X Marks the Spot - XLR8's Big Bang Auto Hydro Grow 2011

[Xlr8]

Well thought I'd shoot a kite out there and look up what ya got going on with your trip here. I got a freebie BB Auto abit ago. Just broke dirt today so sure like to see what ya got going, what you are doing with your's. I haven't I must confess, read alot going on lately, but I'm fixxing to flip back and update on what's up. My Lady's growing this one. I'm planning on putting it out in direct sun and flower out. Maybe a 2.7 gallon pot? Well I hope yours is off and running. Keep em Green and I'm scrolling back............

Verrrry intresting. I went back a grow a lookied at your product and it was a repectable yield from a mothership? Or did ya have something else? But I also seen your 30 day pic grown with a great lite setup. Lets see what a Outsider does now? If this wet cold weather ever leaves. I figgure to cap on the hottest time of the year. Be intrested in seeing what ya get otta your's. Best Luck and Keepem Green +++ inffin I can..

First off - Norcaliwood. Nice to have you here brother.

Last grow was in a mothership, and I started the auto in it too, but I've parked the mothership for a while now that I've built a new room and got a tent.

I can't wait to see how yours produces outside - I'll definitely sub to that if you have a journal for it. This is the first auto I've done, and I'm doing it as opposed to taking the summer off - and kind of using it to help me dial in my new grow space. I'm hoping it'll be a pleasant surprise and actually produce some nice buds, but who knows! Thanks man for the props and for poppin' by to check things out -

 

[naphtali5725]

Hey XL, how about some more photos of your lil auto, and some details...drool, drool

 

[Xlr8]

DUDE! you got like 530 likes on just 23 pages.....Is that some kind of record or something??? And your lil' auto-flower is looking AWESOME! Congratulations my friend! And for the award this month too, you're a great grower and I am honored to have your valuable input and help anytime! I got on here to post my own journal update and post my newest pics from this am of a few of my girls in full and gorgeous flower, but I saw your latest post, realized I was behind on your journal, (Sorry bout the flood too!) and got lost and have spent the last 3 hours getting caught up to the end here. And can you believe I ended up with 7 girls outta those last 10 bag seeds I sprouted???!!! Yeppers! Now I am FREAKING OUT because I have to build a drying box or figure out how exactly I am going to do it and I am TERRIFIED!!! I AM SO SCARED I AM GOING TO FLUB IT UP AND LOSE MY WHOLE 7 PLANT CROP! ALL BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER EVER DRIED ANYTHING MORE THAN FAN LEAVES! AND I'VE NEVER CURED ANYTHING! Okay, I think I am back to my senses now.....Sorry I lost it a little in my post to you!

Okay, now that I am back in my right mind,,or is it my left.....hmmm????? anyways, I mean, I will do what I know I have to do, go READ! and READ some more, and some MORE, and some MORE!!! Until I GET IT!!! but your grow, even tho it's small, it's looking righteous!

Thanks so much, RV! That's all very nice. Do you have any worries as far as odor or stealth? If not, just go simple with your drying. Definitely read up, but it can be as simple as:

Cut down branches, trim the buds on the branches, and hang them from the ceiling or in a closet somehow. Make sure you know your humidity and try to maintain a 45-50% humidity (if you can) for a few days until stem's get less limp and more like they want to "snap".

You should also have a fan in the room that doesn't blow directly on them, but keeps the air in the room circulating.

Once the buds start to feel somewhat dry to touch and the stems are a bit more stiff and dry feeling, clip the buds off and put them into paper bags with some holes poked in the bag, and a fan in the room circulating again.

When they feel like they're almost dry enough, jar them. Twice a day open those jars and carefully stir the buds inside and keep the lid off for a little while (burping). Do this for a bit and monitor the dryness - I usually go to one burp a day, before I stop once they feel/look/smell ready to stay jarred and sealed.

Keep us posted here if things come up and I'll help you (as I'm sure others will) if you have questions. But I would definitely recommend reading everything you can find on different drying methods . There is even a way you can "water cure" your buds, but it will remove a lot of smell/flavor.

The way I suggested above is pretty much how I do it. I tweak each step, though, depending on how things are progressing. For example, if they are feeling like they are drying too fast, I won't leave the jars open as long when I burp them.

IF you were to have an issue with mold, heaven forbid, don't panic. If you keep an eye on your buds as they're drying and catch it soon, they can still be salvaged with watercuring.

Thanks for all of the kind words, RV. You seem like a kind soul, and have endured a lot. I'm glad to have you here!

 

[Xlr8]

JILLY BEEEEEEAAAAAANNNNNN!!!!.....Sorry to yell everyone....LOVE me some Jillz!! I dont know if you've had it or not, but its pretty much my favorite strain bro...Very smooth, slightly sweet. Great mello high, leaning toward indica without the couchlock, with the clarity of a sativa. Nice and comfortable, while still functional....

Yeah, I was fawning over Jilly Bean too, instantly one of my faves. Nice description, btw - pretty much how I remembered it!

 

[Xlr8]

Hey XL, how about some more photos of your lil auto, and some details...drool, drool

Perfect segue, Nap!

Big Bang Auto -- Grow update - Day 46 from seed:

PH is hanging really steady now that we're into bumped up bloom nutes. Easy to keep pegged at 5.6% or so...

PPM's are up to 1380 and she seems to be loving life. Growth over the last 4 days has been astonishing. Roots look bone white and healthy overall now.

I've been tucking fan leaves, and I'm getting lots' of tops and burgeoning bud-sites. Haha, I said burgeoning.

Here's the roots:

Argh, those reds are hard to remove:

Time for this:

 

[Xlr8]

Thought this was interesting, here is the difference in growth over a 4 day period. Pictures on left were day 41 from seed, on the right day 45 from seed (pictures in my update were from yesterday):

Crazy how fast they progress at this stage (early flower). Go girl go!

 

[Thew1sest]

Perfect segue, Nap!

Big Bang Auto -- Grow update - Day 46 from seed:

PH is hanging really steady now that we're into bumped up bloom nutes. Easy to keep pegged at 5.6% or so...

PPM's are up to 1380 and she seems to be loving life. Growth over the last 4 days has been astonishing. Roots look bone white and healthy overall now.

I've been tucking fan leaves, and I'm getting lots' of tops and burgeoning bud-sites. Haha, I said burgeoning.

Here's the roots:

Argh, those reds are hard to remove:

Time for this:

Bravo on your roots!! You should be proud, white healthy roots are hard to comeby, any out of balance variable in your grow area will quickly stop that growth. Youre kickn ass and takin names!



What's youre water level height from the bottom of the netpot??

 

[naphtali5725]

awesome XL!!!

 

[Xlr8]

Bravo on your roots!! You should be proud, white healthy roots are hard to comeby, any out of balance variable in your grow area will quickly stop that growth. Youre kickn ass and takin names!



What's youre water level height from the bottom of the netpot??

Thanks man! I'm really happy with the roots right now, too. Especially given the fact that they didn't look too healthy when I first transplanted it.

I fill the water level just barely below the bottom of the net-pot, and I top it off after it gets about an inch or so below that line. If you look at the blue tube on the side of the bucket in the pictures, it has a piece of white tape on it - this is my "fill to" line on the bucket. Happens to be about 2.875 gallons of water/nutrient mix. The biggest purpose of the blue tube is to know the water level at a quick glance. Works great! (It can also be used to help drain the water from the bucket).

When I top it off, I just use RO water (I don't "top off" nutrients, just water).

 

[Xlr8]

awesome XL!!!

Thanks Nap!

 

[Aaron Quix]

Big Bang Auto -- Grow update - Day 46 from seed:

I've been tucking fan leaves, and I'm getting lots' of tops and burgeoning bud-sites. Haha, I said burgeoning.

Here's the roots:

Argh, those reds are hard to remove:

Time for this:

Congrats X that's a plant to be proud of for sure! Love those new tops and new growth man! It is a very exciting time my friend...I'm really glad to be watching this auto, and am excited to see the colas. Never watched one or really ever even payed much attention to them

 

[OldMedMan]

That's one Bushy girl xlr8

Let me count the bud sites......

Sure better than my auto disaster. Your having a summer of love with that girl!

 

[Xlr8]

Congrats X that's a plant to be proud of for sure! Love those new tops and new growth man! It is a very exciting time my friend...I'm really glad to be watching this auto, and am excited to see the colas. Never watched one or really ever even payed much attention to them

my friend, that's very kind! It's all new for me, too.

 

[Xlr8]

That's one Bushy girl xlr8

Let me count the bud sites......

Sure better than my auto disaster. Your having a summer of love with that girl!

Thanks OMM - there are a lot of budsites, though the whole plant is pretty small - but I guess that's the way with auto's sometimes/ all the time? We'll see!

Speaking of lot of budsites, I was really impressed with the quickness in which they are starting to develop (though they still have a LONG way to go). I was happy to see her looking a bit perkier since the last pictures - looking like a healthy little bush tonight:

 

[OldMedMan]

Damn......I thought it looked bushy before.

Now it's really bushy. IDK about the autos yet. The one I had was 10" tall and never grew any larger. I had the idea that they were just plants that would auto flower and would grow to reasonable size before they finish. Yours looks more like that. Guess we wil find out. I'm pulling for you to have a reasonable yield. Don't want to be too nosey, but how is the tent doing now?

 

[Xlr8]

Damn......I thought it looked bushy before.

Now it's really bushy. IDK about the autos yet. The one I had was 10" tall and never grew any larger. I had the idea that they were just plants that would auto flower and would grow to reasonable size before they finish. Yours looks more like that. Guess we wil find out. I'm pulling for you to have a reasonable yield. Don't want to be too nosey, but how is the tent doing now?

Hovering around 81-82f and about 45% humidity. Meh, I'll want to get it a little cooler, but that's not TOO bad.

I'm not expecting too much with the auto, but who knows?!

 

[Mr. Krip]

Plants are looking great, XLR8! Nice job! They are definately some bushy plants for their size.

FYI...one additional benefit of the drain tubes on the buckets is that it provides an easy way to test PH.

I use a separate plastic cup and drain some water into the cup, then pour it back into the res through the top. I do this a couple of times just to make sure I'm not going to be just testing the water that was in the drian tube.

Then, I fill the cup and test the PH. If the PH needs to be adjusted, I add the up/down to the cup of water and pour it back through the top of the res, let the system run for 10-15 minutes, then re-test.

 

[OldMedMan]

Hovering around 81-82f and about 45% humidity. Meh, I'll want to get it a little cooler, but that's not TOO bad.

I'm not expecting too much with the auto, but who knows?!

Hey, thats pretty good, but like you, I think in the high seventies would be just fine.

My humidity is whack. In one day it goes from 66% to 35%. Guess I should expect that in Hawaii. Well done on the tent!

 

[naphtali5725]

XL, with the 1000HPS, and my current setup, temps are fine,
since you are pulling air conditioned air from within your home, and venting to another room, 2 400HPS's with air cooled hoods are going to be fine man.

let us know what your next move is on the temp issue!

kind regards,

 

[420GodsTrichome]

Looking great XL, let's show people what auto's can do!! Think yours are gonna blow mine off the map though!!!