Dutch Passion Auto White Widow

[Gelado`]

Haven't grown in over a year, but I need smoke! I have DP's Auto White Widow coming in--the 3+3 deal was too good to pass up on.

I'm growing in a professional seed starting mix with Peter's Professional fertlizers (including STEM, trace microelements), and maybe just a touch of worm castings for plant health along with epsom salts for added magnesium. Just bought a fresh 400W HPS bulb and I'm growing in a tent. I have a good 4" MountainAir scrubber that should do the trick for flowering. I've used it for two years and it's been in storage for one, so hopefully I won't need to order in another one as they certainly aren't cheap (but they work a treat).

This makes a big departure from growing long flowering sativas and clones organically. Someone suggested chems were better indoors and I know I'll be able to flush much better with water soluble ferts. Hopefully I can water less in peat than in coco and the two gallon plastic pots I'm using are much bigger than the one gallon SmartPot clones I used to use. I'm looking to control humidity much better with dehumidifiers and air conditioning for this grow, as high humidity has given me botrytis issues in the past. I have a feeling this grow will go very smoothly since I have some experience under my belt.

I should have everything set up in about a week (once I get back from vacation). Going to grow four plants and that should keep me well supplied for a year or so.

 

[Gelado`]

Picked up the beans today! Got a Nirvana NL Fem as a freebie that I'll have to grow out as well as I'm curious how it will do. Busy with work right now, but I hope to get the room cleaned up and then the tent up this week. I want to make sure everything works and is ready to go before I germ the seeds. I'm not sure if my LCD timer is still good as it's been a year, but I have a new one on the way. I'll get everything set up in the next few days; tons of work to do as well but I'm really aching to get the beans in the seed starting mix and this show on the road!

 

[Gelado`]

With an air conditioner and two dehumidifers going, the humidity is still at 63%. I may add a third dehumidifier down the line, since I really don't want any budrot/mildew. I just put the tent up, set up the lights and set up the scrubber. I'm putting the scrubber outside the tent and exhausting through it vs pulling through it as I've always done in the past. I'm using a 3M Filtrete cloth over the intake end of the ducting to protect the fan and scrubber--I can't find my stash of it, so I need more, and more duct tape!

Everything is working great. Wiped the tent down with disinfectant and I was amazed at how much dust I picked up even after a thorough vacuuming. I want this to be my best grow ever, so I'll give it a further wipedown before I move the plants in.

Growing two plants in seed starting mix and two in professional peat mix, but with a top layer (3-4") of seed starting mix. The seed starting mix is extremely airy, so I want to see how the plants in the seed starting mix compare to the plants in the professional peat mix, which is also pretty darn airy. I've had to contend with really heavy potting mixes in the past. This stuff is a LOT better and is direct from Canada. I have a good feeling about this grow and I'm about to sow the seeds after I fill the pots and disinfect with boiling water (and let the mix cool down sufficiently)!

 

[Gelado`]

Seeds in their pots (I sow directly, as I almost always have over the last twenty years of grows and growing attempts)!

I'm taping up the vents and holes in the tent to minimize dust from getting in from around the tent. Some air (and dust) should still get through, but passively. I am going to vacuum constantly to keep the dust level down around the tent as I don't want dusty buds. I may use one of the holes as a passive intake and tape that 3M Filtrete cloth over the hole. In fact, I think that is what I'll do tomorrow, once I get more of the Filtrete stuff and more duct tape. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don't need a new scrubber, but if I need one, I will definitely order one. I don't want the smell wafting out!

 

[Gelado`]

Washed the filter on the Mountain Air--I'm putting it back on the outside of the filter. The intake end will have a new scrubber filter on it, as well as the Filtrete. I got extra strong duct tape too, which I'll use to seal the heck out of both ends of the pipe. I'm going to add Filtrete to the air conditioner and dehumidifiers. Looks like I need a third dehumidifier...I have to empty both every 12 hours to keep the humidity down, and that's just not doable. A third one should extend that time a little.

 

[Gelado`]

Running the lights and scrubber now..I'm not sure why, but the fan is MUCH quieter blowing through the scrubber than it is pulling through it. Filtrete cloth over all ports on the tent that aren't sealed with duct tape. Duct tape isn't staying on as well as I'd hoped, so I may need more on there to make it hold better. I think the issue is the tent is nylon and the tape really needs pressure to stick; maybe if I apply pressure from the inside simultaneously?

Checked on the seeds...I gave them a tiny dribble of water. Couldn't not look at one of them. I carefully scraped the seed starting mix over it and...start of a taproot. I carefully covered it back over. It looks like they'll be above ground tomorrow or the day after! Switching everything off until it's time for them to go under the lights. It seems like there's a slight burning hair aroma in the tent; not sure where that's coming from. It was stronger when I didn't have the exhaust going, so it is definitely coming from within the tent. Maybe it's still musty, even after spraying it inside and out with Lysol and then wiping the inside and out with disinfectant yesterday.

 

[Gelado`]

4/4 germination rate in under 36 hours--good beans. The first is already raising out of the soil; one is getting there and two have taproots but need a bit more time. Great 4-20! I think they'll be ready to go under the lights on 4-22, so we'll start the clock then.

 

[Gelado`]

All but one has raised its head out of the soil...seed coats still attached (I tend to sow seeds quite shallow to ensure they have enough air). I have to stop checking on them or I'll end up killing them with kindness. I just need to leave them alone for a few days! They're around 3 ft from the 400w HPS I have running to keep them warm (the temperature just dropped drastically).

 

[Gelado`]

All four up and putting out their first tiny leaves from the cotyledons! Had to very lightly lift off the shells, but all four are basking under the HPS. Humidity is down to 47% outside the tent, so I might not need another dehumidifier as long as I empty both of them two or three times a day (PITA).

Putting them on 20/4, with lights off from 12 pm to 4 pm. I figure that's the hottest part of the day and giving the plants and air conditioning a little break in the afternoon will save some power and allow the plants to cool off a little.

 

[Gelado`]

Plants are looking good. Moved the HPS down for more warmth and light and they are taking it very well. Going to count today, 4-23, as day one; 74 days to go according to Dutch Passion, but probably more like 80-85 I think. Long ride ahead.

 

[Lester Beans]

Looking forward to your results! I have read many great reviews of DP autos.

Hoping you will post pics as things progress.

Best of luck on your grow!

 

[Gelado`]

Hi LesterBeans! Thank you! Here's one--growing quite quickly (noticeably so, even in two days) and this medium is incredibly airy! I don't think I'll need to water for several days as the pots seem quite heavy, but the soil itself seems to be at a comfortable moisture level, at least for the first 3-4".

 

[Gelado`]

Day 4...peeked in the tent and those first real leaves have grown considerably. I think proximity to the socks meant two of the plants got more air than the other two, so I rotated the plants around. The two filtered socks are the only intakes into the tent.

Lights on in a few hours and then I can check on the first set of three leaves to see how they're doing. Nice growth rate from these beans and in this medium under the HPS. One seed germinated a little slower but appears to have caught up, even if the seedling is a little shorter than the other three. I'll feed the two in seed starting mix on day 7, but the two that have regular soil under the seed starting mix should have enough nutes for a while. Going to feed light with this grow as I have always overfed in the past, and I want to avoid all of those issues. I'll feed more if they look like they want it, but otherwise I'm going to err on the side of caution as I've seen so many burnt tips and pH issues on here and I want to see how these babies perform with 1/4 strength nutes. I will, however, water in STEM (trace elements) once and epsom salts regularly, as my local water is pretty low on Mg.

After lights on; one of the four is considerably larger, with one close behind. Two are smaller. I'm going to wager that the two larger ones will be larger phenos and yield more. Time will tell! After watering a little to moisten the medium, I gave them all a very light feed of bloom fert (the P is good for early rooting, if I remember correctly), a proper dose of epsom salts and a light dose of STEM. The STEM is so concentrated that the amount I bought will probably last me the rest of my life!

I can already detect lovely aromas from the first two leaves on all of them. Pretty lovely aromas, too, but surprisingly strong for such young plants. These girls are probably gonna reek!

Added a 12" circulation fan, set on low, to help move the air around and help strengthen the stems up a little.

 

[Gelado`]

Day 5 and they're chugging along. Visible growth every several hours. The slowest plant appears to have caught up with the third fastest, but is a much squatter plant already. Let's see what happens as they progress and when they enter flowering. I almost want to try and replace the two smaller phenos with the two Auto WW beans I have left.

 

[Gelado`]

Today is day 7: it appears the mixes I'm using are entirely unfertilized, aside from a little dolomite lime. Based on the 20-20-20 fertilizer I'm going to water in, it looks like 1/2 a teaspoon in a gallon should suffice. I won't feed again until flowering unless they show me they need it. Shooting for an EC of around 0.7 with this feed. I'm hoping I only need to feed twice during the entire grow, since I will not be leaching until five days before harvest or so. I'll only leach if I detect signs of overfertilizing, but with the approach I'm using, I don't think that will be an issue.

I'm going light a la Mandala:

http://www.mandalaseeds.com/Guides/Fertilizing-Smart-Guide

 

[Gelado`]

The longest hour is before the lights come on; I end up sitting around reading stuff until it's time. I've mixed up today's nutes; just over 1/2 a teaspoon of 20-20-20 in 5 quarts, with a teeny bit of STEM. I won't use the STEM again unless I notice a deficiency. Can't wait to see how my little ones are doing as it's been a couple of days.

Well dang...the largest auto WW is the largest plant I've ever had at seven days, and the leaves are huge for a plant so young! The plant is 6" wide at seven days old. The second largest is maybe 30-40% smaller, but is still a great size. Two are significantly smaller, but the slowest is now in position three and #3 is now #4. The medium is surprisingly airy and dries out really quickly. I'm going to have to water every day once they get a little more developed.

 

[Gelado`]

Day 8, and they're looking good! The cotyledon leaves are yellowing quickly. I'm waiting to see how the plants look in a week; if they look like they need it, I'll feed again! They appear to have enjoyed yesterday's feed and all show rapid growth. I can also just detect skunk from the tent when I open it. I've never had eight day old plants smell skunky before. High hopes for these girls!

 

[Gelado`]

Did some research and found a professional grower in Colorado who uses the same fertilizers and medium as I do. It appears feeding at 100ppm of N is the way to go. He doesn't advocate using too much P in veg as it can lead to excess stretch. There is some coco in the mix, so I don't want to use too much K either; the next feed will be a mix of 15-10-30 and 30-10-10. I'm thinking 1/4 scoop of 15-10-30 to 1/4 of 30-10-10 for a ratio of approximately 45-20-40 or 23-10-20. That should be sufficient for getting the girls through veg; in early flowering I'll switch to 20-20-20 again.

Lots of homework for only four plants, but if this method works, I am all set for next time. I have enough fertilizer on hand for years of personal grows!

Incidentally it appears I have lights off during the time of day when CO2 is lowest. One day I hope to use all of this knowledge on a larger scale, but for now, I'm happy to have a little personal grow for my own medical use.

Also today's research has me leaning toward not flushing at all; I may just switch to plain water waterings in the week before harvest. Feeding responsibly should hopefully suffice to keep salt levels low.

For my next grow I'll fill the pots up higher; there's 1" of wasted space in each pot. That probably makes a difference. I'm also considering putting the largest girl into a three gallon pot in two weeks; she's growing extremely rapidly and I think she'll get rootbound in a two gallon pot.

 

[Gelado`]

Day 10, but I'm going to change the system up a little and call it day 9, with day 0 being the day they were up and had their first set of real leaves starting out. Starting to get a little skunky in the tent! No odor outside the tent so the scrubber can handle the odor for now. They didn't need water and they all look great. Even the slowest one is about as fast as the fastest plants I've grown in the past, so they're doing great and growing vigorously. I probably won't feed this week as they don't appear to be wanting for anything!

The biggest has a mostly developed set of five fingered leaves and the second largest is putting that set out now. The third largest is just putting out that set and the fourth is about to get started. I feel like the tallest is a day or two ahead of the second, which is a day or two ahead of the third, and so on. The largest one is HUGE though. Looks like I got a super AWW pheno! Second largest is pretty huge too, and the third largest is still pretty big. Loving this medium, and I added nothing at all to it!

Decided to pick up a few extra 2 gallon pots, 3 gallon pots and a 5 gallon pot. The largest has so much vigor I think I'll pot up to 5 gallons in 12 days (right around when preflowers show) so it doesn't get rootbound. Depending on the roots, I may just pot up to 3 gallons. I'll also check on the second largest, as it is fairly large, but isn't performing quite like the biggest one. The other two should do fine in 2 gallon pots since they're smaller phenos by the looks of things.

 

[Gelado`]

Day 10 today. Plants don't need watering (I got them good and saturated four nights ago), but I am noticing very slight tip yellowing on the new growth on the largest plant. She got more of the water with nutes than the rest since she is larger. Looks like it was a little too much! I won't feed until they show me they need it, and if the tips continue to yellow, I'll have to flush her. So far it's very minor and I almost didn't notice it. Watered her to lower the salt concentration some. When they show me they need a feeding, I'll feed at 25% strength vs 50%, and I won't feed until I see that they need it. They might have enough nutes to make it at least another two weeks by the looks of it!

Fuck it, gave her a few quarts to flush out some of the N. I'll feed with much more caution in future--half strength was enough to burn the tips a little, so I'll definitely only feed when they show me they need it! Quarter strength for the next feed, whenever they show me they need it. I hope flushing out around a quart was enough to resolve the N situation with the biggest girl. I think it will be. From now on, 1/4 strength nutes when needed. Mandala Mike suggested only using single digit nutes for pot. Well, 20-20-20 is 5-5-5 when used at 1/4 strength! I think I've got this now.

I really didn't want to burn my girls, and thought I was being cautious, but also thought feeding 1/4 strength and then 1/2 strength in two consecutive feedings might have been a bit much. It was. Fortunately the burn looks very minor. Hopefully it doesn't progress. The girls don't look too green or show any curl or anything so I don't think it was too bad.

Overusing fertilizer is terrible for the environment too. It's amazing how little we need to feed cannabis for healthy plants and good yields, but we chronically overfertilize. I've burned the shit out of my plants in the past. I'm hoping not to this time lol. I'm thinking the plants might have enough mineral salts for 3-4 weeks! Possibly longer.

Note to self for next time; start with 1/8 strength and let the girls be until they show you they need to be fed. 20-20-20 is fine for an initial charge. Top out at 1/4 strength with Peter's.