the EU) .... along with Biobizz or Canna Soil (both UK brands). They sell a kit (a nice box of goodies, and i think there's an AFN discount code) that includes all you need for a few grows.

If you have loads of time on your hands, mixing beneficial teas, and bubbling water, and having every mono/micro/macro nute that's available and being able to know when to use them correctly will get the best results.

But if you wanna get your grow time down to a few hours work over the grow cycle, rather than an hour+ a day .... Biotabs and Autopots are the way to go.

Good luck!
Zips? Keep em closed! .. unless you're going in.