Starting high temperature (30°C/86°F) outdoor grow in South Thailand - small leggy seedlings - aging ex-hippy needs comments & advice!

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robsamui

robsamui

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Greetings all - some advice please.

I'm a newbie at outdoor growing, although I've had successful grows twice in the past using light tents. Right now I have a batch of seedlings sitting on my window ledge in 4-inch pots. I deliberately chose compact auto-feminized hybrids - although it's now legal to grow weed in Thailand I want to keep a close watch on this first batch to see how things go. (I also potted 2 regular, larger strains with the idea of putting them into the ground somewhere secluded.)

I've no experience with auto-flowering seeds. I know they are more compact than regular strains and have less of a yield. But I'm getting a bit concerned now. It's exactly 6 weeks since they all popped their heads up and they seem to be hardly growing at all. The auto-flowering ones seem tiny but nicely formed, and started the first flower set at about 5 weeks.

They are on a north facing window and get bright light all morning and direct sun from midday till 6 pm. They're in a potting-soil/perlite mix - watered every 2/3 days with a soak-and-drain - started with mild nutrition (Fox Farm Grow Big) when the first fan leaves appeared. Soil is PH6. The minimum temperature is 30°C/86°F this time of year.

Are the autoflowing varieties OK with this kind of temperature? What's happening with the leggy Tropical Punch?

I'd appreciate your comments please, as this is my first grow with these hybrids.
 
D matic 6 weeks1
Trop punch 6 weeks
Deadstill

Deadstill

I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.
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Howdy, and welcome to the Farm! 🤠

I'm not all too familiar with autos- though there are plenty of knowledgeable folks here who are very familiar with autos. I'm sure one of them will chime in, soon.

As far as the temperature goes, I wouldn't think that is so much of an issue. Like I said, not familiar with autos so much, but in my experience I've had temps upwards of 110 F and if the plants are taken care of properly in the first place, they don't even miss a beat.

All I can say for sure is, from looking at the pictures and what you described, perhaps the issue is overwatering (watering too frequently, not letting the soil dry out enough) and maybe you have root issues.. But again, I'm no auto expert.
 
Moshmen

Moshmen

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what growing medium you using ? You could use more drainage more perlite perhaps? Looks over watered , not enuff light and those pots are too small for a auto to do well imo if size is an issue next time use 8 or ten “ pots at least
 
sambapati

sambapati

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what growing medium you using ? You could use more drainage more perlite perhaps? Looks over watered , not enuff light and those pots are too small for a auto to do well imo if size is an issue next time use 8 or ten “ pots at least
Howdy and welcome to the farm. Outdoor growing in Thailand is really difficult because of the bugs, particularly fungus gnats and spider mites, fought all of them on an auto grow but none of them went to full on bloom because of bugs.Yeah, a whole lot of new growers coming online in Thailand right now. Very fun to see tourists in coffee shops getting down and buying weed with crazy prices. Next grow I'm going to use one of those zip-up plastic grow houses to at least confuse the bugs. @Edinburgh is totally the man when it comes to autos hopefully he can help you. Again welcome to my moohbahn.
 
nashobaTHC

nashobaTHC

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If plants are inside and getting light through windows it’s likely the glass is filtering out blue light (good for leaf development and stalk thickening) and allowing in red light that causes plants to stretch. They need both for normal bushy growth.
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

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what growing medium you using ? You could use more drainage more perlite perhaps? Looks over watered , not enuff light and those pots are too small for a auto to do well imo if size is an issue next time use 8 or ten “ pots at least
x2
 
robsamui

robsamui

9
3
Howdy, and welcome to the Farm! 🤠

I'm not all too familiar with autos- though there are plenty of knowledgeable folks here who are very familiar with autos. I'm sure one of them will chime in, soon.

As far as the temperature goes, I wouldn't think that is so much of an issue. Like I said, not familiar with autos so much, but in my experience I've had temps upwards of 110 F and if the plants are taken care of properly in the first place, they don't even miss a beat.

All I can say for sure is, from looking at the pictures and what you described, perhaps the issue is overwatering (watering too frequently, not letting the soil dry out enough) and maybe you have root issues.. But again, I'm no auto expert.
Thanks for the greeting and comments.

The reason I mention the temp is a) that autos are bred by using a generic percentage of cold-climate Ruderalis and b) so many forum comments re germination/seedlings specify a temp of around 80°F (26°C) . . . and my ambient temp is rarely less than 30°C. I wanted to know whether this was a consideration - seemingly not.

I don't think watering issues are the problem, not unless maybe the soil is too dense and compact. It's ordinary garden potting soil, very dense and black. But this was what I successfully used on my two light-tent grows before.

I am beginning to suspect that the problem might be the light intensity. There's a lot of cloud about at this time of year and the plants are on a north-facing window. There are two of them that are a bit leggy, but the others look well formed . . . it's just that they are all on the small side.

I think I'll get a couple of lamps for the overcast days . . .
 
robsamui

robsamui

9
3
If plants are inside and getting light through windows it’s likely the glass is filtering out blue light (good for leaf development and stalk thickening) and allowing in red light that causes plants to stretch. They need both for normal bushy growth.
Mmmm, yes, maybe (the light balance). Now that they're firmly into the veggie stage I reckon that I'll get a couple of lamps to use. The weather's been very overcast also, so it might simply be a low light problem.
 
robsamui

robsamui

9
3
what growing medium you using ? You could use more drainage more perlite perhaps? Looks over watered , not enuff light and those pots are too small for a auto to do well imo if size is an issue next time use 8 or ten “ pots at least
In the photos they've just been watered - it's the same general garden potting soil that I've used successfully before.
The pots are actually open-sided in a grid pattern. What I usually do is to pot them on (when the roots are beginning to show) by simply planting the small perforated pot directly into a 10-inch pot, without disturbing the roots. Has worked well in the past . . .
 
robsamui

robsamui

9
3
I'm sure now that the stunted growth was mostly a matter of not getting enough sunlight. (I was only using daylight before and this month's been overcast.)
Here's the result after only another week with a couple full spectrum lights. (They are autos, so a mature height of only about 2 - 2½ feet.)
Photos showing Dieselmatic at 7 weeks
 
Autos 7 weeks
Last edited:
Buzzzz

Buzzzz

1,127
163
I'm sure now that the stunted growth was mostly a matter of not getting enough sunlight. (I was only using daylight before and this month's been overcast.)
Here's the result after only another week with a couple full spectrum lights. (They are autos, so a mature height of only about 2 - 2½ feet.)
Photos showing Dieselmatic at 7 weeks
The growth is stunted because they are already flowering
 
MomsGrowGanja

MomsGrowGanja

33
18
Greetings all - some advice please.

I'm a newbie at outdoor growing, although I've had successful grows twice in the past using light tents. Right now I have a batch of seedlings sitting on my window ledge in 4-inch pots. I deliberately chose compact auto-feminized hybrids - although it's now legal to grow weed in Thailand I want to keep a close watch on this first batch to see how things go. (I also potted 2 regular, larger strains with the idea of putting them into the ground somewhere secluded.)

I've no experience with auto-flowering seeds. I know they are more compact than regular strains and have less of a yield. But I'm getting a bit concerned now. It's exactly 6 weeks since they all popped their heads up and they seem to be hardly growing at all. The auto-flowering ones seem tiny but nicely formed, and started the first flower set at about 5 weeks.

They are on a north facing window and get bright light all morning and direct sun from midday till 6 pm. They're in a potting-soil/perlite mix - watered every 2/3 days with a soak-and-drain - started with mild nutrition (Fox Farm Grow Big) when the first fan leaves appeared. Soil is PH6. The minimum temperature is 30°C/86°F this time of year.

Are the autoflowing varieties OK with this kind of temperature? What's happening with the leggy Tropical Punch?

I'd appreciate your comments please, as this is my first grow with these hybrids.
I grow outdoor autos. I always expect this.... smaller plants and longer blooms. I find that they also rebound a little slower from training and pruning. Do not over prune early flower. I get so excited that I often slightly stunt my girls bc I can't keep my hands off them.( I do a lot of test and control w my grows. It's all in fun and it's "free" smoke by the time I harvest. ) IDK about Thai logistics or weather...but autos are designed to....automatically flower. So they will do what nature intended without perfect conditions. I find that I can't really do successful photos where I live. Light pollution, sub optimal sunlight....I run autos outdoors so I beat the high humidity I get late flower (late Aug) in the valley I live in.( Photos end up funky and botrytis is a real threat.) They look fine, though. As long as you pay attention to feeds, pH, h20, and pests you are controlling your grow. Remember this.... you will only get as decent product as your genetics allow, so try to give them the best opportunities you possibly can. Good luck!
 
sambapati

sambapati

2,174
263
I grow outdoor autos. I always expect this.... smaller plants and longer blooms. I find that they also rebound a little slower from training and pruning. Do not over prune early flower. I get so excited that I often slightly stunt my girls bc I can't keep my hands off them.( I do a lot of test and control w my grows. It's all in fun and it's "free" smoke by the time I harvest. ) IDK about Thai logistics or weather...but autos are designed to....automatically flower. So they will do what nature intended without perfect conditions. I find that I can't really do successful photos where I live. Light pollution, sub optimal sunlight....I run autos outdoors so I beat the high humidity I get late flower (late Aug) in the valley I live in.( Photos end up funky and botrytis is a real threat.) They look fine, though. As long as you pay attention to feeds, pH, h20, and pests you are controlling your grow. Remember this.... you will only get as decent product as your genetics allow, so try to give them the best opportunities you possibly can. Good luck!
Moms know best!
 
Buzzzz

Buzzzz

1,127
163
I grow outdoor autos. I always expect this.... smaller plants and longer blooms. I find that they also rebound a little slower from training and pruning. Do not over prune early flower. I get so excited that I often slightly stunt my girls bc I can't keep my hands off them.( I do a lot of test and control w my grows. It's all in fun and it's "free" smoke by the time I harvest. ) IDK about Thai logistics or weather...but autos are designed to....automatically flower. So they will do what nature intended without perfect conditions. I find that I can't really do successful photos where I live. Light pollution, sub optimal sunlight....I run autos outdoors so I beat the high humidity I get late flower (late Aug) in the valley I live in.( Photos end up funky and botrytis is a real threat.) They look fine, though. As long as you pay attention to feeds, pH, h20, and pests you are controlling your grow. Remember this.... you will only get as decent product as your genetics allow, so try to give them the best opportunities you possibly can. Good luck!
But they are never "real" autoflowers and that's why they don't all autoflower like nature intended and is dependent on % of photo used in the cross,also why some reveg,confused genetics. JMO
 
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