Auto ACE at the Duckpond

[MallardDuck]

Hi there ICmag. My name is MallardDuck and I am going to try to grow cannabis in my garden this summer for the first time. I stumbled across ICmag and the ACE forums here a few months ago as I was looking for seeds this summer. I really liked the way Dubi was so active on here and happy to discuss his work and the idea of growing something a little exotic set me on ACE as the first cannabis breeder I would try.

I live at 55 north in Alberta, Canada so I figured out autoflowering genetics would be my best choice. The growing season is notoriously short here so I went ahead and ordered a 5 pack of the Auto Zamaldelica's late in March. I waited about 4 weeks, anxiously checking the tracking on my package, before I got antsy and found a local distributor that had Auto Malawi/NL in stock. I bought some of those as well, as I waited on bated breath for my seeds from Spain to arrive. I was very excited when my both packages finally made it to me in the space of few days - just in time for the season! I guess I will have variety this year and will be sprouting some of both strains. A happy little accident.

I will be growing 4 plants in 7 gallon fabric pots in my backyard. I have mixed a bag of Fox Farm Ocean Forest with peat moss, perlite, local worm castings, some of my own homemade compost and a dash of Gaia Green 4-4-4 organic fertilizer. And about 7-10 worms to each bag that I dug up as I was planting my tomatoes.

I am under the impression I have the f4's of each variety if someone could confirm my suspicions? The MalawixNL from the distributor has a packing date of February 5 2020 and the Auto Zamadelica's were ordered from the ACE site March 26 2020.

I hope some of you lovely people will join me as I chronicle my first experience growing cannabis here.



Here are the 4 seeds taking a bath under the watchful eye of one of my orchids. They will be taking a nap in some paper towels shortly after.

 

[MallardDuck]

Hello,

A quick update... 3/4 have popped their shells and have been placed in soil. On the advice of a very nice person , I decided to start two of the four seeds directly into the 7 gallon grow bags and the others I have decided to grow for a week or two inside then transplant them outside. I know this is against a lot of the advice I have received, but my instincts tell me to start some at least inside... This is what I do with many of the other plants in my garden. It often still gets below 10c at night. I have learned to trust my instincts when it comes to gardening. At the very least it will be a good experiment on which way the plants prefer for future seasons.

I found some beneficial microbes on sale for 1.50 a pack at my garden centre so I added that to my soil mixture... It can't hurt right?

One other kind of funny thing. As I was examining the seeds in their wet paper towels during the germination stage, my partner mixed up the paper towels and has no idea which paper towel came from which carefully marked bag. So I guess it will be a surprise for me this year when they start flowering! The weather looks good for the next few weeks with mostly blue skies and temps in the mid 20's.

 

[dubi]

Welcome MallardDuck

Hope you feel comfortable with us in this virtual room, and thank you very much for choosing ACE Seeds for your first grow, very touching

Glad to hear you received your 2 orders safe and sound. Autoflowering genetics are the right choice at your latitude
Auto Malawi x NL is already the F4 generation, Auto Zamaldelica is still F3 unless the F4 is requested through ordering directly from our website.

The nights are probably still cold at your latitude so it's a good choice to do the germination process indoors in a more controlled and warm environment, if the forecast is good then place the seedlings outdoors so they can start to get used to it.

Will try to help you to identify what strain is each plant when they are more developed. Best wishes!

 

[farmerlion]

Mallard Duck, I just germinated and planted this past weekend. I have the Auto Zamaldelica in my greenhouse and the Auto Malawi x Lebanese outside this season.
I look forward to your updates. Have a great season.

 

[MallardDuck]

Farmerlion,

Nice to hear you have germinated as well. Thanks for joining in. The Auto Malawi x Lebanese sounds like an excellent cross. I read on ACEs site that some of the Lebanese have auto flowering traits... I wonder if some of them will be true auto flowers in their first generation? Anyways Im sure they will be great for us more northern gardeners.

Dubi,

Thanks for stopping by! I would much appreciate your help identifying the plants with me when they have more recognizable traits.

__

Things are coming along well here I think. I have transplanted the two I started inside, out into their 7 gallon bags. Things have still been chilly at night... last night was 6c. I have been taking them inside in the warm house overnight to help them a bit. Also I have been using some milk jugs as "greenhouses" for when it is above 10c and I leave them outside for the night.

I germinated two more seeds as one of the 4 never popped. One other Auto Zam and a freebie Amnesia Auto that I received when I bought from the local distributor. Both popped however the Auto Zam seems to have gotten confused and made a break for it by exiting out the wrong side of the seed. The small leaves came out first instead of the taproot. The shell fell off completely as I examined it. I put it in soil and am still relatively confident it will come up.

The rest of my garden looks beautiful... all of the food crops seem to be thriving this year. The flowers have exploded in the last few weeks which is nice as well.

 

[RED 1]

Farmerlion,

Nice to hear you have germinated as well. Thanks for joining in. The Auto Malawi x Lebanese sounds like an excellent cross. I read on ACEs site that some of the Lebanese have auto flowering traits... I wonder if some of them will be true auto flowers in their first generation? Anyways Im sure they will be great for us more northern gardeners.

Dubi,

Thanks for stopping by! I would much appreciate your help identifying the plants with me when they have more recognizable traits.

__

Things are coming along well here I think. I have transplanted the two I started inside, out into their 7 gallon bags. Things have still been chilly at night... last night was 6c. I have been taking them inside in the warm house overnight to help them a bit. Also I have been using some milk jugs as "greenhouses" for when it is above 10c and I leave them outside for the night.

I germinated two more seeds as one of the 4 never popped. One other Auto Zam and a freebie Amnesia Auto that I received when I bought from the local distributor. Both popped however the Auto Zam seems to have gotten confused and made a break for it by exiting out the wrong side of the seed. The small leaves came out first instead of the taproot. The shell fell off completely as I examined it. I put it in soil and am still relatively confident it will come up.

The rest of my garden looks beautiful... all of the food crops seem to be thriving this year. The flowers have exploded in the last few weeks which is nice as well.

View Image

View Image

View Image

Beautiful and colourful

 

[MallardDuck]

Hi again,

Another small update. The weather took a turn for the worst this last week or so. I was forced to bring the plants inside for a few days as we had pouring rain and daily highs of around 9C. Based on how far along my plants are compared to others I worry that I may have stunted them. But I have to keep in mind that this year is all a learning experience for me. Not sure if bringing them inside was the right choice... I dont have artificial light to put them under in the mean time, at least not one that will fit over 7 gallon bags. I wonder if I got too eager in germinating my seedling and perhaps should have waited an extra week or so to give the plants a better chance at good weather.

The rogue Auto Zam seedling that made a break for it out the wrong side of the seed has fully recovered and I will move her from my seedling light to her final pot tonight after the heat of the day. She has been spending days outside and seems to like it. The other Auto Amnesia has sprouted but has not been able to pop its shell. I may take an exacto knife to it tonight... Perhaps I didnt plant the seed deep enough to proved the friction needed to shed the shell.

Other parts of my garden are looking nice... I will share a few photos of it as well.

 

[farmerlion]

Nice garden!
If you don't mind I will show one of my auto's here. The Auto Zamaldelica are going to be super special outdoors.
Peace brother

 

[farmerlion]

Hello Mallard

Hello Mallard

Here's one of my Auto Zamaldelica plants.


It's staying squat and getting bulky. I wish I had more greenhouses. I would like more of these for sure. Great job Dubi ! These are an amazing strain.
Peace farmerlion

 

[MallardDuck]

Glad to have you Farmerlion! Please post photos here as much as you wish. I am interested to see what other people are doing with the same strains I am growing.

 

[Ur Humbl Nr8tor]

Good luck, MD!

 

[Big M]

I'm watching one of each of Auto Zam and Auto Malawi NL in their last two weeks now, and so far they look like they are going to be amazing! The stickiness and aromas are off the chart for autos, and it looks like they will have a really nice yield. This is my first time with any Ace gear, and I've been so impressed with these two strains that I already reordered two packs of each a few weeks ago. I wish I could post some pics, because they are really starting to get colorful and plump. Both have a nice structure with good main colas and lots of productive side branches. The Malawi needed the side branches tied down and out to open it up to the light and air a little more than the Zam, but I tied some of the Zam branches down a bit too. Nice, non-larfy growth on the lower branches too. I think you're gonna love these. I know I am. Can't wait to taste them for the first time!

 

[dubi]

Welcome Big M,

Glad both Auto Malawi x NL and Auto Zamaldelica are performing great there
Thank you very much for your positive feedback

 

[MallardDuck]

Your getting me excited Big M! I have to say the fantastic descriptions on the ACE site are one of the things that made me choose ACE. Awesome to hear they are living up to expectations! Chime in later with a smoke report here or pictures if you want... I would love to hear it.

Im over here praying for the sun to peak out so my plants can get some sunlight! Been a rough start to the summer over here.

 

[Big M]

You're welcome Dubi. Both autos have been incredibly easy to manage and very forgiving while I get used to a new tent, new LED setup, and new nutes. Using a three HLG 135's running at 120 watts at the wall each in a 3x3 tent, growing in coco in three gallon fabric pots.

Mallard, I'll be sure to chime in with pics and smoke reports. Shouldn't take too long to get to 50 posts so I can post some pics. There will be an initial quick-dry smoke report within a couple days after cut, and I'll add a proper report after curing. The awesome descriptions and in depth strain info really appealed to me as well, and all the discussions here pushed me over the edge. So far, I am very happy with everything from Ace, and can't wait to pop some more beans! The sun will shine soon. Looking forward to seeing your plants in action too.

 

[MallardDuck]

I had a little visitor today!

 

[MallardDuck]

Hi everyone!

The weather has been a bit better for the last week and the girls have loved soaking up the sun! They have really taken off this past week and are starting to develop nicely I think.

It has been so nice I have ran out of fresh water from my rain barrel so I have had to start using tap water. I see a lot of people spending lots of money buying reverse osmosis systems and money on fancy dechloranating products from the hydro store, but there is a better solution IMO. I just use pure Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) to take chloramine out of my tap water. Much cheaper and has the added benefit of bringing the PH of my water down to about the right level. I have been doing this in my garden for a few years now and the plants seem to like it. Its about 15$ for a bottle and lasts me a couple seasons of watering my whole garden.

Here is an article from the US Department of Agriculture detailing the chemical reaction and how Ascobic Acid can be used to decholrinate water. It deals with both chlorine and chloramine. Just a bit of information I thought might be useful to some people.

https://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/html/05231301/05231301.html

Anyways the plants are coming up 4 weeks since sprout. I anticipate that they will begin flower in the next week or so. The small one (An Auto Zam) is about 2 weeks behind the others as it was planted later. I thought I saw some minor bug damage on one so I sprayed them all down with insecticidal soap and put down some dichotomous earth. I would rather deal with it now before it becomes a problem.

Lots of bees bumbling around my garden... its one of the main reasons I take such pleasure in keeping many flowers in my yard. Save the bees!

 

[Big M]

Looking good MallardDuck!

I have been waiting for a little amber to cut, and it looks like a couple more days would get my Auto Zamaldelica there, and a few more for the Auto Malawi. Unfortunately I had to chop tonight. The Malawi's main cola was filled with botrytis, and the Auto Zam had a little in its main cola too. Talk about a bummer. Not a total loss, as the rest of the plants look mold free. We will see after the initial drying I guess.

Don't let my misfortune discourage you though. I was pretty much asking for it to happen. Too many plants in a 3x3 tent and too many spores in the environment in the first place. Time for a new house I think. The basement is wet as often as it isn't. The roof leaked in the winter, feeding who knows what in the attic as far as mold goes. I haven't been able to keep my day and night temps within 10 degrees, more like 15 degrees difference. On top of that, I think it is just too prevalent around my house. All of my outdoor plots were hit hard with botrytis last fall too; lost about half the harvest. Even my late summer autos took a big hit, but not as bad as the fall harvest. I've never had such bad luck with mold at any other place before. Looks like it might be time to give up until I can find a better place that isn't swimming in spores.

Anyhow, I have high hopes for the uninfected buds. They really are looking great, and there is a lot of usable material left to enjoy.

 

[Ur Humbl Nr8tor]

Hi everyone!

The weather has been a bit better for the last week and the girls have loved soaking up the sun! They have really taken off this past week and are starting to develop nicely I think.

It has been so nice I have ran out of fresh water from my rain barrel so I have had to start using tap water. I see a lot of people spending lots of money buying reverse osmosis systems and money on fancy dechloranating products from the hydro store, but there is a better solution IMO. I just use pure Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) to take chloramine out of my tap water. Much cheaper and has the added benefit of bringing the PH of my water down to about the right level. I have been doing this in my garden for a few years now and the plants seem to like it. Its about 15$ for a bottle and lasts me a couple seasons of watering my whole garden.

Here is an article from the US Department of Agriculture detailing the chemical reaction and how Ascobic Acid can be used to decholrinate water. It deals with both chlorine and chloramine. Just a bit of information I thought might be useful to some people.

https://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/html/05231301/05231301.html

Anyways the plants are coming up 4 weeks since sprout. I anticipate that they will begin flower in the next week or so. The small one (An Auto Zam) is about 2 weeks behind the others as it was planted later. I thought I saw some minor bug damage on one so I sprayed them all down with insecticidal soap and put down some dichotomous earth. I would rather deal with it now before it becomes a problem.

Lots of bees bumbling around my garden... its one of the main reasons I take such pleasure in keeping many flowers in my yard. Save the bees!

View Image

View Image

View Image

What’s the hardness of your source water? Like the idea of vitamin C, but my source is pretty high ppm even with under sink can filter. So pH And chloramine aren’t the only issues.

 

[MallardDuck]

Big M

Sorry to hear about your botrytis problems. Glad to hear you have been able to recover some and it wasn't a total loss... that would be heartbreaking.

Ur Humbl Nr8tor

The PPM of my water source is about 170ppm. TBH PPM is not something I usually worry about as I have never used bottled nutrients.