Training and maintaining autos.

[HughJass69]

Just wondering your methods for training and also how you clean them up a bit. Used to photos where I'd shuck em to the tips them flip and idomt want to shock the ladies when they get going. Do you remove lowers, smaller branches, defoliation, etc. Etc. Thanks pheno fam!

 

[HughJass69]

Also if you top etc. When do you do it. By node? By day?

 

[Jewels]

I am going to try my first autos soon.

Can we assume they are born flowering?
Or more specifically, I was planning on not doing anything to them that I would not do to a flowering plant.

Spring is short, and they skip summer altogether.
Seems to be a drag race. Blast up what you can for the first few weeks, and then flower what you got.

How many are you planting?
Gotta try stuff like that out. See what happens.

 

[HughJass69]

It all depends on space etc when the time is right. Treating it like it's in flower is a good tactic it seems. However I've seen some peoples grows and the plants could def use some pruning. I dont remove many leaves but I've learned when topping trained etc sometimes you gotta take out some arms or it will just grow into itself.

 

[Frimpong]

It all depends on space etc when the time is right. Treating it like it's in flower is a good tactic it seems. However I've seen some peoples grows and the plants could def use some pruning. I dont remove many leaves but I've learned when topping trained etc sometimes you gotta take out some arms or it will just grow into itself.

Ya alot has to do w strain. I've grown autos I didn't have to touch. Some are leafy mofos . So it depends alot on strain really. Other thing is how big u want it . I think I told u that I treat them the same as everyone else to get them to stay similar size . But ya I'd try and not defoil unless budsites are being blocked . Their time and resources are limited. Jmho ?

 

[Photon Pharms]

I grow autos on a constant basis somewhere. They are a blast to mess with, so I've always got about 5-10 going at all times. There's two ways I highly recommend approaching them, coming from photo only background. I would recommend attaining some info on the strain you want to or are growing. As I think it was mentioned, they are touchy, or I should say, they can be touchy. What I mean in this statement specifically is that some love being topped and some definitely do not. Most solid auto breeders are putting out stable strains at this point, so you are able to train and top without fear much easier than in the past. But still, to very high degree, some left alone do so much better in regards to topping. Training, I recommend third to fourth leaf set, getting started. Training seems to get you the best (consistently) results. You just get that auxin all scrambled up, and her undercarriage should push right on up on most strains, without the need to top. Leaf tuck when possible rather than prune, but thats probably more a personal thing. I don't lollipop my autos, but I have been known to remove the bottom two branches usually. But again, there is so much variety out there as far as, plant characteristics go, and packed into a shortened time frame. I would say, my best results have come from being on my A game with ph and nutrients more so than any pruning or training is concerned. I have dropped down in pot size over the years with them as well. I was and still do love the 3 gal fabrics. With a decent autoflower, you're in chill mode, so to keep things fun etc I dropped to a two gallon. That's a great size if you want to maximize floor space, and keeps you on your toes with your grow. Autos are a ton of fun, with your photo background and a few little things like I suggested, I'd say play around and see what happens. Just kind of keep in your head that they're always in flower and you can't go wrong. Good mindset to keep, at least it is for me. Anyway, "there's some more of Saro's ramblings again.
It's best just to let him talk, hell burn himself out." hahaha. But feel free to look me up any time you have a question, I will always try to make time to talk cannabis with someone. Be well, be safe and take care of your neighbor.

 

[Jewels]

Good stuff @Saro01

 

[HughJass69]

Yea 2 gal coco fabrics is what theyll b in. I've had monster photos in 2 gals with no issue. Next I'll probably get the plastic airpots or whatever they are called. I hate the nute buildup on the fabric. Gives me paranoia lol.

 

[Photon Pharms]

Good stuff @Saro01

No problem. Seriously, if you have any issues or questions, I will always do my best to help you out.

 

[Photon Pharms]

Yea 2 gal coco fabrics is what theyll b in. I've had monster photos in 2 gals with no issue. Next I'll probably get the plastic airpots or whatever they are called. I hate the nute buildup on the fabric. Gives me paranoia lol.

OK, perfect! Then you're set to go if you're familiar with 2 gals. I think what you're looking for is air pots, the ones that are pinched in with the big hole. Like a sarlack pit. Personally, I'd like to try the rain science bags out. They are plastic mesh, and appear to be decent quality. I know Roc Bud Inc has his own "pro model" hahaha. Couldn't think of another term to use. Again, my own opinion here, but I've heard the air pots are messy, and I could see that. That alone turns me off as I'm way tok ocd for more mess than what Im currently running hahaha. Expensive as well. But I know they run great plants, we've all seen that. Good luck to my friend. Here if you need anything.

 

[HughJass69]

OK, perfect! Then you're set to go if you're familiar with 2 gals. I think what you're looking for is air pots, the ones that are pinched in with the big hole. Like a sarlack pit. Personally, I'd like to try the rain science bags out. They are plastic mesh, and appear to be decent quality. I know Roc Bud Inc has his own "pro model" hahaha. Couldn't think of another term to use. Again, my own opinion here, but I've heard the air pots are messy, and I could see that. That alone turns me off as I'm way tok ocd for more mess than what Im currently running hahaha. Expensive as well. But I know they run great plants, we've all seen that. Good luck to my friend. Here if you need anything.

Yea most if not all "fabric" pots are a plastic based material. Even though they wont grow mold moist nutrients certainly will so it's a bit tricky. Gonna put a photcatalytic bulb in the tent too. Not fucking around. Lost around a p and a half to mold and been dry for way too long. Yea those big holes etc kind of made me wonder how well they'd work. Pro model lol? I'll have to see this.

 

[Photon Pharms]

Yea most if not all "fabric" pots are a plastic based material. Even though they wont grow mold moist nutrients certainly will so it's a bit tricky. Gonna put a photcatalytic bulb in the tent too. Not fucking around. Lost around a p and a half to mold and been dry for way too long. Yea those big holes etc kind of made me wonder how well they'd work. Pro model lol? I'll have to see this.

Yeah, i think I saw on either his or their Instagram. Probably the one of ten different things I've ever seen on Instagram. Bummer on the mold, that's tough man. Shit, I hate tossing plants no matter what the situation. But im not worried so much about the plastic being used as just the different styles that are out there. The rain science seems like the happy medium I'm looking for. Plus I'm too lazy to clean my bags typically, well, i got hit with mold myself due to reusing a bag and I've never done it again, but I'd feel better with the rain science bags on the cleaning.

 

[EatPraySmoke]

Depends on the strain/cross (hate saying strain). There are variables with some that take good to training and some taking better to topping. Some that grow bushy with no branching and some that are branchy with popcorn buds. It all depends on your preference.

 

[BigPretzel]

In my experience the less you mess with an auto the better the yield seems to be. I just had some Purple City Genetics Backwoods Chem autos a few months ago and i started in 2 gal pots but i thought thtat was gonna be too small so about 5 days before i saw the first pistil I transplanted them. no signs of shock or droop well no signs of anything negative after i did the transplant to 3gal. but it seemed like they slowed down for a week or two like they went from a really quick vigorous grow rate to this mediocre half ass speed. I only got 14g in total from two plants after i did that and the grow went perfect the whole time except for that one mistake i did.

the only kind of training I will personally do to an auto is LST and ALOT of leaf tucking. if you can hide that leaf rather then plucking it to expose a bud site do that every time. I was listening to a pod cast and this guy was saying he does what he calls systematic defoliation where say a plant was in the wild an animal would feed on a leaf or two per plant or if the wind was blowing or something ran by and ripped a leaf or two off. so he would walk by and pluck 1-2 leaves off each plant every few days instead of doing a full defol in one sitting. this way it was way less stressful on the plant.

I have about 7 autos running right now that all just popped through the soil a few days ago so I'm gonna be putting this more hands off approach this time and see how that works for me this time around...

If anyone does HST to their autos frequently and has notes on it I would love to see them or at least pick your brain a bit about it.

 

[BigPretzel]

So I am currently running some Gelato Auto flowers from ILGM and a few Binary Selections- Nurple, Jogi OG. the Gelato are in fabric pots while the binary selections are all in solo cups just for fun and so i had enough room for them all. I wanted a bunch of different smoke for around my bday so i ran a variety (but thats besides the point). I wanted to give you an update on what is happening with my Gelato's. after writing on here last about how i prefer LST and leaf tucking over anything else I thought to myself and I really only ever topped 2 different auto strains so this time I did a full comparison of 3 plants each with a different training method and the results are shocking me so far.

My thoughts were that the LST'd plant would do the best because of the less stress to it and the opening up of the plant for more light to achieve more branching and to open up those inter nodal bud sites. But what happened isnt anything like what I thought.

Gelato #1-LST
Gelato #2-Topped @5th Node
Gelato #3- Natural vertical growth (only leaf tucking)

GELATO AUTO #1
I started trainging the gelato auto flower #1 as soon as it was 5 Nodes high. I did the usual base of the stem tie and pull back the top to make an arch with the main stem. I continued to tuck any big fan leaves and ones that got to be huge and cover to much space I would take off one at a time days apart. when LSTing I made sure to bend it in a way that if needed I could begin wrapping the top around the top edge of the pot in a circular form so it doesnt keep growing over the edges. All the bud sites began growing upwards to the light like I was expecting them to but not in the way I expected them to it was very slow and even today at wk 5 from seed they arent over 14" tall. but all of them do have nickle sized preflowers on them.

GELATO AUTO #2
With this Plant I decided to give it a chance and top it. I always here really good things about ILGM genetics and I should for the price they were damn expensive. Anyway I topped this girl at the 5th Node allowing those 2 inter nodal branches to become mains. I was expecting this to stunt the shit out of the plant and make this plant smaller then the rest or even change the flowering time a week or so later than the other 2. Only the exact opposite happened... those two branches grew like crazy and the 4 branches belows veritical growth took off allowing them to catch up to the mains and now it is like a perfect 6 cola plant with tight nodal spacing. This became the best of all of them.

GELATO AUTO #3
This was another surprise. I allowed this plant to just grow all natural no defoliation, LST, Topping, or training what so ever. Some how though every lower branch grew like crazy and kept up with the top in a perfect christmas tree form at first then some how all but the very bottom two branches caught up to the main cola. this remained for a week or two but once it hit WK 5 and the preflowers really showed up that main cola shot up to the light causing me to have to tie it down just a little to even up the canopy and keep from having to raise my lights more.

Here are the pics of the 3 plants as of today 12/27/20

To me #2 looks the best because of how big and healthy every one of those branches are the other two plants bud sites are smaller and more flimsy. Please let me know what you all think and if you agree with the conclusion I've come to. For me I think the training comes down to how stable the genetics are and who the breeder is. When I even defoliated these autos my friend gave me they produces small yeilds and the plants didnt look nearly this healthy. My last run of PCG Back woods Chem Auto was the same I got a very small yield and I blamed it on the transplanting in early flower but here im now thinking maybe it was because the LST I did wasn't the most Ideal training for an auto. from this point on I am going to top these gelatos to see what goes on. I have a few seeds left (5) then I will be out but that seems to be the best approach with this strain and genetics.

 

[Frimpong]

I like #3, also I'd leave em be now they are gonna start filling in like crazy. Jmo

 

[BigPretzel]

I like #3, also I'd leave em be now they are gonna start filling in like crazy. Jmo

yep your exactly right they have already swelled up double or triple what this photo shows. Im really hoping I get a purplish Pheno out of these 3. but the way it looks they are pretty solid green. I havent done anything to them except removed a few leaves and two bud sites on #3 because they weren't getting any light.

I am running into one thing though and I think it has to do with my pots. Every time I water the two that are not topped they get very droopy and stay a little clawed until that soil is dry and the pot is super light now with #2 when I water it never droops even if I water to run off. I cant even water to run off with my other two out of fear of them getting too much and making more of a problem than I already had. Do you have any Idea why this could be happening? the only thing I can think of is if maybe my 2gal fabric pots are too small because normally I use 3 gal for autos and 5-7gal for photos but last run all my fabric bags were really dirty so I figured id use my brand new 2 gallons. I want to say maybe its root lock but wouldnt that cause the water not to drain down the dirt very easily? because these girls drink and eat great, show no sign of deficiency and are producing alright sized flower. Its just that they are dry every single day or if i let them go two days they are bone dry. I feed/water .75qt per plant and that is all it takes to over water in my eyes then the two droop for a day then the day after are back to praying. but bone dry by that night..... am I doing something wrong or do I just have to play this song and dance out until they are harvested? I may post a question about this on the Auto flower forum just to see if anyone else knows whats going on and so others can reference back.

 

[BH]

Yea most if not all "fabric" pots are a plastic based material. Even though they wont grow mold moist nutrients certainly will so it's a bit tricky. Gonna put a photcatalytic bulb in the tent too. Not fucking around. Lost around a p and a half to mold and been dry for way too long. Yea those big holes etc kind of made me wonder how well they'd work. Pro model lol? I'll have to see this.

I own a airoclean 420 commerical and i am very stasifed with the quality Of the product and peace of mind your making your rooms air lab grade cleaned . This speciality grown is worth it. The thing I did realize after buying mine was that air sniper vs airoclean is actually better per price and producing % and uvc/filter last longer (1 year = airoclean vs air sniper = 1.5 years on replacement )

thing is for a 90 watt machine vs 200 watts on same value and way less feed per rate to kill. The airsniper wins .

my next machine is such (prolly have one for my vegroom or basement )
Canadian made and 3rd party tested

Air Sanitation | Induct UV Air Purifiers in Canada

The first lab proven industrial supplemental air sanitization solution, verified to kill airborne pathogens like the Escherichia virus MS2

airsniper.ca

Air Sniper | The Most Advanced Industrial Air Sanitization Solutions

The first lab proven industrial air sanitization solution for verified to kill airborne pathogens including the Escherichia virus MS2

airsniper.ca

usa made version and only growing fda approved on the market (KES worked with NASA ) . I own this but logic and price per rate , sniper still wins in my opinion

Powdery Mildew Removal | Airborne Disease Prevention | AiroClean420

The AiroClean420 is the new industry standard for airborne disease prevention, powdery mildew removal, and Gray Mold/Botrytis elimination.

www.airoclean420.com

 

[HughJass69]

I own a airoclean 420 commerical and i am very stasifed with the quality Of the product and peace of mind your making your rooms air lab grade cleaned . This speciality grown is worth it. The thing I did realize after buying mine was that air sniper vs airoclean is actually better per price and producing % and uvc/filter last longer (1 year = airoclean vs air sniper = 1.5 years on replacement )

thing is for a 90 watt machine vs 200 watts on same value and way less feed per rate to kill. The airsniper wins .

my next machine is such (prolly have one for my vegroom or basement )
Canadian made and 3rd party tested

Air Sanitation | Induct UV Air Purifiers in Canada

The first lab proven industrial supplemental air sanitization solution, verified to kill airborne pathogens like the Escherichia virus MS2

airsniper.ca

Air Sniper | The Most Advanced Industrial Air Sanitization Solutions

The first lab proven industrial air sanitization solution for verified to kill airborne pathogens including the Escherichia virus MS2

airsniper.ca

usa made version and only growing fda approved on the market (KES worked with NASA ) . I own this but logic and price per rate , sniper still wins in my opinion

Powdery Mildew Removal | Airborne Disease Prevention | AiroClean420

The AiroClean420 is the new industry standard for airborne disease prevention, powdery mildew removal, and Gray Mold/Botrytis elimination.

www.airoclean420.com

You still use a carbon filter or do these kill all the smell?

 

[BH]

The company’s that make this didn’t make it for main perpose but it does reduce the smell by a certain %. Honeywell in a/c version they called it odor removing as it’s main thing and killing all the misc

Version by example by Honeywell ( got one of these in my house hvac )

Honeywell UV2400U5000 24V UV Air Purifier with AirBRIGHT Odor Absorption

www.alpinehomeair.com

By example some people would ask well why is the cannabis version cost more? Because Jesus for example the airpclean or airsniper commercials have multiple membranes and 10-30 bigger sized bulbs inside vs 1 smaller (Honeywell)

Hints why they can kill 100% vs 99.9% as long as sqft species and airflow correct (I overrated to make sure )