Day 18. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
Day 23. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
Day 28. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
From 2 to 6 weeks
The plant quickly puts on vertical growth with increasing internodal distances. Depending on variety, a growth rate of 4 cm (1.5 in.) a day can be achieved. You can see the plants growing. At the end of this phase, the plant is up to 1 meter (3 ft.) tall if it is of the super Auto-flowering types, or at full height of around 18 inches if it is a regular Autoflower.
White pistils appear as early as the third week and continue to show up through week 5 depending on variety. Flower buds develop. The plant is putting everything into growth, and it is hard for it to keep up, so it may look a bit dull. Keep an eye on it for any drastic color or leaf changes—otherwise, a loss of some green color is normal.
From 6 to 8 weeks or so
Growth slows and blooms (female, though possibly male) grow bigger. Side buds appear and grow. The plant’s aroma strengthens as trichomes develop. At the end of the period, some clear trichomes start to cloud up. Individual pistils start to turn brown.
Day 33. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
Day 39. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
Day 44. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
Growth slows and the plant may green up a bit as it is finally able to keep up with nutrient demands. If the plant continues to lose its green color, add nutrients—just once and diluted, of course.
From 8 weeks until harvest
Trichomes start to turn from clear to cloudy to amber. The vast majority of pistils turn from white to brown. The top flowers usually ripen about a week ahead of lower flowers that continue to develop.
The big early fan leaves lose color because there are not enough nutrients left in the soil. These leaves should be removed. Harvest is near.
All the pistils turn brown, and the trichomes become milky. It is time to harvest. Some gardeners will want to wait until 20% of the trichomes are amber. Others, until more are amber, depending on the desired cannabinoid to THC ratio.
Day 50. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
Day 55. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
Day 60. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
Day 65. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
TEMPERATURE
Autoflowering Cannabis seed germinates best at 25°C (77°F). Consider using a heat mat (just like you would when starting your tomatoes). Room temperature is fine, although it may take a bit longer for the seedlings to emerge.
Once germinated, Autoflowering Cannabis does best when grown in a temperature range between 24 to 30°C (75 to 86°F). Again, these are perfect temperatures for tomatoes. Night temperatures really shouldn’t drop below 10°C (50°F) even though the plants can survive at cooler temperatures.
Keep water temperatures in the same range as the ambient air temperatures (which is easy: set aside a bucket filled with water). This way you won’t shock roots or the soil food web that surrounds them.
Day 70. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
Day 75. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
Day 80. Harvest Day! GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
GERMINATE SEEDS
There are a number of ways to germinate an Autoflowering Cannabis seed. All it takes is for the seed to be able to absorb water through its shell. Any way you can germinate a tomato seed will work for starting Autoflowering Cannabis.
The easiest method to germinate an Autoflowering Cannabis seed is to poke a hole in damp soil about 25 to 38 mm (½ to 1½ in.) deep. Use your finger or a pencil. (Isn’t this how most of us start tomatoes and other vegetables?) Cover the seed with soil mix, and a seedling should emerge within 2 to 5 days.
A variation of this method is to use a seed starting wafer, the kind used for tomatoes and other vegetables. Comprised of compressed soil, coir, or various mixes, they expand when wet. Stick a seed in and wait for germination. They usually hold enough moisture so you don’t need to add any water for several days.
Plate/Paper towel germination method. WINNIE CASACOP.
Of course, these methods can be a hit-or-miss proposition, as with any vegetable seed started this way. But Autoflowering Cannabis seed is relatively expensive. To insure more certainty in germination, two other methods are suggested.
The first is to drop a few seeds into a glass of warm water. After 12 hours, start checking the seeds. As they absorb water, they will split open, revealing a tiny bit of white taproot. By the end of 24 hours, you should notice this happening to all your viable seeds. It is time to plant (but only after “rolling” or otherwise applying mycorrhizal fungi to the root).
A second method begins by putting the soaked seed on a damp, unbleached paper towel. (Some skip the 24-hour soak in a glass of water, but don’t for your first couple of attempts.) Cover these seeds with a second damp towel or fold over the first towel to cover them. Cover the seeds and toweling with a second plate. Alternatively, put the damp towel into a plastic baggie and store this in a dark, warm location.
Once seeds are in the damp towel, wait another 24 hours before carefully checking on them. You can leave seedlings in this setup for up to 5 days, but it is best to plant as soon as there is a discernible root, so root hairs develop in the soil and do not grow into the fibers of the towel.
The argument for soaking is that it lessens the seeds’ exposure to air during germination and this prevents “damping off,” a fungal attack that will kill the seedlings. Unless you live in a humid climate or have had problems germinating seed before, I would not be overly concerned, but providing air ventilation and air movement are good preventative measures.
APPLICATION OF MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI BEFORE PLANTING
Always use mycorrhizal fungi, Rhizophagus intraradices, to inoculate the seedling. If you are germinating seed directly in the soil, then roll the seed in the fungal mix first. This will coat the seed with enough propagules of the fungi. The fungi will establish itself in the root and soon start to mine the soil for nutrients to feed the plant.
Autoflowering Cannabis plants grow so fast that applying mycorrhizal fungi may not be as effective as it is with the slower-growing sativa and indica. Nonetheless, the inexpensive cost of the fungi (versus the potential returns) makes its use very worthwhile. And, if you are using a cover crop of sorts, the fungi should help it grow and perform as well.
PLANTING
Your soil should be watered and drained before you plant so that you don’t have to add (much) water right after you plant. Adding water post planting might wash away seed, will change seed depth in the soil, and might wash away some of the mycorrhizal fungi propagules. Just to insure mycorrhizae, make sure you mix the fungal preparation into your soil. This way, new roots will grow into it and be inoculated.
If, after you have grown a plant or two, you feel the need to add organic fertilizers to your soil, then before planting is the best time to do it. If you are using a good soil mix, then your plants won’t need additional nutrients until later in their life cycle, so add nutrients out of the initial root zone: fill the pot ⅓ full, lay down nutrients, and then add the rest of the soil. This will allow the plant’s roots to grow into the nutrients by the time the plant needs them.
When planting a germinated seedling, don’t touch the rootlet, as this may damage the delicate root hairs. Hold the seed by the shell or the cotyledons if they have appeared. Very carefully place the seed (or seedling) in the hole, 25 to 38 mm (1 to 1½ in.) deep. Sprinkle enough soil to fill up the hole.
If the seedling has a long root tip, make an impression with your index finger so you can place the root on its side (but at the right depth). After topping off the planting hole with soil, spray just a bit of water on the hole to gently (and naturally) tamp down the soil, ensuring contact with the seed and the emerging root.
WATERING
The most difficult aspect of caring for any plant, be it tomato or Autoflowering Cannabis, is watering. Check your plants every day. Keep the water pH at 6.5 and at room temperature.
Too much water and your plants will literally drown at the roots, and the soil foo
d web will be starved of necessary oxygen as well. Too little and your plants won’t be able to feed themselves and maintain cellular turgor (hydrostatic pressure). In addition, the soil food web goes dormant. The rule that guides your watering is to just pay attention.
How much water do you need to give your plant? During active growth, Autoflowering Cannabis can use a lot of water. A good rule of thumb to start with is to use enough water to equal 20% of the size of the container in which your plants are growing. By way of example, if you use a 5 US gallon container (19 liters), the 20% rule would mean that you apply 1 gallon (3.8 liters).
As to when to water, there is no hard-and-fast rule. Do what you do with tomatoes: stick your finger into the soil. You are looking for moist as in a cake, not wet as in a pie.
All in all, the Goldilocks rule applies: you don’t want the soil too wet or too dry. Still, if you want a formula to keep you on the straight and narrow, weigh your pot daily. When its weight drops 20%, water again. Do the finger test before and after, so you will learn to feel when the plant needs water.
While on the subject of watering, most books suggest you keep the humidity at 80% during the seedling stage, about the first 10 to 15 days. This can be accomplished with a humidifier system, but it is better to make a temporary greenhouse over your seedlings with plastic, jars, or whatever it takes. Then, once the plants get into the vegetative growth stage, removing it will lower the humidity. Ideally it should then be between 55 and 70%.
FEEDING
The point of using good soil is to eliminate the need to constantly feed your plants. After a couple of grows, you will have a feel for how they grow and are supposed to look, and if your soil mix is doing the job.
What a blessing for the gardener that Autoflowering Cannabis plants grown in good soil simply don’t need much by way of supplemental nutrients. In fact, use 1/8 to 1/4 strength fertilizer if you have to feed your plants. Too much nitrogen can cause leaf growth at the expense of flower development, which is obviously not great for yields.
Of course, there are limits to how much nutrient matter soil can supply. The first limit is how much of the necessary essential nutrients the soil actually contains. Hence the need for a test. Information is power. I advise you get one, especially if you are using your own blend.
The second limitation is the volume of soil. A large container has more soil for roots and fungi to mine (but can be more difficult to water properly). This is another reason to get good information from the seed supplier, so you will know what size container to use.
The third limitation is the pH in the vicinity of the roots. All gardeners know maintaining the proper pH is critical because if it is not in range, nutrients are locked up, unavailable to your plants. Again, a test is critical. It is the only way to know your soil’s pH.
If your soils test well for nutrients and pH or if you buy a reliable commercial soil mix, you might be able to grow your first Autoflowering Cannabis without ever adding fertilizer. For the first grows, keep a close eye on your plants. There will be a slight dulling of the green seedling as it dashes into growth, but this is normal. A dilute ⅛ strength solution of a balanced organic fertilizer may be in order every other watering.
Feeding Tips
For the first two weeks, Autoflowering Cannabis plants are incredibly sensitive to feeding. Doing so can actually put the plant into shock. And you do not want to do anything to slow down the establishment of mycorrhizae, which overfeeding can do.
Autoflowering Cannabis plants grow so fast that they initially use lots of nitrogen, and lesser amounts of phosphorus and potassium. Some organic sources of N include seabird and bat guano, as well as blood, fish, and poultry meals. There are lots of liquid organic blends available.
Once the plant starts flowering heavily, phosphorus is the primary element most needed. Phosphorus deficiency results in leaves darkening in color, turning a brownish or purplish blue. You probably do not have to add phosphorus to your soil when growing Autoflowering Cannabis (the Rhizophagus intraradices specializes in seeking and obtaining phosphorus for your plants), but if you do, use good organic sources only. These include fish bonemeal, and colloidal phosphate.
Note that too much nitrogen during the flowering phase will result in lower THC content. By the same token, if you give your Autoflowering Cannabis plants too much phosphorus during the growing stage, the mycorrhizal partnership stops. Delivery of Fe, Cu, K, Zn, and Mn can be impacted.
Potassium deficiency is indicated by an overproduction of side branches, which could be great, but they will be spindly and weak. This is in part because the plant will have trouble taking up Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn. Potassium controls the stomata, so a lack of it can cause them to stop working and results in leaf curl. Potassium can be supplied with an application of potash, actually wood ashes. Seaweed and manures also contain K.
Again, you may not ever need to fertilize your plants, but you should know when a plant is in need and what to do about it. The solution is to hit the soil with diluted (⅛ strength) liquid organic fertilizer. Your plants need to respond in a day or two at the most, so solid foods don’t help. A 3-2-4 ratio is suggested by commercial New Breed Seed and is a great starting point for home growers.
LIGHT
Autoflowering Cannabis plants do not need specific photoperiods. Lighting is still extremely important. There are two aspects to consider. The first are the number of hours of light. These plants can obtain CO2 during the day, so they really do not need any darkness. You can grow yours under 24 hours of light. Many insist this is how to get the most from Autoflowering Cannabis and takes advantage of their special ability to flower regardless of the hours of light or dark versus their cousins which flower only after nights start getting longer than days.
Having grown some of these plants at 15 hours of light, I can tell you that is not enough. In fact, around 18 seems like a minimum, and more surely does not hurt. The theory of 24 hours makes sense, but something in me suggests giving the plant a few hours of rest. Experiment, but for your first grows, go with 20 to 24 hours.
Outdoors, grow your plants in full sun. Just remember that if started indoors, you have to harden off your plants to survive the wind and UV rays of the outdoors to prevent sun and wind damage. Keep your plants in the shade for a few days and then gradually move them into full sun over the next week.
Genetics, soil, and lighting are the 3 legs to the stool that is great Autoflowering Cannabis. Genetics you buy. Once you plant, there is little you can do about your soil. Lights, however, can be controlled. For your first grow, give plants light for 20 to 24 hours, keep lights as close as you safely can, and provide reflection as necessary for full coverage.
Next, consider the intensity and coverage of light. Keep plants as close to the light source as possible without burning them. Expose the entire plant (or collection of them) so as to give maximum exposure to all the growing tips. This is where reflectors come in handy as does a reflective coating to walls, floors, and ceilings.
TRAINING
Commercial growers have discovered that training the branches of Cannabis to form more colas can greatly increase yields. This is done by pinching back the plant to create more active nodes or by exposing lower nodes to more light.
You may want to train your Autoflowering Cannabis plants, though I don’t suggest it for the first grows. The breeder of your seeds has most probably worked hard to develop a plant that does not need pinching or training to produce enough flowers for an acceptable harvest. Only once you know what to expect (that is, what the plant looks like, how it performs, and the yield produced), should you consider pinching and training Autoflowering Cannabis.
Should you decide to experiment later, there are a few methods of training. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is fun to experiment with them, but again, none of these may be needed.
One thing to keep in mind is that it is a good practice to tuck the large upper fan leaves under side stems. This will
expose the lower nodes to better light with noticeable results. It is not really training, as you have to keep doing it.
Topping, High-Stress Training
The first and most popular way to train to increase yield is pinching off the plant’s growing tip. This cuts off the supply of auxins (from the apical stem tip) to the lower nodes, allowing the plant’s lateral buds to break dormancy and grow. (To belabor a point, the same thing happens to tomato seedlings.) Each pair of node tips, located on opposite sides of nodes below the pinch, responds. Each tip develops a new stem which will produce its own cola.
Pinching is easy: once a plant has developed 4 nodes (or 5 or 6), simply take off the growing tip. Amazingly, this will cause the seedling to develop 8 (or 10 or 12) new tips. They all grow and develop flowers as each strives to produce seeds.
Usually varieties that have grow time to recover, i.e., the ones that require more days to mature, do best with pinching. Again, look for information in the cultural directions provided with the seed.
Low-Stress Training
There is a second method to try and increase yields that doesn’t slow the plant’s growth nearly as much, if at all. This is low-stress training, LST. There are several different methods.
DIY Autoflowering Cannabis Page 7