July 2021

[bboyfromwayback]

New venture this grow, finally decided to break out the AutoPots system I purchased a while back but never used. I’m also switching nutes, I’ll be using the GH Flora line using Nebulas feeding schedule to make it easier on me.

I actually started this one off in June. Initially I was going to grow a Gorilla Glue and a seed I got out of a Hindu Kush I grew a while back. No idea what happened to the Hindu Kush, she was completely healthy, but after I potted up she died. No answer as to why because nothing out of the ordinary happened. I guess she was just a picky one so she won’t be missed.

Popped a White Widow and a Dos Si Dos to grow with the Gorilla only they’re 4wks behind. My other grow is in wk 2 of flower so they have plenty of time to catch-up. These 3 strains flower really close to each other so hopefully they play well together and mature at the same rate come harvest.

The Gorilla Glue was in a styrofoam cup for 2wks and then in the 5 gallon pot 2wks. I watered it thoroughly before transplant, it took 7 days to dry out then I watered it thoroughly again. Yesterday the pot was super light again so i turned the AutoPot system on. Plant still looks healthy so I’m guessing she rooted properly 😁

I decided to do a basic manifold on this plant because I don’t want her to get too much bigger than the others. Figured a manifold along with the training involved will slow her down enough for the other two plants to catch up. They’ll be going under screens eventually.

I’ve had this system over a year but never opened it until I potted up the plants. So far one of the shut-off valves has a steady leak but other than that it seems ok. I’ve done a lot of research on this system and it seems like one issue people have with it is buildup in the lines causing it to clog then eventually leaks occur. For that reason I bought 100ft of 3/8” piping so after each grow I’m just going to replace all the lines and fittings just to be safe.

 

[bboyfromwayback]

I turned the AutoPot system on 2 days ago and I’ve been checking it probably too often since it’s my first go at it. So far the ph is staying steady at 5.9 in the reservoir and in the tray. I have a small water pump in the reservoir set to run 15min every 2hrs per AutoPot’s recommendation. Water temp in the reservoir is 70.5 degrees and goes up to 73.5 when the pump is running. The water temp in the tray maintains a stable 70. The outside of the pot feels cool to the touch as it does when the soil is damp but not cold as if it’s wet. This tells me the plant is getting all the water it needs but not so much the roots aren’t getting air. 👍🏻

Other than the one leaky valve I’m happy with it so far. I’m just glad that in anticipation of a leak I pulled it from the tent and placed it near the floor drain in my basement. It wasn’t nearly that bad but better safe than sorry. I know the manufactures say the floor lining that comes with these tents is waterproof but I believe I’ll be finding a 4x4 tray capable of holding 15 gallons of water. AutoPots USA sells one on their website but the shipping cost twice as much as the tray itself.

 

[bboyfromwayback]

It’s been 1wk since I turned the system on and everything looks good. The soil is damp but not wet all the way to the surface of the pot. The plant is healthy and growing well.

Tbh it’s been a boring, carefree week for the Gorilla Glue in the AutoPot which is exactly why I’m switching over to them. I look at it every evening and stick my ph pen in the reservoir just to make sure but I haven’t done anything in a week other than move the stakes as the plant grows . Oh I did flush the lines then empty and refill the reservoir today since it had been 7 days. So far I’m liking the AutoPot

Popped a couple Purple Kush that just surfaced. Going to give them a long veg.

 

[bboyfromwayback]

Switched lights. Couldn’t take the burple anymore. Plus I wanted to compare to yesterday’s pic. From what I can tell the plant is growing faster than I’m used to. I have to move the stakes a little everyday.

 

[bboyfromwayback]

White Widow and Dos Si Dos are in their new homes. Watered them in good. Once they’re dry in 4-5 days I’ll water them from the top again one more time. Once that watering is used up I’ll add them to the reservoir.

 

[bboyfromwayback]

Little update on the AutoPot grow. So far, this system has me asking myself two things; 1) why didn’t I start using AutoPots sooner, especially since they were in my possession 2) why is JohnEmad the only grower I’m aware of on GWE using them? Btw I tagged you incase you have any pointers 😂

Seriously though, since I moved the Gorilla Glue into the AutoPot a month ago it’s pretty much been on cruise control. I watered it twice from the top until I activated the system, first reservoir lasted a week (I used 6 gallons for one plant lol) last weekend I flushed the lines and switched out the reservoir with only 3 gallons of water with GH Flora nutes, and Thursday evening I added 2 gallons plain water. Other than LST’ng everything down as she grows, that’s all I’ve done in a month to this plant. In another week I’ll be activating the other two plants.

One thing I’ll add, when this grow is over I’m going to mark the inside of the reservoir. Right now all I know is that the GG by herself is drinking 1/2” of water a day and happy as can be. Ph has been stable, not fluctuating at all. So far the AutoPots have been a breeze

 

[bboyfromwayback]

Checkout the White Widow. I was counting the nodes and realized node 3 has 4 fan leaves and 4 colas naturally 👍🏻

First time I noticed it, went back to check and on my post 7-27 you can see the four leaves starting to grow out

 

[rasdebol]

Please keep the AUTOPOT updates coming. Looks like the best way to cut down on the "daily chores" of PH/PPM all the time and such.... Have yet to see any negative reviews on the Autopot. Some folks claim that the "bottom feeding" isn't a great way to go. Interested in your details. Do you HAVE to flush it every X amount of days and such. Looking for "low maintenance". Thanks.

 

[rasdebol]

BB, wonder if you couldn't use one of these tube style water lever indicators like used in some hydroponic tanks. It's just a clear tube/hose that runs vertically outside your water tank and since "water seeks its own level" the water in the tube is always level with the water inside the reservoir. Make one or buy one like this link and extend the tube to whatever length you need. WAY easier to look at level on outside of the tank instead of marks inside a black plastic tank/container. Just a thought...

https://www.amazon.com/General-Hydr...=water+level+indicator,lawngarden,209&sr=1-11

 

[bboyfromwayback]

That is true, be easy to add as well. Thanks for the idea!

 

[bboyfromwayback]

Low maintenance is exactly why I’m trying them out and so far I’m sold. I’ll be documenting the whole grow. Initially I was going drain and refill the reservoir every Saturday but decided on every other Saturday. The manual says to flush the line once a week for about a minute to prevent buildup so that I am doing. Other than that I look at the plant, maybe turn it a little, check the inside of the reservoir and as long as the water is above the water pump I walk away

 

[bboyfromwayback]

So check this White Widow out now, above the 4 cola node we have a 3 cola node

Gorilla Glue just happy happy happy

 

[TOKABIGONE]

That is a very cool pheno. I hope you can clone some; be really cool if there was a way to get some seeds!

 

[bboyfromwayback]

I thought about that last night. Already planned on keeping a White Widow mom, maybe I’ll let her grow out some before 2nd or 3rd topping and take a few cuttings. It would be interesting to see the structure her clones would have

 

[bboyfromwayback]

My original plan when I ordered all these seeds last year was to grow them all out, figure out which ones we liked the best then once I got down to 5 seeds of a strain pop them all and find a mom to keep. TOKABIGONE is right, I’m gona have to keep this girls genetics. 3rd node naturally grew 4 fans/colas, nodes 4 and 5 both have 3 fans/colas.

 

[bboyfromwayback]

Thanks bud! I been getting my hints and tips from your grows lately lol

 

[bboyfromwayback]

Finally gave the Gorilla Glue some tlc, removed some big fan leaves and all downward growth. Kinda forgot about her tbh so she’s a little uneven right now. She’s also drinking 1” per day now, thirsty girl. We get a lot of power outages around here due to storms so I’ve always been afraid of going hydro but I’m loving this setup so far and so does the plant which is the main thing.

Added the Widow and Dos Si Dos to the reservoir, topped the Widow above the 4th node and removed everything below the 3rd. Figured I’d get all the shock over with in one swoop on this one. Pretty sweet, topped once and already have 7 colas 👍🏻 Two of the colas on the 3rd node kinda morphed together at the base then started to split apart into two again but check out the damn base on them.

 

[bboyfromwayback]

Here’s some pics of the day after I put the White Widow onto the reservoir to show how well these things work. I hadn’t watered this plant in 5 days so the soil was completely dry yesterday. Today it’s moist ,but not wet, up to about 1/2” below the surface. Plants are happy

 

[bboyfromwayback]

Topped the Dos Si Dos above the 2nd node. She was getting tall and lanky with lots of distance between nodes. The first two were close together and low which is what I like. A better closeup of the White Widow mutant looking plant

 

[rasdebol]

Did you pursue the exterior water level tube for your reservoir? Just wondering. I gather it is recommended to NOT use totally clear tubing as algae and such will react with daylight and grow. Just wondering if you found a tinted tubing? I guess if the reservoir is not in the light or you run a UV it wouldn't make a difference. Appreciate any info as I will have the same issue.