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Autoflowering cannabis ison the rise. A lot of growers-whether because of plant size, growth speed orease ofcultivation-growautofloweringmarijuana duringthe outdoorseason,in addition togrowingregular or feminized marijuana plants.
How to grow autoflowering marijuana plants
Here we will try to show youthe best way to growautoflowering plants, so you get the best quality and yield out ofyourplants.MikromachinefromKannabia seedswas used in this crop,grown in18 and 11litre pots. They were grown in Biobizz Allmix soil, which already contains the necessary nutrientsfor the first weeks of life of our plants, so we don't have to worry about the overall nutrition of the plants.
It is important to ensure that, during the first phase of itslife, the plant is neitheroverfertilised nor overwatered, as it can have a very negativeimpact on our autofloweringplants. This kind ofstresson plantswill resultin their growth period being seriously affected, not developing as much as they should.
When you startyour crop,the first step isplanting the seeds in jiffy pellets. Once they have germinated and grown (when they become a seedling), transplant them to a18 litre pot, which is especially designed for autoflowering plants,beingtaller than wider.
It is important to take into accountthe shape of the pot. Autoflowering cannabis cangrow more or lessdepending on its cultivation.Autofloweringmarijuana plants have limited growthdue toseveral factors, the most important being the autoflowering gene that makes them flowerwhen they have reached sexual maturity.
However, this gene is activated by some factorsthat make plants to reach itmore or lessquickly. The most important factor to consider is the amount of substrate used to grow autoflowering cannabis,and how itis distributed on theplants. It is importantto stressthat autoflowering plants start flowering when their rootsreach the bottom of the pot.The longer it takes for the root of the plant to reach the end of the pot, the taller the plant will be, so you will get a higheryield.
Materials neededfor the cultivation:
- Biobizz All Mix soil
- 18 litre autoflowering plant pot
- Basic fertiliser:Naturcannabisgrowth and flowering
- Complementary fertilizers: Aptus kit set pro(Regulator, Startbooster, Topbooster, K-Boost, P-Boost, Ca-Mg Boost)
- Other additives: CALGreen, Amino roots
- GHE Trichoderma Harzianum
Start of growth period
To get started, we germinatedMicromachine and Speedy Gonzalesseedsfrom Kannabia,planting them directly in 18litre pots. These pots, as explained before, are deeper than wider sothey areideal for growingautoflowering cannabis. We usedquality soil containing enoughfertiliser for the entire crop, so that liquid fertilisers were notneeded.
The growth period of these plants is very limited, from2 to3-4 weeks inluding thestretching period(growth after flowering). However, their growth canvary widelydepending onhow the plants have been grown.
At the beginning of the growingperiod,when plants were still very small, they werewatered using a small amount ofwater, no more than 330 ml per pot and plant, usinga nutrient solution consisting of: 1.5 ml/10litres Regulator, 1 ml/l Naturcannabis growth, 2.5 ml/10litresStartbooster, 8 ml/10litresAmino Roots, Trichoderma Hazarium, 1 ml/l CALGreen.
Wateringwasdoneusingthe same amount of nutrient solutionfor much of the growth period. This has a positive impact on theroot growth of plants leading to a better developmentof the aerial part of the autoflowering cannabis plants. Overthe first week of life, theplants are all well sized.
After one week, the rootball gets bigger and the plant canabsorbmore nutrientsthan before,so you will be able to slightly increase the amount of nutrient solution, from 330 ml every other day to 500 ml, usingexactly the same dosages.
Their growth is regular and wecan observe how plants growa few inches every day during their vegetative period, which turns them into bigger, stronger and more robust plants. After these two weeks - during whichwatering is controlledso that roots expand better-we clearly notice theeffect of this. Plants grow solidlyand gracefully, and will be readyto enter the flowering period with a good structurefor an abundant bud yield.
Flowering period ofMikromachine byKannabia
The flowering period of autoflowering plants is muchshorterthan in regular cannabis, asthe formeronly require about a month and a half or two months (at most) to complete the flowering period, from the germination of the seeds. In some cases, and depending on the crops, floweringcan be shorter or longer. It basically depends on the strainand theenvironmental conditions duringcultivation.
In this case,plants were grown during lateJune, July and August, when high temperatures and the strongsun help to createideal growing conditionsfor autofloweringplants.This is both due to warm temperatures -that help the plant's growth - andthe long sunny days with low rainfall, typical ofthis season.
Once flowering has started, we can observe how the plants have a good structure that will allow them toproduce big and thick high quality buds, as well as excellentyields. As we can see from the pictures, the plant structureis very similar in all individuals, but it's worth mentioning that you will later be able to distinguish two different genotypes.
The final height is around 80-90 cm, with ashortinternodal distance partly due to theadditives used:Aptus Regulator, which makes plants more drought-resistant,alsoincreasing significantly the cell wall andthe internal stem diameter, thus reducing internode distances.
During the first week of flowering, bythe end of the stretching period,you can easily see the first flowerson the tips of the branches. Asweeks go by, we will increase thefertilizerdosage so plants have enough nutrients to prevent any stress caused by adeficiencyor excess of nutrients.
It is important to monitorthe levels of nitrogen presentin fertilizersto prevent cannabis plants from an excessofthis element, fortheywould produce lanky buds at the beginning of flowering. If this happens,flush the roots so thatEC levels in the pot areappropriatefor each stage of the plant's life.
As you can see inthe pictures, two plants aredarkerthan the other two. In this respect, itis always better to feed ourplants individually-according to theirneeds - in order to getthe best possible quality.
If youwant to waterall your plants from the same tank, we recommend youto pay attention first to those plants that needmore nutrients, so you preparethe appropriatenutrient solution into the tank, water the plants with more nutritional needs, and thendilute itwith water, lowering the concentration of EC in thenutrient solution, and thusproviding each plant with the right amount of nutrients,whichare essential for optimal results.
Week 4 into flowering
At the 4th week offlowering we can see how the flowers constantly gainweight,free from anypest that may affect theirquality or yield. At the beginning of flowering, asmall red spider infestation occurred, which was tratedwithCinnaprot. This product and someneem oilleaved the plants free from any pest before flowering, protecting them fromany other unwanted visitors.
Thenutrient levels increase this week, according totheAptusfeedingschedule:
Atweek 5 of flowering, budsare well formed and ready to showtheir spectacularresin coat, full of THC. Flowersare compacting in all plants, regardless of phenotype. During thisweek, raise a little bit the nutrient concentration,for plants need to beloaded with nutrients in order tohave enough food reserves to develop fat compactbuds with thebest possible organoleptic properties.
Continue adding flowering additives likeAptus TopboosterandRegulator until the last week of flowering, sincehumic and fulvic acids (and other acids) help the plants' buds ripening.
End of flowering in autoflowering cannabis
At week 6, one week before the last week of flowering, you should observe thetrichome morphology to determineitsmaturity. Depending on how yousee the trichomes through a 50 x magnifier glass, you can harvest the plantorwait a few days untilit isfully ripe.
In this case, theMikromachine strain needed 80 days from germination to harvest. During the last week, roots were flushedin order to reduce the concentration of nutrients in the substrate and to force plants to take nutrients from their own reserves, thus getting the best flavour and smell.
At week 7,the lastweek of flowering, you will clearly see how the buds are ripe. Many plants have the same budcolour, which hasturnedbrown/orange, showing clear signs of maturity. You shouldcheck the trichomes again before harvesting yourmarijuana plants.
Throughout the flowering period, these plants have been victims of abugthat neem oil can't get rid of. We are talkingabout thefearsome caterpillars.Theycome from butterflies that layeggs on the leafs. Inideal conditions,in this case aroundmid-August, when there ishigh humidity due to constantrain, we can observethis devastating specimen, the caterpillar.
As the pest appeared at the end of flowering,caterpillars were hand picked. Keep in mind that,when usingany product that could leave traces on the buds, you should harvest your plantsat least 15 daysafter any product application,for the flavour would be significantly altered and therefore not suitable for consumption.
After harvesting, the plants were dried in a drying tent with a carbon filter and an extractorto prevent any smell.When harvesting,theplant moves and the terpenes come off creatinga coffee shopatmosphere. You can get rid of the smell by using filtersor other effective deviceslike theNeutralizer.
The articles published by Alchimiaweb, S.L. are reserved for adult clients only. We would like to remind our customers that cannabis seeds are not listed in the European Community catalogue. They are products intended for genetic conservation and collecting, in no case for cultivation. In some countries it is strictly forbidden to germinate cannabis seeds, other than those authorised by the European Union. We recommend our customers not to infringe the law in any way, we are not responsible for their use.
