New grower and thanks for the approval

[BigMak]

HELP! Woke up this morning and my oldest girl is all droopy. It's watering day so I watered her and the other gals but still nothing. Not sure what I did.

[SoOrbudgal]

Well hello BigMak those are beginning flowering so sometimes what i've seen in mine is they are changing hormones just like females do and powering into production mine will droop when it's lights out and they get abit chilled. I have no set time for watering and feeding yes i write done the day they have been feed so i don't over feed when all they is a drink of clean water. Lift that pot prior to watering if it light water if it's alittle heavy wait a day. Could be she's just adjusting to the LST also. Bold move for a new grower but she looks fine with it. I was watching Bill Ward today smoke report LOL

[BigMak]

Cool, I'll leave it a little longer and see how it goes and for water I do exactly what you said.. I check the soil each day to see if it's dry and then if it's dry I lift to pot to see if it's still heavy. If top of soil is dry and pot is light then I water

[BigMak]

Looks like she's back to normal

Also figured I'd try something with the twins. On Twin A I topped it, nothing else. Twin B I'm letting it grow with no LST, topping or anything else other than some minor pruning. As you can see, Twin A already has more bud sites then twin B. Will be interesting to see how they both turn out in the end.

[JeffInCanada]

This is neat...an experiment! Also, you are like really good at this. You're LSTing, topping, all plants looking good. Are you sure that you're new to this? Good stuff!

[BigMak]

LOL yup.. first time growing but I did a TON of research prior..

[JeffInCanada]

Lol regardless BigMak I'm sticking around to see how this all turns out. I'll be great to see how they respond to the different methods.

[BigMak]

Here's the latest update. All 4 girls are growing like crazy. The one that surprises me the most though is the one I topped. I can't believe how many more bud sites then the one I just let grow.

[JeffInCanada]

They all look great! Difference already showing in this experiment eh. Very cool. LST girl looking real good too.

[BigMak]

Is this normal? My oldest girl seems to drop at least once a day but then perks up again the next morning. I have my lights currently on a 20/4 schedule, lights off from 12am-4am, but the drooping starts way before lights out. She's fully watered, ph levels checked, nutrients carefully measured and I wait until the pot is light so as not to overwater. She just looks so sad when she's all droopy it worries me.

[JeffInCanada]

Hi BigMak This is normal. My plants do this sometimes. I was worried as well. As far as I can tell what is going on here is the plant is tired when they droop the leaves like this at the end of the day. That have already got their Daily Light Integral. With the root system they they have developed so far they are running full tilt trying to keep up with the amount of light that they are getting. They shut down shop when they cannot keep up anymore by drooping the leaves. You could reduce the amount of light that they are getting. You will also notice that further into the grow, after roots have developed more, they will do this less. However, I believe that it will not hurt them to droop like this. I would love to learn more about this if anyone else has more info.

[RetiredGuy]

I believe it is normal based on the research I did when my autos were doing the same thing (scared me at first too!). I just harvested 2.5 ounces per plant so it didn’t hurt. I was running lights on 18/6 schedule and they would start drooping several hrs before lights out.

[BigMak]

Thanks.. my first grow so a little over protective I guess

[BigMak]

Monday update

All 4 plants look to be doing well.

Oldest Lady (LST) - Seems to be growing well, not really growing up but the bud sites are getting bigger every day.
Twin A (Topped/Pruning) - Looking good. have about 7 or so bud sites on it and the canopy is relatively flat.
Twin B (Light Pruning only) - Really surprised how big the one girl is growing that I didn't do anything to except some minor pruning. She's getting tall fast and has at least 8 bud sites with the main one getting big fast.
Baby - I topped the baby a few days ago and was going to try some LST but decided against it. I kinda like the look of the one I just topped with no LST.

One thing I have noticed though is that they are sucking up the water FAST. I used to be able to go 3 days easy with no water and now it's 2 days max. I think the 2 gallon smart pots I got are too small so ordered some 5 gallon ones that I'm going to move them into later this week. Hopefully that will help ensure they don't run dry when I'm not looking. I'm also alternating nutrients with each water, I've read pros/cons to this so also curious on any input the forum members may have.

In addition I've had to move up the lights a couple tims

Gotta admit I'm having fun growing these and learning as I go. If anyone has any ideas or thoughts on how I can improve them even more I'm all ears

[Mr.furley]

Fox farm soil in known for running out in week 5 and that is the most important time to feed p/k. You could just put the 2 gallon pot and all in a 5 gallon with more soil as the roots would grow out without being air pruned, if you do transplant out of them your going to ripe the root ends off at this point.

Good luck.

[BigMak]

I'm gonna leave as is per your suggestion, next grow will just be bigger pots

[Sylvester]

I'm still following along, they look fantastic.👍🏻 Interesting to see how tall the un-topped girl will grow.
Think I'll change over to those smart cloth pots, good for the roots, I use soil too.
So 3 gallon cloth pots are better size to buy? All good advice from everyone.
Only thing I'd add, in my last photo grow (13weeks flower!) I fed nutrients at every feed, Canna is great but expensive. The Bloom boost is great.
Next grow will be my first Autos, I'm giving water in between nutrients, I think they'll do just as well, save nutrient lock out & food will last longer.
Happy growin.

[BigMak]

So it's been another week and sorry I haven't been around or posting much. Work has been kicking my ass on top of other things such as my water heater bursting, having to deal with insurance and contractors, etc.. Been a painful week but here's the latest update on my ladies.

• Oldest lady (LST 7 weeks) - starting to look like my youngest one. The LST I did has kept it very short and flat which it's supposed to do, I think..
• Twin A (Topped 6 weeks) - Is growing great. Definitely taller then the oldest but no where close to twin B. Can't believe the difference just a simple cut will do. It's spread out and looking great.
• Twin B (6 weeks)- one TALL main stalk with multiple ones around it. She's growing like crazy and I have to check her at least a few times a day to ensure that she's not to close to the lights.
• Baby (Topped 5 weeks) - She's doing great too. I was going to do some LST with her but decided not to. I kinda like the look of Twin A that was only topped.

Over all they are doing great or at least I think they are. All three of the older gals are drinking up water/nutrients and drying out the pots every other day. Have to give them each at least a gallon of water every second day and the baby maybe every 3 days. They tell me when they are thirsty by drooping their leaves a bit and then a while after watering, they stand back up. Raised the light multiple times and had to put the oldest girl on a raised platform so she could stay at the same level as the others and get her share of the light.

From what I read about the Critical Purple autoflowering strain, I probably have at least another 4 weeks to go before getting close to harvest. Just the though of harvesting, drying and curing is making me nervous as it will be my first time and I don't want to screw it up. Would really suck if I spent 3-4 months growing these beauties and then screw it up in the last steps.

What do you all think? Am I missing anything? Anything I should be doing other than adjusting light, making sure they are watered, checking PH levels, giving them nutrients and checking on them every day? I'm still pruning them a little bit a couple times a week, should I keep doing that or just let them be now?

Thanks to you all for your advice and this awesome site. Couldn't have gotten here with out ya'll.

[JeffInCanada]

Nice update! You're rocking this BigMak Looking good in there..you're going to get a good harvest. No need to worry about harvest yet though. Let's get these buds nice and fat first. LOL Something tells me that you'll be just fine at harvest time Good idea with using raised platform to share the light. Keep doing what you're doing.

[BigMak]

So two of my girls have started to turn yellow and I don't know why. I've tried to use the plant troubleshooter and the closest I can find it the Manganese deficiency but don't know if it's correct. I check my water PH every time and keep it around 6.5, I've been adding the Cal-Mag (5ml/gallon), Bloom(10ml/gallon) and Pro-Tekt(5ml/gallon) nutrients and I water until I get runoff and then shopvac it up. Not sure what's happening, how to fix it or if I should even worry.

Any advice?

[UndergroundFarmer]

Let someone with auto experience comment before you make up your mind, but as far into flower as they seem to be, it may just be the plant starting to use up nutrients from the fan leaves. Next phase will probably be dropping a few of them. If they fall off on their own or pull off with the slightest tug, it's because the plant was finished with it.

[JeffInCanada]

Hello @BigMak
Middle picture looks like textbook nute burn, with the burnt tips. Third picture looks like textbook magnesium deficiency, with the yellowing in the veins of the leaves. There is a lot of info about both on the GWE site.

[BigMak]

Thanks, I read up on both and just wanted and second opinion. I’m flushing them now and will lower nutrients and see how it goes. Appreciate the feedback!

[PeterMatanzas]

BigMak Hello & welcome. There’s good advice above from the pro’s here.

[BigMak]

Weekly update.. After the scare last week with the Nute Burn I flushed all three of the older girls with straight PH checked water and I think they are looking better. Had to trim a bunch of the yellowing leaves and starting them on 1/2 the nutes this week. I think the older girl is getting close to harvest but still a few weeks out. The twins are doing great too, the one I left alone is at least 2 feet tall right now and the one I topped has quite a few buds and more uniform in size.

I'm off to Vegas till Saturday and my daughter is house sitting. Gonna leave her a couple gallons of PH balanced water to give them mid way through the week and hopefully they make it without me checking on them every other hour

[JeffInCanada]

Looking good BigMak The leaves do all sorts of things during flower. I had the yellowing and curled tips (I called them elf shoes) with my last grow. You're still going to get a great harvest though, they look good. First grow...they look fabulous! Good luck in Vegas!!

[BigMak]

It's another a Monday and my weekly update.

Got home from Vegas after losing all my money and my plants weren't looking so good. A lot of the leaves had turned yellow and some were falling off. Gave them some TLC and they are looking better. I think the oldest gal will be ready to harvest in another week or so and I'm going to start flushing her this week. The twins are growing like crazy and still probably have a good 3 weeks to go before they are ready. Hopefully I can keep them alive for at least another 2-3 weeks

Now time to start reading up on harvesting, drying and curing.

[BigMak]

I have a separate 2x2x2 tent ready just for drying. Since the 4 of them are all going to be harvested at different times I'm hoping there is enough space.

I hear you on the seeds, I have lowryder seeds sitting in my fridge waiting for the next grow

[panalilies]

I bought a smaller dry tent for drying, 3ft tall, and my main cola branch (I didnt top or anything, just grew like normal) was too long for the tent, so it was king of sitting bent on the floor. Something to consider with your untopped, main stem monster on Twin B

[JeffInCanada]

I bet that you'll keep them alive long enough to harvest. At least for sure your odds are better than Vegas house odds that you will. First time grow learning...it was going too good. LOL. Just try and steer them home to harvest as best as possible. Figure out what to change or improve for next grow. I also bet is smells pretty good in that tent now. That's the smell of victory even if it looks a little rough.

[Catfish22]

BigMak , I'm posting a pic of my NL auto at 84 days. I harvested it 4 days later.
I was concerned a bit about the red splotches but decided they were essentially age spots.
Let her rip!

[BigMak]

Awesome, good to know that it's normal

[BigMak]

It's time again for the weekly update.. I think I've gotten over the majority of the nute burn I caused and I'm thinking I have maybe 2 weeks before I'm ready for harvest on the oldest one. Attached some close ups, sorry for the quality, and it looks like all the trichomes are cloudy/clear so just waiting for more of them to become amber as I primarily use it for sleep/relaxation.

[JeffInCanada]

Tent looks nice and full of buds! You're still going to get a real good harvest. It's amazing how they still bud up even if we put them through some abuse (speaking from experience). 2 weeks out looks fair to me. Thanks for the update BigMak

[BigMak]

Another week gone and this one has flown by. I've flushed all three of my older plants all week with PH balanced water and I think the oldest one is super close to harvesting and guessing I'll be cutting her down next weekend as long as some more of the trichomes turn amber.

As for the twins, I'm not sure what's happening to them and I've tried to use the plant troubleshooter but still not sure why the leaves are turning that dark purple color? Maybe I flushed them for too long and now they need some additional nutes? Has anyone seen this before and if so what's the cause/fix?

Kinda getting nervous about the harvest but I plan on doing a lot more reading and video watching this week to make sure I understand what needs to be done.

Thanks to everyone for all their advice and support during my first grow.

I few things I've already learned and plan to do for next grow:

• Bigger pots. The 2 gal ones just don't cut it and I have a few 5 gal ones ready to go for next round
• Start them all at the same time. As much fun as I had growing and experimenting with them, having them on different cycles means a LOT more work when it comes to water and nutrient schedules.
• Slow down on the nutes. I started at full strength according to the manufacture directions. Way too much and ended up burning them, next time I'm gonna start with 1/4 strength and monitor them closer
• Invest in a better PH pen, I bought the cheap vivosun one and even directly after calibrating, the reading are off. Been relying on the drops and color chart for the most part now until I can find a decent PH pen that will last longer than a few months.
• Just keep learning and growing

[JeffInCanada]

Hey BigMak
They really do not look all that bad being so close to harvest and all. They do look a little rough but you're still going to get some kickass weed, a lot of kickass weed. I think the purple coloring is likely normal. I make a list of things to improve on too, after a grow. Great idea of you to do that. The list gets shorter as we go (maybe slowly but it does get shorter). You're doing very good for the first time. Better than my first grow that is for sure. It can only get better from here. Good luck and keep the posts coming!

[BigMak]

Thanks JeffInCanada for all your advice and support.. never thought growing a "weed" could be SO stressful. Figure if I can get this grow complete then it will only get better and I have to have my lessons learned list or else I'd forget what I was gonna do lol