First time post here, sorry to intrude!
only my 3rd grow,
I have a northern lights auto giving me some problems, i had 2 from the same pack and it only grown to about 1.2 meters untrained under a decent size led. So i left the other untrained also but it has other ideas eventually and needed late bending over at 1.6m before it got uncomfortably close to the light in about week 2 of flower, at the same time i had a photoperiod finishing plant due for cut so these autos were on 12/12. The plants continued to bud as normal even the one that had to be tied down( top 30cm is horizontal about 8 colas lined flat)… I chopped the photo period and put the two autos up to 18/6… The smaller auto finished up at 11 weeks but did start showing the earlier ph problems lack of calcium in particular even though i was using some calmag… No problem with buds, no seeds. Chopped.
The bigger auto nothern lights should of been finished around the same time but i expected a couple of extra weeks at the least due to bending it over slowly. Now i had time to look into a few leaves i noticed about 2 seeds pretty big and firmly developed at what used to be the old top cola before i bent it, the buds themselves are fluffy and have started slowing down (looks about week 4 flower)… I gave a bloody good search and found one ball around a low branch nothing else near the 2 seeds formed. (It didn’t effect the other northern lights right next to it the entire time either, i didnt have a single seed in that plant or early browning)
After all that background is explained this week out of the top of the bunch of top colas im getting stretchy stems growing out the existing bud sites with spaced out calaxyes and single leaves?
Could all the stress in this plants life make this plant go from autoflower to a photoperiod? Im pretty new but cant find much on this.what’s my best option with this plant? Other than the strange history the plant is a very healthy green not dark green, fan leaves all healthy, no burn, and its grown about 6 inch stems on top of the colas this week?? Im so confused! Please be gently on me
Hey Dip, welcome to OG. I don’t have a lot of experience with autos. Well, I had some bad experience about 10-15 years ago. Maybe @Mr.Sparkle or @ReikoX can help ya? Posting pics, if your able is often helpful. Good luck buddy hope ya get it figured!!
I dont think its possible to change an auto to a photoperiod. Are you certain it was an auto?
I grew a couple autos under 12/12 and they grew just fine but the buds were a little light and fluffy.
It sounds like you could have stressed the plant to hermi on you though if your getting seeds. Your plant definitely started to reveg with your description.
Thanks for the replies so far, sorry ive generalised my replies a bit to cover everyone…
Yeah it was supposed to be RQS northern lights autos. Out of the 3 seeds i had, first one took 9 weeks to show anything more than the the first female pistils on 18/6 but grown to a 36 cola 6ft tree flowering extremely slowly so flipped to 12/12 to encourage the thing. eventually stopping at 17 weeks all fan leaves died, calaxyes dried up, internal mold starting. Nothing worth keeping, ugly skinny buds anyway. Disappointing because that would of been an art piece after so long.
Then the 2 this season… 2nd seed finished up on 11 weeks untrained… in low ph soil (didnt know at the time) spent 2 weeks under 12/12 (with a photo period gorilla glue finishing up) during week 3-5, then flipped to 18/6. Finished fine at 11 weeks, drying as we speak but looks a decent yield considering the extreme calcium deficiency showing on the leaves last 2 weeks.
Then the story of this 3rd one in the original post, but it has been under the same terrible 5.6ph soil plant 2 has been stuck in this season. But only today am i started to see calcium deficiency on the top few fan leaves, other than that in comparison to plant 2, only has light damage to and is green all over.
Between the low PH soil, and the nightmare NL autos, this is the reason ive just ordered everything to finally try DWC, im looking forward to more control and being able to do better monitoring!
I’ll post some photos later, thanks fellow growers!
Edit to add more info: I did find a sack growing (not open or big) last week but no nuts bunched together ive been checking every day since i noticed the seeds already on the old main cola, theyve been long enough to fully form. There is also another fully formed seed popping out of the bud on a lower branch today. Hopefully my photos will help explain better. Final note my gorilla glue had a few pollen sacks in flower and one managed to show bananas before i found it while next to this NL Auto at week 3-5, so there is a chance the fully formed seeds could be from the GG#4 pollen. Before this NL had to be bent over and shown a hermie its self.
Sorry for such a long post all! My next post will be photos promise!
That looks like re-vegging.
I haven’t heard of that with autos but most likely related to the changes in light hours.
The weird thing (to me) is I have done exactly the same thing with a Dutch Passion auto with zero issues and about the same week in veg.
Maybe it has reverted photo period? ReikoX would know better than I.
That is an interesting puzzle. My guess if it is a photoperiod you probably need to go back to 12/12.
About 3 weeks ago there was a heat spell for 10 days straight and as i have no AC for this room yet the temps were around 90f :(…
Now they are floating at about 76-80f during the day and about 70 during the night. This plant has endured every type of stressor! Il try take some more natural photos tommorow, good old blurple!
Sounds like what I’m going through myself. Seems like some of these RQS are actually photos. Just put it back to 12/12 and finish it. That’s what I’m doing, she is starving because I didnt anticipate her being in this soil for so long.
Yeah its strange the other NL auto i had right next to it had no issues reverting to 18/6. I dont know how it could of lost its ruderalis genes to stress but somehow it blooming has i read all of his NL grow diary and he seemed to have less problems as his wasnt from bad grower choices but still unnecessary problems from the NL autos by the looks, hopefully he has time to have a look here!
Ive put it back in the photo tent now, should i leave the new growths as its growing calaxyes? Or chop it down to where the buds used to ends?
Dodgy batch of seeds possibly then as i assume yours would of been bought recently too from a RQS seller?
Ive put her/it back in the photo tent see what happens, should i leave the new growth? And shes just started plain ph’d water this week im not sure what i should be feeding now? I been using bagged plain soil with intense nutrients? So im sure there’s still alot built up in the soil compared to your more natural soil? Im no pro though correct me if im wrong! Im here for a sore ear and to learn!
I won mine recently from a giveaway here. I probably would have been much more upset if I paid for them.
I wouldnt cut off the new growth, just let it run. As far as feeding, that’s hard to say, mine are about 3’ tall in 5 gallon pots. For that size, I would have used 7-10 gallons.
Mine were in a living organic soil with plenty of nutrients too, but 5 gallons is too small for this sized plant. The thrips issue didnt help one bit either.
Ah thats not quite as painful for you atleast then …
Yes pot size is something im learning too, i got recommend 5 gallon by my local grow shop which was clearly poor…ive had a few root bound issues in my previous grow too… im wondering if this could be also adding to my cause now too i get scared squeezing my plastic pot to check…
But for the future ive ordered 7 gallon buckets for my first dwc attempt…
Im just gunna give her plain water see how she responds next week or so
Good luck with your NL hope the thrips stay away now, your girl looks a bit happier than mine for sure!
I wouldn’t recommend DWC with those high temperatures, you would buy a ticket for sludge and root rot , I would go for fabric pots to avoid root bound …
Would a portable AC in the room be enough? Or would a water chiller be better? I dont mind spending a few hundred on upgrades i just need some advice what would be best for managing the high temps during the warm 90f+ weeks ? During winter temps get down to about 65f in my grow tent. But honestly this china led i have runs pretty hot for a 318w (1500w equivalent apparently) led set!
You would need both in the tent with those temperatures , perhaps an RDWC system with the water tank outside the tent would be better. The roots wouldn’t be cooked. The AC could be in the room and refresh the tent if it has an air intake …
Hello there. I’m no auto grower, but I know a good idea when I see one. Fabric pots are GREAT for roots. I highly recommend them. The plants roots use more of the soil than in plastic, and no circling roots at the bottom of the pot. Game changer.
i read all of his NL grow diary and he seemed to have less problems as his wasnt from bad grower choices but still unnecessary problems from the NL autos by the looks, hopefully he has time to have a look here!
, I would go for fabric pots to avoid root bound … 
