I've got an auto form bag seed going right now. This bag seed came from my last bag seed that ended up being an auto and must have hermied because I got a good many seeds off her. I planted 4/25/13. So as of now, she's been rolling 90+ days. I'm growing in soil (FFOF) and using the FF nutes trio. Growing under CFLs this grow before moving to the tent with MH/HPS for my next grow. I started doing partial harvests a few weeks ago and have gotten great buds off the girl. The buds I have harvested aren't cured yet, but I've still been sampling the goods and enjoying them. This was my first time doing partial harvests. But I felt it necessary because I had quite a few big fat buds that were definitely ready to come off, but I had other, younger and smaller buds that weren't nearly ready yet (still 100% clear trics). So I started doing partial harvests a few weeks ago and will harvest a couple buds a week. But I still have one massive bud that isn't ready yet (clear trics, no red hairs yet) so I've been letting it go. My question is this: 90+ days seems like a helluva long time. I'll be glad to post pics if anyone needs them. I plan on harvesting a couple more buds tonight. But the big boy isn't ready yet. I haven't seen any shock or otherwise detrimental effect from my partial harvests. Anyone else have any experience like this with a plant going so long and still producing buds this late in the game? Thanks for any advice.
Check these two pics out. They aren't great, but you get the picture. In one picture, this bud is basically done and I will chop it today or this weekend. The other pic, of the bigger, longer cola, some of the buds and hairs near the base look done but the growth at the top looks young and new. Agree? ETA: As you can see, some of the leaf tips got burned from lights at some point during the growth. No biggs.
Your temps are too hot. The upcurled leaves give that away. There's also some nutritional issues going on. Whether your pH is off, or there's a lack of nutrients, we can't tell based on the info you've provided. I would chop them both before they go.
pH is fine, I know that. I check pH before every watering/feeding. And the heat issue fluctuates some. It's fine now. I'm not chopping the big cola yet, I'm gonna let it ride a little longer. I've been chopping a few buds every week for about 3 weeks now and have gotten some good smoke. It's definitely not cured yet, but I couldn't resist a little sample. I'm not sure what the nutes issue could be. I'm using the FF trio and started at 1/4 strength, then 1/2 and so on, just like I always do. Regardless, I'm not a whole lot worried about it since this plant is almost completely done anyway and then I'll be moving into the tent with some good genetics. Thanks for the heads up!
In a soil grow, you should measure pH prior to, and after watering, by measuring the runoff. This way, you'll know how to adjust your water to reach the target pH in the runoff.
Yep, I got that. I check runoff too, forgot to mention that in my post. FWIW, this isn't my first grow.
Cool, just wanted to make sure you weren't missing that key point. Also, maybe you can just run that auto non-stop, forever, harvesting buds as needed... Would be a simple way to grow!
Exactly! I'll keep it going as long as it's producing buds and I'm harvesting quality buds. Bottom line is, this is just bag seed, and it's not phenomenal smoke but it's good to have when I'm low or out of good bud. So I'll just ride this train on out! Just didn't know if anyone else had ever had any similar experiences with autos going this long successfully.