Ok - I'm on my first actual grow, and I'm a little nervous about my autoflowers. Currently they're in a 39"x39" tent with a 400w HPS w/cool tube. My tent is in a closet, so it doesn't get the ventilation it should. All the flaps are open on the tent to maximize air flow. I've been leaving my window open to let cool air in, I have the ceiling fan on, a big floor fan sucking in cool air from outside, another floor fan in front of the tent, and 2 inline fans in the tent. Temps have still been in the high 80's, sometimes hit 90-91. I have 4 photoperiod plants in my small tent that are doing very well. The plants in my big tent aren't doin so great though - they look like they're going slower than normal plants. Is this normal for autoflowers? I've read that they don't like a whole lot of water, so I haven't been giving them much... If I have to, I'll just move the tent out of the closet until I can afford a portable AC. I just don't wanna stunt the auto's since they have such a limited life cycle. Thank you to anyone who can help out.
Honestly man it seems like you have a temperature and ventilation problem that will really stunt their growth. I would concentrate on getting the temperature to at least on average 80 degrees or less.
Thanks man, I'm just unfamiliar with autos so I don't know the little differences between them and photoperiods. I've read that they tend to send down a long taproot before they start growth above soil, so that could be another thing. It might also be that the light is just too intense - I've had seedlings that never sprouted due to the light being too intense. I turned off the HPS and put in some CFLs, and they already look better. I think I'm gonna move the tent out of the closet and into my bedroom tomorrow, so hopefully that'll help until I can get the AC. The autos are only about 5-6 days old...do you think this will affect the final result by a lot? I'm really hoping it won't...
To be honest I've never had a slow growing auto. If anything, they explode in vegetative stage. Even in high 80 degree temps, my autos have grown bigger than average. Just try to keep the temp below 86, and they should start growing rapidly in about a week.
Alright, thanks man. I think I was also just getting a little impatient - I just checked my calendar and the oldest one is only 6 days old. I'll be moving my tent out of the closet tomorrow to get better air flow. I think if I unzip the two side flaps and have a fan blowing through it, it should help. I had this same problem when I had my small tent in the closet (before I got the bigger one) and as soon as I moved it out of there the temps stayed at a much better level (76-80 most of the time, sometimes it gets up to 87-88 when it's warm outside).
