Hey bud autos coming along nicely , I’m going to be starting some myself haven’t played around with autos much . Seeing how fast yours are growing is kinda making me excited to start them . Any tips for an new auto grower , I was thinking light lst , but seeing how much yours are sidebranching I’m second guessing my plans , have you growth this strain before , knowing it would have nice side branching . Just trying to figure the best way to run these with as little impact on the plant stress wise , I have been growing photos and I do stress I’ve training leaf stripping and training , with lots of recover time before flower starts .
hope all is well brother
Be safe play safe
@DeanWest89,
Update about midway through week 5 from first sprouts. This is only my second auto grow, so my input is based on what I’ve learned from others here and hands on so far. I was really pleased with the yield and speed from my first Cream Mandarine XL auto. Since you asked I can offer the following tips.
Genetics - I want XL yields, like 500-650 grams/sq. meter. The Cream Mandarine XL is the only auto strain I’ve previously grown. I have only 2 Green Crack (high yield) this grow due to germination issues. Back up plants are 1 Blueberry Auto and 1 Cream Mandarine XL (few seeds from last grow). The Blueberry and Cream Mandarine are one and two weeks behind the Green Crack.
Light - I run one CMH315w which is a sunlight beast in my 3’x3’ cabinet. 4k bulb for veg until stretch stops, then redder 3k bulb through flower to fatten buds. My light cycle is 18/6 from seed. I will swap in flower bulb on this grow probably next week due to the stragglers.
Grow medium - I’m organic soil (purchased) amended with perlite, silica and worm castings. The silica is purported to increase vigor, growth and sturdy up the stems. I do know I’ve yet to need any stakes all grows so far despite large heavy buds.
Nutrients - All organic, noted in my grows. Both auto grows I started with full strength veg nutes (for photos) and dropped to 1/2 strength both grows about week 5 to address nute burn at the tips. My well water averages 7.6 PH and I always adjust down to 6.5 PH. I am very careful not to water until the pots are light...a bit of a pain this grow due to staggered sprout times. I will switch over to flower nutes next week on the 3 front runners.
Pot size - I upgraded from 3 gallon to 5 gallons this grow to improve yields. The plants this grow are much more robust at this point than previous grows. I may have underestimated growth impact with the larger pots relative to headroom. The auto seedlings go straight into the 5 gallon pots from sprout.
Defoliation - With organic soil approach is hands off on defoliation until the plant consumes each leaf and/or is ready to fall off. Last grow wasn’t pretty at the end but the buds were spectacular. Last auto grow I did not top, only LST creating a nice even canopy with about 8 primary buds sites each. This grow I wanted to experiment and see what these autos can do with no training whatsoever. So far the branching structure is similar to LST but an uneven canopy. I get great light penetration so not concerned. Even my lower buds all grows have been excellent, just smaller than the main buds. Not one leaf has been removed so far this grow.
Airflow - I have 3 small fans circulating cool HEPA filtered passive intake air that comes in through a light blocking box.
Environment - The unfinished part of my basement is pretty consistent for both temp and RH; recently ranging 68 to 84 F, RH 33 to 57.
Check out
@Sunnyskies who was my original inspiration to try autos.
Pics are from this morning.
