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Hey all!
This is going to be somewhat of an experiment. Got myself some Autopots on a super clearance so going to see how this strain goes with some self watering and liquid nutes.
Really looking forward to seeing how much of a difference the autopot makes, have heard nothing but good things for years. This strain really performed last grow, with buds averaging 12g when dried, and there were mistakes made along the way. Going with Advanced Nutrients for this run, have used in past and they worked great, and a lot of people saying minimal to no buildup in tank. Going basic no mixer in tank (unless it seems I need it as time goes on) and running air domes once plants are established. Original Aquavalve, but as I said got these on super clearance so no complaints!
Dynomyco listed as 1ml/l because I forgot to premix in the soil, but I did sprinkle a healthy amount in the hole before placing seed.
Was 48 hours for tap roots in water and another 48 hours for these two girls to push through the soil. Only Day 5 and both have dropped the helmets and started their first set already
Well so far it looks like we are off to a good start! Plants are noticeably bigger this run compared to last, hoping that trend continues throughout the grow. Watered .5L each on Day 8 and again on Day 13 with all the nutrients. Girls reacted right away to the nutes showing great growth this week and a nice healthy colour. Not much else to say, just keeping humidity and temp on lock and have a small clip fan running for breeze and stem strengthening. Can't wait to see what they look like in a week!
So we're two weeks into veg and these girls are looking great. Stalks thickening up nicely, and the girls are praying hard all day every day. Day 16 moved lights to 25" then down to 20" on day 18 and by end of week lights are 18" and 50% so should be about 450 PAR. Both girls are a good size with leaves just starting to hit the edge of the pot by week's end. Probably be turning on the autopot system soon, maybe one more light hand water tomorrow see how the pots feel.
All I have to say is so far, I'm LOVING the Autopots! What a great way to save a bit of work and ensure your plants are getting the right amount of water when they need it, not when you think they need it. Compared to last grow of same strain they are already just over double the size and looking quite healthy! At this rate the tent is gonna be packed!
Turned on the Autopots Day 22 from seed and put in 20L of water/nutrient mix. As suggested on many (if not every) forum I read I am going with half the strength that's listed on their feed charts. For now that's keeping it around 1.3 EC but I'm sure will get closer to 2 EC once further into flower. No buildup that I can see or feel on the valves yet, so at least my water is good enough not to have to clean every week. I am using 2ml/l of line cleaner to maintain the system, apparently does not effect PH or the plants 🤞.
Did some light LST on Day 24, lightly bending the top and the upper two branches. Has really helped them fatten out and fill the tent. First time not topping plants, feels weird but want to see the yield on a plant with minimal stress to it.
Lights @75% (225w) and 21" from canopy should be about 500 PAR
This will be officially the last veg week as they are showing flower half way through week and full on by end of it.
Really excited to see where things go in this grow, let the good times roll!
Wow, that's all I can say about this week! The girls have just exploded, tripling in size to 33", even after a light LST session early week! And wow am I ever realising I was underwatering by hand. Usually by hand 1.5L a day at most, this past week girls were 2.5L a day each, maybe even closer to 3L. These Autopots are just awesome, only thing is slightly higher humidity so the fans are running a bit harder than normal and lowest I have been able to get it is down to 61%, but there is lots of airflow and VPD is .8-.85 so still in ok range, so not too worried. Maybe once stretch stops and they slow down on water intake it will be a bit better. Did a light defoliation on both girls late week, will probably pick some more leaves in next day or so. Trying not to take much off at a time so that there is no shock. Lights have been at 75% starting the day at 21" and ending around 18". Readjusting daily to keep height. PAR should be around 500 start of day 750 by end.
Really happy with this grow so far, can't believe the difference in the plants from previous grow!
Were now well on our way into flower and these girls are champs. Still having a hard time believing that this is the same strain as last time, they're just so much bigger! Then again they're drinking 3x the water with the Autopots as compared to hand watering, so I'm sure that has a little bit to do with it 😉.
Checked the valves half way through the week and there was a decent amount of buildup starting so removed the girls from the tent, cleaned out the bases and refilled. Most likely due to our hard water, we are on well water and even with a treatment system on house it's .3 EC from tap. Running UC Roots at 2ml/l and it seems to keep the lines from getting gunked up, but will probably require weekly cleanings. That's ok, always some maintenance/cleaning to do with growing, seems like half the work sometimes!
Removed maybe 8 leaves on each plant throughout the week, just large inner fans that were tangling up. Otherwise things have been great, smooth sailing while we watch the buds come in. Really happy with this grow, hope it all keeps going as it should!
Before getting into the details of the week I just have to say I'm super stoked with how this grow is going overall. Plant structure is great and I just can't say enough good things about these Autopots.
Noticed on day 43 that the top of number two was getting some brown spots that were spreading which I had first noticed on day 41. After ruling out mold/fungus, figured is most likely nutrient burn. Leaf tips are discoloured and beginning to point up on most of plant, and have been running my EC at top of recommended range. So I hooked up the second reservoir and filled 20L of 5.8PH water. Let the girls drink for 36 hours (about 10-11L) and then mixed in about 20L of the nutrient mixed water from reservoir #1. Brought the EC from 1.7 down to 1.2 so hopefully it will help going forward. Day 47 from seed added the remainder of res #1 and some tap (20L total) and adjusted PH to 5.8 again. Mid week picked off a handful of the biggest fan leaves to allow more light and air through the canopy, also helping to bring the humidity down below 60% without running exhaust fan too hard.
Day 43 was also res wipe down/tray cleaning day. Just setup two other trays for a quick swap and easy wash in the utility sink, then on the rack to wait for next week's cleaning. Gonna miss the "easy swap" when I get the 4x4 running, will no longer have the extra trays.
Not to be a broken record, but another good week, sitting back watching the buds full in. Did some light leaf picking mid week, just maybe 8 from each plant. Leaves that were either bunched up not getting sun, or really big old fan leaves that were blocking multiple bud sites from light. Otherwise, just did a normal res refill/wipe down early week but didn't need to clean the bases. Seems to be every 2 weeks for the bases and wipe out res every refill, pretty easy maintenance so far. I would bet that if our water wasn't 0.4EC to start that I would be cleaning it even less. But hey when you live in the country you get what your well gives you! Speaking of water, have noticed the intake slow slightly as we are finished stretch. Kinda the neat thing with these Autopots, can see the plants change water intake as the weeks go, really makes me realise how far off targets I was hand watering.
Starting to see some colour change in the buds as they continue to swell, and the aroma is starting to get stronger but still not overly strong. Buds look like they may get some crazy dark colours mixed in this run, can't wait to watch them develop!
Happy growing y'all, stay lifted!
Caution, this grow diary may be on repeat! Hahaha. I say that because was yet another easy going week. The girls are just packing on weight and starting to put off a strong stank. Actually made me realise was time to change the old carbon filter, got 1 year continual use out of a $60 Vivosun filter, happy with that cost. Had a backup waiting that I picked up 6 months ago, would love to get the refillable filter from AC Infinity next time around but that'll be a year away give or take.
Did a res and base clean when refilled the water on Day 58, had been 2 weeks was starting to see signs of mineral buildup. Still going through 32-34L of water a week, but down slightly from last week.
Also picked myself up some upgraded leak detectors on sale today from D-Link, they mesh with my other sensors and am really happy with their performance. Just nice to know if you get a leak in the tent from a fitting or stuck valve. I did add a layer of 10mm plastic under the spill tray and support bars, running up the walls right to the vents when I setup this time. Will easily hold the whole res worth of water IF I have issues, but would like to know when it happens rather than be surprised.
Well here's to another good week ahead, the finish line is coming up fast!
Well this looks like we are coming up to the home stretch. These girls are looking beautiful, with #1 choosing the lighter colours while #2 is dark and stormy, perfect for Halloween. Trichomes are half milky half clear, so will start flushing around day 73 and should get at least 7 days that way. The smell is strong, opening the tent for a minute fills the room and makes me wish I could taste it now 🤤.
Did a good defoliation on day 65 removing roughly 75% of remaining fan leaves. This should allow the lower buds to finish in a better place as well as help me get the humidity closer to 50%.
Now we just have to sit patiently and wait, the hardest part!
Well it was a nice easy week again this week, and the flush has officially begun on Day 72. Trichomes were 60/40 cloudy/clear and aiming for a 7-10 day flush so timing felt right. Emptied out the last 8L of nutrient enriched water, washed the reservoir and switched over to plain PH water with Flawless Finish to help with the final flush. Before turning the water back on I took both girls out of the tent and put on pot risers with trays to let their pots drain out. Also emptied and cleaned the autopot bases, then replaced the pots and opened up the water tap. When I clean the bases I also take a minute to squish (8-10 times) and reset the red silicone stoppers.
The smell of these girls is just amazing, a sweet but pungent grape/citrus mix and the buds are very dense and just absolutely packed with trichomes. Just from the pictures I would say these are my most packed buds yet! Can't wait to get these two harvested, dried and tested to see how they performed compared to the hand watered organic amendment run I just did previously. Just from the size of the plants and bud structure I wouldn't be surprised to see easily 30% if not 50% more yield with the Autopots. The organic run was half the size but still put off 12g buds so this could get interesting! 🤞
By Day 77 we are seeing a few reds here and there, might be another week at most I'm thinking. For now will practice my patience and enjoy the last few days of growing this beauty strain.
Slimer performed way better than expected this time around. Second time running this strain, plants took off and were double the size of the last round. Same grape/citrus smell as last time, can't wait to get em dried/cured.
Harvest was on Day 80 from Seed
Second run with this strain and she more than passed expectations! I thought the buds were big last go round but holy sh*t are they ever big this time around! And just packed with crystals, seriously can't wait to try this round and compare vs last round. The switch to Autopots was a huge improvement in my grow. Plants double the size of last time and I'm betting 30-50% more yield after dry and cute. Nice not having to water every day or two, gives you more time to focus on other aspects of growing and life. Maybe partially why the better outcome, more time spent on plant maintenance vs just watering. Was pretty impressed with the diameter of the stalk vs the size of the hole water moves through. These girls were pushing a LOT of water and you can tell when you see how hollow the stalks are. Despite that they were strong as ever. Never had a branch snap or bend, and I didn't use any plant support this go around.
Was pretty impressed with trichomes production this time around as well. Buds were just packed and sticky AF while being so dense that they barely compress when squeezed. Also both plants went quite dark/purple in the end this go around where last run they were lighter like #1 was to start.
Got a couple seeds left of this strain, will be saving them for once I eventually run out of bud. Really like the taste and effects from this strain, want to keep it around long as I can since I didn't see it listed any more on the breeders page 🤔
Absolutely beautiful. I am considering autopots, but not being able to flush, or have runoff to check my ppms scares me.
I believe I will go with a drip irrigation system. Idk.. it's so hard to chose.
I do know that picking up 3g pots to switch to new runoff trays suck. Especially when I got to pick up each one and switch trays 3 or 4 times. Having 10 plants, it takes me literally 2hrs to water and check runoffs.. every single day.
there has to be a better way
@Grow_for_Happiness, I thought I had responded to you. Idk why my response isn't showing. Anyways thanks for the response and tips. I really appreciate it. I believe I may try them at some point, but a drain to waste system will be my preferred method for now. Hey bro, it works tho your KILLING IT those ladies are absolutely beautiful 😍
@@@DoughHead, holy sh*t dude 2 hours a day? I could see how it takes that long but daaaaaamn you've got determination!
I went with the Autopots because I was tired of watering every 2 days for 30 minutes a time 😄 .
Also I like the idea of not having to run multiple pumps.
While it is true you can't really check the ppm from runoff since there is none, you can flush the plants quite easily. Either have a second reservoir with plain PH water that you just switch to, or empty your reservoir with nutes into bucket(s) and refill with PH water. I had to flush half way through this run when I hit the girls with a high EC a bit too early, and the two reservoir method worked great. If flushing make sure to pull out the pots and let them drain a bit, and also empty the trays before turning on the ph water tap.
@BearBuds, it's a gamechanger well worth the investment! Tips:
1. Make sure substrate is airy but also retains moisture. I run 50/50 soil/perilite as example. A coco mix would be even better.
2. If you have the extra $$, the airdomes make a noticable difference in plant health and yield. Roughly +30% See one of my diary I did a direct comparison grow.
3. If using anything other than RO water, I would run a line cleaner like current culture to help prevent scale.
4. Be prepared for slightly higher humidity than hand watering, your girls will be drinking much more therefore transpiring more. It was such a difference for me the water uptake that I couldn't believe my plants survived hand watering was so much less volume.
5. If your running 4 plants in a 4x4 go with the 3.9gal pots. If running one massive plant in a 4x4 or if running organic soil then use the 6.8gal XL pots. The rooting time is almost a week faster on smaller pots and the soil volume is just not needed unless organics.
6. Lastly, make sure your plants are fully rooted before turning on the system. 3.9gal take 10-14 days usually and 6.8gal take 20-23 days. Hand water thoroughly and allow proper dryback until then to encourage the roots to spread down
Grow_for_Happiness
