Autoflowers and "pseudo" supersoil

Personally, I prefer the Roots Organics Original to the OF soil. It's a little bit more expensive, but I've been using it for years now. It's specifically designed to grow these plants, has the proper drainage already built into it which is a biggie with an indoor soil grow. These plants hate constant wet soil, so having the correct blend is definitely a help rather than a hurt. I use 3 things to grow....Soil (The Roots), tap water (I do pH it because that's the way I've always done, but with a soil grow, keeping a perfect pH on the water isn't such a big deal. Totally another story with hydro growing), and light. Stopped using additional nutes last year with no change in the size of my plants or buds. The key to getting a plant to produce is not nutes....they're just plant food repackaged to look good and advertised to do stuff they really don't actually do. LOL Unless they're really hungry, tossing a bunch of chemicals into your plants is only going to burn them. As long as the new growth on your plant is that rich blue/green color we associate with a healthy plant, not hungry. When a plant gets hungry it will tell you. The coloring of the foliage will wash out to a more yellowish/green instead of that rich blue/green we're trying to maintain. Getting hungry typically goes right along with being root bound because these plants are fast cyclers. Instead of feeding, since I'm using photo strains, I simply repot when mine get hungry or need a new container. You don't repot a plant until it's larger than the container it's presently in (wider and taller than), and you ALWAYS let them dry out to nearly bone dry before doing it. This helps hold the root ball/plant together and lessens chance of stress.

Autos (from what I've read) don't like to be repotted. I don't know, I don't grow them. I want to be in control of the plant, not the other way around and that's the difference in the photo and auto strains of seeds. Autos are genetically programmed to do their thing on a schedule regardless of what you do as the grower, light schedule, etc. They will flower even under 24 hours of light. If I were you, I would light them with as much good strong flower lighting 24/0 as you can. Light grows big plants and fat buds. Nutes just feed plants. Keep it simple, go with premade premium quality grow soil, stay away from filtered/distilled water and use tap water since there are actually valuable micronutrients in tap water that these plants use. Never water unless you can lift the container and feel NO weight...like you just put fresh dry soil in there. While they're small, they grow slower and their rate of growth will depend on how much soil they have to root into and the quality/wattage light you use in both veg and flower.

Using a good soil, you'll likely get most of the way through the grow before actually needing to feed. When you do...if you do reach that point, be very judicious with nutes. You can always add more, but can't take them out once poured in. Don't go by the hydro method recipe...be sure and mix for soil. I would then half that giving you a start off dose of about 1/4 the recommended hydro amt. A hydro grow lives and dies by nutes and pH values. A soil grow is much less complicated using a good quality soil, because the soil does most of the feeding for you.

Find a reliable source and read up on everything you can about this plant. The more intimately you know and understand it, the better grower you will be. Spend plenty of time learning how to tend them. It's not like taking care of your average garden veggie or house plant. But it's not rocket science by any means and once you've grown 2 or 3, it's just repeat, repeat, repeat. Spend your money on lighting because you are wasting your time without it. We average around 5 oz per plant after harvest and cure and it's because of the wattage we use per plant. Hope it turns out well. TWW

 

This is exactly what you must do, as auto seedlings are extremely nute sensitive. Use a light seedling mix like fox farms light warrior. Jiffy or any light seedling mix works well too. They have barely any nutes, and extra perlite.
This is exactly they way I do it, except I use my own mix for main mix in the pot.
Here is a pic of how I prep a pot.

Filled 10 10 Sock N Rock by Organic sinse posted Jan 19, 2017 at 2:59 PM

Then remove orange pot and fill with light warrior. Auto's need lots of light, so run them 20/4, right from the start, all the way to harvest. Don't give them anything but water the first 3 weeks.
hth
os

 

yes, that is the best way to get an auto off to a good start.

 

Thats pretty much what i did last year. Mixed some peat, perlite, humus, kelp and neem and planted into it. Sow into the final size pot dont transplant it and you should be good to go

Sent from my SM-N910P using Grasscity Forum mobile app

 

oh wrong thread, I thought I was on the layering thread. But it won't let me delete a post.

 

Sure there is. You're in the Organics forum. Start browsing through our Stickys and general threads on organic growing.

J

 

I don't understand - a healthy plants roots will be through the little bit of "light warrior " and growing into the main mix in just a couple days. I'll see roots poking out of the bottom of my 13 gallon pots just a couple days after transplant - so what is the use?

J

 

@jerry11165
The seed starter is for germinating in, autos are way fussy when they germinate, our soils are a little too rich and the new seedlings stunt. The op phrased the question in kind of an unusual way.
cheers
os

 

I've never tried growing an autoflower plant so I'll guarantee I'm the wrong guy but how about just making sure that the soil has had time to cycle prior to germination?

St the end of the day though if it works and isn't broken...

J

 

@jerry11165
It's not that it isn't cycled, Autos prefer soil with virtually nothing for germination and the first couple weeks. Using too good of soil for germination, is where all the bad press comes from that autos are hard to grow, and end up small (cause most will stunt in a good soil mix without using my trick). Perlite and peet and a touch of lime is all it takes. Jiffy is really my fav, but I can get FF light warrior even in the winter up here, and seems like that is always when I need more.
os