Autoflower grow tent -day 21 400 watt HPS (first time grower)

Bentley S

Bentley S

Member
Setup:
-2x2x3ft grow tent
-400 watt HPS air cooled tube hooked up to an external carbon filter

Strains:
5 x NIRVANA short rider autos (left side of photo)
3 x Dutch passion Durban poison auto (2 plants on back right in photo, one seedling in front center)
2 x NIRVANA Lemon OG Haze auto (just planted, haven't broke soil yet)

Most are in 1 gallon smart pots with happy frog soil from Fox Farms. Today, I just started foliage pro and fox farm big bloom at approximately 1/2 the recommended amount. I plan to give nutes maybe twice per week(?)

Currently the grow is at 21 days and I see buds starting to appear and trichrome formation.
In general, what kind of yield can I expect from this setup? With the HPS, I have about 2-2.5 feet of height. Any other comments or concerns are welcome as this is my first grow. The stems seem too rigid to attempt to bend them or LST.
 

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Downbytheriver

Downbytheriver

Active Member
Yeah they look like they were stunted a bit at some point..... Leaves look a little heavy too. let the soil dry out a bit before watering again.
 
GemuGrows

GemuGrows

Well-Known Member
Hey man you seem to have a lot of plants in a small space. I'd say continue with what you are doing but after you harvest change a few things up; especially considering you are going to learn a ton of valuable info from growing these ladies out!

Here is how I would suggest you set up your next grow:

4 plants, start them in 1 gallon containers and then move them to 3-5 gallon containers (as big as you can fit really) after they have really established themselves in the 1 gallons. More soil = you don't need to be as responsible for feeding them.

Keep it 100% organic, only because it is easier for learning imo (Big bloom is organic, one of the only fox farm bottle products that is, but foliage pro is not but it is still a good product). With organics your microbes do the work as opposed to the amount of hydrogen in your grow media: Important part being i've never PH'd my organic soil and i've had increasingly great results. Organics with big pots is very easy for learning. I REALLY like Roots Organic's bottled nutrients(and their soil), if you did 3-5 gallon pots i'd just get their Surge(Their fish/seaweed/+ product) and HP2 (one of their phosphorus bloom boosters).

^Using Fox Farm Big bloom, with RO Surge and HP2 would be a great/easy fertilizer regimen for auto flowers. Start in either Roots Organic original potting soil (camo bag) or Happy Frog, and transplant into either Roots Organic potting soil or Fox Farm Ocean Forest potting soil. First feed surge, weeks 2-7 bloom use surge/hp2/big bloom. HP2 once your flowers are in full bloom should add awesome size.
-Surge: RO's fish product, kelp, fish and other goodies. Gives nitrogen, phosphorous, molasses (to feed microbes), and more. Helps with plant health and sweeter final product
-HP2- 0-4-0 Use about 2 weeks after plants show flowers until about 2 weeks before harvest, its a gentle phosphorus bloom booster
-Fox Farm big bloom- I grow 100% organic and this is the only FF product I use; but I love it. Lots of micro nutrients and bacteria.
-Fox farm Happy Frog or Roots Organic original for starting; gentle potting soils that wont burn your plants while they are little
-Fox Farm Ocean forest or Roots Organic original for second/final 3-5 gallon container (4 plants in your 2x2). Either soil will have plenty of nutes to help your plants bloom healthy and well. Personally I would suggest Roots Organic because I've had FFOF burn every plant i've put in it; and i've seen the same in many of my customers at the hydro shop.

I'm not an organic hippy or anything I just think in soil its easier and more forgiving; i feel hydro should be kept on the synthetic side (i do both).

Roots organics from aurora innovations makes awesome and easy products to use; i definitely suggest taking advantage of that. Soil, bottled nutes, etc..

Keep your stuff how it is for this grow and trust your instincts (i'm assuming its your first). For your next run I think my advice will really help you out. Once again I genuinely suggest keeping soils 100% organic cuz I think its simply easier than working with synthetics in organics cuz then you need to start worrying about PH. I have a 100% organic tent and a synthetic hydro tent. Not saying organics is better, but in soil its just easier.

Fewer plants is easier to manage(imo, and in soil), for a 4 plant 2x2 in proper pot size, feel free to bend them down. I've never grown autos to be honest but i've done lots of research on them, go ahead and bend them down; any time you make the main branch lower than secondary branches it helps spread out the top dominance. Its hard to hurt cannabis plants they are pretty hearty (Not to say you can't hurt them so still be gentile).

Also for your next (and this run) look into compost teas; relatively cheap startup cost (Bucket, air stone/pump, compost, molasses, like $60-70 for all and it will last you a long time) for big results (adding massive amounts of beneficial microbes to your soil).


Also... I have no affilitation with Aurora Innovations but I love their products.

I'm a little drunk atm, feel free to ask any questions about what I said and i'll get back to you broski
 
Resinhound

Resinhound

Well-Known Member
GemuGrows said:
Hey man you seem to have a lot of plants in a small space. I'd say continue with what you are doing but after you harvest change a few things up; especially considering you are going to learn a ton of valuable info from growing these ladies out!

Here is how I would suggest you set up your next grow:

4 plants, start them in 1 gallon containers and then move them to 3-5 gallon containers (as big as you can fit really) after they have really established themselves in the 1 gallons. More soil = you don't need to be as responsible for feeding them.

Keep it 100% organic, only because it is easier for learning imo (Big bloom is organic, one of the only fox farm bottle products that is, but foliage pro is not but it is still a good product). With organics your microbes do the work as opposed to the amount of hydrogen in your grow media: Important part being i've never PH'd my organic soil and i've had increasingly great results. Organics with big pots is very easy for learning. I REALLY like Roots Organic's bottled nutrients(and their soil), if you did 3-5 gallon pots i'd just get their Surge(Their fish/seaweed/+ product) and HP2 (one of their phosphorus bloom boosters).

^Using Fox Farm Big bloom, with RO Surge and HP2 would be a great/easy fertilizer regimen for auto flowers. Start in either Roots Organic original potting soil (camo bag) or Happy Frog, and transplant into either Roots Organic potting soil or Fox Farm Ocean Forest potting soil. First feed surge, weeks 2-7 bloom use surge/hp2/big bloom. HP2 once your flowers are in full bloom should add awesome size.
-Surge: RO's fish product, kelp, fish and other goodies. Gives nitrogen, phosphorous, molasses (to feed microbes), and more. Helps with plant health and sweeter final product
-HP2- 0-4-0 Use about 2 weeks after plants show flowers until about 2 weeks before harvest, its a gentle phosphorus bloom booster
-Fox Farm big bloom- I grow 100% organic and this is the only FF product I use; but I love it. Lots of micro nutrients and bacteria.
-Fox farm Happy Frog or Roots Organic original for starting; gentle potting soils that wont burn your plants while they are little
-Fox Farm Ocean forest or Roots Organic original for second/final 3-5 gallon container (4 plants in your 2x2). Either soil will have plenty of nutes to help your plants bloom healthy and well. Personally I would suggest Roots Organic because I've had FFOF burn every plant i've put in it; and i've seen the same in many of my customers at the hydro shop.

I'm not an organic hippy or anything I just think in soil its easier and more forgiving; i feel hydro should be kept on the synthetic side (i do both).

Roots organics from aurora innovations makes awesome and easy products to use; i definitely suggest taking advantage of that. Soil, bottled nutes, etc..

Keep your stuff how it is for this grow and trust your instincts (i'm assuming its your first). For your next run I think my advice will really help you out. Once again I genuinely suggest keeping soils 100% organic cuz I think its simply easier than working with synthetics in organics cuz then you need to start worrying about PH. I have a 100% organic tent and a synthetic hydro tent. Not saying organics is better, but in soil its just easier.

Fewer plants is easier to manage(imo, and in soil), for a 4 plant 2x2 in proper pot size, feel free to bend them down. I've never grown autos to be honest but i've done lots of research on them, go ahead and bend them down; any time you make the main branch lower than secondary branches it helps spread out the top dominance. Its hard to hurt cannabis plants they are pretty hearty (Not to say you can't hurt them so still be gentile).

Also for your next (and this run) look into compost teas; relatively cheap startup cost (Bucket, air stone/pump, compost, molasses, like $60-70 for all and it will last you a long time) for big results (adding massive amounts of beneficial microbes to your soil).


Also... I have no affilitation with Aurora Innovations but I love their products.

I'm a little drunk atm, feel free to ask any questions about what I said and i'll get back to you broski
Click to expand...
wow nice post man....do you vacuum and do dishes? lol..but no really,nice post.
 
GemuGrows

GemuGrows

Well-Known Member
Resinhound said:
wow nice post man....do you vacuum and do dishes? lol..but no really,nice post.
Click to expand...
Heh XD

I just feel like OP has the resources at hand to do killer work, but is maybe lacking some experience. After this run he will have gained a lot of experience and if he takes my post to heart i'm sure his next run will knock it out of the park

Also i've not done dishes in a few months and I vacuum like 15% of the time I clean my room. o:
 
Bentley S

Bentley S

Member
I appreciate the fantastic advice and the time you took to write to me! It is very much appreciated. My goal was to hit 5 ounces but I guess since my tent is so packed it might be difficult? In any case, the next grow I will take this advice to heart. God bless
 
GemuGrows

GemuGrows

Well-Known Member
Bentley S said:
I appreciate the fantastic advice and the time you took to write to me! It is very much appreciated. My goal was to hit 5 ounces but I guess since my tent is so packed it might be difficult? In any case, the next grow I will take this advice to heart. God bless
Click to expand...
With 9 plants hitting 5oz is aiming for like .5oz per plant, quite potentially do-able!

That being said there are some dudes on some forums growing 6oz auto flowers; so its definitely possible to grow massive autos.

Like I said, grow this batch out and you will learn a ton, if you try and follow my advice for your next run I believe you will notice potentially greatly increased results. Of course i'm no god; but I think my advice is still very valid!

Good luck with this run broski
 
TopDogTHC

TopDogTHC

Well-Known Member
I got 4 in a slighty larger tent and space is very tight. Growth exploded after week 3-4. I'll only be starting 2 off on my next grow. You'll be able to see for yourself the space problems and judge how many you'll be able to run next grow in a few more weeks. Height is close to being a problem to for me cause of heat off the HPS bulb but mines not got a cool tube, that'll probs gain you a few more inches to grow that way.
 
Bentley S

Bentley S

Member
Appreciate it! Here are some more pics of the plants today as well as my entire setup. I spent several weeks on a PC case but I learned quickly that it makes more sense to get a tent. PC was a waste of time to me.

I think I overwatered the plants yesterday so I haven't given them anything in the past 24 h. Do they look healthy? Any thoughts? Also, I'm currently running the lights 24h .... Don't know if I should change that? Thanks everybody!
 

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TopDogTHC

TopDogTHC

Well-Known Member
They do look a little droopy. They only need watering when the pots are dry, you don't have to give them something every day or even every other day. There's a few methods on here people use to check when to water. First one is to push a finger into the soil up to knuckle, if it's dry to touch down in there give it a water. Second one is to feel the weight of the pot, this way you have to learn over time. See if they pick up from letting the pots dry out.
As for light schedule 24/0 is common for the full grow of an auto. Some people like to give them rest periods so use 18/6 or 20/4.But its down to personal experience and preferences. People have pulled similar yields off all schedules.
 
Bentley S

Bentley S

Member
Thanks TopDog! I appreciate the advice.

It seems hard to believe that these plants only have 36 days left. I'm currently on day 24 and the buds or flowering sites seem to be very small. The vendor said these auto flowers can take around 60 to 70 days. Are my plants undersized for autoflowers? I took another picture of the plants today. It's now been a day and a half with no water since I think I had overwatered to them previously...
 

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TopDogTHC

TopDogTHC

Well-Known Member
They should pick up soon. I thought the same when mine looked like yours but then they suddenly took off. Most people on here say they usually take up to 2 weeks longer than the sites say. Your just over 3 weeks in so you should have at least 6-7 weeks left (42-49 days).
 
Bentley S

Bentley S

Member
That's awesome man - I can't wait. I just got tired of paying for weed (350 an ounce where I am). I'm a joint smoker so I can go through a lot fast. Hopefully this tent will be enough for me.
Thanks again for your time bro.
 
TopDogTHC

TopDogTHC

Well-Known Member
Same mate, nightmare waiting on dealers, plus if you grow your own you can choose the strains! It's around £220 here. Wish you luck with the rest of the grow.
 
Javadog

Javadog

Well-Known Member
Generous Post Gemu!

You will not find more plants to lower yield. They will typically make for far more
work when it comes to the harvest, as you will have many more, smaller buds than
you would get from less plants.

Good luck,

JD
 
Bentley S

Bentley S

Member
Just a friendly update- pics at day 24. 5 x nirvana short riders and 3 x Durban poison autos. I made a small SCROG screen with coat hangers and put it on one short rider. Pistols are starting to come out on the short riders. As I have seen in some other reviews. The short riders smell like stinky arm pits (for real). Hopefully they turn fruity smelling at the end as others have said. How do they look?


Also, when this grow is done, do you think I would get the most yield if I make a SCROG on a 5 gallon bucket? (See picture). Would that be the biggest bang for my buck to do one like that? I saw that homemade screen on YouTube.
 

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innerG

innerG

Well-Known Member
I'm not that experienced with autos, but do people scrog them?

Typically you run the branches out under the screen as you veg, then after you flip to flower, tops grow upwards all along the branches

Not sure if it is an effective technique with autos since you can't control the photoperiod response
 
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