Dinafem Auto Cookies under DIYLEDUK 550 PAR+

[cloudy days]

The title of this thread could just as easily be 'oh my god what am I doing how did I end up here' 

 

Some Background

 

I grew photoperiod seeds for around a decade under HPS, made plenty of mistakes, grew some average weed, stopped taking so much well meaning but poor advice and eventually got to the point where I was getting OK bud and OK yields and some of that improvement was down to lurking these forums.  I grew so much in 2018 that I haven't done a grow for just over a year.  However, those jars full of Trainwreck and Burmese Kush are now running low and it was time to start back up.

 

Why LED?

 

My old stuff was looking quite tired and the tent was too big for what I was doing, so it was time for new kit.  My research on what was recommended nowadays landed me back here and I saw plenty of great reports on DIYLEDUK kit.  Even better, pre-orders for the new PAR+ boards had started and seemed to be a great price so I ordered the 550 package.  The whole 'plug and play' promise really appealed as I am not especially handy and the prospect of giant meccano kits makes my eyes glaze over.  A lot of grow diaries had shown some brilliant results and the fact that you can dim the lights easily at the turn of a button instead of being restricted to whatever options your ballast had seems to be advantageous.  I also hope to be able to grow decently during the summer months with LEDs and avoid suffering from the heat problems I encountered with HPS.

 

Why Dinafem?

 

I distinctly remember growing 4 Dinafem Critical + and 2 Dinafem California Hash Plant photoperiod plants in the past.  All of them were strong, healthy plants and they were all ready for chop at 50 days into flowering, more importantly they smoked nicely.  Again, lots and lots of good reviews on these boards helped my decision.

 

Why Autos?

 

Those of us who are married or in long-term relationships will know some things are just non-negotiable.  I'm away on holiday with my wife at a certain point and while I can leave plants drying with the house/pet-sitter here, I wouldn't want them to be looking after plants for the best part of a week when they are late in their cycle.  I'd actually already got a load of Dinafem Critical + 2.0 photoperiod seeds in, but the more I looked at it, the more I thought that I was probably going to have to compromise too much on veg time and still leave myself no contingency time.  My knowledge of Autos was pretty outdated (I thought they were all tiny yielding dwarf plants still - how wrong can you be?) so again I did some reading up on here.  The Amnesia XXL strain is one I'd love to grow as Amnesia is a favourite of mine, but the comprehensive lifecycle time quoted and the diaries showing 100+ days meant that it was  a no go for me this time around.  If I had that sort of time, the Critical + 2.0 would already be up and running..... The 70-75 days quoted for the Auto Cookies looked about perfect for me so that's what I bought.

 

@diyleduk @Dinafem-Mark

[cloudy days]

The Kit

 

I have a 1.2x1.2x2m growtent in a heated spare room.

Currently running a filter and 4" extraction fan and passive intakes.

I may well swap this out for a 5" extraction fan (possibly with controller) and use the 4" as an intake.

There's a clip on fan inside the grow area and also a small bar heater.

 

What's been done so far

 

3 days ago, 4 seeds went into water for just over 24 hours.  After that they were potted into their PM Soil Supreme (18 litre pots) pre wetted with 0.5ml/litre PM Bio Silicon and covered.

Temps are in the 24-25c range, RH is 47-52%, none have peeked out yet but I hope to see them soon.

 

The Magic Bottles

 

I have the following bottles on the shelf

PM Bio Silicon

PM Oldtimer Grow

PM Oldtimer Bloom

PM Root Stimulant

PM Catalyst

BioBizz FishMix

 

What's next?

 

Hopefully they pop their little heads up soon and I can switch on the LEDs!  I have each board around 2 feet from the top of the pots, each pulling in the 75-80w range ready for switch on.  I intend to run 18/6 but if I have issues with environment I can always go to 24/0.

 

Once we have something green to look at I'll do some pics.

 

Any advice and help is more than welcome!

 

Edited December 16, 2019 by cloudy days

[cloudy days]

 idiocy!

Edited December 16, 2019 by cloudy days
quote is NOT edit!

[Dinafem-Mark]

54 minutes ago, cloudy days said:

The Kit

 

I have a 1.2x1.2x2m growtent in a heated spare room.

Currently running a filter and 4" extraction fan and passive intakes.

I may well swap this out for a 5" extraction fan (possibly with controller) and use the 4" as an intake.

There's a clip on fan inside the grow area and also a small bar heater.

 

What's been done so far

 

3 days ago, 4 seeds went into water for just over 24 hours.  After that they were potted into their PM Soil Supreme (18 litre pots) pre wetted with 0.5ml/litre PM Bio Silicon and covered.

Temps are in the 24-25c range, RH is 47-52%, none have peeked out yet but I hope to see them soon.

 

The Magic Bottles

 

I have the following bottles on the shelf

PM Bio Silicon

PM Oldtimer Grow

PM Oldtimer Bloom

PM Root Stimulant

PM Catalyst

BioBizz FishMix

 

What's next?

 

Hopefully they pop their little heads up soon and I can switch on the LEDs!  I have each board around 2 feet from the top of the pots, each pulling in the 75-80w range ready for switch on.  I intend to run 18/6 but if I have issues with environment I can always go to 24/0.

 

Once we have something green to look at I'll do some pics.

 

Any advice and help is more than welcome!

 

 

A solid set up, a fantastic new Auto and @diyleduk bringing the light power

 

How could this go wrong 

 

Good luck with the grow mate

 

As will all Dinafem grows I'll be along for the ride and watching with interest 

 

All the best

 

Mark..

[cloudy days]

Thanks @Dinafem-Mark, with me being new to both Autos and LED's this is going to be a voyage of discovery and as long as it ends up in a bit of nice bud, I'll be happy  

[Ledgrowlights-Adam]

Thanks for your support and good luck with your 1st try with the leds, you seem to have everything under controll

 

As long as you Keep temps above 26C. 28C is preferred and never run them too close to start with, you will do very well with them.

 

 

[Dinafem-Mark]

2 hours ago, diyleduk said:

As long as you Keep temps above 26C. 28C is preferred and never run them too close to start with, you will do very well with them.

 

Crucial advice for any new LED grower 

 

All the best

 

Mark..

[cloudy days]

So, the first little sprout appeared late on this afternoon.  I whipped on the lights and left them for a couple of hours.  Checking back, the temps at floor level had increased to 29.5c so I unplugged the bar heater.  I should think that won't be needed any more.  I also raised the lights so they are now around 30" from the top of the pots.  RH is still in the 45-50% range.  I kinda expect the light to dry the air out a bit so I've added a shallow dish of water to the environment.  Fingers crossed at some point tomorrow I'll have all 4 of these new girls saying hello and we can then be officially at Day 1.

 

Pretty sure I'm going to swap the 4" extractor for a 5" before the coming weekend is out.  The extractor isn't running at the moment but I do have the clip-on fan working to move a bit of air about.

Edited December 16, 2019 by cloudy days

[cloudy days]

So, as of last night, we have 3 above ground, the 4th stubbornly remaining subterranean.  Temps are a little warm, up to a max of 29.8C, so the radiator in the room is now off and a fan controller should be with me over the next 48 hours which will help me once I get the extraction going, the 5" extractor went in yesterday to replace the 4" but running it at full pelt is IMO too much right now.  RH still in the 45-50% range.

 

If, by tonight #4 is still a no show, I'll pop another seed into water with the intention to plant it on Friday or Saturday.  I have a couple of nominally shorter lived autos (Dinafem Critical + and Sweet Seeds Creme Caramel) so it should hopefully tie in on the calendar with the others.

 

All the best and thanks for dropping by.  Pictures to come this weekend.

[cloudy days]

OK, bit of a big update here, but it's been Christmas and what have you so it's been quite a busy time.

First of all here's a picture at Day 3 (link to my gallery)

 

As you can hopefully see, only 3 had sprouted as per my previous post.  So I stuck a Dinafem Auto Critical + into some water.  Around 30 hours later, a tap root had already sprouted in the water so it was quickly transplanted into the unlucky pot and covered.

6 days after the Cookies sprouted, we had another sprout which I am going to assume at this point is the Critical + instead of a lazy Cookie.  Also I should mention that a drink of around 1.5l with 0.5ml/l of PM Bio Silicon and 2ml/l of PM Root Stimulant was had around this time.

 

So, as of today we are at Day 9 for the Cookies, and Day 3 for the Critical +.

 

Here's a picture of all of them together at Day 9

The Bottom Left Plant (Cookie) at Day 9

The Bottom Right Plant (Cookie) at Day 9

The Top Left Plant (Cookie) at Day 9

The Top Right Plant (Critical + ?) at Day 3 - not a great picture I'm afraid

Hygrometer, I think everything looks OK.  The low temperatures are from when the lights were first switched on and I was dialling in the environment (or trying to).

 

I have the lights around 30" from the top of the plants and have each unit pulling c. 100w.

 

Thanks for looking in and feel free to chip in with advice as it is welcome.

[Dinafem-Mark]

On 26/12/2019 at 6:57 PM, cloudy days said:

OK, bit of a big update here, but it's been Christmas and what have you so it's been quite a busy time.

First of all here's a picture at Day 3 (link to my gallery)

 

As you can hopefully see, only 3 had sprouted as per my previous post.  So I stuck a Dinafem Auto Critical + into some water.  Around 30 hours later, a tap root had already sprouted in the water so it was quickly transplanted into the unlucky pot and covered.

6 days after the Cookies sprouted, we had another sprout which I am going to assume at this point is the Critical + instead of a lazy Cookie.  Also I should mention that a drink of around 1.5l with 0.5ml/l of PM Bio Silicon and 2ml/l of PM Root Stimulant was had around this time.

 

So, as of today we are at Day 9 for the Cookies, and Day 3 for the Critical +.

 

Here's a picture of all of them together at Day 9

The Bottom Left Plant (Cookie) at Day 9

The Bottom Right Plant (Cookie) at Day 9

The Top Left Plant (Cookie) at Day 9

The Top Right Plant (Critical + ?) at Day 3 - not a great picture I'm afraid

Hygrometer, I think everything looks OK.  The low temperatures are from when the lights were first switched on and I was dialling in the environment (or trying to).

 

I have the lights around 30" from the top of the plants and have each unit pulling c. 100w.

 

Thanks for looking in and feel free to chip in with advice as it is welcome.

 

Things look to be progressing at a steady pace mate 

 

Nice to read that another Auto has been added to this grow. Auto Critical+ will make a perfect companion for our Auto Cookies 

 

Looking good in here 

 

All the best

 

Mark..

[cloudy days]

Here are some pictures I took yesterday, which is Day 20 after the first leaves appeared.

 

First up, here's a group shot of all four.

 

Here's the plant on the bottom left.  She's showing strong outward growth, and looks to be by far the bushiest of them all at the moment.

Here's the plan from the top left, the tallest of all of them.  I think she's an inch, maybe an inch and a half taller than the others right now.

 

The mystery plant I have now decided is the Auto Critical + and is at Day 14.  The leaves are a lot brighter green than her Cookie brethren which may not come out well from a phone pic.  She got a bit lazy at one point and went off to the side a bit but appears to be healthy and fine.

 

The final Cookie is the smallest of the Cookies, but still looks to my eyes healthy.

Today they all had a nice drink as before, with the Cookies also getting 1ml/L Fishmix.

 

The light units are currently pulling c. 130W each and are just over 2 feet higher than the highest plant.

 

My RH level has been going down as low as 35%, I'm giving the plants and the top of the soil a quick spray of water when I see it at that low level which seems to take the edge off it a bit.  Temps have been under control to this point.

Edited January 7, 2020 by cloudy days
Forgot to mention RH & Temps

[cloudy days]

Hello again.  A week since the last update and things are really moving along now, these 7 days have seen some pretty amazing growth as the plants get established.

 

First of all, here's a group shot

The Auto Cookie in the bottom left is now beginning to grow upwards after impressive lateral growth.

The Auto Cookie in the top left has always been the tallest and remains so (just).  she's looking good to my eyes.

I'm really impressed with the vigour of the Auto Critical + which is nearly a week behind the Cookies.  She's on Day 21 as opposed to the Day 27 of the Cookies.

The final Auto Cookie is in the bottom right position and is still the runt of the litter, she looks around a week behind her sisters but still seems strong and lush, just small.

 

I did have a few hours last week where temps rose to just above 30C when we had visitors and venting had to pause for a while, but apart from that I've been able to keep temps in the 28-29C range and RH about 40% which I feel is a little low but there's not much I can do at the moment to raise it significantly.

 

We also had a feed yesterday as the pots had gotten quite light.  1-2L per plant was dished out according to need.  2ml/L of PM Root Stimulator, 0.5ml/L of PM Catalyst and 2m/L of PM Oldtimer Grow.

 

I have each light unit pulling around 145W of power and they are 24" from the top of the highest plant.

[Dinafem-Mark]

3 hours ago, cloudy days said:

Hello again.  A week since the last update and things are really moving along now, these 7 days have seen some pretty amazing growth as the plants get established.

 

First of all, here's a group shot

The Auto Cookie in the bottom left is now beginning to grow upwards after impressive lateral growth.

The Auto Cookie in the top left has always been the tallest and remains so (just).  she's looking good to my eyes.

I'm really impressed with the vigour of the Auto Critical + which is nearly a week behind the Cookies.  She's on Day 21 as opposed to the Day 27 of the Cookies.

The final Auto Cookie is in the bottom right position and is still the runt of the litter, she looks around a week behind her sisters but still seems strong and lush, just small.

 

I did have a few hours last week where temps rose to just above 30C when we had visitors and venting had to pause for a while, but apart from that I've been able to keep temps in the 28-29C range and RH about 40% which I feel is a little low but there's not much I can do at the moment to raise it significantly.

 

We also had a feed yesterday as the pots had gotten quite light.  1-2L per plant was dished out according to need.  2ml/L of PM Root Stimulator, 0.5ml/L of PM Catalyst and 2m/L of PM Oldtimer Grow.

 

I have each light unit pulling around 145W of power and they are 24" from the top of the highest plant.

 

 

That's some crazy growth over the last 7 day's 

 

Looking great mate

 

All the best

 

Mark..

[cloudy days]

The two Cookies I have over on the left are very very thirsty girls.  They had around 2L each on Monday and the pots are already quite light in weight.  I'll give them a feed tomorrow with a last little bit of fish mix and then switch over to the bloom for the next one.

 

Next pictures I will do closeups as opposed to an entire plant shot.  I'm cranking up the lights at every feed too, I'll probably go up to around 165W per board tomorrow, the plants have shown no signs of light or heat stress to my (non-expert) eyes so I'll keep cranking them up slowly until the plants tell me to stop.