Hello Grower’s Network!
This is going to be my first (of hopefully many) grow journal and it should be quite an interesting journey!
Why am I starting this now? Well I just started growing again after a 15-year break. Why 15 years? Life! It does sometimes get in the way, but I am happy to be back. I recently completed my first run, a mixture of photoperiod clones and autoflower seeds. With a yield of 24 oz from 10 plants, I was happy with both the quantity and quality!
I don’t know about you, but when I start a project or new journey, I like to research heavily before I begin. This is especially true for my new hobby. I spent hours researching soils, nutrients, lighting and temperature techniques and recommendations, and integrated as much as I could in my first grow back. Of all of the resources I found, it was the hobbyist grow journals that were the most helpful. Thus, it seemed only fitting that I start detailing my own grows, with the hopes to start some enlightening conversations, absorb knowledge from this well-established community, and hopefully help a new hobbyist grower find their stride growing one of nature’s greatest gifts.
A Tale of Two Autos
I recently planted two Blueberry Auto seeds from RQS (Royal Queen Seeds). They were similar in size during germination, and were planted in the same medium at the same time. After their first two weeks of growth, they are starting to show almost a 50% difference in size.
This presents me with a bit of an experimental opportunity, a self-assigned challenge that would give me a chance to try out some low-stress training (LST) that I played around with in my previous run.
Here is my challenge: Can I use various LST techniques to bring the smaller of the two autos to the same yield size as the larger?
Over the course of the grow, I will update this journal once a week with plant status, pictures, and general plans for the following week, with the latter being where I would love to foster some conversation! I would love to benefit from the wisdom and experience of this space! Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts on what you think you would do in my situation, and I will be sure to consider all suggestions throughout the grow!
Here are some initial specifications for seeds, soil, nutrients, and grow environment:
Seeds: Royal Blueberry Auto from Royal Queen Seeds
Soil: Paonia Soil Co.: The Bomb 50/50 Mix
Nutrients: Ventana Plant Science (VPS) + FlavUh + Stash Blend
Note on nutrients: The combination of these three nutrients yielded fantastic results for my first run. The VPS feeding chart easily walked me through each week of nutrients and adding Stash blend helped me with some easily noticed deficiencies during the first few weeks of flowering. Consistent feeding using these nutrients is absolutely recommended for plant health, yield, and flavor!
Grow Environment:
Light: AC Infinity IONBOARD S44 – LED Grow Light Board 400W
Tent: AC Infinity CLOUDLAB 642, Advance Grow Tent 4 x 2
Humidifier: AC infinity CLOUDFORGE T3
Ventilation and Circulation: AC Infinity CLOUDLINE T-Series Duct Fan 4 Inch, AC Infinity Duct Carbon Filter, Australian Charcoal, 4-Inch, AC Infinity CLOUDRAY A6, Gen 2 Grow Tent Clip Fan 6”
Pots: AC Infinity Heavy Duty Reusable Fabric Pots 3 Gallon
Blueberry Auto #1: The Control
This little lady will be untouched throughout her growing process. There will be no training, defoliation (outside of normal pruning dead/dying leaves). It will get the normal course of VPS and Stash Blend.
Blueberry Auto #2: The Challenge
#2 will undergo everything I can in terms of LST, defoliation, and any other techniques you all might recommend throughout the process. It will get the normal course of VPS and Stash Blend.
Week 2
Week 3
BB Auto #1 - Control
BB Auto #2 - LST
Removed some fan leaves and added 1 stake down under top 4 nodes.
My questions to the group for this week are:
- Have you ever seen two seeds grow so different from the onset of their seedling stage? If so, what do you think could be the cause? If you have had this experience before, what did you do/
- What LST techniques have you used in the past to try and increase yield in autoflowers? Any cool ideas could influence how Blueberry Auto #2 performs!
I look forward to sharing this journey with the Grower’s Network, and please share your ideas… not only for my benefit, but for the benefit of any new hobbyist looking to start their own journey!