# help understanding hydro



## skoobie (May 27, 2015)

I'm 4 months into my second crop.  Last year, I grew in dirt, and did pretty well. This year I decided to try something different. I got ahold of some (automatic) seeds. Afgan Kush.  I started four plants in my new hydroponics deep water tank, and an equal amount in dirt.  At about 18", the ones in dirt began to flower.  My hydro ones just continued to grow at a fast pace.  I also took two clones from a hydro plant, just to experiment, and planted them in dirt.  A month later, those cuttings started to flower, but the parent in water, didn't.  They just kept growing.  I should mention here that after a couple of months, it was obvious that I hadn't allowed enough room in my deep water tank for the four plants, so I carefully removed two, and put them in dirt.  They began to flower a couple of weeks after getting settled into their new medium.  I read that if you took clones from an auto, they would all flower at the same time because regardless of size, the genetic clock is already established, and begins after germination.  All my plants are flowering except the ones in water.  These gals have grown way larger the ones in dirt. I'm using T5 lighting.  Can anyone explain what's going on.  Is it common for deep water plants to simply take longer?  The pants in dirt were grown outside.   I'm using a water chiller as well, trying to keep the nutrient at around 68-70 degrees.  I'm also on an 18-6 light schedule. a few weeks ago, I changed it to 12-12, thinking it would force flowers. It didn't make any difference, so I went back to the 18-6. Should I keep the hydro's at 18-6, or go back to 12-12? Is this a common phenomina with hydroponic as opposed to dirt? I've probably trimmed a pound of branches from the bottom of the DWT plants. As fast as the plants were growing upwards, they also grew branches that went down to the floor.  I decided to remove them, as I raised my lighting to almost the ceiling. Thanks in advance.


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## Grower13 (May 27, 2015)

Got pictures? I'd like to see a dwc auto plant that doesn't  show auto traits til you plant it in dirt........ does the clock start on the plant as soon as it touches dirt?..... or after the clone gets roots?


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## The Hemp Goddess (May 27, 2015)

Sometimes autos simply do not auto--flower under a 20 hour light regime.  Sometimes, they need the hours cut to 12/12 to flower.  Just the fact that you could take cuts and get them to root and flower suggests to me that your auto really isn't.  There is no way that having the plant in hydro caused it to not flower properly.  I guess that it simply does not have enough ruderalis in it to actually be an autoflowering plant.


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## skoobie (May 28, 2015)

Thanks to all who replied.  I'll get some pics up later today.  Just a note on lighting. I cut the light back to 12-12 for a couple of weeks.  It didn't matter, so I went back to 18-6.
Grower13: I don't know about the clock on these autos.  It was just what I read.  I went to them because , 1. I wanted to be sure I had (F) plants growing, and 2. my time-frame.  It seemed like a good idea at the time. Knowing what I know now, which isn't much, I wish I had planted 8-10 plants in dirt.  The ones that are flowering are so sticky, if I threw them at the wall, they'd stick like spaghetti. I don't mind that they are small. I'm not doling this for $. Thanks again for the replies.


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## skoobie (May 29, 2015)

I posted pics. They were up yesterday, and now they're not.  ??


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