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1st grow in 25 years - CKS autoflowers!

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6 years ago
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Silverback_Guerilla Silverback_Guerilla
6 years ago
SATURDAY: Well....I did it.. I really did it..I killed my best two plants! Sad but very excited. WW#1 is super sticky-icky, but doubly dank and dark. I had too much to do today to take photos and weigh all the parts and pieces, but her main cola, wet, weighed exactly 100g on my triple-beams. EM#1's main cola, wet, was 110g. She has a wonderfully rancid "odor" and will produce a little more than WW#1. I'm betting WW#1 is more whoopass, though. A few of EM#1's secondary colas weighed at least 85g. That's all I bothered to weigh today. I really don't get the point of taking the wet weight.. unless maybe you are just hoping to make a semi-accurate guestimate as to the eventual dry weight? I'd rather just wait the week or two and know how much it really weighs... EM#4 is ripe and ready. I'm gonna flush her tomorrow and let her bask in the UVB's for another day or two, then it's time for her to meet her maker. EM#2 isn't as crystally as I'd like, but she's running out of foliage, so I'm afraid she's not gonna have much more energy. I'd like to dose her with Cha Ching one more time and give her a few more days under the UVB's if possible. WW#2 is ripening well, but still has another week I'm betting. CC#1 - ditto EM#3 (Bush Bitch) - probably 10 days to two weeks CC#2 - ditto I guess I blew it by not starting my next wave of seeds a week or two earlier. I DO NOT like having unoccupied real estate in my main flowering tent. It's like an airline carrying 37 people from New York to L.A. I guess I just couldn't really fathom 9 weeks from seed to drying rack really being a possibility....wow, just wow...GROWING AUTO-FLOWERING VARIETALS IS SO EFFING COOL! Next year, I might shoot for 5 crops.😡 SUNDAY: Today was a busy day. I flushed EM#4 and did some pruning on all the older gals, mixed up 2 gal of late flower nutes for EM#2 and WW#2, then I mixed up 2.5 gal of mid-flowering nutes for EM#3, CC#1, and CC#2, and 1 gal of early flowering nutes for the new arrival to the big tent, "PE#1"..from my other diary. I'm really disappointed in my success rate on the new Candy Cane sprouts. They are either retarded and can't find "up", or they just petered out as soon as they germinated. 1 out of 4 emerged...which totally sux because I only got 2 of the first 3 of them I planted in June to grow...less than 50% success rate. 6 of the 7 new WW's came up and are growing well. So, that's just 7 total seedlings, plus the Pineapple Express girl that will occupy my 4' x 5' tent...stupid, stupid, stupid..I should have expected a shitty germination rate and procured more seeds. I think I'll try FIMing all of them this go-round since they'll have some extra "elbow room" to spread out. MONDAY 8/20: No new sprouts have emerged..πŸ˜• EM#4 begged and pleaded for another day in the "sun," so I relented. Last week I bought a little 20w Cree CXA1512 bulb that's 3000k at 93 CRI. Excellent flowering spectrum..very similar light to HPS, but just a fraction of the PAR. What's really cool is that it also registers a good bit of far red spectra, from 730-780nm! I've had that light about 10 inches away, and a 36w 660nm deep red bulb about 12 inches away, and a 12w 700nm/2700k flowering Miracle LED at about 10 inches away, and a 26w 15.0 UVB light about 6 inches away from her big twisted main cola for 24/7 for 3 days now. I alternate 4 on/4 off between the new Cree CXA bulb (far reds) and the 660nm (deep reds) and then all of them on together at "night"....and, of course, they are still getting the normal main lighting as well. Its really swelling up and practically dripping resin. It will become my new standard lighting regimen for "finishing" my ladies. I'll take a few photos before I kill her. TUESDAY: No new sprouts...😟 I harvested EM#4 today. Will yield maybe twice as much as EM#1 dry. Super sticky and super stinky. Kinda peppery odor. I lost my phone last week and my tablet is currently phukt, so no photos... My humidity was a little low and WW#1 and EM#1 were already about 80% dry, so I put them in some bigass jars with some bigass bovedas and am burping them for 10 minutes every 12 hours or so. WEDNESDAY: No new sprouts...😠!@#$% WW#2 and EM#2 are getting blasted with big blurple, 3000k, 3500k, 15.0 UVB, 660nm and 700nm deep reds, and 730nm-780nm far reds ;-) I'm really not seeing many amber trichs at all yet. It's looking like they'll get another few days in the mega-sun and maybe even another late flowering nutrient douche before I start flushing them. CC#1 seems to be in a major hurry..I'm seeing about 50% cloudy trichromes already and wow does she have a pungent aroma. EM#3 still fattening, but she will never be as densely budded as her sisters I'm afraid. Still, with so many flowers, it might produce a decent yield. THURSDAY: No new sprouts...😑!@#$% I flushed EM#2 and WW#2 with 3 gallons each of ph'd spring water and 2 tsp of bud candy per gallon. I'll let them dry out for a few more days under the mega-sun and harvest them if they are ready. If not..another little drinky-winky and off to the 'butcher' the next day or day after. I watered all the other girls with about a half-gallon each of ph'd water. I'll let WW#1 cure for another week before I sample it. When I burp her jars, the odor is like a very sour citrus fruit gone bad... I had a few tiny little branches of EM#1 that I didn't put in the hash trimmings sack, that had dried pretty quickly. I smoked it..no real taste, but I got a major "face high" with perma-grin. It needs to cure for a while. Smells kinda funky, but not very pungent. I need to get started recharging my soil pretty soon. I don't want the UPS driver hating on me but once a year from now on if I can help it. I've already obtained or am waiting on shipment of some really good stuff. This is my ingredients list: bokashi, probiotics, earthworm castings, bone meal, and biochar. I'm also gonna try mixing in some NFTG's One Shot granular fertilizer too. It's got some really good stuff in it. I planned to add my old soil to a big barrel, one pot at a time, and pour the appropriate amount of my magic composting mixture over it, add a quart or two of fresh Happy Frog/Ocean Forest/Coco Loco mix, mix it all up really well, add in another pot of the used soil...repeat....put a lid on the barrel out in the backyard in a sunny spot, and in about month it should be good to go...all the root material should be broken down completely and the microbes, bacteria, and fungi fully colonized. Now, though, I'm shopping for a compost tumbler. I'm thinking that one of those things would save me a lot of back-breaking mixing with the shovel...I'm just too old for that shit. As it is, this tent gardening is hell on my old knees. FRIDAY: WW#2 and EM#2 are gonna both be bigger and better than the #1's...so happy! EM#4 is about half-way dry. Going much slower than the first 2, so I'm optimistic that I'll end up with a better cure. It's such a fine line providing perfect temperatures, humidity, and airflow during the drying phase without also stinking up the whole house...I have the 6" carbon filter/inline fan running at all times in the big tent, a medium-room-size carbon filter/ionizer, an small ozone generator that kicks on for 5 minutes every 25 minutes, and 3 of those ionic fluorescent light bulbs on at all times...and I'm still lighting multiple candles. Started shopping for new genetics...looking at FastBuds and Sweet Seeds stuff for the next run. ....absolutely gorgeous..
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Grow Questions
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerillastarted grow question 6 years ago
Apart from saving money on the electric bill or as a method of mitigating higher temperatures. what good reason is there to not grow autoflowering varieties on a 24 hour light cycle? With a limited time to get them finished up, why not be growing them on overdrive the whole time?
Solved
Techniques. Defoliation
2 likes
Kaya666
Kaya666answered grow question 6 years ago
It all comes down to personal preference. GrowWeedEasy suggests an 18/6 light cycle but acknowledges that there's no scientific proof autos need a dark period. Now, anecdotally my plant seemed to perk up & look great after a 4 or 6 hour dark period so I choose to do 20/4 in veg & 18/6 in flower. But other growers report success with a 24/0 cycle. As long as your grow space is staying cool & you don't mind the additional electric costs, there's no harm in 24/0.
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerillastarted grow question 6 years ago
Has anybody had any luck and/or experience with those RapidLED Far Red Initiator Pucks? https://www.rapidled.com/far-red-initiator-puck/ I'm gonna be growing autos primarily, so not looking to recreate the Emerson Effect, but rather just accelerate growth.
Solved
Techniques. Defoliation
2 likes
mad_scientist
mad_scientistanswered grow question 6 years ago
The Emerson effect is by its own means a growth acceleration ! What actually the Emerson effect tells you is that there are to photo systems working at red bands. The one works with the red band and the other with the far red band but when those two photo systems working together at the right ratio you can achieve 10 - 14 % higher photosynthesis rate. Most of the lights have a little far red output so you are basically recreating the Emerson effect but not at its perfect. As far as i remember the perfect ratio is R/FR 10/8 but i am not sure for that. Another way to use the far red since you have autos and you don't want to initiate the flowering is to achieve higher photosynthesis by making longer day times without effecting the regeneration rates at night time ( despite the fact that some growers have a 24/24 cycle at autos ). When you have a far red light open after the regular lights close the plant gets to the night time regeneration mode much faster so you can wake it up earlier. So for example if you were making a 20/8 light cycle you will be able to have a 21/3 or maybe 22/2 light cycle without disturbing the night time regeneration mode. That is 1-2 hours more photosynthesis. You do it by setting the far red light to open for 15 minutes after the lights close and for 15 minutes before the lights open again...I have never used them but i would definitely give it a try ! Happy growing ! πŸ‘Š
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Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerillaweek 9
Thanks man! I wouldn't feel right....I'm not really a "newbie" per se.. Though it's been a steep learning curve with all the available tech these days, I'm pretty sure some of my old 'skills' and experience came into play on this grow..
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@CRiSPrGrow, thanks man 😊
CRiSPrGrow
CRiSPrGrow
@Silverback_Guerilla, all that new tech like taken a picture through a magnifier 0_0 steady as she goes great pics 10/10 thanks for these
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerillaweek 4
Okay, thanks to everyone for chiming in on my question! I've never had this quality of genetics or grown autos before. I think that I just find it hard to believe I'd see any more vigor than what I'm already seeing by turning off all the lights. As you can see, I'm seeing pretty awesome growth now with 24/0. I'm partially concerned that if I go completely dark for 4 hours that the built-up CO2 will go to waste as photosynthesis only really occurs when there is available light for the plants to use. My thinking was that since autos aren't particularly sensitive and wouldn't require total darkness, that they'd consider a sudden/massive reduction in light to be "nighttime." In nature, total darkness is a very rare thing anyway, right? I do have a 4 hour period in which the big blurple and 4 COB's are off, along with the ventilation. During veg, I turned off everything but the blue/whites..similar to moonlight...and during flower, I'm planning to just run the 2 x 660nm reds and the two 700nm reds...Martian nighttime. That is a reduction of wattage from about 2600w (800w actual) to under 100..but hopefully adequate enough light for the plants to utilize the bonus levels of CO2 they get during that period. Reckon that'd be enough rest for them? I want to 'keep my pimp hand strong' and crack the whip on them every day since there are such precious few days to max them out. When my ventilation is off, by the 3rd hour CO2 builds up to 1300+ ppm from the two exhale bags so it really seems like I need to keep at least SOME light on them. When the ventilation is running, I can't get my CO2 ppm's above 1000 ppm. I considered adding a 4th timer to the equation solely to operate my exhaust fan and have it go off every 3 or 4 hours for 1 hour so as to increase the daytime CO2 ppms, but ridiculous temperature issues this summer have changed my mind. (maybe only possible in colder months) Thoughts??
CRiSPrGrow
CRiSPrGrow
@Silverback_Guerilla, it's the hardest thing i've ever done for a spliff or two for sure... looking forward to autumn and winter temps... seems like a breeze after what i'm doing man...
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@CRiSPrGrow, ya, I guess that managing temps, even with LED's can be tricky in the summer. I've finally got the daytime temps under control by adding extra timer and cycling my deep reds in 1-hour intervals, every 4 hours, then on for 4 hours while all 4 of the COB's and the 2000w are off...plus a block or 2 or 3 (gallons) of ice positioned around the garden...floor temps are in the 60's, and at the cola it's about 83-85 degrees. At night, for 4 hours, everything is off except 4 x 12w Miracle LED's for flowering in the corners, and currently 2 x 25w deep red par38 bulbs about 26" overhead..each only covers two plants at that distance, so I've ordered two more. Currently, when the primary lights are off, and adding the ice blocks, my nighttime temps fall to about 78 degrees, so I expect them to go back to 80 when I add the two new lights...so maybe I'll add another block or two of ice....it's definitely a fine line to walk, and a bit of a pain in the ass, but also one of life's most worthy endeavors.😁
CRiSPrGrow
CRiSPrGrow
@Silverback_Guerilla, hey man, yeah so i'm a first time grower, thought the same as you. had an issue which was blasting my young plants <3 weeks with 600W 24/7.... i got a dimmable, switched to 250W, they really loved it. Just switched up to 400 and will be doing 400 / 250 cycles, mostly to control for heat... hope that works... as the flower stage comes more into focus will switch to 400W / 600W again, mostly to control for heat otherwise would do a 600 24/7 during flower. Just because i noticed that growers with fat HIDs got fat buds.
TheBudWhisperer
TheBudWhispererweek 3
β€œThe harem”!!! LOL. Looking good dude and must be the music! I’d echo some of the points made re: light sched. And provide at least a few hours of darkness. That said, definitely get these as much light as you can and results will show. Welcome back and good luck - CKS has treated me quite well the last year or so. πŸ‘ŠπŸ‘πŸ‘Š
ChefDan420
ChefDan420week 7
I have a few medical issues otherwise I’m all thc. Just got a CBD Cream& Cheese from Seedsman seed bank that is good with both CBD &THC so that is germinating as we speak. 🏻Hopefully she’s good.
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@ChefDan420, I'm gonna order from Seedsman next. They do seem to have their sh*t together, and give away some cool bonus beans. How long does it take to receive an order from them, on average? I've already picked out a couple hundred bucks worth of beans that look to be truly magical, but because I decided to take a a bunch of cuttings from my Mystery photoperiod Plant (Kushpialadocious) and flower them for a couple months I won't have the space until around Christmas.
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@ChefDan420, Don't get me wrong...I have more than my fair share of medical issues, but as "apolitically correct" as it is to say on a site like this, I've never really experienced any medicinal benefits from cannabis other than stress relief...it doesn't help with my pain and I've always slept like a log anyway...but then again, I've been smoking weed for about 40 years now, so maybe I just don't remember how well I slept before.. and maybe I'd be ailing more if not smoking weed for 40 years?? 😁
ChefDan420
ChefDan420week 10
Bravo πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ» Good job πŸ‘πŸΌπŸŒ¬οΈπŸŒ²πŸŒ¬οΈπŸŒ²πŸŒ¬οΈπŸŒ², well done
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@ChefDan420, I do feel a certain sense of satisfaction on this grow that I never had before. I have truly grown some kickass quality bud. I mainly attribute the availability of quality genetics and improved indoor stealth and lighting tech these days, but...I'm gonna take some of the credit πŸ˜‰ I mean, I just decided to start growing again in late May and I'm already smoking my own killer bud...autos, gotta love'em!!!
ChefDan420
ChefDan420week 9
Bravo πŸ‘πŸ» Girls look beautiful πŸ‘πŸΌ
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@ChefDan420, Aw, shucks...(kicking dirt with hands in pockets) Thanks man, coming from you, I take that as very high praise. You're ladies always look so delish!
Tkultranewb
Tkultranewbweek 10
Wow bro you killed it for your first grow in 25 years wowzer jenkies lol hoping mine do half this good like literally half this good with the royal dwarfs i know they'll be on the smaller side gonna do lst on them not sure bout topping just unsure of myself and don't want to hurt them lol
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@Tkultranewb, Thanks....I know, right??...it's like technology and availability of quality genetics finally caught up with my imagination and skillset. It's been my experience with autoflowers, thus far, that LST is a waste of time...unless maybe it's an XXL or other auto that is likely to be big and take a few extra weeks to finish. Many of the auto strains have a little more of the Ruderalis genetics present which causes squatty little plants with a lot of side branching anyway, so the LST isn't even necessary. I do see guys have great success with just tieing down their primary cola so as to keep it's height below that of the secondary colas. This seems to cause the secondaries to compete to become the new primary, which is a good thing...more mains=bigger yield. But, usually, because they are in such a hurry to finish, they will produce whatever they will produce.. regardless of your extra efforts. Aside from FIMing them at 'exactly' the right point in time, the only training I do is later into flower just to separate the colas a bit to get better light penetration into the lower buds. FIMing even a single day too late actually seems to cause their growth to stunt...and some strains just don't respond well to anything you try...
Valentino1sttime
Valentino1sttimeweek 12
Holy shit man good grow I'm growing the same strain from cks and hope I get a quarter of what u got congrats the bud candy really fattened the buds right up might give my ladies some
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@Valentino1sttime, Ya, thanks! Quality genetics for sure. The bud candy really does sweeten the taste of your buds, and gives extra energy for your girls throughout their life. Good luck with yours!
Garreweedlover
Garreweedloverweek 12
Que lindas auto amigo , haz probado fem? si puedes pasa por mis diarios con like jejeje saludos y buenos humos
NastyYeti
NastyYetiweek 12
Great job man, those are very nice Buds!
CRiSPrGrow
CRiSPrGrowweek 11
DUDE OMG FAIRY LIGHTS FOR SILVER BACKS 10/10 sick technique
ChefDan420
ChefDan420week 7
Right there with you except only 420 for about 30 years. Can’t say that CBD has given any more medical help, thc always worksπŸ˜€ A new girl I’m starting has high amounts of both CBD and THC. So 🏻, either way gonna keep smoking & growing πŸ‘πŸΌ
DudeGrowsWeed
DudeGrowsWeedweek 5
There is still an advantage of giving plants a dark cycle, even autos. Personally I usually run my autos under a 20/4 light cycle. That works well for me. Good luck!
bobo420
bobo420week 2
Good looking seedlings, coming along nicely ;)
Black_Magic
Black_Magicweek 6
How was the weed20 years ago ?
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@TomatoloverBoy,...ya, anybody who I shared Lima with said it was like smoking a Margarita..pretty popular with the ladies.
Black_Magic
Black_Magic
Maybe you will find her some day again , sound sweet
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@TomatoloverBoy, ..it varied for sure. There was some pretty good quality Mexican (Oaxacan and Acapulco Gold), Columbian (Gold and Limon Verde), Panamanian Red, and Jamaican. Occasionally some of that good Hawaiian bud would come around, but almost always sinsemilla. When I quit back in the mid nineties I was growing a very sativa strain called "Lima" which had a very citrusy/lime flavor and must've had some Ruderalis genes because it would flower in 2 months, like it or not. I was able to get 3 harvests a year..growing hydro in 3-liter bottles with rockwool and lava rock procured from a nearby Taco Bell. Back then, getting ahold of Indica genetics required a trip to Amsterdam..always out of my budget. So, you really had to get creative in closet grows with HID and lanky-assed sativas... This shit is sooooo much easier now!
growdoctordc
growdoctordcweek 3
Playing classical music for your plants. I LOVE that. Welcome back!
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@growdoctordc,...wrong strains for space glam I think.....but some LSD-25 or Purple Kush would probably really dig some Ziggy Stardust.
growdoctordc
growdoctordc
@Silverback_Guerilla, β€œI had forgotten how therapeutic it is to sit and symbiotically exchange essential elemental gasses with my plants.” So had I! My grow room is dark at present. Your reminder has prompted me to sprout some seeds. Is early Bowie to glam for them? Ziggy album is tight from start to finish
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@growdoctordc, ...well...they get classic metal most days, but classical at night 😎 Thanks, glad to be back...I had forgotten how therapeutic it is to sit and symbiotically exchange essential elemental gasses with my plants.!
CRiSPrGrow
CRiSPrGrowweek 7
running CFL underneath the canopy 😲 if you do we need pics man, that's awesome
CRiSPrGrow
CRiSPrGrow
@Silverback_Guerilla, far out, these LEDs is something i need to understand better
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@CRiSPrGrow, They are actually T5 LED's..they come in 3 x 2' sections with connectors (straight or flexible)..and only draw 9 watts. If they do any good and stay cool, I'll order a couple more: https://www.ebay.com/itm/T5-9W-3pcs-LED-Grow-tube-hydroponics-Greenhouse-Bloom-Indoor-Plant-bar/232639498869?hash=item362a650a75:g:IlUAAOSwhplaZiqu
bobo420
bobo420week 1
Nice info to start ;) good luck with the grow ;)
bobo420
bobo420
@Silverback_Guerilla, yeah, a lot has changed, for sure but I'm sure you'll pick it up instantly. Following for sure and looking forward to seeing these ladies mature ;)
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@bobo420, Thanks! This will be my first grow in over 20 years... Times have really changed. Killer genetics readily available, affordable and much-improved tech delivered stealthily to your door...and autoflower varieties!!! I used to grow hydro in a 4 x 4 closet using 400 watts HID (MH & HPS) ..always a nightmare to deal with temps. I'm optimistic about all the new tech available and the possibilities!
ChefDan420
ChefDan420week 12
Let me start by saying BRAVO πŸŒ¬οΈπŸŒ²πŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ» On the yield nicely done. The ELL rule is 1. no smELL, meaning your set up is hidden 2. no sELL- self explanatory 3. no tELL- loose lips sink ships. Absolutely no one knows about my girls, GD community is the only place I share because of it being anonymous. That really hard because I would love to show off how awesome my girls are. There are a # of potential problems if not down with the ELL rule. As far as the spin trimmer- I hand cut manicure the β€œprimo” buds, the spinner used on on every thing else. I feel that all of the trim in the spinner is used for making oil/edibles and I use a little brush to dust out all of the triches. So when used like that, I feel like the only things wasted are your time and efforts by Not using. If you ever decide to try, harvest won’t suck as muchπŸ˜ƒ
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@ChefDan420, I live the rule and didn't even know it! ..but my wife is my partner in crime...we hide nothing from one another. I actually spent a couple hours last night watching Youtube vids on the how-to's in canna oil, butter, e-liquid....but need to get your chocolate recipe! (and any other tasty confections you've mastered)
ChefDan420
ChefDan420week 12
Love growing up until I start flush. That’s gonna be a plus for LST vs scrOG, many less buds to trim. Roll with the ELL rule so just me no help. Use a spinner for the popcorn 🍿 that helps but still a lot of work.
Silverback_Guerilla
Silverback_Guerilla
@ChefDan420, ELL rule? This plant yielded like 224g, dry weight. I thought about buying one of those things, but the reviews I read made me think that there's too much waste when you do. However...my first crop netted almost 2lbs, and the next crop will be ready in about 5 weeks, so I think I can afford some waste...and it isn't really waste anyway if you make some bubble hash or edibles with it, right?