2016 Interior Alaska Outdoor Autos

[Dunge]

About 7 weeks in, some seedlings are showing sex.

 

[AKM]

Thanks for showing up AKM.
...

I imagine us getting together in the fall to evaluate results and plan for next year.

Hey Dunge - Looks like nearly 100% germination rate on the seeds. Have you ever tried growing directly in the ground around here, no potting soil or fertilizer? I think I'll try a couple of these right in the silt. That's what we really need, something that requires very little babying. Just plant in the garden and forget it. I saw tons of great stuff growing along roadsides and ditches in Afghanistan, trust me, it's a weed. I'll bet those guys where it grows wild would laugh at the pains we take to get a good crop, haha.

 

[Dunge]

I'd love to see how they do.
Northern loess deposits are the agricultural future of the continent.
Grows barley just fine.

 

[Dunge]

Visited a co-conspirator's green house.
These are some volunteers that fell in a bed.
They are the most advanced of any of this trial.

Notes:
no sexual identity yet.
Overly thick stem.

Looking for auto flower trait and will pollinate accordingly.

 

[AKM]

6 OG-A seeds and 6 Mango-A seeds. 100% of OG-A's sprouted, but only 2 of the Mango-A seeds.

I started half in my Aerogarden, and half in commercial potting soil. Just FYI.

 

[Dunge]

Flowering has begun!

Went to check on some grows and found these.

This farmer had other plants squirreled away in other locals, but I was easily able to find these three.
They were all in full flower.
I must admit to being pleasantly surprised, (but mostly surprised) that such a high percentage of her plants were flowering so decisively.
These are a bit over two months old with lots of summer ahead of them.
Both the Tahoe and Mango seem to have taken on the auto flower trait of the ruderalis.

At another location, the volunteers are growing nicely. I'm told the big one is showing hemy traits.

And the last of the rescued volunteers are taken away to a new home.

This is starting to look like a promising trial.

A high percentage of these plants are auto flowering.
Didn't expect that.

 

[Dunge]

Update on the most advanced girls living in a friends green house.

Buds look to be growing very nicely.

The smell is sweet and nice. (None of that rudy stank I'm wanting to avoid)

 

[AKM]

Update on the most advanced girls living in a friends green house.

Dunge - I started with 6 Auto Mangos and 6 Auto Tahoes. All 6 AT's are growing well, at least 4 are males, possibly all 6! Only 3 AMs took off, can't tell sex yet. Nice looking plants, though. You want me to keep growing all the males ATs? Maybe I'll wait and see if there are any females. Bummer.

 

[Dunge]

@AKM
I am keeping all males unless they show characteristics that eliminate them as a pollen source.

Presently I'm looking for advise on pollen storage.
So far, keeping it clean and dry is about as technical as I have.
It seems to me that sealing with a desiccant would be a promising step.

I made another pollination visit to the above pictured plants.
I had marked one branch on each plant with a pipe cleaner.
None of the previously pollinated flowers looked like they were making seeds, so I figured another round of pollen was in order.
These plants are flowering so nicely that I am anxious to get seeds off them.
Trichs are small but abundant, and the smells are all nice.

 

[AKM]

So, six weeks into the trial, I have 6 ATs and 3 AMs growing nicely. I see bananas on 2 of the ATs, no sign of sex on anything else.

As autoflowers, this looks like a big bust, eh? Maybe the 2 males are good for the experiment, but at 6 weeks, we should be seeing tons of white hairs on the females. I'll let them grow on, but I'm thinking that if these plants can't produce some smokeable buds under the midnight sun in 8-10 weeks, then they are of little value to us. What we really need is a plant that can be sown in late-May and produce outdoor results before an early August frost hits, 12 weeks max.

Most of the autoflower seeds from the mail order seedbanks seem to produce buds in 8-12 weeks, anyway. Maybe I will experiment with those next year. Since it's now legal here, I know tons of people who would love a row of cannabis next to their tomatoes. Growing under lights in the house is out-of-the-question for most folks, and quite expensive.

I've been playing with three Alien Rock Candy plants this summer, put them in the shed at 6pm take them out at 6am...getting some great buds, but nothing like you see in pictures of high power light indoor grows. I vegged them for 8 weeks, been 12-12'ing for 6 weeks now. I am tempted to stick one next to an Autoflower AT male and get some seeds, lol.

How you coming along? What were you thinking for budding times on an Interior Alaskan Autoflower Rudy mix?

 

[Dunge]

Got my first Auto Mango harvest report, so some of them are flowering in a desirable time.
Plant was taken a bit early as the reporter, "needed the smoke". He reports safe and effective results.

I have three females that are all flowering out doors, and with two months to frost, I'm still hopeful.

The three females in a friends greenhouse are the most advanced I've seen. But I'm reminded that they are now over three months old.

It seems a delicate balance. flowering too early is as big a fail as flowering too late, as the yield off a small plant is not worth the effort in my experience. The shrubs I and my friend are growing have size enough to yield well.

It is interesting the variety of results seen so far. I've seen a few that just don't seem to grow at all, but many are very hearty, flowering hard, and are receiving pollen in an attempt to get seeds for next year.

 

[AKM]

Got my first Auto Mango harvest report, so some of them are flowering in a desirable time.

It is interesting the variety of results seen so far. I've seen a few that just don't seem to grow at all, but many are very hearty, flowering hard, and are receiving pollen in an attempt to get seeds for next year.

Wow, that's great! Your plan is working. So, yeah, try to get seeds from every plant that produces the desirable traits and repeat next year...I'm in! I'll try to collect pollen from these males and store it in the freezer, I was reading that is can remain viable for years if kept in low humidity.

 

[AlaskanGrown]

Nice looking. Wished I lived in Fairbanks for the summer.

 

[AKM]

Report:

6 Auto Tahoe Seeds - All 6 germinated on 25 May. Grew well. 2 Males, produced pollen at 4 weeks, now 65 days, about 24" tall, lots of 'naners making clouds of dust. 4 females, now 24" tall, just this week showing signs of sex.

6 Auto Mango Seeds - 3 germinated on 25 May. 1 male, made pollen at about 6 weeks, 18" tall now at 65 days, starting to fill out in the pollen sacs. 2 females, 65 days, 18", just a hint of their sex today.

All have been grown in the ground, no special treatment. Lots of rain. Maybe another 6 weeks til frost.

 

[Dunge]

Auto Mango
She started flowering about two months ago.
Exhibits resistance to the brown mold that has made the Auto Tahoes a mess.
Might be the open structure that allows better air circulation.

The flowers are slightly frosted with a nice smell, and no hint of ruderalis.
Confused about how these flowers just don't seem to be maturing.

She has been hit with pollen but I see little sign of seed growth.

Brown mold resistance is now the breeding priority in this selection game.
That she grows well, flowers auto, and smells nice; is a good starting point.
Hope I get viable seeds.

 

[Dunge]

Dug some bud mold out of the Auto Tahoes and sprayed with stylet oil.
Seem to have brought the loses under control.
The number of infestation centers was not as bad as I had feared.

Seem to have seeds.

Still confused about how these Auto Mango flowers refuse to finish.

Got a bit of frost.
Smells nice.

I'm searching for someone to extract the autos for me.
I'd like to fresh freeze them after harvest.
I have read this makes good extract.
Don't want the bother of curing them like I do my photo period keepers.

 

[Dunge]

Window shopping at a greenhouse outside Fairbanks.

I had given them some of my seedlings back in the days when it was too cold to go outside, and they had a heated greenhouse.
They look identical to my plants, but no indication of mold anyplace. (my plants spent most of the summer outside in a very rainy season)
Very leafy, open flower structure, white (like new) pistols.

 

[AKM]

Late summer pictures. Planted seeds May 25th, then into soil outside.

Some Auto Mangoes. 1 male, 1 Auto-trait female, 1 non-flowering fem:

And some auto-Tahoes. 2 spawned out males, 2 flowering fems, 2 non-flowering:

All polinated, I'll see if any of the seeds mature. None of the buds are worth bragging about, but was happy to see them autoflowering.

 

[DonBrown93]

Window shopping at a greenhouse outside Fairbanks.
View attachment 626796
I had given them some of my seedlings back in the days when it was too cold to go outside, and they had a heated greenhouse.
They look identical to my plants, but no indication of mold anyplace. (my plants spent most of the summer outside in a very rainy season)
Very leafy, open flower structure, white (like new) pistols.
View attachment 626797
View attachment 626800

I went out to that greenhouse a couple of days ago.....they have gotten bigger.....Auto's huh?.....smelled great..

 

[AKM]

Frosty Buds! Sad to see, this is actual frost, lol. 28 degress this morning! These autoflower Tahoe. Lots of seeds on a few small buds. We'll see what next year brings. Do you want some of the seeds, Dunge?