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First time growing so not sure what to expect. I've seen other grows already producing 4/6 leaves by the end of week 1.
Steady progress. Looking forward to it producing more vegetation.
It's the beginning of Autumn here, and by the time harvest has come around, the temperatures will have dropped further still.
I'll be trying to give it as much natural light as I can manage and lots of careful close attention.
Let's see what happens.
This is my first grow. Living in the UK and we're just heading towards Autumn and by the time harvest arrives, it'll be the beginning of winter almost.
How best can I grow this strain without artificial lighting? Greenhouse? Windowsill? Just outside? Any help would be appreciated
Hi friend! UK's climate may be okay-ish with the amount of light in autumn but you must think temperature and humidity! Window areas are usually very cold compared to the rest of the interior, especially when temperatures outside are dropping. Extra moisture is also an issue - the greater the temperature difference, the more in the air. Basically it will be possible to grow but your plant will be rather miserable.
I would strongly advise agains outside grow this late - your plant will develop very slowly and rapid temperature changes will not help it either. If you want to give it a shot and expect satisfying results, you should aim for either a greenhouse or a grow tent. Good news is that you can get a relatively cheap setup if all you want is one plant. You only need a basic light, a small tent and a tiny extractor fan. Depends on your budget, you can get the whole set for about 100-150 pounds.
On the other hand if it is just recreational - enjoy it the way you like it!
The end of week two is 15th September.
We don't seem to have made nearly enough progress in the last week.
Seems it may be that I'm just too late and there isn't enough sun to grow naturally in the UK at this time of year.
2.5 weeks growing in windowsill with no intervention besides watering.
What do I do now? Lol
As I thought, it seems most agree that I'm too late for windowsill growing as the days grow shorter.
I'm hoping that it being a Ruderalis hybrid, it may be hardier to the UK Autumn climate.
Have now got myself a little set up in my shed.
I'm 22 days in.
It's been 3 days under the lights now. Definitely some significant growth over the last few days.
Hoping it'll fly soon... Can't help but worry! 🤦♂️🏼
She looks healthy though
Day 25 (3 weeks, 3 days) - repotted into final 12ltr pot and now using Guanokalong soil.
Still looking healthy.
I've reduced lights to 250w on an 18/6 schedule.
Was using 400w for 24 hours... But the expert in hydro shop said unnecessary amount of light and time for an auto so have reduced to save a few ££.
Also bought some Biosyss... Not sure it yet though as plant doesn't need watering at the mo.
Good progress over the last week. Photosynthesis really kicking off.
Looks to me like there is the very beginning of flowering between stem and leaves :)
Doesn't seem as big as other growers, but in fairness I am growing outside in less the optimum conditions.
I'm pleased though. Looking forward to seeing how the next few weeks turn out.
So I'm on holiday at the mo. My friend is house sitting (plant sitting) and has sent me a few photos to keep me happy. Not the best quality as over exposed, so I'll upload some better ones when I'm home on Sunday.
Worth noting that the light yellowing of the leaves is a result of the over exposure and not a dying plant lol.
Looks like good progress. No close ups to see if it's flowering unfortunately, but it's definitely still growing in stature.
A follower noticed some leaves clawing at the top of the plant, but it hasn't got any worse in the last week and I haven't actually given it any additional nutes, so fingers crossed I don't have nitrogen toxicity.
Gave some Biosyss last week, hoping that it has provided an optimum environment
I didn't use LST and wondering whether that's going to mean a lesser yield.
Update: asked a question and found that not too late to LST so going to start that Monday when back from hols.
Updated with better pictures 👌🏻
Any thoughts?
I'm back from holiday tomorrow and planning on starting a feeding schedule of biogrow, bio bloom and topmax to maximise yield 👌🏻
10/10/21 - Back from holidays and have uploaded new pictures.
Lots of pistels appearing now suggesting it is going into flowering.
I have decided to go ahead and LST despite the stress it might cause. I figured with it being a hardy strain that it may tolerate it, and the benefits (if it works) would make it worth the risk.
11/10/21 - Plants have coped really well with the nutrients. Checked pH today and sitting at around 6 which is ideal. Humidity fluctuates a little. Between 45% and 65%. If keeps going high then I'll put a dehumidifier in.
Buds starting to form/flower now.
Exciting times
Follow a biobizz feeding chart u can google biobizz feeding schedule and it will come up and if ur seeds are auto only do 50% of what the chart recommends
I have done some homework and I think all training has to be done as it’s growing in veg. U don’t want to mess with the plants to much when there flowering as it may cause stress it’s the same for defoliation u don’t really want to mess with anything when it’s flowering
I have decided to begin LST, despite the risks of stressing the plant at this stage.
I figured with it being a hardy strain, it may tolerate the stress and the benefits may outweigh the risks.
Have I done it right?
A bit extreme, I would go for a more like a 45 degree angle on the main stem and locate that tie lower down the stem.
You could also tie some more branches down, those tall ones, mid way up, are going to take over and thereby shade the top half of the plant. Whatever is the highest point will take off as the new leader/main growing tip. This is why I prefer a 45 degree angle and to preserve the main stem as the primary growing tip, and get the branches growing horizontally. Think of Jesus on the cross (leaning back), that is what I aim for with the main stem/branch relationship.
You relly want to open it up like a fan that is leaning backwards.
Any branches on the back side of the main stem can be trained towards the left or right side, or even removed altogether.
Tying the plant down does not really create any/much stress at all, they recover within hours and there is no risk with this technique.
Even if you remove any ties and reposition/re-tie any branches, including the main stem, it may look weird for a day or two, but will reorganize itself soon enough and without any detrimental effects or risks.
Cheers, Organoman.
Some good flowering going on but pretty sure I have some nitrogen toxicity.
Holding off on the biogrow for now but may continue with top max and biobloom.
14/10/21 - Following nitrogen toxicity, I've made a few changes to nutes schedule.
Have removed BioBloom and BioGrow for now as likely the guano medium I'm growing in is rich enough in nutrients that I needn't supplement.
Continued with TopMax as that has trace NPK in.
Gave a dose of cannazym for good measure.
Also given Biosys.
Half doses of each and given 750mls water in total today.
19/10/2021 - No further signs of nitrogen toxicity which is good.
Watering requirements have increased. I'm generally waiting for it to look a little bit thirsty before I give it anymore as don't want to risk overwatering.
Still holding off the BioGrow and BioBloom and using Biosys and TopMax once a week.
I think the guano mix medium has plenty of nutrition in for the short flowering cycle of this dwarf auto - I will review again when buds have properly formed and consider using biobloom at that point, if required.
The flowering is looking great - waiting with eager anticipation for the buds to start forming properly :)
Feel so close to the end, but with that comes a level of anxiety that something will go wrong!
The night time temps have really dropped. I'm relying on the 4 walls of the shed, the 200w HPS lamp and an electric heater.
Day time temps around 19-20°c, night time temps between 15°-16°c, thanks to the light and heater. Also relying on the hardy characteristics of the ruderalis strain to cope with the suboptimal temperatures..
Looking slightly droopy this evening and I feel like there has been little growth in the last few days. I think (emphasis on 'think') that it's thirsty. As a newbie, it's really just a guessing game from what I've read, and gut instinct. Pot didn't feel particularly light, but I have good draining soil. Also the leaves are dropping, rather than curling in on themselves; suggestive of underwatering, rather than overwatering.
Fed it with 750mls, supplemented with Biosys (half scoop) biobloom (0.5mls) and topmax (0.5mls). Fingers crossed I made the correct judgement.
Plenty of flowers ready to grow. Just hope temps don't drop too low and stop the grow completely.
Thanks for reading. Please comment with any thoughts or ideas. Would appreciate the support where possible :)
25/10 - So I was right in thinking it was underwatered. A good watering brought life to the plant again :)
Wanted to lower my light yesterday but was restricted by the main stem. I tried some gentle LST but ended up super cropping by accident.
Appears to have done it some good. The leaves and stems have not drooped and are all now facing the light.
The canopy is much more even which is great.
I've decided to switch to the 600w LED board during the day... And then back to the 200w HPS lamp over night.
Doing this for several reasons... To expose the light to different waves of the spectrum, to reduce costs and to benefit from the heat of HPS when the temps are lower at night.
So far so good. Enjoying seeing the development of the buds :)
Over a period of 4 feeds I have upped the nutrient dosage from
- 1mls topmax, 1mls biobloom and half a scoop of Biosys.
To
- 3mls topmax, 2mls biobloom and full scoop of Biosys.
Looked like she needed it as she got very thirsty and had a growth spurt. Also no sign of nuteient toxicity.
Trichomes forming in their earliest forms.
The night temps are still relatively low. And my impatience makes me worry that they're not fattening up quickly enough.
Couple of weeks from harvest is my prediction.
2/11/2021 -
Took her out of the shed today to take some pictures without the overexposure under the lights.
I think prob some light/heat burn looking at the yellowing of the uppermost leaves. Have raised the lamp by about 15cm.
Buds are looking light and airy at the mo. Bit of a concern. Either she's on a longer schedule than estimated by the seed data sheet, or variables are causing slow growth?
Day 65 - paranoia or halted growth, I'm not sure.
Continuing with nutrient and feed schedule.
Light has been raised to avoid further light/hear burn.
The night temps are dropping as low as 8-10°c in the shed... I'm so worried it's going to fail at the final hurdle!
A flurry of activity in the last week, despite some deficiencies. A bit more bulk to the buds and some glistening from the trichomes.
Suspecting phosphorus and nitrogen deficiencies. Haven't done anything too crazy, just carried on with the nutrient schedule I've been following.
AVG. Royal dwarf harvest is 80 days.
I'm on day 72 and think roughly on target.
15/11 - The last week has been an interesting one. I've had to use some common sense, independent research and advice from other growers on GD to determine why my plant isn't looking too healthy.
The buds are forming nicely, the trichomes looking good.... but the leaves are yellowing (and have worsened over the week).
Initially couldn't decide if nutrient lockout or deficiencies and chose to treat deficiencies by continuing a bite schedule despite being in the last few weeks of the grow.
Today, I'm suspecting I was wrong and it was in fact nutrient lockout. The fact that the nutes have remained the same and the leaves are worsening would suggest this is the case.
Watered her today with water alone and will continue with this until she gets the chop.
Have had some challenges this week. In my lack of experience, I have struggle to discern whether my plant is deficient in nutrients, suffering lockout or approaching harvest.
Symptoms were yellowing leaves... The cause of which can be, of course, many different things.
I decided to flush last week, thinking that a nutrient lockout was most likely.
Leaves less yellow this week so think it may have done the trick.
I have spent some time researching and considering flushing as a technique to improve final bud quality.
I have decided that there simply isn't enough evidence to deny my girl of nutrients at a critical phase of her growth.
I am therefore continuing a reduced feeding schedule of
- 1mls topmax
- 2mls BioBloom
- 1 scoop biosys ecothrive
- 2.5mls Cannazym.
And, unless indicated otherwise, will continue with this schedule up until harvest.
Today I have tested PPM of the run off and measure it to be approx 1050ppm.
I will measure again in 24 hours to monitor change after a feed.
Purchased a 60x microscope and am able to see that 90% of trichomes are still clear.
I am therefore anticipating at least another couple of weeks before harvest.
Buds look fluffier than I'd like, but resin and trichome production haven't disappointed.
I'm hoping that over the next few weeks the buds will continue to fatten.
19/11/2021 - Day 79.
Have a few days off so have managed to catch some photos in day light.
Have also uploaded a video.
Feel that she isn't particularly happy... But on the other hand, she is showing the resistance and ability to adapt to less than ideal growing conditions; as promised by the strain genetics.
Plenty of trichs, plenty of resin, plenty of buds.
Just need them to fatten and fill out for maximum yield and quality.
23/11/21 - Day 83 - Still some deficiencies but she doesn't seem to be using much water so reluctant to feed at risk of overwatering.
Noticing lots of new pistil formation.
Looking frosty, but all trichomes still clear.
Temperatures dropping to around 2°c overnight here. Managing to maintain temperatures around 10°c in the shed.
Appreciate that this is too cold for growth but she seems to be coping with it well.
I think that a gradual reduction in temperature has been tolerated better than fluctuant or sudden drops would be.
Fingers crossed that her hardy nature keeps her strong.
Fed today:
1mls BioBloom
2mls Topmax
Half scoop Biosys Ecothrive
Filtered water - pH 6.5, TDS 320
Run off 953 TDS
29/11/21 - Day 90 - no sign of any amber yet. Still mostly clear with a splattering of cloudy.
Really worrying about the night time temps now and holding out hope that it doesn't die off before the trichomes mature.
5 weeks into flower, 3 to go.
Autoflower grown in soil.
Kept in outside shed, with 400w HPS and electric heater.
Struggling to keep temps up above 10°c. It's not killing it, but perhaps stunting growth. A hardy strain.
Will it still convert THC or am I risking losing whole plant?
Hello Dudders yes it is completely normal your plant will create new pistils during all the flowering. Don't worry it is not a problem or strange behaviour. Bye growmie.
After looking at your diary is this a indoor or outdoor grow. You should not be switching back, and forth. Your poor plant can't handle those switches well. Usually a auto takes about 6 to 8 weeks to flower. What are your trichromes looking like. New pistils could be it fox tailing. Go off trichromes on buds. 90 percent cloudy 10 percent amber trichromes is a really good mix . That is the only realy way to tell when you are done. Especially messing with the type of lighting it gets. No one will be able to nail ripeness by looking at a picture. Using a jeweler's loupe with a 60 x magnification and looking at trichromes on buds is the only way. Good luck
Hi there Dudders, this is totally normal behaviour , pistills can turn brown for any number of reasons, right? usually it means the membrane got pierced either because of ventillation , humidity, age, etc, plus many of them turn at the chop and during the cure. You have plenty of weeks left if you think about it , the more the plant bulks up the more new pistills emmerge. Plus it's much to do with genetics, some genetics have fresh pistills until the chop , some dont, some even have them after the chop like purple ones with white pistills . In your case you just have to keep an eye out for foxtailling, which is not a big problem at all, after all those buds ar smokeable material too ! You're doing a great job just keep up the good work and see . hope this helps ! 🚀
I'd appreciate any comments from experienced growers on the general health of my girl as she goes into her 6th week of flower.
Please feel free to check out my diary, give me a like and follow my progress if you'd be so kind :)
Hi again good idea to reduce the nutes after the flush. Don't worry for your trichomes they will be milky in 2 weeks approximatively. Then the magnifier will help you a lot so continue for me you are doing a good job. Bye
Hello dudders the best is to wait to have 90 % milky trichomes and then make your flush ans harvest. You can make a partial harvest but it is better to harvest the plant entierely. Good luck. Bye
Servus,
Did that a couple of times in the past when I messed up training. I haven't mention much of a growth after cutting the top stage, but the buds did mature. But tbh if I can, I also take the whole plant.
Good luck..
Hi there Dudders, clear trichomes means empty trichomes for the most potent results you want 100% cloudy, no clears no ambers. usually when you start seeing your first ambers you're good for a quick flush or before you see any ambers, a long flush. Trichomes take an average of two weeks to mature, so plan accordingly. hope this helps ! 🚀
So I'm 6th week into flower.
The last week has completed halted as I haven't been able to keep the temps above 10°c.
Will the trichomes continue to mature/transition in the cold, or should I harvest now and save myself the energy costs?
Hey Dudders, in my experience it's actually more valuable to finish off your cycle successfully. If you have for example a space heater and you can safely put it inside the tent you should do that and wrap it up. You're at the point where you need to check on the trichomes quite regularly already. it's much much better for you if your product comes out decent rather than sub par, even for personal consumption. first it will last you longer, second you'll learn a lot more about the craft doing it right the first time. The energy costs are a fraction of the value you create, that's why this whole hobby can have "perverse incentives". My best advice, buy a space heater because that's something you can keep and use again next year or next week even, depends how quickly the trichomes go. Hope this helps ! 🚀
Things have REAAALLLLY slowed down since the cold turn.
Trichomes aren't really maturing and haven't done for the last two weeks.
Everyone keeps telling me to hold out, but certainly lacking some confidence now!
Stopped feeding nutes about a week ago. Just plain water now.
3/12/21 - Day 101.
Who knows what's happening.
Water - TDS 330, pH 6.5, temp 20°c
Run off - TDS 934, pH 7.0, temp 20°c
Yellowing leaves - deficiency? Lock out? End of cycle?
Some foxtailing on the cola.
Possibly revegging with some new growth on the lower branches.
And a whole loads of trichomes but hardly any cloudy.
This is turning into a disaster lol.
Still hardly any cloudy trichomes, though they are starting to show through now.
Not much has changed in a week. Just a waiting game until harvest.
Everything but the trichomes are saying she's ready...
Yellowing leaves
Brown pistils
Swollen calyxes
Using less water.
Just waiting on the trichomes to mature...
Which is proving slow in the cold temperatures.
Well not bad for my first grow in less than ideal conditions.
Everything was going really well until the end of flowering period where almost everything slowed down to a halt due to every decreasing temperatures.
Half to three quarters of the trichomes are cloudy so felt now would be ok to harvest. The proof will be in the smoke I guess.
A little concerned that it looks like I'm set to yield less than an Oz, but something is better than nothing.
Thanks to everyone that commented and answered my millions of questions lol
Dudders
