Spaceman’s First Holiday Auto Run

[spaceman]

Hi Everybody,
Normally I don’t run a grow through the Holidays, travel and whatnot interfering with my growing practice.
A couple things I’ve learned in my short time here at OG have me rethinking that custom.
First and foremost, Auto’s!
Short run times, 24 – 0 lighting, indoor sized plants w/o extreme root constriction and lst, tested by top posters … what’s not to like?
My last two grows were sativa dominants and they OverGrowed their way to the top of my tents during my inevitable absences.
Second, which is something I’ve suspected could be considered “purist” is planting the sprouted seed into a single, terminal pot.
My normal seed propagation tech is to start the seed in a baggie or petri dish and plant/transplant through a series of larger and larger pots until they go outdoors as in my veg garden or a final pot.
Small pots, many small pots require a lot of attention I’ve found, and complicates my often unscheduled travels. I’ve done several types of self watering planters successfully but each requires an initial setup and can fail regardless of precautions.
Plus while some plants, like p. somniferum, can’t tolerate transplanting, mj isn’t like that. On the other hand, I’ve noticed that plants need transplanting often at inconvenient times.

What the idea of planting direct into a terminal pot offered to me and my circumstance is a carefree Fukuoka-san like freedom from all that. Less frequent watering, fertilizing, iow’s TIME spent means this may become a new Holiday custom.
So here we go:

Dec 1 2019
Dropped 2 Purple Heart Auto Fems and 2 Loco-Mota Auto Fems into petris.(My small concession to accuracy and efficiency)
Thanks @Sebring and @ReikoX!

All four seeds sprouted within 4 days, even the runt seed in the Purple Heart dish.

Before that happened, I resolved to use a new method and type of potting that has been cogitating in my dark grey.
I used a 8 quart black dishpan as a prototype, drilled 4 holes on 2 sides covered with screen …

… and filled it thus:

Topped up with my version TLO mix.
I used three, 2 quart containers for both Loco’s and the runt Purp Heart, with the exact same setup.
This tech is a simplified version of what I’ve learned from self watering containers.

Fast forward to Dec 20.

Big gal Purple Heart in the 8 quart

Oak leaves have been boiled and applied as a mulch, to cut evaporation.

The other 3,

More tomorrow about what I found out when I returned from an eleven day absence.

[cannabissequoia]

I bet those boiled oak leaves smelled intersting in the kitchen

[spaceman]

lol
Years back when I homebrewed beer, I installed a commercial hood vent fan over the stove.
Strange odors begone!
But you’re right strong smelling but not too unpleasant.
Shoulda snapped a pic of the water, almost black like coffee.
I wonder at the nutrient potential.

[spaceman]

So yesterday when I got back to my grow, here is what greeted me,

Purple Heart 1 in tent one

Loco Mota 1 + 2 on the right and Purple Heart 2 on the left,

Pretty ballsy little gal that Loco Mota!

Loco Mota 2

My what fat leaves you have Purple Heart 2.

Purple Heart 1

So I’m quite happy Loco Mota 1 is male, Gonna grab some pollen for chuckin’!
Less than 30 days old too!
This lil guy is all alone in tent one and the girls are shacking up in tent 2.

More later…

[HaRdRoC]

Looking great man!!!

[Sebring]

As long as you don’t see any of the F-ed up leaf structure that Blueberry brings to the party in the Purple Heart and Loco Mota, then go nuts making seeds! Although, I don’t see even a hint of it in the photos so…

[spaceman]

Is this what you are referring to?

Blueberry Krinkle Gene/Pheno

[image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image][image] Just thought I would share this Krinkle deformity that shows up in strains that have Blueberry in them. This is a Blue Magoo, and there is nothing wrong with this plant, it’s completely 100% healthy. This trait shows up in Blueberry plants probably 20% of the time, and in plants with Blueberry as a parent, I would say 10-15% of the time. It’s quite unusual looking, but I would not throw it out until u bring it to harvest. So…

Thanks for the heads up!

Edit:
BTW this is the first time I’ve tried sprouting an (at least to me) obvious dud.
And we have this really cool fat leaved specimen to enjoy.

Top candidate for outdoor.

[DatDamDog]

My 1st Loco was a male that showed itself at a week. I have it posted in my journal.
I can’t wait to grow out the locos now that I have 2 females. They are going to be fun to watch to grow! this is my first auto grow.
I can’t wait to see how you do with your locos! Good luck . I’m predicting monsters will be in your tent!

[spaceman]

Welcome DatDamDog!
Just checked out your journal, cool grow!

[George]

Great looking plants , while boiling those leaves you completely avoid any trouble with mould, fungus or pests? Excuse me for the noobish question but it looks like an interesting tip to follow, cheers …

[DatDamDog]

Thanks! I’m a full amateur that is quickly learning from watching grows from here. I can’t wait to see how yours goes. I messed up with mine the first 2 weeks, but they look like they are bouncing back and are forgiving my lack of knowledge

[spaceman]

@George

while boiling those leaves you completely avoid any trouble with mould, fungus or pests?

I do a slow boil for over an hour mainly to kill any parasitic spores, insects or arthropods hitchhiking their way into my tents.
The boil also leaches out a lot of the tannins and any remaining chlorophyll.
I should save the leachate the next time and use it as a watering additive.
Might help bring down ph, which I have encountered before.

The leaves act mainly as a shade on the soil, they should be pretty inert.
I inoculate each sprout with myco at planting that hopefully dominates in the soil and exposes the plants to beneficial relationships with fungi.

Thanks for stopping by!
Hello to @HaRdRoC and @cannabissequoia as well!

[spaceman]

@DatDamDog

quickly learning from watching grows from here

With all due humility, man have you come to right place.

[DatDamDog]

Yeah- I got lucky finding this place. I’m not leaving here anytime soon. I’m here to stay. I want to get better with my grows and this is definitely the place to learn.

[beacher]

Looking good. It’s fun watching autos, they’re so fast and vigorous.

What’s the purpose of the channels in the perlite? Do you set the whole tub in water or something?

[spaceman]

Hi beacher,

The perlite is mounded along a line with the peak that connects the two screened vents.
The area below will act like a res but the perlite should help keep it light and airy.
The mix is in a “V” shape cross-sectionally with the perlite shaped like an upside down “V”.
I’ve tried a similar method before but keeping the different levels flat, with OK results.
I was stoned at the time and it seemed like a good thing to try.
The important thing about healthy roots is getting oxygen to them.

Most SIPs and self watering containers provide a root proof bench that keeps an air layer between the mix and the res water.
But I’ve found that roots find their way there eventually.
So this is just an attempt at managing airflow.
At least that’s the idea.
Stay tuned.

[George]

Now it starts to make sense, thanks for sharing …

[spaceman]

Air / water management is crucial in maintaining a living soil indoors.
Since these are young plants - don’t need much water and I am around, I drain most of the res water that collects after I top water.
As they grow I won’t have to do that and will water until the holes weep.

I haven’t actually done a side by side test of this but I’m thinking wide, short containers should result in wide, short plants hence the boiled oak leaves for shading the soil from light and evaporation.
I saved some Dutch clover seed from this summer and am thinking of a few added to the 8 quart prototype.
Just want to make sure them auto’s got a good headstart.

[spaceman]

Quick update.
Rather stark pic of the Loco Mota male.
You can just make out a tinge of yellow at the bottom. Right after this was taken I wrapped the paper plate with aluminum foil.

Purple Heart 1

Purple Heart 2 cool leaves. I love the way this plant looks.
Some undeserved reward for tossing so many seeds that looked just like this one.
I thought white immature looking seeds were duds!

Loco Mota 2
Nice buds forming already!
These auto’s are knocking down my pins.

Now I’m beginning to appreciate what everyone has been talking about.

[spaceman]

No update or pics but on another post I asked if cloning auto’s was practical.
Has anyone tried it?
I did get an interesting answer in that clones wouldn’t stop flowering.
Which is fine for my purposes as I wish to fertilize the clones from each plant with the Loco Mota male.