Jon's Second Grow, First Grow Journal, Soil Grow Autos & Photoperiod

Phototown Photo
Day 2 Flower/Day 2 Stretch


When the girls woke up this afternoon this is what they looked like.

Day 2 Stetch Flower.jpg


Above light vies.jpg
 
Autotown Update
HARVEST SPECIAL
CInderella Jack #1
Day 64


Another girl was ready for the chop tonight, so down she came. Cinderella Jack #1 is now drying.

- Checked the trichomes and found a smattering of amber. That's when I harvest. See picture.
- Chopped her down and took a wet weight for you yield junkies out there. 250 grams wet, pre-trim, for what it's worth.
- She STINKS. Smells very much like Jack Herer. She is also very very dense. And I have posted her impressive trichs.
- Expect her to come out to around 2 ounces.
- This bud will be every bit as good as any photoperiod bud. I wouldn't brag about the Gorilla, but this Cinderella Jack came out exquisitely good. It will definitely be on the list of autos to grow again. The other two are right behind her over the next few days.

So two autos down, seven to go. Heh.

Photographs:

- Trichome shot of CJ #1 with amber trichomes, thus harvest for me.
- The girl in the tent pre-chop, her final pre-chop picture
- The top of one of the buds of CJ #1
- Wet weight pre-trimming for hanging
- Bud example off the plant no trim
- Trimmed for drying bud picture for scale
- The Haul hanging up to dry

And my Phils won again! Good night.

Amber harvest CJ 1.jpg


Pre chop CJ 1 in tent.jpg


CJ 1 Bud Top.jpg


Wet weight pre trim.jpg


Bud example.jpg


Cola shot for scale.jpg


The hj.jpg
 
Damaged Plant Update
Day 77 Veg
Recovered!!


VERY happy to be posting this update. The damaged Jelly Rancher that got put outside has now made what appears to me to be a 100% recovery. Her new growth has been solid. No more curling. No more brown rusty spots. No more yellowing of leaves. Everything looks fabulous with this plant. I can't wait to get her into a tent and bud her all by herself. I bet she outyields every plant in the scrog/photo tent, if for no other reason than that I have to somehow keep this girl under some semblance of control between now and when she hits a tent. That can't happen until the auto tent is empty, which is a couple weeks away yet, maybe three. Three weeks. The amount of LST, tying and bending and shaping and TRYING to keep this girl with something approximating a "canopy," has been immense. It took me half an hour this morning to get her from crazy to the relative control you see in the pics. And that has been a daily routine since she started to experience real sunlight. She's actually going to be pissed at me when I take her sun and toss her under LEDs. Lol!

WHAT A BEAST. Check her out.

Photographs:

- Jelly Rancher from the side
- Jelly Rancher overhead
- New Growth #1
- New Growth #2
- Side view post LST showing my rookie attempt at keeping this plant under control. Lmao.

Post morning LST session.jpg


From above doing well.jpg


New Growith #1 recovered.jpg


New Growth #2 recovered.jpg


LST extreme.jpg
 
Some questions:

So I am considering my next upgrades for future grows. I really like growing in soil, so I want to keep the soil grow thing going. Here are some of the upgrades I'm currently considering/researching:

- More powerful lights even than the new one I'm using in the photo tent. There are a few that put out uMols over 2000, like the VOLT super powerful light, for example, or the Fohse Alesis. These would be significantly more powerful lights. More light = bigger, better buds. It's really as simple as that.
- However, my understanding is that there's really no point to using that powerful of a light unless you're running CO2 and can run at higher temperatures. Real CO2, not the bullshit Exhale bags. Like, maintaining a ppm of 1500 kind of CO2. That requires a system. So I'm researching those.
- Organic or "living" soil. I know nothing about this. All I know is that as long as I am using chemical nutrients I will never get the results I dream about. That takes organic. So I am also researching that, and I have a soil ingredient list I got from my pro grower friend in Oregon that I will post with questions pretty soon here.
- Until I make the switch to organic soil, which is a few grows off yet, I want better nutrients than the Fox Farms trio or the Botanicare. Both of these have their plusses and minuses, but both are subpar, in my opinion I know there's something better out there just haven't settled on what that is yet.
- Upgrading my humidity control. Not sure how to do this, but I am tired of struggling to control the humidity or to put the level exactly where I want it. To do this correctly also requires a system or an upgrade of some kind, the crappy cheapie dehumidifiers and humidifiers aren't really cutting it. Adequate/workable at best, ineffective at worst. This is unacceptable.

So my questions are really just this, would anyone like to comment or make any suggestions along these lines? I need all the input I can get.

Thanks!
 
Congratulations man :yahoo: You are seriously killing it over there. The second and third pictures of CJ#1 look so colorful and delicious.

I cant answer a lot of your questions since i know next to nothing regarding soil for growing "funny flowers". Been discreetly competing with the neighbors with our outdoor veggie garden but we buy all our compost and amendments locally.

As for the light, you know my stance on that. MORE MORE MORE lol. But as you mentioned, to really benefit from the increase, you gotta run real CO2. Our local shop plows through the canisters every week. Clearly it's how people deal with the heat down here lol. There are CO2 burners as well, but i don't think they are very well suited for tent use and they do add heat to an already hot climate.

Humidity. Just hearing the word makes me sweat a little lol. It really sucks down here. Your best bet from what I'm learning in the exact same battle is to dry out the entire room the tents are in as much as possible. Bigger dehumidifiers produce a good bit of heat and will really warm things up if you were to put one in the tent. The other trick it to keep the humidity out as much as possible. which can be a real pain in a garage. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors :thumb:
 
Final Yield Report
Gorilla Zkittlez Autoflower

Finish trimmed the Gorilla Zkittlez. Final yield is 31.5 grams, ie, an ounce and an eighth. I smoked some tester buds pre cure, so maybe a little more, but call it 31.5 grams.

The buds are not as dense as they looked on the plant. They are not flarfy by any means, some of them have good density, but others are not as dense as I'd like. Other than that I have nothing negative to say about this strain. She grew well, she grew easy, she looks great, and she gets you high enough for sure. Tastes (pre cure, of course) fruity, with a lean towards lemon flavor, and also some flowery, lavendaresque taste. Smells sweet and fruity. Burns down to a perfect white ash, which I take as proof that I dried it right and proof that I flushed it effectively, as it has zero taste of any chemical whatsoever. Once this bud cures it's gonna be pretty good. But honestly, it's only going to be pretty good. Definitely not GREAT. Not trophy weed. I would not grow this strain again, just because of the density issue and the yield being nominal at best. But also definitely happy about it, only had one of her, she looks, smells, and tastes great, she gets you high, and I didn't have an ounce and an eighth of this bud 60 days ago. She's also my first ever finished autoflower, so she gets extra points for that, lol. Anyway, a couple pictures:

Gorilla final yield.jpg


Finished Gorilla Bud.jpg
 
Other than that I have nothing negative to say about this strain.
Hell yea looks like some good rolling weed to me.

As for the nutrients I hear Fox Farm is one of the better off the shelf you can get. @MochaBud uses it with the FFOF soil blend and he gets some excellent results. You should check out some of his grows. I'd be the wrong one to inform you though as I'm still trying out different ones myself at the moment. Can't seem to get a good off the shelf nutrient blend that ticks my boxes.
 
Some questions:

So I am considering my next upgrades for future grows. I really like growing in soil, so I want to keep the soil grow thing going. Here are some of the upgrades I'm currently considering/researching:

- More powerful lights even than the new one I'm using in the photo tent. There are a few that put out uMols over 2000, like the VOLT super powerful light, for example, or the Fohse Alesis. These would be significantly more powerful lights. More light = bigger, better buds. It's really as simple as that.
- However, my understanding is that there's really no point to using that powerful of a light unless you're running CO2 and can run at higher temperatures. Real CO2, not the bullshit Exhale bags. Like, maintaining a ppm of 1500 kind of CO2. That requires a system. So I'm researching those.
- Organic or "living" soil. I know nothing about this. All I know is that as long as I am using chemical nutrients I will never get the results I dream about. That takes organic. So I am also researching that, and I have a soil ingredient list I got from my pro grower friend in Oregon that I will post with questions pretty soon here.
- Until I make the switch to organic soil, which is a few grows off yet, I want better nutrients than the Fox Farms trio or the Botanicare. Both of these have their plusses and minuses, but both are subpar, in my opinion I know there's something better out there just haven't settled on what that is yet.
- Upgrading my humidity control. Not sure how to do this, but I am tired of struggling to control the humidity or to put the level exactly where I want it. To do this correctly also requires a system or an upgrade of some kind, the crappy cheapie dehumidifiers and humidifiers aren't really cutting it. Adequate/workable at best, ineffective at worst. This is unacceptable.

So my questions are really just this, would anyone like to comment or make any suggestions along these lines? I need all the input I can get.

Thanks!
Hey @Jon
Hope your well mate.
I’ve just been reading about the sunrise and sunset setting on the lights available now.. I believe the slow wind down of the light helps with humidity spikes at lights out. Not sure about lights on.
Have you tried any of the prescription blend nuts.. unfortunately it’s thrice as pricey due to import tax for me, so off the table..
dont know what else I can say about nuts, most of mine aren’t sponsors.
I’ve got a few environmental problems here, I’m in a sealed box in the loft that’s insulated with 100mm kingspan all around.
I’m still hitting 30c at times when the suns out a beating on the tiles. Not even summer yet..
It’s a rabbit hole , trying to get this environment right in the loft.
Idimagine the garage a step up as a starting point, but still comes with a head ache ey?
Peace to ya
 
Some questions:

So I am considering my next upgrades for future grows. I really like growing in soil, so I want to keep the soil grow thing going. Here are some of the upgrades I'm currently considering/researching:

- More powerful lights even than the new one I'm using in the photo tent. There are a few that put out uMols over 2000, like the VOLT super powerful light, for example, or the Fohse Alesis. These would be significantly more powerful lights. More light = bigger, better buds. It's really as simple as that.
- However, my understanding is that there's really no point to using that powerful of a light unless you're running CO2 and can run at higher temperatures. Real CO2, not the bullshit Exhale bags. Like, maintaining a ppm of 1500 kind of CO2. That requires a system. So I'm researching those.
- Organic or "living" soil. I know nothing about this. All I know is that as long as I am using chemical nutrients I will never get the results I dream about. That takes organic. So I am also researching that, and I have a soil ingredient list I got from my pro grower friend in Oregon that I will post with questions pretty soon here.
- Until I make the switch to organic soil, which is a few grows off yet, I want better nutrients than the Fox Farms trio or the Botanicare. Both of these have their plusses and minuses, but both are subpar, in my opinion I know there's something better out there just haven't settled on what that is yet.
- Upgrading my humidity control. Not sure how to do this, but I am tired of struggling to control the humidity or to put the level exactly where I want it. To do this correctly also requires a system or an upgrade of some kind, the crappy cheapie dehumidifiers and humidifiers aren't really cutting it. Adequate/workable at best, ineffective at worst. This is unacceptable.

So my questions are really just this, would anyone like to comment or make any suggestions along these lines? I need all the input I can get.

Thanks!
I use both of what you're talking about, soil wise. I've used organics to grow my plants, and from my experience, there is absolutely no difference in taste, or potency from organics to my FFOF with the trio nutrients :yummy:
Final Yield Report
Gorilla Zkittlez Autoflower

Finish trimmed the Gorilla Zkittlez. Final yield is 31.5 grams, ie, an ounce and an eighth. I smoked some tester buds pre cure, so maybe a little more, but call it 31.5 grams.

The buds are not as dense as they looked on the plant. They are not flarfy by any means, some of them have good density, but others are not as dense as I'd like. Other than that I have nothing negative to say about this strain. She grew well, she grew easy, she looks great, and she gets you high enough for sure. Tastes (pre cure, of course) fruity, with a lean towards lemon flavor, and also some flowery, lavendaresque taste. Smells sweet and fruity. Burns down to a perfect white ash, which I take as proof that I dried it right and proof that I flushed it effectively, as it has zero taste of any chemical whatsoever. Once this bud cures it's gonna be pretty good. But honestly, it's only going to be pretty good. Definitely not GREAT. Not trophy weed. I would not grow this strain again, just because of the density issue and the yield being nominal at best. But also definitely happy about it, only had one of her, she looks, smells, and tastes great, she gets you high, and I didn't have an ounce and an eighth of this bud 60 days ago. She's also my first ever finished autoflower, so she gets extra points for that, lol. Anyway, a couple pictures:

Gorilla final yield.jpg


Finished Gorilla Bud.jpg
This was my last Lollipop Gorilla Zkittlez in FFOF with the trio...I'm thinking I pulled a little over 9 ounces off of this one...
 
I use both of what you're talking about, soil wise. I've used organics to grow my plants, and from my experience, there is absolutely no difference in taste, or potency from organics to my FFOF with the trio nutrients :yummy:

This was my last Lollipop Gorilla Zkittlez in FFOF with the trio...I'm thinking I pulled a little over 9 ounces off of this one...
Thanks for the response. That's the GZ auto? Nice plant. Much taller than mine got. I maybe should have not LSTed the Gorilla and just let her go instead, as it appears you basically did. What did you do, just pull branches to the side as she got tall? I'm thinking looking at yours that the yield would have been much better if I had just let her get as tall as she was going to get instead of worrying about keeping her short and bushy. Also, how many days old is that plant?
 
Autotown Update
Harvest Cinderella Jack #2
Day 66


Same deal. Check for amber. See lots of amber. Harvest. Trim. Hang. Not that complicated. I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should have let the plants get tall rather than LST the crap out of them to keep them short. Wondering if I compromised my yield. I'm seeing a lot of pictures of people with MUCH taller plants than mine were. These taller plants seem to be outyielding mine by miles. Anyway, grow and learn. First stab at autos. I'm pulling over two ounces a plant from all of them except the Gorilla Zkittlez, so it'll still be an adequate harvest.

Photographs:

- Amber trichomes indicating readiness for harvest by my preferences
- Final picture of her before the chop
- Wet weight trimmed to hang
- Nice CJ cola
- Scale shot CJ cola
- The haul

Cindy Jack 2 Amber trichomes.jpg


Cindy Jack 2 Final Tent picture.jpg


Wet hanging weight.jpg


Nice Cindy Jack Cola.jpg


Big Bud.jpg


Cindy Jack 2 ready to hang.jpg
 
Thanks for the response. That's the GZ auto? Nice plant. Much taller than mine got. I maybe should have not LSTed the Gorilla and just let her go instead, as it appears you basically did. What did you do, just pull branches to the side as she got tall? I'm thinking looking at yours that the yield would have been much better if I had just let her get as tall as she was going to get instead of worrying about keeping her short and bushy. Also, how many days old is that plant?
Sorry, I came late to the show. I didn't see yours was an auto :lot-o-toke: mines the fem version, and I let all my fems veg for 8 weeks before flip...and I don't have to pull the branches back, they have so much weight, they do it on their own. I have to use stakes and garden wire to hold them up :thumb:
 
Sorry, I came late to the show. I didn't see yours was an auto :lot-o-toke: mines the fem version, and I let all my fems veg for 8 weeks before flip...and I don't have to pull the branches back, they have so much weight, they do it on their own. I have to use stakes and garden wire to hold them up :thumb:
Oh god that is so good to know. I was feeling WAY incompetent!!!! I was also wondering how in the HELL you got 9 ounces from an auto! LMAO. Thanks for the clarification!
 
I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should have let the plants get tall rather than LST the crap out of them to keep them short. Wondering if I compromised my yield. I'm seeing a lot of pictures of people with MUCH taller plants than mine were. These taller plants seem to be outyielding mine by miles. Anyway, grow and learn.
I run mostly 2 plant scrogs now, I'm pulling 18 ounces on average...had a 2 plant Ghost OG scrog give me 2+ lbs :thedoubletake: yep 32 ounces...it depends on what you're growing and how well you can push their limits :hmmmm: and of course how strong your lights are...I run old school HIDs...1600 watts in my 4x8 and a 600 watt in my 4x4...and another 400 watts in my veg closet...:slide::yahoo::headbanger:

 
I run mostly 2 plant scrogs now, I'm pulling 18 ounces on average...had a 2 plant Ghost OG scrog give me 2+ lbs :thedoubletake: yep 32 ounces...it depends on what you're growing and how well you can push their limits :hmmmm: and of course how strong your lights are...I run old school HIDs...1600 watts in my 4x8 and a 600 watt in my 4x4...and another 400 watts in my veg closet...:slide::yahoo::headbanger:

I have a nice scrog going in the photo tent. I expect to pull three pounds plus from that. I have a super sweet light that puts out 1700+ Umols and covers the five by five with an amazing footprint. It's non sponsored so I can't talk about it but it's new and it's supreme.
 
Oh god that is so good to know. I was feeling WAY incompetent!!!! I was also wondering how in the HELL you got 9 ounces from an auto! LMAO. Thanks for the clarification!
:rofl: Man I screwed the pooch on my last auto :rofl: it was a Northern Lights, and I almost killed it :morenutes: over fed that little girl and she got crispy on me :rofl: kinda fell flat on my ass, and landed in some Christmas, yeah I pulled her back from the edge and got 4 zips and sum fluff...gona try my Auto Gelato's next
 
:rofl: Man I screwed the pooch on my last auto :rofl: it was a Northern Lights, and I almost killed it :morenutes: over fed that little girl and she got crispy on me :rofl: kinda fell flat on my ass, and landed in some Christmas, yeah I pulled her back from the edge and got 4 zips and sum fluff...gona try my Auto Gelato's next
I have Humboldt Sour Apple autos for my next auto project. This time I will grow all the same strain. It's tough to do four different strains at once, I found this grow (it's only my second grow). They all have varying needs, especially when it comes to nutes. Growing one strain will be much more effective for me I think.
 
I have Humboldt Sour Apple autos for my next auto project. This time I will grow all the same strain. It's tough to do four different strains at once, I found this grow (it's only my second grow). They all have varying needs, especially when it comes to nutes. Growing one strain will be much more effective for me I think.
You'll get used to it :thumb: it'll be second nature to just look at them and say they need such and such...I've been growing for 15 years, I don't even think about it anymore, not saying I don't have problems from time to time but yeah it's like anything else you do a lot...it becomes a reaction :snowboating:
 
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