Auto's Done Carty's Way

[SubmarineGirl]

Good luck with your surgery Carty. I will be thinking of you and sending wishes for a speedy recovery. We will be looking forward to seeing you post again and to hear that you are back on the road again

 

[WeedHopper]

Ill send Roster over to give you a back rub.

 

[Carty]

Well, so there's a knock on the door the other day.. I let they guy in assuming it's Roster.. took my shirt off and laid down on my couch for my backrub.. Mr Carty, I'm your home health care nurse, I need to change your bandage and take your vitals.. HA HA HA HA HA...
Things are going awesome. Hip feels great, go tomorrow to get my 33 staples out. the old pain is gone and it was chronic pain all day/night. so grateful, the Dr wasn't sure he'd be able to fix me, had to tilt my pelvis.. but, leg is straight, next one in Oct I hope.

Thanks for all the love... now, lets see what's up with my plants eh?

 

[Carty]

I'm trying something different with these 4. Topping. some have already shown they like it.. others time
will tell. these are all Cheese variations. 1 set by Mephisto, 1 set by Repins12

Just moved them into the Mar's Hydro tent setup... will be slowly lowering the light.

Repins 1.... responded very well to being topped. going for 8 shoots.

Repins 2...... she also liked being topped and is performing well.

Mephisto 1 (I screwed this one up, Ladybug topped all the rest) trying to do to much with new hip.. grrrrrrr. lol

Mephisto 2.... Loved being topped, she is one to watch and I am a big fan of Mephisto.. some of my 1st ..

Mephisto rocks the Pig

 

[RosterMan]

Well, so there's a knock on the door the other day.. I let they guy in assuming it's Roster.. took my shirt off and laid down on my couch for my backrub.. Mr Carty, I'm your home health care nurse, I need to change your bandage and take your vitals.. HA HA HA HA HA...
Things are going awesome. Hip feels great, go tomorrow to get my 33 staples out. the old pain is gone and it was chronic pain all day/night. so grateful, the Dr wasn't sure he'd be able to fix me, had to tilt my pelvis.. but, leg is straight, next one in Oct I hope.

Thanks for all the love... now, lets see what's up with my plants eh?

 

[SubmarineGirl]

Ok... time to learn from 1 of my last experiments before I begin serious rotations with very little changes..
I started this Trizzler out talking about doing a SOG.. couldn't do it. why?

I up potted 1 plant to see the difference and when it blew up I was like, yeah, let's do 4..
Here you'll see the 2 left in the 1gal pots like I was gonna do, and 4 in 2gal pots, felt...
up potted anywhere from a few days apart to almost 2wks, the runt.... which I leaf stripped few
weeks ago and it bounced back pretty good, but the one producing the best, I topped after
it was beginning to flower... to late really.. another I FIM cut... let's see the difference eh?

Here are the 2 left in 1gal pots... looks like less then a half oz each, why I up pot... autos you cannnot
control the veg cycle, a photo period I'd eventually be able to veg long enough to get size to it..
View attachment 305135View attachment 305136

Let's begin with the last plant up potted and go up in size to the 1st one done right after it showed sex, like I usually do my up potting and believe me, this works like a charm, they go nuts.. at this time I will tell
you all my best hidden secret...

Put up potted plants on 12/12 for 2wks, then back to 18/6 or 20/4, never 24/0. Don't care what they
say, all MJ plants need a dark cycle to create oils n such..

View attachment 305137View attachment 305137View attachment 305139View attachment 305141View attachment 305142

Carty I’ve been browsing your thread as I will be changing my lights soon. You still doing 24/0 for the first two weeks in seedling stage then change to 18/6 for the rest of the grow?

Also how far away do you keep your LEDs from the seedlings? I’ve never had seedlings this small in the tent, always started them in my little greenhouse then under a plant light till they get a bit bigger. I have five tiny plants with one of them about 3-4 days behind the others. (she had a rough start and had to be helped along, not sure if she will make it but I want to give her a chance)
right now I have the lights about 36” above the plants at 80%. They are not stretching so I’m thinking they are getting pretty good light. It is 85F and 45% humidity currently in my tent. I can pretty much adjust my exhaust fan to accommodate for temp and humidity. I’m thinking they could take more light but I hate to burn them. The pics are of one of the four plants that are ahead and the little runt trying to grow with a slightly broken wing. I don’t want accommodating this runt to ruin the others as my tent is only 2x4 and probably 4 plants in there is enough anyway…

 

[Carty]

Okay Rosterman, I hear ya... and um, nevermind. lmao.

Hey S Girl, your plants look nice n healthy there. Moisture looks great in your medium. so, lets talk lights.

I start my babies on 20/4. although with autos there is nothing wrong with 24/0, I just believe they still benefit from always having a dark cycle. but that's just my thoughts on it..
20/4 for 2wks
18/6 for entire grow
20/4 last 2wks
3 days of darkness/chop. In a perfect world, this is how I'd do every auto grow. like you all, I'm still learning how to push these autos and have so much to learn.

I start out with my lights about 2ft above the babies at full power.. slowly lowering the light each feeding which is weekly.. until I get to 12 to 18". What this will do is prevent stretching and promote bushing out... once I get the plants to fill out nice, I actually raise my light back up so they will stretch towards it with a 2ft to 3ft height as a goal.

This grow I've topped 3 plants and FIM cut 1. The 3 topped plants look amazing and from now on will probably be a technique I use.

Topped

Topped

Not Topped, need to remove upper fan leaf's..

After removing the pair of upper leaf's yesterday.. watch her shoots take off now..

I've started to lower the MH light down to these ladies...

 

[WeedHopper]

Looking good brother Carty.

 

[Carty]

3 Days later.... and after feeding Sunday.

Mephisto is flowering a little faster in preflower

The girls by Repins12 are looking excellent..

 

[SubmarineGirl]

Okay Rosterman, I hear ya... and um, nevermind. lmao.

Hey S Girl, your plants look nice n healthy there. Moisture looks great in your medium. so, lets talk lights.

I start my babies on 20/4. although with autos there is nothing wrong with 24/0, I just believe they still benefit from always having a dark cycle. but that's just my thoughts on it..
20/4 for 2wks
18/6 for entire grow
20/4 last 2wks
3 days of darkness/chop. In a perfect world, this is how I'd do every auto grow. like you all, I'm still learning how to push these autos and have so much to learn.

I start out with my lights about 2ft above the babies at full power.. slowly lowering the light each feeding which is weekly.. until I get to 12 to 18". What this will do is prevent stretching and promote bushing out... once I get the plants to fill out nice, I actually raise my light back up so they will stretch towards it with a 2ft to 3ft height as a goal.

This grow I've topped 3 plants and FIM cut 1. The 3 topped plants look amazing and from now on will probably be a technique I use.
View attachment 307241

Topped
View attachment 307242Topped
View attachment 307243

Not Topped, need to remove upper fan leaf's..
View attachment 307244

After removing the pair of upper leaf's yesterday.. watch her shoots take off now..
View attachment 307245

I've started to lower the MH light down to these ladies...
View attachment 307246

Great Carty. I just had the question you answered about the light cycle. I also lowered the dimmer switch a bit because of a couple dry leaves but don’t think it was my light but maybe I was not giving them enough water Being carefull not to flood them out. Today I watered them more as they seem to be all of a sudden taking off but I still only shared a gallon of PH water between the 5 plants. Will start to work the lights back up again till I get to full power. I’m changing my light cycle today to 20/4 to get them use to a little darkness. Your plants look great. Thanks for posting

 

[Carty]

Hey SMG... your plants are looking pretty good girl. I can't quite tell what's up with them, if they need N or what.
I see leaf tips discolored but not in a overfeeding way. Do you give them Calmag. I use one by Envy that has an NPK of 4-0-0, plus Iron, and calmag. since I started using it from week 2 of veg along with silica, my plants are much healthier and I have an infestation of fungus gnats atm from soil I got at a feed store vs hydro store. grrrrr.

Don't panic though, like I said, for the most part they look wonderful. and a plant that wants water doesn't get dry leaf, it begins to wilt and droop.. get a feel for how your pots feel watered and dry. I can pick mine up and know right away if I need to water. almost daily it seems...

ps.. your plants are crooked.. hahaha

 

[Carty]

So, how about we see what LST can do for a plant... remember, all but 1 was topped in veg...

Up here is Mephisto... 1 has had some leaf stripping done 2 days ago and after seeing the results, the other Mephisto will follow suit.

Yields on these should be awesome..

Tomorrow she'll have a few leaf's tucked and removed to expose more tops.. like her sister.

Repins plants are incredible. His Arachnid Pie just popped up and will win the Halloween Golden Boo award between myself and Ladybug in the next grow... just a little fun.

The Repins plant that was topped.. and what a lovely lady

The only plant of 4 not topped

These are obviously gonna be calmag pigs already asking me for more... feeding day is Sunday

 

[WeedHopper]

Like Carty. I can tell by the feel of my pots if they need water. Course here in Texas since I'm growing outside they need water every fking day.

 

[SubmarineGirl]

Hey SMG... your plants are looking pretty good girl. I can't quite tell what's up with them, if they need N or what.
I see leaf tips discolored but not in a overfeeding way. Do you give them Calmag. I use one by Envy that has an NPK of 4-0-0, plus Iron, and calmag. since I started using it from week 2 of veg along with silica, my plants are much healthier and I have an infestation of fungus gnats atm from soil I got at a feed store vs hydro store. grrrrr.

Don't panic though, like I said, for the most part they look wonderful. and a plant that wants water doesn't get dry leaf, it begins to wilt and droop.. get a feel for how your pots feel watered and dry. I can pick mine up and know right away if I need to water. almost daily it seems...

ps.. your plants are crooked.. hahaha

Yes I plan to start feeding cal mag today as they are ready for a drink. I don’t think it’s lack of nutes as I used the strawberry soil which should have had plenty nutes to start things up. (Maybe to much?). I have a feeling that it may have been to hot in the tent or they didn’t get enough to drink during their 2nd week. I’ve never given calmag so early but I will in the future. The new leaves look healthy so I may just pinch those few ugly leaves off so the plant concentrates on something new. since I’ve been watering hard enough to get a feel for the pots now it’s much easier to tell who’s drinking more. I think those two Trizkit plants will see growth more this week. Thanks for your comment. Have a great day and hope your getting around a bit better


ps. I know, most things in my life seem a little crooked. Are you OCD?

 

[colonelkurtz]

Auto Flowering... many folks give this a shot and walk away, why, because grow #1 was unsuccessful. You see, Autos really and truly are a different animal and thus have to be treated so.

Stunting is the biggest issue and IMHO #1 reason why this wonderful auto flowering style of MJ is talked down by so many with bad experiences. It's easy to do.

My journey began after a 4yr hiatus and deciding to get back into my hobby. smaller spaces dictated changes like small tents and more stealth. Hmmm? I was gifted a bunch of seeds that got crushed, the only 3 that made it was 3 Sour60 seeds I got 2 females and a male, made more seeds. thus the journey begins.

Since the F2 seeds I made were not feminized, I needed to start 12 to find 5 or 6 females hopefully. so starting 12 pots in 2 or 3gal felt is a LOT of soil and I cannot afford it and don't have room for
12 larger pots. so, this is where I decided to break my first rule I read about. "They" say to NOT transplant autos. given no choice I started mine in 1gal plastic nursery pots. you know, the el cheapos.

Here is my method after 8yrs or so of growing Autos..

My #1 DON'T rule... Starting in Solo Cups. IMO has something to do with the tap root being restricted early on. A photo period can outgrow this initial stunting as it stays in veg mode longer and can overcome. NOT an auto. plant will finish usually at about a foot or so. want bigger autos. Try my method..

Germinate seeds to the point 2" tails are exposed.. this keeps you from planting upside down on accident causing possible losses, been there, done that.
>>>> How I do it: Soak in good water overnight, give a stir, if seeds sink ready for step 2. place in damp paper towel, not wet.. inside baggie and I go into an oven mit.. dark, warm.
2 days later check on them. if short tails barely popping, one more day might do it. every strain is different.

Starting regular autos..
1. Start with 1gal plastic pots.. why you ask? plastic pots allow the larger roots to form early that establishes the plants foothold, just like in nature. you want a nice root ball to form during this first 3wks in the small pot. 3 wks because most autos have shown sex by now and you know which ones to up pot, which ones to cull..
2. Introduce your Mykos here at up pot. many brands out there so not gonna recommend any, but a sprinkle of this in the hole before dropping the plant into the new pot, omg do the roots just go mad. healthy plants.
3. Up pot to: 2 or 3 gal felt pot. why felt? at this point is where you need your feeder roots to start. As she gets established in her new home and her larger roots hit the pots edge, they get air pruned thus causing feeder roots to form all along the roots mass. up taking nutrients and water.
Watch these girls blow up a week or so after up potting and stretching their legs a bit. IMHO Autos love to be up potted if done correctly. stay away from grow bags please, try finding
some Orchid pots like I use. they have more drain holes then the average pot..

Starting feminized autos..
Doesn't get much easier then this.. start them in 2gal felt pots, start to finish.. why 2gal. Autos only live about 2 1/2 months, and what I've discovered is most will not fill out a 3gal root ball.. my exception would be a long flowering auto like 80 to 90 days Sativa dom. not saying I'd not use a 3gal pot, but think I'd start THOSE in 1gal pots first. control moisture better in beginning. but my rule for starting feminized autos is, 2gal felt pots.
Hint: Look for taller pots.. most 2gal are 8.5" tall, but some are 10" tall and I prefer these.. big reason is up potting, gives me almost a full gallon of dirt under and room to grow...

Feeding: People, do not feed until end of week 1 for your 1st feeding, not day 1. you will burn them and stunt them. I sometimes go 2wks if my plants look healthy and are growing strong. but if you want to stay on a schedule of week 1-10. start end of week 1, end of week 2 and so on.
Feed, water, water.... Feed, water, water. Remember, your soil also dictates your feeding and the amount you feed them. try staying at 50%. just might get healthier plants.

Flushing: I give them a light flushing right before up potting to assure I'm converting feeding over properly to flower. not a full on flush but more of an over watering with extra drainage clearing it up a bit.

Soil: No Foxfarm Ocean Forrest straight.. it WILL burn your plants. any kind of mistreatment early on will result in stunted autos.. when autos can get up to 4ft at times.. I've tried them all and here is what I find works best.
Roots Organics basic green mix... (not 707, it's for outdoor). this stuff is like magic, but does require a lot of breaking down by hand or a grinder.. huge chunks of guanos..
Foxfarm's Strawberry Fields .. this mix is heavy in perlite and is a mushroom compost, keep medium to moist and toadstools will form...
Foxfarm's Bushmasters Coco Loco ... a heavier mix for sure, needs more perlite IMO.

My best soil ever: Mix Roots Organics, after breaking down, with Strawberry Fields 50/50. I did a grow with this mix and only had to add calmag and a PK booster to achieve awesome
plants..

I have a goal of helping people discover autos and not walk away disappointed. I see so many doing things that cause stunting and thus small yields, then compare to a photo period grow, not fair really.. photos are dictated by how long you veg.. autos decide this on their own.. why I try to find strains that take 3wks and not 10 days.. the faster it shows sex, the smaller that plant/strain is going to be. Look for Sativa mixes that still finish in 75 days or so..

I'm here to help anyone who has questions.. starting 5 new seeds tonight, soaking in water..
4 - Beserker Autos - Forgotten Cookies III x Grape Dosi Breath by Beserker7205

1 - Blue Vangoo - Kush Van Stitch x (W.C. OG x Cash Crop Auto female) x (Sour60 x Blue Streak F3). By Carty 2008..

I have a thread going called Autos...back at it. you can watch along and see how my grows progress, but I'll also be showing updates here of the 2 above strains so we can do a tutorial, answer questions and teach.. feel free to ask me anything about autos.. if I don't know the answer I'll research it until I'm sure I have it right and post it up ok...

Autos Rule

So grateful for this, thanks huge!

 

[Hippie420]

So grateful for this, thanks huge!

Carty's the Picasso of autos. I've never grown any, but if I get the urge, I'm pouring over every one of his posts on the subject.

Welcome to the Passion!

 

[colonelkurtz]

Carty's the Picasso of autos. I've never grown any, but if I get the urge, I'm pouring over every one of his posts on the subject.

Welcome to the Passion!

It just appeals to my practical side, especially feminized, and his advice is real like me going down the wrong way, although the Pineapple Express seedlings are hanging on as I got them in a peat/char compost mix, my rookie blunder is not going to happen again, you learn react for success! And Mykos ordered that just now, outstanding info Carty!

 

[colonelkurtz]

Like Carty. I can tell by the feel of my pots if they need water. Course here in Texas since I'm growing outside they need water every fking day.

So any do's and don'ts on an auto fl outdoors, we have 2 seasons hot and inferno with always high humidity want turnover, my main question is seedling to full sun, what works what doesn't seedlings need 3 weeks under UV then a gradual move outdoors, stumped?

 

[colonelkurtz]

Carty I’ve been browsing your thread as I will be changing my lights soon. You still doing 24/0 for the first two weeks in seedling stage then change to 18/6 for the rest of the grow?

Also how far away do you keep your LEDs from the seedlings? I’ve never had seedlings this small in the tent, always started them in my little greenhouse then under a plant light till they get a bit bigger. I have five tiny plants with one of them about 3-4 days behind the others. (she had a rough start and had to be helped along, not sure if she will make it but I want to give her a chance)
right now I have the lights about 36” above the plants at 80%. They are not stretching so I’m thinking they are getting pretty good light. It is 85F and 45% humidity currently in my tent. I can pretty much adjust my exhaust fan to accommodate for temp and humidity. I’m thinking they could take more light but I hate to burn them. The pics are of one of the four plants that are ahead and the little runt trying to grow with a slightly broken wing. I don’t want accommodating this runt to ruin the others as my tent is only 2x4 and probably 4 plants in there is enough anyway…
View attachment 307087View attachment 307088

Right into felt bags at seedling, wonder for an outdoor grow but great lesson, looks like 1 gal then only one up pot, makes so much sense, thanks for the share!

 

[WeedHopper]

So any do's and don'ts on an auto fl outdoors, we have 2 seasons hot and inferno with always high humidity want turnover, my main question is seedling to full sun, what works what doesn't seedlings need 3 weeks under UV then a gradual move outdoors, stumped?

I start my Autos outside where they will be the whole time.