Me too. It’s been an ongoing frustration for me the past couple of summers. This year, it’s fewer tomatoes because I started my autos in the greenhouse. I moved a couple outside a few days ago, but they’re already in bloom and I don’t think the nights are cold enough to stall them. Normally, I would have stuck them out a month ago and that is no bueno where I live at 7200’.
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I wanted to give you two namesakes an update on Tilraster.
The indoor girls went into flower about a week ago, but Tilraster has been in a big pot, in the driveway, getting 88 lately and getting 43 some nights.
Blown all to hell.
Squashed when I accidentally dropped a bag of bloodmeal on her.
The last couple of days, she has thrived – but she still hasn’t flowered.
So here’s my plan. I suspect/hope that this plant will actually flower when the days begin to shorten – even if I don’t bring her inside.
So I’m doubling down. Gave her some good feedings too (the DG seems to like nutes better than HBSS), and yesterday a good soaking, with some fresh wormy compost and some hay mulch on top. If I’m right, then my goal should be to embiggen this thing as fast as possible, right?
Look at the pot size – I’m guessing it’s around 7 gallons. Maybe it hasn’t flowered because it hasn’t hit a side or bottom yet? No idea!
I found a few big earthworms in the yard, too, and threw them in. 
Meanwhile, the tent girls seem good. Will update later, with pics.
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here’s one weird thing i have noticed with fem autos. especially if they are fem auto crosses. sometimes on rare occasions, you will get the genetic anomaly that still keeps it’s genetic ancestor’s photoperiod traits and discards the auto traits completely. they will grow out like normal photoperiod plants that will only flower if they experience the flip (12/12 inside or the normal seasonal change around august for outdoors). i have only experienced this once. it was a fem auto crossed with a normal photoperiod S1. it was growing indoors and didn’t flip itself and quickly outgrew it’s space. topping LST, supercropping didn’t matter. nothing triggered it’s autoflower. i ended up tossing it outside. it finished up in october with the rest of the photoperiods.
don’t fret. it is not common. just keep feeding and watering it like normal and see what it does. it looks healthy, so it doesn’t appear to be a “you” issue. doing top dressings with fresh compost and worm castings is always welcome. the plants love it. and i always recommend some type of mulch on top of the pots when you’re outdoors, so great move there as well.
keep an eye on it, see what it does. it may have a longer veg period than some autos.
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thanks, buddy. i always appreciate you and your advice.
For a guy who is usually pretty OCD, I’m surprisingly not worried about Tilraster one bit. That is probably because I have the other Double Grape in the tent, safe and sound.
Today, I have to move that plant from the front driveway into the middle of the garden. I live on a cul de sac in Oregon and nobody cares, but someone’s gonna steal her. Plus, she needs a little less shadow.
Once I install her in the main garden (still in the pot, btw), I’ll send a pic and we’ll play “where’s Waldo?”
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i’d be pretty mad about that. thieves SUCK.
thankfully i have not had that happen to me (knocks on wood) and i’d prefer not to experience.
still blows my mind that y’all can grow it out in the open. i’m still lookin over my shoulder all the time. that anxiety never goes away. especially when i have plants outside and the damn drones and copters are overhead all day every day. i gotta do what i gotta do to get through abuela’s list.
(tightens bandana and checks six guns)
my only solace is that the cops have their hands full with illegals, cartels and california and new york transplant gangsters trying to establish themselves. i’d say the cartels are going to win that f^ght, but i certainly aint rooting for them.
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Ya know what was a REALLY popular theft target a while back (and still is, in some places)?
Japanese maple trees.
A mature, properly pruned and healthy one is worth some $.
Where I used to live, people would come by at night in trucks, dig them up, and drive off.
Terrible, huh?
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I’ve never had a Double Grape not auto like it’s supposed to and I’ve grown quite a few of them. Otoh they’re pretty good about getting started by the six week point. Usually before, I think. How old is she?
Also, those cold nights might have slowed her down a few days.
that would never happen here. we have guns (and dogs).
thieves get shot.
therefore MOST people act proper. civility through mutually assured firepower.
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She’s 37 days from germ today. If you are right, that means it’s imminent.
The cold was sure not expected (is it ever?). But yes, many nights around that temp. . .
flashing back now to “mutually assured destruction” and “peace through strength” 
for maples
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I should probably be viewing this from the street instead of my lawn but here’s the idea. Double Grape successfully relocated from the driveway to directly into the front yard. Still hasn’t flowered, while the indoor girl flowered 10 days ago. DG#2 has been outside since day 1 and will stay outside til the beautiful end. Whenever that is. Her stem is thick and hearty, because the wind never stops. I’m going to have to be a lot more vigilant about things in the forest here. . .
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Autoflower movie update on Day 40 from germ! The cast (in order of appearance):
- The still-unflowered Double Grape basks in the garden, still about 10 days behind the indoor plants.
- In the tent, the HubbaBubbaSmelloScope is next. She was lagging the DG next to her for a long time, but has REALLY taken off in the past two weeks. Flowered ~10 days ago.
- Finally, right next to HBSS inside, is Double Grape, indoor version. Flowered ~10 days ago.
Based on @LoveDaAutos input – and these seeds are his! – I’m about 1/2 way through.
ETA: August 7.
https://youtube.com/shorts/JNb54gDJ2CU?feature=share
or
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SaknWR3X_oAu8A8jrgG5_I8Xpg0ygtI1/view?usp=sharing
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The inside plants are looking strong.
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Tilraster the Great Autoflower sits in a 7 gallon pot in my front yard – sort of hidden, yes.
Her indoor sister – also a Double Grape S1 auto – flowered 10 days ago.
I have never grown autos, and I’ve never grown outside, so I know less than I usually do here (which is pretty low to begin with, despite the help here). 
It just keeps growing. I keep feeding it.
That was the original plan. To literally try one seed, outside, all the way from germ. Zero special treatment, relative to the inside DG and HubbaBubba. Same regimen exactly, except the outside plant is supplemented with rainwater occasionally.
I am keeping a close eye on her, because if/when she flowers, I’ll need to be even more vigilant about outdoor conditions.
But for now? A great plant, 45 days old. I am hoping that – and I have no reason to believe it will – at some point in the next week or so, as the sun sets earlier, be triggered into flower.
If this happens – crazy long growth of an auto before it flowers – are the buds generally bigger and just as good? It makes sense that the larger plant can bear more flower, but I’m not sure.
I’ll update on the indoor plants soon. They’re on about Day 13 of flower and I think I may have overdefoliated/pruned – last night. I’m freaked I went too early in flower, and may have trimmed too much. I have some tying down and clean up today before their photo shoot. They all need to be re-leveled, so restaking is required.
On this outdoor guy, Tilraster? I can see white pistils in various places, but that is it. The constant wind (I live near the Columbia River) is making her beast-like – the trunk, everything. It is a sight to behold. The leaves are getting huge. I finally removed the bottom two huge fans leaves yesterday, and trimmed a few fans up top. Not planning on any more defoliation.
I didn’t know the actual top of a cannabis plant will move all day long to face the sun. I know that is child-like, and I know a lot of plants do that. I just didn’t know they moved. This one does it all day long.
I could almost hear Tilraster whimpering like a puppy at sunset yesterday.
YT movie of Tilraster:
https://youtube.com/shorts/DPK5tGuRRR4?feature=share
tough love your outdoor plants. they need to toughen up, and they will.
the two things i worry about outside are:
- Bugs
- mold
both issues can be handled with vigilance. bi-weekly spraying for bugs and making sure you shake the water off your colas after the rain. if it sits, it will get moldy. typically the “bud rot” mold.
you’re probably like the rest of OG at this point… sitting on a mountain of seeds. don’t be afraid to “this is sparta!” your growing. if something is weak, toss it. you have more where that came from, and you’re not going to waste time and nutirents on weak sh^t. you have more seed / opportunity to grow something really good.
embrace your transition from first-timer to grower. you are here by choice now so can absolutely be selective.
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This is pretty key to me. I once planned on growing in nothing but 5 gal smart pots, but I think 3 gal makes more sense, at least for my inside grows. That’s a 40 percent savings right there.
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And that is perfect provided the plants in the 3 gallon pots provide you with enough flower that you don’t have to go to the store to buy more because you ran out.
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What is Tilraster? You said an auto, what strain is it? It’s a gorgeous plant.
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