Botrytis takes out a large cola. HAROLD FRAZIER, NEW BREED SEED.
Slugs and snails—Slugs and snails decimate leaves, starting with characteristic holes. They weaken plants and can destroy flowers. Besides, they leave a slime trail. These are particularly nettlesome when growing Autoflowering Cannabis outdoors.
The use of black felt cloth containers helps keep them from getting to plants. Trapping works great. Put beer or yeast water in shallow containers to attract them away from plants. Place these next to containers or just outside your gardens, not in them. Diatomaceous earth makes a great barrier as neither of these pesky mollusks likes to move over sharp edges.
Other pests—Other pests that may impact your plants include scale, caterpillars, crickets, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, leaf miners, mealy-bugs, thrips, and nematodes, to list a few familiars. There is plenty of information about all of these on the Internet or at your library.
The most important takeaway is to keep your eyes open for pests. Observe and inspect your plants often. Act quickly and follow instructions.
GENERAL RULES TO DEAL WITH PESTS
Autoflowering Cannabis plants are no different than other annuals, and the same rules apply when it comes to pests. Inspect your plants every day. It isn’t that difficult. You should be making observations and gathering information about your plant’s growth all the time anyway. Taking pictures with a cell phone is a good practice. That way you can go back, if you do have an infestation, and find and learn to recognize the very early signs.
Second, pests spread, and they spread quickly. Immediately remove any plants that are infected and either destroy them or keep them isolated while you treat them. Some problems will be serious enough or far enough along that you really do need to cut your losses, so to speak. Don’t unnecessarily put your other plants at risk.
And third, always stay organic, starting with biological solutions when applicable. One of these is squishing large insects by hand. You can also try to remove insects with air (either blasting them or using a small hand vacuum cleaner) or use a water spray to knock them down. Resort to chemicals, and just organic ones at that, only when you absolutely have to. Again, make sure to follow directions precisely.
It should go without saying that a gardener should never spray Autoflowering Cannabis flowers with even organic pesticides unless growing for seed. Some go one step further and never spray any part of the plant when a plant is in flower. To do so risks having spray drift onto flowers, and that can impact the quality of the harvest.
If directions allow, always repeat applications, even though you cannot see any more pests. Pests hide. And, vary the remedies as well, if possible. Autoflowering plant pests quickly develop resistance if you constantly apply the same remedy.
SOME ORGANIC SOLUTIONS TO DEAL WITH PESTS
One of my favorite tricks to deal with insect pests, specifically spider mites, whiteflies, and thrips, is using broad beans as trap plants. A couple of plants grown in a separate pot and placed among Autoflowering Cannabis plants will act like a magnet to attract pests away from your crop.
Broad beans, Vicia faba, will at least serve as monitors of any potential problems and, because of the short life of Autoflowering Cannabis, may actually keep things in check. (Plus, you may even get some green beans.) One side benefit is that broad beans are legumes, and the plants will put nitrogen into the soil.
Finally, a certain number of pests is okay. This is because of the speed at which Autoflowering Cannabis develops. The pests just don’t have enough time to multiply to sufficient numbers to destroy your crop. Still, you will not want to carry over these pests to future grows. Cleaning up after each harvest is extremely important to meet this goal.
NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES
Autoflowering Cannabis plants grown in good soil may not need supplemental nutrients. There is nothing unusual here; your plants will only falter if there is something missing in the soil mix. This is why I stress buying soil from a local grow store to start, based upon the recommendation given there.
Autoflower showing calcium deficiency (at top of photo). FULL DUPLEX.
Gardeners don’t like to hear that you cannot really tell what nutrient may be lacking just by looking at leaves. A lack of any one of three major nutrients can cause yellowing of leaves, for example.
Still, leaf signs tell you something is going on. Just exactly what is an educated guess. Leaf changes are where to start looking. (If you want more information about this subject see Teaming with Nutrients, Timber Press, 2013.)
Lack of iron starts with yellowing of new growth. So does a lack of nitrogen and zinc, but this plant probably has iron deficiency. DIYANA DIMITROVA OF DEPOSIT PHOTOS.
Boron deficiency—Boron is needed for cell wall development and for development of flowers, among other things. The tips of plants that are experiencing boron deficiency exhibit yellowing of leaves. They then turn brown and eventually gray. This is the key tip (pardon the pun). Since very little boron is needed by plants, a deficiency is a rare occurrence.
Calcium deficiency—Calcium is needed for building cell walls and it helps plants absorb potassium. There are two key plant signals for this deficiency. A lack of calcium results in weak branches that fall off. Leaves display dead patches that get larger as time passes.
Chlorine deficiency—Chlorine is needed for the proper operation of stomata and is needed to break the bonds of water during photosynthesis. It is rarely in short supply because it is in our water; but, when it is, leaves turn bronze.
Copper deficiency—Copper is used in the production of sugars and proteins. Signs of a deficiency are seen in new leaves, which will display dead leaf tips and leaf margins. The leaves will take on a darker blueish color. They curl and die.
Iron deficiency—Iron is needed to pass around electrons during key metabolic processes needed for nitrogen fixation, and is also used in making chlorophyll. Plants that are lacking in iron display yellow leaves, starting with new growth and upper leaves. The leaf veins will remain green. Leaves start to fall off.
Magnesium deficiency—Magnesium is in the center of the chlorophyll molecule, so it is absolutely critical for photosynthesis. When lacking, the plant’s lowest leaves turn yellow and die. The signs move up the plant as younger leaves also begin to die.
Autoflowering Cannabis showing signs of nitrogen deficiency. Note the green veined leaves on the left. This is the early sign and distinguishes this yellowing from that caused by other problems. CANNABIS UNIVERSITY.
Autoflowering Cannabis leaves showing progression of phosphorus deficiency. FULL DUPLEX.
Manganese deficiency—This is a key nutrient, as it frees oxygen during photosynthesis. If it is in short supply, new leaves develop dead spots and then turn yellow.
Molybdenum deficiency—This nutrient is needed for plants to use nitrogen properly. Leaves in the middle of the plant turn yellow. New growth curls and twists, and sometimes the leaves turn a maroon or crimson color.
Nitrogen deficiency—Nitrogen is used for the production of proteins and enzymes, among other things. If a plant is deficient, it will turn yellow. This usually starts with the older leaves which give up nitrogen for new growth.
Phosphorus deficiency—This is the key element in ATP, the energy currency of plant cells. The symptoms of phosphorus deficiency start with the darkening of foliage. Growth slows and leaves turn purple and brown and curl upward.
Potassium deficiency—Potassium is used to control stomata, in photosynthesis, and for water transport throughout the plant. Deficiency results in lower leaves turning brown and dying. This is often preceded by faster growth, which is pretty hard to notice in Auto-flowering Cannabis. Stems can take on a reddish color.
Silicon deficiency—This element is used to protect plants from insects, among other things, so symptoms of deficiency can include more attacks than usual. In addition, since it helps with photosynthesis, plants that lack it become weak and spindly.
Sulphur deficien
cy—Sulphur is needed for the production of chlorophyll. If a plant lacks adequate supplies, new growth turns yellow. Growth slows and becomes stunted.
A simplified nutrient deficiency chart. WINNI CASACOP.
Zinc deficiency—Zinc is a key component of many enzymes and in the production of auxin, a key growth hormone. Without enough zinc, plants leaves become twisted. Veins on older leaves turn yellow.
DEALING WITH NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES
Yellow leaves with or without dark veins, wilting, leaf curl, dark and dead spots… all of these can be caused by nutrient deficiencies. Autoflowering Cannabis plants show many of the same symptoms as do tomatoes. You can find them depicted by searching the Internet.
As with pests, preventing nutrient deficiencies is much better than having to correct the nutrient balance in your soil, especially while trying to grow a plant in it. Corrections take time, depending on the nutrient, and you may not have enough time to be effective with these fast-growing plants. For this reason, it is important to use the absolute best soil you can find. Either it should be already tested, or you should test it yourself to make sure it is not deficient in any of the essential nutrients.
A great thing about growing Autoflowering Cannabis is that it doesn’t take much soil mix. This means you can afford to buy the best, or you can make your own best mix. It also means you should toss it into your compost pile or into your gardens when you finish a crop, as you can afford to start over with new, fresh, fully nutrient-filled soil.
Remember that soil pH is important when it comes to nutrient availability. Ideally it should be between 5.5 and 6.5. If you buy your soil, chances are this is the range it is in. In particular, if the pH is too high, iron, zinc, copper, boron, and manganese become locked up. If the pH is too low, it is phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium that are unavailable. Testing soil pH is easy and inexpensive.
Finally, the use of cover crops can help keep the soil food web functioning and add nutrients, especially nitrogen, to your soils. Some will also fight off or trap pests. My favorite is white sweet clover. Most other common cover crops are too big for Autoflowering Cannabis. It is best to start these plants early so they are established when you plant your Autoflowering seedlings.
ABIOTIC PROBLEMS
In addition to pests and nutrient deficiencies, there are a few other common problems you should be aware of when growing Autoflowering Cannabis. These are the same problems you encounter growing tomatoes and vegetables, so they shouldn’t come as a surprise to the experienced gardener. Still, it doesn’t hurt to give you a reminder.
Overwatering and underwatering
This is particularly a problem with seedlings. Too much water literally suffocates the roots. Too little and the plant cannot take up nutrients and may not be able to maintain turgor (or stiffness), causing it to wilt before it dies. Keep the soil surface slightly moist until the second or third set of leaves appears. Then let the plant tell you what it needs.
Humidity and temperature
Autoflowering Cannabis is negatively impacted by both too high and too low humidity and temperature. Plants become stressed and stop growing. THC production is lowered.
The ideal temperature for growing Autoflowers is 26°C (78°F). You can vary this a bit, but once you hit 32°C (90°F) and above, plants slow and stop growing. At the other end of the spectrum, Autoflowering Cannabis can survive at temperatures around 7°C (45°F), but they may change color at lower temperatures, taking on a dark reddish hue. They also won’t grow very well.
Low light quality
Autoflowering Cannabis seedlings will stretch and elongate unnaturally when the light is not strong enough. This is a natural response for any plant, but these grow so fast, it is accentuated. When branches develop, they are hard to support on skinny stems. It is important to give your plants as high a quality of light as you can.
Seeds won’t germinate or are not feminized
Sometimes Autoflowering Cannabis seeds won’t germinate. And when they do, sometimes, when they are sold as feminized, they produce male plants instead of just females. These seeds are expensive. If either of these problems happens, try to retrieve your money from the vendor who sold them. For failed germination, also try soaking them in a 4-to-1 water to regular 3% hydrogen peroxide mix. Some believe this will break the seed hull, while others contend it works because it kills harmful bacteria that prevent germination.
When males appear from a packet of feminized seed, there isn’t anything you can do to change things. Let the supplier know and consider trying to breed your own plants using the male pollen. There is no guarantee the progeny will carry the autoflowering gene, but it might be fun to try your hand at breeding since you have some male pollen.
Soil drains poorly
No plant likes its roots to sit in water. If your soil won’t drain, your plant will slow and eventually die. Increase air circulation. By the same token, soil can drain too fast and plants won’t get nutrients. Consider carefully removing the plant without disturbing its roots and placing it into better soil.
NOTHING NEW
If you are an experienced gardener, there is really nothing new to learn when it comes to pests and protecting your plants. For the most part, you will already know what to do. And, with any luck, you won’t be tested.
Finally, if something goes wrong with your plant, it is not worth risking your health trying to fix things. This is a plant that you probably plan to ingest. There is no place for dangerous chemicals. If you can’t fix things safely using organics, then toss the plant. It goes without saying that this is a hobby. Keep it a safe one.
6
HARVESTING, DRYING, CURING, AND STORING
IKEEP SAYING THAT it is easy to grow Autoflowering Cannabis plants. By your first harvest, you will know it really is true.
Unfortunately, you can’t simply pick flowers off an Autoflowering Cannabis plant and use them. There is a use for green tomatoes, and you can eat ripe ones right off the vine. Not so, Cannabis. The crop has to be dried.
Do not ruin your crop at this point. When and how you harvest those flowers will have much to do with the quality of your grow. So will drying and manicuring and curing. These are the finishing touches, and they greatly influence how your harvest will look, but even more important, how it tastes.
Do not rush things at this stage. If you do, you will not be able to achieve the quality of product you want. This is one way in which Autoflowering Cannabis differs from tomatoes.
HARVESTING AUTOFLOWERING CANNABIS PLANTS
Harvesting is simple. The flowers on the tops of Autoflowering Cannabis plants usually ripen first. The lower part of the plant and smaller limbs will have flowers that may take a week more to ripen. This is why you may not want to simply rip the plant up and start the drying process as you would with the larger Cannabis relatives.
Ripley’s OG, Ready to harvest, Day 70. GBD/DAZ MEPHISTO.
Depending on genetics, however, and how the plant is exposed to light, it is possible for all flowers to be ready. When this happens, cut down the entire plant and dry it before trimming off the flowers.
For the first grows, harvest when trichomes are half cloudy with some amber for energetic highs, 70% milky trichomes and more amber ones for the greatest intensity of THC and energetic highs, or for more sedative highs, wait until 70 % of the trichomes are amber.
Make sure to include as much stem as possible when you harvest stems as this will make it easier to hang them. Often it is easier to remove the top colas all at once. This has the benefit of exposing unripe flowers on lower side branches. Then just keep an eye on these remaining flowers and remove them when they reach the stage you have chosen.
In any case, before you cut flowers off a plant, carefully remove the larger fan leaves. Toss these into the compost unless you are going to make oils or bubble hash, both of which are beyond the purview of this book but instructions for which can be found via the Internet.
Actually, you shouldn�
��t touch the flowers at all. This is a rule. Remember, those glandular trichomes are fragile. Do not cause them to degrade any more than they do naturally.
DRYING THE HARVEST
Drying Autoflowering Cannabis is necessary as it removes the plant’s grassy chlorophyll taste. Your crop needs to be evenly exposed to air so it will dry. Drying also removes water from the flowers’ cells. These are the same reasons tobacco is dried.
Drying will prevent mold from destroying your crop, but the crop remains susceptible to mold while it is still damp. It is a good idea to check a drying harvest every few days to make sure things are progressing without molding up. If any mold is found, remove infected buds and increase air circulation.
The goal to drying is to remove 75%, or so of the water from the flowers. How to tell if you have accomplished this? You could weigh a representative cola or flower (or even the whole crop if you can do it carefully without damaging the trichomes) on a postal scale. Then calculate 75% of that number. Keep re-weighing the cola until its weight is reduced 75%. This gets a precise reading, but the handling can damage trichomes.
Fortunately, there is a much easier method. Just bend a drying branch or twig. If it snaps, the harvest is ready. If it doesn’t snap, it is not ready. Again, be very careful not to handle flowers lest you damage trichomes.
DIY Autoflowering Cannabis Page 9
