Hello from MO!

[jbo420]

Hi all. New outdoor grower from MO. Have 1 photo (Afghan Big Bud photoperiod fem) and 3 northern lights (autoflower). Total amateur but researching avidly and growing from seed. Having fun, just an experiment etc since small number of plants. Here’s a few pics. Autoflowers are short but stinky buds and healthy. Are they nearly ready to harvest? Enough brownish color with all the white? Educate me please.

 

[GoldenDragondnw]

Hello and welcome. Do you have a jewelers loupe to look at the trichromes?

 

[GoldenDragondnw]

Not ready for harvest you want the orange hairs not white on the buds and amber trichromes when you get that jewelers loupe.

 

[jbo420]

Hello and welcome. Do you have a jewelers loupe to look at the trichromes?

Yes I do actually. What should I do to determine whether the trichromes are ‘ripe’? Also, here’s a couple super-zoomed in shots taken with iPhone 13 Pro camera. Fairly detailed/good or… not good enough to tell? :)

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

What's eating them?

What should I do to determine whether the trichromes are ‘ripe’?

Trichomes change from clear, to cloudy, to amber. Try to check them on the buds, not the sugar leaves. I like very few clear and about 10% to 20% amber.

 

[GoldenDragondnw]

Follow the white hair to the bud using the loupe then go to your higher mag and you should see the trichromes on the bud.

 

[jbo420]

What's eating them?


Trichomes change from clear, to cloudy, to amber. Try to check them on the buds, not the sugar leaves. I like very few clear and about 10% to 20% amber.

Not much munching on them? Pretty healthy overall for the great outdoors? I’m fertilizing weekly for the Big Bud (higher nitrogen) since still quite vegetative, but feeding high phosphorus for the autos at this point given they’re flowering.

Here’s a video but let me know if quality no good. Haven’t posted here before so will YouTube if needed.

 

[Oldchucky]

Photo looks healthy! Autos look under developed. Did you have a hard time getting them going? Growing in the ground can be a tough learn sometimes. I think you have to give the autos some time yet. Looks like they may have had a rough go. Welcome!

 

[jbo420]

Thanks! The autoflowers were germinated at the same time. All three of them. 3 seed single order. Only one of them has grown to a height of about 2 feet, and the other ones were somehow stunted despite all three being treated equally. Genetics? Not all seeds are equal? I’m excited about the potential of the photoperiod Big bud. She still has a way to go with the vegetative stage. Meanwhile trying to take care of the flowering babies. The soil pH and the nutrients are seemingly good. It gets hot here in Missouri and we have quite the heatwave this week. Ah the perils of growing outside. As said, it’s an experiment and I’m doing my best. Daily watering in this heat.

 

[Oldchucky]

Right on! We all have to start someplace! IMO autos are best grown in pots. At least until you know what you’re doing. Gives you more control over what is going on in the root zone! Remember that weed likes a pretty good wet dry cycle. You may be overwatering. Not allowing enough dry back. it’s going to take a long time for soil to dry out when it’s 95° and 70% humidity! Could be why the autos are not flourishing. How old are these plants? Do they get full sun all day? Good soil drainage? Just things you have to take into consideration for your environment. Keep hammering away at it!

 

[jbo420]

Right on! We all have to start someplace! IMO autos are best grown in pots. At least until you know what you’re doing. Gives you more control over what is going on in the root zone! Remember that weed likes a pretty good wet dry cycle. You may be overwatering. Not allowing enough dry back. it’s going to take a long time for soil to dry out when it’s 95° and 70% humidity! Could be why the autos are not flourishing. How old are these plants? Do they get full sun all day? Good soil drainage? Just things you have to take into consideration for your environment. Keep hammering away at it!

Definitely not quite enough full sun. 7 hours total. Beyond that it’s shaded by a huge canopy of 60 ft trees. I definitely think I’ll go with just photoperiod next time around, all considered. Good point regarding the heat and humidity and soil dry out time. Soil drainage is definitely good back there.

 

[jbo420]

Definitely not quite enough full sun. 7 hours total. Beyond that it’s shaded by a huge canopy of 60 ft trees. I definitely think I’ll go with just photoperiod next time around, all considered. Good point regarding the heat and humidity and soil dry out time. Soil drainage is definitely good back there.

I’d prefer to have at least 10 hours of direct sun, but we can’t have everything. I’m keeping it from prying eyes and it’s a really good spot away from neighbors and anybody just casually glancing back there. Great camouflage. Just needs a little bit more direct sun and it would be perfect. Big bud (see video) is doing really well and I think it’s going to vegetate for at least the next 6 weeks or so before I start seeing the first flowering emerge on her would be my guess. I only topped her once and it spread out nicely. Continually less light etc as we head toward Autumn here at that point (Sept) so flowering will start on that gal around then I figure.

 

[Oldchucky]

Agreed. Sounds like about the right timeline.

 

[PurpleGreen]

The autoflowers seem like they're getting there with those stinky buds. Check the trichomes on the buds with a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe. When they look mostly cloudy with some amber, that's the sweet spot for harvesting those babies.

 

[TLOnewbie]

Not much munching on them? Pretty healthy overall for the great outdoors? I’m fertilizing weekly for the Big Bud (higher nitrogen) since still quite vegetative, but feeding high phosphorus for the autos at this point given they’re flowering.

Here’s a video but let me know if quality no good. Haven’t posted here before so will YouTube if needed.

To much fertilizer imho