Introduction + Indoor Autoflower Soil Grow Advice for Success

  • Thread starter MacH
  • Start date
  • Tagged users None
MacH

MacH

7
3
Hello all. Nice to join the community and start the learning curve to grow the best buds possible. I have done quite some research to get started but always looking for pro tips.

This is my first grow and my experience level is rather low.

Equipment Summary

Grow Ten
t: 5x5
LED Grow Light: Mars Hydro TS-3000 Grow Light.
Air Exhaust: 6 inch Infinity AC HVAC Fan with Electronic Controller + Carbon Filter
Air Intake: Inline Fan set to low
Tent Fan: Small fan (Off)
Humidity: Tower Humidifier hooked up to Ink Bird Temp & Humidity Controller.

Current Grow (3 Plants) - Approx. 1-2 Weeks In

Strain
: Critical Jack Feminized Autoflower
Light Schedule: 18 On / 6 Off at ~ 275W Output (75% Setting on lights)
Soil Medium: Pro Mix HP
Nutrients Available: Remi: Grow, Bloom, Micro; Jakes: VB-1; Cal-Mag; pH Up & Down Solution
Water pH: ~6.5pH
Tent Environmental Temp: ~24C (75 F)
Tent Environmental Humidity: ~55-60 RH%
Outdoor Climate: Winter; Very Dry (20-30 RH%)

Questions Moving Forward?

** One plant is significantly ahead of the others due to it being planted around 5-7 days earlier.

1 - I understand since it is an autoflower, the nutrients portions needs to be significantly cut by (1/8, 1/4, 1/2). When should I start adding nutrients when watering ? Is there a tail-tale sign I should be looking for given these plants started at slightly different times? There is a lot of information but nothing is really consistent or easy to follow from what I seen.
2 - When is the veg state over, is that when the pistols form which signals the flowering stage ? What do I do with the light setup ?
3 - Is my LED light to high relative to the plants ? If yes, can I just increase the wattage or should I lower it with the current 275W output ? Or both ?
4 - How much water should I expect to be put in the 5 gal planters ? This is obvious case by case, but is there a general amount I can expect to be watering these plants when the soil is dry ?
5 - Any other tips/pointers I may be missing or reference materials I should read further on ?

I appreciate the help and guidance ahead of time. Happy holidays to all.

Introduction  indoor autoflower soil grow advice for success
Introduction  indoor autoflower soil grow advice for success 2
Introduction  indoor autoflower soil grow advice for success 3
 
PK1

PK1

Supporter
3,459
263
1 - I understand since it is an autoflower, the nutrients portions needs to be significantly cut by (1/8, 1/4, 1/2). When should I start adding nutrients when watering ? Is there a tail-tale sign I should be looking for given these plants started at slightly different times? There is a lot of information but nothing is really consistent or easy to follow from what I seen.
since you are using ProMix HP you want to feed every time watering.

2 - When is the veg state over, is that when the pistols form which signals the flowering stage ? What do I do with the light setup ?
Since you are growing Auto it's harder to tell when it over in my opinion. However, run the lights at 18 hours on and 6 hours off until harvest


3 - Is my LED light to high relative to the plants ? If yes, can I just increase the wattage or should I lower it with the current 275W output ? Or both ?
I've got a TS1000 and is set at 100% intensity and its at 20". if you notice leaves curling up that means it's too hot and you should raise it some more. You can also put your forehand on top of the plant and hold it for 5 min and see if the light intensity burns your hand. If it feels good to you then its good for the plant.

4 - How much water should I expect to be put in the 5 gal planters ? This is obvious case by case, but is there a general amount I can expect to be watering these plants when the soil is dry ? Water accordingly by picking the planter up and seeing how heavy it is. Also touch the bottom and see if its moist or wet. I would get a feel on how heavy it is when it waters and see how light it gets when is fully dry. Cannabis plants do like it more on the dryer side.


5 - Any other tips/pointers I may be missing or reference materials I should read further on ?
I don't know your nutrients but you would want to follow the schedule at a lower rate and work your way up. Auto plants do what they like so you have to absorb what she is doing and act accordingly. i am new here but I am sure there are members here who grow Auto's and can help you further.
Perhaps copying all this and starting a diary would help members recognize your grow and help you out.
 
PK1

PK1

Supporter
3,459
263
I notice your watering method to the plant.👏 Keep it up and make those roots grow out. How many ppm is the schedule feeding?
 
MacH

MacH

7
3
I notice your watering method to the plant.👏 Keep it up and make those roots grow out. How many ppm is the schedule feeding?

At the moment, it is just pH'd water of 6.5 with no nutrients added to the Pro Mix HP. I haven't done a PPM sample yet but should next watering (With 1/4 of Remo's recommended dosage added) and will report back.

Due to this being my first grow, I'm just at that stage where I am being extra cautious to not over feed the plants but feel it is time to start adding some nutrients to kick start the growth of this auto. For next time, should I have started with the nutrients in the ProMix earlier ?
 
Porky1982

Porky1982

804
243
1 - I understand since it is an autoflower, the nutrients portions needs to be significantly cut by (1/8, 1/4, 1/2). When should I start adding nutrients when watering ? Is there a tail-tale sign I should be looking for given these plants started at slightly different times? There is a lot of information but nothing is really consistent or easy to follow from what I seen.
since you are using ProMix HP you want to feed every time watering.

2 - When is the veg state over, is that when the pistols form which signals the flowering stage ? What do I do with the light setup ?
Since you are growing Auto it's harder to tell when it over in my opinion. However, run the lights at 18 hours on and 6 hours off until harvest


3 - Is my LED light to high relative to the plants ? If yes, can I just increase the wattage or should I lower it with the current 275W output ? Or both ?
I've got a TS1000 and is set at 100% intensity and its at 20". if you notice leaves curling up that means it's too hot and you should raise it some more. You can also put your forehand on top of the plant and hold it for 5 min and see if the light intensity burns your hand. If it feels good to you then its good for the plant.

4 - How much water should I expect to be put in the 5 gal planters ? This is obvious case by case, but is there a general amount I can expect to be watering these plants when the soil is dry ? Water accordingly by picking the planter up and seeing how heavy it is. Also touch the bottom and see if its moist or wet. I would get a feel on how heavy it is when it waters and see how light it gets when is fully dry. Cannabis plants do like it more on the dryer side.


5 - Any other tips/pointers I may be missing or reference materials I should read further on ?
I don't know your nutrients but you would want to follow the schedule at a lower rate and work your way up. Auto plants do what they like so you have to absorb what she is doing and act accordingly. i am new here but I am sure there are members here who grow Auto's and can help you further.
Perhaps copying all this and starting a diary would help members recognize your grow and help you out.
I would agree with all the advice given above. 1 other thing i would add is if you do over water at this early stage it will stunt them and they will most likely not yeild much more than a half oz at best. I would also up the lights to a 20/4 on/off.
 
PK1

PK1

Supporter
3,459
263
At the moment, it is just pH'd water of 6.5 with no nutrients added to the Pro Mix HP. I haven't done a PPM sample yet but should next watering (With 1/4 of Remo's recommended dosage added) and will report back.

Due to this being my first grow, I'm just at that stage where I am being extra cautious to not over feed the plants but feel it is time to start adding some nutrients to kick start the growth of this auto. For next time, should I have started with the nutrients in the ProMix earlier ?
she looks healthy and has a good green to its color. so i would say you are doing good. My tap water ph is 7.01 and i used mega crop 2 parts to feed my photo plant. try to aim for 150ppm and work your way up.

What is your tap water ph? what is the ph when all the nutrients area added? if you have to adjust ph make sure to do it after all your nutrients are added
 
MacH

MacH

7
3
she looks healthy and has a good green to its color. so i would say you are doing good. My tap water ph is 7.01 and i used mega crop 2 parts to feed my photo plant. try to aim for 150ppm and work your way up.

What is your tap water ph? what is the ph when all the nutrients area added? if you have to adjust ph make sure to do it after all your nutrients are added

My tap water after letting it sit overnight reads in the mid 7's (No PPM reading done yet). I haven't added any nutrients yet during this grow but will tomorrow at a low concentration (1/4 -1/3 reduced of the Remo's Feed Schedule). The local hydroponics store also recommended that I add Jakes VB-1 to my nutrient mix - I assume this is similar to Kelp for root stimulation? He also recommended that I pick up Cal-Mag to the mix.

With the research I've done, I understand this is the order that I need to mix my nutrients:

1) Cal-Mag *EDIT* Originally told the guy I was going to use RO water but just have been using Tap water instead.
2) Micro
3) Bloom/Grow
4) VB-1
5) Ph to ~6.2-6.7
 
Last edited:
PK1

PK1

Supporter
3,459
263
What is the ppm of your tap water? if your tap water ph is at 7ish, than don't waste your ph down. Your promix hp reduces the ph of water so the roots can process it.
i don't know Remo products and looking at their schedule and your hydroponic store wanting to get cal mag and vb-1 is just one to many bottles to process for me. 😁 However, adjust your ppm and ph if when you add the nutrients and you notice your ph being too high or your ppm being way more than 300.
 
Edinburgh

Edinburgh

2,692
263
I run all my autos in ffof, autos need very little nutrients, i use botanacare pro grow 2ml per us gal in veg, in flower use Atami Bloombastic 2ml per US gal but water down or you will fry it. Last grow Skywalker now running 3 bears and ghost train haze. Pics Skywalker.
 
20201125 170745
20201126 081247
quirk

quirk

760
143
Great looking plants and medium. This appears to be the start of a zero defects grow. Elevate pots and provide air circulation. Moist, stagnant conditions invite problems, You can't overwater a well draining medium. But you can water too often. At that age I water my five gallon containers, air pots and fabric, with 2-3 lbs. using 16 oz. condiment bottles, never going to runoff at that age. Just keeping medium moist. Good luck
 
Fabri Or Plastic
Moshmen

Moshmen

8,218
313
If ya look around you will find tons of different methods and or opinions- pk got ya rollin great and ur plants look good so yer doing something right I personally don’t feed till at least week 2 sometimes 3 but then I feed heavy when I used pure blend pro grow - which is a great all around fert than can be used the whole cycle- but I fed 8-10 ml per gallon with run off being 1000 + ppm

Water you do need to know what your ppm is chances are your tap has enuff cal/mag in it but some plants are calmag whores! I’m I. For your grow good luck !

Don’t be afraid to try things and find what works for your situation
 
F309A0CE 6660 47F3 9C6E EDAA8DAD2E5D
EF46C839 3446 40CA A503 F1AC86FFF43C
Moshmen

Moshmen

8,218
313
I will also add that pro mix does had some buffer for ph but it will not last long if your not in range so definitely ph your feed/water solution every time until your rollin and decide if your water fits
 
MacH

MacH

7
3
Good morning all. Providing an update. Added nute water on Monday.

First watering with nutes (1/4 of recommended dosage).

Mixed a gallon total but used about 1 litre per plant of tap water mixed with RO water with nutes.

PPM was around 400
pH adjusted to 6.5

When I checked on them the next day, the bigger plant seemed happy but the other two smaller showed minimal signs of nute burn. (see pics attached). I immediately flushed with RO water pH to 6.5 to help the plants along.

These pictures are as of 30 min ago on Wednesday. Seems like no damage was done long term. I will scale down the nute dose and mix with RO water next time.

20201230 075813
20201230 075819
20201230 075832
20201230 075819
20201230 075832
 
  • Like
Reactions: PK1
PK1

PK1

Supporter
3,459
263
400ppm is pretty good. if you don't want to waste your material, don't throw your wrong mix away and make a new batch. If you just devide the batch you made and add more water to it then the nutrient level will decrease.
I find that their schedule sometimes are on higher calculation amounts, cut the recommended dosage in half and feed. try to also read the plant instead and look for signs. FYI, how many gallons of water did you give?
 
MacH

MacH

7
3
400ppm is pretty good. if you don't want to waste your material, don't throw your wrong mix away and make a new batch. If you just devide the batch you made and add more water to it then the nutrient level will decrease.
I find that their schedule sometimes are on higher calculation amounts, cut the recommended dosage in half and feed. try to also read the plant instead and look for signs. FYI, how many gallons of water did you give?

I made up a 1 Gal batch of nutrient water only using 1/4 of the "recommended" amounts in the tap/RO water mix with above said results. For example, it called for 6ml of Micro/Bloom/Grow each but I only put in 1.5ml of each. From there, I poured 1 litre of water in each plant with the rest unused.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PK1
PK1

PK1

Supporter
3,459
263
if you have air pump you can put the air hose in it to keep the remaining mixture agitated. 1 litter of water might not be much for the plant at this stage but the way you are watering her is not the method i take.

at your stage of plant i would water in a circular shape 2" away from the main stem. The circle should go outwards which will allow the roots to go searching for resources and grow further.

update:

your first picture you seemed to water the plants in a circular shape, as i say that because the way the layers of soil are?
 
MacH

MacH

7
3
if you have air pump you can put the air hose in it to keep the remaining mixture agitated. 1 litter of water might not be much for the plant at this stage but the way you are watering her is not the method i take.

at your stage of plant i would water in a circular shape 2" away from the main stem. The circle should go outwards which will allow the roots to go searching for resources and grow further.
How much h20 would you recommend to be watering at this point in the growth?
 
PK1

PK1

Supporter
3,459
263
if you feel that 1 litter is where she is at then the amount is fine, but don't feed the litter at once. Give it 10/15 min breaks in between
 
Top Bottom