The best way to grow Auto's in a Greenhouse???

[AutoAberdeen]

Looks like I’ll be drying in the shed too. Have one of those multi level net storage things (my kids used to store toys in it) and will run the dehumidifier in there to keep the level down as well as providing some air flow through the outtake on the top. 
 

Id thought about trying to use the greenhouse but I presume even in a cardboard box it’ll be too hot and not dry properly?

[AutoAberdeen]

Double post

Edited August 7, 2020 by AutoAberdeen

[inapond13]

@AutoAberdeenI doubt you will need the de-humidifier in the shed while drying with the temps that are likely.  I am considering using a humidifier in the attic during drying to increase the humidity and drying time.

Edited August 7, 2020 by inapond13
@AutoAberdeen

[junglelove]

With a couple of plants at similar stages, Ive really enjoyed your thread @AutoAberdeen..fair play pal..nearly there now..best of luck in the home stretch

 

[inapond13]

Just found that pesky caterpillar curled up in a leaf.  Chopped the leaf and took it to my execution table  Peeled open the leaf and a 2cm green caterpillar crawled out.  It quickly got sliced in two and flicked outside.  I have learned to remove the leaf to deal with caterpillars as sometimes they very quickly wriggle off and bury themselves into a bud.

 

I also found some 'Bonus Weed' - the best thing ever  Left in the bottom of one of last years jars.  Its a bit fluffly but packs a punch.  Strawberry Amnesia - Dinafem.  Five or six joint to be had from this   Still have a bit of bubble hash left but it is from the finest micron material and is really sticky, even when kept in the freezer.  It's good stuff but it is so hard to work with.  I usually squish it into a disk with a pint glass between grease-proof paper then keep in the freezer.  When the tobacco is prepared in my joint, I take it out of the freezer, peel back the paper and cut of thin slices with small scissors.  I then have to use my fingers to take the slice off the scissor blade and attempt to transfer this super sticky slice from my fingers to the joint.  I use the scissors and the flint part of a clipper lighter to position each slice.  Three slices usually does it.  Then a bit more tobacco and I can roll it.  This whole process is a real pain in the arse!!! When I have dry bud, I will always smoke this first as rolling a normal joint with this is so easy.  Any suggestions on another way to deal with super soft and sticky bubble hash?

 

I think I will be chopping some buds tomorrow.  Milky trichomes all the way at the moment on all but the Daiquiri Lime which will take a little longer.  Its been 110 days since seeds went into soil and they all popped through the surface after 6 days.  I think they could go a bit longer but I have so much going on at the moment and other work I need to do, I need to start some trimming and drying.  I also have NO weed  

[Wacky Wardrobe]

21 hours ago, inapond13 said:

they very quickly wriggle off and bury themselves into a bud.

 

I bought a couple of them fellas indoors last year on a plant vegged outside to be flowered inside. The first one I spotted because i could see web between a couple of buds. I panicked and cut them off to inspect closely. Little green caterpillar!

I then found the branch on the other side of the same node had one too. That fucker just got winkled out.

This year I've been watching how closely the wasps scrutinise my plants outside looking for prey all day long. I saw one settle on a branch and had a look and saw it tucking into one of those caterpillars!!

I also spotted two poppy heads apparently stitched together with web. When parted I found.... a little green caterpillar!!

They sure do like good dope those little fuckers!

[inapond13]

@Wacky Wardrobe I like the idea of wasps eating the caterpillars, would love to see that

 

So yesterday I made some time to start some trimming and I am glad that I did for a couple of reasons.  The first reason was that the third brooklyn sunrise, the largest one, was starting to get a few brown seed pods in the main cola so was definitely ready to come down.  No bud rot though:)  The second reason was that the aphids were making a move into a couple of the buds and that needed to end.  Here is a picture of the aphids in a bud, sorry it isn't very clear:

 

 

I did give the affected buds a good flick outside to remove quite a few, but after trimming, there weren't that many left.

 

Here is a picture of before I started to harvest:

 

 

And a couple of pictures after I had finished for the day:

 

 

As you can see, most of the third plant has been taken and about half of the first.  I'll do a bit more tomorrow as I'm off work for the day

 

Here is a picture of them in the not so perfect attic, starting their dry:

 

 

From the left, the first six branches are from the first plant, and the last 13 are from the third plant.  All Auto Brooklyn Sunrise.

 

 

[Wacky Wardrobe]

1 hour ago, inapond13 said:

I like the idea of wasps eating the caterpillars, would love to see that

Not only that. I've also been watching some kind of digger wasps out there burrowing into the soil. Apparently some of them will cart off their prey after stunning it with their sting and bury it alive and lay their eggs on it so their young have a meal when they hatch. The neighbours must think I've come over all David Bellamyish rummaging around in the undergrowth :-)

 

Looks like you're in for a good haul with those gals.

Have you thought about hanging those branches in a box to slow the drying a bit? I've hung branches in loose bunches inside a cardboard box with a tea towel over the top after a day or so to reduce airflow. I'm currently favouring the brown paper bag method. The cardboard/brown paper seem to make a pretty good drying regulator. Absorbing moisture from inside and evaporating it outside.

[AutoAberdeen]

I’m drying the top half of my auto Girl Scout Cookies in brown paper bags in the shed, currently 72 hours into it, moving them around gently twice a day as the resin makes the buds stick to the bottom. Was going to use a hanging net (my daughter used to keep stuff in it) but found it was plastic on the bottom of each segment so that ended up being unused. 

[growinggold]

@inapond13 6th branch in from the left is chunky monkey, lovey lovely lovely. 

[inapond13]

that was the main cola from the first plant.  it does look good.

 

shift buttons not working on my keyboard.  arghhh...

[inapond13]

Back to my old keyboard where the shift keys work.  Very happy  

 

Well, drying times have been far from optimal but I removed the buds from the attic and jarred them on Wednesday after just 3 days in the oven/attic.  This was the first time I had checked on them since putting them there on Sunday and the branches were snapping.  I trimmed off all of the buds from the stems and put them in jars.  The first Auto Brooklyn Sunrise filled a jar and the third filled two.  I was initially concerned that they had over-dried but now I realise that they are still a very little bit under-dried, so I think I removed them from the attic at about the best time that I could.  Since being in the jars, I have been giving them a couple of hours a day open in the shed to drive out a bit more moisture each day.  Today I added some Bovida 62% packs into each jar.  Can only help.  I need to buy some more though for the rest to come.

 

So, since it was reasonably dry I have obviously smoked some.  I am very impressed so far.  The weed I smoked was only 3 days from a living plant and it smoked good.  It was strong.  It literally floored me for a few minutes   And the taste was pretty good for a 3 day old weed.  Really looking forward to it when it has had a cure.  I'll get it weighed when I'm happy with the jar moisture level.  Currently sitting at around 80%, so a bit high yet.

 

I had about 90 minutes today to do a quick chop of the Daiquiri Lime.  The RSM are on quite a few of the fan leaves but hadn't progressed onto the buds.  And these buds are like golf balls and have really ripened over the last few days.  I took as many big branches down and trimmed as I could in the time I had and ended up pretty happy.  Have a look:

 

 

These buds are significantly bigger and denser than the Brooklyn sunrise that I harvested on Sunday.  To be honest, these are on par with the best buds I have ever grown.  I wrapped them up in that newspaper and it was like carrying a huge bunch of flowers.  There is easily 3oz of dry bud there and a similar amount left on the plant.

 

I'm going to get up early tomorrow and do another trimming stint before all the neighbours get into their gardens.  I don't like trimming stinky bud in the greenhouse when my neighbours are sitting in the garden.  I think I am OK though   

 

No sign of budrot at all during today's trimming session, plants really healthy apart from the continual approach of the BORG.  I'll get all of these plants down before they can do any real damage but I have ordered some additional predators - Phytoseiulus Persimilis, that will get established in the greenhouse for the next round with the Photo-periods.  

 

I am totally blown away by the yield of these Auto's.  The harvest from these will probably be enough to last me a year and I still have 6 photo-periods yet to start flowering.  It will be nice to have excess weed for a while.  I know that I am only estimating but If I don't get 10oz from these 4 x auto's I'll be very surprised.

 

Will try to get some more pictures uploaded as the trimming continues.  I have building work starting at home on Monday and still have huge amounts of preparation to do.  We are turning three rooms into one massive kitchen / living space and everything has to be moved out of there.  A very busy weekend to come.  I must get up early and trim plants! I must get up early and trim plants! I must get up early and trim plants!

 

All the best guys

[cod242]

Awesome looking grow there inapond13  enjoy the fruits of your labour 

Edited August 14, 2020 by cod242
adding additional info

[inapond13]

So, I did get up early last Saturday and took down most of the Daiquiri Lime and it has been drying in the attic ever since.  The weather has been king to my attic drying buds as they are still not ready to come out.  Maybe tonight / tomorrow?

 

Here are a few pics from last Saturday:

 

 

The top right bud is the main cola from the little Auto Brooklyn Sunrise that was 2nd along in the quadgrow.

 

And this is what the plants looked like after the chop:

 

 

I haven't done any trimming since last Saturday.  The Photo-Periods are really coming along and are owning that space now.  I will try to get some more trimming done this afternoon after we get back from Chinese Dim Sum Restaurant.  If not too full

 

My Cucamelons are finally flourishing but I need to take some new pictures.  I haven't taken any off yet but there must be at least 20 that are at least an inch long now and finger fat.  

 

I also introduced the RSM predators on Tuesday and they seem to be doing there thing.  Have spread them around all plants in the greenhouse.

 

The aphids continue to love the ripe plants.  I have never had aphids on weed like this before and I will never let it happen again.  At the first sign of aphids next time, they will get a spraying of washing up liquid water.

 

Construction at home continues to progress and it is very disrupting but will be awesome when complete.  Unfortunately, updates will be a little irregular still for a while.

[cod242]

Looking good