Jon's First Outdoor Grow: Sugar Breath Photoperiod & Strawberry Banana Autoflower

[Jon]

Welcome Helmet Head!

Plants are growing like weeds and the frost is coming on strong. Those buds on the Gelato are a sight!

And no one grows in coco outside for the very reasons you're finding!


Even indoors some people have to water 3x a day in full flower.

Well, thankfully I learn lessons the first time, sometimes. Lol...

I don't mind so much except you can't just water them. Every drop needs CalMag and every drop has to be 5.8 ph. So every bit of water has to hit the nute station first. On the entire other end of the house. So it's fill three gallons of water at the sink, lug them from the kitchen to the garage (my grow room where all my crap is and the Gorilla tent), calmag them, and nute them, ph them, then back through the house to the outside where all the outdoor garden is. It gets old very quickly. Twice a day right now at a half gallon a pop and they're only three weeks old. A gallon a day. It's nuts. I'm already done with it. That said, I will try some outdoor autos in it.

Also that said, the three coco plants are in 3s of all things. Lmao. We will definitely find out what a three can support. Lol. My thought was that would keep them manageable. Still holding out hope it does, but I see some topping in these girls not too distant future. The Dos SI Dos is just going nuts. I always wondered how big a plant can get in a 3, and I'm thinking this would be when I find out. This rate of growth is just ridiculous. If it keeps up like this I have no idea what can happen.

Always an adventure, eh, Shed?

 

[InTheShed]

If it's not an adventure, what would we talk about?

It gets old very quickly.

Keeps you from getting old quickly! Keep your phone on you and count your steps.

Here's what my schlepping and watering routine looks like in the morning, and then I sit on my ass all day at work:

Good thing I got those nearly 2000 steps in!

 

[Rexer]

Hey Jon,

I think it might be time to invest in a cheap pump, and some hose.

Pump it from the nute station to the plants, if need be, hook your pump into a wifi bar/outlet...you can turn it on remotely when your outside.

 

[InTheShed]

Pump it from the nute station to the plants, if need be, hook your pump into a wifi bar/outlet...you can turn it on remotely when your outside.

Good idea! Not like it's going to freeze along the way.

 

[Rexer]

Good idea! Not like it's going to freeze along the way.

Don't remind me! I have to lug my hoses in tomorrow, hopefully they won't be frozen solid!!

 

[InTheShed]

Copper pipe, sterno containers. Brilliant!

 

[Jon]

If it's not an adventure, what would we talk about?

Keeps you from getting old quickly! Keep your phone on you and count your steps.

Here's what my schlepping and watering routine looks like in the morning, and then I sit on my ass all day at work:

Good thing I got those nearly 2000 steps in!

Cool app!

 

[Jon]

It's Harvest Time!!!
Strawberry Banana Autoflower #1
Day 67

So the first autoflower is ready for the dark treatment and then the chop. I was hoping they would all be ready at once, so I could try the blue light treatment on them, but that was a fantasy and I knew it. Lol. So no blue light, but definitely 36 hours of darkness for all these autos.

Strawberry Banana #1, the little beast, will finish her 20 hour day out tonight, and then she'll hit the dark closet in the guest room for 36 hours and then get the chop. That'll be Day 69 she officially gets harvested. First of the bunch!!

This plant developed one ENOURMOUS bud, and a number of smaller buds. It's probably the smallest and lowest yielder of the four. I don't even want to guess at what she might be. The buds are super heavy and super dense. But if I guess I'll be off by a whole ounce on the wrong side, and then I'll be like, damn. Better to not guess. Lmao. I don't care anyway, this is all about quality. The buds are obviously way frosty and look every bit like the 27% THC auto 420FB claims. This plant has been beyond easy to grow and has attracted less flying insects than any other strain yet. Naturally pest resistant I guess. Nice bonus I didn't see coming.

Anyway, here's the girl on her last day in the light. There's 4 trichome shots, and then 2 of the plant, and then sweet bud porn, including a picture to scale I was pretty excited about:

 

[Jon]

Third Photo Headed to Flower!!
Strawberry Banana Fast Flowering Photoperiod
Vegged for 37 Days
Flower Day 1

So this girl will join the Raspberry Parfait and Pineapple Upside Down Cake in flower. No more 20/4 for her, she's on nature time now, and tonight instead of back to the rig she goes to the dark place with the others. The dark place. Lol.

She just woke up and got watered, so forgive her droop. First application of @GeoFlora Nutrients Bloom nutes today, next application December 1.

I couldn't be happier with the GeoFlora nutes. The ease and effectiveness are off the charts. The photos are absolutely loving them beyond loving them. This plant has made a decent recovery since starting out a bit nitrogen heavied out. She still has a touch of the leaf curl at the tip, but it's way way improved, and no spotting. Even the leaves that got compromised, the huge lower fan leaves, stayed green and didn't die. I made a wise and lucky call deciding to switch nutes and up pot this girl into Happy Frog. I won't start a seedling in straight Ocean Forest again.

So this is how the SBFF goes to war on day one of flower!

 

[StoneOtter]

It's Harvest Time!!!
Strawberry Banana Autoflower #1
Day 67

So the first autoflower is ready for the dark treatment and then the chop. I was hoping they would all be ready at once, so I could try the blue light treatment on them, but that was a fantasy and I knew it. Lol. So no blue light, but definitely 36 hours of darkness for all these autos.

Strawberry Banana #1, the little beast, will finish her 20 hour day out tonight, and then she'll hit the dark closet in the guest room for 36 hours and then get the chop. That'll be Day 69 she officially gets harvested. First of the bunch!!

This plant developed one ENOURMOUS bud, and a number of smaller buds. It's probably the smallest and lowest yielder of the four. I don't even want to guess at what she might be. The buds are super heavy and super dense. But if I guess I'll be off by a whole ounce on the wrong side, and then I'll be like, damn. Better to not guess. Lmao. I don't care anyway, this is all about quality. The buds are obviously way frosty and look every bit like the 27% THC auto 420FB claims. This plant has been beyond easy to grow and has attracted less flying insects than any other strain yet. Naturally pest resistant I guess. Nice bonus I didn't see coming.

Anyway, here's the girl on her last day in the light. There's 4 trichome shots, and then 2 of the plant, and then sweet bud porn, including a picture to scale I was pretty excited about:

She looks like a firecracker!

 

[Nine Toed Hippie]

Looking good!!!

NTH

 

[InTheShed]

Since you're flowering outside I don't know if you've seen the discussion about waiting much longer to harvest outside plants (in terms of waiting for amber) compared to tent grown ones. Just a thought about when to chop, as I don't see a anywhere near enough amber and still plenty of clear to call it quits on that one.

If you've seen it I won't bother going into it again!

 

[Jon]

Since you're flowering outside I don't know if you've seen the discussion about waiting much longer to harvest outside plants (in terms of waiting for amber) compared to tent grown ones. Just a thought about when to chop, as I don't see a anywhere near enough amber and still plenty of clear to call it quits on that one.

If you've seen it I won't bother going into it again!

Actually I have seen that discussion. These autos are not budding outdoors, these are the @NextLight auto rig where they've lived their entire lives under 20/4. The RIG is outdoors, so they get the outdoor environment, but their light is strictly LED (the NextLight 420h). So that said, I was going by trichs and assuming the same response as I get under LED in a tent. I also like coke weed, not sleepy weed, so I tend to harvest when there's less than 10% amber.

Now all that said, you think there's still too many clear ones? I was kind of thinking they'd milk up a bit over the 36 hours of darkness, but maybe you're right. I was going back and forth on it. I think I'll take your advice and leave her for a few more days. Let those trichs get milked up before the dark.

OK, advice taken, plan altered!!! Thanks, Shed!

 

[InTheShed]

Oh glad you've seen it! And you can always check the trichs again after 36 hours, and if there are still a lot of clear you can put them back under the light.

Any reason you don't schlep these out into the sun with the rest?

 

[Jon]

Oh glad you've seen it! And you can always check the trichs again after 36 hours, and if there are still a lot of clear you can put them back under the light.

Any reason you don't schlep these out into the sun with the rest?

Yeah, cuz I told the NextLight guys, after winning their light, that I'd focus on it in the journal and use it for a whole veg/flower thing with this grow. So I chose the autos to do under it cuz they're small and the light is really a 3x3 light. I veg the photos also at 20/4 under the Mars Hydro then put them in the yard to make them bud (natural light cycle here very close to 12/12, always sends them to flower immediately, just like flipping a tent). Now, there are three coco photos and four other autos in this grow who DO live outdoors by day and come back to the Mars Hydro rig after sundown to get their 20 hours. Those are essentially outdoor autos, although officially they get 10 sun/10 LED per day. They LOVE the combo, it works really well.

And cool, I thought once you did the dark you couldn't go back to light or something bad would happen. Lol. Thanks again! You're full of juicy tidbits tonight!!! I appreciate it my friend!

 

[InTheShed]

Now, there are three coco photos and four other autos in this grow who DO live outdoors by day and come back to the Mars Hydro rig after sundown to get their 20 hours. Those are essentially outdoor autos, although officially they get 10 sun/10 LED per day. They LOVE the combo, it works really well.

That's how my plants live all year. Out in the sun by day, inside under LEDs all night. Then when I want to flip I just use the tent or shed for the 12 hours of dark, so it doesn't matter what time of year it is. My indoor lighting is all supplemental, so I can keep the wattage and the electric bill down. They don't need any more lux after a day in the sun as their entire DLI is fulfilled by the time I bring them in. It's really just there to keep them in veg.

 

[Jon]

That's how my plants live all year. Out in the sun by day, inside under LEDs all night. Then when I want to flip I just use the tent or shed for the 12 hours of dark, so it doesn't matter what time of year it is. My indoor lighting is all supplemental, so I can keep the wattage and the electric bill down. They don't need any more lux after a day in the sun as their entire DLI is fulfilled by the time I bring them in. It's really just there to keep them in veg.

Yup. The sun and LED combo works really well, it promotes way faster and more robust growth than straight LED. Who knew a light 93,000,000 miles from your canopy that is so cheap it doesn't even have a dimmer would work so well?

 

[Jon]

10 sun/10 LED Autoflowers in Big Pots Check-in
Day 25 and All 4 are Starting to Flower

Coco Photoperiod Girls in 3s Check-in
Veg Day 25

All four autos are beginning to flower. Earlier in all four cases than I thought or hoped for, only 25 days in. But, we have managed to come to the flower party having established four very strong plants, two of which are absolute beasts.

The Dos-Si-Dos and Gorilla Zkittlez, both in Sohum, both trained identically, are both beasts and flexing their muscles. The two DSD's in Fox Farms soil getting GeoFlora nutes are both a bit smaller than the Sohum girls, but then again they got a nute switch after two weeks which likely slowed them down a little. Still, they're handsome plants, and both bigger than all the Strawberry Bananas, for reference.

The coco photos are just insane, no need to reiterate what I've been talking about. Today they began week 4 of the Fox Farms feed chart, using every ingredient as prescribed by FF and starting with Cal Mag. I am going to now switch the Cal Mag from the Blue Planet I've been using to the Humboldt's Secret I also use. The BP stuff is 8% N, the HS stuff is 2% N. I can tell from just the very slight end clawing beginning that they have plenty of N and I should discontinue the BP stuff.

Their growth is ridiculous. You can see the plants. Great color, great leaves, and I'm in LOVE with the Dos Si Dos.

Here they are:

1. Dos Si Dos #3, in Sohum
2. Gorilla Zkittlez in Sohum
3. DSD #1, in Fox Farms w/GeoFlora (this picture and picture #6 are the actual color of all the plants, FYI - not sure why these two came out in the true colors and the rest did not...depends on the angle of the camera to the light and such I guess...)
4. DSD #2, in Fox Farms w/GeoFlora
5. Strawberry Lemonade Coco Photo in a 3
6. Dos Si Dos Coco Photo in a 3
7. Blueberry Coco Photo in a 3

 

[InTheShed]

Looking good Jon! And I can see why you moved off the BP calmag. I'm not sure how you would use a product that's 8-0-0 with any other nute line.

 

[Jon]

Looking good Jon! And I can see why you moved off the BP calmag. I'm not sure how you would use a product that's 8-0-0 with any other nute line.

As I am rapidly discovering....