Help with ideas for a "too early flowering outdoor plant"

  • Thread starter MerryJane22
  • Start date
  • Tagged users None
MerryJane22

MerryJane22

89
33
Hi all.....so this is my very first grow and it's been a ride thus far. I intended to simply grow a batch of auto flowers but out of nowhere was given a 7 week old Space Ghost from a friend with a crammed tent. She is now outside, 10 weeks old and flowering already !!!

SORRY FOR LENGTH, not sure what is needed to figure this out 🍀

Specific info :

Plant was a clone grown indoors under 20/4 for 7 weeks until given to me. My grow box was designed for starting seedlings, so she had to be repotted and sent outdoors (and was outgrowing her one gallon pot anyway). I put her in live organic soil and dusted the rootball with mycorrhiza. I don't add additional nutrients. After watering her run off is consistently 6.25. Lately I have to water daily (very very hot here this week---high 80's). Colder at night more on that soon.

Her life began March 27th

*Indoors 20/4 until 7 weeks and arrived here

*I allowed a little acclimation time and then repotted 4 days later.

*I brought her (and the other autos) in at night for about a week due to freezing temps (Michigan can suck)

*Outside she has thrived and has doubled or tripled in size since then....

*Nights got very cold the week before last again and instead of hauling in, I covered the fenced in area with tarps for about 5 days.
From 9pm to 7am (so she still got 14 hrs light).

*I am hardening off a new batch of autos and getting them used to being outside in the dark (have been in 24 hours of light until last week)
so I set an alarm and each night leave them out longer. BUT......I turned on my porch light (one regular light bulb) so I could see in the fenced area to retrieve them. It was on
only 5 minutes the last 3 nights.

* I noticed the flowering begin on June 15th (before the lights but after the tarp period).

So.......I read that Space Ghost requires 9-10 weeks to fully blossom. I have no idea if she just wants to do this on her own, or if I inadvertently caused it with the tarp/and or minimal light?

At first I was pretty upset, as I was excited to see how crazy she may be since she just took off like a rocket. She has over 30 nice bud sites right now. But then I got to really thinking about it.....maybe an early harvest WOULD be ok? October and November can be really sketchy here (hell, so can September !).

My main question is two pronged......did I do this myself by accident? and secondly, if I did......how can I make sure she doesn't re-vegetate? I'd like to simply let her finish. That way she'd be done at the same time as my last batch of autos and I can leave the house on a trip (I'd cancelled thinking I'd have to babysit her).

Since this flowering happened during 15+ days of daylight (14 on the tarp nights) should I feel safe just letting nature go, or to be extra safe should I cover her with something to ensure she gets closer to 12 hours of darkness?

I'd hate to have her re-veg and then have to harvest in the frost......or something equally crappy. See, these climate frustrations are why I chose to use autos for my first grow.

And lastly......since I'm growing all organically.....is there something I could give her to augment the bloom phase instead of chemicals? do I actually need to?

THANK YOU, THANK YOU for any and all insight !!!! 💜

This is how she looks right now :
 
Early1
Early2
Ina

Ina

2,097
313
*Indoors 20/4 until 7 weeks and arrived here
That is the key,for example here outdoors its about 15/9,how about where you are? What i mean its way shorter day and its confused,thinking its time to flower:).There is a chance of confusing and re veging but who knows,may be it will get to the end.....
 
chemistry

chemistry

4,116
263
Leave it to get on with it, looks happy where it's flowering, got plenty of time outdoors to finish up.
 
MerryJane22

MerryJane22

89
33
That is the key,for example here outdoors its about 15/9,how about where you are? What i mean its way shorter day and its confused,thinking its time to flower:).There is a chance of confusing and re veging but who knows,may be it will get to the end.....


Yeah, here too......15:23 minutes daylight right now........worried she may stop 'being confused' and revert back to veg. I guess if that does happen, so be it? I'll just tackle the usual challenges of a Michigan fall harvest?

Also.....I just read that harvesting MJ in the summer could be a bad choice as the buds can get airy and foxtail? that would be a big bummer.

Maybe I ought to craft a way to cover her and insure she gets the full 12 hours of dark? hmmmm........being a beginner isn't my strong suit 😹

Thanks you guys.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ina
MerryJane22

MerryJane22

89
33
Or maybe also something even worse might happen......she could turn 'hermie' on me? 😳
Nothing against hermaphrodites in general, but would prefer she stick to the plan......any tips on how I'd know if that did happen?
 
MHippie

MHippie

Supporter
1,209
263
Or maybe also something even worse might happen......she could turn 'hermie' on me? 😳
Nothing against hermaphrodites in general, but would prefer she stick to the plan......any tips on how I'd know if that did happen?
Au contraire! If you get a hermie, collect those fem seeds! Say a prayer in thanks for THAT awesome gift.... Autoflowering fem seeds? Heh heh...! :D
 
Ina

Ina

2,097
313
Or maybe also something even worse might happen......she could turn 'hermie' on me? 😳
Nothing against hermaphrodites in general, but would prefer she stick to the plan......any tips on how I'd know if that did happen?
No,at least never happened to me.Continue flowering(which i would prefer)or reveging for a while and then flowering again.....:)It usually happens when you take flowering plant outside when the day is longer.Here you have the chance to continue flowering normally but to be sure you could put her 12/12 somehow....Or just leave it like that,could not have the time to reveg and just flower,the day will start to get shorter very soon if its not.......Otherwise its great plant!:)
 
MerryJane22

MerryJane22

89
33
Autoflowering fem seeds? Heh heh...! :D

Nah, she's a regular photo plant. That said, the strain information on her sounds AMAZING (I'm a big indica lover). Couch lock is my favorite😎

But I have an additional (or will when the rest of the seedlings are out there for good) 15 fem auto flowers the big girl will be hanging out with. I'd have to drive the plant very far away to let it finish to collect those seeds. But gosh, you can't buy these seeds
 
MerryJane22

MerryJane22

89
33
No,at least never happened to me.Continue flowering(which i would prefer)

Me too. That's my preference . I specifically chose autos my first go round so I could avoid worrying about hauling a giant tree around to avoid frosty nights (and maybe even snow). An early harvest wasn't something I even contemplated......but it would be brilliant. I'm debating covering her, looking for a good way now.

I'm thinking that my issue could be 3 pronged (adding in case someone else sees this and has the same issue):

#1) She is a clone, maybe her mom was flowering? (I will ask the fellow as soon as I see him) he just handed it to me with zero instruction.
#2) She had those long 20/4 lights her whole 7 weeks before I got her
#3) There is something called 'bolting' that happens when plants experience drastic weather. She was protected from most of it, but not all. It got super cold----then really hot (but cold at night) then super hot again.

Could be ALL of those combined?
 
MHippie

MHippie

Supporter
1,209
263
Nah, she's a regular photo plant. That said, the strain information on her sounds AMAZING (I'm a big indica lover). Couch lock is my favorite😎

But I have an additional (or will when the rest of the seedlings are out there for good) 15 fem auto flowers the big girl will be hanging out with. I'd have to drive the plant very far away to let it finish to collect those seeds. But gosh, you can't buy these seeds
I was referring to your hermie comment. If you get a hermie, then it can ONLY produce fem seeds. The way you know you have one is if it sprouts nuts AND pistels. There are a bunch of different ways to force this. I prefer to go with screwing up their light cycle. 6 hours of light one day, 18 the next, 9 the next, 11 the next, etc. Never consistent. It freaks the plant out and it goes into hermie or "self preservation" mode. On one hand you "waste the plant" because the smoke isn't as good. On the other you can end up with a hundred or more seeds depending on its size. Those seeds will all be fem.
 
MerryJane22

MerryJane22

89
33
Those seeds will all be fem.

WOW !!! that is amazing to know......I need to do this. I never realized they'd all be fem it it did switch over. Almost worth sacrificing all my silly autos for. Delayed gratification, however, has always been a challenge over here, lol. Thanks for that nugget of wisdom. I have so much to learn, but it's all so fascinating.....I'm up reading at 1am these days where I used to be out by 9pm.
 
MHippie

MHippie

Supporter
1,209
263
WOW !!! that is amazing to know......I need to do this. I never realized they'd all be fem it it did switch over. Almost worth sacrificing all my silly autos for. Delayed gratification, however, has always been a challenge over here, lol. Thanks for that nugget of wisdom. I have so much to learn, but it's all so fascinating.....I'm up reading at 1am these days where I used to be out by 9pm.
It's tricky but can be done. Has anyone talked to you about bonsai and momma plants yet?
 
MerryJane22

MerryJane22

89
33
It's tricky but can be done. Has anyone talked to you about bonsai and momma plants yet?

No, not yet. The bonsai I'm thinking may have to do with training and pruning? the only thing I've done in that area is LST. I did that with this Space Ghost and my newer autos (wish I'd have done it with the original batch of 9 I have as they are literally twigs. The newer ones will be bushy.

If all goes well and she keeps flowering I guess I'll have to learn more about the things you mentioned......she has lots of bud sites that are semi-shaded by her fan leaves. I've done some "leaf tucking" to get them more exposed.....but that's it.
 
MHippie

MHippie

Supporter
1,209
263
No, not yet. The bonsai I'm thinking may have to do with training and pruning? the only thing I've done in that area is LST. I did that with this Space Ghost and my newer autos (wish I'd have done it with the original batch of 9 I have as they are literally twigs. The newer ones will be bushy.

If all goes well and she keeps flowering I guess I'll have to learn more about the things you mentioned......she has lots of bud sites that are semi-shaded by her fan leaves. I've done some "leaf tucking" to get them more exposed.....but that's it.

I was hoping this forum would be fun lol :) I had a VERY cool guy take me under his wing about 25 years ago. He didn't sell anything. Guess that's where I got it from. Anyway... there is a strain called Pineapple Express. The suck thing about it is it grows really tall. But that's all that sucks :) The pic attached is what I do for tall plants that I don't want to go tall, but don't want to totally bush out either. And... it's LST which is part of the bonsai thing. Again everything i do is WAY old school. Bailing twine and s hooks twisted out of bonsai wire lol :))))) On a Sativa, I'll keep moving those strings out each week until the entire branch is both woody and straight as hell. That forces the growth shoots to grow straight up, gets plenty of light to the inner branches, and produces WAY tight large nugs. Then you don't have to worry about repositioning fan leaves and snipping and cutting energy producers.

Additionally, the top main growth shoot has been cut. I'm allowing the top to grow into two shoots and then they'll get the LST treatment too. The bottom 2 nodes which are not in an LST mode are being allowed to grow for clones. The end result if I flowered this one would be six 2 branch nodes or 12 in total with between 6 and 9 big ass nugs per branch. All of the main branches will be straight out with only the growth tips being allowed to point up at the end. (Nugs get REALLY big there)

Also if this one was going to flower, it would be transplanted in 10 gallon grow bag.

But because it is a momma plant... the pot the plant is in is only 6 inches tall. Root binding produces a SHIT TON of issues in cannabis. Enter... bonsai methods :) Root trimming can be scary until you get used to it. But here's how it works. When you think the plant has maxed out its pot, gently work the plant loose from the pot and check out the roots. If they are all around the sides and very thick, then you are root bound or close to it. Easiest way to fix it is to get a steak knife and wipe it down with an alcohol wipe. Take the plant and put it on a hard smooth surface. Working top to bottom, cut off 1/4 inch of soil and roots straight down. Do this on all 4 sides. Then cut a 1/2 inch to an inch off the bottom. Fill the bottom of the same pot with good soil about an inch deep. Put the plant back in and then new dirt around all sides and an inch up on the top or more if it will fit. Any pruning that needs to be done, do it at that time. Water it with just clear water. It will get its nutrients from the fresh soil for the next week or so that it is recovering. Now you have the beginning of a momma clone machine.
 
2Veg
MHippie

MHippie

Supporter
1,209
263
It has been both informative AND fun :)

Excellent tips there, Hippie.....I will re-read in the morning and comment with any questions I have. THANK YOU !

Oh wow! I guess I've had A LOT go on with that plant since that post. Stupid thing started flowering and I couldn't kick it back into veg so... heres what it looks like tonight.
15947786867528847768462158615293


And her sister... same age and relatively not f'd with.
 
15947787816432399957661400864629
Top Bottom