Sweet Autos: Mohan Ram, Blow Mind, Crystal Candy and Killer Kush

[delagdo]

Introduction

Hello! Sorry I have been away for a while since I finished my last diary, first I was busy with things and then I went on holiday. But now I am back!

I would like to grow some more cannabis for my own personal use, which is why I am doing this. I grow in a spare room which often hosts guests, and very likely will have visitors again towards the end of May, so I have just enough time to squeeze an auto grow in before then. Spring is an ideal time to grow, before the heat of the summer, and with the contest running, it seems ideal to record it here.

Sweet Seeds have been very kind to me so far in this contest. I confirm I have received the cash prizes for the photo contests - thank you Sweet Seeds! It seemed fitting to invest the money in a new camera, so I have bought my first ever with interchangable lenses, an Olympus EM10. Here's a couple of the first pictures I took with it:

 

 

I took it on holiday with me to learn how to use it, I won't bore you with all 800 but here's a few. No prizes for correct answers I'm afraid but see if you can guess where I've been:

 

 

This isn't me, just someone who looks a little bit like me:

 

I was with my mother and father in law again, so we didn't visit here I'm afraid:

 

Also I didn't really fancy paying €14+ a gram, plus membership, and I thought I could do with a break anyway, but it was interesting to know it was available.

 

[delagdo]

Strains and Equipment

 

I am growing four different strains this time, three for the first time and one I have grown before:

Mohan Ram Auto:

 

I am still trying different types and learning what I like, and my impression so far is that I like  potent indica dominant hybrids, so I am very keen to try this one. I love the name and the history behind it too. Indian botanist Holenarasipur Yoganarasimham Mohan Ram developed techniques to produce feminized seed, which revolutionized the cannabis industry. He died last year, but his legacy lives on in the cannabis seeds we grow today.

Crystal Candy Auto:

The description of sweet fruity flavours sounds great to me, combined with its supposed large size and quick flowering it sounds ideal for this grow for me.

Blow Mind Auto:

This one promises a lot, a quick flowering sativa haze auto. I don't have a lot of experience with this sort of weed but I am excited to try. I hope it gives me something a little different and lives up to its name.

Killer Kush Auto:

I said I like potent indica dominant hybrids! This is the one I've done before. No picture of the seed in the packet, as this is the final seed from my pack of four and by this point I had already soaked it, so instead there is a sample of the end result from my previous batch. The other three seeds all previously provided fantastic plants which finished quickly and were very strong and tasty. It is a favourite of mine.

Equipment I am using:
Hydrolab 120SX tent (120 x 60 x 160 cm)
315 W CMH with Agro bulb in Maxibright Daylight reflector
Chaysol 5 inch centrifugal fan for extraction
Oil filled radiator plus the house central heating
Levoit humidifier
Canna Professional coco
General Hydroponics Flora nutrients

All set up in an ensuite bathroom.

 

[delagdo]

Germination

I germinated the seeds first by soaking in tapwater for 24 hours, this began on 27th February:

That final Killer Kush Auto seed:

On 28th February I placed each seed into a Root Riot cube and into the airing cupboard for a few days, where it was nice and warm (25-30°C).

By 5th March they'd all popped up but the Killer Kush Auto and Crystal Candy Auto had the seed casing still on. I carefully removed this from both with tweezers but I also started soaking a couple of insurance seeds, since I don't want any less than four plants in the tent, and I was worried they wouldn't survive. I soaked another Crystal Candy Auto, and went with another Mohan Ram Auto too then put them into Root Riot cubes the following day.

On 6th March, a week after first getting them wet, the first four seeds were all put into small pots and into the tent, with the light switched on. I am calling this Day 0 and the day number will represent the number of days the light has been on for. I am running a 20/4 schedule.

Here's the Mohan Ram Auto on day zero, shortly after I switched the light on:

 

Blow Mind Auto:

 

Killer Kush Auto, seed casing still visible:

 

This was about 12 hours after I'd pulled the seed casings off the Killer Kush Auto and Crystal Candy Auto,. By now the cotyledons were starting to separate and I was confident the seeds would make it, and I hadn't killed them with the tweezers.

 

Crystal Candy Auto:

Edited March 8, 2019 by delagdo

[delagdo]

Day 1 and Day 2

 

Today is day 2.

Over the first couple of days I maintained the temperature in the tent between 22-27°C down to a minimum of 19°C with the lights off, with humidity around 50-60%.

I have been hand watering with a mix of 0.25ml/l each of FloraGro, Micro and Bloom and 2.5ml/l Plant Magic Plus Root Stimulator. My water base is EC 0.4 and with the nutrients it's EC 0.7. I am dribbling on a little bit at a time each day to keep the coco moist but not saturated while the roots grow in.

I received my Raynox macro lens attachment today which converts regular lenses into macro lenses, so I have been trying to use that to get a bit closer than the previous shots.

Here's the Mohan Ram Auto today, day 2:

Blow Mind Auto:

 

Crystal Candy Auto:

 

Killer Kush Auto:

 

It's the cute baby of the group for now, but hopefully I will have two more new arrivals soon.

 

Thank you for looking at my diary so far, I hope you can keep reading and following the progress of the plants. Thank you once again to Sweet Seeds - this one's for you!:

 

(Vapcap with Killer Kush Auto)

[vortex]

looks  like  its going to be an interesting grow and some nice strains ... i have 2 crystal candy from sweetseeds ere  that i swapped for a few cheese seeds  that i had ......  i have to admit  that the new camera seems to be taking some bloody good pics there too mate ....  i will pull up a chair and keep popping in on ths grow .....

Edited March 9, 2019 by vortex

[Serpent]

Loving the pics @delagdo and off to a cracking start, I grew out Mohan Ram a few years back, a lovely plant and the pheno I had was just what you're looking for, a couch lock indica, good luck bud

[delagdo]

Days 3 to 5

On day 4 I gave the first four plants a spray with seaweed extract (5ml/l) and Plant Magic Magne-Cal + (1ml/l), which I plan to do weekly. I also watered the pots through fully so there was a tiny bit of runoff from each, with the same EC 0.7 mix.

I noticed action from both the extra seeds in the root riot cubes, so I potted these up and put them under the light with the rest in anticipation. On the evening of day 4 the second Crystal Candy Auto seedling emerged.

Here's a group shot on day 4:

Here's the second Crystal Candy Auto seedling as it begins to stand up:

 

On day 5 (today) the second Mohan Ram Auto popped out too. Here it is, still looking a bit folded up from the seed this evening:

That's 6/6 seeds for this diary, and since I started growing Sweet Seeds in 2017 my lifetime record is 16/16 from 7 different varieties - fantastic reliability

[delagdo]

Thank you for your kind words and encouragement @vortex and @Serpent

 

I'm looking forward to catching up with your diaries and seeing what has happened while I was away.

[vortex]

only read mine if you get depressed mate ....  it will give you a fekin good laugh as it turned out to be a total disaster last year 

[AustrianToker]

Sweet pictures you got there.  Good luck with your auto diary.  Is that Chile at the beginning? 

[Serpent]

Woohoo 100% germ rate, nice one @delagdo

[delagdo]

Sorry @vortex I remember now! I hope you get a chance to go again this season...

 

Thanks @AustrianTokker Nice guess, I wish, but it was not that far away! I guess it's very difficult with just a few vague pictures.

[delagdo]

Days 5 to 7

 

I have tried to keep the air temperature around 25-27°C with humidity around 50-60% with the lights on. I want to keep it above 20°C when the lights go off for 4 hours each day.

To maintain these conditions I have been adjusting the timer on the oil filled radiator so it comes on as necessary to complement the house heating. The extractor fan is set at 60%. The humidifier is on constantly on during lights on, mist level 2/3, heat level 1/3. I set it to switch off before lights off each day, and then I turn it back on shortly after the lights come on when the tent is starting to warm up.

The plants seem to be loving it so far. I often find this stage of the grow frustratingly slow, but this time they seem bigger every time I look in the tent. Today is day 7, I gave them their first watering since day 4 as some of them looked slightly droopy and they felt a bit light.

Here's a group shot:

On the left are the two Crystal Candy Auto plants. On the right are the two Mohan Ram Autos. In the middle at the back is the Blow Mind Auto, and very middle of it all is the Killer Kush Auto.

[Serpent]

Looking like you've got everything under control at this early stage @delagdo

[Sweet Seeds -Jaypp]

Wow! Very nice pictures and great start!

Welcome again, my friend!

jaypp