Autos v. Photos - A 5x5 No Rules Fight for Yield: A Jon & NickHardy Gig

[Gee64]

Organics
Blue Dream/Strawberry Banana Autos
420FastBuds
California Super Soil/FFOF/Amendments
7-gallon pots

It’s more than just me overwatering a little. The Strawberry Banana is straight up N hog. But we’re scraping by. The Blue Dream continues to hold out on me. As usual my prediction for harvest day sucks. She’s painfully close but not there yet.

Here’s both girls today.

It won't matter at this point in her life, but for the sake of curiosity check her for nanners. I find that plants that hog nitrogen in late bloom usually end up pushing new white pistils and then bananas. I'm curious if auto's do that too.

 

[Jon]

It won't matter at this point in her life, but for the sake of curiosity check her for nanners. I find that plants that hog nitrogen in late bloom usually end up pushing new white pistils and then bananas. I'm curious if auto's do that too.

Excellent call. That’s something I do as a matter of course anyway, but it’s also one of those things that is easy to forget. I do touch the buds every day closely though. By now I can pretty much tell just by feeling them if they’re getting nanners/hermie. They become TOO dense. It’s awesome and deceptive and can lead you to believe they’re amazing, ie, exactly what happened on the hermie Apple Fritter. But that plant was very difficult to read due to how the buds formed like groups of foxtails. This Strawberry Banana is super easy. She has minimal fans, minimal sugars, and everything is very well exposed. I can touch every bud easily. And so far they’re right on. But yeah, I will keep my eyes open. I’ve never seen a manner in an auto. I’ve had a few go hermie without showing nanners, or showing them so subtly I missed them. But it would be unusual.

 

[Jon]

Excellent call. That’s something I do as a matter of course anyway, but it’s also one of those things that is easy to forget. I do touch the buds every day closely though. By now I can pretty much tell just by feeling them if they’re getting nanners/hermie. They become TOO dense. It’s awesome and deceptive and can lead you to believe they’re amazing, ie, exactly what happened on the hermie Apple Fritter. But that plant was very difficult to read due to how the buds formed like groups of foxtails. This Strawberry Banana is super easy. She has minimal fans, minimal sugars, and everything is very well exposed. I can touch every bud easily. And so far they’re right on. But yeah, I will keep my eyes open. I’ve never seen a manner in an auto. I’ve had a few go hermie without showing nanners, or showing them so subtly I missed them. But it would be unusual.

Btw - I beg to differ on one thing: i think it CAN matter at this point in her life. I find that those little almost invisible hermie seed beginning things that ruin buds can develop extremely quickly. And I personally do not yet think she’s at that “at this point it won’t matter” time just yet. Close. Just a difference of opinion on that fwiw.

 

[Gee64]

I wonder if they did pop nanners if it would extend their lifespan to ripen the seeds?

 

[Jon]

I wonder if they did pop nanners if it would extend their lifespan to ripen the seeds?

Well that’s exactly my assumption. I can’t think of a reason it would be otherwise.

 

[Gee64]

Btw - I beg to differ on one thing: i think it CAN matter at this point in her life. I find that those little almost invisible hermie seed beginning things that ruin buds can develop extremely quickly. And I personally do not yet think she’s at that “at this point it won’t matter” time just yet. Close. Just a difference of opinion on that fwiw.

I kinda meant if she popped nanners today you would be harvesting before the pollen sacs opened, but I know what you mean about the micro seeds developing. They taste like $hit.

 

[Jon]

Well that’s exactly my assumption. I can’t think of a reason it would be otherwise.

Oh wait I misinterpreted the question. Would it extend their LIFESPAN you wonder. That’s different. Would they go longer? Idk if you call it extending their lifespan, but I have found you can simply let an auto go as long as you want and it’ll keep doing its thing. Maybe if you saw nanners and decided to just let it go til you could feel an actual seed?

 

[Jon]

Oh wait I misinterpreted the question. Would it extend their LIFESPAN you wonder. That’s different. Would they go longer? Idk if you call it extending their lifespan, but I have found you can simply let an auto go as long as you want and it’ll keep doing its thing. Maybe if you saw nanners and decided to just let it go til you could feel an actual seed?

As curious as you seem to be about autos @Gee64, you could always just grow one…..

 

[Jon]

As curious as you seem to be about autos @Gee64, you could always just grow one…..

Hell, I bet a Gee Grows An Auto! journal would get a large audience!

 

[con]

Frosty looking nug bet it even tastes good without being cured

 

[Justin Goody]

Oh wait I misinterpreted the question. Would it extend their LIFESPAN you wonder. That’s different. Would they go longer? Idk if you call it extending their lifespan, but I have found you can simply let an auto go as long as you want and it’ll keep doing its thing. Maybe if you saw nanners and decided to just let it go til you could feel an actual seed?

Some people get seeds that way, by letting them keep going til they pop nanners. Seems dangerous and unpredictable… I like being in control of the pollen.
I never know what causes herms. I only really get them on photos in the last year or 2. You can blame genetics but really if it’s not an early herm then popping nanners is pretty standard. Even my first CapJunky had one on its last day (luckily there was nothing left to pollinate) but the clone I took from her didn’t get any, even though she went almost 2 weeks longer.

 

[Wastei]

So any auto guys or gals out there who have grown them in different mediums? I’m specifically looking for anyone’s experience of hydro vs coco for size. I’m currently thinking hydro, duh. But not always. I need more data. Biggest plant in this grow was the Gorilla Cookies auto, and not the hydro one. The one in a straight coco 10.

If anyone would like to relate their experience in this realm or whatever you may share about it it is most appreciated, thanks in advance.

Identical. Coco coir is hydroponic medium? You mean other methods like DWC and flood and drain?

The main difference is veg time that is shortened in pure water cultures and Aero. Aero more so than DWC. You often have less transplant shock and slightly faster turnover in Aero compared to DWC.

It's not often the method that matters for size, it's how well it's been implemented.

Cheers!

 

[JiggiLotus]

It won't matter at this point in her life, but for the sake of curiosity check her for nanners. I find that plants that hog nitrogen in late bloom usually end up pushing new white pistils and then bananas. I'm curious if auto's do that too.

When they do this is it time to chop em? Before the pollination takes place?

 

[Gee64]

When they do this is it time to chop em? Before the pollination takes place?

I think so. The ones that do it from what I have seen start pushing white pistils and the trichs stay clear so I chop them immediately. Usually it's within days of harvest anyways. They get stubborn and don't want to fully ripen.

 

[Azimuth]

This is as good as a toaster oven tester bud gets. It’s very tricky to get it all the way dried through without browning it on the outside and destroying all the trichs.

You should get yourself an air fryer. I use one to dry my crumbles and also when I make extracts onto oil.

There's basically a fan that blows across the tray and it has a dial you can control temps with. I usually set it to mostly ambient temps and it dries stuff out without cooking it.

 

[Jon]

Some people get seeds that way, by letting them keep going til they pop nanners. Seems dangerous and unpredictable… I like being in control of the pollen.
I never know what causes herms. I only really get them on photos in the last year or 2. You can blame genetics but really if it’s not an early herm then popping nanners is pretty standard. Even my first CapJunky had one on its last day (luckily there was nothing left to pollinate) but the clone I took from her didn’t get any, even though she went almost 2 weeks longer.

Question for you @Justin Goody - how do you decide “hey I bet these two would go well together?”

Do you smoke half and half bong hits of a strain with another you might think would go well with it and try to get an approximation that way? Or is it as boring as whatever you have stock to work with?

 

[Jon]

Identical. Coco coir is hydroponic medium? You mean other methods like DWC and flood and drain?

The main difference is veg time that is shortened in pure water cultures and Aero. Aero more so than DWC. You often have less transplant shock and slightly faster turnover in Aero compared to DWC.

It's not often the method that matters for size, it's how well it's been implemented.

Cheers!

Thanks, exactly what I was wondering.

 

[Jon]

I think so. The ones that do it from what I have seen start pushing white pistils and the trichs stay clear so I chop them immediately. Usually it's within days of harvest anyways. They get stubborn and don't want to fully ripen.

Yep I’ve seen that too and sometimes it’s easy to get swayed and believe you are seeing the final fattening or something. That’s why I go by a combination of outer and inner looks.

 

[Jon]

You should get yourself an air fryer. I use one to dry my crumbles and also when I make extracts onto oil.

There's basically a fan that blows across the tray and it has a dial you can control temps with. I usually set it to mostly ambient temps and it dries stuff out without cooking it.

That’s brilliant.

 

[Jon]

Yep I’ve seen that too and sometimes it’s easy to get swayed and believe you are seeing the final fattening or something. That’s why I go by a combination of outer and inner looks.

Example: I’m taking the Blue Dream tomorrow morning regardless of her trichomez. They’re close enough and the buds are simply ready now. They’re all tight and the red hairs are curled in. All Is integrated. It’s time.