Not so much a question but an observation. This is my first grow and I went with ILGM white widow autoflower seeds.
I’m using a 3’x3’x6’ grow tent with three plants.
Famurs 1000w LED fixture (Chinese product bought on amazon). I ran 20/4 during veg full spectrum and am 18/6 in flower full spectrum as well.
Ventilation is 6" exhaust fan with carbon filter (really overkill for this tent) and 6" and 4" oscillating fans for more circulation. RH is around 50% I had it running closer to 80% during veg with a humidifier.
Five gallon fabric pots using potting soil, compost (20%) and perlite mix in all pots
Watering on on an auto timer drip for all three pots PH is at 6.1 from the source bucket.
Feeding during veg was just cal/mag dosing, feeding for bloom since flower started.
The plants are going on 60 days since germination (mostly). My experience with the ILGM white widow auto flower seeds was kinda meh. I bought 20 seeds with the intention of growing four plants to start. The germination rate of the seeds I started was only 50%. I soaked four seeds in a glass of water for a little over 24 hours then moved them to a damp paper towel in a zip lock bag, following the ILGM guide. Only two of those sprang tap roots, one a day after the first. While I kept the other two in the damp paper towel, I started a fifth seed soaking and after 24 hours moved it to the zip lock as well. That seed busted the husk, but the seedling just disintegrated and I was left starting a sixth seed. That sixth seed was now almost a full week behind the first to break a tap root. So, of the six seeds in the exact same conditions, only three germinated.
I decided to plant the three that sprang and put them straight into the five gallon pots in the tent. I really didn’t want to mess with any transplanting. The first to germ had at this point gotten a really long tap root going while I was waiting for the others. Too long in fact, I managed to break it in half when handling it while potting.
All three did sprout, with the youngest (#3) the last. During veg, plant #2 took off the best. That was followed by #3 (the youngest) and plant #1 looking like the runt. It clearly had been struggling to get over the tap root being damaged.
They were planted on October 1st. Plant #1 and #3 started showing pistols in week three but not really flowering yet. Week five saw the youngest, #3 going into full flower. Plant #1 had a huge growth spurt around that time as well and went into flower about a week and a half later. I guess it finally recovered from that tap root damage.
Plant #2, which was looking like a champ in early veg was now lagging behind. She had a few pistols here and there, but no real signs of flower. That continued until this week. I had dialed the lights back to 18/6 and was considering going to 12/12 but now that she is moving along I’ll leave it at 18/6.
So, seeds from the same order, even from the same bag in an order had a lot of variation in regards to germination and growth even when kept in the exact same conditions. The spread in the start of flower was a little over three weeks apart.
It’s hard to say exactly where they are right now in regards to harvest since this is my first grow. Plant #1 and #3 are currently at a max height of 30" with 12-14 large colas. Plant #2 in at about 24" with 14 cola sites as well. She seems to be starting a stretch as well. I had done some LST and pruning and am pretty happy with how the canopy looks overall. The tent is full, wall to wall with canopy and I have set up a trellis at 30".
Plant #3 (the youngest) is looking great, getting very frosty and sitcky, #1 is just a week or so behind that. I have an amazon usb microscope and am starting to monitor trichomes. I’m guessing at 4 to 6 more weeks if plant #2 catches up some more.
I was hoping they would all be fairly close in regards to harvest, since I planned on drying in the tent I’m using for the grow. But, it seems the genetics will do what they do even if you’re keeping plants in identical conditions.
I have 14 WWAF seeds left. I’ll likely try germination again with the next grow. I was considering cloning the best performer of this grow, but is it a good idea to clone a plant that has gone into flower already?
