My autos at 18 days outdoors. Am I screwed?

[slapdaddy2112]

My autos got off to a cool wet and cloudy start outdoors. The first two weeks after breaking the surface it was real shitty weather. Check out these pics. They seem pretty small based on what I have seen posted online at the same point. How screwed am I considering these were taken 18 days after sprouting? Critical Jack, Sweettooth, Think Different, Afgan Kush Ryder. FYI. Do outdoor auto grows progress slower than indoors under a 20/4 light cycle?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

That's not good but it's not awful. From my past experience, you should start auto's indoors until they show sex. By then, the plants are big enough and the stress of being transferred doesn't hurt much. Usually by day 18 my autos are at least 6-8 inches and 6-10 nodes.

How much direct sunlight are they getting? Is it 18 days since they popped the soil or since they were put in soil?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

What kind of soil are you using? Autos do best in a really light soil. If the roots aren't growing fast enough the plant isn't going to grow fast enough and you will lose out on size.

 

[Sandnut]

Don't worry they are fine, they will probably wield alot less because of the poor growth at these stages and also it might extend their growth cycle abit but you'll get bud nonetheless, be careful of rainyweather towards the end of your harvest-

 

[daylighting]

Autos really seem to dislike having their feet wet. I have some indoors that are around the same age that are a little further along, but had to be flushed twice (fungus gnats and then pH issues). I'm not expecting much from them. One of my plants has four nodes, all within 1/2" of the cotyledon leaves!

 

[slapdaddy2112]

18 days since they popped up. they are now getting about 10 hrs of direct sunlight when the weather allows. We have a dry spell coming our way so I am hopeful.

 

[slapdaddy2112]

Happy frog

 

[Mr Jay]

Autos do better when started inside under 20/4 then get moved out when they sex. Cool weather and part day sun means they're going to be small. Once autos are stunted, they're stunted for good. This isn't to say that they won't get a little bigger and reward you with a little pot, but your girls aren't going to reach a glorious size.

If you have the means to start them indoors it's really recommended. The happy frog is great for them, they love it for sure. Make sure not to feed them until they have developed at least two or three true leaf sets. With the happy frog I wouldn't even feed them until they sex if those are two or three gallon pots. When you do feed them start at 1/4 strength, then move up as they ask for more.

Fair warning on the sweet tooth auto, it's been known to not auto at all.

 

[slapdaddy2112]

Thats what I was afraid of. I thought that maybe they would catch up. I guess we will just ride it out and see what happens. Thanks to everyone who chimed in.

 

[Mr Jay]

keep them going for sure! If you have more seed you might want to start them now and more a couple of weeks later, that way you can find the sweet spot for starting autos outside where you live. Making auto seeds is easy peasy and gives you a lot to play with, and play is how we learn.

 

[slapdaddy2112]

Thx Mr Jay. I have 6 different strains of non-autos going in next week. This was my attempt at a early July snack. I will post pics from time to time. Have a good-un.

 

[Mr Jay]

You too! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be rewarded with holdover buds. I'm puffing on my holdover stunted right now.

 

[browntrout]

Shoulda Waited till late june/july. Everything grows better then. Plants that are planted then rather than may in my climate can finish near the same weight. The ones started later are much more vigorous and healthy.. FYI

 

[daylighting]

Just read a thread from an outdoor auto grower whose plants were stunted for over a month due to low temps. Well, they're vegging like normal again and haven't begun flowering just yet. There's still hope for our babies.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Shoulda Waited till late june/july. Everything grows better then. Plants that are planted then rather than may in my climate can finish near the same weight. The ones started later are much more vigorous and healthy.. FYI

Not necessarily. The optimum time to put autos outdoors is in the third week of May. It's when the days are longest and the plants get 15.5 hours of daylight. Mine have been outdoors since the end of April but I always plan on two outdoors harvest a year for autos. The plants done in the second half of summer are always more fluffy than the ones done in the beginning.

 

[browntrout]

Not necessarily. The optimum time to put autos outdoors is in the third week of May. It's when the days are longest and the plants get 15.5 hours of daylight. Mine have been outdoors since the end of April but I always plan on two outdoors harvest a year for autos. The plants done in the second half of summer are always more fluffy than the ones done in the beginning.

Yeah That's why i said my climate, plants stated later can flower quicker too. end of may sounds right bellow 45th. What exactly are the differences that you've noted between both?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Thicker buds compared to fluffy buds. No much mass to them when they go out in the last week of june.

 

[aridbud]

It's been a week since you posted the pics. Are they starting to come out of self induced slow growth? I've had experiences where veg stage was slow, then during flower stage, vigor happened outside, semi-dreary weather!!!
Hoping there's a burst of rapid growth with heavy buds in your future.

 

[slapdaddy2112]

Slapdaddy's autos a week later

Slapdaddy's autos a week later

Here they are about a week later. Lots of progress. Can you tell if they have started flowering? They seem to be lighter green than my non-auto plants. Is that typical? Also, I was thinking about putting them in the ground so I don't have to water as often. My thought was to slice the grow bags vertically (about 10 to 12 cuts in the bag) and cut most of the bottom out of the bag, then just plant bag and all. Back fill with more happy frog. I am thinking that would be less stress. Please tell me if you think I am fucking up.

 

[Jhhnn]

My indoor autoflowers thrive on warmth & light, so it's probably a mistake to start them outdoors before they'll get a lot of that in their race against their autoflowering biological clock. I'd considered that the first of June would probably be good here in Denver to take advantage of the long day lengths & warm weather.

If moving yours into the ground would make for easier care, I don't think it would hurt.

If you have more seeds, consider planting them in a week or so...