Hi there troopers,
I am a beginner grower with about 6 summers outdoors growing experience, 4 yrs Ive mixed my grows with AF(autoflowers) .
Over the last year of growing AF I have had 8 plants flower(4 last autumn) with very loose and airy bud formation. It is frustrating trying to understand why and how this is happening. Attached are pictures of a White Widow AF, but the loose bud issue has happened with AK-47 AF and Jack Herer AF.
I grow outdoors in pots/fabric growbags in various soil mixes.
pH of my grow mixes is approx 6.5. I pH tap water to 6.2 - 6.5.
This summer I am using Canna Tera + C Flores nutrients.
For 3-4 yrs I grew AF outdoors in pots/soil mixes with great results.
When the problem first occurred last year, I put it down to the root ball being exposed to cold temperatures as fall kicked in and the overnight temps were 3-5 deg’ C. The plants appear to grow normally but then something happens that causes this issue.
I have read that ‘shorter flowering varieties’ are prone to loose/airy bud formation?
After having 4 AF finish already with loose/airy buds, it is putting me off wanting to grow AF. It is disappointing to put in all the work/time growing to end up with a product that is unattractive from a selling point of view. That said, I use these loosie bud plants for edibles.
This summer down under (Tassie) is cool weather and early summer was non-existent with cold and wet conditions. I think the cold might have something to do with the issue? But other AF have flowered with tight/compact nugs grown in the same grow medium and conditions (water, sunlight, nutes).
I look forward to any replies?
Hastings.
Simply genetics coupled with the drop in night-time temperatures. If prolonged, difficult for plant to restart/bulk up. Autos especially don’t like abrupt change in conditions (transplanting, cropping/topping, nutrient lockout, etc), not enough time to readjust/recover. SS/BW…mister
They look good to me, genetics and strain play a big part, possibly amount of direct sunlight? I can’t really put in to much personal experience as I’ve only done a few small outdoor plants guerrilla grow style around yard. But amount of direct light daily seemed to play a part for mines bud structure and size
Thanks for all the useful information all. When things go wrong it’s helpful to have experienced growers to speak with. I suspected the cold snap might have contributed to the issue. Nevertheless I will continue my AF growing efforts.
Contrary to popular opinion and what is written about AF, I have this to share:
This picture is of a outdoor JHAF. It was a runt of a seedling that stayed very small. Instead of tossing it and without much care I ‘trans-planted’ it into my backyard garden bed. Oddly it began to take off. I forgot it was a AF(lost track of labels) and topped it twice + LST to keep it below the fence line. It has turned into the largest AF I have grown, the picture is 2 days ago at 91 days(from germination). I think the root system has tapped into the leeching tea from the compost bin, which is adding to her bulk.
Those look like some pretty buds, and sticky too. They are great to grow outdoors, nice and easy. I am not sure that a short flowering time has anything to do with how dense the flowers are, but some other expressions in the DNA surely have a role to play. Maybe there is a correlation between the two, but not cause. Great job.
and stay safe
