Intentionally running a super long veg stage

[hylld4ff]

Two weeks into my first grow (Northern Lights, soil, indoor tent setup with AC Infinity automation), I discovered that I need to go away for two weeks starting what would be week 11 of my grow. I now have two choices, speed-run or aim to have the plant in a state where it can do OK while I am away.

I'm leaning toward the latter: I'm using fabric pots, with the AC Infinity self-watering system (2.3 gal capacity). I can supplement with additional watering systems, and I can have a friend come to refill / hand-water 2-3 times while I am away.
I'm still in the planning stage right now, but I would be grateful for advice about what I should be doing in the next 9 weeks to prepare the plant for my absence. Ideally, I would like to start the flowering stage shortly after I return.

 

[Galgrows]

If your person is reliable i'd use that option. And get those plants trained low enough to not have them grow into the light while your gone. LST and topped is what i use, but you do you whatever works best. Have your friend observe what you do so they get a handle on your grow. Best of luck.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

Photoperiod plants will stay in the vegetation stage as long as the light duration is long enough. I'm not sure how long that would be, but 16 hours would be a reasonable guess. It could be less, though, but not less than 14 hours. (Short light duration signals them to flower.) They could get big, though, so training and topping like @Galgrows recommended is also what I do. Rate of growth can be controlled by the light and VPD settings. Keeping them both low will slow growth.

 

[hylld4ff]

Thank you. Some other factors to consider is:
- should I upsize the pot? currently in 11L fabric, can go to 22L or even 39L
- should I SCROG?

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

- should I upsize the pot? currently in 11L fabric, can go to 22L or even 39L

It depends on how big a plant you want to grow. I use 5-gallon pots, which hold 20 quarts.

- should I SCROG?

Again, it's a matter of how you want to grow. I don't use that method. My opinion is it's unnecessarily complex. I just grow plants to fill my tents. For a first grow, I recommend focusing on growing healthy plants.

 

[hylld4ff]

It depends on how big a plant you want to grow. I use 5-gallon pots, which hold 20 quarts.


Again, it's a matter of how you want to grow. I don't use that method. My opinion is it's unnecessarily complex. I just grow plants to fill my tents. For a first grow, I recommend focusing on growing healthy plants.

ok, so I am guessing that SCROG / bigger pot would not have have a meaningful impact on how often the plant needs watering during the two weeks when I am absent. like I said, the goal is to minimize the burden on my friend who will be watering for me; hoping to limit it to two visits.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

ok, so I am guessing that SCROG / bigger pot would not have have a meaningful impact on how often the plant needs watering during the two weeks when I am absent. like I said, the goal is to minimize the burden on my friend who will be watering for me; hoping to limit it to two visits.

Well... Watering frequency depends on the size and age of the plant. Pot size matters, too. The bigger the plant, the more moisture it will release into the atmosphere. I turn off the tent humidifier for larger plants and let them control the humidity in their tent. Basically, the plant's needs change as it grows through its life stages. I don't use a watering system, so I can't guess how often your system will need to have water added.

 

[amneziaHaze]

I would go with the 5h on 1h off cheap veg version forgot what the proper timing was that would give the smallest plant and cheapest bill... Now to give a random guy a plant that goes in to flower and stretch i would not reccomend unless they know how to train the plant. What you could do is let the person do a type of mainline for you since you will be gone he can top it a few times it will keep it short but you will have budsites then when you come back you can control the stretch

You can buy drop by drop systems i had one it would do 1L in 24h if you connect it to a 20L bucket you would be good for the 2 weeks.or you can buy those pots that let water in when its dry forgot the name they are perfect you can mix some nutes in res and your dude will have to come just to see if the plant is growing in to the light soo you dont cause a fire

 

[Ninjadogma]

If it's a photo you can keep them vegging in perpetuity, but watch out for soil fatigue. It collapses over time, roots fill the pot and keeping the plant happy becomes a bigger challenge. I'm talking about the 6 month mark and beyond. Sounds like what you really need is for a friend to do a run for you using your equipment and plants while you're busy doing other things. It's quite an ask to expect a friend to revolve their life around a plant for you for a couple months but if your friends love weed as much as you do, I would think someone would step up.

Edit: just saw your subsequent post that you only need someone to step in for a couple weeks. Thats not a big ask.