Do I have time for an auto grow?

[Tone3000]

My flower tent is currently empty.

I have one-week-old sprouts in my veg tent. I need to grow them big enough to clone, then root the clones and grow them big enough to put into flower. I have a max height of 2' between floor and the bottom of the T5 light in the veg tent. Flower tent is 5' tall, 4' or so usable grow space, if that matters.

My latest seed shipment just arrived and there were some freebie autos thrown in there. One has a grow time from seed to harvest (according to breeder's website) of 60-65 days, two are 70-75 days, and one is 70-85 days. I could squish 4 plants into my tent, or let 2 have more room. Light coverage is pretty intense. (150W in 2x2' tent) Do I have time to finish the autos in my flower tent before my clones get too big in veg?

This is my first time trying cloning so I'm just not sure how long it will take. It's my first time growing photos at all! And here come a bunch of auto seeds I didn't even ask for, so I thought I might put the empty tent to use.

[Pkgump]

I have cloned many a plant. I have even cut a clone during flowering stage. I use clonex rooting solution and Root Riot. They started to root after about a week. Really strong roots. Even the one I cut during flowering turn back to veg. Stage after the rooting. The only issue you will have is that the clones will need to be on a 18 on, and 6 off lighting schedule. They will not produce that good if put on the veg. 12 hour lighting schedule during flowering. All my clones are femenized and autoflowers

[Tone3000]

Would you tell me your process to clone autos?

The clones would need to be well-rooted grow before going into flower, so they.would be hanging in the veg tent under the 12-12 until then, leaving me itching to fill the empty flowering tent. I'm not sure how long that will take. If these week-old sprouts are ready in 30 days, and it takes another 30-40 days for the clone to get well-rooted, I have time for.a 65-day auto grow. Maybe even a 75-day grow..

I don't Know how fast these photos will grow or how quickly the clones will be well-rooted enough to get growing. Maybe I can stretch the time out a bit by letting the mother grow quite a bit and cutting back well. And I can take large and small clones, so maybe the smaller ones will get the growing time they need.

Since the clones will be in solo cups until the males are gone, I could tape them to the tent poles if I had to squeeze the clones into the tent while the autos were finishing. Would that work?

I'm really trying to find a way to make this auto grow work.

Once the clones are moved over into the flowering tent I'll discard the males and grow out others in larger pots. I'll keep the best original female plants from seed as small mother plants and eventually grow a sea of green clones.

[Pkgump]

Try using “root riot” it is perfect for seedlings, or cuttings. It maintains moisture and promotes root growth. https://www.growthtechnology.com/product/root-riot/

[Tone3000]

These are just a different brand of Rapid Rooter, which is the one GWE recommended, right?

How much difference do you notice between these and reconstituted peat pellets? (If you've tried both)

https://smile.amazon.com/50-Count-Pellets-Seedlings-Transplant/dp/B0097W9U76/

I'd think the use of rooting gel/powder would have a bigger impact.

[homegrown]

Hey Tone3000, i think you may want to re-think the whole photo with auto idea. First off, how many Photo sprouts do you have started? And how many clones do you plan on starting? You say your tent is 5 ft tall but what about the floor size. 2 plants can fill a 4x4 space. Then you have light schedule to think about..Photos need 12 hrs dark..Autos not so much. I'd stick with one or the other personally. Save your autos for an all auto grow. Much less work.

[Tone3000]

I agree, that was my intent... do a quick all-auto grow under 18/6 in the currently-empty flowering tent while the sprouts/clones are taking their time (my question is will it take 8 weeks) getting big enough in the veg tent, also under 18/6.

My idea was that if the autos are still finishing up in the flower tent, I could let the autos finish under 12/12 just for the last week or two and stick the (still-small) clones in the corners (taping the cups to the poles in the corners) just to get them into flower so I can sex them.

But maybe 12/12 is a big problem for the last couple weeks of the autos? It was just an idea in case the clones in veg start getting too big and are due for the flip to bloom before the autos get chopped. Maybe the clones will need that long to be ready... That's what I'm looking for advice from those who've done it before.

Plus I have these free auto seeds and I don't really know when I would use them otherwise. I've gotta get going soon if I do it!