So excited to start growing!

[annie]

Hey everyone! My name is annie and I am going to start growing autoflowers! I have a decent background in horticulture. I also have a decent vegetable garden and collect of orchids going right now and since I have gathered my experience it is time to grow one of the finest species of them all. I guess i have been hesitant on growing cannabis because of the smell, fear of theft, and how seriously people can take it sometimes. I live out in SoCal and I am going to give you the aspects of what I have done so far and the details of what I have planned. I have always found that well planned gardens prosper the most. Its going to be a long post so grab your preferred way of smoking/vaping and maybe a light snack.

Ok so I ordered way too many seeds to start with. I am on summer break and may have a bad shopping addiction with plants. I might trade some seeds with people and i might also be preparing for the eminent zombie apocalypse. So, I ordered seeds from a couple different stores and got alot of freebies.

• Strain - Breeder - Quantity
• Zkittles - Seedsmans Brand - 5
• Bubblecious - Nirvana - 5
• Glue Gelato - Barney's - 3
• Blueberry - 00 - 2
• White Widow - 00 - 2
• Sweet Critical - 00 - 2
• Bruce Banger - seedsman - 3
• Cheese - seedsman - 3
• Big Devil XL - Sweet Seeds - 7
• Smoothie - Fast Buds - 5
• Fantasmo Express - Mephisto - 7

Question 1
Has anybody had experiences with any of the above strains? I heard great things about Mephisto so I am probably most excited about that one. Recommendations from the list above? Tips on individual strains?

Question 2
Should I grow as many strains at once as I can or should I limit it to 2 different strains at a time to be able to observe deficiencies better. I only plan on having six plants right now and have the set up for 6. It is going to be outdoors. I have neighbors, but I smoke weed with them all and have privacy but not necessarily smell protection.

Question 3
I ordered small aluminum tins to hold my seeds if they do not come in a good package. Do you store yours in the fridge or would it be ok with the other bulk of my seed packets?

Ok so now I will share the logistics of my setup. I have 6 ~4 gallon plastic pots. I have tried fabric pots with tomatoes and potatoes but i found it really matters what medium you have in there for it to work properly. I have filled them with a half and half mixture of Fox Farms Ocean Forest and Happy Frog. From there I have added a decent chunk of perlite. I have not planted yet because I want a second( or maybe a couple opinions) about what I am doing. On the bottom of the pots I put an inch of small rocks to aid in drainage.

Question 4
Was placing the rocks on the bottom of the pot a mistake?

Question 5
Should I dilute the soil mixture I have made with coco to prevent burnage? I heard OF is harsh.

Ok so thanks all for your answers. I am sure to have more questions in the future, so I'll be here!

Annie

 

[annie]

Oh! I almost forgot about hatching my little babies! Ok so I have a couple t5s laying around from when I started my nightshades earlier this year. I heard autoflowers were susceptible to transplant shock. I would prefer to grow them under a light for a little bit just to get peak photosynthesis going.

Question 6
Should I start them indoors and move them outdoors (like tomatoes) or should I just let the bean do its thing in its final pot?

 

[Whitetrash]

Welcome annie. Looks like you have quite the grow in the works. I cant answer your first question as I havnt grown those strains. As for your second question. Since your growing outside . It makes no difference if your doing all the same strain. If you ever get a tent and want to do multiple strains I would suggest choosing strains with the same seed to harvest time frame. Personally 8 love the idea of multiple strains. That way you have a bunch to choose from depending on time of day and what kind of buzz you want. Question 3 . I keep my seeds in baggies. Never had a problem. Just keep em in a dark place. Not sure why. Just what I was thought I and it has done me right so far so that's what I do. Pots and grow medium are really just preference. You just want to make sure the combo.of mediums isnt hot. Wich you says you have horticulture background so i dont have to explain hot. Rocks at the bottom is a great idea. 4 gallon is more than sufficient. Question 4 I personally have never done that cause I use coco/perlite in fabric pots. But I understand the idea and It makes sense to me. Question 5 i cant answer with certainty because I only use coco unless I'm planting right into the ground. But mixing in coco sounds like it would be a good idea. So maybe get a better answer on that cause I'm not 100% Questing 6 . That's a different strokes for different folks kinda deal. I do all my seed weather photo or auto in jiffy pellets under a dome. I can honestly say that I have 100% success that way. I have popped them in the jiffy pellets then a couple days after sprout put them in their pots. And because I bit off more than I could chew in tent space
I have left a couple of fast buds six shooters in solo cups for over 3 weeks before transplanting and they are doin just dandy. I believe that as long as your gentle when you transplant you'll be just fine. I hope this helps a little. You'll find lots of opinions on here so it's up to you to decipher the facts from the opinions. Good luck. Keep us posted. And if you have anymore questions dont hesitate to ask. Cheers

 

[annie]

Welcome annie. Looks like you have quite the grow in the works. I cant answer your first question as I havnt grown those strains. As for your second question. Since your growing outside . It makes no difference if your doing all the same strain. If you ever get a tent and want to do multiple strains I would suggest choosing strains with the same seed to harvest time frame. Personally 8 love the idea of multiple strains. That way you have a bunch to choose from depending on time of day and what kind of buzz you want. Question 3 . I keep my seeds in baggies. Never had a problem. Just keep em in a dark place. Not sure why. Just what I was thought I and it has done me right so far so that's what I do. Pots and grow medium are really just preference. You just want to make sure the combo.of mediums isnt hot. Wich you says you have horticulture background so i dont have to explain hot. Rocks at the bottom is a great idea. 4 gallon is more than sufficient. Question 4 I personally have never done that cause I use coco/perlite in fabric pots. But I understand the idea and It makes sense to me. Question 5 i cant answer with certainty because I only use coco unless I'm planting right into the ground. But mixing in coco sounds like it would be a good idea. So maybe get a better answer on that cause I'm not 100% Questing 6 . That's a different strokes for different folks kinda deal. I do all my seed weather photo or auto in jiffy pellets under a dome. I can honestly say that I have 100% success that way. I have popped them in the jiffy pellets then a couple days after sprout put them in their pots. And because I bit off more than I could chew in tent space
I have left a couple of fast buds six shooters in solo cups for over 3 weeks before transplanting and they are doin just dandy. I believe that as long as your gentle when you transplant you'll be just fine. I hope this helps a little. You'll find lots of opinions on here so it's up to you to decipher the facts from the opinions. Good luck. Keep us posted. And if you have anymore questions dont hesitate to ask. Cheers

Thanks so much for your input! I will probably start them indoors and get a humidity dome as you suggested for the seedlings. I will be sure to update on what decisions I make and have pictures hopefully in a couple weeks! Thanks again!

 

[Whitetrash]

Thanks so much for your input! I will probably start them indoors and get a humidity dome as you suggested for the seedlings. I will be sure to update on what decisions I make and have pictures hopefully in a couple weeks! Thanks again!

My pleasure. Good luck!!

 

[the green bandit]

Hi annie and welcome to AFN!! Great selection of strains you have there, I would definitely run 6 different strains! Who wants to smoke the same thing over and over . I start all my plants indoors under CFL for the first couple of weeks in 1gal pots and transplant them with no problems . The only one on your list that I have grown was the fantasmo Express and I certainly enjoyed the toke from her, she was a little bit finicky about nutrients but nothing major. I'm in Australia so I use different potting soil than what's available to you guys and gals but have heard some sketchy things about fox farm and ocean forest around the place . If I remember correctly @Waira is a calli dweller and might be able to point you in the right direction, he loves orchids too so a show and tell might be in order . Here's a couple of links to some guides that you might find useful... https://www.autoflower.org/threads/a-low-trauma-way-to-transplant-using-larger-size-cups.65867/

https://www.autoflower.org/threads/maximizing-outdoor-autos-guide-to-growing-under-the-sun.56402/
Good luck and have fun

 

[hairyman]

Welcome a lot of questions that's good but don't overthink it . It's just another plant , keep it within the lines and you can take a few hits along the way and they will still give you bud , lots or a couple plants that's a easy question to answer drop the lot and have fun

 

[annie]

Hi annie and welcome to AFN!! Great selection of strains you have there, I would definitely run 6 different strains! Who wants to smoke the same thing over and over . I start all my plants indoors under CFL for the first couple of weeks in 1gal pots and transplant them with no problems . The only one on your list that I have grown was the fantasmo Express and I certainly enjoyed the toke from her, she was a little bit finicky about nutrients but nothing major. I'm in Australia so I use different potting soil than what's available to you guys and gals but have heard some sketchy things about fox farm and ocean forest around the place . If I remember correctly @Waira is a calli dweller and might be able to point you in the right direction, he loves orchids too so a show and tell might be in order . Here's a couple of links to some guides that you might find useful... https://www.autoflower.org/threads/a-low-trauma-way-to-transplant-using-larger-size-cups.65867/

https://www.autoflower.org/threads/maximizing-outdoor-autos-guide-to-growing-under-the-sun.56402/
Good luck and have fun

Thanks Green Bandit for your help! I will grow more strains! The links you sent me were very helpful. The transplant one was a little peculiar, but I am down to give it a shot. Reminds me of rootbound orchids that you cant get the pot of off. hahhah

 

[annie]

Welcome a lot of questions that's good but don't overthink it . It's just another plant , keep it within the lines and you can take a few hits along the way and they will still give you bud , lots or a couple plants that's a easy question to answer drop the lot and have fun

Thanks hairyman for the advice!

 

[Waira]

Welcome Annie! I see that you were well met by some good folks- ... gotta get @archie gemmill in here to, his greeting posts are pre-loaded with lots of great referral stuff! ..... Always good to see another Horti-nerd like me in this can of mixed nutes- ... especially orchids! One of my oldest hobbies, and for about 9 years, my job at a friends species specialty place,... talk about feeding the addiction- ... 3 temp regime greenhouses, 1000's of species, scouting other places and catalogs for new stuff,...''' damn good thing I never had an actual greenhouse! My collection is a shadow of it's former self now, alas, for several reasons,...but some super cool things are still with me! What kinds are you growing? ... SoCal, you may be close to some phat nurseries,... For species, it's hard to beat Andy's Orchids,... local shows are a good place to spot other interesting vendors...
I love carnivores and cacti/succulents too, but for similar reasons, I have to curb my acquisition jonesing on those as well.... ..but I have a couple things that must come home to me- LOL! I want an all red Flytrap cultivar, maybe a cool Sundew as well,....

Ok so I ordered way too many seeds to start with. I am on summer break and may have a bad shopping addiction with plants. I might trade some seeds with people and i might also be preparing for the eminent zombie apocalypse. So, I ordered seeds from a couple different stores and got alot of freebies.

Are you hip on how to store seeds? I'm partial to eppendorf vials

.... lots of sizes, some colors; air tight! ....(Amazon them)... place them into a lightproof container (metal tins are great) and into the fridge for long term storage...

>>> Good strain choices there,... Most the breeders are reputable, but not much feedback from 00 Seeds... I have grown a mini FEx, and it's superb, nice "Sativa" type buzz, delish' aromatics.... Have a look at the featured breeders here, commercial and private/Indie, and you'll have excellent reference material to sift through for starters! There are many other lesser known breeders with fine genetics too, if not large selections,...

>>> So, not tent or indoor lighting, fully OD's? Before I had a tent, I set up a ghetto "tent" rig with some basic supplemental lighting... those extra light hours (mainly at least 18/6) do help make bigger plants and better buds, ...warmer T's day and night especially, help make for bigger plants... My ghetto rig and mainly outdoors did limit size though, and when I got a real tent, the improvement was major! .... Mind the light intensity for the seedling, no full Sun right away; I use some window screening material to cut the light down some, if you can set up a little overhead coverage,.... bring them in at night, keep them over 65F if you can, warmer if possible,... cold soil and roots means slow everything until warmed up,....
Grow as many strains as you like! You may need to tinker with feeds some during bloom, and particularly finishing, as some will be ahead of others for harvest time, but nothing complex.
Soils,... First, avoid blending coco into reg. true soils, even though coco is often a partial component of them; coco is a weird substrate, with a lot of bitchy properties that if not addressed properly, can screw with nutrient release (Ca, Mg).... Just get a bag of Roots original, or a seedling starter soil to blend into the rich final soil.... I know soils are popular, but IMO they are not what they used to be,.. OF can be poorly cooked and badly off pH that I've seen, directly, and in the Infirmary (my job here, BTW), HF is a bit better,... I hate to worry you, and know it's too late, but I must offer caution about their soils anymore ---> *( I highly recommend you get a soil pH probe/meter, like the Accurate 8 or equivalent under a different brand name, often cheaper; same unit though!... Amazon again)..... Roots Organics original is good, readily available, Royal Gold Kings Mix is excellent, but light, will need more frequent watering for OD use; Sanctuary Soils are available near you I bet, Victory Blend is the best for auto's (milder), Empire Builder is also but it pretty hot, not for seedlings... As for pH testing in-pot, that's the only good way, run-off is bollocks for accuracy,... If you test and adjust all your inputs for pH, and monitor in-pot pH, you will head off a lot of potential problems down the road! I also recommend a TDS or EC meter, and a pH meter (liquids only),... right tools for the right job, and the data that matta'! ... otherwise, this is a likely future activity!--> ...oh, and know your water quality well, pH and hardness (ppm's).....
What you can do is this trick for going into final pots right away, with mixed soil richness; this is from a tutorial I made on trauma free transplanting, but the pot set-up is the same... (link)
>>> set an identical size starter cup into your final/next step pot, and fill around it; then remove... a perfect pocket is left to fill with milder soil-

>> drainage rocks I see discouraged more and more by gardeners, forgot where I saw some good articles about this,... In fabric pots, to keep that air interface on the bottom nd hence the pruning effect, I found a <1" layer on the bottom helps,... In plastic, I use that window screen material to cover over the bigger drainage holes to keep soil in and bigger bugs out,.... textured bottom saucers are helpful too...

We have an outdoor section here if you want to start a journal there, or in New Growers....