Container sizes for autos

[PuravidaC]

Just filled humidifier and saw this on a couple of lower fan leaves. Is this just damage from overwatering or something else? It can be difficult to compare photos in sick plant tutorials. Autos are in week 5 and diffently flowering.

[D.A.A.S.69]

Hello PuravidaC, I hope that damage is from overwatering, when did you notice that ?
I remember some of those cfl,grows you did, they turned out nice didn't they.

[PuravidaC]

Yeah, DAAS. I was really pleased with past CFL grows. Caught the bug and trying to get better!! Like all of us! 😁

[oldjarhead100]

Pura I think that ok for week 5 of bloom as the plant run out of n the fan leaves are the first to show it and I think thats what it is, I'm in week eight and have some leaves like that to it happens

[BlueBudz]

Well your post says morning of the 18th so watering on the 14th only gives 15,16,17th without being watered! I want your plants to grow great and strong lol where is Nebula!

[D.A.A.S.69]

Yeah depending on your conditions ,they can go a hellava long time before they need water -feed, but when they growing good you want to make sure they got plenty now, to keep them growing good, I don't let mine get bone dry.

[BlueBudz]

Thanks DAAS I will try and not let them dry out as much, maybe that’s why I have slow growth! I recently managed to get all my pots on grates to keep air moving under the pots so overwatering will be easier to avoid now too!

[D.A.A.S.69]

Hey BlueBudz, yeah you got SmartPots-fabric, you need grates under them, hope your plants do good.

[PuravidaC]

Well the girls are looking much better! I fear the stress from over watering which reared it's ugly head around week 4, just as they were beginning to stretch, has had a negative effect on their overall growth. They are really short, even by auto standards, but I continue to learn with each grow. I have battled high soil ph, around 7, AND over watering. I have tried to bring soil ph down gradually, in an effort to not be too agressive, without much success. Without a doubt I will balance ph of growing medium but I start next grow. I have heard others stress the importance of correcting soil ph before starting but as usual, I have to learn the hard way!!!

[PuravidaC]

Yeah, OJH, I am growing in soil so I'm at or slightly above proper ph range but my guy at hydro store showed me a chart of which nutrients are more readily available at ph level. It seems most nutrients needed during veg cover the 6 to 7 range (soil only) but nutrients needed for flower are more readily available on the lower side of that range. I use drops so it isn't as exact as meters. I thought about getting a ph meter but then I read about issues you and others have had and not sure if they are reliable.

[PuravidaC]

Thanks, DAAS. They will be 6 weeks old on Christmas. First time growing autos so I don't know how much more stretch they might have left. Breeder says 8 to 9 week life span.

[D.A.A.S.69]

Yeah they gonna get bigger an fatter. I'm glad they doing better. Happy Holidays PuravidaC.

[BlueBudz]

PuravidaC how are the girls doing?

[PuravidaC]

They are doing much better, thanks. They didn't have a lot of stretch but I think that mostly came from over watering just as they entered that phase. The breeder said they don't handle stress well, so... I only expected around 2 oz per plant so we shall see in 3 or 4 weeks!

[BlueBudz]

Well good to hear they are doing good now

[THComa]

It's been a while since this topic came up but I didn't want to start a new thread.
I have been happy with my container choice for autos and just wanted to share even though some of you might not agree with my set up.
When I decided to do autos in soil I wanted to give them plenty of root room to get as big as they could since they grow so fast.
So I went with two 20 gallon plastic totes with holes drilled in the bottom and sides for drainage and air.
Then I put about 2 inches of rinsed river rock on the bottom with a couple layers of burlap to hold the soil up.
Filled them with FFOF soil with some rinsed perlite added and it seams to work really well.
However one thing I find odd is how much I have to water compared to others.
I have to water almost every day or I see the leaves start drooping and I don't get much run off, but I water but not over saturate.
My autos might love water and or I think the wide soil area pulls any excess water out to the sides and evenly distributes the moisture.

[THComa]

Here are some pics of some autos grown in this set up under a Kind LED 450 light
I do two plants per one 20 gallon tote

[Dutchman1]

They look good but i would have put them in there own 10 gallon pots rather than two in one 20 gallon pot. Actually I take that back. Id put them in two 5 gallon pots. I dont think 10 gallon pots are really necessary for autos.