Gorilla Cookies Autoflower from FastBuds

[chafin96]

This plant has been growing fast. She is approximately 30 days old. Give or take 2-3 days. I am growing it under the AC Infinity Iongrid S22. I am using Dr. Earth Premium Gold All Purpose and Dr. Earth FlowerGirl for my nutrients. My soil is roughly 70% Promix HP and 30% earthworm castings. Keeping it on 18/6 light cycle it's entire life. My water comes out the tap at roughly 35 ppm and around 6.5ph so I don't mess with it at all. I only topped her one time when she was about 4 nodes tall. From there is been just LST for training. She started in a 2 gallon fabric pot but I recently moved her into a 5 gallon fabric pot with fresh ammendments and soil. I am super excited to see how this turns out. She's smelling very strong so far.

 

[driver77]

Looks like a happy little plant.
Nice job!

 

[chafin96]

Looks like a happy little plant.
Nice job!

Thank you very much. This is my first time growing organic, so i'm hoping I don't encounter any issues

 

[Delps8]

Nice looking plant!

My first five grows were autos and they can be beasts.

I grow my autos 24/0 until flower and then 21/3 or 20/4 after that. Cannabis is a light whore loves light and autos thrive under high light conditions just like photoperiods do. In terms of light, I would guess that a good hang height and dimmer setting would be 14" at 50% power. That's a guess based on the PPFD map here. Most growers are timid when it comes to turn up the dimmer switch which is too bad because that's the only way that plants make food. I strongly recommend spending $32 for a Unit-T light meter and getting lots of light on your grow. Cannabis is a prolific yielder when it's well fed.

Another thing - leaves are the solar panels for plants and there's very little need to remove leaves, well as far as the plant is concerned, that is. If in doubt, leave it on the plant. Not only do leaves generate food for a plant but they also act as nutrient stores. When the plant is in flower, it will move nutrients from the older leaves to the newer leaves at the top of the plant. As that happens, the leaf will turn yellow and wither ("senesce") . At that point, it's of no value to the plant so you can snip them off. That's a general guideline. Other folks will chime in as your grow progresses.

Keep up the good work!

 

[chafin96]

Nice looking plant!

My first five grows were autos and they can be beasts.

I grow my autos 24/0 until flower and then 21/3 or 20/4 after that. Cannabis is a light whore loves light and autos thrive under high light conditions just like photoperiods do. In terms of light, I would guess that a good hang height and dimmer setting would be 14" at 50% power. That's a guess based on the PPFD map here. Most growers are timid when it comes to turn up the dimmer switch which is too bad because that's the only way that plants make food. I strongly recommend spending $32 for a Unit-T light meter and getting lots of light on your grow. Cannabis is a prolific yielder when it's well fed.

Another thing - leaves are the solar panels for plants and there's very little need to remove leaves, well as far as the plant is concerned, that is. If in doubt, leave it on the plant. Not only do leaves generate food for a plant but they also act as nutrient stores. When the plant is in flower, it will move nutrients from the older leaves to the newer leaves at the top of the plant. As that happens, the leaf will turn yellow and wither ("senesce") . At that point, it's of no value to the plant so you can snip them off. That's a general guideline. Other folks will chime in as your grow progresses.

Keep up the good work!

I appreciate the advice. Currently I have the light set to 80% power hanging around 18" above the plant. I have been gradually increasing it from about 20% up until now.

 

[Nutty sKunK]

Your water is really soft so may need added calcium/magnesium unless you’ve done previous grows with no issues.

looks great! I’ve grown one before and was epic smoke! Very smelly so watch out lol

One for me to grow again for sure.

 

[chafin96]

Your water is really soft so may need added calcium/magnesium unless you’ve done previous grows with no issues.

looks great! I’ve grown one before and was epic smoke! Very smelly so watch out lol

One for me to grow again for sure.

I have used it in the past. I believe it does have some very useful minerals in it as it is well water and there is no filter on my well. Which I think means it is just really clean water. I use a carbon filter on all my grows as well. I can't wait for her to be done! Very excited to try. Do you have any tips for drying? I know she isn't there but I've ruined bud in the past incorrectly drying. I'm hoping to avoid that this time.

 

[Nutty sKunK]

I have used it in the past. I believe it does have some very useful minerals in it as it is well water and there is no filter on my well. Which I think means it is just really clean water. I use a carbon filter on all my grows as well. I can't wait for her to be done! Very excited to try. Do you have any tips for drying? I know she isn't there but I've ruined bud in the past incorrectly drying. I'm hoping to avoid that this time.

Nice! Enjoy the rewards Let us know how she smokes as I’ve only it ran it once.

Aim for 60rh@60f for drying. Set your extraction on low if possible and just exchange the air. No fans inside!

Usually takes about 14 days but worth it.

If you’re drying too fast don’t panic. Just wait until the leaves turn brittle but the stem bends. Put them in a large bag and sweat them
Out. Then scatter or hang them for a 12-24hrs depending just how dry it is. Then rebag. Do this until the stems snap cleanly.

Gd luck!

 

[chafin96]

Nice! Enjoy the rewards Let us know how she smokes as I’ve only it ran it once.

Aim for 60rh@60f for drying. Set your extraction on low if possible and just exchange the air. No fans inside!

Usually takes about 14 days but worth it.

If you’re drying too fast don’t panic. Just wait until the leaves turn brittle but the stem bends. Put them in a large bag and sweat them
Out. Then scatter or hang them for a 12-24hrs depending just how dry it is. Then rebag. Do this until the stems snap cleanly.

Gd luck!

This was insanely helpful. I have watched probably a dozen videos on how to dry and cure. I've never seen anybody mention what you mentioned in the second part of that reply. It makes total sense though to draw the moisture from the center and then essentially redry

 

[Nutty sKunK]

This was insanely helpful. I have watched probably a dozen videos on how to dry and cure. I've never seen anybody mention what you mentioned in the second part of that reply. It makes total sense though to draw the moisture from the center and then essentially redry

Yea man! What works for me. Just be careful as if the humidity is low it can dry pretty fast but just check couple times a day

 

[Beard-o]

Great strain. I grew some this winter. It took really well to LST, and put out some beautiful dense buds. I added some bloom booster the last few weeks, and the buds really exploded. I'll definitely grow it again.

 

[chafin96]

Great strain. I grew some this winter. It took really well to LST, and put out some beautiful dense buds. I added some bloom booster the last few weeks, and the buds really exploded. I'll definitely grow it again.

I don't know if it's my method of growing or if these plants just have crazy genetics. This has been one of the easiest grows I've ever experienced so far.

 

[chafin96]

***UPDATE***
I did my final defoliation on the plant today. I only removed the lower branches on the underside of the plant. I think the plant structure turned out really nice.


Also she has kicked into high gear already with her trichome production. Can see the little heads at only 5.7x zoom.
​

 

[DoubleD5374]

Grew 10 and had 4-5 different phenotypes . Some
Of the best auto smoke I’ve ever grown though by far !

 

[Delps8]

Your light levels were really high and that's a good sign that your grow environment was in good shape. Kudos for that.

I was surprised to read that you removed so much foliage from the plant. I firmly believe that's something that a growers do thinking that it improves growth or yield or something but I've never seen any evidence presented that it accomplishes that. I'm a strong believer in LTFA.

 

[DoubleD5374]

Nice looking plant!

My first five grows were autos and they can be beasts.

I grow my autos 24/0 until flower and then 21/3 or 20/4 after that. Cannabis is a light whore loves light and autos thrive under high light conditions just like photoperiods do. In terms of light, I would guess that a good hang height and dimmer setting would be 14" at 50% power. That's a guess based on the PPFD map here. Most growers are timid when it comes to turn up the dimmer switch which is too bad because that's the only way that plants make food. I strongly recommend spending $32 for a Unit-T light meter and getting lots of light on your grow. Cannabis is a prolific yielder when it's well fed.

Another thing - leaves are the solar panels for plants and there's very little need to remove leaves, well as far as the plant is concerned, that is. If in doubt, leave it on the plant. Not only do leaves generate food for a plant but they also act as nutrient stores. When the plant is in flower, it will move nutrients from the older leaves to the newer leaves at the top of the plant. As that happens, the leaf will turn yellow and wither ("senesce") . At that point, it's of no value to the plant so you can snip them off. That's a general guideline. Other folks will chime in as your grow progresses.

Keep up the good work!

That’s a double edged sword. It’s proven that leaves do everything you say they do , but I’d also add that a plant has X amount of energy , and removing growth sites will send that energy to the remaining branches as well as allowing light to penetrate deeper into the canopy

in any event , I know people who defoliate every 2 weeks and have amazing results , people who Schwaz and have amazing results , and people who just let their trees turn into a jungle bush , and have amazing results .

me , I defoliate frequently outdoors , less often indoors . To me , those huge fat fan leaves, block a ton of light - to lower branches/ I also lollipop everything outdoors

i schwazzed two gorillla cookies on day 1 of flower , and both turned out very good . One yielded very well and finished with the other 9 , the last is still chugging along and will be the heaviest yielder of my 10 plants - but removing every fan leaf definitely stunted that plant for a week or so no doubt.

 

[Delps8]

That’s a double edged sword. It’s proven that leaves do everything you say they do , but I’d also add that a plant has X amount of energy , and removing growth sites will send that energy to the remaining branches as well as allowing light to penetrate deeper into the canopy

in any event , I know people who defoliate every 2 weeks and have amazing results , people who Schwaz and have amazing results , and people who just let their trees turn into a jungle bush , and have amazing results .

me , I defoliate frequently outdoors , less often indoors . To me , those huge fat fan leaves, block a ton of light - to lower branches/ I also lollipop everything outdoors

i schwazzed two gorillla cookies on day 1 of flower , and both turned out very good . One yielded very well and finished with the other 9 , the last is still chugging along and will be the heaviest yielder of my 10 plants - but removing every fan leaf definitely stunted that plant for a week or so no doubt.

The last thing I want to do is remove healthy plant tissue and force the plant to regrow it. That's a net loss to the plant. Does it regrow? Sure - the plant needs those leaves to survive but I've never seen any data that it increases yield or improves crop quality (the ratio of flower to above ground mass).

And removing leaves from the canopy "to expose bud sites" means that you're exposing leaves below the canopy, which are less photosynthetically efficient than the leaves that make up that canopy and those leaves are getting a significantly lower amount of light than the leaves that make up the canopy.

Grab a PAR meter and check out the PPFD readings inside the canopy of a plant. Light falloff from an LED is very rapid. Check out a PPFD map for 18" and then one for 12". There's a delta of, what, 300µmol? That's not too awful is you're running 1k at the canopy but how many growers are running their lights at anywhere near that?

Another interesting metric - for every 50µmol increase in average PPFD, crop yield increases by about 4% (see attached). Conversely, for every 50 µmol drop in PPFD, yield drops about 4%. Again, if you're at 1k, cannabis yields a shitton but the average grower is running…700µmol, maybe 800. SO when you drop from 800 at the canopy to 500 by at canopy -6", you get to the point where it may not be that great an idea.

The biggest issue, of course, is "show me". Do a test with clones, document methods, equipment, and results and publish it so it can be reproduced. If anyone has done that, that would be great but I haven't seen anything to support the idea that heavy pruning is a valid means of increasing crop yield.

And the irony (to me) is that growers will go to such lengths but they won't spend $32 to buy a light meter and get lots of light on their plants, a practice that has been repeatedly shown to directly improve plant morphology, crop yield, and crop quality.

Not that I have an opinion on this, of course.

 

[chafin96]

***UPDATE***
She is in full swing flower. It's been a minute without an update so here it is. She just received her final feeding for the entire grow. A top dress of about 1/2 cup Dr. Earth FlowerGirl. I cannot wait for her to swell and finish out. All I gotta do is water. Every third watering she receives unsulfured blackstrap molasses at 2 tbsp per gallon. Here are some photos.


​

 

[chafin96]

Your light levels were really high and that's a good sign that your grow environment was in good shape. Kudos for that.

I was surprised to read that you removed so much foliage from the plant. I firmly believe that's something that a growers do thinking that it improves growth or yield or something but I've never seen any evidence presented that it accomplishes that. I'm a strong believer in LTFA.

I think it paid off! I did a little looking up of this strain before growing and the breeder claimed it handled defoliation well. I have to agree! Honestly my big reason for defoliating is it makes pest management easier, watering easier, and allows better airflow through the plant which helps reduce the risk of mold. Not so much to increase yields.

 

[chafin96]

The last thing I want to do is remove healthy plant tissue and force the plant to regrow it. That's a net loss to the plant. Does it regrow? Sure - the plant needs those leaves to survive but I've never seen any data that it increases yield or improves crop quality (the ratio of flower to above ground mass).

And removing leaves from the canopy "to expose bud sites" means that you're exposing leaves below the canopy, which are less photosynthetically efficient than the leaves that make up that canopy and those leaves are getting a significantly lower amount of light than the leaves that make up the canopy.

Grab a PAR meter and check out the PPFD readings inside the canopy of a plant. Light falloff from an LED is very rapid. Check out a PPFD map for 18" and then one for 12". There's a delta of, what, 300µmol? That's not too awful is you're running 1k at the canopy but how many growers are running their lights at anywhere near that?

Another interesting metric - for every 50µmol increase in average PPFD, crop yield increases by about 4% (see attached). Conversely, for every 50 µmol drop in PPFD, yield drops about 4%. Again, if you're at 1k, cannabis yields a shitton but the average grower is running…700µmol, maybe 800. SO when you drop from 800 at the canopy to 500 by at canopy -6", you get to the point where it may not be that great an idea.

The biggest issue, of course, is "show me". Do a test with clones, document methods, equipment, and results and publish it so it can be reproduced. If anyone has done that, that would be great but I haven't seen anything to support the idea that heavy pruning is a valid means of increasing crop yield.

And the irony (to me) is that growers will go to such lengths but they won't spend $32 to buy a light meter and get lots of light on their plants, a practice that has been repeatedly shown to directly improve plant morphology, crop yield, and crop quality.

Not that I have an opinion on this, of course.

This actually sounds like a really fun experiment! I am totally doing this next! I am going to setup my 2x2 and start growing a mother immediately! I recently bought a nice camera so I will document the whole thing. Thank you for this wonderful idea! Such an easy thing to test as well.