Lebanizer's adventures in the autoworld

[Lebanizer]

Here we go !

My foraying into the autoworld has now officially begun !


Introduction

The autoworld is my new frontier because I have finally come to terms with the objective reality of my situation. My situation is that I grow at 49N on my balconey in an urban context and very clearly these are not the right conditions for most of the strains that are on the market. Also I don't want to smoke weed I want to make hash the classical way (dry sift). Last, my love goes to the Himalayan plants but really I think even early plants like Lebanese plants can benefit from going auto. Therefore the intent is to create the landrace-based strains that are tailor made for me.

Breeding

As breeding material I have decided to use the following strains by desceding order of preference:

1. [RSC] Kurgan
2. [RSC] Siberian
3. [CHS] Danish Lowryder

The reason I wanna deal first and foremost with Kurgan is because a lof auto are based on Lowryder which includes Northern Lights genetics. I love sativas and especially the Himalayan ones as stated above and I don't want to mire their soaring high flying stratospheric highs with couchlocking indicaness and their terrible munchies (barf). Therefore I really want to prevent as much contamination as possible. Kurgan seems to fit the deal as it's a pure auto not contaminated by Norther Lights or other "western indicas". The Siberian is supposed to include Kazakh hash plant genetics. I'm not really familiar with Kazakh drug type plants but I assume they should be close to HIndu Kush types which is not good either. And then Danish Lowryder, well it does have lowryder so not the best, but it's a stabilized plant that have very desirable qualities (auto with dwarf stature) and which have been used in a lot of interesting Danish autos so I'm not completely closed to the option either.

ESFAL

Before actually getting into breeding I need to reach ESFAL state though (Enough Seeds for a Lifetime). Basically I need to have much more seeds to sustain this breeding project on the long run (ie the rest of my life). So the first step is to reproduce all these strains. This will also get me acquainted with their different developpmental patterns.

Kurgan

Which is why I had already planted 6 Kurgan seeds on my bacloney so they would be exposed to freezing. I was expecting them to pop somewhere in march at spring after temperatures rise but surprise surprise two have already popped. It's true that temperatures this week have been very mild for winter (above 14°C). I just hope it's a male and a female. If they're both females and the others pop too late, i'd be a waste as they would'nt be fertilized in time. We'll see. I'll post some pictures this week.

 

[Cvh]

 

[Lebanizer]

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Here are the two early timers. Temps have dropped back to more expected winter levels (6/8 °C) so it's unlikely other seeds pop anytime soon before spring. The important thing to note is that one doesn't need very high temps to get those seeds going. A mere 15°C is enough !

 

[Old Piney]

So it's funny we are thinking almost the same thing except I've chosen to work with just Siberian but mine is from Khalifa genetics. From the description and the sourcing I think it is the same as TRSC’s except it's has been reproduce indoors for 4 generations. That's not better in my book but it's ok.. Anyhow Khalifa has a picture dosn't look to indicia like to me .My fist step will be to produce pure Seberian seeds outside as well

 

[Lebanizer]

A bit of an update.

They're both getting their second pair of leaves. On the big one, A purple coloration has appeared as well. The second one remains freakishly small. I'm wondering if it's because it's not getting as much sun as the other, or is possibly a dwarf plant (very desirable feature for me). The stranger thing is that it's in amuch bigger pot. As for the others, no signs of new sprouts. Weather is sort of milder with temperature between 10 and 14°C but not much sun and a lot of cold wind and rain. Sigh... I'm considering preparing the remaining 8 seeds through cold stratification for a month and then exposing them in my indoor setup...


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[Lebanizer]

Guys I’m wondering if I’m on the right track with the Kurgan. This isn’t just impatience, but I'm starting to reconsider. One of my objectives is to have stealthy balconey-fit plants. This implies relatively dwarf plants a la Lowryder. The Kurgan description on RSC website does say that the plant can grow up to 4m tall ! That’s definitely an XXL plant absolutely not what I want, quite the reverse really.
Also I’m considering the Kurgan’s hardiness. It is certainly a plant that should be adapted to cold and rain but probably not to heat and drought I imagine. However, in the ideal scenario, I’ll have a plant that’s harvested by mid to end of august and that means that this plant will have to undergo intense summer heat and drought rather than cold and rain. Really the only reason to have the Kurgan is that it’s a pure (Northern Light/indica)-free genetic. I‘m wondering if the best approach wouldn’t be to have a (Kurgan x Danish Lowryder) x Lebanese:

• The Kurgan for the pure hardy non indica autoflo genes,
• The Danish Lowryder for the dwarf North-friendly autoflo genes,
• The Lebanese for the compact, resin-filled, fast flowering low odour « sativa » genes.

But I’d be basically still using Lowryder in that combo. Maybe I’m too perfectionist and obsessive here. Just get rid of the DL and come up with a Kurgan x Leb hybird as a great non-indica autoflo starting point ?

In any case I’ve tossed the remaining 8 Kurgan for a 1 month long cold strat. We’ll see if that improves germ rates.

Lots of pondering going on here !

 

[squatty]

Lebanizer I don't want to derail your thread but I wanted to share a breeder I used for the first time last year. Have you heard of Top Tao Seeds? They're in Czech Republic and seem to cater to high lattitude growers in Europe. I've only ordered their seeds once from seedsman. I've only grown one strain, Demon Auto TAO. The only problem I can see you having from my experience is you could get plants which are too large. I popped a pack of their seeds and a couple of the plants were easily two meters tall. Very vigorous plants. You would probably need to bend them over.

I was interested in trying their strains because they sell regular autoflower seeds, not feminised. I believe they are considered superautos. The plants I harvested were nice autos.

They took about a month to show sex and were harvested about 16 weeks after starting. It was a warm summer and the plants did well in 3 and 5 gallon pots. We even had one week of record setting heat. I am at 45 N latitude. I started plants indoor for their first three weeks in May and harvested the first week of September. I was able to make seeds of the strain and also crossed it to a couple of other autos.

They do not say what country Demon Auto Tao originates from, just that it is from Africa. I'm not sure where they have gotten their autoflower genes from but I am confident it is not Low Ryder.

 

[squatty]

Here is a picture of the Top Tao Autos at four weeks from seed. I'm not sure if there is hemp involved but the end product was a nice smoke (more vaping) even though it was full of seed.

The last picture is a current grow indoor for seed. These four males are the next generation pollinating a sour diesel auto hybrid.

 

[Lebanizer]

Thanks for stopping by !

I had heard about that company and I would be inclined to believe they're not using Lowryder in most of their strains but I hadn't checked their catalog in depth.

To be honest, it's not excatly what I'm looking for at the moment although it's interesting to know they exist. I could use some of their genetics in the future, such as the one you mentionned or their Auto Haze for future breeding projects.

Also part of the fun of such projects is to make your own crosses that cater to you very own needs !

 

[shiva82]

Thanks for stopping by !

I had heard about that company and I would be inclined to believe they're not using Lowryder in most of their strains but I hadn't checked their catalog in depth.

To be honest, it's not excatly what I'm looking for at the moment although it's interesting to know they exist. I could use some of their genetics in the future, such as the one you mentionned or their Auto Haze for future breeding projects.

Also part of the fun of such projects is to make your own crosses that cater to you very own needs !

cool thread

i have lebanese x old timer haze you can have if you wanted them . that is, if they are of any use and you have a safe addy, you can have half of them . i have no space to grow them. i made them last year with a couple of parents used.

 

[Lebanizer]

A bit of an update

The healthy one is developping its fourth pair of leaves (five bladed), the third pair has 3 blades. So far so good. The second one is still microscopic, obviously it's a runt. Weather is a mild 11-16°C, occasional sunshine, occasional showers, some wind. The internodal distance seems very tight which is a very desirable feature.

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I have 8 kurgans in the fridge undergoing cold stratification right now. I'll get them out in two weeks. The other sown ones still haven't popped out their little cotyledons so far !

 

[Lebanizer]

cool thread

i have lebanese x old timer haze you can have if you wanted them . that is, if they are of any use and you have a safe addy, you can have half of them . i have no space to grow them. i made them last year with a couple of parents used.

Thanks man, that's very kind of you but so far i have too many seeds already and would have no place for them now as I have too many growing project !

 

[shiva82]

Thanks man, that's very kind of you but so far i have too many seeds already and would have no place for them now as I have too many growing project !

i know the feeling . no problem at all Lebanizer

 

[Lebanizer]

Some update.

I'm not dealing with the runt anymore so let's just say that I have only one plant going. It's now forming its 4th pair of leaves (five bladed). It has quite some purple color on it probably from the cold as there is a bit of frost in the morning. The cold should completely gone in a matter of ten days from now on. Temperatures are rising to 14-18°C. The plant is quite fuzzy and it seems to have just started its flowering as I can see the first pistils ! But it is very small though. If it were a photo plant, now would be the right time for doing the light flip. I'm looking forward to see if there's any stretch !

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[Lebanizer]

The plant is going through a very vigorous stretch. the internodal distance between node 2 and 3 has been multiplied at least by 3 ! More pistils are showing up but still a very small plant altogether. The best time to grow this one at my lattitude would be end of april/beginning of may when the weather has truly warmed.

 

[airplane]

was wondering when landrance /heirloom strains will start the "auto" genetics - can a 14 -16 weeker made in to a 8 week plant ?? seems impossible

 

[Lebanizer]

She has basically stopped growing and seems to focus her energy on her flowering. I measured the internodal distances (ID). Let's use the following notation: ID(m,n) is the internodal distance between node 'm' and node 'n'.

Before the stretch:

• ID (1,2) = 2cm
• ID (2,3) = 2 cm

After the stretch has stabilized values are :

• ID (1,2) = 2cm (no change)
• ID (2,3) = 10cm ! A five fold increase !

This means that this is a plant that can get quite big in the right circumstances !

Aroma wise there's really no smell at all, even when I stick my nose right into it (big plus). When I rub my fingers on the stem, there's only the classic cannabis stem smell, and not very strong. Nothing else. It's also not resinous/sticky at all. Completely dry. I'm mostly feeling the fuzz of the stem. She does look very sturdy though. That's it for now. I'll take some pictures later.

 

[Bzh guerilla]

Lebanizer I don't want to derail your thread but I wanted to share a breeder I used for the first time last year. Have you heard of Top Tao Seeds? They're in Czech Republic and seem to cater to high lattitude growers in Europe. I've only ordered their seeds once from seedsman. I've only grown one strain, Demon Auto TAO. The only problem I can see you having from my experience is you could get plants which are too large. I popped a pack of their seeds and a couple of the plants were easily two meters tall. Very vigorous plants. You would probably need to bend them over.

I was interested in trying their strains because they sell regular autoflower seeds, not feminised. I believe they are considered superautos. The plants I harvested were nice autos.

They took about a month to show sex and were harvested about 16 weeks after starting. It was a warm summer and the plants did well in 3 and 5 gallon pots. We even had one week of record setting heat. I am at 45 N latitude. I started plants indoor for their first three weeks in May and harvested the first week of September. I was able to make seeds of the strain and also crossed it to a couple of other autos.

They do not say what country Demon Auto Tao originates from, just that it is from Africa. I'm not sure where they have gotten their autoflower genes from but I am confident it is not Low Ryder.




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hello, I grew taomatic last year for seed production, it took two and a half months to come into bloom. very vigorous growth! apparently some crosses with other autoflowering strains would result in autoflowers that flower after a month, later or as a fast photoperiod cross.

 

[Lebanizer]

Some updates.

About the Kurgan.
Well safe to say that that project is a total failure although I did gain some insights. I had to be away for some weeks and what happened is the 'classic' early unexpected heatwave which basically fried the few ones which actually sprouted. Sadly the strain is now ouf of stock at RSC. But were I to do it again, for a repro project, I wouldn't buy any less than two packs (24 seeds) and sow them all at once because the germ rate is quite low (20 to 50%) even if you use cold stratification. The ones that haven't sprouted are likely to sprout next year so I will just put them all in a pot of their own and let them do their thing. Seed to "harvest" they seem to go for 10/11 weeks overall.

Lowryder.
I was so bummed by the Kurgan, I decided to go straight to the Lowryder and sowed 4 seeds in a 1L, 3.6L, 6L and 11L pots. Two seeds sprouted so far. The 11L and the 1L. The 1L is basically a tiny tiny plantling and isn't going to develop much further. The 11L is just perfect and has started flowering about 25 days after it sprouted. It lives up to its legend and seems to be but does attract pests (leaf miners, white flies) though. Overall it does seem useless to use any pot smaller than 11L for the plant to develop decently. So far so good so I decided to sow all the remaining 6 seeds and hopefully they will turn out good to make a lot of seeds. If the high is good, it could become a staple for me, because it really is very discreet on a balconey and so far doesn't stink up the air either. The one in bloom (a female thank god) should still has a month to go or so before harvest.

Siberian.
I'll keep this one for next year using the insights from the Kurgan. I will pop my entire two packs at once and I'll wait for the temperature to be at least 20C before attempting that. I'll use 6L pots only because reportedly the Siberian can get huge.

 

[Lebanizer]

Fucking bloody slugs ate every single one of the 6 seedlings