Newbie Growing Autoflower Cannabis in Soil

Newbie Growing Autoflower Cannabis in Soil

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Autoflowering strains are taking over the cannabis market by storm. Growers, both novices and experts, are choosing autoflowering strains for their added benefits. But what are autoflowering strains?

Autoflowering strains don’t come from fancy genetic modification. They are produced by decades of careful breeding. They offer several advantages over the traditional cannabis strains.

First, they give growers the ability to grow and harvest throughout the entire year. Autoflowering cannabis are not dependent on light cycles to dictate their flowering. Autoflowers can be cultivated throughout the year with multiple harvests without having to stick to a rigid schedule brought about by seasonal changes.

Autoflowers produce buds faster. They can go from seed to harvest in as little as 10 weeks. With that in mind, you can have 5 consecutive harvests in a year. Although there are some autoflower strains that don’t produce as much as traditional strains, they produce flowers much quicker, allowing multiple grows in the same space. With the right management, this can lead to larger yields.

Small and stealthy grows also favor the autoflower strains. They never grow taller than 2 meters. Even the sativa dominant strains are on the short side. Less height means more stealth and discretion which makes the management of space a lot easier. People who want to grow on their gardens and balconies can also do a bit of guerilla cultivation.

Due to their heritage, autoflowers, in general, can withstand the cold, infection, and pests. Novices will find they have lesser issues to deal with and people who live in colder regions will also enjoy the art and science of marijuana cultivation. In fact, some strains can even be grown during winter as long as they receive plenty of sunlight.

And finally, the biggest advantage in autoflowering strains is they are adaptable, capable of growing both indoors and outdoors. When indoors, just place them under a constant 18/6 light cycle. When outdoors, just plant them and leave them alone.

This grow journal follows the cultivation of an autoflowering White Dwarf strain from seed to harvest.

The White Dwarf strain is a short plant which grows between 30 to 50 centimeters. It also produces small, dense green leaves. THC levels vary but don’t go higher than 15%.

Grower: NyceBudz
Yield: 133.4 grams (wet weight)
Location: NA
Seeds: White Dwarf Autoflower

May 14^th

This grow started out with the following supplies:

• Light – 400W MH bulb and 400W Phantom Ballast
• Tent – 4 x 4 x 6 ft. Mylar tent
• Medium – Fox Farm Ocean Forest mixed with perlite

Here are some photos of the plant on the second week of growth along with the supplies used in this grow:

May 16^th

Did a transplant today on the on the White Dwarf. In the processing of transferring, the soil started to break apart just as the plant was about to be dropped into the new pot. She ended up falling sideways.

May 18^th

The White Dwarf was able to recover. She looks good after the transplant and she’s starting to smell more.

May 20^th

Here’s how the White Dwarf looks like now. After the transplant, she underwent a flush because some of the leaves were starting to show yellowing tips. She’s nice and perky now. For the past 4 weeks, she’s receiving plenty of light courtesy of the 400W MH bulb. Tomorrow, she’ll be placed under the 400W HPS bulb because she’s already showing signs of pre-flower.

May 24^th

Here are some photos of the plant today.

The grow tent’s interior is well-regulated by a fan. Nothing fancy but it gets the job done. She’s still in the veg phase. True to her genetics, she’s short with thick leaves.

May 28^th

Here’s the White Dwarf 2 days into flowering with the 12/12 light cycle. At this point, she’s receiving Fox Farms Big Bloom and BioBizz Fish Mix. Cant’ wait for the pistils to show up.

It seems the stem on this strain changes color when it starts flowering. Her stems are starting to get a light shade of red. Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be any deficiency that may potentially affect the yield.

June 23^rd

Check out the growth on this beauty. In less than a month, she put out plenty of buds!

This lone girl looks amazing!

July 14^th

She was harvested when the trichomes turned amber to achieve that couch lock high.

Here’s the finished product with a wet weight of 133.4 grams. The smoke is really good with a fruity, citrusy smell.

Here are some final notes before closing this grow journal.

You can plant the White Dwarf into a 5-gallon bucket but that isn’t necessary when a 2 or 3-gallon bucket would be just as good. Just don’t let the plants become root bound in a small pot.

The recommended grow medium mix is 60% soil, 40% perlite with very small addition of bat guano. You can also add 2 tablespoons of crushed garden lime so it can act faster in soil and stabilize the soil pH. As for nutes, any brand should do the trick but get the brand that makes you feel comfortable and has a feeding schedule that isn’t difficult for you to follow and understand.

As for the lights, just keep in mind that cannabis can be greedy when it comes to light. Growing one plant at a time is ideal for a newbie grower but when growing multiple plants, make sure none of them are starved for light and attention.

Grower: NyceBudz
Yield: 133.4 grams (wet weight)
Location: NA
Seeds: White Dwarf Autoflower

As with any endeavor, growing cannabis requires effort. It also takes practice to perfect this art. Luckily, the cannabis market offers autoflower seeds which will lead to a problem-free grow similar to what was recorded in this grow journal.

Do you think autoflowers are a good match for newbie growers?

Happy growing!

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