Indoor Window sill grow

[Crow River]

On closer inspection with a magnifying glass, it seems I was wrong about this girl showing pre-flowers. They were just secondary leaf shoots. These are putting out the beginnings of branches and leaves at each node. So no sign of flowering yet.

Either she's just running late, which is understandable given the lack of good sunshine, or the possibility arises she's not an autoflower at all. This was a freebie seed, so I can hardly complain. But if this is a photoperiod plant, then I could be in for a long wait and she'll be vegging for months ahead...

Either scenario raises the question of just how big she might get, not only in veg but after flowering eventually starts...

We shall see over the coming weeks I suppose.

 

[Crow River]

After mulling this over, I need to reduce the height somehow. I'm inclined to not just top, but aggressively prune this girl to about half her current height (or slightly more). This should produce a bushier plant with more side branching, and the stress might also induce flowering.

 

[Crow River]

Okay, it's decided. I'm going to "super top" this girl. Then the top will be trimmed and I'll try to root it out as a clone. Insurance policy if you like, in case the tall girl throws a wobbly after being cut back.

Only just cleaned the propagator from the last clone too...

 

[Crow River]

So I topped the tall girl. Cut about 20cm in height off her, so she's just over 80cm tall now. It was only after topping that I noticed what look like pre-flowers nestling among the baby leaves in the top three to four nodes I'd just removed. Sod's law!

So she is an auto, just a tall spindly one. I suppose the fact she had offset branches in the upper nodes should have alerted me to the pre-flower stage. She was way too tall anyway, I needed to do something or she might have stretched to 1.5 metres or more during flower. Now at least she might get a bit bushier before flowering proper sets in.

I prepared the top as a cutting, rolled the end in rooting powder and popped her in a tub of soil in the propagator, pre-watered with 5ml/litre Maxicrop liquid seaweed. Dunno what I'll get from the cutting if she roots, maybe a shorter baby plant. She'll stay at the window alongside her mum.

 

[Crow River]

Dr Jack Auto reached Day 49.

She's back to nearly a metre high. This girl is just determined to be tall.

It could be worse I suppose - if I hadn't topped she may have been 1.5 metres or more by now. She's also put out quite a few side branches and new leaves. No flowers as yet though she is showing pre-flowers. The topping might have set that back a bit, or she may just be taking her time. The large, older fan leaves are almost permanently droopy these days, though the younger smaller ones are a bit more lively. It gives an odd, rangey look with branches almost at right angles to each other.

I return to my previous opinion that she's ill at ease by the window. I'm assuming that the northern UK just doesn't supply enough full sunshine or warmth to suit her. If I was in Spain, no problem.

Anyway, she's alive, and growing, but maybe not really happy. If the clone roots successfully this big girl will be joined by her daughter/twin soon. So they can be discontent together...

I'd top her again, a bit more brutally, but reckon it might not be good for this lanky lady. We'll see though. If she gets towards 120cm then I'll have to take action, she's already much more conspicuous than anticipated a few weeks ago. If she's not flowering yet, maybe no real harm done. Speaking of which, when oh when will she finally go into flower? Your guess is as good as mine.....in theory not far off, but in practice she is slow.

The thought occurs that if she behaves like a photoperiod, then treat her like one and do a second topping.

 

[Crow River]

I bit the bullet and topped her a second time. Last chance to do so really, as she will probably start flowering soon. The original Dr Jack Auto will now be a bit shorter, which is good. Hopefully some more side branches will develop making her a bit bushier.

As she had two tops, I made cuttings from both and they are now in the propagator alongside their sister and an Auto Duck seedling. If all the cuttings root successfully, then there will be four Dr Jack Autos by the window soon!

One tall, and three shorties.

What the hell, it's all a bit of fun anyway. The big girl was getting too tall again, so she got topped again. If I get an extra clone or two out of it, great. Not expecting a big harvest by the window, whatever I get is fine.

 

[Crow River]

Somebody up there must have been listening, because we've now had a couple of days with decent full sun at the window. The big girl still wants to be tall - the upper of her two tops has reached up to 93cm. There are pre-flowers showing at several nodes so with any luck she'll be flowering soon. Maybe there is more stretching still to come...

The three sisters are still in the propagator for now. I've tried removing the eldest original cutting a couple of times, but she wilted pretty quickly upon encountering sunshine. So I'm guessing she's not ready for the big time yet. All three are looking green and healthy, they're just taking their time it seems. If they do root properly and become viable, I'll make sure to train them early on so they don't shoot up too tall like their mum.

 

[Crow River]

I'm beginning to think that I am going to have to prune this tall girl back again. She's just got too big. Going to have to do it before flowering begins. It may well set her back, but she's just too damn conspicuous as she is. Again.

If I make some more cuttings, I'm potentially looking at a larger group of her little sisters lining the windowsill in a couple of weeks' time...

 

[Kyote]

I'm beginning to think that I am going to have to prune this tall girl back again. She's just got too big. Going to have to do it before flowering begins. It may well set her back, but she's just too damn conspicuous as she is. Again.

If I make some more cuttings, I'm potentially looking at a larger group of her little sisters lining the windowsill in a couple of weeks' time...

Or supercrop and give her some knuckles :smoking:

 

[St. Tom]

wouldn't you maybe get some better results supplementing her light on less sunny days even a CFL bulb is better than no light also maybe then you may end up with some smokable bud . I'm also an indoor grower but I occasionally grow some autos in my plastic greenhouse as I did the light things at times with some of those