The Vault’s Skywalker Auto Comparative Grow - in association with Mephisto Genetics

[bertaluchi]

I am so, really, very, happy to report that my two Skywalkers have popped! I'll post pics at a later date to summarize what has happened in the past few days or so up to this point. The pics should pretty much explain what and how things developed. So, my comparison within this comparison should be a go. The Rx Green Solutions will be in a black five gallon smart pot and the Dutch Pro will be in a blue five gallon smart pot.

Oh, and just to keep some people happy:

My setup:
3'x3'x6.5' Hydrohut Silver Edition grow tent

A really beat up used 8" cool tube purchased from a individual from CL, with a 400 watt Xtrasun Metal Halide for veg and a 400 watt Plantmax HPS for flower. Cool tube will be ~three feet away from the seedlings so leaving it on 100% power to see how it grows. If there is any indication of burning from the light, I will dial the ballast down appropriately.

6" VTX 600 Vortex fan with a cfm of 449 with fan controller set at 75%

6" Phresh air scrubber with a cfm of 550 (free with purchase of the fan from the same CL seller)

1 6" clip fan for ventilation

~75% coco ~25% perlite/vermiculite

Blue five gallon smart pot will get Dutch Pro base nutes only and Recharge every other week to substitute for Dutch Pro's Multitotal and might foliar feed with Seaplex, but undecided yet

Black(ish) five gallon smart pot will get Rx Green Solutions nutes (Grow, Bloom, Root and Axiom only)

Target for ph is: 6.0

Seedlings will get straight ph'd water for the first two weeks and then veg nutes will be introduced at half strength for the first feeding and then full strength thereafter throughout the grow.

All subsequent entries beyond this point may only be pics with a short description of what is going on with my grow just to keep everyone updated.

I like your new avatar. It sounds like you have things dialed in pretty good. I can't wait to see how it turns out. I guess we should all list what we are using for this grow.

 

[bertaluchi]

So I am growing 2 Skywalkers and 2 Fast and Vast Auto's from Heavy Weight Seeds. I am in a Summit Grow Lab Mt. Vinson.
Summit Grow LED

• XP300 Summit Grow LED
• Exclusive full 13 band light spectrum for superior results
• 1 - CREE CXA 2540 COB; 84 Bridgelux 5w LEDs
• Two settings for veg. and flowering
• Low power consumption - operates at 220 watts at full cycle
• Whisper quiet
• Low operating temperature
• 50,000 hour lifespan

Summit Grow Fan

• 4" Summit Grow Fan
• Whisper quiet - only 26-32dB
• 117 CFM - Changes out the air every 1 min
• Two settings for high and low
• Low power consumption - 30 watts

Summit Grow Carbon Filter

• 4" x 12" Summit Grow Carbon Filter
• 2" thick virgin Austrian RC-412 activated carbon
• Removes odor and moisture
• 2 year average life span depending on environmental and usage conditions

Misc Components

• High quality 6" clip-on circulating fan with 2 settings (High/Low)
• Power strip with 8' cord for easy plug-in
• Timer for setting automatic light cycles light cycles
• Hangers for light, fan and filter
• Light proof ducting

This is my setup. I am growing in 3gal smart pots. Using recycled Roots Organic Original soil. I mix my soil with Azomite, Green sand from Espoma, Garden Lime from Espoma, Rock Phosphate from Espoma, Black Gypsum from Anderson Farms, Humates from Anderson Farms, crushed oyster shells (50lbs. for $10 at Tractor Supply), Roots Uprising Foundation, Bloom, and Grow. That is my base and I use Mexican Bat Guano for veg and Peruvian Sea Bird Guano and Peruvian Bat Guano for flower. I also use Recharge once a week with all plants in all of my grows (big fan of Recharge). The Summit Grow Lab is my first "real" LED setup, I had some cheap Chinese P.O.S. that couldn't grow shit. With the Summit LED I have been able to grow beautiful buds of High quality and with good yields and very low power consumption. Those of you that have been in the past comparative grows know that I have been having good success with the Summit LED's and I think it is a great option for someone that would like to grow enough for a good personal head stash. I use it as my auto/veg tent. For the photo plants I still love my HID systems.

 

[UniDragon]

I like your new avatar. It sounds like you have things dialed in pretty good. I can't wait to see how it turns out. I guess we should all list what we are using for this grow.

Thanks and thanks! I'm not sure about the "dial" yet, lol, but we shall see. I am just really happy that both of my seeds popped in time. Inevitably whenever I claim to have success in growing, the very next time that I try to do whatever I think I have the hang of, it fails. So, by using these rooting plugs in conjunction with Seaplex mixed at full strength, 8-10mls/gal, I am still in the 100% germ rate! As far as my "dial" is concerned, we shall see. Thanks for checking in, pics to come over time. They should effectively illustrate what has happened and what I have done to get to my current point in the comparative.

 

[23Jumpman23]

2 Soil Plants
5g smart pots
Roots Organic
Canna Bio Range
Cal/Mag
Still under 8 bulb t5

4 Aeroplants
Hydroton in 5" nets
Dutch Pro Auto Flower A+B
Take Root
Cal-Mag
Hydroguard
Armor Si
Diamond Nectar
Under 8 bulb t5 also

Will be switching them to 400hps or 315 lec(hopefully) if everything goes as planned.

 

[bertaluchi]

The girls are growing bigger by the day. They are strong, healthy, and vigorous. Ever since the transplant into the 3gal smart pots they really took off. I was reading an old issue of high times from 2012 (I think) and it listed the strongest strains on earth. Skywalker Kush was on the list. Said it tested @24.9%thc. If our Skywalker auto's are anywhere close, we will have some real fire.

 

[VenomGrower6990]

The girls are growing bigger by the day. They are strong, healthy, and vigorous. Ever since the transplant into the 3gal smart pots they really took off. I was reading an old issue of high times from 2012 (I think) and it listed the strongest strains on earth. Skywalker Kush was on the list. Said it tested @24.9%thc. If our Skywalker auto's are anywhere close, we will have some real fire. View attachment 3803824 View attachment 3803826 View attachment 3803828

Crazy how these Autos are already showing Trichs on there leaves. I just noticed it with yours too.

 

[Dr. Who]

hmm, appears from some of these picks that these are going to short plants with low overall yields.

GOOD NEWS IS- the beans finally arrived!

I may start this weekend.....I might wait a few weeks to clear a legal issue...
I'll keep you all informed.

 

[VenomGrower6990]

hmm, appears from some of these picks that these are going to short plants with low overall yields.

Thanks for the inspiration Dr. Who. Nice to see your jumping on board with this grow.

 

[UniDragon]

As of a little while ago both have sprouted in their rooting plug things and I will be planting them into their pots tomorrow morning. I'll have pics of the transplant that I can post at that time.

 

[bertaluchi]

Crazy how these Autos are already showing Trichs on there leaves. I just noticed it with yours too.

Yeah bro, right around the bud sites there are small formations of trichomes. I would like to think that it is a sign of things to come. I know the rest of the genetics I have grown from Mephisto have been of high quality and most strains are very frosty. I had Mephisto's Sour Hound around for a while and that strain was super frosty. The other 2 plants I'm growing with my Skywalkers are Fast and Vast Auto from Heavy Weight Seeds and that is some trichome laden bud. All the way out on a lot of the leaf too. I have some QWISO hash evaporating right now that I made from my last run of Fast and Vast. I can't wait to try some of it.

 

[VenomGrower6990]

Yeah bro, right around the bud sites there are small formations of trichomes. I would like to think that it is a sign of things to come. I know the rest of the genetics I have grown from Mephisto have been of high quality and most strains are very frosty. I had Mephisto's Sour Hound around for a while and that strain was super frosty. The other 2 plants I'm growing with my Skywalkers are Fast and Vast Auto from Heavy Weight Seeds and that is some trichome laden bud. All the way out on a lot of the leaf too. I have some QWISO hash evaporating right now that I made from my last run of Fast and Vast. I can't wait to try some of it.

Right on!! I'm growing Strawberry Cake from Heavyweight seeds right now under a 8 bulb T5ho fixture. Today is day 35 of flower for her. She smells really good and is frosting up good. Fingers get pretty sticky just tucking leaves.

 

[bertaluchi]

Right on!! I'm growing Strawberry Cake from Heavyweight seeds right now under a 8 bulb T5ho fixture. Today is day 35 of flower for her. She smells really good and is frosting up good. Fingers get pretty sticky just tucking leaves.

That's awesome bro. Strawberry Cake sounds sooooo good. I really like fruity and berry strains. I have some Sweet Pink Cheese growing right now and that looks like its going to be very good. It is Big Buddha Cheese X Sweet Tooth1.1 I hope it is as advertised, antiseptic funk with a fruity sweetness. I imagine it will be something like a blue cheese but with a little more fruit flavor. Along with those I have a couple Mango Tango's from Elemental that should be fruity too. I'm also growing some Girls Scout Cookies.

 

[VenomGrower6990]

That's awesome bro. Strawberry Cake sounds sooooo good. I really like fruity and berry strains. I have some Sweet Pink Cheese growing right now and that looks like its going to be very good. It is Big Buddha Cheese X Sweet Tooth1.1 I hope it is as advertised, antiseptic funk with a fruity sweetness. I imagine it will be something like a blue cheese but with a little more fruit flavor. Along with those I have a couple Mango Tango's from Elemental that should be fruity too. I'm also growing some Girls Scout Cookies.

Nice!! Sounds like you are fully entertained. Lots of action to keep you busy.

 

[bertaluchi]

Nice!! Sounds like you are fully entertained. Lots of action to keep you busy.

Yeah, I am always busy in the grow room. I like lots of strains. The variety keeps me interested. I have some clones that I run on a regular basis but this time I wanted to change things up a little bit. I went though my seed stash and found some stuff I wanted to grow and I also ordered some stuff. Next round I am going to make some space for a couple Strawberry Bomb seeds I have been wanting to pop. Those should be good too. They are P.K. Bomber x Strawberry Hills

 

[VenomGrower6990]

Yeah, I am always busy in the grow room. I like lots of strains. The variety keeps me interested. I have some clones that I run on a regular basis but this time I wanted to change things up a little bit. I went though my seed stash and found some stuff I wanted to grow and I also ordered some stuff. Next round I am going to make some space for a couple Strawberry Bomb seeds I have been wanting to pop. Those should be good too. They are P.K. Bomber x Strawberry Hills

Yep i like to have variety too. Try all kinds of strains. I don't clone right now because i like to try different strains. Maybe if i find one i can't live without i may keep a mother and take clones. Limited grow space right now though.

 

[Morriston55]

About 10days above ground, gotta go make them a drink

 

[UniDragon]

Here is a little pictorial to keep everyone informed as to how my current Skywalker run is going. The last pic is that of a plant that was left over from my last run. I posted that pic to illustrate just how close the light is in relationship to the other plants. Since I took those pics, I bumped the ballast down to 50% and placed the sprouts immediately underneath the MH at ~ two feet from the canopy of the sprouts. I was really anxious to get my Skywalker run going so I left it in there to see if it would bud under a 400 watt MH. If not, no biggie just a experiment.

As of this morning, the smaller sprout was looking kind of brown, so I hit both of them with 1cc of Hormex/ 1 liter of water ph'd to 5.5. Hormex is my "ripcord'; used for emergency purposes. The larger sprout had already made an upward turn toward the light whereas the smaller one didn't seem to have the vigor of the larger sprout. As I was feeding the smaller sprout, it seemed to turn a little greener as I was feeding it, so hopefully I have salvaged it; assuming that something was wrong with it in the first place LOL.

My rooting plugs that were soaked for five hours in 10ml/gal of Seaplex ph'd to 5.5.


After leaving the seeds in the plugs in a Ziploc bag for two days in a bathroom vanity:


Larger sprout immediately after planting it into the smartpot:


Smaller sprout immediately after transplant into smartpot:


Light is 12" from the top of this plant @50% power. All three plants are now immediately underneath the MH:

 

[VenomGrower6990]

These girls really took off after their 1st feeding on Tuesday. Growing like an inch a day. They look a little weird in the pictures because i tucked the larger fan leaves gently under the lower branches that are growing up to get the bud sites more light.

 

[23Jumpman23]

Hhmmmmmmmm..... question..... what light schedule are you guys running? Im running 18-6 but im noticing at about 16 hrs, the plants start to droop as if they're ready for sleep or something. Ive never experienced this with photos, so i dunno if its asking to go night night, or if it is some weird shit autos just do. Even tho its drooping slightly, its still getting light so should be growing properly correct? I know autos are touchy and anything negative will effect yield. For now let it ride as the look bueno.

 

[UniDragon]

Hhmmmmmmmm..... question..... what light schedule are you guys running? Im running 18-6 but im noticing at about 16 hrs, the plants start to droop as if they're ready for sleep or something. Ive never experienced this with photos, so i dunno if its asking to go night night, or if it is some weird shit autos just do. Even tho its drooping slightly, its still getting light so should be growing properly correct? I know autos are touchy and anything negative will effect yield. For now let it ride as the look bueno.

I've used 18/6 throughout my auto grows without any problem; just my experience. I would guess, and this is only a guess, that as long as the plant is green in color then you should be ok. Theoretically, your plant is focusing on it's root system and when the root system is done developing then the plant should start it's upward growth and start to fill out more. Just an idea: does your grow area get really hot after 16 hours of light? Do they get enough water to keep them cool and hydrated?