Newbie to Autoflowers .. needing some guidance please

[Newbutoldgrower]

With HID lamps just use the back of your hand method to determine light placement. Hold your hand back side up at the top of the canopy. If your hand is uncomfortable warm move the light up. If it is too cool move it down. Be careful when the plants are stretching to stay ahead of the growth with raising the lights.

Your temps are getting a bit too low. Shoot for 68°F/20°C night and 77°F/25°C Day.

Coco is best run wetter than you are doing it. Letting the outside edges dry will allow salts to build up on the inside of the pot. It is more desireable for that to happen on the outside and not at all on the inside. I do not know about your nutrient line but as long as it is designed for coco follow their schedule.

I love growing mutant plants. You may have one or not? Too early to tell? I keep hoping my mutants will be the best thing since OG!

Have fun

Thanks for the reply and advice mate, greatly appreciated. I have been using the hand under the light method, but after reading a few times that Auto's are more sensitive to light I have been pretty cautious of the height of the light .. maybe a little over cautious? I will keep a good eye on the stretch, will definitely try to keep the light at a good distance at all times during the stretch, thank you for the heads up.

My temps are definitely not where I want them to be, humidity as well is low. I live in Australia, east coast, and the weather here has been quite cold. We are 3/4 of the way through winter, and it has been a cold one. As the house isn't well insulated, and I have ducted heating, I have struggled to get the right temps and humidity in both of my grow tents. I have a large humidifier for the house and a small one for the bigger tent as well, still not having much luck unfortunately. I will lower the light over the next couple of days which should help a bit with heat. Should I consider leaving the light on for an extra couple of hours to help with heat a bit at night, I'm using 18/6 light schedule at the moment. If I wasn't in the 6th Covid lockdown at the moment I would go buy a space heater or something for the room at night.

These are my first real mutant plants, both Gelato #41. Very weird that they both grew a single leaf at the same node, but the next set of leaves on both are growing normal. Everything I have seen on mutant plants says they have turned out special in one way or the other .. or were a complete disappointment. Its a bit early to tell I think, new growth is looking normal. But who knows, I could have the next OG on my hands here .. hahaha.

Thanks again buddy. Cheers

 

[Newbutoldgrower]

Everything looks good, have not seen maybe people using those old school lights much these days as LEDs are cheaper but we use what we have am i right?

The only issue/problem i see is growing 9 autos in a 4x4, i tried this in my 4x4 last grow and i ended up taking a few plants out and put some in other tents, its a pain in the ass to water the back row and they will start to crowd each other for light but you are no new grower and must know this stuff, i am new and thought cramming it full would work but it was a disaster for me, now i won't go over 5 plants in a 4x4

Thanks for the compliment mate. I had the lights sitting around from from my first grow, 3 x 600w digital dimmable ballasts with batwing reflector, so thought I would spend money on the tent and exhaust(Budbox Pro tent/ISO-MAX exhaust fan) and update the light by the next grow. I just finished updating the lights in my other tent, 3 x Electric Sky 300's in a 6x6 tent. I haven't quite decided on what light I will update with yet, but considering moving two of the ES 300's into the 4x4 and getting another light/s for the 6x6. Its a fairly new light that's sort of just been released by the company that make the ES 300's, but not cheap at all. Still haven't fully decided yet, was thinking of chatting to the HLG rep on here and seeing what he thinks.

This was one of things that confused me a bit, and glad I have come here for some help/advice. I wasn't really going to try topping or doing much training for the first grow or two, just so I can learn a bit more about the way they grow. So during my research, 8-9 3 Gallon pots was a good place to start, depending on strain/genetics. I do have 1x6 space either side of my 6x6 spare, but will be flipping to 12/12 light schedule in 2 to 3 weeks. So if i comes to it, could I possibly grow a couple under 12/12? I understand that it will affect yield etc, but something is better than nothing? Cheers

 

[Newbutoldgrower]

if u have a ques about ur plantz, plz fire up ur own thread in this same section (link below), instead of intruding into someone else'z thread...it'z a matter of respect ppp

https://www.autoflower.org/forums/new-growers-forum/

Thanks mate

 

[Newbutoldgrower]

Coco is best run wetter than you are doing it. Letting the outside edges dry will allow salts to build up on the inside of the pot. It is more desireable for that to happen on the outside and not at all on the inside. I do not know about your nutrient line but as long as it is designed for coco follow their schedule.

This is something I have been struggling with, even with my other grow(photo's), how frequently to water/feed coco. So do you think watering less in coco but more often is better than waiting longer and watering more? I will upload the feeding schedule I am using as a guide. I emailed the guys that make Professors Nutrients directly about adapting the schedule for Autoflowers. This is the email I got back ..

"Hi Buddy.. Yes you can.. just follow the vege part week by week until you start to see the flower sites appear..

then as soon as you see the little flowers, start week one of the flowering part then do week 2 then keep on doing week 3 till you are finished.. hope that helps mate"

Any advice on the feeding schedule would be very helpful. Thanks again

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

This is something I have been struggling with, even with my other grow(photo's), how frequently to water/feed coco. So do you think watering less in coco but more often is better than waiting longer and watering more? I will upload the feeding schedule I am using as a guide. I emailed the guys that make Professors Nutrients directly about adapting the schedule for Autoflowers. This is the email I got back ..

"Hi Buddy.. Yes you can.. just follow the vege part week by week until you start to see the flower sites appear..

then as soon as you see the little flowers, start week one of the flowering part then do week 2 then keep on doing week 3 till you are finished.. hope that helps mate"

Any advice on the feeding schedule would be very helpful. Thanks again

Coco is hydro! You need to run lots of nutrients through the pot every day. 2 hours after lights on to 2 hours prior to lights out. You cannot over water coco. You need to be getting 20% run-off to waste every day.

Who ever says Autos are more sensitive to light ask them for the proof! This is not true. I grow both photos and autos with the same lights. I dial down the intensity for autos because I get 60 DLI over 18 hours with my lights at about 70%. That is all they can use after that it is a waste of energy. I have run the lights full blast at about 2500 PPFD without harming any plants Photos or Autos.

These are the lights I use in a 4x6 space:

2 - 500w Chilled Growcraft LEDs
2 Far Red Pucks
2 Royal Blue Pucks
2 50w LED w/blue
2 - 48" t5 Agromax UVA Plus 10,000K florescent lamps
1- 48" t5 Agromax Pure UV 75% UVB 25% UVA florescent lamps

 

[EP3]

@Newbutoldgrower welcome along buddy.
You are correct there are many, many knowledgeable growers here on AFN who are willing and able to help new and old not so clued up people, like myself.
I wish you every success in your new endeavour. Its sooooo much fun. Your going to love it.
Cheers
EP3

 

[mohawk warrior]

View attachment 1353223
Wats wrong with my daughter leaves??

Nitrogen overdose

if u have a ques about ur plantz, plz fire up ur own thread in this same section (link below), instead of intruding into someone else'z thread...it'z a matter of respect ppp

https://www.autoflower.org/forums/new-growers-forum/

 

[Newbutoldgrower]

Coco is hydro! You need to run lots of nutrients through the pot every day. 2 hours after lights on to 2 hours prior to lights out. You cannot over water coco. You need to be getting 20% run-off to waste every day.

Who ever says Autos are more sensitive to light ask them for the proof! This is not true. I grow both photos and autos with the same lights. I dial down the intensity for autos because I get 60 DLI over 18 hours with my lights at about 70%. That is all they can use after that it is a waste of energy. I have run the lights full blast at about 2500 PPFD without harming any plants Photos or Autos.

These are the lights I use in a 4x6 space:

2 - 500w Chilled Growcraft LEDs
2 Far Red Pucks
2 Royal Blue Pucks
2 50w LED w/blue
2 - 48" t5 Agromax UVA Plus 10,000K florescent lamps
1- 48" t5 Agromax Pure UV 75% UVB 25% UVA florescent lamps

Thank you so much for setting things straight for me, so glad I found this site. I think the problem is after all the research I have done, obviously in a lot of wrong places, everything starts getting confusing. There is a lot of different information and misinformation out there unfortunately. Even with my photo's I have always started them off feeding every second day until around the stretch at the start of flowering, but not anymore. So do you think following the the schedule above like the guys from PN said will work? Start flowering nutes when i start seeing little flowers? I have noticed a lot of people use veg nutes until the end of stretch? Always watered to 20% run off, one thing I have gotten right haha.

I have been told, and also picked up bad information while researching different sites, that Auto's are more sensitive to light, nutrients, overwatering/underwatering than Photo's. This is the information I have stuck in my head and has been giving me more anxiety/stress than any other grow that I have done lol. But since being on here the last couple of days, my anxiety and stress levels are starting to get lower thanks to you and others. I have the light sitting at 28" from canopy now, and will lower it down to 26" over the next day or two.
2500 PPFD without harming the plants?? Were you introducing/supplementing Co2 in the grow area?

Wow .. that's a very nice light setup you have there buddy. Even though I am quite happy with the lights I have in the Photo tent .. great quality and performance, excellent customer service etc .. they are quite expensive. I'm looking at moving two of the ES 300's over to the 4x4 once I sort out different lighting for the 6x6.

Thanks once again for your advice/help, it truly is appreciated. Cheers

 

[Newbutoldgrower]

@Newbutoldgrower welcome along buddy.
You are correct there are many, many knowledgeable growers here on AFN who are willing and able to help new and old not so clued up people, like myself.
I wish you every success in your new endeavour. Its sooooo much fun. Your going to love it.
Cheers
EP3

Thank you buddy, I appreciate the welcome. Sort of wish I had discovered this site 12+ months ago, have already received some great advice. I can honestly say that I thought I was heading in the right direction, but I have now realised I am one of those not so clued on people that still has a damn lot to learn haha. Cheers.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Thank you so much for setting things straight for me, so glad I found this site. I think the problem is after all the research I have done, obviously in a lot of wrong places, everything starts getting confusing. There is a lot of different information and misinformation out there unfortunately. Even with my photo's I have always started them off feeding every second day until around the stretch at the start of flowering, but not anymore. So do you think following the the schedule above like the guys from PN said will work? Start flowering nutes when i start seeing little flowers? I have noticed a lot of people use veg nutes until the end of stretch? Always watered to 20% run off, one thing I have gotten right haha.

I have been told, and also picked up bad information while researching different sites, that Auto's are more sensitive to light, nutrients, overwatering/underwatering than Photo's. This is the information I have stuck in my head and has been giving me more anxiety/stress than any other grow that I have done lol. But since being on here the last couple of days, my anxiety and stress levels are starting to get lower thanks to you and others. I have the light sitting at 28" from canopy now, and will lower it down to 26" over the next day or two.
2500 PPFD without harming the plants?? Were you introducing/supplementing Co2 in the grow area?

Wow .. that's a very nice light setup you have there buddy. Even though I am quite happy with the lights I have in the Photo tent .. great quality and performance, excellent customer service etc .. they are quite expensive. I'm looking at moving two of the ES 300's over to the 4x4 once I sort out different lighting for the 6x6.

Thanks once again for your advice/help, it truly is appreciated. Cheers

One thing in that is true, Autos use about 50%-60% of the nutrients that photos need. I run most autos at 500 - 550 PPM of balanced nutrients (not counting your starting water PPM). Some autos can use more. I have taken some photos as high as 1600 PPM but that is pushing it.
Read this as it will be helpful.

Tutorial - A word on Nutrients

The proper use of “salt” based fertilizer to grow Auto Flowering Cannabis. Salts: Natural and man made any chemical compound formed from the reaction of an acid with a base, with all or part of the hydrogen of the acid replaced by a metal or other cation. Learning how to use salt based...

www.autoflower.org

This is when you do a transition week on your nutrients:

This is when you start Bloom nutrients: