Cannabis Auto in Hydroponic Growing System Kit

Introduction

Growing autoflowering cannabis in hydroponic systems is an efficient way to achieve high-quality buds in small spaces. This article explores using the AquaSoil system to optimize plant growth from germination to harvest. We provide a step-by-step guide, nutrient feeding tips, and insights from our experiment.

As a grower, I have always looked for ways to innovate and have fun.. Let’s do an experiment.

As many of us know, the quality of an indoor-grown bud is often superior to that of an outdoor grow. However, setting up an indoor grow room requires time and money. So, I wondered, how can we mimic this quality in a simple way?

Some time ago, devices called “Hydroponic Growing System Kits” started to become popular. Among the most well-known are the AeroGarden and iDoo, but there are several dozen brands currently on the market, with prices ranging from $60 to $149. I have had some of them for a while… they are very effective for growing leafy greens like spinach, pak choi, arugula, and also some cherry tomatoes or even strawberries. They are very easy to use and look great in the kitchen or living room.

So, I wondered, can you grow cannabis in a cheap Hydroponic Growing System kit? Is this system capable of producing good indoor-quality buds? Is the light sufficient to generate resin?

Growing Autoflowering Cannabis on a Small Scale

This cultivation method is accessible to anyone with basic knowledge, knowledge that I want to share here so that, if you are reading this, you can replicate my experience. I will try to explain the most important steps, and if something is not clear, we can discuss it in the comments.

Introduction to the “Hydroponic Growing System”

As mentioned above, for some time now, there have been various types of hydroponic systems on the market, with the most well-known being the AeroGarden and the iDOO. I have tested several of them, and for growing autoflowering cannabis, the one that worked best for me was one of the most affordable, the “AquaSoil” brand, with a 3.8L tank and an LED panel with a surprisingly good light spectrum.

The system can support up to 12 plants and it has 3 light modes (germination stage, vegetative, and flowering), each with a different light intensity. The water tank has a recirculating pump that automatically turns on every half hour to keep the roots oxygenated, where we also add the fertilizers to feed the plants.

The brand includes two bottles of nutrients, A and B, and depending on the stage of the plants, the appropriate amount of fertilizer is added.

While the factory-supplied nutrients work well for a wide variety of vegetables, for growing cannabis we need to use a higher quality fertilizer.

For this experiment, we will use the FloraSeries pack from General Hydroponics.

The 3 liters of this product cost about 40 dollars, which will be enough for about 45 experiments like the ones we propose here.

Ideally, you should track the nutrients with electrical conductivity (EC or PPM) and pH meters. However, in this case, we will conduct the experiment by following the quantities we will share here, so you don’t need to buy extra equipment and can have a first experience with the basics. Give it a try!

Why Did I Choose Autoflowering Cannabis?

Autoflowering cannabis is special: as we know, it doesn’t depend on changes in light cycles to flower and has a quick life cycle. This trait made it ideal to maximize the use of the continuous light from the hydroponic system, which can stay on for up to 20 hours a day and, above all, it is not affected by the lack of darkness. This makes it perfect if we want to place our system in the kitchen, living room, bedroom, or wherever we like.

If we were using a photoperiod strain, we would need a minimum of 12 hours of darkness for almost 2 months, and it would be a shame not to be able to see our little work of art for longer.

I must say that the system, with its plant flowering, is visually mesmerizing, so you will likely want to find a spot in your home where it is completely visible.

Which Autoflowering Strain to Use?

I recommend taking a moment at this point; we are looking for a compact, fast-flowering plant, and not all plants will adapt to the desired characteristics. If you already have some autoflower seeds, use them and experiment! Now, if you haven’t bought any yet, here is a very short list of those that I can recommend for our experiment, all from the 2fast4buds seed bank:

Orange Sherbet Auto

Is an ideal choice for due to its resilience and low maintenance needs. This strain thrives in various conditions and requires minimal intervention, making it perfect for both novice and experienced growers. Its robust structure.. additionally, its strong citrus aroma and high resin production.

Gorilla Cookies Auto

Its robust structure and resistance to common growing issues ensure a smooth growing process, while its high THC content and dense, resin-covered buds offer exceptional quality and potency.

Apple Strudel Auto

My choice.. Its balanced Sativa-Indica genetics ensure a stable and robust plant, while its delicious sweet and sour apple flavors add to the appeal. This strain’s ease of growth and high-quality results make it a perfect choice for hydroponic setups.

The Great Challenge: Growth Control

A common difficulty when growing cannabis in hydroponic systems is its rapid and often uncontrollable growth. I have been researching to find similar experiences using this type of system and found what I suspected: several cases where the plants end up hitting the lights (or even surpassing them), which clearly doesn’t work for us as we won’t be able to achieve normal bud development.

To solve this, I decided to do a little hack: only perform the flowering stage in the hydroponic system.

The vegetative stage is done in a small pot, where we ensure the plant has a controllable size.

Can’t the whole cycle be done from seed in the kitchen hydroponic system?

Yes, it can, but it requires more work. At this moment, I am finishing the documentation of an experience from seed, where to control the growth, we worked directly with root pruning at specific times (bonsai technique), and a lot of LST to give it the necessary structure. We will have it soon on autoflowerx.com.

However, it does take a bit more time. I recommend starting a first experience in the way I propose here, which is much simpler.

Now, let’s get to the important part: the step-by-step guide to growing quality cannabis in an AquaSoil.

Let’s Get to Work

What do we need?

• A Hydro Kit
• Hydroponic fertilizer
• A basic substrate for the vegetative cycle
• A small pot
• An autoflowering seed

Step 1: Start our plant in a small pot.

We plant our auto seed in a 5-liter pot with the purchased substrate. Since we will only be doing the vegetative cycle and the first week of flowering in this pot, our plant will only need water and some direct sunlight, but not too much. If we can place it by a window or somewhere it gets at least 4 hours of direct sunlight, that will be more than enough.

The idea of this process is to obtain a small plant. It’s also a good idea at this point to spray with some preventive products, both for insects and fungi.

Step 2: Transfer our plant to the hydroponic system.

We assemble our system, fill the water tank with tap water, and transfer the plant from the pot to the hydroponic system.

This is the messiest step, but it’s not difficult at all. At first glance, it may seem like we’re going to destroy the plant, as we’ll lose many roots when removing the substrate and leaving the roots bare.

When doing this transplant, we will lose almost 60-70% of the roots, but this is not a problem. I repeat, it is not a problem.

The remaining roots need to be placed in the plastic basket of the hydroponic system, and it should look similar to the photo. Then, we just need to transfer it to our hydroponic system and place it in the center of the device to make the most of the space.

Ideally, the remaining 11 spaces should be covered with black tape or something that blocks the light, as light interaction with the solution can generate algae. While algae is not fatal to our beloved plant, it can hinder its growth as it competes for nutrients. On this occasion, I left the plastic germination domes for aesthetic reasons.

The important thing is that the plant is well secured to the system. Initially, we can use a wire or something similar from the stem to the light support to keep it firm, especially during the first few weeks when it will have almost no roots. You can also take the opportunity to remove some leaves that are blocking branch tips, which will be future buds, allowing better light penetration.

Step 3: System Setup

From the first day our plant is in the system, we will set the light mode to “bloom,” which is the strongest light, at 100% intensity.

The distance between the LED panel and the tip of our plant should be about 5-10 cm.

How long should we keep it on? As long as you can. In my case, I had it very close to where I slept, so I turned it off at night and turned it back on in the morning, giving about 16 hours of light daily. But if you can provide 20 hours daily (this can be set automatically), even better.

Step 4: Feeding

The idea is to start with a few days without nutrients to stimulate the plant to develop new roots. After a few days (about 5), we will start feeding gradually, once a week, until we reach a point where we stop feeding and let the plant finish maturing, consuming the remaining resources. We will now look at this in detail, counting day 1 from when we transplanted to the hydroponic system.

In this table, I have calculated the specific feeding schedule for an auto plant at this stage and for this device with a 3.8-liter tank. This is what I used:

	Day 1	Day 5	Day 12	Day 19	Day 26	Rest
FloraMicro (ML/tank)	0	5.3	6.1	5.3	3.8	0
FloraGro (ML/tank)	0	4.6	5.3	5.3	3.8	0
FloraBloom (ML/tank)	0	6.0	6.8	7.6	4.6	0

Day 1:

We do not add nutrients, at least not for the first 5 days. We do this because having nutrients from the beginning can delay the development of new roots, which is our next goal. So for these first few days, only water without nutrients.

Day 5:

We start fertilizing, adding a total of 16 milliliters of fertilizer, which is composed as follows. We recommend following this order:

• FloraMicro: 5.4 ml
• FloraGro: 4.6 ml
• FloraBloom: 6.0 ml

As the days go by, the water level will decrease (due to evaporation and absorption by the plant). When this happens, we add tap water to balance the level back to 3.8 liters.

Day 12:

We increase the amount of minerals a bit so that the bud starts developing more quickly. In total, we add 18.2 milliliters.

• FloraMicro: 6.1 ml
• FloraGro: 5.3 ml
• FloraBloom: 6.8 ml

As always, as the days go by, when the water level decreases, we add clean water to balance it back to 3.8 liters.

Day 19:

At this point, we already have root development again.

We reduce some of the vegetative base and micronutrients to increase the potassium and phosphorus found in FloraBloom, aiming for a final growth spurt. Again, we add 18.2 ml of nutrients, but now distributed as follows:

• FloraMicro: 5.3 ml
• FloraGro: 5.3 ml
• FloraBloom: 7.6 ml

We monitor the water level.

Day 26:

We provide the last dose of nutrients, this time milder, totaling 12.2 ml

• FloraMicro: 3.8 ml
• FloraGro: 3.8 ml
• FloraBloom: 4.6 ml

And once this last dose of nutrients is added, we will continue with only water until harvest, probably for another week or week and a half.

The idea is for the plant to consume all the remaining nutrients in both the hydroponic solution and its internal nutritional reserves (such as in the leaves). So after a week of this last dose, it is likely that we will see the leaves turn yellow and die, which is fine and healthy.

Harvest

The big question: when is the right time to harvest? We will be guided, as in conventional cultivation, by the color of the trichomes. As we know, trichomes will first be transparent (almost no cannabinoid content), then they will turn milky white (ideal point for a more euphoric effect), and after some time, they will turn amber (more relaxing effect).

Even if you try to see them up close, it is very difficult to know just by looking. For this, I always recommend having a magnifying glass on hand that you can connect to your phone to magnify the image. It should look like this:

I believe that anyone who grows, and due to the low price, needs to have some lens for magnification. It is a great help at various stages of cultivation.

Drying and Curing

Once the whole plant is cut, we leave it in a dark place for at least the first 5 days (this way we avoid the cells continuing to produce chlorophyll, which affects the taste) and the most (super) important thing is that it is well-ventilated.

This is crucial because otherwise, we risk mold formation on the buds. If we can control the humidity, it should be around 50% for a slow and gradual drying process.

To keep the place ventilated, a good idea is to use a fan, but it should not point directly at the buds as this could affect the final product quality (trichomes are very sensitive glands and can detach with direct air movement).

Final Weight

Drum roll………………… 12.6 grams of indoor-quality buds is the final result.

And this was an experiment with just one plant. I believe the system can comfortably accommodate 3 plants (or I would even like to try it with 12 mini plants). So, if we maximize the space, we could potentially harvest around 24-26 grams, which is not bad at all for such a small space and an inexpensive system, not to mention how beautiful the process is.

Experiment Results

The plant’s adaptation to the hydroponic system was an intriguing process. After a week of adjustments, the plant began to show renewed vitality, with impressive root development and dense buds rich in trichomes. In less than two months, the harvest resulted in a compact and robust plant, with more than interesting quality.

Next Steps

I am currently developing a more comprehensive project where I carry out the entire life cycle of cannabis, from seed to harvest, using exclusively the hydroponic system. I also want to try growing 12 plants, maximizing the system’s capacity. I hope to be able to share the results soon.

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