Autos compared to photos started at 12/12?

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az2000

Well-Known Member
Has anyone done photos at 12/12 from seed? How does that compare to autos?

I'm not looking for advocacy of autos. I've been growing an auto strain for awhile and love it. As mentioned in another thread, I have a (probably self-inflicted) non-flowering auto I'm forcing with 12/12. I just started a photo crop a week ago. I got the idea that since I'm doing this unexpected 12/12 in a makeshift space, I could put it in the photo tent and flip the tent to 12/12 early (way early).

I know the photos won't yield like they would if vegged for 6 weeks. But, wondering how it compares to autos.

(I tried googling but couldn't find the right keywords).
 
kmog33

kmog33

Well-Known Member
Search 12/12 from seed. There are tons of thread. Im pretty sure theres a current one in my timeline regularly.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Rollitup mobile app
 
tekdc911

tekdc911

Well-Known Member
auto's go into flower a lot faster then a photo 12/12 FS
i have a AKR going and 2 super lemon hazes started at the same time ....
and the AKR is way ahead........ the photo's barely preflowered .......... AKR is stacking flowers
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
Thanks, I have some photos in veg now (10 days old). I think when I flip them to 12/12 at 6 weeks I'll add a couple seedlings just to see what they do.
 
SCARHOLE

SCARHOLE

Well-Known Member
Autos own 12/12 plants for me.
They grow So dam fast, I believe its the 24/7 light.
But ak ryder is a realy fast auto, it ready sped up the auto haze mutts.

My fastest biggest auto, drgt c99 haze auto mutt, can get me 1-2 oz in 60 days from seed (1 month veg & 1 month flowering)
 
hotshotisdashit

hotshotisdashit

Well-Known Member
Never grew 12/12 from seed but from what I understand photos won't go straight into flower even when started from 12/12. She has to reach a certain maturity first. So it's going to get some veg regardless.
 
bradburry

bradburry

Well-Known Member
iv never grown an auto ......iv got spare tent im thinking of using .

what sort of light times do people use and the colour ?
 
Flagg420

Flagg420

Well-Known Member
lotsa light, like 20/4, and run a mix if you can, otherwise, 6500ish while it veg's and when buds start forming switch to flower bulb. (2700ish)

(MH/HPS if ur using HiDs)
 
Flagg420

Flagg420

Well-Known Member
and if u got spare lighting, give it more light.... since u cant do much training and such, the best way to increase yield is to surround the bitch with light
 
Flagg420

Flagg420

Well-Known Member
I wont answer that one....

I wont/dont/havent.

Just like transplanting, I refuse to do anything that might shock the plant, n reduce my yields... slight LST training here n there for optimum lighting, and lots of custom lighting arrangements, lol
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
FWIW: I just flipped some photos to12/12 after 2-3 weeks from sprout. I've read some people prefer a little veg time since the plant will veg a little anyway if started at 12/12.

I'm curious to see the yield difference. I get 120-180g from my auto strain. I agree that additional light (bathing the plant from all sides) makes a big difference.

I'm also curious about weighing time to harvest, yield and cost of extra 6 hours of light.
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
hotshotisdashit said:
,120_180 g's from an auto is bad ass AZ. What strain was it and what type of lighting?
Click to expand...
Northern Storm Auto from marijuana-seeds.nl. A cross between NL and Snow Storm. Interesting mix between body stone and head high. Your head feels like it fills the room, or is underwater. It will put you to sleep, but has much more psychoactive effect than an indica.

When I got 180g I used T5HO (40.5 w/sq ft) plus two CFLs as side lighting in flower (maybe another 40w in the 2x2 space, or 10w/sq ft. additional, or 202w total.).

I switched to 85w LED UFO (21 w/sq ft) and at the same time switched my nutrients. I had trouble for a couple grows. I knew I would benefit from more light but didn't want to introduce any more variables until I figured out my problem. During those grows I got 90g.

After I determined my problem was due to overfeeding the new nutrient, I added supplemental light in flower (38w, or 9.5w/sq ft for a total of 123w, or 30.75w/sq ft.). I harvested 155g from that plant. This shows (<<link) that plant with the UFO and supplemental setup.

I should mention I let my auto go 13-14 weeks. I like the more body-stone effect of the riper buds. I wouldn't harvest this strain before 11 weeks. It may be a longer-running auto compared to others. And, the extra 2 weeks seems to add to the bulking.
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
az2000 said:
FWIW: I just flipped some photos to12/12 after 2-3 weeks from sprout. I've read some people prefer a little veg time since the plant will veg a little anyway if started at 12/12.
Click to expand...
Here's my 12/12:

IMG_20141210_140052.jpg

I went 12/12 two weeks, five days ago (they sprouted 2-3 weeks prior. Not sure how much 18 hours affected this. For the first seedling week I doubt 18 hours means much.). They're 12-14" tall. The more sativa on the left got spindly/stretchy. I LSTed the main cola 3-4 times into a coil. These would be much taller.

I didn't do 12/12 from seed because I intended to veg 6 weeks like normal. I had an auto that wouldn't flower (it can be seen in the back). I needed a 12/12 space for it. That's when I got the idea to try 12/12 from seed by flipping these photosentives to 12/12 after 2-3 weeks. (FWIW: I think that non-flowering auto which started all this was actually a photosensitive I germinated by mistake. I have Northern Storm Auto and Northern Lights seeds. I think I didn't read the little label closely enough. Saw "Northern" and took a seed. The reason I suspect this is because I started to do it a couple weeks ago.).

I'm liking the pace. That's one thing I like about autos. They move a little faster. I get bored with photos. I still like the flexibility of my auto's non-sensitivity to light (no dark requirement). I think everyone should try a 12/12 from seed.

The light on the left is an Area 51 XGS 190. The right is a Blackstar V2 UV 180w (120w actual)
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
Update: I harvested two 12/12 plants and they are 21 & 22g after drying to 65% humidity. So far it's looking equivalent to autos. I'll explain:

I have 7 plants in #1 (1/2 gal) containers in a 1.5x4' (6 sq. ft.) space. If they all produce that much, that's 150g. (21.5g/sq ft.).

I regularly get 120-150g in a 2x2' (4 sq. ft) space from an auto in a #3 (2-1/2 gal) container. That's 33.75g/sq ft which is close to what I get from larger photosensitives (that vegged for 5-6 weeks).

Comparisons:

1. The auto takes 2 weeks longer to finish.
2. The photosensitives use 33% less electricity (generate 33% less heat if air conditioning is also an expense) per day. There's also 2 weeks less energy use.
3. Autos seem more natural appearing in miniature form, like a bonsai tree. Photos (12/12) look more spindly, like the juvenile plants they are. 12/12 photos are better for short spaces, like 2' tall spaces. My auto was better for 4' tall space.​

I think we get good auto results due to our 33% more light. Not sure how 12/12 would work in larger containers. I want to try that. Not sure if my #1 containers held them back. (But, even in #1 containers, the results aren't "bad" after considering all the factors.). Definitely worthwhile for micro grows where an auto might veg too long and get too big.

Something this exercise caused me to consider is that I could mount a 12" deep shelf near the top of my 7' tall photosensitive tent to hold a 2x4 low-tide tray as a runoff tray. I could fabricate my own customized LED strip lighting for that space. Then I could top my normal (intended to be more mature before flowering) 12/12 plants, plant the top as a clone and go 12/12 with it immediately to determine sex. The female clones could be allowed to continue flowering in that top-shelf area. Get a little extra bud from what is unused space. Use a wet/dry vac to suck runoff out of the low-tide tray which would hang about 5' from the floor of the tent.
 
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